Hats, hats, hats!

So I’ve been on a hat-making kick lately. Apart from the fact that they make awesome gifts, I also needed an excuse to buy more yarn at my favorite shop in Madison Valley. I made hats for all five nephews this past Christmas, each of which was some version of this pattern. Each hat is basically made of several rows of double-crochet stitches (when in doubt, just double-crochet it!), and then finished off with pompoms or buttons. This latest one I think takes the cake — a pink beanie, with two pompoms at the sides for my friends’ one year old girl.

I can’t stand how cute this looks on her. She even has a jacket to match!

Til the next post,
Noelle

Chalk Marker Easter Eggs

Happy Easter everyone! It’s sunny and warm here in the Pacific Northwest. Just another reminder of how much I love this place. Hope you all got to make a ton of Easter eggs this weekend. I made a dozen yesterday using brown eggs and chalk markers. These turned out spectacular! I cannot take credit for this idea, however. I totally borrowed it from the lovely folks over at We Can Make Anything. Go check out their post on Non Toxic Easter Eggs. Thank you M.E. and Heather!

Have a swell weekend everyone.

XO, Noelle

Zen and the Art of Making Terrariums

Today is me time! I’m spending the day here at home in my jammies, sipping a cup of coffee by the window and catching up on my blog. It’s a perfect day if I may say so.

I am glad I have this blog and grateful for its small handful of followers. These past few weeks have been pretty damn stressful, I swear to God my hair is falling out again. But today I’m trying to be all zen and having this blog gives me an opportunity to write about the little things that make me happy and share it with the world. Like terrariums! I seem a bit behind on the craze here but I did want to make terrariums last summer but never got around to doing so. Last weekend, I made a trip to West Elm and got a bunch of vented globes and then made our way to the Indoor Sun Shoppe in Fremont that sells the coolest plants, from epiphytes to venus fly traps. I loaded up on some air plants, a few succulents and a cactus.

It doesn’t take much to make terrariums, and the plants used require very low maintenance. Cacti and succulents don’t need much watering, and air plants typically don’t need soil and can be placed singularly in a decorative vessel. Be sure to situate it where it can get bright indirect light and lots of air movement, as air plants typically get their nutrients from (you guessed it) the air. To water your air plants you basically take them and dunk them in water once a week. Let it dry thoroughly before placing it back in its vessel.

To build your succulent or cacti terrarium you will need soil as a base, then layer it with moss, or gravel. As for the air plants, soil will generally kill them, so you can either place them singularly on a dish or a vented globe, or mount them on a branch or a cool piece of driftwood.

And don’t forget to add little creatures! You can get them at any plant shop or craft store. Or if you’re feeling creative you can also make one yourself. As for mine, I found my little froggy friend at Ravenna Gardens. He will make a great addition to the succulent terrarium.

Hope yo have fun creating your own indoor terrarium! It sure has brightened up our living room!

Ikea Hack: Mod Storage + Litter Closet

When you live in a very small apartment, it can be difficult to find a place for everything, including the cat’s litter box. I used to hide it in a small closet with a forward-facing entry hole, but ever since we got Hudson, it just proved to be non dog-proof. And when a dog gets into the cat litter box, the repercussions can be very ugly. If you are both a cat and dog owner, you know what I mean.

I was inspired by the Catteux cabinet by London-based Elips Design, and went on a mission to find an inexpensive piece of Ikea furniture that we could modify. The Besta seemed to be the perfect solution. It has a nice minimal design, customizable modules and different veneers to choose from. We bought three modules, 2 singles and 1 pair. The first cabinet is used for storing our serveware, the middle cabinet stores our living room crap, and the third has Sumo’s litter box in it. Since the cabinets are 3 separate pieces, the litter closet can easily be removed or replaced if it gets damaged by his cat paws.

Using a jig saw I cut a hole at the side of the cabinet (tip: do this before you put the cabinet together!). I had also purchased a thin sheet of wood veneer at an art store and used it to trim the rough opening with industrial-grade glue. Wait til it gets tacky before gluing it down, otherwise it won’t stick!

Having the entry at the side of the cabinet allows me to conceal the litter closet. It also allows me to put an obstruction (in this case, a guitar), to prevent Hudson from sticking her head in the hole. For some reason, she is super terrified of the guitar, which works well in our favor.

There even is ample room to store all of Sumo’s supplies!

