Category Archives: Likes

Farmer’s Market Bridal Bouquets

16 Monday Jul 2012

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I got to make the bridal bouquets for our friends’ wedding last week.  We found great seasonal flowers at the Union Square Greenmarket in Manhattan.  (My favorites were sweet pea from Dutchmill Garden out of Newfield, NJ and the globe thistle from The River Garden from Catskill, NY).  It was such a treat walking around the market in the early morning and the bees were as excited about the flowers as I was.  I used to do flowers for weddings and I forgot how much I miss it!  Kristin and Linsey’s weding was a beautiful and rustic affair at the Green Building in Brooklyn.  The farm flowers went right along with the homemade pickles and vintage napkins.  Such a lovely night!

To get the longest life from your market flowers be sure to:

*Cut the stems and place in water as soon as you get them home.  Add packets of flower food if you have it.

*Strip leaves off of stems that will be submerged.  Leaves will turn the water rancid quickly.

*Wire any heavy-headed blooms in a bouquet to keep from drooping.

*Change water frequently, and recut stems every few days.

*Keep blooms out of direct sunlight.  They will last longer in a cooler room.

*If you want flowers to open quickly, place them in warm water.

*Avoid refrigerating flowers with produce.  Gasses from fruit and veggies will make flowers open and wilt quickly.

Enjoy the summer blooms!

Inspiration

13 Friday Jul 2012

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Instagrams from the week:

*Sweet Pea at the Union Square Greenmarket

*Reception dinner at the Green Building

*Berries at the market

*Dancing with Uncle Frank

*Bee on the cut sunflowers

*Love

Have a wonderful weekend!

Vintage Planter Baby Gift

12 Thursday Jul 2012

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This sweet little elephant vase was one the favorite gifts we were given when Ada was born.  (Thanks Aunt Marissa!)  Ada gets her own stem for it whenever we buy flowers.  You can find your own planter on Ebay or Etsy.  They are inexpensive and great to have on hand as gifts for new babies.

DIY Ikea Fabric Teepee Tent

09 Monday Jul 2012

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I made this teepee for Ada when she was little,  (although I think technically Santa gets the credit).  She and Josie have been using it to play at camping in their room together lately.  Our teepee is based loosely off of this pattern by Sew Mama Sew.  Ikea has lots of inexpensive upholstery fabric in bold patterns and the stiffness of the fabric is perfect for keeping tent sides straight.  To make a tent similar to ours, you will need:

*3 Yards of Stiff Fabric.  (We used this Ikea version)

*5 Wooden Broom Handles

*5 Rubber Chair Stoppers

*Leather Lacing or Strong Twine

*7-9 Large Wooden Beads (Ours are 3/4″)

*Scissors

*Drill

*2 Large Buttons Optional (We used these at the top of our tent to button fabric around poles)

*Sewing Machine Optional (We hemmed our edges, but the above pattern is all done with grommets)

1. Follow pattern and cut as shown here at Sew Mama Sew.  Adjust length – longer if you plan to hem fabric as we did, or shorter for shorter poles.

2. I added two button holes and ties at the top of our teepee to tie around the poles.  (Sew Mama Sew uses smaller bamboo poles and plastic rings to attach fabric to poles).  Ties made from our fabric scraps are stitched inside our tent secure the fabric to poles.  We can adjust our ties to have the tent stay open or closed.  I like having ties rather than fixing fabric permanently to the poles for ease of washing.

3. Drill 1/4″ holes 4″ down from the top through each broom handle.  Attach rubber stoppers to the bottom of each pole.

4. Thread lacing through bead, pole, bead, pole until all poles are used.  There should be one bead between each pole as shown.  These will help keep poles in place when the tent is set up.  Pull the the lacing to pick up slack and tie knot.  We added beads at the bottom of each tie for decoration.

5. Spread the tent poles out, fanning out with even space between each one.

6. Drape fabric over poles, secure ties and buttons if you have them.

7. Break out the s’mores!

*Acorn Toys in Brooklyn has a beautiful version here if you prefer buy to DIY*

Apartment Therapy Features Clementine

05 Thursday Jul 2012

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We are excited to say that one of my favorite blogs, Apartment Therapy Family has featured Clementine’s Orange and Yellow Party in it’s Best Kid Parties today!  Thanks Apartment Therapy!

DIY Knitted Ice Cream

02 Monday Jul 2012

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Knitted cones from a free pattern at I Like Lemons.  I made these for my niece last year and used scrap yarns and seed beads.  They take only a couple of hours each, or less if you aren’t having to rewind skeins from toddler hands.  I always get the urge to knit during the hottest months, but luckily this project inspired some taste-testing to get the colors right.  I Like Lemons seems to have ended her posts, but there are more cute free patterns in the archives.  Her Olive and Ball projects are pretty amazing.  Etsy has a variety of knitted foods here if you would prefer to buy instead of knit.

