Can’t think of a good piece of art (I said art!) you want to have hanging on your wall for many moons to come? This is a great idea to add some color and be able to change the art with the seasons!
Inspiration: Framed Flowers
Certainly we think of flower arranging as an art, but we’ve never considered literally treating bouquets as artworks, by framing them as one would frame a painting. It’s an interesting way to use the wall as a dynamic space, with an ever-changing palette of color and texture, rather than as a static backdrop for a permanent display.
via Apartment Therapy San Francisco | Inspiration: Framed Flowers.
What a great idea for reusing something and making it new. I don’t really know anyone who doesn’t need some help with organizing their craft space either and this is beautiful and useful!
Repurposing Craft/tool station with wall organizer
Craft and tool station
This project is what Elizabeth would call “finding crap on the curb and making something fabulous.” I found this mint green railing (from a crib? shelves?) in a pile of debris. Add galvanized wall pocket planters (on clearance at Jo-Ann for $1.50 each), daisy hooks (thanks, Kristi), spice rack ($3.50 at a thrift store), paper/pen bin (thanks, Jim), dowels and wire for hooks (Freecycle), and I’ve got a cheap craft organizing solution. A power strip and a salvaged bench vice (thanks, dad) attached to the rolling toolbox make it complete. Can’t wait to use it!
via Craft/tool station with wall organizer – Craftynest.
I love this bag! The tutorial is great and the final product is adorable and useful! I’m going to make one of these!
Zippered Case with Reverse Applique
Just in time for the back to school season, this embroidered pencil case is perfect for all ages. This case can be pieced together out of various fabrics or made from just a single cut. The addition of hand embroidery elevates this utilitarian item to a whole new level. The pen and pencil motif are embroidered on cotton fabric and then reverse appliqued to the front of the pouch. It’s an easy technique that results in a striking effect. You may also choose to applique the embroidery as a patch. See the end of the post for photos.
via O.F. Patterns and Tutorials: Zippered Case with Reverse Applique.
I recently made this skirt for my daughter. As soon as I saw the fabric, I knew I wanted to make her a skirt. I hope it will keep her warm this fall. She needs a good shirt to go with it though.
I don’t live in a loft, but I love this idea! I was looking at some doors at the home improvement shop the other day that were chalkboards. I can easily see this getting to where it is messy looking, but it might be great for our pantry door!
Trend Alert: Chalkboards
With fall approaching and the start of the new school year, we’re finding that many are treating a certain classroom staple as unconventional home decor. It seems chalkboards aren’t reserved just for schools anymore. Blame it on the inner kid in us, but we love these chalkboard walls, doors, furniture and even lamps! We think you’ll find yourself wanting a corner or whole wall for doodling too.
An entryway is a perfect place for a chalkboard wall. Notes, appointments, and shopping lists can be checked on the way out the door.
via Trend Alert: Chalkboards – LoftLife Magazine – The Loftstyle Guide to Life in the City.
So I have this issue with not throwing away anything that can be reused! It’s so much fun to think of creative ways to repurpose things. The problem of course is that if you keep things (that other people call trash!) and then you don’t make the time to do anything with them, your house becomes filled with… well, trash. I have been collecting the cardboard sleeves that come on coffee cups for a while. My daughter, leave it to kids, has found all sorts of creative things to do with them, while I keep adding to the stash. Yesterday as I carried out 3 bags of stuff (destined for the trash can) from work, I really got to thinking about this and that I didn’t want to just bring this stuff into my house and have it sit. So, I came up with an idea. I’ve been wanting to do something more interesting with my blog anyway as I have a hard time with consistently updating it. I’ve decided that at least once a week, I will make something with the stuff I have collected and I will write a post about it. I’m looking forward to this, I think it will be lots of fun. (And maybe I’ll finally do something productive with all this stuff I’ve been collecting! 
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My daughter reads very well for her age. I worry that a lot of her books are really too easy for her. She loves to read though, so I’ve been thinking a lot about what to read with her. I came up with the idea of going to the library and picking up a bunch of kid books about a single topic. When I first mentioned this to her, she said “Maybe then you and I can be as smart as dad!” (Oh great!)
This is the first week we’re trying this out. The topic she chose was African animals. We’ve been having fun reading the books we chose. She was reading them by herself the other day and kept saying, “Mom, you have to know this RIGHT NOW!” I think this will be fun and we will both learn something. Hopefully some of the books will be a bit more challenging for her and she’ll have fun in the process.
(We’re reading them with Sam too, of course. It seems he’s learning to love books as much as the rest of us.)
It’s been almost a year and a half since my mom passed away. They say you’re supposed to say the persons name to help you heal. Does saying mom count? Probably not, just thinking of her name makes the tears come. A good friend of mine had her father pass away right before Christmas. He got sick just after my mom did. He had a longer fight. I don’t know if this is better or worse for him and his family. I wanted more time with my mom, I guess I always will, but seeing her in pain, seeing her go from being the strongest woman I knew to literally just skin and bones was awful. People sometimes say that they don’t want to remember people like that and it’s better to not see them in that condition. For me, I don’t remember my mom in that way. I’m glad that I was a part of the whole process. When I think of how my mom looked the last time, she actually looked at peace. She didn’t look like she was in pain anymore. I think that was important for me to see.
I didn’t talk to my dad or my siblings on Christmas. I talked to them around Christmas, but just not the day. My sister called on Christmas Eve and started talking about my mom and I just said I had to go. Matt put the ornaments that are reminders of my mom on the tree. I don’t know if he realized the significance of them. I sort of just ignored them. I didn’t want anyone to make me think of my mom. I hope at some point I can pull out all the feelings I have and figure them out. For now, it still hurts too much.
The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.
Kurt Cagle wrote an article for O’Reilly regarding the effects of the Paulson Bail Out Plan and IT. It is an interesting article and I agree with most of what he says, especially that this is a global problem. I think we need to do something, but this is not the answer. There are a lot of smart people in this world and we need to come up with a better plan!
I love this image:
Awesome Image
