Anthro Inspired DIY

Hello lovelies, I'm Christy Schnurle from One Handspun Day. I cannot tell you how excited I am that Emilee asked me to join in her guest blog series while she is away on her honeymoon! Usually I would be turning green with envy knowing that Emilee is probably sipping piña coladas and basking in the Hawaiian sun at this very moment, but I am too excited for jealousy today! I am positively giddy to 'meet' all of YOU and we are going to make a fabulous table sign that was inspired by one of my very favorite places ~ Anthropologie!

When I saw these Anthropologie monogram trees it was love at first sight and I thought it would be fun to recreate them! Now, the first thing you should know is that over at Handspun Weddings we use the term "handspun" instead of "DIY" {if you are the curious sort you can find an explanation here}. Now that we have housekeeping items out of the way, go put on your crafting clothes so we can get a little messy!

Anthropologie Inspired Handspun Monogram Trees

 

Materials:
Twigs in a variety of sizes & shapes
Oven-Bake Clay (such as Sculpey)
Spray Paint (we used bronze)
Newspaper or tarp (to use when spray painting)
Hot Glue Gun

Step One: Get the base of your tree ready
Choose a twig that is thick enough to support the rest of your table sign. This will be the main 'trunk' of your tree. Mold clay to form a base of 'roots' for your tree. Put your trunk in the middle of the base and shape it to hold the trunk in place. Carefully remove the trunk and bake the base according to instructions for the clay.

Step Two: Glue sticks together to form the shape of your tree
Once the clay is done baking (and has cooled!) put your trunk back into the base and hot glue it into place. Now start putting together the rest of your tree! Glue twigs to your trunk to form the letters or numbers you want. As you move build further from your trunk you may want to use lighter twigs so they are easier to support. You can also use hot glue to add texture to your tree (I added more nodes to the twigs by placing dots of glue on the portion of my tree that forms the 'H').

Step Three: Spray paint your tree
Once you have finished building your tree you just have to paint it! Choose a well-ventilated area outside or in your open garage and use newspaper or a tarp to cover the ground where you will be painting (I used a cardboard box). Now just spray your tree until it is thoroughly covered. Let it dry for 24 hours and you are done! Ta da!! 

 

Take a few minutes to admire your new handspun beauty and appreciate the imperfections it may have that make it uniquely yours!

There are so many ways to use these trees ~ display your last name over your fireplace, use 'MRS and 'MRS' on the sweetheart table for your wedding, arrange 'LOVE' trees among tapered & votive candles or put your house number outside on your front stoop... endless possibilities!

What are some other ways you can think of to use these monogram trees?
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Christy Schnurle blogs about DIY handspun wedding décor and inspiration on Handspun Weddings {the blog of One Handspun Day}. One Handspun Day is a wedding invitation printables shop that pushes the envelope aside to give you creative freedom & new possibilities for your wedding day. To keep up with the latest handspun projects from One Handspun Day, follow them on Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to the Handspun Newsletter.

5 Ways to Tap Into Your Creative Style

Here are some awesome tips from Debra of Purple Meadows Events!
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What inspires you? How do you come up with bold, bountiful ideas for your celebration or wedding? Is it through music, color, art, blogs, travel? I love to travel especially to places that are rich in color, culture, food and adventure. It drives me to be creative and innovative. I learn from other cultures and it makes me not afraid to express myself because it’s my passion that makes me come alive. I enjoy spending time with local people because I get some of most creative inspiration from them, whether it’s learning to paint, taking a cooking or watching a tango show. So I challenge you to go beyond the magazines, and blogs. Dig deeper. Here are five small steps you can take to fuel your inner creative juices, begin with one or two challenges:


1. Attend a play, musical or play. Do something you’ve never done before.
2. Fill your walls with things that inspire you. Tape up photos of quotes you love, words, empower words, magazine photos. Keep it fresh.
3. Take your project to the park, walk around your neighbor and explore the boutiques and businesses around. Have a journal with with you and take notes.
4. Listen to a new genre of music, watch a foreign film or watch a documentary on a painter or designer.
5. Be Bold. Choose vibrant colors. Don’t be afraid to go bold and bright. One quote I love comes from one of my favorite designers, Kelly Weastler "When it comes to color, be confident, go with your heart and follow your emotions."

 

Be different. Be unique. Be Bold. I want to share with you our mood board created for a December photo shoot influenced by our crush on the destiantion Spain!

Acheiving Your Goals

I'd like to introduce to you Cassie from A Time For Everything, a lifestyle blog all about using your time so that you can achieve a well balanced life... and she went to my alma mater!

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Remember January 1 when you made all those goals and resolutions? How's that going? Have you hit a slump? Did you "fall off the wagon" already? I feel like everyone makes resolutions for the year, but if they slip up or don't achieve it by the end of January they act like they've failed. Guess what? You have 11 more months, and in 11 months you can accomplish a lot. Just look at what they do on Biggest Loser in 6 months! Here are some tips to accomplish those goals: 

Prioritize: Take your list of resolutions and rank them. What are the top 10 things you really want to do? Or maybe some have to be done sooner than later, like getting a summer internship. This should automatically make it a higher priority. Try to make this list well-rounded to all parts of life, at least 1 of each: a personal goal, health goal, work goal, financial goal, and spiritual goal, and an experiential goal.

Be Realistic: I've had a goal for years to watch the AFI Top 100 Films and it has stayed simply that, a goal on a list. Because really, I'm never going to watch all those movies in 1 year, so I never even try and start in the first place. Instead, this year I'm picking 12 movies on the list and watching 1 a month. So I won't get them all done this year, but I'll be 12 closer and in a few years it'll be complete! Deciding on paring down goals like this is great for bucket list items and those 101 in 1001 lists people keep as well.

Set Dates: Get out your planner (yes, I'm old school and still physically write things down) or pull up iCal or whatever online system you use and start putting dates to the goals. Remember-use the whole year, not just next month. Start with the priority goals. Let's use the internship example again, you can set a date for finishing your resume and then how many internships you want to apply for each month. Or say you there is somewhere you've always wanted to go, like Catalina Island or even just a restaurant you want to try. Put that activity down in a certain month and also put a reminder a month before to send an email to invite others to come with you. In the notes section of each month you can write what goals you want to accomplish that month, like I'm writing the title of the movie I'm watching that month.
As for those bigger goals, like lose 20+ pounds or organize the whole house, break them down month by month to make them attainable. For example, lose 4 pounds a month (you're done for swimsuits in June!). Or assign a room to each month and you'll be done with the house by next year! Remember, you have the whole year.
A big reason why its good to write these in your planner is so you see them. Part of the problem with resolutions is we write them down in journals or just think them in our head, but visually seeing them over and over will keep you motivated and focused. So lastly....

Put It Where You'll See It: Write the list on a notecard and put it on your bathroom mirror. Make it your screensaver. I took a pic of my list and put it on Evernote (oh how I love Evernote!), so I can check into it at anytime. This visual is especially good for those resolutions that are to be done daily (make bed) or intangible (pray more, or be a better listener). Seeing it day after day helps you make it part of your routine and reminds you to change your behavior.
There are the 4 steps to help you achieve your resolutions for this year! Hope that you accomplish all you want this year. And I'd love to hear what your goals are and what plan you've set to achieve them!