Hello Monday - Happy New Year!

It's the first Monday of the New Year and my first chance to sit down and meditate on the year that was and the fresh and shiny new year that lies ahead. I don't make resolutions, but sometimes I choose a word for the new year. This year I stumbled upon a quote that struck me as a possible totem for 2014.

 "Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness." - attributed to Allen Ginsgerg

What that says to me is - Be Yourself. Simple right? I'm still ruminating on what that truly means to me and how it informs my daily life, but it's a pretty good rule to live by.

I look forward to this year, to settle even more into our new home, to make memories with my family, and to laugh a lot. I hope to play more, explore more, have adventures and cozy moments. I am excited about designing and making more, discovering some new techniques and passions, playing with ideas that have been swimming around in my head for a while.

I am ready to reinvigorate this happy place as well, more sharing of ideas and changing things up a bit. All good things!

How about you? Do you make resolutions, write down intentions, or choose a yearly word? What are you looking forward to?

May it truly be a Happy New Year to you all!

"Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!" - Dr. Seuss

I Promised Her Pink

When we decided to look in earnest for a new house, My husband and I talked about it with our girl. At first she was excited, then the next day she announced that she didn't want to move, because "our house has all the stuff and all of my memories!" There were a lot of conversations, reassurances, and promises that we would never, ever forget our life in The Little Green Cottage. We told a lot of stories about the years we lived there, it was the only home she had known, it was a big deal.

They say moving is one of the big deal stressful events in our lives as adults, it's true. It's a big deal scary thing for kids too. I did promise that she could decorate her new room however she wanted, and that I would help. I promised her pink.

So... moving house, big plans, bright ideas and then... reality. Our girl has fully embraced the new house. It only took a few days of exploring the garden and she was smitten. Still, 5 months on and she's picked out her paint colors and asking me, "So when are we going to paint my room? Like you PROMISED." I believe that it is vitally important to keep one's promises to children, that's why I don't make a lot of them. Sometimes my promises take a little longer to come to fruition, but I do make good.

The only "before" picture I could find. Drab olive green walls.

So, while she was away visiting grandparents recently, I got to work transforming her room. I had been taking notes for the last few months and knew the most important details; such as, there absolutely had to be a crystal chandelier!

I took down the old light fixture and wired a crystal chandelier in it's place. She also needed a reading light by the bed for those night time reading sessions. I installed a wall sconce over the bed.
There needed to be 'flowy" curtains. I added a strand of fairy lights behind the corner gauzy curtains for a little bit of extra magic.

To tame the overwhelming amount of pink going on, I added bits of turquoise throughout the room. The little dresser has belonged to me since I was 16, it has amazingly made it through years of moving and adventures.

The sweet desk came from my favorite neighborhood vintage shop. As it had a glass top, I placed a vintage embroidered runner (pink of course) under the glass along with some vintage Parisian ephemera that I printed from the computer. Our girl loves all things Paris!

And a horse of course, she's still Pony Girl through and through!

I had such a good time working on her room, in fact I kind of wanted to move in myself. Now, this is no magazine makeover. There wasn't any money in the budget for new bedding, a rug for the floor, or a bed frame. This is a real life DIY room makeover. With plenty of opportunity for our girl to make it truly her own and add to it down the line. It was a wonderful chance to show my daughter that I had been listening to her, what she wanted for a room of her own.

Oh, and yes, she loves it! She has been spending much more time in her room since she came home. That is a good sign I think. I promised her pink and now she's got it!

Now, for the rest of the house! Well, give me a year or so.

For those who want to know the nitty gritty:

Benjamin Moore paint in A Touch of Pink and Hydrangea Flowers beautiful colors!
Lighting, Turquoise desk chair, and curtains from IKEA
Horse poster from framedart.com (I attached a poster to a blank artist canvas with polyurethane with a bit of wrinkling in the process. I painted the edges black)
Vintage Furnishings and Bedding = personal collection

Happy New Year All!

So long 2013!

Oh, I have been away for a bit haven't I? So busy with the holidays and we had such fun.  There were a lot of cookies baked and decorated by my little elf.

One of my daughter's wishes for the Holiday was to make a Gingerbread House that she could eat! So, we did. I made the Gingerbread cookie base from scratch and we spent a couple of hours decorating it. So much fun. Later that evening after Daddy had a chance to see our masterpiece, my girl dove right in and took a chunk right out of the roof!

Then, after the big holiday, my girl and the Mr. went off to visit grandparents far away. So, I got very busy on a big surprise room re-do for my girl. I have been working day and night and I can't wait till she sees it! I'll share photos here too if we get some decent light.

Hard to believe we are headed into an entirely new year tomorrow, so much has happened this year, good and crazy! 

I am starting the year off with a bang, for I have been featured in the UK magazine Pretty Patches issue #3.

How exciting is that? 

