claire jackson

Crafting with Claire: Valentines Day Gift Basket

Tis the season for heart-shaped everything—from candy boxes to cereal bowls, pink and red have officially covered the grocery stores shelves like a blanket of “he loves me..he loves me not.” Personally, I thrive for the vday aesthetic. It’s playful and often the kind of romance I once wrote about in a 9th grade journal. It’s pink fuzzy hearts and swirly cursive handwriting personified. Valentines Day isn’t meant to be fussy. The best part about the whole holiday is getting a green light from society to be inexplicably cheesy. 

Our resident Pinterest golden girl, Claire Jackson, has successfully put us in a lovestruck daze by pulling together a beautiful (and majorly affordable) Valentines Gift Basket.

Our resident Pinterest golden girl, Claire Jackson, has successfully put us in a lovestruck daze by pulling together a beautiful (and majorly affordable) Valentines Gift Basket. She took to the shelves of Dollar Tree to build a basket worthy of all the vday praise—complete with a softball-sized HERSHEY’S KISS. Let this be your sign to get creative and genuinely have fun putting together something for your special someone. The gifts that mean the most are often the ones without the big price tag.

Claire Jackson is such a refreshing part of our Bustle family. When she isn’t wowing us with her endearing creativity, she is spending time with her sweet husband, Dan, and their two precious children, Eleanor and Henry.

And not that you really need a reason to watch a sappy movie that will make you feel things, but we think Valentines Day is the perfect excuse to cry or laugh at your TV with the ones you love. We’ve put together a little list of our favorite flicks of the season. Whether you’re cuddling on the couch with your sweetheart or sharing a big bowl of popcorn with your best girls, we hope your Valentines Day is filled with sincere love. Soulmates come in all shapes and sizes <3

1.) You People

Whether you’re cuddling on the couch with your sweetheart or sharing a big bowl of popcorn with your best girls, we hope your Valentines Day is filled with sincere love. Soulmates come in all shapes and sizes.

2.) Valentines Day

We’ve put together a little list of our favorite flicks of the season. Whether you’re cuddling on the couch with your sweetheart or sharing a big bowl of popcorn with your best girls, we hope your Valentines Day is filled with sincere love. Soulmates

3.) Crazy Rich Asians

Whether you’re cuddling on the couch with your sweetheart or sharing a big bowl of popcorn with your best girls, we hope your Valentines Day is filled with sincere love. Soulmates come in all shapes and sizes.

4.) The Notebook

Whether you’re cuddling on the couch with your sweetheart or sharing a big bowl of popcorn with your best girls, we hope your Valentines Day is filled with sincere love. Soulmates come in all shapes and sizes.

5.) 50 First Dates

Whether you’re cuddling on the couch with your sweetheart or sharing a big bowl of popcorn with your best girls, we hope your Valentines Day is filled with sincere love. Soulmates come in all shapes and sizes.

6.) Sleepless in Seattle

Whether you’re cuddling on the couch with your sweetheart or sharing a big bowl of popcorn with your best girls, we hope your Valentines Day is filled with sincere love. Soulmates come in all shapes and sizes.

7.) 10 Things I Hate About You

Whether you’re cuddling on the couch with your sweetheart or sharing a big bowl of popcorn with your best girls, we hope your Valentines Day is filled with sincere love. Soulmates come in all shapes and sizes.

8.) First Wives Club

Whether you’re cuddling on the couch with your sweetheart or sharing a big bowl of popcorn with your best girls, we hope your Valentines Day is filled with sincere love. Soulmates come in all shapes and sizes.

9.) Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Whether you’re cuddling on the couch with your sweetheart or sharing a big bowl of popcorn with your best girls, we hope your Valentines Day is filled with sincere love. Soulmates come in all shapes and sizes.

10.) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Whether you’re cuddling on the couch with your sweetheart or sharing a big bowl of popcorn with your best girls, we hope your Valentines Day is filled with sincere love. Soulmates come in all shapes and sizes.

Crafting with Claire: Holiday Mantle

““May your walls know joy, may every room hold laughter, and every window open to great possibility.””
— Mary Anne Radmacher

Claire Jackson is such a refreshing part of our Bustle family. When she isn’t wowing us with her endearing creativity, she is spending time with her sweet husband, Dan, and their two precious children, Eleanor and Henry.

We all know someone who makes decorating look effortless. Claire is THAT person. Everything she touches turns into a Pinterest ad and we love her for it. While we can’t all be a “Claire", at Bustle we want to make the art of creativity attainable for everyone. That’s why Claire has made it her personal goal to curate crafts that we can all partake in. Every season, she will lead us in a step-by-step guide through the latest diy trends. Whether you’re crafting with kiddos or by yourself with a glass of wine, we hope you enjoy this pretty piece of mindfulness

This season’s Crafts with Claire is a beautiful homage to the warmth of home for the holidays. There is something so heartfelt about a festive mantle with twinkling lights and nostalgic decor. This setting will be the backdrop to your most treasured memories for years to come.

In this blog, Claire will guide us through her process of designing the coziest Holiday Mantle, shopping at one of our favorite places on earth, TARGET.

