crafts – Preciously Paired

Shared Boy/Girl Nursery | Preciously Paired

Shared Boy/Girl Nursery on a Small Budget

posted in baby, crafts, decor, diy, home, inspiration, kids, lifestyle, money saving tips, thrifted by Sara on June 22, 2015

Today is officially my due date, and still no baby. Now that the date has come and almost gone I’m not quite sure what to do with myself! With no date to look forward too or end in sight, it’s just a big waiting game now. But the good news is that both me and the baby are healthy and feeling good. I actually feel really good and energetic, so I thought I’d put this extra time to good use; starting first with the shared nursery reveal that I’ve been promising for weeks!

Currently my husband is in the middle of graduate school, so needless to say we are still living the “poor college student” life. While we live in a small apartment and on a very meager income, I never let that stop me from making my home a beautiful place where we can relax and enjoy being. And believe it or not, it doesn’t require a lot of money or time to do so. In fact, this whole nursery makeover only cost me a grand total of $180! This included both the kid’s bedding and most of the room decor (I already had all of the furniture pieces).

I’ll admit that putting together a cohesive space for baby boy and a toddler girl was rather difficult considering there were many limitations, but in the end it somehow just came together and I’m really in the love with it!

Here is a little break down of everything in the room:

Crib – From Walmart which I already had from baby #1

Twin bed – A “hand-me-down” from when I was a girl

Dresser – Bought at a garage sale several years ago

Vintage Baby Quilts – Both baby quilts I made myself using this simple patter by Yoyomama Disigns. I made my daughter’s quilt several years ago when she was a baby and loved the design so much that I decided to make baby brother one as well!

Crib Sheet – Target

Crib Skirt – Made by me using this simple tutorial by Oleander and Palm

Pom Pom Comforter – Made by me. I first fell in love with this pom pom comforter from PB Teen, but I didn’t have anywhere near $169 in my budget for it. However, I was able to make one up for nearly an eighth of the cost. I simple bought a down comforter from Target ($20) and sewed on some pom poms I made up myself.

Twin Sheets – Kohl’s (got on sale for $15!)

Quilted Pillow – Made by me using scraps from my daughter’s quilt and an old pillow I had on hand

Cloud Pillow – Made by me (tutorial coming soon)

Wooden Rocking Horse – Thrifted

Wire Book Baskets – Large one (Thrifted), 2 smaller ones (Walmart). I gave each a coat of spray paint and then mounted them to the wall using cable hooks which I got from Home Depot.

Rug – Thrifted

Alphabet Print – Free printable from Mr. Printables (I got the frame from Goodwill and spray painted it with some leftover paint I had from the wire baskets)

Sweet Dreams Print – Free printable from This Little Street

Hopefully my next post with include a sweet new baby, but for now I hope you enjoyed a view of this cute nursery! Can’t wait till our little guy can enjoy it too!

XOXO,

Sara

DIY Valentine Graphic Tee | Preciously Paired

Valentines Outfit Inspiration with DIY Graphic Tee

posted in color block party skirts, crafts, diy, holidays, inspiration, women's fashion by Hanna on February 10, 2015

As we get further into the new year, the more “crafty” I seem to get after taking a long break over the holidays. So why not jump back on the bandwagon with some easy diy shirts just in time for Valentines day? If you haven’t noticed yet, graphic tees are all the rage…meaning I don’t have one. Funny enough, I always seem to be the last one on the fashion trend compared to Sara; not necessarily because I’m trying to “stick it to the man” or in this case “fashionistas”, but because I have to see something enough times and on enough people before I’ll get brave and do it myself. That’s right, I’m a fashion follower, not starter and I’m definitely ok with that. Anyway, I’m slowly getting on the graphic tee trend, and have even gone as far as whipping up a few different styles that you can make yourself. They are both ridiculously easy and absolutely possible to make before Valentines Day. The best part about these Valentine inspired tees is that it is a style you can continue on wearing all year long!

Today I’m sharing our women’s Valentines outfit inspiration featuring both one of the diy graphic tees I made, and our classic Color Block Party skirt. But first, here is a quick tutorial on the shirt.

