D.I.Y. Louisville

Local Feature: Sara’s Cakes

2012-02-23T06:30:00.000-05:00

I may or may not have been *slightly* stalking my friend Sara to let me do a feature of her newly off-and-running cake business for weeks. My powers of persuasion have paid off, and if you’re looking for a local baker to provide personalized sweet treats at your next party or event, you can thank me for putting Sara’s Cakes on your radar. I’ve eaten my fair share of Sara’s goodies at many parties and I can personally attest to the scrumptiousness of her cakes and cupcakes.
If you’re a Louisville bride-to-be, you definitely do not want to miss the chance to have a cake tasting with Sara’s Cakes on March 24, 2012.

Check out the interview below to learn more about Sara’s Cakes and then go “like” her Facebook page so you can keep up-to-date on all of the Sara’s Cakes news.

~julee~

Facebook ~ Email

Who is this “Sara” person anyway?
I’m a Louisville native and Jill of many trades – writer, ballroom dance fanatic, reader, chef, crafty person, ferret herder. I’ve written a novel and started on a second. Sara’s Cakes came from having a long time interest in cake design and creating beautiful edible works of art. Also, I love cake so…there’s that.

Why yes, those are chocolate cupcakes with bourbon buttercream and a fresh mint sprig.

What kind of cake do you do?
Pretty much anything – cake pops, cupcakes, special occasion cakes. I use butter, sugar and love to make everything. I DIY my own fondant which actually tastes good – my clients aren’t paying for yucky plastic-tasting fondant no one will eat.

Also, I’m working on developing my own version of temari cakes which are round balls of cake, iced and filled – like a giant cake ball. They are growing in popularity in England and a few places in the US as unique wedding cakes. Temari cakes are based on the Japanese tradition of creating colorful balls of thread and scraps of kimono silk. The balls were given to children and now are considered works of craft art. You can see temari examples here. (http://www.temari.com/)

Wedding season is coming up and the Derby is right around the corner. What’s the scoop?
I still have lots of dates open for 2012! I am hosting a wedding cake tasting party for brides on Saturday March 24^th. Brides can email me at sarathompsonbakes AT gmail.com for details.

Can I see pictures?I have a few snaps up on my Facebook page and more to come.

What’s your favorite thing about doing cakes?
I’m a big foodie and I’ve always loved baking. Creating something delicious is my top priority and making it look pretty is the icing on the cake, so to speak. I love talking to brides about their special day and hearing the stories of the folks who will enjoy my cakes. I love new challenges – sculpting a cartoon penguin or making gum paste flowers are always fun.

Fleur-de-lis Cake

How does your business affect Louisville?
There’s always room for cake at any event! Why not support a local baker? Yes, it’s more expensive than picking up a $9.99 Marty-Mart cake, but we local bakers are here to offer you fresh, homemade, special products with a personal experience. There is an art to baking and some of us have a knack for it and it shows in our work.

Calling All Sponsors!!

2012-02-20T14:15:00.000-05:00

Looking for affordable advertising for your blog/business? Advertise in March on D.I.Y. Louisville. D.I.Y. Louisville has been growing by leaps and bounds over the last few months and we plan to keep up the momentum with great tutorials, projects, featured artists and What We Wore posts. In the last thirty days our blog has had over 12,000 views. In addition to our blog, we regularly post on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and are members of the Clever Girls Collective. D.I.Y. Louisville has been featured in Today’s Woman Magazine, Craft Gossip, Tip Junkie, and Little Chief Honeybee.

Ad sponsorship spots are sized at 125x125 and start at $10 for a one month run and include a featured write-up. We are open to larger ad spots and will work with you to meet your needs. Any revenue generated from this blog is reinvested in advertising D.I.Y. Louisville in our community and on larger blogs. In this manner, we are able to help secure new readers which in turn helps support your blog or business.

We will also be offering up two swap spots this month. That means we will swap you ad spaces. You post our ad, we’ll post yours, no cost to anybody. These spots are extremely limited, when they are gone they are gone.

To advertise contact us at diylouisville@gmail.com. We accept Paypal as method of payment.

Meet Cookie the Fox

2012-02-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is what I spent the past few days working on. I drafted a pattern and then made this little cutie up for a special little girl’s birthday. I have seen a few other fox doll patterns available for purchase, and while cute they seemed to be either very un-foxy or missing something crucial like a tail. I was kind of inspired by watching a few minutes of “The Fox and the Hound” the other day, as far as how I wanted it to look. I took pictures as I went along and hopefully in the next week or two I’ll get the pattern all sorted out and have it available to you guys.
-Kim

What We Wore: Sherbet Surprise

2012-02-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

I wore this to our meet up last week. I’ve been obsessing over dresses lately and I don’t even want to guess how many I own right now. I think I have actually talked my husband into letting me have half of the bedroom for an open closet. I desperately need it, my closet is at its max capacity right now and there are shoe boxes spilling out of it everywhere. I can’t wait to have more room and be able to see all my cute dresses on display. My ideal closet would look a lot like this one that Kaelah put together. By the way, my seven year old took these pictures since my husband was out of town, how awesome is she?

Outfit details
dress- thrifted
sweater/tights/shoes- Target
shades/necklace- Forever21

We're linking up with The Pleated Poppy this week.

What We Wore: Happy Valentine’s Day

2012-02-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is what I wore Saturday night. The husband and I went out for a little Valentine’s date. Truth be told we ate sushi and then drove around for 30 minutes looking for a bar, finally decided on one and then left after going in for 5 minutes and deciding it was super pretentious. Sorry, I just can’t get into a bar that you have to order your beer from a “loft” and they use mythological stories to describe the beer. After that we tried to get some dessert, got lost and ended up stopping at Wal-mart for ice cream, going home at 8:30 and watching “Vampire Diaries” in our PJ’s. We are the epitome of awesome, try not to be jealous.

Outfit details:
dress/belt/necklace- Forever21
sweater/tight- Target
shoes- JCPenney
ring/headband- handmade by me
nail polish- Essie, Sole Mate

We're linking up with The Pleated Poppy!

Sesame Street Party

2012-02-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

My goddaughter turned two last week, and I worked with her mama to help throw her a Sesame Street birthday party.

The birthday girl is peanut free, so all of our goodies were allergy safe except for the red icing on the Elmo cake. Thus, the birthday girl had her very own Cookie Monster cake. Both cakes were lovingly made by her aunt. The chocolate chip cookies were also home baked using this recipe.

Elmo cookie pops. Directions HERE.

Elmo’s goldfish in a fish bowl, little bags of pretzels, fruit kabobs, Sunbutter and jelly sandwiches and squeezable applesauce were among the toddler friendly treats we served.

Apple and Eve Juice boxes with Sesame Street characters were perfect for this party.

We also had 2 and E sugar cookies.

I saw these Sesame Street pom-poms on Pinterest and I knew we must have them for our party. My husband made the faces for them.

The balloon wreath was borrowed from a friend, and the birthday girl’s mama made the banners that were hung on the door and around the home.

The birthday girl was delighted to see so many of her favorite characters at her party, and we had so much fun putting this together for her!

~julee~

Meet Iris and Harper

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

You have probably heard us talk about the talented and lovely Craft E Magee before on the blog. She’s a regular D.I.Y. Louisville member and an all around sweet girl. We love her little dolls and just can’t get enough of their cuteness. Recently, I contacted her about making a custom set of sibling dolls for my son and daughter for Valentine’s day. I picked them up from her the other night at our meet up, and I could not have been happier with how they turned out. The details are adorable, from the hand stitched freckles and detailing on the jeans to the tiny buttons sewn on the shoes. I know my sweeties are going to be super happy when they receive their doll versions of themselves. Be sure to check out Craft E Magee’s Etsy store where you can pick out your very own doll from her many cute choices.

-Kim

What We Wore

2012-02-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is what I wore the other day on a thrifting outing with Julee. We spent 3 hours in one thrift store! Of course most of that was due to our incessant talking, but we did manage to score some pretty great finds. Plus, it was half off day, woot!

Outfit Details:

Skirt- thrifted

belt- thrifted

shirt- thrifted

sweater- target

boots- Steve Madden

hat- thrifted

Necklaces- long: made by me, short: Forever21

bracelet- vintage, moms

We’re linking up with the What I Wore Wednesday fun over at The Pleated Poppy.

Free Printable: Valentine’s Bingo

2012-02-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here is a super sweet game to print and play this Valentine’s Day. I made this version of bingo for my daughter’s school party. You could use Valentine’s themed candy, such as m&m’s or any other flat candy as the markers or let the kids use a Valentine themed stamp. I made a set of 24 cards to use. There are two on each sheet and you can print them on a standard 8.5x11 sheet of paper. I made mine on cardstock, just so they would hold up better with a bunch of 7 year olds playing with them. You can click on the links for each set of cards at the bottom to get the PDF.

Valentine’s Bingo 1
Valentine’s Bingo 2
Valentine’s Bingo 3
Valentine’s Bingo 4
Valentine’s Bingo 5
Valentine’s Bingo 6
Valentine’s Bingo 7
Valentine’s Bingo 8
Valentine’s Bingo 9
Valentine’s Bingo 10
Valentine’s Bingo 11
Valentine’s Bingo 12

I hope you enjoy the free printable Valentine’s Bingo game with some special kiddos in your life!
-Kim

Weekend in Pictures

2012-02-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend was spent going to birthday parties, making cake for that birthday party, making simple crafts with the kids and my MIL, cleaning, working endless hours on the computer and eating some delicious food. How did you spend your weekend?

From lft corner: button rings, cute vintage table linens, delicious dinner, adorable boy making sock puppets, trying to like sparkling water, my new Chelsea Crew shoes from LuLu’s, the cutest pom pom bunnies

Healthy Sundae: Peanut Butter Apple Parfait

2012-02-05T10:00:00.001-05:00

This is a quick easy recipe that is great for kids for a snack in the afternoons or even for a fast breakfast. You could easily swap the peanut butter for a soy butter if you are allergic. This makes two servings and has a WW pts plus value of 5 pts. We made these for breakfast one morning and they definitely satisfy that peanut butter craving that I seem to get every once in a while.
Recipe:
1 apple diced- I used pink lady, but I think granny smith would be a good choice
1 8 oz container vanilla or honey flavored nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tbs peanut butter, I used Trader Joes Flax Seed Peanut Butter

Stir the peanut butter into the yogurt. Spoon 1/4 into a sundae cup top with 1/4 of the apple, spoon another 1/4 of the yogurt peanut butter mixture on top and top with another 1/4 of the apple. Repeat for the other cup. You could also sprinkle a little cinnamon on top to finish.

-Kim

Local Artist Interview: The Shizknit

2012-02-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Our local artist interview this week is with Tonya Wagner from The Shizknit. Tonya creates beautiful knitted pieces and holds local knitting classes for those in the Louisville area. We are big fans of her work – check out the knitted swimsuit! – and are so happy that she has agreed to be a part of D.I.Y. Louisville as a sponsor this month.

