Craft & DIY

7 Ways to Get Creative This Weekend

March 1, 2013

Happy Friday sweets! I’ve loved reading the comments on yesterday’s post, I am so happy it seems to be resonating with you. :) As many of you know, about a month ago I started a weekly blog project called Saturday Crafternoon, and I thought it would be nice to share a few ideas for creative projects you might like to try…you know, if you’ve been thinking about jumping in but haven’t found the right project/motivation yet. My first project was a painting, but my intention is for Saturday Crafternoon to include the whole range of creative expression, not just art + craft.

For instance, perhaps you love to cook, but rarely make time to cook something just for fun. If this is the case, set aside a few hours to whip up a goodie you’ve had your eye on (like the scrumptious Earl Grey Cake with Rhubarb Cream Cheese Glaze from the Raspberri Cupcakes blog shown here), then snap a pretty picture of your creation.

Or maybe beautifully styled interiors are what you drool over, and you want to practice that skill. In that case, decide on the corner of your home you want to give some love, turn up some music you love, and begin moving objects around to style your own vignette. I love this corner of Yvonne’s kitchen, don’t you?

If fashion is your thing, why not pull together some fresh outfits from your own closet and ask a friend to take a picture of you wearing your favorite. Or if you want to dream up an outfit that you do not currently own, try pinning up an inspiration board on your wall or use a photo editing program like Photoshop or Picasa, or a site like Polyvore to create an image collage to share. I am currently craving an outfit like the one shown above from Martha Stewart to wear in the garden and while tending my chickens this spring.

Even something as mundane as sitting down to the table for dinner with family or friends can become something special if you choose to pour a little creativity into it. A beautifully set table like this one from Sweet Paul warms hearts and brings beauty to the everyday, don’t you agree?

And of course, if you really want an excuse to hit the craft store, there are plenty of great projects out there to choose from! I like these fabric-covered letters I spied on Poppytalk a lot – they remind me of some pricey ones at Anthro, but these can be created using foam letters and fabric remnants.

On the other hand, there is certainly no need to spend money just because you have the creative bug! For example, you could create this adorable envelope bunting (also via Poppytalk) using any pretty paper and string you have laying around.

Or, if hitting the vintage shops and flea markets is something you enjoy, why not keep a lookout for interesting items to repurpose, as Holly did with this vintage lampshade frame over on decor8 – so pretty!

Happy weekend my dears, I hope you have an awesome one! And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter for monthly updates + freebies, I will be sending out the March edition this weekend! xoxo Laura

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3 Fresh Furniture Projects for Spring

February 27, 2013

in Craft & DIY

Good morning my dear ones! How is your week going? Personally, I’ve had about enough of gray skies, snow, ice, slush, and mud for one winter, so I am turning my thoughts to spring. I am beginning to plan out my spring garden, and dream up spring projects for house & home…which brings me to today’s post: 3 fab furniture projects from inspiring Dutch magazine 101 Woonideeen.

PROJECT NO.1: DRESSING TABLE ON CASTERS

I first spied this dressing table on wheels on the lovely UK-based Heart Handmade blog and was instantly smitten with the color. Wouldn’t it be awesome to give an old wooden furniture piece a fresh lick of paint this spring? Why not try something bold? Honestly, I’d like to dive into this bedroom and not leave! The white floorboards, floral wallpaper, and even the coral-colored kimono hanging on the wall are calling my name. For the full DIY instructions on building this, click through to the dressing table tutorial and click to have the page translated!

PROJECT NO. 2: IKEA HACK COFFEE TABLE

Of course, once I was on the 101 Woonideeen site, I couldn’t stop with one project, so I kept exploring. The most colorful images are what I am drawn to, probably because I’ve been in a little winter funk and bright color is such a mood-lifter (don’t you agree?), which led me to stop at this Ikea hack coffee table with its amazing color palette. Isn’t it cute? Plus, the three pieces slide together to create a single piece, which is pretty ingenious.

