Posts Tagged ‘crafts’

One of my favoritest bloggers {Emily of Jones Design Company} is going to be celebrating the arrival of May with a special Flower Week. Each day, from May 2 through May 6, she’ll be posting new flower projects and tutorials on her blog. She makes some of the most lovely things and I’m excited about following along!

Over the last two weeks I’ve started several of the items on my Project 52 list and completely finished one.

• Started purging my wardrobe. I’ve gone through my closet and dresser, now it’s time to tackle the box of clothes that didn’t fit anywhere when we moved into our house. I’m holding a clothing swap next month and will be taking all my “leftovers” to Goodwill when we’re finished.
• Got more than halfway through making my sink skirt. I should be able to finish it up this weekend.
• Finished my dry erase board. Pictures coming soon.
• Started the cupcake liner wreath. I should be able to finish it up while we watch a movie tonight.
• Went through an entire stack of magazines, pulled out the articles I was interested in, and moved the stack to a box that will be listed on Freecycle.
• Michael and I (mostly Michael) planted two trees in our front yard (in the middle of a downpour!). We also dug up and hand-cultivated the garden area in front of the porch, getting rid of the scraggly, unlovely plants that were there. We bought seeds, soil, mulch, etc., and I started a dozen plants indoors so that we can transplant them outside when our large garden area is ready.
• Put up one bird feeder outside. It’s not hanging yet,  but it’s got lots of visitors anyway, including a cardinal couple.

My weekly list has been a good springboard, but I still haven’t pulled out my cello. I’ve gotten in all the reading and the piano practice, and I’ve written a couple letters. The list has also motivated me to take more pictures, though I haven’t really been adhering to a certain theme each week. I guess I need to make a list of ideas for that, too!

In order to give myself an outline of some of the non-work-related things I want to accomplish, I’ve set a goal of tackling roughly one project a week for a year, for a total of 52 projects (which means I have a little bit of catching up to do). I left approximately three months’ worth of projects undecided, to allow room for new inspiration and ideas and I’ve marked out the ones I’ve already finished this year. I’ll try to remember to post updates here as I finish each additional project.

Here’s the list so far:

1. Plant garden
2. Put up bird feeders and houses
3. Put up hanging flower baskets
4. Make cupcake liner wreath
5. Create and order wedding photo albums
6. Finish sanding dining room chairs
7. Finish painting dining room chairs
8. Finish painting laundry room
9. Sew sink skirt
10. Make curtains for kitchen and family room
11. Put up “white board” in kitchen
12. Set-up craft area
13. Make Baked Alaska
14. Paint “accent” wall in dining room
15. Paint cookbook shelf
16. Purge closet
17. Donate and/or sell crates of books
18. Sew covers for pillow forms
19. Dye napkins
20. Install another shelf in bathroom closet
21. Hang clock in living room
22. Read Large Family Logistics
23. Purge and file papers
24. Hang chandelier (requires finding one!)
25. Put knobs or handles on entertainment chest
26. Hold cookie exchange
27. Make quiche
28. Frame and hang/display wedding photos
29. Hang “Price of Freedom” print
30. Install flooring in craft room and get rid of the extra
31. Finish installing switch plates and outlet covers
32. Complete bedroom curtains
33. Hang plates on dining room “accent” wall
34. Install or hang a “headboard”
35. Have vows printed, framed, and hung
36. Scan, enlarge, frame, and hang letter from Michael
37. Write Grandma, Uncle Billy, etc. to ask questions about Grandpap
38. Paint the porch
39. Paint kitchen window sashes
40. Give bathroom second coat of paint over tub
41. TBD
42. TBD
43. TBD
44. TBD
45. TBD
46. TBD
47. TBD
48. TBD
49. TBD
50. TBD
51. TBD
52. TBD

Additionally, each week I want to:

• Send a letter
• Play the piano for at least an hour
• Play the cello for at least 15 minutes
• Read for at least an hour
• Photograph a specific theme or idea

What are some of the things you hope to accomplish this year?