The Shizknit

Blog ~ Facebook

What type of art do you make and when did you get your start?
I am a knitwear designer and teach knitting classes. I taught myself to knit in early 2006 by using the book Stitch 'n' Bitch by Debbie Stoller. I learned to knit in April - by June I had designed my first item; a cabled purse. That December I began working at the (sadly now closed) local yarn store, the Knit Nook and began teaching.

What makes you D.I.Y.?
It doesn't get more D.I.Y. than making something out of sticks and string!

How does your business impact Louisville?
The Knit Nook was more than a yarn store; it was a community. I hope that my classes are able to do at least a small part to fill the void that was left when the store closed.

What are you currently working on?
I have a sweater design in the works and a full class schedule - see http://www.theshizknit.com/2011/11/winter-20112012-classes.html for the list.

Swimsuit design for Knitting in the Sun

What is your favorite thing about running your business?
Being able to set my own schedule is pretty phenomenal. Not only is it nice to be home all day with my two small children, I am able to choose which classes I teach and find a way to make money knitting what I want.

What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
I wish I could please everyone, but it's just impossible. Trying to schedule classes that a variety of people are interested in is the first challenge; the second is figuring out what time and day of the week is best for holding those classes. Design-wise, I have been known to get "knitter's block" . . . kind of like "writer's block" but with yarn.

Lucky Number Pullover design for Spud & Chloe

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists/business owners?
Go for it! When the Knit Nook closed I took a job that wasn't particularly a good fit. My husband encouraged me to devote that time to build my knitting business, and I'm so glad that I did. While I am by no means making a ton of money, I am much happier doing something that I love. Also, buy a good calendar and write down everything!

Share something silly about yourself.
When I was a little kid I had a massive crush on Doogie Howser, the teenage doctor played by Neil Patrick Harris.

Any independent artists you’re crushing on lately?
So many - and several of them are local. My good friend Adrienne Callandar (who has been featured on this blog previously) is a talented fiber artist. You can find her on The Weather Up Here. (http://weatheredheights.blogspot.com/) I am a huge fan of photographer Mickie Winters. (www.wintersphotography.com). We have works in our house by Amber Thieneman and her husband Nick - you might recognize Amber's paper crane mobiles that hang in Sunergos. Of course, there are great independent artists all over the world - my Etsy favorites list is always growing!

Thank you, Tonya, for sharing about yourself and your work with our readers! (Shh - I used to have a crush on Doogie Howser, too!)

~julee~

What We Wore

2012-02-01T06:44:00.000-05:00

My husband and I had the rare opportunity for a day out without the kids this past weekend. We spent it hitting up estate sales and thrift stores, sharing coffee and eating Mexican food. I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone on clothes and try some skirts. I’ve never really been sure how to wear skirts properly. Hopefully the abundance of cute vintage ones that I purchased on our shopping outing will convince me to figure it out!

Outfit details:

cardigan, tights, shoes- Target

skirt, belt- thrifted

shirt- TJMaxx

We're linking up with the What I Wore Wednesday fun over at The Pleated Poppy.

If you're visiting from The Pleated Poppy, please leave a comment with a link to your blog and/or outfits. We would love to visit you!

Make It: Valentine Bunting

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

I can’t resist the sweetness of Valentine’s Day, so I’ve been making a few sweet little things to decorate the place here and there.

This Valentine bunting is hanging in a corner of my dining room.

I love these little fuzzy pom-poms.

Want to make a Valentine bunting? I bet you have lots of materials on hand to make your own. Here’s how I made mine:

When I found this pom-pom yarn, it was love at first sight. I love making my own pom-poms, but the work here has been done for you; just string it up and go. Plus, this skein was only $1. Can’t beat it.

We’ve all made hearts this way: just fold your paper and cut a 1/2-heart shape. I used a small hole punch and crochet thread to string them up.

It has not escaped me that these hearts also resemble alien heads. You can opt for a chunkier heart if you want to avoid an extraterrestrial look.

See my big budget paint brush up there? Saving cheap kids paint brushes equals more money to spend on Martha Stewart’s undeniably glorious glitter. I brushed glue on one side of a tiny clothes pin and sprinkled on the glitter.

What sweet valentine crafts are you making? Let us know and leave a link in the comments – I would love to check our your projects!

Happy Valentine making!

~julee~

Weekend In Pictures

2012-01-30T12:24:00.000-05:00

I had a stroke of good luck finding some awesome shoes at the thrift this weekend. On Friday I found not one, but two pairs of Franco Sarto oxfords in brand new condition for $3 each. On Saturday, Kim spotted these wedge Old Navy boots for $2. Unfortunately they were too small for her, but fortunately for me, just my size. That’s the joy of thrifting with friends.

Happy Monday!

~julee~

We’re linking up these fab thrifty finds with the fun over at Apron Thrift Girl and Hey What's For Dinner Mom.

Healthy Sundae: Pumpkin Power Smoothie

2012-01-29T10:58:00.001-05:00

I’ve been clean eating for a solid week now and I’ve never felt better. I have more energy and motivation. My skin is starting to clear up and is less dry. My stomach feels a million times better and I don’t have the crazy food cravings that I was having (I’m sure from the diet sodas I drank).

Pretty much every morning I start my day with a smoothie. Now my version of a smoothie is super thick. I like to eat it with a spoon and not drink it. I find it way more satisfying. I also sometimes do one in the evening as a dessert if I want something to snack on after dinner. I really love the combo of pumpkin and banana together, it makes a thick and creamy texture just like soft serve. I’m trying to limit my sugar so I probably wouldn’t have this everyday, because bananas are a little on the high side sugar wise. You could omit the banana though and I bet it would still be good, or just use half a banana. This recipe is vegan, dairy free, free from refined sugars and full of vitamins and protein.

( I place my pumpkin in a ziploc bag and press the air out. Then I smooth it into a thin layer and freeze. It’s easy to break into little pieces for my smoothie like this. You could also freeze it in a ice cube tray.)

*I use a wide mouth mason jar to make my smoothies in. It just screws right on to the base of a blender in place of the pitcher and makes for less clean up since I eat it right out of the jar.

Pumpkin Power Smoothie
1/2 can pumpkin puree (not pie filling, just the pumpkin) frozen
1 banana frozen
1 c. So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1 scoop Amazing Grass chocolate flavored
1 scoop protein powder- I use Chocolite
1 big handful baby spinach, stems removed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves

Place your ingredients in the jar and blend for a few minutes until everything in pureed and smooth. Enjoy your power packed smoothie!

Local Artist Interview: Open Grain Woodwork

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Open Grain Woodwork

Website ~ Facebook ~ Etsy

Our friends at Open Grain Woodwork are having a very exciting call for ideas contest that we wanted to share with the D.I.Y. Louisville community. If you’ve ever had a great idea for a child’s toy or home décor item made from wood, but lacked the skills (or tools) to implement that idea, this is a great opportunity for you to share your idea(s) with a local, eco-conscious company and possibly win the chance to see that idea come to life.

If your idea is chosen, you will be given one of the winning products once it has made it through production. AND, as if that isn’t just plain awesome in and of itself, the top twenty (20!) local runner-ups will win a domestic tree ready for planting provided by Tower View Farms. (Non-local runner-ups will have the tree planted on their behalf.)

Here are the official details provided by Open Grain Woodwork:

We’ve just recently launched our second official Open Grain Woodwork contest for our Sapling Collection. All you have to do is think of a great product to implement into our Sapling Collection: Children’s Toys & Home Décor and simply email the Grain Guy himself your idea and drawing (josh@opengrainwoodwork.com.) We ask that you make all entries as detailed as possible with a drawing or quick sketch to help us make the best decision.

This contest ends on the last day of February and the winner will be announced March 9th. The lucky winner will go on to have his or her idea pushed into production for our Sapling Collection and once completed will be given to the winner free of charge.

But we’ve always believed that every participant should be rewarded, after all, it’s not just the winner, but everyone that ends up helping out. So we’re partnering up with Tower View Farms so that the top twenty runner-ups that submit their ideas alongside their sketches or drawings (no matter how big or how small) will have a domestic tree native to our area at the shop waiting for them and ready to be planted.

Now that all of our fans and customers are cranking their craniums, we are working hard to get our Sapling Collection’s next big project off the ground. Coming soon we will be able to present various themed clocks that are sure to add a great aesthetic touch to your little one’s bedroom. So get involved with our Sapling Collection contest and be involved with Open Grain Woodwork today to help us create a better home and environment for our Louisville Community.

Read on to learn more about Open Grain Woodwork:

What type of art do you make and when did you get your start?
I like to describe our creations as highly functional and innovative wood art. In all shapes and sizes. This includes, but is not limited to, furniture, signage, jewelry boxes, pens, household items, displays, and children’s décor and toys.

I’ve had the desire and ambition to create starting as a child. My first outlet was drawing in mediums such as charcoal and water colors. I always participated and took advantage of every learning opportunity available throughout my education as a child and adult. While in college I supported myself remodeling homes and felt artistic gratification through my work. This period of my life gave me the foundation I needed and opened my eyes to a new and unending world of art; Wood.

What makes you D.I.Y.?
Wood never dies. It will forever change shape and size with the changes of climate,seasons, humidity, and geographic location. I think what makes us D.I.Y. is that we bring our ideas to life with “these two hands.” Also, the years invested in education and resources that bring it all together. Since wood is stronger than we are, every design provides its own list of challenges and obstacles of how to create a piece that will withstand daily use, wood movement, and the test of time.

How does your business impact Louisville?
We are a small, locally owned business that is dedicated to developing relationships and resources in our community that allows us to incorporate a wide range of mediums into our products. Many of our pieces utilize skilled glass, stone, and hardware experts to fulfill the vision of our unique products.
Whenever possible, we use local saw mills and display the beauty of domestic woods found right here such as cherry, walnut, coffee tree, and oak. Aside from doing our part to support local artisans and economy, we offer our community the opportunity to have a dream and see it come to life. We also provide production pieces for those who don’t want ordinary and strive for extraordinary furnishings and décor for their home.

What are you currently working on?
I have had two major inspirations to drive me to focus on production pieces. The first, my two beautiful daughters have motivated our Sapling Collection. Nothing makes me happier than creating for my children. Being concerned about the health and development of my loved ones and the planet has sparked the creation of wooden décor and toys that are fabricated and finished with child and environmentally safe products. We plan to introduce at least one new product to the collection each month and are currently moving forward with production of various themed clocks.

Secondly, the Greene Brothers from Pasadena,California Circa 1900. Accompanied by the craftsmanship of the Hall Brothers,they were able to produce some of the most sought after pieces of their generation and ours. With a style of their own they have been commissioned by families such as the Gambles from Procter & Gamble, and with most of their work in the hand of collectors and museums. Their work has inspired a home collection currently in design.

