Speaking of Mary Poppins

While I was looking around the web for some info on Mary Poppins, I ran into this great website that forges weathervanes. Here is great one featuring Miss Poppins herself. check it out for lots of unique weathervanes! Black Forge Art.

DIY Costumes

 

Halloween is coming up, do you know what you're going to be? I love this Beehive costume that I found on Martha Stewart's website. She actually has some really great DIY projects that are cute, creative, easy, and elegant. Like this Rose Garden. How beautiful, not just for a little girl but any woman as well. I thought this Spider and Web costume was really sweet for mommy and baby. When I saw this little munchkin dressed up like a Turkey Dinner I laughed out loud and sent it to my friend, Nikki, begging her to dress up her new baby like this. Same with this sweet little Cupcake Girl. How funny! the sparkly shoes go perfect with it. If you need some inspiration, Martha's the place to go, check out her website for some awesome ideas! So what are you going to be?

Cowls, Scarves, and Coziness

I didn't realize how much I love scarves until I was organizing my closet the other day. I have a ridiculous amount. No matter, there's always room for more! I found some patterns and have been knitting my little hands off for the past few weeks. I am yet to make this cashmere cowl that I found on Purl Bee, but it is on my list for sure. I am dying for this sweater from athleta, I LOVE that you can wear it as a hood, hanging down loose, or you can even stretch it across your shoulders and looks like a little caplet. This last pattern for a wonderfully comfy infinity scarf is what I'm working right now. I found it on ravelry and it was designed by Madelinetosh. Making one for my lovely mother and one for myself. How I love fall!

Mucha.

Alphonse Mucha was born in what is now the Chez Republic. He's like, the grandfather of Art Nouveau , the gorgeous style of art popular in the late 1800's. It is ornate, sensual, and inspiring. His posters of actress Sarah Bernhardt inspired this movement that led to applications in architecture, furniture making, and jewelry, as well as painting and printmaking. The women in his paintings always have this flowing hair that sculpts itself into these great designs, they are decorated with halo-like head pieces, and always look dreamy. I want to look like a girl in a Mucha painting. Surrounded by flowers, a long flowy dress, a gorgeous head piece. Art Nouveau may be my favorite artistic style and Mucha is most definitely among my favorite artists. His style has been copied by artists world-wide, and even inspired the psychedelic posters of the 1960s. If you are unfamiliar with his work, check out The Mucha Foundation .

Big Girl Bonnets

I found these super cute bonnets for the "grown ups" on this great site on etsy . Made by birdylicious from Indiana, she has other bonnets in great colors as well as beanies. Ranging in price form $12 to $20, I may be purchasing one for myself.

painted furniture

I just moved into a new apartment and with that I needed some new furniture to fill it. I need end tables, a dresser, random other little things. But, as you know I am a poor college student so, I am trying to find some second hand things. I have found a few that I feel are great pieces of furniture, well made, in good shape, yet are ugly as sin. They need a paint job and some fun new knobs. I also own a desk that I love but I have wanted to paint for years. I'm nervous though, what color do I paint it? What technique can I use to spice things up? Should I do something fun with a sponge? Paint it one solid, bold color, antique it, paint it in great contrasting shades? These are a few pictures I found for some inspiration. What do you think?

Bored?

For those who are finding themselves bored with spending free time in front of the computer or television screen and feel like they need to spice things up, pick up this book. 52 Projects Random Acts of Everyday Creativity by Jeffery Yamaguchi is full of ideas to get you off the couch and into a more creative life (or at least a more creative couple of hours.) Some of his ideas include making a key lime pie, then make a box full of things to make a key lime pie, a recipe and mail it off to your friend, wake up, call in sick and use the day to do whatever it is you WANT to do. This does not include vacuuming, laundry, etc. this is a day for pure pleasure. Write some letters (your Grandmother will appreciate it!) Make a list of all the books you own and figure out which ones you haven't read. (my list would be really long.)  Check out the website first www.52projects.com. Another great website for creative ways to spend your time is this website by Keri Smith 

