Fabric Gift Wrapping Bags

As soon as I receive the amazing photos from my amazing Christmas vacay, they shall be posted. In the meantime, I learned a few things. Thing number one: Fabric Gift Bags.

I spent Christmas with a friend's family. While this friend is rather new, she is also rather fabulous. And crafty. The best sort of friend really, no? So this fabulous and crafty friend shared a secret with me, and now I am sharing it with you. The fabric stores have all their Christmas fabric on sale right now. Now. Right this minute... and guess what? You need some. Well, you don't need Christmas fabric necessarily, but if that is your thing, then get on it! Because the new thing is fabric gift bags instead of paper.

A few years ago Heather went to an after Christmas sale and bought up the remnants she liked best for $2 /meter. She zipped off a bunch of simple bags of various sizes and put them away for the next year's gift wrapping. Brilliant! I personally am not a fan of red and green, I rarely do "normal" for Christmas. It certainly doesn't have to be just holiday themed patterns though. In fact, I am adopting an entire spectrum of these bags for birthdays and such as well... and this neutral bag with the tree on the front is another lovely idea. I think stamped or silk screened pine cones would be gorgeous. I haven't taken on silk screening before, but I have a friend who does it and would probably be willing to do a trade. Regardless... this is the most easy peasy sewing project imaginable!

In the end, the bags cost less than paper if you use them over and over and I can't tell you how amazing it was that there was no crazy obscene mess of torn paper as an aftermath this Christmas morning. When I asked her if her kids missed the ripping and tearing into gifts, she replied that there were still gifts from outside the family (or from grandparents) that came wrapped in paper for that. And that when the gifts are torn into, often it becomes more about ripping open gift after gift without having much appreciation for what is inside. I tend to agree with that... having seen the youngest in more than one paper ripping frenzy. This Christmas was very calm and lovely, and the cleanup was not only far more eco... but super easy. All the bags fit into one big one to be stored with the decorations. Or with your wrapping whatnots, whichever you prefer. I am definitely adopting this gem!

Can A Vintage VW Get Any Cooler? Oh Yeah... Waaaaaaaay Cool!

What do Croatian metalsmiths who make fences and gates do when they get bored? Ask the guys at Vrbanus.

I have always wanted a vintage VW bug. This last photo I have had in my "Cool" folder for ages. I always thought it was a black bug painted with silver, and that was cool enough for me. They Dylan pointed out that it looked like it had been intricately chopped up. You can see right through the car! What??? So then I had to google it, but googling chopped up VW bug wasn't doing it so I gave up. Today it occurred to me to try the letters on the license plate... voila! Of course, now I want one :)

Teeny Gardens

Gardening is on my mind! I have been searching the entire house for the stash of seeds I found just before we moved, stuck in a silver teapot. I had put them there so that I would remember where they were, but just in case, I moved them as I was packing. If I had left them in the teapot, I would now be gleefully flipping through packets of flowers and veggies to be, but I put them someplace practical and obvious, so that I could find them come spring. Of course, now I can't for the life of me figure out where I put the bloody things!

Anyhoo, I digress. I have had thoughts of starting seeds indoors for weeks, and long, intense internet searches have somehow taken a side road into little and innovative terrariums. When my youngest was born, I was in the middle of finishing a stained glass class. I absolutely was hooked! Breaking glass (intentionally) is incredibly therapeutic. Unfortunately for my creative process, it turns out that tiny apartments inhabited by two boys is NOT the place to set up a glass studio. It will happen though, I may just set up a shed in the backyard, now that I have one! So when my search fell upon terrariums, I immediately looked into glass boxes of the sort that Victorian era manors would use as mini greenhouses. SO gorgeous, and I am sure I could just whip one up!

The designs really can stretch as far as the imagination. I absolutely adore this steampunk inspired terrarium slash nightlight...

From Steamed Glass

 ...and this totally adorable one made from a Christmas tree ornament!

From In The Blue House

This one made the rounds last year and has been living in my inspiration files for quite some time...

Instructions HERE

So I think a new project is on the agenda. I just need to find a few fabulous apothecary jars, or some such thing...

 ...because let's face it, I simply cannot bring myself to use a mason jar like I should. (Not to mention, I have two sitting beside the sink.) Although, I do really love the look of the blue....

Got Some Free Time On Your Hands?

There are no words for how insanely cool this is...

