Monday, December 31, 2012

#562...dollhouse rehab

I bought this plain wood dollhouse on ebay for my nieces for Christmas, and decided to spruce it up.
I painted some of it and added scrapbook paper as wallpaper and flooring.

To adhere the wallpaper, I used matte Mod Podge. I put a thin coat on the back side of the paper and several thin coats atop the paper once it was stuck in place.
I also painted them a wood peg family in their likeness for their house. I used these wood peg dolls from Goose Grease on etsy. My parent's gave the girls furniture for the house, so they are all set to play.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

#561...merry christmas gate

For Christmas, Tyler and I got a new gate and fence into our backyard. The old wood one was rotting and falling down, so we had a welder come and make a metal frame. We chose to run the cedar pickets horizontally to give the fence/gate a more modern aesthetic. I still need to put an oil on the wood to help it retain its color. It's a huge improvement in our yard.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

#560...scrap skirt

My nieces are in town for Christmas, so I organized a craft afternoon with some of my girlfriends and their little girls. We crafted this scrap strip skirt that my sister Julie found on Pinterest.
It was an easy, no-sew project, (although the Moms did the bulk of the work). The skirts were a hit with the little girls.

...however, running around the backyard afterward was equally as big a hit.......

Thursday, December 20, 2012

#559...snood

I knitted this snood to give as a gift to someone who lives in a much cooler climate.



To knit the snood, I used 2 skeins of Rowan Big Wool, which is a chunky wool measuring about 87 yards on each skein. I casted 22 stitches onto size 17 needles and used a single rib pattern of knit one purl one to create a long scarf. After knitting both skeins, I cast off and used a tapestry needle and yarn to sew the ends of the long scarf into a circle, creating the snood.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

#557...deer and bear

My little sister Sarah is not allowed to have pets in her apartment, so in lieu, she has Deer and Bear. Deer is a  resale shop taxidermy rescue. Bear is a carved wooden statue...also thrifted. We talk about Deer and Bear like they are real. When it came time to decorate for the holidays, I did not want Deer and Bear to be left out, so I made them some decorations. 
For Deer, I made him a ribbon doll ornament from felt, crystal buttons and a bow I knitted. (Sarah says Deer is scared of his holiday addition). I'll admit, she is a little bit bug-eyed and weird. Last year Deer wore my pom-pom garland, seen here, which he liked better. 
For Bear, I knitted him a bow-tie to help him feel more festive this season.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Monday, December 10, 2012

#555...candy cane converse

We donned our holiday Converse this past weekend to stroll the neighborhood for the annual LIGHTS IN THE HEIGHTS holiday extravaganza. I got us these matching beauties about 8 years ago, and we get to wear them a couple times during the holiday season, which makes us both feel more jolly!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

#554...matte stephens

I've been researching a retro-inspired color palette that a client of mine wants to infuse in her home. In my search, I came across artist Matte Stephens. I have seen his work before, but I forgot how much I like it. Here are a few of his pieces that I thought had a wintry feel. You can see more of his work on etsy here. Also, he lives in New Hampshire, one of my favorite states! 






Monday, December 3, 2012

#553..white christmas on my porch

It's been a few years since I've put up a tree at my house. I guess I'm feeling more festive this year...or less stressed, so this weekend, Tyler helped me put up my white artificial tree. I could not really settle on a place to put it inside, so we erected it on our front porch.