diy : burlap & stencil art

Today's diy comes to you in the form of burlap! I absolutely adore the look of burlap and am so excited to share this beautiful, yet simple piece of art. I was inspired by this piece of art, but was at a loss since I'm no woodworker! Thankfully, I got hit with some inspiration when a friend offered me some huge burlap coffee bags to craft with & this is what I came up with =]

what you need : a large canvas, lots and LOTS of burlap, white paint, paint brushes, stencils, masking tape, glue gun & glue sticks

{  i  n  s  t  r  u  c  t  i  o  n  s  }

1. Glue gun your burlap onto your canvas! 

2. Pick a Bible verse/quote/lyrics that you want stenciled on & measure it out... make sure the whole thing fits on your canvas before you start doing anything else! 

3. Take a ruler, make sure your measurements are accurate and start lining your stencils up in order & tape them down with some masking tape.

4. Paint away! Take your time & make sure you allow time for the paint to dry before taking the stencils off and re-using them again. Also, grab a small paintbrush to do touch-ups if need be. 

And voila! You've got yourself a new piece of art to hang =]  Simple & beautiful, this burlap & stencil art looks amazing and will add so much personal detail to any space!

& amen to that! Excited for this to serve as a reminder to me every day of who is Lord. 

Happy crafting, friends =] 

p.s. ♥ clara

diy: glass bottle necklaces

I've been obsessed with making my own glass bottle necklaces for MONTHS ever since I saw one in a sweet local shop near my apartment in Vancouver.  The price was a little too steep for me, so I had to walk away, but it sparked an idea that I should make my own!

These were ridiculously easy, and so much fun to make!

Supplies:

-small glass bottles/vials

-eye hooks

-necklace chain

-jump rings (optional)

*assorted things to put inside: glitter, beads, feathers, tiny messages, etc.

I got these little bottles from Michaels....and they came in a pack of 9 assorted shapes and sizes.  I know that you can also get these pretty cheap off of ebay as well!

First you'll want to screw an eye hook into the middle of the cork stopper.

Then, fill up your bottle with whatever your heart desires.  I chose glitter, sand, a feather, and a message in a bottle.

Finally, add a dab of glue (E-6000 craft glue works great) on your cork, and twist gently to seal your bottle shut.  This way your necklace won't come apart!

I have a secret love for glitter.  It just makes me irrationally happy!  The only problem is that it gets absolutely everywhere, and will keep popping up on your face/hands/hair for days after you use it.  But the little girl in me just doesn't care....and I love having an excuse to use it!

For the message in a bottle, I first wrote a short note on a skinny piece of paper.....

Then, I rolled it up, glued it shut, and drew a tiny "seal" on it to finish it off!

Then I used a jump ring to attach the bottle to the necklace chain.  Now this step is optional, as long as your chain will fit through the eye hook.  However, the nice thing about a jump ring is that it ensures that your bottle won't slide around/off of the chain as it keeps it exactly in the middle of the chain at all times!

I love the whimsical look that the feather adds, and I have also seen dandelion seeds used in similar diys!

I hope you've enjoyed this simple diy.  Let me know if you decide to give it a shot!

p.s. kelsey ♥

diy : lace & burlap mason jars

While I was visiting in BC, Kels & I helped the bride-to-be (the lovely miss Jenna) make some diy lace & burlap mason jars for center pieces & decoration for the aisle for the ceremony.  Here's the result of our hard work!

Supplies needed : wire, lace, burlap, jute, mason jars, glue gun, and floral decals

Kelsey slaving away while the bride looks on.... ;) This project is fantastic because there's really no right or wrong way to make these. Just use some creativity and start glue gunning away on your jars!

Some of the results of our hard work! Aren't they lovely?  Fill them with flowers, drop a tea light in them, or just leave them empty, whatever you do with these they're sure to add a special vintage touch to any celebration =)

An example of the ones we added a little wire hanger to so that they can hang off the aisle chairs at the ceremony. They're going to be so lovely at the wedding!

&& lastly, here's some examples of mason jar centerpieces that I made for my wedding last June...

Hoped you enjoyed being part of my mason jar obsession!

ps: clara (&kelsey) ♥

outfit post : an apple a day

While I was visiting BC last month, I took as many mini photoshoots of Kels & Jordyn while I was there.  Their apple farm is soooo beautiful, so I had so much fun shooting these girls, playing dress-up, and broadening my creative senses! 

& of course, I couldn't resist doing an apple themed shoot, despite them totally NOT being in season... so don't be deceived, there's no real apples on the trees yet, but enjoy these photos of the lovely apple farmer & blogger : Miss Kelsey =)

wearing: cardigan...bootlegger, dress...urban outfitters, tights... closet, and shoes...spring (boxing week sale).

she has the most darling shoes!

Isn't she just lovely? This girl is the most chic apple farmer you'll ever meet

& Jordyn definitely wins the title of the quirkiest and spunkiest.

Keep a look out for a sister shoot that'll be posted sometime in the next couple weeks!

ps: clara (&kelsey) ♥ 

a one year celebration...

I can't believe this, but today marks mine & Caleb's one-year anniversary!

I feel soo incredibly blessed to be married to him & we have had a wonderful year together and are looking forward to many MANY more years to come!

To celebrate, I thought I'd share some wedding memories with you all =) Enjoy!

...do you see the lovely miss Kelsey, who was one of my lovely bridesmaids? & Jordyn is hiding in the crowd as our videographer! Love those girls so much!

This is a Korean wedding tradition where the mother-in-law of the bride throws dried figs at the bride. However many figs she catches in her sleeve is supposed to be the number of children the couple will have! Can you tell that my new mama is absolutely ecstatic about this?! =)

...some details of thrifted & diy projects

 & lastly, some portraits done for us by Caleb's sister (Petara Panabaker)

Isn't my man just soooo handsome? I mean, I know I'm a little biased, but still... he's just so dreamy =)

I am seriously so blessed to be sharing my life with this wonderful, handsome, God-fearing man. I absolutely adore & love this man and am proud beyond words to be his wife. 

Isn't he wonderful? For our one-year, he set up our tent, strung it with lights, and we had a wonderul supper with chocolate fondue for dessert! Exactly my kind of romance =) It was a perfect way to celebrate!

Happy one-year anniversary, my dear. 

ps: clara ♥