easy – Francois et Moi

DIY Party Bunting: Easy, Cheap & Festive

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 02:22:42 +0000

Party Time! Decorate with this ridiculously easy, cheap and festive DIY party bunting. Sylvia turns two this month, and the week leading up to her birthday, she talked non-stop about her party: the people who were coming and all the ‘treats’ she was going to eat. I wanted to decorate the house to help make her party special and festive, but I didn’t want to spend $$ on decorations that we may never use again. We have a colorful paper stash in my blog room that I use for projects + Sylvie colors on. I have a love/hate with ‘stashes’. I love having materials on hand to craft–or in Sylvie’s case play with–but stashes also just seem to take up space in our small house. So I thought what better way to deplete the stash than make a colorful party bunting? I also have a ginormous spool of baker’s twine leftover from my wedding 6 YEARS AGO, that I swear is bottomless, so I used that to string together the bunting. All in all, I spent zero dollar bills to make this project and man, that feels good! Here’s the video tutorial on how to make the bunting. I hope […]

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No Sew Cafe Curtain

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 19:28:57 +0000

Novice crafters will love this easy, no sew cafe curtain video tutorial. Make a window curtain using hem tape and an iron. No sewing machine needed! Over the summer we painted over the sad beige that the previous owner painted EVERY room in this house, and went with a clean, white color (Behr, Simply White to be exact). The window curtain we had in here at that time was white cotton and after painting the room, the room read kind of flat. Everything was white, and we needed contrast. Last fall, I found the most beautiful amber linen on Etsy, and it catapulted me into maker-mode. Time to update that window curtain! Our bathroom faces our neighbor’s dining room, and fellow city dwellers–you know how close city homes can be! At the same time, the bathroom only has one window, and we need that delicious natural light in here, so I stayed with the same style curtain: a cafe curtain. You just can’t beat the natural light above, and privacy below. If you are NOT a sewer, this tutorial has your name written all over it! If you ARE a sewer, simply swap out the hem tape & iron […]

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How to Make Beeswax Taper Candles Without the Mess! (Video)

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 18:30:31 +0000

I feel like beeswax has become somewhat of a buzzword recently because of it’s healing, clean burning, and even air purifying properties. Well I, too, am on the beeswax train, and can vouch for the hype! My father-in-law is a beekeeper and has us suit up to harvest the honey from the hives every year. Watch the honey harvest video HERE. Let’s just say I’ve been up close and personal with my bee friends and somehow they’ve nestled into a soft spot in my little heart over the years. There was a year I took home all the harvest beeswax and made tea light candles in my kitchen the traditonal way. The end result was awesome, but my kitchen was covered in inadvertent melted wax drips, and beeswax is the HARDEST to clean up. I’d find drips of beeswax in the oddest places months later. This year, I decided to make beeswax candles again, but this time it would be the easy way. No melted wax and no scrubbing (and scrubbing and scrubbing) up the mess. These guys take like 2 minutes a piece, and come out to be about $1.65 a piece. Materials: 8″ x 16″ wax sheets and […]

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Quirky Little Stool DIY

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 18:56:15 +0000

I’m a sucker for a quirky, little [insert object here]. The kind of pieces with personality–ones that make the room, just by embracing their flaws, asymmetry, oddly tiny scale, etc. I think it’s these unusual pieces that give rooms/homes personality, approchability and charm. I initially made this quirky little stool for my back hall. I wanted a little corner spot to sit down and tie shoes or set a heavy grocery bag on. The original idea was to use 1″ thick wood dowels and attach them to the top with hangar bolts/angled plates. It ended up being a bit of a Pinterest fail–it was really tough to get the hangar bolts super straight in the end of the wood dowels and because of that the legs weren’t very stable. Below is a shot of that version of the stool, where you can see it’s crooked. I actually really like with the fact that it’s crooked, but being unstable, no one could really sit or set anything on it. It was just taking up space. I think it’s these unusual pieces that give rooms/homes personality, approchability and charm. I decided to switch to pre-made legs that came with a hangar bolt […]

