The thing to do

My last round of crafts was more of I need to do this, this is the thing to do, and this I must do.

1. My sister-in-law and brother are having their first baby in February. We celebrated the coming of the new life with a co-ed baby shower in my parent’s home. I used felt, tape, ribbon, and glue to make a celebratory banner in honor of my new nephew.

It’s a boy!

2. My roommate and I hosted a Christmas party in our home last weekend. We made homemade mulled wine and sweet treats for our friends. To decked the house for this festive Christmas celebration I made a jolly garland by sewing 2-inch circles out of color cardstock and old catalogues with a sewing machine. So easy and so cute!

Here is my 20 feet garland.

3. At the Christmas party I decided to have friends join in the fun of crafting. Friends made their own photo booth props. Here are the fun ones!

Can you guess who we are?

Readers, thank you for following along with me as I crafted this year. It’s been challenging but mostly fun. Happy Weekend!

The Handmade

A couple of months ago I was invited to participate in a craft exchange. Each person was asked to bring at least 6 items of a handmade good to share with others. I decided to make decorative wreaths from a straw-based wreath ring, yarn, and felt. I made one last year, but decided to challenge myself with different flower types and color combinations. Here they are all ready to depart from my home to another, from my hands to another.

I arrived to the event with handmade goods spread out across the room. An array of emotions came about inside of me: satisfaction of accomplishing the project, gratefulness for the invitation, insecurity that comes from putting my work out there, and the desire to have my hands do more. The desire to do more, excitement of the evening, and meeting other creative women quickly erased the insecurities that walked in the room with me. Below is what my hands created.

Readers, keep on doing your good work – the good work from your hands.

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It’s Thursday afternoon, but to me it feels like a Friday. The empty water glasses around the house, clean and dirty clothes across the bedroom floor, and paper piles on multiple surfaces are all indicators that I have had a busy week. I came home today from my day job and laughed at myself about how ridiculous my room looks. It’s pretty embarrassing.

A prettier sight is the finished wall at Redamtè Coffee House.

Earlier this week, I mentioned sharing some life changes and recent adventures. I’m a student of art again.

My first watercolor exploration.

I’m enrolled in a watercolor class after being inspired from my first visit to Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago. I decided that I need to devote more time to exploring the creative part of me. In order to do that I had to step away from some responsibilities that were good, but not soul worthy. My energy and time was being split among too many things that took more out of me than I originally thought. Although, it was hard to step away, I think everything will be okay.

I’m sure I’ll be sharing some watercolor creations in the near future, but in the meanwhile enjoy your weekend. Happy Weekend!

Fall is here and so am I

The air is a little cooler, the sun sets sooner, and cozy sweaters are becoming more of my everyday wear.  The fall season is making its entrance and I have returned with it to the blog. I’ve missed it and you, dear Readers.

The past few weeks have been filled with many transitions, changes, and projects. One of the projects I have been working on is the mission wall for Redamtè, a local coffee house in the city. Collaborating and trying to interpret someone else’s vision while balancing my visual aesthetics was harder than I thought it would be. I put a lot of time and energy into this project and am quite proud of it. Most of the objects we used for the wall were found or thrifted to keep with the idea of repurposing items. Below is a quick snap shot of what I worked on in August and September.

A friend and I found 10 picture frames for $10 at a thrift store. I decided to paint them all with the Redamte colors: blue, green, and brown.

For the first time and with some help from a friend I did some pyrography, which is mostly commonly known as woodburning. This process took a lot longer than I thought it would – two letters for every Cosby show.

We painted old door knobs black to use as a ledge for the wood signs.

Here is the layout of the wall before we started to install it together. The three circles are old bicycle wheels we found from a local bike store. They were so kind in giving it to us for free.

If you are in the area go and take a look. There’s much more that has happened in these past few weeks that I want to share so come back Thursday for the complete look of the wall and a little life update!

July Craft Review

July was a full month of adventures and great moments. Traveling home, family reunion, birthday celebrations, and gatherings of all sorts filled up my time. It was quite difficult to complete this month’s craft projects but I was able to fit it in. I’ve been spending more time with my sewing machine and very excited to share what I have been working on.

The sewing happens on my dining table. Eeesh!

Bowties are back in style folks. It’s on gals and guys. I turned an old tie into a bowtie for a friend’s birthday and this is how it turned out. Follow this link to make your own.

My summer list to do included visiting a street side lemonade stand. However, Abi and I decided to have one of our own. I made Pa’cookies (my chocolate chip cookies) and this sweet banner for the lemonade stand. I think it turned out pretty well.

I have been practicing yoga for almost 10 months. This practice has been so good for my body and soul. Right now my favorite kind of yoga is yin hot yoga. I love breathing into each pose, learning to let it go and having my breath carry me. As I thought about the heat created in me and the heat around me I decided to make a heating pad using lentils and loose leaf tea (plum oolong). Follow this link to make your own.

