Tag Archives: Party Planning

Fabulous Fall Leaf & Pumpkin Décor Crafts (Place-card Holders & Easy Remade Basket)

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I’m combining what are essentially two projects, because they entail exactly the same easy process of hot gluing your way to a fabulous fall! With so many beautiful options in faux foliage available, you can keep your creations to display again. The pumpkin topiaries may be placed throughout your home or office as small floral elements, or used as place-card holders as I have for my Fall Leaves & Pumpkins Themed Thanksgiving Tablescape. And though I used a vintage pumpkin shaped basket, I’ve seen similar variations of it at several craft and party stores that are just begging for embellishment.

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For those of you who are brand new to this kind of thing… always buy fall foliage on sale (and there is always a sale somewhere). There are a plethora of leaves, sunflowers, berries, twigs, and mini-pumpkins available in fall colors. Rip off (or cut) the pretty bits from the largest stem.

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Make curlicue vines by first wrapping brown floral tape around wire (pulling as you go). Then take that and twirl it around a pen. Pull the pen out, and you’re ready to use your newly made vine.

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Now glue, glue, glue to your heart’s content. For the basket, start with leaves in order to form a base platform (at the junction between the handle and bowl of the basket). Then glue the larger elements on top of that blanket of leaves (without covering them completely).

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Add smaller elements like berries, by dropping glue onto the stem ends, then tucking them in behind the biggest center element. Lastly, glue the vine ends (in the same way as the berries) and tuck those in wherever you see empty spaces.

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It’s just that easy! You may now fill your creation with anything from candy to potpourri. To see it action, check out my “Glitter-Ween” Halloween Party Theme Decorating Ideas (With DIY Links).

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As for the pumpkin topiaries… simply start with small terra cotta rose pots (because they are taller than regular pots). Fill these with floral styrofoam cut to size (not squishy “oasis” as that is made for wet arrangements). Next, hot glue a stack of tiny pumpkins (with a leaf in-between each) onto the top’s center. Cover the styrofoam with a layer of green moss. Then add a leaf or stem of berries here and there. Voila!

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If you’d like to turn these into place-card holders… simply make flags out of toothpicks and washi tape, by using a ruler as a guide to cutting similar lengths.

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Or… you can use floral tape, like I did, so long as you stretch it as you smash it between your fingers. A permanent marker writes the name well. You can also do this for your décor, to add a message like, “Happy Fall Y’all!”

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See more of these here: Fall Leaves & Pumpkins Themed Thanksgiving Tablescape Décor Ideas.

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

 

“Glitter-Ween” Halloween Party Theme Decorating Ideas (With DIY Links)

This year’s Halloween party theme was “Glitter-Ween”! This gave me a plausible excuse to paint, spray, or glue… orange, purple, green, and black glitter to my heart’s content… at least until February that is. Here are some decorating ideas from my glitter-splosion event!

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The black painted console was the perfect stage for the “candy-bar” buffet. One small glittered bell wreath kept it from appearing too top heavy. An orange spider-web runner lined and protected the painted top.

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My glitter garland remade craft filled in the background of the smorgasbord. Candlesticks held glittered pumpkins at visible heights behind witch-cats who guarded the sweets.

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Theme colored candy filled bowls were accented with pumpkins, ghosts, and bats from my foam puppet / food pick craft. LED candles eerily lit the scene safely, where no normal candle would have dared been set.

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Spiders climbed the treat tower hung with their “spider-web” doilies.

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Monochromatic jelly bean cups sat next to a variety of cupcakes on various lifts and levels.

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Glittered brooms camouflaged another treat tower’s sides while a shimmering welcome beckoned at the top.

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In the breakfast room, a wooden tree painted black, was trimmed with my garlands craft and my ornaments from scraps craft. The tree skirt of shimmering purple fabric was repurposed from Mardi-Gras. The tablecloth had hand-sewn bead and fringe trimming.

