Inspiration: Anew Nature

It's a well known fact that birds + branches are my thing. It was, after all, the decorative theme of my wedding! I guess that's why one of my friends told me I should check out what Robert and Erica Karleskint are doing. And I'm glad I did! Because some of my other favorite things are good design and vintage furniture. The Karleskints combined all of my favorite things into a furniture re-purposing business that is aptly called Anew Nature. I had the great privilege of interviewing them to find out more about what they are doing.

How did you get started in refurbishing furniture?

We bought a piece of furniture off of Craigslist when decorating our living room, the girl we bought it from bought old furniture and refinished it. We thought "We could do that!" but did not really take action for several months, everyone was doing the "shabby chic" thing and we really wanted ours to be unique. I (Erica) really got into birds, trees, anything nature really, I painted huge trees on the wall in my guest room and did a mirror surround in our kitchen. We thought how great it would be to incorporate these two things together, and voila!

What is your process (both creative and technical)?

I think it is mostly searching out a piece that is appealing, having good curves and structure and then letting the creative process go from there. Definitely the piece inspires the idea of what will go on it. We lightly sand and then prime all of our pieces with the best stuff ever, BIN, love it, and go from there depending on what the piece calls for, painting, glazing, distressing etc.

Where do you find your furniture?

Most of our furniture has come from craigslist but we also look at estate sales.

Where do you find inspiration for your pieces?

Well, nature :) there is just something so powerful about it. It is old and new, it is beauty and joy, it is God's gift to us. Here is how we chose our name, taken from our FB page. Anew Nature is about taking the old, broken, and ugly and making it into something new, beautiful, functional, and lovable. When choosing a name for our side project, Robert and I really wanted to convey this idea of a new creation, a transformation of sorts, something God has done in our lives. Taken us from the broken people we were and made us anew. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians:5:17).

How long does it usually take to finish a piece or set of furniture? Do you have multiple projects going at once?

On average it takes us about a week to finish a piece, and we always have more than one going, it is constant chaos, but organized chaos, Robert is really good at keeping me organized. Our house right now is so cluttered with furniture it is crazy! We work in our basement and so in addition to our home furniture we have about 9 or 10 extra pieces hanging around!

Do you see this as something might eventually do full time?

This is something we would love to do full time, is that doable? Not yet, but we can dream : )

So there you have it! If you want more information and pictures or are simply DYING to buy one of their fabulous pieces, head on over to their facebook page.

Book Pages + Clip Art + Thrift Store Frames

Remember that little preview I showed you of my pretty turquoise frame? I finally finished the project!!!

Here it is all finished and pretty. I spent months looking around for ornate frames at The Dollar Tree and thrift stores. I set a limit for myself (no more than $2 a frame), so it was quite a challenge. Surprisingly, ornate thrift store frames seem to be in the $4-6 price range. Anyways, after I found five 6 frames of various shapes/sizes/levels of ornate-ness, I spray painted them Krylon Ocean Breeze Blue. It turned out it was slightly more blue than teal, so I took a dry sponge brush and created a glazed sort of look with a darker teal color. It turned out exactly how I wanted!
Thrift stores are also a great place to find old encyclopedias! I like the ones with the yellowy sort of pages. I got one for 75 cents! Here is the part where I admit I didn't do this project alone. Gabe helped me cut out pages from the encyclopedia and tape them to regular old printer paper and run them through the printer. We printed stock images and clip art that I found onto the book pages.
It was a very easy and fun project...And yeah, it was actually Gabe who spray painted the frames *sheepish shrug*. I think it turned out splendidly! Maybe it will spur us on to get the rest of the living room finished.

