DIY Faux Porcelain Leaves

Stark white porcelain and ceramic is all the rage right now. It's no wonder with it's sterile feel and subtle dimensions. It's a dream come true for the monochromatic type and also for people like me who are thrilled to see an age old trade made contemporary and classy. 

Did you catch the Host+Hostess section in West Elm? See? Told you! 

Even Esty shops are popping up with the milky merchandise

1. Whitney Smith                  5. Oenopia 

2. Wendy Jung                      6. White Earth Studio

3. Revisions                           7. Maap Studio   

4. Magalerie                           8. Alyssa Ettinger

Sooooo...when I came across a DIY faux porcelain leaves tutorial by Anna over at Take the Side Street using plaster of Paris, I was hooked! I followed her steps and made myself some pretty white leaves to adorn my walls! I would like to say that this garland would be great for Thanksgiving, but to tell you the truth, it's staying up all year long! I do have one bit of advise to add to her already great tutorial, however. I used a spray paint (Krylon) primer on all my leaves (front and back - 2 coats). This REALLY helped with the bleeding of the dye on the leaves and also made them less fragile and flimsy. You can find Anna's tutorial and list of materials here and make one for yourself too! 

(I also added some pine cones that I had collected from a recent camping trip!)

Best thing about this craft is that it cost me only $7.00:

Plaster of Paris - $2.99

Krylon Spray Primer in white - $3.00

Silk Leaves - $1.00

Thanks Anna for this great tip! You are one clever gal! 

Loved your visit! Until next time...

Looking Forward....

As much as I dread the cold weather and the stress of the holiday season, there are a few things that get me through it. Things that I participate in that can actually help make sense of winter. I love hot chocolate at bedtime, bubble baths, curling up on the sofa and catching up on my magazines that have piled up all year long, making Christmas gifts for friends and family, but what I especially love is going to the local winter craft shows! Here in Utah (yes, that is where I live) we are fortunate enough to have some really great markets to showcase the local talent. This weekend I will be attending what I believe to be one of the best! The Bijou Market will be taking place this weekend on November 19th and 20th from 10-6:00 p.m. They have selected the Old Southworth Hall in Provo to house the event. If you check out Bijou's blog, they have been featuring various artists that are participating in the show and also hosting some great giveaways each day. This is good news for both the locals and the readers from afar! I have already been making my list of "must haves" and checking it twice. Here are some of my faves that I am looking forward to splurging on this weekend:
(For those of you who do not live in the area and can't make it to the show, you can still check out all the goods and some great Etsy shops via the vendor list)

This necklace from Armelle Jewelry.

This print from Sugar Fresh

These bookplates from Nifty Swank

Tea Towels from Vintage Fern

This hoodie from Adri Apparel

And finally, anything and everything by Elsa Bags, because Nicole is my fave!

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Best of luck this weekend Emily, Rashelle and Nicole!  I hope it is another huge success!

Loved your visit! Until next time...

Refashionista - Scallop Collar Cardigan

Remember how I told you that I was going to be a part of an upcoming Refashionista event? Well, that day has finally come! I can be seen over at Cheri's fab blog, I am Momma Hear Me Roar with a tutorial on how to make this cardigan today! I had a really great time taking on this challenge since repurposing clothing is pretty much a constant thought on the ol' noggin, anyway.  Stop on by and check it out. 

Oh, and you can also check out what I really look like. Please be kind - that was harder to do than the actual tutorial! 

Here's a question for you to ponder: Do you think I should host a giveaway and hand this over to one lucky medium sized winner? Just a thought......

Loved your visit! Until next time....

Branched Out

Guess what I'll be doing today? Making these beauties! I have zero Thanksgiving decorations. Yes, you read that right: ZERO! I really like this idea that I found on Shelter Pop. It just so happens that I have 4 huge trees in my yard that would be delighted to gift me a branch...or 5. Hey Mom, no need to worry about centerpieces for the table on the 25th! I got 'em covered! Now if it would just stop raining long enough for me to go out and get them! 

Loved your visit! Until next time....