What is your favorite thing about running your business?My favorite thing about this business is I come to work and put myself in a great environment filled with great people. We get to share ideas, feed off one another, and depend on each other. It’s really awesome to walk in and utilize everyone's strengths to produce invaluable works of art. I also get to work alongside my wonderful wife, who is the master mind behind many of our works, and is tremendously supportive of my passion.

What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
The most challenging aspect of my work is picking one thing and seeing through to completion. With so many good ideas, areas of education, and tool refinement,you can never just pick one. We have to put many irons in the fire and coordinate amongst each other the most efficient processes in order to reach completion.

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists/business owners?
“Go With Your Gut.” Every day, as a business owner and artist, you are faced with obstacles and there are always numerous ways to handle it. Be sure to pick one immediately and don’t look back. No one is perfect and we make mistakes. The trick is fixing your mistakes, learning from your errors, and turning your obstacle into an opportunity. Therefore, you won’t waste valuable time making those decisions and won’t be scared to make a mistake.

Clean Eating Challenge

2012-01-26T08:15:00.001-05:00

I’m jumping on board with Danielle over at Sometimes Sweet for her clean eating challenge. I really had already started doing this (I’m on day three) when I saw her challenge. I have chosen to give up caffeine, sugar, dairy and processed foods, I do eat some low sugar fruits still, in moderation. My reason is I was feeling terrible. Even though I had been losing weight steadily on Weight Watchers I was to a point where I was eating a lot of overly processed “junk” food disguised as healthy and getting all of my energy from mass amounts of coffee and diet soda. My skin was starting to break out and my stomach felt awful, I had no real energy. So I decided to make myself feel better by feeding myself clean, whole foods. Danielle has a lot of ideas for versions of clean eating that you can check out here and she is doing a Twitter follow a long so you can keep up with everybody there just tag @danihampton #SScleaneating.

Here’s an idea of what my days look like so far.

Breakfast: smoothie made with unsweetened coconut milk, berries, amazing grass and protein powder(all natural, no added sugar)

Lunch- tuna, steamed Kale with tomatoes

Snack- either a slice of Ezekial bread with 1 tbs natural unsalted nut butter or organic celery with nut butter.

Dinner- lean protein, green veggies

dessert- another smoothie

Are you going to take the Clean Eating Challenge?

-Kim

What We Wore

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

I wore this to the last D.I.Y. Louisville Meet Up. I have to admit lately it’s been one of the few occasions where I’m not wearing a t-shirt, cardigan, jeans and converse. I work at a preschool and cute dresses and shoes don’t so much mix. I’m trying to make the effort to look cute at least once a week though, so doing this post helps. This is what I wore:

                                                                      Dress, tights- Target
                                                                      Boots- Steve Madden
                                                                      Coat- vintage, thrifted

We're linking up with the What I Wore Wednesday fun over at The Pleated Poppy.

What I Thrifted

2012-01-24T20:05:00.001-05:00

I’ve been trying to make a regular weekly pop in at the thrift store. I like to go on sale days, because I am the cheapest person ever. I seriously get a little bit of a high from getting three bags of clothes for 20 bucks or less. Lately the thrift Gods have been shining on me. I’m not sure if it’s just luck or if I finally have perfected my game, but lately every trip has turned up a few bags worth of gems. This weekend was no exception. My husband and I hit up an estate sale and a couple of thrift stores. I had my best luck at the sale and my favorite thrift store, which I won’t mention by name due to being scared Julee will hurt me :) Anyway, I found the wool skirt and the hound's-tooth skirt at the estate sale. I spotted the hound's-tooth one first and bee lined it over there. Both skirts were a mere dollar! The dress, super soft, fuzzy cardi, pleated skirt and perfect slouchy hats were from the thrift. I have been searching for slouchy hats that will fit over my mass of hair with out popping right off. These two are perfect! Also, I had to throw in the cute kitcshy owl wall hangings that I picked up last week. They are hanging in my bedroom and I think they are the cutest!

Did you score any awesome finds this weekend?

We're showing off our thrifty finds and linking up this week with Apron Thrift Girl.

Weekend In Pictures

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

So, Instagrams. I love them. I keep trying to peer pressure Kim into buying a new phone just so she can play along. Don’t you think she totally should?

I know people follow each other on Instagram, but I have all of my stuff set to private, and just share a few pictures here each week. Because - I’m not going to lie about it - I take a bunch of really crappy, useless pictures no one would vaguely be interested in seeing. (Unless, maybe you are interested in seeing fifty pictures of my lazy dog each week…?)

What we have up there is me waiting in the rain for my hubs, Valentine crafts from the Target $1-spot (love!), eating apples while playing Apples to Apples (completely coincidental! also, our new favorite game), and me doing my best Feed Me Seymour imitation with pistachios. C’mon, cracked pistachios totally look like the plant in Little Shop of Horrors, am I right?

I hope your weekend was lovely! If you blog your weekend in pictures, leave us a link in the comments. I would love to check it out!

~julee~

PS - I'm linking up to the Instagram fun over at Life Rearranged.

Healthy Sundae: Pears

2012-01-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Every year for Christmas my aunt gives us a large box of pears. I love these so much and my mouth starts watering in anticipation of them in early December. There are many great things you can do with pears, sure, but we mainly eat them straight-up or add them to a few of our basic favorite foods.

This, however, is my favorite way to eat them. It might just be a wee streeeeeeetch to call this a sundae, but I promise if you close your eyes and let your taste buds take over, you will forget this sweet dish is a healthy, no-sugar-added snack. Ripe pears add natural melt-in-your-mouth sweetness, and the cottage cheese packs a low-fat, high-protein punch. You can also substitute with Greek yogurt.

Healthy Pear Sundae

1 fresh diced pear
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1 sprinkle of cinnamon

Layer in a cool retro goblet and enjoy!

Meet-Up Recap: Altered Journals

2012-01-21T19:51:00.000-05:00

This week we started altered journals as one of our ongoing D.I.Y. Louisville group projects.

I love how different our styles and inspirations are.

If you would like to join us for a D.I.Y. night, we encourage you to bring along a journal or purchase one from us. You may bring your own supplies or we will have supplies on hand that you can use to create your own journal pages.

If altered journals isn’t your thing, no worries. This is an optional project, and you are more than welcome to join us and bring along a different project to work on during the evening.

Don’t forget to check out our EVENTS page for details on this and many more upcoming activities.

Room Tour: Iris’ Room

2012-01-19T21:49:00.001-05:00

I’ve been meaning to get around to showing off Iris’ bedroom for a while and this weekend we did a big clean in there and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take some pictures. We did her room on the super cheap. The most expensive item purchased being the paint for the walls. I thrifted most everything or crafted it from thrifted materials. The finished product was a room most fitting for my crafty, somewhat eccentric little seven year old. She loves it and I feel super proud every time I go in there.

Her bed was purchased many years ago from believe it or not Kmart The pillows and pillow shams are thrifted, except the patchwork one, which is handmade by me, from a charm pack that was given to me. The quilt is one that my grandmother made me when I was around Iris’ age. The bunting is handmade from scraps of fabric and vintage sheets.

This is her desk area. The desk is a cheap one from Target. The chair is a vintage office chair bought from the Peddlar’s Mall for 9.99. I recovered it in a vintage sheet that was thrifted.

Her bookcase area. I hung a shelf above it to hold all of her handmade stuffed toys. From left to right; doll from Mexico, mini teddy bear from craft show, monster stuffie handmade by me, crochet duck from craft show, bunny handmade by me, monster stuffie handmade by me, little orange bear handmade by me, sock dog handmade by me, giraffe craft show, blue squirrel from husbands childhood, sock guy bought in Gatlinburg. Lower shelf; monkey, pig and cat all handmade by me. Gumball machine handmade.

The window seat. Everything was made from vintage sheets and repurposed foam.

The door is painted with chalkboard paint on the panels and the girl is a vintage print that I thrifted for .99.

Her dresser has a vintage canister set that was picked up at a yardsale. It holds all of her little toys and trinkets. The print was thrifted, again for .99.

I hope you enjoyed these little peeks into Iris’ bedroom. I’m going to try and get some of the boy’s room next. The sad part is we’ve been in our house 4.5 years and we’ve only done two rooms. Sigh. Someday.

-Kim

What We Wore

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is the outfit I wore dashing through mud puddles and dodging tornados yesterday. Our weather has been crazy. I’m not sure what’s up with that, but I’ve suddenly turned into an old lady who only talks about the weather. Kim has my permission to interviene when I start wielding my stick and yelling at kids to get off my lawn.

Cardi, Dress, Leggings - Target

Tank – Kohls

Boots – Amazon

Earrings – Boutique in Wisconsin

I hope your week is crazy weather-free and full of cute outfits.

~julee~

We’re linking up with the What I Wore Wednesday fun over at The Pleated Poppy.

Weekend In Pictures

2012-01-16T01:55:00.000-05:00

The big news around here is that it snowed. When it snows in Louisville, the town goes crazy.

C-R-A-Z-Y

I love the crazy, but not the snow so much.

The kids did not get a snow day, however, despite the inside-out pajamas, spoon under the pillow, and flushed ice cubes. Do your kids do this? Or are the kids at my daughter’s school a little weird? As for me, I was just excited to pull out my brand spankin’ new Bean Boots I thrifted last spring for $3. You heard me.

How was your weekend?

~julee~

Linkin’ up with Life Rearranged.

Healthy Sundaes: Breakfast Banana Split

2012-01-15T15:04:00.000-05:00

Julee and I have decided to start a new weekly series of healthy "sundae" recipes. Each Sunday we'll have a new delicious recipe that won't reek havoc with your New Year's resolutions. For this weeks installment I made one of my favorite recipes. I have been making this "sundae" for years. It's really versatile and you can change up the ingredients depending on what you have on hand. This recipe has a few more Weight Watchers points than I usually eat for breakfast at 8 pts but it's super filling and packs a lot of nutritional value with 23 grams of protein from the nuts and yogurt. When I have it I never feel the need for a mid morning snack. You could also make it for a snack and share half with a friend. We hope you enjoy our new feature and most of all eating some yummy healthy "sundaes"

Breakfast Banana Split
1 medium banana sliced length wise
1 container lowfat or nonfat Greek strawberry yogurt
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 c. frozen strawberries
1 packet stevia (optional)
8 to 10 nuts of your choice (I used walnuts and almonds)

In a bowl place 1/2 c. frozen strawberries (approx. 5) and microwave for 1.5 minutes. Take a fork and smash them up until you have a slightly chunky puree. This will be your strawberry sauce. If your strawberries are a little on the tart side instead of being sweet, you can add some stevia or sweetener of your choice.

In a separate bowl place your banana cut side down. Spread the peanut butter evenly over both halves. Top with the Greek yogurt. Pour the strawberry sauce over the top and add the nuts. Enjoy as a healthy breakfast or split with a buddy for a filling snack.