Making Crock Pot Meals Even Lazier

I love my crock pot. Last winter, we used it pretty often. The only thing was, there was not a lot of variety in our crock pot meals. And you had to wake up early enough to cut up all the ingredients, or brown the meat first. It took WAY too long. But the pay off was still worth it...leave for work, come home and magically, dinner is all ready! Then recently a light bulb went off for me. I could use a day off of work to do all the cutting and hard stuff and put each unprepared meal into a bag in the freezer. Then all I would have to do in the morning is dump the contents of the bag into the crock pot. Brilliant! So I started looking for recipes where there aren't any stages like "add biscuits for the last 30 minutes" or "brown the beef in the seasonings and butter or whatever first". This morning, I only did two meals, but I found a whole bunch and intend to do more so I can use trusty ol' crock pot all fall and winter long!

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

1 16oz jar of salsa

1 packet taco seasoning mix

3 tablespoons cilantro

juice of 1 lime

3 lbs bonesless skinless chicken breast

Directions: When it's time to make it, cook it on low for 6-8 hours. Shred it up and serve with rice or tacos or some kind of salad. Pretty much whatever's easiest.

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

1 lb stew meat

2 potatoes cubed

1 cup baby carrots

(you could add celery, but I find it detestable)

1 tablespoon herbs provence

2 cloves minced garlic

if your husband doesn't hate onion, 1 chopped onion. or if he does hate onion, sneak in some onion powder

1 can/bottle of beer or 2 cups beef broth

Directions: Cook on low for 8-10 hours. If you WANT to do a little extra work here, you can combine 3 tbls melted butter with 3/4 cup flour to make a gravy. Add that to the stew and let it thicken for 15-20 minutes.

And there you have it, people. Do a little work one day so you can be lazy on the other days. It took me about 30 minutes to prepare both of these lovely little recipes.

Branching Out

I have a really close friend who, ever since it was time to start looking into college, knew what she wanted to do. She went to school for nursing, got a job as a nurse right after graduating, and is continuing her education in that field. I, on the other hand, changed my mind a good 5 or 6 times. I've always been envious of people who know exactly what they are made to do.

I love art. I love design. I love beautiful things and I am a creative person. I want to be a curator, or an art and antiques broker, or something equally awesome that is probably equally impossible to find a job in. Lately I have been considering going back to school for Visual Merchandising, but I'm starting to think that might not be a great idea. The other thing I've been considering is opening an etsy shop. Etsy is an online marketplace for all things handmade. It seems like it could be a good opportunity for me to make money with something I enjoy doing and for which I don't need a degree.

So today, I have been doing some research and trying to formulate a business plan. We shall see what the future holds!

No Sew Pillow Cover

See, I told you I would be crafting again in no time! I found this ridiculously easy no sew pillow cover tutorial and thought I'd give it a try. At least, it's ridiculously easy IF you measure twice, cut once. Fortunately, I bought PLENTY of fabric, so it worked out ok. First, you measure the fabric. It needs to be 2x as long and 3x as wide as your pillow. You don't really even need any measuring device other than your pillow. You just lay your pillow on the edge and then flip it twice for the length and three times for the width (I hope this makes sense).

Then lay your pillow in the middle of the fabric. Fold it up like a present and then tie a square knot. It's probably better if you go to the original tutorial since I didn't take pictures of every step. Really, I just wanted to show off my finished product!
I need a new couch slipcover to go with our new living room color scheme. I'm thinking grey...anyhow, it is very easy if you do all the measurements right.
And here is a little sneak peak of another project I started. I think the colors look smashing together. Hopefully it will be done soon!

Nest Relocation

These lovebirds have been busy lately! We picked up our little nest and moved 900 miles across the country to beautiful Colorado! All summer long, I was eager to get moved. I had so many great ideas to beautify our little nest, so many projects I wanted to do. But I hadn't seen our new apartment. I didn't know which things could go where AND I knew that some of the projects wouldn't travel well. So I had to be content with logging all of the inspiration I came across on Pinterest. Well, now we are here! We finally have internet, and I know what I want to do. Unfortunately, I spent twice as much at Ikea buying new furniture than I intended, so some things will have to wait. Soon, though, very soon, lots of projects will be happening. Until then....

