So, um, how did Memorial Day sneak up on us so fast? Weren’t we just complaining about how cold it is? And now we’re only a little over a week away from the unofficial kick off to summer. I’m not sure I’m prepared.

In my little world, the best way to get myself prepared is drowning myself in pretty pictures and party planning inspiration. Plus, it’s way more fun to throw a cyber party than spending endless hours cleaning the house and handcrafting adorable table decor that no one else will notice (not to say that I don’t do that sometimes too 😉 ). So, let’s party!

Bloggers are always showing you their beyond perfect crafty creations, but you rarely see any missteps. And you know there are missteps.

I happen to think that you can learn just as much from my DIY failures as you can from my successes, so I thought I’d chronicle one of my recent mishaps.

Have you seen the seriously adorable hanging yarn balls that are all over Pinterest (the picture at left is just one of seemingly endless examples)?

I thought a couple of pink ones would be absolutely perfect for the “About to Pop” baby shower I threw for my sister.

Since I had all of the supplies on hand anyway, I figured I’d give it a whirl. First, I gathered my supplies.

I collected a balloon, scissors, yarn, Mod Podge and a sponge brush and was ready for action (or so I thought). Since I knew it would get messy, I laid out some newspaper– although I’m not really sure why. The table I was using is already full of crafting war wounds. I’m hoping to tackle that in a future DIY, but I digress!

I took my (blown up) balloon and smeared Mod Podge all over it. Next I started wrapping my yarn all over it. As I was doing this, I started to wonder if I should have checked out some tutorial beforehand. Would there be enough Mod Podge to make the yarn good and stiff? What about the layer of Mod Podge on the balloon? How would that work?

I had a feeling I knew how it was going to work out, but I charged ahead anyway. Next time, I’ll look around for some tutorials or go with my gut instead of wasting time on something I was pretty sure wouldn’t turn out right.

When I was satisfied with the amount of yarn on the balloon, I tried to put another layer of Mod Podge on top (mostly because I was concerned the yarn wasn’t saturated enough).

I left it to dry over night and was greeted with this when I popped the balloon in the morning:

FAIL. Of course, my first layer of Mod Podge made a little skin underneath the yarn.

So what did I learn from this blonde moment?

If something seems wrong, it probably is.

Take a step back from whatever you’re doing and try to think about it from a different angle. If that doesn’t work, look for help from others. I hopped back on Pinterest and quickly saw that other people soaked their yarn in a mixture of water and glue (and sometimes corn starch). That makes much more sense, since you want the yarn to get good and stiff so that it keeps the shape of the balloon once you pop it.

Next time I go with my gut.

I love planning parties. I get completely obsessed with all of the tiny little details. Most of the time, I’m the only one who notices them. But if it makes me happy, who cares, right? I’m a fan of the little things. And I’m definitely the girl who will notice all of the tiny details (or lack thereof!) at your party.

As soon as I thought about my sister’s shower, I knew I needed to incorporate black and pink. My pal Janine and I went Pinterest crazy (she is as detail crazed as I am) and I scouted out my favorite  blogs for inspiration. There were so many awesome ideas! I weeded it down to a few and crafted my little heart out. The best part is how easy these were!

Glitter Bottles

We can’t talk about things I’m obsessed with without talking glitter. It’s so preeeeetty! And it’s perfect for  celebrating a baby girl. To cut some of the in-your-face girliness of all of the pink I was using, I decided to go with black glitter. Sleek, bold, and unexpected.

Here’s what you’ll need to make some yourself:

• A bottle. I love crafts that let me reuse things instead of going out and buying supplies. It’s good for the environment and good for my wallet. I used some Yuengling bottles and a wine bottle I had leftover after a game night with friends. Note: if you’re using a lighter color glitter, you may want to go with a clear bottle.
• Mod Podge. If you’re feeling like getting crafty, this is a must-have supply! You’ll also need a sponge or paint brush.
• Glitter. The type you get totally depends on what kind of look you’re going for. I bought a really fine glitter because I want a low key shimmer. If you want something bolder, go with a chunkier glitter.
• A sealer. You’re definitely going to want to seal all of that glitter so that it doesn’t shed like crazy. I accidentally bought it in matte (glossy would play up the shine), but it worked just fine.

Once you’ve gathered all of your supplies, put them on some newspaper (this is a messy one!). Start by coating a small section of your bottle with the Mod Podge. Next, just pour some glitter on top. As I went along, I tapped my bottle on the newspaper to shake off the excess. And because I’m incredibly thrifty (ie cheap) I had an extra piece of newspaper to transfer the bottle to every once in awhile so that I could pour the glitter that had fallen onto newly Mod Podged sections. This reduced my waste dramatically.

Allow the bottle to dry and then go back and add more glitter to any spots that don’t have enough coverage. Once you’re happy with the amount of coverage you have and your bottle is dry, you can begin spraying on your sealer. You’ll probably need a few coats, but make sure you do thin coats and allow each to dry before adding a new one.

Those little yarn bottles were an easy DIY as well. I didn’t take any photos, but it was easy enough to do without any. Like the glitter bottles, I coated small sections with Mod Podge (starting at the top). I then took a skein of ombre pink yarn and just wrapped it all the way around the bottle. Once I got to the end, I snipped my yarn and put a little Mod Podge on the end to make sure it stayed put.

Crepe Paper Curtain

I knew I wanted to make a crepe paper (aka streamer) curtain, but Janine gave me the idea of making it ombre. I loved it! Like the black bottles, the different shades of pink helped to make the overall look less sickeningly sweet and girlie and more modern.

All you need for this is streamers in whatever colors you’d like (fabric scraps would work really well too) and something to tie them to. I used black tulle because I love it and was using it for other decorations. Twine or yarn would work just as well.

First, I cut a strip of tulle a little longer than the length I needed (I knew I wanted it to dip down in the center). Then I hung it up so that I could see how everything lay. Next, I cut a single strip of crepe paper a bit  longer than I wanted the curtain to hang. This step is essential since it’s so easy to rip the paper while tying it. I then cut a bunch of strips the same length as the first one because I know once I get into a good rhythm I don’t like to stop. All that’s left is tying your strips to the tulle. I left the ends loose at the top, figuring I’d trim them but in the end but I actually liked how it looked.

There will definitely come a point while you’re doing this that you’ll step back and wonder if you’re doing it wrong (I do this with most crafts). But think of it like any other art form. If you stop a painter in the middle of his or her work, there will be bits of the painting that aren’t blended properly and there will be things missing. It’s the same here. Your curtain needs to be full to give the effect you’re going for. And seriously, I promise this is a foolproof DIY!

If you try either of these, I want to know! Tag me on Instagram at @cuddlesandchaos.