I have never been a big user of stitch markers, until recently when I have been working on larger projects that involve colorwork or more intricate stitch work. If I ever needed any I would simply make tiny yarn rings out of another color and use those. The difficulty with yarn stitch markers is they aren’t removable and they are easy to loose in your work. I often found myself knitting them in and having to cut them out and then make new ones. One day I used paperclips and they worked great! They were removable and served their purpose. I have stepped up the quality once again with these little safety pins I found on ebay. I bought 100 for $3 or so and they work great. I don’t know how large of needles they will work up to probably a US size 9 (5.5mm) maybe larger. Anyway I am giving them as gifts to a few knitter friends and I wanted to make some cute packaging for them.
I created a tiny envelope template and thought I would share it for free. You can fill this envelope with gold colored paperclips (very fancy), or you can purchase these safety pins online, or you can fill it with any other type of removable stitch marker you wish to fashion for your friends. It is a bit more time consuming than purchasing envelopes but they are really cute and tiny. You can refer back to my DIY: Brown Paper Label for the particulars of printing on paper from an old Trader Joe’s bag or any paper grocery bag. I used the same principle for this project. Click on the image below to download the envelope as a PDF.
Print the template on your 8.5 by 11 sheet of brown paper. Cut out the template and fold on the lines. Then glue the bottom and smaller side tab. Then fold over the larger tab leaving the top flap open.
Now you can stuff your envelope with stitch markers and seal it. You can use a tiny piece of double stick tape to seal the top or you can glue it shut when you have put the stitch markers in it. Either way this is a great way to package stitch markers for a gift.
I used these cute coil-less safety pins that I purchased on ebay. You can find them HERE. They are fantastic. I don’t know if they are as practical as some of the ring stitch markers but they are removable and look nice. My knitting sits around a lot so it is important to me that it looks nice as it sits neglected on my dresser. Here is a hat pattern I am working on, I am using Malabrigo Arroyo in two colors. It is such great yarn. I will post pictures of the finished design as soon as its ready.
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The crown was way too large for Fiona but I needed to set up the shot so she wore it for a moment.
For this crown I used the following flowers:
Peony – by far one of my favorite flowers.
Mums – another favorite. These have slender stems and are great for braiding.
Stock – I used Purple Stock.
Emille – I had never seen this flower until I went to a farmers market. I love it and wish it was readily available at my local Trader Joe’s like the rest of the flowers.
I used jute also for this crown, it is helpful to have something to tie of the ends and to secure heavier flowers with.
Trim the ends of the flowers. Remove the leaves so you have bare stems to work with.
Hold three stems together. With the flowers at the top. I had a few vines from my yard which I added in.
Tie the three stems together so you can start braiding. I have made flower crowns without tying the ends of the stems together, this just makes it easier. Begin braiding the stems and as you do add in flowers, its very similar to french braiding.
If you end up with too many stems and it gets hard to braid just cut off the stems that have been worked in the most leaving the newer stems to continue your braid.
When your crown reaches the desired length tie it off with a four inch length of jute cord. Don’t stress about getting all the flowers in during this part. I weave in extra flowers after the crown is braided. Larger flowers like peonies need to be cut down until their stems measure 2-3 inches and then you can weave them into the braid and secure them with more jute.
play with it until it is as full as you want it to be. This crown was massive and probably would not work great for wearing out and about but it was great for photography.
My favorite part about this shoot was that my kids pushed their way in and I got some great shots with me and the twins. I need to take more photos with my kids!
I adore my children…
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I found these tiny ceramic decorative mushrooms on Etsy. Rebekka, creates these “Dainty Ceramic Mushrooms” and they are perfect for potted plants and terrariums.
All of this rambling is the product of my experience as one who both creates and loves to teach. I am thrilled to share what I have learned with others. There is something freeing in being able to create or make something.
I recently got back into making jewelry. I love it. Knitting is also wonderful but being as it is 80 degrees outside already I have decided to make jewelry by day and knit by night (when I can find time with four kids!).
One easy way to make your own jewelry is to buy a chain (gold, brass, silver, or mixed metal) and then hunt for a pendant. Right now druzy are coming in.
White Druzy Necklace (Please note the pendant in this listing is half an inch by three quarters of an inch, very small but beautiful)
There are also Druzy necklaces for sale at stores like Urban Outfitters and Free People but they are not showing a picture of the necklace you will receive so it is a little risky.
