Sucre, spice & everything nice

How D' Ya Like Your Eggs In The Morning?

2012-01-06T16:16:00.005-06:00

Blogging today about someone else's project which makes me grin. My friend Lucy lives in England and I met her the strangest way; Lucy's husband was flat mates with my friend's sister. Isn't it just amazing how people come into your life! She and I keep up with projects on Pinterest, and we watch the same TV shows, and we talk about kids and crafts and she gives me advice. She. is. so. cool.

I sent her a package while back with some spoons in it, and look what she's done!

The song asks, "How d'ya like your eggs in the morning?" Boiled, fried, over easy... with a kiss. Here it is on You Tube... so cute.

Her brother got some chickens awhile back, and so received many chicken-related Christmas gifts this year :) I wasn't familiar with the song, but it's from the 1951 movie "Rich, Young And Pretty" and is sung by Dean Martin. Great job, Lucy! Hope your brother liked them as much as I do!

{If you like this post, please leave a little comment below... and don't forget to sign up to follow me!}

Party Bunting - Lots Of Shapes

2012-01-05T13:39:00.003-06:00

It can't be work work work all the time, can it? I was sad to realize it's been at least a month since I've used my sewing machine. An idea came to me last night and I thought I could make it quickly... so here is it!

I know, I know, you're all tired of party bunting- these banners are everywhere! But I wondered if anyone has done a combined shapes party banner? I looked around and didn't see one. So just in case you were wondering, here's what it would look like!

I am not at all precise when I make things like this. I do use a quilting ruler and rotary cutter, but there are no templates and no measuring involved. I took a few basic shapes I've seen made into banners, and made some of each. I kinda like it... what do you think??

While I'm talking about trying new things, I may as well include a picture of these super cool chopsticks I just added to my Etsy store
Now I need to have a sushi party. You're all invited.

**update!**It's funny to find things when you're not looking for them! Just happen to come across this DIY boho bunting.

Beautiful!

Wooden Ice Cream Spoons - Birthday Candles

2011-12-12T08:29:00.004-06:00

I rarely post new designs for wooden spoons on this blog, but am so very excited for these "candle" spoons! Aren't they sweet? I hope you'll run over to my Etsy store and take a look around!

It's Just About Time For Presents!

2011-12-07T16:49:00.005-06:00

And this year I am shopping at Crate and Barrel. Perhaps exclusively.

Sweater vase!

Fish hotel! Forget the Ritz or the W, this is the coolest hotel I've seen.

I would use these candy stripe bowls year-round. They are so much fun! And I love the way red looks with my aqua walls.

While I'm busy shopping at C&B, I'll take two of these. What about you?

Styling Paper Plates Into A Tiered Cake

2011-12-05T11:44:00.006-06:00

Get those paper plates off your table and style them up!

I came across a pin found by the very talented Courtney Spencer of Merriment Events and my eyes just saw it wrong. It's funny sometimes how the mother of invention is just a big accident! I thought that someone had very prettily styled paper plates to look like a tiered cake. Once I realized my mistake, I knew I had to be the one! Surely this exists, since I've seen diapers fashioned into cakes, but I've never seen it.

A quick trip to Target later, armed with plates measuring 6 7/8", 8.5" and 10 3/8" and I have my very own beautiful three tiered plate stack. As for those adooorable spoons also pictured, you can find them in my Etsy store.

Make Custom Wine Tags Using Picnik

2011-11-30T10:00:00.010-06:00

How great is it to be able to make your own wine tags? You can create a basic design and save it, then easily update it or personalize it for future use. Here's how!

Step #1 is to go to your Paint program (like Microsoft Paint) and open a new document. Don't do anything to it! Save it as a blank doc to your computer.
Step #2: Head over to Picnik and open that blank doc.
#3: Under the "edit" tab, go to "effects" and scroll until you see "duo tone". This creates your background color.
#4: play with their "stickers" and add "text". There is a section in stickers for Hanukkah and for Christmas, and New Years, so there should be lots to choose from!

If you like the tag I made, you can save it to your computer and open it on Picnik. Find "geometric shapes" under "stickers" and add a rectangle. Change the color to white and expand it to cover up my text. Then add your own text!

When it's time to print I changed the setting from "fit to page" to 4x6. Use cardstock for added stability.

I used a paper trimmer to cut my tags to 3x7, making sure that I had enough space on top for my punch. Use a circle cutter or a punch to make a 1.5" circle. Just below the circle punch, make a fold in your cardstock so your tag will lay nicely against the bottle.

You can round the corners or use an edge punch, or add embellishments. Make it your own!

Enjoy!

Hanukkah Craft #2 - Dreidel Holder

2011-11-29T08:34:00.002-06:00

Why not have a special container for dreidels? Even though I really appreciate the Hannukah gear available now at Target, Home Good and Bed Bath & Beyond, there's something nice about a homemade table. The dreidels could rest in any old bowl or cup, but I had this little tin bucket laying around and thought it would be perfect.
I used Stazon ink, which is a solvent ink pad and that stuff sticks to almost anything! Plastic, glass, paper, metal, ceramic, leather, etc. So even if your container is a plastic bowl, or glass, Stazon will stay on, and it dries quickly, which is important when there are little ones running around!

I might even take this as far as to see if I can pick up a few more metal buckets and bowls, assorted shapes and materials will be fine, and let Nash and Margot make their own.

Hanukkah Craft #1 - Paper Gelt Pouch

2011-11-28T11:06:00.009-06:00

I am so very excited that Hanukkah is late in the month this year because I have more time to have my decorations out. Also, it gives me more time after Thanksgiving to get ready! So, to begin with, here's a little project I've been working on using easy materials to make a fun Hanukkah treat for the kids: little dreidel and star gelt pouches!

I used old grocery bags and and drew my shapes onto the wrong sides, which is the outside of the bag, (I free handed the dreidel and star, but can always looks for a template online,) cut out two sheets, still wrong sides together, following my lines. I used the wrong sides because I wanted the blank inside of the bag to end up being what showed on my finished product!
I began to sew. Just a few things about sewing paper on a sewing machine: use a sharp needle, make your stitches longer than you would on fabric, and make sure to hold both pieces of paper together since the feed dogs won't pull the bottom layer of paper through. I left the candy out until I was about 3/4 of the way done with my stitching, then put it in and finished sewing.
The paper didn't stay completely in line, so I ended up trimming my edges. I might have used some decorative scissors just to make it a little prettier, but a friend's borrowing mine right now so I just left it straight.
I wrote the first letter of my kids names then traced it in glue and added glitter, just to fancy it up a little. I love embellishing! Go ahead, add buttons, ribbon, rick rack and anything else you want. The more the better!
And maybe the best thing about this is that if you don't sew, just use glue!!
Have fun getting ready for Hanukkah!

Thanks for the request, Amy! Happy to share my post with One Artsy Mama.

I Get By With A Little Help

2011-11-18T15:33:00.007-06:00

I am so proud of my friends! I am a lucky girl to know so many caring and talented people. A lot of new exciting things were happening with them this week, so I'm happy to share their achievements.

My friend Brook opened an Etsy shop called Cutie Pie Collars where she sells glammed up pet collars!Head over and check them out - pets deserve holiday gifts too.

Beth is an amazing photographer and decorator and her newly renovated home was featured onLife Made Lovely. What she and he husband have done is absolutely inspiring! Look at this kitchen! Her entire house is this cool, it's completely amazing.

Stef made cupcakes benedict over at Cupcake Prjoect Anyone who makes these for me will be my best friend.

And Sara shared a recipe with the Chesterfield Patch for some pretty incredible looking whipped sweet potatoes.Um, yummmmmmmm!

It's so much fun to see my friends doing all these exciting things, hope I can share more soon!

Stamped Cookies

2011-11-14T22:48:00.012-06:00

You can do amazing things with rubber stamps! I had so much fun with this project, though I had an awful time getting the royal icing to set up flat enough.

The story goes like this, as most of my stories do: I was looking on Pinterest, saw something cool (can't remember what,) went to check it out, then started looking at that person's long list of craft blogs. Eventually, somehow, I got to these very pretty stamped cookies. Why do I want to make everything cool that I see?? Don't know. It's crazy. But later that day I baked some sugar cookies and made royal icing.

I'm not always such a perfectionist when it comes to trying new things. I like to say it's my "style" to be a little rough around the edges, but maybe that's just an excuse to make up for lack of tidiness. It usually works for me, and I think it works here too.

I liked the little birdie and ended up using it and other small images a lot because I had a hard time getting my icing smooth enough to hold a big image, as you can see in the cookie above. I had a lot of fun using the food writers to make little dots and add some color that way. Experiment! Have fun! Then eat. Nom nom.

Here's the how to:
-Frost sugar cookies with royal icing and wait overnight for the icing to dry completely, otherwise it will crack when you press the stamp down.
-Use new or well washed rubber stamps and color the stamp with your food writer quickly, then stamp your cookie. (Just a note about using old stamps, it's not preferable. But, most inks are non-toxic, so with a good washing it should be fine.)
-Be careful not to smudge the ink while you wait for it to dry!
-Be sure to show off to your friends and family before you eat it up.

Library Book And Bunting Quilt

2011-11-13T22:14:00.008-06:00

Project begin date: May, 2011
Project end date: November 13, 2011
I am so happy I got to finish a project!! This one started with this quilt, from Don't Call Me Betsy, books on a bookshelf. Living With Punks got ahold of the idea and did a little reworking to the pattern, then made this adorable book skirt, which I love. My problem with the skirt is that it's too cute to last just one season! I decided to try the quilt, and here is what I came up with:
I'm happy! I wish I could say that I'm a planner and knew what I was going to do with this from the beginning. But this took on a life of its own. From the shape, to the processes used to quilt and applique, and the final addition of the bunting, everything done here was on a whim. I know it's not how my Grandmother would have approached making a quilt, but it's nice to be able to improvise and still be happy with the results!

