Brit + Co.

By Brit Morin, Brit + Co.

Ready to take your Easter brunch table to a totally adorable level? Follow this simple tutorial on how to turn a paper napkin into a bunny and you'll be an instant hostess with the mostess.

Materials:
Paper napkins

Instructions:

1. Start by unfolding your napkin and folding it in half so you have one really long side. 

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2. Take each end of the napkin and fold over the front at an angle.

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3. Now, fold each bottom corner up towards the middle of the napkin.

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4. Next, fold again on the side at a slight angle, like you see in the photo.

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5. Repeat on the other side as well.

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6. Flip the whole thing over and fold the larger part of the napkin up to the center.

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7. Flip back to the front and turn the whole thing so that the top of the triangle is pointing up.

8. Now, fold in one side and then the other, so that the second side fits into the little pocket that has been created.

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9. Now you've got a little bundled up bunny. Pull out the ears and tail, and you're done! 

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We're loving how sweet these little bunnies look with our egg-cellent table setting.

Want to see more DIY tutorials from this morning's Easter segment? Check out Brit's wrap up on Brit + Co.

More: Creative Easter baskets: More than just jelly beans!

Photos of cute bunnies: Our readers hop to it

Looking to make an Easter basket or decorate Easter eggs before the holiday? Look no further! TODAY brought in the experts to help with all your Easter craft needs.

Martha Stewart's artistic Easter eggs

Whether you're looking for an elegant centerpiece for an Easter brunch or colorful eggs to decorate with your kids, Martha Stewart shares a few of her most egg-cellent decorating tips.

Creative Easter crafts: baskets, cupcakes and more!

Soleil Moon Frye, founder of MoonFrye.com, shares some of the Easter crafts she enjoys with her daughters, including hand-decorating Easter baskets and adorable Easter-themed cupcakes.

6 creative Easter baskets under $20

Deborah Stumm, founder of SuperMom360.com, shows how you can make colorful and creative Easter baskets with fun themes for kids who are sports fans, aspiring gardeners, or enjoy pampering themselves.

By Brit Morin, DIY expert

If I know anything about Valentine's Day, it's that handmade gifts are much more meaningful than anything you can buy at the store.

If you want a surefire way to leave your Valentine in stitches, then it's time to try your hand at a cross-stitched Valentine's card! This is one project that's much simpler than it looks – perfect for both the amateur DIY'er and expert crafter.

Brit Morin

Need a last-minute gift? Make your loved ones feel extra special with DIY Valentine's Day cards.

Materials:

• Needle
• Push pin
• Red embroidery floss
• Card
• Downloadable template

Brit Morin

Directions:
First, print out your heart template (available here). Tape it on your card and use a push pin to poke holes through the black dots on the front side of the card. Then, take your needle and embroidery floss and start stitching! Pull the needle through the holes you've made, and create a series of X-shaped stitches, also known as cross-stitches.

Tie a knot on the inside of the card when you've reached the end, and you're done! Wasn't that easy?

Brit Morin

'Like' it!
If you want to take your stitching to another level, try creating a matching Valentine's gift box, too! Inspired by the Facebook "like" button, this box is a cute way to tell that special someone you really, really "like" them.

Materials:

• Box
• Needle
• Push pin
• Red embroidery floss
• Downloadable template

Brit Morin

Directions:
Print out the "like" template (available here) and tape to your box. Like you did with the cross-stitch card, use a push pin or needle to poke holes through the box around the outline of each letter. Now start stitching back and forth, tying knots when you're done with each letter.

And that's a wrap! Within minutes, you've now got a couple of cute and simple ways to give goodies to the ones you love... erR, like.

Want to see more DIY Valentine's Day tutorials? Check out Brit's wrap up on Brit + Co.

And be sure to follow Brit's picks on our TODAY Valentine's Day Pinterest board!

