Wire Crochet necklace

I have been wanting to try something new for a while now with my jewelry. I have been making Japanese Chiyogami paper pendants since 2009 and I was getting a bit bored of them. At the Art Gallery of Peterborough a while back I saw a necklace that looked like it was knit with wire. I knew that if I had the chance I wanted to try it. Through a fluke I found a class in Toronto that was teaching how to crochet with wire. I took the first class last night and really enjoyed it. 

A day at the Zoo

My best friend Alida came yesterday with her three boys Nigel, Khol and Dylan. We went to the Peterborough Zoo which is free and awesome. The boys loved watching the otters get fed and they loved playing on the playground. My favorite thing was watching Khol chase the meerkat back and forth from the other side of the glass.

Milk Paint coffee table

I wanted a new coffee table that was colorful and fabulous. The one I was using was very brown and it made my living room look drab. I had bought a coffee table on Kijiji for $10 that I was going to refinish and sell. I painted the top white and then lost motivation because my other coffee table that I stenciled only sold for $5 more than I had paid for it.

 Last week I was still thinking about how I could get a new coffee table with minimal money and I thought why not paint over the white one with milk paint. I still had some left over from a package of Miss Mustard Seeds milk paint in the color Kitchen Scale. It turned out just as I was hoping colorful and fabulous. 

Inspiration Boards

I had a bunch of loose papers kicking around my art room and I didn't know what to do with them. They were things like ideas I had found in a magazine or tutorials that I printed out. I thought I would create inspiration boards that I could clip these papers too. The best and cheapest solution was to buy clip boards and hang them on the wall. But I wanted to make them pretty and functional. Solution: cover them with wallpaper. I got the wallpaper from a discontinued wall paper book from Benjamin Moore. 

I put double sided tape on the clip board, put the wallpaper on and then wrapped the paper around on the other side like a present. I took an exacto knife and cut around the clip part at the top. Then I put letter stickers on the top to indicate what the board was going to contain (Home, Holidays, Tutorials). You can make yours whatever category you want.

Then I just clipped my loose papers to them and voila they were no longer in my way. Easy, cheap and an awesome way to keep your creative space clutter free. I only made three because that was all I needed right now but you can make as many as you want. 

Happy Crafting!

Stenciled Pillows

I wanted to make a change to my living room decor but I didn't want to spend a lot of money. I just felt the living room was too brown. I remembered that I had some cream colored pillows in my closet and wondered if I could stencil them or not. It was worth a shot and they really turned out quite lovely. I think they are kind of Shabby chic or maybe Farm House Glam, who knows.

I took acrylic Martha Stewart craft paint and used my Martha Stewart stencil and I stenciled them on the pillow cover. I took out the pillow insert and put cardboard in the middle while I was stenciling so that the paint didn't go through. I think they turned out pretty good.

I also wanted to change the artwork in my living room, again it was too much brown. I decided to hang up a wood carving/ painting I got in Olinda, Brazil. Then I filled the four frames with patterned paper. 

Lastly I have always wanted a rice paper or patterned paper lamp. I found a hook up from a friend, did a little babysitting for them and voila I have a lamp. 

I feel very blessed to have a beautiful space. I am living in a rental so it is hard sometime to know what I can do to make it beautiful. But I think no matter where you live it is important to make your space look beautiful. It doesn't always have to take tons a money. Sometimes it's about using what you already have, re purposing something or even bartering with someone. 

Happy Easter!

We had a great time with the VanDerHerberg clan on Good Friday. It was actually warm enough to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. 

My favorite thing was playing soccer with my nephew Emanuel and deeking him out. Who says Auntie doesn't have soccer skills? I know he is a little kid but still. 

Here are the cousins sitting together on the couch. William has awesome hair in this picture.

Guest Post: Jen VanDerHerberg

Today I am interviewing Jen VanDerHerberg who is my sister in law. She writes a blog called Repurposed Gems (www.repurposedgems.blogspot.ca). It's all about her adventures as a mom of twin girls and as a furniture re-finisher.

Me- When did you start blogging?

Jen- It all began a little over a year ago - just when I was starting to find the niche for my business.  At first it was pretty slow, but the more I blogged, the more page hits I got, and the more followers I attained.

Me- How did you get into blogging? Did a particular blog/ person inspire you?

Jen- Friends and family commented on how much they enjoyed seeing my work on face book, so I decided to keep an online journal of my pieces for them to enjoy.  I also wanted a place where I could post tutorials for those who asked.  As I was getting started, I searched out other blogs, such as Miss Mustard Seed (http://missmustardseed.com), Shauna West (http://www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com) and Centsational Girl (http://www.centsationalgirl.com).  They were the three main ones which I strive towards, as far as their layout and content.

Me- What is your favorite thing about blogging?

Jen- I love the freedom in it.  Having graduated from university not long ago, it’s nice to be able to enjoy writing about whatever I feel like, and not have people criticize it, rip it apart, and mark it.  It’s so enjoyable to write about things I’m passionate about.  I love interacting with those who read my blog, reading the comments and responding to questions.

Me-Tell me about how you got into refinishing furniture? Is it hard? What keeps you inspired?

Jen- In 2008, when your brother Mark and I were married, we were starting out in a little apartment, with very little money.  All of our furniture was either home made, or found on the side of the road.  I had a specific coffee table set that I painted white, and switched the pulls to these fun, yellow rose pulls I had found for sale at Anthropologie.  My friends loved the set, and many offered to buy it if I ever wanted to sell it.  That sparked an idea, and in 2011, I started painting furniture, while I was in teacher’s college.  When I graduated, the job market for teaching was pretty bleak, so Mark encouraged me to pursue a business in furniture painting.  Soon enough I discovered milk paint… and it took off from there.

Me-I know you have twin girls (my nieces). How do you stay balanced?

Jen- Ah, my little darlings.  They fill our lives with so much love and happiness.  Staying balanced is probably my biggest challenge.  When I was pregnant with twins, everyone looked at my with big eyes and exclaimed, “oh boy - you’ll be busy!”  I really didn’t expect to have much of a life after they were born.  However, I got some pretty easy babies (half being they have a good-natured temperament, the other half focused on getting them on a good schedule).  So for me to actually be able to paint furniture is awesome!  However I need to not lay any expectations on myself - one piece a week is more than enough - and I need to realize that most of my furniture work is done after 7, when they are in bed for the night.  Sometimes I wish I had a part-time job instead, so I could ’leave work at work’.  However, I am able to stay at home full time with my kids, which is such a great blessing. 

Me- What would you like to tell young moms out there who are struggling with how to fit creativity into their lives?

Jen- Make time for yourself.  The husband can do the dishes when he comes home.  It’s okay to buy frozen meals.  Carve out a time each day - say, from 1 - 2pm, when the kids are napping, the hubs is at work, and the house is quiet.  Go on Pinterest.  Look at that Style At Home magazine you picked up from the grocery store.  Do whatever you need to do to feel inspired, and don’t feel guilty for doing it!  We as women are designed to want to create a home for the people we love the most - our husbands and kids.  Buy that rug from Homesense.  Paint your piano.  It’s your house, you have to look at it everyday.  And most importantly, have fun! Carve our time to have fun with your family, have fun doing projects, have fun being who you are designed to be. J

A big Thank You to Jen for being a guest on my blog!