Making is in the Family.....

I think I have the most appropriate genetics for being a maker. My Dad is a pilot, an engineer. His family is Air Force all the way. My Mom is the one who inspired me to sew and always encouraged me to craft something. Her family is currently in it's third generation of owning a flower shop in Texas. Mix those two together and you get a fairly tech-savy maker! It's pretty cool. 

The family flower shop was a place I spent a lot of my childhood getting familiar with construction, aesthetics, layers, glue guns; not to mention all the entrepreneurial spirit I picked up there. Sometimes I just walk into another flower shop to let that wonderful smell wash over me and take me back there. It's actually pretty ironic, since I can't seem to grow anything to save my life, but I can arrange it like no one's business! When I was a kid I won a "Junior Arranger" contest!

So that side of my family, my Aunts and Grandmother, continue to inspire me to new places. Case in point, this drop dead gorgeous wedding that my Aunt designed the flower arrangements for that is currently being featured on the Style Me Pretty Texas Blog.

Thanks to the talented photographer from Alyse French Photography!

Go here to see the full gallery from the loverly post. And of course visit The Knapp Flower Shop if you're in the Galveston area and need something beautiful! (Make sure you tell my Aunt Nelda that I say "Hi!" and how very very talented she is!)

Make Monday

Hi Folks! I'm trying out a new regular posting theme today called "Make Monday' where I share something pretty cool that someone else made! I thought the idea was simple, but you be sure to let me know if it's not.

This video appears to be a joint effort from two different Japanese companies - Docomo and Drill Inc - where they created a ginormous xylophone in a forest that plays "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" to advertise a cell phone.

I am impressed. Enjoy your Monday!

Another Month, Another 30 Days

I can't stop myself! I love 30 day challenges. The 30 Days of Lists Challenge (I promise a full post on it soon) really inspired me to take challenges in small doses in an effort to "Catch Up" in a lot of different parts of my life.

I didn't go looking for a new one, it just came to me through my friend Amanda at Apple Blue. This one is much more personal as the subject is just me. This is a 30 Day Self-Portrait Challenge!

Amanda describes her desire to start this challenge as an exercise in honesty - by snapping a photo, drawing a little something, recording a video or any number of other creative portrait options she is being as truthful as she can be about her day to day life. Letting her friends know that it's okay to not be polished and put together everyday because even if she is in her favorite pajamas and has disheveled hair, she's still awesome.

I agree with her. I call putting on makeup and cleaning myself up 'playing the game'. I believe people will take you more seriously and maybe even respect you more when you're freshly manicured and coordinated. So most days I straighten my hair and get dolled for that reason. But sometimes I don't, that's life. And I don't think I've ever posted a picture ANYWHERE when I'm not all put together. Maybe I am internet lying or maybe I'm vain.

Should I be treated any differently with a ponytail and chipped polish? Nope. I'm not expecting that a revolution will start because some people posted pictures of what they look like on the good and the bad days, but it might help.

On the lighter side, the last reason I'm choosing to follow Amanda's lead is that I don't seem to have any recent memorabilia of myself! I like filling my home with pictures of family and friends, art made by the people I love and mementos from good times. This makes my home really feel like home. But in my spring cleaning mode I found that I am running really low on anything with me in it. I don't keep much of my own art and I am usually the one behind the camera. I'm hoping that at the end of April I might have a few more things around to remind me that I'm awesome.

So here we go kids...

This is me on a pretty standard casual Friday. You can find my portraits on my Flickr page or all the participants portraits in the 30 Day Self-Portrait Challenge Flickr group!

A Wallpaper Conundrum

When my tax refund came rolling in last year, I put almost all of into grown up and responsible things like bills and household repairs. Boring. However, I did set aside a little money for something extravagant that would make me really happy. While most people who use it for a vacation, new shoes or a spa treatment, I chose to use it on wallpaper. 

From the Graham & Brown website. 

But not just any wallpaper - Flocked black skull wallpaper designed by Barbara Hulanicki and sold at Graham & Brown. I had a dream to use it in my office somewhere, but that never panned out. And when I posted on Tuesday about the bookshelf I refashioned with some wallpaper reminded me that I have a whole roll of really lovely and expensive paper just begging to be used!!

The obvious answer is to paper an accent wall somewhere with it, but, alas, all my walls are heavily textured. I'm just not a fan of wallpaper on textured walls and I certainly don't feel like un-texturing one to use this paper on. 

So now, I just can't decide. I think there are almost too many alternative wallpaper options! I've made a list here of the things I've been thinking of doing with it:

1. Wallpaper Headboard

From a headboard roundup on Job Interior Decorating

2. Wallpaper on a desk or table top

This is a fabric table top from Darling Octopus Decor's Etsy Shop, but you get the idea. 