Nutrition Facts

Calories- 466
Carbs-59
Fat-18 (all from nuts, so it's good for you)
Protein- 23

*Nutrition facts calculated using Sparkspeople

Valentine Pouches

2012-01-14T20:25:00.000-05:00

I do love Valentine’s Day, I admit.

I’ve been in a Valentine making mood (I blame it on Pinterest), but I haven’t found too much time to make much this week. (Which I also blame on Pinterest.)

I usually make my daughter a little handmade something to give her along with a small box of chocolates.

These are two little zippered pouches I made for her last year. I’m trying to get my crafty mojo on so I can get started on her gift this year.

What do you guys do for Valentine gifts?

What We Wore

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

This outfit makes me feel like I should be on a cattle ranch, or something. Which is hilarious, because I am pretty much terrified of all animals. The vegetarian that hates animals. Ponder that one.

I wore this outfit on our New Year’s Day tradition of visiting family friends, playing Apples to Apples, and eating a whole bunch of beer bread. It’s one of my favorite days of the year. I’d blame the bags and circles under my eyes on the partying I did the night before, but sadly it’s all genetics. My New Year’s Eve consisted of cleaning out my closet and snuggling with the dog while watching the entire season of Whitney on Hulu. Watch out, it’s a big, bad life I lead.

Flannel top, jeans, coat: Target

Undershirt: Thrifted

Boots: Sears

Cute little green stud earrings I found while cleaning out my closet: a long ago gift from hubby.

We’re linking up the fun this week at The Pleated Poppy.

~julee~

Healthy Soft Serve Ice Cream

2012-01-09T13:50:00.003-05:00

One of the things that I have trouble with on Weight Watchers is ice cream. I can have it of course, but if I want to have more than a tiny toddler sized portion it costs me half my daily points. No thanks. I usually just avoid it all together since the portion sizes leave me kind of depressed. Then I heard about people making "soft serve" style ice cream by blending up a banana. I ignored the idea. It sounded dumb. I know what ice cream is like and a banana, even frozen is not ice cream like. Then desperation came a calling and I gave it a try. A few additions later and I was enjoying a dessert very similar to soft serve or a blizzard. It's creamy, with no icy bits. I love them so much I have been making them daily. You get a lot to eat and it's healthy. You could change the flavors on this and make them pretty much whatever you wanted, just stick with the banana base. I plan on trying to perfect a peanut butter flavor and a cookie dough, so I'll keep you updated!

Healthy Soft Serve- ww pts plus 3
1 peeled frozen banana (peel it before you freeze it)
1 c. frozen black cherries
1/4c. skim milk
1 packet stevia
1 package diet hot chocolate mix
1 tbs. mini chocolate chips

Put all of the ingredients in your blender pitcher or wide mouth mason jar

To make less of a mess you can screw a wide mouthed mason jar to the base of your blender and make the soft serve in that. Then you don't need a separate serving dish.

Blend until smooth and there are no chunks of fruit left. It should look like soft serve, the chocolate chips will still be intact.

-Kim

We're linking up this tutorial with many more fun tutorials over at Hope Studios.

D.I.Y. Louisville Meet-Up Recap

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

After all of the hustle of the holiday meet-up events, our first meet of the new year felt a little, well, quiet. Many people brought their own projects to work on, and the rest of us happily flipped through the books that we bring each week to share.

If you live in Louisville and are interested in joining us, please check out our EVENTS PAGE for more information. We have some very exciting upcoming events planned including an ongoing altered journal craft-along, Valentine origami box making, and a jewelry/accessory swap.

Weight Watchers Lemon Dessert

2012-01-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

I was looking for something light to make for New Years Eve, something that would please all the different tastes in my family. That's a pretty tall order. I had in my head that I wanted to make a trifle, because I have a trifle dish that is rarely used. Of course when it came time to actually put the dessert together the dish was M.I.A., so if you have my trifle dish let me know, okay? This is kind of the story of my life, I plan everything around a certain dish or table cloth or piece of clothing and then can't find it. Add be more organized to my growing New Years Resolution list. So anyways this is the dish I put together. It feeds about 12 and is sooo good. I think it's my favorite WW recipe that I have made up so far. It has 5 pts per serving. Pretty good for such a yummy dessert and it would be great for summer too! Here is the recipe:

Lemon Dessert

Cake
1 box yellow cake mix (you can use sugar free but I used regular)
1 can diet lemon soda (I used Ski, but I think Mello Yello would work well too)

Mix the box mix with the soda, pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 until cake tester comes out clean 25-30 min.

Lemon Pudding filling
2 boxes sugar free instant lemon pudding
3 c. skim milk
1/2 large tub of sugar free Cool Whip

Mix the pudding with the milk until thick, fold in the Cool Whip.

Directions
Cut the cake up into small cubes about 1 inch in size. Place about 1/2 of them in the bottom of the dish. Layer 1/2 of the pudding mixture on top.

Repeat with other half of the cake and pudding. I topped mine with the remaining Cool Whip and homemade lemon curd. The lemon curd really gives it that extra lemon pop. I used this recipe from Eating Well. Chill until ready to serve. You could also serve them in individual glasses.

Me, in the kitchen. This is reality, when I cook I make a big mess. Also, I swear I washed my hand after that. :)

Craft E Magee Doll Giveaway

2012-01-04T23:26:00.000-05:00

Our favorite doll maker, Craft E Magee, is giving away this little blue haired sweetie on her blog. Head on over to Craft E Magee to enter for a chance to win!

What We Wore: Legwarmers Edition

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

Julee gives me awesome, thoughtful gifts every year for Christmas and my birthday. We're talking stuff that I love that no one else would buy. Vintage Pyrex and aprons, goodies from Trader Joe's and crafty stuff. This year was no exception as I received a stocking made from a Trader Joe's bag filled with goodies. The first thing I opened were bright teal legwarmers. All sorts of awesome. So of course I had to wear them almost immediately, so the next day I styled them up for a day out at the movies with my family. We took the kids to see The Muppets, going to the movies is one of my favorite things to do I love getting popcorn and just settling in and relaxing. I wish I could go every week. Anyway this is what I wore.

Dress- Old, TJ Maxx

Leggings, Cardigan- Target

Legwarmers- gift from Julee

Boots- Avenue

Coat, necklace- Forever 21

Scarf- thrifted

We're linking this post up to the fun at The Pleated Poppy.

Artist Feature: Mia Bella Photography

2012-01-03T02:26:00.000-05:00

Last week I was happy to share with you some photos from the photo shoot that we did with Mia Bella Photography. This week, I am happy to give Mia Bella a more formal introduction. Mia Bella is the photographer that took our blog header photo, and Kim and I are both big fans of her work. We had such an amazingly fun day during our photo shoot!

The sweet face with pigtails is our beautiful Mia, the inspiration behind Mia Bella Photography. The face behind the camera is her Mama.

I have loved photography since I can remember watching my photographer mother load that curly brown film into that silver and black case. I can see landscapes, people, expressions as art - it's the secret between a good photo and a great one. And sometimes, the... best photo is the one captured by accident. My educational background is in design and advertising, and with that, it all starts with a photo.

I guess you would describe my style of photography as "artful candid portraiture".

--Mia Bella Photography

Mia Bella Photography has only just begun to sprout, but by looking at these beautiful photos I know that 2012 is going to bring great things for the inspiring lady behind the camera. Join Mia Bella’s Facebook page for contact info and to keep up-to-date on her current photo shoots. You will not be disappointed by the stunning photography that she shares.

Thank you Mia Bella Photography for letting us share your work with our readers and for the much-too-fun day Kim and I had with you! We absolutely love the images you have given us to use for our blog!

~julee~

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-01T11:39:00.000-05:00

I've never been really great at making resolutions and probably less great about keeping them. Last year was the first year I really made a resolution and stuck with it. I joined Weight Watchers and lost 66 lbs this past year. So based on the success of last years resolution I thought I would make my list for this year. I have a lot I want to do in 2012 and hopefully I will accomplish at least a few.

#1- Continue on my Weight Watchers journey. I'd love to lose another 40 lbs this year.

#2- Learn to play the ukulele. My husband bought me one for Christmas. I have no prior musical experience so I'm learning from scratch.

#3- Learn Spanish. I think I'm going to get the Rosetta Stone for this.

#4- Start running. I want to be able to run at least 1 mile by March when I'm doing my first 10K.

#5- Journal

#6- Build our blog to be the best that it can be.

#7- Make healthy meals a priority for my family.

#8- Spend more quality time with my kids and less TV for everyone.

-Kim

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!

2011-12-31T02:50:00.000-05:00

2011 has been a most awesome year for Kim and me. This year, our D.I.Y. Louisville group really kicked off, and our blog hit some great milestones. We have met so many great people – artists, crafters, bloggers, independent business owners – through this adventure, and we have loved every minute of it!

Just for fun, here is a look at our top 5 most popular posts in 2011:

#5 – Kawaii Valentine Printables

#4 – D.I.Y. Dessert Table on a Budget

#3 – Tangled Cupcakes

#2 – Valentine’s Cookie Pops

#1 – Easy Doll Dress Tutorial

Thank you to everyone who has lent a hand to support us this year! Here’s to a great 2012 – we’re looking forward to it!

~julee~

Freezer Paper Stenciled Pillows: Tutorial

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Amidst all of my holiday gift making, I made a little something for myself, too. I thought the new sled I purchased at the thrift needed a little accessorizing, so I whipped up these pillow covers to give my porch a little festive uplift.

I made the words using freezer paper stencils, and a decorative stitch on my sewing machine for the edges. I used a hand-me-down curtain for the fabric. I love them times a million!

I first learned about the brilliant use of freezer paper to make stencils a few years ago. If you’re a blog or Pinterest fanatic like me, you’ve probably seen this technique, too. But just in case you haven’t, I snapped some pictures of the process to show you how it’s done.

Freezer Paper Stencil Tutorial

First, you need supplies: Freezer Paper, an image that you want to stencil (I made my words simply using a font in Word), fabric you want to stencil on, an exacto knife, paint, and a paintbrush or sponge.

With the shiny side DOWN, trace and cut your image on the freezer paper to make your stencil.

Position your stencil on your fabric where you want it, and iron. I use the cotton heat setting without steam, but vary this depending on your fabric. Like magic, the freezer paper will adhere to your fabric. Really cool. Now, brush on your paint.

Let the paint dry for a bit. I don’t know how long “a bit” is, technically, but 20-30 minutes or so. Maybe less if you’re impatient like me. After you’ve decided the paint has dried long enough, peel away the freezer paper. Ooh and aah over what you’ve just created because it is so, so cool.

Happy stenciling, D.I.Y.’ers!

