Current Obsession: Digital Lace (great ways to use it)

(Image from Wedding Paper Divas)

Happy Saturday, friend!   Happy Sunday.  Happy...  What day is it today? This is a good illustration of what's been going on in our world. I admit I've lost track of time and haven't been creating and blogging as much as I would like lately.  Instead we have been cramming every last bit of fun we can into the final weeks of summer. Don't give up on me yet, friend.  I have many ideas up my sleeve.

I have to tell you about something I've been obsessing over lately:  digital lace, and all lace for that matter, but the digital variety is more novel. I loved the pairing of the age-old intricate look of lace with modern technology and strong blasts of color. Having the option to print lace opens up a world of creative possibilities. There are so many great projects to be made with digital lace files and your printer  ( no design software skills needed).

Here are some digital lace lovelies I've been pinning lately.

You want to play too, don't you?!  Here are links to some digital lace files that are either free or very low-cost and some great projects to go with them. Fire up the printer, ladies, and let's get crazy with digital lace!


I knew Martha would have my back with the digital lace trend.  You can peruse her lace projects here and print free lace clip art. The lace wrapping paper is beyond cool.  Martha says you can make your own digital lace by putting a piece of the real stuff on your scanner on a black background and saving the image to your computer (just as you would with a photo). Print it on office paper and you can use it for pretty, custom wrapping paper as Martha suggests. I think it would also make a great backdrop for a display table at a party or a paper table runner for a fun casual dinner party.

(image from MarthaStewart.com)

This is where it all started for me, with this pretty digital lace image I stumbled upon from martora on Etsy.   For only $2.00, martora sends you six different lace files to download- plus they are having a buy 2 get 1 free sale for Japan disaster relief.  Now, what to make with it?  It would make a great book cover.

Behold Martha's cupcake towers ( free lace clip art printed on text weight paper, cut to shape and wrapped around cake stands). I am speechless....and suddenly craving cupcakes.

(image from MarthaStewart.com)

These lace frames from Cool Scraps Digital are only $1.99 to download. They would be great simply printed on colored card stock and framed in a group for some simple, do-it-yourself wall art (the files come on a transparent background, so you are not tied to the brown).  If you want to play in Photoshop or Illustrator, these lace files could be used for framing a favorite black & white photo or a great quote or any other project your clever little brain hatches.

The gracious Graphics Fairy has some sweet little lace borders you can use for FREE.

Saving my favorite for last, have a look at this pillow!  You buy this digital lace file from Paris-based Vintage FaFa on Etsy for just $1.55 USD, download it and print it on image transfer paper and put it on just about anything, including fabric.   I didn't know I could have such strong feelings for a throw pillow.

I'm hooked- are you?

Feminine finds from the new IKEA catalog

Do you take the IKEA catalog, friend?  I found mine in the mail box today and have been glued to it ever since.  It will take me a few days to take it all in, but after thumbing though the pages a few times, I'm really liking all of the feminine additions.  Don't get me wrong, I love IKEA but many of their items tend to be a little too stark and modern for me, so the feminine details were a welcome sight. Three cheers for the lace, curves and girly hues in the 2012 catalog!  Here are a few of my fast favorites.  What are you liking so far?


I need no less than one dozen of these pretty pots



I have been craving oval frames lately and I expect all of my fellow bloggers will also scarf these frames up in no time and have them spray painted in every conceivable color.




I really like this beding set.



I know a little girl whose room is getting a healthy dose of pink gingham thanks to my Swedish friends.



I think my coffee table is getting the boot in favor of this lovely gray one with the pretty curves.  I can just see it now with a pretty vase full of hot pink peonies, and  a sticky residue of spilled apple juice,  two bite- mark-riddled crayons, some crushed up Goldfish crackers,  and a pile of My Little Ponies.


I need to throw a backyard soiree for an excuse to use these lacy little lanterns

 I'm intrigued by these ODBY frames, the shape is simple, but unique and is equal parts vintage and modern, if that's possible.



Last, but certainly not least, I really LOVE this pink bowl.

Grab a glass of lemonade, lock yourself in the bathroom if needs be, and enjoy the new catalog!

Where can a girl find shoes for fat baby feet?

Image from TOMS

I need your help, friends.  My baby boy has some remarkably big, fat wide baby feet- too fat for human baby shoes, in fact.  Truly, the little Velcro straps on his baby Vans burst spontaneously when they see his feet coming.  He has very high arches that simply can't be contained in any foot containment unit. Either we can't get shoes on  (because they are usually too narrow) or we wrestle and wrangle them in place and find we can't buckle/tie/Velcro or otherwise fasten the shoes over his high arches.  Many a dream of wearing cute TOMS or little leather loafers has been dashed by his big little piggies. In addition to hampering his style, he needs some support.  He's started to walk, so we need to solve this dilemma.  He is 13 months and in a toddler size 5 or 6. Can anyone offer any tips/styles/brands for toddler shoes that accommodate the plus-sized foot?