3. Shelf Liners

From i suwannee, I would probably line some future built ins. 

4. Lampshade

There are other googelable options, like framing it and using it as art, but this paper feels special to me. I really am in love with it. Any ideas? 

Past Project - Bookcase and Wallpaper

In late 2009, I seriously thought about putting this blog together and started prepping some posts with things I was doing around the house. I found them recently, buried in my documents folder, and thought I would share. I don't have enough of them to make this a regular posting theme, but they'll pop up every now and again! Welcome to past crafts..... 


A few years ago, between my divorce and my manfriend moving in, I rented out one of the spare rooms in my house to make ends meet. It worked out pretty well. She seemed tidy and was pretty considerate. I liked her. But like most things, our time together came to an end. And she left a wide variety of oddities when she moved out. The least of which include:

An unopened bag of defrosted frozen corn under her bed.
A mouse carcass in her closet.
All her pots, pan, dishes and cups.
A brand new stainless steel spice rack - spices included!
A box of mismatched shoes.
A bookcase.

Everything except the bookcase and kitchen supplies was very swiftly disposed of and her room fumigated.  The pots, pans, dishes and cups went to a new home with my good friend Adam. The spice rack still lives on my kitchen counter. The bookcase was given new life over the course of a weekend!!

She said she took it from her father's office and painted it black. My mother had dreams of re-mixing it as a buffet for my dining room (which sounds like a fabulous 'lesson learned from Trading Spaces') but I disagreed. It would always look like a sideways bookshelf to me. So for a few months, it just sat in the dinning room unused and unloved. But I  resurrected it's usefulness and put it in my work in progress art studio!!

Because I am a freak and never get rid of anything, turns out I had about a roll of wallpaper leftover from  my last office incarnation (FYI it did not go on the walls). So with things I had wasting space in my home, I made something beautiful!!

Please see supplies: straight edge and exacto knife (for cutting paper), tape measure, wall paper paste, wallpaper and (not seen) book shelf. 

If you can, start by removing the shelves, it makes the rest much easier!!

Measure pieces of paper so that it will fit into the back panel of the bookshelf and cut with the knife using the straight edge as a guide.

One at a time, coat the back of your wallpaper pieces with the wallpaper paste then line up with an edge of the back panel of the bookcase. Make sure to smooth out and bubbles before moving onto the next piece. Only 2 of the shelves in the piece are removable, so I had to cut three pieces of paper. 

Place your shelves back in and style as per usual! TA-FREAKIN-DA!! 


Here it is in a better quality photo in my still re-working art studio. I still love it!!

March is the Amy Butler Origami Bag Set!

I know, I know. I can't seem to start these things anywhere close to a reasonable time to get them done in their respective month. I didn't finish the January Cosmo Bag until mid February and the February Everyday Shopper was technically finished in March (but just barely). In my defense, these bags all have zippers and I wanted to take the class at Fancy Tiger over the weekend for some guided instruction on that.

These bags were tagged by a lovely lady I work with, Tricia. I just love love love the color pallet and the fabrics she picked out!

She's said she is going to use them for her crafting supplies, so if I have time I might embroider some crafting themed things on the front of them just for fun. I'm following the Jem Jam sew along of the Amy Butlers' Style Stitches book and the other participants have really kicked it up a notch! Check out the flickr page for it, if I don't embroider something on these bags, I might be shamed by my lack of ambition!

I'm cutting the fabric tonight in a desperate attempt to get these all done in March!

My First Zipper!

Have I stressed how much I love my local hipster craft shop, Fancy Tiger? I totally love that place. The shop is jam-packed with amazing and inspiring fabric, yarn, patterns - you name it, they've got it! AND they teach classes! 

I took a beginners sewing class probably a year ago and made a cute little iPhone cover out of some of their scrap fabric. It was an awesome way to get acquainted with a sewing machine and have someone confirm that you are indeed using it the right way. Of course, I didn't actually sew anything on my own for nine months, but that was my own fault. Then last month I took a pajama pants class with my girlfriend and we liked it so much we signed up for Sewing 201: Throw Pillow. 

So... anyway! Yesterday was the class and I made a cover for a 16 inch throw. I am aware that most people think it's silly to pay $30 to learn this simple project, and I have a perfect one word response. Zippers. I have never worked with a zipper. (I can't seem to think of a way to word that sentence in a way that makes me sounds like I can't literally use a zipper. I assure you, I can. I just had not sewn one onto anything before yesterday.)

I made one pillow cover out of some adorable fabric I bought there on sale last month:

The fabric. 

We also had to bring our pillow form and a zipper with us. The process was pretty easy, however I can't imagine that I would have been able to figure it out without instruction on hand. And even though we showed up about 15 minutes late (drove a few miles the wrong way on Broadway before I realized we were), we still finished on time and on par with the ladies who were punctual. Which means my friend and I are either geniuses, or the insturctor was awesome! (It was probably mostly the awesome instructor, but we are very intelligent.)

