"I think you're Movelous" {Movember}

Yipppeee, today is our DIY on theprettyblog.

It’s Movember & we are celebrating, “Keeping Men Healthy”! If you’re not too sure what all the hype around Movember is then check out this super cool, informative post by Nicola from theprettyblog to find out a little more on what Movember is all about.

We can’t grow a moustache but we can support and encourage our men! If you have a brother, father, uncle, son, boyfriend, guy friend, male work colleague and you care about their health then this DIY is for you.

The first step is for you to become a Mo Sista. What is a Mo Sista you ask?

“Mo Sistas play a vital role in Movember and men’s health. With the simple wink of an eye, small gesture of appreciation or encouraging words – Mo Sistas can influence men to participate and grow a Mo. More importantly, the awareness Mo Sistas can help raise is a game changer. Relative to men, women are extremely health conscious and open to talking about their issues. Mo Sistas can act as mentors and leaders by encouraging men to take part in Movember, to be aware of their own health, live a healthy lifestyle and get checked regularly. Also, engaged and dedicated Mo Sistas that reach out to other women will make those unaware of the issues surrounding men’s health, aware. ” – description taken from the official Movember site www.movember.com

Register as a Mo Sista here

Here at Elephantshoe we have created a few fun printables to help you MO-tivate your men and be a better Mo Sista.

Download our “I think you’re Movelous” wall calendar. Print it out & hang it up somewhere handy at work & in your home so that everyone can keep track of the days left to grow their fine moustache. Calendar available in pink, red or black.

Mo Bros need to eat well to keep their moustaches growing healthily. Download these cute printables, print on a thick paper stock & cut out along the outlines. Stick these “Movalicious” buttons and colorful moustaches to the top of a painted pegs with glue or double sided tape. You can then use these pegs for a range of fun things. Attach them to the top of a Mo Bros lunch bag, place them on your fridge (check out how to make a magnet here), hang your washing, do what ever you can to help the men in your life take note of Movember & then intern their health.

Leave a short note around the house or at the office with these Movember notecards. Pinning up words of encouragement & leaving reminders for your Mo Bros will help them stay on track with Movember and will bring awareness. Show your Mo Bros that you . . . “Love the Mo.”

A big THANK YOU to the ever-amazing team at Blackframe photography for working with us to photograph the images in this post. Andre is of course growing a mean Mo. Visit their blog and their facebook page here to see some of their creative, quirky & incredible photography work.

Happy Movember!

love Sam x x x

from the “Elephant factory”

{DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE CALENDAR HERE}

{DOWNLOAD THE NOTECARDS HERE} 

{DOWNLOAD THE BUTTONS HERE}  

Valentines Dinner Printables : As Seen on Expresso Show

So today is officially Valentines Day and we have had a fantastic day so far. Yay! It started with a mention of our stationery studio on live T.V by the lovely ladies, Nicola and Christine from theprettyblog on the Expresso show SABC3. They have put together a rustic styled Italian table to inspire us all on this romantic day. 

Whether you are celebrating with friends and family or that special someone their table tips and style is a must. We particulary love the idea of replacing a flower centre piece with herbs . .  {Great for your pizza topping} - YUM

We had the honour of designing these GIFT TAGS, MENUS & WINE LABELS all feautured on the table. Simply download them from the bottom of this post and customise as you please.

The fabulous photography below is by Christine Meintjies . Visit theprettyblog to see the full post.

{DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE FILE HERE}

Consol Give with Glass this Festive Season - Free Printables

What a magical time! We love all the excitement in the air as everyone begins to unwind and get ready for the holidays. At Elephantshoe we started the Christmas season early, {how lucky are we?} when Consol Glass and Humankind Advertising approached us to do the styling and stationery design for this years "Give with Glass campaign". If we could ever dream up the perfect project to be apart of, it would be this, {Thank you Santa for the early pressie!}. To top it off we got to work with our besties - Blackframe photography. Yipppeeeee!  Follow our post below and you may find yourself getting into some easy Christmas projects this December. 

Although we love to spoil our family and friends all year round, the festive season is the perfect opportunity to have a bit of fun with your giving and to create some unique and special gifts using a few DIY ideas. All you need to do is visit the Consol shop to purchase the glass items that we have used below and simply download our free printables from the bottom of this post and follow our guidelines for each project.

WISHFUL WONDER

A stylish way to put Secret Santa into action this year. Ask your friends and family to fill out their wishlist, roll it up as a scroll and pop it into a large glass jar. Once everyones wishes are in the jar it's time for everyone to pick out one scroll each. The scroll will have the name of the person they should buy one gift for and some ideas of what they are hoping for this Christmas.

ORGANIC INSPIRATION

Create a festive atmosphere by placing your favourite flowers and natural elements in glass bottles and jars. 

