Category Archives: DIY

Design / DIY / etc.

Land of Nod Store Window and Event

August 15, 2014

Last week was slightly busy.  I had the privilege of getting to do two really fun things.  The first was I got to install a whole window display in the South Coast Plaza Land of Nod store!!!  Danielle, the Land of Nod’s fearless creative director, allowed me this huge opportunity.  I kept it simple and clean to let the colors and shapes play.  It’s really better in person, the twigs are constantly moving and rotating slowly. You guys, this was so much fun.  Creative freedom and a place to share it, can I do this everyday? Please….

Ummm, yep, that’s my little blog name in a Land of Nod store window.  Pretty crazy exciting.  

 
I pulled a couple Nod products from the store to finish off the space, a little Nod teepee (of course)  with a couple fabulous pillows and a neon pink squirrel.

Denali straightening a couple things for me.

The second fun project was that I hosted a Craft Event at the South Coast Plaza Nod store. Kiddos and their parents came and made their own versions of yarn art pieces.  It was a lot of fun.  It was nice to take the crafts out of the blog and into real life.  There was kids and yarn everywhere, fun chaos.

Olivia hard at work.
Dylan helping me out.
The window display will be up till September 8th, so if you are in the area, please check it out.  

DIY / etc.

60s Themed Birthday Party

August 14, 2014

A couple weeks ago we celebrated my mom’s 60th birthday with a 60s themed party.  My mom is the queen of entertaining and making fabulous meals for crowds.  She has a generous heart and serves her community and family all the time.  She deserved to be spoiled and honored.  We had the party on the front porch and lawn of my parent’s gorgeous Northern California home.  
In the 60s tradition, I served fondue for the meal.  We had traditional Swiss and white wine fondue and a spicy bacon chipolte fondue with lots of yum veggies, breads and meat to dip.  And for dessert, there was more fondue, Chocolate and also a peanut butter fondue with homemade vanilla bean and blackberry marshmallows, brownies, cake, and and lots of fruit.
We also dressed in period clothing and did a murder mystery throughout the evening.  The characters and costumes were very entertaining.  

60 looks pretty darn good!
For the table decor, I placed air plants in hot pink sand on some simple squares of fabric that I tie dyed in green. 

Do you think these two enjoyed the chocolate fondue?

All the gorgeous paper products came for Party Pail.  This is my new favorite go-to party supply store for all the basics.  I chose Hot Magenta Pink and Emerald Green for the party palette. 

Lots of fun sodas from World Market.  I bought everything they had in green and pink.  I think I had about 15 different flavors for the guests to choose from.

Yes, this girl enjoyed herself.

Some of the crazy cast from the murder mystery.
Using green chevron treat cups from Party Pail, I made a quick and easy set of party string lights.

You will need as many treat cups as there is lights on your string.  Mine had 24.  Turn the cups over and cut an X in the middle of the cup with an x-acto knife. Then bend the pieces into the bowl.  Remove the bulb from the string and fit the base into the cup, then put the bulb back in.  So simple, but a whole bunch of festive fun.

All paper party products were provided by Paper Pail. 

DIY / etc.

You + Me Printable Poster

August 1, 2014

Happy Friday friends!  I’ve got a free printable for you today.  This poster has been sitting on my desk top for almost 6 months.  I finally went to Fedex Office and had it printed this week.  It’s simple and clean, and just the change I was looking for.  I had a scripture print in this 18×24″ frame, but I was ready for something new in my bedroom.  I love this blocky lettering, you’ve seen it before in my Valentine’s and on the girl’s Sister’s Banner.

You guys, this is cheap decor.  It only cost $2.25 to print this bad boy.  Since mine was going in a frame, I just had it printed on regular paper, but Fedex Office (Kinkos) will print on card stock as well.

Click here to download your own copy of this 18×24″ print.  Feel free to pin it and share it with your friends.  Have a great weekend! 

This is intended for personal use only.

Design / DIY / etc.

Coral and Kelly Green Home Office – Furniture Fixes

July 9, 2014

Ok, here’s more of the Coral and Kelly Green Home Office.  These two pieces of furniture are what anchored my color scheme.  Both were well loved pieces that needed some TLC.  And yes, I spray painted both the chair and the desk to get this great look.  Although both of the desk and the chair were wood, I used my How to Paint Laminate Furniture technique to refinish both of these.  

Let’s start with the desk.  I found this beauty on Craigslist, but about a 2 hour drive away.  That didn’t stop me, Olivia and I hoped in the car and make the trek.  Some of you might be wondering we I would paint such beautiful wood desk.  Well, it was a struggle for me to make the decision.  I even considered just painting part of it and leaving the rest it’s natural wood.  But, the truth is, it was in pretty rough condition and I would have had to refinish it, so I decided to take the risk and paint it coral.  I’m so glad I did.  I love this desk.  It is sooo heavy and well made and has an amazing shape.  It is perfect for the space.

Before
After

This is me trying to decide if the drawers could just be painted.  I decided that there wasn’t enough color contrast between the coral and the wood color for it to work.
I kept all the original hardware.  I love the little brass trim piece around the bottom of the dresser.

And I found the perfect chair at Homegoods for this little desk.  

The side chair I found in an antique mall.  I paid only $20 for this sturdy little school chair.  My client is a teacher and so I felt that this chair would be so appropriate.  It had a great shape, but is was rough.  I think everyone that had ever sat in it had carved their name into it.  But, with some good sanding, primer and a few coats of paint, this is one of my favorite things in the whole office.

After
Before
See what I mean about the shape?  It’s such a good looking chair. 

I really enjoy giving furniture a whole new look.  And with spray paint, you can have results in just a day.  You’ve probably seen this color scheme appear on my blog a lot lately.  I can’t get enough of it.  