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The centerpiece tree was flanked with hand-painted papier-mâché witch hats, and the felt ones featured favors from my foam shapes craft.

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The chandelier was trimmed with ribbon and my friendly bats craft, and then draped with my pumpkin tassels craft.

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Another pumpkin tassel dangled from lamp. The pictured pumpkin basket will be featured in an article very soon.

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Glittered pumpkins sat snugly in a ficus tree, next to a window hung with glittered “BOO” signs.

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Another window framed my suspended “BOO” wreath craft that featured some of the same glittered shapes as the garland in the living room. (It was merely outlined in the photos due to conditional backlighting which is why this picture is here.)

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A side table held a glitter pick arrangement and pumpkin lamp that’s been glowing since my childhood. Fabric witch feet were tucked into a vintage basket held with treats. My foam shape sign craft hung in the background.

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Another surface in the room featured more of the friendly witch menagerie guarding one of my mixed media paintings. Changing up your artwork seasonally is a great way to feature your whimsical creations.

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The ceramic pumpkin was made before I was born. It’s easy to add personal touches with mementos by nestling them into your themed décor.

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Even the staircase was decorated with foot wide green mesh ribbon, more glittered garlands, glowing luminarias, flying bats, and crawling spiders.

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Have a Safe and Happy “Glitter-Ween”!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

 

DIY Easy Last Minute Halloween Ornament Décor Remade From Scraps Craft

Is your spooky Halloween tree décor looking a tad too bare, and your budget’s already blown on candy and costumes? Then do what I did and use ribbon scraps, felt stickers, plastic rings, $1 felt garland, cupcake picks, and felt from a card found around the house to craft cute ornaments! So easy that it can be done last minute, and it makes an interesting artistic scavenger hunt for the kiddos… “Find as many things as you can, in 10 minutes, to turn into ornaments.”

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Take a dollar bin felt garland, and cut the ribbon joining the shapes into sections. Tie a knot to form a hanging loop. You can stop there, or add bows made from glittery ribbon (also from the dollar bin) or from leftover pieces from your other crafts. Cut the ring part off the plastic spiders (that outnumber those treat bags).

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Hot glue those elements, at various angles, onto your new one-of-a-kind ornaments.

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Remove felt decorations (in this case a house shape) from cards. Cut the spikes off of leftover plastic cupcake picks. Pull the sticks out of floral arrangement decorations (the pumpkin people in the picture). Cut lengths of ribbon or tinsel twine to serve as hanging loops. These don’t stick into tiny fingers like hooks would, and they pack better too!

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Hot glue the ends of the ribbons to the back of the shapes to make loops. Glue any decorations to the front sides. Then take fabric or ribbon (or in this case the thick orange paper that came with a floral arrangement) and glue the ornaments onto it. (The stickers will obviously just stick to it.)This makes for a prettier back that hides the hanging loop ends.

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Hang your newly crafted ornaments as proof positive that cute doesn’t have to mean expensive or time intensive!

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Happy Halloween!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

DIY Easy Last Minute Halloween Décor Kid Friendly Foam Shape Crafts

This project began with the question, “What on earth do I do with that sack of foam shapes that didn’t get used up in that last project?” My answer was to make holiday signs, spooky garlands, not-so-scary ornaments, favor necklaces, and puppet favor / food picks! So without further ado, here are some quick and easy kid friendly craft ideas that are great for last minute fill-ins for your décor this Halloween.

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Glue colored twine in between two foam shapes to make any length garland you chose. Adults can use hot glue and a ruler as a distance guide. Kiddos can use foam glue and make it as crazy as they like!

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Drape it along a spooky Halloween tree, or loop the ends and hang them on the wall with tacks.

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Using the same technique, make favor necklaces for the little ones. Wrap them around mini felt witch hats for party hat dress up that doubles as décor. A barrette turns them into a grown-up witchy fascinator.

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Glue the shapes back to back with a new popsicle sticks in-between.

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Stick those little puppet favors into candy stashes for an extra dose of Halloween fun.