Zipper!!

I've always found that I have a blast at these things. There's something comforting about knowing that I'm not the only grown woman who didn't learn these things in home ec and because it's a casual learning environment, there's no pressure and it's just a lot of fun. 

Look at all the beautiful pillows we made!!

Group shot of all the ladies and our fabulous pillows!

Take that home decor companies! I will no longer over pay to change the look of my sofa pillows!! There's 6 of us who never will again!

I'm hoping to find an open spot in one of  Fancy Tiger's upcoming A-Line Skirt classes, but these things sell out fast. Keep your fingers crossed! Anyone want to join me?

PS - I just realized I put a bird on it! HA!

Art Field Trip!

This week my fellow 9-5ers and I took a little inspiration field trip to the MCA Denver (Museum of Contemporary Art Denver).

There were some exhibits where the artist wanted you to participate in the art, and you know I hitched my skirt up and jumped on that band wagon!! My favorite was this beautiful  tissue paper flower installation:

This one is the completed piece by the artist, something she finalized herself. This room was filled with tables and art supplies and on the opposite wall from this piece was the work in progress we could take part in:

The instructions were simple enough. Layer three pieces of tissue paper, fold in half twice. Leaving the folded edges alone, cut a semi circle with a zigzag edge. Unfold the paper and rotate the individual pieces to stagger the petals you just made. Then, they asked that you write a secret or a thought onto a piece of paper and then crumple it into a ball. Take that ball, place it in the center of your tissue and wrap  ball, tying it off with some string. 

Here's my contribution:

It's been a long time since I was involved in any kind of large art project. It was nice to feel like my little flower was a part of a bigger flower community!

However, this whole field trip sparked an interesting question about all art. All of the pieces in the museum had a lot of meaning behind the materials used, for example the flowers we made all had a secret in them. While the final piece can be enjoyable, is there a point in creating art that has to be explained?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

As per my usual, I had to celebrate with hair accessories!

Last night after celebrating St. Patrick's Day in a traditional beer kind of way, I came home and cut some felt! I made a pattern in photoshop and cut out about a dozen shamrocks out of two different green felts. I layered them, lighter on the bottom and darker on the top, a little off center so the lighter shamrock peeks through and glued them together. 

Then, I glued the lighter shamrock to a cheapy barrette I picked up at my local giant box store! Voila!! Instant Irish Hair!

I made a few shamrocks, then used the rest of the felt to make green felt roses and made barrettes out of those too. Brought the whole lot to work today and handed them out to my friends and a few pinch-worthy co workers (meaning they were lame and didn't wear green!). 

My friend Lindsay is pretty excited that the back of her head
is now an intweb celebrity! Green roses looked great of her!

She looks concerned here, but I promise Kayleen loves her shamrock.

Turns out it's really hard to get a picture of the back of your own head,
but I tried!!

They were a huge success! There's something about that feeling of surprising someone with a little gift that I just can't get enough of!

Hope everyone out there had a green day! What do you do to celebrate?

Confession About My List and Then Some

The list prompt on 30 Days of Lists on Tuesday was 'What is in Your Bag?'.

I have a confession to make: I might have done some purse contents editing.....

There! I said it! I'm not proud of it, but I feel lighter just admitting it.

The actual contents of my purse are about double that. I really meant it when I listed 'more lipgloss and than any one person should have'. I keep basically any individual color, shine and flavor that I have ever put on my lips in my purse. I don't know why, I just do. I also keep, on average, 3 sharpies and 7 pens in my purse. Not to mention all the odds and ends I pulled out and threw away or the coupons to every craft store in 100 miles.

This confession, while therapeutic, is not really why I felt the need to post about the contents of my purse. It's my need to embarrass myself on the interwebs by sharing hysterical stories! Yay! Story time!!

1) I've always carried large purses. (I was a girl scout and they trained me to be prepared for any situation!) In the days when I had the time to keep up with it, I would make a show of trying to clean it out and organize it several times a week - throwing out receipts, gum wrappers,  transferring notes on napkins to more appropriate places and things like that. But then life caught up with me, and I was lucky to get to that chore once a month. So then I started pulling more obscure objects out of my purse - socks, hammers, light bulbs, etc. But then I got even busier, and I just started dealing with those things in my purse. Leading to the SEVERAL occasions where I would reach into my purse for my keys and instead pull out a giant cookie. I couldn't get into my car, but I had a surprise snack!

