DIY (NOT YOUR TYPICAL) FELT BANNER

So you may be thinking, 'oh look, another felt banner.' Yes, this is a felt banner DIY, but it's next level. Why commit to one phrase when you can customize it to whatever you want whenever you want?! You may already have some of these supplies in your craft corner, but if not grab ten bucks and head to pick them up! In honor of February we used some cheesy love phrases.

M A T E R I A L S

+ Thick piece of felt 

+ Wooden dowel 

+ Felt letters

+ Sticky back Velcro 

+ Glue gun

+ Scissors 

+ Twine, ribbon or yarn to hang the banner

^ can you spot the kitty paw?

S T E P   O N E 

Cut the bottom corners of the felt banner making a point in the center of the felt. You may want to grab a ruler or something with a straight edge to help make this even.

S T E P   T W O

Saw or snap the wooden dowel so that it is sticking out a bit further than the width of the felt banner. Flip the felt banner over and roll the wooden dowel into the felt. Use your glue gun to secure the felt onto the dowel and hold down for about ten seconds.

S T E P   T H R E E

Using just the rough Velcro, begin to cut strips into squares to stick on the felt letters. The rough Velcro will stick to the felt banner while the softer strips of Velcro will not. Peel off the plastic on the back of the Velcro squares and stick onto the back corners of each felt letter.

S T E P   F O U R

Line up the letters onto your felt banner, flip over and press down firmly so the Velcro sticks onto the felt.

Switch up the felt banner as often as you want for celebrations, holidays, countdowns and more! The possibilities are endless. Share your banners on Instagram and tag @rayandablog - we would love to see them!

#morebangforyourbuck

DIY CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

To start off the month of December we made this little Christmas countdown for your home! All the supplies can be found at your local craft store and you may already have most of them in your craft drawers. We stood gushing over this adorable little wooden house smack in the middle of AC Moore, we were that excited. You can even customize the little house any way you want! We decided to keep the house in its nat-ur-al wooden state.

M A T E R I A L S

+ Wood house

+ Two wood blocks

+ Spray paint

+ Paint pen

+ Baker's twine 

+ Scrapbook paper

+ Scissors

S T E P   O N E

Spray paint the blocks and let dry in between coats. Apply two or three coats. Let fully dry.

S T E P   T W O

Start by cutting out triangles from scrapbook paper and space it out to say "Days til Christmas." Write a letter on each triangle and glue onto the baker's twine. Let dry. And let it be know– mini is better!

S T E P   T H R E E

Glue the mini garlands onto the wooden house. (See? It's adorable.)

S T E P   F O U R

After the blocks are fully dry, using the paint pen write on the numbers "0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5" on the sides of one block and "0, 1, 2, 6, 7, 8" onto the sides of the second block.

Set the blocks into the wooden house and you have yourself a Christmas countdown to display! We would love to see how you customize your own countdown. Tag us on Instagram @rayandablog

Keep an eye out for more Christmas crafts coming your way every week! We're getting realllll crafty this month, get ready...

#christmascountdown

DIY PUMPKIN PIE GARLAND

Since we're in full swing preparing for Thanksgiving this Thursday we've put together a super simple DIY to add to your family party decor. It takes a handful of supplies and only about 10 minutes to make. Everyone loves pumpkin pie, so why not make it a garland? You can even jazz it up using different ribbons or textured paper for this– Get creative!

M A T E R I A L S

+ Orange card stock

+ White pom-poms

+ Twine 

+ Scissors

+ Glue

S T E P   O N E

Cut out a pie slice shape on the card stock and use this piece as a template to make sure they are the same size. Depending on how long you would like the garland cut out as many pie slices as you would like!

S T E P   T W O

Glue a white pom-pom to each pie slice, let dry.

S T E P   T H R E E 

Cut a long piece of twine and glue the back of the pie slices onto the twine. Let dry and BAM... instant Thanksgiving decor!

Have any fun decorations that you're making this week? We would love to see them! Tag @rayandablog on Instagram to share them with us!

#extracoolwhipplease

LAST MINUTE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

If you procrastinated on your Halloween costume this year, welcome to the club! We always have good intentions of planning ahead a wicked sweet costume but seem to lose track of time. Below are DIY costumes that you can put together at the last minute and no one will ever know!

HOTDOG

Grab a tan dress, some felt and a glue gun

via Studio DIY


MIME

You probably have most of this in your closet!

via Brit + Co


SNAPCHAT FILTER

Cardstock, scissors, a glue gun and ribbon is all you need!

via Oh Happy Day

PANTONE COLOR

A colored dress + white fabric and black letter stickers

via Sugar & Cloth

BANANA COSTUME

Complete with banana turban

via Say Yes

If all else fails, grab a sheet, cut some holes for your eyes and be a ghost like Charlie Brown

#diyyourhalloween

THE "NOT SO FALL THEMED" PLANTER DIY

WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG TO ANNOUNCE A DIY THAT DOES NOT INVOLVE PUMPKINS, LEAVES, GOURDS OR ANY OTHER FALL ELEMENTS. 

