Archives for October 2015

DIY No-Sew Sequin Pillow

There are two kinds of people in this world you cannot trust; people who bite into ice cream and people who do not like sequins.

That ice cream thing is suspicious because WHO DOES THAT? But the sequin thing can be more subtle. You can know a person for your whole life and then, 30 years later, just as you are about to sign over a spare kidney, they tell you they can’t stand sequins and you question this person’s presence in your life. How can someone not like sequins? It’s obscene thought – and not one that I wish to discuss at length – but I trust that we can all get behind any occasion to show off our love of sequins LOUD AND CLEAR.

This project involves sequins, and no sewing. Did you hear that? None! That little pillow sham never saw the sparkle coming!
Go and get the details over on Ilovetocreate.com!

Happy Monday: Rhinestone Cereal

by aunt peaches 1 Comment

Friends, it’s been a long week. A great week with just a touch of drama, surprise deadlines, and a whiff of IRS induced panic…but this next week is looking terrific. Plus, it’s hard to be anything but elated when the world is wearing it’s crunchiest and crispiest red and gold finery. It could not be more gorgeous outside. Also. Did you even hear the good news? The GILMORE GIRLS ARE COMING BACK. As far as I’m concerned this day cannot come soon enough. And if you haven’t seen them in a while and feel like watching from the beginning, may I suggest you watch and podacst along with the Gilmore Guys. This is Star’s Hollow on a whole new level. You’re welcome.

Renaissance paintings of auto mechanics.

This is the best decorating book I have purchased in years.

Portraits of cosplay enthusiasts in their homes. #costumegoals

Hello Netflix: The scary movies you need to see this week.

What if we treated physical illness and mental illness the same way?

25 words every kindergartner must know before first grade.

28 words that will teach you something about your state.

Three steps for styling shelves.

Very important: the two ponytail trick.

Tiny houses you can rent on Airbnb.

Pumpkins as dinosaurs (and more!)

The world’s craziest intersection.

Upcycle: Pen Organizer

by aunt peaches 1 Comment

My pet peeve to end all pet peeves: When you can’t find a pen and then you do and the pen doesn’t work. Why doesn’t it work? Because ~~it hates me~~ I stored it tip-up in a coffee mug for seventy years and the ink settled to the bottom and now when I want it to write the ink is being disagreeable. Suddenly that simple fridge note to “buy eggs” becomes a rage filled rampage to carve scribbles into anything resembling paper goods.

Solution? Store all your pens, pencils, brushes, chopsticks, and whatever else your heart desires in an organizer like this!

All you need is a collection of tin cans, a shoe box, and something to decorate the outside. It’s so easy, the hardest part might be the decorating. Don’t you love it when the fun part is that hard part? Makes me feel so accomplished. Get the details for this project (and more) over at Pentel.com!

Happy Monday: Good Luck and Purple Pumpkins

by aunt peaches 3 Comments

Well friends, it’s been a monumental week around these parts. Feels like I have been running in a hamster wheel for months with nothing to show for it, and then, without warning, all the things started coming together last week and all the stars aligned in my favor, including one incredible stroke of luck that I can’t tell you about just yet. (But trust me – it’s good). And now that I have officially become the bratty kid on the playground taunting I HAVE A SURPRISE I HAVE A SURPRISE, let me annoy everyone further by telling you that I just came back from an epic thrift store extravaganza, including a craigslist trip to Milwaukee to get a new coffee table that I just now discovered DOUBLES AS A POMPOM MAKER. Yes, a coffee table that makes pompoms. Photos to follow. Until then, somebody sell me a lottery ticket because my luck could not be better!

Who says you need to carve pumpkins when you have paint and glitter?

Secrets from 11 of the most productive people n the planet.

Japan’s first female photojournalist is still kicking butt at age 101. Get it gurl!

On privelege.

Weird food pairings that are pretty great.

This letter from Jennifer Lawrence on how it feels to realize you are earning half as much as her male colleagues is everything.

What political representation looks like when you remove men.

Coolest looking library ever. (Okay, maybe second coolest. First coolest is taken).

