Simply Ruffled

Meet Troubadour, our miniature horse! He’s a retired Cavalia show horse who just happened to stumble into our lives. He's so affectionate & sweet, not to mention great with kids! London is beyond excited, she thinks it’s pretty great that he's just her size. I can’t wait to see the bond between these two grow!

I love to make these flower crowns often for myself & London. We go around the yard together & find all sorts of interesting plants, flowers, leafs, etc. London loves to have a say in which flowers her crown will have & once it’s assembled she’ll wear it around the yard pretending she’s a flower fairy. It’s so sweet to see the joy & imagination that comes from such a simple thing! I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

-DIY FLOWER CROWNS-

You’ll Need: -Vines (anything that is long & flexible,I used creeping wire vine. Willow branches, morning glories, etc) -Flowers, flower bulbs, leaves, dried flowers, little tree branches, etc -Tape Crafting wire (Optional)

*I understand not everyone will have access to these natural supplies, you could always replace vines for ribbon or twine. Michaels Crafts Supplies has a wonderful flower selection as well!

Step 1. Gather all your supplies together whether this is in the yard or craft store! Step 2. Tape together 3 vines & braid, adding additional vines to create the length of 16” or until it fits comfortably around your head. Step 3. Tape ends together overlapping by an inch. Step 4. On the opposite side of the tape, position the largest flowers, bulbs or branches into the vines first. Have the stems weaving into the vines in the same direction. If you chose to use crafting wire, secure the stem tightly to the vine. Step 5. Add smaller filler flowers, bulbs, & leaves to fill the spaces between larger items by weaving the stems into the vines.

And thats it! Super simple & the options for what you use are endless. If you chose to use fresh flowers, you can refrigerate your crown & it will last for around 24 hours. I would suggest crafting wire as well if you want your crown to really hold up, especially if a toddler is wearing it!

Hello Autumn! 

Happy 3rd Birthday to our little London Lou! My sweet little girl has grown so much this past year. She’s the most loving, compassionate, energetic, adventurous girl. She’s the best big sister, always asking to hold Ella & sings her songs when she cries. She never stops talking from the moment she wakes up until she falls asleep at night.. I always hear her little voice singing throughout the house & it fills my heart with so much love. She's our YES girl & is always ready to try new things. Happy birthday sweet girl, your Daddy & I can’t wait to watch you continue to grow! 

Happy Friday everyone! I wanted to share with you this sweet cake topper I made to welcome our second daughter into the world after her delivery. It’s how we were going to announced to our families her name since we had kept it a secret during our pregnancy. Unfortunately she ended up in the NICU, so we never used it, but now I'm saving it to use for her 1st birthday! I think it would be adorable for a bridal shower, baby shower, birthday, etc! 

YOU WILL NEED: Paper (3 colors of choice) Hot glue Scissors String Kabab sticks or small wooden dowels

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STEP 1: Cut one 8"X1" strip of paper. This will be your flower center. Cut 7, 1" circles & 3, 2" circles ( no need to be precise). Cut 1"X1.5" rectangles (one per letter in name).

STEP 2. Cut a 1/4" notch into center bottom of rectangle & from the bottom corners cut up toward the notch creating an upside down V shape.

STEP 3: Cut circles in half.

STEP 4: Fold flower center in half & hot glue along edge pressing firmly until cool.

STEP 5: Snip small notches into the flower center, on the opposite side of where the hot glue is. This will create paper loops.

STEP 6: Roll the strip of loops together tightly until 1/3 of its length remains. Hot glue bottom & cut off the extra paper.

STEP 7: With a bit of hot glue add small half circle to the base of the flower center & hold in place until cool. Continue overlapping small half circles until you have 6 petals total. Add 3 large half circles overlapping around the small petals.

STEP 8: Repeat steps 6-7.  Use the remaining 1/3 looped center & small half circles to create a smaller flower.

STEP 9: Cut out a few leaves into whatever leaf shape you fancy.

STEP 10: Cut out your letters. I free hand cut mine but you could easily use a stencil or stickers. Glue letters into flags.

STEP 11: Glue letters onto string with just small dab of hot glue. Space letters as desired.

STEP 12: Tie string onto wooden stick & hot glue to secure.