~julee~

Local Feature: LVL1

2011-12-29T10:15:00.001-05:00

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Cprek from LVL1 for this Local Feature. I first became aware of LVL1 when my husband started attending their Sound builders meetings and shortly thereafter I photographed their Hackerspace for this book. I always joke that LVL1 is the guy equivalent of D.I.Y. Louisville, not that we don't accept dudes or they don't accept girls, cause we do, ya know? Anyway my husband goes to Sound builders on Mondays and I do D.I.Y. Louisville on Tuesdays, we're a crafty family I tell you. But I digress, on to the important stuff, the interview!

What is LVL1 ?

LVL1 is a hackerspace in Louisville, KY. A hackerspace is an open community lab and workshop democratically operated by it’s membership. We are friendly community of tinkerers, makers, engineers, educators, scientists, artists, hackers and overall geeks. Anyone who is, aspires to be, or just wants to hang around smart, creative, friendly mad scientist maker/hacker Louisvillians is welcome at LVL1! We’ve got
lots of cool tools and equipment. We’ve got a lot of really bright and creative people. We like to work on (and show off) fun and challenging technical projects.

In the most basic sense, we are a community technology workshop pooling together our knowledge, resources and equipment.. We've got high-tech tools like a Makerbot 3D printer, a 40W laser cutter and a
CNC Mill. We've got lots of common tools for sewing, woodworking, and electronics. We're also home to creations made at LVL1; little robots, high-altitude balloons, tricked out Power Wheels racers, fire-breathing robotic ponies.. Most importantly though, we have a community of people eager to share their DIY skills and hobbies with each other.

Who started LVL1 and what made you want to do this?

Brian and Mark posted an announcement looking for people to help start a hackerspace in Louisville. They had heard about hackerspaces popping up over the US over the past couple of years and wanted to see it
happen here too. Quite a few people showed up for that first meeting, including myself. I think we all wanted a hackerspace for the same reason. We all loved working on DIY projects and knew that if we had a
physical place to do it socially, it would be that much more awesome.

In a few months, we had convinced a core of group about 12 people to start putting money towards making our hackerspace a reality. This group bankrolled the start-up funds necessary for a few months of rent, insurance and utilities. Once we opened the space, and people saw that this was really happening, our number immediately doubled to 24 members. Now we have about 36 members. They all have a key to the
space and pay monthly dues. This is the core group who cover the costs of operating a physical space. In addition to those members, we have twice as many people regularly coming to LVL1, working on projects and contributing to our community.

How long has LVL1 been operating?

We opened the doors in July 2010, so about a year and a half now.

What makes you D.I.Y.?

I think we go beyond "Do It Yourself" to "Do It Together". Everyone I meet at LVL1 understands the satisfaction of making something yourself. They enjoy the challenge, the craftsmanship or just the sense of accomplishment that comes with DIY.

What I don't think they expect when they first show up is the breadth and diversity of DIY things happening at LVL1. It's a very different experience than say, a monthly woodworking or knitting meet-up. Those
are great groups, but by definition the DIY scope is more focused. LVL1 is different because all those interests and skills are thrown together and shaken vigorously. People bring different interests to the conversation and before you know it, you are forming into a DIY Voltron.

How does your group impact Louisville?

We're definitely making Louisville more awesome. LVL1 has a very open and welcoming culture. We like to welcome visitors and share our knowledge. That isn't necessarily the case with all hackerspaces. Some
operate as more closed club types of environments that are very protective of their assets. We view ourselves as a community resource and try to make ourselves as available as possible.

LVL1 has hosted about 47 workshops in the 1.5 years we've been around. We've hosted workshops on topics like Android programming, Roomba maintenance, TV-B-Gones, Arduino, backyard chicken raising, making circuit boards, etc. These are all hands-on workshops to give you the basics of the topic for
self-study. We also make all of our tools available for use; with the caveat that you need to track down someone to show you how to operate it safely first.

Where else can you go to play around with a 3D printer, attend a workshop on chicken husbandry and solder together a crude robot from junk? That's not just rare in Louisville, that's rare anywhere in the
world.

What are you currently working on?

A couple of things. I'm working on an music keyboard based on an isomorphic design. The electronics are mostly done and functioning. But I'm getting a good education on how long it takes to do the physical design process. I suppose that happens when you are making stuff up as you go. Making hexagon key caps and a solid case for has been a continuing series of failed experiments. But it's getting close! I'm also working on some laser cut journals as a Christmas present for my girlfriend. I found some open source plans from a
design company in Holland that makes these. The booklets themselves are made out of thin wood, but you can cut them with the laser in such a way that lets the spine bend. It's a cool trick to make wood bend
just like a book binding. It's also personally rewarding to tell someone, "I used lasers to make you this thing."

What are your long term goals for LVL1?

It's difficult for me to say what the long term goals are for LVL1. The way we are structured, our members democratically decide what we want our long term goals to be. I, personally, want to see LVL1 continue to grow our membership and be as active as possible.

What is your favorite thing about running your group?

My absolute favorite thing is seeing our members becoming DIY rock stars.

Every week someone new shows up that has quietly been working on their own little DIY obsession. LVL1 becomes a platform to share that obsession, get encouragement and find unexpected inspiration. I often
like to think of LVL1 as analogous to a music venue, but instead of performing music you are making stuff. There are lots of different acts and a dedicated audience that 'gets it'. I think people underestimate how important it is to have a community of DIY peers to keep your motivation up. It becomes a feedback loop of DIY positivity. The community celebrates the things we make, and in turn we get inspired to make more things.

What is the most challenging aspect of your work?

The toughest thing so far has been finding the resources to do everything the Louisville community is asking us to do. We've been asked to do a lot of volunteer work over the past year. LVL1 has talents that are unique and highly desired. We're being asked to educate kids, retrain workers, create jobs... We want to do all those things to make Louisville a better place. But there are hundreds of established organizations whose missions are much more suited to those tasks than we are. The challenging part is wanting to do everything
and hitting the limits on the resources of our nascent group.

Do you have any advice for other local groups/non-profits?

This only applies to groups that depend on volunteers, but always keep things fun. The only reason people will want to get involved and stay involved is because they are having a good time.

How can people get involved with LVL1?

Visit our website at http://www.lvl1.org and watch our calendar for workshops and events. Follow our tweets @LVL1HackerSpace. Join our mailing list http://groups.google.com/group/lvl1. Finally, come to one
of our weekly meetings. It's every Tuesday at 8pm. We run through an agenda as quick as possible and then it's socializing and tinkering. You can get a tour of the space, meet some passionate people and get inspired to make!

Thanks so much to Chris and LVL1. Hopefully reading this has inspired you to get out there and join a D.I.Y. group and get making stuff. Louisville is an amazing town for artists and D.I.Y.'ers!

Giveaway: January Sponsor Ad Spot

2011-12-28T17:41:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, D.I.Y.’ers!

Beginning in January, D.I.Y. Louisville will start accepting sponsors for our blog!

We are very excited to give our readers a chance to have their blog, shop, or handmade products advertised with D.I.Y. Louisville. What is the benefit of sponsoring our blog? D.I.Y. Louisville is growing everyday and we are currently featured in the January issue of Today’s Woman magazine. We consistently have 6000+ page views each month. To date, we have over 400 readers through Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds. Sponsoring our blog is a great opportunity to have your blog, shop, or product seen by many people!

There are three ways in which you may choose to advertise with us: 30-day ad spot button on the right sidebar of the blog, sponsored giveaways, or product reviews. You can read all about our sponsorship opportunities HERE.

To celebrate and kick off this exciting opportunity, we are giving away a sponsor ad button spot for the entire month of January to one lucky winner! That’s right, you can win a chance to link your blog, website or etsy shop to our front page for an entire month!

****CLOSED*** Congratulations to Tonya from the shizknit!
~~To Enter:~~
Leave a comment on this blog post linking to the blog, shop, or website that you would like to showcase on our front page. We will randomly select one lucky winner to have their button placed on our right sidebar. We reserve the right to verify that the link goes directly to a blog, shop, or website that is family friendly and fits with the demographic of our readers. This contest will end on December 31, midnight EST. The winner will be contacted on January 1. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize, or a new winner must be selected. If you win and are uncertain how to make a 125 x 125 blog button, we will help you get started. Good luck!

What We Wore

2011-12-28T01:08:00.000-05:00

On a very cold and windy day in November, Kim and I had an opportunity to work with Mia Bella Photography to create some images for us to use on our blog. This is the same photo shoot that produced our new blog header, and Kim and I love the pictures that Mia Bella Photography was able to create. Here are the details on the outfits we wore:

Julee

Dress, Cardi, Leggings: Target (No big surprise!)

Boots: Thrifted

Boot Socks: Gift from mom, Kmart

Earrings: Made by Kim

Silver Ring: Made by Robin Chard

Suitcases: All vintage, all thrifted

Kim

Dress- Cynthia Rowley
Cardigan- Marshall's
Tights- no idea, they are old
Boots- Avenue
Owl ring- Avenue

We are linking this post up with The Pleated Poppy

After Christmas Round Up

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

I made so much stuff for Christmas this year and seriously didn't get to share hardly any with you guys. I was too afraid of spoiling it for my family. So you get the belated version plus a few pics of my cute family. I warn you, prepare to be overwhelmed by pictures!

Not the craftiest thing ever, but I was pretty proud of how pretty all of our gifts looked. This kind of dedication to color coordination doesn't come easy folks!

Christmas gift basket. I think it takes a certain amount of craftiness to put together a good gift basket, don't you?

A beer sampler, I just use a cd crate for the box.

This was a cupcake baking set that I put together. I used one of the burlap gift baskets I made and filled it with cookbooks, decorating set, cupcake wrappers and sprinkles.

This is a pillow I embroidered for my dad. i hope the language isn't offensive. It's a quote from "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation"

This is my niece's felt bakeshop set. There is even more to it than this, an apron, more cookies and a cupcake! All handmade!

These are some little bug pillow/stuffies that I printed and sewed for my husbands little cousins.

Sweet Christmas morning memories.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and got to spend time with the ones you love.

-Kim

Weekend In Pictures

2011-12-26T15:52:00.000-05:00

Growing up, our tree was full of ornaments handmade by my grandmother. Of all the things that strike Christmas nostalgia in my heart, it is a tree full of ornaments made with love that I relish the most.

This year, I was given four new handmade ornaments to add to my tree: a beautiful embroidered gift from the D.I.Y. Louisville group swap, D.I.Y. Louisville ornament from Kim, a burlap bird for my daughter and a ribbon pinecone for me both made by my very talented friend Kiki.

I love adding new memories to my tree each year.

~julee~

Snowman Breakfast Party

2011-12-22T17:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we hosted a very simple snowman breakfast party. Technically, we had this breakfast for dinner, but breakfast is flexible like that.

Although I purposely kept this one small and intimate and had a budget for food only, I couldn’t stop myself from doing a wee bit of decorating. This is proof that you can create a party with a big cuteness factor if you have versatile serving pieces and a few craft supplies on hand. Hoarding tendencies come in handy on a budget, too. At least that’s what I keep trying to tell my husband about the mountain of clutter in our basement. But I digress…back to the sugar…

We served pancakes, donut “snowballs” and “snowmen”, and yogurt parfaits with granola and fruit. I made a big batch of THIS peppermint popcorn and it was the yummiest, most addicting snack ever.

