Moving Announcement with Basic Invite - Truly Custom Invitations

I’ve partnered with Basic Invite to share more about their products. While this is a sponsored post, all thoughts + opinions are my honest own!

The day has finally come for us to share our big news! We’re moving… to Florida! After nearly nine months of research, planning and pro + coning our hearts out we decided to make the sunshine state our new home! We couldn’t be more excited for this next step in our life together + will be sharing all about our move, decor + design, and all things DIY over at Let’s Staj Home - our YouTube + Blog!

While we’ve been spending time decluttering + packing, we’ve also been savoring + looking for all the small ways to celebrate and share this exciting time with friends and family! Though we can’t be in person to celebrate, there’s something so special about getting exciting news in the mail + that’s where Basic Invite comes in! Despite the unassuming name, Basic Invites invitations are far from basic + it’s been a joy working with them as we craft our own moving announcements!

While we’re still figuring out our exact change of address, we’re already dreaming up our stationary! We wanted our announcements to mimic our housing palette + elements (something we talk a ton about over at Let’s Staj Home). So far these are some of our favorites:

With over 180 colors to choose from, finding our palette was a breeze! Honestly there were so many versions of all of these we’ve loved in various combos of our color palette it’s so hard finalizing. One thing I love about Basic invite is your ability to order a printed sample of the invite, announcement or really any piece of customized stationary before ordering! You can ensure everything is just right + make adjustments if you want to before ordering! I definitely love this in our situation as we’re still waiting for our exact address, but, want to get an idea of how the announcements will actually look!

Basic Invites not only offers essentials for anyone moving + wanting to celebrate with change of addresses or home warming events but any other type of stationary you’d need for any event! Heading into this time of year we have LOTS of birthdays to celebrate so I’m also excited to have all their amazing birthday card options right online! We know things are different right now - birthday parties are a little more FaceTime + Zoom than real face time, but these sweet birthday invitation cards make those virtual moments that much more special. Whether you’re celebrating a little one’s exciting day or a 60 years young milestone, Basic Invite has options for you!

While Cody hasn’t popped the question just yet, looking into their wedding stationary has us so inspired and in love with how highly customizable each piece is. Beyond the 180 different color options I mentioned with our moving announcements, they also have over 40 different envelope color options to choose from making customization for the beginning parts of your big day truly possible! Another bonus with envelopes? They’re peal and seal so no paper cuts or icky taste when it comes time to send off invites to our many guests! As a creative + visually driven person, these (many) options make Basic Invite an exciting no-brainer of convenience, stunning design + personalization to the highest degree.

Even though we aren’t to the point of choosing details like our save the dates or invites, I can already tell you I’m leaning towards these stunning clear options! So simple + timeless with the fun and fresh impact of the clear is just so lovely! You can even keep any foil colors like gold, silver or rose gold continued to the outside of your envelopes for the perfect, classy look!

Until I can start dreaming up even more about our wedding, I'll be spending spare time between packing boxes + searching on Zillow tweaking our Announcements to be just right! If you’re interested in using Basic Invite for your next stationary needs, be sure to use code 15FF51 to get 15% off your order!

Looking to keep in touch? Be sure to check out Basic Invite across social platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram!

Mushu Inspired Disney Bound in Fabletics (Copy)

Kim Possible Inspired Disney Bound in Fabletics

Princess Leia Inspired Disney Bound in Fabletics

Jasmine (Purple Outfit) Inspired Disney Bound in Fabletics

Raja Inspired Disney Bound in Fabletics

Jasmine (Red Outfit) Inspired Disney Bound in Fabletics

The Best At-Home Harry Potter Inspired Recipes

(Vegetarian) Shepards Pie

This is my absolute favorite go-to for a home cooked meal feel. Literally, this tastes like Mrs. Weasley put all her cooking brilliance and love in, just for you! I make this whenever I’m craving or whenever we need to clear out the fridge as tons of the ingredients are bits and pieces you may have left over throughout! If you’re not keen on veggies but know you need to get them, this is an excellent meal for you!

Bangers & Mash

While there isn’t a recipe for this one since it’s literally any sausage/brat of choice and mashed potatoes of choice, it is still worthy of being included as one of Cody’s favorites! Super easy to throw together and if you’re already making Shepards Pie, you can use the mashed potatoes on both dishes!

