DIY'd Silk Ribbon Embroidery + I Need a Portable Craft

My Mom, artisan-extraordinaire, makes these gorgeous, one-of-a-kind silk ribbon embroidery brooches:

They are the perfect portable craft: she has a small container of the silk covered bases, that she makes ahead of time, and then some small, flat spools of ribbon (they come on a piece of cardboard).  A needle, a pinch of beads.  The whole kit & caboodle ends up being no bigger than my makeup case.  My DIY's tend to be a little larger.

I'm on the hunt for a good, portable craft for the trip.  Something to keep the creativity flowing.  Knitting and I had a big fight when I was younger and crocheting and I aren't on speaking terms either.

What do you suggest?  Tell me what you've been up to and include some links in the comments so I can be inspired!

P.S. Yes, I plan to photograph a tutorial for these brooches.  And, yes, these brooches (and new ones my Mom is making this fall) will be available for sale in the Etsy shop when we re-open.  I just ran out of time to list these . . .  

Hiatus Sale!

Now you know why my Mom and I will be temporarily closing our Etsy shop on August 15th.  It has been torturous to keep buying & stockpiling vintage goodies and not be able to list them, but we wanted to keep it small scale and test the waters because we only had time to keep the shop open a few weeks.  We have had so much fun conversing with fellow collectors through Etsy and finding new homes for some of our vintage finds.

The time flew by so fast, I never even had time to arrange a giveaway!  I promise something big for when we re-open.  We'll be opening again some time in 2013 (likely spring) but some of our unsold goods won't be making it back into the shop, so if there's anything you've been ogling, now's a good time because readers (+ their friends and family) get 20% off anything and everything!  PLUS, please feel free to convo me for a personalized (and cheaper) shipping quote or combined shipping.

For readers who have already bought something, thanks so much!  Convo me through Etsy to get your special 25% off coupon code.

Coupon Code: DLT20

Indulge me while I pimp my wares (and share some of my gift/storage ideas in the meantime):

Need a unique baby shower gift?  Here's one for the new Mom (babies don't know the difference): a set of mid-century pale grey and yellow planters for a chic nursery. 

For anyone starting school in the fall, or needing an at-work pick-me-up, this hand painted, hilariously quirky vintage planter from the 1940s or 50s would be perfect to hold little office bits and bobs:

The glaze on this Hull planter is just as luminous in real life and would also do wonders to spruce up a desk area - either for plants or for pens and office goodies:

This W. Germany single service vintage coffee set would similarly be cute at your office to cheer up your at-work lunch, or for display in a retro-themed kitchen.  Heck, for this sweet price, use it for a lovely little girl to play with or to use at the dinner table as her own special set (fill the coffee pot with her favorite iced tea!)

This antique plate is 100% not going back into the shop if it doesn't sell.  I'll take it as a sign it was meant to be and hang it up on the wall.  Although . . . it's not like I don't already have a stack of art to be hung.  I will just end up greedily hoarding it because it's so unusual.

Are you thinking holiday gifts (or attire) yet? 

Looking for a sweet, sparkly purse for a New Year's Eve Party (it's sooner than you think!) or wedding?  Something with just enough room for some cash and a cell and absolutely no prohibiting of hot dance moves? 

This pretty, Austrian brooch looks festive to me, maybe perfect for a cream winter coat during the holidays?

A thoughtful hostess gift: 8 sweet, vintage dessert plates that will make any table setting a touch prettier.  Because they're clear, they will work with any existing china/dishes.  Added bonus: you're covered if you're the guest that accidentally breaks a dish (there's always someone)!

P.S. Do you have any idea how hard it is to photograph a clear plate?  These are more gorgeous in real life.

A retro Battlestar Galactica board game (new in wrapper) for your favorite geek:

Let me suggest a cute pair of Astrological salt & pepper shakers for those folks who are impossible to buy for (everyone has a sign!)

Also for that hard-to-buy-for person: a pretty, silver plated vase from W. Germany.  Perfect for a few gorgeous stems of roses.

Fill this sweet tea cup with a few handmade bags of tea (or forget tea - go for chocolate) for your favorite coworker (or teacher) so she can start drinking her break-time coffee or tea in style.  Honestly, this peach luster stuff totally brightens any dreary day because it just glows:

Who doesn't need drinking glasses?  We're constantly breaking them and would love to be gifted a chic vintage set like this one.  Our other gold set has already sold, but this one is just as glam!