I also set up a simple hot chocolate bar with marshmallows, crushed peppermint, and mini chocolate chip toppings.

Snowman peeps and candy canes are easy and cute in jars. I made the snowflake garland by sewing strands of paper-punched snowflakes.

Cocoa mug cookies, sugar cookies and donut snowmen. I used batting to create “snow” on the table and on the buffet table. Don’t you hate it when people talk in “quotes”?

Each place setting had a take-home container of snowman cotton candy. Because, you know, I just didn’t think we had served enough sweets. Heh. My daughter made the place cards for everyone. See the peppermint popcorn up there? I don’t know how popcorn fits in with breakfast, but it’s seriously good so let’s just roll with it.

This was a fun, simple & sweet little party and I was happy to have a stress-free evening to spend with my two besties and their little darlings.

Happy holidays, D.I.Y.’ers!

~julee~

Cocoa Mug Cookies

2011-12-22T04:25:00.001-05:00

Cocoa mug cookies? Marshmallow mug cookies? I don’t know what these call these, other than cute. My daughter saw these in her American Girl magazine and has been ~~nagging~~ asking for us to make them for weeks.

A nice easy kitchen project for both mom and kid. You can see how they’re made, right? A cookie on the bottom (packaged, or bake your own like we did), attach a marshmallow with whatever adhesive edible you have on hand (we used melted almond bark), smoosh the broken off rounded tops of small candy canes into your marshmallow, and then sprinkle some chocolate sprinkles on top, using your adhesive edible to keep them sticking. Voila, cuteness.

Happy last minute holiday baking!

~julee~

Weekend In Pictures: The Polar Express

2011-12-18T20:22:00.000-05:00

For our Christmas gift this year, my aunt treated my daughter and me to a ride on The Polar Express. You guys! This was so much fun! I’m not sure which of us loved it the most.

The kiddo was dressed all snuggly in her pj’s. She was a little disappointed that I wouldn’t venture out in my nighty, but I kept affectionately calling my jeggings pajama jeans. Heh. The train ride was a complete ride o’ fun. We met our favorite movie characters, followed along with the book while the conductor read the story, and had the cutest little elves ever sing and dance and deliver hot chocolate and cookies. When our train reached the North Pole, Santa himself climbed on board and gave bells to all the children who believed in the magic of Christmas.

This was such a fun little production. If you have a Polar Express fan in your life, they host this in many areas and you can check out the official website to see if there is one in your area: http://www.polarexpressride.com/schedules.html

That’s the way things happen on the Polar Express!

~julee~

From Louisville with Love WINNER!

2011-12-14T21:20:00.000-05:00

A great big congratulations to EricaThomas of Boston Rookie for winning our amazing From Louisville with Love holiday giveaway prize pack!

Thank you to each person who entered! Kim and I love our blog readers and our Facebook friends and we are so happy to use this little patch of the internet to share with you inspiring artists, crafts-people, small business owners and all-around D.I.Y.’ers from Louisville.

Thank you again to our local sponsors, OhMaudlinMe, Open Grain Woodwork, Sweeter Lemon, and Studio 212.

What We Wore

2011-12-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Just a little outfit I wore out Christmas shopping this weekend.

I can’t decide if I like this shirt or not. It has side pockets, but either it’s too short to comfortably use them, or my arms & legs are too long.

I’m pretty much a walking Target billboard.

Top, Cardi, Jeans: Target

Boots: Thrifted

Earrings: Made by Kim

We’re linking up with The Pleated Poppy.

Local Feature: Factory Handbook

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today we are happy to share with you another local feature. We love showcasing what the talented people in our hometown of Louisville are up to. This time around we have an interview with the awesome folks at Factory Handbook, Carrie and Mike. They sell amazing vintage clothing among many other endeavors. Please check out their Etsy shop here and as always, please support local artists and businesses.

Whatis Factory Handbook?

FactoryHandbook is the company that I started with my husband Mike Newsomewhen we moved to Louisville in 2010, after almost ten years inBrooklyn. It primarily includes (1) a vintage clothing shop, which werun through our Etsy storefront at www.etsy.com/shop/factoryhandbook,(2) a conceptual line of lighting designs made with artisanalwoodworking methods, and (3) a lifestyle collection of items usingexclusively vintage and/or re-use textiles.

Whatmade you want to start a vintage shop?

Thisis a long answer! I’ve been shopping at thrift stores and wearingvintage as a primary staple of my wardrobe since I was around 12years old. One of my first jobs during high school was at a Goodwillstore, and some of the first sewing projects I undertook werealterations to vintage garments under the helpful guidance of my mom(a fantastic sewing resource who empowered me with the needle atquite a young age). My initial interest in clothing design stemslargely from those early explorations, and the way I first started tounderstand garment construction goes directly back to all thegarments I seam-ripped apart before putting them back together again.While I was in school at F.I.T. earning my degree in Fashion Design,I worked at an incredibly special boutique called ‘Eva GentryConsignment’, where I was surrounded by designer vintage fromMiyake to McQueen and Lacroix to Laurent. It was hugely inspirationalto me, and left strong impressions of quality, taste, merchandisingaesthetic and customer service that made me feel intrigued by theidea of operating my own store. Later, when I decided to leave my jobas an Assistant Designer at Helmut Lang in order to relocate toLouisville with Mike, we already knew that our dream was to build abusiness together. Starting Factory Handbook also meant becoming ateam, both creatively and professionally, so we ended up assessingour strengths, skills, knowledge, and interests to find the ‘sweetspots’ where our abilities overlapped. The Etsy store felt like oneplace where my education and experience in the fashion industry, notto mention my passion for vintage clothing, intersected beautifullywith Mike’s talent as a photographer.

Howlong has Factory Handbook been operating?

TheEtsy shop has been up and running since April of this year, theprototyping process for the lighting series has finally come to itsfinal stages(!!), and the lifestyle collection is currently indevelopment - with prototype designs + a killer vintage fabric stashready to roll as soon as our schedule allows.

Whatmakes you D.I.Y.?

That’sa hard one. I think that I'm D.I.Y. because I’m very specific in mystyle preferences. For me, clothing has always held a lure andintrigued me in a way that relates very closely to my creativeinstincts. I mean that both in terms of getting dressed in themorning and the many ways I perceive art in the process of design orthe tiny details of a garment. Even as a pre-teen, I wasn’t findingany sparks of inspiration in the clothes I saw at stores so I startedto seek those intuitive connections within the world of vintage. WhenI started to de/re-construct or alter the pieces I found in order tomake them work for me, it became a sort of ‘gateway drug’ todeveloping a deeper and deeper interest. That same passion eventuallyled me to publish a book called ‘Fashion DIY: 30 Ways to Craft YourOwn Style’ before ultimately going on to pursue my design degree.Everything seemed to snowball out of that original desire to seek outclothing that inspired me. I had started to enter adolescence andlook for ways to nourish my creative spirit, and that was simply whatfelt right to me at the time.

Howdoes what you do impact Louisville?

Weoccasionally participate in local events as vendors. Sometimes you’llsee us selling vintage, like we did at the recently inaugurated Salvoflea market. At other venues, you might never know we hoc vintagebecause we’re representing Mike’s paintings, my illustrations, orscreen-printed t-shirts. We try to engage every audience withwhatever aspect of our creative output we think will interest themmost. For example, at this year’s Unfair our stall was filled withvisual art from Mike’s side of the studio, along with an OldLouisville t-shirt that we designed in collaboration with ourneighbor and friend, local artist Mason Maxey. The shirt was justsomething fun we had decided to create after chatting about it oneday, and there is a good chance we’ll do similar designs for otherLouisville neighborhoods because of the great response it received.There are so many sources of inspiration in Louisville. I think thatwe’re still new enough to living here that we’ve only started toscratch the surface and find ways to incorporate those inspirationsinto our work.

Whatare you currently working on?

Atthe end of October we were awarded a grant through the Center ForNeighborhoods P.A.I.N.T. program to do a public art / documentaryfilm project focusing on the community that surrounds ChurchillDowns. We’re full-swing into execution of that project in additionto creating the catalog and line sheet for the lighting series –all on top of managing the vintage store and working on our ownindividual artwork as usual.

Whatare your long term goals for Factory Handbook?

Ultimately,we’d like to continue improving the quality of our merchandise andhope to begin compiling a reference archive of unusual,first-quality, and high-end designer vintage. This kind of resourcewill become more and more valuable to the fashion industry, as wellas collectors, museums, and academics, as these items continue tobecome increasingly scarce with the passage of time. In the shortterm, we’ll be happy to continue the very strong growth we’veseen in the store during the few short months we’ve been online.

Withthe lighting series, our goal is to develop strong relationships withdecorators and interior designers in the Louisville/Lexington area sothat we can do custom creative work for a local clientele. We’revery focused on the materials we use, and would love to dosite-specific designs allowing us to work with reclaimed wood, foundobjects, and industrial remnants that move beyond lighting and intocustom furniture as well. You hear a lot about the ‘slow food’and ‘slow fashion’ movements, and we’re basically looking toapply these same grassroots, all-handmade, locally-oriented conceptsto our design process.

Whatis your favorite thing about running your shop?

Ilove working with vintage clothing because it fascinates andgenuinely excites me as a designer. I’m constantly presented withthe opportunity to get lost in an exquisite printed silk, to examinesome intricate dressmaker’s construction created with tiny handstitches, or to discover a bust dart angled in a way I’ve neverseen before.

Whatis your favorite item in your shop right now?

I’ma huge fan of vintage leather, so I’ve got a gigantic crush on theweird Mod color-blocked leather tunic in red, white, blue and black.I love things with a bit of a rock and roll edge in my own wardrobe,and this is one of the most Woodstock-worthy 60s pieces I’ve everseen. You can almost hear the reverb…

Iimagine you do a lot of thrift shopping in your line of work, isthere one great piece that stands out in your mind that you passed upand wish you hadn't?

That’sa good question! I try to enforce amnesia on myself and live withoutthrifting regret…but I’m still haunted by several exquisite 50sparty frocks that I passed over during my early teens. I was too punkfor pink! Now I wish I had made a little more room in my closet forfroufrou, especially when I worked at Goodwill and saw flirtymid-century dresses all the time.

Whatis the most challenging aspect of your work?

Ourschedule and budget don’t allow us to bring in models for thestore, so I’m stuck with the job by default. I’ll readily admitthat it doesn’t come naturally to me and continues to be achallenge. I’ve gotten much better at wearing heels for longperiods of time, however, so my calf muscles are in better shape!

Doyou have any advice for other small business owners/D.I.Y.'ers?

