Chicago Trip :: Day 1

Visiting Chicago to see my friend Anna was one of the best uses of a four day weekend I've ever had!

Loved the city, loved spending time with Anna & loved getting to see things that she loved about the city.

Like a pro, I took the train from the airport to meet her at her office. I may have memorized the route before getting off the plane so I wouldn't look TOO out of place ;)

Subway train...a completely new experience for me. Fun, confusing & forget personal space.

Enjoyed snapping a few shots of some murals that I would pass by on my tour of the city.

Anna knows there is at least one thing that can always easily please me: Good coffee.

Metropolis Roasters & Coffee house...so good! I bought a pound so I am still enjoying their coffee at home :)

Lake Michigan

This seagull just kept posing for me...

Another fantastic coffee shop. Yes, we went to two in one day. It was great.

You know it must be good coffee when the barista apologizes for his asymmetrical rosette. Yeesh.

The Bean.

Me & the Bean. I spy an Anna in the background.

And finally, we ended the day with Lyric Opera in the park. Opera makes me fall asleep, but the park was great & the concert was free. And they are super talented, but I just can't help it...It makes me want to curl up and sleep.

Fall Wreath Tutorial :: DIY

Yay! Computer is back up & running, thus images can be uploaded & edited & posts can be made as to how to make this lovely fall wreath :)

With that said, let's do this thing!

//Supplies//

(all of which can be found super cheap at Walmart)

Scissors

Wreath Form (14")

Felt in 2 colors, 1/2 yard of primary color & 1/4 yard of secondary

1.5 yards Jute ribbon

Hot glue gun

For welcome pendant:

Jute string

Colorful cotton fabric

Printer

Small Clothesline Clips

//Step One//

Cut felt into long strips & wrap it around wreath form, covering completely. Glue felt down at the end of each strip.

//Step Two//

Wrap Jute around wreath to create the piece you will hang it with. I hot glued the jute to itself once wrapped around the wreath. Also, I used the full 1.5 yards because I hung wreath from the jute ribbon all the way over the door...in other words, the about 8" of the jute is seen on the inside of my door, it then wraps over the door frame, and the rest of the jute and the wreath hangs on the outside of my door. Make sense? I hope so!

//Here's another angle to look at//

//Step Three//

Cut a TON of little felt petals...I think I cut at least 200. This does not have to be an exact science, in my opinion, having slightly differing shapes of petals, with somewhat of a circular form, makes for a more structurally appealing wreath :)

//Step Four//

Pinch each petal in a fashion that you desire. I chose to fold each of mine...kind of like a taco. Pinch them however you choose, just try to be consistent! While pinching your felt, dab some hot glue onto the wreath form & arrange the petal on it. The first one may not hold its form, but as you press petal against petal, you will start to see a nice little pattern!

//Step Five//

Change it up! I used an accent color for about 1/5th of the wreath to bring a little something interesting to the wreath. Again, follow the same pattern of folding & gluing, just change up the color! Go the extra mile & fill in the inner & outer surface areas of the wreath with petals too! It really makes for a much fuller looking wreath. You can see the picture above that I still need to go back & do petals for the interior.

//Step Six//

Glue Jute string to the back of the wreath, from one end to the other. This will hold your "welcome" pendant.

//Step Seven//

Cut out an 8.5"x11" piece of fabric in the color of your choice.

Create a document with the word "welcome" in it...or whatever word you choose!

I used the font "Courier New" and put a space in between each letter of the word w e l c o m e.

Print document onto fabric on a normal grey scale setting---easy!

//Step Eight//

Cut out your little fabric pendant & clip to jute with mini clothesline pins.

Finally, take a step back & enjoy your handiwork!!

welcome::fall wreath

So, I was planning on this being a DIY Wednesday post, but my computer decided to crash this week, so I am left with instagram and the blogger app as my only means of posting. For now, here's a sneak peek at the wreath tutorial that is to come. If my computer decides to revive itself anytime soon I also have Chicago pics to share!

p.s. Did you know that the first day of fall is September 23rd? 'tis true! Can't wait for the leaves to start changing colors!

New from Old:: Lacey Clutches

My newest products are not only some of my favorites (of.all.time.)  But pieces of them are also thrifted & upcycled finds!   Take a look....

 

 Upcycled scalloped lace shower curtain 

turned Scalloped Clutch in Smoked Paprika

 Thrifted: Chantilly Lace

turned Chantilly Lace Clutch in Sugar Plum

I love being able to reclaim materials & turn them into something beautiful!  These colors are some of my favorite combos for fall & the laces...yeesh...they are fantastic.  I love these little clutches because they can be super classy, for a night out or easily dressed down for everyday wear! 

