Sunday, August 28, 2011

Weekend Explorations II

I finally get to blog about last weekend's explorations! Click here to see the post that inspired me to experiment. Here are the details of the projects I chose to do. Thanks for checking back in...I know it's been a while :)

The project, below, was inspired by this blog post by Karen Barbe, here. This was the first time I played around with this technique... So my measurements were "guess-timated" and I used doubled embroidery floss instead of thread or yarn. Now that I've experimented and know how this technique is done, maybe a smaller scale circle would've been more successful. But it was super fun, nonetheless!! You never know until you try... I cannot wait to explore more with this technique... ohhh the possibilities!!



Instead of removing the cardboard, once I was finished, like the directions stated, I taped the embroidery floss to the cardboard back to make the strings sturdy and supported. Then I glued the back with paper to hide the taped thread. Adding a magnet button sticker to make this piece a magnet would be cute, too!?



The second project, I chose to explore, was inspired by the Baby Blackbird blog post here. Me and my little Ellie Bellie got to collaborate on this fun project! Since I didn't have canvas, like the directions called for, I just used a regular piece of paper that I had handy. The project also called for vinyl letter stickers...which again, I didn't have. So, I just wrote my own letters, on the piece of paper with the intention to cut out once Ellie created her artwork on it! She had SO much fun coloring with markers! 


I also let her go to town with the fingerpaint! I thought the marker lines, by themselves, made the paper look bare. To give more layers and dimension, to the piece, I had her paint it on it, too! Plus, this little kiddo was having so much fun :)


Once the paint dried, I cut out the letters! To add even more mixed media, I sewed the edges of the letters with embroidery thread...just to see what it would look like. I was exploring, so why not try it out, right!? 


Since we both had so much fun coloring and cutting, we will definitely be using this technique again! Maybe on a greeting card or something? I still want to try the vinyl stickers technique on canvas because it'll be a lot less time consuming than the technique I chose to do! Have you done these proejcts or any other projects where you've collaborated with your little kiddo before? I'd love to hear about it ;-)

Monday, August 22, 2011

Weekend Explorations

Fortunately, I had some extra time, this weekend, to experiment on some new crafting techniques! Click here to see one of last week's posts about what inspired me to explore. Here's a sneak peek of which projects we got to play around with!


Stay tuned...more on these to come ;)

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Goodbye & Hello

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Feeling VERY Inspired.

I'll admit, I'm addicted to Pinterest. Lately, it's really been inspiring me to experiment! I just need to find some free time to play... SOOO I'm making it a weekend goal to at least explore ONE of these techniques/project concepts below. All images were discovered via Pinterest.
{image, blog and project source}

{image, blog and project source}

 
I love this simple concept (below), too... My daughter, Ellie, loves to paint and color with markers...maybe I'll experiment with her doodling all over a page like this...after I put letter stickers onto a surface...I'm pretty sure I'll be satisfied with the outcome once I've removed them! Hmmm...
{image, blog, and project source}



Okay, I had to limit myself to chose from three different projects ONLY. It was tough to decide. There's so many things I want to experiment on... oh well. This is a good start, for now.

Do you have plans to work on a weekend project? Are you currently exploring a new material or experimenting with new crafting techniques? I'd love to hear about it! Thanks for stopping by ;) ♥ Lauren

Thursday, August 11, 2011

I love gift cards!!

Who doesn't LOVE gift cards!? I recently received two from Anthropologie! One from my friend, Kaleena (from our "accidental" Christmas in July exchange) and one from my hubby (as an anniversary gift)! Thanks you guys! You know me too well ;). First of all... let me say that I adore Anthropologie's presentation and packaging. The details in their branding system are exquisite. Check out their gift cards!
Surprisingly, I didn't spend all the balance on my cards, however I did use it on two things I've been eyeing... the Anthology Magazine (for me) and a Baby Book by Sara Midda (for the twins, of course!).

 
The Anthology Magazine is sooooo beautifully designed. I enjoy the illustrations, writing and articles. Plus the magazine's Creative Director is one of my favorite designers, Meg Mateo Illasco. Here are a couple shots of my favorite spreads.
I've been in search of the perfect baby book to document the twin's birth and first year... so I was ecstatic to discover this amazingly illustrated Baby Book by Sara Midda. See more of her work here. LOVE it!! Here's what the baby book looks like inside. Seriously, I cannot wait to fill it.
Once I start filling this book up, I may have to post a few pages to show progress ;) Do you LOVE Anthropologie, like me!? Have a great day!

Monday, August 8, 2011

The City Flea & The World's Longest Yardsale

My sister and I LOVE spending quality sissy time together, as much as we can. We're each other's only sibling ;) Two things we love to do together are shopping and eating! So, once we discovered that the City Flea and World's Longest Yard Sale were coming to town, this past weekend, we HAD to make a day of it! Here's some of the fun things we did that day.

We hadn't eaten lunch, yet, and decided to grab a little something sweet to hold us over. Have you tried StreetPops!? Well if not... YOU SHOULD. Their unique flavors are quite refreshing and extremely enjoyable! The flavor we shared (which we should've gotten our own) was the Ginger Peach Lambic and I must say... it was the perfect combo of a sweet peach with a burst of ginger zing! Yum. Yum.

Here's some more pics of our fab finds from The City Flea!

Now onto the World's Longest Yardsale! But before browsing around, we had to grab some burritos delicioso at Lime Taqueria in Mainstrausse! My sister ordered the yummy black bean burrito as a salad and I ordered the fish tacos! Mmmmmmm...
Now off to the yardsale!


Below are the finds we snagged and went home with! My fave has to be my sister's unique foldable chair find. Check it out!

And lastly, I'll leave you with the finds I snagged...a wagon for the twins! Thanks Sa for helping me lug that thing around ;) & I also grabbed a vintage alphabet workbook. I'm going to rip the pages out and frame them for kiddies playroom! Yay!

My sis and I had an awesomely fun-filled day and we hope to go on one of our sisterly adventures again... soon ;-) Thanks for hanging out and putting up with this preggy lady all day, Sa! I love you! You're the best.

Did you get to stop by The City Flea or the World's Longest Yardsale? If you did, I'd love to hear all about it! If not, how was your weekend? Hope to hear from you and thanks again for stopping by!

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This post was recognized by a contributor from MyCityAntiquing.org - A Traveler's Guide to Antique Hunting. This site is "a Wiki project aimed at creating a comprehensive worldwide directory of antique shops and market places." The site provides links to various antique shops, flea markets and the like around the world and maybe even in your city!! 
 
THANK YOU MyCityAntiquing.org for informing me about your site and having interest in featuring my City Flea post, as a blogger review, on itYour recognition is very much appreciated! Be sure to check out their site for more info.
 

The City Flea