THESE ARE A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE PINS

Pun intended. We are all about adding pin flair to our favorite jean jacket, backpack, hats– pretty much anything with fabric that needs some pin love. So many of our favorite designers have been creating pins and we cannot get enough of them. See below for some of our favorites and why!

Stamp Enamel Pin by Rifle Paper Co. - We love sending/receiving cards and packages in the mail. Everyone should take the time to write more letters! Fun fact: Before we went off to college we decorated shoe boxes to store cards and letters that we would send back and forth to each other.

Black Cat Pin by Jen Collins - With all the cat pins out there it is difficult to have an absolute favorite, but this one is just purrfect. Personal shoutout to all the cat ladies out there!

Cactus Pin by Steffi Lynn at Haveanicedayy - It's difficult to pick just one favorite from this gal, but this cactus pin looks particularly sharp. Brings back memories of Cali last summer exploring Joshua Tree surround by cacti. TAKE US BACK.



JAWN Pin by SouthFellini - What is a 'Jawn' you ask? If ya don't know, ya ain't from Philly. Also, #longlivewawa



Ghost Pin by the Good Twin - These little guys aren't so spooky– in fact they bring a little smile and pizzaz to even the saddest of jackets or backpacks!



Can't Quit Pin by Mary Kate McDevitt - For all the doodlers in the world, this pin reassures us all it's ok to never quit (sketching, that is)

We could literally go on for days about our favorite pins– maybe we'll even share some of our own collection, but we'd love to see some of your favorite pins, too, so send 'em our way! Happy pinning!

#pinittowinit
SaveSave

DIY FLORAL WREATH

Happy spring friends!

Or should we say winter part II. Philly is currently stuck in a never ending snow globe and we are SO ready for some spring weather to say the least. Currently accepting complimentary flights to anywhere with sunny and warm weather. Preferably Cali or Hawaii, but beggars can't be choosers I suppose.

In an effort to ward off the snow, we made a spring floral wreath using flowers from our favorite local florist, Kelly at Bloom Flower Co. It literally takes three different supplies and your creativity. This can totally work with faux flowers if you want a lasting look through the whole season.

M A T E R I A L S

+ Fresh or faux flowers and greens - gather a variety for a unique look!
+ Natural grapevine wreath - we bought ours from Kelly, our local florist, but you can find these at your local craft store or on Amazon
+ Scissors or pruning shears

S T E P   O N E 

Start by cutting and setting aside the flowers and greens you will be using on the wreath. The greens will hold up for a while versus the more delicate flowers, like the cottage roses we used, that will dry pretty quickly. If you're making this for a special event we would recommend putting it together the day of or day before and spraying the flowers with water throughout the day. This way the flowers still look as fresh and alive as possible!

S T E P   T W O

While the wreath is laying down on the table start by sticking in layers of greens and wax flowers. The wax flowers will dry nicely along with the greens. Layer the more delicate flowers on top for texture and dimension.

^ it ain't all pretty– it can get a bit messy!

Voila! You have yourself a fancy new floral wreath. The flowers can be swapped out for a different look each season or whenever you want so you can get your moneys worth on that wreath. Tag @rayandablog on Instagram so we can see your creations!

#sofreshandsoclean

Bloom Galentine's Day

This past weekend, we attended Bucks County's most decked out Galentine's Day event that's ever hit town (Leslie Knope would have been proud!)

The event was hosted at Bloom Flower co. and featured a great line-up of vendors who all contributed to the event. Roll call...

Florals: Bloom flower co. // Photography: Renée Nicolo Photography // Makeup: Anna Sky Beauty // Cookies: Snacky French // Jewelry: Marnie Lewis Jewelry // Balloon Installation: Peonies Events  // Vintage Furniture: Fox & Finch Vintage Rentals // Design & Marketing: Alisa Wismer Design // Cocktails: Boardroom Spirits // Charcuterie board & snacks: Down to Earth Cafe

The event was basically a go-at-your-own-pace style event, where we were free to mill around and chat as well as visit the vendor tables around the space. Anna Sky was mixing up some perrrrty lip colors and making gals look FABULOUS!

Flower cones with Bloom! Kelly always has the freshest, most gorgeous flowers in her shop, and this weekend was no exception! She's got a fun, modern take on floral arrangements and we can't get enough!

^That's her!

Thankfully we had some snacks from local Down to Earth Cafe, and delicious cocktails from Boardroom (which, going to be honest, were SOMETHING MIGHTY STRONG and delicious, but also strong– not complaining...) Both are Bucks Co. local, and offer a variety of events throughout the year. 

