diy: stones to eggs

 Flat stones have long been a canvas for crafty hands. Why not paint some up for Easter or spring and instead of covering the entire stone, paint an egg ON it.

 

Use white acrylic paint to paint your egg shape upon washed stones. Once dry, add details to Easter them up using paint pens. 

 

 

Place in a small basket with homemade grass (mine is a small rectangle of painted newspaper, folded in half length-wise then cut into without cutting all the way through) and enjoy or hide the stones for a wee twist on an egg hunt! Crafty and fun!

embroidery hoop eggs four ways

*classic embroidered

*beginning embroidered

*pom pom happy

*wrapped

embroidery hoop eggs: wrap it up

All you need for this egg is yarn...and maybe a thumbtack or two...or glue... 

Tie your strands of yarn to the inner hoop and anchor with the outer. Wrap away, securing via a nifty knot or hold in place while you wrap another yarn strand around and around. I used a combo of knots and a thumbtack then some glue to keep everything taut and in place.

How fun would it be to hunt for these instead of plastic or hard-boiled eggs?

embroidery hoop eggs four ways: pom pretty

Here's another one for the kiddos. Make sure to use a super tacky glue or a fabric glue. The poms take a LONG time to dry, but lookie how fun and quirky the egg looks! I wish I had painted the hoop for this one.

embroidery hoop eggs four ways: beginning embroidery

I whipped up this egg with yarn but I intend for it to tackled by a kiddo. I remember sewing with my old nanny charges and how they would loop their thread over the edges instead of going back down through the fabric. They eventually caught on but the loops and criss-crosses add an authenticity to the process that is so lovely and child-like. Check out the 'do for further instructions.

embroidery hoop eggs four ways: embroidered

 I picked up a small bag of embroidery hoops at my local thrift store some time ago and thought I would turn the oval shaped hoops into eggs of sorts...mister went off camping last weekend while I nursed my allergies and enjoyed a pajama day and got to egging it up with burlap and hoops. Here's a traditional(ish) egg...simple embroidery with fancy french knots...

spring diy: hanging egg mobile

I spotted these ombre-esque egg packs at Target a few weeks ago and snatched 'em up to create some sort of hanging dealio. With only twelve eggs I like how it turned out...not sure if I like it better with washi tape or without. Two packs of eggs would probably create a super nifty chandelier. I may do that if I get back over to Target and if they have any left. 

I used a large-eyed darning needled threaded with embroidery floss to string the eggs together using the convenient holes already in place. At the bottom of each egg, I looped my thread back through the bottom holes to create a knot of sorts. The egg can still be manipulated along the floss but it isn't loosey-goosey enough to slip every-which-way. I wanted more than three strands and so I mixed 'em up as best as I could. One of the strands only has two eggs on it but I spaced them out enough so that I think it works. More eggs would probably look niftier. I should have picked up two packs. Drats!

For the base, I used an itty-bitty embroidery hoop. Each strand was knotted to the base with mostly equal spacing in between. I write mostly equal as I didn't actually measure anything, I eyeballed it and knotted away. To cover up the knots, I added a bit of washy tape to the hoop but not until I tied on two longer lengths of floss to use for hanging. So that the mobile hangs fairly straight, I played with the distances of the tied bits and then knotted the two hanging lengths together about three inches down from the top. The knot secured the balance (sort of) and the loop at the top is perfect for hanging.

Hang in a happy place and enjoy...or add some washi tape and then hang. 

My eggs are now clattering away outside on the front porch. They add just enough happy spring color to make me smile when I wander out to get the mail. Happy spring crafting!

making the bed: art of the month

For the march bed I had this idea to make a bunch of frilly newspaper flowers to put up on the wall but couldn't decide on which kind to make. I then spotted this project (via decor8) which I immediately pinned and wondered how it would translate into larger flowers.

