Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you had a happy thanksgiving!

Ode to Stamps!

Geek Confession: I love Postage Stamps. When I was in fifth grade I started collecting them. My Dad collects stamps too and started me out with a children's stamp collecting book. He taught me the basics about how to soak them to remove the paper envelope. I love stamps so naturally I strike up conversations about them at Pink Olive. I mainly struck up a conversation about these stamps:

 These are the exact stamps I would've LOVED to have used for my wedding! I thought about using Vintage Postage Stamps but didn't know where to get them (Psst-Etsy). Instead I used many current stamps from the Post Office... and they were beautiful.

  I'm stocking up on the Herb stamps above and will probably use them on my holiday postcards (since there isn't a .29 cent holiday stamp).  Here are a few more current stamps I'm loving!

Anytime Stamp

 
Stamps for Save the Dates or Wedding Invitations:

Stamps for Holiday Cards:

All stamps and Images belong to the USPS https://www.usps.com/

PS. USPS....I could use a Holiday Post Card Stamp..for next year...

Martha Stewart Living: Wax Seals

I saw these wax seals in Martha Stewart Living, November 2011.

They used them in gift wrapping but they would also be great
on Wedding Invites, Holiday Cards, etc.

The seal wax is made to go in a glue gun!!! SO EASY!!!

For more: http://www.marthastewart.com/857299/wax-seals

  Image from Martha Stewart Living, November 2011

Black Friday Sale

I'm selling vintage goods in my Etsy Shop: Sunnyside Vintage & Craft. 

And I'm having a sale Black Friday through Cyber Monday.

Code "Gobble" gets you 15% off.

Will be adding more items throughout the weekend!

Necktie Rabbit Ears

   

 Have you ever been to Books of Wonder on 18th st. between 5th and 6th? Well, it is one of the cutest children's bookstores. I performed there on Saturday as the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland with Haberdasher Theater. I was very excited to work on my costume and put together some inspiration on Pinterest and Tumblr. I was wondering how I would get my hands on some ears UNTIL the director handed me a pair of ties to add to my costume. When I looked at those ties... I saw ears!                     

 Necktie Rabbit Ears

What you'll need-

2 Neckties

1 Headband

Glue Gun and Glue

Strong Wire

Wire Cutter

Scissors

Pen, Chalk or Fabric Marker

Seam Ripper

I bought two matching neckties from a thrift store. I picked very long ties for the extra fabric. I used materials that I had around the house for assembling these, but you could get as high or low tech as you desire. I made these ears quite quickly and took lots of photos!

First decide how long you would like the ears and cut! I cut them a little bit longer than I wanted them in case of error and for attaching. We are using the Front end of the tie for the ears.

With the small back end of a tie I covered my pink H&M headband. Great thing about this tie

was that I could just slip it on!

I hot glued one side of the necktie at the end for a secure fit. 

I left the other side free in case of error.

Next I wired the ears. I measured out a length of wire and trimmed it. I then threaded the wire through each ear. There are two ways to do this and I tried both. The tie lining allowed me to show the wire in the back or to not show it (keeping it hidden within the lining of the tie). I hot glued both into place.

Attaching the ears to the headband was the hardest part. 

With a marker I noted where the wire would attach and proceeded to rip the seams of the tie attached to the headband. I then pulled the ears through and was able able to twist them around the headband to keep them secure. I finished up with some hot glue on the wires and to seal up the headband.

And Ta Da! Here is how they turned out. 

What do you think??

DIY Umbrella Chandelier from Free People

          I'm so excited to share this guest post from Free People, a premiere bohemian clothing boutique. (I'm sure you have heard of them...) This project is so inspiring and pretty. I have a window in my kitchen that looks into the living room that needs something new hanging from it. It NEEDS it. I've been thinking about a chandelier and luckily this project has come into my life! AND Wouldn't this be a great project to use up-cycled materials with? Enjoy! 

The Free People store display design team recently created beautiful umbrella chandeliers for the Pittsburgh store. Take a look at this intriguing chandelier display made of paper umbrellas, stripped and then beaded, which we hung above the dressing rooms to evoke the spirit of artist Sylvia Marius.

Here’s a DIY for you so you can tackle this abstraction on your own:

You’ll Need:

1.       A paper umbrella (Not the kind in your Tiki Palace Drink. Think: Chinatown! Party Supply stores!)

2.       Cord, twine or heavy string.

3.       Beads! There are never too many beads in the world.

4.       Scissors.

5.       Strips of fabric, for fun.

6.       Tape or glue.

You’ll Do:

1.     Open umbrella. Cut paper from the umbrella frame. Don’t cut the string parts. Just remove the paper. (You can leave some paper for artistic purposes too.)

2. Wrap handle and post of umbrella in fabric strips if desired.

 

3. Measure pieces of twine that will span from one spoke’s end to the umbrella handle, when the umbrella is fully opened. Add a few inches for tying and knots. Tie one end of twine to end of umbrella spoke.

 

4. String beads. If you like, you can sting beads and knot them, leaving string in between beads to space them out.

5.  When finished beading, tie the end of the twine to the umbrella handle. Don’t pull too tight, but a little curve in the spokes will be OK. Secure both ends with tape or glue.

6. Add strands of beads and/or strips of fabric as your heart desires.

   

 

Hang ‘er up and you’re done!

 

This guest post was contributed by Free People, a premiere bohemian clothing boutique. For more DIY posts, check out their blog at http://blog.freepeople.com/ every Wednesday!

Where you been?

