good morning! i wanted to kick things off today with these beautiful pieces by artist michael johansson, which i saw over at kate pruitt’s blog. in addition to great diy projects, kate is my go-to source for installation art that blows my mind. earlier this month kate posted about michael johansson, who has such a fascinating way of combining objects into one cohesive and colorful shape. these pieces are my favorite, but you can check out a collection of his work right here. it’s a perfect dose of eye candy for a chilly thursday morning.
also- over at the d*s guest blog nicole put together a post based on your requests for studio apt living! click here to check out the tips and ideas she rounded up for organizing in one unbroken space.
last week i packed up a zipcar and drove down to glen mills, pennsylvania to visit terrain. terrain is a new garden and lifestyle shop from anthropologie that focuses on garden decor/accessories, plants, home decor, and landscaping services. i had been excited to visit the shop ever since i saw it on joy’s blog, and let me tell you- i was not disappointed. despite the rain and cruddy traffic, the shop (and its employees) were definitely worth the trip. in addition to the stunning interior and exterior (housed in the former styer nursery), the shop also has an amazingcafe. (if all of the d*s team lived in nyc, terrain’s cafe would be our holiday party location in a heartbeat)
after window shopping for hours i was thrilled to get to meet with the terrain team, and watch them complete not one, but two amazing holiday craft projects- just for us! their team came up with a beautiful birch wreath diy and twig armature project that we’ll be sharing over the next two weeks. today we’re focusing on the amazing birch wreath! if you’ve got 5 minutes you can learn how to create this stunning wreath and decorate it for both indoors (paperwhites and moss) and outdoors (succulents). if the size of the wreath feels a little daunting, don’t forget you can always make a smaller version by using smaller logs.
thank you so much to everyone at terrain: melissa bartley, steve olszewski, kat bruni, melissa kissler-hoy, and lacey soslow for their help with this video. stay tuned next wednesday for the second project (a twig armature to go around your holiday flowers and vases). in the meantime you can visit (and shop) terrain right here.
CLICK HERE to see the written-out directions after the jump (for those of you who can’t do video/audio at work)
Snipping paper snowflakes is my all time favorite holiday craft, best practiced while listening to A Charlie Brown Christmas on repeat. When you swap out the usual printer paper for paper doilies, the resulting snowflakes look extra lacey and ephemeral. String them together with clear fishing line and your suddenly transported to a winter wonderland not usually experienced by a short on time/short on money holiday decorator like myself. -amy m.
these embroidered logs are inspired by the charming lino prints of hugo guinness. i wanted my father’s christmas gift a “portrait-through-objects” (he loves gardening and he always loses his glasses). do not be dissuaded by the power drill; these are super easy to make. they are fast and enjoyable, a good movie time or rainy day project. have fun!! – kate
a few months ago when theamys and i went to brimfield, i was surprised to learn that those pretty linen chairs with the printed numbers on them were actually stamped. i had always assumed they were upholstered with some sort of fabric, or vintage bags, that already had markings on them. while some of them are, the vendor we spoke to (who had tons of these things) said that most of the ones you see these days are actually stamped. so when i heard from d*s reader deepa, i knew just how to answer her “how do i get one of these chairs?” question: make one!
so i was thrilled to hear back from deepa yesterday to see the final result. deepa created a stamp and worked with an existing chair and added a french linen fabric (a lucky score at a local fleamarket). the finished product looks so much like the vintage pieces you see in antique stores that i couldn’t resist sharing her basic how- to here. whether you’re working with an elegant french chair, or looking to staple gun a simple dining chair or stool with burlap/linen, the look is remarkably easy to create- all you need is fabric paint, a stencil and a little elbow grease. thanks so much to deepa for sharing! *click here to learn how to make the paper wreath above deepa’s chair!*
i’ve seen so many beautiful rustic wreath ideas this year, that i thought it would be fun to switch it up a bit and share this fun project from emily at thirty-eight 20. emily sent over her “technicolor ornament wreath” project and i couldn’t resist. it’s a great way to make use of inexpensive ornaments (the kind that always seem to be on sale at drug stores this time of year), and create something that you won’t have to worry about keeping misted or fresh. thanks so much for emily for sharing her project!
CLICK HERE for emily’s project steps after the jump!
today nicole is seriously speaking my language when it comes to organization. this morning she’s tackling kitchens, covering topics ranging from small kitchen solutions to storage, quick fixes, and making use of your walls. if you’ve got a small kitchen like mine, or just want to make better use of your existing space, click here to check out her post!
