Make This: Springtime Wreath

I made this springtime wreath a month or two ago when I decided we weren't really going to have a winter. Super simple and easy project to dress up any bland white door.

You will need:

• styrofoam ring
• yarn
• ribbon
• fun flower
• glue

Start off by tying your yarn around the styrofoam ring to attach it. Glue the yarn down so it doesn't move around. Then just start wrapping and wrapping the yarn around until the ring is completely covered. Make sure you're pulling it so it's snug as you go. Once your right is covered tie off and glue down the ending knot. I made this part the top of mine. Cut the stem off of your flower and glue it to the wreath. Cut a piece of ribbon to a desired length and attach it to the yarn covered ring. Glue it so the ribbon doesn't shift around. Hang it!

I caught my craft store at a good time when the yarn and flower was on sale. I think it cost me around $10 total with plenty of yarn to spare.

January Project: Living Room Makeover

January is going to be the month where I redo my living room! I found a new TV stand and computer desk I want, I think that's what kicked me into gear. Plus, I found this great photo on Pinterest that really sparked my brain.

I think I found my color palette as I was doing this. I really like the combination of the avacado-lime green, grapefruit pink, and vintage sky blue. Yes? Yes. It's so refreshing! I like dark furniture and like every other apartment my walls and carpet are neutral so I think the colors will definitely pop.

I think my goal is to do the living room in a bargin hunting way. (Who doesn't have that goal?) But I really want to find some great accessories at some antique thrift stores.

Good storage solutions will be a must as well. My crap right now is just a huge hodge-podge of craft supplies, papers (papers...and more papers...), and cords. I am coming to terms with my OCD-ness of things not looking aesthetically please. I hate when things look like a big pile of junk. I want my place to not look like a college dorm room. Must find attractive ways to display things.

Alright, I have my inspiration and my goals. Now all I need is to spend some time at work making a paycheck...or two...or three.

Ready. Set. Go!

Handmade: Colorful Clutches

My living room looks like a fabric store exploded in it. There's sewing supplies, fabric, and thread are all over.

I haven't done any sewing since I was little, but I was surprised at how fast it came back to me. To start and get used to sewing again, I found this great little clutch in a book my Ma gave me.

How great are these? They would work well for so many things: art supplies, make up, going out, traveling. These ones don't have pockets inside, but I think it's something I'm going to experiment with a bit. And making a small matching ID case/money pouch.

Really need to get my Etsy shop up and running...

Sew, Sew, Sew

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My Ma got me a sewing machine for Christmas and a late birthday present. I'm so (not a pun, I swear) excited! When I was little she taught me how to sew but it's been years and years since I've done it. Now I can finally create the projects I've been wanting to do for quite some time now.

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I'm going to attempt this pillow...right now. We will see how it goes!

A Very Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

It's my very own Charlie Brown Christmas Tree! I got this great little ornament from my boss that says 'Shine From the Inside Out' and I felt it deserved a tree. So I made one! It feels a bit more festive in my apartment now with the presents for the family wrapped and piled underneath. 

Now to do some baking...

Mondrian Inspired Art

One by one I am making over the rooms in my apartment starting with my bedroom. It is getting the gray and yellow treatment. The walls were pretty blank so in trying to think of how to liven them up in a simple way. The Rooftop Coffee Bar in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art that creates a cake inspired my Piet Mondrian's paintings.

 

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How pretty right? I want to try my hand at making one. Anyways, it hit me that this was simple enough where I wouldn't have to deal with my lack of painting skills. So I made these:

My gray and yellow version of a Piet Mondrian piece of work. If you don't know who Mondrian is, he was a Dutch painter during the De Stijl art movement in the early to mid 1900's. De Stijl had a heavy focus on emphasis on abstraction and using just form and color.

My interior design tip: Pick up some canvas, paints, and a paintbrush. Then pull inspiration in from somewhere and get to work!

Pretty Things I Made on a Windy Sunday

Check out these pretty fabric flowers I made this afternoon. They have pins attached to the back. I was browsing the web last night and found some great how-to's that inspired me to get my craft supplies out. I think after Thanksgiving I am going to re-open my Etsy shop with some things that have been stacking up. Just in time for Christmas.

Tuesday Tunes & A Sneak Peak

Usually around this time of year, while I'm driving, a song will come on that just screams, "Hey! It's springtime!" Last year it was "Electric Feel" by MGMT. This year it is: 

"Helena Beat" by Foster the People

I find it to be an excellent driving song. Apparently there is going to be a pattern of it being an upbeat, electronica-dance song. And for good measure, I shall give you a couple more songs that have been played frequently on the iPod. 

 

"Kites" by Dessa

I love the KEXP Live Performances. Good stuff.

"Don't Be So Hard" by The Audition

This is a favorite. It's my go to song when crappy things happen in life and I just need a reminder to just keep pushing forward. Don't you love how music can do that?

Tonight I finally started tackling one of the many projects on my every growing To Do List. Here is a sneak peak at what I'm up to. 

Aaaaaaand, then I ran out of fabric. Definitely didn't have enough. My bad. 

D.I.Y. Project: Jewelry Holder

I saw this on a blog awhile back but now I can't remember which one it was...It was a D.I.Y. project creating a jewelry holder out of an old picture frame.

I've been looking for a nice way to store my earrings without just having them tossed around in a little dish that they've been in for years. This definitely has been the best idea I've seen yet.

You will need: 

1 old picture frame (I got my frame at a thrift store for a dollar)

Thumbtacks

Picture hanging wire

Paints (optional)

Fabric

Tacky glue

What You Will Do: 

1. Paint your frame if desired. I watered down a black paint and a silver metallic paint. I first layered on the black paint and wiped it away giving it an aged look. I wasn't looking for it to be perfect so the natural wood still shows through in spots. I then did the same with the silver metallic. Let it dry. 