Another option is to search for a druzy pendant and buy a chain separately. I bought a bunch wholesale and I am selling what I have (with chain 40-45 dollars, and without chain 20-25 dollars). The nice thing about buying the pendant from another source and putting it on a chain you like is you know exactly what you are getting (make sure to read descriptions carefully!). If you look at the measurements and double check that you understand what size you are getting it can result in you being able to pick the pendant that you like.
Shops that sell druzy pendants:
If you are looking for an inexpensive gold like chain option here is where you can purchase a few. These are the types of chain that could eventually turn your skin green so be aware. It is much better than a gunmetal base. The convenient thing is they are really inexpensive so you can get a $60 necklace for $25-$30 dollars.
Gold Colored Brass Finished Chain
If you want a necklace with at least a little real gold on it you can get a gold plated chain. These are a little more expensive than the brass chains but are still affordable. The gold will wear off, however. The chains I am selling are 32 inches in length and are double plated with 24K gold. They will last a little longer but I purchased them through a wholesaler. Here are some options for you.
Gold Plated Over Silver Finished Chain
Gold Plated Over Brass Finished Chain
The next step up is gold filled chain. This chain is much more expensive. Many jewelry designers use gold filled chain which is similar to plated only it has a much higher gold content. This makes the chain much more expensive. I offer a gold filled chain in 24 inches with a 3 inch extender. This chain is very light weight but beautiful and looks great with the agate pendants. Here are some resources for gold filled finished chains.
Gold Filled Finished Chain (Fire Mountain Gems)
Agate Pendants
$25 dollars (pendant only)
$40 dollars (with a 32″ 24k gold double plated rolo chain) limited supply
($5 shipping within US)
EMAIL ME if you are interested in purchasing one and I can make a custom listing. I can also send you exact sizing for each pendant, these range from 1 -1.5 inch in length and .5 inch in width.
Citrine Druzy Pendants: these are beautiful and very large from 1-2.5 inches in length and 1-2 inches in width. They are gold plated with large crystal points.
$30 dollars (pendant only)
$45 dollars (with a 32″ 24k gold double plated rolo chain) limited supply
($5 shipping within US)
EMAIL ME if you are interested in purchasing one and I can make a custom listing. I can also send you exact sizing for each pendant.
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Thanksgiving is over, the official time to fill your home with wintery sights and scents is here. Most of my friends have their acts together and have the house fully decorated and full of holiday cheer. I have the issue every year that we don’t spend Christmas at home. We usually spend it with the grandparents. I love any decorating ideas that will not get dried out after a week of neglect. This year I saw Anthropologie decorated their stores with Christmas scenes in mason jars. Here is a little DIY if you want to try it yourself.
Materials Needed:
1. Fake Snow (I used baking sugar and clear glitter mixed)
2. Mason Jar
3. Glue Gun
4. Tiny Tree (I found a 20 pack of tiny christmas trees at JoAnn’s in the section with the tiny villages)
Here are pictures to show you what to do. Basically you glue the tree to the inside of the lid and put the fake snow inside the jar. Put the lid on and flip it over…really…so easy.
I made lots of little winter scenes in different sizes and stacked them on my mantle. I love the end result and I hope you will too.
Here are a few more DIYs for the holidays. I did a lot this year but I haven’t had any time to post new ideas. So until I get them up maybe some of these are new to you.
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a lovely holiday, mine was low key and wonderful. I am so thankful for so many things.
It has been months since I have posted anything to my blog. I have had many reasons and with the holidays passing I felt a need to give an update and get my rear in gear with my posts. My lack of presence has not been due to a lack of creating, quite the contrary, I have been in creative overload for the last five months. After moving down from Hume, CA to my home town of San Diego, my family and I began the arduous task of opening a second coffee shop location. Our second Kaffee Meister location has been open for two and a half months. It has been a very rich and rewarding experience, it has also been one of the most exhausting periods of my life.
On top of starting a new business I have been making a new life, yup, pregnant. I am 30 weeks pregnant with my fourth child. This is probably the main reason for my exhaustion lately. All this to say I have had a lot on my plate lately. Busyness and exhaustion aside I am making it a point to get back to posting regularly. So this post will be a mix of some of the things I have been working on.
Fern Terrariums
I took my terrarium obsession to a new level this year. Ferns used to surround me in my mountain home and now I have found a way to add the green in my life inside my home. I used living moss from Home Depot and kept the ferns potted in the case where they were in a non watertight container.