Do you live in a warm weather climate? Feeling envious of those living in cooler, autumn-like temperatures this time of year? You are not the only one…

Good news – you can order fall foliage on demand.

Spooky Dollar Store Skeleton Wreath

by aunt peaches 7 Comments

What’s better than a funky fall wreath?

A funky fall wreath made exclusively from stuff you can find AT THE DOLLAR STORE.

Booyow! The goal here was to make something Halloweeny that wasn’t cutesy and orange and black, but also wasn’t scary like a decorative severed foot. I think we hit a nice middle, don’t you? Nothing like a bunch of skeletons to make you feel good n’ spooky!

Get the details on how you can make one over on the Etsy blog today.

Espresso “Boo” Brownies

by aunt peaches 1 Comment

Riddle me this; What is a nine letter word for all the chocolate deliciousness you can handle?

Halloween.

Because while it might be fun for kiddos to dress up and run door to door looking for candy, it’s even more fun for adults to indulge their sweet tooth. Woot! This recipe combines the traditional candylike flavor of white chocolate and marshmallows on top of deep rich brownies kissed with espresso. You get the high and the low, the bitter and sweet, the dark and the light…all in one bite. And isn’t that right there Halloween in a nutshell?

Ingredients

Espresso Brownies (Base) 
-3/4 cup cocoa powder (for baking)
-1/2 cup Califia Farms Cold Brewed Double Espresso
-3/4 cup oil
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-½ teaspoon baking powder
-3 eggs
-1 tsp. vanilla
-1 cup all purpose flour

Ghosts (Topper)
-6 oz of white chocolate
-12 (or more) large marshmallows
-Miniature chocolate chips (can substitute with nuts or sprinkles)

Brownie Instructions
Mix cocoa, oil, and espresso in a bowl thoroughly, followed by sugar and eggs. Add in the remaining ingredients, mix well, then pour into a greased 9X13 pan. Bake 30 – 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven until they are crackled on top.

Cool thoroughly and then slice. The smaller the slices, the more ghosts you will need. Adjust ingredients accordingly.

Ghost Instructions
1 Break up white chocolate into grape-sized chunks.
2 Microwave until melted, stirring every 20 seconds.
3 Spoon the white chocolate into a plastic bag.
4 Snip one corner of the bag, keeping the hole as small as possible.
5 Squeeze a small amount of chocolate into the center of one brownie.
6 Add a marshmallow on top
7 Drizzle the white chocolate on top of the marshmallow paying extra attention to the sides. Messy is good!
8 While the chocolate is still warm, add two miniature chocolate chips for eyes.

These brownies go great with a glass of almond milk or cold brewed coffee. They are truly a treat for kids of all ages, especially those who enjoy their dessert with a scary movie or ghost stories by the fire.

This post has been sponsored by Califia Farms. The recipe, opinions, and unapologetic willingness to eat brownies was supplied entirely by yours truly. As always, thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Monday: Art, Pattern, and Cereal

by aunt peaches 4 Comments

Happy Monday friends! This is a the season for too-many-craft-projects-and-not-enough-timea and these patchwork pumpkins I made last year are still at the top of my list. I’m also setting up Christmas trees and planning a Turkey situation, so, let’s just say my living room looks like the Hallmark aisle exploded right now. I’m just trying to pack in as much fall as I can before it’s gone 🙂

Speaking of which…Autumn passes far too quickly – a seasonal bucket list is a superb idea!

The vibrant garage doors of Lithuania.

These knitted anatomy lessons are a whole new level of rad.

The ten year apocalypse that nearly destroyed the Midwest.

What does Fukushima look like three years after the disaster? Whoa.

I am BONKERS for these memphis art plates.

Weirdest Instagram feed I have followed in a while: Sad Topographies. Names of sad/depressing places you can find on Google maps.

Some serious office envy going on right now.

And I’m loving on these brush stroke storage boxes too. Can someone start a Tumblr called ‘storage porn’ and fill it with pretty ways to hide stuff? Yeah. That’d be good.