Rock Roses planted in rich dark soil and placed in these glass jam jars make for a fun and eco-friendly gift or a striking and low-maintenance alternative for table decor. 

We love the idea of placing sweet smelling bath products into these jars instead of wrapping in the more conventional way. Tie one of our Christmas tags on with a dash of twine and give the gift of relaxation.

TIP : Hang single flowers or sticks of cinnamon in small glass bottles from a wooden wreath for a naturally festive decorative element.

TIP :  Keep your tasty treats, (nuts, biltong, nougat) fresh in Consols new Classic Glass Storageware. Ooooooh I wouldn't mind a set of these for Christmas.

Organic Inspiration- download the printables featured above here. {Gift Tags and Labels}

TIMELESS TRADITION

We at Elephantshoe discovered these absolutely amazing and beautiful Solar Jars, {the lights hanging in the first image above} for the first time while working with Consol, and we wish we knew about them before. They are incredible, they use only the suns rays for energy and last up to 6-8 hours. Perfect for Christmas dinner outside. 

TIP: Wrap lace around glass jars and pop a candle in each to create a warm and lovely atmosphere in your home. {This is a great idea for any time of year}.

TIP: For a unique centerpiece, coat a variety of glass bottles in your favourite paint. This is such a versatile idea as you can really choose any colour you like.

PAINTED GLASS JARS

SHOPPING LIST

1. A variety of different shapes and sizes of Consol Glass jars
2. An enamel primer
3. An enamel paint in your choice of colour

METHOD

• STEP 1: Wash out the empty glass jars with a soapy warm water and allow to dry completely.
• STEP 2: Pour a small quantity of enamel primer into each jar and swirl around the bottle in order to coat the inside of the glass. Pour out any excess and allow to dry.
• STEP 3: Pour your choice of colour enamel paint into one jar at a time and once again swirl around until the inside is coated with paint. Pour out the excess.
• STEP 4: Dry these jars upside down on a paper towel.
• STEP 5: Check on these bottles every now and then and wipe the rim of each jar, as excess paint will collect here.

TIP: Make your own Snow Globes with simple ornaments and glass jars. These are a great table gift or decoration.

SNOW GLOBES

SHOPPING LIST

1. Any CONSOL Glass Jar with a screw on lid
2. Small Christmas decorations and trinkets, (N.B - check that they can fit into the jar comfortably)
3. Oil based enamel paint
4. Distilled water
5. Glycerin
6. White glitter flakes
7. Super Glue

METHOD

• STEP 1: You have the option to either paint both your Christmas trinket and the lid of the jar in your choice of enamel paint and wait for them to dry completely. Or if you like their original colour leave them as they are.
• STEP 2: Stick your small Christmas decoration to the inside of the screw on lid with super glue and allow for this to dry.
• STEP 3: Fill your glass jar with distilled water, aprox 2 cm from the top.
• STEP 4: Add a pinch of white glitter flakes to the distilled water, (Just a pinch – not too much).
• STEP 5: Add a dash of Glycerin, (this helps the glitter flakes to fall slowly).
• STEP 6: Screw the lid with the small Christmas decoration attached onto the jar and make sure it is secured tightly.
• STEP 7. Turn the glass jar over and shake gently and watch those flakes fall.

 SWEET SURRENDER

Embrace this season and it's spirit of guilt-free indulgence, as you snack on tasty treats and delectable delights while sharing special moments with friends and family. Add a new dimension to these treats by wrapping them in glass and giving them as gifts. A delicious present with versatile packaging that is sure to last much longer than the snacks that it holds.

We adore these glass cake stands and bell jars - select your favourite style and size from the Consol shop and fill it with mouthwatering, delicious toffee apples or Christmas cake. YUM! Bring on the Christmas feast.

TIP: Fill bell jars with coloured baubles and pine cones and place them around the house for a fun festive decoration.

TIP: Spray paint Mason jars with white spray paint and fill with Candy Canes.

TIP: Fill simple long drinking glasses with your choice of coloured macaroons.

We had a great amount of fun making all of these goodies and we hope you do to. Please send us pictures if you use any of the ideas in this post, it would be lovely to see how you have personalised your gifts this year.

Happy glass shopping!

love Sam 

from the "Elephant factory"

 {DOWNLOAD WISHFUL WONDER PRINTABLES HERE}  - {Festive Wish Label and Wishing Cards} 

 {DOWNLOAD ORGANIC INSPIRATION PRINTABLES HERE}   - {Gift Tags and Labels}

 {DOWNLOAD TIMELESS TRADITION PRINTABLES HERE}  -  {Place Seating tags and Straw Flags}

{DOWNLOAD SWEET SURRENDER PRINTABLES HERE}  -  {Gift Tags and Dessert Table Labels}