I also planted some ferns in apothecary jars. I kept the lids off and planted the ferns directly into the glass containers. I then covered the soil around the ferns with some moss. I water them every other day or whenever the soil feels dry. They are doing great so far.
I also have been curating/designing some fun merchandise for the coffee shop. I have found lots of unique items and will be sharing them in posts to come. Here is a couple of images of some greeting cards I found. They were created by Tamara Hirn an artist based out of Australia. I have many of her designs available in the shop, here are a few examples of her holiday cards. You can find the rest of her work here.
Joy Greeting Card: $6.00
I have been doing more graphic design with all the promo for the coffee shop. I designed my first coffee mug it was a very exciting endevour. If you would like to purchase one just shoot me an email, all prices exclude shipping charges. The front is simple and names the coffee shop and its location. The back has the quote “If all else fails there’s always coffee” which I have to admit is my personal mantra. The mug costs $6.00 not counting shipping, if you love them and live close to either of our Kaffee Meister locations come by and pick one up!
I used vintage sheets for the fabric also a few yards of some fabric I picked up at Joann’s Fabrics.
I cut a small incision and ripped two inch segments of the fabric. Then I used jute rope and tied the strips of fabric to the rope. The sheets I used to make curtains for my room. The length was essential. If you are doing a long banner without using sheets be sure to purchase the length you want. If you want them to be two yards long purchase two and a half yards of each fabric pattern you want to use.
I also made a shorter banner to drape across my headboard. My headboard is a room divider made in India. It is so beautiful but a lot taller than normal headboards. I like how the fabric banner broke it up a bit.
For this banner I left the strips 12-16 inches long and tied them so each side is even. I mixed patterns and solids.
This process was very easy. If you need a little extra help you can always checkout this DIY also.
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So here we go! First there are a few materials you will need to complete this project.
1. Feathers – I found the most amazing feathers at moonlight feathers.com Here are the links to the feathers I used for this project. I also recommend them for hair extension feathers.
Large Reeves Pheasant Feathers
Small Reeves Pheasant Feathers
2. Vintage Doily – the one pictured is actually a new, purchased from JoAnn’s fabrics. The other doily I used was purchased from an antique shop.
3. Sticks – ok so this part is a little tricky, I found pliable sticks and I tied them in a circle so they would dry that way. You can use anything that is strong enough to hold its shape but pliable enough to shape into a circle.
4. lace and ribbon anything you want to use to hang from the sides of the dream catcher.
5. Hemp String – I used this to secure the doily. It works great because it is stiff and you can thread it though the edges of the doily without having to use a needle and thread or crochet hook.
6. Wooden Beads – These and anything else you want to hang from the edge of the dreamcatcher.
7. Yarn – (not pictured) I used remnants from knitting projects. The blue was sock weight and the yellow was DK weight.
8. Glue – (also not pictured) You can use whatever kind of glue you want to attach the feathers to the twine and lace.
Excuse the quality of the photos for the directions. I took them with my iPhone on my way to a wedding. The first thing to do is cover the sticks or secure them together. I tightly wound yarn around them until they were completely covered. If you like the natural look of the raw branches you can wind more loosely.
Once you have completely wound the sticks in yarn tie in the end and you can move on to the next step.
Place the vintage doily in the center of your ring. You can start wherever you want with the hemp string. Wind the hemp string around the outside and every time you wrap through the ring put it through the edge of the doily.
Once you finish tie off the hemp string. Next tie strands onto either side of the dream catcher. I tied lace and jute and hemp string all together on the either side. Also tie a twelve inch stand to the top of the dream catcher. The twelve inch strand will become the loop you hang your dream catcher from.
Tie beads to the bottom of the lace and twine and attach feathers. You can use glue to attach the buttons and feathers.
Here is the finished product. They will hang in my room somewhere, I just have to figure out where.
Hang them up and enjoy!
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I took several of the plants out of their small pots and moved them into larger ones. This way they have room to grow and I can move them if they need more sun or less.
Each succulent comes with a label that explains how best to care for that individual plant. This is helpful information as not all succulents need the same amount of sun and water. Plant them in succulent specific dirt (purchasable at Walmart or Home Depot) to get good results.
Some of the succulents I combined in larger pots to make smaller succulent gardens for my home. I love having them in my house it makes everything lighter and more peaceful some how. I guess plants have that effect on me.
