Hand Made | House of Earnest

Category: Hand Made

October 25, 2012

Creepy Halloween Candy Printables

I love labeling things. I don’t think that comes as a surprise to those who know me, my labeler has been at my side since college and running out of label tape mid-print is among my biggest pet peeves (how about a warning?). Anyway, when it comes to fun decorative labels for holiday candy, wine, or the like, I like to make my own. Stuck on with double-sided tape, they’re easier to remove from a bottle than the sticker variety and don’t cost a mound for something so simple.

I whipped up these fun candy labels that fit perfectly on a little bottle and print out on plain paper (nothing complicated!). I find that these bottles from Specialty bottle are the perfect size, but you could even use cleaned out pickle jars or jams jars.

Click here for the free printable labels! They come in three varieties: Spider Fangs, for which I used candy corn; Goblin Eggs, which are yellow M&M’s; and Eye of Newt, not pictured, but for which I used some brown M&M’s. You don’t even have to buy multiple candies if you don’t wish, just purchase one bag of M&Ms and separate by color like I did! That’s easy enough? Right?!

I hope you have a SWEET Thursday!

p.s. I’m also over on A Piece of Toast later today featured in Molly and Sally’s regular column ‘She Wishes She Was Wearing’ sharing a little about me and my fashion preferences! Check it out!

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October 24, 2012

Illuminated Heart Pumpkin

in Hand Made with 3 Comments

The light of day doesn’t do this pumpkin project justice, but as soon as the sun goes down, the illuminated heart pumpkin shines a sweet shape into the fall night.

Aside from my photo being a tad blurry (I really haven’t mastered low light photos yet), I think it’s easy to see what a perfect addition this pumpkin is to a front porch. The heart pattern could easily be switched out for any other simple shape, or maybe even a letter, so the possibilities of how to customize this project are vast.

Interested in lighting up the night with your plain pumpkin? Keep reading for the full instructions!

3 Comments

October 17, 2012

Naturally Spooky Spider Wine Tags

in Hand Made, Party Style with 6 Comments

You know I love Halloween, but I also love a more refined approach to a very kitschy holiday. If I had told you that pipe cleaners and some spray paint would be so charming, you probably wouldn’t have believed me, but I think these are just the right touch of fun, spooky, and functional for your October entertaining – AND a sweet little treat for your guests to take home.

The whole project isn’t too involved for a quick addition to a fall gathering, but is cute enough to be memorable. Plus anything that involves wine ranks high on my list. Just don’t drink too much and get scared by your own spider! Keep reading for the step by step tutorial and directions!

6 Comments

October 15, 2012

Pumpkin Seeds Three Ways

in Food, Hand Made with 9 Comments

I have no doubt you’ll have some pumpkin carving going on in the next couple weeks, and there is no way you should throw out the seeds. I usually make plain roasted seeds, but thought that there was definitely an opportunity to spice them up with some fun flavor combos this year – Chili Lime, Sweet & Spicy, and Rosemary & Olive Oil.

With each of the flavor combinations I made, I started by boiling the seeds in salted water for 10 minutes before roasting to plump them up with a little flavor. From there, I mixed one cup of boiled seeds the spice mixtures and roasted at 375 for 18 minutes, stirring twice.

One medium pumpkin yielded three cups of seeds, so it was just enough to make a batch of all three! Keep Reading for all three recipes!

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October 10, 2012

Pumpkin Decor Made Easiest: Silver Antiqued

in Hand Made with 10 Comments

One of the easiest things to do to your holiday pumpkins is to paint it, but still easier is to get this silver antiqued finish on your plump little fall friend. The subtle metallic that falls within the crevices gives an effect that doesn’t have to be too exact to still be pretty.

It’s a simple two step process. ONE spray the pumpkin with a metallic finish spray paint. TWO use steel wool to rub off the paint that is on the elevated parts of your pumpkin, leaving it to glimmer in the creases.

See! I told you it would be easy! If you’re low on time (or just like a more minimal look like me) this is perfect for inside or outside. Wouldn’t a collections of several varying sizes all look great as a centerpiece?

What are your pumpkin decorating plans? Do you think you’ll give this a try? I have a more difficult one on the agenda for next week if you’re up for a (pretty) challenge!