It seems like the big box stores ordain their shelfs with holiday merriment earlier and earlier each year. Sometimes the array of stockings and Christmas garland can be quite overwhelming. We’ve all had that moment of standing in the middle of the holiday lights display, trying to figure out what size bulbs would be just perfect for our tree. Claire is helping us get our holly jolly together this season!

She took on the task of using a $50 design budget to create a mantle worthy of all our White Christmas dreams. She frolicked through the aisles of Target to pull this project together and we are NOT disappointed. We hope you can get some inspiration from Claire’s lush display. Keep an eye out for links to shop some of these items for your own decor!

““Christmas is a piece of one’s home that one carries in one’s heart.””
— Freya Stark

Claire’s Tips to Build an Aesthetic Holiday Mantle

1.) When you start designing a new display, it helps to make the key elements of your design symmetrical and then add other things to make it interesting and give balance.

2.) Add lights for that Christmas glow!

3.) Working vintage items into your scheme will add sentimentality and warmth to your design.

Crafting with Claire: Fall Tablescape

““Design is coming to grips with one’s real lifestyle, one’s real place in the world. Rooms should not be put together for show but to nourish one’s well-being.””
— Albert Hadley
A gorgeous fall tablescape with Crafts with Claire on the Bustle Gowns Blog, Birmingham AL.

Claire Jackson is such a refreshing part of our Bustle family. When she isn’t wowing us with her endearing creativity, she is spending time with her sweet husband, Dan, and their two precious children, Eleanor and Henry.

We all know someone who makes decorating look effortless. Claire is THAT person. Everything she touches turns into a Pinterest ad and we love her for it. While we can’t all be a “Claire", at Bustle we want to make the art of creativity attainable for everyone. That’s why Claire has made it her personal goal to curate crafts that we can all partake in. Every season, she will lead us in a step-by-step guide through the latest diy trends. Whether you’re crafting with kiddos or by yourself with a glass of wine, we hope you enjoy this pretty piece of mindfulness

A gorgeous fall tablescape with Crafts with Claire on the Bustle Gowns Blog, Birmingham AL.

This season’s Crafts with Claire is a beautiful greeting to the start of the holidays. What better way to nourish our loved ones over the holiday season than with an engaging tablescape. With so many of us gathered around the table to fill our stomachs with good food this Thanksgiving, we love the notion that we can fill our hearts with good too.

In this blog, Claire will guide us through her process in the art of the perfect autumnal tablescape.  

tablescape: noun [C] US / ‘tei.bel.skeip /

- an activity involving the setting of themed dining tables in artful, decorative ways for social events

A gorgeous fall tablescape with Crafts with Claire on the Bustle Gowns Blog, Birmingham AL.

Step 1: Use a simple table runner or fold a larger one as the base for your table 

Step 2: Find a large vase or flower pot (with no hole in the bottom) and fill it with greenery

Step 3: Add small pumpkins, gourds, or even fruit like pears and pomegranates along the length of your table for color and texture

Step 4: Add some greenery along the length of your table as well to fill in the gaps. I recommend eucalyptus (it looks pretty even when dried) 

Step 5: Add taper candles to give your table a festive feel!

Step 6: Add plates and napkins - I love using napkin rings to make my table nice and neat (and to really highlight those pretty napkins)

We would love to see your autumnal tablescapes and how you make this your own! Be sure to tag us on instagram (@bustlegowns) when you post.

Wishing you and your loved ones the sweetest fall season! Happy Tablescaping!

Crafting with Claire: Marble Ring Dish

Crafts with Claire

We are delighted to introduce this brand new series to the Bustle Blog: Crafts with Claire.

Claire Jackson is such a refreshing part of our Bustle family. When she isn’t wowing us with her endearing creativity, she is spending time with her sweet husband, Dan, and their two precious kiddos, Eleanor (2 yrs) and Henry (4 mo).

We all know someone who makes crafting look effortless. Claire is THAT person. Everything she touches turns into a Pinterest ad and we love her for it. While we can’t all be a “Claire", at Bustle we want to make creativity attainable for everyone. That’s why Claire has made it her personal goal to curate crafts that we can all partake in. Every season, she will lead us in a step-by-step guide through the latest diy trends. Whether you’re crafting with kiddos or by yourself with a glass of wine, we hope you enjoy this pretty piece of mindfulness.

DIY marble dish for Spring 2022.

SPRING 2022:

MARBLE RING DISH

Step 1.) Choose 2-5 colors of clay for your marble dish.

Step 2.) Roll each color into a smooth long line and twist all the colors together.

Step 3.) Roll into a ball and knead to achieve desired marble effect.

Step 4.) Flatten out the ball between two pieces of parchment paper by using a rolling pin or pressing down with a book.

Step 5.) Use a large round cookie cutter or a bowl to cut the flattened clay into a circle, then place the circle of clay into an oven safe bowl to form it into the shape of the bowl.

Step 6.) Place the bowl on a baking sheet and bake at 275 for about 20 minutes OR according to the baking instructions on your clay package.

Step 7.) Take out of the oven and allow your marble dish to cool inside the bowl. Once cool, turn the bowl over and tap to free the clay from the inside of the bowl.

Step 8.) Enjoy your beautiful DIY marble clay dish!

CLAIRE’S PRO TIP: Use a nail file to smooth out the edges of your ring dish after you bake it.