Supplies:

-Shirt

-Cardstock

-X-acto knife

– Fabric Paint and foam brush

– Adhesive Spray

To start, I grabbed a long sleeves tee from Old Navy for $5. I love Old Navy! It was either the best thing or the worst thing I ever did to get an Old Navy card. Next, I decided I wanted to do something a little different than your average “Love” tee so I did the next best thing and did the same word in a different langue; “l’amour which is French for “love”. I just typed the word on a blank document on the computer using a font called “Lainie Day”. I printed that out on cardstock and cut the word out with an x-acto knife to use as my stencil. Once that was done I sprayed the back of the stencil with adhesive spray and placed it on my shirt that was laid out flat with a piece of cardboard placed inside the shirt. Last step is to fill in your word stencil with a couple coats of fabric paint, and once that is dry peel off the paper and you’ll officially be ready to join the fashion club of graphic tees.

Along with getting my craft on, I’ve also started taking more pictures again which has always been a hobby of mine. So doing this shoot with our best friend Ashly, who agreed to be my last minute model, was nothing less than fun! We just love this girl; from her gorgeous face, to her caring personality, and everything in between!

For some Valentines Day outfit inspiration, scroll down to see some different ways this easy diy graphic tee can be styled.

Get this full look by ordering your very own Color Block Party Skirt, which is currently on sale in our shop! Also, make sure to check back later this week for a look at the other graphic tee I did for my daughter that I paired with our Color Block Party skirt for girls!

For more Valentines Inspiration check out some of our other blog post:

6 DIY Projects and Printables That Are a MUST This Valentines Day

Introducing our Valentines Prints and Custom Wedding Illustrations

Kid Approved Valentines Party

Friday Finds Valentines Day Gift Ideas

6 DIY Projects and Printables That Are A MUST This Valentine’s Day

posted in crafts, diy, food, holidays, printable by Sara on February 2, 2015

We’ve compiled the perfect list of cute and budget-friendly ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year that are sure to show your sweethearts just how much you love them! What we love most about all of these Valentine’s Day ideas is that they are things the whole family can enjoy, even kids!

1. DIY Heart Sweater | by A Beautiful Mess. We love this easy DIY heart sweater made by A Beautiful Mess. It’s literally as easy as cutting out a fabric heart and sewing it to a sweater. If you don’t sew, you could use iron on paper or fabric glue. Either way, in minutes you will be celebrating Valentine’s Day is style!

2. You Warm My Heart Free Printable | by Confetti Sunshine. How cute would it be to deliver your valentine their favorite hot drink with this adorable printable, created by Confetti Sunshine, wrapped around it?! Just a simple way to let your valentine know you’re thinking of them. My most favorite heart-warming drink is a hazelnut steamer, what’s yours?

3. DIY Conversation Heart Pinatas | by Studio DIY. Neither of us are ones to get super crafty on Valentine’s Day, but these DIY conversation heart pinatas made by Kelly over at Studio DIY are just too fun! Plus, Kelly provides an easy, step-by-step tutorial on her blog on how to make these cute Valentine pinatas. I can already picture the fun our kids (and hubbys) would have breaking into one of these!

4. Scratch-off Valentine Printable | by Better Homes and Garden. Nothing like a fun scratch-off Valentine card to intrigue your sweetheart. You can download this FREE printable on Better Homes and Garden’s website, and they even provide a great video on how to make the scratch-off solution. There is even an option for you to customize and download your own scratch-off Valentine printable!

5. La La Love You: French Toast | by Grilled Cheese Social. Nothing speaks love to us better than food! And this french toast recipe by MacKenzie at Grilled Cheese Social, topped with mascarpone cheese, nutella, and fresh strawberries sound like it would definitely do the trick! Plus, it is something the whole family would enjoy!

6. Valentine’s Day Tumble Game | by Tried and True. Vanessa from Tried and True created this fun Valentine’s Day game out of a mini Jenga game she found at Dollar Tree! We LOVE this idea as it is inexpensive, easy to make, and completely customizable! Perfect for a romantic night with your sweetheart or a fun game night with the whole family!

We hope you found some inspiration with this Valentine’s Day round-up! If you have any fun Valentine’s Day projects, please share them with us in the comment section below!

