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Friday’s Fabulous Five

January 3, 2014

Starting the year organized and on schedule with a round up of some fabulous free printable calendars.

Peach and Black Patterns
Wrap Around Calendar

Gemstone Calendar
Framable Calendar
January Calendar
I spent most of yesterday taking down and packing up Christmas decorations.  It’s sad to say good bye to the tree, but now my house looks so clutter free and clean.  There’s something really refreshing about that.  Lonnie spend his day out in the garage organizing all our junk.  I have a trunk full of treasures to take to Goodwill.  Simplifying is happening here this week.  

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Simplify – A Theme for 2014

I’ve been thinking a lot about how I want to tackle 2014.  I like challenges and learning new things and I’m sure there will be lots of these opportunities.  But, I decided I’d like a theme for the year instead of a list of resolutions.  My 2014 life theme will be Simplify.

This is not a new idea to our family, Lonnie and I have strived to live a simplified life for years.  Less is definitely more.  I want to stream line my life so that I have more quality time with my kids, hubby, family, friends, church community, and Jesus.  I’m going to be seeking ways to live a simple and efficient life.  I want less clutter in my home, spend less on things, and waste less time on meaningless activities. I hope you’ll join me for another year, as I share my Simple California Life (but, hopefully even more simplified).

2013 was a great year for my little blog.  But, I have a feeling 2014 is going to be even better.  I’m starting the year a lot more confident and experienced.  And I’ve already seen great blessing this early in the year.  For one, I get to go to Alt Summit this month.  I’m going as Collectively‘s Correspondent.  How cool is that?

Have you set some goals and resolutions for the year?  I’d love to hear where you hope 2014 will take you.

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Top 10 Posts of 2013

January 2, 2014

I spent sometime today reflecting on blogging in 2013.  It has been my BEST year!  I’ve worked hard, and I think I’ve found my groove.  It has been my Lucky 13.  I am so grateful for all the wonderful folks that have helped me along on this bloggy journey.  My hubby and kids are the best!  The get my messes and constant projects in the works.  The even ask before they eat things, with “do you need to take a picture first mom?“.  I’m also grateful for my parents and in-laws, who might not understand what I’m doing with my time, but still show me support and comment often.  And my readers, you are so great.  Thanks for coming back daily and weekly to see what I’m up to.  
So, here’s the Top 10 for 2013!  I think we like simple DIY projects and geometric shapes best.  Is you favorite post in this list?  I’d love to know what you liked best about O+P in 2013 and what you’d like to see more of in 2014.  

Happy New Year friends!  I’ll be back tomorrow to share some of my goals and dreams for 2014.

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A Winter Trip to McCall

December 30, 2013

We just spent the weekend in McCall, Idaho with Lon’s family.  What a beautiful time spent mostly outdoors.  Lon and I went to College in Idaho, so visiting McCall takes us back to our younger years.  There was plenty of snow for lots of sledding and hikes.  And we stayed right on the Lake and enjoyed beautiful views.
If you follow my Instagram, I’m sorry for all the repeats.  I took these pictures on both my iphone and my pentax.  
It was fun for my Cali kids to have so much time out in the snow. All three of them loved being outside and didn’t complain about being cold.  Olivia actually cried when we’d bring her inside.  It’s just good for your soul to be outside.  I had a lot of fun walking and taking pictures.  
I’m getting excited for the new year.  I’m making plans and dreaming about the future.  I’ll be sharing some of my goals with you very soon.  

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Triangle Rosemary Wreath

December 27, 2013

I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of geometric shapes this season.  They are modern and fresh and add an edgy feel to my home design.  But not all geometric shapes have to be harsh and sharp edged.  For a subtle angular touch, I’m adding Triangle Rosemary Wreaths to my decor.

These easy to make wreathes not only look fabulous, but they smell divine as well.  I love the woodsy, warm smell of fresh rosemary.  I’ve hung my little wreath right by my front door, so the rich scent welcomes my guests as the enter our home.

I chose a simple triangle shape for my wreath, but these would be pretty cute as square or even better, hexagon wreathes as well.

I gathered rosemary from my garden, but this herb is easy to find at any grocery store.
Supplies:
rosemary
20 gauge floral wire
floral tape
2 18″ floral stem wire
Start by bending the two pieces of floral stem wire into a triangle shape.  I bent the ends to lock the corners together.  Then wrap the corners with floral tape to keep them in place and stable.  Using green floral wire and green tape camouflages the frame of this wreath.

Using the thin floral wire, begin wrapping the fresh rosemary to the frame. Wrap every 1″, adding another piece of rosemary each time.  Layering the rosemary will hide the wire that is holding this together.

At the corners, simply bend the rosemary and continue wrapping and layering every 1″.
The thin wire will be visible only in a few spots.
Add a festive bow to the top of the triangle.  I chose peach, it’s not so Christmassy, that you can’t keep enjoying this through the Winter season.  And I think peach and green just look so great together.  
Sometimes it’s the simplest things that are the most beautiful.  This little wreath doesn’t need any extra bells or whistles to make it better.  I hope you enjoy making these sweet little wreaths for your home.  

