create.love.grow

create: my hodgepodge fall wreath!

2010-11-21T15:58:00.000-08:00

so about a month or so ago, I gathered some fabric scraps and made this simple fabric scrap wreath:
it felt off...lame...so i removed it from the wall last week and replaced it with this festive angel made from branches and berries (no, i cant take credit for it...thanks goodwill!)

but this weekend, i was inspired to finish my fall wreath in time for thanksgiving...i hunted through my craft closet and came up with this crazy, hodgepodge wreath that i just LOVE LOVE LOVE....

basically, i took my original fabric scrap wreath and hot-glued yarn poms and lotus pods around the interior....the yarn poms were SUPER easy to make (see a tutorial here...i left mine shaggy!) and the lotus pods i found at a local antique mall for $2....

so the berry-and-twig-angel has been demoted, and my super fun fall wreath has once again earned its place back on the wall....i know this may not be everyone's style, but i just LOVE the fabric scraps, shaggy yarn poms, and lotus pods together....

...to me this just screams HAPPY FALL!

create: thanksgiving table decor

2010-10-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

so i know i am a little early...but i am in charge of table decor for our family thanksgiving meal this year, and i felt inspired this morning...i poked around the house for things to use, and here is what i came up with...and since i used things from around my home, it cost me $0!
i had these doilies from the Dollar Store that I had picked up a few weeks ago...i found the yellow color kind of obnoxious, so I used the back...the photo doesnt show it, but the yellow still shines through :-)

using a sharpie, i simply wrote out the word "thanks"....then using clothes pins that I had painted previously (click back to my chicken wire memory frame)...i clipped each doily onto a twig (that I pulled from a floral arrangement in our living room)...

the twigs are secured in mason jars (found in various places around our home)....i raided my kitchen cabinets for autumn-friendly filler....i came up with popping corn, beans, and lentils.....the jars are then each decorated with a little piece of frayed fabric (leftover from a wreath i made a few weeks back)

i think they turned out pretty cute! and the best part is, I can spell out "thanks" or "giving" or any other 6-letter word on the reverse side (clipping another doily onto the back) so that family on both sides of the table can enjoy the decor!

im sure as thanksgiving gets closer, i will be posting more ideas....i have about 5 tables to decorate....

happy friday!

love: painted pumpkins

2010-10-10T06:26:00.001-07:00

i love pumpkins. but i hate the ooey-gooey-mushy-stringy insides....so when thinking of decorating for fall, i was delighted to come across these beautifully painted pumpkins....full pumpkin enjoyment without the mess of carving...enjoy!
i LOVE this...simple coat of spray paint, then design is carved into the skin of the pumpkin...

plaids and polka-dots....

numbers, bats, and welcome pumpkins....

Country Living's take on painted pumpkins....

use stencils from other crafty projects....

more stencils....

painted pumpkins with decorative nails and studs....

happy autumn!

love: the DIY tshirt necklace

2010-09-21T05:40:00.001-07:00

my current dirt-cheap obsession: DIY tshirt necklaces...google it for a tutorial...there are a million out there...here are some of my favorites from Google Image....

the braided tshirt necklace:
elaborately draped with fabric beads:

classic, in charcoal gray:

beaded, studded, and layered with other colors:

classic style, yummy green color:

whimsical, with charms, keys, pearls added:

i LOVE this teal color:

two of my favorite fall colors:

i tried my first DIY tshirt necklace last night...nothing to blog about...but i did learn a few things that i will share with you if you are considering cutting up an old tshirt of your own and trying this out:

Basic Tutorial: take tshirt. cut straight line across it under neck and arm holes, so that the top is taken off and you are left with a rectangle. then cut rectangular piece into strips...stretch strips out so they roll up into themselves...fashion into a necklace. thats it!

1)if your tshirt is the same color inside and out, then you can cut your strips any way you like: up-and-down or across.

2) if its not the same color inside, then you need to cut WITH the grain (usually up-and-down)...

3) its best to choose a shirt without side seams...these dont roll so well...

4) it might be a good idea to stop at goodwill and grab a shirt that is XL or larger...i used a Large, and the necklace is of average length...if you want to layer it several times, a larger shirt will work better.

hope this helps! let me know if you make one! happy tuesday!

create: upcycled shipping crate

2010-09-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

before: vintage international shipping crate that i found for $5 at my favorite STL antique mall (on Big Bend)...
after: add a little fabric, and becomes the perfect storage chest!

i saw this crate, and the $5 price tag, and i knew it had a ton of potential...after a little vacuuming out the cobwebs, it was prepped and ready for its makeover...

the exterior of the trunk is covered in all types of authentic shipping labels...like the one you see below...

here are my tools: some clearance fabric from Hancock's (sorry Hobby Lobby....i still love you, but you dont sell beautiful prints for $1.50 a yard)...my staple gun, scissors, and my DD chai latte (it was early!)

now i suppose if you are one of those have-things-well-thought-out-before-you-start types, you would measure the dimensions of the crate, cut your fabric to size, then proceed....i however, loathe accurate measurements, and thus I just took my fabric, began draping and stapling, cutting the excess as I went....

example A:

i started with the lid, moved to the large sides, then the small ones....here is a close up of one corner....i love the contrast between the worn, aged, imperfect wood and the lovely floral print behind it....

so here is my finished crate! i think i am going to use it at the foot of our bed to hold blankets/bedding, etc....you never can have too much [adorable] storage space!

create: silverware hooks

2010-09-17T06:52:00.000-07:00

if you have been a faithful reader of my blog posts, you may remember seeing this ABC-silverware hook-business in one of my earliest posts....the photo in that post was blurry, dark, the hooks had yet to be put to use....these days they are sitting pretty in our kitchen, holding an array of vintage pot holders and oven mitts...
here is a close up of the hooks....basically, i scoured my goodwill for beautiful silverware pieces (forks or spoons...knives are too thick to manipulate)...used two pairs of pliers and broke off the head of the utensil, bending the remaining end into a slight curve....once bent, i arranged them on my ABC board (another goodwill find) and glued them down with Gorilla Glue (sealing all the edges in the back with hot glue)....

i had tampered with boiling the silverware prior to working with it, but i found it didnt make much difference....patience, a little arm strength, and a steady hand made the most difference...also, i found that the older the silverware, the more likely it is to be made of a pliable material....these days i dont know if i could bend my ikea spoons if i tried!

this is totally unrelated to silverware hooks, but isnt this little basket of apples adorable?... call me crazy, but i have found that the more adorable my fruit looks (piled in a basket vs. hidden away in the crisper drawer) the more likely i am to eat it....silly, i know, but it works for me :-)

happy friday! eat an apple and bend your own silverware hooks this weekend!

create: cheap bookcase makeover

2010-09-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

on the same note as the mid century table that i made over earlier this week, here is a project from a few weeks back using decoupage and book pages....

if you were perched in my windowsill, this is the view you would have of the living room wall.... (yes, i am perched as i take this photo)...the sign that hangs above our doorway is the one that i painted and used to direct guests into the parking lot at our wedding....a lasting memory from a lovely day :-)
we were desperate for bookshelves (my husband and i = massive book hoarders)...so we finally broke down and bought these cheap ones from Target...i liked the espresso color, but the construction left a little to be desired....so i grabbed a duplicate copy of Jane Austin's Emma, ripped out the pages, and decoupaged the interior of these cheap Target shelves... in addition to the decoupaging, i overloaded the shelves with fun junk like candles, decorative balls, quirky little figurines, etc.... above this bookshelf hangs this AMAZING antique bubble frame photo of my great grandmother and her brother...

a close up of the 2nd book shelf....you can see the book page background a little more clearly....and do you notice those silly president busts from an earlier post? i think they look quite dashing on my bookshelf :-)

as you may notice in the first photo, i hung these fun grapevine baskets on the sides of each bookcase, filling them with yummy red and orange foliage (hurray for autumn!)

another close up of the Emma pages....a fun bookend (hobby lobby, 60 cent clearance find) and decorative ball (salvation army)...and a copy of "Godless Morality", if that interests you :-)...i suppose i should have chosen some less weighty reading to photograph...

president truman hanging out with a few votives from my "crazy-awesome-vintage-votive-holder" collection...and a copy of Winnie the Pooh...also the Jesus Storybook Bible...this is our "kid section" if you hadn't noticed...no "Godless Morality" here :-)

so thats just about it....a simple bookcase makeover....thank you Jane Austin. thank you President Truman....thank you cheap Target bookshelves....

P.S. one last plug for the Jesus Storybook Bible: do you have kids? do you own this? if not, RUN out and SNATCH up a copy....im telling you, this is the most amazing child-themed story of salvation i have ever read....as in: i cant make it through one story with out losing it and crying all over the place...your kids will think you are nuts for becoming so emotional over a children's book, but its AMAZING. i just thought i would let you know :-)

happy thursday!

create: mid century side table revamp

2010-09-14T06:17:00.001-07:00

So our friends Todd and Juliette (their blog love:stl here) gave me this mid century side table that they found out by their apartment dumpsters... it was dusty, worn, and covered in blotches of random white stuff (i hope it wasnt bird poop!)...but it certainly had potential. I was excited for the opportunity to glam it up and pass it on to someone else....share the dumpster-treasure love, i suppose :-)
So first step: sand. wash. dry. then i covered the table in a few coats of gloss black spray paint...because the faux wood veneer business was so worn, black was really my only option...i tried and failed to use a lighter, more burnt orange shade...but the table was having none of it...so black it was!

then i broke out my decoupage and used these pages from a 1909 copy of the Sears-Roebuck catalogue...a $1 find at Dunaway Books on South Grand...i loved these pages because they were so worn and water-damaged that they gave a great multi-dimensional feel to the table....

once decoupaged on to the table, i finished it with a few coats of triple-thick gloss sealer...making it waterproof, shiny, and ready to adorn someone's living room!

*one last plug for Dunaway Books....scour their shelves, and you will find vintage and antique books that, due to their damaged condition, are priced anywhere from 25 cents to $1! A great find for crafters like me that simply want to tear the pages out of the books anyway! If you stop in, peek at the children's books....so many amazing vintage storybooks with beautiful artwork just waiting to crafted into something amazing!

love: fall wreaths

2010-09-14T05:31:00.000-07:00

so as my crafty friend Marti suggested, here are some of my favorite ideas for a fall door wreath....

Rachel (from P.S. I Quilt) put together this super cute fabric scrap wreath:
V and Co.'s pinecone wreath:

Centsational Girl's magnolia wreath (created from leaves she gathered at the park!):

Reynie's southern wine cork wreath: (You can also find a good tutorial video from Nikki in Stitches here.)

T. Matthews' recycled magazine wreath:

A new way to reuse an old grapevine wreath...Super QT's burlap wreath:

Alisa Burke's driftwood wreath (Anyone want to scour the shores of the Mississippi with me?):

And finally, my favorite and most quirky design of the bunch..... Sunset's farmer's market radish wreath:

finding these fun ideas makes me want to go wander the aisles of my local grocer to find my own quirky wreath making supplies! Maybe you will see my own fall wreath up in a few days!