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Some shapes can double as letters for a thrifty but cute holiday sign.

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A block of wood or small canvas backed with a ghost cut-out, may be topped with eyehooks for a wire handle.

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Glue on small letters plus pumpkins for O’s, armed ghosts for T’s and K’s (when an arm is cut and added as the kick in the K). Bats can just swarm the whole project!

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A coat of glitter paint (or glue) unifies the whole project, making the foam indistinguishable from other materials. The whole thing can actually dry on the wall (so long as wee fingers are out of reach).

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Thread an intentionally random mix of seed beads to a thick wire handle, and twist securely into a hole or eyehook.

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Voila, super-cute… super-cheap… super-fun!

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Happy Halloween!

Faithfully yours,

Leigh

 

DIY Glitter “BOO” Wreath Halloween Decoration Craft

This year’s glitter explosion of kid-friendly Halloween party decorations needed an accompanying wreath, because every holiday deserves its own wreath… right?! I chose to make this one out of the same materials I had already been using. It contains a “BOO” sign, which you’ll see more of in my “Glitter-ween” Party article appearing soon. (You can find this type of thing at most craft stores.) I also used a pair of felt bat wings that were cut using my template from a previous craft, and some of the glitter shapes I set aside from my garland remade craft. (You can use any glitter shape made out of foam or wood.) Lastly, I used some of the same Halloween ribbon I had decorating various other elements in my home. This is why you should always buy extra rolls of matching ribbon. You never know when the crafting-bug will strike!

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The best way to make a ribbon wreath is to use a hay or Styrofoam wreath form as a base. Just start by gluing the ribbon end at a 45 angle to the base. Then just pull tautly as you wrap the ribbon at the same angle around the form. I hot glue dots to the underside as I go, but that’s just because I’m a stickler for solid construction. It’s really not necessary until you reach the end of the underside. Then all you need to do is cut the ribbon and fold it over, for a clean finish, then glue it down. Though there’s no need to fold it over if you’re including a ribbon hanger.

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To add a convenient built in hanger, simply cut a length of ribbon in relation to the size of your wreath. (Use the photo as a visual guide.) Glue it well to the underside, forming a loop.

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Cut a piece of floral wire, and then twist the loose section of ribbon. Give it a couple of turns, and tie it off with the wire (like you would a twist tie on a bag of chips). Don’t worry about how it looks as this will be covered by a bow later.

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Now use my template to cut out bat wings from stiff felt or craft foam. Place your “BOO” sign (or individual letters) next to the top area… so it’s easier to judge where to place those wings. Once you’ve found your placement, glue them down.

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Arrange your shapes in the way you like best, because enjoying your own creation is the most important part. Since the shape openings didn’t show up well on the black glittery ribbon, I made some “eyes” from brighter pieces. I merely glued the lengths onto the underside of the shapes.

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To add more visual interest, glue more loops of bright ribbons around the base in between the shapes. Now make a bow and layer it with several types and colors of ribbon. You can either make it by tying several ribbons together at once, or by gluing additional ribbons to a bow. Glue all of that visual smorgasbord to the base then top it off with the “BOO” sign.

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If you like, use coordinating glitter glue to add faces or fill in shape openings, but wait a day to hang it up. I added extra glitter dots to cover the sparse areas of the “BOO”.

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The last step is to hang it up and enjoy your handiwork! Have a Happy Halloween!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

 

 

Superfast Glitter Halloween Shapes Garland Remade Craft

This superfast Halloween project is so easy that I more than hesitated to call it a craft. It’s more like a… remake something bland into something beautiful endeavor. Hence the name “remade craft”. I had three inexpensive pre-manufactured garlands that had cute shapes, but were boring in that they just contained one image and color per strand of generic ribbon. I just had to mix them up. I’m writing this as encouragement to look for the creative possibilities in everyday materials… but if you like the look of the completed piece, why not buy some glittered shapes and string them in the same way that I restrung these glittered wooden ones.

