By: Leisl
I am the mom of one-year-old twin girls, so there isn't always a good time to go out for date-night. My husband and I LOVE being with our girls and usually just do Family Date nights if we want to go out, but sometimes you just need that time alone! And what better way of truly being together and growing your relationship, than by creating together? Here are a few of my favorite creative date nights that we have done together...
Paint Night Paint nights were a HUGE hit a year ago, everyone I knew was going. I'm pretty sure they're still around, so look them up and see what's going on close to you! For those of you who don't know, Paint Nights are pop-up events held in local restaurants, bars, or other venues. You buy your ticket online and then show up at the location. All supplies and a professional instructor are provided for you, and you can purchase food and drinks from the location if you like as well. It usually lasts and hour to an hour and a half and the instructor walks you through step-by-step to create your own masterpiece. Individuality is encouraged to make the painting your own, and some people get *really* creative. Haha! One lady in our group ended up finger painting her creation instead of using the brushes. My experience with Paint Night was so fun and easy. I never knew I could paint a full picture! Paint Nights might be a little pricey for some, but there are often Groupons you can use, or if it is your first time booking a Paint Night, you can get a 40% off code!
At Home Paint Night
Bob Ross in on Netflix. Yes, that's what I said. Haha! My husband and I have done multiple Bob Ross paint nights. We buy paints and canvas from the local craft store and then pick an episode to follow. Our paintings NEVER turn out a well as Bob's...obviously...but we have SO MUCH FUN doing them. This is a great alternative to Paint Night events if you're doing date night on a budget, or like us, don't want to get a babysitter. If you want to see our first ever Bob Ross experience, you can watch it here!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQlYS-Z28iE
At Home Clay Bake
Another great at-home creative date night idea it to buy oven bake clay at a local craft store and make some fun ceramics! When my husband and I do it, we use multiple colors of clay so we don't have to worry about painting them after. The instructions on the packages are easy to follow and you can do it right in your kitchen!
Ceramic Studios
I have had lots of fun over the years going and painting pre-made ceramics at studios like Color Me Mine. I've gone for dates, girls nights, and just for kicks! There's always lots of options to choose from and you can get nice and creative with your designs and functions of the objects! These are a great way to get out of the house and not have to try and mold your own ceramics. Haha! You usually pay a small studio fee and then just pay per item you paint!
No matter what you do, whether you go out or stay in, the point is to have fun! Get creative...even get a little messy! Don't hold back! So think outside the box and have some crafting fun for your next date night! Don't forget to share with us what you do and how it goes!!
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By: Leisl My husband and I were watching the new show "Making It" on NBC this week. Now there are about a million reasons why I have been counting down the days until this show aired. First of all, I'm a major "Parks and Rec" fan so anything that involves Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman is an automatic success in my mind. Second of all, I LOVE crafting. There is literally no reason why I WOULDN'T want to watch this show. Also, Nick Offerman basically IS Ron Swanson. He actually does woodworking and can identify wood by its SMELL. So that was amazing. Naturally it's my new dream to compete on this show, if for no other reason than for Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman to tell me I'm good at something. This newfound desire led me to watch the show in a little bit of a different way. As the tasks were assigned, I found myself thinking about what I would make for the competition. I am primarily a dress maker. I'm not really sure if that is the kind of thing they would want on their show, but that's automatically where my brain went. The first challenge was to make a 3D representation of an animal that embodied their own personality. Anyone who knows me already knows what I'm thinking at this point. NARWHAL. I'm obsessed with them. I spent the majority of my life thinking they didn't exist. Once I found out they did, I was completely taken by them. They're so fascinating! Besides, I took a buzz feed quiz once that said they're my spirit animal so that makes it true. I'm not sure exactly what I would have said on the show about why this creature represents me...they're kind of anti-social and kill themselves if you try and confine them? I don't know, probably not the best way to start the season. Still, I would without question have chosen a narwhal. As I said, I am primarily a dress maker. I have my degree in Costume Design and have taken many classes on other things. I'm a decently advanced seamstress and can pattern and make an array of things, but dresses are my passion. Narwhal dress here we come. Now when I said I watched this first episode thinking about the things I would make, I mean I REALLY thought about the things I would make. Exhibit A. And yes, I already know what fabric I would use and how I would get the tail to stand up on it's own. This is what my brain does. I literally fall asleep at nights thinking about how to make dresses. I don't even attempt to make a dress until I have put it together, taken it apart, and put it together again IN MY HEAD. I think that might put me on some sort of scale for crazy, but I can't really say definitively.
