Happy Friday everyone! I hope your weeks have been lovely.
Today I'm sharing a super easy DIY that I made for Evie's birthday. It definitely doesn't have to be just for a birthday party though- there are numerous possibilities. You could dip-dye them (what I wanted to do before I ran out of time/energy), glitter them, dye them with coffee grounds, make single, super full flowers....but I went simple this time around. I may make another one to hang in E's room- now that I've gotten one round under my belt.
But first, I want to share a few shots of Evie's birthday party! She turned two a few weeks ago and since she didn't get to have a party when she turned one (I know...mommy guilt...but I had just found out about Mara and morning sickness got the best of me) I wanted to make it special.
We invited a few friends over, made chili (the ultimate cheap meal), banana bread and carrot cake muffins and celebrated little E.
How do people successfully host a party AND take a billion photos? I definitely didn't take enough, but at least there's proof that it happened.
Typically, Evie doesn't like opening presents. I know....whose child is this?! In the past, she would cry, refuse to open them, or just be indifferent. This time though, I think I prepared her enough and hyped it up and she was excited to open them.
WHERE did my baby go?!
She LOVED her new baby with a doctor kit. She went around the rest of the night listening to everyone's hearts (so much so that the batteries ran out the next day!) She also got a sweet copy of Shel Silverstein poems (one of my favorites!), lots of arts and craft stuff, a Christmas movie and some adorable clothes that I wish I could fit into. Birthdays are the best.
And now on to the DIY! Thanks for bearing with me- I just had to share :)
Here's what you'll need: (be prepared- its a long list)
- Coffee filters (I used two "sections" of the package to make 6 flowers, but you can use as many as you need!)
- Spray bottle filled with water
- String, yarn, wire or something to hang it with (not pictured)
- Stapler (not pictured)
- Needle to string them with
Here's what you do:
Step one: Wet your coffee filters using the spray bottle and throw them in the dryer! It helps to divide them into two or three at a time and just spray them enough to dampen them. This will get out the "ridges" and make a flatter circle.
The top two photos are obviously BEFORE I sprayed and dried them. The bottom two are after the dryer- as you can tell, some of them are flatter than others. The wetter you get them, the less ridges there will be.
Step two: grab three filters (or however many you want to use per flower) and fold the first one in half twice like this:
Then, grab another filter and fold it in half around the first one.
Take your third filter, fold it in half and wrap it around the other side of the first filter, creating a full looking flower.
I know its hard to see, but really, these are hard to mess up!
Step three: staple the bottoms together.
Step four: combine bunches by stapling them together- if you want big flowers.
Step five: using your needle, string them along the thread. I tied a knot after each flower to ensure it didn't slide around. Decide how far you want to space them apart and tie it there.
Step six: hang it up!