I have found so many unique succulents. They are so fantastically beautiful and I am horribly addicted. Here is my favorite of the day.
My other reason for potting all these succulents is I am going to use them in the new location of our coffee shop. I can’t wait to see how they look!
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Or this gorgeous piece…
If you have an interest in following my musings and inspiration for the decor of our new coffee shop check out my pinterest board.
Since I do not have an unlimited budget here is what I am doing. I found this lovely upholstered chair at a local thrift shop for 40 dollars. I absolutely love it except for the greasy head stain. Here is an idea I came up with to cover the stain. It is so easy just grab a crochet runner, place mat, or even layer vintage crochet doilies over the top.
Here is the chair pre-doily.
And after! I may try to get the stain out with dry cleaning solution or some other miracle worker. Until then I actually think I like this a lot.
It adds a beautiful personal touch since I will be hand stitching it.
It makes me want to do a patch work piece of furniture though I think I lack the time. Here is one I found online.
This couch is a Squint Limited piece. I love the bohemian patchwork feel of their furniture. I am not incorporated such saturated colors in the shop but I love the idea of creating a patchwork cover for an upholstered piece.
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I loved the result so much I decided to share it. I did my first ever DIY on creating a chandelier of mason jars. You can view it HERE.
This light was similarly wired only I left much less space between the bulbs. The wire lengths are 4, 6, and 8 inches connecting the bulbs to the main wire. For a much simpler version you can find a slightly smaller lantern and purchase this single free hanging lighting kit. Simply open the door to the lantern and place the bulb inside. Turn the lantern so the door and cord are no longer showing. I put my lantern up on a book shelf. If your lantern is metal like mine you may need to place something heat resistant under it so the heat from the bulb doesn’t cause the metal to burn the surface it is on.
Here is a picture of it unlit.
and lit…
Along with this DIY I wanted to share a few more images of things from around my house. I have so many books that I popped a few under a cloche and I really like the way they look. I will most likely change them in the next week or two but for now it works great.
I have already shared my weakness for books. Old cloth bound books are so popular for decor right now. One thing that is very hard for me to do though is to buy a book simply because I like the cover. I have to like the content of the book or have a desire to read it. This may be strange as in my hectic life I will most likely never get to read all my lovely old books. I think it is that part of me that still thinks that it isn’t the cover of the book that counts but the content. These are a few I picked up recently. I especially love the Collected Essays by Emerson.
Even though I wouldn’t judge by it…here is the front cover.
If you follow my blog you have probably noticed my love of coffee. Here is a vintage coffee grinder I found for $15 at a tiny antique shop. I absolutely love it!
Here is a picture of some of the latte art I have been pouring. I have been working as a barista at my parents coffee shop Kaffee Meister Coffee Bar and Drive Thru in San Diego, CA. It has been such a fun and rewarding experience so far and I look forward to pouring more fabulous lattes and cappuccinos! If you live in the area come by and say “Hi!”
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I took lichen that I collected from my old home and mixed it with pinecones inside a beautiful garden box I found at Home Goods. I added a little wooden mushroom, I don’t know where I picked this up. I might add a branch or something else later to add to the box.
It was so simple and I don’t have to water this terrarium to keep it alive, which is a plus for me. You can find lichen or moss for terrariums like this at Michael’s Crafts or Home Depot. Another plus to a non-living terrarium is you don’t have to worry about sealing the container. You aren’t pouring water over it so if it isn’t sealed it is ok.
Here is a look at one wall of my room. My husband built me these book shelves a couple of years ago for our old house. My books are so much of who I am I feel like a part of myself is missing if they are packed away in a box. I color coordinated them because it is easier on my brain. Also it is easier to put them back if my kids get to them.
I am still getting used to photography in my new house. The lighting is 100% different than my last home. It is funny some times how a difference in lighting can make me feel like I am learning photography all over again.
Here are a few other little items that make up the decor of my one room. More lichen and pinecones, are you sensing a trend?
Here is a lantern I rewired. I am sad that I won’t be able to buy a new antique bulb for this lamp because of the new laws. However, maybe I will purchase a few to keep it going for a bit. I absolutely love the look. Also I adore apothecary jars. They are so great and versatile. You can put just about anything in them.
I learned much of what I know about decor from a dear friend. The great news for you is she recently started a blog! Check it out…seriously I am continually amazed by her ideas. Her blog is called House in the Woods.