XOXO, Sara

DIY felt Halloween costumes | Preciously Paired

My DIY Halloween

posted in crafts, diy, fall, family, holidays, kids by Hanna on October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween! I think I’ve mentioned this before, but Sara and I didn’t grow up with Halloween being much of a big deal in our house. However, now that I’m a mother of young kids I’ve been trying to be more excited about it. To be honest though, I’m still not super into it to the point where I plan full family costumes, but I’m realizing that I do enjoy creating things for my girls to dress up in and doing Halloween activities that they would enjoy throughout the month.

This year I got really ambitious and decided to make both of the girl’s costumes from scratch! It took Mia forever to just decide on one thing she wanted to be, and she only finally chose a mermaid because that is what her cousin said she was going to be. Whatever the reason, I decided to roll with it. While recently organizing my craft space, I found some green felt and red yarn. I figured I would challenge myself to try and make Mia’s costume from what I had on hand. In the end, I ended up spending less then $5 on her entire costume! I got the pattern for her Arial hair/wig HERE. It totally made the outfit and was pretty easy to make.

Livy’s costume is a little bit of an inside joke. Growing up in Nevada we didn’t just celebrate Halloween but we celebrated Nevada Day as well; the day Nevada became a state. Since marrying my husband, October 31st has really been more about celebrating Nevada Day than Halloween. Before having kids we’d go to my parents house every year to celebrate. My husband is always teasing about our obsession with Nevada Day over Halloween so I thought it only fitting that one of my kids should represent a fun family tradition; not to mention it’s the 150th year of Nevada being a state!

After spending several nights making my girl’s their costumes, and as fate would have it, it just so happens that we all have been sick and Mia has had to miss most of her Halloween activities during the week. Luckily Mia is much better and Livy is almost there so we’re hoping to get out tonight for a little trick-or-treating, or at the very least sing a few rounds of “Home Means Nevada”.

Anyone else make their kid’s Halloween costumes or have any fun Halloween traditions? We’d love to hear about them!

Metal Pumpkin Tutorial

posted in crafts, decor, diy, fall, tutorial by Sara on October 27, 2014

It has been raining non-stop for the past week, and both me and my daughter have been sick. So naturally we have stayed nice and cozy indoors, sipping hot chocolate, eating lots of soup, watching episode after episode of Gilmore Girls, and crafting. Yep, this is the life… well except the being sick part… and it would be nice to actually see the sun once in a while.

Anyway, before I got sick, I attended a little blogging event at my local Orchard Supply Hardware store where I got to meet some wonderful women and learn some fun holiday craft ideas including this cute pumpkin made from pipe hanger strapping. It was too cute not to share! Besides it’s classy design, it only costs about $5 to make and you can finish it in less than 30 minutes. It having been a while since my last blog tutorial, I completely forgot to take step-by-step pictures, but this project is fairly foolproof. Believe me, it is a piece of cake! All you’ll need are the supplies listed below:

** Note: Pipe hanger strapping also comes in copper, which makes for a nice shiny orange pumpkin.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the strapping into pieces at your desired length using snips (or anything you have that will cut metal). I cut mine by measuring out 10 of the big holes, then cut as close to the small hole making a straight edge.

2. Once you’ve cut all your straps, bend each one into a horseshoe shape so that both ends of the straps will stack flat on top of each other. (refer to images below for a better look). Since the corners of the straps are sharp, I’d recommend using a pair of gloves for this part or a pair of needle nose pliers.

3. Now, screw 1 nut onto the very end of the threaded rod, then follow it with a washer. Then begin to layer the straps onto the rod and arrange them evenly around it. I used 7 straps, but you may use as many as you’d like.

4. Once you’ve added all your straps, place another washer followed by a nut on top of the layered straps. Twist tight to secure the straps in place.

5. Next, thread another nut about 1.25″ – 1.5″ down from the top of the rod, followed by a washer. This makes a stopping point for your straps. Then thread the straps onto the top part of the rod.

6. After all the straps are threaded onto the rod, clinch them down with the last washer and nut. You may want to use a crescent wrench to make sure all the nuts are tight. At this point I played with the shape of the straps a bit more to get that perfect pumpkin shape.

You should now have something that resembles a pumpkin! You can now spray paint it, or simply leave it the way it is. I chose to spray paint mine using a Ivory Satin spray paint to better match the rest of my home’s decor. Then I added some curly twine to the stem of the pumpkin. To do this, I dipped pieces of twine in a mixture of Elmers glue and water, then wrapped in around a No.2 pencil to dry. Once dry, I glued the pieces of curled twine onto the the stem. You could also use wire, fabric, or leaves to decorate the top.