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Good Reminder DIY Notebook Cover

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 14:00:13 +0000

‘Tis that time of year when we’re busy making resolutions for the new year in an effort to make 2017 the best one yet. Did you guys make any goals? One of the things I really want to accomplish is being more present and less plugged into my iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a blogger, so emailing, Instagramming, Pinteresting, & Tweeting very much come with the territory. But with our first baby arriving in weeks, I want to make sure I can find a manageable balance between the two. It’s a goal that’s been on my mind for awhile now, and last Fall I DIY’ed this easy notebook cover to remind myself of it every day. It’s one of those projects (my favorite kind) where if you can source awesome materials up front, then the end result ends up being cool without much effort on your end. I chose “pay attention” as my cover phrase, but any phrase where the total number of letters is a multiple of 3 will work. The notebook pictured is from Target, and unfortunately no longer available, but here’s a similar one from Amazon. The stickers are also from Amazon. Check out the full […]

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How to Set Up Rich Pins for Pinterest

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 06 May 2016 13:40:11 +0000

Are you guys using Rich Pins for your WordPress site or blog? In case you’re not familiar, rich pins are basically “smart” pins on Pinterest that have your website name, logo, & post title displayed below the pin image AND are super helpful in growing your Pinterest following. I feel like I might be the last person on Earth to figure out how to set them up on my site, but just in case I’m not, and like me you thought you’d have to hire a developer to get it done, I thought I’d share the EASY, and I’m talking eeeasy way to make it happen. There’s no coding involved (Thank the lord.), and it’s much simpler than the greek jargon Pinterest is talking about here. Okay, here’s the skinny: STEP 1. INSTALL YOAST SEO PLUG-IN: Yoast SEO Plug-in is a FREE plug-in that also makes sure you’re optimizing your Search Engine Optimization to the max (but that’s a whole other post in itself). For instructions on how to install a plugin, go here. Once Yoast SEO is downloaded and activated in your WordPress Plugins, go to the black control panel on the left side of your WordPress dashboard, […]

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Primp Your Place with DIY Button Tufted Pillows

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 14:25:42 +0000

One of the ways I shrug off those I’m-over-winter blues this time of year is by switching out small accessories in my home, like pillows, to help it feel a bit less wintery. So today I want to share these easy little tufted pillows I created for Sugar and Cloth which are perfect for infusing spring vibes into the home. Usually when I hear the word ‘tufting’ I run the other way because the word tufting just sounds complex, right? Well never fear, though these pillows are technically tufted, they each just have one giant tuft in the middle so they’re actually ridiculously easy. Yay! And there’s also no zipper, so Double Yay! Head over and say hi to Ashley for the tutorial. Tomorrow I’ll be sharing tips for choosing the right inserts for throw pillows, so make sure to check back! DIY Button Tufted Pillows Looking for more DIY pillow inspiration? Check out this Table Runner Lumbar & these Hand Wood Block Printed Pillows! Follow

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Fast and Festive Pumpkin Votives

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 02:58:57 +0000

Yikes. Thanksgiving is in two days! Need a last minute table centerpiece? These fast and festive pumpkin votives will have your table dressed and ready to go in 20 minutes. I started by giving my little pumpkins a coat of spray paint in Montana, Color Petrol. I love Montana spray paints because they’re highly pigmented resulting in good coverage and pure, vibrant coloring. (This is NOT a sponsored post–I’m just sharing my experience as I spray paint a ton over here!) Skip the spray paint step if you’re crunched for time. The pumpkins also look gorge in their natural orange or white coloring!After letting the pumpkins dry, I carved out the spots for the votives and lit ’em up! Fast and easy, folks! Find more tidbits on how to rock this project on Homedit. Follow