The project is called Salon at Sundown

Created by Brian Kaspr and Payton Turner

...and probably only one for the fact that the entire space of gorgeous wallpaper, is, in fact, many many many tiny stickers...

...INSANE.

Much coffee my friends, much coffee.

The Adventures of Ordy and Joon

Just to keep you up to date, we moved into a new house (from a teensy weensy little apartment downtown) right before Christmas. Normally when I move, by the time I have signed the lease I already have the space decorated in my head. For some reason, this space isn't coming to me. It is the strangest house! It was built as a summer home I'm sure, and weird things have been done to it with complete disregard for the fact that we do, in the Koots, actually have a winter. Single paned windows... need I say more? Then there are the really odd features that come with multiple add ons by people who have no idea what they are doing. I have only been here for a couple of months, but I have a mile long list of "WTFs" on the go. Some of the things they have done are completely ridiculous... and as renters, there are only so many things that we are willing to take on, so much of the bizarreness is not going to be remedied by me.

Instead, what I am focusing on is the lipstick of the rooms. I have a master plan for the boys' room, but it requires some carpentry in the form of bunk beds, and as I really and truly love both my boys (although there are days...) and don't want the top bunk smushing the bottom sleeper, I have enlisted the help of my super talented but really busy stepdad. I trust him, not so much me... definitely not Dylan (I don't even want to express his lack of experience with regards to tools, building things, logic...). So while I wait that out, I am starting to compile a List of Wants and Ideas for my own room. I will be sewing in here because I have the most space here and I can lock the cats out. Really important when you deal in expensive fabrics! It must be utilitarian and organized and efficient. But MOST importantly, it MUST be FABULOUS!!!

Mwahahaaaaa...

Before!

Enter my newest inspiration... by way of a new find on my blog radar, The Adventures of Ordy and Joon. (I am going to assume that there is some, even remote, connection to Benny and Joon and as far as I am concerned... that's reason enough to love them.) Now this woman says she is a law student. I am not sure that I believe her. I think she may be confused, for her talents obviously lie in decor! The thing is, her Before photo is just as amazing as her After! I am not kidding, she is brilliant AND she somehow has the ability to see into my brain, because many of the ideas in her space I have considered, but was not quite sure how to execute them, and she has taken them to an entirely new level. The details in this space are just so gorgeous... take a look:

After!

After!

I am totally in LOVE with this thread display and although I will have to find or make a MUCH bigger frame (or I guess multiple frames?) for mine, I am definitely stealing this idea. I may colour block them. Hmmmm... This town has  a definite shortage of ornate frames in our thrift shops because we are a town full of artists and they get scooped up super quick... or are way overpriced for thrift frames.. Joon snapped hers up (all thrift / yard sale finds) for $2 to $8! Aaaagh... so jealous! Want, want, want.... In fact, she has such a good eye, she did the entire room almost entirely thrifted and gives details on which items cost what. It is imperative that you go and check out her post if only to renew your faith that fabulousness does not have to come with a high price tag.

I am now doing a chalkboard wall in both my sons' room and my own, because this just totally makes sense to me. It's funny, Joon points out that the whole chalkboard wall thing is probably over, and timing-wise it should be, but when something is that practical, does it go out of style? I suppose it depends on whether you have one because the magazines told you to or if you have one because it makes sense. It does make me wonder though, how easily is chalkboard paint painted over. I think it will be fine. I'm doing this. Tomorrow.

I also love the stripes (and her gorgeous little cabinet). The stripes were done in silver AND she got the paint at a ridiculous price because Home Depot is discontinuing the line. LOL... Martha Stewart saved this girl some serious coin. Love that.


If you would like to meet Joon's other pieces of furniture, as well as her living companions (Bandit looks like a tough guy, but I am willing to bet he is a softie at heart,) you can find them all at The Adventures of Ordy and Joon. I really enjoy Joon's writing style, and her personality really shows through. I am sure she is destined to become a favourite.

Finder's Keepers

I am so in love with this idea... I have a friend who has a friend who did the "Goddess Project" last summer and hid one hundred Goddess statues all over the Kootenays. It happened to be during one of those lovely periods where my computer was down, or I would have blogged the heck out of it... but now I see it happening again in Vancouver! LOVE THIS!

