Printable Beatles - We'd love to take you home with us :)

It was twenty years ago today,
Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play
They've been going in and out of style
But they're guaranteed to raise a smile.
So may I introduce to you
The act you've known for all these years,
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

In paper...

 Click here to make your very own!

Potential first sewing project?

I really love this refashioned men's shirt - skirt. It's just a large men's shirt transformed into a skirt! How cute and simple! I am going to have to make a trip to Savers and see if I can find any corduroy men's shirts, since it's already getting so cold. Here's the tutorial from label free.

Hello cute!

Probably going to have to make some of these this weekend because I love them.

Found them on One Pretty Thing today.

Check out the tutorial here.

Fake sewing

I don't really know how to sew.
I try, but I usually end up breaking things. Jacob found this amazing old sewing machine on the side of the road this summer. He brought it in and had it "fixed" up. I finally worked up the courage to try and create something. I was so motivated. I decorated a shirt and was super happy with it, so I went out and bought a bunch of supplies to make a half-a-dozen more. Then I broke it.
So, thankfully the machine is pretty sweet looking, because that's all I am going to do with it ever again... just look at it. I also get to look at the pile of stuff I bought that's sitting next to it.  It's not my fault. I'm shopping for something more user-friendly. Suggestions are welcome. Here's the one thing I made...

Six steps to another scarf/necklace hybrid

Step One: Go to the thrift store/a garage sale/your grandma's closet/ragstock. Pick out your favorite scarf (Thin fabric with smaller patterns with lots o' color work best.)

Step Two: Go to the craft store/grandma's costume jewelry box and pick up some large round beads. Beads are easy to find, but in all honesty, bouncy balls, marbles, jaw breakers... these would all work (actually, jawbreakers might get a bit sticky- especially if you are a sweaty person.)


Step Three: Cut a strip from one corner to the opposite corner about three inches thick.

Step Four: Tie a knot about 6 inches down and wrap a bead in the scarf, twist around a bit and tie another knot right after it to secure. Not as hard as it sounds. You can use a touch of glue stick to seal the seam if you are concerned about it.

Step Five: Continue step four until you are satisfied with your necklace.

Step Six: Wear your necklace proudly.

Window of Opportunity

Remember when I said that went into a crazy craft mania last weekend? Well, the dresser and frames were not the only things created in those three unbelievably productive days. Amazing what an extra day off will do for my motivation! Pretty sure it's not a condition. After the mania, I do not go into a depressed state. More like a time-to-hit-the-books-again state. Which can be kind of depressing... but it's nothing serious... just in case you were concerned... which I know you're not... but I'm saying it anyway... alrighty then...

This is a flea market window that I picked up earlier this summer. I wanted to make it into a frame or a white board (clear board?), so I sort of ended up doing both. It's right by the back door, so I can write myself notes, hang up my keys, and collect photos and do-dads. That's right do-dads. I collect a lot of them.

Here's the "before" shot....
The glass is actually really old. You can kind of see the waves in it. I love that.

I got to use the drill my Dad gave me for Christmas to install the hardware. After putting these loops on, I stretched and tacked a old coffee bag on the bag on the back. Then I got to use the drill AGAIN when I attached the birdy hook thing.
Thanks Dad :)

This is the birdy hook thing. I hope you understand my very technical terminology. I got this from my grandma when she moved a long time ago. I really love it but never could find a good spot for it.

Ta-Daa!!!
It's a white board (transparent board?), key holder, picture/do-dad holder all in one!

Labor of Love

This Labor Day weekend was really wonderful. I accomplished so much AND did a fair share of relaxing and having fun. I spent Friday working on repainting my dresser and went to the Herk to hang out with some Oles. Saturday I finished the dresser, rearranged the living room wall, went to the beach, rode my bike around the lakes and ended the day "rolling" with friends at Bryant Lake. We had a Westby family reunion on Sunday, and Monday included some much needed cleaning, an amazing picnic, ice cream and more bicycling adventures. Whew! So satisfying :)

Since I have recently become a manic project fiend, I have lots of creative work to share. I have a before and after of my dresser makeover and just the after of my living room wall with it's new arrangement of mismatched frames.

Before Dresser: Old dresser from my parent's basement. It used to contain costumes. Yes, that's right - we had that many costumes.

After: The new lighter color makes my room seem bigger. I sanded the edges and rubbed a brown glaze over the off-white paint to make it look old and distressed. It turned out really well. The knobs are all mismatched and from Anthropologie. I call it my "gypsy" dresser, although, a friend of mine told me that the word gypsy is very un-p.c. Whatever.

Close up of the knobs. I love the bee. I could have done all bees, but I liked the idea of having them all be different.


Q. What do you do with a bunch of mismatched frames?
A. Buy a few more at the thrift store, paint them, and clutter them all on one wall!


This is an image of both sides of the wall close up and mashed together. Kinda looks like the corner of a wall, but it's not.
That's a mirror in the middle... not a picture of a window...

Up-cycled is the new black

Double click to enlarge...

I've decided to host a clothing swap. I recently re-learned how to use the sewing machine and I am feeling very inspired by the option of alteration. Plus, I've read some good things about these clothing swap parties. So thrifty. This is the dawning of the age of DIY, Etsy and up-cycling. Actually, it's not even the dawn. I'm pretty sure we've already entered the metaphorical mid-day of this cultural phenomenon. Either way - I will take any excuse to have a party/see friends/drink wine/eat delicious food/get stuff for free/start a new project...

Stealing Ideas from Etsy...

I have found my next projects. I am posting this so that I actually do them. Part of me feels a tad guilty about stealing other peoples creative ideas instead of purchasing their original creations and supporting a fellow artist... but only a tad guilty. Making it yourself is so much for fun, plus way cheaper.