Happy Tuesday!

create: chicken wire memory frame

2010-09-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

here is a super fun and easy project that i got from ashleyannphotography.com...click HERE to see her original design....heres mine:

basically, take an old frame (i found mine in a dumpster)....paint it up with your favorite color (i used the same yellow that was used for my shutter headboard)....while you have your paint out, go ahead and paint up some clothes pins in complimenting colors (mine are barn red, avocado green, and yellow).....staple some chicken wire (thanks Ace Hardware!) to the back, along with something to hang it with (i chose knotted twine)....mount on the wall, clip up your photos, and you are done!

and heres the best part about this project...my step-sister-in-law (long title!) gave me these BEAUTIFUL frames this past weekend...which will be perfect for trying out variations of this project...im thinking...smaller chicken wire could turn this into an earring/jewelry holder? does anyone have any brilliant ideas of how else to use these lovely frames?

create: upcycled shutter headboard

2010-08-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

i found this photo a while ago...fell in love...and vowed to recreate it in my own home...eventually :-)
so when i noticed some old broken shutters leaned up against a dumpster near our house, i IMMEDIATELY enlisted my husband to carry them home!

they were a dirty white color, so i brought them to life with this fun antique yellow...a color inspired by our new bed linens (thank you Better Homes and Gardens!)

so i brushed a quick, imperfect coat of paint over the shutters, let them dry, then brought them in and stood them up behind our antique sleigh bed (thanks craigslist!)...they seemed a bit plain, so i grabbed a stack of old frames, and a family name plaque i had painted up a while ago...everything is attached with twine (my favorite of craft supplies)....

the family name plaque is hung with a long, oddly knotted piece of twine...i honestly couldnt explain to you how it worked out...but for the rest, i used my staple gun to attach a short piece of twine to the back of each frame, then strung it through the shutter slats and tied it in the back...super easy, minimal tools needed....

you will notice that some frames are empty, while others have doilies inside...i simply grabbed some scrap fabric, doilies, and placed them behind the glass (well, plexiglass type stuff actually...i feel safer having that suspended above my head!)...

and there you have it...old shutters reborn! i love the color that they bring to our room (since we decided not to change the boring white walls)...and the backdrop they provide for all my mismatched picture frames...

happy tuesday!

create: alphabet graffiti table revamp

2010-08-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

today was a productive saturday....in addition to doing a lot of apartment cleaning, i was able to sneak in a few projects :-) during an early morning run to my local Dollar Tree, I was delighted to snag this super-fun alphabet stencil....which i promptly used to give new life to a tired, old sewing table my hubby had found on the side of the road....

basically, i attacked this project with no preparation...just me, the table, stencil, can of spray paint, and a drop cloth....i half-hazardly held the stencil up against the table, spraying a quick coat of white spray paint as I went...as you can see, the paint job is FAR from perfect, but that was exactly the look i was going for....something a little crazy, a little fun.
once dry, i brought the table back inside and fitted it with a wooden knob that compliments the other navy blue furniture in the room....

heres a close-up of the legs: basically, i just held the stencil up, sprayed randomly, and hoped that i didnt miss any spots :-)

so, im kind of in love with this little table...if you reference the first photo at the top, you will see that it compliments the mismatched chairs in our little sitting area very nicely....one spray-painted the same shade of white, and the other whose seat is covered with a burlap "leap frog" bag left over from the potato-sack races at our wedding reception picnic (if you were there, you may share my fond memories!)

happy saturday!

create: nightstand revamp

2010-08-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

so my parents will be visiting us for the first time down in STL in two weeks...which means i have two weeks to get life in order, finishing several projects that have remained 1/2 done over the last months....

one such project is a makeover for our nightstands that we found on craigslist....i was drawn to them not only for the ridiculously low price, but the rustic feel...
i spent a while searching for the right handles, but i thought it easiest to follow suit with my red dresser, using twine to create a handle...

i simply took three strands of twine, braided them, then secured them inside the drawer with double knots...

for the rest of the "revamp" i simply brushed a coat of my favorite antique gold paint on the interior of each drawer, as well as the little decorative wooden knobs on the corners and lining the top. Once dry, I used a little square of sandpaper to rough-up the paint job...

so thats my super-simple nightstand revamp....you will see more bedroom projects in the coming days....a new bed set, throw pillows, shutter decor, etc....

love: new book and grocery fun!

2010-07-28T07:45:00.001-07:00

so i picked this book up the other day...100 Best Health Foods...and i fell in love with it...its a quick read, an easy reference, and best of all, the 100 foods in this book are all normal, everyday foods that one could pick up at their local grocery...we have already tried some of the easy recipes, and they are all packed full of flavor!
one thing i gleaned from reading it was a better understanding of the health benefits of cooking with many herbs and spices....who knew that a sprinkle of this or that could give you so many vitamins and minerals??? i tend to gravitate toward the same garlic, onion, and pepper routine, but this book has made me want to be a little more adventurous with my seasonings!

so i got on a kick to revamp my spice collection, and someone had told me to try Jay International Foods on Grand (near Tower Grove Park if you are familiar with STL)...so last night, my husband and I stopped by....i spent a VERY long time browsing aisles that look something like this...

so many crazy foods...so many languages....it was all so exciting! after about 45 minutes, we left with a huge basket of freshly packed spices (1 pound containers for around $1.50/piece! I should never run out!)...garlic, rice noodles, south american coffee, and other goodies....

on our way out we grabbed some sesame seed honey candy....so addictive! and did you know that sesame seeds are a major source of calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc? and if you have any struggles with arthritis, the copper content should ease your pain (or so my book says!)

so if you live in/near STL, make sure you try out Jay International Foods...and if you are interested in knowing what/why you are eating the foods you are, try out this book...not a life changer, but good for the regular types like me that simply wanting make informed cooking/eating decisions without having to shop at high priced specialty food stores...plus, they have some really great recipes (try the artichoke salad...great with steak!)

create: DIY shutter room dividers

2010-07-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

so i thought one, pre-finished photo was better than no photos at all...my blog could really use a posting....

these are the shutter door room dividers that I have been working on...basically, the inspiration for this idea came from the fact that we have moved into a one bedroom with two living spaces, and thus we want to have a way to close off one living space, so as to host guests there without them feeling like they are sleeping in the middle of our lives...you know? and while the divider is not being used, it sits comfortably behind our sofa, offering an easy, no-nails-in-the-walls approach to wall decor....plus, its a great backdrop for my book page wreath!

so i found my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore (if you are not familiar, you MUST google it, find your nearest one, and visit!)...basically, they sell everything you could ever want for home remodeling (its all used and random of course, coming from homes they rehab, as far as i understand it)...so like a thrift store, any given day you will find totally different items....on the day i went, i was lucky enough to find all these shutters, plus the screen door in the middle for $5 or less each....i was even able to pick up the hinges i needed...something like 5 for a dollar...crazy cheap....

this photo is "pre-finished" seeing as i put on the hinges later...i am still waiting on some brilliant idea to come to me on what to cover the screen part of the center door in.....im thinking, burlap...though thats a lot of brown....a antique yellow would be yummy.....hmmm...any ideas?

create: $8 vintage dresser revamp

2010-07-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

since most of our furniture is found curbside or in a thrift store, we didnt feel the need to hang on to a lot of it when moving down to STL....this was true for our dumpster-dive dressers that we used to have, which we gave away before our big move....so when we got here, we had lots of clothes and no dressers to put them in....but then we found this beauty for $15 at our local Salvation Army thrift store....a diamond in the rough, you could say....
as you can see, its pretty gaudy retro...fitted with handles that dont actually fit....and if you look closely at the bottom, you will see that someone had began to paint it red, but then became discouraged (i can only infer)...

that red paint, however, was exactly in the inspiration i needed...i picked up my favorite barn red color ($2 for the big bottle!), and here is the "after" shot (sorry that the lighting is terrible):

so to start, i rubbed a thin layer of paint into the wood, let it dry, then sanded/scraped it off...the designs on the drawers that were previously very "Mad Men" have now become quite rustic!

this is some of the wicker detailing around the mirror...i simply ran a pocket knife over the wicker to distress it....

once painted and distressed, i needed to tackle the handles....being a retro dresser, the handle holes were only 2 inches apart...these days almost everything comes in 3".....so after weeks of trying to come up with elaborate plans for an alternative to traditional drawer pulls, i went back to my old faithful: twine.....which i always have on hand, so it cost me nothing!

i simply strung two pieces of twine through each hole, tying a knot on the inside....super simple, and easily changed....plus, they didnt take a huge bite out of my budget....

so if you are counting, i said this was an $8 project...$2 for paint, and the other $6 was spent on these beautiful flower handles from Hobby Lobby...though i love twine to death, i didnt want this dresser to look like it actually belonged out in a barn...the glossy handles really POP against the red and make it a little more sophisticated....

so that is my $8 dresser revamp! and now i have a beautiful place to put all my clothes (which have been hanging out on the floor and in rubbermaid containers for some time now!) i hope you feel inspired to revamp your own tired vintage dresser!

grow: where i've been

2010-07-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

so my google reader is alerting me that my readership has plummeted...i suppose i should be alarmed, but i think i deserve it....my silly dog (see below) and i have been traveling a lot, leaving my blog neglected and full of old entries....if i were you i would stop checking back every day too!
but as you can see from the photo below, my blog is not the only thing neglected....my poor plants...brittle and dying...begging for water....is it too late?

when i am not traveling, i am slaving over this: my mosaic table top project...the top of the patio table is currently covering our dining table (yay for eating every meal in the living room!)...i have got to finish it...these little ceramic pieces are taking over my life...slicing up my fingers....and keeping us from dining like normal grown ups....i will post more once i finally grout and finish it...this week? perhaps.

create: alphabet magnets

2010-07-13T06:56:00.001-07:00

so i thought i would break my blogging fast with an easy project to post...my alphabet magnets!

after experimenting with decoupage, acrylics, and the like, i decided just to do what i am good at: spray paint and distressing :-)...perhaps these are predictable (if you have been looking at my blog for any sizable amount of time, you know that i use WAY too much spray paint and I enjoy distressing EVERYTHING I SEE...)

so with that disclaimer, here are my magnets...
i simply painted them with two coats of my favorite krylon color....once dry, i peeled away some of the paint on each letter....then i finished them with a coat of clear sealer (to reduce excessive peeling)....

i couldnt get a very good photo....a white refrigerator isnt the best backdrop....but here is a message i spelled out for my hubby...

one problem i encountered was that in my haste, i sprayed the clear sealer on before some of the spray paint was completely dry....as you can see on the letter below, this caused some of the paint to bubble up...making it look a little more moldy than distressed :-)

but regardless of the bubbling, my boring white fridge is now decorated with some lovely distressed alphabet magnets...spelling out messages....some lovely, some silly....for all to see :-)

grow: must blog...eventually....

