Happy Spring News - published

I just received an email from Ruche, letting me know their Spring DIY guide is published.
You may remember this post about arranging a cheap bouquet - it's on pages 14-17.
It's so nice to see photos laid out perfectly in a magazine. 
Check out the issue - it's full of pretty ideas to celebrate spring.

This makes me want to:
Take graphic design classes
Publish my own mini magazine/lookbook
Buy more bouquets of flowers for my dining table
Find more places to get my photographs published
Paint the walls of my apartment (that pretty blue is a blanket I taped to the wall for these photos, ha)
Photograph more DIY projects
Find more pretty linens for our new apartment

Hope you are having a great day - Happy Friday!

Making my Mom's Birthday gift (Saucer turned necklace)

Now that my Mom has safely gotten her parcel in the mail, and is enjoying her necklace, I can show you.  It all started with a trip to Goodwill.  (It usually does.)  

I found a really pretty teacup saucer that was chipped.  

I wondered if it was possible to save this lovely pattern from a trip to the dumpster. 

So yes, I took my cute little chipped plate, put it in a sealed plastic bag & dropped it on my tile floor.

Post-smash I chose my favourite little remain and drilled a hole in it with my rotary tool.

About an hour of cautious drilling later.

I also used the tool to sand down any rough and sharp edges, then added a jumpring and some chain.

And there you have it - the necklace I made my mom for her birthday, which just happened to look perfect with the purple sweater I bought her too.

p.s.  I toyed with the idea of adding some beads or little charms, but knowing my mom's taste, I kept it simple.   However, I do have a few pieces of pretty plate left, and may make some other variations.

I've also since found some more chipped plates and saucers - score!

How to Make a Ribbon Wreath for Fall - DIY

I was in the mood for something festive for our apartment door, so I put this little wreath together. 

I wanted something that was small and easy to store in our little apartment.  Not much space for big foam wreaths around here.   It's so easy and simple that you can do it late at night, while catching up on tv shows, and not miss any jokes or plot points.

Speaking of late at night, please excuse the crummy process photos - it was a night too lazy to pull out the SLR and light things.  

1. You will need:
Cardboard
Loads of Ribbon in several colours and widths (I believe I used 9 yards)
Spare fabric (I used an old t-shirt)
Hot glue gun (or a lot of straight pins)

Scissors

Tape

2 round objects to trace

2.  Trace round objects and cut out circles in the cardboard.  Mine was thin so I doubled up.
 Also, cut fabric into strips - 3 or 4 inches wide. 

3.  Wrap the fabric strips around the cardboard circles until the cardboard is hidden.  Secure the ends. 

4.  Cut ribbon into roughly 4 inch lengths for wide ones, 2.5 inches for the skinnies.  Place them evenly around the circle.  Fold in half, allowing for a pretty ribbon loop and pin or glue to the wreath.  Repeat until your wreath is full and you've run out of ribbon!

voila!  A sweet little wreath to decorate your door (or your floor, as seen here).

I hope you had a great weekend, whether you celebrated Thanksgiving like us Canadians, Columbus Day, or just the end of the week :)
I'm so thankful for the phenomenal weather we had!

Crafty links & things.

I browse online a lot.  And I make a lot of bookmarks. 

I really make too many bookmarks. 
And so, in what's finally a brilliant idea - I will share the links here.  I'll still be able to find them, and you can share in the fun of cool things online. 

I am also on Pinterest - where I save pictures of pretty things. 

Arigami - the art of making things out of balloons.  Incredible things - like ballgowns, clones of yourself and this giant octopus. 

Inkodye - a crafty paint that activates in sunlight - they have a few cool DIY projects worth checking out, I'd love to try this.

Did you know that Sharpie has fabric markers!?! I haven't seen these in Canada yet, but will be going State-side soon and will hunt for these!

Another reason for me to have an iphone.  Because when I don't have an iphone, I can't use the Instagram app, which means I can't order this mini book of my photos from Printstagram.

I don't have an iphone.

( I hate those commercials rubbing it in my face, btw)

Over at the Design Dazzle blog you can make your own bubble wand kit - for making gigantic bubbles!
This was my fave thing ever as a kid, my grandpa would make the best ones, my brother would always pop them.