Love this leather leaf necklace. Seriously, how hard can this be?


Kind of like the scarfy necklace, but a little less scarfy and a lot more necklace. Something about cutting up and reusing old t-shirts is just so satisfying.

This one is not actually an idea I stole from Etsy. While at a friend's cabin a few weeks ago, I discovered the unbelievable cozyness of fur. Faux fur actually. I couldn't possibly sleep under a blanket of real fur. The idea of using a poor dead animals skin for warmth sort of sickens me. I don't really even like the way fur looks. It's all hairy and dead looking.

Despite my aversion to fur, however, my experience sleeping under one of my friend's faux fur throws was one of the most comfortable sleeping experiences of my life. The experience has since motivated me to create my own extremely cozy faux-fur hibernation blanket. I will probably line one side with fleece or something else, otherwise I can see myself getting freaked out by the pile of fur on the couch. I have been somewhat converted to fur though (for blankets at least), and let me tell you, once you experience it, you probably will be too ;)


I leave you with one final warning though ... be careful where you get your "faux fur" from...

Scarfy Necklace

I have been seeing these scarfy necklace things all over. I like them a lot. It's like a necklace... that is cozy. What could be better? "Necklush" sells them on Etsy for like $60. I will not pay that much for a cut up t-shirt, so I decided to try and make my own. I think I will probably start "upcycling" some old t-shirts and make more, but to start, I just used some clearance fabric from JoAnn's. The beauty of the t-shirt is that if you cut the shirt all the way around, you don't have any ends to tie and you can just tie all those loops together. I also like the idea of adding chains or beads. Just a bit snazzier.

Instructions:
1. Get some jersey knit fabric - i.e. t-shirt fabric, or better yet just get a t-shirt (large=bigger loops)
2. Cut the fabric into narrow strips with a sharp scissors.
3. Tie them up
4. Be cozy in your neat scarfy necklace that is not quite a necklace and not completely a scarf.

Happy Birthday Jacob!

Last Friday was Jacob's birthday and there were several creative projects worth sharing, including my favorite Black Russian cake recipe. It's very moist and has a chocolaty-bitter-boozy-raspberry-heavenly flavor to it. Here's how I do it...

1 (18.25 ounce) package moist yellow cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix (this is the big one guys)
1 c. oil
1/4 c. vodka
1/2 c. kahlua
3/4 c. water
4 eggs
more kahlua :)
confectioners' sugar
a bunch of raspberries (frozen, fresh, or in a pie filling)

All you have to do is mix up the package of cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, water, vodka and kahlua in a big bowl. Then you bake it in a greased and floured bunt pan at 350 for 50 minutes. While it's in the oven, mix up some kahlua and powdered sugar (maybe a cup or so?) Also mix up your raspberries in a separate bowl with some powdered sugar to create a berry topping (you can add some water too - you want them to be sort of saucy). Leave the cake in the bundt pan and poke the bottom with a fork to create some holes and pour the kahlua glaze over the top. Let this sit for at least an hour, so it can soak in. When you're ready to serve it, put the cake on a platter and put the raspberries all over the top and sprinkle with powdered sugar to make it beautiful. Then enjoy!


Mmmmmm... it's sooooo good! I think I actually like it leftover better, because the kahlua sort of does this caramelizing thing in the cake and it's just glorious.

I was really happy with how Jacob's birthday present turned out. It's sort of non-practical and artsy, so I also gave him a camp chair and a manly plaid shirt, so I wouldn't feel guilty about giving him something that I might like more than he does. He is from Petoskey, MI , which is at the very, very top of the lower part of Michigan right on the edge of beautiful Lake Michigan. He is always talking about the lake and it's beaches, so I decided to give him a little portable piece of Lake Michigan. I got my inspiration from Design Sponge and ended up basically copying what I saw because I loved it so much. I definitely might love this more that Jake does... is that bad? Anyway, I had this artist from Etsy custom-create this beautiful glass pyramid box for me. She was so incredibly helpful and nice, and her prices are fantastic! I highly recommend her. Inside of the box I placed objects from that beach that Jake's mom collected for me including some driftwood, a seagull feather, a genuine Petoskey stone, a skipping rock and some beautiful beach sand. I think it turned out well. He said he loved it. Maybe when he becomes a teacher, he can use it as a paperweight. Right now, it's sitting by the window and reflecting light all over out living room :)

Who wouldn't want a beach in their backyard!?

Just ran across these instructions on how to create a beach in your backyard. I think it sounds awesome. I would definitely do a firepit with some big pieces of driftwood to sit on, some pretty grasses and bright flowers...maybe get really ambitious and build a little stone fountain... you know, to bring some water to the scene. I like it. I need a yard.


How to build a beach - Sunset.com

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BioArt

Science and art unite!

I love biology and I love artsy-creativeness. Here is one of my newly acquired pieces of what I like to think of as "bio art". I actually got it a little while back on Etsy from a great shop called LBrandt.

I had a little issue with over-watering and in no time at all, little white fuzzy mold fluffs began sprouting up all over. As much as I oddly enjoying watching the new inhabitants of the tiny glass orb stake their claim and slowly take over the poor little grazing figurine sheep, I decided to start anew. Last night, I replanted some new moss, which was kindly sent to me by the seller (very generous!). I hope it all works out this time!

I love lamp.

I love making stuff. All kinds of stuff. This past weekend I decided to make a lamp. I thought I was going to get to use my new drill and ceramic/glass drill bit, but my make-a-lamp kit did not require me to drill a hole into the Ikea vase that I had chosen for my base. I finally got to use the pattern from that pillow on something. I love that pattern, but I just am not a huge fan of excessive pillows all over the couch - so I had to find another place for it. Luckily the lamp we used to have on that stand was ugly, so after some painting and assembling - voila!

Problem solved.