Myfirst piece of advice is to focus on photography. The internet isyour way to reach a worldwide audience, and it is above all a visualplace. In order to do your products justice and compete in a largelyimage-driven marketplace good photography has to act as yoursalesperson, showroom, and PR/marketing director all at once. Mysecond, related piece of advice is to learn everything you can aboutSEO (Search Engine Optimization) and apply that knowledge to gettinginformation about your company in front of exactly the right eyes, asoften as possible, all over the world.

Ontop of running an online vintage shop you also wrote a book onD.I.Y., can you tell us some about that?

Atthe time, I was working at an independent publishing company in NewYork after graduating college with an English degree and moving toBrooklyn to pursue a career in the industry. The company I worked forspecialized in knitting, sewing, and D.I.Y. books as well as craftingmagazines like Vogue Knitting. It was an inspiring place to workwhere I was surrounded by creativity and the D.I.Y. spirit every day.Altering vintage clothing was something that had become very ‘hot’in the D.I.Y. scene at the time, with magazines like Bust regularlyrunning a project feature, ReadyMade introducing its inauguralissues, and the first round of books on the subject starting to comeout from ‘cool’ companies like Chronicle. I had been doing thesekinds of projects on my own thrift store finds for so long that ithad become a way of life for me, and I was already taking on somefreelance writing jobs, so I decided I was in the right place at theright time to write a book of my own. Soon afterward I decided tochallenge myself with the next level of knowledge by earning mydesign degree at F.I.T. The book, like so many of the things I’vedone over the years, really functioned as a kind of stepping stone tolead me toward the next phase of my creative and professional life.

Weekend in Pictures

2011-12-12T00:04:00.000-05:00

Kim has been doing an awesome job keeping our pages here filled with crafty goodness, while I took a couple of weeks off to focus on wrapping up another semester. I am now finished until January and can allow myself to take a deep breath and tackle some of my own holiday projects.

My little one desperately wants to be on my lap learning to sew each time I pull out the machine, so when I came across this pre-printed cut/sew/stuff holiday fabric at the thrift, I knew it would be the perfect easy project for her to tackle. Does anyone know if you can still buy this type of fabric? I don’t even know what to call it, really, but I’m interested in purchasing more for her.

I also came across this vintage sled on 1/2-price day at the thrift, and it pretty much kinda made my whole season merry and bright already, I love it so much. And then, just for good measure since I seem to have a current affinity for posting pictures of my much-loved-super-scruffy-iciousness pup, here’s one of her on a cold lazy Saturday morning all snuggled in under the covers.

How was your weekend? If you blog your weekend in pictures, share a link with us in the comments. I would love to come check it out!

~julee~

Felt Bird Ornament Tutorial

2011-12-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

This time of year I love small projects that I can work on curled up on the couch watching movies and drinking coffee. I try and make a new batch of handmade ornaments every year. I like to give them out to friends and teachers and put them on special presents. This years first ornament of the season was a sweet little felt bird ornament. Just right to match all of my burlap crafts that I have been doing. You can make these in any color combo and they are great for beginner sewers. I drew up a pattern and you can get it free here*. Here's how to put it together.

*We're having technical difficulties and are working on getting the pattern up for printing. Stay tuned!

Supplies: Bird body pattern piece (2) cut from felt, bird wing piece (1) cut from felt, twine, needle and embroidery floss.

Stitch on the wing, I just used a simple running stitch but you could do something fancier if you like. I used a french knot for the eye, but you could add a small button or bead.

Stitch the two body pieces together all the way around except for a 1 inch opening on the top. Stuff a small amount of fiberfill into the bird. Cut a piece of twine long enough to hang your ornament and stick the ends into the opening.

Finish stitching the opening closed, making sure to catch the ends of the twine. Now you are all done and you have a sweet, simple ornament that any one would be happy to receive.

Giveaway: From Louisville with Love

2011-12-08T13:08:00.000-05:00

As an extra special Christmas gift, we are bringing you an extra special From Louisville with Love giveaway!

We have teamed up with four local artists to help us sponsor this amazing gift basket.
One lucky winner will receive everything you see included here! This prize pack is worth $150!

The contents of this prize are:

~Recycled coffee sack burlap basket
~3 pairs of darling handmade earrings, and a D.I.Y. zippered pouch handmade by Kim.
~Ribbon and handmade gift tags, 5 sets of hair clippies and 1 key fob handmade by Julee & Angie of Aubrielle Designs.

We also have four very special sponsored items included in our gift basket!

Neck warmer handmade by Christina Robinson of OhMaudlinMe

Blog ~ Etsy

This neck warmer is a Christina Robinson original design, and it is absolutely gorgeous! It is made from soft suiting material and is backed with gray fleece for added warmth. It has large decorative buttons, and secures around the neck with a snap.

More designs are available for purchase in her etsy shop.

Beaded cocktail/appetizer picks and breast cancer awareness ceramic drink coasters handmade by Suzanne Kern of Studio 212.

Blog ~ Facebook

These cocktail/appetizer picks are made with stainless steel food safe picks. They are topped with glass beads and copper wire, and come in a glass container for storage. These will make any appetizer look amazing at your holiday parties!

Suzanne has worked hard to raise breast cancer awareness through her ceramic tile coasters. Half of the proceeds from the sell of these coasters in her shop go toward funds for a cure. These ceramic tile coasters are sealed with waterproof sealant, and have felted feet so they are safe for any surface.
Additional ceramic coaster and food pick designs are available. Contact Suzanne at Suzannekern@me.com.

Shapes Wood puzzle handmade by Open Grain Woodwork

Web ~ Facebook

The Shapes puzzle comes from Open Grain Woodwork’s Sapling Collection. This exclusive collection includes various themed puzzles with 100% child safe finish. Perfect for their growing minds and teeth. Current themes being sold are Shapes, Space, Fleur de lis, and hand painted Owls.

Owl puzzles are coated with a natural product from the Lac bug producing a beautiful shellac finish. Shapes, Space, and Fleur de lis are hand rubbed with linseed oil made of flax seed and contains zero VOC. A non-toxic, safe finish for the environment and your little sapling.

All of the puzzles in the Sapling Collection are available for purchase this holiday season! If you’d like ordering information, check out www.opengrainwoodwork.com.

Adorable Fabric Covered Magnets from Sweeter Lemon

Blog ~ Facebook

These cute fabric covered magnets from Sweeter Lemon come in a set of six, in coordinating fabric. High quality cotton fabric covers each button. A super-strong rare earth magnet is adhered to the back, and then covered with a coordinating felt.

Packaged in a clear top tin, this set is perfect for gift-giving. These sets make excellent stocking stuffers, gift exchanges items, and more!

Each button magnet measures 1-1/8" in diameter.

******CLOSED******
~~How to enter:~~

To enter to win this amazing prize, you must already be, or sign up to become, a follower of this blog using the google friend connect link on the right, OR LIKE our facebook page on facebook. This is a requirement. Leave a comment telling us how you are following us (google follower or facebook). Please make sure your comment or google profile has an email for us to contact you if you win.

You can also submit extra entries for each of the following. Leave a separate comment for each one.

*Visit Christina Robinson’s etsy shop, OhMaudlinMe and tell us which of her neck warmers is your favorite.

*Visit the Studio 212 Facebook album and tell us which set of ceramic coasters you like best. It would be great if you would become a new Facebook follower and like the page while you’re there, but it’s not a requirement.

*Visit the Open Grain Woodwork Sapling Collection album on Facebook and let us know which of the puzzle sets you like best. They would love to have you as a new Facebook follower while you’re there, so don’t forget to like their page. It’s not a requirement, but it’s a cool thing to do.

* Visit Sweeter Lemon's Etsy Store and tell us which of her items is your favorite.

Each entrant has five chances to enter this giveaway. This giveaway ends on December 13, 2011 at midnight EST. One lucky winner will be selected by random drawing. The winner has 48-hours to claim the prize, or another winner will be selected. PLEASE make sure your email is available. We would like to have this delivered to the winner before Christmas. Sorry, we can only mail to US addresses at this time.

What We Wore

2011-12-07T16:01:00.000-05:00

These rain boots were a Christmas gift from my mom. I love them a whole bunch. The print on them reminds me of vintage fabric. Lovely.

Looking at these pictures I have two major things to say:

1) I seriously need to learn how to pose for photos.

2) I need a serious haircut and color job. Like, stat.

Rain Boots: You can get them HERE
(Thanks, Mom!)

Jeans: Target

Tank: New York & Company

Sweater: Old Navy, thrifted

Jacket: Thrifted

Cutest dog in the world: Southern Indiana Animal Rescue

~julee~

Linking up to the fun this week at The Pleated Poppy.

Coffee Bag Tree Skirt

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's another post about Christmas crafting with burlap sacks. That even sounds weird when I type it. I kind of feel like a hobo. So, in the attempt at making a neutral tree skirt for our very non-neutral tree I decided on coffee sacks. Little bit of back info here Julee and I bought a bunch of coffee sacks several months ago from our local coffee shop and I've just been sitting on mine. But they really are a perfect thing to use for this, durable, large and super cheap. I had some help from my husband on this because I hate math. Every time I've tried to make a circle skirt or tree skirt I've screwed it up somehow. So my husband cut this out for me, because he loves math :) This is how we did it.

First measure your bag. I cut mine open along the bottom and side seam to make a large piece of fabric.

Cut the largest size square that you can get from your fabric.

Fold it in half and then in half again to make a triangle. Tie a string that reaches to the middle of the triangle to a marker.. Hold the string end at the upper corner and drag your marker from the middle across, making an arc. Hopefully you can see form the picture what I'm saying.

Cut along the marker arc.

Measure how large you want your top hole to be and make a mark. Use the same string and marker method to make a smaller arc at the top and cut.

I chose to ind the edges of my tree skirt with some homemade quilt binding. You can also buy some already made at the craft store if you like. To make your own cut some strips of fabric about 3 inches wide and as long as you can get. You can sew the strips together to get a longer piece. Fold the strip in half long ways and iron.

Open the strip up and the fold each side into the center, press.

Fold in half long ways again and press. You now have quilt binding.

Sandwich the skirt between the binding and pin well. Stitch close to the edge making sure to catch both sides of the binding. Finished!!

Total this skirt cost me $3 too make. I had the fabric for the binding on hand already. You could leave the edges unfinished but burlap has a tendency to ravel.

Keep checking back for more fun, thrift ideas for crafting with burlap and coffee sacks!

Local Feature: Colette’s Cookies & Cakes

2011-12-05T12:15:00.001-05:00

How adorable are these gingerbread houses? Seriously adorable, that’s how.

When I saw Colette’s gingerbread houses on her Facebook page, I just couldn’t wait to show them off to our D.I.Y. Louisville readers. Lucky for those that are local, you can order your very own customized gingerbread house along with a variety of other sweets and breads for your upcoming holiday parties and dinners. Colette is taking orders until Saturday, December 10th, so hurry and put in your order today!

Read below to learn more about Colette and her local Louisville business.

