The peak of wedding season is upon us, and I hope we are all getting ready!  I am super proud to announce the launch of my first invitation product, available on etsy.  Everything is finally coming together in terms of commercial licenses for fonts, wording, design ideas and enough experience in the business to be able to produce a stellar product/experience I know brides will love.

I’m so happy and blessed to be able to run my etsy shop.  In terms of creativity and entrepreneurship, these last four years building up the business to where it is now has been such a life-changing journey, and I can’t be more grateful for my wonderful customers, family, and friends for all of their support.

In the beginning, it was just me folding paper cranes for weddings.   I’ve shared my etsy experience with my brides, moms-to-be, and others celebrating the special moments in life.

What about you?  Have you ever thought of starting your own etsy shop?

Whenever I go to the winery to buy corks for my place card holders, I always get a raised eyebrow with the question, “What do you use all these wine corks for?”

“The brides just love them,” I reply, “I run a little etsy shop online, and a lot of brides love the vineyard weddings.”  Then I usually add, “Do you have an etsy shop?”

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.  Sometimes they don’t know what etsy even is.

If they don’t, I always tell them they should.  We are all talented and unique people.  We are living in an amazing time of internet and connection.  If you are looking to create your own extra income on the side, this is a monumental time in human history when it should be easy.

I started with paper cranes and the desire to have my own business, to create something that was entirely mine.  As I grow more, an overarching dream for passion is something I want everyone to have.

I’m going to start posting more crafting videos targeted to inspire the inner etsy shop owner in all of us, or even the DIY bride.  I can’t name how many different products I’ve sold on etsy, some that customers have really loved, but stopped selling so I could focus in another direction.

These painted signs are a perfect starter product for an etsy shop or just an amazing way to customize a sign for your wedding.  You can use a Cricut Explore to cut out a vinyl decal, or if you don’t have a die cut machine, you can always use alphabet stickers to customize the words you want.

This technique is very simple starting with a base coat of white.  Wait for the white paint to dry, I waited one day to fully dry, then place the stickers/decal over the white and start painting the color you want over the top.  Let it dry for one day, then take off the decals.  You’ll get an amazing sign like this one!

Whether you are a DIY bride looking to make something unique for your big day, or a creative type trying to find a craft you can master and sell, this sign might be just what you are looking for!

Like this project and want to get them delivered to you inbox? Sign up for the email and I’ll send you biweekly emails packed with DIY crafts, plus huge giveaways!  Thanks for reading my blog!

I’ve been crafting up a storm as usual, especially since I learned about the new app from DarbySmart.  Marketing a blog can be really difficult.  One reason I started this blog was because I also wanted to reach out to other handmade business trying to extend their presence on the internet.

DarbySmart, founded in 2013 by Nicole Shariat Farb, has been on the forefront of crafters, chefs, and hobbyist culture.  I’ve had a lot of fun using their services for over the last 5 years.  With over 60 million view monthly, the Darby App is the place to go to promote any sort of craft business.  Just like on Instagram, I’ve been able to make friends with people who are trying to do the same thing I am.

While I used to connect my YouTube videos to my blog posts, I am going to embed my video links from DarbySmart.  Why?  Because the new Darby app is amazing!

Here are some new videos that I just posted on Darby!

Mother’s Day Bouquet

Easter is just around the corner!  What are you going to put in the Easter baskets?  I’ve been wanting to do this post for a while just because it’s so darn cute!  Plus, let’s be honest, one can never go wrong with a bath bomb.

Bath bombs are one of the most versatile crafts I know.  One would be surprised how many different intricate shapes can be made from molds, especially silicone molds.  For this project, your standard, traditional plastic egg is perfect.   I have a basic bath bomb recipe below, one that I’ve used in many projects, including the Seashell Surprise Bath Bombs .

Ingredients:

1 cup citric acid

2 cups baking soda

Food coloring or soap coloring

Essential Oils

Witch Hazel (available in the aisles of Walmart, just be sure to fill it in an empty spray bottle.  You are going to want to spray it a bit, and then check the consistency, and then spray it again.)

Optional:

Epsom Salts

Silicone Mold (I prefer silicone because it really is a perfect copy.  I’ve made some very intricate bath bomb designs, and when you use a silicone mold you can get an exact precision to the mold, so I highly recommend silicone molds when doing your bath bombs).

