A while ago I ordered Kathleen Whitaker’s staple earring from Pretty Mommy. It came in the most adorable little bag. I used the bag constantly to store my jewels while traveling, or working out or showering at the gym. I sort of ran it into the ground so I made some DIY replacements.
Materials:
muslin
red, black thread
needle
pins
scissorsblack cord
(optional) embroidery hoop
Like expats everywhere we are lucky to get many visitors- our house is like a hotel with friends and family coming and going constantly, complete with busy seasons and once in a while double (or triple!) bookings. Sometimes it makes us sad to be far away but the adventures had with visitors more than makes up for it. I’ve been meaning to make a guest book to keep track of it all for years and I finally got around to it last week.
To make up for all the friends who came pre-book and didn’t get to write a note, we went back through P’s Google calendar and wrote a list of all the people who have visited us through the years. Going through the calendar was the best part of this project, we got to re-live memories like when we went to India for the holidays, met friends in London the next weekend, Minneapolis the weekend after that for a wedding, and then two weeks later a girl’s trip to Turkey. Living in Berlin was a wannabe jet setter’s dream. Also, I am a new evangelist for Google Calendars because without P’s use of it there is no easy way we would have been able to recall all of our past guests.
Materials:
1 blank book (there are lots of blank scrapbooking type books but scrapbooking makes me barfy-faced, so I found this at my favorite stationer’s)
alphabet stamps, ink
wax seal, sealing wax, candle
guestbook pen (optional)
For reasons unknown to me, our friends have begun reproducing. This is a scary fact that must be dealt with with a clear head and iron stomach. I am nearing the age of reproduction (WITH A GOOD DOSE OF DENIAL -and also not for about 3-4 years) and when that happens I will forgo wine and sushi and rare steak and unpasteurized cheese for close to a year in the service of a bunch of cells that will literally suck nutrients out of my body and then become an ungrateful child that will suck money out of my bank account for extravagant things like ‘food’ and ‘college’ and ‘winter coats.’
Until I must face my own child-filled reality I can enjoy other people’s babies from the safe distance of NOT MY WOMB and send them cute clothes and stuffed animals and felt baby slippers that I have been diligently manufacturing. Because obviously.
I always need extra seating for dinner parties or braais. Folding chairs are ugly. I don’t like ugly things taking up space in my home. Here’s a solution!
I used some cheeky Shwe Shwe fabric with Madiba’s face since we live in South Africa for one and some old scrap I had laying around for the other.
Things you’ll need:
folding chair
screwdriver
drop cloth
spray paint
fabric
scissors
staple gun
staples
Winter is coming (I know we’re in denial but fall is officially March 21st!) and when I was in the States for Christmas I bought some Minnetonka Moccasins to keep my feet warm. The brown suede laces were sort of blah, so I bought some red ones which were cute enough and then saw these. Snappy! And thought I could make a pair. You’ll need: 
Use the masking tape to tape up the laces at a regular interval. I used 1.5 inches. Paint using fabric paint in your preferred color/pattern. Let dry overnight. Take off the masking tape et voila:
And that didn’t cost 30usd plus shipping. And Minnetonka Moccs are comfortable as clouds on your feet. You’re welcome.
ombre effects via pugly pixel
i’m finally back and hopefully consistently for some time! i suffered an extra few busy weeks at work and mostly a creative block. so i’m back, stamping my moleskin pencils. it’s a pretty easy process.
1. Buy some pencils for your moleskin planner or some carpentry pencils.
2. Decide what you want to stamp.
3. Stamp.
4. Let it dry.
5. Enjoy!
Also, here is this hilarious video which incorporates stamping and DIY brides.
In Berlin my bank (Deutsche Bank) had a branch called “Bank der Zukunft” which means Bank of the Future. I loved it there as much as one can love going to the bank (which is a lot). There was everything from a champagne bar and coffe bar, to a rotating display of goods by different German designers which you could peruse and buy. That is where I got introduced to Betonware and purchased this skinny concrete note pad. Everybody who sees it thinks it’s so clever and more importantly I love staring at it on my desk. And I love concrete. One day when we return to the United States to Settle Down and Buy Something Permanent I hope it’s an industrial loft made of concrete. Until then I created my own version of the concrete notepad and you can too. I got the idea to spray paint the sides of the paper from this pin.
I love it so much I kind of want to start selling them!
On my latest favoritest blog Radical Possibility (Zandi is cussy and snarky and does amazing diy projects, and sometimes they’re a big hilarious FAIL) was recently a post on knock off gold fridge magnets. I loved these because 1) if I ever have kids I certainly don’t want their ugly crap lying all over the house- the more you can disguise their crap into pretty items of decor (only beautiful artisanal wooden toys for any future children! ;) the better and 2) seriously, what I don’t need kids to want alphabet magnets. She mentioned dip dying them so I took this project in that direction.
You’ll need:
-alphabet magnets (another trip to the TOY STORE please)
-white spray paint
-gold acrylic paint
To corral all of the COFFEE RELATED CRAP in the kitchen I made a gold chevron tray. I wanted something simple so made oversized zig-zags. The other reason I want something pretty for the coffee stuff is that thanks to my friend Anna I bought an electric milk froth-er. I’m going to make thousands of espresso drinks on our trip to St. Lucia (the milk froth-er is coming with us). Pre-safari latte is where it’s at.
Materials:
1 white tray
gold spray paint
over sized masking tape