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I always see glittered foam shapes like these in the craft stores, but if you’re feeling really crafty you can buy precut wooden shapes and glitter paint them yourself.

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Remove all traces of cheap and twisted dull generic ribbon. Find some pretty sparkly yarn in a contrasting color that coordinates with your party color scheme.

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Arrange the shapes in a pleasing order, and string them along. (But set aside some shapes to use on a Halloween wreath, article will follow.)

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That’s just so much better.

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I draped them along the staircase railing, using green floral wire to tie them on. See the Easy DIY Kid Friendly Bat Halloween Décor Craft from an earlier article.

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I think they made a terrific backdrop for my “Glitter-Ween” Party!

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Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

Easy DIY Kid Friendly Bat Halloween Décor Craft

This super easy DIY Halloween décor craft makes kid friendly bats that are lightweight enough to hang anywhere you like. All you need to make them are glue, google eyes, stiff felt sheets (or craft foam), and big pompoms. In fact, the idea came from my mother bringing me a bag full of sparkly pompoms saying, “They were on clearance, and I thought you could make something out of them.” Challenge accepted. I already had some giant friendly spiders, but couldn’t find any similar looking not-so-scary bats. The pompoms would be perfect for constructing my own.

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To create your own, first print out the template image at the end of the article. (Simply right click the template image on your computer then select print.) You can even set your printer to a different scale if you are using different sized pompom centers.

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Cut out the template and trace the image onto the felt. I used a silver Sharpie marker so that I could see the lines later. This is a great time to get the kiddos involved.

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Cut just inside the lines, unless you prefer an outlined look.

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Glue on the google eyes and wings. Try doing this at different angles to simulate various stages of flight. I used hot glue because it bonds immediately, but you should use something else if little ones are helping. Cheap clothespins make great clamps to hold items while glue dries.

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I already had spiders, but it’s easy to make your own by simply gluing the ends of pipe cleaners to the pompoms. Those are purple tinsel ones in the picture. You can also find them in a thicker variety that would look better on the larger centers. See pictures of them “crawling” over my tablescapes and staircase in the upcoming “Glitter-ween” party article.

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In order to hang the little guys later, slide a piece of thin wire through the back of the pompom and twist the ends together. If you’re using a different type of pompom, you can always glue a loop on. I prefer enclosed circles rather than hooks to prevent anyone from getting their fingers stuck. Also, they pack better after the holidays without sticking into each other.

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These hung really well from the round wall of my spiral staircase. They looked like they were flying to the second floor. Spooky shadows were created by luminarias beneath them on the stairs.

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I wrapped a chandelier in spider-web ribbon, then added the bats. One set down right in the center, another three looped right onto the metal tops holding the light shades, and only one needed to be wired onto the chain.

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Hang them anywhere and everywhere, and have a Happy Halloween!

Faithfully yours,

Leigh

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DIY Glitter Pumpkin Tassels for Halloween Decorating

 

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This DIY Halloween project makes perfect use of all those leftover ribbon scraps that are just too pretty to throw away, but are too short to do much else with. There are many kinds of tiny pumpkins available at craft stores, and they don’t have to be glittered like these. I love to mix various textures and finishes of materials because it produces more visually compelling creations.

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I used some of the scatter pumpkins that were decorating my living room console. I really don’t know what sparked the idea, but I just had to turn some of them into tassels. The conundrum was how to accomplish this, but as one of my studio art professors said, “Art is about problem solving.” My answer came in the form of a hot glue gun.

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I first glued the ends of a few inches of shimmering green yarn onto the plastic stem of the pumpkins, in order to form a hanging loop. Then I glued matching flat ribbon, as I coiled it around the stem, until it was covered completely. Clearance and dollar bin ribbon are great for projects like this, when you need just a few lengths to complete the job.