Pumpkin Pasties

Ok, these are my actual favorite. They taste like fall in a bite and given that they’re the perfect mix of savory and sweet without loads of sugar, they can function as a dessert, breakfast bite or something in between (aka the perfect pastry). I crave these especially when I’m missing fall and they’re super fun to make and take only a little prep time. While you don’t have to cut them into pumpkins, I do just because I think it’s precious (and I love pumpkins), it can be fun! If you don’t have a pumpkin cookie cutter, circles to be folded in half (like empanadas) works brilliantly as well!

Inspired Baked Goods

While we got all of our special baked goods from Sweet Dee’s - a wonderful local bakery - you are probably going to want to be creating your own special goods at home! I’ve added in some of my favorite pins from across the internet of wonderful guides to create your own versions of these many magical inspired treats!

Pumpkin Pasty Pancakes

Ok so I might have taken my love for Pumpkin Pasty to the next level with these pancakes BUT it was so worth it. These are delicious in every way and must be tried if you’re a pumpkin lover! TIP: use cinnamon sugar butter on these - it’s literally that much better.

A Traditional(ish) English Breakfast

We put together this spread with elements of a traditional English Breakfast (something I am very on board with now by the way). We included: fried eggs, toast, bacon (and fakon aka veggie bacon), sausage, and baked beans. We also included pumpkin pasties and pancakes for our sweet tooth but everything was absolutely delicious - including our butterbeer iced coffee (iced coffee + creamer to taste plus butterbeer syrup)

DIY: How to Make This Dreamy Cloud Mirror

A while back Suzy Shattuck posted about creating a dreamy cloud mirror and happening to have a mirror myself I went for it! I totally just watched the tik tok a few times and guessed the rest BUT here are some tips & steps to making it yourself!

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To make the mirror you’ll need:

• any mirror! I used this circle mirror from Michaels Crafts but you can use literally any mirror!

• paint brushes - you’ll want to use smaller brushes for this and a wider brush but you can honestly use anything you have if you have patience and get creative!

• paint - again, you can really use any colors you like but I really think lighter pastels look best! Acrylic paint is the one I used but you can probably use others! I went with my favorites - peachy shades & pink! I also think this would be gorgeous with whites, blues or purples!

• mirror cleaner - you definitely don’t have to use this but I do recommend cleaning off the mirror before you paint for best outcomes!

To make the mirror…

1. Start by cleaning the mirror off! You can use cleaner or water but make sure to get any dust or gunk off of it to ensure paint goes on and stays on!

2. Paint the general boundaries of your mirror with a base color. On my mirror because it’s circular, I did the edges and figured out about how far in I wanted the clouds going. For my base coat I went with a darker pink and then a lighter pink to create some depth of color. Be sure to let this layer dry before moving on!

3. Once your base layer is done, pick another color and start creating the shadows of your clouds. This is a great time to mix up random colors and get creative with the base of your clouds! There is no perfect way to do this so just try your best and keep going back until you’re happy! It can look a bit funny at this point but I promise it’ll look good! Once this is almost dry you can mix your colors with white to lighten them up slightly. Use these to define your clouds a little more then let the layer dry completely!

4. This (almost last) layer will be extremely light colors and whites to define the clouds! Be sure to create some purely white ones and add the white on top to create depth! Again, make sure it dries completely!

5. This is totally optional BUT if you want a more whimsical mirror, go in and add little dots and sparkles throughout with white and a very tiny brush!
   

   Keep going back and touching up as you want, then let dry & hang when you’re ready! It’s the perfect little touch in an office, closet, vanity or really anywhere!

DIY Paw Impression Ornament

We have been wanting to do something special with Knox and after coming across this impression kit we decided a paw print ornament was the way to go! Though these are intended for babies, they work perfectly fine on pets (and are safe!) We recommend using any extra for something else memorable like your home key (your first home or apartment ornament)!

Hat Wall Display Essentials & My Fave Hats

I adore how easy and effortless it is to display your hats - who doesn’t love accessories doubling as decor? Here are all the tools you need (minus a stool) to display your hats, plus some inspiration from Pinterest & links to my favorite Lack of Color Dupes now on sale (4/21) for only $34!

Minnie Ear Template

Be sure to print this on your standard size of paper (8.5 x 11) for ears

Measurements for covering headband are 16 x 2 inches

Measurements for bow are 5 x 10 inches

How to Make Minnie Ears for Disney

In this time at home after our most recent trip to Disneyland I decided I want to teach myself how to make these cute ears! Since then, I’ve tried about four or five different methods and found one I personally like. Plus, I feel like the method I show you is the easiest to replicate regardless of how advanced your crafting skills are which is always my goal with DIY! For this tutorial, I’ll be sharing the newest ears I’m making: Hades!

