Valentine's Day craft project

I don't usually decorate for Valentine's Day, but today I stopped by a great paper/craft/art store called Collage and I couldn't resist the lovely Valentine's Day craft supplies. I thought last week about making some type of garland for the fireplace mantel, so that's just what I decided to do with these lovely supplies! It was SO easy and quick. What you'll need is pictured above. Both the doilies and heart stickers are Martha Stewart brand, so you should be able to find them at most craft or paper stores. You'll need bakers twine or any cute string, also found at craft stores.

1. Measure out the twine to be at least as long as your mantel with a little extra on either end for attaching and cut it at that measured point (remember you'll want it to drape down a little off of the mantel).
2. Lay out the doilies on the table in the arrangement you like. I tried not to make it too symmetrical because I don't like that, but you can lay it out however you like.
3. Put the heart stickers on the doilies to add a little color. You could also add any other adornments you want.
4. Find the middle of the string and place that point above your middle doily.
5. Cut a length of twine about 7" long for each doily.
6. With each length of string, fold it in half, place it under the long length of twine and bring the tail ends through the loop made to secure it onto the long twine at the spot above each doily. This creates a tiny knot that is also adjustable, so you don't have to perfectly adjust the doilies until you hang it. (see photos)

7. Next, tape on each doily to the end of each piece of twine. You can hang some at higher lengths and trim the ends of the twine a bit and hang others at lower lengths to add some dimension. *Be sure to tape the doilies on without twisting the short lengths of twine. They will hang better that way.

8. Secure onto your mantle with tape (or thumbtacks) and adjust any doilies that need it. Enjoy!

You could buy a second package of doilies and make these double-sided if you want. 

Happy Valentine's Day decorating everyone! Send photos if you make one of these. Happy Weekend, too! ♥

Closet visit

Hmmm...I was looking through the old blog a bit and rediscovered a post from a few months ago, about the Closet Visit photos that were so inspiring to me. Check out my blog entry here

I did some photos of my own closet and completely forgot to post them. Oops! I have updated a bit of my wardrobe at this point, but I am still obsessed with some of the same things, especially boots. Here are the photos I took in early fall. Perhaps I will do an updated closet visit soon OR a home tour! We are getting more settled here and I'd love to share a few nooks and crannies that I am happy with in our house. I'd love to see your closet visits or home tours, too!

watercolor class

I promised to show you a little of what is going on in my nature journaling/watercolor class. I am loving it so far. Last week was cancelled due to snow, but I am really loving what we have learned in just 2 short sessions so far.

1. Go slow. Take time to notice what you're looking at while you're drawing. I usually go way too fast!

2. Use borders and different text to make a page interesting. Have your art peek out of the borders. Have a theme or color scheme for each page.

3. PLAY!

Today I was drawn to warm, vibrant colors and things with texture. I think because it's so grey out today I needed to see some brightness in my journal. Btw, I made my journal last week out of sheets of good watercolor paper, some heavy book board I had saved, a 3 hole punch and some binder rings. So easy and much less expensive than buying a watercolor book. Plus I can easily affix a painting to the cover when I have something I like.

what's on your desk?

Thought I'd do a fun post today showing you a few things that are currently on my desk. What's on your desk? Send me links!

Top left around: favorite tiny journal for knitting ideas, design sketches, etc.; favorite type of pen - Pilot Precise v5 RT; crocheted dalek about to be gifted (he is causing too much trouble); heart paperweight; crossstitch I made before leaving Nashville; tawashi tape for mailings; Pantone book (of course!); my foxy address stamp for quick return addressing.

updated slipper socks

I've had these Log Cabin socks for a while now. I LOVE them. They are the coziest socks to wear around the house in the winter...but they are very dangerous on hardwood floors. Eeek! So today I saw these suede slipper soles at my LYS and came home and sewed them on...now these are REALLY my favorite socks! No more fear I'm gonna slip into the splits as I move through our house. Slip free! This is a great, easy way to make your knitted socks more durable and wearable around the house...especially the thicker boot or house socks like these. It took no time to sew on the soles and they came with matching yarn. Instant slippers for these chilly nights!

Sock pattern, Log Cabin Socks, from the lovely book Handknit Holidays by Melanie Falick; yarn - Rowan Cork (sadly discontinued).

Happy Birthday to my BFF ♥

It is my Mattie's 10th birthday today! Happy Birthday to my sweet pup. She was such a cutie 10 years ago! And still is... xoxo

Homemade almond flour crackers

So, I have been trying my best to stay on a grain-free, dairy-free diet lately. It includes a large amount of foods and is not as tough as a traditional 'diet', but it is very difficult to eat pre-packaged foods. It's great at forcing me to eat more veggies because I can't have sides like beans or white potatoes. I can eat plenty of organic, high quality lean meats and eggs and I've been encouraged to be sure to get plenty of protein throughout the day. When it comes to meals, this isn't too much of a challenge (I do miss pasta though!) But when it comes to snacking it becomes quite difficult.

I'm always looking for things that will satisfy my desire for salty snacks. I was excited to find this recipe for crackers made from almond flour. They are really good! They are not quite as crunchy as typical crackers, but I added a little more corse salt and some poppy seeds to the top of the crackers before baking and they are quite yummy! The thinner you can spread the cracker dough, the crispier they will be. Next time I might do them in 2 batches instead of one, so I can spread it really thin. Try these out! You can get really reasonably priced almond flour/meal at Trader Joe's. Even if you aren't on a diet like mine, these crackers have lots of protein and are a great, healthy snack. Enjoy!

cracker recipe

nature journaling class

I just started a nature journaling class today at Multnomah Arts Center. I am so excited to share with you what we create in this class. We are learning from the amazing Jude Siegel. Check out her book and site and the loveliness that she draws and paints. It will be wonderful to get back into watercolor and back into a journaling practice...I have really been missing it. Stay tuned for posts!! I promise to share.

lovely flower from Jude's book

some instagrams for your weekend

Here are a few events from the last couple of days, as seen through my Instagram.

I asked Mattie if she wanted to go for a walk. She said yes.

Taken on our morning walk today. I love this city.

Yesterday's outfit. New jacket from Piperlime.

I'm still keeping up with the daily organizing. Yesterday I went through hubby's clothes and got rid of worn out or out-dated stuff. It wouldn't have made a very interesting photo though, so I skipped that. Today I will start going through my yarn and set aside some for a friend who is just learning to crochet. Also, it's finally time to put away those Christmas decorations. Happy weekend everyone! Hope you're enjoying the post-holiday freedom. :) xoxo

Happy 2012, the year of organization!

...and I don't mean groups with meetings and minutes and treasurers...I mean organizing your stuff! I read something the other day that probably had a lot of other good information in it, but the one tidbit that stuck with me was "organize one thing everyday."

I think I can do that! It can be one small tiny drawer if you want, like I did today. The tea drawer needed major attention. Here is a photo. I thought maybe I could hold myself accountable if I take a picture of what I do. See, I even got lazy and left a few in a Ziploc bag...you can do this! More to come, hopefully...