• DIY

    DIY: Braided Bohemian Headband

    Another headband tutorial! Be sure to check out the Single Strand Lace Headband and Double Strand Lace Headband. For this tutorial this is what you will need. Materials: 20 inches of three types of lace or ribbon. You may want to double up if one of your strands of lace or ribbon is significantly narrower than the others. As you can see in the picture I used two strands of the narrowest type of ribbon to even out everything. Scissors 2.5 inches of elastic Sewing Machine (glue will work also) EXTRAS: If you want to make the flower extras you will need. A silk flower, a button, some extra ribbon,…

  • Photography

    Spider Mums

    Not having the money to spend on fresh flowers it is a special treat to have them in my home. I purchased some Spider Mums at Costco, 10 for 8 dollars which seemed like a good deal. They are AMAZING flowers. I am so inspired by the intricacy of nature. I find these blooms especially inspiring. Canning jars make the best vases!

  • DIY

    DIY: Double Strand Lace Headband

    Today’s headband DIY is how to make a Double Strand Headband. This headband is made almost exactly the same way as the Single Lace Headband. All you need is 36 inches of lace or ribbon 1 inch width or narrower. I used 1/2 inch width lace from Joann’s Fabrics. 3 1/2 inches of braided elastic 3/8 inch width or larger. Cut the lace so that you have two strands that are 18 inches long. Lay the end of one length of lace over the other as the picture shows. After you have the ends lined up lay the elastic over the top so they overlap by 3/4 of an inch…

  • Pattern Release

    Lacy Inside Out Fingerless Gloves

    So finally FINALLY I have finished my pattern for the Lacy Inside Out Fingerless Gloves. A little background on the name. Originally when I was designing the pattern I was designing in my head inside out. So you would knit the gloves and then flip them inside out to wear them. As the pattern evolved it became reversible. Technically you can still wear them inside out so I kept the name. The fun with that is if you are using a variegated yarn you can see which side best shows the colors and use the gloves that way. The pattern recommends using a piece of ribbon or lace and threading…

  • DIY

    DIY: Lace Headband

    Lace Headband Tutorial This is the first of a few fun headband tutorials. A single strand lace headband. This is seriously the easiest project EVER! Cut 18 inches of lace (or ribbon) I bought mine at JoAnn’s Fabrics in the bulk ribbon and lace section. Also cut a strip of braided elastic (3/4 inch width) to 3.5 inches. You can use narrower or thicker elastic if you prefer. I used what I had on hand. Lay the elastic a half an inch over the edge of the lace. Hold the lace and elastic and sew the ends. You can hand sew, machine sew, or glue them together. If you sew…

  • Uncategorized

    Headband Love

    I finally dusted off my sewing machine and brought it into my workspace. I have had several projects on my mind that I am finally getting to sew. Simple little things. This week I am going to do a series of DIY posts on headbands. Here is a peek at a few of them. Also I made a flower headband for myself. Fiona promptly stole it and looked so adorable I decided to let her keep it. I will be posting a tutorial for this headband also later this week. If you want to pick up supplies here are a few things you will need. Braided elastic 3/8 of an…

  • DIY,  Photography

    Tips For Making Flower Crowns

    My favorite thing to do while hiking is to make a flower crown. They are fairly simple in construction if you know what you are doing. Here are a few tips. When constructing a flower crown you want to find flowers with long supple stems. You will want to shy away from the flowers with stems that break easily or the kind that are very stiff. Those you can use later. Once you have tracked down the perfect base flower pick a bunch and set them in front of you. Or maybe they are along your path and you can collect them as you go. Starting with three strands begin…

  • Photography

    Mountain Lily

    My favorite days are the ones when we can take our whole family on an adventure. Living in the mountains there are many places close to home that allow our kids to get out and give my husband and I a chance to take in nature. Today while on our family hike I found some Wild Mountain Lilies. I snapped a few photos and experimented with some color treatments in Adobe Lightroom. If you have a chance to purchase a photography editing software I would highly recommend Lightroom. You can try the program for free. It is where I do all my photo editing, it is intuitive to use and…

  • Photography

    Perspective and Framing

    While I am testing my Lacy Fingerless Glove pattern I am doing a little photography. For whatever reason photography is a constant inspiration for me. It probably has to do with how beautiful the simplest things can look if you cut out their surroundings. In photography there are many important aspects but one I put a lot of value on is framing…with careful framing you can take a beautiful object out of its mundane or ugly surroundings and allow it to be singular. For example…the foxglove. Beautiful…perfect…especially when viewed without its surroundings. Here is a photo with slightly wider framing. A friend who was watching me take these photos commented…