Design Seeds

Aaaaaand I have a new favorite website. This one is called design seeds where Jessica creates color combos based on gorgeous photos. Look at all these beautiful color palettes! You will notice they are all pretty similar...That's just where I am right now.

Pretty cool huh? It's a great place for inspiration!

Cool Storage Ideas

Storage Glee might just be my new favorite thing. This website is a treasure trove of nifty storage ideas.

Like this spoon wall that is used for holding mugs. We could totally use one of these, we have quite a mug collection!
Or this spool holder! I love any kind of storage that hangs on a wall. Space saving is important in a small apartment.
I would love to have one of these drawers turned jewelry holders. What a great solution for keeping necklaces untangled.
And finally, this hexagon/magnetic spice thing? It can be arranged and rearranged. And if you had a Silhouette SD (**HINT, HINT, HUSBAND!!!!**), you could make some labels for the ends.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. They have so many cool ideas, I got sucked in for waaayyyy too long. Check it out!

Chalkboard Paint is Super Cool

I have been seeing lots of chalkboard projects around lately, but I think this one from BHG just might be my favorite. Jazz up some unfinished wood chairs by painting them a bright color. Then paint the back splat with chalkboard paint. You will never need place tags again!

This is another great idea. Give wine bottles a sleek modern look and a personal touch by painting them with chalkboard paint.
Or use chalkboard paint to create wall decor that can change anytime with the swipe of an eraser.
Use chalkboard paint to help you remember which plant is which. You could even right down maintenance instructions on each pot.
This stuff is pretty awesome and I can't wait to use it for something. Or many things!

Beautiful Things

I started using Pinterest recently, and it has made me realize how much I love beautiful things just for the sake of being beautiful. I suppose it's why I went into interior design...I believe that being surrounded by beauty can enrich our lives! Here are some of the lovely thing I'm loving today.

1. Per usual, birds and branches (or in this case, wires). I don't know if I'll ever stop being obsessed with bird silhouettes.

2. Anything ruffly! I must be going through a girly phase, because I'm addicted to flowery, ruffly, girly things and colors.

3. Terrariums are hot right now in the craft world. I have supplies to make one, but I don't think it would make a cross country move very well, so I'm holding off until we are in Colorado.

4. Chevron (obviously!). It's the new houndstooth. Remember when houndstooth was back in last year or whenever? I'm so glad we have moved on to chevron!

5. I love these faux deer heads that keep popping up everywhere. As with the terrarium, I plan to make one of these after we move.

6. I can't explain the bunting craze, but it is darling!

To see other beautiful things that have been catching my eye lately, come visit me at Pinterest!

Stuff I Made: Necklace and Earrings

I spent all day yesterday crafting away! One of my favorite little know-hows is the pom-pom. It is incredibly versatile - you can use cotton, or fabric. You can use it for jewelry, a shirt or pillow embellishment, or a headband. I like Little Miss Momma's pom-pom tutorial the best of any I've read (and I've read a lot). I made both a headband and a necklace. The headband didn't photograph well...more about that in a minute.

I also ordered these vintage looking leaves from an etsy supplier. I want to make a matching necklace, but I don't really have any jewelry making knowledge so that is a challenge that I plan to conquer eventually!
So, there are different levels of blogginess. You can tell the good blogs from the bad because the good ones have really fun, colorful graphics and professional looking photographs. The bad ones have headers that have what look like hand drawn pictures that were scanned in and either really bad pictures or no pictures at all. I think I have the cute graphics down, but unfortunately my pictures suck. I have a digital camera, but it is both crappy and packed away at this time. All of my pictures are taken on my phone and then edited in picnik. I dream of having a nice digital SLR so I can take my blog to the next level and be more like Pioneer Woman! If only they weren't so expensive!