Daily Planner Cover Tutorial

With the 2010 year coming quickly to a close, I am in the market for a new calendar/planner for my purse. I am not one of those people that take their schedules and events digital. I like the feel of a book that I am able to pen all my happenings in and then have the tangible evidence that I in fact conquered it all! I came across this great tutorial by Cathe Holden at Just Something I Made, that shows you how to make a cover for your daily planner by using an old book cover and some file folders. Cathe Holden's blog is full of DIY projects, graphics and free printables! Check it out - it is brilliant!

She made this.....

Into this!

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Here is Cathe's tutorial:

Find a cool vintage book close to the size and thickness of your planner and either a manila folder, decorative folder or heavy card stock.

With a craft knife, gut your book. I needed to cut the strings to remove the innards.

Save the pages for your craft projects.

Trim away any extra scrap along the inside of the book cover, but careful not to cut through the cover itself.

Turn the file folder inside out, and lay the book cover onto it with the fold of the folder lining up with the inside edge of the cover’s end paper and trace around the cover.

Draw fold lines just inside the drawn book line.

Cut the folder about 1″ outside the fold line.

Trim away the fold creating two cards.

Trim away the two corners just inside the fold lines.

Use a ballpoint pen to press fold scores into the cards.

Fold the flaps inward.

I chose to add packing tape along the non-folded edge for additional reinforcement. Run a strip along the edge and trim away excess.

Using a strong adhesive on the folded flaps only, (I used E6000), glue to the inside covers with the open sides towards the book spine creating pockets.

Place a piece of paper inside the pockets to keep any oozing glue from gluing the pockets shut.

Place stacks of heavy books on top of the pockets as they dry.

Trim your planner if necessary to fit into the pockets.

With book cover folded backwards, slide the covers of the planner inside the pockets.

Once the planner is centered and in position, add a piece of double stick tape inside the pockets to keep it from shifting. This can be removed later for inserting next year’s planner.

Start planning.

I can't wait to get started on this project!
**An abundance of thanks to Cathe for allowing me to post her tutorial!** 

To see more great planner cover examples by Cathe, click here!

Do any of you like to use a planner like this, or do you use modern technology to keep yourself organized?

Refashionista!

Can I just tell you how excited I am for a certain upcoming event!? Cheri with I Am Momma Hear Me Roar is doing a 2 week feature on clothing upcycle tutorials! If that is not exciting enough for you, guess who is going to be one of her guests to show a fab tutorial on Tuesday, November 9th? Yep, it's me! Hooray! So, you may be asking yourself, what in the world is a clothing upcycle? It is merely taking an old piece of lacklustre clothing and giving it new life by adding a little here, altering it a little there and maybe even taking away a thing or two. I must say that I am a bit nervous, and oh so flattered, about being in a lineup of these remarkable women!  I have been working hard on my project so please tune into Cheri's blog to see what I have come up with and to also feast your eyes upon the tutorials from all the talented guests that she is going to feature. Click HERE to see the schedule.

DIY Club Halloween Style

Last week our DIY Club had another successful evening! The club was on hiatus for the summer with all the ladies being so busy, so it was refreshing to all get together again and make something for Halloween! This month's craft came straight from the pages of The Graphics Fairy. The author of the blog, Karen, had posted some Halloween images that she printed straight onto fabric using her computer printer. We decided to do it with a different method, while still achieving the same outcome. Nicole was once again the host for the club and she taught us all about the art of screen printing! She made screens with the Halloween images on them and we were able to not only make a great craft that evening, but learn about a new trade as well! I am now obsessing over buying a Yudu machine and wondering how I will ever afford one!

These are what we set out to make that night! (we painted our hoops black just to add a little something extra!) You can check out Karen's fabric art tutorial here.

Nicole (on the right) teaching me the trick to the trade. She was soooo patient and helpful!

Each room was filled with dozens of small little squares of muslin and linen. 

While some people were cutting their fabric, others were printing. While some people were waiting for their ink to dry, other's were ironing. The house was in constant motion and it was so fun see and be a part of!

A few of the girl's also did the wooden plaque tutorial that I posted last week. Kari and Ande are hard at work cutting out their graphics and hoping there is a light at the end of the exacto knife tunnel! Patience is a virtue, my friends!

Do any of you belong to a DIY club? Do you have a Yudu machine? Have you made some cool Halloween stuff this year? Did anyone else think that this month FLEW by?!

Loved your visit! Until next time....