This week in crafting land..

Not only was I busy cooking, but I wanted to keep on spicing the house up.  The living room/dining room area is especially lacking in the decor department.  Here's what I did!

I found this DIY for yarn covered wine bottle vases and decided to give it a go.  I always knew there was something I could do with wine bottles but never had the inspiration--until I found someone else's idea!

Another DIY that I found was how to tint your own mason jars--because buying them is expensive!  I got some globbed mod podge at the bottom, but when they're filled with flowers or stones, you can't tell.

And finally, for the new table I pulled a few ideas in.  I've seen tons of people using cake stands to use as a centerpiece but those are expensive.  I just took one of my plates and hot glued a candle holder to the bottom.  It worked out pretty well!  And you can see one of my homemade tinted jars is on the table, too.


I linked up to Not Just a Housewife's link party

Simple Joys

I created this card to send off to a set of grandparents on Erik's side of the family.  We received a card from them last week and thought they might enjoy a return card.  I'm also trying to send out more cards and letters, so I rotate around to who gets a little "thinking of you" card or note.  

I love this stamp.  The saying pretty much sums up how I'm attempting to live life.  Here is one simple joy.

I made a zucchini and goat cheese frittata from a recipe in Sophie Dahl's book and we also enjoyed a little fruit salad made up of pears and strawberries.  Of course, a full french press of coffee was in attendance.

In my haste to get moving on the food before it got too cold, the photos got a little hazy, but I still love the look.  How can one deny the beautiful simplicity of this meal?  I truly enjoyed it.

Our bathroom has needed a little love.  The guest bathroom is great, mostly because it doesn't need a whole lot except some soap.  Everything is just decoration.  But the master bathroom.... we've got the washer and dryer in there which already doesn't look good and all our daily hygiene stuff on the counter so trying to make it look pretty is rough.

I was reading Miss Indie this morning and she showed an awesome way of organizing your bathroom stuff with cake stands and it got me thinking...

I've had these cake stands since our wedding, because I had my sister help me out with making it.  It was a great idea, but now I've had these stands hanging around with nothing to do.  So I covered the inside circles with scrapbooking paper I picked up about a year ago (remember that papering everything stage?), hot glued a thrift store brandy glass between to the two layers, lined it with wedding cake lace and voila! Pretty solution to a clutter problem.

I'm considering a third layer, since I've got one more cake stand left.  Any thoughts on the final result?  

Best of the best//2

This week has been wonderful.  Here are the highlights:

(left to right, top to bottom)

1.  I got a new, fun cookbook!  I had heard about Sophie Dahl's other book at decor8 so I looked into it and decided I might like this one better.  I thought about it.....and thought about it.... and finally just got it.  It's so good so far!

2.  I got into making some more fabric rosettes :).

3.  Drinking tea is something I'm trying to do instead of so much coffee.  Isn't this little set pretty?  Erik found the pot at a thrift store and I picked the sugar and cream containers for free!

4.  Tomatoes are everywhere.  But I'm beginning to think something is wrong with my plant because a lot of the leaves are dying and it looks a little wilty.  I have experimented with watering and sunlight, but I think it might be something more.  Any ideas?

5 and 6.  I think I already shared my painting party I had with you, but I still wanted to make it on here.  It was one of the best parts of the week.

7.  New nail polish colors!  I sell Avon now, to pick up some extra money, so I found some awesome colors!  So far, so very very good.  I tried the pink one at the beginning of the week and it's still on.

8.  Baked zucchini was probably the best recipe I made up this week.  The tomatoes are from the garden and the mango--that was just delicious.

9.  Last Saturday, we hiked up Wa'ahila Ridge.  It was a little more "climbing" than I had expected but it was beautiful and fun!

Have a happy weekend!

More Entryway Projects

This week has been full of projects and it's been awesome.  Whether it's finishing up school projects (which are now done!) or household projects,  I've been busy doing one thing or another.

Here is my most favorite of the week.  I found my inspiration on Pinterest several months ago and thought it was such a neat idea.  Mine isn't an exact replica, but I took the idea and ran with it.

I had so many scratched up CD's around the apartment that I've just been dragging from one place to the next, attempting to find a use for them.  Once something has expired from it's original use, I try to find a new one.  The fabric was left over from when my sister and I made bunting flags for my wedding.  As a side note--don't put that project off if you ever decide you must have bunting flags at your wedding. 

Another project I worked on this week was a wreath for the inside of the front door.  Using scrap fabric and some yarn I purchase over the winter, I think it goes well in this space.  I remembered having seen something use newspapers and weekly ads to create the base for a wreath, but I cannot seem to find the original tutorial.  So I just kind of made it up as I went along.  It's slightly lopsided, but I chose to leave it that way as I think it gives a nice "imperfect" look.