View this post on Instagram

Sharing a step by step guide on how to create your very own Minnie Mouse Ears! This has been my absolute favorite craft while we’ve been home & hope you enjoy! All instructions and links to suggested supplies can be found at www.acaracollective.com/acc-blog/how-to-make-minnie-ears-for-disney Feel free to leave any questions below!

A post shared by Cara Lentz ✨ (@acaracollective) on Apr 8, 2020 at 12:26pm PDT

Above I’ve shared the IGTV video I created to visualize this process. Below I am sharing step by step with links to tools and materials to purchase if you decide to try this out!

ONE

Gather all your materials for making the ears! This includes:

• Fabric: Sequin, Knit, or really any kind you can imagine! If you’re just starting out I recommend a knit to make it a bit easier! Additionally, one yard will totally be enough- for me, one yard typically can make at least four pairs of ears!

• Headband: I have purchased these and am currently loving these! If you plan on making ears with more surface area, I recommend trying a wider headband!

• Needle & Thread/ Sewing Machine: I personally sew mine by hand because I have the time now and am not mass producing (yet!) BUT if you have a sewing machine it would make things go much faster!

• Hot Glue Gun & Glue: I personally use the Michaels crafts glue gun and also recommend this one! Be sure to have lots of glue gun sticks on hand (I’ve run out mid project and it was a mess!)

• Foam Board of Up-Cycled Box Cardboard: I have bought this foam board and find it is a tad too thick for my desired look. However, I’ve been up-cycling my various cardboard boxes from the mail (like a USPS box) and have found those work perfectly!

• Batting: I use this kind or this kind but truly any batting will work. I don’t recommend getting straight up foam but if you do, get a firm one and skip the cardboard insert.

• Fabric Fuze or Stiffening Spray: You might not necessarily need these but if you want a more firm ear or want a cleaner glue on the front, be sure to use these!

• Templates: You can either trace ears you have for a rough idea OR you can find my template here including dimensions of what I cut!

• Scissors: Be sure to use fabric scissors when possible on fabric (and fabric only!) but if not, opt for the sharpest scissors you have.

• Extras: From felt to glitter paint or charms for the middle of your bow, you can customize any plain pair of ears to be something a little extra special! Sky’s the limit so get creative!

TWO

Taking your templates, trace out your patterns on the fabric and cut! A great tip for the ears fabric is to place them on a piece of fabric that is double the needed length and fold it in half (shown in video) to be able to cut both pieces at once! Be sure to also take the smaller template to trace on the cardboard and cut that out as well setting aside. Using the same smaller template, cut out four batting inserts - two per each side (a front and back)

THREE

Once all your fabric pieces are cut out, sew them together. Be sure to leave the bottom of the ears open so you can insert cardboard and batting. For the bow, be sure to leave a bit at the edge available to flip inside out before finishing the seam.

FOUR

For the ears, place the cardboard insert inside then place each piece of batting (two per ear) on each side of the ear. Once filled, be sure to sew up the bottom. Repeat for other ear and set aside when completed.

FIVE

For the bow, seal the final seam of the rectangle piece. Taking the thin and short piece (1.5x4 in) take hot glue and place near each side folding the fabric in to create a clean edge on both sides. Accordion fold the rectangle bow piece as desired and tie or sew the middle point to keep the bow together. Once tied, place a dollop of glue on the decided back of the bow and place the thin piece, continuously wrapping around until you reach the back again. Cut off any excess fabric and set aside for another pair.

SIX

If you plan on adding extras to your ears, like I’ve done for these Hades ears, be sure to do that before gluing to the headband. Once done, place on headband without glueing to ensure they are evenly apart and, if using a sating headband, mark on the top the middle of the ear so finding its place is much easier when gluing.

SEVEN

Take your hot glue gun and apply to the bottom of the ear (where it attaches to the headband) towards the back (as shown in video) and place. Be sure to hold. Repeat on other side and once firm, flip to show the back of ears. Apply another layer of glue as shown to secure the ears to the headband and let firm.

EIGHT

Once ears are glued, glue the bow into the middle of the headband. Once initial glue is dried, flip to back and secure as you did with each ear.

NINE

Flip ears back to the front and place a small amount of hot glue on each ear where the bow touches to keep the bow up and not drooping.

TEN

If you want your ears to be more stiff, place in shallow box and spray with Stiffening Spray. If not, make any necessary touch ups, let rest and you are done!

I hope you found this tutorial and instructions helpful! If you’re looking for some inspiration for ears, I’ve created a Pinterest board here for you to check out!