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I gathered up all my coordinating ribbon scraps, and then cut additional lengths off new rolls that I had set aside for this year’s “Glitter-ween” Party theme. In that way, the finished product would harmonize with the other crafts I had already completed. I cut the wired ribbon into longer lengths to purposely be able to bend it into waves later. That would add dimension and separation by introducing “negative space” into the piece. Sometimes the empty places are as important to the composition as the materials themselves are. The wider ribbons, I either cut in half or folded in half and glued together. Cutting the gluing ends flat and the trailing ends pointed, into a V or W depending on the width, adds a touch of polish.

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I began gluing bent tips of the darkest and thickest ribbons to the center of the pumpkin bases. From there I just kept turning and gluing until I got to the thin ribbons and yarns. Those I added to the outside areas where it seemed like some color was needed to fill to the space.

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This is where to just keep adding intuitively until it looks finished. I always say that I work on a project until I’m afraid that I’ll mess it up if I add any more. Then and only then, is it finished. If you feel like something’s missing, take a break and come back to it later with a fresh perspective. If you still feel that it’s just not quite right, ask a creative friend for their opinion. Sometimes a conversation about a design is enough to generate even more of your own ideas.

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Laying out all the pumpkins helps to see if any errant lengths need to be trimmed down. Then it’s time decorate with them.

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They look fanciful hanging from lamp switches where light can reflect on them. That’s a glittered bell wreath perched atop the lampshade.

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They make great ornaments for indoor trees. Adding a Happy Halloween sign helped too.

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They connect the space between table and chandelier when suspended from the lights. The bats are an easy craft that will come with a PDF template in a future posting.

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If the loops are made large enough, they’ll hang on any doorknob, even an armoire.

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They can even hang from a tack nail on the wall where a bit of empty space needs decorative filling.

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Best of all, they’re one-of-a-kind handmade in the USA creations that not everyone on the block has seen in a store’s ad, and I had fun making them. Here’s hoping you do too!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh

Origins of Le fidèLe Designs

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For those of you who don’t speak français, “Le fidèle” means “the faithful”. It’s pronounced Luh-Fee-Dell. I had originally chosen the name as a reflection of my intrinsic beliefs…

FAITHFUL to God who graces me with the purest form of love
FAITHFUL to the family who with dedication stand by me always
FAITHFUL to the friends who remain near in more than just fair weather
FAITHFUL to leading an authentic life of integrity
FAITHFUL to establishing ripples directed toward benevolence
FAITHFUL to utilizing and sharing the creative gifts with which I have been blessed

After countless requests for creative guidance and instruction, I have decided to heed the advice of sharing my projects with more than just those around me. I ask for your support as I explore this new medium of expression. I also invite you to make requests and share your suggestions (in the comments section following each post), so that I may improve as we move forward together in the spirit of embracing that creativity which I believe resides within us all.

Faithfully Yours,
Leigh

What you can expect from Le fidèLe Designs

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Fine Art Instruction

I am an artist who encourages others to explore their creative potential by fearlessly trying new mediums and techniques. I believe that art can act as a balm for the soul when one’s innermost feelings are allowed to flow into artistic expression.

Craft Tutorials

As a lifelong craft enthusiast, I love the challenge of up-cycling and creating something beautiful out of otherwise unremarkable scraps. Not only is it mentally stimulating, but also salves my environmental conscience by participating in “good stewardship”.

Parties & Tablescapes

As so much of life is often experienced in accelerated motion, it becomes a real joy to slow down and cherish those special occasions and life changing events that bring us together. Putting forth time and energy into beautifying a venue serves to enrich the celebration by making the day even more precious in one’s memory.

Recipes

I know firsthand how food allergies can negatively impact one’s social experiences, and how even well-meaning hosts can have difficulty navigating safe recipes so that their guests may partake of least one dish. So it is with the spirit of inclusion that I will be posting recipes to help eliminate these problems. All of my healthy yet tasty recipes will always be free of gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, corn, canola, mushrooms, and peppers in the nightshade family. I will also be offering ingredient substitutions and helpful tips. Bon appétit!

Faithfully Yours,
Leigh