a wooden spool

Pink and white Baker's Twine x 20 yards on vintage wooden spool via papermoonbyKAT

Packages just look that much better when the wrapping is finished off with a twine bow or tie. One of the best little gifts I ever got was a bag full of various colored baker's twine on wooden spools. I have used that twine on nearly everything I have gifted in the past year and now I have some great spools left behind.


I decided to look around and see what sorts of repurposing ideas people had for these spools. One of the first things that caught my eye was using the surface of the spool as a canvas of sorts...


Hand painted cotton spool-7 via blackoutwell
For those a little less artistically inclined- the spool as a simple photo holder or a vase.



Spool photo holder via pinterest


Spool vases via Pinterest


What a cool "thank you" for a teacher- talk about a guaranteed smile!Teacher apple card via pininterest


Some decorative garland- seemingly perfect for parties or a kid's room.Spool Garland via Pinterest


It appears those spools have great potential.
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Jointed Paper Dolls

Little Eliza Jointed Movable Paper Doll via inkingcap

I recently heard a suggestion for decoration in a little girl's room - framing some jointed paper dolls in various poses. The idea was interesting to me , though I would be sad to see these movable pieces frozen forever.....maybe finding a way to display them tucked into a ribbon board would be the best of both worlds.



Mermaid Art Paper Doll via thefiligree




Mr.Rabbit courtesy of minifanfan


A is for Acorn jointed paper doll via ribonita


miniature moveable paper dolls via hollandsworth
Little Red Riding Hood Articulated Paper Doll signed by artist, Jo James via 44thStreetFabricI love the entire "Peter and the Wolf" puppet theatre on paper available on PDF from sarahjanestudios- some jointed paperdolls performance art!



PDF- Peter and the Wolf Puppet Theater via sarahjanestudios
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11,000 floating lanterns

via Daddygothisgunloaded

A few days ago 11,000 floating lanterns where sent into the sky in Poznań, Poland in celebration of the summer solstice. I think that breaks some sort of record, but it is the beauty of it all that makes the celebration that much more breath-taking...




And wouldn't sending these lanterns into the night make such a great alternative to fireworks this 4th of July? Check out this eHow tutorial on how to make some flying paper lanterns for your very own festivities!
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a swinging skirt

Once I'm on the other side of this baby growing - I'm going to get myself a full black and white skirt that I am going to pair with some fun bright flats. This is the beginning of my post-pregnancy plan. :)





{left via asos, right via Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing
bottom via The Sartorialist}
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my kind of princess

I understand the Disney Princess craze sweeping the nation is troubling to many parents (see the recent success of Peggy Orenstein's book Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture). If my daughter was not as enthusiastic about searching for slugs as she is about Belle from "Beauty and the Beast", I may be concerned about the princess effect too, but since I am not immediately distressed.....I really like these ribbon sculpture barrettes of the Disney Princesses.


What I like about them is that they are not so commercial or "girlie-girl". The designs are recognizable, but minimal and simple. They are little pieces of ribbon art really- and I'm charmed.


Image courtesy of SweetTangerineBoutiq
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Embroidery Hoop Art

Image courtesy of stephart.blogspot.com

While hopping around online , I came across the site for Stephanie K. Toland, a super talented artist. She has many impressive images of her paintings posted and while I definitely admire her work in oil, her embroidery hoop art is what really caught my eye. The clothes on a line trio shown above is my favorite. It just goes to show how a couple of concepts and mediums can overlap to result in something unique and charming.


The idea of art within the embroidery hoop frame is hardly novel, but there are so many ways to use the hoop that can still be fresh and different. I am curious about using the stretched fabric or canvas for drawing or watercolor mixed with embroidered touches. Maybe there can be some space on my girls' bedroom wall for a series of hoop art....


Image courtesy of stephart.blogspot.com


The Violinist Hoop Wall Art courtesy of maiseyhandmade via etsy


flight no. eight original wall art courtesy of TheHauntedHollowTree via etsy



Image courtesy of flickr



Luis the Raccoon embroidery hoop courtesy of OneLittleRedFox via etsy

Notebook Paper Cross Stitch embroidery wall hanging 'I love you' hoop courtesy of rugglesstitch via etsy

Image courtesy of The Phantom Moon via flickr


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Paper Blossoms

Everything about fresh flowers in a home appeals to me- everything except the lifespan. Although these paper blossoms from Paper Source are obviously not the same, they are beautiful and everlasting.

My favorite is the poppy bouquet above- maybe this summer they will find a home on my mantel.


