Red Velvet Art

Recycled Shoes

I had these cute little gold flats that I realized the other day I never wear because I already have gold glitter Tom shoes. Which is probably too many gold shoes for one girl. But Instead of donating them to the thrift store I decided to try and remake them into black flats, because I don't have any black dress shoes.

 

Supplies: unwanted shoes, spray paint, newspaper, gloves, and if you choose embellishments (like glitter, buttons, fabric, etc) and good glue.

 

Find an outdoor area you can work in and cover your surface with newspaper. Also place, or tape, some newspaper to the inside of your shoes so the inner soles won't be sticky if you choose not to wear socks with your shoes. Spray your shoes, allow to fully dry before adding another layer. You may need 2-4 layers of paint. Once you have fully painted your shoes and they are dry use your glue to add any embellishments you want. And presto:

 

New Shoes!!!!

-love love, emma

My Braided Headband

Rachel has been having the most awesome guests posting on her blog. A few days ago (Nov 10th to be exact) Ruby from Cakies posted a tutorial on how to make your own braided headband.

 

Check out Rachel's blog for the details. Here is my first attempt:

 

 

love love, emma

.nine months of memories. -journal

I thought I would share with you a few pages from a journal I made using the Nine Months of Memories craft kit from RVA.

 

I can't wait to make cute stitched accents with the embroidery patterns as well.  There's a cute one with the words 'boy' and 'girl' with check boxes, and I think that's how I'm going to announce the gender on my blog. :)   The craft kits from RVA are a lot of fun to work with, and I really enjoy making journals like this one.

xo holly

thinking about the holidays..

I realize that many of you are in Thanksgiving mood, but being Canadian (or a foreigner as Emma calls me, lol), Thanksgiving is long over, and I'm in full Christmas mode!   
I've been thinking about:

1. the cards I'll send this year.

2. cute handmade decor.

3. how I'll wrap my gifts.

Elsie came up with the cutest card PDF's, and that's what I'll be using this year, I love all 4 designs!

For handmade decor, the internet is FULL of great tutorials, like this one, for a great paper wreath!

 

and this one, for an awesome paper chain garland! (looks very advanced...)

For wrapping my gifts... wouldn't it be nice if Orla Kiely made wrapping paper?? I'm still brainstorming.

And for some inspiration...

I'm looooooving Ingrid's new album. Just fyi.

Happy Veteran's/Remembrance Day!

xo holly

Too many scarves? Never.

Another christmas present nearly finished-yay! I am putting the finishing touches on a scarf for the young lady I nanny for (I am a nanny on the weekends, in case you didn't know). Her style is sort of hot topic, Green Day, punk chic. And she loves pink. So I made her a pink and black scarf, behold:

 

Here are some other scarves I have been admiring lately.

grandma chic. found here. 

 

skinny scarf. found here.

 

classy. sold here.

 

quirky cute. I love all of twinkie chan's stuff!

love love, emma  

What's On Your Handmade Christmas List?

Image found here

Not to ignore Thanksgiving's place as a major U.S. holiday but I can't get Christmas out of my mind.  There are so many ways I want to make this year's holiday celebrations even more lovely and colorful than last year and I've already started making lists of ideas inspired from color schemes or mixes of old ideas from last year.  And then there are the handmade gifts...I'd better get started.

Are you making your Christmas a handmade Christmas?  Do tell!

xoxo,

Rachel

p.s.  Thank you for the warm wishes this weekend.  I appreciate each one!

Welcome Ruby!

Congratulations to Rachel and her beautiful family. Ruby was born at 3:45 this afternoon! 

Today is a very special day. Please give her all your love. 

Love, Elsie, Emma and Holly

Fashion Friday

Hello Hellooooo! It's Fashion Friday and I wanna highlight a favorite designer & a favorite current trend this week.... 

 Miss Betsey Johnson

If you don't love her you either haven't been in one of her stores or you're crazy. I have loved her since the ripe ole age of about 12. Her style is over the top, adorable and if it was a food it would have at least 1000 calories! Here are a few peeks at why I love her so much... 

her dresses are gorgeous and her branding is FLAWLESS. plus the fact that she's been putting out gorgeous things for SO many decades, like since my mom was in high school... swoon! She's a hero of mine for sure. 

and here's my very own favorite Betsey Johnson necklace... 