Thank you Living With Punks and Don't Call Me Betsy blogs for the tutorials and inspiration!

This blog post was shared with Life Made Lovely Mondays xx

To gift or keep?

2011-11-13T19:45:00.015-06:00

Dying over this beautiful gift set from L'occitane.

Spotted it in the store the other day and ran past without smelling. Doesn't matter, they had me at packaging.

They have bath bombs and lips glosses in cool sliding tins. I usually love to give and get Philosophy gift sets at holiday time. But they don't seem to have anything new this year. Time to move on! L'Occitane has lots of beautiful products in new scents. Check 'em out!

Also really love this gummy bear lamp from Uncommon Goods!

Giant Ice Cream Bowl DIY - Martha's Bundt Pan Challenge

2011-11-09T10:57:00.005-06:00

Posted on Martha's FB page was the question, what new use can you think of for a bundt pan? Since I like to help out Martha when I can, I thought I'd think of an answer for her.
I own a bundt pan, but it's not something I usually use. This probably makes me a better candidate to figure out a new use for it.

I decided to try and flip it over and use the underside for baking, as a mold to create a large bowl. It worked!
I love the way the ridges from the bundt pan gave my bowl texture.
I filled it up with enough ice cream and toppings for 8, and got ready some wooden ice cream spoons, which I customize and sell in my Etsy store. I think it would be so much fun to use a party-sized ice cream bowl! Can't wait to use my bundt pan again.

I made the bowl pictured using pie crust. It took a few tries to get it right. I have a few recommendations for anyone trying this at home:
- Do not cut out the hole in the center of the bundt pan. The dough needs the support! Otherwise it will crack in half.
- Pop the whole thing in the chill chest after you get the dough laid out on top for a good 15 minutes.
- Cut a few small slits in a large piece of tin foil (for venting) and cover the entire pie crust. This will also help to keep it from cracking and falling apart. After the pie crust is baked, remove the foil and keep it in the over to brown a few minutes longer.
- Leave the crust on the bundt pan until it's cool. It will be fairly sturdy when you remove it!

Look how pretty!

Knowing what I know now, I may go back and try doing this with a crisp sugar cookie recipe. I also like that I can fancy this up! For a party I would dip the top edge in chocolate and cover it with sprinkles. Also, imagine how yummy this would be with a cobbler inside... yummmmm.

Enjoy!

Preparation!

2011-11-09T08:01:00.004-06:00

I have been busy busy and figure you have too! So, I think I need to approach holidays this year with a little help under my belt. For the first time ever, I am going to organize my holidays! Lists and menus and all the things people say you should do to keep from getting crazy.
Here are the 10 things I am making a priority:

1. Gift lists. For family. For hosts. For neighbors. For teachers. For friends & their kids. It's a lot of gifts - better to start planning way in advance so you don't forget anyone.

2. Clean out toys and clothes to make way for new ones.

3. Get out old November and December editions of Martha Stewart, Bon Apetetit, Disney Fun Magazines to get ready for menus and craft projects, get decorating ideas for my house and things for my kids to do. By the way, I have a special magazine file just for holiday editions so they're easy to find. That's a great time saver too!
4. Make menus for the next 2 months. Not just for the holiday dinners, but for every night of the week. Seems crazy, and this isn't something I usually do. But, hopefully it will make things easier to know what I'm making instead of toil over dinner every night. Also, it's supposed to be cheaper to plan in advance, and healthier to have an overview of monthly meals.

5 Get rid of old projects laying around. For me that means thank you cards from Margot's birthday party 2-3 weeks ago, and store returns I've needed to put in the mail for 2 months. Also need to make it around to a few local stores for some returns.

6. Book babysitters early!

7. Collect coupons. In one place. And don't forget to use them.

8. Make a gift list for yourself. Scan Pinterest for ideas, if you don't know what you want. You'll find 200 things you never knew you needed.

9. Shop craft fairs! It's a great place to meet interesting local talent. Shop ETSY! It's great to get out of the huge stores and support people who works for themselves!

10. Don't forget to have fun. It sounds silly, but we get so busy with everything we have to do and everything we want to do. If you've decided to bake cookies for all the neighbors for the holidays and you still have 20 things to do, just send your husband to the store and buy some! Put them in a cute little bag and the neighbors won't even know the difference. Then, when you're done delivering them, put your feet up and have a drink! It's the holidays, after all.

Clothespin Love

2011-10-27T20:10:00.006-05:00

Last time I was at Art Mart I spotted some clothespins that were covered in some pretty paper and of course I thought "I want to make that!" When we first put up Nash's art wall in his room, he and I painted a bunch of clothes pins, and glued some buttons on them. There were a few left over and we've been using them as chip clips and I glued magnets to the back of a few and stuck them to the fridge to hold grocery lists. They are great to have around and fun to make!

This blog post is meant to be a tutorial, but to be honest, there isn't much to it! Here's the tutorial section (don't blink, you might miss it): My clothespins measure 3.25" by 3/8". I found my paper scrap stash, and used my paper cutter to cut to size. I dabbed on a little rubber cement... and that's about it!

As I was working on my clothes pins, I realized my surface resembled something else I work with day and night - utensils! So I had to work some printing magic on them too.

I started looking at these on Etsy after I finished my little project and realized there are a million of these out there. There are glitter clothespins and hand painted clothespins and washi tape clothespins. They are so pretty! Maybe if I have a little extra time I'll let the kids make a few packages for the craft show I am doing at their school next month. They are fun and quick to make. Wouldn't it make a cute display for your holiday cards?

A Liiittle Into My Toms

2011-10-26T11:00:00.003-05:00

I started out with a gray pair about a year ago, and a few months later my Mom gifted me some red ones. While visiting a friend in Miami, I went a little nutty and bought some light blue glitter ones, and burlap. I'd say I'm stocked. So, with the gray ones wearing out, I didn't mind doing a little experimenting.

I know painted Toms are for sale for on Etsy, and I really do love these Van Gogh Starry Night Toms, but I wanted something a little simpler. I read into painting them, but it seems like the paint wears off pretty easily. I remember, from years ago, seeing Martha use a bleach pen to achieve a batik effect on some linens. Why not try it on my old Toms?

I felt like a teenager decorating my shoes, it was so much fun! I get tons of compliments on them, and people asking me how I made them.

It's a good idea to give your bleach pen a test run and see how quickly, smoothly the gel comes out. Once you're comfortable, go ahead and draw it on your shoes. There is no rush to get it all done; if you're using the right amount of gel, it won't drip! Once the gel was on, I left it about 15 minutes, then rinsed it off under my kitchen sink, which didn't smear the gel at all. They were dry the next morning and I was so excited to wear them!

And here is my little boy modeling them.
This was a great project, mainly because it came out well with no preparation. I did mine free hand, but when I do it again, I'll probably use a pencil and do some outlining first. And that's all there is to it! So go make some Toms. Have fun! Would love to hear how this goes and see some pictures!

Pinterest Cookies

2011-10-25T11:00:00.002-05:00

I have 2 million things pinned that I want to make, and am not sure I've ever made anything. That stops now! First at bat, pretzel chocolate chip cookies! My husband says, "I mean, those could be the best cookies ever... I mean, SHUT UP." He is not usually a man at a loss for words, and he mumbled these whole chomping on a pretzel chocolate chip cookie. So, they are amazing. Recipe here. I stuck with chocolate chips because I didn't have any peanut butter ones around, and I'm not missing them. Nom nom nom. Anything you've found on Pinterest and made? I'm going to make something from Pinterest once a week. This is my goal. Stick with me.

Making Giant Confetti

2011-10-24T14:19:00.008-05:00

**This blog post was featured in Martha Stewart Weddings!**

It all starts with tissue paper....

I am really going crazy over giant decorations! Giant props, giant 36" balloons, and now giant confetti! I first read about this on THIS post on Oh Happy Day. And I have to say, I loved the idea, but didn't read about how to make it. I was wandering through JoAnn this weekend and saw Fiskars circle cutter, and I couldn't resist! I should already own this tool anyway.

I found out later that Oh Happy Day's interpretation of "giant" is a little different than mine. Her confetti is 2", and mine is about 6". And her method of making it was completely different! She used a 2" circle punch, which I tried after I finally decided to read her instruction. Maybe my 2" punch is dull, but it did not like my tissue paper. I was happy with how the circle cutter cut my tissue paper, and I love my end result!

Lastly, I was so happy with my confetti, that I made a little logo on Picnik to print onto hand made bags, which I'll fill with, what else? Giant confetti, of course. Reading the directions is good, but sometimes finding your own way can lead to good things too.

By the way, I've shared this post on Life Made Lovely Monday!

What's Making Me Smile

2011-10-23T21:02:00.006-05:00

This website is worth looking at- beautiful products and photos My Little Day

Lalaloopsy pencil toppers!

Completely in love with the blog Oh Happy Day. She loves silly things that I love, just because they're pretty.

Two of my favorite things about St. Louis: Schlafly beer and Cardinals baseball!

Craft Room Neatness

2011-10-21T09:47:00.002-05:00

How have I never posted pictures of my organized craft room? It's kinda hard remembering where I put things, between blogs and Etsy and Facebook! So, a few pictures, and a quick story. Once upon a time there was a house with a tiny room in the basement and no natural light. Well, let's just skip to the end! After a few years of not enough space, I have... well... still not enough space! But I do have a craft room, and when it's clean it is beautiful!