These lily pads would be great place settings for a spring or summer shower:

This daffodil bouquet and potted orchid are the results of these neat-o kits:




What a gorgeous door decoration for autumn....





I still love fresh flowers, but I am easily convinced that these blooms are awfully lovely too.
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Make It Do

Pinecone Elves


I love stumbling upon a blog I know will wind up being a favorite. That was definitely the case with Make It Do . I had been searching for Snowman Kits because my kids had received one for Christmas that they were crazy for and I was thinking ahead to next year and gift possibilities for nieces and nephews. Anyhow, I stumbled upon Make It Do's- Make It: A Snowman Kit and was instantly smitten.


The blog has so many great projects, ideas, and recipes carried out in tutorial form with pictures. It is one of those sites that makes you want to try the DIY ideas you uncover and love, but never give a shot. Make It Do just celebrates resourcefulness in general. I have plenty of fashion, design, and "head-in-the-clouds" blogs that I really enjoy visiting , but I needed this kick in the pants to be more creative and productive!

Snowman Kit


Baby car seat cover tutorial


Banana Cream Pie


Childhood Tradition

All images courtesy of Make It Do
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Hurricane Season

Image courtesy of hornes.org via google
A holiday table topped off with a decorative glass hurricane, or hurricanes, always looks so polished and festive. They are the perfect way to bring Autumn to the table. The glass capsules filled with seasonal items, candlelit, or wrapped, can fit into any decorative scheme - it just depends on how you use them.
I like the look of hurricanes filled with acorns, gourds, or berries- Fall's harvest right there.


Image courtesy nicegirlnotes.com via google
Although I have not tried this, I bet it would create lovely ambiance for an evening gathering with the light filtered through the warm shades of orange tissue.


Image courtesy of marthastewart.com
Candlelight flickering in these mercury hurricanes would be a beautiful centerpiece for the holiday table- wintry and elegant.



Image courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com

This pair is my favorite. Really, it is because they look like New England, like my parents' place during the Fall, and I am always up for a little bit of home, especially when the holidays roll around.


Image courtesy of yourdecoratinghotline.com


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living favors

Image courtesy of project wedding

The post on Project Wedding about DIY Little Pots of Moss was the best idea for a summer shower (or wedding) favor I had seen in awhile. There are a couple of favor ideas I....favor, actually, and this is definitely one of them.
For my sister's shower I am painting small terra cotta pots in a pewter color and planting whatever tiny flower is available in beds from the nursery inside it. I'll finish it off with a bow and either a flag or tag- have not decided yet. Basically, it is the Project Wedding craft with some slight modifications.
In my hunt for ideas using terra cotta planters I came across quite a few great versions....



Seedling Kit Favor photo courtesy of etsy

Potted plant favor/place marker courtesy of my DIY wedding day

Potted Thyme Favor courtesy of elephantine

Potted Succulent Favor courtesy of saltlakedesignergal
I will post photos of the project when it is wrapped up. Keep your fingers crossed the results are as lovely as these examples!
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Best project ever

Is your husband unsightly? Does he clash with your decor? Have a pair of sweats he calls his "fancy sweats"? Never fear! the long thread has a solution:

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Free Valentine's Printables for the Crafty, Cheap, or Forgetful

We're all set for Valentine's Day. All of my children, already beyond my handmade-loving influence, have chosen their store-bought valentines: cute puppies and kittens (3 year old); Cherry FunDip greetings of love and hyperactivity (5-year old), and a box of (actually pretty cool) valentines that fold into paper airplanes (8 year old).

But I'm still trolling the craft blogs, admiring all of the generous free printable options for love-spreading on February 14.

And if my children won't give these to their classmates, then I'll just have to use them as valentines to my children. So there.

If you forget to (or refuse to) buy valentines for your child's class, start with this fantastic list of The Best Free Printable Valentine's Cards from AlphaMom, including these from The Black Apple:


And these vintage-style valentines from Ruffled (via How About Orange) are more grown-up:


These tasteful and lovely Valentine's Day postcards from the Alana Davis Photography Blog would be perfect to send to a friend:


Another adorable school-kid valentine: this sweet birdie printable from The Long Thread:


For Vivi, Valentine tea bag wrappers from Creature Comforts:


For the mom who wants to impress the preschool teachers with her taste and craft-savvy, printable Valentine treat bags from Twig and Thistle:


And a couple of other fabulous options whose images I couldn't use on the blog:

Cute-tastic kids Valentines from OlieBollen

and Quirky e-Valentines from Kate Spade

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