2010-07-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

i just wanted to drop a note to say a big I AM SORRY for being so absent....i could tell you that life is crazy, but the truth is that it has settled down significantly....and i have actually been doing a lot of crafting....but alas, no blogging....so now i have this overwhelming list of projects to blog....here's a preview:

....DIY room divider from shutters/screen door.....

....photo transfer plaques.....

.....patio set revamp (mosaic table top?).....

.....my alphabet magnets!.....

.....and several other smaller projects that are slipping my mind currently.....

so i promise to start blogging about these things soon....

...while you are waiting though, hop over to Pioneer Woman (if you havent visited)....try out one of her recipes, drool over her photography, or simply be entertained by her commentary on life....and while you are at it, submit your name (along with 22,000 other hopefuls) to win a full FIESTAWARE SET!!!! (and if you win, you are obligated to send the set my way....just kidding....sort of....not really....)

love: alphabet magnets

2010-06-28T07:02:00.001-07:00

this weekend i was browsing the dollar aisle at Target (one of my favorite places!) and i came across a set of these little plastic alphabet magnets....as of late, i have been obsessing over alphabet decor....and though there are no little school aged children running around my house (yet!), i decided to come up with some brilliant way to use these ABC magnets to decorate my fridge....
looking for inspiration, i started googling...this is a taste of what i found....first, DIY burlap letter magnets from this blog....

...then i found several blogs walking you through the process of sewing your own alphabet magnets....a little to involved for my taste, but adorable none the less!

...or what about this adorable wall decor using all types of letters....and look at the "O"... a giant button! TOO cute!

...i found several places where people simply take traditional ABC blocks (you can find them at any craft store) and glue a magnet on the back, making a quick and easy alphabet magnet set....

...or i could give a nod to my college days by using the greek alphabet :-)

...these are fun...thin chipboard letters (found in the scrapbooking aisle)...mini magnets attached to the back...a very "Crate and Barrel" approach to ABC magnets :-)

...this has nothing to do with magnets, but i am a sucker for anything wooden...with little drawers...and the ABC's?!?!?!? [drooling]

...this last one is from etsy...probably the most directly inspirational pic i have found for my project...these little plastic letters were simply decoupaged...and are now being sold for $20/set!

...so my goal this week is to make time in my life for several projects, including transforming my dollar aisle ABC magnets....check back to see what I come up with!

grow: meet our new pup!

2010-06-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we met Jack (also known as Pavlov), a one-year border collie/spaniel mix discovered living outside the STL Science Center a few months back. He was rescued by Stray Rescue of St. Louis, and you can read his story here. Long story short: Jack eluded rescue attempts by Science Center employees for weeks, preferring instead to run and play in the parking lot, soccer fields, and sprinklers on the grounds....but since being rescued, he has turned out to be an incredibly loving, intelligent, gentle, playful, cuddly little guy!

Stray Rescue, from what I have learned, is an AWESOME organization. If you click through their website or facebook page, you will quickly see the amazing good that they do for stray dogs in the city of STL. And if you have a VERY strong stomach, find the album on their facebook page of "Before and Afters"...it will just break your heart...and make you want to join their organization!

So thanks to their efforts, and the efforts of the many employees of the STL Science Center, Jack is no longer a stray! He is currently staying with us, on what they call a "Rent-A-Pet" basis...basically, before the adoption is complete, there is a one-week period where he lives with us...we adjust to each other...and make sure that we are a good fit for each other....

i think this is a BRILLIANT idea, as so many shelter dogs are adopted before the new owners have a chance to REALLY get to know them....

...in my own experience, so many dogs that I would visit in shelters would come across so sedated and depressed....i figured that probably wasnt their typical personality but i had no way of knowing how the dog would be at home, or at a park, or with kids, etc...

Jack has proven to be an amazing fit for our family...so when our one week is up, Jack is ours forever! He is such a beautiful dog...here are some pics I took as he explored our home...

Jack and my husband playing in the yard...that dog can jump!

sniffing out the neighborhood....i just love his beautiful coloring...

so i am sure in the coming months, you will hear more on Jack at create.love.grow....i already have a project up my sleeve to turn an old WWII storage trunk into a super cool dog bed....but more to come on that later!

and i promise, i wont humiliate him by sewing him any ridiculous dog clothes or anything of that nature....i can just hear my husband groaning as i type this :-)

create: patchwork cafe curtains

2010-06-18T07:59:00.001-07:00

so heres a little project i started a few days back... we have this super tall window in the kitchen behind the sink...and i have been wanting to rig up some kind of cafe curtain for it....so the other night I gathered some vintage hankies and this vintage pillowcase, whipped out my sewing machine, and went to work...

I simply made a 2x2 grid, sewing the hankies together and cutting the pillow case into squares coordinating with the size of the hankies. (if you like to measure, then feel free!)...I added a wooden button in the center where all the corners meet...this reminds me a lot of my patchwork shower curtain i did a few months back....
to attach my newly sewn cafe curtain to a tension rod, I simply made loops with twine (my favorite crafting tool!), stringing them first through the hankies with a needle then tying a simple knot around the tension rod....

i finished my first curtain and was too tired to get started on the second...so that will come later! But I thought this was a good start...and knowing myself, if I wait to post, then I never will! happy friday!

love: forever 21

2010-06-17T07:15:00.001-07:00

at what age are you too old to shop at forever 21?

...i wondered this as i bought this lovely dress yesterday [see first picture below]....as i was at the check out, i looked around and realized that I had a good 5-10 years on most of the girls in there....then i second guessed my choice to indulge in forever 21's glorious stock of pretty summer dresses....

...thankfully, the 40-something woman at the checkout reassured me that the dress I chose was modest enough....especially if I wore it with leggings :-) haa haa. good thing i bought those too!

so even though i may be approaching the "too old" mark for shopping at forever 21, i wanted to give you a sampling of some of their new summer dresses that i love so much...

(and please note, all these dresses may be worn with leggings!)

these are all around the $20 mark:

these last two are less than $15/piece!

happy shopping, all you post-middle-school-forever-21-aholics!

create: chalkboard herb pots

2010-06-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

so i just wanted to post this fun project that i whipped up last weekend....i picked these herbs up at the Soulard Farmer's Market.....and though i dont have a green thumb (its more a shade of brown...withering...you get the picture...)...i love the idea of cooking with fresh spices...

i found these clay pots up at my *newly* local Salvation Army....35 cents a piece! I was short on foam brushes, so i actually used an old scrap of towel to apply the paint...it gave it a cool texturing effect...anyway, i applied the colors of my liking (acrylic)...let them dry...

then i used masking tape to tape off a little rectangle on each pot...sprayed them with some chalkboard paint...let dry, then scratched on the labels with a piece of chalk....i love how the chalkboard labels allow me to switch out types of herbs...you know, if one dies ;-)

a lovely addition to my kitchen, if i do say so myself :-)

now i just need to remember to water them!

love: handmade weddings

2010-06-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

this weekend i was blessed with the opportunity to stand by my girl leigh's side as she said "I Do" to her beau, Joel...here is the happy couple, post nuptials!
their beautiful handmade reception was held at the art center in indy... a super fun and fitting location for the two of them!

here are some elements of the affair...starting with the guest book table....

the welcome table was decorated with our bridesmaid bouquets....

the "quotester coasters" were adorable...each one inscribed with a quote from the happy couple...

a close up of a few....

and my favorite....

and the lovely programs...

book mark favors modeled after library circulation slips....so cute...SO leigh!

photos of the couple....and the beginning of scrabble themed decor.....

"Memory Moleskins".....

and for the little ones....library and wedding themed coloring pages!

a spitting image of the bride and groom!

and heres a close up of the table decor....they utilized old books, bottles, and teacups....

another close up....

and a third....

other tables were graced with these book planters...

a close up of the bridal party table...

the bride and groom's table...

the brides bouquet...

his and hers chairs...

the dessert table, complete with a homemade cheesecake decorated with scrabble x's and o's....

a message at the dessert table...

cutting the [cheese]cake.....

outside, the dancing area was decorated with this book page heart garland...so simple but so beautiful waving in the wind....

a vintage record player to set the mood on the dance floor!

my hubby, the bride, and others bustin a move....

apart from dancing, the lovely grounds of the art center afforded guests the opportunity to explore and be their own photographers....

remember these frames? here they are in action at the wedding guest photo booth....

a message for the bride and groom: WE CANT WAIT FOR RED HEAD BABIES!the garden was decorated with several sculptures...offering a fun playground/hang out spot for the kiddies...there was this beautiful trellis walkway perfect for kissing....

....or climbing.... :-)

....or just taking a cute photo with the bride!

congrats on your beautiful wedding, leigh and joel! we love you!

create: 50's housewife bachelorette party

2010-06-04T11:57:00.001-07:00

so this is my girl, leigh. congratulate her, as she is getting married this weekend!

in honor of her soon-to-be "wifehood", I, along with her four other maids, threw a "50's housewife bachelorette party" for her last weekend.....complete with the preparation of a 50's inspired meal, frilly aprons, pearls, and the like...our party was inspired by this article in a 1955 edition of Good Housekeeping...read it for yourself...and ladies, try not to throw up :-)

so our evening began with a lesson in how to be transformed into a well-dressed housewife from the 50's: ribbon in the hair, fresh apron around the waist, pearls around the neck, and a thick coat of ugly red lipstick!

each of the girls chose an authentic retro apron and retro pearls (yay for antique shops!)

then we all tied ribbons in our hair....

and slathered on the lipstick....

and here we are....all dolled up and ready to cook like a good housewife should!

our menu consisted of: Meatloaf Wellington (YUCK)...Caesar Salad.....Baked Mac and Cheese Casserole....Cranberry Jello Mold (yay for jello molds!)....and Homemade Apple Pie (yum!)...so the girls divided up the recipes, tightened their aprons, and got to work! While we cooked, we were serenaded by the "Do-Wop" station on Pandora.com. (yay for Pandora!)

here is the housewife-in-training and one of her maids making a pie crust....completely delicious but it ended up looking nothing like a pie....more like a pile of appley goodness :-)

as for my part, i was in charge of the jello mold...exciting! I, however, failed to read the directions (imagine that)....my mold was supposed to have a full hour of sitting out before dinner to "naturally loosen" from the mold (gross.)....i only gave it five minutes....so naturally the jello mold and I made our way into the bathroom...turned on the hair dryer...and I attempted to speed up the "natural loosening process".

apart from the food, we had a few more "50's style" touches around our kitchen...including these fun retro Coca Cola bottles-turned-bud-vases that I found in my parents basement....

our authentic 50's dinnerware was a family heirloom of sorts...belonging to my great grandmother, i believe.....so beautiful....

the table centerpiece is something i threw together...a vintage pitcher, pretty flowers, a sliced lemon to serve as vase filler....then I used a little set of vintage fiestaware teacups and saucers to hold more flowers.....

a close up of one of the fiestaware centerpieces.....love the colors...so retro :-)

here's my casserole and speed-dried jello mold....

and the star of the evening....meatloaf wellington....and ironically, the only vegetarian in the bunch volunteered to make it...that is her hand waving in the air trying to slice it for serving :-) i think she felt lucky that she didnt have to eat any of it!

and i think my jello mold deserves another close up :-)

and a pic of our homemade Caesar salad....we went a little overboard with the garlic....confusion over cloves vs. heads....what kind of housewives are we?!?!?

our beverages for the evening were none other than retro inspired Coca Cola's and Cherry Seagram's cocktails...

when dinner was over...the casseroles all put in the fridge....we pulled out this little recipe box i had made (remember this?) and played a little housewife-meets-bachelorette game.....

these fun recipe cards served as templates for recipes of our own sorts.....as a group, we came up with recipes that leigh might need her first year of marriage....a recipe for a steamy night at home (see below)....a romantic picnic....staying in touch with faraway friends once shes old and married...etc etc....

so that was our evening of 50's housewife training....and with a apple-pie-mound, blow-dried-jello-mold, and extreme-garlic-salad, i would say that perhaps it was better that we were all born in the 80's.....though perhaps our husbands still have something to fear :-)

create: graffiti shoes

2010-06-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

my little sister just turned 9-years-old....what a fun age :-) so for her birthday, in lieu of buying her a lame gift, or giving her money (both of which, experience tells me, she would probably lose or break :-) ) I decided to craft something together.....

