fabric bowls

Here is another project from Sewing in a Straight Line: fabric nesting bowls!

I made these for Mary for her birthday. I think they are perfect for holding pins/brooches or other chunky jewelry right on top of the dresser. The bigger size could be good for keys & things right inside the front door.

favors

Wedding DIY - favors

The container store had plenty of choices for boxes in several colors and patterns. However, they ran 50 cents to one dollar each. That can really add up when you are making over 100 of these things. So, I got the cheapies on sale at Michael's, with a coupon. They ended up costing me less than 10 cents each. I hole-punched some of them, and the others I glued on the punched-out pattern.

On the inside, we placed a paper muffin cup which held a chocolate truffle, and a custom designed magnet favor. David and I designed 3 different patterns for the magnets. We used some of the same symbols from our invitations (made by Tamara). We added a cute little C & D on the edge with our wedding date.

cake towers

Wedding DIY - cupcake towers

Yeah. This did not go quite as planned.

I wanted to make several cake stands since we ordered mini cupcakes for the wedding reception. I planned on these going with my "colors." Turns out I really didn't pick "colors" for my wedding.

I used a guide from the wedding craft book I got in the spring. (There are a lof of fun ideas in the book, and they all can be done in a non-wedding-y way). I had trouble covering the edges of the support pieces. It was looking a little too arts & craftsy, even for me.

Then, the cake table ordered by the caterers would only fit ONE big tower of a cake stand. So, my multiple cake stands would not fit.

The project was fun to play with, and now I have some fun ribbon with which to decorate holiday gifts. However, I have a surplus of cardboard things just taking up space in the craft room.

Since I did 6 weddings in 2011, I think I am going to give the wedding stuff a rest for now.

sparkly safari

Gotta love anything gold and glittery!

We don't really decorate our house for any holidays, so I wanted something this year. David vetoed my sparkly acorn idea for Fall. Sadface. So. I got some cute little animals and sparkled 'em. An elephant and a zebra... not holiday specific, and cute enough to keep out all year round!

Maybe one day we'll branch out from our one pumpkin candy dish for Halloween/Thanksgiving, and one bunny candle for Easter.

beads & braids

My friend Sabrina found a pretty how-to on Pinterest, and I gave it a shot. I have moved back into a jewelry phase and will be experimenting more with seed beads.

I love white and gold together.

easy as pie

One of David's longtime pals is getting married in just a matter of days. She asked around if anyone had cake stands or pie plates she could borrow for her wedding, and we showed her the ones I had made with thrift store finds here and here. So, she requested that I make some for her wedding! Glass is harder to find than silver or brass candle stick holders, and the same goes for platters and plates. But I did it. I think I found some awesome designs, and we know that NOBODY will have anything like this at their wedding, or at their house. Amelia, I hope you love 'em!

photo holder

I've been on the hunt for an instax photo album since I got my fun little camera last Christmas. I am surprised that I still cannot find one. SO, I purchased a cute binder, and some sleeves that hold baseball cards. And diggy-doo, my very own instax photo album:

homemade holiday

It is almost Christmas!! I spent a lot of time making some gifts this year...
I baked a couple of batches of blueberry oatmeal cookies. YUM. I am going to try cranberry almond next.


I made some aprons for a couple of gal friends too (and one for me). I used the same pattern as my last attempt, but did the half version. It was much easier. I am getting much more comfortable with the machine and gaining a broader understanding of sewing. Hooray!
Next sewing projects: yoga bag, and more jewelry pouches.

one

two

three!

Lowell and Louise have been on the road a lot this Fall, so our etsy shop is looking a little sad. We have new designs and new product though! We will be replenishing our stock and hopefully getting the shop looking good again after the new year.

hard at work:

thanks part 2

Last weekend we went to Charleston to visit Sabrina and participate in the Lowcountry Artist Market. It was fabulous!! A job well done by Kristen and the Music Farm. We'd definitely like to be a part of that again. I sold out of bracelets, and only have 2 jewelry pouches left. We also handed out over 100 business cards. What a great event to get our name out there. Now I need to stock back up on supplies, and get busy creating! It is so interesting to me that the crowds can be so different. Davids product did slightly better in Durham, and my jewelry did miles better in Charleston. Thank you to all the folks in Charleston who came out to the event, and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

PS- an UNthanks to the police dept who gave us a parking ticket and tried to give a second ticket while we were unloading/loading our stuff... clearly in a loading zone (not a no parking zone), I was standing with the car, and the flashers were on. grrrrr.

busy bees

Things have been quite busy in the L&L house...

We have been designing, preparing, stocking, organizing. New stuff coming soon!! Nothing for etsy yet, but if you want a sneak peek come visit us during craft fair season! Get your holiday shopping done early!

We will be in downtown Durham NC for Troika Music Festival!
Visit us on November 6 in the Trotter Building from 1pm to 5pm. Shop and rock out AT THE SAME TIME!

We will be in Charleston SC for the Lowcountry Artist Market at the Music Farm!
Visit us there on November 13 from 10am to 3pm. The bar will be open.

See you soon!!

flowers

I saw a post on Design*Sponge last month on how to make peony-looking flowers from coffee filters. How cute! They used yellow hues and made a bunch. I used the ink from the cartridge lamps to dye my filters blue. I only tried a few as a test... didn't want a ton of filters to go to waste.

Voilà:

dyed

dried

assembled

arranged

I think it went well! If I ever need some cheap and easy decor, for a guest room perhaps, I'll know what to do! I might try yellow or purple next go-round.