Never in my life would I think a bowl of cereal would make a cute costume. Holy cats!

Do you ever find yourself falling asleep and then you suddenly jerk like you are falling off a cliff? I do this ALL THE TIME.

Good news: Prancersize might actually work.

I Wallpapered the Desk

by aunt peaches 28 Comments

Well folks, the day is here! I have been in my new studio for a month and absolutley itching to show you guys what it looks like inside, but I couldn’t. I mean, I wanted to, but I didn’t. This is like that time my parents hired a cowboy to come to my birthday party and told me not to tell anyone so he could ride in as a surprise SO OF COURSE I TOLD EVERYONE and then when he rode in the oomph factor was gone. No oomph whatsoever. Also, “the cowboy” wasn’t a cowboy it was my dad’s friend Bob wearing a white stetson hat, and the “the ride” was a Toyota Celica with a horse poster taped to the side. But I digress. My point is here I didn’t want to build this up and not deliver…but whoa!

You guys. This desk delivers.

THIS DESK.

Yeah. Let’s talk about this desk!

The budget for this room was non-existent. This whole rental thing is new to me and I told myself to prioritize function, only buy what I absolutely need, then ‘shop the house’ for anything else. Well, I needed a desk (actually, a couple of desks…)and as luck would have it, the former tenant left behind an enormous L shaped desk. Super functional, super ugly. Don’t get me wrong – there is nothing wrong with faux wood laminate, but there is nothing right with it either. And it’s just not a good neutral surface for making stuff, you know?

So I called a charitable organization to come and pick it up, but there was a four week wait. I went ahead and decided if I was going to live with it for four weeks, I could jazz it up and live with it for good. So I got my drill out and unbolted the underbelly, split the L shape in two, then thanks to Kathryn’s suggestion on Instagram, I reached out to Chasing Paper to see about covering it up in style. Removable wallpaper FTW!

If you have been following my blog for a while you know I am a long-time fan of Chasing Paper’s removable wallpaper. I used it to cover my fridge the first time and the second time, and this summer I used it to create an accent wall in my bedroom in under and hour. Love this stuff! So when I saw that one my favorite artists, Lisa Congdon, partnered with Chasing Paper to create a line of traffic-stoppingly-cool new patterns, I was smitten. This needed to happen!

Oh man are these cool. I’m tempted to call them 70s Folksy San Francisco-Scandanavian looking but if you know Lisa’s work they are really Lisa looking, which is why I love them. If you are not familiar with her work, check out her shop, or even better – take art lessons from her over on Creative Bug.

Speaking of lessons, let me show you how easy this was…

BAM. Peel and stick, baby. Peel and stick! No glue. No special tools. Just the paper and box cutter.

It took about two hours by myself. I used 8 sheets, but I probably could have done it in less if I had not matched seams or covered the inner side walls. This desk has more angles and edges than my previous projects so I was a little concerned, but it was super easy. Just stick it down and smooth it out. Larger patterns like this are surprisingly forgiving, and even on the underside where I gave up on trying to match seams, it still looks terrific!

This particular pattern screams COLORING BOOK (and you know I love a good coloring book). Think I’m going to start with the inside panels and see if it grows from there. I like the idea of keeping a cool/neutral/black/white background for more colorful painting and craft projects, but I also like the idea of it becoming colored with time. Speaking of which, in case you are curious, the flat surface on top is already stain and water resistant. The paper is almost like a lightweight vinyl. Water beads up on top – it does not soak in on contact. It’s not plastic like oil cloth, but I have gotten some paint smudges on it in the past month and they wipe right off if I get in a timely manner. The paper is not created to be a flat work surface, but by golly it’s doing the job just fine.

This is my view to the front. Not too shabby…

Oh, and did I mention there is a fireplace?

This wallpaper looks real good with a fireplace.

There are still plenty of improvements I’d like to make, starting with that ceiling fan (not a fan) (no pun intended)) and I’d like to get a more substantial work chair for me (I’m trolling Craigslist for a wingback with roller feet) and some more comfortable guest chairs than these red aluminum castoffs from my dining room days of yore. The red chairs are cute, but some very important people are going to sit in here and I’d like them to be comfortable.