When I look for inspiration, I love to go to Flickr and Pinterest and search craft spaces or sewing rooms. There are some beautiful, light, airy ones! And maybe someday I'll have that too. But for now, I really appreciate that I have this small space full of things I need to be crafty.

Margot's Owl Birthday

2011-10-18T16:04:00.013-05:00

Margot and her friends had a great time at her birthday, and that's what it's all about!

I started out buying slices of wood to use as trays for the cupcakes, but decided I wanted more! Instead of spending $10 per board, I figured out that I could paint poster board to look like tree rings. It was fun, so I made them for everything!

Kids got to put on masks, which I got for the great Etsy shop The Rasilisk, and they got to make their own wings using sticky-back foam and feathers (held on just with rubber bands). Then they checked themselves out in the mirror!

The customized forks are from my shop Sucre & Spice. I think the adults and the kids got a kick out of them!

I made "crayOWLas" for the birthday girl's friends by melting crayons and pouring them into an owl lollipop mold. And the muslin bags were for collecting candy from the pinata.

Thanks to everyone for all your support and friendship! We loved having you celebrate with us!

Menswear/girlswear

2011-08-08T19:27:00.004-05:00

I used to have these when I was little. I want them now for Margot. I think they'll look great with... the other menswear I'm buying for her. Ha! Not kidding. I think I've been looking at too many Crewcuts magazines. I love the idea of dressing my little girl up in a cute navy blazer.

Just bought this for myself :)
No more saddle shoes for me, but I guess I still like the black and white with exposed stitching.

Looking to add pops of color in my house and I found this:
Can't wait to replace my blah neutrals runner. I've had it about 3 years. What can the lifespan on a blah-neutral-runner-from-Lowe's be?

New List Of Things I Love

2011-07-25T08:26:00.007-05:00

I want this. Amazing. For purchase here.

Found on Land Of Nod's new completely awesome blog Honest To Nod where they do things like tie-dye tissue paper.

This needlepoint which makes me want to needlepoint from The Purl Bee, Purl Soho's blog.

Woodland shoes from Livie & Luca.

Birds on a shower curtain from West Elm.

I love Shop Sucre! (Thanks for the business!)

2011-07-21T14:37:00.003-05:00

I am getting the biggest laugh!! My Etsy shop name Sucre & Spice is a nod to my favorite sweets shop, Sucre, in New Orleans. My Etsy address is www.sucreshop.com.
This article in The Weekly Gambit a New Orleans publication, got a little mixed up and listed my Etsy shop as Sucre's web address!

A Spoon In the Road

2011-07-21T14:12:00.004-05:00

My little spoons, which I saw and loved and ordered and decorated, have become quite a hit. I imagine sometime when their kids are little, all stay at home moms wonder what their next move will be. I think mine may have found me.
I've been talked about, favorited, listed in treasuries, linked to, and purchased. Considering it was just one month ago I started listing spoons on Etsy, I couldn't be happier! I've been teaching Craft Owls two mornings a week, and am spending at least two others, while kids are at schools, inking stamping and striping! I am spending SO much time doing this, I thought I'd share some favorites.

Oh how I love to spoon! :)

Whooo Loves Owls?

2011-07-10T12:46:00.004-05:00

Well, I do. Here's my kids favorite joke: knock knock. Who's there? Owls. Owls who? Yes they do! My kids love owls. But, well, everyone does. They're awesome! And I've been making a lot of them lately because I'm thinking of calling my newly formed craft sessions the "Craft Owls". I can not believe that there are blogs dedicated solely to reporting all products owlish. And the are cuttte. Cute Hoots is one I've started to look at every day. And I'm hoping maybe they'll like this project!

I put together an owl bean bag. Yes, just one. But there are two more coming. Because I am a juggler, bean bags always come in threes. I WANT JUGGLING OWLS. I got the idea here at Moonstitches. Really, I used their basic idea, and I was excited to make the adorable owl on her tutowlrial. But when I got to the end and I saw she was stuffing her owls, I was just surprised and thought that's not what I want to do. So I used a triangle beanbag pattern and boxed in one of the corners, and made my little friend. Would anyone like to see more specific instructions? Please leave a comment, if you would!

He can fly!
Nash likes his new friend. Hope you'll like it too!

Martha's (Not As) Beautiful Cookies

2011-06-16T09:39:00.009-05:00

Here they are, the cookies I thought I'd make for a little dinner party we had for my husband's team:
I thought hers were beautiful! But then, I was surprised and super crazy happy that I liked mine even better!

I made the sugar cookie dough. Refrigerated it over night. Rolled it out the next day. Cut perfect circles. Let my kids cut out awesome bad-guys and hearts with what was leftover.

I made the icing. (I will never buy meringue powder again.) And I sat down to decorate. Maybe I made the icing too thick? I was afraid to add water and ruin the whole thing. It was workable, so I just went with it. But, my cookies didn't look beautiful, they looked like spider webs! Not what I had in mind. For all this effort, I wasn't happy with spider webs. Grrr. Inspired by my children's free-motion decorating, I decided to try something on my own. And I was happy! Why didn't Martha do this in the first place? It's much prettier :)

I used squirty bottles (totally worth the small investment)

drew a line to border the outside of the cookie, then flooded the inside and used a toothpick to cover the space.

Swirl time.

Drag up, then drag down.

Drag side to side.

Viola. Worth the effort.

Birthday Party Check List on Scribd

2011-06-13T10:17:00.005-05:00

I've created a free download which is available to you at this link:
birthday party check list which looks like this: Birthday Party to Do List
I've been having lots of fun personalizing ice cream spoons for folks on Etsy, and wanted to make a little freebie to go along with it. Hopefully some other folks will get some use out of it too.

I printed out my pages and cut them down. To finish them I just ran a zig zag stitch up the side and added a few little stamps. I was thinking if you don't have any decorative stamps at home, you could let your little one do a few thumb stamps and make some cute faces in them and it would be even better.

I created a few more free downloads with links on the left toolbar.
Enjoy!

Smash Tape

2011-06-12T18:50:00.003-05:00

I love it. I walked into Archivers today and saw it on a table, and snatched it up.
I was wrapping up some little presents for friends, and taped my tissue paper shut with it. If I were a scrapbooker, I think I would use it to tape a picture (very messily) onto a page.
I saw a pretty cool tute recently on making your own decorative tape at Annekata. There are a few out there now, but I think this was the first one. So you can try to make it yourself. But I was thinking, by the time I go out and buy packaging tape and spend the time to make it, I could have bought a roll like the one pictured above for $3. Also, I bought some recently from Martha Stewart's JoAnn line. I am so excited about it!
I've also cut think gauge wire into strips and covered it with the decorative tape on both sides, cut the ends with pinking shears and made some really cute twist ties. Will have to update later with a picture because I don't have one right now, and can't seem to find one online. C'est la vie!
For now, go out and buy some cool tape! There's Martha's line, there is a TON on Etsy like this pretty stuff. If you think of any new projects, let me know!

Kids Messenger Bag

2011-06-08T15:17:00.001-05:00

Squeeeel! I am very excited. I was at my favorite kids toy/clothes store in St. Louis yesterday, City Sprouts, and I saw some amazing bags like this one by Bakker which is a French company. They are awesome and beautiful and expensive. I made one!!! It doesn't have the GORGEOUS hardware that the Bakker bags do or the elaborate pockets. But it took me one day to complete with only an idea in my head and tools in my hands, and that feels pretty good. Margot is napping, but I can't wait to put it across her little body and take some pictures when she's up.

Living with Punks: SYS~Bookworm Skirt

2011-06-01T21:58:00.000-05:00

Living with Punks: SYS~Bookworm Skirt: "I’m so excited to finally start this series! My mind has been overflowing with ideas and I know all the bloggers I have lined up are eager ..."

Must. make. this. now.

Who Needs A Quilt Top?

2011-05-31T16:52:00.005-05:00

Cause I'm really good at making them. What I'm not so good at is finishing them. On April 9, 2009 I postedthis picture of cut pieces for a zig zag quilt. Over two years ago! I ran out of fabric and it wasn't as big and I wanted it, so it's been forever since I've worked on it. Here it is in its current state, currently measuring about 4 ft square.
I finally ordered new fabric to add on to my quilt and am excited to get rolling. Look at all the pretty colors!A lot of the fabrics in the first quilt are Amy Butler. I ordered a few more from her in a slightly different color palette, and also a bunch from Anna Maria Horner which I am very excited about! I love her prints (and, by the way, I love them even more in person than I do on the screen) and am happy I found these in cotton! She's been doing a lot in voile, and while everyone says not to be intimidated by it, I am anyway.
I ordered these from fabric.com so I got free shipping, and I also found a coupon on retailmenot.com so I feel like I got a pretty good deal!
Now that I have all this new fabric, be sure and check back with my blog in about two years to see the finished quilt! LOL

Party Perfect!

2011-05-29T14:30:00.000-05:00

It's pretty random, but I've been selling these red and white paper straws for about a year now. I love them. Other people must love them too! They are sooo cute for parties. I saw these little wood ice cream spoons and thought they'd go great with the straws. I know I'd love to have them for a party, and I figured other people would too. Turns out I'm right! The "Elle is 2!" were commissioned by an Etsy buyer for her little girl. Cute! Perfect for Summer.

