DIY Wonderland Decorations

Hi, ladies! Did you notice the backgrounds in our winter lookbook? Here's how we created our wonderland atmosphere, with the collaboration of Summer from Grey Likes Weddings and art direction/photography by Stephanie Williams. We hope you can use these ideas or find inspiration for your wedding or birthday photo booths, engagement photo shoots, holiday cards, party decor, or whatever else your creative heart desires.

Yarn Balls




1. Blow up balloons to different sizes, and try to mold them into spheres as you blow them up. We used regular party balloons that you can find at the store, but you can search online for larger balloons as well. Tie the balloons instead of knotting them.

2. Mix Elmers Glue (the basic white glue) with water in a bowl. We recommend adding a little bit of water at a time so prevent the mixture from becoming too thin. The end result should be similar to the consistency of paint.

3. This next step is just like paper mache. Pick out any yarn of your choice and dip the yarn into the glue mixture. Wrap the yarn around the balloons until you've reached your desired look.

4. Hang the wrapped balloons from the knot to dry. It may take a day or two for them to dry completely. Once dry, the balloons will fill stiff.

5. Try to separate the balloon from the yarn by pushing the balloon. Slowly let the air out of the balloons by untying the tie (rather than popping them) and continue to gently separate the yarn from the balloon's surface.

Tah-dah! You now have amazing and unique decorations.

Mixed Media Streamers





For this background we hung parchment paper and rolled it down to the floor. In front of it, we hung tulle, cotton fabric, coffee filters, and confetti streamers.

1. Cut the tulle into strips varying thickness. Hang the strips as they are or tie random knots to add interest. To add volume, string fishing line through the tulle, tie a knot, scrunch up the fabric, and tie another knot to keep the tulle puffy and in place.

2. Here's the easiest step! Cut any cotton fabric of your choice into strips. Mix it up with patterns and textured fabric.

3. String fishing line through the coffee filters and tie a knot in the line wherever you want filters to stop. Play around with the spacing for interest.

4. The confetti streamers can be found in any party supply section. You can twist, scrunch, or leave the streamers as they are. Let your creativity soar with this step.




And that's it! You've created your own wonderland atmosphere. We'd love to see photos if you end up trying out any of these tips!

Love,
Ruche

Ruche DIY - Post It Wall + Chalkboard Wall

I meant to do a DIY post for the backgrounds we used for the "Autumn in Session" Lookbook. Guess what we used for the checkered background? Post It notes!! We used light yellow Staples branded post it notes and pastel orange "Post It" notes. For the brown tones, we had cut out construction paper or scrapbook paper since Post It notes didn't come in these colors. You can switch it up with other colors as well! It is an easy and creative way to decorate a plain wall.




For our second background, we painted a wall with chalkboard paint, which you can get at your local hardware/paint store. This was inspired by the awesome chalkboard wall from "500 Days of Summer". I didn't know how fun it was to have a chalkboard wall! You can still decorate your wall with shelves, picture frames, etc..just like any wall.




Other post it note wall inspirations:




Other chalkboard wall inspirations:

Our winner and more of Do-it-yourself outfits!

Hello girls, I hope you all enjoyed your late-in-bed Saturday. That is something you deserve after a long week of work. Let your beauty rejuvenate and get up fresh.

Today, we announce the winner for our Go wild and Free, Get your accessory! contest sponsored by our dear New York Design Shop.

And the winner is ... ... ... Cafe Fashionista! Congratulations Erika. I'm heading to your site to inform you. You won an accessory of your choice.

A big thank you to all who participated in our giveaway contest. I really appreciate every comment you made. Very much!

And as a thank you to our sponsor, let us once again take a look at what especially NYDS has got for us?

They are a shop that sells fashion accesories such as belts, necklaces, headbands, hats, belts, scarves, gloves, pins and bracelets. They also have a wide variety of trendy apparels and most especially, they offer tons of DIY guides which enable you to top your creativity in fashion. For every material that you'd need for your new do-it-yourself project, you are rest assured that you can as well avail them from the shop.

Here's one of the DIY projects that I would love to do-it myself.

Have a great weekend everyone :)

DIY - Wall Decor from Ruche's Lookbook

Hi Ladies,
I've finally had a chance to put together this DIY post from Ruche's first Spring lookbook. Sorry for the delay! Everything is extremely easy and can spruce up any plain wall in your home.

1. Floral wall made out of butcher paper

Stephanie got a roll of butcher paper and we were debating what do to with it. The night before the photo shoot, the Ruche team decided to make paper flowers and taped it to the wall. It was inspired by the book "paper chains and garlands" by June Gilbank that my husband picked up from Barnes and Nobles weeks before, hoping to one day use it..indeed we did! See instructions below.




We made different shaped and sized flowers out of butcher paper. For this particular wall, we covered the wall with butcher paper first, and then taped the flowers to it. This method could be used on a smaller scale and can be framed in a boxed picture frame too! You can also mix it up with different colored papers. BE CREATIVE!


2. Book paper mache wall

We picked up some used cheap paper back books at the thrift store. You don't necessary need old antique books, just books with pages with a yellow tint. (If you're wondering, we used Secret Garden, 3 Ninjas, and some other one. haha) We used a paint roller to roll "Sta-Fold" (liquid starch that use for iron clothes) all over the wall, stuck old book papers on wall, and rolled another coat of "Sta-fold". Work one section at a time. Wait for it to dry..and TADA!



To make the shelves out of books, you just pick a book you want to use as a shelf, put l-brackets through it, and screw it to the wall. Instead of stacking more books on it, you can substitute with pictures frames, vases, and more!




3. Natural Peel-able Wallpaper


You can make a cornstarch paste that can be used to paste fabric on your walls. The cool thing is that you can easily peel off the fabric and change it up. Recycle your fabric by putting it in the wash and you have the same fabric you started with.

Cornstarch paste is easy to make and works well for both wallpaper and papier mâché. Make one batch at a time to avoid lumps in the paste. For one gallon of paste, sift one cup of cornstarch into a large pot. Slowly add one gallon of hot tap water a little at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition of water with a wire whisk. Heat the mixture on medium high heat on the stove, stirring constantly, until it thickens and becomes clear. Let the paste cool to room temperature for use. Instructions take here and here . As for the bottom section, the boys (Stephanie's hubby and mine) looked up how to install wainscotting and went at it. It turned out great!

4. Antique looking wooden floors
Stephanie introduced me to milk paint and I love it. Looks like I'll be painting EVERYTHING with milk paint. If you want that old antique finish on your furniture, milk paint is an excellent solution.


For our lookbook, the boys made this floor out of 2x4 wood blocks and we painted it with "oyster white" milk paint.

Hope you enjoyed our DIY post. If you ever get to using any of these ideas, I'd LOVE to see pictures!!!

-Mai