I don’t care what anyone says, I don’t think us girls ever outgrow our love of dolls. Just this morning I came across these handmade darlings over at Jones Design Company. Emily made them for her daughter and her friends’ little girls. But I would imagine that any girl, no matter what age, would love to have one of these in their possession. Aren’t they just adorable!

{Photo copyright Jones Design Company.}

{Confession: My present from my parents for my 21st birthday was a baby doll. And yes, I asked for it.

It was a sweet little Gotz baby that my mom and I found at Tuesday Morning for a song (at least compared to how much they’re worth) and May was nearly upon us, so it became my birthday gift.}

I’m not sure where I’ve been lately, but I will admit that today was the first time I’d ever heard of the Silhouette. But, my goodness, it looks like the ultimate crafting machine! If you have some extra Christmas money and you’re in the market for one, all the blogs listed at the bottom of this post  have discount codes that will allow you to buy the Silhouette for just $175 (regular retail is $299).

Or, you can try your luck at entering the giveaways hosted on the same sites. Silhouette has passed along a machine to each one of these ladies to give away to one of their readers. I’ve entered every one of them – we’ll see what happens. If you win, be sure to come back and let me know! (And send pictures of the awesome creations you make with it.)

Oh, and I found some great new blogs to follow while I was entering. These ladies’ blogs have some gorgeous ideas, great tutorials, and amazing inspiration!

Ruffles and Stuff

{Ruffles and Stuff is the one blog I already followed, and where I found the original giveaway, with links to most of the rest. Thanks, Disney!}

Room to Inspire

Brown Paper Packages

Honey We’re Home

Little Miss Momma

Familyicious

The Stories of A2Z

Diaper Swappers

• If you’re looking for a fabulous DIY project, check out Green Submarine DIY. Green Submarine blogger Angela has started collecting some of her favorite DIY ideas from around the web and listing them in one spot, with lots of labels to help you find the specific project you want.
• Another place to look for DIY projects is the DIY Project Parade, a weekly link up at DIY Showoff.
• These Blueberry Sunrise Muffins from Hostess with the Mostess look yummy! I’m bookmarking this recipe to try for weekend brunch sometime.
• Emily of Jones Design Company was a guest blogger earlier this week at Finding Fabulous. Click here to see her tutorial for turning a (thrifted) cable knit sweater into a lovely throw pillow.
• Here’s another easy DIY pillow idea. This one utilizes a handmade stencil and fabric spray paint to make a bold design.
• Totally unrelated and not a link at all, but today my husband and I have been married for three months!

No photo this week – I didn’t find anything in my normal browsing and after half an hour of a dedicated search, there still wasn’t anything that captured my attention enough to share (and had sharing permission).

Aren’t my flowers beautiful? They were a hostess gift from my mother-in-law and my husband’s “adopted” grandma. They came over for dinner on Sunday, along with my brother-in-law and his little boy, and brought me those lovely potted mums. They cheery-ed up my kitchen area and looked so pretty with our teal wedding tablecloth and matching napkins. When I saw them, I knew they’d go perfectly with my yellow and orange flower napkin rings, so I pulled those out and the whole table looked beautiful. I wish I had thought to take pictures.

But I’ve gotten sidetracked. This post isn’t about the flowers. It’s about that picture you see behind them. I made it in about about 10 minutes last week, and it only took so long because I couldn’t find my scissors.

I’ve had that frame, along with its twin, for about 2 years now. It was gracing my bedroom shelf until I got married, and then it moved to my office, where the pair sat propped against the wall, looking forlorn and very unlovely. I finally got tired of the unloveliness and decided to do something about it. I took the back off the first frame, so the cardboard-like interior is no longer visible and set it on top of our piano (I’ll post pictures of that later this month).

For this frame, I took a roll of wrapping paper, cut a piece to fit, and glued it directly onto the back of the frame. I got a little overzealous with the glue on one edge and you can see where the wrapping paper crinkled up when it dried. So if you try this, make sure you don’t go too heavy on the glue. (Maybe ironing the paper first so it doesn’t roll up would help?)

Once the glue was dry, I popped the back into the frame and . . . voila! Insta-art! Isn’t it pretty?

Now I just need to find a good place to hang it up.