Yes, Abraham. You are a very important person and you deserve more comfortable chairs. Patience!

The rest of the room is an undulating work surface or flowers and stripes and glitter and whatever else the day has in store. The Christmas workshop situation is about to explode up in here and I’m excited to see it happen. My hope it that it will be as beautiful as it is functional and this desk is the anchor piece to it all!

– Thank you so much to Elizabeth at Chasing Paper for making another one of my removable wallpaper dreams come true (she is the bestest!)

– Thank you to Lisa for designing this beautiful design which will become the visual soundtrack to many new creative adventures.

– Thank you to Kathryn for giving me the idea in the first place.

– Thank you to the doctor lady who used to rent this space and left behind a massive desk in need of a makeover.

– And thank you to YOU for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

Visit Chasing Paper online, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

Sparkle Tooth: DIY Rhinestone Pumpkin

by aunt peaches 3 Comments

There are people who believe Halloween is a holiday best reserved for all things spooky, scary, and tastefully decrepit. And then there are those of us who know Halloween to be a holiday for the weird, the rain bowed, and the rhinestoned.

Can you guess which side I am on? If you too share a love of all that is glitzy and glamofied, you are going to want to see this post I wrote for Etsy yesterday. This version features a pumpkin with rhinestones, but honestly, you could use this formula to imbed beads or buttons or anything your sparkle tooth desires. You could even incorporate all the old junk-a-thunk jewelry bits you have been collecting in a cloudy ziplock bag in the back of your sock drawer. You know the one.

Go one now. Get your pumpkin on!

Upcycled Halloween Lanterns

by aunt peaches 2 Comments

As much as I love Halloween, I’m not crazy about it being such a one-and-done holiday, you know? So much time and money spent on things that are gone in no time…

Costumes – worn once.  Trick-or-Treat candy – gone by November.  Pumpkins – half-rotten before the big night is over.

Wouldn’t it be nifty if you could add to the festiveness without spending much money, using items on hand, and save your results for years to come? Wouldn’t it be neat to use a little upcycling to make a big impact?

Yep. Thought so…

You will not believe how cute these lanterns are in person! I’m going to line them up in my window all month then bring them out to the front porch to keep me company while handing out candy on the 31st. They are easy, mostly-kid-friendly, and I didn’t even have to go out and buy special materials. There is one special ingredient here: a gourd shaped bottle, and this one from Califia Farms could not be more ideal!

Materials

–Califia Farms beverage bottles. The label here says orange juice but it is already looking like a pumpkin, no? They also make some delicious flavors you may have never heard of before like mango chili lime, pineapple ginger, and strawberry basil.
-Twinkle lights. LED lights are great because they do not generate heat, but you can use whatever leftover holiday lights you have on hand (see instructions).  -Paint. Basic acrylic craft paint, although, you could layer up something interesting with watercolor if you like.
– Paint brush.
– Black construction paper.
– Pen knife or box cutter.
– Scissors

Instructions
1. After washing the empty bottle, peel off the outer label and paint your favorite colors. I kept the colors basic greens and orange, but if you are working with munchkins, this would be a great opportunity to let them take the lead. Who says a witch has to be green? I hear pink and brown witches are very on trend!

2. While the bottles are drying, cut out Halloween face shapes and adhere to one side with regular white glue (click here if you would like to use my template for a jack-o-Lantern, scary witch, and Frankenstein monster).

3. Use a pen knife to cut a 2” slot in the back of the bottle. If you are not using LED lights, cut the whole a little larger to make sure any heat can safely escape.

4. Insert 10”-20” of the twinkle lights inside the bottle. You can light up multiple bottles on a single string, or designate a short strand for each creature.

If you are feeling extra creative you can add a simple witch hat…

But I also like the way the color caps look. Orange and green feel festive even with the lights off!

Happy Halloween!

This post is sponsored by Califia Farms but all opinions expressed within are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this site possible!

Main navigation

Archives for October 2015