Author: frugal-nomics

DIY

Frugal-nomics DIY: Halloween Personalized Napkin Ring Holders

Growing up I progressively got more and more into setting the table for holidays like Thanksgiving — I mean I would really go all out, hand drying leaves and pine cones from outside, for a finishing touch.  So, it was a natural progression for me to create these personalized napkin ring holders to get in the mood for Halloween.  I mean I saw one cut out of a bat as inspiration, and I totally took it to a new level.  You can add as many shapes and designs that your imagination can scare up — it will be a ghoul of a time. (Corny, I know…but enjoy!) 🙂

SUPPLIES: 1/4 yard of felt, silk organza ribbon (close to a yard for each place setting), fabric paint, straight pins, scissors, and a print out of all the images you want to use (I used Google Images to find some cute ones!!!) 

HOW-TO:
1. The first step is to find silhouettes of pictures you want on Google Images, print them out the size of about 1/4 of a page or less, and then cut them all out.
2. Take your organza ribbon and cut a piece for each of your place settings (Note: be generous so you can have a nice size bow — mine were each 31 inches long).
3. Using straight pins, attach each image to your felt.
4. Go ahead and carefully cut out your images.
5. In the spot you’d like your ribbon to run through your felt “character,” make a tiny incission (about an 1/8th inch) with your scissors. 6. Take the nozzle of your fabric paint, and carefully spell each name of your guests. (Note: I would practice first to gauge how fast paint comes out when you apply pressure to the bottle, because in the event you mess up, you don’t want to have to start all over). Let dry for a few hours.
7. Slip your organza ribbon evenly through the incission you made in Step #5, and you’re all done! 

OUTFITS

Throw Back


Happy Saturday guys! So happy to share another outfit post with you…this one is special because the hat was my grandmother’s.  While I inherited several of her hats a couple of years ago when she passed away, they were a wee bit too small for my head (and I always thought I had a tiny noggin).  But it wasn’t until recently I got a hat while thrifting that too was undersized as well, that it dawned on me to look up if anyone else had a solution to my problem…and low and behold they did! The message boards I read suggested that I wet the hat and then wear them.  Not one to mess up my hair (I know I’m not the only one), I soaked the hat in the bathtub, placed a plastic bag on my hair, and proceeded to wear them each for about a half hour around the house as they dried — and presto, it worked! I was so very excited to find a solution, so now I’ll be rocking her hats with pride.

I also wanted to share a funny story with you. I wanted to try a new location today, so I took my camera up to Lincoln Center for this post. I was just about finished shooting myself with the 10 second timer when a New York City Police Officer began to approach (I could see him coming in my LCD screen, but pretended not to notice) and told me I couldn’t shoot if I was using a tripod. How was I supposed to finish, alone? Having everything I needed except my wideshot, I expressed my dilemma to the officer and he offered to take some shots for me. Relieved and now finished, I happily packed up my stuff.  So, while I didn’t get his name….I’d like to dedicate this post to that officer.  It just goes to show you that you should always be nice, even if you’re being ejected from a place 🙂 Have a beautiful weekend guys!

:: OUTFIT ::

Blazer :: Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti (thrifted)
Jumpsuit :: Material Girl by Madonna
Handbag :: Louis Vuitton (thrifted)
Hat :: (used to be my grandmothers)
Shoes :: Guess

Uncategorized

Tassel Bracelet DIY Workshop

Last night I hosted a great Tassel Bracelet Workshop with a fun group of guys and gals at The Schermerhorn. We had cupcakes, some beautiful fall colors for our bracelet tassels, and an abundance of chain — what more could we need?! We had so much fun that they were inquiring if it would be a weekly thing! So, not one to disappoint, I’m already cooking up ideas for our next event. Whether they were making a Tassel Bracelet for themselves, or using one of the cute boxes provided to make it as a gift, they were all smiles learning to “do it themselves.”