In Praise of Pretty Scissors
I use our kitchen scissors (shears, if I’m being fancy) a dozen times a day and they aren’t the prettiest scissors on the planet. They aren’t the worst either. Our kitchen scissors are used so frequently for all manner of tasks that more often than not they will be left out on the counter. Putting them away has become a point of friction in our kitchen, so I have been thinking about designating a wall hook specifically for the kitchen scissors. But that means those scissors need to be pleasing to look at if I’m going to intentionally display them instead of intentionally being lazy and leaving them out. Can…
Kraft Paper Snowflake Mantel for the Holidays
I hope you’re sitting in a warm, cozy place while you check out my Kraft Paper Snowflake Mantel! I had a jolly good time making all 33 snowflakes on this Kraft Paper Snowflake Mantel. Yes, I counted. “Jolly good time” makes it sound like it was a party. I haven’t been to one of those in…well, we don’t need to count everything in this blog post. That would be depressing. Perhaps it is better to say I was in the mood to create something with my hands, so spending several hours making 33 kraft paper snowflakes was satisfying. Plus, I enjoy making something that looks way more complicated than it…
DIY Plant Hanging Rod Secured to the Ceiling
We recently built a plant hanging rod on our sunporch, so I guess I’m a plant person now? Perhaps I should have ended that sentence more declaratively. I’m a plant person now! Nope. That label still feels more uncomfortable than that time I touched poison ivy. I have some house plants. Not a lot. More than what’s on the barren surface of the moon and less than what’s in a tropical jungle. I also have some outdoor plants that I had the wild idea to try and keep alive over the winter. Three of those outdoor plants are ferns in hanging pots. They really liked hanging on my front porch…
How to Make a DIY Brass Pumpkin
I’ve found a gap in the decorative pumpkin market (gasp!), so today we are remedying that and I’ll show you how to create a DIY Brass Pumpkin. Move over, sweater pumpkins! This brass pumpkin is going to take over the world! What?!? It could happen. Here’s how to DIY a Brass Pumpkin: DIY Brass Pumpkin Step #1: Start with a rectangle of thin brass sheeting. Thin brass sheeting is available from Amazon. Once you buy a roll of this stuff, you’ll be hooked. It’s a gateway to all sorts of crafting shenanigans. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I purchased this particular roll of brass sheeting. It is 1000mm long,…
In Praise of Pressed Flower Art
Pressed flower art has been around forever! Well, maybe not forever, but at least since the 1500s. So, close enough? Artists in Japan used pressed flowers as their medium for creating large-scale artwork in the 1500s. As trade between nations expanded, the practice eventually gained favor in England and the United States. Like any type of art, pressed flower art has trended in and out of style. Is it trendy now? Who knows? Who can keep up? Who wants to? Make what you like. Buy what you like. The end. I recently had the most enjoyable experience making actual pressed flower art for my home. It turned out as delicate…
Our Not Quite Fall Front Porch
We have a not quite summer, not quite fall front porch right now. Anyone else feeling like they are sitting on the fence between seasons at this very moment with their decor? No? Just me? You couldn’t even give me a shove either way off the seasonal fence because I like it right where I am at the moment. It’s just so pleasant in New Jersey right now. We can hang out outside without wilting under the intense heat and humidity of summer. It’s not yet sweatshirt weather though with the daytime temperatures still in the 70s. In other words, it is perfect. If New Jersey was always like this,…
In Praise of Embroidered Pillowcases
All of a sudden I’m seeing embroidered pillowcases everywhere and I couldn’t be happier about it! We received a set of embroidered pillowcases as a wedding gift over two decades ago. I can’t remember who gave them to me (sorry!) or if they were even handstitched. I always thought those embroidered pillowcases made my bedding look far fancier than it really was. Unfortunately, fancy eventually turned into threadbare because we used those pillowcases so often. I don’t know how many of you learned to hand embroider, but I’d venture to say it was a much more common skill if you go back a couple of generations. Not to put an…
It’s Time to Establish Sentimental Provenance for Family Keepsakes
What is sentimental provenance? It’s a term I coined to describe a historical record of an item’s origin and ownership for sentimental reasons, not monetary reasons. How many times have you bought something at a thrift store and wished you knew where that item had come from, in other words, its provenance? For me, it’s every single time! I wish I knew that table, painting, or bowl’s back story. Where did it come from and how did it end up on this dusty thrift store shelf? If that item could talk, what stories would it tell? What historical events did it witness? How much did it originally cost? I don’t…
8 Fresh Ways to Repurpose a Piano
As a pianist, it pains me to say this, but it can be hard and expensive to get rid of an old piano and you might need fresh ways to repurpose a piano. I truly wish everyone had the space for a piano and wanted to learn to play, but I also understand why this instrument can be a burden to move, maintain, and learn to play. We own a baby grand piano that I hope to pass down to my kids one day, but we unexpectedly became the owners of an old upright piano too. When we purchased our current home, the previous owners left their piano in the…
Blanket Ladder With DIY Brass Leg Tips
I recently discovered you can buy thin sheets of brass and now I want to cover EVERYTHING in brass. My first project was jazzing up a blanket ladder with DIY brass leg tips. This DIY brass leg tips idea should be transferable to almost any blanket ladder style. You don’t need to have rescued a rotting wood ladder covered in dirt and spiders from under a deck in a house you were renting as I did. I wouldn’t blame you if you did though! Here’s how I made the brass leg tips for my blanket ladder: The thin brass rolls I ordered come in different sizes. My roll is about…
