Detective Kits

Some months ago I was brainstorming ideas of books to get for my friend's son who is a voracious reader. I remembered the Encyclopedia Brown books, which made me think that it would be fun to make detective kits for Christmas. So I have spent some time putting them together for him and my nephews and niece. I got Encyclopedia Brown box sets for the 9-year-old boys, I Can Read Berenstain Bear Mysteries for the 7-year-old, and a Strawberry Shortcake mystery for my 5-year-old niece who is obsessed with pink. Planning the boxes was so much fun. I designed ID badges and business cards, and also included fake mustaches, magnifying glasses, mini clipboards and notepads, and a really rad invisible ink pen that includes a light to read the messages. I think that these would be great favors for a mystery-themed birthday party.

Ribbon Wreath

I saw a ribbon wreath on my friend Stephanie's new blog and went out to buy the supplies that day. The idea came from here. I used wider ribbon and used four different kinds. I love the result, and it doesn't look super Christmasy. I think that it could be used throughout the year.

Paper Lanterns

Paper lanterns were the design inspiration for the guest bedroom. I love the colors.

Shiny!

My friend Christy from New York was in Atlanta last week, and so I drove over there to meet her for lunch. After lunch we walked around and stopped into West Elm, the place where I got our bedding. Just within the last three weeks since I'd been there, they have this new shiny shiny incredible soft bedding. Christy said, "You have to get this bedding!!" But since I had just gotten new bedding, I decided to supplement.



First I got these throws for the library. They won out over some chunky knit throws from Pottery Barn because they're machine washable and the ones from Pottery Barn are dry clean only (no thank you!).



Then I got these standard shams for the bedroom. The color is pretty close to the wall color, and I love the two standard shams in front of the Euro shams instead of the king-size ones.

And...More Sewing

Yesterday I made some curtain tiebacks. I think they look a lot better now.
These Amy Butler curtains were my inspiration. They would have cost $300 for two windows. Mine, including the panels I bought at Wal-Mart, were about $42. Plus a $400 sewing machine, ha.



I then hemmed a piece of fabric with a lining to go on top of an old sewing table. I ordered a piece of glass to go on top of it so it can be used as a desk. Then it will be safe for even a laptop or to throw your keys on there. The piece of glass is about $10. If you didn't want to hem a piece of fabric, you could put cute scrapbook paper and photos underneath it. I think that I'm going to do that with my nightstand and leftover wallpaper.



You know those rice bags that you can heat up in the microwave to use as a heating pad? My grandma uses one all the time for her arthritis and other ailments. She needed some new ones since one I got her several years ago caught on fire in the microwave. (There's only so long they'll last. The rice gets dried out.) So I whipped up a couple of new ones. I made one of leftover cotton and one out of flannel so it's supercosy. (It also reminds me of my grandfather.)



I actually put the rice in a plain bag first and made the outside to actually be a slipcover so they can be washed easily.

Leah Marie's Semi-Homemade

I was so pleased with how the bathroom valence turned out that I made two more for the guest bedroom. I bought the curtain panels underneath, making the whole project more doable. I think I'm going to do this same thing in the craft room. It's a great way to bring in a pattern without having to make long panels.

Check Out My Fly Curtain, Yo!

I made a fabric valance for the guest bath last night. I'm pleased with my first attempt and have learned a few lessons for next time. Today I'm going to make a couple of valances for the guest bedroom windows in coordinating fabrics. I like how this fabric pulls in the other colors and explains why the walls in the bathroom are green.

Decals Are Addictive!

I liked the decal that I did in the dining room so much that I decided to get one for the guest bedroom. I wanted it to be a main feature on the wall above the bed, so I used this large cherry blossom tree from Dali Decals. I like a lot of their other designs too. When I look through them, I think, "Where can I put that?!"

I'm still on stage one of the room. There's still a lot more to come!



The decal consisted of one big branch (with 2 little branches you put on separate) and then all of the flowers were individual so that you could put them on where you wanted. This decal definitely took a lot more work than the chandelier; it took me several hours at least. Before the flowers went on it looked like a crack in the wall.

Halloween Doin's and I Made a Skirt!

I ran out of candy this year...and I had enough for 270 trick-or-treaters! Last year I had 212, so I thought I had gotten enough. My neighbor across the street was able to get his yard up in time for tonight; it rained all last night and half of today.

Luke and Katie came over tonight to go trick-or-treating. Luke's costume was supercute.





I decided to be Professor McGonagall this year. I was going to be Elizabeth Bennet, Zombie Killer, but I thought it would be too cold. (I was right.) So I ordered her trademark plaid tartan hat and made a wool skirt. I used a Simplicity pattern for a costume skirt that has an elastic waist. The curved hem was a bit tricky but I'm happy with how it turned out. It didn't take me long to make it. I'm sure that I'll be using this pattern a lot in the future!



One of the highlights of my neighbor's yard is his friend who dresses up as Gene Simmons from Kiss. He's wearing 4-inch platforms so he's standing about 7 feet tall. He had to lean over to be in a picture with me.

Halloween Crafts

My neighbor across the street goes all out for Halloween. So many people come to see his house that the police block the street off and we get more than 200 trick-or-treaters. I can in no way compete with him, but the excitement is contagious. I decided to do something fun for my front porch. This idea is from Martha, of course. You cut an opening in the bottom of the pumpkin, and you scoop out the flesh to about 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Heinz scooped out the flesh for me with an ice-cream scoop. I then marked where I wanted the holes to go with a Sharpie, and Heinz drilled them out with a 1/4" drill bit. I then inserted Christmas lights in the holes, which was hard on my fingers. You stuff the extra lights inside. I'm really excited with how they turned out.

Organic Pin-Tuck Bedding

I just love the Organic Cotton Pin-Tuck Bedding from West Elm. It is so comfy and I love the pin-tuck look. I bought the natural color for our bedroom and the white for the guest bedroom. After much deliberation, I decided to go neutral with the bedding in the guest bedroom so the look could be changed out easily.

Library Chairs

The recliners for the library arrived this morning! Heinz hasn't even had a chance to see them yet. They're the Buchanan recliners from La-Z-Boy. Except we bought them from Vance furniture in North Carolina for 40% off retail. Now all we need are lamps and a table to go between the recliners. If you need me, I'll be in the library reading a book in my comfy new recliner. Then later I'm going to have some brandy and smoke a cigar.