I love painting newspaper. Love it! It takes me back to kindergarten and gives me a chance to play with odd color combos. By doing up a new sheet of paper every week or so (or day), I manage to create a small pile for crafting into when the mood takes me there. All you need to do is blob paint onto one side and along the center fold, fold paper in half and smooch away. It's quite cathartic, inexpensive, and it packs a pretty punch. Thank goodness for that stack since I somehow managed to miss-cut my flower base three times! I kept cutting all the way through my folds thus ending up with two pieces instead of one happy flower shape (I was beginning and ending my cutting on the same side, don't do that). Not one to let it all go to waste, I figured out a way to incorporate the mistakes and ended up with a large floofy flower of sorts that adds just the right touch to my march bed.

You might be able to see that I accordion-folded the two miss-cut pieces and then tied them together. I cut two small slits in the large flower and used the yarn-tails to adhere the middle sized petals by lacing the yarn through the slits and tying the ends together in the back. I then cut one of my other miss-cut pieces into a smaller flower following the pinned instructions, with success! A short length of crepe paper streamer was fringed then rolled to create the center of the flower. I used a piece of washi tape to keep it together and a big whopping blob of glue to adhere the smallest flower to the middle and then the flower center to the top. Does that even make sense? Let's see...the largest flower layer is layer one, followed by the tied layer two, then the glue layer three and finally the center. The whole shebang is taped to my wall using packing tape that so far has not attacked us in our sleep. Overall, a fairly quick (save for drying time) and easy project (as long as you cut along the right folds...think diamond shape).

the march bed

Okay, here it finally! The march bed! I am so happy I managed to get that darn newspaper flower done. My orignal plan was an utter failure but when life gives me lemons I get to making lemonade. Wheee! 

And I filled it out with tons o' green! Green! Green! Green! What do ya think...is that a lady or a man up there? 

mister and I have turned off our internet for awhile as the cost was slightly prohibitive. If all goes well, we'll be up and running sometime next week and I'll be piggybacking on the wifi at the homestead. Happy St. Patrick's Day! I have discovered that I only own two green things to wear other than socks. I have quite a few pairs of green socks) so I need to whip up something along the lines of this, reinspired by this. 

paint a tinted garland for St. Patrick's Day!

Here is a grown-up version of my ombre garland from scrumdilly-do! By grown-up I mean I cut the bottoms a smidge fancier than a kiddo would and stitched the whole thing together instead of stapling. I finally got a bit of crafting in what with being sick and all. Oof! 

One color of paint with white added a wee bit as you paint each fold of the paper. After cutting, fold over each strip and scallop it all up before stitching it. You can also use a whole punch and string it up, or maybe some glue or staples even. It doesn't need to be fancy, just happy!

i once spied...

A dapper man of a certain age cruising the produce aisle at my local market. He danced about with an air of forced nonchalance which had me eyeing him at the get go. His companion (wife? sister? girlfriend?) hummed to herself as she floated the shopping cart around the perimeter of the produce section completely oblivious to his dapper snacking. I watched as he plopped a strawberry into his mouth, tossed in a handful of grapes, sampled an apple of all things and even twirled a mushroom or two. I stopped my cart to watch with a smile on my face and found him watching me back, with a wink (yes a wink!) and a tip of his straw hat (I told he was dapper), he hooked his thumbs at the side of his pink and blue plaid vest and shuffle stepped away.

Then I laughed out loud when he snaked a tangerine from a display and tossed it up in the air, catching it in his worn hands that must have held a gentle heart or two at one time or another. Oh the things we can see if we only stop to look.

inspired by andie: a pretty in pink tribute

pretty in pink 1 by jekinthebox featuring a lace tank

I was quite excited...maybe a tad too much, to have discovered Pretty in Pink on Netflix streaming. How could I not be? Pretty in Pink's Andie has been a major force in my fashion aesthetic. I was 15 when I first saw it at our local theater (which we walked to in our pointy toed flats or grannie boots) and was immediately smitten with Duckie (of course), lusted after both Andie's and Iona's wardrobes and so wished for a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia (chartreuse with aqua trim) that I took to sketching out outfits full of vintage floral goodness with a touch of leather studs. Oh how I wish I still had those sketches! I also thought Blane was a hoser and Andie a bit as well based on her treatment of Duckie and yet, I totally get it after watching it now as an adult. John Hughes truly was a teen movie genius. The "films" that come out now don't really seem to touch the frontlines of being in highschool like Hughe's films did. It might explain a lot but my memories of teendom are still fairly strong in my mind. I'm not sure we ever leave those feelings behind and I still feel like a confused wallflower trying to figure out who she is.