Here is one of her recent DIY’s. I am going to do this and then cover it in a cloche. I also might add the butterfly to my non-living terrarium!
I just got my new iPhone 4s I have not had a cell for the last 5 years. The reason is I have lived in a town that had no cell reception so it was a huge waste of money to be paying monthly for something I could only use while in Fresno. Now that I have an iPhone I am having so much fun deciding what to use as my wallpaper image. Here is what I did. I took actual images of wall paper from anthropologie.com and I selected an image from their listings of wall paper. You cannot do the same on your computer because it will not let you select and save the image. Here are a few more fun images you can use.
If you want to get really creative take a photo of something with a print or texture you like. Then use that as your background image. Here are some more. Enjoy!
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For my latest pattern (Reversible Smocking Hat), and for many of my Christmas gifts I had to make a pom poms. I actually have not made pom poms enough before to decide on a way to make them. There are several different methods. Here is what I tried first.
https://techknitting.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-make-pom-poms.html
or
https://garnstudio.com/lang/us/video.php?id=95d
This tutorial is great but I don’t prefer this way, mostly because I get bored threading the yarn through the center of the cardboard ring.
You can purchase a pom pom maker like this one sold on amazon.com:
https://www.amazon.com/Clover-Extra-Large-Pom-Maker/dp/B001CE38QQ
Here is how I do it. I prefer making pom poms this way because it requires nothing more than your yarn and a pair of scissors. The work comes mostly in the shaping of the pom pom.
If you like the scissors used in this post you can find out more about them HERE.
You will need 6-12gm or so of yarn depending on how thick and large you want your pom pom to be.
Hold the yarn between your thumb and your hand and wrap the yarn around your fingers. You can change the size of the pom by changing how many fingers you wrap the yarn around.
Wrap the yarn around your hand until it is thick and around the mass you want your pom pom to be. This is trial by error really. I usually try to wrap as much yarn as possible around my hand so that my pom pom is really thick.
Wrap a piece of yarn around the entire bunch of yarn. I usually wrap it twice around to make it extra secure. I usually like to have a tail of 5 inches or so on each side of the knot. I use these two strands to secure the pom to the hat or whatever else I might be embellishing.
Using scissors cut the loops on either side in as close to the center as you can.
Then cut the other side in the same way. Usually after this step my pom pom looks like a porcupine with a bad hair cut.
Using scissors trim the longer pieces of yarn until your pom pom looks even. Shaping the pom pom is an important part of making the pom pom this way.
You can also make smaller pom poms using this method. I made on using only three fingers instead of four so there was an example of the size difference.
Available for purchase in my Etsy Shop and Ravelry Pattern Store.
Supplies:
Glue Gun
8 inches of ribbon (more or less depending on the size of the bow)
2.5 inches of elastic
1. Cut ribbon into one four and a half inch length and one two inch length.
2. Fold the larger length of ribbon over like so. The narrower length can either be folded in half length wise or in thirds.
3. Flip the ribbon over so the folded over portion is in the back. Pinch it in the middle and hold it while you wrap the other piece of ribbon around the center.
4. Once you have wrapped the second piece of ribbon around the center secure it in the back with a bead of hot glue.
5. With another bead of glue attach the elastic loop it around and measure that it fits your finger and then attach the other side.
I used vintage velvet ribbon my grandmother gave me.
The tea cup that is pictured in this post is the dragonflies print from the Russian company Lomonosov. I purchased it HERE…I absolutely love it and the company was amazing to work with.
I think cream in tea is one of the more beautiful mundane things I experience during the day…I can imagine finding pictures in the depth and ripples.
So…here we go. When you buy tulle from the fabric store it will come pre-folded it is 54 inches in width total so folded it will be around 27 inches in length. I purchased 2 yards of each color that I wanted to make a skirt out of.
Lay your tulle flat and keep it folded so that it will be 2 yards long and 27 inches wide.
As you can see my children were standing on my tulle…they like to stand on, well, everything I try to make. Once you have it laying flat fold it length wise. It will now be aproximately 14 inches in width and still 2 yards in length.
After you have folded your tulle, twice over, sew along the folded side about an inch from the edge.
Using a safety pin, I didn’t have one on hand, attach it to a 15-20 length of elastic and thread it through the sewn area.
Once you have threaded the elastic through cross it over itself and double check that it has not twisted.
Sew the elastic together with an overlap.