Matryoshka

2011-05-29T07:17:00.000-05:00

Doing a little experimenting for a possible Russian Doll themed birthday party in October :)

B cards

2011-05-24T15:01:00.003-05:00

Why do I love business cards? I might be a little crazy. But seriously, after college, it made me feel like a big girl to carry them around and trade them with high school friends when we were home for Thanksgiving. And now, why do I love them? They are so tiny and cute! And if I'm giving them to someone, it means I'm meeting someone new, which is something I love to do. And, potentially, am finding a new customer, which is becoming more important as I try to get into the sales game. Also, my kids just started a new school, which means I met lots of new moms and I wanted to be able to quickly give out info.
So, I've ordered a TON of them recently. And am SO sad about not being in love with any of them. I ordered "mom" cards from vistaprint which have my name and say "mom to Nash and Margot" and they're cute. But the two that break my heart are both from Tiny Prints. I love Tiny Prints! Or maybe I don't. These things are just, well, tiny!

After spending way too much money on little cards, I made my own. I knew I could make my own, but honestly, I just thought I wanted something professionally done and I was sure to love. I'm not going to say I like mine better, but I like them! I rounded the corners on mine, I like the bold graphic, I like that it's not hard to read. I like em. That's it. I even thought about rounding the corners on the Tiny Prints cards! But I won't. I'll just feel triumphant in my quest to make a fun little business card. And I won't spent gobs of money at Tiny Prints or Iomoi again. I guess that's why I keep making things - I usually like what I make better!

Cakepops

2011-05-22T19:36:00.002-05:00

Why am I so bad at making cakepops? Half of them broke or fell sideways off the stick, or the stick came right through the top. Bakerella is a genius and her book is adorable. I want to make every design in it. But clearly, that is not an option for me since the little balls don't even come out half the time!
I have a friend from long ago who is always posting advice on Facebook about making cakepops and is full of suggestions to her friends on how to improve their cakepops. I have just decided that she must be living a lie. No one can be that good or knowledgeable about making them.
But I want them to be perfect. Even considering they're not, they are still pretty cute when they're all wrapped up and tied with a bow.
But none of this really matters because my 4 year old completely flipped out when his fell of the stick as soon as he picked it up. It didn't fall onto the floor. No one yelled at him or gave him a nasty look. He just wanted it on the stick! But, sailors don't always make good friends, and cakepops don't always stay on the stick. I offered him others, and it didn't matter, he was just devastated. So I am done with cakepops. Though my husband sincerely hopes I might consider making cakepop truffles.

Thanks, Teachers!

2011-05-18T14:39:00.000-05:00

It's Summer vacation! My kids have only been in school for a month, but they have had a great time and these wonderful teachers! So a thank you gift was in order. I borrowed a great idea from my awesome crafty friend Robin and made these cards with little flags that have "thank you" stamped on them. And then I taped a Starbucks gift card to the back. I'm sure the teachers appreciate the Starbucks more than the card, but they were fun and quick to make!
Robin uses these for a few different holidays - with a lollipop in them for Valentines day, with a flower in them for Mother's Day, and they are always super super cute. Maybe I'll try to come up with some other ideas to share.

So, how it's done. Simple! Go take a picture of your cute kid with their hand in a fist or giving thumbs up. I used a lollipop stick with some decorative paper for my flag, and used a xyron for my adhesive so I'd get a good seal on my flag. Cut a hole with an xacto, slide in your stick, and then tape it in the back so it'll stay. Presto.

Love it! Thanks, Robin!

What I'm obsessing over

2011-05-17T10:21:00.001-05:00

I was browsing at the Container Store and picking up some boxes for some Ebay stuff, and I saw these boxes, made to haul beer around. I knew straight away I had to make doll houses out of them! We went to two birthday parties this weekend and each little girl had their gift "wrapped" in a dollhouse! They each took about an hour to make, though I'm sure I could shave that down once I had the measurements.
Supplies: 12x12 decorative paper, paper cutter, I used my sewing machine to do some cute stitching on the windows and doors, rubber stamps (I eventually added the little girl's name in an arch over the door which was super cute), and I used a xyron machine to fix the paper to the houses, but you could use a spray adhesive, or paper glue. Go wild!

Other obsessions include this paper which I printed for free off The Small Object! I love her things! Why can some people just do a little scribble and make it look so amazing? Considering Sarah is now selling things at Anthropologie, I consider free printables off her blog a major score. There's a link to her blog on the left toolbar.

Lastly, I am amping up my camera strap making! And I am obsessed with these colors and patterns from Anthologie, which I got at the quilting store in St. Charles on Mother's day. Gorgeous colors. After I get my pattern for the strap down pat I'll publish it here.

Does that make two blog posts in two days for me? Woo hoo!

Crawfish Boil Time!

2011-05-15T21:31:00.002-05:00

Where did it all come from??
I got a template for the utensil holder a long time ago from The Small Object but it's no longer available there. There are lots of other great tutorials and fun free things to print! I purchased the crawfish image I used here from this Etsy shop.

I also bought the kids AMAZING shirt from Etsy here and they were adorbs. You don't get much cuter than "I wanna be loved bayou!"

Of course you can find Tabasco Toppers at Sucre Shop.

I am on a sign-making mission and hope to have more "don't eat da straight ones!" signs, along with some others soon in my Etsy shop.

We love our crawfish boil! I just need to work on starting to prepare and craft for it more than one week in advance. Starting tomorrow, I'm looking what holidays are in the next two months and brainstorming.

With the awesome press and from my Afiko Men I am hyped up to get back into blogging. Hope to post one to two times a week! So stay tuned for frequent updates!

Praise for Passover Projects!

2011-05-15T20:11:00.002-05:00

Guess what, guess what? They liked it! They really liked it! Who, you ask? Everyone! My new Passover projects were blogged about on The Long Thread, which is one of my favorite blogs and the AMAZING famed blog Apartment Therapy!
My Passover pillows on Apartment Therapy are here.
Mention here at the end of her blog report (no picture, but I'm right next to Martha Stewart! Good enough for me!)
Can't wait to improve on these projects for next year.

Passover Craft Designs 2011

2011-04-01T14:02:00.001-05:00

Passover Craft Designs 2011, a group on Flickr.

Share your designs in this group pool!

Passover Kitch

2011-04-01T09:45:00.008-05:00

I started looking a few days ago for some fun projects for Passover. I have to admit, the search for Passover crafts was inspired by the Peeps bunting which is completely adorable and posted everywhere. Why doesn't Passover have a cute little pink bunny as its symbol? We've got some much more difficult material to work with! Didn't find what I was looking for in my searches- I found a bunch of Matzoh covers (which we've been making since pre-school) and the like. I hope I've come up with a few new, fun projects for you to do for Passover.
Pillows! Perfect for leaning on during Seder. From my fave songs Diyanu! and Chad Gadya.

A faux seder plate- perfect for an April Fool's Day post! Using only candy as ingredients, this seder plate definitely is not kosher for Pesach! Do you think it resembles the real thing?

Since banners/bunting are so popular, I wanted to make one. But what to include? I settled on my favorite Pesach haiku....

These guys are probably my favorite, they're the AFIKO MEN! A group of Passover Superheroes ready to fly in & entertain your little one during Seder.

I do have a few sets of the Afikomen for sale on Etsy with a link on the left sidebar.

Pillow instructions!
To make the pillows I used a freezer paper stencil method. I searched Google images for a picture of a goat I liked and printed it out. Then I traced it onto the dull side of a piece of freezer paper. I cut it out with an exacto and ironed it onto my fabric. I stippled two coats of fabric paint, let it dry and peeled off my freezer paper. I did the same basic method for the lettering, just picked out the font and size I wanted and printed it off my computer.
You can use a pre-made pillow cover to keep things simple! I sewed a simple envelope pillow cover, since I already had the form, for the Chad Gadya pillow, but for Di-diyanu I just cut a size I liked and sewed three sides, the stuffed it and sewed it shut.
You can do this with any Passover saying or image! "Next year in Jerusalem", "goat for sale, two zuzim", "ma nishtanah...".

Faux Seder Plate!
This is a great learning tool for kids and so much fun! My kids love looking at my cupcake decorating book which uses all candy materials to make different animals or figures. This is the same idea.

The egg is made from Wilton white melting candy. I actually used an egg form, which I sprayed with Pam, poured in the melted candy and swirled it around while it hardened. I was having a hard time getting the egg out of its mold, so I dipped one end in a bowl of warm water and that loosened it right up!

The shank bone is rice krispy treat which I molded by hand, then I held a few matches to it to give it the roasted look.

I went a little nuts (no pun intended) on the charosis. How do you mimic apples and nuts and wine? Well, I just decided to go for it and throw a bunch of stuff on there. I tinted some frosting to Manaschevitz color, then threw on some chopped red tootsie rolls (for apples), M&Ms, and chocolate. Well... I tried!

The maror is a slice jumbo-sized marshmallow dipped into non-pareils.

For bitter herbs I decided that rather than another leafy green, I'd make some salt water, with a stem coming out. I didn't actually make any cupcakes though (cheater, I know!) I just used a few ritz crackers on the base and mixed blue food coloring with store bought frosting. There were a lot of elements to this seder plate! I was saving time whenever possible.

I probably had the most fun making the parsley. I used green lime flavored tootsie rolls and tropical flavored fruit roll ups! I used a rolling pin to roll the tootsie roll flat, and a sharp knife to cut out the shape I wanted from it and also the fruit roll ups.

I set up a group on Flickr.com with close ups of each of the items. I hope you'll use some of my ideas, or use them to create new ones for yourself and have fun making some Passover kitch :) Would love to hear from you or see pictures of what you've made!

