Preciously Paired

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!

More Tea?

posted in color block party skirts, shop by Hanna on October 21, 2014

The kind of art I always seem to admire are one’s that depict an artist’s playful take on children and their vivid imaginations and ability to pretend. I love that reality doesn’t exist for children and that they can create and be anything they want to be all with just the power of their thoughts and imaginations. I love that art can capture that and that like child’s imaginations it also tends to have no bounds. An artist can escape reality and create anything they imagine. Sadly I don’t have that direct talent to do it myself, but luckily I always had another half to do that for me. Sara has been my outlet when it comes to creating art that showed things we would imagine up or a scene from our favorite books.

Since Sara and I have brought our love of illustrating to our shop we’ve been brainstorming prints we’d like to add along with our custom illustrated portraits. Our new Tea Party print is our simple take on something that almost every girl has memories of doing; pretend tea parties. Something about dressing up, saying proper and polite phrases and sipping on tea cups with pinkies up is an imaginary scenario worth playing over and over.

Starting today this print is now in our shop! As for me this print is going up in Mia’s room stat!

What’s a print you’d like to see in our shop?

Tea Party | Girls Colorblock Party Skirts | Preciously Paired

Give Your Girl Something to Party About!

posted in color block party skirts, kids, party by Sara on October 13, 2014

Who ever said women get to have all the fun when it comes to great style pieces, such as our Colorblock Party Skirts? Certainly not us! Starting today (like right now!) girls can join in the fun with their very own Colorblock Party Skirt! With an elastic back, the girls’ colorblock skirt is easy on, easy off– perfect for play, school, or special occasions! Tea parties included!

Visit the SHOP to get a closer look, and to view all the details on how to order one of these precious skirts!

And you guys, can I just take a minute to brag about my photographer Janel Foster?! She’s awesome! If you’re in the Portland area I highly recommend her! I love every opportunity we get to work together! She’s so much fun, she’s talented, and she always exceeds my expectations!

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?

New Halloween Print in Shop!

posted in fall, holidays, shop, Uncategorized by Hanna on October 2, 2014

We’re one month into our new school routine, the leaves are changing, my apple harvest scent is plugged in and I spent the day putting up my fall/Halloween decorations; life is very good! Mia has been loving school and her dance class. She is quite our little social bug. On the other hand Livy and I are loving the time we get to spend in the morning just the two of us and I have been having a blast planning with Sara the future shop additions and changes! Boy, are there changes coming!

The latest shop addition is this adorable Halloween print. We wanted to create something that was family friendly. With toddlers of our own who have already started the endless talk of what to be for Halloween this seemed to be the perfect fit.

To add this 8×10 print to your Halloween decor just go to our shop and since it’s our first print and officially Halloween season you can get this print for just $3 for the next week!

Now, for those of you who like to see things in an actual setting, take a look at what a great addition it made to my entryway table in my front room! Along with the Halloween print I decided to get a little crafty and do my own spider web canvas art and fabric garland. I am now officially ready to enjoy October!

Is anyone else on the ball and already have their Halloween decoration up?

Once again, thank you all for your support, comments, following and purchases! Sara and I are having so much fun with the new addition of custom illustrations to our shop and now for originally illustrated prints. We have so many ideas for future prints as well. We’d also love any ideas or requests for different kinds of prints from our lovely followers!

Linked to: http://www.thepinjunkie.com/2014/10/pin-junkie-pin-party-87.html, http://www.delineateyourdwelling.com/2014/10/link-it-or-lump-it-party-59.html

Easy Fur Vest Refashion

posted in baby, diy, fall, kids, money saving tips, sewing, thrifted by Sara on September 26, 2014

Maybe you’ve noticed, I’m kind of obsessed with fur vests. I’ve been searching high and low for a cute fur vest for Addie, but any thing I saw was $20 or more. Quite honestly I think $20 is a fairly decent price for a trendy article of clothing, but being on a strict budget it was definitely out of the question. Even to make one from scratch seemed to be rather spendy. Luckily Goodwill pulled through for me again, and I was able to find this sweater for only $4! It was a complete steal as it was in great condition and fully lined with fur. Really all I did was detached the fur inside from the sweater and add some lining to the wrong side of the fur. I used a silky smooth lining from an old skirt I had tucked away in my fabric stash…talk about thrifty! Now I just have to find one for me!

And can I just say how extremely difficult it is to photograph a 2 year old! I still have no idea how to work my DSLR camera and chasing around my daughter, baiting her to simply look at me, I probably looked like a crazy woman! It makes me chuckle just thinking about the onlookers passing by witnessing the whole fiasco. Next time I’ll gladly pay someone to do this kind of dirty work! Nonetheless, Hanna was able to work her magic to make my novice photography skill look it’s best.