But back to my movie lurve. Andie's style (thank you Marilyn Vance!) not only spoke to me, it sang to me and so I filled my closet (well, acutally the floor of my bedroom) with all things vintage. What began with a little lace, floral and denim soon morphed into a lot of print, pattern, more lace, and more denim. I also became a fan of hats and bangles and tights...oh the tights I had! While I am currently in a fashion slump, I still collect images of what I would wear if I felt I could pull it off and have a very full pinterest board to show it. Someday...little by little, piece by piece I will get there. For now, here is my take on my favorite outfit from the movie and no, I was so not a fan of the prom dress (though I did like the sleeveless turtleneck, I though that was quite mod).

march is running away from me...

I can't believe March is almost half way over. I want to say it has been busy but really, it has not, at least not more busy than usual. We spent the first weekend in Los Angeles doing our anniversary thing, and this past weekend was spent with me nursing some sort of ambiguous sick. Allergies? Cold? Sore throat? Virus? Who knows...I'm just a snurflupagus (a new breed mind you). I have been drinking so much tea, I ran out of honey, so we trekked to the farmer's market for some local bee juice, and I snapped some photos of pretty farmer's fare.

On Sunday I woke up thnking I was all better and so dragged the family out or a wander and a hunt for mushrooms. We saw all of two mushrooms and a banana slug but the day was so glorious it was good to get out. Though my lungs might disagree as now I am cough, cough, coughing away with a wheeze thrown in for good measure. Darn me and my sorry immune system. I suppose it could be worse so let me knock on some wood that I even though I might need my very own bubble helmet, I am fo the most part able to walk and mostly breathe all on my own. Knock, knock, knockity, knock.

The March bed got all prettified before we left for L.A. save for the artwork and well I still haven't got around to finishing what I had planned and all I have now is a sloppy-sometimes-made-up bed with a thriftstore painting of a green lady that mister thinks is actually a man propped up on the headboard. Maybe I will be breathing enough to get something up, if not I'll pile on a pile of all things green and take a photo this weekend in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Yikes! Thinking of St. Patrick's Day has me looking at my long list of crafty things and DIYS I wanted to make for you that have, of course, NOT been attempted. Here's hoping to better health and all things green (an ombre-type garland east enough for kiddos to make), rainbowish (cereal topped cupcakes)  and slightly boozey (I'm thinking milkshakes!) I guess I spent too much time spying on the robins hanging out on the back lawn.

At least I did get a bundle of garlands mailed out along with some etsy sales, phew! Happy March! 

scenes from the weekend: after we jumped

 

After we jumped, we all hit up a favorite breakfast spot for some yummy eats and conversation. French toast was served, monkey bread was discovered and coffee was consumed. 

When it was time for the girl-o to hit gymnastics, we hugged and smooched and smooched and hugged and bid adieu until next time which is never soon enough. 

mr. a-go-go and I then swooped in on a favorite person to take the maway for banh mi and ice cream and perhaps a thrift store or two. Before we headed out, I sneaky sneaky took some photos as our favorite people tend to have lovely aesthetics. Then the mister scolded me and asked me if I asked pernission and so I then aked and snapped some more photos a little less sneakily.

We hit up three thrift stores and it seems only I scored though the mister did find some nifty neckties for  his cookie tin ukes. I found a vintage sheet with matching pillowcase, a handful of tunics, one sadly too-small skirt, a dress and a pair of cropped pants that maybe can be described as jeggings only they really are not. They aren't!

When it was time for food, we hightailed it to our favorite banh mi place for a trio of sandwiches and had a picnic in the park. Yay for thrifted sheets that stand in as picnic blankets! After the picnic (the sandwiches were SO GOOD!) we enjoyed a couple of scoops from Fosselman's and then called it a day.