Tissue Paper Peony

The peony is my absolute favourite flower. I often find myself wistfully daydreaming of its pink petals and pretty fragrance in the dead of winter, when alas, there are none to be found.They conjure up visions of summer afternoons filled with sunshine (not to mention of course, my wedding.) In my dream-life I have a rambling English garden positively overflowing with them. I decided that next-to-perfect would be creating some tissue paper confections on this blustery February evening. Valentine's Day Eve, as it were...

My first order of business was finding a reliable source on the matter. I wanted a tutorial that didn't require special tools, a lot of time, or a lot of skill for that matter. I happened upon this one, and I can personally attest to it:

Here is the outcome looking lovely, and quite realistic in the vase that my sister brought back for me from Korea. This is also known as its permanent resting spot, once I manage to fashion some iteration of a stem:

These flowers also make beautiful substitutions for your run-of-the mill bow. They really only take a few minutes and one sheet of tissue paper to make. It's recycling at its prettiest!

I highly recommend you give these flowers a try. They would make beautiful shower decorations or a cute little posy for a flower girl. Get creative!

Easy-Peasy Art Project...

This art project is perfect for pulling a room together. It's inexpensive, AND it's easy...double bonus!!

All you need to complete this project is:

-Two canvases in the size of your choice
-Three or four paint colours that coordinate with your space (try picking from a fabric or bedspread in the space for a super-easy palette...you can also "layer" colours for more depth by picking different shades in the same family) Buy $3 test pots for the best quality paints.
-A neutral background colour (cream or white)
-Painter's tape in various widths
-Paint brushes

Instructions:

1. Paint the canvas with two coats of your white or cream paint.
2. Randomly space your tape to create nice straight stripes in various sizes.
3. After you have taped out the stripes, apply a light coat of your background paint over top of your tape, paying special attention to the seams. This will prevent the paint from bleeding through.
4. Allow the paint to dry fully.
5. Paint stripes in a pattern of your choice.
6. Remove the tape before the paint dries to avoid peeling.

You don't have to be an artist to create simple, custom art pieces for your home...you just have to give this simple technique a try! Let me know if you do!
I'll show you how I used these pieces in my bedroom when I do the reveal later on this week.

Vintage Chair Love!

These past two weekends have been a whirlwind of activity. Last weekend was spent scouting, sourcing and redesigning my bedroom with one of my dearest friends (pics to come later this week) and the weekend before was spent antiquing in Niagara, which totally paid off...S and I found a set of five dining chairs to refinish for $25 each! Needless to say, we were thrilled...They weren't QUITE gorgeous when we found them, but I knew that with a little elbow grease, they would really show their potential.

The set only has one armchair, which is totally fine because we want to get two upholstered chairs for end chairs to go with the table we want (to be revealed later on this week, since S got a night school job, it's totally a "go!")

I decided to refinish the single armchair to use as an occasional chair in our bedroom. It got a few coats of high-gloss black lacquer, and I recovered the cushion with a silk blend and added a bit more padding...Since they say a picture is worth a thousand words, feast your eyes if you will:


Nice "neutral" fabric on the before chair, right? HA!


Done and Done !


Look at the pretty trellis detailing!! It makes me so happy!



Stay tuned later this week for the bedroom reveal! I PROMISE it'll be worth it!

J Crew Necklace Craft...

Okay, people...I can hardly CONTAIN my excitement!!!! I just found the prettiest blog with the best tutorials EVER!! The blog is called Ruffles and Stuff and the author, Disney (I know, right?) is gorgeous, thrifty and super-crafty...and not stupid-crafty, good-crafty...like here's-a-tutorial-for-a-Banana-Republic-inspired-bib-necklace good-crafty! Can you tell I'm kind of over the moon right now?

What really prompted me to write this post was this necklace:



Which is her version of this necklace by J Crew:



I absolutely LOVE this necklace, but it's gone now...so I was SURE I missed the boat when I came upon this blog completely by happenstance...Serendipity? You bet.

Find the step-by-step tutorial here and join me in making one this weekend...Bead Girl, here I come!

On an even happier note, how excited are you that J Crew is finally coming to Canada? Looks like our "strong" economy in spite of the economic downturn has spurred them (and Khols and Target **happy dance!!**) to move onto our turf. I see more cardigans and affordable designer fashions in our collective futures!

Wedding Wednesday: Adorable DIY Favour Ideas!