 Versatility, my friends, versatility.

So True...

Renegade Handmade::Chicago

It just so happened that I was in Chicago on the same weekend as one of the best handmade craft shows around:: Renegade Handmade.   Anna was such a GREAT hostess & indulged me & my handmade obsession by taking me to see the show in Wicker Park.  Oh my goodness. It was incredible.  And huge.

We spent literally all day walking around, pouring over each unique booth.  It was awesome.  And it's official, I must apply next year.

conduit press -- such a fun find.  one of my favorites, by far.

my camera couldn't handle the span of these tents---the show was stinkin huge! 

the food & beverages were also amazing!  I am soooo not a carni food person  (i know, i'm weird).  i will trade fried pickles and funnel cakes ANY day for a good cup of coffee and pork tacos.

So that's exactly what I did.

is that no an amazing food stand menu?

pork tacos = deliciousness.

anna with her horchata & tacos :)

 after a lunch break we scoured the last half of the booths...this one was also one of my faves.  sadly, i can't remember the name, but look at all of the unique lighting fixtures.  helllooo, woodstump lamp.  i think you are great. 

wooden ties, who'd have thunk it.

a handmade superstar.  i was too shy to introduce myself. i know, i'm so lame...it's just how i roll, but i did loove pouring over all of her goodies!

Moral of the story is:  Renegade Handmade is amazing & if you live in Chicago, New York, Austin, San Fran, or London you should totally go.

I am thinking Austin is calling my name...

adventures of the bobster

Hi everybody!  Bob here.  Mom let me take over for her while she's away.  She said I could write about anything I wanted to, so I thought I would tell you about a great adventure I had this week.

One night, mom surprised me & talked me into taking a ride.  Sometimes I get a little nervous riding in that big 

thing on wheels, but once we get moving and she lets me put my head outside, oh man that's fun.

Mom, she's great.  I thought getting to stick my head out the window was good, but it just got better and better.  Once she let me out of the car, she led me into this big gated area with some big blue swirls in the air and a floor covered with this wet stuff.  The best part though was that I saw SO many of my people there.  You know, dogs.  It was like, all the people brought their dogs to the same place at the same time and we got to do WHATEVER we wanted.   

Mom of course, tried to get me to go into that wet stuff, but that was pretty silly of her.  She knows I'm made for snow.

Mom also says I'm quite the ladies man.

Once my mom stopped trying to throw me into the wet stuff (I put up a good fight), I got to prance run around the big area, sniffing other dogs, marking my areas, picking on the little guys, making friends, oh and occasionally giving my mom a kiss. 

It was awesome.

holly came! {friends are good for the soul}

This is my sweet friend, Holly. 

Last week, Holly flew all the way to Nowheresville to come see the Bobster, Ben & me! 

 Talk about love.   

We fellow-shipped, laughed, prayed, walked, talked, laughed, encouraged each other & just lived life for a week together.  It was such a great reminder to me of how precious friendships are.   

Holly did a huge friendly favor for me & allowed me to use her luscious locks for headband modeling.  I have always told her how I wished she could come be my hair model *what a dream come true*.  And it's nice to see someone else's profile on my shop page every now & again, don't you agree?  Yes, yes indeed.

credit: Holly

Holly & I made some yummy food together, but we also treated ourselves to a few meals out, one of which was a burger joint which actually seems to have been made for me *gasp*.  Everything is handmade, from the ketchup to the pickles & they have lots of yummy burger options, like Margherita Chicken, Avocado & Turkey, Salmon Burgers, the list goes on...They have beef burgers too, which I hear are tasty, but you know how I roll.

credit: Holly

 It wouldn't be a vacation without a trip (or two) to the coffee shop :)

credit: Holly

And we couldn't leave out a trip to what may be one of Holly's new favorite stores: Paper Source!!

Holly is a greeting card crafter extraordinaire, she makes some pretty rad cards. 

 ((See extra-ordinariness here.)) 

Holly + Paper Source= getting locked in with the Paper Source people because we just can't un-glue our eyes in time to get out of there before closing time.

Other Highlights: walks with Bob (your fave, right Holly?), trip to see the Amish, farm fresh eggs, thrifty finds, highway photo shoot,  peaceful time with Jesus, showing off Haiti purses, and oh the list goes on.  

So much fun!  And I guess this is where I would say, now back to the real world, but thankfully, I get to continue on this friendship spree & am going to see one of my best & oldest friends in CHICAGO this weekend!!

weeeee! I love friends.