Plastic Animals (Any sort of fun item that won’t be damaged from a bath bomb and water is great to embed into your bath bombs.  Who doesn’t love a surprise?)

1.  Place 1 cup citric acid into a bowl.  Mix and sift until you can get all the clumps out.
2. Mix 2 cups of the baking soda with citric acid.  (Add optional 1/3 cup epsom salt here.) Sift and mix with hands again to get all the clumps out.
3. Mix the citric acid and baking soda until well incorporated.
4. Put in some drops of the food coloring.
5. Put in some drops of essential oils.
6. Mix until oils and food coloring are well incorporated.  Keep mixing the bath bomb mix until the food colorant starts to come through and change the whole color of the mix.
7.   Fill an empty spray bottle with witch hazel.  Spray mix with witch hazel.  In between sprays, mix and squeeze the bath bomb mix until you get a solid consistency to place into the molds.
8.  Once your bath bomb mix has reached a clumpy consistency, pack them into your silicone molds.
9. Let dry for 48 hours.
10. Package up and give to your besties!

Like this project and want to get them delivered to you inbox? Sign up for the email and I’ll send you biweekly emails packed with DIY crafts, plus huge giveaways!  Thanks for reading my blog!

The cherry blossoms started budding this week in my neighborhood.  The days have finally turned and spring is already here in New Mexico.  Nothing like a sweet mix of blue skies, Sandia Mountains, and budding cherry blossoms.  Ah….

I’ve been searching far and wide on Etsy for a cute Easter basket stuffer.  There are so many cute things on Etsy, it’s really hard to pick sometimes.  My daughter is obsessed with tiny things (but what little kid isn’t? hehe).   I was so happy about my purchase of this little bunny in an Altoids tin from SetApartCreation.  It was only $4 too!  Can you believe that?

It even comes with a little carrot!!  I’m obsessed !  Check our all of her stuff here.

To also prepare for the festivities, I figured out how to make bunnies out of napkins.  I am a natural origami enthusiast and was so excited as to how these turned out.  They even have whiskers!

Your guests will hop for joy when they see these Easter bunnies!

Like this project and want to get them delivered to you inbox? Sign up for the email and I’ll send you biweekly emails packed with DIY crafts, plus huge giveaways!  Thanks for reading my blog!

I’ve been thinking that I need to add a little more decor in my backyard to attract the leprechauns, so I thought this cute little sign was in order!

Like this project and want to get them delivered to you inbox? Sign up for the email and I’ll send you biweekly emails packed with DIY crafts, plus huge giveaways!  Thanks for reading my blog!

The luck of the Irish is coming!  The magical thing about St. Patrick’s Day is all the amazing things that the leprechauns bring us.  I remember when I was in preschool, we made little houses/beds for the leprechauns to come and enjoy.  When I returned the next day to school, the leprechaun KING had left me a note.  I was star stuck.

Here’s a fun video!  Enjoy!

And now the leprechaun king will come for sure! Like this project and want to get them delivered to you inbox? Sign up for the email and I’ll send you biweekly emails packed with DIY crafts, plus huge giveaways!  Thanks for reading my blog!

I love the Oscars, the speeches, the dresses (did I mention the dresses?)   The combination of gold and red throughout the event inspired this cocktail.  I found these Wilton Edible Gold Stars, used agave so they could easily stick the stars onto the edge of the cocktail glass.

Like I said, these edible glitter stars by Wilton really make the whole cocktail.  If you are planning a gold inspired wedding or event, this is a great extra detail to add.  🙂  You could even do gold rimmed margarita instead of the regular lime/salt mix.  (It may be a sweeter margarita than usual, but it gives you an idea as to how you can mix this technique with other cocktails you may make.)

And now the party is complete, no matter who comes! Like this project and want to get them delivered to you inbox? Sign up for the email and I’ll send you biweekly emails packed with DIY crafts, plus huge giveaways!  Thanks for reading my blog!

I’m going to a tea party birthday soon and thought this would be the perfect present.  With only hot glue, cardstock, some styrofoam and this cute teacup, anyone can make this project (even if you don’t have a cricut explore).

You can use a spiral paper flower design on Cricut Design by searching for “3D flower” in their image database, or you can follow along this tutorial I did for Albuquerque the Magazine a few years back.

