I found this prayer this morning and thought it sounded so modern, that it fit “today” so well.  I was surprised to find it was written by Sir Francis Drake in 1577.

This makes me want to dream a little more, dare a little more and try not to worry so much when I lose sight of land.

I made this mobile of Spool birds several months ago, but they’ve just been hard to photograph, so I haven’t bothered to post about them.  Christmas morning, while waiting for the girls to wake up, I snapped another pic from my seat on the couch.  I love the shadows they cast enough that I think I’ll go on and post this anyway.

Here’s a more straight on view.

Check out the Spool Sewing birds here and find the free PDF pattern and tutorial here.  They’re hand sewn and very easy, a great craft to do on the couch in the evenings while you relax.

If I had high ceilings, I could see me doing something like this:

Sorry for the blurry picture, but doesn’t it make it look even more like they’re flying?  This is the ceiling at Flight in Hendersonville, NC.  I was lucky enough to visit there on a girls’ weekend several years ago.  I have so many happy memories from that trip!  My little bird mobile makes me think of it and smile.

One of my favorite blogs is Purl Bee, which shares loads of project ideas using fabrics, yarn and more found at the Purl Soho shop in NYC.  I got to visit the shop on our recent vacation and am even more in love!  I bought the wool felt used to make these citrus coasters, one of their recent tutorials.  I spent the last day of my vacation with my feet up, watching the Royal Pains marathon and stitching away.  *Bliss!*  (They were out of the “spring” bundle, so I used summer and am happy enough with the result.)  Even better, I have enough to keep a set and give one as a gift.

I took some pictures while I was there so you could have a little peek at the shop, too.

Such a gorgeous wall of yarns!  I restrained myself and just bought one.  (After all, I can order more later, right?)

I can’t decide if I want to make a wall of fabric hoops like this at home, or maybe mini quilts?

They sell a kit of rainbow fabrics if you’d like to make a color wheel quilt of your own.

I think I’ll be making this wreath, another of their tutorials.

I hope you find some inspiration there, whether you visit the shop or the blog!

As soon as I saw the painted wallpaper tutorial by Emily on Jones Design Company, I dropped everything and started using her stencils to make a headboard.  Seriously, right then.  I was only partway through painting our bedroom in the first place, so now the freshly painted wall is sporting this painted headboard and I still have more than half the room to paint!

You should certainly visit Emily’s tutorial if you’d like to try this, but I thought I’d show you how I modified the stencil she created to paint just a portion of a wall instead of wrapping around the entire room.  This helps to create a finished edge on either side of your painted area.

I made four versions of the stencil to make the painted headboard, one of the full design, one that was halved horizontally for the top and bottom rows, one that was halved vertically for the sides, and one that was quartered for the corners.  These pieces aren’t exact halves, though.  I wanted the thickness of the lines to be equal all the way around, so I made each cut piece large enough to have a full line of paint along the cut edges.  Since my paintbrush was about a half inch wide, the cut edges are about a quarter inch wider than if they’d just been cut in half.

Also, Emily stated she has a good “sense of straight” and just traced the stencil as she went along without leveling it.  I am not gifted with a sense of straight, so I drew a line down the middle of the main stencil and checked the vertical level each time.  Maybe twice I had it just right.

Then just paint inside the lines.  (Much easier said than done, especially on textured walls.)

Many, many hours later, stand back and admire your handiwork.

I’m only showing a tiny peek at our room because there’s still so much to do:

• Paint the rest of the walls!
• Hang the new curtain rods and curtains
• Finish painting reclaimed “junk dresser” (will go to right of bed)
• Paint nightstand (goes to left of bed)
• Refashion bedside lights somehow
• Paint trim and doors semigloss white (Right now it’s Cracker Barrel color, ick!)
• Decide what to do with plain bi-fold closet doors — paint, replace … ?
• Also, new lights?  We have two sconces (original to the house) and two brassy ceiling fans.  (It’s a really long room.)

Well, at least I can check the painted headboard off the list!  Back to my work in progress …

And be sure to click below to check out an amazing gallery of painted wallpapers, so many beautiful ideas!

I received my first ever order from Spoonflower, a site that lets you create and print your own fabric designs, or buy those made by others.  When I saw these, I knew I had to have them!

Maybe you have to be a Dr. Who fan to understand.

So, now that I have them, what the heck do I do with them?

The 241 Tote by Noodlehead is so much fun to make!  Her pattern comes in two different styles, one with outer side pockets and one with zippered pockets.  (That’s why she named it 241, it’s like “two patterns for one price.”)  I loved the look of the side pockets, but also wanted a zipper pocket to stash my keys and avoid digging for them at the bottom of my purse.  I ended up using both patterns together (two in one!) and it turned out just fine.  Those outer pockets let you use three different fabrics together, love it!

I liked the interior pocket so much that I’m using it as my blog header.  I also increased the length of the strap so I can wear it as a cross body purse.  That’s what’s so great about making your own purses, they fit exactly right and can have zippy key pockets anywhere you like!

Seriously, the side pockets — they just make the purse for me.  I think I might need one in blue, too.

I highly recommend you go visit Noodlehead and snag your own pattern.  Thank you, Anna!  I love it!

Update: And one that makes me think of spring!

In “Nature Walk” by Cloud 9, beautiful organic cottons:

Now the question is — what do I make?

Here’s what I have to work with:

I don’t mind mixing them in with “ordinary” fabrics, and in fact I think that would be the best way, so these can go a little further.  A few feel like cottons and say  “Wax Print” along the selvage, and some are slicker and look they’ll tend to fray.  But they are definitely bold colors and prints!

I’ve thought about making table runners, coasters and placemats so people would think of the girls when they sat down to eat with their families.  Or maybe a little patchwork purse that would be toted around in public, a great conversation starter or note to self.  Or a little quilt, something you could give a Little One you love to help a child without a family of her own.

Sigh.

But much of the design of the large scale prints would be lost if used in smaller pieces, so I’m just not sure.  I think they’d look great in the abstract as well, but I’m just trying to think it through before I dig in.

I’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions.

Alternate title: Hers Turned Out So Much Nicer Than Mine!

I made this quick little candle craft based on the tutorial from Alli at One Pearl Button.  It was super quick and easy, but I like hers so much better!  I think straight-sided, frosted or colored glass would help, and maybe a less-gloppy paint pen.  Anyway, I like the idea enough that I’ll give it another try.  And hmm, wouldn’t this be a great way to spruce up an old T-shirt or a plain tote bag?

Canvas People are offering $55 off any size canvas, which means I got this cute 8″x10″ canvas for free!  (Well, $14 for shipping and handling, but I’ll take it!)  Upload your favorite photo and just walk through the steps, adding a frame or special effects if you like.  My canvas is an extreme closeup of a kimono, but with the holidays coming maybe you’d rather take a picture of the kids for Grandma and Grandpa.  The canvases are “gallery wrapped”, meaning the canvas (and your photo) wrap around the sides of the canvas, so be sure your subject has a little extra room.

Enjoy!

What a nice start to my day – my button monogram pillow was featured on Tip Junkie!  For more crafty button ideas, please see the post here.