Lazy Girl's DIY: Metallic Gold Splatter-Paint Balloons

I had seen this on Pinterest a while back and was eager to try it for Megan and Charles' Engagement Party. It's great if you want to do something a little more special/trendy than just latex balloons, but are on a budget. And happy to report it was even easier than it looks. 

You'll need -

• craft paint (I used a metallic gold)
• a couple paint brushes
• water
• plastic cup
• tarp or trash bags... or a patio / grass you don't mind getting a little paint on. 
• latex balloons (I ordered these from a local Party City)

Mix the paint and the water. Half and half maybe? I just guessed until I got a nice, watery texture.

Lay out your tarp / trash bags / some sort of plastic, or if you really don't care about a little paint in your grass or patio feel free to skip it.


For the balloons, I'd recommend getting latex balloons on weights, so you can fold the strings down and get them lower to the ground and not blowing around as much. Makes painting them much easier! I also splurged on the upgraded air that lasts for 24 hours, as opposed to 6 or 7. That gives you more time to get the balloons, paint them, shower to get any paint off yourself, and have the balloons dry before your event.

Then... just start painting. Use your brushes to flick paint at the balloons or drizzle it on top. Make sure you get the tops, the underside, and different angles. I did this for seriously five or ten minutes. No time at all. 

Then I just let them dry for about an hour, whisked them off the the event and let the compliments start pouring in :)

Lazy Girl's Craft Project: Ombre-Dyed Easter Egg

When we dyed eggs last weekend, I tried out this ombre egg design I'd seen on Pinterest. It was so easy and turned out great! And this coming from the least crafty person ever.

You'll need:

• Hard-boiled eggs, as many as you choose. (You can also hollow out your eggs by poking a hole in the bottom but that is way to advance for me.)
• Cup large enough to submerge the egg. I used a rocks glass. 
• Food coloring. (You can use the dye packets in the kits too, but I just used plain ole blue food coloring! About 10 drops.)
• White vinegar. 
• Water, in an easy-to-pour container. 
• Egg holder or whisk.
• Cookie or drying rack with newspaper underneath. 

This is literally the easiest process ever. Fill the glass with a little bit of vinegar, water and 10 or so drops of the food coloring. You need to use very little so that only the bottom of the egg is submerged.

Place the egg in the cup. This is when the egg holder (I think they usually come with the kits) or a whisk (just stick the egg inside) comes in handy. You don't want to just plop the egg down in there, because you want to keep the dye line clean. Place it in the cup very gently.... and walk away.

Seriously. Don't touch it. Don't move it around. Just let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

After some time has passed, carefully pour a little more water in the cup to raise the dye line. Let that sit for a few minutes and, you guess it, repeat again.

For the first line, I waited probably close to 10 minutes, but I didn't take as much time between the others. Usually more like 5 minutes, or when it got down to the end, it was closer to 2 minutes or just 30 seconds for the top.

Remove your egg very carefully and place on a drying rack. If you place directly in the carton or on the table, the colors are more likely to run and you'll get a little spot mark from where it was sitting.

Lazy Girl's Fall Decor: Painted Pumpkins

This is the simple, non-crafty alternative to actually carving pumpkins... because I suck at that. Painting pumpkins requires very limited supplies and it means you don't have to gut them - because, let's face it, that's a pain in the ass. (Although, I did see a neat trick on Conan last night to suck the guts out with a vacuum. Genius!)

I did two pumpkins - one in polka dots and one in chevron. You'll need -

• Pumpkins. I used medium-sized pumpkins, about the size of a volleyball. Less to paint, lighter to carry. 
• White acrylic paint
• Paint brushes or sponges (a makeup sponge works great for the polka dots!)
• Tape. I used masking tape, but wish I would have used painter's tape. I think it would have given me cleaner lines, with less bleed. 
• Newspapers, paper plates - just to work with the paint on and not get it all over the floor. 

For the chevron pumpkin, just tape a zigzag pattern around the whole pumpkin making it as thin or thick as you like. I started with the middle line, and then decided to paint the whole top white too. I like the way it looks with the stem painted.

The nice thing about the acryllic paint is that it dries pretty quickly. I did two coats of the white and let it sit overnight. Then, I peeled the tape off. Be careful though! Pulling it off too quickly may rip some paint off with it.

For the polka dot pumpkin, I dipped a round makeup sponge in paint and just started stamping away starting at the top row. Be conscious of how you're spacing your dots so that it evens out as you make your way around the pumpkin. (I guess I could have measured or something... but that takes way too much work.)

Make sure you press each dot down gently enough that it doesn't just smear, but hard enough to make an imprint - think of it like applying an instant tattoo!

Place on the front porch with some fall flowers and bam! domestic goddess.