After sewing the elastic even out the skirt so it is evenly ruffled. The split at the back will be hardly noticeable with four layers of tulle. You can leave it as is or you can follow the next instructions to give one or more layers the knotted look.
First lay your skirt so that a single layer of tulle is on top. and seporate that layer from the rest. Then take scissors and cut at one inch intervals around four inches up.
Continue until you have repeated this process all the way around the skirt.
Starting at one end tie two of the cut pieces together in a knot and then move to the next two and continue this process all the way around the skirt.
Once you finish the skirt will have a little added frill. You can do this on all four layers of the skirt to make it extra frilly for your little girl.
My little lovely layers 3-4 of these skirts at a time. It definitely results in her having a cupcake look.
The end result is so cute and they are SO inexpensive.
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Here is a quick tutorial on how to make a hanging terrarium.
1. Purchase this tea light hanger from CB2 or find one that is very similar.
2. Take a cutting of mint that has some roots attached to it. You can take a cutting of mint and put it in a glass of water for a week or so and it should grow roots if it is fresh enough. I took these off of one of my potted mint plants so the roots are more developed.
3. Cover the roots in dirt as much as possible with the space allowed in the terrarium. Soak the dirt thoroughly with water to give the plants what they need to take root in their new home.
4. Using string twine or ribbon tie a knot through the ring at the top of the terrarium and hang from your ceiling. I used a thumb tack through a knot in the string to hang it from the ceiling.
5. Water your mint plant daily with a spoonful or two of water.
I have two mint plants hanging in my kitchen window now and I love the extra green in my home during winter!
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I started off my new year by making a collage of a some of the latte art I have been pouring…still not nearly perfect but fun all the same to see them all together. I used my iphone4 to take all these photos and the apps Diptic and Instagram to edit them. I am thinking of doing the same thing using my regular camera and photoshop and then hanging it on my wall.
Now to the DIY…I have a slight obsession with succulents. They are beautiful and easy to keep alive. Living where I do it is hard to find plants that I can keep alive, inside, all winter long. Coincidentally I have also been trying to find things to do with my left over glass containers. I also have a not so small obsession with candles…specifically the Aspen Bay Capri Blue Volcano candle sold at Anthropologie. Here is how I combined my love of succulents with my empty volcano glass jars.
I have been doing some research on how to grow succulents in a jar. It usually requires the purchase of charcoal, and cactus soil or regular earth mixed with sand, a small piece of mesh (burlap may work), and some small stones. Find the jar you want and choose a sufficiently small succulent. You don’t want the roots to reach to the bottom of the jar because there is no drainage. You don’t want the roots sitting in standing water.
1. Layer an inch and a half to two inches of medium to small stones on the bottom of your jar. You can start with large stones and then top the two inches off with smaller stones to fill in the gaps.
2. Lay the small piece of mesh or burlap over the stones. This provides a natural barrier between the dirt and the stones allowing the water to drain and the soil to dry.
3. Layer a small layer of charcoal on top of the mesh and then layer some dirt.
4. Now you can place your succulent in the jar and fill it with more dirt. Sometimes I top the jar off with a small layer of orchid bark or something purely ornamental to finish off the look.
5. When watering a succulent that is potted this way it is best to only use a little bit of water. Then let the soil dry completely before adding a little more water. Succulents are desert plants and survive better with less water than with over-watering. Once you have finished you can decorate your jar if it is more simple with fabric, white burlap, and other trimmings.
I have a friend Amy Geer, who did all the centerpieces for a shower using this technique. She did not use the charcoal or the screen she simply put rocks in the base and used orchid bark on the top. They were beautiful! I think they would make amazing wedding centerpieces as well. I just love having succulents in my home and I have many jars to re-use so it helps to have an option that uses both.
Here are some pictures of the succulent center pieces.
Succulents are easy to find and inexpensive, so even if your first few attempts result in the plants not surviving you can replace them easily. I find mine at walmart or at Lowes Hardware in the garden center. For a larger collection you can check out local garden shops, depending on the time of year they should have more of a variety of succulent plants.
Here are a few I recently purchased and have yet to pot.
If you have a larger container you can do the same method of potting only pot many different varieties. This is called a succulent garden and you can use your creativity in combining shapes and colors and arranging the plants in a pleasing manner.
