Cuttin' a Rug

Happy news in the Matt&Bobbie family.....we are now puppy parents! Ok, we've had Zooey over 4 months now, but that's just how behind on this blog I am.

 She is a great dog--we love her so much!

In other news, I got restless with my current pillow collection and wanted to mix things up. In a momentary fit of insanity, I almost dropped $100 on three Turkish kilim pillow covers on Ebay. Not sure if Zooey is out of her chewing phase, I realized it would be crazy to spend that much.

 So, during one of my rare (wink) thrifting outtings, I came across a very large woven rug with some very interesting colors and shapes in it. The rug as a whole I did not like, but I could see at least a couple pillows being cut from it. So, for $5, I bought the beast and proceeded to chop it up.

I could not be happier. In the meantime, I have no idea what I am going to do with the other 90% of the rug, but that's what junk closets are for.

Spring Craft

Dyeing Easter eggs is a fun craft I've enjoyed every year since I was a kid. At 28, why stop now? While perusing various craft blogs and pinterest, I came across Ombre dyed eggs. Ombre is a fancy color-graded (from light to dark) technique that has become very popular. And it turns out to be very easy to do with eggs.

First, prepare your food color egg dye with only 2-4 tablespoons of water (you want the color to be very concentrated to start with). Then carefully place your hard-boiled egg in the color. I used a small spoon to help keep it upright. Let the egg sit for 5 minutes, then pour in a little water to raise the level of liquid no more than 1/2 way up the side of the egg. Wait 2-3 minutes then add another dose of water. Continue until the egg is completely submerged, then take it out of the liquid after no more than a minute.

My next project aims to jazz up a plain planter.

 I found these fantastic plastic planters at Target. I grabbed a whole bunch of various sizes, knowing I could use them for re-potting my cacti and succulents.

I love the modern look of white, but this big pot begged for a little color. With some painter's tape and newspaper, I masked off all but a strip at the top of the pot, which I spray-painted a nice dark orange.

                                                                             Lovely!

To spruce up the front of the house, I fashioned this pretty, colorful and whimsical wreath, all with materials I had around the house.

                                                                       
                                                                      Put a bird on it!

String Art

 Prints and paintings are great, but sometimes you want to mix up your wall decor. What could be more sassy than some geometric DIY string art? 

Every aspect of this project was tedious and time-consuming. From drawing the template to pounding 200 nails, then applying the string, and finally carefully peeling off the paper template from under the finished piece. A full-on weekend project for sure, but well worth it. 

I chose dark brown, gold, grey, bright orange and dark rusty red embroidery floss. Any type of string or yarn would work, depending on the intricacy and boldness your design. Next time I'd like to try a rustic slice of tree stump rather than the pale plywood. 








While we're at it, check out my new thrifty finds:  
Left to Right: a cool volcanic textured pot, chevron planter, and circle-clad vase. Lots of brown-town, but I love it.

Busy B

Here I am! I've been all kinds of crazy-busy getting ready to move into our new house (whaaat? more on this later) and to a lesser extent crafting and the other usual ridiculous things I tend to do. 

I am freaking out over warm colors. I found the fabric that is now wonderful pillow cases on a recent thrifting trip. 

Look at all the plants I have crammed in one place! Normally, these fellows would be outside by now, but as I mentioned we are moving in a matter of weeks, so they will have to stay put. Did you know Matt and I are buying a house? Big step in life! We are excited, overwhelmed, perplexed, frightened, and overjoyed. We've been thinking, dreaming and planning for this for a long time and it's really here--yikes! Look for a possible home-renovation blog in the near future!

Continuing on the warm color palette, I whipped out these pillows yesterday. I modified the fabric you saw above by folding and stitching it to create a varied design. The zig-zag is part of a remnant I've been saving for just the right project (read: hoarding and petting it while repeating "my pretty...")

For Mother's Day I tried my hand at the Succulent Cupcakes project featured in my previous post. I'd say the results were pretty damn cool. Everyone loved them. 

Time-consuming? Yes. Completely impressive and too-cute-to-eat? Also yes. 

Desert Dessert

Whaaaaat?! Why didn't I think of this? I am in love with these succulent cupcakes from Pixel Whisk. My sister is engaged, so I will force her to let me make these for her wedding. 

New Finds

Long time no see, blogger friends! Matt and I have been busy house hunting! I've also been going crazy (in a good way) with my Etsy shop. My stuff is flying off the shelves!

But, we have had some down time. I discovered how much fun painting Terracotta pots is. I designed the above pot specifically for my new, interesting, unusual cactus.

Let's not forget about thrifting! In the past couple weeks, we've acquired these lovely crimson treasures. The biggest and best is the wool Pendleton blanket Matt scored for $5. I adore the colors and pattern it sports.

For a few cents I snagged the 1970's Better Homes and Gardens Houseplants magazine. Below are some of my fave pages from it. See, other people have as many plants as I do in their house!

A very cool Z-shaped dish, bright orange planter, and Mexican ceramic bird round it all out. Pretty darn good. I love when all the stuff color coordinates!

Currently Obsessed with: Terrariums

If you haven't noticed, terrariums are back in style. Of course, they were big in the '70's and now all the hipsters are into them. Check out here and here if you don't believe me.

Anyway, wanting to do something a little different with my plants, I gave it a go, with excellent results.

I found the glass dish at the Salvation Army for a couple bucks. This one is my favorite.

I had this one under the skylight in the bathroom, but the cats were too interested in it so I had to move it somewhere less prominent. Luckily, the fern will tolerate low light.

I call this "desert bubble." I love how this one looks with the different textures and colors. I tried using lava rock for the first time and I love it. It looks so perfect with the succulents.

This terrarium is keeping it simple with a piece of driftwood and soft green Kalanchoe.