Sep 2nd, 2010
Welcome to my dining room! I’ve finally photographed my favorite wall of dioramas and botanical fantasies for you to see. Mind you, there’s much to be done in the new house, but sometimes I can’t believe we’ve only lived here a month!
Eric has always snuffed my obsession with little fake birds, but graciously sucked it up when I used them as a central theme for our wedding four years ago. He must have been kidding himself if he thought that I’d get rid of all of those little birds after the wedding was over. And indeed, I’ve held on to those birds ever since, without any real idea of what to do with them.
When we moved into our new house most of the walls were painted truly disgusting colors, but the living room was a shade of green that we could work with. It has turned out to be a fantastic backdrop for our botanical/library/harry potter decor, which by the way we had no idea our furnishings could support. The flora and fauna theme was strengthened by the fact that we live in a beautiful small, rural town with natural elements all around us. Our morning walks around the park are the perfect opportunity to collect luscious tufts of moss that fall from the hundred year old oak trees. It didn’t take me long to put my love of birds, glassware, and moss covered twigs together to create a diorama heaven. I love living here.
I think the birds look quite happy, don’t you?
As for the wet moss, I just give it a squirt of water every so often to liven it up. Eventually it will dry out, in which case I can either replace it with a quick trip to the park ( I LOVE it here!) or leave it brown. While I’ve used live moss, this look is just as easy to re-create with supplies from your local craft store and I encourage you to give it a try!
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Sep 1st, 2010
Our first house guest just left us on Tuesday ;_;- it was so wonderful to have family visiting just at a time when I had started to feel a little bit lonely in a whole new state, a thousand miles from all my friends and family. But while little Alyssa was here I realized that I had failed to prepare for dining for three! I’ve been using the same 2 placemats since we moved in simply because who thinks of placemats?! Being both thrifty and crafty I decided to make my own, which perfectly coordinate with our botanical dining room.
I used some really gorgeous fabric left over from an old Urban Outfitters tapestry, a green upholstery fabric from Ikea, my maroon striped bias tape, and some miscellaneous lace.
I wanted a layered look so I used some bits of my wedding lace and tucked them into the bias tape as I stitched. I know that’s a bit extravagant, but what else am I supposed to do with my love of ragged luxury?!! Let’s just say that these are special occasion placemats.
And they’re reversible! Look for the full tutorial on Friday. For now you can check out the adorable new bias tape now in the shop!
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Aug 28th, 2010
Hey kids I’ve got a scrumptious back to school tutorial for you! How about a lovely, romantic, and inviting notebook for all your academic, and non-academic needs! Perfect for your stash of beautiful fabrics and bias tapes. This notebook took less than a fat quarter of fabric and 1 yard of bias tape. Did I mention that this involves ZERO SEWING?! Visit the Tutorials section for the complete how-to!
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Aug 27th, 2010
No reason for this post except that Petina is full of quirks and charming surprises. She knocked over my pots and found a biodegradable one that looked especially delicious, then she proceeded to carry it around the house with her until the appropriate time. And by the appropriate time I mean she destroyed it. How could I be angry when she was walking around like this for forty minutes?! I mean how did she even know where she was going?
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Aug 22nd, 2010
Num Num Num Num Num- I am so in love with the idea of free goodies! How did I never notice the FREE section of Craigslist before we moved? I’ve been trolling Craigslist for the past couple of weeks looking for stuff to fill in the blanks spots in the house, especially since we’re about to receive our first house guests. The result of my efforts is this awesome retro sofa that just happens to fit our decor to a T (a “tee”?). We attempted to fit the whole thing in the back of our mighty Versa, but alas, we had to return this morning with tools to take it apart. Our efforts were well rewarded! Check out the before and after:
Before- fabulous original plaid cushions didn’t quite make the cut.
After- Some heavenly green satin twill, a couple of fabulous pillows, an adorable Petina, and some odds and ends and voila! It fits our Harry Potter/ Botanical/ Library theme perfectly!
I think Petina was almost more happy to have a sofa than I was! She jumped up the second I was finished with the cover and with a great big sigh, she snuggled down like she hadn’t snuggled in months. Thanks Craigslist, and thanks Amy!
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Aug 11th, 2010
While my studio may have very limited wall space, the rest of the house contains more blank walls than you can shake a stick at. So Eric and I have been trying our hardest to fill that wall space with things we enjoy.
Eric has had this small, vintage Jesus portrait since college, when he found it, took it home, and drew headphones on it with a Sharpie. Little atheist Eric hardly knew what he was doing then, but years later that little picture with peeling paper has taken on new meaning.
I’ve always enjoyed vintage religious art and so I decided that little headphones Jesus needed a companion. And that’s how we ended up with the best paint-by-numbers Jesus EVER! Behold!
This is how collections are born, my friends.
Oh yes, and in case you were wondering, Eric is no longer an atheist.
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