...every time i visit, she BEGS me to do this super intense paint by number activity with her.....and by intense I mean there are like 100 different numbers....and you have to mix custom paint tints and stuff...ugh....and every time she asks, i become suddenly too busy, or i hear my husband calling me, or I have to run and check on something....and never come back. shameless, i know. but the kid is tough and she can handle the "no" every once in a while...especially when it comes to paint-by-numbers...

so to avoid painting by numbers, I thought we would copy-cat this tutorial from Lil Blue Boo for fun Graffiti Shoes...so i found a pair of black converse-style sneakers on clearance at Rue 21 (teen store, i know, but super cheap sales!), picked up some brightly colored acrylic paint, sharpies (be sure to get a silver one!), fabric markers, spray glitter, and we set to work...

here was our work station...the dining room table....we had Lil Blue Boo's blog post up on my mom's laptop, a towel spread to catch our inevitable paint drips, and all our painting supplies....

the first step was to use painters tape to cover the rubber edges of the soles of the shoes...that way, we could get sloppy and not have to worry :-) then we covered the entire shoe in a messy, intentionally uneven layer of white acrylic paint....

once the white was done and slightly dry, we followed with random blotches of other colors....at this point, we each worked on one shoe, switching every few minutes to insure that each shoe had a little bit of her and a little bit of me

then when all our splotches were finished to our liking, we added our graffiti words....you can see her "word bank" next to her....i had called earlier in the week and asked her to brainstorm words....i was thinking things like "love" "friends" "faith"...you know, statements about the important things in life.....she was thinking more along the lines of "my foot"...."ice cream"...and "beans"......on, to be nine again.... :-)

so basically the word-writing process goes like this: we write the word with a fabric marker/sharpie...then we go around the outside with a coordinating color...then go around a third time with the silver....this really makes the word pop from the shoe....

we also drew on some peace signs (those are still cool?), hearts, stars, butterflies, etc....(and yes, i did get to sneak a few of my words on there....notice we "accidentally" left off the word "beans".....so sad.... :-) and heres another close up of the heals....once we were done with the letters, we let everything dry, touched up some paint spots, then covered the whole shoe in this fabric glitter spray stuff....so fun! and the best part is, my little sister LOVED them! all afternoon she kept saying, "my friends are all going to think these are from a store up in Chicago...but i will tell them that i painted them myself!".....

*note: after wearing the shoes to school, recess, etc. for a week, they became really dull looking.....so in hindsight, I would finish them off with a coat of clear acrylic sealer spray...the "triple thick" kind....that way they can be scrubbed with soap and water and the paint colors will stay vibrant.

grow: we are finally moved!

2010-06-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

so i has been a full TWO WEEKS since I have blogged....and the more time that passes, the less motivated I am to post....does that make sense?

heres an update on us: we had a very drawn-out move over a two week time span....but we can now say that we OFFICIALLY live in STL....goodbye suburban chicago.....hello southern midwest...

so heres a quick pic that I snapped as we were closing the door for the last time on our old place....
and during our 5 hour trip down to STL, we first encountered an ugly rainstorm, followed by this lovely symbol of promise....a rainbow...and not your typical rainbow which is merely a colorful strip beginning in one cloud and ending in another...no, we were able to see the beginning and end...like it was coming up out of a cornfield...so lovely :-)

we stopped half way and spent the night with family....here is our UHAUL monster parked in their driveway....

and the inside of said monster....

then the UHAUL monster's contents became magically stacked in the center of our new living room...

in this photo, you may notice the blue tape....husband is spending this week at home, painting our walls a lovely mix of gingerbread and burlap....yum! but even with painting, we set up our dining table first thing....partially because it was a hand-me-down gift from family, and partially because I had been itching to find a table to match my salvation army revamped chairs....the colors make me so happy!

so i promise, my next post will not be two weeks away...i am so glad to be back in the swing of things....finally out of that transitional phase of life that makes me crazy.....i have so much to share...projects I am working on...etc....check back!

grow: my life in boxes

2010-05-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

my weekend has been slightly depressing....nothing creative to blog about......it started with a failed attempt at making cute picture frame refrigerator magnets....too many colors...they just look like slop....when i am feeling a little more inspired, perhaps I will resurrect them and post them again....
so the failed frames were on friday night....then saturday was spent packing up every last bit of my belongings....or at least it felt that way.....so my life, or at least 3/4 of it, is now sitting in the garage ready to be U-Hauled down to STL....

and while i strive to not be defined by that which i own, it is a little depressing to see all your DIY projects and crafty creations boxed and stacked....even if its just for a short time....i would much rather enjoy them on my walls :-)

then sunday was spent saying goodbye to the church that we have called home for the past 3.5 years.....not a fun or easy thing to do....and while we are SO EXCITED about the opportunities for us in STL, part of us still wishes things could have worked out so we could stay in Chicago....

so after our many goodbyes, my hubby napped in our big comfy chair....which is one of the last remaining pieces of furniture in our house....and i turned to my blog for comfort :-)

so this was my weekend....boxes and goodbyes.....and hope for the journey ahead :-)

create: recipe box

2010-05-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

two things inspired this post.....

1) moving inspires organizing, which inspires me to find a place to stash all of those little scraps of paper with last-minute recipes scribbled on them....im not really a traditional recipe follower....my recipe cards look more like this:

some chicken breasts....
...a little salt....
....garlic, onion, peppers.....other veggies....
....put in oven....watch til brown.....

they are more like footnotes to cooking....an abridged version of your traditional recipe card...

2) the second thing that inspires this project is the bachelorette party that i am throwing for my girl leigh in a few weeks.....this is not the male-anatomy-balloon-and-streamers type of party....but rather a retro inspired cooking party....so fun!

so with those two things in mind, here is a whimsical retro-esque decoupaged recipe box, perfect for catching all my cliff notes versions of allrecipes.com.....
heres a close up of the lid....i used some letter paper left over from my spice rack revamp, as well as some rub on letters (the OO's)...the tag i found in the scrapbooking aisle of Michaels.....the recipe box itself was originally from Michaels too.... $0.60 on clearance!

and heres a close up of more rub on letters....they are my new favorite thing! i love how you can rub lightly, and come out with an intentionally worn look....the ribbon is hot glued around the edge of the lid....the black and white felt very retro to me....

and heres a peek inside at the recipe cards....these cards were actually another ONE CENT find at Michaels....that must be a trend there these days!

love: farm country

2010-05-11T16:33:00.001-07:00

I am sorry that my blog has been silent since thursday! we traveled home to central IL to see our mothers...then i got caught up with the start of the work week.....then theres the fact that 7/8 of my life is packed up in boxes.....ok, enough with the excuses!

anyway, while at home, i was struck with the beauty of simple farm country.....and realized that even though i have been living here since leaving the nest:
....and i am moving here in a few weeks.........my heart still belongs somewhere in the cornfields, country roads, and weathered barns of my home.....enjoy these photos that i captured out the car window on the way to see our parents this past weekend......

create: mothers day gift...angel revamp

2010-05-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

so heres a lesson in value being more than a price tag:

i was browsing through Michael's looking for mother's day gift inspiration, and I came across this adorable cherub for $7.99. It was just plain white, but i knew that i could spruce it up a bit! so i go to the check out, and it rings up for ONE CENT! no joke....i asked the cashier twice if she was sure that was correct....and her reply: "Dont ask questions...Just find me a penny somewhere in that giant purse of yours." Thankfully I was able to scrounge one up (I never carry cash!)....heres my receipt to prove it!
so i took home the BEST BARGAIN CHERUB EVER....and i started painting....when i began, i was a little undecided on how the outcome would be...i started with a coat of teal....then some crackle paint....then some beige....then i got a little sandpaper to bring the white base through.... then finished up with a thick coat of clear gloss.....and i have to say, I LOVE the way it turned out....
And here is a close up of the wings...my favorite part!

i think this little project is just a reminder that its not the price tag, but the love and care that is put into a gift that makes it meaningful!

create: mothers day gift...personalized glass magnets

2010-05-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

so here is another mothers day gift, personalized glass magnets! I found the actual magnets at Old Navy, of all places.....they originally contained pop-art prints that would have appealed to a teenage audience...but i picked them up anyway, knowing that i could "work my magic" with them :-)

i thought they made a beautiful, yet functional gift.....great for tacking up the grocery list, reminders, or maybe in a few short years....crayola drawings from her grandkids! (no, im not preggers!)

first i removed the original magnet, soaking the glass in soapy water so that i could remove the original paper design....once removed, i found this really pretty scrapbooking paper...and penned/painted on four words: faith, hope, love, and family.....i cut each word out, Modge Podged it to the glass, then added the magnet to the back....
once dry, i went around the perimeter of each magnet with an exacto-knife to remove any excess paper or glue....the Old Navy logo is still visible on the back, but the front is much more Mother's Day friendly :-)

create: mothers day gift...family handprint plaque

2010-05-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

so this is the first of a few mothers day posts you will see...as i have some wonderful mother-figures in my life! And I am sure that by posting their gifts, it may ruin the gifting surprise, but thats ok! i hope they love their gifts, none the less!

this first gift is a family handprint plaque for my mom...since i was able to have my entire family up last weekend (see my garage sale post) i took advantage of that time together to grab each of my siblings and get them to "make their mark"on this family plaque i put together for my mom!

i took a clearance plaque from Hobby Lobby (originally with some corny saying, as expected from HL), painted it a creamy beige color, stamping a pretty damask design with a coordinating green....stained the edges black with a little paint.....then glossed over the top....

this seemed like a great way to capture our family right now.... all five"kids": two of us grown and post-grad....navigating things like taxes, marriage, and career....three still at in grade school...learning to read, shoot lay-ups, and roller blade without wiping out :)

i think it will be fun for my little sibs to look back a few years from now, measuring their hands against this print from 2010....and a nostalgic snapshot for my parents of this stage in our lives together....

create: makeshift seating

2010-05-03T19:41:00.001-07:00

my husband is so great...can i just say that?

i came home tonight, to what i thought would be a barren living space (see my garage sale post...we sold all our furniture!)...but my wonderful husband had gathered the remains of the crafty nest within which we once lived, using random dining chairs to create makeshift seating where our sofa once sat....he even put one of the pillows i made on each chair....

its not as comfy as a sofa, but super cute and inviting! and best of all, my husband did it for me :-).....in his words, "to bring a little order to our transitional lives".....