Have a BEAUTIFUL Wednesday!

p.s. My husband, Matt is being featured today on the Vmac + Cheese column The Man Behind the Blog. He’s sharing tidbits from his favorite blogs to how he feels about instagramming food. Check it out!

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October 9, 2012

Getting Down to (DIY) Business

in Hand Made with 14 Comments

I’ve been on the business card hunt since last January and I’ve finally landed on a design and gotten them in. I was so worried that two months after ordering something I would no longer like it, or want something different, so I went with a very flexible approach. I ordered a really high quality stock (220lb) with my House of Earnest logo in letterpress. That’s all. No name, no title, no twitter handle… nothing.

Here is the fun part though, I got the business card stamp from Mae Mae Paperie with my vitals. I felt that over time, I could change up the color of the ink, or even get a whole new stamp if I wanted a different look. I wouldn’t be stuck with one font or one design if my tastes change, but the logo is a constant. I did choose my stamp design because the simplicity of it and the font (georgia) go along with the branding of the site, however.

Another bonus is that I can use unstamped cards as little note cards for clients or project partners and they’re not just limited to one use (which you know I’m big on)!

So there we have it. My kind of DIY, kind of custom letterpress cards. They have all of the flexibility I’m after, and allow me to get a little creative.

Do you have a business card or calling card for yourself? Did you feel like it was a huge commitment to narrow down the design?

Have a Happy Tuesday, guys!

14 Comments

September 26, 2012

Log Candelabra DIY

in Hand Made with 11 Comments

Matt laughed when I coined my ‘look’ this year for Halloween as “classy, creepy, natural”. But I’m serious over here.

While I’m not a huge fan of spending too much time putting up holiday decor (because that equates to just as much time taking them down), I’m still very serious about decorating for the holidays. I try to choose things that will span through the season, while not being specific to just one day.

I love this little log DIY because it will look pretty on my table from early fall through Christmas. Come November 1st, I’ll remove the skull and creepy bird, but leave the pumpkins. Then after Thanksgiving, I’ll swap out the pumpkins for holly or pine sprigs. It works!

It was so super simple, I bet you can guess the steps. But nonetheless, I’ve outlined them for those of you who want to try your hand at this pretty project. Keep reading for the step-by-step! Continue Reading…

11 Comments

September 19, 2012

Hand Made: Gourd Doorstopper

in Hand Made, Home Decor with 9 Comments

One of my favorite things about fall is that the temps die down and I get to open up my windows and doors, letting in all of the cool breezes and crisp leafy scents. This gourd doorstop is not only pretty, but is useful for keeping open doors from blowing shut (in the event of one of the aforementioned cool breezes).

Fresh gourds and pumpkins will rot before fall is over and dried gourds are too light to handle a heavy door, but I’ve come up with just the solution to keep the fall spirit alive and functional inside my home.

If you’re interested in the full tutorial, keep reading for how I made this little dried gourd into a heavy sitter for the doorway.

9 Comments

September 4, 2012

Black & White and Stitched All Over

in Favorite Projects, Hand Made, Home Decor with 19 Comments

A few weeks ago, I featured this bathroom on my Friday faves. I loved the simplicity of the design, the contrast between black and white, and the Scandinavian flair it possessed. I let you all know that I was going to use it as inspiration for an upcoming project and here it is!

Cross stitched designs are all over this fall, so I decided to create my own take on the trend using the inspiration from that beautiful bathroom wall. Burlap has a very visible weave, which made it really easy to measure and stitch these mini cross-hatches all over a length of the material.

There could be so many iterations of this same project using different patterns or colors – the possibilities are literally endless.

If you think it’s a project you’re interested in giving a shot, keep reading for the full tutorial!

19 Comments

August 30, 2012

Leather Belt Curtain Ties

in Hand Made, Home Decor with 18 Comments

I have to admit, the curtains in my office have been tied back with rubber bands for the last year… rubber bands. I love the way worn leather looks, and thought that an old belt would make a beautiful and resourceful tieback for my office drapes. Using tools most people have at home, it isn’t hard to transform an old piece of your wardrobe into a simple, but pretty detail for inside your home.

I love the way that a simple gold turnback pin looks, but wanted to use supplies that would be easy to find at home. A simple flat screw with a dollop of glue and paint works just perfect.

Keep reading for the full instructions!

18 Comments