New Life For Old T-shirt

2010-11-12T14:39:00.003-06:00

There was a huge stain on the front of my son's shirt. It was the kind of stain that maybe you couldn't see in certain light... so for months he's been wearing it anyway because I always forgot to throw it away. Last week while he napped I cut off the front pocket and sewed it to his t-shirt quilt. He loved it!! But today, suddenly, it's pretty much the end of the world that Mommy cut up his favorite race car t-shirt. How could I do this to him?? Luckily, I didn't throw away the rest of the shirt yet. So I fixed it. And I love it. And maybe I'll still be sewing this race car onto t-shirts for him when he's my age.

Craft Show

2010-11-05T09:03:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile, but if I don't post now I never will and it'll be lost forever. So, just for the record, I'm posting pictures of my display at my first craft show which was August 14th. And it was pretty successful! The turn out wasn't great, but I had most of the sales for the day and ended up having fun and being pretty proud.

My thoughts following the show were that I'd definitely do it again, and that I'd spend LESS time preparing for it!

Pretty As A Picture

2010-09-13T15:08:00.005-05:00

Freezer paper stencils are one of my favorite super-easy super-quick transformation crafts. We all know, by now, that my favorite crafts are ones I can do quickly! Screen printing makes a pretty big mess, and it doesn't make much sense to do all the prep work for just one print. On to the freezer paper stencils.

I loved a tunic from Mini Boden, but after weighing whether I wanted to pay $30 for it or try to recreate it... a trip to Target and one day later and I have something similar that I made!

I even cheated a little bit for this one. Usually if I'm doing freezer paper stencils, at least I want it to be my own design. But I thought this bow was so cute, I just printed out the picture, blew it up and traced it. So bad, I know. But it's cute, huh?

If you want to see the tunic, I fell in love with for Margot, it's here. Why don't they make this in adult sizes?

If you've never tried a freezer paper stencil, you totally should! Here's an easy tutorial on how it's done by one of my favorite bloggers, Amy Karol.

Another by the way, my vintage spool dolls are listed now on Etsy! You can see a preview on the column to the left, and click to view. Hope you like them!

Light Box

2010-09-11T13:29:00.006-05:00

For the last month or two I've been trying my hand at selling all kinds of stuff in all kinds of places. I've spent many hours taking pictures and posting on Ebay and Etsy, and I think it's FUN!

My crafting world was expanded a week or two ago, when I found dozens and dozens of vintage wooden spools at my favorite treasure hunting store. Since then I've been all about the spool dollies, a.k.a."Spoolies"! They are greatly inspired by my friend Dannielle's gorgeous bendy dolls, which you can see by clicking HERE. I want to put some of my spoolies on Etsy but they're just not coming out well in my pictures! I would love to have a fancy camera, but I don't.

So I found THESE instructions on making a light box. Here's the results. It doesn't look so nice, but I think it works! And also, here's a sneak peak at the Spoolies.

Cute little Harry Potter!
Not-so-creepy Halloween girl.

Now that I have this light box, it will obviously start a flurry of buying off of my Etsy site :) The Spoolies are pretty cute though, and I can personalize then with colors and names. My favorite part though, is preserving the vintage spool labels!

By the way, when I do put them in my Etsy shop, you'll be able to see them there in the bar to the left and get there just by clicking on the pictures. Let me know what you think!

Hoorah!

2010-09-03T06:38:00.003-05:00

A very talented person picked my listing to be in THIS awesome Etsy treasury! The red & white striped straws do it again.

Capelet

2010-08-28T19:58:00.004-05:00

Fell in love with this capelet from Prudent Baby. Even the fabric from Heather Ross Far Far Away II. I spent as much money on this fabric as I ever have, making it even more painful when I cut one of the pieces upside down! Anyway, it's beautiful!! I hope my beautiful little girl loves it too.

Baby Bell

2010-07-12T09:26:00.004-05:00

My neighbors and good friends The Bells are having their first baby in October! A little boy. They are great people - she was born and raised about an hour away from me, they moved across the street from us from the same city in VA we moved here from, and they let us swim in their pool. These are just a few reasons we like them. They are both Air Force folks, and have a little airplane theme going in the nursery. So off 'a quilting I went. And I even remembered to take pictures before packaging it up to deliver at her shower!

It is harder for me to give some things up, than I'd like to admit. I'm short on quilting time these days, and it takes a lot of time and I put a lot of myself into making a quilt. When I had just started and all I had was mountains and sky, I really wanted to put a big star on top of the mountain and keep the quilt for myself! But I resisted. And I hope Baby Bell and his parents love the blankie.

Crawfish Boil V

2010-06-09T22:05:00.041-05:00

Welcome to pictures from our 5th annual Crawfish Boil! Our Boil (pronounced something like booowl), which started as a fundraiser a few months after Katrina, has moved with us from Virginia to Missouri. It was a little fancier this year than our first mosquito infested (albeit authentic) Boil locale. Still, we haven't forgotten to basics: pinch, twist and suck, and "don't eat da straight ones"!

Recap...

2010-05-16T19:40:00.012-05:00

Maybe I'm not meant to be a blogger? Why can't I just take a picture and write a few words? I've missed so much. Even so, I am happy to see some improvement in my craft, and so a progression as I've practiced a few styles I've picked up from the amazing library I've collected this year. So, though there is a lot missing, I am going to throw up a ton of pictures, so that in a year I can look back with some idea of how I got to where I am.

Applique. Aranzi Arono and Cath Kidston inspired. Seems weird to combine the two? Welcome to my wacky world of craft.

And then there's felt. Thanks to Purl Soho for moving, and offering free shipping for the week, I ended up with a bundle of felt I had no plans for. But now it's gone. Made into New Orleans themed Tabasco toppers, and coffee sleeves. For the NOLA collection, there's the Fleur, Blue Dog, Mr. Red Bean and Mrs. Rice, Tulane (WOO!!), Plum Street Sno-balls, and New Orleans iconic "go cup". As for the coffee sleeves, my Dad alwaaaays orders grande Verona, no room. Now his coffee sleeve can order for him. OOps and almost forgot about my little voodoo guy. Don't worry, he's not evil and neither am I. But he will make a freaky-cool new pincushion for me.

Hee hee, I love staged photos.

And on to the randoms. A pieced together tote bag for Margot.

Beanbags! I went through a phase of making lots of beanbags. These triangle ones are groovy, and take little pieces of fabric. I love this Japanese print!
A pillow for Nashy
This one is funky... it's a belt Nash and I made for his teacher for her birthday! The design is from Kid Made Modern by Todd Oldham and it's ducktape and fabric woven together. It's pretty cool actually!

And some bean-butt bunnies.

I've been working on a big project, but not ready to reveal yet :)

Hard To Make

2010-03-02T09:32:00.003-06:00

Some things are just hard to make. But maybe it's harder to let things with sentimental value pass through your life, and then be gone. So yesterday, as I was going through Nash's clothes, I set some things aside to someday make a quilt. I do this every time I go through my kids things. We have gotten so many wonderful gifts and have spent so much ourselves on these clothes. And we have pictures and memories and attachments. So instead of putting them aside, I got out my rotary cutter and ruler and board and closed my eyes and took a deep breath and made the first cut.

To put this into perspective, for the most part, a yard of nice quilting fabric can be had for around $10. I rarely pay more than that. Heavy-weight decorator fabric is around $20-40 per yard. The first shirt of Nash's I cut into was a Tea shirt that cost $35 and I got from it two 9x6 inch pieces of fabric. Ouch. Of course there are also onesies from Old Navy, with no less sentimental attachment because we have pictures of him in it, maybe a month old, on the changing table in his pack'n'play, looking up at the mobile with wonder in his eyes. There's a piece of a button-down shirt he calls his "work shirt, like Daddy's work shirt." The shirt he wore to his first birthday party, which I bought in St. Armands Circle in Florida, when Nash and I took a trip to visit a friend. His "big brother" t-shirt. Shirts that were presents from Grandparents. A white t that is SO dirty from his early eating adventures.

So one day and it's done. I made the seams out, just because I thought I'd like the way it looked, and I do. I backed it with t-shirts my Dad had given me to use for my projects. It is so soft and so filled with wonderful memories. My husband loves it too, he also remembers it all. The only question is, is this my quilt, or Nash's?

Cruise Wear & Home Goods

2010-01-25T18:41:00.004-06:00

Mid-Winter blues have me thinking about upcoming months and how I miss making little dresses and little bloomers for the little girl.

Pantalooooons

Frontside...

And the backside.

Heather Ross fabric + rick rack = pure joy.

For my budding artist

2009-11-23T16:27:00.004-06:00

A portfolio. I bought a piece of story board and cut it in half, so now it measures 10x15. Perfect! It incorperates my new craze, colored duct tape, and a long time, inexplicable obsession, paint swatches. When he gets a little bigger he'll make his own. But for now I am so happy to have a special place for Nash's paintings and stampings and drawings. Though this project wasn't in the book, I have to say a lot of elements come from (again) Kid Made Modern. It's so inspiring. I feel like it would make a special gift, too.

Boons

2009-11-21T12:01:00.004-06:00

Thanks to Kid Made Modern, link to the right, I have all sorts of new projects I want to work on. I've taken a little break from obsessively sewing, and this book came at the perfect time for me. In trying to keep a "handmade home" it's been fun to make some new toys. Nash's interest in these spoons has not waned. I picked up the spoons for about 50 cents each at Michaels. I painted them, then did some detail work with black ink pen, then covered them in a triple thick sealant. They look glossy and pretty, but I'm not sure I don't like them better a little dull and rustic. I haven't coated two of them yet and I'm going to leave them and see how they wear. I made a Humpty Dumpty, a flower, a funny critter, and old man, and some funny faces. I'm thinking of doing groups of characters, like Little Red Riding Hood, Grandma, Woolf, etc. Kid Made Modern is the book I've been waiting for. Buy, buy, buy.