This set of Pyrex bowls is pristine and more than a dozen people favorited them so if you were at all interested I'm giving you a heads up (and a sweet, 20% off discount):



This zingy, celery green Haeger planter would also stand in as a gorgeous vase and looks beautiful empty, too. 

You can click here to see what other goodies we have left.

Happy weekend!  I'm out hitting yard sales and packing this weekend, how about you?

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How to Make an Inexpensive Wreath Form Using a Pool Noodle

I've had "yarn wreath" on my to-do list forever.  I've been putting off the yarn wrapped wreath for two reasons:

1. It looks like a lot of piddly work
2. Foam wreaths are friggin' expensive, 40% off coupon or not

See, I'm cheap as well as lazy.  I've actually been really tempted to just buy a yarn wreath from Knock Knockin, because Agnes is so talented and so imaginative, but, like with my recent agate necklace DIY, I've been hesitant to spend too much money.  Even with funding, I know that my research stay in Hungary will be expensive, so I'm saving my pennies.  But look at the gorgeousness:

Mint Candy Apple Wreath by Knock Knockin: The Original Felt Yarn Wreath

Mellon Wreath by Knock Knockin: The Original Felt Yarn Wreath

Nautical Wreath by The Baker's Daughter

Geometric Garden Wreath by Knock Knockin: The Original Felt Yarn Wreath

I decided I could not live yarn wreath-less much longer.

I had seen a tip for making a wreath from that pipe insulation stuff, but when I went to Canadian Tire with wonderful Hubs to fiddle with the foam insulation, it kept going all bendy, no matter what I did.  The trip was not wasted though, because I grabbed plan B: a pool noodle.  I'd heard of these working pretty well as wreaths too, but could never track one down in the winter and totally forgot about woolly wreaths in the summer.

I decided to use the length as-is for a large, statement-making wreath.  I formed it into a circle and Hubby applied some of the LePage Gel Epoxy we used for the agate necklaces.  Then we taped the seam with clear packing tape, which was thin enough not to create a bulgy mess.  I ignored it for a week or so and the hold is still strong.  It made a perfect foam wreath replacement, for less than $2.00.

It seems I am totally obsessed with orange.  Orange shirt, orange dress.  I also have orange flip flops.  Now I have an orange wreath base. 

I have started wrapping the yarn.  Here's a hint at the theme...

Halloween Wreath by The Baker's Daughter

UPDATE: here's the super cute and only somewhat spooky Halloween wreath I made!

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DIY Agate Pendant - How to Turn an Agate Slice into a Necklace

Like my new DIY agate slice pendant necklace? 



After ogling and pinning a slew of dyed agate necklaces, I started to really want one.  I actually had a pretty agate pendant as a kid (I've always liked rocks), but for the life of me can't find it now.  With my travel looming, I just couldn't fathom coughing up the $40+ bucks to buy one.

These Stunning Necklaces are From: LEIF; Vintage Pinch; LEIF; Little Things Happen

But I couldn't pine any longer, so Hubs and I made a couple of these DIY gems.  

Yep, Hubby helped me make these so I could snap photos.  How sweet is that?  Did I mention we did this DIY on his birthday?  I wasn't being cute when I admitted that I am a bad wife!

Supplies:

• Agate slice (here's a colorful multi-pack, though I favor these teal ones)
• Jewellery bail
• Chain
• LePage Gel Epoxy
• Pliers & wire cutters (or another cutting tool)
• Small file (unless you find a bail meant for stones without a hole)

We started with two slices of dyed agate I bought at the gift shop of the New England Aquarium, for $1.99 a piece.  They remind me of a fun trip we took together.

We grabbed some silver bails from the craft store, but they needed some customizing.  Yep, Hubs came with me to the craft store, too.  How else can I use two 40% off coupons on the same day?!?

These bails are meant to be affixed to a stone with a hole in it already (I  couldn't find the kind without the pins locally), so we snipped the pins off and then filed the inside gently:

If you don't mind ordering online, you can find bails that just glue right on to a stone, like these.  But I do prefer the extra security of a bail that grips the stone from both sides.