I think that favours are probably my favourite wedding element. They not only help you personalize your special day, but they're also a lovely way to thank your guests for making it so special. I have compiled a few of my favourite wedding favour ideas from my favourite wedding bloggers.

This first idea combines my love of favours with my love of terrariums. It would be simple to do with some fishbowl vases from your local craft shop and some succulents from your local garden store. Throw in a few shells or river rocks, and voila! I was considering this as an option for my own wedding, but I think it would be really well suited for an eco-conscious wedding or a woodland theme. Find out more from Martha...it's her idea after all!



This lovely idea would be the perfect way to showcase fabric or paper that incorporates your colour palette for your day, and as a bonus, it would double as a centrepiece...just be sure there's one per guest (vary the height and volume for visual interest) and be sure guests know they're meant to take them as they leave. I found this idea at I Do It Yourself...check out this resource...it is amazing and invaluable with tons of free printables and great ideas.




These DIY ice cream favours from Style Me Pretty would be perfect for an outdoor summer wedding.



These matchbox covers are a classic idea...You can find the template here and you can mix and match computerized fonts and designs or you could go really wild and calligraph your own..hooray for typography!



Finally, since the importance of presentation cannot be overstated, I have found some lovely cut and fold boxes (including the butterfly one below) here to put something lovely into...like, oh, I don't know...some truffles or Parisian macarons...



Happy crafting!

Welcome 2011

I must admit, I am sad to say goodbye to 2010. With a wedding, honeymoon, new job, lots of new friendships forged and the acquisition of a soda stream, it will be hard to top. I am moving forward into 2011 with the sole resolution to get more organized...luckily for me, an unfortunate NYE accident has rendered me house-bound, so I'll have a lot of time this weekend to put my plans into action. Lots of closets to clean out, and unused items to give away.

As you may know I love to meal plan, I am currently using this lovely scribble menu planner from the lovely, artistic folks over at Ollibird.



I am planning to make it more permanent by printing it onto magnet paper and laminating it, so it can hang out on my fridge.

This lovely alternative option offers a bit more space and more organizational possibilities.



Click here for the link to download these yourself and laminate them or throw them into picture frames to track your own meals. Also, visit Ollibird for more cool downloads (free!) and tutorials. Their Etsy shop Loveland Miscellany by Ollibird is also worth a visit...it has some super-cute, unique and affordable art prints for sale.

Weekend Recap

Wow! It seems as the weeks get closer to Christmas, the days go by faster and faster! This weekend flew by, but it was packed full of fun! On Friday we went to our friend's housewarming party...met lots of nice people and, although they're just getting set up, I can tell the place is going to look AMAZING!

On Saturday, I spent the day making some stockings for Steve and I. I used a French toile de joie pattern, and I think they turned out quite well.


I'm thinking about embroidering our names on them in cream on the cuff, but I haven't decided for sure yet.

On Sunday we had the in-laws for dinner, so we mostly spent the day cleaning...you know how it is...Thanks to the Smitten Kitchen and The Martha (of course) I made quite a delicious dinner, if I do say so myself. I HIGHLY recommend all of these recipes. The roast recipe is one that I use over and over, because it's so darn delish...and the brussels sprouts recipe is my new favourite veggie recipe!

Sunday Night Dinner Menu

Roast Beef with Caramelized Shallots

Photo from Martha Stewart

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Seasoned Salt

Photo from Martha Stewart

Balsamic Braised Brussels with Panetta

Photo from Smitten Kitchen

Vanilla Roasted Pears

Photo from the Smitten Kitchen

Finally, an annual tradition to top the weekend off...watching Muppet Christmas Carol with hot apple cider and popcorn...not the same without my sister or my Kelly, though my dogs were a close second.



ps...I KNOW that red tray has to go...and I'm working on it...the Fiance likes the random red...I am sure some might think it's sooooo 2007, but I am still in love with this Oscar de la Renta Chevron tray:



but you know I'll have to DIY...it's not sane to spend $300 on a tray. I'm thinking some wallpaper should give the same graphic effect. We'll see.

Crafts to Keep You Busy!

My crafty selections for this week have made me VERY excited! How CUTE is that zipper headband? Come on weekend, I want to get started now!

Zipper Headband from Cut Out and Keep


Bedside Caddy from Sew 4 Home


Snow Buddy from Purl Bee


Note Pad from Mfn Inc


Coffee Cozy from House on Hill Road


Enjoy your weekend, all...and try to do something that truly makes you happy! Next week I am hoping to return to some more structured living. This was certainly not my best week, but I am getting back on track starting with this weekend. Wish me luck!