So that's the kind of thing I've been doing lately.  What about yourself?

Painting party

For me, I tend to spend my Monday's catching up on whatever was neglected over the weekend.  However, this Monday, I painted.  A whole heck of a lot.

This isn't even all of what I was painting yesterday, but it gives you the idea.  That stand and the drawer are what the TV sits on, the crate--that's for something in the office that I'll show later.  

Remember that little thing I pulled out of the dumpster?  I haven't quite fixed it, but I at least painted it.  So far, I works out very well even if it is missing two legs (who needs them anyway?).

So that's the extent of my entryway furniture.  I have more plans for the walls, but this is the only thing that will be sitting on the floor.  There just isn't enough space.

Best of the best #1

A lot of bloggers like to sum up their weeks, posting pictures or links or just writing about the random little bits that wouldn't make up an entire post on their own but work well together.  I've been calling these posts a "Week in Review" but I don't like that very much for whatever reason.  So I'm changing it, because that's what you do when you don't like something and you can do something about it.

Welcome to "Best of the Best"

I don't necessarily like that 100% either, but I'll keep thinking on it.

If you'll remember last week's "Week in Review" I was looking for suggestions to create a better looking collage.  I found FotoFlexor, and it did exactly what I wanted it to.  Yay!

1. Last Saturday, Erik and I went to the mall to look around a bit and we found a froyo place.  Mmm.  I hadn't been to one since leaving our little town in Idaho and kind of missed it.

2. Look at this adorable beer!  I almost bought it for the bottle.

3. Sunday was our six months of marriage-- "semiversary" --so we pulled out a little cheese, chocolate, crackers, wine, etc. 

4.  So I pulled this thing out of the dumpster the other day.  I simply could not leave it behind when I was throwing out my trash.  It definitely needs some work, but I think it would make a really good shelf for the entryway.

5. I'm back at pretty labeling everything I own again.  This jar in particular is now holding laundry detergent.  For those of you who don't know, I went through a phase of relabeling everything I could with pretty paper.  

6. My last big project for the personal finance and management class I took this semester was creating a filing system for all your financial and personal documents.  I think everyone should take a personal finance class because the information is so useful.   

7. Chobani was on sale at the grocery store this week.  It's another little thing that I haven't had since before we moved (mostly due to cost) so I picked one up for a treat.  I never had the pomegranate flavor before and it was delightful!

8. I'm in love with iced tea and this glassware.  We picked up the liter bottle at the thrift store right after we moved, just because it looked so awesome and could work for a lot of things.  The glasses were also thrift store finds but from years ago.  I just realized this week how adorable they are.

9. You've seen this grocery bag already, but I cannot tell you how excited I am to have it.  I use it all the time.

I hope you have such a delightful weekend!

Storage eccentricities

As I start putting the office together, I'm trying to find creative ways to make things look just right.  Part of that is storage space.  You know, that thing that always seems to be lacking in an apartment and you can't really do anything about it since you don't own the place?

One thing I've always had a hard time finding a good solution for is my yarn.  Of all the silly things, you may say yourself.  Put it in a basket or a box!  But for some darn reason, that's never been good enough.

I ended up with this cute little birdcage as we were gathering things up for the wedding (it was for cards).  When I was looking at it yesterday, I spotted my pile of yarn and thought to myself "hmmm...."  This is the end result.

You may have noticed that things I've been featuring have our wedding in there some way or another.  One of the big things I found to be important was being able to use all the stuff later.  I will attest that even the bridesmaids dresses have been reused.  Our "theme" (if we really even had one) utilized a lot of colors and elements that I loved so much I would be happy seeing them in my own home. It's been pretty neat because here and there throughout the whole apartment, I've got stuff either from the ceremony or the reception (like the millions of bunches of lavender).  So as I continue to get our apartment situated and show you pictures of the endeavor, bear with me as I mention some way "this particular thing" ended up at our wedding.

It's going to be a good one

(A little weekend-to-the-beach photo)

It's Monday already?  How did that happen?  It seems that with Erik and I getting into our groove of things, time just flies by and it's April!

This week should be full of lots of excitement.  We're going to have our very first visitors!  My grandparents had already planned a trip to the islands before Erik got this job so it worked out that we would be here to visit with them during their vacation.  I'm actually going to do some of the touristy parts of the island, which neither one of us has done.  I haven't even been to Waikiki beach!  A friend of mine is also coming for the weekend, so we have not one but TWO sets of  visitors.  Yay!

There are actual dates for the arrival of our things.  Not just "oh, it might get on a container this day, we'll see."  Nope, an actual "it will be there between the 3rd and 10th."  Hooray!  The task of unpacking seems like a small thing in replacement for my sewing machine, kitchen aid, etc. 

