Beside Myself

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Beside Myself

I have been working on our new master bedroom in fits and spurts for the last 3 months. As it is a place to retreat at night, I sometimes forget to do much more than make the bed when I wake up, before heading out into the living space of our home.  A while back I found some campaign chests at a thrift store that were in good structural condition, but lacking in any personality (scraped faded black factory paint).  I'd been looking for large bedside tables with storage, as our room is cavernous with vaulted ceilings and more square footage than all of the bedrooms in our previous home combined.  I'm a small house kind of girl, so our expansion has thrown me for a loop.  After considerable hemming and hawing about whether to purchase them (they were a deal) and what color to paint them, I pulled the trigger, choosing a Benjamin Moore's Graystone, with just a bit more green in it than the wall color, Sparrow, and in the same hue as our pale gray bedding.  Now that they are all finished I am wondering what took me so long.

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Now and Then

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Now and Then

I made a version of this wreath last year with red and white straws, and I loved it so much that it stayed up well past Christmas.  Using dark gray and white or Kikkerland's new beautiful birch print straws make the look more neutral and sophisticated. To make this, all you need is a flat craft ring (this one is 10"), a box of 144 straws and hot glue.  Begin by gluing down straws at the 12-3-6-9 position and subdivide until full filled.  Clip 2" on an angle from every other straw to create texture.  

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The Woodsies

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The Woodsies

Every year I like to give all of the kids in our extended family  a new ornament.  Being that they are all boys, and boys sometimes need a little sentimentality provided for them, the idea is that when they grow up, their parents will hand 'em over, and they will put them on their own tree with their families, and have a sweet memory of cousins and Christmas. This year I'm doing woodland critters, because all of the boys are nuts for animals. Here's a tutorial for making a felt fox.  The concept is very simple, and easy to make if you have basic sewing skills, which I do. To make a fox cut out, think of a heart, with the rounded tops cut down the middle.  Materials include: craft felt, stuffing and tacky glue.  Trace the shape onto a piece of paper, cut out two pieces of felt for front and back.  Cut out and glue down the features (I added the eyes and nose after I sewed down).  Face the outsides in and sew all around leaving a space open at the top of the head.  Stuff and hand stitch close.  Sew a hanging loop at the top and you're all set!

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Guest Post: Lisa from Picnic

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Guest Post: Lisa from Picnic

On a recent gloomy afternoon, we headed one hour west from our home in Berkeley to the calm seashore of Tomales Bay.  Tomales Bay is famous for their oysters but as it turns out, has quite a nice collection of driftwood as well. My eldest took in the scenery and my youngest kept me on my toes with his attempts to swim in the frigid waters (with his clothes on), and both were enthusiastic for my driftwood scavenger hunt.  I had this very project in mind.

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