DIY Fireworks on a Stick

28 Thursday Jun 2012

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My in-laws take Forth of July fireworks very seriously.  They even own a mini cannon that gets set off when the sun goes down.  I wanted to make some safe fireworks for the girls to run around with in the back yard.  These are made using a variation of The Sweetest Occasion’s Tissue Paper Tassel pattern and a wooden dowel.  The tissue paper fireworks make a nice hissing sound when shaken, cost us under $1 each to make,  and are legal in all 50 states.  To make your own you will need:

*Tissue Paper

*Wooden Dowel (ours are 36″ long and 3/8″ thick)

*Twine

*Tape

*Scissors

1. Layer a variety of colored tissue paper in a stack.  (Our large pink firework has 8 sheets, the green has 5 and the striped tissue is made from 2 pieces on each tassel). Play around with the colors and sizes you like.  The more sheets you add  the heavier the firework will be, so be sure not to outweigh the strength of your dowel.

2. Follow these directions to make each tassel, (Thank you TheSweetestOccasion). We used one tassel per dowel for the larger number of layers and two on the striped fireworks’ dowel.

3. Once each tassel is made tie twine around the neck of the twist for extra stength.

4. Loop a piece of twine through the hole and tie a knot in the center around tissue.  On each end of twine make another double knot.  This will prevent twine from slipping out from under the tape when shaken. (We used a thinner twine and layered it for strength.  If you have a thicker twine one piece will be fine).

5. Tape twine to dowel above knots as shown.  Be sure tape is tight and wrap around a few layers.

6. Let the celebration begin!

Renegade Booth Inspiration

26 Tuesday Jun 2012

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Thank you to all of you who stopped by our booth this past weekend!  (This post was meant to go out yesterday, but a lightning storm left us technology-free for the day).  Marissa, Marla and I had a nice break from the kids and got to meet some new faces at Renegade.  Here are some Instagrams from our booth:

*Letterpress business cards, printed by Woodside Press.  I love this place.  They are located in a cool old warehouse building in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and their space is full of huge old presses and pretty amazing views of the city.  I water-colored the card edges after they came off the press.

*Our table set up.  We used Instagrams of the girls modeling product and then had stickers made by Art Flakes.  The blocks were cut from a long board and stickers applied.  They stood up well to the bright sun and were a big hit with the crowd.

*My crowns on shelves made by Chris.  I am setting up an Etsy store soon, but feel free to email me if you are interested in purchasing.

*Laser cut sign.  Similar work can be gotten here.

*Marissa’s beautiful Soor Ploom clothes.  Purchases may be made on her site.

*Table Top.

*Table Top.

*Tassels that blew in the wind on the front of our booth.

Come visit us at the Renegade Craft Fair!

22 Friday Jun 2012

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We are excited to be part of this year’s
 Renegade Craft Fair!  The fair is this weekend – Saturday and Sunday, June 23rd and 24th, in Williamsburg’s East River Park, directly adjacent to the Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea. We will be there from 11 AM until 7 PM, near the entrance at booth No. 12. We hope to see you!

Soor Ploom:
Our clothing is for babies and toddlers, ranging from 6 months to 4 years. Each of our fabrics are hand-selected for quality and style. They include soft linens, fine cottons, and unique blends with silk. Made in Brooklyn, the quality and construction of the clothing is impeccable, and methods of manufacturing are sustainable. The collection is classic and simple, basic but not ordinary.

Jeanne Rondeau:
Jeanne Rondeau’s headband crowns are made by hand in Brooklyn and incorporate vintage fabrics, beads, sequins and feathers. They are special enough for a wedding or party and comfortable enough for everyday play. Each piece carefully crafted and one of a kind.  The crowns make a beautiful addition to a child’s costume collection and also come in adult sizes.

Magic Bubble Bear

21 Thursday Jun 2012

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I had a Magic Bubble Bear when I was a kid.  I remember running around the yard with my sisters while trying to blow as many bubbles as we could and not hyperventilate.  We had a blue, yellow and red version.  The Magic Bears are perfect for kids who don’t like sticky bubble fingers and can’t quite hold a wand at the right angle.  The wand pops up from the bear’s head when his tummy is gently squeezed.  Pustefix makes the best bubble solution and their iconic packaging still carries the 1940’s trademark bear.  I had forgotten all about them until I found this one at Pomme, one of our favorite shops in Dumbo.  At under $10, Magic Bubble Bears make great favors at a child’s birthday party.  Hooray for bubble weather!