2) (This one is not purse related, but funny all the same.) At my 9to5, the company sports the bill on Fridays for donuts and bagels for everyone. It's a made house in the break room, a mad house I tell you! On this particular day I treat myself to a small cake donut with sprinkles and go about my merry way. As the clock is nearing 3PM, when everyone is pushing it into high gear to get the week's work wrapped up, a friend and coworker comes into my office to we get to chatting about work and the weekend. I throw my head forward while laughing hysterically at some witty remark when something catches my eye. I have a chuck of sprinkled donut in my hair. IN MY HAIR! And not just a lone sprinkle or miniscule crumb. A bite sized piece of donut and it's been there since the morning, through several meetings, lunch with a large group and countless hallway meetings. No one claims to have noticed. I no longer trust anyone I work with and have installed a mirror in my office.

Am I the only one who feels compelled to share these types of stories?

And Lists Were Made....

It's been one whole week of list-making with the 30 Days of Lists project! YAY! I have to admit that I was expecting list prompts closer to the kinds of lists I make (my latest being "Ways to Access the Secret Room In My Someday Mansion"), but these lists are different. And by different, I mean awesome! They are simple positive prompts that are make me think about me as a person, focus on the moment and appreciate my world. It's like list-making therapy! 

Day 1 - A Few Things About Myself

Day 2 - Things I'm Good At

Day 3 - Things I'm Looking Forward To

Day 4 - Todays Playlist

Day 5 - Weekend Goals

Day 6 - My Least Favorite Words

Day 7 - Blog Goals!

Day 8 - What's in your purse?

I'm excited to work through the next week of prompts and really hope that this project becomes a yearly thing!

Gifts that Look Like Other Things

My first ever real blog post was about cake - how much I love it and the adorable shapes in which one can make it.

My first ever blog reader and commenter was my mother, who is awesome for it!

My mother read that blog post and decided to make it a wish list. Last month I found a box on my front porch with the return address of my mommy. Inside the box I found a grab bag of awesome, including some of the cake pans I listed here as being my favorites.

The Peace of Cake pan AND the TeaCupCake liners! I am one lucky daughter and blogger! It's hard on both my mother and me to live so far apart. We both miss out on all sorts of mother-daughter opportunities with all those miles in between us. But packages like this one reminds me that she's still my best friend, even if we only see each other in person a few times a year. 

But wait - there's more!

My man friend travels a lot for work and this last trip was one full month in California - no weekends home this time. He was sweet enough to bring me to him over Valentines Day (when I wore that awesome felt conversation heart hair piece I made, seen here) and romance the crap out of me. While we were romancing, we ate at this AWESOME restaurant, The Madonna Inn, where I ate way too much delicious food and fell in love with the novelty of the place. Fast forward three weeks, my sweetheart is preparing to come home to my loving arms and thinks he would like to see me smile. This is what he brings me:

Chocolates from The Madonna Inn that look like a farmyard! 

The ladybug was raspberry, the pig was toffee and the cow was chocolate. 

The time apart is hard, but he sure does know how to make the best of our time together! We tried really hard to make those treats last all weekend but we couldn't let them survive past Saturday.

The distance between me and my family AND my sweetheart can be hard, but I think we make the best of it. How do you deal with time apart from your favorite people?

An Open Letter to My Yard...

Dearest Yard,

I know we've had an on again and off again relationship since I moved into the house you surround. And you've been a good yard, sticking by me through the hard times. I'd like to think you can return the sentiment as I was here through the dry days. I also know the last few years have been particularly hard for between us. I've been so selfish in my ups and downs I have been neglectful. Having strangers mow you after the local authorities threatened you for being out of control last spring. I know it wasn't your fault and I can't apologize enough.

But there weren't always so bad times, were there? In the beginning when we would spend hours together while I mowed you and sang your favorites from my iPod. Remember when I had those tree specialist come out and give them all checkups? I had such a great time that first spring trying to spruce you up with some pansies and landscaping. What about that time we watched the ex-husband get arrested down the street? Those were great times!!

But we both need to remember that we live in a desert. In know when you were young and adventurous you settled here hoping to change the world through lush well manicured beauty. But you're old enough to know that you might have been too ambitious. Apple and Oak Trees, a full exotic lawn and what I think use to be a few lines of corn. Some of those things just need more than Colorado can give, friend. Let's keep the same direction, but just change the path. Let's stay ambitious and adventurous, but let's try to work with the desert and not against it.

I propose we start fresh! Let's loose the thirsty trees and remove all of that greedy grass! Let's put in sage and lavender and shrubs. Stop fighting it my friend! Let's beautify the place with things that will thrive!

I have a dream too... and it's to make you the most spectacular quarter of an acre this side of Lakewood has ever seen!! Are you with me?

PS - I'm starting today with or without your response. I've been to the Home Depot and bought a hack saw. Believe me, you'll never miss those little trees growing all over the place. I'm actually saving them from dying of thirst since it never rains here and I'm too cheap to water.