Flower Headband

A lady at work complimented me on a headband I wore one day. When I told her I made it, she asked me to make one for her too. I attempted this with some chiffon-type fabric (since that is what mine is made of), but it turned out REALLY badly. It was hideous! Disheartened, I postponed any further attempts for awhile. Today, I was finally ready to take on the flower headband once again. This time, I used an old cotton tank top. I was unsure of what the result would be, but it turns out cotton works well! I asked little J. to be my model.

The one on the left is the original and the one on the right is the one I made today. The purple one turned out so great I sort of wish I wasn't giving it away! I guess it's a good thing I have more of the fabric left : )
If you want to join in the headband making fun you will need:

1) fabric - both flowers are recycled, one from a skirt and one from a shirt

2) a headband

3) scissors

4) hot glue

5) felt

6) a button or a brad

To make the flower, use the same method I used for the medallions in the Monogrammed Wreath only with fabric instead. I discovered the flower is sturdier if you hot glue it to a round piece of felt. Once the flower is finished, cut another felt circle the same size and put it on the inside part of the headband. Then glue that to the bottom of the felt on the flower.

Giftables: Cabochon Earrings

I ordered some adorable cabochon bobby pins from Very Jane about a month ago. As usual, when I see something someone else has made, I thought to myself "I could probably make that!". It was kind of a wild goose chase at the beginning. I googled "cabochon" and didn't come up with much. I tried looking at Hobby Lobby and they didn't carry the flowers. I looked on amazon and ebay to no avail. Finally, I discovered that etsy has a category called supplies. That was my jackpot! I found a great seller who has tons of colors and sizes of flower cabochons and other fun jewelry making stuff for very cheap. I bought earring bases/backings and some special bobby pins at Hobby Lobby for 50% off and here is the end result.
I made these for my friend as a graduation gift. But they would be great for any occasion! I loved these particular colors so much that I made some for myself as well. This size of cabochon is a little too small for bobby pins...so of course I ordered more that are bigger : )

Handmade Gift Exchange

I have neglected my poor little blog yet again! It's not that I haven't been making things (and taking pictures), I just haven't posted them. It will happen soon...but until then, let me tell you how cool the internet is! I never would have started making things as a hobby if I hadn't stumbled upon craftgawker.com. Through that site, I have found countless projects and blogs. There are so many awesome people making awesome things, and because of the internet, I'm connected to them! That in itself is pretty cool, not to mention how nice the crafting community at large is. It gets better though. One of my favorite bloggers, Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous, is hosting a handmade gift exchange. In order to participate, you email Linda your mailing address. She will then send you someone else's address (and send your address that person) and you exchange handmade gifts. There is no required skill level or price range. The only real rule is that you have to have your gift postmarked by June 30th. Last year, there were over 480 people who participated in the exchange. If you are interested in being a part of it, head on over to Craftaholics Anonymous to find out more.

Two New Things

Lately, my life seems to parallel the weather around these midwestern parts- lots of tornadic activity! Husband is finishing up school, we have been moving, and both of us have been working full time. I don't even know the last time I had time to do something crafty. I am going through a terrible withdraw! Things should be settling down soon, at least for awhile. And I have a long list of projects I want to do. In the meantime, all I can do is revel in the craftiness of others. And so I present to you the most exciting new deal-a-day website. They offer boutique and handmade items at up to 80% off. In their first two weeks, everything is free! Tomorrow marks the beginning of week 2, so if you haven't registered with them, go do it now!

Next up, my new favorite Etsy shop. Marolsha makes unique, vintage jewelry and accessories that are inspired by nature.

I am really really hoping to be able to do some crafting on my next day off. Keep your fingers crossed!

Penne Alla Vodka

Cooking for two is hard! We try to eat healthy, but we are rarely together for meals and we don't like a lot of the same things. I try buying veggies I like (zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, onions), but since Gabe doesn't eat them, I have a hard time eating them before they go bad. I end up throwing out fresh fruit and veggies and it feels so wasteful! We haven't really come up with a solution yet other than just keeping trying. So we try...but occasionally, we like to indulge. And our favorite indulgence is penne alla vodka. I tried to "healthy it up" by using whole wheat pasta and fat free half and half instead of heavy cream, but it just wasn't the same. So here it is in all it's unhealthy glory.