....so heres to makeshift seating and only a few more weeks of transitional living!

love: vintage fabric prints

2010-05-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

my new favorite antique mall in Chenoa, IL has TONS and TONS of vintage fabrics....all at like $1-$2 a yard! I am often overwhelmed with the walls of vintage prints and textures, so i have yet to commit to making a retro textile purchase....but there is so much that could be done with these lovelies! Here is a sampling of pretty retro prints...

maybe i will pick some up the next time I am passing through Chenoa....OR, I could be the lucky winner of Apple Blue's craft stash giveaway, which means five vintage prints to use in my own crafty endeavors! While you are checking out Amanda's blog, stop by her etsy shop too! Super cute headbands and vintage finds!

create: spice rack revamp

2010-05-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

so im not going to lie...this project was not an original idea....but i had this spice rack that we received as a wedding gift....and it needed a little....spice....(lame joke, i know)...so google led me to this link where Dreaming of Beaches blogger revamped her spice rack....which happened to be just like mine! so here is my take on the whole project....

#1 The original spice rack

#2 distressed with teal, antique yellow, and burnt orange acrylics.....basically the technique is to apply very little paint to your foam brush, layering the colors but never doing a full coat of one particular color.....its super easy and fun!

#3 a close up of my "distressing"...when i finished and let it dry, i sprayed a thin coat of clear acrylic gloss over the whole thing so it didnt look so "arts-and-crafts"...a little more professional finish.....

#4 i picked up these fun scrapbooking pages at Michaels....i loved the vintage bingo board and numbers/letters....

#5 i traced the tops of each spice jar, used my "country time" handwriting (as my sister likes to call it) to label each spice....then i decoupaged each label to the jars....i let them dry then added another coat of decoupage over the label, just to ensure longevity....

#6 once all was dry, i assembled it! heres a close up of thyme...it turned out as one of my favorites....

#7 another view of the finished product....you will notice that some jars are empty....they are waiting to be filled by the yummy spices at the Soulard Farmer's Market Spice Shop....even my spice rack is anticipating our big move!

#8 and, a final glimpse.....

love: blog awards

2010-05-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

my STL friend Katie from More from the Mohrs gave me a shout-out this week via the Happy blog award! Thanks so much, Katie! needless to say, it made me happy :-) Here are the rules of the award, according to Katie's blog post:

1)Copy the award to your blog
2) Note who gave it to you and link to her blog
3)List 10 things that make you HAPPY!
4) Share the love with other bloggers by passing the award to them

easy enough, right?

so heres my list, in pics (thanks to flickr.com):

love: garage sale saturdays

2010-05-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

this morning i hosted my very first garage sale!!! With our big move coming up in just a few weeks, we had a lot to get rid of! I invited my family up for the day, and my little sisters held a bake sale to raise money to go to basketball camp...adorable!
we had a lot of fun, and sold a lot of stuff! Unfortunately, no one loved our little loveseat...so its still sitting in our garage :-(

i even put out this wedding dress...it has been sitting in my closet ever since our engagement....i changed my mind and went with something a lot less formal.....any buyers? :-)

since i invited my family up, they brought TONS of kids clothes....a big crowd bringer! so we sold a lot of stuff, soaked up some sun, and i learned the ins-and-outs of haggling from my sales-savvy mother....

while my mom, my sisters, and I sold furniture and puppy chow, my little brother spent the day doing traditionally boyish things....playing video games, finding large sticks to swing around, bothering his sisters...but i was able to capture this adorable pic with my new camera in a moment when he dropped his wooden weapons long enough to pluck a dandelion and blow its petals into the breeze...he's such a boyish little six-year-old cutie :-)

life IS good on a garage sale Saturday :-)

create: house numbers

2010-04-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

so with the big move coming up in a few weeks....i have houses on the brain....and our new place in STL is lacking something very essential to house-ness......house numbers....im surprised the mailman knows where to deliver the mail, seeing as how the mailbox is rusted through and the house number is simply printed on a piece of paper and taped to the box....classy :-)

so i found this DIY house number demo on design sponge...and was inspired to hunt down mismatch house numbers of my own at my local hardware store....

for my signage, i spray painted a metal decorative sign that I found on Hobby Lobby clearance....something like this one below.....(and yes, I felt much joy spray painting over the corny saying)
i also spray painted my mismatch house numbers....my sign was black, and my numbers varied in colors....white, my favorite Krylon green, red, brown, etc....

heres a close up of one of my green numbers....the number was originally black, so i loved how with just one coat of paint, the texture and blackness still shone through....

this number was first sprayed white, then while it was still wet, I sprayed red over....it created this fun fusion of red and white...paired with the texture of the plastic coating...i love it! and it ties in my fire engine red porch light too!

our apartment is one of many, so a letter was an essential part of our house number (thats the white portion that you see below)....and take my word for it, "house letters" dont exist.....so this was a decorative metal letter from Hobby Lobby ( i used my coupon!)...i sprayed it white, then rubbed brown acrylic around the edges....

after everything was painted, i used a little Gorilla Glue to secure things in place....placing a few encyclopedias on top of the sign for about 30 minutes.... once dry, i took some teal paint and rubbed it along the outside edge.....im in love with our new, eclectic house numbers!

love: golden retrievers

2010-04-29T04:35:00.000-07:00

i just wanted to say that i am obessessing over golden retrievers lately.....

can i please just take any of these guys home?

all photos courtesy of flickr.com.

create: porch light revamp

2010-04-28T15:08:00.000-07:00

Our moving countdown has begun! Only a few more weeks until we move!!! That being said, I have shifted my decorating and crafting attention from my current home to my new one in STL!!! As I have shared before, we have chosen the lovely Soulard neighborhood to call home. One reason is the beauty of the old brick buildings...and the bright colors that grace all of the doors and windows.... here is a sampling, thanks to flickr.com:

our new apartment has these same shades of windows and doors....thus prompting me to get creative with our other outdoor decor....walking around soulard, i am so inspired by patio furniture like this and color schemes like this...so i decided that the current porch light at our new apartment (something very similar to this) needed an update....

and when my parents gave me this brand new light fixture (never out of the box that is....it had been in their basement for several years!) i decided to take some spray paint to it!

i chose a fire engine red... i thought it would compliment both the brick exterior and the teal-ish trim of our windows beautifully....

here is the body of the lamp drying...i threw some masking tape around the light socket and wires, so to keep the paint out of the nooks and crannies....i let it dry overnight, then put it together to give you a glimpse of what it will look like installed at our new apartment.... the color is super vibrant, and i love it!

heres a pic of a teal door that i found on flickr for reference....i love the fire engine red with the teal.....yum! Very Soulard! Just wait until you see the house numbers i made....will post tomorrow!

love: vintage mailboxes

2010-04-25T18:11:00.001-07:00

so nothing much has happened on create.love.grow for the past few days....sorry! In addition to having a crafter's-block (is that possible?) I have been down in STL...job interviews and finalizing things on our new apartment! I took some pics of the new place on my phone, and I am in the process of figuring out how to get them on here....

in the mean time, i will say that one of the first things to update in our new place will be the mailbox....a small piece of the housing puzzle, but the current mailbox is rusted through and nasty....thus, i have been searching online for mailbox inspiration (theres not much out there!)...and here is what i have found....enjoy!

*all photos courtesy of flickr.com

love: country living's spring florals

2010-04-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

im shamelessly addicted to magazines...no joke, in any given month, i will get at least five different magazines in the mail....and my husband always knows one way to cheer me up...grabbing me the latest copy of Real Simple or Glamour while hes at the grocery store....what a guy :-)

well, i just got my latest Country Living today....and i fell in love....so many pretty ideas for Spring...between last month's copy and this months, i had to share some photos with you....
flowers flowers flowers! i love the floral decoupaged vases....and of course the floral shoes, below....i think i also fell in love with this photo because of the rolled-up jeans and tire swing....

and this necklace! dont you want it? too bad its Kate Spade and runs for like $300.....but it did remind me of this DIY version posted on oneprettything today...i might have to go buy some shrinky plastic after reading that DIY tutorial.....

this photo struck me because i am constantly finding various vintage hankies at antique shops...but with no idea what to use them for....i have been thinking of table runners anyway because of this tutorial for a DIY doily runner...

and i just love this last pic...the simplicity of wildflowers and random glass bottles, all tied up with string....

I love you Country Living!

create: cookie jars reused

2010-04-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

every few months, my hubby and i pull out our wedding album...flipping through the pages and trying to remember the details of our 2008 nuptials....the people, the conversations, the decor that i SLAVED over for months....

well, we did just that the other day, which prompted me to post about these cookie jars. i may post in the future about our un-bridal-industry-wedding, but for now, you can see one of many items that i invested in for our reception...

in lieu of hiring a caterer ,we invited our families to contribute to our wedding via baking/cooking (whatever their specialty was)....as you see below, i had my grandmas and aunts bake their famous cookies for the reception....those cookies were housed in these lovely jars from Target...

after the wedding was over, when all the snicker doodles had been gobbled up, i saved the jars...and over time, they began to fill with various objects from nature....pinecones from the tree at our first apartment...woodchips from the landscaping....dried branches that had fallen from trees....along with other faux natural objects....jasmine scented balls, nuts, etc....

now, these jars grace the top of our hutch, bringing life to our sometimes dark basement apartment....sometimes i add seasonal items....gourds and mini pumpkins for the fall....flowers for the summer.....just an easy way to bring natural, rustic visual interest to our apartment... i suppose this would also be a great teaching tool for kids....

create: ribbon camera strap

2010-04-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

so just yesterday, i got a belated graduation gift in the mail from my wonderfully generous parents.....a new camera! Until now, I have been using a little FujiFilm pocket camera, struggling to produce pictures decent enough to post on here...

heres a shot of me and my new camera....it looks like i am smelling it, but i thought i would post (mostly because i was having a good curl day!)
if you notice, my camera strap isnt the traditional Canon one that comes in the case....while I am waiting on my memory card to arrive, i thought i would tackle a DIY project that i see on crafty blogs/etsy a lot....a homemade camera strap....
most tutorials that you see are for strap COVERS, but i had this adorable measuring tape ribbon that i wanted to use, so i made my own strap, stealing the little black hardware from the original strap that came with the camera....

i simply hot glued a piece of measuring tape ribbon and a yummy yellow ribbon to each other (creating stiffness to hold the weight of the camera)....then i threaded it through the original hardware, and that was it! I did have to taper cut the edges of the ribbon to get them through the little hardware...

so as soon as i get my memory card, you will (hopefully) start seeing more quality pics on create.love.grow!

create: DIY chalkboards

2010-04-17T13:51:00.001-07:00

do you remember this post about the frames that i snatched up for my friend leigh's wedding reception photo booth? well...along with large frames, i have also been on the hunt for small chalkboards that wedding guests can write messages on like you see below.....
i had found some little chalkboards at Hobby Lobby for around $4/piece...not bad, but they werent exactly what i wanted.....so when i came across this Krylon Chalkboard Spray Paint, i decided i would simply make my own chalkboards!