PROJECT NO.3: TRASH BIN STOOLS

Last up are these little trash bin-turned-stools, which I could see using in a craft space. They simply turned (new, clean!) trash bins upside down and topped them with lovely pastel-colored cushions. What do you think: cute, strange…or a little of both? ;)

I hope you enjoyed these project ideas, and I’d love to hear which was your favorite…also, any and all ways of coping with the end of winter that you care to share would be much appreciated! Enjoy your Wednesday, my friends, xo Laura

(all images + projects: 101 Woonideeen)

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Saturday Crafternoon Link Party 02.23.13

February 25, 2013

in Craft & DIY

Hello lovelies! This weekend I continued working on my painting, adding several more layers of paint on top of the collage layer I added last time. It felt good to get messy and just enjoy the process – mixing colors, playing with the texture of the paint, listening to music and sipping tea, ah…so nice. This has definitely been a learning and experimenting process for me, so I am really trying to stay focused on that and not get too hung up on the end result. Although I do sort of like how it’s shaping up…we’ll see :)

Next weekend I will probably add a bit more to this painting, though I also hope to start a new project…so stay tuned! And I really hope that if you have been following along until now you will consider jumping in and committing to make something or do something creative and share it here. I can’t say enough about how carving out this small slice of time to create has been working to improve my mood and lift my spirits – something much needed at this time of year in New England, believe me! And the thing is, sharing your process with others can be a huge motivation to keep at it, so I hope you will join me and choose your own crafternoon project to try + share. The next Saturday Crafternoon linkup will be Monday, March 4, and I hope to see you join in then.

Did you create something over the weekend? If so, please share a link to your blog post, flickr photo, etc., below!

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Cassandra Ellis: Quilt Love & Home Comforts

February 19, 2013

in Craft & DIY

When you want to be completely comforted, nothing compares to the feel of a soft handmade quilt wrapped around your shoulders, am I right? I admit I once thought of quilts as a bit boring, but that’s hard to fathom now. Of course, that was before I became aware of the vast array of quilting styles, and especially, the many innovative quilters working today developing their own creative patterns with luscious fabrics and colorways. Add to that the rich history of quilting throughout the world as a way for women to make use of fabric scraps that would otherwise be wasted, while at the same time providing an outlet for creativity, and I was completely hooked.

Perhaps one day I will attempt to create my own quilt, but for now I am perfectly content to admire the work of others. And one such talented quilters is Cassandra Ellis, whose work I recently came across in (my new favorite…blog review coming soon!) The Simple Things magazine. I want to share Cassandra’s work with you today because it warmed my heart to see her work, and I hope it will do the same for you. Cassandra Ellis runs her design studio in London, though originally she is from New Zealand. She creates custom quilts, teaches quilting workshops, and has a delightful new book out, Quilt Love. I love the idea of commissioning her to create an original quilt using your own fabric that has meaning to you – wouldn’t that be an amazing way to use all of all of those special children’s clothes you can’t bear to let go of?

For those of you who are quilters, Cassandra has created a free pattern meant to be used to create a gift quilt for someone needing extra comfort. What a lovely idea! Not only am I in love with Cassandra’s quilts, but her home is absolutely gorgeous, to boot. I think there was a peek into her home in Mollie Makes, so if you crave more, keep an eye out for the issue.

I do hope you will take a moment over your tea break today to pop over to her website and blog and soak in all of the lovely handmade inspiration for yourself. xoxo Laura

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Saturday Crafternoon Link Party 02.09.13

February 11, 2013

in Craft & DIY

Hello lovelies! Welcome to a fresh new week. Over the weekend we were snowed in with the major blizzard that came through New England. For those of you reading this who were also in the blizzard’s path, I hope you were able to stay warm and kept your power! Moving on to today’s link party, I have three reader projects to share from last week…

That’s a lovely paper garland from Sylvie Liv (No.1), wire wrapped bud vase from Jackcyn Redesign, and a Valentine’s Day printable from All Put Together. Thanks so much for participating and sharing your lovely projects! If you want to join in next week, just plan to spend a little time doing something creative and come back next Monday to link up!

This weekend I continued working on my painting, this time adding a collage layer. I wanted to pick up some materials from the craft store, but since we were snowed in I had to make do with what I had. I ended up cutting patterned paper from magazines and envelopes, and raiding my kitchen cabinet for pretty cupcake wrappers and doilies. I knew I wanted to incorporate a few little house shapes, but otherwise I was experimenting, and spontaneously ended up adding the beginnings of a bridge to the center of the piece. To be quite honest, I feel like I stopped at an awkward point, and I still have more to add…but there you go!

Next weekend I hope to finish it! The next Saturday Crafternoon linkup will be Monday, February 18.

Did you create something over the weekend? If so, please share a link to your blog post, flickr photo, etc., below!