DIY / etc.

DIY Yarn Art

May 6, 2014

A lot of what I make and do, is really simple, easy peasy stuff. This is definitely one of those crafts.  But, man did I have fun making this one. From getting to pick out colors, to cutting and stringing the yarn, it was all enjoyment. It was relatively quick to make and adds big color and impact to a wall with very little cost.

I’m so in love with all the great macrame projects and fiber weaving out there lately. I’m sure you’ve seen Mandi’s (of Vintage Revivals) macrame head board and all of Rachel’s (of Smile and Wave) weaving projects on her instagram and pinterest.  And when we were at the Fig House for Oh Joy for The Land of Nod launch party, I was so inspired by the gorgeous art in that place. I was especially in love with the String Sculptures by Nike Schroeder. So this is my dummies version. Yarn Art is kind of a fancy name, but I’m not sure what else to call it.
This is so simple to do.  Start with a twig, branch or just a piece of dowel.  Hang it from a wall so that you are working with gravity. Cut lengths of yarn twice as long as you’d like your piece to be. Then fold the piece of yarn in half and place the folded end over the twig towards the front.  Pass the ends of the yarn through the loop and then pull tight (see images below). Slide each length of yarn right up against the last one, leaving no gaps. 
When you have all the yarn on your branch, then you can play with trimming the bottom.  I decided, an asymmetrical angle would be fun.  But, a V or W or curve would all look great as well.  I cut a paper template, then held it up the the bottom on the yarn piece while I was cutting.  It was nice to have a guide.  The bottom of mine is far from perfectly straight.  Some of the yarn wanted to spring back up, or had stretched out.  I’m totally ok with this though, I’ll probably give it another trim in a couple days, after it’s hung for a little while longer. 
I used a mixture of different yarns. The dark green was a 100% cotton yarn and hung the nicest, because of it’s weight.  The others were chosen for their color and are mostly polyester blends. This piece is not staying on this wall, but when I do install it, I want to hang it without a string.  I’m going to try to drill through each end of the branch and attach it to the wall with plugs.  The branch has a natural curve in it, so the yarn will hang away from the wall.  

DIY / etc.

Cross Stitch Heart in Wood

February 10, 2014

This was fun to make!  I got a little power tool action in and I got to use my neon cord again.  This little project is a continuation of my cross stitch heart theme (remember the framed piece and then vinyl wall version). I love this mix of wood and neon pink, it’s such a playful combination.
If you pre-drilled all the holes for this project, kids would sure have fun making this giant cross stitch.

Supplies:
a wood slab with bark attached (I got mine at Michaels)
neon cord (like this)
2 feet of leather cord
drill and bit (I used a 5/32″)
lighter
sand paper
heart cross stitch template (download it HERE)

Print off the template and trim it to size.  Tape the template to the wood slab, where you’d like it to be.  Using a drill and the bit (you may need a different sized bit, depending on the thickness of your cord), drill out all the holes, right through the paper.  Sand the top and bottom of the slab to get rid of any rough edges from all drilling.

Cut off a long length of the neon cord (or any twine or yarn you’d like to use).  Using the lighter, burn the end of the cord to prevent it from fraying and to make it stiff for threading through the holes.

Starting at the top of the heart begin cross stitching the first row. Stitch diagonally the length of the row and the cross over that diagonal and come be the length again.  Then repeat each row until the entire heart it stitched.

Drill two holes at the top of the wood slab.  Thread the leather cord through to the front and tie it off. 

I really think you’ll enjoy making this. I know Valentine’s day is just around the corner, but I think this will hang in my girl’s room all year long.

Design / DIY

Wooden Bead Heart

February 4, 2014

Yes, I really do think all things pink and red this time of year are pretty. But, I’m trying to go for a more muted, understated statement with my Valentine’s Day decor this year. There’s lots of hearts, but I’m sticking with a mostly neutral palette. Like my cross stitched wall heart, I’d like to think that this little wooden bead heart, isn’t just for Valentine’s Day. I think it really is great all year long.
I used simply round wood beads in two sizes and one random geometric bead (left over from these necklaces and these curtain pulls).  I took a piece of 20 gauge floral wire and bent it in half, to make the bottom point of the heart.  Then I curved the ends to make the rounded tops to the heart.  Alternating the sizes of the beads and threaded them on. I left less then a inch extra wire at either end and using pliers, bent the wire around the back to hold the beads in place. (as shown below)
I tied a piece of baker’s twine (I have lots) to the heart and hung it over my botanical print.  It’s simple and clean, exactly what I’m loving right now.  

I hope you’ve been entering all the 14 Days of LOVE giveaways.  Each giveaway runs for just 3 days, so you have to act fast. If you haven’t already, be sure to “like” the facebook page, so you don’t miss any of them. And you can see the full list of the giveaways here.

DIY / etc.

DIY Baker’s Twine Business Cards

January 23, 2014

Well, here’s my business cards for Alt Summit 2014.  There is pressure to have something unique and and memorable.  So, I decided to attach my name to something that crafty folks would actually keep and use.  Baker’s twine comes is a rainbow of colors.  I found these little spools at my local craft store.

I designed a simple 2″ logo for the front and added my name and site to the back and then printed them on sticker paper.  Then using a 2″ punch, I cut out all my stickers and attached them to the little spools of twine.  Totally simple, right? 

Design / DIY

The Geometric Heart

January 17, 2014

I can’t quit it.  I just love this simple shape so much.  I was working on a project for a friend today, and before I knew it, I was painted my heart made of triangles.  I played with watercolors and added a little gold foil here and there.  It’s not quite what I imagined in my head, but I still had fun with it.

For those of you that are new readers of Oleander and Palm, I thought I’d dig into the archives and share some of my angular Valentine’s ideas from last year.

The Printables