Baby Girl's First Birthday

2009-10-28T22:14:00.004-05:00

Elasti-girl

2009-10-01T09:10:00.005-05:00

We've been watching a lot of The Incredibles, so I've dubbed her Elastigirl in her new shirt. She really might be too, she always seems to reach things beyond her capabilities. (This Moda print reminds me of Pez, which, obviously, I love.) I originally bought this pattern off of Etsy in June, but it wasn't a good purchase. I just couldn't make sense of it! It wasn't until I bought Making Children's Clothes by Emma Hardy that I saw how simple this style is to make. Hardy's pattern is for a nightgown, so I adjusted it, and I've got a few variations in mind for follow-ups.

Little Booties

2009-09-30T15:58:00.007-05:00

You may think the matching pants and shoes are a bit overwhelming, but I'm liking it. Anyway, the shoes never stay on too long. Maybe they taste better than they look. The fabric is decorator weight Amy Butler, from Quilting Adventuresin Richmond, VA, which is an amazing store because they actually appreciate that there are things you can do with fabric other than make a quilt. There is a serious shortage of cool fabric stores in St. Louis, and I might be just a little bitter. The pants are straight from Lotta Jansdotter's pattern in Simple Sewing for Baby. The booties are from Making Children's Clothes, and took 4 times as long to make the shoes as it did the pants- funny how that happens. And the shoes only stay on for about 4 seconds! (Sorry guys, for some reason I can't get my links to appear, but the books are both listed in the right column with links.)

Recycled T Scarf

2009-09-30T11:10:00.007-05:00

I've mentioned how I love re-using old t-shirts. They're so soft, and free, and plentiful. Well, they used to be plentiful (sorry, Babe.) A month or two ago I was goofing around and cut a stencil, which I painted onto an old maternity t-shirt of mine. I picked it up a few weeks ago, and one thing led to another and before I knew it I was on a Natalie-Chanin-style roll. I layered three t-shirts, cut the shapes, pieced them together and hand stitched around the cuts. I also love the back of the scarf where it just looks like all hand stitching. This scarf is so soft and warm- ahhh... the touch... the feel of cotton....

Wrapped Up

2009-09-28T22:02:00.001-05:00

I've spent the last year envying women wrapped up in gorgeous quilts. Here, finally, I am wrapped in a quilt of my own creation.

Grandma's Journal

2009-09-10T10:57:00.006-05:00

Maybe sewing really is in my blood? My Mom gave me my Grandmother's sewing journal/workbook from the 1930's-40's, Paris. I just scanned in a few pages. Nothing photoshopped. The pages are really that yellowed. Her writing was really that beautiful. And the designs are gorgeous. All in French. 112 pages of blouses, chamises, coats, vests, ruffles, bows, collars, and on and on. Lessons all enumerated. I am kicking myself for not paying attention in French class in 8th grade. It's now a dream of mine to get to a point when I can design and sew like my Grandmother. But who taught her? I'm self taught. I've done fine by "winging it" but maybe it's time to think about a few lessons. I wish I could learn from her journal. You can click on the pictures to blow them up and look at the detail.

My first pillow

2009-09-08T20:36:00.004-05:00

Why oh why have I never made a pillow cover before? No problem. I have a ton of Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry decorator fabric that I ordered not realizing it was decorator weight. I am exciiiiited to use some of it. And change some Summer colors to something warmer and heavier. These are too easy and fun, I have a feeling this is only the beginning. By the way, the three I made today are envelope style, based on a pattern in Amy Karol's book Simple Sewing.

Cords

2009-09-08T09:11:00.004-05:00

Unstructured. Baggie. Cute. No?

Winter Warmer

2009-08-31T15:04:00.005-05:00

Cool days in St. Louis have me thinking about Fall and Winter. A quick run to Jo-Ann for some fleece, and I'm ready to sew. (There are also a handful of no-sew projects you can do with fleece for blankies and scarves, if you don't sew.) I've started a poncho-style cape, and here is a little hat, designed by Lotta Jansdotter:
This took a very resonable amount of time to make. Don't be surprised if we gift one in your direction.

I love sneak peaks

2009-08-27T14:33:00.003-05:00

Just a little teaser for Margot's first birthday party. With almost two months to go, I'm starting to put some ideas together. What kind of crafty mom/craft blogger would I be if I didn't go all out?

Moonpies are the best.

Catch up time! Still sewing every day...

2009-08-25T19:47:00.001-05:00

Catching up! Lots of catching up to do with my posting. One reason I've been waiting to post pictures is that I've been working on a lot of gifts lately. Nierman baby, Bursuker baby, McFarland baby, Penn baby, Howell baby, Arch-Andorsky baby, Ouk baby, and on and on. Seriously. Lots of babies. Which makes me super super happy! Now that they're out, here are some photos.
The Noa Nierman Mermaids:
This taggie has sewn tags instead of the normal ribbon. This is a very special baby, so it was definitely worth the effort! The mermaids are from the very talented Heather Ross, and the fabric is a super soft tight-woven cotton. There's flannel inside for some stability and weight, and the reverse it a sparkley linen, which makes me giddy.
And a bib to go along with the taggie. You'd almost miss it if you didn't look closely; I am super happy with Noa's little name stamped in the wave.

Bibs for Fischer Green Howell (what an amazing name!!)
Twins.
Baby Eve's nature taggie.

Some dolly friends.
And here's my neeeeeew fabric stash!!!!!!!!!

A Wee Quilt

2009-07-28T13:47:00.001-05:00

Cookie Monster's a got a special place in this house. He is Nash's baby. For whatever reason, when Nash saw new little baby Margot getting swaddled, Nash went straight to Cookie Monster. He's been swaddled, given pacifiers and taken on many a stroller ride by Nash. I'm not sure why it took me so long, but finally, finally, Cookie has his own blanket.

I couldn't be happier that Cookie Monster likes vintage-inspired fabric. I've been eyeing these fabrics for months and could resist no longer. They remind me of men's neck-ties, but they also remind me of a dress I would pay way too much for from Anthropologie.
Also, I'm proud to finally blog about using recycled fabric: t-shirts! I'm no pioneer, but have recently started using old t-shirts in my projects. I haven't gone as far as to shop for them (I've never been much of a thrift store shopper) but am so happy to have a small collection of my Dad's, my husband's and my own to use. They are so soft and wonderful and so many get thrown away. Why?? So I'm happy to find uses for wonderful cotton, do some recycling, add a personal touch to my projects. I think it makes it that much more special that the backing on Cookie's blanket comes from a t-shirt once worn by Nash and Margot's Grandpa. I think Cookie likes how soft it is too.

Soft Book

2009-07-14T11:52:00.001-05:00

Making this little book was a fun project I will definitely do again. I was really excited to put it all together, so I didn't do as much decoration/activity work as I should have. I did make a pouch with a rattle in it (which she loves to play with) and there's a crunchy flap, and some bows her to feel and of course put in her mouth. She likes it! Each set of pages is 1/2 inch smaller so they fit together nicely when folded up. Overall, I'm happy.

Sweet Satisfying Uniformity

2009-07-11T19:30:00.001-05:00

I made two bibs for Margot and thought, why stop there? Aside from the one Mom knitted her, and a few we received as gifts, Margot's been wearing Nash's yucky stained boy bibs. There isn't a good reason I can think of that I shouldn't take a few days and make her some sweet little bibs and use some of the cool buttons I've collected. So here are 6 new ones.There really is something so satisfying about having a stacks of something in the same shape and size. I'm up to 9, and have 3 more before I'm done. Hope everyone's having a great weekend.

Stamping

2009-07-06T09:02:00.002-05:00

As an intro to stamping, here is a scene from our breakfast table this morning.
Smoothies, coloring, and fabric stamping. Rubber stamps are amazing. I'm trying to distract myself from wanting an embroidery machine, so I'm using alphabet stamps and fabric ink. Yes, it can be washed! I love typewriter font and use it in almost everything.
Here's a ribbon I made this morning, which will get sewn onto something.
I think Nash will probably be the recipient of some stamping today too.

