DIY Star Advent

Hello Lovelies!

I have had this DIY on my "to post about" for over 2 years (made this advent in 2016!) and just kept getting the timing wrong! Finally, it's BEFORE Decemeber and I am writing this blog post! :) Yay!! 

For those of you not aware of what Advent is, it means "coming" in Latin and it's a period of time (4 weeks) before Christmas where Christians await the coming of the Messiah (in our case, the second coming!)  

We remember the longing of the Jews for a Messiah.. 
We realize our own longing for and need of forgiveness, and a Savior. 
We look back and celebrate the birth of Jesus but we also look forward, anticipating the second coming of Christ, as the fulfillment of all that was promised! 

Advent is not something I grew up with and it's relatively new to our little family as well. I have only done it a few times! It is a beautiful way to draw our hearts and attention back to the real reason for Christmas, every single day in December, building up to the birth of Christ!! I enjoy thinking of new ways to incorporate Advent into our Christmas decor and love to DIY it! 

You may also wish to include a fun activity to do that day!
Things like:
Drive to see the Christmas lights
Watch a Christmas movie
Make a Christmas card to mail for someone

See this list for more ideas!! 

What you will need to make the Advent Stars: 

-Brown Paper or pretty paper? (I bought a LARGE roll of thick brown paper from Home Depot or Lowes- it'll be in the painting section- also great for gift wrapping!!)
-Sewing machine or needle & thread if you're adventurous!
-Star template : I included a good starter size star! Too little and it'll be hard to fit anything in there besides the paper slip!
-Markers (to decorate or write numbers on the stars)
-Hole punch
-Pretty twine
-A metal hoop or circular form (I ordered gold metal hoops from Amazon!)
-Little gifts & special candies (optional)
-Print-outs of Bible verses:  I used something similar to these!

1. First, print off a few star templates from the computer and cut out for tracing onto the brown paper..

2. Trace & cut out paper stars. If you are doing all the days of Advent, you will need 25 X 2 (each star needs two sides- front and back) so total of 50 stars. The beauty of this part is the stars don't have to be perfect. Each one will vary a little.. makes it more unique!

3. Start to sew up and down the angles of the star.. leaving a little gap for filling! Again, they might not 100% line up but that little imperfection makes it more rustic!

4. Fill the star with a verse in each (and a fun activity too!) and a special treat, mini toy, etc!
Some examples could be:
Kinder Eggs
a mini ornament for each child
a cute pencil/ gel pen
stickers
a scavenger hunt to find the hidden gift!

If you chose to just include the slip of paper, consider stuffing it with shredded paper filler to make the star have more shape!

5. Sew the hole closed (this is a little tricky if you really filled the star but it can be done!)

6. Write the number on the star for the day it coordinates with!

7. Hole punch a hole on the top corner. Make sure it's not too close to the edge or it may tear away from the star. Loop the twine in and tie to the metal hoop (or whatever you have prepared - even a rustic stick to tie all the stars to!)

I added a branch of evergreen for some color and texture. It was so simple yet makes a big visual impact!

8. Using thicker twine, tie around the circle and knot in the middle. (pictured below) Make sure it's balanced correctly and will hang evenly. I think eventually the weight wasn't even after cutting off random stars and it slide down vertically (See first photo) but still looks just as cute!

9. Hang on a hook in the ceiling (hope your husband doesn't question said hook) ;)

10. You're done! Cut off the star for each number day for the days of December, and tear open to expose the surprise!

I hope your kids and family will love it as much as ours did! They ran to it first thing every morning and took turns cutting the next number loose! They also liked to try and guess what it could be inside!

I hope you will consider starting this new tradition with your family! You never know what tradition your kiddos will remember the most when they grow up but I hope it this will be one of them! 

Have a joyful and peaceful holiday season!!

With Love, 

Viktoria 

P.S. One really fun filler I did for one of the stars was a large quantity of M&M's. When they tore it open, the M&Ms scattered everywhere.. haha that was funny :)

P.P.S. After the stars came off one by one, I added Christmas Cards to the empty strings with cute mini clothespins! I wish I snapped a photo! It's a neat idea for when the stars start dwindling down.

Anthropologie- Inspired Tassel Throw ( DIY )

Hello dear ones and hello to a new week!

Everyone has that plain (but comfy) throw or blanket that you keep around for just in case. Or for every night to curl up in, eat ice cream and watch Netflix. Yea, believe me, I know! But it's ok. It's ok because the throw is not special. You're not worried about getting it dirty on accident. You didn't pay Anthropologie dollars on it.

But what if you could have both??? The look of an interesting Anthropologie throw but without the heart attack if someone spills something on it!

I saw this beauty on Instagram months ago. I haven't been able to forget it. But I also couldn't convince myself to buy it for the original price either. I am just not in that stage to purchase an expensive throw and then constantly have to worry about it getting messed up. (Mama's with babies, you know what I am talking about).

I realized the part that I loved most about the throw was the GIANT TASSELS! And they are so easy to make. It's ridiculous. And I am so in love. Best part: You can add them to any throw/blanket you want. These tassels would work on a patterned throw or do a different color scheme or make hot pink tassels to a white blanket for your daughters room. (Thinking about that one for my girls room!)

Here's how:

Fuzzy yarn. (Not a necessity but I was going for the look in this Anthropologie throw) - 41 yards is enough to make 4 big Tassels with a bit left over.
Scissors
Piece of cardboard or book (I used one about 10 in long)
(Might need Needle and Thread)

1. Wrap your yarn around the piece of cardboard loosly. I wrapped it 13-15 times (depending how thick you want your tassel, you might need to do more if you are using a thinner yarn)

2. Gently slid the loops off the cardboard. Cut a piece of yarn a little longer then the length of the cardboard. Fold the piece of yarn in half, slide under the looped yarn at the center and bring the ends of the piece of yarn into the hole. I than tied it for extra reinforcement. You may trim this- depending on how long you want your tassle to hang...

3. Cut the folds in the sections they are in. (This helps it to be more straight) If there are some longer pieces after you have cut all the loops, you can trim them. But sometimes it just needs to be adjusted (pulled from the other end).

  4. Cut another piece to tie around the top end of your tassel to create that tassle look. This piece I cut longer than I needed so that it blends into the tassel as well.

  5. My throw had the perfect edge to just pull my tassel through. If yours doesn't have this, that's ok! You can attach it with a little needle and thread. This way it isn't permanent either- You can take it off whenever you are bored of them.

Make sure to use your Michael's coupon if you are getting your yarn there! I got my spool for about $4.00. Now, if only I could enjoy my throw with a non-interrupted cup of tea and a good book. #staged. Haha.

Thanks so much for reading!

PS These were taken in our newly finished basement! It is our favorite place in the house now and we wish could just move downstairs. :) I hope to post photos of our office space soon! I'm not near done filling up the shelves but I can't contain my excitement! It's just everything I imagined and dreamed in an office space. Can't wait to show you the space!

With Love,

Viktoria