I have had the materials for this project for umm..... about a year. Which is awful. I can't believe it took me this long to get to it. 2016 definitely needs to be the year for this girl to kick her bad procrastinating habits to the curb for good! Wish me luck with that, would ya?!  :) This beauty was worth the wait, however! I absolutely love how it turned out. It has it's imperfections, but it was handmade by me for our miracle baby and so I think it has a special place in my heart for that reason. 

I was super intimidated when I first thought about trying to make a canvas wall hanging. I do that a lot (psych myself out) and I'm sure some of you do the same, but I'm here to tell you that this was much easier than I anticipated it would be and I would venture to say that even a beginner DIY-er could successfully complete this project. 

MATERIALS

Here are the things you will need to make this banner wall hanging:

Materials -

• Lighweight Canvas or Fabric to make your banner
• Felt for the letters (you could also use fabric, leather, cardstock, etc.)
• Twine or Yarn to hang banner and to make decorative tassel (optional)
• Dowel

Tools -

• Glue Gun or Sewing Machine (either will work great!)
• Scissors

RECTANGLE PIECE FOR BANNER BASE

STEP 1.) Make sure to iron your canvas or fabric that you are going to use for the banner base before you start. Next, decide how big you want to make your banner. I just proportioned mine to the 12 inch long dowel that I purchased. Before I hemmed any of my edges my rectangle piece measured 14 inches long (from top to bottom) and 10 inches wide (from side to side). 

SIDES FOLDED OVER BEFORE HEM

STEP 2.) Fold over the left and right sides of your banner base about 1/2 inch to make a hem. Make sure to iron them down before you attempt to sew or glue them. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. You will regret it if you do - - - >  #beentheredonethat. Hem the sides with a sewing machine or glue gun (both work just as well). 

BACK OF BANNER SHOWING DOWEL CASING

STEP 3.) After the sides of your banner are hemmed, you can move to the top of the banner to create the casing for your dowel. My dowel was 1/2 inch in diameter so I folded my fabric over 1 1/2 inches to make sure there was ample room to slide in the dowel. Next you can sew or glue the casing. Then you are ready to insert your dowel. Can you see it starting to take shape now?!

STEP 4.) I don't have any pictures of this part, because honestly I struggled with getting the points on my banner to look the way I envisioned them. Halfway through this step (after I had already made the cut) I realized I should have stuck with an easier banner shape like THIS ONE. It would have made this project go more seamlessly and saved me some time. 

STEP 5.) Now for the fun part!! After your banner base is complete you are ready to decorate and bedazzle it to your heart's content. Since Kate's nursery theme is very soft and sweet I stuck with a neutral palette and simple design. I enlisted the help of my Cricut machine to cut out paper letters to use as a guide before cutting my felt because my scissor skills are horrible and I didn't trust myself to be able to freehand the letters. After my felt letters were cut out I used a hot glue gun to attach them to the banner. Lastly, I made a fun little tassel out of baker's twine to add a little whimsy (awesome tassel tutorial HERE) and then tied twine around the dowels to create the hanging piece. 

I haven't decided exactly where I want to hang my banner yet, but I had so much fun moving it around the room to take pictures for this post! Honestly, it looked perfect in just about every place I put it. It's such a versatile piece and I hope that when she's older Kate will love it as much as I do. What do you think about the finished product? Is this something that you would attempt? 

You guys, it feels so wonderful to be blogging again! Thank you for taking the time to read this tutorial! Make sure you tell me if you try this project. I would LOVE to see what you create!!!

xoxo,
Hannah

Things I'm Loving Thursday : Valentine's Day Crafts

Have you started your Valentine's Day crafting yet? If not there is still plenty of time left to begin! Here are some of my favorite love day craft projects to help get your creative juices flowing. Ready... set... be inspired!

Love is in the Air Valentines

Valentine Embroidery Hoops

DIY Cupid Arrows

DIY Valentine Banner

Gold Heart Pinata

DIY Valentine Coasters

DIY Washi Tape Valentine's Day Cards

February is here, folks, so if you aren't already in full blown Valentine's Day mode then it is now officially time to do so! This weekend I whipped up some super simple Valentine's Day cards using one of my favorite crafting supplies... Washi Tape! It seriously has never been so easy to create custom Valentines. Here is what you'll need to make it happen:

- Blank cards

- Plain white cardstock or paper

- Washi Tape

- Something to cut out letters or shapes. You can use anything from a die cut machine, regular old scissors, an exacto knife, or scrapbook punches. Any of those will do fabulously!