Keeping my Idle Hands Busy This Weekend...

This weekend, aside from picking up my sister's dog from the airport I am hoping to have some time to get a couple of projects done...I want to get a little more holiday decorating done, because I have an apartment tour planned especially for you, but I am also planning to do some sewing and some "baking" (read: mixing dough and freezing for later.) My gorgeous birthday present from my mom has come in the mail in time for me to wear it baking, cleaning, and puttering around this weekend! Excitement!

Hey, Mama...Want to see what you got me?!

Thank you so much! You have such lovely taste :)

Here are my planned crafts for the weekend...Steve says he wants to see more colour in our apartment, so some of these crafts are an effort to oblige him.

Embroidered Stocking from Purl Bee
These stockings will look soooo lovely nestled on our...entertainment unit.

Ruffled Pillow from Etsy Storque

I don't suppose I need to tell you I'll be making this in pink :)

Buttercup Bag from Made by Rae

I have been meaning to make this bag for about six months...what better excuse than Christmas, right?

Feather Tree from Martha Stewart

Also a project that would look fabulous in pink...

Laptop Tote from Sew Mama Sew

This simple project would be wonderful for anyone with a laptop... and isn't that everyone?

Enjoy your weekend, friends. Keep busy, and take some time to get in the festive spirit!

Advent Calendar

If you're anything like me, the anticipation leading up to Christmas is just as much fun as the actual day, but those 99 cent supermarket Advent Calendars simply don't excite me enough. I'm looking for something a little more creative, and a little more inspired. If you have children, the Advent Calendar is a great tradition to start, and can become a treasure memory. The pockets can be filled with chocolate (of course) but also little notes or small trinkets. It's a great way to reinforce the non-commercial meaning of Christmas for the little ones. Here I've collected some of the prettiest examples I could find on the web. Many are made with recycled items, and most can (and should) be used year after year.

Recycle Bin Advent Calendar from Craftastica

This first example is comprised entirely of things you'll find in your recycling bin (as the name suggests)

Easy Envelope Advent Calendar from Quietfish

The bonus here is that she has posted the fun family activity she put in each adorable, tiny envelope!

Matchbook Advent Calendar from Martha

Ok, so you may not have 24 matchboxes lying around, but maybe in 25 years...

Magnetic Cookie Sheet Advent Calendar from Craftbits

This one would look fabulous if you used an antique cookie sheet, n'est pas?

Embroidered Felt Advent Calendar from Purlbee

This sturdy variety offers a chance to brush up on your embroidery skills, and provides another fantastic use for wool felt! What could be better?

Paper Cone Advent Calendar from The Red Thread

Use your leftover scrapbooking materials for this project.

Printable Advent Calendar from Mibo

This is the easiest of all the advent calendars to create, and it literally takes 10 minutes...you could also reuse it, if you're so inclined.
Since today is December first, I recognize it's a bit late to be posting this, but maybe of you work really fast you could get at least one of these beauties done by the weekend. Your kids won't mind opening five mini gifts at once, I'm sure...neither will you, if that's your situation!

24 Days to go!

Crafts to Keep You Busy

I've rounded up some fun crafts so that you can get a head start on your handmade Christmas gifts, or simply while away the copious amounts of time you'll have over the next few weeks leading up to the holidays (I know, scoff).

Fabric Necklace from Pretty Ditty


Custom Dog Leash from Craft Stylish


IPod Nano Cover from Made by Petchy


Glass Ball Wreath from Martha Stewart


Handmade Lunch Bag from Design Sponge


So have fun, my friends...keep those fingers busy...you know what they say about idle hands.

Bon weekend!

Upcycled Doggie Sweater...

Some of you may remember my idea to make a new dog sweater from this post. Well, friends...it isn't pretty, but I've done it! I used one of Loki's other sweaters as a pattern, and started chopping and stitching, and this is what I came up with:

The full effect...


A little closer up now...


Sitting handsomely...


Like, sooooo bored with life...


My initial hope was to just shrink the sweater enough to fit him without a single snip or stitch...although he was cooperative in trying, I was NOT a success.




Overall, it's not my best work, but at least it fits him, which means my skills are improving! My initial instinct when sewing is "get 'er done," which leads to rushing and sloppyy work. It takes ALL the willpower I have to go nice and slow, and get it done neatly. I'm a work in progress, what can I say?