Hello there! Yesterday I tackled a fun little project: transferring bulk items from my pantry into glass jars with pretty labels. It’s a simple thing, but it made me smile so I thought I’d share it with you. Would you like to see?
The jars are from Ikea, the labels are from Martha Stewart crafts, and I used a set of alphabet stamps I have with gold ink to write the labels. Now, instead of a mess of half-full containers and easily-spilled bags I have a cute little display on my counter top. Sometimes it’s the simple things that make us happy, no? And, because some of you have asked…
This is what I am looking like! Sorry, I couldn’t resist including my mew (who is in for a rude shock when we have another baby in the house) in the picture. My due date is tomorrow, but I know this baby will come when he is ready, and that could be today – or next week or even the week after! I am feeling calm and patient (so far).
{images: Laura Gaskill}
I’ve been having a serious thing for gingham lately – specifically, gingham in bright, fresh colors and printed on little paper goods, picnic plates, and fabrics. It seems just right for summer, don’t you think? It instantly lifts my mood! And then there are pennants…I can’t get enough of this as a motif in artwork (like the cute print I just ordered for the nursery from Fox Parade), in actual buntings, and on paper and fabric. Pennants (or buntings) have been a trend especially popular with bloggers ;) for quite some time now and I don’t see this slowing down! Oh yes, and then recently I have been keeping an eye out for cute twine and ribbon to string between two hooks or nails and make a little art wire. And I just found the perfect place to indulge in all sorts of gingham, pennants, and twine…want to see?
Olive Manna, created by Natalie Jost, is a wonderfully fresh and creative brand of textiles and paper goods, available through her shop. There are so many things I want here, but a few items really stand out: gingham wrapping paper for summer gifting, and cute melamine plates for picnics are at the top of my list!
This talented lady has also designed a range of fabrics available through Spoonflower, and guess what? There’s gingham! And pennants! And plenty of other pretty prints, too, but I have my eye on the gingham and pennants fabrics for doing a few summer sewing projects for my home!
Are you ready to go a-browsing? I am warning you, if you visit Natalie’s shop it will be hard to resist making a little purchase!
{all images: Olive Manna}
I have been a fan of Lotta Jansdotter’s work for years now, and it feels as fresh as ever to me today. Are you familiar with her? If you haven’t seen her stationary, bags, or cushions, perhaps you have seen her lovely books? Each one is a little treasure, and if you enjoy hand crafting, I know you would love any one of these.
I just visited her website, and discovered that Lotta is currently teaching a small number of workshops in her studio in Brooklyn – if you live in the area, I am jealous because I would love to attend one of her classes! I am so inspired by the Scandinavian-influenced designs she is known for; there is something so relaxed and charming about the botanicals, seed pods, and other motifs from nature, don’t you think?
Just a quick browse through her shop led me to all of these little treasures, some of which are hiding in the sale section! You can visit Lotta Jansdotter’s website to see more of her designs, purchase books, and to sign up for classes.
{images: Lotta Jansdotter}
As soon as I saw this adorable little shop, I knew I wanted to share it with you: Tinted Mint specializes in creative craft and DIY supplies, and founder/designer Patty chooses natural, recycled, and eco-friendly materials whenever possible (from products to packaging & shipping supplies), so you can feel good about shopping here. And if you are feeling how I am lately (a bit tired and dull from the tired, dull weather) and are looking for a bit of inspiration for small creative projects, I think you will really enjoy having a look around this shop!
From unique washi tapes (including these which I am still obsessed with), stickers, pins and buttons, to translucent wax paper file folders, wood block print wrapping paper and beautiful furoshiki cloth wrappers, I am assembling quite the little wish list in my mind right now! Hehe. What do you think? Are you doing any little crafty/DIY projects lately? What sort of supplies make your heart go pitter-pat?
For me it is Japanese washi tape, because I swear every time I turn around, some creative person has discovered a new way to use this versatile, decorative tape! For instance, did you see this picture frame project (pictured above) that Holly Becker of decor8 did a while back? Or what about these DIY tea party invites made by Merrilee and featured on Creature Comforts? It just seems that the potential uses for this tape are endless!
