gourd ghosties
October 22, 2012 § Leave a comment
Well Halloween is almost here, and the annual ghosties have appeared on our front porch. I have made these clever squash ghosts with my girls every year since they were little using white paint and Sharpies. We look forward to it and have fun picking the sizes and shapes of our squash (the largest for Mom, middle for Bella, and smallest for Sophie) and deciding on the faces we’ll draw. It’s our favorite Halloween crafting tradition. Boo!
chalkboard pumpkin
October 16, 2012 § 4 Comments
I am trying out some new Halloween projects this year, and here’s one of them. Such an easy craft, I spray painted a pumpkin with chalkboard paint, embellished with black ribbon and a spooky bird, and wrote my message with a chalkboard pen. This cool countdown-to-Halloween pumpkin is going to look perfect on my front porch!
spooky signage
October 8, 2012 § 2 Comments
I don’t know how it went so fast but another year has flown by, and I’m back around to the start of my absolutely favorite time of year and crafting season. From Halloween to Christmas, I’m full of project ideas and in the perfect mood to curl up in my house cozy and crafting. This time last year my friend Stacy and I began our obsession with making banners, and we started with our awesome Trick or Treat Halloween banner. Stacy even inspired a few more of her friends to join in, and she hosted a craft night for them a couple of weeks ago. We both had fun coaching but, of course, needed our own new project to tackle.
This BOO sign idea was at our Ben Franklin Crafts store. We “Modge Podged” Halloween papers on each of three wooden plaques and stained the rims of the plaques black by sponging on stamping ink. We used more Modge Podge (I love this stuff!) to attach the die cut letters and seal the top, and then we hot-glued on some cool embellishments. Getting the plaques – strung together with ribbon – to hang straight down is a little tricky, but the finished project is the perfect size for a door. The creative wheels are spinning, and I’ve got several more fun Halloween projects in mind (not to mention a Greek Goddess and a Cindy Lou Who costume to work on for my girlies). Now I just need to carve out a bit of time from my busy life to get busy crafting, and I’ll be a happy girl!
the september issues
August 27, 2012 § 2 Comments
This is a nice time of year when the weather starts to cool, kids head back to school and the happy holiday season is right around the corner. Some of my favorite reminders, the September fashion magazines, are currently weighing down my mailbox and grocery basket. I love everything about the September issues – especially their heft – and feel with their size as if I’m getting a bargain (never mind that 90% of the issue is ads, because I actually love the artsy high-fashion advertisements in these magazines). They remind me of why I have loved fall fashion ever since I was a little girl back-to-school shopping with my mom and the joyful anticipation I feel every year during this season.
Although I am not much of a trend follower and prefer to stick to things that fit my style and personality, it’s fun to feel “in the know.” I’m happy to report that fall fashionistas and Versace wearers will be sporting studded leather this season; I will probably pass but may take a stab at the new full skirt or winter white trend. And while big hair and a mermaid dress might be a good choice for Lady Gaga on the cover of this month’s Vogue, I myself will choose to just be inspired by her boldness and perhaps try something a little out of my own personal comfort zone – I’m thinking red. Happy fall!!
summer notebooks
June 20, 2012 § Leave a comment
Like I’m not crazy busy with a million little things already: school finally wrapping up, my Sophie’s birthday luau on Sunday, dance recitals, teachers’ gifts, etc – but for some reason, once I got this latest craft idea into my head, I couldn’t let it go. So for the last couple of nights, I’ve stayed up late putting together Summer 2012 notebooks for all the kiddos in my life. I found the blank books at Ben Franklin and “Modge Podged” on some great summer-colored papers. I used the Cubicle 12×12 Take Note paper from Studio Calico, stamped with my title, for the covers. They were so simple and, once I got going, I was able to put them together quickly assembly line-style. Now they look perfect, wrapped up in baker’s twine and ready to be given away.