THE POINT IS. I thoroughly enjoyed watching "Making It". I loved the inspiration I drew just from watching. I was also fascinated by all the different mediums people were using for their crafts. One lady was categorized as a "Modge Podge" crafter, which basically just meant she uses EVERYTHING as her medium, which takes an insane amount of creativity in my opinion. There was also a man who was a professional felter. Did you even know that existed as a career?? And speaking of careers, one of the girls had a smarty pants PhD because her mom said there wasn't a career in crafting, but now she does paper crafts and has her own business. I cannot emphasize enough how any passion can create a career. Where there's a will, there's a way, I say! But now "Making It" has got me curious. What kind of other crafters and mediums are out there? I want to hear from you! What animal representation would you have made if you'd been competing on the first week of "Making It?" Some days you just feel like being crafty, but don't have the time, money, or energy to go to the store and get a bunch of craft supplies. Here at "e before i" we LOVE to craft in all sorts of ways, so today we thought we'd share of few DIY ideas. If you find yourself in the afore mentioned crafting pickle, here are a couple of ideas for you, using things you probably already have in your house. Our first crafting idea is origami! All you need is a sheet of paper. There are lots of tutorials all over the internet on how to make AMAZING paper sculptures. Today, we'll walk you through a very simple paper crane. WARNING: We are not origami masters and this is a VERY rudimentary crane. STEP ONE: Get yourself a square piece of paper. Next, fold you paper corner to corner in all directions, and then unfold. Pinch together the corners. Start by pinching two parallel corners and then move on to the rest. make sure the middle sections alternate being folded out and folded in to make a diamond shape. Now fold the outside corners on each side down towards the center to create a slim triangle. Unfold the triangle folds and pull out one of your corners. Using the creases from your previous fold, press the outside corners inwards. Be sure to do this on both sides. Crease your folds tightly so you once again have a slim diamond shape. Roll or fold your outside corners downward to create the crane's wings. Pull the inside corners outward and crease them to stay standing out from the diamond shape. Do this on both sides. Pinch one of your side corners downward to create the crane's beak. And now you have your very own paper crane! Again, we are by no means origami masters, but it can be a fun way to pass a little time when you are feeling crafty but don't have the materials you need. Our next crafting idea is simple, and great to do with kids! All you need is a square piece of tissue or toilet paper, water, food coloring, and a paint brush. Start by mixing your food coloring into your water. I chose three colors, to mimic a sunset. Using your tissue as your canvas and your food coloring water as watercolors, begin painting! Be sure to simply dab the water colors onto the tissue; trying to use regular brush strokes will tear your canvas. Allow your creation to dry, and now you have your own micro watercolor painting! There are lots of quick crafting fixes, but we hope our ideas give you a good start! A major part of crafting, is getting creative and thinking outside the box when you encounter a road bump!
What sort of last minute crafts do you enjoy doing? Share your ideas in the comments!! We would love to hear from you! Welcome to "e before i" Boutique!
We are so excited to be beginning this journey with you! We are three sisters/sisters-in-law with a variety of artistic passions. We have spent several years selling our products separately and finally thought - why not do it all together?! We offer unique, custom products that are always made by hand just for you! We guarantee satisfaction since we only make exactly what you want us to! Don't see what you're looking for? Contact us and we will see what we can do to make your shopping list complete! We wanted to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves to you and let you know what to expect from us in the future! On this website we feature three different categories of products to highlight our three different creative medium passions - Fabric, Paint, and Buttons. Leisl is our fabric crafter. Though she also dabbles a little in sign painting, her primary passion is sewing. She started taking classes when she was 8-years-old and is now graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Costume Design. When Leisl isn't sewing, or costuming productions for the local high school, she spends her time with her husband and twin girls, and volunteering on the local community arts council. She is so excited for you to become a part of OUR community when you start shopping at "e before i." Jessica has been surrounded by art from a young age. Growing up she admired the crafts and paintings created by her grandmother and enjoyed watching her dad sketch and paint. When she was young, she would sneak her dad's sketch books and spend hours looking at all his creations. It wasn't until after she was married with kids that she decided to pursue her passion for simple, family centered arts and crafts. Jessica loves to experiment with new ideas and techniques when she isn't busy with her husband and two little boys. Tenika has enjoyed buttons from a very young age. The real passion began a few years ago when she came across her grandmother's button collection. In looking for a way to share the buttons with her large extended family, she combined her passion of making jewelry with her new button discovery. The button art came from a request from a friend, and Tenika discovered a whole new passion! Working with buttons is what she does when she's not with her family or sneaking in some reading time. We hope that as you browse our inventory, you will love what you see. Each product is made with lots of hard work and love. It is our goal to bring you quality products that help express your passions through our own artistic passions. We believe that art is meant to be shared and that passions grow and thrive best in a positive, uplifting community where people are encouraged to participate and share. Please share our website with your family and friends! And always be sure to come back and inventory will change from time to time. If you are looking for one-of-a-kind pieces, last chance items, or sales - be sure to like our Facebook page "E before i Boutique." You can find it easily by clicking the link at the bottom of our homepage! Thanks for visiting "e before i" and we hope to see you again soon! |
AuthorLeisl, Jessica, and Tenika are so excited to bring you "e before i" the blog! A place of creativity and inspiration! ArchivesCategories |