So, Ray found these great priced clay planter pots at this super cool organic and sustainable local plant shop called Greenology in Peddler's Village. Sidenote: If you live in Bucks County Pennsylvania and haven't been to Peddler's Village you need to check it out asap. Anyways, Ray felt inspired by the blank canvas these pots offered and ran to the craft store, actually drove, to buy supplies to transform these pots! We hope this DIY inspires you to get creative with the planter pots you may have laying around in your shed or garage to fill with a beautiful plant and display in your abode. Feel free to use rich, down to earth autumn colors for this DIY since Ray went for quite the opposite theme.

^  can you spot the dinosaur? 

M A T E R I A L S

+ Acrylic paint
+ DuraClear Matte Varnish
+ Foam brushes
+ Terracotta pots
+ Newspaper and wax paper

S T E P   O N E

Cover the table you're working on with newspaper. Your roommate or spouse will be thankful. Apply the first coat of acrylic pant with a foam brush to your planter pot. Allow about 15-20 minutes for each coat to dry. Watching The Office or another favorite TV show helps the time fly by!

S T E P   T W O

Allow to dry and continue to add three or four coats in between drying. Be mindful when you begin painting the top and bottom of the pot, it will stick to the newspaper. Placing the planter pot on wax paper prevents sticking!

S T E P   T H R E E

Examine the planter pot and use a smaller foam brush to touch up any blank areas that you may have missed. Add fun designs or patterns to your planter pot using a smaller or larger foam brush.

S T E P    F O U R

Once the planter pot is fully dry, use a foam brush to apply the Duraclear. Once it is dry to touch apply another layer and allow to fully dry overnight before planting, just to be safe.

S T E P   F I V E 

Planting time! Add your beautiful plant babies to your new pots and put on display in your favorite spot! A refreshing way to give your plants a personal touch.


We would love to see your DIY planter pot creations! Tag @rayandablog on Instagram to share them with us!

#keepitfresh

DONUT WORRY BE HAPPY

Why you ask? Because it's National Donut Day! The perfect holiday to end a crazy week by grabbing a cold iced coffee and your favorite donut on the way to work. Maybe even spread the holiday cheer by bringing some donuts for your coworkers as well. To get in the holiday spirit we're sharing our favorite donut DIYs, so grab a donut or two and enjoy!

DIY PAINTED DONUT COLLAR by Studio DIY

SIMPLE AND SWEET DONUT PILLOW DIY by A Beautiful Mess

DIY DONUT BEAD NECKLACE by Brite and Bubbly

DIY FELT AND CORK DONUT COASTERS by Squirrely Minds

All these DIYs have us hungry for donuts. We hope you enjoy this day as much as we do! 

#treatyoself 

DIY: Chalkboard Paint Clipboards

A few months ago we did a contributor post for Monica at East Coast Creative, and we're excited to share it with you now! Monica is a super talented designer, blogger, and supermom, and you'll be sure to find some awesome DIYs and home decorating inspiration from her blog.

This quick and easy DIY is the perfect combination of organization meets cute home office decor! Heck, this can even be your new after work de-stressor, so doodle away!

Easiest calendar ever, and fully customizable if we do say so ourselves.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your very own chalk paint clipboard!

MATERIALS: Clipboard | Chalk paint | Brush | Metallic paint/paint market (optional) | Chalk

Begin by painting the entire front of the clipboard with the chalk paint. Be sure to get underneath the clip! Allow each coat to dry for about 20 min before doodling. Two or three coats make for a strong, thick surface to draw on! Once the board is dry, let your imagination fly! Use this clipboard as a calendar, to-do list, or a place to store your daily reminders!

We painted the sides and back of the clipboard metallic gold for that popular luxe look everyone seems to be going for these days… 

Get inspired with a motivational quote!

Use your clipboard as a to-do list, guaranteed you won’t forget to get milk this way…

Clipboards already have hardware attached, so your project is ready to be hung, just tack up a nail, and you’ve got yourself a new piece of wall art!

So what are you waiting for? Go grab a clipboard and start painting now!

Use #rayandablog so we can see your creations! We’d love to see your take on this DIY!

DIY: KRAFT PAPER BAG GIFT TAGS

Sometimes the best ideas spark when you're rummaging through your college craft boxes... literally! This is the perfect way to recycle brown kraft paper bags and use your excessive amount of paint color swatches that you've been hoarding (admit it, you know you do...) Put together this DIY in less than 5 minutes for the perfect finishing touch to your gift bags or boxes!

MATERIALS:

+ Brown kraft paper bag
+ Gift tag punch
+ Paint color swatches
+ Hole punch
+ Scissors
+ Glue stick
+ Marker
+ A cat or two to keep you company (optional, but highly recommended)

Step 1: Use the gift tag punch on the side of the kraft paper bag. One punch on the side should get you two or three tags at once from the layers.
Step 2: Cut strips from the paint color swatches or any other fun shapes! Glue these onto the tags.
Step 3: Use the hole punch at the top of the tags and customize with your marker!

Use fun colors for birthdays and colors coordinating with holidays to have gift tags for any occasion! We would love to see your creations — use #rayandablog so we can see your take on this DIY!

P.S. - This DIY could not have been possible without the company of cats Skipper and Binx. We couldn't have done it without their constant interruptions of playing and laying on literally everything.

#getyourkrafton