I always loved blank books and journals when I was a little girl and, even today, a new notebook gets me giddy – I always keep a couple in my purse for when inspiration strikes. I am happy knowing that the little ones in our life (my girls and all their friends) will have their own special books to document this summer. Life moves fast, and I don’t want them to forget a moment.
welcoming summer
May 25, 2012 § 2 Comments
With the long weekend, it officially feels like summer around here. Ever since our Halloween banner project, my friend Stacy and I have been in production mode making banners for most of the holidays. And just when I was beginning to get tired of repeating the same design, my favorite craft store Ben Franklin got in fresh supplies. In addition to their other banner-making embellishments, Paper Accents is now selling extra-large chipboard pennants and, as is usually the case at my Ben Franklin, one of the employees had made a sample inspiring me to try my own. I combined some pretty blue and yellow papers and buttons from My Mind’s Eye and made flags to string across the top from my collection of Washi tape. I love the results: a cool new banner for the front door to welcome guests – and summer – to our house.
glassybaby
May 19, 2012 § 1 Comment
I love glass – all types: mercury, milk, clear – and have it displayed throughout my home. Now I’ve discovered glassybaby, and their story has inspired me to expand my collection. In 1998, Lee Rhodes was battling cancer when she designed the first glassybaby. Lighting and displaying these colorful, resilient little works of art around her home brought Rhodes strength. Each one is unique and handmade by four glassblowers; the color choices are vast and can be soothing or vibrant. The company’s studio is located in the Seattle neighborhood of Madrona and, besides three Seattle-area locations, there is a store in New York’s West Village. From her difficult battle with cancer, Lee Rhodes found a light to help her through and has shared it with the world. Since 2003, glassybaby has donated more than $900,000 to charities. I love thinking about how something so simple can affect so many. It makes me happy to add a little bit of glassybaby to my world.
teacher gifts
May 8, 2012 § Leave a comment
It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and we are so lucky that both our girls have wonderful teachers! I can’t believe how old the girls are getting. I remember when they were little and I had them to myself; I knew all the stories and tidbits that made up their day. Now it’s their teachers who get them all day, who witness the stories and are present for the tidbits. For all that precious time they spend with my girls and for all the important things they do for our family, I wanted to thank them.
It’s funny sometimes how an idea comes together. I have been thinking about making paper strawberries since before Easter when my friend Stephanie sent us some paper carrots she had made, filled with candy. I thought it would be so cute to package a few paper berries up with one of the stoneware farmer’s market baskets that I love at Anthropologie. Several times I tried to cut and fold paper to get a strawberry shape, but just couldn’t get it right. Then a couple of weeks later when I was in Florida, I made a trip to Violettes Scrapbook Store, a great shop I never miss when I go home for a visit. As I was checking out with some new stamps and Copics, I happened to glance down next to the register and spotted a little scrapbook paper basket filled with paper strawberries. I was a little (A LOT) excited and, with the help of the crafty lady behind the counter, made a quick job of taking one of the strawberries apart to make a template. My gift idea was realized: I made strawberries for each basket and added a little sign with wording I’d found on Pinterest. Voila, a sweet way to tell the teachers how much they are appreciated for everything they do.
repurposed tins
May 4, 2012 § 5 Comments
It’s dance recital time around here and now, more than ever, I need to be organized with all our ballet hair supplies. My girls dance at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, which requires that students stick to the proper ballet dress code – meaning I’ve become fairly skilled at creating the perfect bun (again and again and again). Let’s just say, we have A LOT of little hair accessories.
One of the best ideas I’ve come up with to keep all our rubber bands, bobbie pins, clips and hair nets together in the dance bag is to use old Altoids tins, crafted up a little of course. I cut scrapbook paper to fit the top, bottom and sides. Using a foam brush, I adhere the paper to the tin and decoupage over the top with one of my favorite craft products, Modge Podge – a glue, sealer and finish in one. Once the paper dries, I add a few embellishments and glue a ribbon trim around the top of the lid. These pretty tins perfectly contain the clutter. And my latest trick: by sticking a magnet inside the metal box, stray bobbies can easily be collected and kept in place – another little thing I love!
pretty candy bars
April 27, 2012 § 2 Comments
This time of year, I find myself needing a few creative gifts as Mother’s Day and other spring events fill our calendar, and the girls’ school activities begin winding down. One of my favorite crafts of all time is decorating store-bought candy bars. I love taking something simple and inexpensive and turning it into such a personal gift. I wrap the outside of the bar in pretty scrapbook paper and then add ribbons and other embellishments. They are so fun to make and the perfect little “just thinking of you” gift. I can’t wait to give mine away to the special friends in my world.
little things i love 