DIY Rainbow Tapestry

I’ve been so intentional with our home in the last few years (letting go of things we didn’t love + trying to create more functional/meaningful/beautiful spaces).  It usually means dealing with blank white walls until I find something I love AND can afford.  And sometimes it means making that thing instead 🌈 That’s how I ended up making this DIY rainbow tapestry!

TIP: To see a video of this project, head to my Instagram and click on the DIY Rainbow highlight!!

This was one of those spur-of-the-moment late night projects that just sort of materialized … it took MAYBE 20 minutes. I didn’t overthink it or make a plan. And somehow I love it even more for how easily it came together.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own …

Supplies:

• Cotton/Linen Fabric size 26”H x 38”W (make sure to include an extra inch on each side for hemming - the finished project is 24”H x 36”W)

• Fabric Paint in a variety of colors

• Paintbrush (40mm)

• Tape

• Scissors

• Hem Tape

• Nails/Hammer for Hanging

PREPPING

Start by measuring + cutting your fabric to the right size and hem each side. If you don’t know how to hem the traditional way, hem tape is a simple/cheap alternative!

Next, quickly iron your fabric and secure it for painting. Tape it to a safe surface (like a large piece of cardboard) by running a long piece of scotch tape across the top (about 2 inches from the top edge). Do the same along the bottom and mark the middle of each piece of tape for reference.

PAINTING

For my project, I used acrylic paint. It’s the only thing I had on hand & looks great BUT I highly recommend using fabric paint. Just follow the instructions on the back of the product!

When picking my colors, I used darker/medium shades of pink, orange, yellow, sea green, and blue. Then I blended each color with white paint until I found the shade I was looking for. Have fun with it! Remember you can tie in colors that accent your room - you don’t have to stick with the pallet I’ve used!

For the arches, here are 3 tips to help you freehand:

1. Use the right size paintbrush.

2. Keep your brush flat against the fabric as you paint.

3. Start with the littlest arch and work your way out.

Prep the color for the littlest arch (I mixed dark blue + white). Don’t worry about mixing it perfectly - just blend quickly and move on!

When painting, place your brush flat against the tape that’s running across the bottom of your tapestry. I started with the inside of my paint brush about 2-3 inches from center. Then, keeping the brush flat against the fabric, make your first arch.

Don’t overthink it or try to measure everything perfectly. Part of it’s charm is that it’s NOT perfect. I just painted an arch, moved over an inch, and painted another arch. You can always do a test run on paper or try to mark where each arch begins + ends … but it doesn’t have to be that complicated. (This is coming from a girl who overcomicates everything … so if you can relate, just TRY to trust me here.)

Once you’re done painting, peel the tape off the top + bottom, let it dry, and hang it on the wall using two nails.

I hope you guys have fun making this rainbow tapestry. Let me know if you have any questions and tag me on Instagram using @laceandlu so I can check our your creations!!

With love,

Lace

Moon & Stars Birthday Party

You guys!

We have a three-year-old and an *almost* one-year-old! Don’t even get me started - I’m a complete mess over here. I just love our little family so much! And I know these are some of the best years we’ll ever have together … even with all the tears and tantrums, ha!

Even though the girls were born in different months (May + June), I wanted to host a joint birthday party. I just thought it would be more fun! Plus it’s cheaper and easier. I’m not sure if we’ll do their parties together in the future but this year it felt right.

The thing I loved about this party was how simple it was. I purchased most of the supplies off Amazon: moon + stars balloons, white plates with gold polka dots, pink napkins and fun party hats. The straws were leftover from last year’s Rain or Shine birthday party and we grabbed cups + spoons at the grocery store.

I hung balloons from the ceiling + tossed the extras on the floor for the kids to play with. Then I lined the table with black poster paper (you could also use black Kraft paper). It was all really easy!

I planned to print 4x4 pictures and tape them to the wall on the right but I never actually got around to it - and I’m still a little disappointed over it. It would have added a really personal touch + Lu would have loved it. Maybe next year!

For the menu, my first thought was pancakes or pizza. Doesn’t a pancake party sound like fun?! Until you think about the syrup part and then … not so much haha. Ultimately we settled on turkey subs + fruit. Honestly, I do the same thing every year. I’ve said it before but I just really like when parents offer healthy options at birthday parties :)

Exxxxcept for the cake :)

Bare cakes are kind of a birthday tradition at our house at this point. They’re just timeless! And tying in the rainbow sprinkles with the sparkly gold stars felt extra fun + sweet … especially since Lu added the sprinkles herself!

I love planning parties - even super simple ones like this one - but my FAVORITE part of the day had nothing to do with the decorations. It was just the day in general … we’re still new to Italy so I was worried no one would come to the party. But so many people showed up to celebrate! And I could just see how happy it made Lu. I loved watching the girls splash in the inflatable pool and open presents they weren’t expecting to get … and the way Luna’s face lit up when we all sang “happy birthday”. It was just a really fun day! And I think it’s going to be a really fun year, too :)

Happy happy happy birthday to our little babes - we love you to the moon & stars!