More from TODAY:
Mason jar chic: Sweet (and tasty) DIY Valentine's Day ideas
Martha Stewart's chic Valentine's Day crafts

Slideshow: Coveted creations from DIY style bloggers

Why buy it when you can make it? We rounded up the top DIY fashion bloggers and showcased some of their best projects.

Launch slideshow

Rebecca Davis / TODAY

Make it a sweet Valentine's Day! Chelsa Skees shares a cute (and tasty) mason jar gift.

By Chelsa Skees, TODAY contributor

Valentine's Day is the perfect excuse to make some sweet, handmade gifts for your loved ones. For this round of DIY, I decided to go with a jar theme, for really no other reason than I just adore Mason jars and they are great to stuff full of sweets and flowers.

I don't think of Valentine's Day as strictly a couples holiday – these gifts are for everyone: parents, friends, or significant others!

First up, let's show our moms how much we love them by giving them an adorable cookie mix. These are great to give to anyone you know who loves to bake (or just loves to eat yummy treats!). Take your favorite recipe and add each ingredient so each layer is prevalent. Keep in mind that these jars look better the more textured layers you can add. I made mine festive by adding peanut butter M&M's in Valentine's day colors.

Ingredients (listed in the order they should go into the jar):

• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup cooking oats 
• 1/4 cup peanut butter M&Ms (or plain chocolate, preferably in their Valentine's colors) 
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
After you add your cookie mix into the jar, decorate the outside with ribbon and use a small note card to write a handwritten message. Make sure it includes the following additional instructions: Combine all contents of the jar in a bowl with one beaten egg, 1/2 cup of melted butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix all ingredients well, roll cookie dough into 1 1/2 inch balls on a cookie sheet, and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Want a rundown of how it's done? Here's a super-fast version:

Sweet cocoa
Have a loved one living in a cold climate? Give some hot cocoa for two! To make it extra special, throw in some heart-shaped marshmallows. This gift can be as simple as putting your favorite cocoa in the jar with some store-bought marshmallows – or you can create your own mix if you’re feeling ambitious. I used an entire 16 oz. can of my favorite mix by Ghirardelli Chocolate Company.

The directions are simple: Just pour the mix into the jar and top with marshmallows! Decorate it however you'd like and don't forget to write sweet nothings on the card. It’s perfect for aprés-ski!

Rebecca Davis / TODAY

Rebecca Davis / TODAY

Flower power
Finally, I didn't want to leave out my girlfriends, so I made them vases complete with their favorite flowers. Since everyone has different taste in home décor, I customized each vase to fit their style.

You can create two different looks simply by using some spray paint and sand paper. All you'll need is 16 oz. or 24 oz. Mason jars. The first look – chic and modern – is a simple matte white vase. This is obviously really simple but does require some patience since you will have to spray a few different coats and rotate the jar several times to secure an even application. I set my jar on an old newspaper and started spraying (following the directions on the back of the paint can). Once dry, which typically takes about 10 minutes, rotate and repeat. You know you're done when the jar is evenly covered in its new white outfit.

Rebecca Davis / TODAY

The second look you can create has a very rustic feel to it and looks gorgeous with fresh flowers. Use the same method I explained above, but first spray paint your jar with a gold color. Once dry, add the matte white paint. After about 10 minutes – or when the paint is completely dry – use a small piece of sand paper and scrub away some of the white, letting the words "Mason Ball" as well as that rustic gold shine through. Before giving the jars away, make sure you clean their insides with warm water and soap to wash away any remnants of paint chemicals, so the flowers’ water doesn't get contaminated. 

Another great gift for a friend is to repurpose old vases you may have laying around the house – add special words or messages using a hot glue gun! On a clean vase, write your message and once dry, spray over entire jar using the same method above. This is a super cute customized vase that will surely put a smile on anyone's face. 

Rebecca Davis / TODAY

Enjoy your DIY project – and happy Valentine's Day! 

