DIY Archives – Page 7 of 7 – A Well Crafted Party

Smart Camping Gear

July 30, 2014 10 Comments A Well Crafted Life

Over 8 years ago I married my husband and we went on our very first camping trip as a married couple for our honeymoon. It has always been one of my favorite things to do with my husband, friends, and family. My son’s first camping trip was when he was 6 weeks old, but we then got out of the habit of stealing away to the woods for a weekend because life happened. This year I promised myself that we’d make time for trips like this instead of looking back at another Summer of missed opportunities due to busy schedules.

I’m so glad that I made that commitment. The past two weekends I’ve enjoyed some real quality time with my family, friends, and good ole’ Mother Nature. I came back to the real world with posts about a delicious summer sipping cocktail perfect for camping and a tutorial on how to make fire roasted corn on the cob.

Smart Camping Gear that is also Really Cool!

While I love a good rustic campground, I also know that there are a few items that are just awesome to have while camping. Here are some of my favorites and some items that are on my wish list for future camping trips.

(Please note that many of the below links are affiliate links. Purchases made from these links helps to support this blog and keep fresh content coming your way. Thank you for your support!)

Ozark Trail Hobo Tool – 7-in-1 This has been my favorite camping tool hands down! It is a knife, spoon, fork, can opener, bottle opener, and corkscrew all-in-one! The tool folds all up together, but can also detach so that you have a knife and fork usable at the same time!
GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Dualist Wish list item big time! My friends had this when we were camping and it was amazing! The set had a pot, two bowls, to cups, and two forks that all fit into each other. The pot helped water boil SUPER fast on a little camp stove.
Therm-A-Rest NeoAir Trekker Air Mattress, Pistachio, Regular While I love camping and I love camping in a tent… but, I’m getting older and I need a little cushion. I love that this air mattress is compact and doesn’t need a big pump to air it up. But, if I’m gonna be completely honest with you… I really want the Coleman Double-High Quickbed because would be like sleeping on a real bed in the middle of the woods!
ReVIVE Rugged Camping Charger & 5000mAh Solar Battery Pack for Charging at the Beach, Lake, Forest, Desert, and more – Includes Cleaning Brush While I tell myself that I am going to unplug when camping… I still want to have my iPhone camera. This charger would save me when my palms start to get sweaty from being disconnected for too long! (I joke. Sorta.)
Sol Republic’s Motorola Deck Speaker Speaking of things that need charging… I was recently sent this amazing little speaker (smaller than a breadbox) that can be charged up and used nearly anywhere. It connects to phones/ipods wirelessly and up to 5 people can play DJ by highjacking the link. It is so cool and has great sound. The first thing I thought of when playing around with it was how great it would be for our next camping trip.

That is my current gear list… though, I know I’m missing quite a few items.

Know of another camping item you can’t live without or is on your current wish list? Comment with a link below!

DIY

DIY Friend Gift Perfect for Coffee & Tea Lovers from Fancy That Shop

July 14, 2014 1 Comment DIY

The Portland Bloggers group recently had the opportunity to visit local party and craft shop Fancy That for a fun crafting event. Lisa, owner of Fancy That, prepped a great customizable craft that each of the bloggers in attendance were able to make for the coffee or tea lover in their lives. Many people talked about giving to friends or teachers. I personally wanted to keep mine for myself! 🙂 This is a really easy and fun DIY friend gift idea that you can completely customize for the gift recipient.

This isn’t your typical tutorial. It is completely adjustable to your style and materials. Nearly all of the materials can be found at the Fancy That shop who has both an online and brick-and-mortar store.

The picture above shows what each attendee to the craft event received at their table. The tables were also covered with party circles, double sided tape, washi tape, bakers twine, and hole punches. Nearly all items below can be purchased through the Fancy That shop!

Supplies:

1 drink carrier
wooden spoons
Tea packets or instant coffee packages
Sugar or other sweetener packages
cellophane baggies for decorating and/or packaging
White cups with lids & sleeves

Optional items used for decorating and customizing your gift:

Custom printed party circles (can be anything really!)
Washi Tape
Double Sided Tape
Scissors
Bakers Twine
Markers/pens
Hole punch
Stapler

Directions for your DIY Coffee (or Tea) Lover Friend Gift

Decorate your supplies as you like, put everything in the drink carrier, and deliver to your friend!

I hate to be so simple on a tutorial’s directions… but, this craft was THAT EASY. You can decorate as little or as much as you want. Placing custom tags or printables on items or just labeling with your pen. You can even just put everything in the drink carrier with some napkins and a sweet note and call it good. But, here are some ideas for further inspiration:

Use washi tape and wrap around the box, spoon handles, or cups to give your gift a fun, decorative touch.
Fill one of the cellophane bags with tea packages, fold the bag to resemble a tea bag, affix a string of bakers twine with a staple, affix a small heart or tag at the other end of the string with a staple– you then have a giant tea bag as a container for your tea packages!
Use bakers twine and washi tape to crate a cute little bunting for the container!

PS National Friendship Day is August 3rd!

PPS Love this idea, but aren’t really into crafting? Fancy that is selling an adorable Tea for Two drink carrier with fixins on the website!

** I attended a free craft event put on by Fancy That for Portland Bloggers. Portland Bloggers is a product of my company Jenni Bost Creative Services LLC. This event was a break out event with no promise of posting or review. I just enjoyed my time and thought the craft would fit nicely on my blog. I also believe in supporting local businesses when possible. I hope you enjoyed the craft as much as I did!**

A Well Crafted Life

Creative Daily: Self-Care with Sketches and Writing

September 29, 2012 No Comments A Well Crafted Life

I have a lot of goals that I am continually trying to live up to. I guess it is just part of who I am. One of my many goals is to do something, anything, creative every day. Now, I have a lot of creative interests like cooking, graphic design, fiction writing, drawing, sewing, painting, crafting… the list goes on and on. So, it isn’t something I can always post about.

I’m not one to post my fiction on-line— well, at least not after the very embarrassing attempts at poetry I posted on my first weblog. (Anyone else out there have Xanga?)

A lot of my creative work lately has been writing ghost stories for my freelance gigs. So, not so much publishable.

In high school and college I was known to sketch (doodle) quite a bit. I’d often draw the big signs for our hallways and even got an award for my editorial cartoons. I don’t do it near as much as I’d like though. I love sketching and lettering. I love the way it feels to have pens crossing over completely blank paper. So, lately I’ve been sketching again. I hope to keep it up. I’m posting my sketches over on Instagram on days that I like what I’ve drawn enough to share!

What do you do to hone your creativity?