Category Archives: Projects

DIY Inspiration Books

05 Tuesday Mar 2013

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Tears1 Tears2 Tears3 Tears8 Tears5 Tears6 Tears7 Tears4
I love Pinterest.  It is a guilty pleasure of mine that I admittedly don’t have enough time for.  (Here are my sparse Pinterest boards).  As much as I love the online version, I cannot let go of good old-fashioned magazine tears.  I love the tactile quality of ripping out pages and I love cutting out and collaging the images together.  I collect photos from the pages of Martha Stewart Living, Country Living, Anthropologie catalogs, Domino, Blue Print, Martha Stewart Weddings, etc. etc and paste them into large blank sketch journals.   I think my idea for these books came from the amazingly obsessive collections made by my great-grandmother.  (I will post on Gram’s books soon).  I have used the images from my books as inspiration boards when I worked in fashion, as reminders of how I want our home to look when going out to a flea market,  and as idea pages for styling work.  But most of the time I just enjoy flipping through the pictures and getting inspired.

*Sorry for my lack of image credits above.  Unlike with Pinterest, I don’t keep my sources credited in my books.  I will be happy to credit any images if you drop me an email!*

Happy collecting!

DIY Child’s Smock Dress

04 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by in Projects, Vintage

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DoggyDress
This smock dress is a variation on a vintage McCall’s pattern, #3470 from 1972.  I have had this dog print fabric for years and finally made it into a dress for Josie’s birthday last week.  (The dress was immediately trumped by Daddy’s gift of green pjs from Baby Gap).  Josie is at the age when a dog spotted on the sidewalk is extremely exciting, so I am hoping she will like the dress more as she grows into it.  The pattern is fairly easy and includes variations with pants and a jumper top with short ruffle sleeves.  (See our version of the ruffle sleeve dress here).  I love the short smock dress because it can be worn as a dress and then a top as the girls grow.  You can find your own pattern #3470 here, or search Etsy for other vintage patterns.

Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

27 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Party!, Projects

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CherryIceCreamJosie turns two tomorrow (!) and we came up with this Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe for her party.  I was dreaming of cherry ice cream this year, even though we are months from seasonal cherries.  We ended up using frozen cherries and changing up Ina Garten’s Vanilla Ice Cream recipe.  We added almond extract and concentrated black cherry juice to make the flavor more intense and the results were pretty yummy,  if I do say so myself.  Josie just saw the ice cream photo on my screen and begged for more ice cream for breakfast.  Success.  To make your own Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream you will need:

*Ice Cream Maker

*3 Cups of Good Quality Heavy Cream (The quality makes all the difference!)

*2/3 Cups + 1 Tablespoon Sugar

*1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

*3/4 Teaspoon Almond Extract

*One Vanilla Bean

*Two 12 Oz Packs of Unsweetened Frozen Cherries

*4-5 Tablespoons Black Cherry Juice Concentrate (We used this from Dynamic Health.  You could also cook down unsweetened cherry juice)

1. Heat cream, sugar, vanilla, scraped seeds from vanilla bean and empty seed pod in saucepan until sugar dissolves.  Place mixture in refrigerator to cool.

2. Pour the frozen cherries into a deep sauté pan and cook down over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring often.  The cherries will release a lot of liquid at first and then begin to look more gel-like.  When liquid seems to be thickening, add cherry concentrate, almond extract and tablespoon of sugar.  Cook a few more minutes until mixture resembles loose jam.

3. Place mixture in refrigerator to cool.

4. After an hour add cream and cherry mixture together, put into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions.

5. Allow ice cream to chill in freezer when complete and soften slightly before serving.

Enjoy!

IceCream2

Still Life

25 Monday Feb 2013

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APaperwhite
Ada came home from school the other day with this card and I fell in love with the drawing.  The kids made them by drawing a paperwhite plant which was growing in the classroom.  The initial drawing was made with crayon and then painted with a wash of watercolor to make the colors pop.  Do you remember making those?  It always seemed like some kind of magic to watch my crayon marks emerge from under wet paint, brighter than when I had first laid them down.  This drawing is one of those art projects that I will carefully save away in Ada’s art folder. (Unlike much of the paper that she comes home, which I save for a little while and then recycle when she has forgotten them).  I think this is the first drawing she has made from careful observation.  I love that she drew all the parts of the plant- leaves, bulb, tiny roots and open flowers.  It is exciting to watch her art projects change as she grows older.  Proud Mama.

DIY Felt Magnet Alphabet Gift

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

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Alphabet1Alphabet2Alphabet3Alphabet4

I posted directions to make these Felt Alphabet Magnets a few months ago.  Ada has used her set on our fridge since she was first learning her letters.  I wanted to make an alphabet set as a gift for my niece, but wasn’t sure how they would look when they arrived through the mail.  (The magnets are really strong and they tend to stick together when they get the chance).  I decided to stitch the letters down to some card stock and then layer the sheets with tissue paper inside a box.  To make your own Felt Alphabet Magnet Gift you will need to:

1. Follow directions here to make alphabet letters

2. Cut card stock to fit snuggly inside box

3. Using thin thread and a needle, stitch up through the back of card stock. Catch the bottom of a felt letter and stitch it down, being careful not to poke through the top of the letter.  We used 2-3 stitches per letter to hold in place.