Reusable Zoo Pals Plates (sort of)

Sing it with me, "OINK! OINK! ZOO PALS! BUZZ! BUZZ! ZOO PALS! QUACK! QUACK! ZOO PALS....."  That darn song from the Zoo Pals commercial haunts my dreams.  My daughter has been begging for the cute little animal-shaped paper plates lately. They are fun and paper plates certainly have their purpose (I think we could make some great crafts with them). However, for regular every day use, a pack of Zoo Pals wouldn't last a day at our house. So I was delighted to find this sweet little pack of plastic animal plates from Harriet Carter. They are dishwasher safe, come in a pack of three and are a little more environmentally friendly than their paper competitors.

Etsy Love: The Wheatfield

Long before I was losing myself in Pinterest, I wandered through Etsy shops, marking favorite after favorite with big red hearts. I still do.  The Wheatfield is red heart-worthy.  This print shop, created by artist Katie Daisy, has pretty, sunny, whimsical pieces with loads of color. I must have Life is Beautiful (pictured above).  It just makes me smile.  Here are a few of my other favorites (all images are from The Wheatfield by Katie Daisy).

ABCs

Breath and Smile

Note Cards from the Prairie

Look Within

Quick and Simple Boredom Buster for Kids

Hi friend.  It's almost August. Are you running out of ways to entertain the kids?  The Internet is full of great ideas, but I'm always looking for the ones that can be done instantly without a lot of prep work or running out to buy supplies. I saw the Ocean Salt Pictures project on the Thrifty Decorating blog and knew we had to try it.  The original idea came from Smilemonsters with very simple supplies: salt, food coloring and glue. Thanks to these two creative bloggers, we had a fun afternoon with salt art!

I pin, therefore I am.

Friend, I have to admit something: I have a pinning problem.  It started out innocently enough, a few months ago, and has escalated to a full-blown addiction.  I managed to break a new and expensive SD memory card for my camera recently.  This has seriously hampered my ability to work on and photograph blog projects for the past few days. So I've had to channel my creative energy elsewhere.  That elsewhere is Pinterest.com. Have you heard of it? Pinterest is a fabulous free website that allows you to organize and share all of the great things you find online.

When you find an inspiring photo, project, book, hairstyle, recipe-whatever- on the web you "pin it" to your virtual cork board, add a note to the pin so you can remember why in the world you pinned it and then organize it among your boards on your Pinterest page.  Bookmarking is so five minutes ago ;) and pinning is much more intuitive and user-friendly. It's such a great source for inspiration and such a nifty way to neatly organize all of your favorites.

Do you pin?  You can see what I've been pinning here. If you are not yet a pinning aficionado and you would like to try, I'm happy to send you an invitation to get you started.  Simply contact me and leave me your name and email address.


 I whipped up these little odes to Pinterest for those who share this addiction hobby.

Coffee Table Quote Book Entry No. 5 (note to self)

Happy Monday, friend!

I am staring at a pile of half-finished projects that are currently taking over my house. I have these big wild plans in my head and when my projects don't live up to that or don't seem to be taking the shape I've envisioned, I have a very bad habit of (temporarily) abandoning them before they are complete and starting something new.  I'm not sure if that makes me a perfectionist or just lazy? It's a terrible habit-right up there with nail biting and breaking crayons.

This entry in my Coffee Table Quote Book is inspired by a little motto I read somewhere and am constantly telling myself.  Feel free to print it for personal use. I think I will make multiple copies and tape them to all of my projects ;) Have a great day!

Put down the laptop and get to Nordstrom!

Friend, step away from the spray paint, put down the glue gun, leave the weeds in the garden and get yourself to Nordstrom or Nordstrom.com for the anniversary sale!

I went yesterday and it was pretty magical.  I heard a fellow shopper say as she walked into the store, "I'm so nervous, I'm sweating-I'VE WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS MOMENT!"  Whether your passionate enough to sweat over a sale, or just enjoy a good deal, you should check things out.


I have fallen in love with KUT from the Kloth jeans.  I am filing them under the category, "life-changing" (they look much better in person than online) and they are very much on sale!


Enjoy the sale. May your discoveries be many, your purchases be deeply discounted and your underarms stay dry!

Bandana Braid (simple summer Hair)

Ah summer hair styles! Aren't they fun? Braids seem to be a big deal this summer, but they've always been tops in my book.  The bandana braid is a favorite from my childhood (thanks, Mom!) that I'm doing for my daughter this summer and she loves it.  It is fast and fun and adds some color and interest without a lot of fuss- the perfect recipe for summer hair.  This style also works well using a scarf or scrap of pretty fabric!

1. Put hair in a pony tail ( a high pony tail in the back of the head makes for the most secure braid, but my little moving target wanted to try a side pony this time).

2. Roll up the bandanna/fabric into a long narrow band.

3.  Slip the end of the fabric under the top layer of your hair elastic and gently pull it

(try to leave an equal amount of fabric above and below the ponytail)

4. Split the hair into two sections

5. Braid the pony tail, using the fabric as the third section of the braid.

6.  Secure the end of the braid with hair elastic.

7.  Wrap the top end of the fabric around the elastic a few times until it is tight

8. Tuck the end of the fabric under the hair elastic and hide it.

9. Take the end of the fabric, wrap it once around the end of the braid.

10. Bringing the tail of the fabric down through the wrapped section, tie it in a knot around the braid

(It's hard to explain, but once you actually try it will make sense).

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the simplest ideas are the best!

I am linking up to Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style and these great blogs.