2. Cut out 3-4 stripes of picture hanging wire a few inches longer than the width of the frame.

3. Figure out how far apart you want your wires to be. On the backside of the frame, gently push in the thumbtacks in desired locations. But don't push in all the way. 

4. Wrap the ends of the wire around the tack. Make sure to pull tight so the wire isn't sagging. Repeat for rest of rows. 

5. Once all your wires are connected push in thumbtacks all the way to secure the wire. 

6. Cut out fabric enough to cover back of frame. 

7. Glue fabric to back of frame, making sure the right side is facing the wires.

8. Hang in desired location and arrange your jewelry on it. 

My finished holder.

I think I may add some nails to the bottom so I can hang the necklaces that I can't string on there as well as my bracelets. I also need to find a way to hang my non-dangly earrings on there. Haven't quite figured that one out yet. This adds some nice color to my stark white bathroom walls.

:)

Pretty Rings and Other Things: Pt. II

More rings that I've recently made.

"Sunshine, Daisies, Butter Mellow"

"Pretty in Pink"

"Simply Sublime"

"The Colourful Trio"

The pencil/box was a gift from Elixir Design in San Francisco, CA. It arrived at my Ma's house around the New Year. I really like the quote, "Luck favors the prepared." It was a sweet gift. 

Today the weather was nice and sunny. A bit windy, but enjoyable nonetheless. Tomorrow...Tomorrow it is supposed to frizzle (freezing drizzle) and I am not looking forward to it. I am sick of snow, ice, and wind. I want some spring. So because of the weather, my Cities trip for photos is being postponed. Driving and ice don't mix. I'm super bummed. I was looking forward to it and getting out of TRF again. It's been awhile since I've been to the Cities. Since I've been working through my lunches my weekend will start around 2.30 instead of 5, that will be nice. 

Weekend's To Do List:

-Portfolio site (of some kind)

-Etsy shop (well...to start setting it up)

-Design, design, design (as always)

-Bake (although I'm not sure what yet)

-Afghan/blanket (hopefully hash out quite a bit more of it)

"A photo of something you wish you could forget."

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High school

I don't necessarily wish to forget high school per say. I don't think forgetting about things fixes them. But I don't really choose to remember high school or consider it a prime time in my life. They were rough years, not some of my favorite. But, without them, I wouldn't be who I am. I learned a lot about life and about myself. 

:)

A Yarn-ful Update

First I would like to start out by saying, I have been addicted to Cut Copy today.

This past weekend I finished up a lot of my random, half done projects I had lying around. Kind of wanted to clean stuff up before my hectic March.

Reusable bags.

My favorite pair of mittens I've made so far.

I finally learned how to properly make these kind of fabric flowers. Boy, are they a mess to make. But I love them anyways.

These are a couple of older projects I hadn't photographed yet.

I love the chunky yarn to make hats. Plus, they are super warm.

These brimmed hats are a little funky...The brim kind of goes down over the eyes rather than out. But I found a different pattern in more of the style I was trying to achieve. I'm going to have to try that one next.

My plan is to, in the middle of March, after I get back from shooting a friend's engagement photos, I am going to open an Etsy shop. I know I've been saying I'm going to for awhile now...

I made some wonderful gluten-free cookies yesterday with this mix:

Hodgson Mill

I mixed in peanut butter and choco chips. They are FANTASTIC. Love them a lot. 

"A picture of someone who inspires you."

Okay, so you may be wondering why I posted that piece of typography rather than a portrait of somebody. I have several answers to your wondering. One, because there are SO many people who inspire me it would be an extremely long post because there's no way I could choose just one. The people that inspire me the most are people who want to make a difference and believe that they can make a difference. I get inspired by people who go out an make their dreams come true, who want to make this world a better place.

My second reason is going to sound really backwards from the objective of this particular day, but one person that has inspired me most was the person that told me I wouldn't be doing anything with my life. That I would be back at my high school job after college, which wasn't a glamorous job by any means (are high school jobs ever?) So I take challenges like that and run with them. Now, granted, I may not be doing my absolute dream job right now, but I am working my way there. I guess, I get a kick out of people who tell me I can't. I'm out to prove you wrong. 

:)

Pretty Rings & Other Things

I've been getting my creative on today. Making rings, magnets, working on my own personal design/photography branding. It is a nice weekend before all my crazy-driving-all-over-the-state-weekends I have coming up.

Yes...The book is Harry Potter.

This pretty purple flower was a surprise when I got the bands in the mail. I didn't know I was getting it as well. 

This one is my own personal ring that I bought. I think I mentioned it in a blog earlier this week. I got it at a local shop called "The Curiosity Shop."

Magnets. I saw a little tutorial thing online the other day. Don't remember what site it was now though. I used an old CMYK magazine I had for the images.

I think these are screaming Etsy shop. Except for these magnets. I don't think using other people's designs is legit :) I will just have to make my own.

That is some of what I had going on today. I made more homemade ice cream. I think I'm addicted. This time I made a Lemon Raspberry and a Brownies and Creme. Yummmm. Tomorrow I'm debating on making cinnamon rolls or homemade flour tortillas. 

"A picture of something you hate."

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Hate is a very strong word. I'm going to say "pet peeve" instead. And one of mine is people who spell with crazy text lingo. I think the only ones I use regularly are "bc" and "ppl." But when I see text messages full of them or Facebook/Twitter updates that use them I get very irritated. It's probably because it got hammered into my brain via school and articles about professionalism that it is inappropriate. Apparently people have let text lingo cross over into resumes and memos. I don't understand how people think that is okay. Our generation is losing IQ points and getting more stupid.