I headed to Lowes yesterday for some paint.  That's right--time to get to work redoing some of the used furniture we picked up over the last month.  I wanted to get it done before everything else arrives, but we'll see.  The light gray I chose for my work desk has me very excited.

Clearly it's going to be an exciting week!  What do you have planned?

Happy Monday!

This post is a part of 

Miscellany Monday Blog Hop

More mason jars

I know I've mentioned my obsession with keeping glass jars from absolutely everything around.  I go through lots of pickles, so we end up with tons of pickle jars.  When we moved, it was really sad to have to sort through them and keep only the best looking ones.  The rest landed in the recycling center for some other use.  I was slightly heartbroken.

I realized after that experience that I need to find more uses for my jars so I don't feel like they are just taking up much needed cupboard space (which is lacking in our apartment).  I went searching for some projects that would utilize jars and fabric scraps, when this one from FellowFellow really caught my eye.

               FellowFellow

While the original project is for votives, I was thinking to use them to hold pens, flowers, etc.  Anything to get more color and prettiness into this house, while using up scraps of fabric and all my random jars.

               FellowFellow

I'll still make some for votives, though.  They're too beautiful not to.

 

Lamp shades for any room

We discovered that our bedrooms don't have any light fixtures.  Totally weird and something we didn't even think to look at before we took the place.

But no worries!  I'm purchasing basic lamps and lampshades and turning it into a little project :).  Only, how should I redo these little shades?

  I found this DIY tutorial for making cute doily lampshades.

                   Curbside Style

This is one of my favorites!

                   Young Wifey

And I just love the simplicity of this one.  The basic ribbon detail adds a little elegance.  Although I'm not so sure about the base.

                        Alicia B. Designs

I may end up making one of each and theme each of the rooms a little differently.  Because I simply cannot pick one that I like best.

Any ideas?

For all those fabric scraps...

Because I love finding beautiful fabric to use for many of the various projects I end up doing, I also end up with a lot of little bits.  Those odds and ends are difficult to find good uses for but if you're anything like me, you won't throw any of them away.

On the hunt for something to use those pretty pieces for, I found this gorgeous bit of inspiration!  Anj at Snowy Bliss offers a tutorial on how to make long stemmed fabric roses, complete with several gorgeous photos to gawk at. 

Finally, something to do with all those extras. I can't wait to get settled from our move so I can make some!

Happy Friday!  



 

Repurposing mason

I am obsessed with saving glass jars.

And my husband absolutely cannot stand it.  The most recent jars I added to the collection I had to rescue out of the trash bin because they had ickies inside.  "But I can USE it!" is usually my reply to whatever else might be said about the poor jar.  Sanitized and happy, it gets stashed away in the cupboard set aside specially for my finds.

I'm often told that my hoarding is reminiscent of my great grandma, whom we lived with for several years when I was a child.  A woman of the Great Depression, she saved e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.  At seven years old, it seemed strange to save yogurt containers, clothespins and pieces of wrapping paper.  But now at a point in my life when I want to learn to reuse, repurpose and recycle, returning to the habits my great grandma developed doesn't seem odd at all.  In fact, it's smart.

Those pickle jars are now filled with other goods, such as nuts, granola and coffee.  The bathrooms are becoming more organized, tossing bobby pins and cotton swabs into their topless glass homes.  I even scavenged for more during trips to the recycling center, to be used at our wedding.  And I love it.

What things are you known for obsessively repurposing?

Weekend Wedding Projects

Here it is, Friday already.  And exactly six weeks until the wedding!  My family is staying for the weekend and helping get some decorations and other things put together.  I'm previewing some projects we'll be working on.

  I received the flowers for the bouquets/boutonnieres so we'll get those done.  It will look somewhat like this, but with a lot of greenery.

Then these pom-pom vines.  I've been dying to have these for my wedding ever since I saw them almost a year ago.  I've made a little one just to see how it would turn out and it did well!  

And of course, some bunting flags.  I've seen this trend recently and simply could not get away without having some at my own wedding.  

Basically, my wedding theme is outdoor rustic color and fun.  I've been nervous about pulling it all together but I've got the big picture in my brain.  Hopefully it works out that way!    

Blue is the new black

Finally, I am completely out of the old apartment.

12 days later.

So now it's on to getting a place for everything in this new space.  And trying to paint everything blue and white.

I'm interested in making some paper garlands for some spaces on the walls, like in the entryway along the arch.  Here are a few I've found for some inspiration.

This delightful garland from Creature Comforts is fantastic and would match the color scheme of my decor ideas.  And I have so much newspaper lying around (and books I can tear up from the recycling center) that it would be a cinch to create without wasting.

And then there is this one from Pam Garrison using coffee filters in various colors.  I love the floaty-ness.  And if I changed that little dash of pink to a blue that matches my paint, it would be perfect.  So pretty.  Not to mention all those coffee filters I have in my cupboard that no longer get used since I'm a French Press coffee drinker now.