Materials

1 teacup (I got a Pioneer Woman brand mug, it was a bigger than an actual teacup but it had the design I really wanted)

3 inch half dome of styrofoam (make sure the styrofoam you buy fits into the teacup you have, an important component of this project)

Various cardstock

hot glue gun

other embellishmemts like broaches and cuteness

(1) Cut the spirals out on your cricut explore or cut the spirals with scissors  .

(2) Twirl the spirals to look like flowers and hot glue them together.

(3) Add styrofoam dome to the tea cup and start hot glueing the paper flowers to the dome.

(4) Add embellishments like broaches or other items you like (I like paper cranes a lot, so I added one of those. ☺️)

And that’s all there is to it!  Like this project and want to get them delivered to you inbox? Sign up for the email and I’ll send you biweekly emails packed with DIY crafts, plus huge giveaways!  Thanks for reading my blog!

These DIY bird feeders are an affordable wedding or party favor perfect for any bird loving event.  While I don’t have a wedding any time soon (been hitched for almost eight years now), I do love to make these to give away during the Valentine’s Day season.

Coincidentally, my parents are about to celebrate their 42nd anniversary together.

Hit two birds with one stone.   (LOL… I crack myself up… okay.. maybe I wasn’t supposed to be a comedian in this life… maybe the next one…)

With only a few ingredients I purchased at Amazon, I was able to make about 35 of these for only $10 (only .30 a piece).

Here’s what the price breakdown looked like, I already had flour, so this is all I had to buy:

unflavored gelatin  $2.5

corn syrup  $2.7

Bird seed  $6.50

total for 35 hearts : $11.70

Not only do you save money when you create favors on the cheap, but you also create an intimate connection with your guests.

Everyone enjoys bird watching, especially when they can hang the feeder near their balcony or in their backyard. Unlike some wedding favors that are never used, these are sure to be enjoyed.  Add a cute custom tag made by Paper Crane Wishes and your event is even more memorable.

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons corn syrup

2.5 tablespoons unflavored gelatin

4 cups bird seed

Equipment

metal heart shaped cookie cutter

bowl

Large spoon

tinfoil

//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=papercranewis-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B000VDWO78&asins=B000VDWO78&linkId=21d470568e7d1b6f34fc698e066f2b1d&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff“>baking spray

(1) Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

(2) Mix, mix, mix until the same color/consistency as in the video below.

(3) Lay tinfoil over a sheet pan and spritz with baking spray.

(4) Spray cookie cutter.  Place cookie cutter on tinfoil and fill with the birdseed mixture all the way to the top. (The thicker the heart, the more durable it will be to the elements.)

(5) While the feeder is in the heart cutter, use a pencil to make a hole for the string.

(6) Gently slide the heart out of the cutter and repeat the process for other hearts.

(7) Let dry overnight, or if you are in a rush, bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees, sporadically checking on the hardness of the feeder.

(8) Let cool.  Adorn with a cute twine or ribbon to hang.  Embellish with tags or any other cuteness.

Like this blog post and want more fun DIY ideas sent right to your email?  Sign up for our newsletter and get monthly DIY projects and giveaways sent right to your inbox!  I only send emails once a month and jam pack them with giveaways and new DIY projects.

thx so much for reading my blog. Much love and gratitude to everyone who has supported my business whether it be by buying products, following my social media, letting me help with your event, or just sending positive vibes my way.

xoxo

Amy

I just love mason jars.  They make any gift come together.  In this blog post, I will show you how I make these waterless snow globes and hot cocoa jars.  In the past, I’ve even used mason jars in substitution of an easter basket.

The hot cocoa in a jar is so easy, I just added a few extra twists.  I added crushed candy canes and called it “candy cane cocoa”.  I jazzed it up with some stickers I made on my Cricut Explore and some images from design space.  I love being able to personalize anything with my Cricut Explore, including hot cocoa.

Making the waterless snow globes was even easier.  I always love the idea of making your own snow globes during the Christmas season, however, the idea of water inside a container that I can’t 100% guarantee will stay filled with water deterred me all these years.  I decided to try out the waterless snow globes, and they are festive and surprisingly delightful.

I found some tiny evergreen trees at a craft store, along with some paper cranes I’ve made, and other holiday knick-knacks I have lying around the house like jingle bells and bits of gold tinsel.  Check out the video below to see how the whole process went for me!