Plant and Page

I'm honestly almost speechless when I try to talk about Led Zeppelin because I love them so much. I don't really know exactly what it is, because it's such a mix of everything. That amazing voice, that incredible guitar. Amazing and Incredible shouldn't even be words to describe them because they do not even approach how great Robert Plant and Jimmy Page are together. I can't really say what my favorite song by them is, but I must confess I get cravings to hear When The Levee Breaks like some get cravings for Thai Food. Sometimes I feel like I cannot live another day until I hear that song again. I just listened to it four times in a row. There is something that happens when I hear Led Zeppelin. I cannot sit still, my heart starts fluttering, the music is so electrifying, so creative and unique, and so full of passion, its almost as if I have to stop what I'm doing no matter what so I can appreciate the song that's playing. I don't know if there ever has been or ever will be as great of a rock band than Led Zeppelin. This may sound really cheesy, but my one of the best things I've heard about Led Zeppelin came from That 70's Show . Someone asked Hyde why he always wore a Led Zeppelin T-shirt and he replied "If God didn't want me to wear this t-shirt so much, he wouldn't have made them rock so hard." Amen. 

Rings by Tinahdee

I saw these rings on etsy today and i thought they were really cute. stackable initial rings made by Tinahdee ! You could wear one for yourself, your honey, your kids, or if your name is short enough, you could even spell it out! She has lots of other beautiful rings and bracelets in her shop. check it out!

Girlosophy

I'm a bit of a dork and, I will admit that there are a lot of books aimed at teens that I really love at the age of 27. With all the adult hype over the Twilight series and such, I know I'm not alone. I really love these books, the Girlosophy series that are written by Anthea Paul. So far there are nine books in the series (four of which I own) and they are all full of good advice, real girls and women, true stories, and wonderfully colorful pictures. My favorite is A Soul Survival Kit but they have some other great titles including The Love Survival Kit, How To Write Your Own Life, Real Girls Eat, and The Oracle, among others. I wish I would have had books like these when I was 15 because they do not just scratch the surface. They give actually useful information, advice, and inspiration that stems from a soul level. Paul wants girls to focus on what is real, feeling comfortable in their own skin instead of finding the right bag to carry with the right shoes. At any age, Girlosophy is one to live by. 

Rhinestones are a (poor) girl's best friend

Lately I've been on the look out for great vintage rhinestone clip on earrings. Luckily, they can be found at a lot of flea markets.  I bought my first pair for $6 at an antique store in Weston, Missouri and found two other pair for great prices too (one pair was only $4!) I like stuff like this because they can really glam up otherwise blah outfits, (I like to wear mine with a simple black t-shirt, cute jeans and flats) or they add a great touch when you're dressed to the nines. 

Anna Maria

Anna Marie Horner's blog has been so inspiring to me. I am hoping to buy a house this summer and I am constantly dreaming about ways to make my house feel like a home. These pictures from her blog give me that feeling of what I will be aspiring to. I hope to turn a bedroom into a sewing room, full of shelves with folded fabrics, I love this great chair by the window with a knitting basket full of yarn. What a lovely way to spend a rainy day (or any day really.) I also love this idea of using an old ladder as a way to display quilts. I would love to have a quilt for every rung. Ms. Horner has a couple of books out with patterns for sewing. She just came out with a new book, check it out! 

Lo Boheme

I am totally in love with these hair pieces by Lo Boheme . Created by a husband and wife team in California, their pieces are one of a kind beautiful. Seeing each piece you feel the inspiration from the 19th century French Bohemian, art nouveau, and old Hollywood. Pieces are made with vintage broaches, velvet and silk flowers, feathers and, silk ribbon, among other things. You can get them custom made or pick something ready to wear. I think these pieces would be great for weddings, special events, or if you want something really smashing to wear when you're going out on the town.

