DIY Projects « Appletini Photography

Homemade Febreze

By Heather Rizzo on June 13, 2013 / Blog, DIY Projects / 4 Comments

This morning I began my day by spraying my curtains with some of my homemade Febreze, Faux-breze if you prefer, and opened all my windows. As the breeze gently drifted in, so did the sweet smell of my DIY Febreze. Seriously… SO GOOD! I have been making this delicious smelling concoction for over a year now and just can’t get enough of it! I spray it everywhere. Carpets, curtains, dog bed, pillows, mattress… anywhere that needs some freshening up. It’s a lifesaver before company comes or any of those parties I’m known for throwing. Nothing is more welcoming than a sweet smelling house! I used to buy Febreze, okay, who am I kidding… I bought it maybe twice. I love the stuff but for almost 5 bucks a pop, I just can’t do it. Not when I can make my own for mere cents! That’s right, CENTS!! I’m not cheap, but I AM smart!!! And to

Father’s Day Craft Idea | Shirt and Tie Card

By Heather Rizzo on June 12, 2013 / Blog, DIY Projects / 8 Comments

Father’s Day is coming quick!! I’m sure you already have a special Father’s Day idea all planned out, BUT if you still aren’t sure what to get Dad or just haven’t made it to Hallmark yet, why not consider a little something homemade. I personally think anything homemade is better than store-bought. It shows you cared enough and actually took time to make something special. Since we are talking homemade, and Father’s Day IS right around the corner, I thought I’d share with you this adorable DIY shirt and tie card, PERFECT for Father’s Day!! I love this cute card craft! If the Dad you are celebrating is a tie wearing professional, then this is absolutely a homemade Father’s Day card you should consider! Although, it’s pretty perfect for any Dad, tie-wearing or not! Just look how easy and awesome this DIY Father’s Day card is… DIY Shirt & Tie Card What you’ll need…Materials: 4 x 4

DIY Art | How to use a grid to enlarge a drawing

By Heather Rizzo on June 11, 2013 / Blog, DIY Projects / 2 Comments

You wanna trick people into thinking you’re an artist? Well, I have a drawing technique for you!! I am going to show you how you can take a picture and easily draw it yourself. Using a grid you can enlarge a drawing and it is really pretty simple. I have used this drawing grid technique before. It is called scaling and with a little practice using a grid to draw, you could become an ar-teest!! Or at least pretend you are !! I personally use this grid technique to replicate and enlarge characters for parties but you could use it for so many things. This time I was making Mickey Mouse characters for my little girl’s Mickey party. If you would like to try to enlarge a drawing, here is what you’ll need: Materials: poster board acrylic paint paint brushes ruler black sharpie a photo to replicate The first time I used this art scaling technique I

DIY Water Bottle Labels

By Heather Rizzo on June 7, 2013 / Blog, DIY Projects / Leave a comment

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! (insert HUGE smile) Today I thought I’d share a DIY party idea that I haven’t shared yet but is long overdue. It’s one I used for my Mom’s 60th Surprise Sock Hop Party, I know that was like forever ago! See I told you… overdue! I’m gonna start by confessing: This is not the most sophisticated tutorial ever. However, it is simple enough that it need not be. I always admire when water bottles are dressed up in adorable little labels. I see parties all the time where the waters are personalized and I think it is such a sweet little detail. So, I thought I’D try making my own for my Mom’s party. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy this DIY was. DIY water bottle labels are one of the easiest ways to personalize a party and I’ll tell ya what, I won’t be throwing another

DIY Cotton Candy Wedding Favor

By Heather Rizzo on June 4, 2013 / Blog, DIY Projects, Party Planning / Leave a comment

Yesterday I mentioned I was in a wedding this past weekend. I can’t wait until Tiff shares THOSE images. Can you say AMAZING?? But you’ll have to be patient for those. Perfection takes time, my friends! But today I CAN share with you the super cute Cotton Candy Wedding Favors I helped the crafty bride with. Since Nicole (the beautiful bride) was having a summer wedding she wanted something fun and seasonal. Well, what is MORE fun, or delicious, than cotton candy? I can think of nothing! Edible favors are some of THE best! I was excited when Nicole told me she was having these fun favors and couldn’t wait to help her put them together. They were so simple to assemble and only took a little preparation. I’d recommend a cotton candy favor for anyone looking for something fun, playful and unexpected to give to their guests. Especially

Jim’s Graduation | Class of 2013

By Heather Rizzo on May 21, 2013 / Blog, DIY Projects / 2 Comments

This past weekend was pretty monumental! Jim (my handsome brainiac husband) graduated from Cabrini College with his MASTERS degree!! That’s right… MASTERS DEGREE!!!! I couldn’t be prouder!! Seriously… I’m SOOO PROUD!! What an accomplishment! One that our crew would never let go unnoticed!! WE HAD TO CELEBRATE! Tiffany and I, being the party planning addicts we are, knew this was a prime opportunity to put our skills to work! We planned Jim a surprise party! A pretty awesome party if you ask me. Although, it was so much fun, we don’t have many pictures to share with you. We were too busy being a blast… er, I mean, HAVING a blast! But you know us, we always have some DIY project up our sleeves, and this graduation party was no different! One of the little projects we tackled were some pretty adorable graduation cupcake toppers. They were made out of candy and were a HIT!

DIY Rainbow Cake

By Heather Rizzo on April 19, 2013 / Blog, DIY Projects / 2 Comments

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! {insert happy dance} We are going to wrap up the week with something that is bound to rock your socks… This DIY rainbow cake. I told you when I posted Hadley’s Color Splash Birthday Bash, that I’d show you how to make this beautiful piece of culinary goodness! I saved my favorite colored party detail for last. So here it is… THE CAKE! This rainbow cake was a bit tricky and time-consuming but was worth every second spent. As soon as the first piece was sliced I heard Oohs, Aahs and even saw a few jaws drop. I recommend this show stopper for any event, rainbow themed or not. ANY party would be lucky to have this cake grace its plates. And the good news… you could make this gorgeous layered cake ANY colors you want. YES I KNOW, AH-MAZING! You can thank me later! To Make Materials: white

DIY Party Punch Out Game

By Heather Rizzo on April 17, 2013 / Blog, DIY Projects / 2 Comments

Remember the Color Splash Birthday Bash from last week? Ah, of course you do! Well this was one of the DIY details I had to share with you… the Party Punch Out Game. It was a hit and I recommend it for any children’s party. The kids loved taking turns punching for a toy and it was easy to make. MUCH easier than I originally thought it was going to be. Looks a lot more difficult than it is. Let me show you… You will need: sturdy poster board (the cardboard kind) tissue paper brown paper lunch bags party favors/toys scissors clear packing tape I recommend heading to the dollar store. They should have everything you need! When you have all your materials, take your poster board and cut holes in it. 6 on each sheet worked perfectly. How many pieces of poster board will depend on how many children you have