More from TODAY:
Valentine's Day gifts for that special someone: yourself
Martha Stewart's chic Valentine's Day crafts
DIY: Michelle Obama's embellished J.Crew belt

This Valentine's Day, show your love with sweet and cute crafts! Martha Stewart Living magazine shares unique and easy-to-make ideas to sweeten gifts for friends, family and loved ones:

Martha Stewart

Family photo cookie packaging
What's sweeter than a box of Valentine's Day cookies? One decorated with a family photograph. Scan and print a black-and-white photo onto vellum (if you have an ink-jet printer, let the printout dry before handling it). Trace the box lid onto the photo, cut it out to be slightly smaller than the lid, and tack it to the lid by dotting with a glue stick. Line the bottom with a circle of pink, red, or gold glassine.

Clear round boxes, 8 15/16" by 1 1/8" (C019), $13.75 for 10, and 5 7/8" by 1 3/16" (C061), $4.25 for 5; glerup.com
Vellum paper, in clear (GN2911), $11.50 for 50 sheets, lcipaper.com
Glassine sheets, 80 cents each, nycentralartsupply.com

Martha Stewart

Soft focus
Turn a photo into a throw pillow with ingenious paper-backed linen that feeds into home printers.

Materials:
Printable linen
Fusible interfacing
Iron
Fabric protector
Linen
Sewing machine and sewing supplies
Polyester fiberfill

1. Size photo (if desired, leave a border for a framelike effect). Print on linen; remove backing.
2. To make fabric sturdier, back linen with a piece of fusible interfacing. Cut it to the same size as the linen, and iron it to the back side of printout. Place scrap fabric between iron and printout.
3. Cut a piece of linen to the same dimensions as your printout before ironing. With right sides facing, sew around perimeter, leaving a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Leave a 3-inch slit at bottom. Turn right side out.
4. Stuff with fiberfill, and hand-sew the slit closed.

Jacquard Belgian linen, $35 for 6' by 42", jacquardproducts.com
Heat 'n Bond lightweight iron-on fusible interfacing, 20" by 36", $3 per yd., joann.com
3M Scotchgard fabric protector, $10, amazon.com

Martha Stewart

A charmed upbringing
Create instant heirlooms for all your loved ones with favorite family photos inside inexpensive lockets (and present them on cards made from snapshots).

Start by making a template for the photo: Press a piece of paper into the locket opening, and score around the edge with a pencil. Cut it out, slide it in, and resize it as needed. Print the desired photo on heavyweight printer paper. Use template to cut photo to size, then slide into locket. Add a jump ring, and thread with cord. For the valentine, choose an image that can incorporate the locket (such as by attaching it to a baby’s hand or placing it on an artist’s easel). Print it on card stock, make a hole with a micro punch, and tie the cord through it.

Small circle locket (#708A), $10 for 12; large photo locket (#758A), $4.50 each; large heart locket (#719A/C), in gold, $20 for 12; gold jump rings, $1.50 for 3 g; all from tohoshoji-ny.com
Ultrasuede tape, in coral, 1/8", $1 per yd., mjtrim.com

Martha Stewart

The things we carry
Put the person who holds your heart on the bag that holds your keys, phone, and other indispensables. Double-sided fusible webbing lets you attach a photo without sewing.

Materials:
Printable cotton
Double-sided fusible webbing
Iron
Canvas pouch
Fabric protector

1. Size photo to fit on pouch, keeping finished images at least 1/4 inch from edge of pouch. Print on cotton, and remove backing.
2. Place scrap fabric between iron and your printout before ironing. Iron cotton to webbing. Cut photo to desired size.
3. Remove webbing's backing, and iron onto canvas case. Let cool; spray with fabric protector.

Canvas pouch, in various sizes, from $5, brookfarmgeneralstore.com
Jacquard cotton percale, $4 per yd., jacquardproducts.com
Steam-A-Seam 2 Double-Stick Fusible Web 12" by 9" sheets, $4 for 5, joann.com
3M Scotchgard fabric protector, $10, amazon.com

For more great craft ideas, visit Martha Stewart Living magazine online.