Marnie Lewis was here to help us make these super cute, simple charm bracelets! We were definitely tempted to choose the 'Wine & Coffee' charm, but reluctantly resisted (to hide our true identities)

Kristi from Snacky French is a baking master– she baked a ton of cute little heart cookies, and rolled out some fun colored fondant for us to stamp our own Galentine's cookies! We definitely loved the 'Leslie Knope 4Ever' cookies and, of course, the crazy cat ladies in us had to pay homage to our furry little friends...

The amazing balloon decor and this super cool paper backdrop wall were provided by the sweet ladies at Peonies Events! They actually HAND-CUT every flower on that wall– crazy, right?!

The CUTE vintage furniture was from the lovely ladies, Abby & Meg at Fox & Finch Vintage Rentals (those blue sofas really were the most comfortable things ever!)

Who let these goons into the party? Of course we managed to come out with some awkward shots, because, well... that's our thing, but we did manage to get one that portrays us as normal human beings just enjoying a fun gals day out. 

Ok, seriously so, so fun! Thanks to all the vendors and Bloom for hosting an awesome event that we can't wait to attend again next year!

AND shoutout to Renée Nicolo Photography for these killer photos! She captured everything so perfectly, and was kind enough to let everyone share and blog these photos, so thanks Renée!

#bloomgalentines
SaveSave

Five DIY Valentines

Whether you're hard-core pro-Valentine's Day or 100% anti heart day, or somewhere in between celebrating Galentine's Day, we've got some fun last-minute Valentine DIYs anyone can whip up for their boo, gal pal or freshly-delivered pizza.



x x x

1. Valentine Coupons





A modern take on those love coupons everyone used to give their mom when they didn't have money to buy her gifts– but you can personalize them with basically anything you want!

x x x

2. Scrap Paper Valentines





Don't throw those random paper scraps away– use 'em to create some quirky little Valentines instead! Simply cut out some hearts, draw on your faces, and decorate to your heart's content!

x x x

3. Wild About You



  

Probably our favorite one– I mean who doesn't love a DIY that involves mini plastic animals?! We grabbed some scrap card stock, a brush and some black paint and painted the zebra stripes, then added our little message at the top. Poke 2 little holes to string the twine through, and voila! A valentine fit for a king (of the jungle)

x x x


4. We're a Great Match





This one's super easy– we just took a box of matches, cut a piece of paper to size, and wrapped/taped it around the box... so quick and simple! Write a little message on there, and you're good to go! Also how cute is this candle from Annie Seo?! Can't find the strength to burn it (probably ever...)

x x x

5. Animal Envelopes





Can't get much easier than this– take some colored construction paper and cut out some ears (of course a cat was our first choice) then doodle on a face with a Sharpie, and you're done! Slip a little note or card inside, too!

There you have it friends, five easy DIY Valentine's for everyone on your list! Have fun making them, and as always tag your projects with #rayandablog so we can see what you made!

DIY Mid Century Christmas Putz Houses

It's that time of year again, and this year we've got some pretty sweet DIY projects headed your way. We're super excited to share this one with you– inspired by our trip to LA and Palm Springs this summer, we took the classic Christmas 'putz houses' and gave 'em a modern, mid century twist!

Now before you freak out and say, 'Gosh... you're insane for cutting and building these mini houses... get a life already!' We'll partially agree in saying there could have been a better way of spending our time than spending a day making these houses, but on the other hand– these are freaking adorable and we reject your judgement, hah!

The best part about these is that there are templates online that you can print out to make whatever style house you want. Heck, go ahead and build an entire modern little village if you're feeling up for it! (*Side note, this woman is amazing and took the time to upload a bunch of different styles, so check 'em out!)

Um, look at this adorable little A-frame. We'll be moving in in 3-2-1...

These are simple to build once you have the template. We traced and cut ours out of the backs of old cereal boxes– cardboard sturdy enough to stand up without flopping over, but not so thick that you can't cut or fold without freaking out and throwing it across the room.

Mini bottle brush trees make anything look adorable and festive AF, so we definitely planted them with every putz house. For a more modern look, get some neon-colored trees, or just stick with the classic evergreen, cause it's Christmas.

For a little extra touch, we covered the backside of the 'windows' with some tracing paper, and placed a battery operated tea light inside each house for that cozy Christmas glow.

Adorable, right?!

Of course we made a mini paper car. Gotta get places, am I right?

We can't all be lucky enough to live in Palm Springs, but at least we can pretend with these lil' putz houses. Here's to the start of another holiday season! 

Make sure you share your DIY's with us if you try them using #rayandablog– can't wait to see what you all come up with!