And for those who are less crafty, and more shop-crafty, did you know about this tool ?  You can browse Etsy (or ebay) listings with loads of photos at once - making the hunt much quicker.  This is what I found when I searched for my favourite vintage enamel flower brooches. 

Alas, that's it for this week, I'm sure I'll have more soon!

CPTOTITW.

Cool Photography Things On The Internet This Week. 

I found this photography cheat sheet the other day - it's such a pretty visual representation of how to manually use your camera.  Check it out at Living in the Stills.

Melissa Jill Photography has a great series on Flash for wedding photographers. 
 I am guilty of not using flash creatively enough, but I'm working on it.  Thanks Melissa for the tips!

Slightly less 'photography' related, but check out photos of carvings made from Oreos, and needlepoint through Chex at Judith G Klausner's site.

I'm thinking about getting another JoTotes bag, a smaller one to use like a purse for everyday outings.  Anyone own the Millie?  Do you like it? Apparently there's a Betsy coming soon.

and lastly - my fave photo I've seen this week.
by Steven Sites on flickr.


What's your fave thing you've seen this week? Please share!

my fave way to arrange flowers. cheap, inexpensive, recycled arrangement.

The weather in toronto last week was strangely warm.  

All of the snow melted, and it felt like spring was here.  

It's still the first week of January, and we have new snow now, but mentally i have moved on.  

So i treated myself to a $4 bouquet of white chrysanthemums. (mums for short)

 I rummaged around my apartment for all of the glass containers I could find.  They include a wine carafe, pop bottle, homemade pickle jar, spice jars and vintage vases & perfume bottles.

 After filling all the jars with water, I began by placing flowers into the smaller jars first.  I wasn't sure if I would use all of the vases, so I started with my favourites. 

 After making sure all the vases had flowers, I set them on the table - beginning with the largest ones, then fanning out with the smaller ones.

 Play with the arrangement of vases until you are pleased with it. 

 And voila! your table looks pretty and ready for spring.

Random tips:

Mums like to be broken with a tear, rather than slicing the bottom like you would a rose.

If your florist doesn't give you any "flower food" you can add a little sugar to the water in the vase.

Remove any leaves that would be below the surface of the water - they will rot very quickly.

Bunch flowers together with an elastic near the bottom - they will spread more evenly.

Variations:

Different sizes of tin cans

Wrapping coloured ribbon on the vases

Mixing different types of flowers would be really pretty

Add food colouring to the water - the jars will have more colour, and eventually the white flowers will drink the coloured water and change the flower heads.  Beautiful and fun for kids to learn about plants.

Have fun!

using just a teeny amount of your vintage fabric for a craft. fabric ring.

i don't know about you, but when i find vintage craft supplies, fabric, beads, etc, i find it very hard to use them. it has to be the perfect, worthy, not going to fail, 'i'll never regret cutting the fabric' craft.

this was easy enough, it used about a 4 inch square altogether.

you will need: scissors, some fabric, glue, a ring base & if you like - a bead

cut the fabric into circles. i chose ones that were just under an inch across.
(i cut 16 but only used 8 for the final product)

fold the circles in half, then in half again to end up with a triangle shape. glue to the ring base.

continue layering the triangles with glue until your ring is nice & full. then add a bead to the centre.

voila.

i think this would work even better with lighter weight fabric than i used. i have some sheer blue fabric to try next. have fun and let me know how it goes if you make one :)

p.s. is anyone else mourning the loss of daylight yet?

it's already too dark to photograph crafts at night!

DIY: how to remove scratches from hardwood floors

i realize this is completely and utterly random, but i have to share this with you.

walnuts. 

they are the secret to removing/buffing out scratches in hardwood floors!

witness the before and after:

oh yeah!  all you have to do is rub a walnut all over it.  apparently the natural oils in the nut will buff out the scratch.  (it worked well enough to please our landlord when we moved)

how to make a newsboy cap

this may seem like a random thing to post but i can explain.

i am currently working on a historical documentary film. as half of the 2 person wardrobe department, which includes, among other things, dressing about 400 extras over 2 weeks of filming.

date range from 1910-1936. whoo hoo!

it's keeping me busy from roughly noon-2am for 3 weeks.
here's a scene they want to recreate:

and so - the newsboy caps.