We used our favorite LePage gel epoxy to attach the bail.  You mix the two parts together on the spot and have to work quick, but the hold is strong!

Hubs dabbed a touch on to both sides of the bail and then slid it on to the stone, squeezing it tightly:

The epoxy sets really quickly, but I still set it aside overnight before wearing it.

I had also grabbed a spool of some silver plated chain from the craft store (with the second coupon, haha).  I snipped off one link to make the chain the length I wanted and strung on the agate pendant.

Then I used pliers to open a link at one end, which I looped on the last link at the other end and closed.

And that's it!  You could add a clasp if you want a shorter length, but mine are large enough to slip over my noggin.

I've been rocking the dark blue one with my bright orange Calvin Klein dress (from Winner's) and the pink one with pale greys.  I love how pretty these are - and how inexpensive!  Using craft store coupons for the chain and bails, both necklace together cost less than $10.00 (I'm not counting the epoxy, because that's a staple for us)!  These DIY agate slice necklaces would make such sweet gifts.

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Big, Scary News

Actually writing down (and posting!) my 30 before 30 list made it more real and, happily, more manageable.  Open an Etsy shop?  Check.  Start riding our bikes again (after a five year hiatus during which we moved them from city to city)?  Check.  Stupid yard wreath?  I'm working on it.

Now, a daunting item from my list:  research abroad.  Soon to be checked. 

I'm leaving Hubby behind in Canada and moving to Budapest, Hungary for four months to do research for my PhD.  I have my apartment and flight arranged.  I just found out Friday I received funding to cover my accommodations and expenses while abroad (yes!), so it feels real enough to blog, and stress, about.  I leave in less than a month.

Every person I tell thinks it's fantastic, exciting and all around wonderful news.  I know I'm incredibly privileged to have this opportunity to be funded to go abroad and do research.  But I am seriously going to miss Hubby who, due to work, can only visit for a short time during the four months.  It's lame, but I'm also going to miss the comforts of life in the townhouse, including having a car.  I'll miss my family, friends, Canadian health care, the luxury of choosing varied outfits - everything!  Did I mentioned I have one suitcase to pack four months - three seasons - of clothes?

I had a rough time last August when I received a scholarship for a one month stay.  Surrounded by strangers 24/7 (literally), I felt really lonely.  I missed Hubby so badly, especially when my laptop died (RIP) and I couldn't easily, or regularly, communicate, with him or anyone.  I was put up in a sad hostel with bizarre roommates and, to avoid it and them, I spent long evenings out with the party-happy friends I made and slept only four hours a night.  It turns out I was too old for that!  I got totally run down, got an infection and experienced a Hungarian hospital (faster service than Canada, but no toilet paper - anywhere).  The food we were provided was almost 100% bread.  I was worried I'd get scurvy.  Our hostel room kept running out of our allotted toilet paper (a common theme) and the toilet stopped flushing for three days.  The sink stopped up too, and the water ran brown.  One of my roommates disappeared, which no one but me seemed concerned about.  Days later she returned, totally confused why I was worried.  Then we got ants (unrelated, I think).  Did I mention I ran up a $300 cell phone bill?  Eventually I adjusted, found a grocery store with fresh produce, and finally started relishing the experience.

This time, it will be different.  I won't be with a group (here's a sampling of the motley crew I took language lessons and toured Budapest with):

  
I won't be living here.  I won't have classes.  I'll be doing independent research, in a sweet little apartment I can't wait to show you. 

I am excited to have a chance to re-connect with two close friends I made last August, a young Hungarian woman, Dora (centre), and a young Polish woman, Szilvi (right):

Szilvi was part of the same language program as me, so we spent more time together than we did with Dora.  Szilvi is returning to Budapest on a one year scholarship that starts the same time as my stay.  Good timing!  Although a longer stay and more time together is really going to test these green friendships.  I'm not sure Szilvi and I would have been friends under normal circumstances, you know?



What will happen to the blog?

Oh, don't you worry.  I have (and will be) working like a busy bee, stockpiling some DIY projects and nifty posts to share with you while I'm abroad.  I'll also pepper my posts with a little European inspiration, some recipes (a series I've neglected) plus address my biggest concern: packing for a four month trip!  But I might start to dip down to 3-4 posts per week as opposed to my usual 4-5 posts.

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