Foolproof right? It may seem a bit confusing at times on paper, but once you get into the process of making it, it all comes together quite easily. Just keep bending and twisting until it is the way you like it… you really can’t mess it up. There is no right or wrong way with these types of things. However, please feel free to leave a comment or email us if you have any questions or if something in the instructions seem unclear.

Happy Fall!!

Friday Finds: Woodland Creatures

posted in crafts, decor, Friday Finds, kids by Sara on October 24, 2014

With all the changes and new ideas happening over here lately, sadly our blog has taken a back seat. While our shop is our main focus right now, there is so much about our blog that we just couldn’t give up; one being that we love sharing about amazing things, whether it be our own creation or someone else’s. So, we decided it was time to bring back Friday Finds as we love sharing with you some of our favorite things around the web, and showing support to other talented crafters and shops.

I’m dying over all these cute little woodland creatures! We absolutely love playful/whimsical designs and nothing reads it more perfectly than these woodland creatures in all their different design aesthetics. Can you believe this dear head is something you can make yourself?! Hannah from We Lived Happily Ever After (the talented creator) also has step-by-step tutorials on how to make a DIY fox head and a DIY buffalo head that are nothing short of amazing! And if you’re not already completely in love with the owl felt mask, there are many more adorable masks over at Opposite of Far. Don’t even get me started on the crocheted fox! Would it be completely cheesy to decorate my whole house and replace my entire wardrobe with woodland creatures? Because really, I’m half tempted to… ok maybe I’ll just do the kids rooms.

But seriously, check out some of these shops/blogs behind these cute little critters- you won’t be sorry!

Also, you only have one week left to get our “Trick or Treat” Halloween print before it goes away! Visit our shop to get yours today!

Craft Space "Must Haves" | Preciously Paired

My Craft Space “Must Haves”

posted in crafts, decor, home, inspiration, organization, Uncategorized by Hanna on October 10, 2014

For of us “crafters” we all seek for a space to to call our own to store all our supplies, be inspired and do projects. With each of us that space can vary. For me it started out as a small, portable sewing cabinet, then moved to my daughter’s closet, then graduated to a spare room I shared with my husband’s office until we had another baby and finally to my latest craft area in our basement. Each space had pros and cons, but it is what it is and most importantly it is MY space to do what I love!

No matter the space I designate to store my supplies and do projects I’ve come to find my “must haves” for the space.

1. Good lighting. If I had it my way my craft space would include large windows letting in lots of beautiful, natural light. Why don’t we add in an ocean view when we’re at it?! However, this is rarely the case for most people, including me. My craft space is located in our basement and even though these pictures don’t reflect it the lighting is terrible and dark! Right now I have a small lamp to light up my work space but I plan on adding some lighting underneath the top shelves to brighten things up and help me see what I’m actually trying to do.

2. Organization. Let’s face it, no one wants to do a project when you have to go digging for every supply you need and a in ton of different areas around the house. I’ve been there before and it takes me twice as long to complete a project which sometimes I then shy away from doing them all together. My favorite craft space organizers are pegboards, they are fabulous! Storage boxes are another must have and we all know that Ikea is your one stop shop for organization, especially when it comes to storage boxes.

3. Inspiration. When I’m in my element doing projects I like to be surrounded by things that inspire me. This is where my hanging clipboards come into place. Whenever I see something that inspires me in a magazine or there is a quote I like I clip it to my clipboards.

4. Colorful and fun accents. No matter where my craft area is, it can always be brighten up with fun colors and accents. One way I like to add color is through the things I organize with. I painted my pegboard, added some patterned paper to some of my storage boxes and spray painted the lids to my mason jars. Another great way I add color is through some fun decorative art. I scored mine from the Esty shop Poppy Mae. Her “Hello Lovely” and “Love” prints I have displayed in my craft space are just two of the dozens of cute and colorful print she has. Here’s another one of my favorites that is motivational. I recommend checking them out!

So now my craft space is organized, beautified and ready to go for all my projects!

Where is your craft space located and what are your “must haves” for it?

Category: crafts