We haven't written in so long... and amazingly...you are still reading Cozy Rustic! We've had more than ten readers this week...and we haven't posted since April. And people are sharing Cozy Rustic! I've found our projects all over the web! On Pinterest and other crafty sites!! Shocker!

Where have we been you ask?

Well... I got married. That took up some of my time...or ALL of it.

Bea has been busy writing and work-shopping breakthrough musicals. She has also started another blog called Giant Dorkgasm. Check it out!

Photo by Gabe Rizzo with Tuesday Night Pictures

I've come back to Cozy Rustic to keep up the crafty posts and share my wedding projects with you. Above is a photo of me walking down the aisle in honor of Wedding Wednesday... and for all of you that just look at the pictures..

Thanks for staying with us!

Love Bunny

Show Off!

I made a Brooch Bouquet and I just wanted to show it off!

Here's a QUICK recap of how I made it:

1) I hunted for Brooches! I had a collection from my childhood, my mom contributed and my fiance's grandmother. I scoured Ebay, Etsy and all the local thrift stores for the rest... Just like the Hankies it took months to find them all!

2) I got my supplies together:

40 Brooches (approx)
Hot Glue!
Styrofoam wand holder
2 types of wire ( a thick/flexible craft wire and a thin/green 18gauge wire)
Wire Cutters

I labored over which wire to choose and my local Michael's had very little selection. So I got a gold craft wire in the Jewelry Section and a thin wrapped green wire near the hot glue. They both worked lovely! You just need a stiff wire for the stem for the brooches and a flexible wire to steady them.

3) I researched how to make it! I used Ms. Awesome and Seamstress of Avalon to put the bouquet together.

4) I created a 4 or 5 inch stem for each brooch, stabilized it with craft wire and hot glue. Then I hot glued each brooch into the Styrofoam wand holder.

5) When I was researching, I saw lots of posts about how hard and expensive these are to make. I made the bouquet for about half of what people estimated and it was EASY to make! It really was simple and it just came together. I did it over the course of three nights and two movies (My Fair Lady & Wuthering Heights). About 4 hours of putting it together.


6) I will add ribbon to the handle as the Wedding date gets closer!

Wedding Invitations on Vintage Hankies

It has been so long since I've blogged. Apologies all around my crafty friends.

You can see what I've been up to here: Wedding Invitations on Vintage Hankies. This was in some ways less, and some ways more, of an undertaking than I thought it would be. Thank you to all my friends and family who helped!

I got the idea from seeing Hankie invitations in Real Simple and from Bird and Banner. I had a couple of vintage hankies myself and thought, "HOW CUTE!" I became obsessed with the idea and HAD to do it... even though it seemed too expensive, too complicated, etc. After careful consideration, Justin and I decided this would be something special to send people. I was worried they wouldn't be as stunning as Bird and Banner's, but I hoped for DIY adorable!


I used the tutorial from The Wedding Chicks as a starting point. I think their method really is the way to go. Definitely think about your budget and how you will mail these BEFORE you start. Hopefully, these steps and tips will help you. I think I figured out a great way of using iron on transfers for dark fabric! You DON'T need hankies that are BLANK in the center!!!! You don't need them!!! You can use just about any hankie!!! Even ones that are thin, dark and covered with flowers!!!

What you need to make these lovelies:
Vintage Hankies
Lint Roller
Iron on Transfers
Iron
Pillow case

Step One: Find your Hankies

Wedding blogs say this is the hardest part. It does take quite a bit of thrift store searching, so give yourself a couple of months. I found mine at two thrift stores, The Brooklyn Flea, The Chelsea Garage and Etsy. I collected enough for 150 guests. Make sure you have enough, because everyone will want one!

Bunny TIP

Be flexible. I bought a variety of hankies and not all of them were in mint condition. We bought some with beautiful patterns, even if they had small holes or tears. These were usually marked down as well.

Buy Vintage. There are some sellers out there selling "vintage like" hankies. Help out the planet people and buy second hand!

Step Two: Create a Template
The Wedding Chicks have an Invitation Suite that is free to use! I really loved it. The look was beautiful. I do recommend having a couple sets of eyes look over your template in case of spelling errors...which I made on my blue template...

Step Three: Print your Template onto Iron on Transfers

Follow instructions that come with your transfers. You may have to invert the image!

Bunny Tip

Make sure you research Iron On Transfers before buying. Find which ones will work best for your hankies, based on pattern and thickness. I tried a generic brand from Michael's and two Avery brand transfers. The generic brand from Michael's for Light Fabric (8x11) was great, though it did bleed on some of my thinner hankies. The transfers for light fabric must be used on a thicker hankie that has a blank center. My favorite was Avery brand for dark fabric (4x6). It has a white background so you can use it on any Hankie and it won't bleed. You also do not have to invert the image and it is a great size for mailing.

Step Four: Prepare your Hankies, Iron on area and Iron on Transfers


My dear fiance made a Iron-On area with a pillow case clamped to a table. It worked out perfectly! Iron the pillowcase to make sure it is wrinkle free. I washed, steamed and ironed all my hankies to get them ready. Then I lint rolled them. Lint will show up encased in the Iron on Transfers... I trimmed my iron on transfers with a paper cutter, sometimes scissors or just a corner rounder.
Here you can see my talented friend Amanda from The Disney Chick making some invites! She was really good at it!!

Step Five: Iron on


Follow your packet's instructions on how to iron on. Many include peeling paper and ironing through tissue paper (provided).

Step Six: Prepare them for the mail!


My mailing envelopes and tips will be in Invites Part II this week!

All photos belong to Briar Winters from Marble and Milkweed. If you would like to re-blog or use any of the pictures, email us at cozyrustic@gmail.com for permission.