Archive for the ‘simply easy ideas’ Category

On a DIY road trip…with maps

Aug 22nd, 12 / 0 Comments

This is actually a late summer road trip! I had to send a letter to my brother the other day and thought I would make a homemade map envelope for him. Maps are my go to for “dude design”. I love the earthy colors and patterns of maps and collect them at garage sales. Since they become outdated pretty quickly and most everybody uses gps, they are not around as much. Grab them if you see them. Here are some ideas on how to use them.

Supplies: maps, envelopes (for a template), scissors, pencil and some tape. I used Japanese washi tape (pretty fancy, but you can find it at Paper Source and the web).

How to make an invitation size envelope.

Step 1. Undo your envelope to use as a template. You can buy plastic envelope templates if you wish. I never seem to have one when I need it.

Step 2. Trace around your envelope template.

Step 3 and 4. Cut out your outline with scissors, fold up the envelope and tape it shut. Cut off the excess tape. That’s it!

How to make a letter size envelope. Or any size.

Step 1. Take the map and fold it in thirds to the paper size you would like to send.

Step 2. Tape it shut.

Step 3. To make the flap of the envelope, cut down about an 1.5 on each side.

Step 4. Cut off the back side where you just made the slits.

Step 5. Fold the corners down and tape them to finish your flap. ( to seal your envelope, you can use glue or more tape

Now you have a beautiful set of custom envelopes to send! Very easy to do while your watching HGTV! I added an address label. Another bit of fanciness.

Don’t stop there. Try making some tags! Just spray glue on a plain piece of paper on the back and trim them out. I just cut them with the scissors for a handmade look. Punch holes and to finish up, use a reinforcement label for holes and some bakers twine. Make s bunch for the holidays.

Or use maps alone or with paper bags and washi tape to cover school books. Awesomeness!

 

 

simply easy ideas, simply made

Lazy Sunday Brunch

Jun 6th, 12 / 1 Comment

Want to make Sunday special?  Serve brunch outside on your patio.  You can throw this together without much planning. A trip to the grocery store and some eclectic table décor is all you will need.

Try using mismatched thrift store plates on top of plain white plates to add interest to your casual table.  Tie silverware and vintage napkins together with raffia. It looks nice and you don’t have to get out the iron.

Add a personal touch and delight your guests with birch place card holders. People love to see their name on the table. They feel special and you look like a hostess extraordinaire. You can also use them to identify the food you are serving.

Serve crumb cakes or pastries on a rustic birch serving plate

The DIY centerpiece is made from three flowers and some mismatched bottles. Easy and affordable.

Whip up some omelettes and pop the champagne. Happy Sunday! You can find the birch party accessories in my SimplySofie Etsy Shop.

simply easy ideas

Congrats Brie!

May 6th, 12 / 0 Comments

Recently. My daughter Brie was one of 25 accepted into the fine arts program at Cal State Long Beach. The 25 students were honored with a show at the Duncan Anderson Gallery.  She built her installation with her dad which had to house her projects and two portfolios.

To congratulate her, we gave her some earrings. But the store wrapping was just not up to par.

We’ll save this for Halloween!

Here is my re-wrap. So cute and easy.

 

simply easy ideas

Leather Fringe Necklace

Apr 30th, 12 / 1 Comment

Jen and I got together this weekend and made some really cool fringe necklaces. No matter where we go, people stop and ask us where we got them. We used old bracelets, earrings and leather lace.

It’s amazing what you can create with best friends, crafts and Coronas on a perfect Sunday.

Such a cute model!

Even a fringe bag was with a adorned with a bracelet.

Cheers!

Let us know if you would like to order one! Soon coming on our Etsy site!

 

simply easy ideas, Uncategorized

NYE Banner from Christmas Scraps

Dec 27th, 11 / 0 Comments


Stop! Don’t toss all those bits of ribbon and cardboard boxes from Christmas. Use them to make a festive 2012 banner for you New Years Eve party!

I collected all the silver and gold ribbons. I used yarn and twine, too. It doesn’t matter how big or small the pieces are.

Draw the numbers on your left over boxes. Just freehand them. This is a funky banner.

Trim out the numbers with scissors and start wrapping them with ribbon. I used a dab of glue on the back to secure the ends.

Punch a hole in the top and tie them on a string. Add tree garlands to jazz it up.

Gather all the clocks in your house and put them on the mantle for the count down.

Happy New Year!

simply easy ideas

Wrapping it Up Naturally

Dec 1st, 11 / 1 Comment

Wrapping Lesson 1: Go outside.

I went out for a walk with my dogs and this is what I found. My basics are craft paper, scissors and tape. Keep it neutral when adding nature. I use a bit of wrapping paper and ribbon in these gifts but the natural elements are my bling. You don’t need to buy fake nature at a craft store, it’s free for the taking.


Sheesh, don’t you love it! Invest in some baker’s twine. It will last you a forever. Supplies: craft paper, twine, a bit of wrapping paper and nature.

Leaves and a bit of velvet ribbon adorn this bag. So easy. Nothing more to say. except for the awesome tag that I made with my chop saw and a birch log.