The sky is the limit if you think creatively. Once you know how to plant the succulents you can use old mugs (if they are deep enough), wooden boxes, mason jars, the list goes on. I have tried a few times to plant succulents in covered jars but even with taking the lid off regularly this isn’t a great idea. Succulents simply do not need that much water and a closed terrarium environment is not the best for them.
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So this diy is a little bit crazy. I had been wanting to make a headwrap that was big and a little more out there. If I were getting married and having a bohemian hippy-ish wedding I might actually wear this for a more modern take on a veil. If I could find a way to make it not look like minnie mouse. Maybe this is just what you are looking for to accesorize your Disney themed party outfit.
If you can’t get it to look right on yourself try it on a little girl…it looks amazing on my two year old!
Take a length of tulle a foot wide and a yard and a half long.
Wrap it around your head and tie in a bow.
Arange the two ends of the tulle to either fall over your face or back over your hair.
I painted a heart on my cheek with wet gold eye-shadow. Don’t know if I could pull it off in public yet but you never know…maybe one day I will be feeling brave enough. It was fun for the photo shoot.
As A New Year rolls around I am facing the usual questions…what have I done with my life that is worth while? What will I do with the year ahead. I have three children, will be turning 28 (eep!) and have a fabulous husband (married 6.5 years). I have no idea what lies ahead in this year. I will continue designing and creating tutorials. I have had to much fun to quit. I am attempting to create a list of goals for the coming 2012 year. They are large goals and thus, may not happen but I have something to work towards.
1. Draft a book proposal, focusing on knitting and fashion and photography.
2. Travel to Australia (finances permitting), and visit my favorite yarn artist Skein Yarns.
3. Set up an online store on my own personal site.
4. Design 6 new patterns (at least!).
5. Blog more regularly. More DIYs and photo shoots. I just want to get into more of a weekly habit.
That is enough for now. They may change as my circumstances change. I don’t normally set goals so I am making working on getting better at that. I hope your New Year is blessed. Hope you will stick around in the coming year to see the fun things to come. Cheers!
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To make the hair style more complex you can braid small strands of hair on the underside. It is not nessicary for the final boho look just something extra you can add.
Place your headband over the top of your hair…like so.
Starting at one side start to tuck your hair into the headband.
Continue to tuck your hair all the way around and roll it in with your hands until it is the size you want all the way around.
Once it is even, you can pull a few wisps out if you like or keep it smoothly tucked in.
I always try to make an ornament that I can give away with my gifts or as an extra trimming to the way the gifts are packaged. This year I found some really beautiful pine cones close to my home and I spray painted them silver. Then I dabbed a bit of hot glue to the top and attached a bit of bakers twine for them to be hung by. I love the result, though they are not my most creative idea. They are simple and organic, not to mention easy and inexpensive.
I am wrapping most of my gifts in craft paper with hemp twine or baker’s twine. My Baker’s Twine was from Anthropologie. I love it! I have used a lot of it already and since it is such a large spool I still have lots left.
Another idea for holiday gifting is to make the card with the gift unique. I used squares of paper cut from Antho catalogues and wrote on them using a silver calligraphy pen. The result was beautiful and personal.
You can fold up your notes or slide them into a mason jar along with candy or other smaller gifts.
Another idea for those with kindred artistic friends is a “traveling gift bag”. I love the simple white Anthropologie bags and have been trying to figure out a use for them. Finally I came up with an idea. I love to draw designs and sketches with Sharpie Fine Point Pens. They write so beautifully, they don’t bleed through, I highly recommend them.
I have a friend who is an artist. She sells her re-purposed home goods on Etsy. I want to buy everything in her store…she is incredibly talented. Anyway, she is my closest friend and I thought it would be fun to start a tradition of a “traveling gift bag.” The idea is simple. I started it out with a simple design I drew on the bag. Once she has opened her gift she can draw her own addition or new drawing and then give it back. We can trade back and forth between just us or we can add in a few extra creative people. The pen goes with the bag and on the edge of the drawing I wrote “this is a friend gift bag, add to the art and give it back.” I am excited to see if the idea takes off.
Thanksgiving is over, the official time to fill your home with wintery sights and scents is here. Most of my friends have their acts together and have the house fully decorated and full of holiday cheer. I have the issue every year that we don’t spend Christmas at home. We usually spend it with the grandparents. I love any decorating ideas that will not get dried out after a week of neglect. This year I saw Anthropologie decorated their stores with Christmas scenes in mason jars. Here is a little DIY if you want to try it yourself.