4. Place down your next letter and repeat.

5. When all letters are secure tie off thread.

6. Place tissue paper in box and layer card stock with letters in alphabetical order from the top down.

7. Fold tissue over the top of the letters and wrap up the box.

Here are some other felt projects you may enjoy:

Heart1

Raindrops5

Fish6

Our Etsy Shop is Open!

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Our Etsy Store, Party!, Projects, Shop, Vintage

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EtsyBanner2Our Etsy shop is open!  We have been working hard to get the final details finished and I am happy to say we are open for business.  You can find our Headband Feather Crowns at http://www.etsy.com/shop/jeannerondeau.  The crowns are made in adult and kids’ sizes and my girls like to wear them for dress-up.  All of the pieces are made by hand using vintage fabrics, beads and sequins and each crown is one-of-a-kind.  We also do custom work.  We will continue to add more items to the shop, so please visit us often!
 
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Crayons For Little Hands

11 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in Organizing, Projects, Shop

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CrayonsThere is nothing quite as perfect as a pristine box of Crayolas, but little hands tend to snap the thin crayons quickly.  Josie will sit for an hour peeling the paper wrappers off of Ada’s crayons, (thus instigating a big fight).  This is our little kid crayon box – the shapes and sizes work better for smaller hands and they are all less breakable than the classics.

*Crayon Rings  ($5.99 for 6)

*Short Crayons (Similar to ours – $5.99 for 12)

*Stubby Crayons (Similar to ours – $7.99 for 18)

*Animal Crayons ($11.49 for 12)

*Crayon Necklace ($10.50)

*You may also like these kid art supply posts:


Ada'sSketchBookClayBeads3TapeHouse1

DIY Framed Crayon Heart Valentine

07 Thursday Feb 2013

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CrayonHeart1CrayonHeart2CrayonHeart3CrayonHeart4CrayonHeart6CrayonHeart5This Framed Crayon Heart Valentine starts out with some good old-fashioned scribbling.  The kids, (or adults) can be as messy as they want with the coloring and the frame will contain and define the heart shape.  To make your own Framed Crayon Heart Valentine you will need:

*Crayons in Reds and Pinks

*Card Stock

*Exact-o Knife or Sharp Scissors

*Double-Stick Tape

*Thin Black Marker

1. Cut two pieces of card stock- one to form the card and the other slightly smaller than one side of the folded card.

2. Color one side of the smaller card stock making sure you go all the way to the edges.

3. Fold card in half and draw a heart on the inside front fold.

4. Using an Exact-o or scissors, cut out the heart shape.

5. On the outside of the card draw designs around the heart frame as shown.

6. Place double-stick tape along the inside of the card, around the heart shape.

7. Tape the colored card stock inside card, with coloring facing out through the heart frame.

8. Write your message inside card, place in the envelope and pop in the mail.

*One more week till V-day! XO

DIY Conversation Heart Flower Valentine

06 Wednesday Feb 2013

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ConvoFlower1ConvoFlower2 ConvoFlower3Conversation Hearts are some of my favorite Valentine’s Day candies.  Choosing the perfect message for someone took up a lot of our time back in grade school around this time of year.  This simple card is made using Conversation Hearts and tiny flowers.  To make your own Conversation Heart Flower Valentine you will need:

*Card Stock

*Envelope

*Conversation Hearts

*Small Flowers

*Pen

*Green Paper

*Craft Glue

*Double-Stick Tape

1. Cut out two rectangles from the card stock, one slightly larger than the other.  These will make the frame for the flowers.

2. Double-stick tape the frames, one inside and on top of the other.  Center frame on card and stick down.

3. Put thin strips of double-stick tape on green paper and cut out leaf shapes.  Pull tape backing from leaves and stick onto frame.

4. Draw stems.

5. Using craft glue, stick on heart and flowers.

6. Allow to dry completely before placing in envelope.

*The bulk of the Conversation Hearts make this card difficult to mail.  It is best delivered by hand.

DIY String of Hearts Valentine

05 Tuesday Feb 2013

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HeartString1BHeartString2HeartString3HeartString4HeartString5HeartString6HeartString8This glittery valentine is easy to make and folds flat for mailing.  To make your own String of Hearts Valentine you will need:

*Card Stock

*Scissors

*Hole Punch

*Craft Glue

*Soft Paintbrush

*Wax Paper

*Glitter in Red, White and Pinks

*Twine

*Envelope

*Washi Tape (Optional)

*Permanent Pen (Optional for note writing)

1. Make heart pattern by folding card stock in half, drawing half a heart with center along crease and cutting out with scissors. Make three sizes of hearts, trace onto card stock and cut out.

2. Punch holes in all hearts.

3. Lay hearts out on layer of wax paper.

4. Squirt a layer of glue onto one side of each heart and spread evenly with paintbrush.  Be sure to go all the way to the edges.

5. Generously sprinkle a layer of glitter on to each heart and allow glue to dry, (about an hour).  Hearts may bow with glue moisture, but they will flatten after you glitter both sides.

6. Shake off excess glitter and repeat steps 3-5 for the other side of hearts.  (Extra glitter can be put back into containers at the end by folding wax paper in half and carefully shaking glitter back into jars).

7. Tie dried hearts on to twine. 

8. If you are writing a message, fold washi tape in half along twine and stick back on to itself.  Cut ends in flag shapes as shown and write your note along the tape pieces.  (We wrote ‘Sending Lots of Love!’).

9. Carefully fold up hearts along string to fit inside card, place in envelope and send off to your valentine.

XOXO