I collected four random frames...two black and two silver (though they look a little gold here)...took out the glass, and spray painted it with my chalkboard paint... they dried within an hour out in the sun, and voila! my own DIY chalkboards! Much more stylish than what Hobby Lobby had to offer!
heres a close up of two of the little frames...i chose all different sizes to give it more of an eclectic feel.... and the best part is that this entire project cost me right around $5!

and since these little chalkboards will be used in wedding photos... i thought i would demonstrate! (forgive the messy, unwashed Saturday hair....a day of crafting demands a low-maintenance do!)

while i took the first photo, my hubby was on the other side of the living room playing video games...so i asked him to pause his game (yes, i interrupted his gaming concentration) and come take a pic with me....so cute...so in love.....so lazy saturday :-)

unrelated to the chalkboard frames....as you can see in the photos above, our walls are getting more and more bare....and if you know me well at all, you know that bare walls are something i am not prone to being plagued with....its a sign that our big move to STL is getting nearer and nearer!

create: framing wedding photos

2010-04-17T06:24:00.001-07:00

so during the months post-wedding (back in '08)...i was on a frenzy to display our photos from our wedding....we had WONDERFUL photographers....Mikey and Katie from KDesign...who happen to be old classmates from high school :-)

i put some in albums...others in frames that we had received as wedding gifts....the frame you see below was a christmas gift (if i remember correctly) from my MIL...i scratched the frame up with a car key...added some photos from our wedding and a few left-over invitations....
and heres a close-up of my favorite photo...."THE" kiss....im not sure what i like more....the simplicity of our first kiss as married folk or the smile on Jon's face (who married us)....

this next framing situation, however, didnt turn out as well as i had planned...this frame was one of those "wedding memory kits" that you can find on clearance at almost any craft store....complete with traditional wedding-ish paper and fancy little pearl-headed pins to attach your photos....its cute, i guess, but a little....mainstream....pearl-headed pins are just NOT me....

So the other night, as i gazed at that frame across the room, i became inspired to make it a little more whitney-fied....thus, the car key came out again to scratch up the frame...the dainty wedding paper and pearl-headed pins were replaced with acrylic dyed doilies (one of my favorite activities!)...then i sighed....this is MUCH more me.... :-)

heres a close up of my acrylic dyed doilies....if you havent seen this in previous posts, basically all i do is knead a little acrylic paint (in this case an antique yellow and aged tan) into the doily in random places (so as not to FULLY cover the doily in color), then dry it in front of a hair dryer or space heater....obviously this process isnt perfect...i would imagine that with a lot of wear-and-tear my acrylic dyed doilies may not hold up...but inside a frame they are safe and sound!

also, a note on scratching up your frames with a car key: i like using a key more than traditional sandpaper....its faster, scratchier, and gives a more dramatic result....just be careful that you arent taking wood away when removing the paint/veneer finish....

oh, and a note from my husband....while i would tend to grab the nearest key on my keyring, my husband suggested i use an old key from a now totalled vehicle...something about ruining the grooves in the key and thus rendering it useless.....woops :-)

husbands are so useful sometimes :-)

create: patchwork shower curtain

2010-04-17T05:21:00.000-07:00

this is my DIY shower curtain (or it could be any kind of curtain/tablecloth/etc....)... its made from pretty cloth napkins that I found at World Market and Pier 1....the photo shows the shower curtain suspended from our balcony, as it is sitting in waiting for our new place in STL....our current place only has plexiglass standing showers....boo. yippee for a real tub in STL!

i simply laid out the fabric squares on my floor, then started sewing them together in rows....then i sewed the rows to eachother.... really, the whole project was just eyeballed...but i suppose you could pin and measure, if thats your thing :-)

to finish the curtain, i had my hubby drill a few holes into some round, wooden disks that i had painted....this created a button that i could then sew into the corners where the different fabrics met....

as far as hanging it goes, i simply used curtain rod clips....another option would be to make little tabs out of another napkin....but i like the simplicity of the clipped-on look :-)

well there you go, a DIY patchwork shower curtain begging for a shower to hang on :-)

love: DIY curtains

2010-04-14T16:30:00.001-07:00

we are moving into an apartment that has 11 ENORMOUS windows...perfect for letting in sunlight, not so perfect for a teeny-tiny window treatment budget....so i began researching some creative DIY window treatment ideas, and i found some pretty fun things....

this first one simply takes mismatched cotton sheets, add tabs, and hang them on a curtain rod, alternating colors/patterns.....
this next one would be PERFECT for the kitchen....a little cafe-type window treatment using two vintage tea towels (which i blogged about here) and an ikea curtain wire ($4.99!!!)

another take on tea towels.... sewn together to create a full curtain... this is SUPER similar to the shower curtain that i created (will post ASAP) using fun fabric napkins from World Market and Pier 1....

this next one is stunning (mostly due to the dreamy tub and Nantucket-style bathroom)... its simply an old lace panel (i find SO many of these at thrift stores) clipped to a piece of twine... so simple, yet so elegant.... if only my bathroom were that gorgeous....

staying with the twine theme (which I have TONS of from various projects)....here it is used in place of a traditional hook or tab... a little rustic...simple... i love it!

another DIY way to attach light and airy curtains to the rod.... buttons! i love buttons! the fabric here is actually cheese cloth...the kind you strain gooey things through in the kitchen....it gives a very beachy feel....though STL isnt a very beachy place, i suppose.....unless you consider the edge of the Mississippi a beach..... :-)

ok, this i LOVE LOVE LOVE...you may be seeing this in our STL apartment, if you ever come and visit! I was stressing about paying for 11 curtain rods.... even at $10/piece that would put me well over $100....which that number alone is WELL over my window treatment budget....but this is just a simple stick fallen from a tree, painted to match the window frame...SO easy, and practically free! And i was reading online that you can find hooks for less than $1 at any hardware store....

here's another take on the tree branch curtain rod idea....the branch is left natural and suspended on another branch piece....this one seems fit for a rustic lodge...maybe not my living room....but still, VERY neat and VERY cheap!

create: summer sandal revamp

2010-04-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

so as the weather starts warming up, i have been pulling out my summer clothes from last year.... and i realized that i have only a few pairs of sandals that have survived....one such pair you see below...i think they were an Old Navy clearance find....cute, plain... but a little tattered from last year's wear.... so i decided to revamp them by covering up that worn-out faux leather with some pretty stones....
here's my work space...the old sandals, various wood and stone beads (clearance finds from Michael's) and my trusty Gorilla glue....(note: 1/2 way through I brought out the hot glue too...i found that while the Gorilla glue will have more long-term staying power, it didnt dry quickly enough for the stones to stay in place...using both seemed to solve this problem...)

i started with one sandal, rolling up a dish towel and using to create a flat, firm base under the sandal straps.... i started with five larger, yellowish beads. i glued these in place to create a pattern to fill in with smaller wooden/stone beads...

the process goes pretty quickly, and before i knew it, i had one sandal done! I kept it nearby as a reference as i did the second sandal, being sure to place the larger yellowish beads in the same position!

and heres another view of my revamped sandals... i havent had a chance to wear them yet, but i will let you know how they hold up!

create: anthro-inspired reassembled framing

2010-04-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

so i saw this Anthropologie Reassembled Mirror online first, then in store...its magnificent! But with a price tag of $498, its WAY WAY WAY out of any price range I will ever have....this beautiful frame, built from the shattered pieces of an antique replicated wooden frame, did inspire my own version(s) that you will see below....(and i have to say, my favorite part of this project was when I was out on our front driveway, smashing old picture frames into pieces...so much fun!)
now i didnt have a frame with enough width to sustain a collage of broken pieces. i did, however, have this flat wooden crate from Whole Foods left over from my wedding....as you can see, i slapped on a messy coat of Antique Gold acrylic paint and got to work....

i attached my broken frame pieces with some hot glue along the edge of the crate....i like how they jutted out from the edge....it created a depth that i like....

after i had pieced and hot glued everything on, i grabbed some finishing nails and my trusty ikea hammer.... i hammered three columns of finishing nails into my crate, eyeballing their placement (you could measure, if thats your thing)

and here is my final product: an anthro-inspired reassembled jewelry holder! the finishing nails are small enough that they can barely be seen....and the white framing with the matte gold just looks yummy to me....things are a little more "jagged" than i would have liked, but for my first attempt at piecing together broken frame parts, i am pleased....

one great thing about this DIY jewelry holder is that the construction of the crate allows for not only my dangle earrings to be organized, but my button earrings that i made fit right between the wood seams....

in my frame-smashing escaped, i also destroyed a couple old antique frames....i simply attached them to these dollar store frames (painted with my Home Depot Martha Stewart paint sample!)...its a little off-beat...im not sure if i am thrilled with how they turned out, but i thought i would share anyway....

and here's a close up of the frames...i like the broken look contrasted with the elegant designs of the original frames....if i did this again, i would like to have more frame pieces, so as to create more depth like the anthro mirror has....

love: weekends that seem to last forever

2010-04-11T17:27:00.001-07:00

reflecting from Sunday night, this weekend was one of my most productive! Between packing to move, crafting, and attending my sister's concert (see photo below), this weekend was so refreshing! this afternoon my hubby and i ventured back to our old neighborhood during our college years in Chicago's Gold Coast....my sister was featured in a performance of 17th century song...along with two instrumentalists playing these crazy 17th century instruments....teeny tiny guitars and cello-like things... (im sure she appreciates my layman's description!) anyway, the concert was held at her church, St. Chrysostom's on Dearborn....every time we go, i am taken with the beauty of the architecture...the windows...the pews...the lantern-style lights...

in addition to breathing in the beauty of 17 century music and stained glass windows, i did a lot of crafting this weekend (which you will see on here in days to come!)... i finished one of two book page wreaths for leigh's wedding(see above)...

i also ripped apart some old, broken chairs (empowering!) to use the legs for my second vintage suitcase table...i painted them this yummy Martha Stewart color...i forget the name, but it is another Home Depot sample...i still havent totally figured out how I am going to attach them to the suitcase... i may have to forsake the Gorilla glue this time, take my dad's advice, and use some powertools....

create: sewing table update

2010-04-10T10:00:00.001-07:00

browsing through Anthropologie, I have fallen in love with their use of letters and numbers in home decor.... I have seen several DIY copycat ideas online using numbers, bingo boards, etc.... but when I came across an antique sewing cabinet left on the curb by one of our neighbors, I was inspired to try something new, yet inspired by these Anthro finds.....
anthro chest of drawers, $998 (yikes!) and monogrammed mugs, $6 (a little more reasonable!)