Slideshow: Most memorable kisses of all time

Everett Collection

Rhett and Scarlett, Will and Kate, Bogart and Bergman, even Britney and Madonna – they all shared iconic lip-locks. Get in the mood for Valentine's Day with our colorful guide to classic kisses.

Launch slideshow

More from TODAY:
DIY: Michelle Obama's embellished J.Crew belt
TODAY Celebrates: Read our Valentine's Day blog
What does love mean to you? We want to know!

Kayleigh O'Connor

"The Shining" nail art

For British nail artist Kayleigh O'Connor, dressing up your hands isn't something to do just for Halloween, it's an everyday hobby. The 25-year-old from Birmingham, England got her start as a teenager 9 years ago when she started using simple, plain colors to cover up her badly-bitten nails.

Kayleigh O'Connor

"Hocus Pocus"

Now her intricate pop culture and 3D designs are receiving international attention since she began posting photos of them on Facebook and deviantArt.

Kayleigh O'Connor

"Harry Potter" sorting hat design

"I was just happy to have a hobby that I enjoy so I have been amazed at all the positive feedback I've been getting online through it, I'm really amazed!" O'Connor, who recently got a university degree in media and communications, told TODAY.com in an email.  

Kayleigh O'Connor

"Doctor Who" Eleventh Doctor

As complicated as her designs appear they don't take her long to create at all. When O'Connor gets an idea she jumps right in, taking about 10 minutes to plan the design and 1 to 2 hours to complete a set.

"My favorite thing about starting a new set is working out what to put on each nail (and seeing it all come together in the end). And wearing them, of course!" said O'Connor, who is setting up a small video production company with friends.

Kayleigh O'Connor

"Batman"

While replicating her intricate designs may seem daunting to a nail art newbie, O'Connor shared with us some simple steps you can take to give your nails a Halloween theme this year with one of her "The Shining" designs.

Kayleigh O'Connor

Give yourself "The Shining" Grady twins and carpet nails.

Tutorial for "The Shining" Grady twins and carpet pattern nails:

Materials

• Seven different shades of nail polish (light blue, cream, white, pink, orange, brown and red)
• A thin paintbrush or toothpick

Kayleigh's tutorial

1. I decided to paint the Grady twins’ dresses on my ring and middle fingers but you can choose any two of your nails which you think will be best. The first step is to paint both nails light blue and then wait for these to dry.
2. From now on you must use a thin paintbrush or a toothpick to create the look for the rest of the outfits. Once the blue has dried, use a cream colored varnish to paint thin triangles on both sides of these nails. These act as the twins’ arms and create the dress shapes.
3. Use a white varnish to paint two small, joined semi-circles at the tips of the nails to create a collar. Then, add dots to the ‘sleeves’ of the dresses to create a frilly look.
4. Now use a pink varnish to paint a thin line across the middle of the dresses, where you imagine the waist would fall.
5. Little flicks with the pink varnish (falling downwards from the center of the line) create ribbons, completing the dresses.
6. Moving on to the rest of the design, begin by painting your other nails orange and wait for these to dry.
7. Paint a brown line upwards from your cuticle, stopping around two thirds of the way up your nails. Use your paintbrush or toothpick for this and for the next steps if you find this easier.
8. Create a 'V’ shape on top of this line, connecting it with the top corners of your nails.
9. Leaving a gap for the orange to show through, use the 'Y' shape you’ve now created as a guide to complete the other brown sections of the carpet pattern.
10. Fill in the top and side areas with red varnish as shown and the design is finished! After everything dries, use a clear top coat to give the nails an extra sleek finish and to prevent the design from chipping.

Now that you know how to create this design you will be able to feature the Grady girls on your nails “for ever, and ever, and ever…”  Happy Halloween!