Printing

2009-07-05T14:19:00.001-05:00

I posted picture of a fabric print I did at the bottom of my last post and on Facebook, and have gotten a few questions about it. So I thought I would attempt a run-down at my favorite methods of printing in a series of blogs. I just did a quick silk-screening project (also called screen-printing, because silk is rarely used in the screens anymore), so I'll blog about that today.
The manufacturer of most every tool I have for screen printing and block printing is called Speedball. They make a starter kit which I think might be about $50 or $60 with a screen and squeegee and a few types of acrylic ink for paper and fabric. It's a good value and makes it all very convenient. Ray got me the kit for our first anniversary and I was sooooo excited, but it still took me over a year to do anything with it because I was really intimidated and thought it was complicated. It's not! I'll simplify it as much as I can.
The basic concept is to pull ink through a screen which allows ink to flow through, except in areas which are otherwise blocked off. So if you cut a 4x4 inch square out of a piece of paper and laid it down under a screen and pulled ink through the screen, there would be ink everywhere except where the square is. So you need a stencil. So get yourself a 8.5x11 piece of paper and a cutting mat and an exacto knife and cut something out. Let's say a sunburst, since that's what I did today. I used a transparency so I can re-use it (the ink will soak your paper and so it's not re-useable.) Here is my sunburst stencil:
You can trace an image or create your own. I drew something I liked then laid my transparency on top and traced it with a sharpie, then cut it out. Don't forget to think about positive and negative space! The holes you cut out are where you'll get ink on your shirt.
To set up your printing, you need a pretty good work space. I'm lucky enough to have this old tool bench in our basement as my permanent set-up. Paper towels, tape, ink, plastic cups and spoons for mixing, a screen and squeegee, a bag for trash, and you're all set. It's also good to do your printing on top of a soft surface so you can apply pressure as you're pulling your squeegee down your screen and the screen can give a little. I have 2 layers of felt on the countertop, covered with newsprint. Give yourself at least an hour to do your first print and get a feel for set-up, printing and clean up. You can use color right out of the pot, but usually I add some white and a tiny bit of black for more depth. I also added a little yellow to my blue to mellow it.
So tape up the sides of the screen so that no paint can get into the edges of the wood and so that there is no open space for ink to flow through, other than where you've cut out.
Here's the screen ready to go. The stencil is underneath the screen next to my fabric. Scoop some ink across the top of the screen and hold your squeegee at an angle toward you and pull the ink down toward you across the screen. You'll want to do one or two test runs on a scrap piece. I have a piece of muslin I use to test everything. It's fun to look at things I've done in the past!
Yes, that's a Streetcar and a red bean! It takes a few runs across the screen to bring the ink all the way through the stencil. But it only takes one time dragging the squeegee across the screen for the stencil to stick to the screen. So you won't need to reposition your stencil every time you lift the screen. Since I rarely do many multiples I don't worry too much about "flooding the screen" but if you're doing a bunch of prints, you should learn more about this. I think it's basically putting some ink on your screen to keep it wet between prints. Once I'm done I always hurry to wash the screen off so I can reuse it. I've don't at least a dozen prints using this screen and hope it'll last me awhile longer. Here's the outcome of today's project. I'm thinking about adding another color and image on top of it, but don't know what that'll be yet.

I hope this is helpful! Screen printing is definitely not the simplest printing to do, but it does give nice crisp images and you can do a nice run of a lot of images in one session. But it's difficult to use a large piece of fabric. I hope you have enjoyed this and it's clear enough for you to follow. I'd like so answer any questions or see pictures of projects you try.
Also, I recommend anyone who is interested and doesn't know where to begin to buy Lena Corwin's book Printing By Hand. It is completely amazing. I will blog next about block printing, which is a super-easy fun project to do.

New books, new projects!

2009-06-29T19:32:00.003-05:00

Happy Monday! I've been having sooo much fun reading my new books by amazing designers. Simple Sewing for Baby by Lotta Jansdotter, Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross and Alabama Stitch Book by Natalie Chanin. They are inspiring, have projects that are practical and not horribly time consuming, and I am learning some new techniques. I can't remember the last time I bought books with patterns and projects with such good instructions. I am so happy with them!
So far I have made one dress from Ross's book and a bib using a pattern from Jansdotter's book. Here's Margot's dress, the Smocked Sundress from a Heather Ross patter. (Thanks to Mom for buying this awesome fabric from G Street Fabrics in Bethesda! FLOWER POWER!) I've never done smocking before, and am amazed at how easy it was. This instructions said to measure an inch below the knee and hem it there, but as I was trying it on Margot for width I knew I wanted to keep it long and flowing for my little flower child. Started it yesterday, finished it today. Maybe only two hours or so to make!

And here is the design by Lotta Jansdotter for a bib. I wanted to do something a little different what she instructed, but I liked the shape she provided. She had one piece of fabric hemmed with a pocket. I like a poofier look so I used some fusible fleece between two pieces, and skipped the pocket. (Who wants to go fishing old food out of a pocket?)
This is also fabric Mom picked up for us at G Street! The reverse side of this bib coordinates and it really just as pretty as the front. Oh, also, I think it's a little huge. I think I'll trim the pattern down a little.

I am really in love with this house button.

I was also inspired by Lotta to do some printing this weekend. I used easycarve blocks and went to work Sunday morning. But Sunday afternoon this is what I had:
Ray likes it. That makes me happy.

Summer dresses

2009-06-07T12:29:00.002-05:00

They just make me happy. And I keep finding little things to do to change to pattern or embellish them, so I'm still having fun.

Matchy matchy

2009-06-07T12:27:00.002-05:00

Maybe a little over the top. But pretty darn adorable.

Love for the rick rick

2009-05-29T19:07:00.002-05:00

Oh it's been so long since I've had time to work on any sewing projects! Was so happy to put the little one in her little dress and matching hairclips. I will not be a good etsy seller. I just want to keep everything I make for Margot!

Tow-maters

2009-05-07T09:30:00.000-05:00

If you're wondering what I'm having for dinner, this is it. I'll be a little sad to cut into them.

Decorating

2009-05-04T10:06:00.001-05:00

I've been inspired by a friends blog to post more decorating pictures.
Chandalier. Stock. Hated it when we moved in, it was covered with fake dusty grapevines. Ewwwwww. But new black shades help a little. And the Mardi Gras beads we put up for the Crawfish Boil help too... the might stay up. But I'm dying to take the whole chandalier down, chain and all, and spraypaint it red!
Throw up a few plates from Anthropology, and a lovely little etagere, and you've got yourself a corner. Still working on getting the basketry right. The trick is to stock the shelves with non-breakable, baby friendly and pretty all in one. So baskets filled with table linens and napkins it is. For now. It's coming along.
And here's the newest decor in the dining room. The artist on either side of the miror is Martin Laborde. He's based in New Orleans and the character he paints is Bodo. He's been my favorite since 1996. Well, and of course the Blue Dog has a special place in my heart too. On the sideboard is a terrarium made for me by my wonderful husband (with a Dunny in it), a New Orleans snowglobe and some party blowers in a hurricane glass.

Moving on to the library. How I love symmetry!! This miror was my Grandparents, though my Grandma has no memory of it. My Dad rescued it from their house in the Catskills! It's a good score. I made the curtains. The pattern is old architecture! Hopefully within the next few weekends we'll make some cornices.
And this is my beloved bookshelf, flanked on either side by Jazz Fest posters. The Professor chair little leather table (from West Elm) is great comfy nook for blogging.

And also in the library, my favorite antique bench, and more Jazz Fest posters. Hopefully this is where a piano will go someday!

And because I like him so much, here's our terracotta warrior in the foyer.

What I've been up to

2009-04-29T20:58:00.003-05:00

Nap times have gotten shorter in the past few weeks, so I'm just not getting as much time to play as I was. Booo. But here's a zig zag quilt I started based on Anna Maria Horner's design but with Amy Butler fabric. I love the blue and orangey-pink. And the Missoni-esque design.

I also made this super cute peachy pinnie. I am kind of obsessed with rick-rack. It's going on everything. As you can see on the rest of my wall of unfinished business.
And here's a little house project Ray and I put together. Fleur de lis makes me happy. But it's probably time to cool it! I love my house, but it's not old and I love the character of old houses. This makes me love our house a little more.

Weekend Quiz

2009-04-26T08:20:00.001-05:00

What am I?

Let's Play!

2009-04-22T13:32:00.002-05:00

I brought the best little treasure back from VA! It's a coverlet that my Grandma sewed for mom's crib blanky. I LOVE IT. Look at that fabric!

So of course I was sooo happy to run across something similar this week and snatched it up for a dress!

The fabric for the next dress (which I put together last night) does not look like something I would pick! I obviously love vintage/retro designs and also flowery, girly and modern geometric designs. You may want to avert your eyes if you are offended by childish, bright over-worked patterns! Still, there's something about it I really like...

There's ruffle on the back too... tah dah!

I think I'll be spending a lot of time in the accessory aisle pretty soon. I am newly obsessed with this ruffle. Mmmmm ruffles.
These are based on a McCall's pattern that I have no idea when I bought. I usually wait until they go on sale for $1 each and find one thing I like in the book, then run through the drawer and pick out 10 things that look like they might get used. As far as I'm concerned, patterns are good for ideas and nothing else. Anyway, I'm happy to do things my own way.
Next up, some denim bloomers to go under the play smocks.
And coming up before too long... a Sucre & Spice store on Etsy! (I'm giving in to the pressure.)

Crawfish

2009-04-20T16:59:00.002-05:00

This weekend was our 4th annual crawfish boil, and I had lots of things to prepare for it. I was upset and delighted at the same time that I was unable to find any cool invitations to a crawfish boil online. What? So, of course, I made some. I do love to silkscreen.

Then there was Margot's outfit to consider. I thought a good Southern Girl (which she unquestionably is, though she was born in St. Louis) would wear her finest seersucker. So here's what Margot wore:

Then there were the bibs, since friends from Nashville said they would only come if they could wear matching lobster bibs. So not only did they have the matching bibs, they had matching monogrammed bibs.

What's next on my list? Hmmm I think I'll finish a few little projects. It's sew rewarding to sew the last two buttons or last seam on a project that's been sitting for weeks or longer! Sometimes I save those up so I can feel productive :)

Snacks in felt

2009-04-02T16:18:00.001-05:00

I kind of forgot about these little snacks I made for Nash, but found them this afternoon when I was folding up the packnplay to take on vacation. Look which bowl he likes better! Hmmm maybe I'll make him some felt broccoli....

Obsession of the week

2009-04-02T14:26:00.001-05:00

Is applique. Fun!

I picked up a few little t's at Babies R Us and thought up some designs, cut 'em out, and voila! I started simple and am getting a little more detailed now. This one is my favorite, I think it's a keeper for little Margot. I love purple and red together.

Playing

2009-04-01T06:46:00.002-05:00

I was waiting to sew anything until I got the new machine I've spent the last two months searching for, and then my mother in law was in town for a week, so I'm a little behind on my posts. But here are some projects I've been working on and me with my new Elna.
I'm trying to sew more with less patterns, so we'll see how that works out. Also, I've started cutting triangles to make Anna Maria Horner's Folk Dance quilt

I'm headed to Virginia tomorrow night (yipee!) so today will be packing up projects and getting ready to go!