And finally, what to do with all those elements that simply do not match what I want?  I don't want to just toss them, but we've collected all these random items for the walls.  I can always re-paint things like candle holders and the black furniture, but paintings and posters aren't so easily changed.  Hmm.  Decisions, decisions..

Decoupage it all!

As I mentioned yesterday, school is becoming rather hectic.  But not so busy that I won't include some decoupage into my day!  I decided to add pretty vintage labels from The Graphics Fairy to every single body and face care product I have on my bathroom counter--including the Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes!

It's probably the girliest looking bathroom I have ever had, but I adore it.

On top of that, I made a whole bunch of headbands!  The one below is my absolute favorite.  You can see the rest on my Etsy shop

And last, but not least, laundry detergent!  We've been running out of our current laundry soap so I decided it was time to make a batch myself instead of purchasing some from the co-op.  In comparison to the $10-$15 I spend on pre-made detergent, I spent roughly $1-$2 on 4 gallons which should last us several months.  I remember my family making it a lot when I was growing up, and funny enough it's the same recipe the Duggar Family uses.  Here is the recipe!

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and allow to cool.

I suggest you add 15-20 drops of essential oil to your detergent if you want a fragrance other than the Fels Naptha bar.

-If you want a heavy duty detergent, use the soap as it is.  If you want to spread it out over a longer period of time and it works for you, dilute it using half the detergent to half water.

-Use 1/4 cup per load.

Busy weekends=Lots of projects

As I said yesterday, I figured out how to make some underwear, only they didn't fit too well.  I tried again today and I could actually get them on!  I'm incredibly proud.  I promise not to post anymore pictures of my undergarments, but love sharing with you that I was actually able to get something to work.  Elastic is such a pain.  I figured out that not putting it on the leg holes is a good idea to save money, since it isn't incredibly necessary.  Just finish the edges and it's fine!

I've been working on many projects over the last few days.  One is an apron I really wanted to make out of some used pillowcases I picked up from Goodwill.  I cut them open, doubled the pattern and stitched it up over.  I eyeballed the pattern, which made the strap around the neck a little too long, but that's okay--it still works!  The photo is a little blurry, so just so you know, it's an ivy patterned fabric.

Another project was dressing up a dress that I purchased from Urban Outfitters a few weeks ago on clearance.  It's a beautiful dress, but it needed something extra.  I plan to add a tie around the waist, but for now I just added some flowers.

Before

After

And finally, a new headband (of which I absolutely love).  I made the flowers from an organza wrap I found at Goodwill and the band is one I've had for a while.

Work was a joy *sarcasm*.  There are so many people in town for various University events and work was incredibly busy.  Sewing was my escape for the day (as you can see).  An interesting note, I was asked to be the interviewee for the staff employee section of the co-op newsletter for next month.  I'm not sure how I feel about it, but at maybe I can get the word out about my Etsy shop this way!  Have a fantastic rest of your weekend!

Food and Art: Beauty in Both

Today I came across two incredible things.  The first being a cookbook I received called "Simply in Season" part of the World Community Cookbooks series developed by the Mennonite Central Committee. This cookbook is organized by season, then by dish creating an easy-to-use format.  It also includes many resources such as a list of many vegetables and fruits, when they are in season and suggestions on preparation.  Not only that, but it does offer many tips for making a difference in the way you purchase and prepare your food, in order to positively participate in the World Community.

The second is The Graphics Fairy.  Oh my goodness.  I first found it through Shoregirl's Creations, where one of my followers suggested I check out since she had just redone her bathroom  in the French style (take a look if you love vintage-y, French, girly decor.  It's beautiful stuff!).  The Graphics Fairy has thousands of *free* clipart, printables and craft projects available--again, for FREE!  Everything available is beautiful and I had to stop myself from printing out all the French stuff that was available.  I currently have one hanging in my bathroom now.  Isn't it pretty?

While printing millions of things out may not be very eco-friendly, if one can do so responsibly and not go overboard, this makes an excellent tool for responsibly decorating.  Other than the cost for the ink, these are entirely free pictures and it sure beats buying home decor from Walmart (ick).  You can find frames at thrift stores to make this a very affordable (and more earth friendly) project.

To end--I made two book bags for my aunt who requested one in a bright blue color for her friend and a purple on for herself.  That was the only criteria.  So here's what I came up with!

This one is linen, with a muslin interior and small inside pocket.  There are five pockets total, two on each side of the exterior and one on the inside.

This one is my favorite.  I made a few flowers to put on the outside.

I think one of my favorite parts of this bag is the interior.  I found matching fabric in white, so you can just barely see the same pattern inside.

What free or local cooking resources have you found helpful?