{pom pom} vines

Doesn't this make you wish you had plans to throw a pretty little party--for which you could hang colorful garland? Maybe you already do. I'm thinking along the lines of an indoor garland too, probably because a constant state of wetness is thoroughly upon the entire Northwest. No one likes soggy tissue paper. Click here for great DIY instruction from the creator of Rifle Design.

Not {naked} anymore.

Lately, my walls have seemed a little bare. Even I, Miss Simplicity, couldn't bare it any longer (no pun intended).

So I pulled out my oldest of old felt scraps and some mustard thread and listened to the Seattle rain. You might already know how much I adore little banners. I still salivate when I look at this guy.

Then the wall next to this one was looking naked, also...

I love the idea of using a color wheel (among other old art 110 assignments), a postcard, a paper coaster, and fabric as wall decor.

Voila!

To put up the fabric, I soaked it with some non-aerosol liquid starch, carefully spread it onto the wall and dabbed the edges with a sponge for about a minute. It dries overnight. The great thing is that when you are ready for something new, you can pull the fabric off the wall and not a trace of starch (or any other suspicious something) is left behind. Not so naked anymore. Ahh.

etsy love

 

 

 

While I'm on such an embroidery kick, I thought I'd share these from MiniatureRhino's Etsy shop. I love how the hoops are a part of the art. Sometimes love is indeed in the details.

I'll admit.

Now is the time for honesty. I really don't like Halloween. How is it possible, you ask, when she loves the fall season so very much? What I really don't like are the goblins and mummies and eyeballs. The smelly, scary, plastic masks. Those fake spider webs people string across their shrubs; the fake graveyards they fork into their lawns. I even despise the orange + black color combination. The only saving grace of Halloween are the precious kiddies dressed in homemade costumes (I'll also accept Halloween cookies). I am head-over-heels for these felted (!) tree costumes.

embroidery tutorial

Embroidery can be the perfect little project. I used to be a bit intimidated by the intricacy of it all, but find that it is as simple or as detailed as one would have it. Here is a basic tutorial that might get you going, too.

Liberty of London

Today I spotted a wedding inspired by this Liberty of London fabric (I'll take some of every print, thank you) with which the mother of the groom used to make all the ties. The entire wedding had me drooling a bit. The bride rightfully described it as "Nothing too precious, but everything romantic."

layers

There's nothing like a giant flower and a cardigan to start the week right. This project was simple: I cut different sizes of flowers and tacked them together, then knotted the middle a bit. I sure love that rusty color.

{knitted} house

And while we're on the topic of knitted things, let's admire this little house. Can I live there?

transforming {furniture}

I have officially decided that the impossible is, indeed, possible. Mostly because that old card catalog shown below did, indeed, become that most perfect white buffet table.

Check out the entire process on this couple's blog. I'm always impressed by people who aren't afraid to tear apart their walls and furniture because they have a vision of something better.

bunchy bow

I had a few random scraps and decided to try something quick and easy. Ta-da! All I did was bunch little pieces of fabric together, put a few stitches through the bottoms, then attach them all onto a circle of felt. You can't really tell, but I slipped the whole thing onto a headband. Don't you feel proud to walk around wearing something you've made?

{create a} fabric print

As if I don't already own enough fabric (fabric that I recently re-organized and will share soon), or enough other pending project ideas (which theoretically will also come soon), I'm now into making my own fabric patterns. The easiest way to start is with tape, as shown above from How About Orange. Just think, the options are endless! Who needs paper when there's a yard of muslin with no predestined task lying before you?

the {itch}

It's obvious my crafting has come to a shameful halt, or I wouldn't be hiding from my lovely little blog quite so much. I'm just itching to get away from my to-do and make something, for goodness sakes. Maybe this weekend I'll paint something with bright summer colors to hang somewhere. Check out this weekend art project from the new domestic. Perfectly and brilliantly simple! That's what we like.

Hello, weekend treat

This cheesecake is so doable, even a measly old college student can (and will) make it. And then eat it. I discovered it on She Eats Bears, a fantastic little food blog. I think I admire food bloggers the most. They're the ones with their priorities in line.

{brown} paper

I came across this photo advertising that bundle of delicious tea towels (worth checking out here) but was more drawn to that bouquet of perfectly simple flowers wrapped in brown paper. Julie Andrews had it figured out when she sang of brown paper packages. I would be perfectly happy to wrap all my gifts to give (including flowers) in brown paper for the rest of my life.

{honorable} intentions

School has once again taken over my life. Sometimes crafting must be temporarily set aside in order for me to accomplish tasks that usually involve the state and success of my entire future career. Honorable, yes? If I did have a more available afternoon, I would make these perfect tea cookies and this recycled rose petal shirt.

felt {for men}

All this time I just assumed my tiny felted flowers could only be for ladies. How close-minded and ignorant was I? {Very}



Now I just need to get my hands on one of those fabulous tweedish-woolish sport coats.
Such well dressed fellas.

New {sewing} obsession

It seems as though my busiest weeks and my loads of homework get together and have the perfect chemistry to create something brilliantly crafty. Well, this was a busy week and I had loads of homework. So naturally I blew it all off and pulled out some fabric, thread and needles and let myself loose. And this is what happened. I'm kind of obsessed.





{More to come in all kinds of lovely colors and patterns}



p.s. Isn't that the most lovely model?

{Recycled} flats

Scrap fabric, Mod Podge, and me bent over a pile of newspaper on my bedroom floor. The Great MD showed me her sad little toe-holed flats and it wasn't until last night when the idea hit me like a ton of bricks. Thank goodness she was sensible enough to give me completely free reign when I attacked her with one of those rash, project-hungry explosions.



Does this make me a cobbler? Or just a right-brained freak? Either way, I'm satisfied. As is MD.