Baby bloomers

2009-03-20T13:38:00.002-05:00

I made these from the pattern in Amy Butler's book Little Stitches For Little Ones. They are so cute, but that's really not the point, since they don't fit AT ALL. (This is a great picture because you can't tell.) Ray cracked up laughing when he saw them and asked if they're baby low-riders. What did I do wrong?? I can't imagine that there's something wrong with the pattern, so I need to figure out what's wrong with me.

Mae doll and Margot

2009-03-18T17:52:00.002-05:00

Marji bought this pattern off of Etsy www.bitofwhimsydolls.com for the Mae doll and shared it with me. Margot Mae, as Mae has been renamed, was born last night. Finished her off this afternoon. I can't decide if she'll have a face or not, I've always liked the faceless Amish dollies, so Margot Mae may remain faceless (not without personality though, don't be mistaken.) I lovw the Amy Butler print I used for Margot Mae's skirt, so I decided to make Margot a matching Pinnie.

I'm not sure if I've ever had more fun making something so quickly.

Ready For The Beach

2009-03-03T07:43:00.001-06:00

Here's one little beach ball. Of course there's another one in the works.

Sunday Afternoon

2009-03-01T17:30:00.001-06:00

Amazing looking blood oranges from Straub's.

Today was a nice lazy day, a little shopping, a little getting ready for the week and our trip to New Orleans next weekend. We went to look at new sewing machines at The Quilted Fox http://www.quiltedfox.com which is a gorgeous store in Frontenac I've never been to before. Then to Straub's to get ready for our Al Fresco style Sunday night dining experience.

Margot has a little cold and is teething, and her goofy big brother is finally feeling better.

Working on a little patchwork beach ball I'll probably post tomorrow. Also bought Amy Butler's book. Can't wait to get started.

Sucre to the sweet

2009-02-28T17:09:00.001-06:00

I couldn't resist these colorful old school tootsie roll banks from Schnuck's. Don't they fit right in with Nash's toys?

The project of the day though was to handcut the sugar cookies. Why are there no cool cookie cutters out there? Hello fat Mr. Squirrel, hello birdie and flower. You're almost too pretty to eat.

Dollhouses, totes and fuzzy wuzzies

2009-02-26T20:24:00.001-06:00

I think this wraps up the blogging on dollhouses. It's about time I finish them, and I have enough to last us a lifetime. I tried a few different things here. I like the idea of using one fabric on the outside, with the nice bright red inside, like a little present when you open it up. There isn't anything to show the scale of it, but the purple dollhouse is about 3 times the size of any of the others. It's the mack-daddy dollhouse. Enough about dollhouses, they've had their 5 minutes of fame in my book :)

Here's an art blanket I started awhile back and took out again recently to look at. I didn't use a walking foot while sewing it, so it got a little bunchy. But I love the idea of free-handing a quilt. I'd like to go back and add more detail... maybe a zipper. I am getting ready to add a border. Will share the progress, if it ever happens. By the way, this quilt depicts the iconic Louis Vuitton Speedy bag.

Here are the little guys who keep me company while I sew. Hi Blue Doggies!! Hi Blue Hippo!!! See you soon!

All my friends are pregnant

2009-02-25T15:10:00.001-06:00

I'm only lying a little bit. Most of my friends are pregnant. Which I love! Babies babies babies means sewing sewing sewing. My very favorite things to make are things for little ones. And I think it's so much fun to get new things for a new baby, even if it's not your first baby and you really have everything you need. So I've decided I need to stockpile, and made a trip out last night to the quilting store and the fabric store for, um, a few, ahem, new things.

I really do better with the creativity and putting things together when I don't have to run out and find what I think I want. Yay for a new supply!

I finished up a little quilt I have been thinking about for awhile. It's very simple and Springy. I think I'm about to get into linen. It's so simple and beautiful. I like things to either be starched and perfect, or purposefully wrinkled. This is backed with a tan linen and lightly quilted with yarn pulled through and knotted.

Made another quick blanky with sleeping owls at night and a blue sky on the other side.

Then with the little bit of fabric I had left over from that I made a sweet little burp cloth. This is something that's really easy to do and looks much nice than the cheapy Carter's ones! I made a few others too, while I was at it.

And that's about it for the last few days. I have some other dollhouses and pinnies I'll post ASAP.

Three cheers for adorable clothes!

2009-02-08T13:39:00.002-06:00

Am I into the Pinnies? Yes I AM! They're just so sweet! I've been sewing for a few years, have made countless blankies, quilts, aprons, burp cloths, etc. But I've only attempted clothing once, and I didn't like the way it turned out. So here I am! Ready to walk down the clothing road again. I altered the pattern I bought to decrease the width of the straps and the bodice, and I tried a few other things too. Here are pictures of my two favorites:

You'll notice that neither of these is reversible, even though the pattern I bought is made to reverse. I kept choosing coordinating fabrics and I decided I didn't want to hide one of them. So I was using muslin as a backing. But I'm about to go put together another one while the kids sleep and make it mixy matchy. So stay tuned!

Pinafore!

2009-02-03T16:23:00.002-06:00

I have been obsessed with pinafores since I first saw them. Finally last night I ordered two patterns off Etsy and of course this afternoon I went ahead and made one while the little ones were asleep. It didn't take long, honest! Here's the link to the pattern: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5307201
Money well spent. Here are the results modeled by my favorite baby girl.

This pattern is for a baby 12-18 months and Margot is almost 4 months. It is big. But I think it'll work for this Summer without adjusting the size. But also, I don't think it would be that hard to trim some off of the pattern to size it for her.
I did one side patterened and the other plain pink. I should have used a thicker material for the plain fabric.
I am excited to get my other pattern too, I think it's coming in the mail. The nice thing about this one is that it's reversible and simple. The nice thing about the one that's coming is the cute buttons on the front straps. Can't wait!

More dollhouses!

2009-01-23T17:33:00.001-06:00

Attempt #2. I definitely like the inside better with two different patterns. It's not that much harder to do and looks so much better than this!

I like the idea of using rounder shapes on these square little houses. Using felt here to decorate the outside. I'm thinking of doing a window with a candle in it. And maybe a fireplace inside. I like the way the contrast stitching looks, I also used a light neutral color when I sewed up the sides.

Nash seems to dig his new farmhouse!

OK maybe I've gone a little bit over-the-top. But I'm not in love with UK Lass's instructions, so I keep trying different things to make it better. So here are some ideas to improve on the original tutorial (I think). I hated using the hair bands! I just sewed little loops to go around the buttons and they were easy to make and look loads better. Now I'm wishing I made the top half of the side piece (the house-shaped piece) in the same material as the roof. Also, I think using one handle will work as long as there's also a button on top looping the sides together. But I do think that the handle does a lot for the cute factor. I tried making one with a thin batting (the blue one), thinking that it would look neater, but I don't like the way it turned out either. The batting also does a lot for the cute factor. That's it for now, still working on decoration!

Dollhouse

2009-01-21T08:43:00.002-06:00

I should really wait until I've finished a project to blog about it, but since I'm still in the figuring out stage with the dollhouse, hopefully this will help me too. Mom sent me a link to http://uklassinus.blogspot.com/2008/08/fabric-dollhouse-tutorial.html which is a tutorial on how to make dollhouses! I think it's a great starting point, but goes in to very little detail.
Some thoughts on adjusting UK Lass's instructions:
Use corrugated cardboard instead of mesh. Wrap the batting around the cardboard only once, so that ends meet and be sure it's smooth. I want to come up with some new dimensions for cutting fabric for a different color roof, but kind of winged it my first time around. I'll get them up here. Anyway, here are the results of my first attempt at a dollhouse. (I'm not happy with the elastic, and haven't sewn on buttons or decorated yet... so don't be too judgemental!)

New painted project

2009-01-20T08:27:00.001-06:00

Our upstairs hallway! Always wanted to try this, think it turned out pretty well.

Painting Projects

2008-12-31T09:13:00.002-06:00

I wanted to make the baby girl's room something she could grow into, not overly cutesy. I attribute my love of the fleur de lis to two things: I spent a few years living in the wonderful Frenchy city of New Orleans, and my Parisian Grandmother. Two things that I hope might be as much a part of her life as they are mine. I used a very faint pink and added the fleur-de-lis border. When Margot's crib arrived with stars on the headboard, I decided to integrate the stars into the room design too.

I first saw painted on bookshelves in an Anthropologie catalog a few years ago and knew I had to have some. Here they are in my first room devoted to crafting! There aren't any windows in the room (like a Las Vegas Casino, I could stay up all night in there) so I kept the color sunny, but wanted the shelves to look like a shadow, so I used gray. I ended up recycling the color in the laundry room... and the fleur-de-lis stamp I used in Margot's room!

There's nothing like a new house and a new baby coming to inspire creativity. I just around from craft to craft and love to hunt around at Borders to find a book to inspire me. The ghostly trees in our front hallway (project finished daaays before Margot was born) was actually a stencil by Lena Corwin. Though we love the way it turned out, now that I've done more stenciling and printing, I wish I'd redesigned it a little to make it my own.

I love the way this looks when the sun is going down and is coming through the front door.

Ooooooohhhhh...ahhhhhhhhhhh.

I wanted to be very precise with the stamp placement in the laundry room, and this is turning out well so far. It's not finished yet. But the $1.99 investment in the stamp was a good one. I love this way this stamp looks, painted lightly so it looks antiqued.