Heart Felt January 28, 2010

I’ve been hoping to come across some old valentines for a while (not that I knew what I was going to do with them).  Perhaps I was searching for the nostalgia or maybe it was a reaction to my boys’ choices of Transformers and Star Wars valentines, which speak to their little hearts in ways to which I cannot relate.  There are plenty of vintage cards online, but most are overpriced (plus shipping), especially for the purpose of crafting rather than collecting.  So I was delighted to find some vintage-inspired cards at a little toy shop.  Cute, cheap and close enough!

Maybe it’s the retro vibe, but some felt and rickrack finally inspired me to make the cards into a banner for our play room windows.

First I sewed around the edge of each card to attach them to the felt (I suggest wool felt for longevity but I used acrylic because I had some on hand):

Pinking shears gave the felt a nice finished edge, and I left some room at the top to cut slits and string each card onto the rickrack:

It looked a little bare until I added the bows, but now I have a Valentine’s Day banner sweet enough for any room in the house:

outside the box January 20, 2010

I don’t know about you, but I have a habit of taking on a big project and not finishing it for a long, long time.  My sewing projects have been known to take over our living room for weeks or months.  I don’t have a designated room for my creative endeavors (and to those of you who do, I say “pppbltt”).  The result is a mess of sewing notions and other pieces-parts cluttering up our living space, which is small enough now that we are a family of five.  I suppose I could put things away and take them out as needed, but since we don’t all lead leisurely lives of crafting the day away, I need for the materials to be within reach if I ever expect to have a finished product!

A light bulb moment occurred recently as I vowed to finish the baby quilt I started long ago while I was pregnant with my youngest child (he’s only 5 months old now, but it would be nice to finish his “baby quilt” while he is a “baby”). I just needed to think outside the box a little to avoid the mess of plastic craft bins . . . the solution?  Planters (vintage, of course).

A trip to the thrift store last week resulted in the purchase of this guy who cleverly (if not happily) tucks my scissors and needles away:

And these (who says a sugar/creamer set can’t be planters . . . or anything else I want them to be?):

Of course, while I was at the thrift store, I also found this guy (and I had to have him because the Q-tips in our nursery were screaming for a makeover):

And well, planters also make lovely planters:

I’d love to hear some of your container ideas too – outside the box . . .

i heart soup January 19, 2010

As you get to know me, you’ll see that I’m a holiday junkie, sold out to the lovely flow of seasons and opportunities for change.  And so, of course, this is reflected in my noodles (what?).  Ok, people who know me in real life probably think I’m a little nuts to be making homemade noodles at all when I could just nuke some easy mac and call it dinner (and sometimes I do), but the truth is, many homies find this sort of activity relaxing and enjoyable.  And so, as Valentine’s Day approaches, we have hearts:

Here’s the noodle recipe I always use:

1 cup flour

1 egg

1/2 eggshell of milk

secret ingredient: love.  Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Combine ingredients and form into a ball.  Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch and cut with teeny, tiny cookie cutters like these.  Easy, right?  See, I’m not crazy.  And hey, my kids are more willing to eat a healthy meal when there’s an element of fun.

Let me know if you try it!

p.s. I found the cute red polka dot pots at a flea market in Romania.  I say “found,” but we saw them in almost every Romanian home we visited (even the children’s hospital). And you know what they say, “When in Rom – ania . . . .”   Oh stop groaning.  This isn’t a comedy blog.  ;-)

you might be a homie if . . . January 19, 2010

. . . your mood is affected by the color of a room.

. . . you skip a purchase because you’re SURE you can make it yourself.

. . . the seasons excite you simply because it’s a legitimate excuse to redecorate.

There are a lot of us.  Sheesh, just try to come up with a name for a home blog that isn’t already taken.  I’m actually grateful for the repeated opportunities to try again. Landing on home ec(lectic) was a little lesson in self-discovery.  I’ve tried it on for an hour or two and it fits nicely.

Welcome, homies.  Thanks for stopping by.