You'll Need:

- 1 lb box penne

- 1/4 cup butter

- 1/3 cup vodka

- 1-1/2 cups pasta sauce

- 1/2 cup heavy cream

To Prepare:

Melt butter in a saucepan. When butter turns frothy, add vodka. Evaporate the vodka then add in the cream and pasta sauce. Tada! Add in pasta and you are finished. Sprinkle some cheese on top if you like!

P.S. I was going to take a picture, but then I ate it instead....oops!

Easy Peasy Headband

This project is easy peasy AND it's ec0-friendly chic! All you need is:

1) an old tee

2) scissors

3) a coordinating button

4) a needle and thread

I used my awesome rotary cutter, but you can just use scissors to cut a 2" wide strip of tee shirt. Make sure the length is a little smaller than your head so that it will actually stay on!
Next, trace four almost-circles onto more tee shirt and cut that out. I used 1-5/8" circles for mine, but you can do bigger or smaller depending on how big you want your flower.
Sew along the straight bottom edge WITHOUT tying knots on either end.
Once you sew the length, pull both ends so that it becomes a flower. Then tie both ends of the thread together to hold the flower in place. After that, place the button on the center of the flower and sew them both to the band. All that's left is closing up the headband. TADA!!!! Finished. You have a cute new headband in no time!

Color Combo Classic: Blue and White

Ahhh, white and blue! I keep trying to force myself to like a muted palette, but I just can't do it. I love bright, bold colors! This crisp color combo can be translated into fun and playful or grown up and sophisticated. I am in love with Target's new blue and white collection! They have some great, inexpensive stuff. I, however, believe I can copycat/put my own spin on it, and that is precisely what I intend to do! Here is my inspiration:

I started a project today, but I ran into a road block. Hopefully I'll find my way around it soon.

Romantic Getaway: Hotel Frederick

I always have to beg husband to do romantic things for me. They very rarely happen, so it is always extra special when they do! Gabe surprised me by planning a mid week getaway (or as he called it an "adfunture"). I woke up on and he made breakfast while I laid around in bed. Then we packed up and headed to the Hotel Frederick. I have to say, the 2+ hour drive across I-70 is very boring as far as landscape. We had a fun time talking though!

As we drove, it started to rain. And of course, the further west we got, the more the rain turned into snow. By the time we arrived in the quaint little town of Boonville, it was full out snowing and slushy!
I was excited to get up to our room and get warm and dry. The first thing I noticed when we got inside was the smell. It was marvelous! It smelled just like this natural soap I have from Herbaria. The staff were very friendly and got us checked in and took us up to our room.
The juxtaposition of the old architecture with bright colors and modern light fixtures and decor was right up my alley.
The bathroom was the highlight of our room. The black and white checkered floors were heated and there was a huge tub with jets - perfect for drinking champagne in! The bathroom was stocked with natural soap from Indigo Wild - which I discovered was the cause of the lovely smell all throughout the hotel. There were two comfy robes waiting for us when we got out of the tub.
This was a trip about spending time relaxing together WITHOUT computers/phones/tv. So we spent the majority of our time just hanging out! We did hit up the Isle of Capri casino as neither of us had ever been to a casino before. We found it depressing, and after playing a few slots, we went back to the hotel. Again, the staff were very friendly and helpful and showed us a lounge with a tv, games, and books.
The only real downside to the trip was our culinary experience or lack thereof. We ate lunch at Maggie's. The pub food was good but not great. For dinner, we had the buffet at the casino. The food was DEFINITELY not worth the price. It seemed like restaurant options were very limited.
I would love to go back to the Hotel Frederick when it's warm so we can go to the winery and walk around on Main St. It was a much needed break from work and our tiny apartment!