You  wish you could smell this one. Craft paper, ribbon, raffia and rosemary. Mmmmmm

My most favorite…….bark wrapped around, acorns hot glued to a black velvet ribbon and craft paper. Crazy! I have to show one more pix.

simply easy ideas

More Brown Paper Packages tied up with Strings

Oct 10th, 11 / 1 Comment

If you know me, then you know I love wrapping gifts. If you know me, then you know I always wait till the last minute to wrap your gift and somehow, it turns out lovely. All you need is some brown paper and something vintage. I like to keep a box of vintage papers, laces, ribbons and tags in a “go to” box. For the gift above, I used some brown paper, twill tape for the ribbon and a vintage photograph for the tag. I made flowers using old sewing patterns, masking tape and wire. It looks complicated but it’s really easy. You cut some circles out of tissue and scrunch them up, poke a wire in the middle and wrap some masking tape around the bottom to hold it on the wire. You can use old book pages, catalog pages or plain tissue. Anything you have on hand. I like making them big for maximum impact.

I found some Moroccan ribbon at the flea market and bought a few yards for a couple of dollars.  This was from a basket of scrap ribbons she was just getting rid of. Hopefully, my friend will keep the ribbon and reuse it. I also picked up the little drawstring bag at the same vendor and made it into the tag. Who wouldn’t want this gift?!

I used the same brown paper and twill tape but added a vintage doily. This would make great wedding wrap.

For this gift I used vintage wall paper! I love collecting wall paper at garage sales and thrift stores to add to my gift wrap supply. They are generally too thick to wrap an entire gift but you can use it like I did here and it makes awesome tags (and invitations, but that’s another story).  The rolls are usually quite large, cost pennies and are pretty interesting. This one is silver metallic with pink flocking. Can you imagine this on your walls? NO,  but it looks great here! I also have grass paper and some funky 70′s wallpaper. Just remember to “think outside the box” when it comes to wrapping and your gift will always be opened first!

simply easy ideas

Recycled Candles

Oct 3rd, 11 / 1 Comment

This week we had a mishap with our tray of candles that we keep on our patio table. They melted in the 100 degree California sun and ran all over the place. I started to throw them away but then thought……..what if?  What if I re-melt the big candle and make some new candles?

First I shaved off the dirt with a peeler. Then I took the candle and put it in the microwave on the “melt chocolate chips” setting in a microwave safe dish. I had to run it through a couple of rounds until it was sitting in a puddle of wax.  I read online that it is best to have a candy thermometer to get the wax the perfect temperature, but we don’t have one so I just put in for a few minutes at a time. I had some wicks from a previous project that you can find at craft stores for about $3 for six. In a pinch, string and a pencil will work too.  All I needed was some vessels for the new candles. We had grapefruit for breakfast, so I tried that. It turned out beautiful and smelled good, too. Perfect for Halloween!

Then I tried an abalone shell we had in the backyard. This time I mixed in some patuli oil. They have candle scents at the craft stores but I think they are pretty stinky. It’s worth the investment of a nice essential oil.

Happy day! The abalone candle is so lovely and serene. So next time you have some old, dirty candles, make some new candles from them. Try using an eggshell, teacup, flower pot or coconut shell as a vessel.  I’m going to start collecting vintage glassware for this project. I hope my friends aren’t reading this because I know what I’m making for holiday presents!

simply easy ideas, simply lovely, simply made

Just a little fabric and glue!

Jul 19th, 11 / 1 Comment

My friend Jen is moving and getting rid of everything including her collection of vintage fabrics. Lucky us! We wanted to make her a housewarming gift using her fabric. Here are a couple of easy projects using left over fabric scraps that you and your kids can do!

Your probably have everything you need without running to the store. Jars, clothespins, scissors, craft brush, glue and fabric scraps. The fabric can be anything; denim, bandanas or old shirts. We used some torn kimonos from Jen.

First cut the fabric to fit on the clothespins and jars. No measuring necessary.

Mix the glue with some water to thin it out. Or use Modge Podge. Paint the clothespin with glue, put on the fabric and paint the top of the fabric with glue.

Do the same thing with the jar. Paint some glue on the jar and apply the fabric.

Paint some more glue on top of the fabric. Take a damp towel and wipe off the extra glue before it dries.

Use the jars to hold pencils, flowers or candles. We wrapped a wire around one to hang with the candle. Makes a great gift for teachers, new neighbors or grandparents!

The clothespins come in handy to attach a tag to a gift.

Or on a string for notes! So easy!

simply easy ideas

Natural Egg Dying

Apr 15th, 11 / 2 Comments

This year I tried using natural dyes for our Easter eggs. It was more work than dropping the tablet from the kit at Target in water, but the results from natural dyes were beautiful. You can find the recipes for natural dyes on Martha Stewart. I chose beets, onion skins and coffee for my dyes. I used cilantro to make the leaf patterns. Here’s how….

Wrap the egg in a few sprigs of cilantro. I didn’t use glue or any adhesive. Find an old stocking that doesn’t have a match. Mine was tall so I cut it so it was short. Hold the cilantro on the egg and put it in the stocking.

Twist the stocking until it is tight and wrap it with a twist tie.  Drop it in the dye. You can use cheese cloth instead of a stocking if you have that. I left the egg in the dye for a couple of hours, sometimes overnight. I used brown eggs and white eggs.

For this egg, I used grass instead of cilantro. Celery leaves, fern leaves or small leaves from your garden would work well.

Instead of displaying your eggs in baskets, try these ideas. Use wine glasses and grass or sage leaves on your cupcake stand. Happy Easter!

simply easy ideas, simply lovely, Uncategorized
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