I had picked up a pack of Martha Stewart Scrapbooking Alphabet transfers from Michael's a few days prior.... $1.99 on clearance, I couldnt resist! Im not much of a scrapbooker, but I knew they would come in handy somehow...

Enter: curbside sewing table....as soon as we picked it up, i knew that I could use my Martha Stewart rub-on transfers to transform this discarded old sewing table into something Anthro-Whitney chic :-) here is a close-up of the lettering:

I simply eyeballed the placement, rubbed on the letters with a popsicle stick, and its done! If I wanted super staying power, i could spray on a clear sealer....but since this is on the front of drawers, its not a "high traffic area" i left it as it is :-)

create: painting presidents

2010-04-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

my sister became inspired by my spray-painted beethoven bust in a previous post, so she enlisted me to be on the hunt for more composer busts (shes a musician, you see) that she could paint herself.....

so last Saturday as i am browsing my local flea market, I see two mini busts on a vendor's table... i approach the table, pick up the busts, realize that they are the busts of presidents (Roosevelt and Truman, to be exact), not composers, attempt to put the busts back on the vendor's table, when...CRASH!!!!...I drop them on the floor! Needless to say, President Roosevelt was split in two, while President Truman was chipped in a few places...

If you know me very well, and you are reading this, you are most likely saying to yourself.... "That is a very WHITNEY thing to do...." :-)

Needless to say, I apologized to the vendor profusely. He was very gracious, allowing me to buy the broken busts at a discounted price...
So now I am stuck with Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, broken and chipped.... When I got home, I reassembled them with a little Gorilla glue, slapped some teal acrylic paint and sealer on, and now I have two busts that I didnt really want in the first place.... a testimony to my clumsy nature :-) p.s. dont you think President Truman's glasses are just hilarious?

create: flower pin dress update

2010-04-10T09:14:00.001-07:00

So i picked up this pretty, casual summer dress at Target last night for $5...it was cute, but a little plain-jane for my taste... So I grabbed my sewing kit, and with fabric scraps and random buttons, I created a coordinating flower to spice things up a little bit!

Some steps in making your own fabric flower: cut a few uneven rounds of scrap fabric....stack them....pinch the middle...use needle and thread to sew a few stitches through this pinch to make the fabric gather in the middle....then sew a few buttons on top....add a large safety pin the back, and voila! your own DIY flower pin! above is a pic of the full dress...jersey top (SUPER comfortable) with cotton skirt...the mismatched patterns on bottom allowed for my pretty fabric flower to go quite well!

the best part about this fabric flower is that I simply pinned it to the dress...which means I can wear it with other outfits, and still throw the dress in the washer without worry that my flower will come out in pieces!

love: BIG wall art

2010-04-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

So the prospect of moving into a new place with ENORMOUSLY high ceilings prompts me to search out DIY ideas for BIG wall art...here is what i found....
i think these license plates offer an affordable and fun way to fill that barren space above a sofa...they are simply attached to a piece of plywood which is then suspended on the wall...i might be keeping an eye out for license plates at flea markets and antique shops.....

this next idea, i have LOVED since I laid eyes on it! I think it would be SO fun to make your own larger-that-life-Alice-in-Wonderland-style clock....my only ? is... where would I find a wood backdrop? My cutting skills aren't honed enough to make those pretty scallops on my own!

this vintage domino wall decor stands out to me for its simplicity and monochromatic color palette. I tend to go OVER-THE-TOP with color, so I am intrigued by something so simple, yet lovely :-)

this frames-turned-clock art looks just delicious to me! I have random vintage frames laying all over my house, and this would be the perfect use for them! I have never worked with a clock-making kit....but the idea interests me...and the bigger the better!

this last one, a twig-framed mirror, would be an easy way to spruce up a thrift store mirror... i find so many giant mirrors without frames, or the frames they have are damaged/ugly.....a little hot/gorilla glue, and voila, BIG handmade wall art!

........you will have to check back in coming months to see which idea(s) I choose to fill the empty walls in our new space in STL!

create: vintage suitcase table

2010-04-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

Here is my inspiration, entitled DIY Table from Luggage:
This project was inspired by two sources: a conversation with laura about vintage suitcases and an article in Good Housekeeping magazine....

i came across a lovely vintage suitcase at an antique shop in Chenoa, snagged it for $5, and then repurposed this bench, below, into something more useful. The bench was a project from a few years ago... i have been a little bored with it...so i decided to make it into something new!

...so i unscrewed the legs, painted them a lovely shade of sunny yellow (a Martha Stewart sample in "cornbread" to be exact), and set the cushion part aside....(I will most likely use the board, stuffing, and fabric for other projects to come....)

Then I attached my vintage suitcase using some trusty Gorilla glue.... I could have screwed it in place (cutting a piece of particle board to fit inside the suitcase, offering support)...but I was feeling lazy....sorry dad! (he advised me to go the particle board route)

As you can see, the little vintage suitcase table now sits at the end of our bed, holding extra sheet sets, and yes, that is my baby blanket on top :-) (thanks Uncle Don!)

I liked the GH tables in pairs, but I didnt count myself lucky enough to find another vintage suitcase at such a good price... so i decided to use this small wooden trunk to make a matching table...

i had purchased the trunk to hold memories from our wedding....my wedding dress, photo albums, notes of affirmation from loved ones....

i am still in search of something to steal the legs off of (GH's idea about table legs from Home Depot is out of my price range), but when I do, i will post a photo...Until then, my wooden trunk will rest on top of my nifty new vintage suitcase table!

love: vintage flour sack towels

2010-04-04T11:28:00.001-07:00

My new favorite thing to hunt for at flea markets and antique shops...vintage dish towels!

Moving to another state has encouraged me to take stock of my belongings, and I have decided that my college dorm dish towels aren't STL-worthy.

As you see above, I have found some really fun flour sack cloth towels, some in pretty designs and others are calendar towels with dates ranging from the early 60's to the late 70's...

Above is a towel that I picked up from a vendor at my local flea market.... the colors are too bright for me to believe that this is "true" vintage, but the flour sack cloth is clearly vintage itself.

The screen print, however, was just quirky enough for me to fall in love...an elderly woman with balloons? why? its just enough irony to make me chuckle :-)

This last towel is one of my favorite calendar towels....and my oldest, dated 1966. I have read that these calendar towels were first made in the middle 50's, so I am always on the hunt for an earlier date! I have also read that they can be worth up to $30/towel....(definitely NOT what I paid for mine!)

I love the history that is told by a simple flour sack cloth dish towel, imprinted with a calendar of that given year and a picture/phrase to capture the state of America....peace and plenty....if only things were as simple today :-)

create: bookend revamp

2010-04-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

A quick DIY project from a few weeks ago... i came across these fun horse head bookends in the 90% off clearance at my local Hobby Lobby.....they were originally a very serious brassy tone.... i decided to make them a little more.... playful!
I simply used two of my favorite acrylic shades, then sprayed them with a clear gloss acrylic sealer.... they give a lot of character to our collection of greek new testaments!

love: vintage bicycles

2010-04-02T08:51:00.001-07:00

Moving to a place in Soulard that has a private cellar area

provides the opportunity for me to invest in a bicycle!

We had bought bicycles a few years back at an auction,

but because we had no place to store them,

one was stolen and the other rusted pretty badly... :-(

I have always wanted a vintage bicycle (maybe even paint the frame myself?) with a basket on both front and back....filled with never-wilting wildflowers, of course....

*all photos courtesy of flickr.com

grow: finding a place in STL

2010-04-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

So i have been a little MIA the past few days.... we have been apartment hunting in Soulard! There are so many things that I love about Soulard... starting with the brick sidewalks, ivy covered fences and walls, and vibrantly painted windows on every building....

Along with the aesthetics, i LOVE the idea of walking to the Soulard Farmers Market to get my weekly groceries....I love the feeling of handing my money to the person that planted, cared for, and harvested my produce.

I remember on our first visit, I handed a wad of crumpled bills to a baker in exchange for a loaf of bread, and he looked at his wife and said, "Thanks for helping us out. We really appreciate your business." I have never heard that from the teenage checker out Jewel!

For those of you who haven't visited, below is a photo of inside the Farmer's Market. If you come on a Saturday, it is PACKED. Be prepared to battle the crowds! The vendors sell everything from produce, to meat, to flowers, to handmade goods....its such a fun place!

When looking for a place to call home, we knew that location is important to us. We looked at SOOO many places... but all of them had to be within walking distance of the Market, as well as this local coffee shop, The Soulard Coffee Garden...

We looked at one apartment above this place, below, called the Shanti. It is a fun pub with a large outdoor bar area...the apartment was way too small for our needs, but a super fun location!

The place that we are almost 100% certain we will pursue is just a few blocks away, close to McGurk's...a beautiful Irish pub and garden... we hear it is one of the best in the country!

This apartment is beautiful....high ceilings, huge windows, a fenced yard....i can just SEE us here.....opening our home to friends and family, getting a puppy, starting a family....it makes sense to me here.....

Not to mention the fact that it is the PERFECT canvas for my thrifty-crafty-rustic approach to home decor... or as my sister likes to call my style, "country time".....

Hopefully we will be signing a lease soon and I can post pictures of our new home!

*all photos courtesy of flickr.com

love: wedding reception photo booths

2010-03-29T06:52:00.001-07:00

so my life-long bestie Leigh is tying the knot this summer....and I HAD to share this idea that she facebooked me about yesterday.

I have seen wedding reception photo booths before, but declined to have one at my own wedding due to the cost to construct a literal booth....

but as you see below, a more recent trend in photo booths requires only a few vintage frames, a backdrop, and your guests' willingness to be playful!
so naturally, my response to this adorable idea.... go haggle some vendors at my local flea market to find my bestie the frames she needs!

My haggling skills (meek, though they are) paid off, and I snagged this beauty below, along with another just like it, for just $3!

Hooray for flea markets!

create: button earrings

2010-03-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

so as of lately, i have been OBSESSED with buttons...

and this weekend, while ben and laura were visiting, we found a flower shop called A New Leaf on Wells St in Old Town, Chicago...well, this wasnt just any flower shop...

while the upstairs was covered in potted plants and freshly cut stems, there lurked a basement below filled with wonderful ribbons, candles, and most importantly.... BUTTONS!

