Feeling the Turquoise Love

It’s Saturday morning and I should be at zumba. I’m not because my zumba class is canceled, forever. This makes me sad but gives me the opportunity to work on my blog and listen to one of my all time favourite podcasts, The JV Club. Not as physically stimulating at zumba, but an equally productive way to spend a Saturday morning.

In April I started (and completed) a painting of my brother and I kayaking on the Caribbean Sea. Inspired by my mom’s photo (above) I pulled out my paints and captured this moment of sibling love. This may be one of the best things I’ve created – I’m so happy with this painting!

This handmade card from my dear friend Deanne makes me equally happy. I may have mentioned, more than once, how much I loved my trip to the Dominican and how I loved my time by the ocean. I can only presume this sweet card was created after sharing my travels with Deanne . This is one of the prettiest handmade cards I have received (sorry mom). Such a nice surprise!

I am definitely feeling the love. And missing the ocean.

 

p.s. – Deanne, the timing of your card couldn’t have been better. Thanks so much friend.

Best Easter Egg DIY

Easter is the only time of the year when it’s perfectly safe to put all your eggs in one basket. Enjoy these DIY Easter egg treats!

neon dip-dyed eggscraft thread eggsdreamy dyes eggseaster candle eggs unconventional diy eggs embroidered eggs (x1)embroidered eggs (x2)decorating party eggsflowered eggsmarbled cake eggs homemade cadbury creme eggspolkadot eggsombre eggs fresh flower eggs

Happy Easter!

XO

merino wool touque

For our annual gift exchange my dear friend Courtney made me an awesome touque! What could be a more appropriate gift for a Saskatchewan girl suffering -40 °C weather?

The dark greys, purples, and teals in the wool match my winter coat and scarf perfectly. Courtney used Jane Richmond’s Renfrew pattern (love the Vancouver reference) and Malabrigo Rios wool, which is super soft and washable.

March might be here next week but that doesn’t mean winter is disappearing. I’m sure I’ll be wearing this super cozy touque until April! Thanks friend!

embroidered postcards

To celebrate the New Year my friend Courtney and I exchanged handmade gifts. We’ve been exchanging DIY gifts around the holiday season since 2010. I love our gift exchanges; I look forward to them every year.

I was at a loss of what to make for Courtney this year. I took me weeks to think of an idea worthy of my friend. Our gift exchange deadline was approaching fast and I needed to commit to a project. I decided to make embroidered postcards, inspired by Freckled Nest. I love receiving mail and loved the idea of making something Courtney could share with others throughout the year.

Who wouldn’t love to receive a handmade postcard in the mail?

Happy New Year friend! I hope you find time to share these monthly, embroidered postcards with some lucky recipients!

Share the DIY love.

ps – Check out Courtney’s lovely post on our gift exchange.

Classic Holiday Gingerbread House

Merry Orthodox Christmas! Thank goodness for Orthodox Christmas, without it this post would seem extremely outdated. I mean, come on, Christmas was twelve days ago! To all my readers celebrating Orthodox Christmas – Merry Christmas. I hope your day is filled with love, happiness and gingerbread.

In December I spent a lovely afternoon building a homemade gingerbread house with my friends Vanessa and Renee. Thank you to the charming Vanessa for baking the delicious gingerbread house from scratch! I’ve never had homemade gingerbread before.

Gingerbread House Recipe from The Recipe Link.
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark molassas
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream together shortening, sugar, molassas and water. Sift together flour, spices and salt. Add dry ingredients to shortening mixture and mix well. Dough will be stiff. Chill at least 1 hour. Grease or spray cast iron mold with vegetable spray. Press dough into the mold. Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Let gingerbread cool in the mold for 10 minutes. Carefully remove each piece of gingerbread to cooling rack, flat side down. Repeat with other side, front, roof, and chimney. It is better to bake gingerbread a day ahead of assembling to allow for stiffening. Assemble and decorate!

Royal Icing from The Recipe Link. 
• 3 egg whites at room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
• 1 lb. of 10X confectioner sugar-sifted

Combine in mixing bowl and mix on high speed for 7 to 10 minutes. Beat until very stiff – you can’t overbeat. Store at room temperature. This royal icing dries quickly into a hard candy consistency. Perfect for decorating the most charming of gingerbread houses!

It was the perfect holiday afternoon filled with laughter, tea, candy, and yogurt covered pretzels. Thanks friends!

Let the holiday celebrations continue.

DIY Cupcake Bath Bombs with Whipped Soap Icing

This holiday season my mom surprised me with a DIY project – cupcake bath bombs! In December my mom emailed me and asked if I could bring home some meringue powder at Christmas. My mom is not really a baker. I had no idea what she would need meringue powder for. I definitely wasn’t thinking of bath bombs.

Making these cupcake bath bombs is so easy! And they are so pretty! I cannot get over how darling they are.

We used Teach Soap basic and moisture rich fizzy bath bomb recipes for the cupcake bases. Both recipes are quick, easy to follow, and hold together very well.

Basic Bath Bomb Recipe
• 1 part citric acid
• 2 parts baking soda
• Witch hazel
• Coloring of your choice
• Fragrance oil or essential oil
• Mold of your choice (we used metal tins – another fun idea is to use sea shells!)

Moisture Rich Fizzy Bath Bomb Recipe
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1/4 cup epsom salt
• 1/2 cup citric acid
• 2-3/4 tablespoons olive oil (you can use any type of oil)
• 3/4 tablespoon water
• 1-1/2 teaspoon fragrance oil or essential oil
• Coloring of your choice
• Mold of your choice
• We omitted the optional borax

Basically you mix all the ingredients together in a metal or glass bowl. We used a sifter to make sure there were no clumps in the dry ingredients. Very slowly spray in the witch hazel (or wet ingredients) with a water bottle until you reach a good consistency, a little bit like dry cookie dough. The mixture should  stick together when squished into a mold. Pack the bath bomb mixture into molds of your choosing, pop out of molds after a couple of minutes, and let dry overnight.

