Tissue Garland

Most of my DIY projects come about while I try to find creative and new display ideas for seasonal merchandise.  Recently I started browsing around the web trying to find decorations for graduation season.  One of the cutest ideas I found was for a tissue paper tassel garland.  All you need is some tissue paper, tacky glue and a rope. 

Simply stack up a pile of tissue paper (remember the smaller the stack, the easier it is to cut uniform lines) and cut into ½ inch strips.

 Take hold of about 20-25 strips between your thumb and index finger and begin to twist from the middle of the strip.  Twist about 4 inches in the center of the strip and then you can fold it over the rope. 

Now twist both ends of the tissue around each other to form a tight bond around the rope.  You will need to liberally apply some tacky glue, remembering that is might look messy when wet, but it will dry clear.

Once the tassel is secure, just fluff a bit and pull the individual strips apart to poof out the tassel.

Playing with the tassel, I added some rubber bands around the top of my tassel to make it look a bit more like it belonged on a miter board.  The same effect could be achieved with some gold thread. 

I love inexpensive and simple decorations for any event and as now’s the time of year when we all seem to have parties and showers to plan for.  This garland would look darling in any color scheme (baby boy blue!?) or add some tassels made of mylar or metallic colored tissue to add a little sparkle to a bridal event.    I found several photos of garlands made using the same technique only with patterned strips of cloth instead of tissue.  The possibilities are endless!

Jennifer

Mother's Day is just a few days away. So we thought we would give out some great DIY ideas, that can be done in a time crunch and are great on the wallet! Many of these ideas would be great for Grandma, or even perfect to forward to Dad so that he can help the kiddos get them done for a Saturday activity......

This is by far my FAVORITE! All you have to do is get your child's hand print. Then you simply write down all the things they enjoy doing with their hands with their mom or grandma.....
Some ideas are: I love to sew with grandma, I eat pancakes, I love to plant flowers with Grandma, I like to hold hands with mommy, I like to tickle. Print out the words on some plain white paper, and then all you need is a cute frame and ONE piece of scrapbook paper to make this one-of-a-kind give all moms would LOVE!

I'm sure every dad could handle this gift! All you need are 12 Manila envelopes and 12 ideas to make mom smile and give her a little break. If you are a dad giving these you can have a surprise date night in each envelope, or if the kiddos are giving this gift you can have a task that mom normally handles taken care of by each of the kiddos that day, week or month!

Last, but not least are these sweet hand cutouts. You can make them as modern or simple as you wish, but just cut out each child's hand on the paper of your choice. Then, write their name and Mother's Day 2012! Simple, classic and this will definitely make all moms smile!!

Tomorrow we will be highlighting some great gifts available for mom at Brownstone Village!!

Happy early Mother's Day to all you fabulous moms!!!
Robin

Marathon Mishap

Randomly, two Sundays ago, I decided to run a marathon.  Maybe that’s a slight lie…  My Aunt Sally actually asked me to run it with her well over 2 months ago.  I agreed considering she had just walked one.  I figured I would train over the next two months since she decided she was going to have to up her game for the Big D Marathon since it was timed. 

Despite my usually on-target time management skills, I never was able to fit it in.  I am guilty of always putting work and school before myself unfortunately and those runs I so badly wanted (and needed) did not occur.  Plus, we moved during that time too so there were always boxes to pack/unpack instead.  I continued to make excuses and kept putting it off until finally the night before the marathon, I realized my only running had been playing with my precious babies (also known as my dogs).

Morning of the marathon, it was pouring rain.  On the ride to Fair Park, Aunt Sally was vehemently expressing her lack of enthusiasm for having to participate in the rain.  She kept hoping they would postpone, but I already knew that was not going to happen.  We were amateurs (perhaps I was even a little below that but nonetheless…) and most of these people were practically pros.  We suited up in rain jackets and walked to the starting line.

We started off at a great pace, jogging and making the times we would need to gain a leg up if we slowed down a little towards the end.  Then, at around mile 8 or 9, we stopped for the restroom.  All of a sudden, I felt sharp shooting pains in my ankles.  I was sure this was a sign of my lack of training.  I slowed down quite a bit while Aunt Sally kept trucking on.  At about mile 14, I could not stand it anymore and accepted the fact that I was not going to be able to do the full, but took solace knowing I was able to finish more than the half.  The ride back to the starting line was tough knowing that I had given up which is nothing like me.  I was excited for the likelihood of my aunt finishing and beating her previous time.  When the emcee announced her finish, he even said he was going to have to check her birth certificate because he didn’t believe her age.  (Fab at 57).

While she had worried about finishing in the time allotted, Aunt Sally was able to finish with 11 minutes to spare and over an hour better than her last marathon.  Being there to see her cross the finish line was almost as exciting for me as it was for her (granted I had to leave the nice firemen paramedics who had been tending to my ankle for the two hours or so before she finished).  All things aside, my aunt is proof that you can make up your mind to do something and not let anything stop you no matter what your age.  She has walked every single night for as long as I have known her and never had a health issue despite the delicious Cajun fried turkeys her husband makes for the holidays.  Maybe we can all take a note from her and remember that taking care of ourselves should always be a priority.