STEP 13: Glue leaves onto stick (on top of where your string is tied) followed by flowers.

& that's it! You're done! Hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial. If you recreate it, i'd love to see your versions of it! Just use #simplyruffled on Instagram!

I just wanted to share with you this beautiful sleep sack & headband set that was gifted to us by Mint & Arrows. At first I was a bit skeptical that this cocoon style swaddle would keep Ella snug, but it truly does! The fabric is light weight & breathable (which is a must for the summer) & the colors are gorgeous! I also think the best part about this cocoon swaddle is that ANYONE can master the swaddle instantly, which is helpful for sitters. Thank you again Mint & Arrows, we love our swaddle cocoon!

Be sure to check out Mint & Arrows, they have so many fun patterns!

Check out these sweet little bows for the ultimate girly cupcakes! I made these years ago for my first daughters baby shower. Of course at the time I didn't have the 1-2-3 punch board by We R Memory Keepers so I hand cut each and every part which took hours! These go so fast with the help of the board, but if you have the time and patience you could always cut them by hand. 

- DIY Bow Cupcake Toppers -

You’ll need:

Paper - two colors 

Hot glue

Toothpicks

Pen or pencil 

1-2-3 punch board by We R Memory Keepers 

Scissors 

Step 1: Cut paper into strips. One strip 3/4″ x 4.5″, another 3/4″x 3″, & 1/4″x 1″

Step 2: Align the largest strip (3/4″x 4.5″) in the center of the punch board. Punch, flip & punch again. 

Step 3: Slide paper to only the center of the cutter and punch. Flip & punch again. Repeat on opposite side. 

Step 4: Gently wrap around pen or pencil to create a loop.

Step 5: Hot glue the ends in the middle to make the loops.

Step 6: Take the next strip of paper (3/4″x 3″) & follow step 2. Then place the strip directly into the cutter & punch creating the bow ends. Repeat on opposite side.

Step 7: Add hot glue to the bow & place onto center of bow back.

Step 8: Take the last strip of paper ( 1/4″x 1″) & hot glue to back of bow.

Step 9: Wrap paper around, add a dab of hot glue & quickly place toothpick onto back. Cover the toothpick end with the strip of paper. Hold into place until glue has cooled. 

How adorable are these cute bunny pillows?! When browsing the dollar spot at Target, London fell in love with these cute little bunny tote bags. At $3 apiece, & 100% canvas, I knew I could turn it into something special for London. I thought they’d make the cutest pillows for Easter, but honestly I think this little guy will be sitting pretty on her bed all year long! 

- DIY Bunny Pillow -

You’ll need :

Bunny tote bag ( $3 at Target, in the dollar spot)

Scissors

Fiber fill ( I found mine at Michael’s Crafts, check their website for coupons!)

Sewing machine ( You could easily hand sew )

Pins or clips

Needle & thread

Take your tote & remove the handles ( set aside since we’ll use the straps for the bow later ). Stuff bag with fiber fill & make sure to get the corners! Clip or pin the top & zip through your sewing machine across the top hemline already existing on the bag. Next tie one of the handles into a bow & tack it onto your bunny with the needle & thread. That’s it! It’s really simple, but so adorable! 

How adorable is this infinity scarf? It was so simple to make & will make a great staple in your little ones wardrobe! 

Materials:

One t-shirt ( I used an adults size small )  

Scissors                                                                                              

Needle & thread                                                                                    

Sewing machine 

Step 1: Cut bottom hem off & cut across about halfway up.

Step 2: Cut the side seam open on one side only.

Step 3: Cut the rest of the shirt off just below the sleeve & cut the side seam open.

Step 4: Using the largest fabric, take your needle & thread, make a few stitches up & down. Mine were roughly an inch long. 

Step 5: Pull your thread until its tight & knot it up. 

Step 6: Continue steps 4-5 for the whole length of the fabric. I made my pattern by scrunching three in a row, then 2 in a row to get the diamond look. 

Step 7: Sew the sides together leaving both ends open. Turn right side out.

Step 8: At this point you'll have a long tube. Take both ends & join together, you will have four layers of fabric. Take the two middle layers & start sewing. Once you get to the end, you’ll have to sew the last inch on the outside otherwise you’ll sew your machine foot on the inside of the scarf.