And a current trend that I'm sorta into is boyfriend jeans... 

I'll be honest, I've ALWAYS loved skinny pants and when I first saw this trend I was a little bummed. I'm not exactly gonna get rid of my skinnys (no way) because I'm really short and they work on my body type, but i'll at least give this trend a try just for fun! 

Happy Fashion Friday! XO. elsie 

ps.a few more for the road....

the cutest dressed 'band guy', like ever! 

i always wanted clear framed heart glasses. 

and every time i see the Olsens i miss my sister soooo bad. they have killer style.

No Pattern Presents:)

I am finally getting familiar enough with crocheting that I feel confident about making up my own projects without patterns. A friend of mine had hinted that she would love a pair of mittens for the holidays this year. I know there are many many many wonderful patterns and tutorials out there for making mittens but something inside me just wanted to see if I could make it up.

 

 

This is a SUPER basic mitten but I am really quite pleased with how they turned out. 

1.I started by making my slip knots and made enough so that when joined as a circle the largest part of my hand (the thumb knuckle area) could slip through it. Most yarns have some stretch to them anyway so don't sweat the exact number of knots. 

2.I did a simple crochet up forming a tube. The thumb is simply an oversized button hole, and I decided on the placement of the thumb hole by measuring the mitten on my own hand again. So the main body of the mitten is a long tube with a button hole. 

3.I started another long tube, exactly the same way as before but this time when I felt it was long enough to serve as the mitten top I just started skipping every other stitch until it closed up onto itself like the top of a hat. 

4.Lastly, using the same color yarn, I sewed the mitten top on to the upper outside edge of the mitten body so that it could flip over and cover the finger area.

I added the black button just for cuteness:) One holiday present down, many more to go!

love love, emma

i love you & i miss you.

 my happy thought today. XO. elsie 

A little bit of inspiration.

Now that Halloween is over I am seriously in need of some new inspiration as I gear up for winter and the holidays. Anyone else? Here is what I have been looking at lately...

 

wisconsin foodie

 

fly girls

 

how about orange

 

everybody likes sandwiches

 

urban casita

what have you been looking at lately for recipes, project ideas, and decorating tips?

love love, emma

Painted!

Skona Hem via AT

Reworked Vintage via AT

Yellow Dresser via DS

Bold Trim via AT

Yellow Mirror via DS

Have you ever been tempted to give something a makeover using a little paint? Do you have the tendency to want to rework everything or does it take you three months to commit to spray painting a single picture frame? The concept of giving a modern edge to an old piece by adding some trendy color was one of the major players in how I choose furniture for our home. We are usually on a tight budget but have learned the art of seeing potential in used or vintage pieces with great shape. Not everything should be painted but for those who like a little color, it's an affordable way to change up your space and get a surprisingly custom look.

xoxo, Rachel

Do Tell...

What creeps you out?

xoxo,

Rachel

.crochet your halloween.

There isn't much time left before Saturday, but I thought these were too cute not to share.  Amigurumi is a  great way to create any creature you can imagine with crochet, Etsy is a great source for patterns. Wouldn't be awesome if people made crocheted lollipops for trick or treaters?!

source.

Look at these zombies! Pattern can be found here.

 

these cuties have great costumes!

Twinkie Chan has crocheted some super cute candy corn stuff in the past.

  

speaking of candy corn...

 ha!

And just for fun.... I was inspired by this halloween decor featured on Apartment Therapy:

What are you handing out to the trick-or-treaters this year?

XO holly

Halloween

How are you doing it?