Materials Needed:
1. Fake Snow (I used baking sugar and clear glitter mixed)
2. Mason Jar
3. Glue Gun
4. Tiny Tree (I found a 20 pack of tiny christmas trees at JoAnn’s in the section with the tiny villages)
Here are pictures to show you what to do. Basically you glue the tree to the inside of the lid and put the fake snow inside the jar. Put the lid on and flip it over…really…so easy.
I made lots of little winter scenes in different sizes and stacked them on my mantle. I love the end result and I hope you will too.
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I always make ornaments each year. I have several ideas to start off the season. Any time you can pick up the empty glass ornaments from Michael’s or JoAnn’s I would recomend it. They are inexpensive and can be reused each year if you decide to change out what is inside them. I had a few alabaster peacock feathers lying about so I put one inside this ornament to try it out.
Trim your feather down so it will fit inside the ornament and then slide it in the opening at the top. With a pair of tweezers move it until it is where you want it inside the ornament. I love to hang my ornaments with twine, the rustic organic feel fits in perfectly with the rest of my life.
I purchased my peacock feathers online at Lamplight Feathers I highly recommend them. The prices are reasonable and the shipping is quick and inexpensive.
{GIVEAWAY}
please read everything carefully!
After the overwhelming response to the last giveaway I did I decided to do another one. This will be a similar format. One winner. The winner will be chosen on the evening of the 26th. No entries will be accepted after 8:00pm on Saturday November 26th. This will allow me time to put together the results. The winner will be posted on Sunday the 27th of November. Here is what you will win.
1 Skein of Berroco Peruvia 100% Peruvian Highland Wool
In the color-way pictured. Shipped to you, paid for by me (unless you live outside the USA, If you live outside of the US all the you are required to pay is shipping)!
Also…
1 Amazon Stripe Beanie Pattern
To win you simply have to leave a comment… with the following information.
1. First name Last initial
2. What is your favorite yarn to knit with?
3. Who taught you to knit.
If you do not answer the questions your entry will not be considered a part of the giveaway. There nothing else you need to do. If you would like to “SHARE” this post it would be very kind and I would appreciate it. However, I really just enjoy getting to know my readers and learning about other individual’s knitting experiences. Good luck!
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I had the idea this year to make ornaments out of paper. I though it would be a good way to re-use the Anthropologie catalogues (that I have read enough times and was finally willing to give up).
Using an industrial paper cutter I cut the catalogues into origami size squares. I did 6 and 3 inch squares. So far I have only used the 3 inch squares but the result has been wonderful. The thin-ness of the paper and the colors and shapes of the images make for very interesting paper creatures. I focused on cranes today. My children carried them around the house delicately all day. I am planning on hanging them on my tree or around my house.
I look forward to trying my hand at a few more origami creatures. I would also like to find a good star pattern. Here is a great resource if you would like to learn how to fold an origami crane. Check out Planet Pals for a cartoon tutorial on folding a crane.
When cutting up a catalogue it is helpful to try to line up the cuts with larger pictures. In a catalogue like Anthropologie it is easy because almost all the photos are large and beautiful.
It was fairly simple to do. I found the moss in my yard and had the dishes already. This vintage footed bowl (thrifting find) fit perfectly with the pattern on the plate I just purchased from Anthropologie. The cloche was one I purchased a few years ago from Pottery Barn.
The silver trees are pinecones I collected and then sprayed with silver spray paint. They could probably do with a few more coats. Be prepared if you are spray painting pine cones they soak up a lot of paint! The tiny ceramic mushrooms I purchased from Jade Flower on Etsy, her work is phenomenal and I have SO enjoyed working with her in the past.
Here is a quick how-to on the pine cone trees.
Using a wooden skewer (or even a tooth pick) break the skewer into two inch pieces. You can vary the length depending on the depth of the bowl you are building your terrarium in.
Using a hot glue gun dab some hot glue at the base of the pine cone and attach the two inch long piece of wood. This will allow you to stab the pine cone into the moss of your terrarium.
Once you have finished it will look like a tiny winter scape. I am planning on purchasing some fake snow when I am at the craft store next to sprinkle over the top of my terrarium. I will try to get pictures up when I get a chance.
I also made several more winter scapes in Mason Jars. I will get a tutorial up once I have perfected the process. As I did not have fake snow on hand I used pure sugar cane instead. I thought it turned out looking pretty good actually.
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