Finders Keepers is a project created by Vancouver–based artist, Jasna Sokolovic. By placing two
hundred ceramic heart magnets around Granville Island for people to find, share and if inspired, to report back to her website, she has found a way of promoting herself, her love of 3D street art, and LOVE with her community. Who doesn't love a good treasure hunt? Get out there NOW and find one! (...and please bring your camera and take a photo of where you found it, and what you will do with it so you can share on her site... I am excited to see what people post!)

Pop art LEGO

Santa brought the boys a bin of vintage LEGO for Christmas. Apparently my father kept my little brother's collection from, ohhhh, twenty years ago? The ridiculously cool thing, is that Rowan got a set of Prince of Persia LEGO as well as an Atlantis set, but so far, I have only seen him play with the funky green, yellow, red and blue blocks. It's funny how the more complicated toys get, the more children are apt to prefer the simple ones. I am so proud :)


He is definitely my son. He started by building his Star Wars clone troopers a fifties rancher to live in, with lattice windows, a Christmas tree adorned with string, a refrigerator, sofa and beds. There is a dining table where they eat with their housekeeper (where on earth did that come from?) and their adopted son (ditto), the one in the Jester's hat.



We will have to psychoanalyze that bit another time... in the meanwhile, I have asked him to build me one of these...

via brickworkz

...because, sadly, I think we don't have enough blocks for one of these...

via waylou

Some Fabulous Halloweeniness

OK, so normally October is me signing back into the "let's take on something that I think is completely normal and unassuming and everyone else thinks is insane" mentality of my life after the (ahem) more laid back attitude of Summer. Truth be told, I don't cope well with the heat of summer and don't get much done. Then the end of summer hits and I panic and do as much as I can cram into August, then reload for September when the rest of the world (and years worth of programming from childhood) kicks into "back to school" mode. By the time October rolls around, I am planning and scheming full tilt for Halloween, my favourite time of the year next to Yule. Now that I have kids I can blame it all on them, but honestly, they roll their eyes as much as everyone else close to me does. In the same way that I take the things I missed from my childhood by NOT having a Martha disciple for a mother to an abnormal level of intensely overboard detail, my children will most likely avoid holiday planning altogether when they leave home. But alas, they have years left of "Can't we come up with something more creative than that? C'mon, let's REALLY think outside the box!" thrown at them.


In the interest of getting my eldest on board today with the costume planning bit, ("a cowboy? Really? That's what you want to be? A cowboy?") we spent a good deal of time scouring the internet for interesting ideas for me to "whip up" a costume. To be honest, it doesn't matter how much I plan, I wait till the last minute anyway because my kids are known to change their mind at least eighty times before the day of. The year Rowan turned four I made him the most elaborate and detailed Darth Vader ("Vader? That's what you want to be...?") costume any four year old could wish for, complete with a composite walkie talkie helmet with voice programming and heavy breathing on command, ordered off the internet. The morning of his daycare Halloween party, he insisted on wearing his Batman pajamas. Right. I did NOT cry. Much.


Thought I might pass some of the best on to you, since it literally took pages and pages of sifting to find any that didn't
a) look like a prostitute's excuse for a fairy, police officer, nurse, pirate, devil... or pretty much anything else for that matter...
b) need a professional Hollywood make-up artist to be hired and/or a gallon of latex (although I should mention that latex is actually really simple to use)
c) come ready made on a flat styro panel with a sprayed on six pack
or d) consist of adding a detail like a plastic-blood-covered-knife-headband to jeans and a t-shirt.

Martha is usually good for some simple and effective ideas, and you can always find instructions and supply lists on her website:




Some of the best ideas came from Flick'r...

Everything from what to wear to an uber schmancy party:

Anna Fischer

Anna Fischer

...to an uber girlie one via the land of fae:

girlfactor

Fairy Nana

orgXIIIorg

Steampunk is still a big deal, and this take on Iron Man is impressive:

Marvel

...and Faustish

gilfling

Rather elaborate Carnival threads, if that's your thing:

All Carnival photos above are by
Dominique Robert

Random Cuteness:

Little Wee Legos
mama_lindsay

Jason Gill

...and a mother who is insane just like me :)

fullofbliss

Overall, the prize for most ingenious goes to...


So after all that searching, we went from a Cowboy to a Zombie Cowboy. Perhaps I can go to town on his brother's Fire Dragon costume.

...I will post pictures :)