Fuzzy Animal

 

Glamour Girl

Easy Peasy

Trendy

Random

Sweet

Or...Not

I'm still undecided!

xoxo, Rachel

:Pumpkin Spice Recipe Card How-To:

hello hello. this quick little tutorial is for everyone who purchased our pumpkin spice recipe card kit.

first of all, your kit comes with a little perler beads shape (there are three different leaf shapes, the beads are not included in the kit but can be purchased at any craft supply store)... you can use this to make a super cute embellishment for your card case. 

next you'll need to cut out and sew your fleece to make your little card cozie. my finished pouch is 6 inches wide and 5.5 inches tall. you'll want to add an extra inch when you cut it out so that you'll have plenty of room to sew! i used a sewing machine for mine, but it can also be hand stitched fairly quickly if you don't have a machine available...

In your kit you'll find some cute fabric scraps and stickers too! I didn't use these for my project, but here is another great idea that you could use the fabric scraps for... here's a little how to make yo-yo's tutorial by miss heather bailey. these would make cute little decorations for your card pouch! 

yay! if you have any questions, please ask me, right here, in the comments! :D OH, and THANK YOU so much for being patient with me on that one. i'm running super behind this week even though i feel like i've been crazy productive. geez! 

Also, I completely missed fashion friday this week so i'll have to make an EXTRA long one for you this coming week.... :)) here's a little peek of something i'm in love with...

 LOVElove & happy Sunday. Elsie 

ps. look below at Holly's amazing textile post and check back tomorrow for Rachel's interior design feature. XO. 

appreciating textiles.

tex·tile    (těks'tīl', -təl)    
n.  

1. A cloth, especially one manufactured by weaving or knitting; a fabric.

2. Fiber or yarn for weaving or knitting into cloth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Textiles are so beautiful, and they are all around us!  I think I would have to say that yarn is my favorite textile.  I'm a sucker for beautiful yarn, this this silk/merino yarn from Hedgehog Fibres. 

 

Gorgeous isn't it??  

My mother in law is also very passionate about textiles, and makes sure to visit fabric and textile shops wherever she travels to. Her favorite textiles are linens, silks, and ribbons. What is you're favorite type of textile?

XO holly

Holly's Crocheted Afghan Pattern

I've been crocheting this afghan lately as a fun project to 

do before bed, or while Simon is down for a nap.  It's a really 

easy patternand if you know the basics of crochet (chain, single 

crochet,& double crochet) you can do it easily. 

If you're just learning, or want to learn, this is also a great

project (though quite large).  

You can look to YouTubefor some great How-To videos on how to do the stitches.

The Pattern is as follows.

Chain 180 or any other number that is divisible by 3.  

90 or 120 might be more appropriate for a baby blanket.

Row 1: 2dc in 3rd chain from hook. *skip 2 stitches, (sc, 2dc) in next stitch.  

Repeat from * across.

Sc in last chain of the row, chain 2, turn.

Row 2: 2dc in first sc.  *skip 2 dc, (sc, 2dc) in next sc.  Repeat from * across, anding with sc in turning chain. Chain 2, turn.

Repeat Row 2 until desired length.

Final row: ch 1, sc in each dc & sc across. Finish and weave in ends.

This is a great project to use up all those extra skiens of yarn you have just sitting around. Why not turn them into a beautiful blanket!  I'm using worsted weight yarn, and a 5.50 crochet hook.

For some added inspiration, here's some beautiful work by the lovely Sarah London.  Her Flickr is FULL of gorgeous crocheted masterpieces. Like her Wool Eater blanket pattern.

I also love this photo from her photostream. Look at those hangers!

 

Ravelry is also a great source for tons of afghan patterns. This baby blanket caught my eye.

Happy Wednesday, and happy crocheting! If you have any questions about this pattern, or crochet in general, feel free to leave them in the comments, and I'll do my best to answer. :)

XO holly

Puppy Birthday!

Little love love is 3 years old this month! They grow up so fast.

 

here he is eating a doggie doughnut yesterday. 

Happy Birthday Lovers! -emma
 

Hello Color!

DotDotDot

CandyThief

CandiMandi

Persephassa

Liebmarlene

Tallybates

What is your GO TO color of the season? Have you noticed all of your Fall/Winter accessories are the same few shades of plum or that every new article of clothing you pull off the rack is knit, or yellow, or both? Do tell.

xoxo,

Rachel