It’s much easier to take public transportation or bike to a yoga class with a yoga mat bag. For my birthday this year, my dear roommate gave me One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Fabric Projects by Rebecca Yaker. I followed the yoga mat bag instructions to make a bag of my own. Here is the completed project.

Thanks for letting me share with you all. Sharing with you has really kept me accountable and I appreciate that so much. Any suggestions on what craft project I should pursue next?

June craft collection

June was filled with remaking and reworking with items that just needed a little something else.

1. After cleaning up from the school year I found this plastic and metal chair in the hallway with a sign that said, “Please take.” So, I took the chair and repainted it white.

The old beige chair that was a blah looking.

A new white chair for the home.

2. To send my roommate off on her African adventure I decoupaged a handy little notebook for her travels.

A personalized travel journal for the roommate.

3. Almost every weekend this summer I have gone thrifting. I found this mail holder for $2. I decided to make it a bit more personal with some homemade name cards I made out of paint swatch paper and a Sharpie pen.

4. This green purse has been with me since my graduate school days. I decided to add some floral to it. Inspired by this post I made my own version.

Half way through the year and crafts are filling up in my home. July is my birthday month and I’m thinking about giving my crafts away. So, if there’s a need or desire you have let me know and it may just show up on your doorsteps. Thank you, dear Readers, for letting me share with you.

May craft collection

Around my house there are corners with little piles of paper, string, and craft tools. It’s been five months of crafting in this little home of mine and it’s showing. Here is a review of crafts I completed this past month.

1. I love to thrift. I love the feeling of finding something excellent for a great deal. My friend found a matching white wicker stool to add to her bedroom furniture. The only thing it needed was a little love in the form of a new coat of white paint.

2. Recently, my roommate and I hosted a brunch. To add a little more sunshine to the meal I added some colorful flags to the scones using paper, toothpicks, and double-sided tape.

3. I was really excited to use my new set of stamps. I decided to make my own wrapping paper using old shopping bags. I think it turned out pretty well.

A pair of scissors, stamps, and old shopping bags is all that you need.

The finished project.

4. I have been looking for everyday napkin rings. Inspired by this post I decided to make my own using jute. This is probably one of my favorite crafts yet this year.

A pile of PVC pipes that I covered with chalkboard paint.

A personalized napkin ring made by me.

5. This was a very quick and easy way to make a super cute napkin ring. After making this, I realized how much I like using felt. Maybe it’s the texture or how easy it can be turned into almost anything. I made a leafy garland napkin ring to add in my home.

Readers, what have you been creating, making, or editing lately?

Collection of April Projects

There is a pause in the scattered pounding thunderstorm. Just a long enough pause for me to take a few pictures (with my new camera!) of my craft projects this month.

1. Polaroid pictures are collecting on my shelf and I wanted a way to put them on display. I used some wire, an embroidery hoop, and paper clips to create a wall collage.

2. Inspired by this post, I thought I would add my own vintage twist to some glass votives I found at the thrift store. I think it was a success.

3. It took me a whole movie to design these cards. Some old magazines, scrapbook paper, modge podge paste, scissors, and color pens and a new stationary set was made.

Readers, what should I create next? Do you have an idea to share?

Mirror to Chalkboard Wall Hanging

The walls of my dining room are no longer bare. Multiple trips to the hardware store and thrift store have inspired me again to turn a vintage looking mirror into a chalkboard.

1. Cover the mirror with newspaper so that the mirror frame can be painted. I choose white but you could choose any color. It might be easier to take the backing off the frame and remove the glass mirror. Let the frame dry overnight.

The old frame was a rustic black color.

2. Next, paint the mirror with chalkboard paint. A 11 ounce can of paint is less than $10 at the hardware store. Let the mirror sit overnight to dry.

The black paint was still wet when it captured the wispy clouds.

3. Then put the mirror and backing on to the frame. A finished chalkboard wall hanging to make your space a little more unique or you can give it away as a gift.

Finally, the west wall of the dining room has some character.

 This past weekend I wrote a sweet note to welcome some friends.

Guests are an adornment to the home.

Are you making any Christmas gifts this year? If so, what are you making?

Picture Frame to Calendar

Lately I have been making multiple visits to the hardware store (I want a tool set for Christmas, and I believe this desire is only because of multiple visits to the hardware store) and often I just get inspired. Here is a photo step-by-step on how to turn samples of paint chips into a calendar.

1. I saw this old picture frame and thought it was the perfect size for my calendar. It cost $1 at the thrift store. All I had to do was clean the glass and turn the picture around.

The sailboat is cute but not for my home.

2. I chose different shades of green paint chips for my calendar. Cut the samples to the size you desire.

Cutting out the paint chips.

3. Next, glue or tape (I used double-sided tape) the paint chips for days of the week and each day of the month on the back of an old picture.

Making sure they all fit and line up.

4. Then put the frame together and use a dry-erase marker to complete your calendar.

All finished!

A unique calendar for your space!

What are you looking forward to this month?