This new magazine is so lovely! A lot of wonderful tutorials and articles along with gorgeous pictures! Thank you for the wonderful feature Pretty Patches!  Issue 3 is now onsale in the UK, I am trying to find out where we can get it in the states, I'll keep you updated as soon as I find out!

Wishing you all a most Happy and Healthy New Year!!!

Comfort and Joy

Happy Holidays to you! May it be cozy and bright however you spend the season!

xo

Tea and a Chat with Lola Nova - Gathered 62

I am very excited to announce that yours truly has been featured in the latest issue of Gathered. In case you are not familiar with Gathered, it is the digital magazine put out by the lovely folks of Mollie Makes.  In issue #62 you'll find a load of crafty goodness and Tea and a Chat with me! Hooray!

The Gathered team has a fantastic deal going on right now:

Gathered by Mollie Makes is available to download to your iPhone and iPad now! Single issues cost just £1.49/$1.99, or get 5 FREE issues when you sign up to a risk-free one-month or one-year subscription.

Subscribe to Gathered by Mollie Makes 

A great big thank you to Gathered for inviting me to tea!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Woodworking with Sasquatch

Hi all! I'm just popping in to tell you about the exciting news that The Engineer now has his very own blog! Hooray! That's right, I'm as surprised as you! His blog is called Woodworking with Sasquatch (click the link to go see). Please stop by for a visit, and leave a nice comment if you will.

Happy Monday friends!

Reclaiming

Having a partner with carpentry skills is a serious perk. In our new house, we have the space for my Mr. to have a shop, it is such a wonder that the both of us finally have our own creative spaces. It is awesome!  

His latest project was built by him and made especially for me. I  am now the proud owner of a gorgeous and very sturdy cutting/work table for my studio. He made it to my exact specifications; it is the perfect height and size for working on all sorts of projects.

So, of course I love it. I love it not just because it was made by my Mr., or because it is exactly what I wanted and needed, but because of what this table was made from. Reclaimed wood, you see.

Not just any old reclaimed wood, but wood reclaimed from our new house. The legs of this table were made from posts that were part of the framing of the walls that we knocked down in my studio. Like bones from our house, strong and sturdy. The trim on the top of the table was milled from the oak fireplace mantle we ummm... dismantled. 

This table has a storied history even though it is "new." And I love that. It makes me happy. Not only was this a frugal project, but who knew we could shop for wood from our own home! Cool.

Every time I work at my new table, I will know this story and think of the Engineer building it by hand. So, as you can see, it's pretty much the greatest work table ever.

P.S. Thank you for my table dear!

Happy weekend!

Small Miracles

Over the weekend a small miracle took place. It all started a few days ago when I was looking at some fetching photos on Instagram. Specifically, by Rachelle of Ted and Agnes, she has set forth a wickedly wonderful challenge called Handmade 365 where you pledge to wear at least one handmade thing each day for a year! Now, I haven't joined the challenge, but I did see a dress she made on Instagram and I thought, Ooh, now that looks good!

Now, I must tell you that I am absolute pants when it comes to making my own clothes, funny right?  While I am a whiz with clothes for Pony Girl and other small folk, I just buck at the idea of sewing for myself. So, recently I've been giving myself a talking to, I've been promising to get over the hump and start making a few things for my wardrobe. Not so much a resolution, I've never been much for making those either, but a pledge to make more for myself in the coming year.

So to get started on the right foot, I thought I'd jump in after seeing Rachelle's handiwork.  I bought the Tessuti Fabrics - Lily Linen Dress Pattern. After taping the pattern pieces together and tracing my size, I decided to go ahead without making any alterations, just a test dress, a muslin that with a huge amount of luck might just turn out wearable, but I wasn't holding my breath.  

Here are my observations of making the dress.

1. Requires fabric wider than 45" I used a piece of 60" wide medium weight checked cotton canvas-like fabric that I picked up at a thrift shop ages ago.

2. Only 3 main pattern pieces to cut, easy peasy! (I did not use the pocket pattern piece)

3. All of the pieces fit together perfectly and the sewing was quick and simple. It took me an hour to make without finishing the hem and pockets. I did try on the dress at each stage and I found that there were no adjustments needed. I made it to length even though I am quite short, so it is a long dress on me. I will adjust length next time.

4. This dress has endless possibilities for customizing. Shorten the sleeves, sleeveless, length variation, etc. etc.

5. It is a loose fitting dress that I think would be flattering to most body types and it is so very comfortable!

6. I have plans to make this in a few different versions. So yes, I would most definitely make this again, and highly recommend the pattern!

I did not follow the pocket pattern or instructions, I started playing with vintage linen napkins instead.

When I finished the dress and stepped back, I was surprisingly pleased. I made something for myself that I will actually wear out in public.  My wardrobe may start filling out with handmade frocks after all, small miracle indeed!

Happy Monday all, may your week bring you at least one small miracle!