DIY Nursery Decor: Gold-Dipped Feather Mobile

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We have a guest post today from Ashley McIntosh, a wonderful mother of 4, who has some amazing DIY talent. We loved her latest feather mobile project so much, we asked her to share all the how-to details here – yay for you {and us}, she agreed! Thanks, Ashley.

I recently DIYed this gorgeous white and gold feather mobile for my sweet baby boy’s nursery. It’s not complicated to make and I think it turned out quite beautifully!  Hope you enjoy!

To begin, you will need the following things, most of which can be picked up at your local craft store:

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  • leather/suede or jute cord – I used “suede lace” in beige 1/8 inches thick
  • white feathers in various sizes (or another color of your choosing)
  • 1 metallic gold acrylic paint
  • paint brush
  • painters tape
  • 10 inch metal ring
  • small gold spray paint (unless you buy a gold ring)
  • transparent string – I used one with 8lb. strength

Directions:

First, spray your metal ring with the gold spray paint on both sides and let dry.

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Next, lay out the feathers that you will use and tape down with the painters tape, leaving about 2 inches to paint gold. Paint each end with the gold paint and let dry.
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Remove tape, flip over, tape down and paint the other side and let dry. (You don’t have to use the painters tape, but it helps hold the feather in place and provides a nice clean line.)

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While your feathers are drying, you may start your dream weaving pattern with your leather and ring.  Cut a long strand of your leather and tie in a knot on the ring.  Pull the strand tight and tie across the ring in any spot.  Trim the leather and then repeat this process making any random “dream weaver” design of your choosing.
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Now you want to tie your transparent string to your ring to make a hanger for the mobile.  This step will make it easier to attach your feathers, and not make a tangled mess that leaves you wishing you’d never started this DIY project. Hind site is 20/20…Ha!  So, attach four strands at your desired length (this will depend on how tall your ceilings are) equal distance apart on your ring, so that it creates a balanced hanger.  Tie all four strands in a knot, trim and use a clear thumb tack to attach to the ceiling.
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Now, your feathers should be dry and you are ready to assemble your mobile!  Tie your transparent string, at various lengths, to the ends of your feathers.  Then tie those strings to various places around the ring and throughout the center of your dream catcher design. I personally used 12 feathers on my mobile.
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You are done and should have a gorgeous mobile for your home, nursery or kid’s room!

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Photography via Ashley McIntosh

DIY Air Plant Holder

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If you have a real Christmas tree you decorated this year, you’re 1. likely vacuuming pine needles daily like Jessica, and 2. about to recycle your tree.

Before you get rid of the tree forever, if you can, slice the trunk into discs. You can use them for so many crafts projects, but additionally, you can make a DIY air plant holder in less than 5 minutes. It makes for a great gift.

Materials:

  • air plant
  • wood discs/slices
  • gold pushpins
  • leather

Directions:

  • Place the air plant on the wood slice and measure the length the leather needs to be.
  • Cut the leather.
  • Insert the push pins into both ends of the leather into the wood slice.
  • Place the air plant through the leather holder.
  • You can drill a small hole through the top of the wood slice if you want to hang the air pant holder. Or, you can use Command strips on the back for damage-free hanging.

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Joyful Holiday Photo Shoot

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We just realized we never shared one of our first and favorite photo shoots on the blog. It’s a favorite because we were able to work with our friend and photographer, Meredith Moran Photography, and because amongst all the pretty red and white details, our children were running around in the background at our parents house. It was a lot of chaos, but also a lot of laughter, and if you can laugh in the midst of the chaos, that can be a good thing.

We hope you make the DIY peppermint tray this Christmas season and find the time experience pure joy, just like the marquee lights by Saddleshoe Designs reminds us to do.

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Vendor Love:
Photography: Meredith Moran Photography | Marquee Lights: Saddleshoe Signs | Tabletop Accessories and Stationery: Fleur de Lis, a paperie 

DIY Floral Antlers

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Let’s talk about potential for just a brief minute. We all have potential for greatness. You may have realized your true potential {good for you}, or maybe you are still trying to figure it out {welcome to the club}.