The Warmth of Quilts

Someday I hope to be able to make quilts like these. I have made a couple of quilts in my novice sewing experience, for my niece and friends having babies, but I haven't really gotten too far. Mostly they are just simple patchwork. I love making them. Designing them, selecting brightly colored fabric, it's even better than being a kid in a candy store. I love these quilts by Anna Marie Horner , Amy Butler , and these others featured on The Purl Bee . My Aunt, Nancy Olson Spornitz , is an amazing quilter with published quilting patterns. She has made quilts for years and I wish I lived closer to her so I could pick her genius quilter brain and learn all her tricks of the trade. I cannot wait to have more time to create beautiful quilts so my home is filled with them and everyone who enters can wrap themselves up in one. I imagine my house with stacks of quilts on chairs, draped over the backs of couches and draped over kitchen chairs to make forts. Nothing says I love you or makes you feel more cared for and cozy than a home made quilt.

Good Advice

Never permit a dichotomy to rule your life, a dichotomy in which you hate what you do so you can have pleasure in your spare time. Look for a situation in which your work will give you as much happiness as your spare time. 

~Pablo Picasso

Pollock

Some people don't get Jackson Pollock , and that's okay. To quote Wayne's World, "Zeppelin didn't make tunes everyone liked, they left that to The Bee Gees" Well, Pollock didn't make paintings everyone liked, he left that to...Norman Rockwell? I absolutely love Pollock. For a while I didn't. After Ed Harris made the biomovie, Pollock , people seemed to get a little more interested in him and you began to see his work everywhere.  I saw prints in books and posters and the like, and I kind of thought the way a lot of people think, "I could do that." Then, I went with my lovely Aunt to a showing in Minneapolis at The Walker Museum called "Picasso and American Art" where I saw my first Pollock painting up close. It was this one, above called "The Troubled Queen." I love art, I love all different kinds of art, from Di Vinci , to Waterhouse , to Klimt , to Pollock. Some pieces are visually stunning and amaze me at the level of skill and detail, but "The Troubled Queen" was something else. It literally took my breath away, tears welled in my eyes, and I did not want to leave the room this painting was in. Pollock's style is so intuitive, the level of balance he achieves with all the chaos that goes on at the same time is astounding. When I was in the presence of this piece, its like it still held the vibe, the emotion he must have been feeling while painting it and, maybe that's why it caused such an emotional reaction for me. His drip and splatter paintings are amazing, they are breathtaking, they are unique, interesting, and groundbreaking. If you haven't seen a Pollock painting up close and you get the chance to, GO! I'm telling you, you may think, that's just splattered paint, I could do that.....well, no, you probably can't. 

I Heart Jenny

Jenny Hart has reinvented embroidery. This lost art form that used to consist of flowered dish towels and pillow cases, has been lifted on to another level. Just look at these amazing portraits of Dolly Parton and Iggy Pop. Jenny was born in Iowa City, but is now based out of Austin, Texas.  She has shown her work in both group and solo exhibitions and founded her own design company, Sublime Stitching. Sublime Stitching offers kits, books, gifts, and tools to get more people back to this creative craft that's been all but forgotten. Her books offer unique iron on transfers of things like rockin' guitars, robots, martinis, and tattoo inspired designs. Jenny has totally transformed embroidery, just take a look...it's not your Grandma's stitches!

Cozy Cozy Granny Squares

It may be getting too warm for blankets, but you can always start early for next year. Granny square blankets might just be my favorite form of crochet. I started crocheting about three or four years ago, then moved on to knit. While I love both, there is something to be said about crochet. It's fast, easy, and really fun. Granny squares are a great way to use up small amounts of yarn and the outcome is this colorful, unique burst of warmth. Granny squares aren't just about blankets though, you can make slippers, hats, scarves, anything really just by creating different squares and joining them together. Here is an excellent tutorial on how to create these squares.  You can make them all the same size or, I personally  love the look for different sizes joined together. If you want to stray away from the square you make different shapes, like  circles or octogons!