So how does this work? Easy peasy - simply tape strips of washi onto the plain white cardstock or paper as pictured below.

Next, use your cutting tool of choice to cut shapes or letters within the strips of tape. Use double sided tape to secure your washi tape cut outs to the blank cards. And you're done!

What kind of Valentine's Day crafts do you plan to make this month? I would love to hear what is on your crafting to do list!

Things I'm Loving Thursday : DIY Winter Decor

It's been awhile since I wrote a "Things I'm Loving Thursday", you guys! I've missed it! This week I'm obsessing over winter inspired DIY home decor. I'm really into the natural rustic look this season... neutral colors with touches of greenery are kind of my favorite. So without further ado... here are a few of my current DIY winter decor crushes!

DIY PAPER SNOWFLAKES

DIY SWEATER PILLOW

DIY TINSEL WREATH

DIY WINTER TERRARIUM

DIY PINECONE WREATH

DIY PAINTED LOG CANDLE HOLDERS

DIY TUFTED WOOL WREATH

DIY Valentine's Day Heart Shaped Hand Warmers

Good morning, lovelies! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Today I am over-the-moon excited to be guest blogging again over at Living Well Spending Less. L.W.S.L is one of my favorite blogs... it's packed full of great money saving tips, DIY tutorials, yummy recipes, and more! I am just super flattered to have been asked to contribute to this blog, and I hope you'll check it out! 

The project I'm sharing is how to make your own Valentine's Day heart shaped hand warmers. These hand warmers are really easy to make and are a fabulous Valentine's Day gift idea for anyone in your life! Or you could just make them for yourself... I'm not gonna lie, I'm keeping some of these for me! Just click HERE to get the tutorial. Happy crafting!
*PS - I love your feedback and would be super excited to hear what you think about this project. If you dig it (or if you don't) let me know by commenting below! Thanks, guys and gals! You're the BEST!!!

DIY Valentine's Day Washi Tape Gift Bags

Are you guys as obsessed with Washi Tape as I am? If you have yet to try it you're missing out! Washi Tape is one of the most affordable and easy-to-use crafting supplies out there right now, and you can use it on almost anything. 

Like for example, gift bags! I adore a good gift bag as much as the next girl, but these days who has the money to dish out $4-5 for each gift you give? That's where Washi Tape comes in! For my Valentine's Day gifts this year I purchased plain gift bags and used Washi Tape to decorate them. The process involves sticking the tape on the bag - that's literally it! You can apply the tape however you like... have fun and let your imagination run wild! Here are a couple of ideas to get you started. 

Are you already a fan of Washi Tape? Do you need more Washi Tape craft ideas? Check out a few more of my projects HERE and HERE! Happy Valentine's Day and happy crafting!

Favorite DIY Projects of 2013

2013 is coming to an end?! HOW????? My mother told me these days would come... when time would fly right by. I didn't believe her until now. Wowsers, does life go fast or what?! So 2013 was pretty awesome for my little blog. I thought we could do a little review of the year so I could share some of my favorite moments of Lovely Little Life's 2013. That ok with you guys? Good!!!

5.) DIY Washi Tape Serving Tray - This project has been one of my most viewed posts to date, and was one of the easiest projects I have done! It has a special place in my heart, because it really helped Lovely Little Life get off the an amazing start in 2013.

4.) DIY Fabric Softener Dryer Balls - This may not have been the most popular post, but it was still one of my personal favorites. These little dryer balls are seriously AH-MAZING and have made such a difference in how long our clothes stay in the dryer! If you're looking for a quick and easy way to cut utility bill costs, you must check out the tutorial.

3.) DIY Yardstick Box - I adore this DIY yardstick box project and love how versatile it is! Use it in a craft room, home school room or make a teacher's day by gifting it at the end of the school year!

2.) DIY Burlap Ribbon Fall Wreath - I have made quite a few wreaths in the last two years. I've loved them all, but this one has got to be my favorite. It stayed on my door from September 1st - December 1st and even then I hated to see it go! 

1.) DIY Upholstered Wingback Chair - This chair... it is everything! I'm proud of myself for sticking it out and getting it done no matter how hard it was and regardless of the time it took to complete. It deserves every bit of the #1 spot for the year!
Now, what was YOUR favorite Lovely Little Life project of 2013? I would love to hear which one would earn your vote! Chow for now!