I hope in this one, precious gift we call life, I can dig deep inside and let my best self shine. How the heck am I going to do it? I’ll start by being a bright light for others, surrounding myself with friends and family who are only going to lift me up, stay really close with the good Man upstairs, and have the courage to live my best life. It’s not going to be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. And, this is most definitely worthwhile.

How do you realize your fullest potential?

I know, I know – somewhat deep for a Friday, but as I worked on this trash to treasure project, I thought about the word ‘potential’ and the importance of it in my own life. Before I give up on someone, something, and me, I need to just be in a place of love, and remember the potential that lies within all of us.

These antlers are the trash to treasure project I’m referring to. Originally part of a broken candle centerpiece, and in the trash pile, I knew they had potential. With a little paint and TLC, these antlers are now pretty in pink…and gold.

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Here’s how I did it.

You’ll Need:

  • Faux antlers
  • Spray paint
  • Gold leaf paint
  • Flowers and greenery {I found mine at Pier1}
  • Hot glue gun

Step 1: Remove old wax, dirt from the antlers.

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Step 2: Spray paint the antlers heirloom white {paint from Home Depot}.

Step 3: Paint the tips gold.

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Step 4: Hot glue flowers and greenery in place.

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Right now, the DIY floral antlers are sitting pretty on Gabriella’s new desk, but they will be put to good use as a DIY floral antlers necklace display, or decor on the wall.

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Cheers to re-purposing…and, of course living your best life.

Beautiful words of advice by Cinderella so thoughtfully designed by HelloTosha.

 

Design a Beautiful Nursery on a Budget

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Babies are expensive, but that doesn’t mean their room has to be, too. We love the nursery Mila Mae, the newest {and beautiful} addition to our large Italian family, calls home. Sweet Mila has a lovely, special place to call her own, and her mom is sharing the details with us. Kerri designed a pretty room for Mila, without maxing out the credit card. Win, win!

Her nursery is clean and white with touches of pink…and we love it.

Here’s how you can do it, too.

1. Shop at Ikea.
We all love the affordability and chic design to be found in the never-ending aisles at Ikea. Kerr’s ombré baskets are from Ikea. They are functional because they hold toys, book and stuffed animals, but they also add the perfect pop of color for a princess’s room. The little white flower-pot tins on the dresser are also from Ikea. They help Kerri organize everything! On the dresser, she holds hand sanitizer, diaper ointment, baby powder, etc. in them.
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2. Incorporate family heirlooms.
Kerri incorporated her grandma’s dresser in Mila’s room, which holds sentimental value for her. She updated it with several coats of white paint, and painted the knobs gold. Another special touch is the dress hanging from the gold hanger next to the crib. It’s Kerri’s mothers dress she wore when she was a baby. A piece of 3 generations of women from the same family lives inside those 4 walls! The ultra-glam gold sequins hanger is from The Golden Gurl via Etsy.

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3. Add DIY details.
We love DIY details, and although Kerri said she is not a big DIYer, she did manage to spray paint dollar store animals with gold spray paint. Animals are a favorite for little kids, so with the DIY gold animals, Kerri added a childhood favorite with a touch of glam.
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4. Buy handmade items from Etsy.
Handmade items add warmth and authenticity to a nursery, plus it’s always great to support small shops. The driftwood wall hanging with tissue paper tassels is from Fleur Lux and the beautiful gold pillows in the crib are from Kerri’s talented friend at Bright July.
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5. Incorporate color, texture and culture from travels. 
The world is a grand and beautiful place with bright colors and a vast array of textures, so it’s nice to bring memorabilia from various cultures home. Plus, its unique decor that can’t be found anywhere else. The authentic Mexican blanket hanging from the side of the crib was a gift Kerri’s parents brought back from Mexico. The impact is big, but the price tag was little – the blanket was just $5.

Thanks for sharing your room with us today, Kerri {Marco and Mila, too}. We love you.