I picked up these beautiful buttons:
which inspired me to create some cute, quick, and easy button earrings!

my tools were simple... buttons, of course, my trusty glue gun, and a pair of Dustin's pliers (perfect for twisting off the back of any button!) I found earring posts super cheap at my Hobby Lobby. Here are my button earrings drying...

the steps are pretty self explanatory: twist off any backing/loop/etc....put a dab of hot glue on your earring post... center on button (or, in the case of larger buttons, center towards the top so the earring sits appropriately on the ear lobe...test out your placement in a mirror, if needed), and let it dry! and here are my finished button earrings! the buttons from A New Leaf are the front three snazzy ones... the large blue ones I just couldnt resist! And I thought the fuzzy blue ones and plaid were just adorable! The rest are simple buttons that I found in my craft bin at home...

love: spring break, a visit from friends!

2010-03-26T15:04:00.001-07:00

one perk of working in the public school system... SPRING BREAK!!! Though last year we flew off to see Dustin's sister in Miami (and came back with tattoos... ouch!...see pic above!), this year we are spending our spring break preparing for the big move to STL...apartment hunting, etc....

but before we head down to STL, we have friends coming to visit! Ben (Dustin's childhood friend) and his wife Laura (check out her etsy shop!) are coming tomorrow morning. We are hoping the weather is good! (picnic, anyone?)

thinking of Ben and Laura, I couldnt resist posting this beautiful pic from their wedding last summer....it was, HANDS DOWN, the most beautifully organic, rustic wedding I have been able to be a part of...well, maybe apart from my own!

happy friday!

create: chore chart for kids

2010-03-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

If I had kids, I would SOOO make this chore chart station that I found on OnePretty Thing!

But in the absence of little rascals to clean the bathroom and vacuum the carpet, maybe I will just make one for my husband :-)

create: scrappy leather headband tutorial

2010-03-24T04:37:00.000-07:00

If you liked my flower power headband, read on:

I came across this tutorial on OnePrettyThing (visit everyday for new DIY ideas!). I am DEFINITELY trying it out! I did a leather working project for the hubby last year for Christmas, so I think I have some leather scraps laying around here somewhere....

I will post mine as soon as i get it done!

Thank you Missie Krissie!

create: anthropologie inspired decoupage birds

2010-03-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

browsing online at anthropologie, i came across these lovely decoupaged birds... "One-of-A-Kind Nomad Flyers" they are called....but at $328 a pop, I decided to come up with my own version....still being obsessed with book pages (reference book page wreath, posted earlier) I decided to make my own text and fabric flyers....

i had some ugly clay birds (found at the dollar store), decoupage, and a duplicate copy of The Catcher in the Rye (a novel favorite, might I add). Once I made the first one that you see above and below, I was inspired to be more "anthropologie-like" and use fabric scraps on my second bird... you will see that one in the very last photo...

i decided that though the text was black-and-white, I wanted to add a little anthropologie "pop" of color... thus, for the wings I brushed "antique gold" and "barn red" acrylic paint on the pages before I ripped them up... in hind sight, I suppose I could have just painted the color on post-decoupage. Another post-project idea would be to intermingle the red and yellow scraps to add more dimension to the wings....or add fabric wings to make have a more multimedia approach...

this last one is a photo with both types: text and fabric flyers. I will say that the fabric was a PAIN IN THE BOOTY to decoupage to the bird! But I am happy with the way they turned out!

(also, a note: this last photo was taken at night, where the best lighting in my house is in the bathroom. yes, the birds are perching on the lid of our porcelain throne, if you get my drift... :-)

love: visiting family

2010-03-19T04:45:00.000-07:00

we are visiting family back home this weekend... i just found this cute little photo of Fairbury's downtown....basically, thats 3/4 of the town.... :-)

love: picnics

2010-03-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

The weather was so nice tonight, we were able to grill and eat outside!

I think I would picnic every night of my life, if possible.

Priority #1 when looking for an apartment in STL: A yard for picnics. yippee!

Two aesthetics to highlight:

my (partial) collection of vintage votive holders. they make me so happy! (my current favorite is the taller yellow one on the far end...Fairbury antique store find!)

also, this lovely yellow green chair. its one of four matching body styles that I found at my Salvation Army for just a couple bucks, colors ranging from ochre to lime to teal. yummy. This one i did a wash with my favorite Ivy Leaf Krylon spray paint....spray a little on, rub it into the wood with a rag...it gives you a worn, stain type finish.

grow: flower headband...rejected

2010-03-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

So i took a chance and wore my flower headband to work today...
At 8am, as my students are coming into the classroom, one says,

"OH MY GOD, MRS. U, WHAT IS THAT UGLY THING ON TOP OF YOUR HEAD?????"

thank you, student. thank you.

(i labeled this post as grow seeing as how it was a growing moment for me...

I took a breath, and gently explained to my student that his use of the word "ugly" makes me feel badly, and that he could say something more encouraging, as people have different tastes and what looks good to some may not look so good to others...and so on and so forth....

What i didn't tell him is that I MADE THIS HEADBAND AND I AM VERY PROUD OF IT! That statement would have been a little self serving. :-)

my advice for the day: if you want to be challenged to be a better person, teach :-)

create: more fabric flower power

2010-03-16T14:06:00.001-07:00

so once i started making those fabric scrap flowers for my pillow posted earlier....I COULDN'T STOP! These little flowers have so many possibilities! One is posted here... I hot glued a small flower in the center of a larger one...then attached that whole piece to a cheap headband...added some leaves that i cut from scrap fabric and decorated with little embroidery thread stitches. Precious, if you ask me :-)

love: composition notebooks

2010-03-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

There were about three things that got me through my awkward middle school years:

1) my VHS copy of Harriet the Spy

2) my best friend leigh

3) my composition notebooks

I drooled over the sewn-in binding, the black and white color scheme, the drama of it all.

Between middle school and high school, i went through probably 20-30 of those bad boys. That collection of composition notebooks narrated my early adolescent story...fears, dreams, crushes, questions...

So when I stumbled upon these beauties the other day, I HAD to get them for my little sisters (ages 8 and 12):

I cant recreate my childhood for them, nor can I find them best friends like the one I had. Heck, I probably cant even find them a copy of Harriet the Spy on VHS (garage sale, anyone?).

But what I can do is pass along my love for the composition notebook. And thus inspire the composition of their own awkward middle school narratives.

create: mouse pad makeover

2010-03-16T10:53:00.001-07:00

confession: ever since we have been married, my husband and I have failed to purchase a mouse pad. almost two full years of mouse pad-less-ness (word?). Instead, we have been using the object that you see above, a wrinkled cardstock "Save the Date" from a friend's past wedding, complete with random directions, telephone numbers, notes, etc written all over it.

CLASSY.

So naturally, the other day, as I was wandering the aisles of my local Dollar Tree (love that place!), I snatched up the first mouse pad I saw...Spiderman. Not my first choice in styles, but for a buck, who can complain? Thus, I set to work transforming Spidey into something a little more...grown up chic.

Here are my tools: a scrap of pretty fabric from that pillow in my previous post, decoupage (my favorite!), and Spidey, of course.

A thin coat of decoupage (applied directly to Spidey) to secure the fabric, then trim the edges as closely as you can. I even painted a little decoupage along the sides of the mouse pad so to create a cleaner edge.

The edges didnt look finished enough for my taste, so I broke out my glue gun and added some natural jute trim.

And, ta da! A brand new, respectable, Spidey-free mouse pad!

And in case you were wondering, that old "Save the Date" has been recycled :-)

create: pillow frenzy

2010-03-16T07:39:00.001-07:00

recently, i have been in a pillow-making frenzy. i was tired of all the mismatched, dorm room, inherited-from-my-mom pillows that were taking up space on my sofa. so i grabbed some scrap fabric, my sewing machine, and a few fun flea market finds to revamp my cushiony friends:

this first pillow, above, features the very first thing i EVER bought at a flea market... a dainty little 50 cent doily that I soaked in a bath of equal parts acrylic paint and water, then allowed to dry (the doily was originally white). I liked the uneven dye job that i got, and the paint stiffened the fabric just enough so it wouldn't sag on my pillow. I carefully hand stitched around the doily in corresponding thread to secure it to the front of my pillow.

My next pillow is this lovely floral print on the front, burlap on the back. I made these little fabric roses out of random scraps that I found in my sewing stuff. A little twisting, hot gluing, and ta da, a beautiful flower! I was inspired by two other bloggers:

1) my STL friend Katie's post on all things grey and yellow

2) and I found a tutorial hereThis is just a close up of my flowers in action :-)

My third pillow also features a thrifty find, though this one is a vintage scarf that I snagged at a little antique shop in my hometown in Central Illinois. Same process as the doily: careful stitching around the outside with matching thread.

My final pillow is simply burlap, stitches exposed, with another acrylic dyed doily sewn on. For this one, to maintain some original white coloring, I simply kneaded the doily in my hands with a little acrylic paint, then allowed it to dry.

create: beethoven's makeover

2010-03-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

my hobby lobby clearance find brought to life with a coat of my new favorite color, Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Gloss Spray Paint in Ivy Leaf...

create: book page wreath

2010-03-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

so my mom picked up some old book pages for me, aged and torn, all wrapped up in twine. I was eager to incorporate the aged text into a craft project, and I was SORELY disappointed when I realized that only the front and back pages were legitimately old and aged. The filler pages were none other than chapters torn from a Danielle Steele romance novel. DISAPPOINTING.

S0 I had this stack of twine-wrapped smut sitting in my house for a few weeks until i came across a tutorial on "Living with Lindsay" appropriately titled "Librarians, Please Avert Your Eyes". Here is the link.

I followed her tutorial to create my own version of her craft-vendor knock off book page wreath. And I LOVE it! What a great use for a disassembled romance novel! And if you look very closely, you may still be able to read some of the steamy parts :-)

create: obsessed with vintage silverware

2010-03-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

i was recently digging through piles of old silverware at my local salvation army (15 cents a piece!) and I found several beautiful pieces that I couldn't live without, yet had no use for.
Browsing on the web inspired me to create these beauties:

#1 Silverware Hooks

This is my first silverware project, a fun use for beautiful silverware. I see myself using them in the kitchen to hang dish towels, tea cups, etc. Inspired by design*sponge, which you can veiw here.

#2 Serving Tray

My next silverware project was made from an old frame found at the Goodwill, a little acrylic paint, decoupage, and a lovely Anthrolopologie doily that we recieved as a wedding gift (thanks Bethany!)

#3 Lots of Little Hooks

Sorry for the blurry photo! I found this fun alphabet stenciled wall hanging at the Goodwill for a buck. I bent silverware handles and used Gorilla glue to secure them to under the letters. Super cute to hang tea cups, cooking utensils, pot holders, etc from.

grow: my blog-baby is born!

2010-03-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to create.love.grow!

After a few years of mulling around the idea in my head,
(along with a nudge from my hubby) create.love.grow is finally born!

This little blog-baby will attempt to chronicle a few key areas of my life:

create: all things crafty, thrifty, repurposing, DIY...

love: my roles as wife, sister, friend, teacher, daughter... plus all the things I love!

grow: challenges, opportunities, and dreams for the future...

there is much more to come!