This weekend, I played the recluse. My days were filled with cooking food, scrapbooking with what I had on hand and enjoying our first real—and probably last—snow of the season. Winter is fading. I can feel it. Even though the air is still biting cold, it’s coming. I’m ready to start seeds and watch them grow. I’m looking forward to hunting morels. To being in the woods. To getting my hands dirty. But for now, snow. So, I stayed inside and made a mess. It felt really good to just have time to get creative. To flex my creative muscles. I was inspired to do a couple of projects that I’ll show you soon! Otherwise, I’ve been getting back into scrapbooking and trying to contain my hoard of paper from college, travels and everyday life. I also received some beautiful postcards in the mail from The Noisy Plume. I spent probably too much time just moving them around to different spots. (I do that when I really like something.) If you need some life-spiration, you should definitely check out The Noisy Plume. She makes me remember to appreciate the simple, the beautiful and the real. How was your weekend? Good?...
Cork Trivet Wall Décor
On my most recent shopping trip to Ikea, I was staring at a packet of three cork trivets and inspiration struck! Instead of using them to protect countertops and tables from hot pots, I decided to hang them on the wall. Similar to a cork bulletin board, this packet of three cork trivets can be used to pin up postcards, messages and pictures. I adhered mine to the wall with just a few swatches of double-sided tape. It took all of three minutes to go from blank wall to wall décor. You’re not limited to hanging pictures or postcards on your trivets. I tacked up a carnation to dry. The flower adds a bit more visual interest to the whole scheme. I hung my three circles in a vertical line, but there are so many other options you could try. Buy a few more packets of trivets and you could create an entire gallery wall or make a cool pattern on the wall. At $2.99 for a packet of three, it’s a very inexpensive project. (Hint: If you check Ikea’s “as is” area, you might even be able to score some for less!) I love the versatility of this cork trivet wall décor. Whenever...
Do-It-Yourself Yarn Pom Pom Garland
I’m always looking for a yarn craft. Yarn is inexpensive and versatile. I like using it because I don’t feel bad when I mess up, which tends to happen. I’ve really enjoyed crocheting and finger knitting recently, so when I came across yarn pom poms, I knew I wanted to try to make them. Making yarn pom poms was a super simple craft and fun to do. Here’s a quick tutorial that explains how to make your own yarn pom poms. A few tricks to keep in mind You can use anything to wrap the yarn around. It doesn’t have to be cardboard. You can even use your hand. Just keep in mind the size of the item you wrap the yarn around will determine what size your pom pom is. Make sure not to wrap the yarn too tight. You have to carefully pull the yarn off the cardboard and keep it in place so you can tie the string around it. If you wrap the yarn too tight this is really hard to do. I learned the hard way. There are lots of different size options. I chose to make bigger pom poms, about the size of a tennis ball....
Scrapbooking Fun: Christmas Card Scrapbook
It’s February, so you’re probably wondering why I’m doing a Christmas post. But it’s more of a what-to-do-with-your-Christmas-cards post. If you’re like me, then around this time of the year you’re wondering what to do with your Christmas cards. Do you throw them all away? Or, toss that pile of Christmas cards in a box and forget about them? I can never bring myself to throw them away. It feels like I’d be tossing out all of that happiness, cheer and memories. But I always have a hard time figuring out what to do with them. And I have quite the paper pile up. This year, I decided to scrapbook my Christmas cards. It’s been a while since I made a scrapbook. When scrapbooking first got popular, I was obsessed with it. But making a big 12×12 inch scrapbook got tiring. Every page started to feel like a huge project. So for my return to scrapbooking, I experimented with a smaller size. It’s 8×8 inches. The hangup a lot of people have with scrapbooking is the expense. Buying a bunch of scrapbooking supplies can definitely get pricey. So for this book, I challenged myself to use what I had. The only supplies I bought for...
Repurpose Project: Crate Turned Bookshelf
Not too many of us have four-foot tall old shipping crates just hanging around to repurpose. I’m just guessing here, anyway. But lucky me, I find all kinds of treasures in my grandparents’ house and garage. Like this shipping crate. It was originally used to ship fragile items from Columbia Lighting, according to a stamp on its side. My grandpa (I call him Poppy) added a couple of shelves for me and voilà. Turned on its side, this shipping crate makes a fun narrow bookshelf. This is one sturdy shelf. It’s so heavy; I could barely lift it to try it out in different spots around my house before selecting the perfect location. And, it’s almost as tall as me! I love the perfectly imperfect parts about this shelf. “This side up” is handwritten in marker on one side. It also has several stamps from the lighting company where it originated. And all of the wear and tear, adds charm. After all, it’s a shipping crate. It should have some wear! The narrow width of this shelf works great in my tiny home. It’s exactly what I needed. What do you think? If you like this, also check out this...
Published in VintageKC Magazine: Winter 2014
I’m posting this a little late, but here are my latest contributions to VintageKC magazine. I love writing for this magazine. Every issue is packed with vintage fun for today’s home decorator. It’s fresh and full of inspiring home, fashion and DIY project ideas. For the Winter 2014 issue, I was lucky enough to participate twice. Check it out! For this issue, I got to take part in the DIY craft project that’s in every issue. This issue’s challenge was to create a snowflake out of unexpected items. I made a snowflake ornament out of wine corks! I love how the ornament turned out. The naturally varying colors of the corks look lovely. Plus, it’s easy to make! I also wrote a piece for the Vintage Recipes section. I interviewed my friend’s grandma who told me her story of learning to bake as a little girl. It turned out really fun. Plus, you can get her recipe for the perfect pie crust! Check out the full magazine in the digital edition. You’ll find my pieces on page 38 and page 44. Related articles: Published in VintageKC Magazine: Fall 2014 Published in VintageKC Magazine! Vintage Love: A Barnyard Wedding...
How to Style a Bar Cart (Practical but Pretty)
Besides the convenience of crafting a cocktail on demand, I like having a bar cart because it adds extra storage in a stylish way. The trick is to keep your bar cart from getting messy. I see lots of pretty pictures and pins of fabulously styled bar carts. But I need mine to be practical as well as stylish. I use mine to store wine glasses, shot glasses, alcohol bottles and other odds and ends every day. My bar cart isn’t just for looking good in pictures. It adds extra storage space to my already bursting-at-the-seams kitchen. Here are my tips for styling your bar cart for the everyday. 1. Use a tray This simple wooden tray keeps my random assortment of shot glasses, wine glasses and mini liquor bottles looking organized. It corrals everything together, so items stay put. 2. Line up bottles Bar carts have to have some booze, right? Well, the trick to keeping all of those bottles from looking messy is to line them up in neat rows. So simple. But it makes a big difference. 3. Use containers Containers, such as mason jars and bowls, are great for storing smaller items on your bar cart....