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Easy Breezy Serape Shorts

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 13:41:26 +0000

We’re seeing a resurgence of Mexican serape patterns in interiors and fashion lately, and I’ve got to say I’m into it! I came across this lovely serape printed cotton and impulsively bought a yard, not actually knowing what I was going to do with it. Risky! Considering it ran the potential of ending up untouched in my fabric stash bin, but it’s good to live on the edge once in awhile, right? The fabric arrived and it was everything I hoped it would be: vibrantly colorful and a good print version of the real thing, so until I could figure out exactly what I wanted to do with it, I used the fabric to style various posts and instagrams. One fine day while preparing for our Big Sur trip I came across these serape shorts on Oh Joy’s Blog and #lightbulb! Why not sew up a more casual version for summer lounging? And that’s precisely what I did. Here’s how they came together: Materials: 1 yard of cotton printed serape fabric 1″ Non-roll elastic Your favorite pair lounge shorts that fit you like a dream. (We’ll use this as the pattern.) Sewing machine and iron Basic sewing materials (pins, scissors, coordinating thread) For the Shorts: 1. Fold […]

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Printable Temporary Tattoos

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 12:32:18 +0000

Happy Monday! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. Today I’m talking tattoos here on F&M. I’ve never made the plunge into the world of real ink, because I haven’t been able to find THE tattoo that I know I’ll love for. ev. er. But I’m all about tatting up with temporary tattoos, especially for summer, as they make great accessories to sundresses and sandals, and are a fun, commitment-free way to celebrate summer in style! #nostringsattached These little numbers are as easy as printing on tattoo paper and applying with a damp cloth. Head on over to SheKnows for the printable and all the details. Happy Tatting! Follow

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[Make Your Own] Patterned Leggings

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 16:47:20 +0000

I love me a good pair of leggings. A mostly cotton blend with spandex for elasticity and retention, and of course ones that fit me just right. When I’m not at work, I live in my leggings. Yep, they’re crazy comfortable and perfect with over-sized flowy tops and sweaters and flats. What’s not to love? So when my favorite pair began wearing through as they inevitably do, I decided to use them as a “pattern” and create a few more pairs that fit just like them, but this time using graphic fabric that I’ve been holding onto waiting for precisely this project to come along. I feel like there’s a misconception out there about how difficult it is to sew on stretch fabrics. Truthfully, it’s not as hard as everyone makes it sound, and you, yes you, can sew stretch fabrics! If I can do it, you can do it. By simply adjusting your sewing machine settings (as noted below) you’ll set yourself up for success. A big thank you to my mom, Sandi Knutie, of Seams Sew Cool for coaching me from afar on the secrets of the craft. Materials List: an old pair of leggings that both fit you well and are ready for the donation or trash bin (you’ll be cutting […]

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The Easy Tee-Shirt Dress

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 12:50:00 +0000

I’m excited to share with you a super easy (and cute!) kid’s tee-shirt dress tutorial from Seams Sew Cool Studio, a sewing school for kids out of Duluth, Mn. The tutorial uses a pre-made jersey t-shirt for the dress top which not only greatly simplifies the pattern, but also lays the foundation for a comfy summer dress for your little one! Materials List: size 2t (toddler size) t-shirt (I used a $5 top from Target.) marking tool fabric 15″ cotton fabric 42 to 45″ wide coordinating thread iron sewing machine scissors 4″ x 25″ piece of fabric (for optional rosette) hand sewing needle (for optional rosette) T-shirt: 1. From the bottom of the armhole sleeve where it intersects with the t-shirt, measure down the seam 2-1/4″ and place a mark. Repeat on other side. Draw a horizontal line from mark to mark. Cut through both front and back layers on the line. Quarter mark the circumference of the bottom of the t-shirt (divide into 4 equal parts). Skirt: 2. Place fabric right sides together, making sure selvage edges are even and to the right. Pin and sew the side seam with a 5/8th inch seam allowance. Press seam open. 3. […]

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