Visit Teach Soap for more detailed directions.

We followed Elle & Blair‘s Bath Bomb Icing Recipe.
• 2 1/2 tablespoons dry egg whites or meringue powder (we used meringue powder)
• 4 tablespoons warm distilled water
• 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar (icing sugar)
• 1 tablespoon sodium lauryl sulfate (this is what makes the bath bubbles!)
• 4-6 drops of fragrance
• 4-6 drops of color

Mix meringue powder, water, and sodium lauryl sulfate in a glass or metal bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix on high for seven minutes or until peaks form. Frost bath bombs however you like and let dry overnight. We used sodium lauryl sulfate as white sprinkles for our cupcakes! Super cute! Don’t they look delicious?!

More detailed directions can also be found on Elle & Blair or Factory Direct Craft.

These cupcake bath bombs are so sweet. And so pretty! And they smell amazing. Thanks for the fun crafternoon mom!

Merry + Bright Christmas Cards

Merry Christmas! I cannot believe it is Christmas Eve; where did the time go this December?! I am incredibly behind on my Christmas cards and Christmas blogging! I apologize a thousand times.

I love sending snail mail. A hand written card with a thoughtful compliment is one of my most favourite things to receive.

Last year I made embroidered and printed cards for family and friends. This year I kept things simple and made one lovely linocut stamp “Merry + Bright”.

May your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white!

Warmest wishes for the happiest of holidays from Saskatchewan.

XO

p.s. – I am sorry if you are viewing your Christmas card online before you receive it in the mail!

Favourite Felt Wreath

In 2010 I found a tutorial for an amazing felt holiday wreath on design*sponge. I loved the simple, organic elegance of this wreath. I just had to make it!

My wreath was beautiful; it looked exactly like Kristen’s wreath (which is always satisfying when following an online tutorial). I was so pleased with this DIY project. Unfortunately this wreath was very fragile and I knew it wouldn’t travel well when I moved to Saskatoon. I gave my felt rosette wreath to my dear friend Jocelyn. I hope she enjoys it this holiday season!

Now I am settled into my new apartment, Henry, I decided to make a new wreath in fabulous, holiday red.

I love it!

I wanted this festive, felt decoration to be durable. Instead of using push pins to attach the felt rosettes to the styrofoam form, as suggested in the original tutorial, I sewed them onto a handmade wreath form made out of felt and cardboard. It was incredibly time consuming. This wreath took me twelve hours to complete! But I do love it and know I will appreciate it for years to come. It is so lovely and classic!

Visit Domestifluff.com for the full Ruffly Felt Rosette Wreath tutorial!

Happy Holidays!

Shop Local! Handmade Markets.

I love holiday craft fairs. I’m disappointed to miss Vancouver’s amazing Got Craft and Make It events this year. I’m hoping Saskatoon’s Flock & Gather Winter Wonders Handmade Market and Artisan Fine Craft Market can help fill this void in my DIY, local shopping, holiday heart.

I am really loving Flock & Gather’s Winter Wonders poster! How charming is this mustached reindeer?!

Flock & Gather Winter Wonders Handmade Market.
December 7 & 8.
St. Joseph’s Parish Hall.
Admission: free!

2012 Artisan Fine Craft Market
November 23, 24 & 25
TCU Place, Saskatoon
Admission: $5.00

To readers nearby and readers far away, I encourage you to shop local this holiday season! Over the past five years my parents’ favourite Christmas presents were handmade, purchased at a local shop, or bought at a holiday market. Holiday craft fairs are the perfect opportunity to shop for one of a kind goods in a casual environment where you will have the opportunity to meet the makers in person, talk about their handmade goods, and learn about their creative processes.

Doesn’t it feel amazing to support artisans and crafters like Mabel Pike!?

Happy shopping!

Peacock Inspired Halloween

I spent the evening listening to Vinyl Cafe with the wonderful Stuart McLean. This week’s podcast was a special treat with musical guest Whitehorse and great Dave and Morley stories from Halloweens past. It was a heartwarming podcast with enchanting music and sweet Halloween memories.

Stuart says there is something special about Halloween. He believes no holiday resonates more in the souls of the innocent, the souls of children, than All Hallows Eve. I agree. Halloween is a wonderful day to be a child; you are rewarded for your bravery and creativity with sugar. Lots and lots of sugar.

I don’t anticipate Halloween the way I used to as a child  – but I still enjoy the opportunity to dress up, eat chocolate, and celebrate with friends.  I was very lucky to be invited to a great house party and strut around in my very purple, very fabulous, DIY peacock costume.

Fun side note: One partygoer mentioned that I was not just any peacock; I was a male peacock. Could I make the argument I was crossdressing Saturday night?! Because that would make my peacock costume even more fabulous!

What do you need to be a magnificent, purple peacock? Not much. I wore a blue shirt, teal tights, magenta skirt, lots of glittery makeup and purple eyeliner (all items I already owned). I finished the bird-inspired look off with a DIY tutu made of tulle and felt. I also added a flapper inspired, sequenced headband. I spent $25 and two hours on my peacock outfit, which is the perfect amount of money and time to spend crafting a Halloween costume.

I love the way my peacock tutu turned out! I adore the piles of tulle, felt feathers, and bright colours. It was so much fun to dress up and enjoy some of the Halloween magic I used to love so much as a child.

Happy Halloween!

I’m going to leave you with this beautifully haunting song from Whitehorse! XO