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Felt Triangle Tree Pendant

December 23, 2013

How can it be just days before Christmas?  This season sure has flown by.  We made it to Idaho (14 hours in the car), and the roads were snow free and safe.  There’s snow here, and the kids are having a blast building snow men and making snow forts.  Well, to be honest, I’m loving it.  I took a long work in the snow yesterday.  There’s something so satisfying about crunching through bright white snow.

I’ve got a couple more last minute decorating ideas for you.  But, they aren’t Christmas specific, I’ll be keeping these up through Winter.  This felt triangle tree pendant took about 40 minutes to make.  So, if you love it, you could still head to the fabric store today and whip one up in no time at all.
I cut isosceles triangles that are 3 inches wide and 4 inches tall out of white felt.  You’ll need 11 triangles total.  I laid them out on a piece of black felt and played around with the width and length of the pendant (mine ended up being about 26 inches long and 14 inches wide). But, depending on the size of your triangles, you could make them short and wide as well, your pendant size could also be different.  There’s no wrong way.
Once I had the pendant cut to the size I wanted, I sewed down a 2″ tube at the top for the dowel to fit into.  Then I pinned the heck out of the triangles, so they would stay put while I topped stitched them down with the sewing machine.

Happy last minute Christmas adventures.

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Friday’s Fabulous Five

December 21, 2013

Let’s try something new. Friday I’m going to share 5 fabulous ideas from the blogging world.  I’ve got some favorite blogs that you should know about as well. So, here we go! Here’s some really great ideas just in time for Christmas. 
Gemstone Ornaments
Glittered Feather Gift Tags
DIY Faceted Ornaments

Holly Gift Tags

Glittered Feather Stir Sticks
I hope you head over to their blogs and give them some comment love (and tell them you came over from O+P). 

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Tissue Paper Christmas Trees

December 20, 2013

I keep saying it, but black and white is my jam this Christmas.  I keep leaning towards a simple, almost colorless palette. I love the high contrast and dramatic effect it gives.  I whipped up a couple black and white tissue paper trees to sit on my entryway table.  I’m sharing this quick and easy craft over at Henry Happened, I hope you’ll go check it out and leave me a comment there.  
For more trees and black and white holiday decor, you might also like my garland and stamped wrapping paper or my watercolor triangle trees.  

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Presents in the Fireplace

December 19, 2013

Well, the fireplace is painted.  I decided to go all white for a non-traditional look.  I know that normally fireplaces are a darker color on the interior, but after visiting Sweden, white is the way for me.  
It’s light, bright and airy and I’m having so much fun decorating this tiny space.  This year I thought it would be fun to fill the fireplace with all our gifts.  

Wanna know more about the details?  You might like to check out the black tree garland and wrapping paper, the God Jul paper is from Sweden and the chalkboard and fun tribal paper is from target.

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DIY Plaid Cowl Neck Scarf

December 18, 2013

Need a last minute gift idea?  I’ve been a little factory the last couple of days, making plaid cowl neck scarves like crazy.  All the special ladies in my life are getting these beauties for Christmas this year.  Friends, sister-in-laws, nieces and teachers are all getting one.  In the last few days, I’ve made 32 of these bad boys, they’re that easy and quick to make.  
I’m really excited to share this little DIY with you.  It’s one of those craft/sewing projects that I’ve had on my to-do list for quite awhile now.  There’s a lot of really cute flannel plaids out there, and it’s really an inexpensive, yet totally comfy fabric.  I’ve figured out some simple measurements for 3 different sized scarves for you.  And, I took a tone of step-by-step pictures to make this as easy to follow as possible.  

Here’s how much fabric you’ll need to each scarf:

Adult – 36″ by 21″
Child – 26″ by 21″
Baby/Toddler – 24″ by 16″

I based this pattern on just a yard of fabric.  You can make 2 adult sized scarves with just one yard of 42″ wide flannel plaid cut in half.

Start by folding right sides together the length of the fabric.  Sew the length of the scarf with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Turn the scarf right side out.

Lay the scarf flat and find the middle of the scarf directly opposite the seam on one end of the scarf.  

Match the middle point that you found on the one end of the scarf with the seam on the other end of the scarf.  You are going to sew a tube, but by not just matching the seams to each other, the scarf will have a natural twist in it.

Pin the good sides together all the way around the scarf.

As you pin, you will tuck the scarf into self.

Sew all the way around leaving a 2″ opening.
Turn the scarf right side out.

Pin the opening closed.  
And then simply top stitch the opening closed.  With all the folds and twists in the scarf, this small seam will be hardly noticeable.  But, if you are fancy like that, go ahead and hand stitch it closed.
How simple is that?  I think it would be fun to make one twice as long for an infinitely scarf that could be wrapped around your neck a couple times.  That will be my next sewing adventure!