cut out a pattern that looks like this - essentially a large circle with a smaller one inside.

i've got 22 inches across the big outside one, then within it drew a 16 inch one. folding the paper made it easier to cut the triangular wedges out.

for the moon shaped piece i traced the edge of a baseball cap and it's about 3 inches across at the centre of the 'moon.'

in a tweed-ish fabric, cut one of the large piece and 2 moon shapes. then cut one moon of cardboard or plastic. (i used cereal box cardboard but i'd recommend something more solid & washable if you'll be using the hat for more than a one time costume - ie part of a pop bottle. you'd also want a lining.)

p

pin the brim pieces together and pin the large piece so each triangle cut out becomes closed again.

the hat will start to take shape...

when sewing the main part of the hat, curve toward the centre as you go - it will make the hat more circular on top. put the cardboard in the brim and sew it right sides together to the main part of the hat. tada.

that was easy right? uhhh... ha ha sorry. it is more simple to do than it is to explain...

repeat as needed.

i'll see you again when the film is wrapped. so happy canada day this thursday!

Update:  While I appreciate the interest, I have been getting emails and questions about this post daily.  It has been over 4 years since I have made the hats.

Yes the pattern size was as described.  If the hat is too big, sew with larger seam allowances and remember that the floppy excess gets pulled forward and tacked to the brim. 

Adjust the pattern for hats for children. 

Bon poisson d'avril!

happy "April Fish" if you translate it directly...

today in france is similar to april fool's day in north america, with tricks and jokes

but they also have a cute tradition that we don't!

i'm not sure on the history of the fish - children will cut out fish shapes and tape them on each others backs with jokes, teasing remarks, etc. on them.  

i asked my high school students if they do anything and yes, they will sneak notes onto people's backs in a not-so-pleasant and more-like-high-school manner. not so cute.

fill in the blank - i am _______.

at the end of the day i noticed a little fish fall to the floor, facedown.

uh oh.  i don't work with cute little gradeschoolers!

but look!

"i am beautiful." awww! i was so excited!

it may relate to what i was originally going to post today...?

i love seeing other people's wardrobe posts, and this is a little bit DIY too.

i bought this little shirt at a thrift store - totally vintage, a bit ho-hum...

so i changed the buttons and it got some drama ;)

which took 10 minutes and was entirely worth it.

 love my floral tights :)

shopping stats: necklace, shirt, buttons - thrifted in france

headband - dollarama, lol.  skirt - joe fresh (love!)

boots - L&B (france.) belt - Mim (france.)

tights - random corner shop in cannes that used to be a candy shop, was an accessories place for a couple months, then luggage and is now under construction. 

yes, i have only been here since september.

anyway, that's what i wore today.

hope you had a happy 1st of april!

Pretty Pretty DIY Crochet Bowls!

Happy Saturday Everyone - I present to you my very first crafty DIY!

You will need:

crocheted fabric doilies

cornstarch

water 

balloons

in total the materials cost under $5

depending how much fabric stiffener you want to make - mix 1 part corn starch with 2 parts cold water to make a thick paste, then add 16 parts boiling water.

(i used 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/2 cup cold, 4 cups boiling)

this is the same recipe used for turning any fabric into wallpaper - 

but i dare not do that to the peeling walls in this apartment.

 blow up your balloons to the size of your doilies, while letting the cornstarch mix cool off 

so you don't burn your fingers ;)

when the mix is cooled, immerse the doily and get it coated in the gooey mess. 

then lay it over a balloon, smoothing out any bubbles.

let the balloon rest in a mug to keep its balance.

i also used a little bowl to make a smaller shape, but learned the hard way that i should have placed a layer of plastic wrap between bowl and balloon. oops.

let everything dry. (this took about 24 hours)

removing the balloons was trickier than expected.  at first i just poked a hole in the balloon, but the doily stayed stuck and warped in shape.  it worked much better to slowly pry the balloon away with my fingers while it was still inflated, popping it after. 

and voila! you can use them to store all kinds of little things.  i think they'd be really pretty filled with candies, mini ones as wedding favours or as centrepieces.

send me a link if you make them, i'd love to see yours.

oh! and an extra cool feature - if you wash the doilies out in water they will return to their original flat state.  which means i can put them in my suitcase and bring them to canada when i move :)