Happy holidays and thank you for reading my blog!

Sincerely, Amy ❤

Santa Claus is coming to town, for sure now.  We are 25 days away from sleigh liftoff and counting.  There are so many things to do like decking the halls and baking our Christmas treats.

This recipe is a variation of the Baker family traditional “mistletoe” treats, a post I will do later on this month.

I love rice crispies.  With the right sort of coloring and molds, a person can truly make anything imaginable.  They are a great starter method to really come up with some creative ideas.  For one, it’s a very stable base for any sort of shape you may want to be covered in fondant, much easier than cakes.

Check out the YouTube video below and if you want to see more fun stuff like this, click the subscribe button.  🙂  Also, sign up for the Paper Crane Wishes email list if you want to have fun, festive DIY creative projects sent directly to your inbox.

Thank you so much for following my blog and supporting my little small craft business dreams. ❤   Happy holidays!  I look forward to posting more fun ideas.  I recently purchased a gingerbread house kit from Joann’s Crafts and Fabrics for only $7.99!! (only until 12/1, stock up).  I am excited to lay out some fun ideas I love to do with gingerbread houses.  The creativity that one can do with gingerbread houses is vast. Have a happy holiday!

Fall is here in full force with the grand finale of Thanksgiving only one week away.  As usual, I have been pinning my little heart out, finding fun ideas & recipes for the big turkey day.  I can’t believe how fast the season is flying by.

I kept coming across pins for “gratitude trees”.  I knew I had to make some of our own.  We had some aspen branches in the garage.  We use them for our aspen wood branch place card holders.  Our supplier for the branches, Natures All LLC, has an amazing selection of wood branches freshly cut from their forest in Wisconsin.  So beautiful.  The quality is outstanding.

My lumberjack made a larger wood tote from the usual ones he bangs out in the garage and this tote is currently on loan from the man cave.  With the branches standing straight up, it really does remind me of an aspen tree forest.

I printed the leaves out on my Cricut Explore, just “sliced” a circle in the Design Space software to make it a tag.  I recently got a booklet of glitter cardstock from Joann’s Fabrics & Crafts with one of their amazing coupons.  With a 60% off coupon they recently had, I purchased a whole 25 sheets of glitter cardstock for only $8!  Wow!  Those can range up to $1 per sheet sometimes! I even have enough left for the unicorn invitations I plan on making for Lela’s birthday party next month.  Major score.

Lela and I sat down to contemplate what we are grateful for.  She started talking about how she was thankful for Santa Claus, candy, and “everything”.  What can I say, the kid knows what’s up.

We couldn’t have a crafting night without some sort of treat!  I found these “Candy Pretzel Turkey Bites” on the blog Suburban Simplicity.  Such an amazing blog.    Erin, mother of six children, runs the blog and it has DIY projects, crafts and recipes I could search through for hours.

I did the recipe a bit different from Suburban Simplicity, but it worked too!   I didn’t have parchment paper, so I went on the cheap and just went without.  I also had a horrible time finding candy corn.  Walgreens?  A no-go.  Walmart?  Had to special order them and wait three days.  I eventually found some in the clearance section at CVS after calling in to inquiry about their inventory.  I actually asked CVS to put the candy corn on hold. (and they did!  Thank you CVS!)

When I walked in to pick up my candy corn, the clerk said “Ahhh, so you are the candy corn lady!”

I responded, “Yup!  That’s me!  The crazy candy corn lady!”  We both laughed.  The point of the story is try CVS if you don’t have any leftover candy corn from Halloween.

Ingredients

Pretzels, Candy Corn (CVS), Rolos, Reese’s Pieces

Wilton Candy Eyes  (available at Joann’s Crafts & Fabrics. Pick-up option available! Order online, pick up later. Perfect, don’t forget to check out the coupons!!!)

1.  Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Place the pretzels knot side down.  Place the rolo in the middle of the pretzel.
3. Place in the oven for one minute.  Take out.
4. Put on the candy corn “feathers”, eyes, and reese’s pieces “nose”.
5. Flash freeze in your freezer for up to 15 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

If you liked this blog post, be sure to sign up for up for the email list to get updates on new DIY crafty videos and future giveaways for custom paper tags!

Happy crafting!