DIY: Concrete + Gold Centerpiece Ideas

diy concrete container

Hello hello!
And happy Monday afternoon!
Fun fact, it’s Tuesday morning here.
Wild huh? Time travel and DIY for the win!

diy concrete planter

Although I probably should tip my hat to jet lag for the early morning motivation over here…

concrete diy

I made these hefty little containers for my new column (eeee!) over at Broke-Ass Bride, where I am going to be living vicariously through (and hopefully inspiring) crafty brides everywhere to get their hands dirty with some DIY.
Exciting stuff.

concreteandgoldleafampersand

Whether you’re a bride-to-be, a craft junkie, or an admirer of all things industrial (and over priced these days) these little containers pack a real punch. So get ready to get your rocks off (I just couldn’t help myself) and go check out the full post on Broke-Ass Bride for all the (super easy) instructions and just a little sass. And if you’ve just landed here from BAB, a hearty welcome all the way from Japan!



DIY: Gold Leaf Polka Dot Easter Eggs

gold foil easter egg diy

Now that’s a mouth full, isn’t it?
But a tasty one. And easy too.
And don’t you just wanna squeeze all those teeny tiny succulent cheeks to death?
I mean, in an anthropomorphic cactilovefestsortofway.
Okay, that was weird.
But you can picture it right?

gold foil easter egg diy

Okay, okay…
I’ll break the awkward silence (americans can only go 4 seconds!)
and get back to Easter. It’s actually a really special holiday to me, not in any religious sense,
but in the holiday traditions that really see you through sort of way.

It’s my holiday among friends, and for the past five years I’ve thrown a dinner party for those friends who are orphaned from their family by geography, history, economy or circumstance.
So basically, a delightful, motley, and ever-changing crew.

gold foil easter egg diy

Easter has seen me through a marriage, a divorce, two blogs, and three different homes, always with a slew of friends, a vat of wine, and a trough of food at the ready. Last year the addition of my darling boyfriend and his family made the holiday one of my favorites yet, and this year is sure to be fantastic,
as we’ll be celebrating in our first home together.

gold leaf easter egg diy

And every year for five years, I’ve wanted to make some sort of Easter egg place cards. I have absolutely no idea why. I’ve meant to do it. Then I inevitably run out of time, or decide it’s more essential to make a second pie or drink more wine. Pie and wine always win.

But this year is different.
This year there is time for crafts and pie and wine.
Hallelujah.

gold foil easter egg diy

A few weeks ago I saw the clever way Emily used double stick tape over on Cupcakes and Cashmere to gussy up some salt shakers, and I immediately thought of glue dots and Easter Eggs.

Then while I was grabbing some more dots from Moskatels, my inability to pass up anything in miniature led me to acquire these teeny tiny terra cotta pots. (only 39 cents each!)
And voila! Just like that I committed to making sixteen teeny tiny polka dot egg pots.

Yep, sixteen Easter guests!

gold foil easter egg diy

I blew out the first half-dozen, which made applying the glue dots a delicate procedure.
I couldn’t push hard enough to get the glue to adhere in one clean “dot,” and some dots
were a bit misshapen or lumpy organic. Once I decided to just leave the goo in the egg until after I dotted up ’em, it became a fantastically easy project.

Then I just took an Exacto knife and sliced their tops off/poured out their innards.
And we ate eggs.

This is how I did it:

easter egg succulents

ps. This project is definitely NOT rocket science and I don’t think all three of you are such idiots that I needed to write such a detailed DIY. Mostly I just wanted to practice creating a simple format for future projects and I’d love to hear what you think! It does limit us to DIYs that are six steps (or fewer)… Thoughts?