TODAY.com writer Lisa Granshaw just had to talk to O'Connor after seeing her "Harry Potter" sorting hat nails. If she had an ounce of artistic talent, she would definitely try to replicate that design for Halloween!

More:

• Bobbie's buzz: DIY costume ideas
• Hottest nail polish colors for fall
• Video: Most popular adult Halloween costumes
• Get creative with your nails: 7 awesome nail art ideas

So you waited until the last minute to put together a costume — again. But before you reach for that little black dress and dig out a pointed hat from Halloween’s of yore (calling yourself a witch, of course), take a look at these cleverly simple ensembles. Most require materials you already have around the house — and perhaps some skill with the scissors. Why not raid your own closet and avoid the tsktsks at this year's Halloween bash.

More:
'Loofah,' 'Slender Man' among top DIY costume searches
Cereal killer? 11 punny costumes for Halloween 2012
Terrifyingly cute: 31 Halloween costumes for babies

Courtesy Costume-Works.com

But where's the soap? Halloween revelers dress up as colorful loofahs, which they made themselves.

You could buy the "it" getup of the year — Big Bird — at your local costume store. Or you can join the DIY revolution and use your spooky blood, sweat and tears to make your own creepy-cool creation. DIY Halloween costume searches are up 90 percent year over year, according to Google data.

But just what are creative masterminds out there crafting for themselves? Some popular costume searches, like those for "mermaid" or "pirate," are to be expected. But others — like, oh, say, "loofah" or "Slender Man" — are downright baffling (and, c'mon, a little disconcerting). Below are the top 10 DIY costume searches for October 2012:

1. How to Train Your Dragon
2. Minnie Mouse
3. Loofah
4. Zombie
5. Ninja mask
6. Slender Man
7. Peacock
8. Mermaid
9. Pirate
10. Superhero

According to Morphsuits, the Slender Man can "cause memory loss, insomnia and paranoia."

What is the "Slender Man"? Meant to be a costume that requires minimal effort, it pays homage to the urban legend of a paranormal, white figure with an affinity for James Bond attire and, possibly, for snatching children and causing paranoia. The character supposedly originated in an online forum in 2009 and has been described as "passive aggressive". The outfit requires a faceless white mask, white gloves, black suit and a creepy pose.

As for loofah, it's exactly what you think: a big, fluffy ball meant for washing. In a surprising move, ladies have taken to this new tulle-heavy costume so that they can travel in packs as a "bunch of loofahs." (Which is silly, since everyone knows loofahs are solo travelers.) And in case you think this new trend is turning back the clock on revealing costumes, don't worry: women generally wear the loofah — and nothing else.

Standard disguises like princesses, pirates and peacocks have fallen since 2011, a simpler time when less confusing Halloween costumes weren't clogging our search portals. Perhaps the oddest standout from last year was simply "a Mortal Kombat" costume, if only because it seemed more relevant in the '90s. The top DIY costumes searches of 2011 gave more respect to the fantastical than to the spooky:

1. How to make a Mortal Kombat costume
2. DIY pirate costume
3. DIY princess costume
4. How to make a Harry Potter costume
5. DIY peacock costume
6. How to make a zombie costume
7. DIY Rapunzel costume
8. DIY Minnie Mouse costume
9. DIY vampire costume
10. How to make a mummy costume

One costume I wish had made the top 10 list this season? Clint Eastwood and chair.

Courtesy Sabrina Weiss / VH1.com

Get political this Halloween by dressing up as actor / director Clint Eastwood and his RNC chair (a.k.a. invisible President Barack Obama).

What's your favorite DIY costume? Let us know!

Rina Raphael is a TODAY.com editor going as the Arab Spring (i.e, wearing a keffiyeh and holding a bouquet of flowers) this Halloween.

More from TODAY Style:

• Sponge Babe? Sexy Halloween garb gets weirder
• Do craft kits still count as DIY?
• Cereal killer? 12 punny costumes for Halloween 2012
• Slideshow: Coveted creations from DIY style bloggers