As I was clicking around the Tinted Mint site I was so pleased to discover a little ideas section, showing creative ways to use the craft products in your home or in simple DIY projects. My favorites were the studio ideas (pictured above), showing washi tape used to label file folders, secure inspiration images, and decorate plain storage boxes. I think it is such a nice touch when a shop goes the extra mile to show how their products can be used in your home, don’t you agree? You can browse more at the Tinted Mint site or on Etsy.
{images: Tinted Mint; Holly Becker for decor8}
I have been needing some sort of inspiration/pin board yet had been reluctant to shell out the cash for a finished version. I knew I wanted to create a DIY inspiration board, but most of the projects I have seen look like they take quite a long time and frankly, I just don’t have the motivation to get started on a complicated project right now! So a few weeks ago I saw a picture in a magazine (I believe it was Country Living) showing an inspiration board made from artists’ canvas and ribbon. There were no instructions on how to make it and only a brief mention in the magazine, so I decided to recreate it on my own – and it was easy (and came out quite nicely), so I decided to share this little DIY project with you!
Notes on materials: The materials you will need are pretty simple – I found everything at my local art & craft store. Most stores carry prestretched artists’ canvas in a wide array of sizes, so you can choose any size you like for this project. The canvas I used is 24″ x 36″ and cost about $25, but there were more expensive canvases made from linen (instead of cotton duck) and in various thicknesses. I chose an ivory grosgrain ribbon, but next time I might choose something more colorful! As noted, you can use either hot glue or a staple gun for this project – I like using the hot glue gun because if you want to change the ribbons in the future, it is fairly easy to pry off the glue spots and reuse the canvas.
Prep: To get a feel for how you want your ribbon grid to look, cut a few lengths of ribbon and play around making a grid on your canvas until you are satisfied with the look. I decided on a grid using 3 ribbons on the short side and 5 on the long side for my 24″x36″ canvas. Once you know how many ribbons you will be using, cut as many as you need and set aside. Next, divide the length of each side of your canvas by the number of grids: this will tell you how many inches to measure between your ribbons. Using my 24″x36″ canvas as an example:
24 (inches)/4 (grids) = 6 inches between ribbons on the short side
36 (inches)/6 (grids) = 6 inches again
Using your ruler or measuring tape and pencil, mark the place where each ribbon will go on the back of the canvas.
Step 1: Using your pencil marks as a guide, attach the end of each ribbon to the wood frame on the underside of canvas with a dot of hot glue (or a staple gun). Repeat for one long side and one short side of canvas – the ends of all of your ribbons should still be dangling.
Step 2: Turn your canvas right side up and straighten the ribbons so they lay flat and straight against the canvas. If you like, you can “weave” them together as shown above, alternating over-and-under for each row of ribbons. When you are finished, pull each ribbon taught and hold in place temporarily with a bit of scotch tape.
Step 3: Glue, glue, glue! First, turn your canvas over and glue down all of the remaining loose ends. Then flip canvas right side up and glue some of the ribbons together on the front of your board (as shown above) – this will make it easier to tuck smaller items into your inspiration board. I would leave at least a few spots unglued, to allow for larger items. If you have been using a staple gun up to this point, switch to either hot glue or superglue for this final step!
Tada! Not so hard, right? And there are so many ways you could customize this to fit your needs: you could paint the canvas a solid color before attaching the ribbon, or attach your ribbon on a diagonal instead of in a straight grid, or use small, square canvases and hang three side-by-side or hang a grid of four canvases on your wall…get creative and make it your own if you like! I do have to warn you that the ribbons are not perfect for holding up all items, so I am planning on supplementing my ribbons with a few post earrings used as pins to help hold up heavier items.
I really hope you enjoyed my first DIY project, and please let me know if you do, because I am considering adding more in the future and I would love to know if this is something you are interested in!
{images: Laura Gaskill}
Interested? 
Twitter