With love,

Lace

P.S. I wish I had more photos from the actual party but I didn’t take a single one! The two of Lu blowing out her candles were taken by a sweet friend so I’m just grateful for the ones we do have :)

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Rain or Shine Themed Birthday Party

Hey mommas,

Luna is officially TWO!!  I still can't believe it.  It's SO true what they say ... the days pass slow but the years go by sooooo fast.  And the toddler years are this crazy mix of wondrous and terrible.  One second Luna is wrapping her legs around me and giggling madly and the next she's having a meltdown over a fallen block tower.  Which is exactly why I wanted to throw a Rain or Shine themed party this year - it sums up life with a toddler so well!

When planning Lu's birthday party, I had a simple color palette in mind:  sunny yellow, sky blue, and a fluffy shade of white.  Then I tied in dark blue and a pretty shade of pink for accent colors.

Once I figured out the color scheme, I started working on the invitations.  They were actually really fun to make!  I used a free app called Adobe Spark and it was incredibly user-friendly.  It only took me an hour or two to create a design that I really loved:

Next came the decorations:

Our party decor included a sky blue banner, a DIY ombre raindrop backdrop, and fluffy white balloon clouds.  I also found a giant gold number 2 balloon for only a few dollars at Hobby Lobby - a perfect addition to the backdrop!

We covered the table in a white linen tablecloth and added some more fun elements from Hobby Lobby:  sunny yellow forks peeking out from cloud-blue napkins, layered blue plates, fun snack cups, and paper straws in blue and yellow.

As for the accents - the little white clouds, the two-tone suns, the raindrops - those were all done BY HAND!  It would have been soooo much easier if I had one of those crafting machines that does the work for you ... but I don't.  Instead, I used a sharpie to draw cloud/sun/raindrop templates, traced them on card stock paper, and then cut each piece out individually.  Then I used a hot glue gun to glue the pieces onto straws, cups, and strings for the backdrop.  It was kind of nuts!  But also really fun!  Were the decorations perfect?  Not even close.  But I don't think Luna minded and I was really happy with how it turned out :)

For refreshments, we served fluffy white popcorn, cups of diced fruit (apples, strawberries, and halo oranges on top), and fresh iced orange juice.  We also ordered catering from Subway.  As a parent, I always appreciate when there are healthy options for Luna so I wanted to do the same for her party!  Well, mostly .... we still had cake and ice cream!

Tiered cakes are my absolute favorite - especially bare cakes.  They look really put together, plus they're easy to make at home.  This was actually my second time baking a bare tiered cake - I also made one for Luna's unicorn-themed birthday party last year!

I did consider baking a cake with rainbow layers this year ... it would have been PERFECT with the Rain or Shine theme, right?!  But that would have taken a lot of effort and extra time that I didn't have.  And since I was using pink as an accent color, it was just easier to make a boxed strawberry cake and call it a day. 

Lastly, we topped the cake with a little handmade banner (two paper straws, decorative string, and little hand-cut triangles spelling out Luna's name).  It was just one more way to celebrate our sweet girl's big day.   Two years down and a lifetime to go ... and rain or shine, I wouldn't change a single second of our time together.

With love,

Lace

DIY Photo Display

Hi all!

For Luna's first birthday, I created a photo display with pictures from her first year.  It was a fun way to share our memories and so easy to make!  Here's how I did it:

Hobby Lobby is my favorite place to shop for DIY supplies.  I bought this 16 x 20 inch Barnwood Open Frame from there for about $14.00.  It was originally $35.99 but it was on sale and I used a 40% off coupon which you can find here. 

I also picked up a pack of Flea Market Fancy Stained Clothespins (Medium) which were $3.99 for a 30 pack.  I couldn't find the exact product on their website so I recommend just checking in the store :)  I used the clothespins to hang the photos from hemp string that I already had on hand.  Twine also works if you have any lying around!

Once I had everything together, I glued one end of the string to the back of the frame on the right side.

Next, I wound the string all the way around the frame 5 times.  I didn't do any measuring for this - I just held the ball of string while I wrapped it around.  When I got the the bottom, I cut the string and glued the end to the back of the frame.  Then I readjusted as needed.  Don't worry about making it perfect - the variation adds to the charm!  As long as there's room to fit photos between the strings, you're good to go :)

Speaking of the photos, I used 4 x 4 prints from Wal-Mart.   I originally planned to use Social Print Studio because I really like the quality and feel of their product.  Their photos are pretty resilient as well - perfect if you're using them for an outdoor event like ours!  Unfortunately, I didn't have time to wait for shipping.   So I went with Wal-Mart and I'm actually really happy with how they turned out! 

What I love most about this display is the flowering garland along the top left corner.  It's such a pretty detail and really makes the whole thing look more put together!  The piece was a bit long so I trimmed it using wire cutters.  Then I tied it to the frame in several places to keep it secure.

And that's it!  This project was so much fun to make and a great way to preserve our memories.  Plus, it'll be easy to swap out the photos when we're ready!

If you have any questions about how to make this photo display, let me know in the comments below!  And be sure to share your creations on Instagram using #laceandlu :)

Good luck!

Lace