And there you have it. The living room is back in order and everyone is happy!

What pet-inspired solutions have you done around your house? Do share!

Free Printable: Drink Flags

Give your signature drinks the proper accessory with these easy to make drink flags. Just print these out on card stock, fold around paper straws and secure with double sided tape. You can also attach these to toothpicks for hors d’oeuvres, to drink stirrers, swizzle sticks or anything else you’d like to add a touch of fanfare to. I’ve seen drink flags used at weddings, parties, baby showers, and they are all over Etsy and lifestyle blogs. Some people may think that this idea is slightly overused, but not I. I still think they are adorable and very festive. Take it up a notch and use some glitter paper!

You can download my editable Illustrator file here.

Enjoy and have a great time at your next party!

Rad Holiday Stockings

We had the holiday fever last week and decided to make some Christmas stockings. Santa would be proud.

To make this kind of Christmas stocking you will need:

assorted fabric
interfacing
a sewing machine
an iron

First, cut a piece of interfacing using a stocking template. Or you can easily draw one yourself. Make your own template and give it a modern twist. Cut out two shapes, one a mirror image of the other. Then, cut all your fabric into thin strips and randomly arrange them on the interfacing.

Once you’re happy with the pattern, fold all the unfinished edges down about 1/4 inch and press with an iron. Arrange them back on the interfacing. Overlap each fabric strip about 1/4 inch. Iron onto the interfacing, and then cut the ends to follow the shape of the stocking. The interfacing helps stiffen up the fabric, which helps the stocking hold its shape.

Using a zigzag stitch, sew along the seams.

Next, arrange two stocking shapes so that the front sides are facing each other and the interfacing is out. Sew along the sides leaving the top open. You can use a straight stitch for this part, instead of the zigzag stitch shown in the photo below. Brian had left a bit of fabric at the top so he could fold it down and have a finished edge at the opening.

When done sewing all around, turn your stocking inside out.

Next, fold a small strip of fabric and attach to one end of the opening.

And you’re done! Wash, rinse and repeat.

These stockings are awesome, if I may say so!

Happy Holidays!

Loose Leaf Tea Favors

When the weather outside is frightful, what better way to spend the day than curling up under a warm blanket and sipping something hot? I stumbled upon this idea on HGTV for wedding favors. But beyond weddings, I think these would also be perfect as holiday favors or any occasion for that matter. Create several flavors and package them in threes in a pretty box and you’ve got a wonderful hostess gift, or a stocking stuffer for the tea lover!

These mini chalkboard signs are great for a tea favor display at a party. These can easily be cut out of balsa wood, but you could also purchase ready made ones on Etsy. I got these from this Etsy shop.

Tip: Use a chalk marker instead of regular chalk. It’s cleaner and your letters appear more crisp!

Happy concocting!

Materials/Ingredients used:
Tazo loose leaf teas
1.25 oz clear glass vials from Specialty Bottle

Easy DIY Baby Shower Gifts

I attended a former co-worker’s baby shower last weekend. As always I try to give people something handmade because I feel it’s more special that way. Granted, hectic schedules don’t always allow it. I mean let’s be real, by the time I get home from work and walk the dog and make dinner, all I want to do is relax on the couch. And the weekends are somehow always filled with chores. Gah! It never ends! So, pfff! Who has the time to MAKE gifts?! Well you know, these two things here are super easy to make, that’s why I wanted to share them with you. Crocheted hats for babies are really only a couple of square inches in area, and even if you’re a beginner, you can most definitely make one in half a day. Top it off with a puffy pompom and you’ve got an adorable little snow hat. The pattern for the hat below is by Kristi Simpson and you can get it for 3.99 on Etsy.

Another easy project for a baby shower gift is a receiving blanket. Every mother-to-be needs one. Or five. Make a blanket that’s big enough so baby doesn’t outgrow it too soon. I made the one below at about 45″ square. Purchase about 1 1/2 yards of plain flannel fabric (you can always save the extra for another project in the future), and about 1/2″ yard of printed lightweight cotton fabric as an accent. Cut your main fabric and hem the edges, then cut about a 4″ to 6″ wide strip of your accent cloth, fold the edges and sew it on one side of the blanket using a zigzag stitch.

Sew 4 Home has an easy step-by-step on how to sew a mitered hem. Check it out!

And there you have it! You can’t go wrong with either of these gifts. And both of these you can do in less than a day. Happy gift-making!