Colette’s Cookies & Cakes

Blog ~ Facebook

Email/Ordering: colettecookie@gmail.com

What type of art do you make and when did you get your start?
I caught the cake decorating bug when my oldest daughter turned 5 and my neighbor offered the use of her set for the party cake. After that I was hooked, had to go buy my own set, and then I taught myself out of a book. That was 15 years ago! You can see a sampling of my work at my website or facebook page.

What makes you D.I.Y.?
I make all this good stuff myself!

How does your business impact Louisville?
My lovely gingerbread houses will bring Christmas cheer to the homes of Louisville residents...and my baked goods will bring a happy smile to their tummies!

What are you currently working on?
I am currently focused on making as many gingerbread houses as I can before Christmas Eve. (I'm also mentally preparing for all the good stuff Valentine's will bring...but we can't go there quite yet!)

What is your favorite thing about running your business?
I love the smiles and amazement when people see the cakes and gingerbread houses, and then to hear them talk about how delicious they were makes me extra happy.

What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
I challenge myself to take my creativity to the next level and to make food items as yummy as possible.

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists/business owners?
Be yourself, express yourself, and see where it takes you. Every day of your life counts, so do the best with it you possibly can, and then feel satisfied by that.

Share something silly about yourself.
I guess it's almost silly that I used to teach high school biology. Or maybe that I have 5 kids? Hmmm...I have asked my husband a few times what's silly about me, and I haven't gotten an answer yet. I'm a pretty straightforward, positive person. I love creating things!

How can we order a gingerbread house or other baked goods for the holidays, and when is the deadline to order?I am accepting gingerbread house orders through Saturday, Dec. 10th. I might be able to fit a couple more in after that, so please email me and ask, but after the 10th, the price goes up with my time pressure.

Whatever your baking needs, send me an email to find out if I can do it and let me know when you'll need it by. I like a good challenge.

Weekend In Pictures

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

I feel like I don't have many pictures to show from this weekend, but the ones I do are quality so I guess that's all that matters :) We had a fun weekend, I spent much of it with a needle and thread in hand but I'm happy knowing that I'm making handmade gifts for people. So, here is our weekend.

Finally finished up these two pillows for a Christmas gift. The embroidery took forever. You can find the free pattern for it here.

Worked on some cute little ornaments. I'd love to show you more of these since I really like how they turned out but some of them are gifts for people who actually read this blog.

The family went for a visit with the man in red. Try and ignore our sad appearance, we did actually enjoy ourselves.

Here's another just because those kids are cute.

This being listened to all weekend long. Love it so much!

How was your weekend?

Local Love: Gift Round Up

2011-12-02T13:44:00.001-05:00

It's been forever since we did a round up post but with Christmas right around the bend, what better time? These are some of my favorite items that you can buy from Louisville's finest.

Vintage Enamel brooch from Two Time Finds.

Cute banner note cards from Rainy Day Colors

Super Sweet Owl blocks from MiaBooo

This beautiful Neck Warmer from OhMaudlinMe

This vintage dress which is amazing from factoryhandbook

Thanks for checking it out and please support independent artists!

Burlap Christmas Trees

2011-12-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

You've probably heard that I'm on a burlap crafting kick right now. There's just something about the color and texture that seems to fit in around my house, that and it's cheap. I've been using an assortment of burlap bought at the fabric store and burlap and jute coffee bags that I purchased from my local coffee shop. Pretty much everything that isn't tied down is getting covered in burlap, really. There are coffee bags on my dining room table and couch, just waiting to get turned into a present or decoration. The first thing I made were these burlap covered Christmas trees. You have probably seen them around on other blogs, but this is how I did mine and it worked pretty good.

Supplies: Styrofoam cone, burlap cut into strips about 2 inches wide, assortment of trims or buttons, hot glue gun and glue sticks.

Cut a strip to fit around the bottom of your tree with about 1 inch of overlap. Glue down.

Keep repeating this until you get to the top. This is what it will look like on the back, trim up your ends. It may seem like you could just wrap a long strip instead of these shorter ones, but it just gets lumpy if you try that, trust me.

On the top strip leave enough overhanging to fold over and cover the top. Put some glue on top of the cone and fold the excess down to cover the top.

Now you can choose whatever trims or notions you like to decorate with. The first one in my picture has some lace trim wrapped around and glued in place, the second has an assortment of buttons and the third is wrapped in cream yarn. Styrofoam cones can be kind of expensive but lots of places have them on sale right now. Mine were bought for 50% off and ended up being about 2.50 each, so not bad when you figure I already had the other supplies!

We're linking this tutorial up at Flamingo Toes!

Chocolate Gingerbread Cake Recipe

2011-12-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've had this cake floating around in my head for a while now. Yeah, I do that. I obsess about flavor combos in my head. Well anyway, this one actually got made. This was one of my contributions to Thanksgiving this year. This cake is a four layer chocolate gingerbread with hazelnut filling and cream cheese frosting. It was really good, I promise. This is one of those cakes that I used a mix for as a starting off base. Sometimes that's just the best way to go, trust me. I think this would make the perfect winter cake or Christmas dessert.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cake
1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
1 c. all purpose flour
1c. sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 c. water
1/8 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 c. sour cream
3 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg

Add all of the dry ingredients together in your mixer, stir well. Add the water, mix. Add the sour cream, oil and vanilla, mix well. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each. Stir until well combined. Use a rubber spatula to get any clumps from the bottom incorporated.

Hazelnut filling
1 stick room temperature butter
1/2 c. shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. honey
2 tbs hazelnut syrup (such as Torani)
1 lb of confectioners sugar

Cream together shortening and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and honey. Add 1 tbs hazelnut syrup, mix well. Add the confectioners sugar 1 c. at a time. Add the last tbs of hazelnut syrup. If the filling is too stiff add more syrup until you get the right consistency, which should be that of frosting. If it's too thin you can add more sugar.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick butter
1/2 c. vegetable shortening
1 package cream cheese
2 lbs confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla
water or milk to thin

Cream butter and shortening until fluffy. Add the cream cheese and beat well. Add the vanilla and mix. Add the sugar 1 c. at a time until incorporated. Add water or milk 1 tbs at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Happy baking,
Kim

What We Wore

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is what I wore to Thanksgiving this year. I felt very festive in my cranberry tights and cornbread colored cardigan! My husband snapped these pictures just before we left the house.

Outfit Details

Dress and cardigan- Target

Tights- Hue

Boots- Steve Madden

Necklace- Forever21

Bracelet- Handmade by my dad

--kim

We're linking up with all of the other What I Wore bloggers over at The Pleated Poppy.

Craft E Magee Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-29T23:53:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who entered the Craft E Magee owl tote and zippered pouch giveaway! Elizabeth is grateful for all of the lovely comments for her handmade dolls and we are all happy to have met new online readers!

The winner is:

Erin of New Adventures in Quilting!

Congratulations, Erin!

Deck The Halls

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

Saturday we decided to go to a tree farm and pick our own tree out. It was something we had never done as a family before and a tradition I really wanted to start. We searched online through the Pick Your Own website and came across Werkmeister's Christmas Tree Farm in Bullitt County. It was a little bit of a drive for us, but a scenic one. Once we got there we wandered around a little, took some photographs and finally after much debate and the constant reminder from me to "remember how big our space is" we decided on a tree. We loaded our pretty tree up and took her home to get all dolled up. A few hours later and a few arguments about lights later, we had a lovely family tree gracing our dining room. I hope we can make this a regular outing every year. Getting a really fresh tree is way better than one that has been sitting around the home store. Anyway, on to the pictures!

The drive

Listening to some favorite Christmas albums on the way.

Hanging out with all of my favorite littles.

This is how you claim a tree!

The farm.

All packed up and heading home.

Home, and loaded up with all of our sentimental and handmade ornaments.

And just because, this is my "fancy" tree. This is the artificial one that I decorate every year.

By the way Saturday was "Small Business Saturday", I did my part buying from a local farm. Did you shop locally?

Weekend in Pictures

2011-11-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend was spent on a blur of Christmas decorations and burlap. I finally got down to business with my Christmas crafting and got a few things finished. I've been on a real burlap kick and everything I made was either sewn with it or covered in it. You'll be seeing a few of those projects in the coming weeks on the blog. So without further ado, my weekend in pictures.

Sweet vintage ornaments on the tree.

Sweet kids in love with Christmas.

A close up of my other tree. The one that I get to decorate fancy :)

Some simple baskets that I sewed. I plan on making gift baskets from them for Christmas presents. These are made with reused coffee sacks.

Burlap covered Christmas trees. I'll be giving a tute on these later in the week.

pretty ornaments in a pretty bowl.

Christmas on Vinyl.

Stockings hung in a row.

How did you spend your weekend?

-Kim

Sponsor Giveaway! Fabric tote & zippered pouch from Craft E Magee!

2011-11-23T17:32:00.000-05:00

Craft E Magee

blog ~ etsy ~ facebook

*****CLOSED*****
We are so excited to share this sponsored giveaway with you! Elizabeth of Craft E Magee is not only one of the nicest people we’ve ever met, but she also makes the cutest fabric dolls we’ve ever seen. Kim and I are serious fans! For this giveaway Craft E Magee will send one lucky winner a fabric tote bag and zippered pouch. Seriously, how cute is that owl fabric??
Elizabeth is excited to share her shop with our readers, therefore we are asking you to please take a peek at her etsy shop and check out all of her beautiful handmade dolls. This is the perfect time to order for Christmas, and right now Elizabeth is offering a free tote bag with each doll purchase.
Here are the rules for entering to win the owl tote bag and zippered pouch:
Leave a comment on this blog post.
Easy, right? However, for additional entries you can also leave a separate comment for doing any & each of the following:
*Take a look around Craft E Magee on Etsy and tell us which doll is your favorite.
*Become a follower of Craft E Magee blog.
*LIKE Craft E Magee on facebook.
*Become a follower of D.I.Y. Louisville blog.
*LIKE D.I.Y. Louisville on facebook.
This giveaway will end on Monday, November 28 at midnight EST. One winner will be chosen using random number generator. PLEASE make sure we have your email address (either in your comment, or in your blogger profile). The winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize. After that time, a new winner will be chosen. This prize can be sent to US addresses only.

What We Wore - julee

2011-11-23T13:25:00.001-05:00

This has been a drizzly, rainy, and otherwise dreary week. Opportunities for outfit pictures were slim, plus the cold and rain pretty much makes my jeans and zip-up hoodies scream to be worn. You can thank me for sparing you from those unexciting outfits. Instead, I’m posting this quick snapshot taken on a day when I was running to class. It’s not the greatest photo, but you get the point. Still loving the brown and black mix.

Dress: Kohls

Cardi, Tank, & Leggings: Target

Boots: Thrifted

We are linking up to the fun this week at The Pleated Poppy.

~julee~

Weekend in Pictures

2011-11-21T11:43:00.001-05:00

It was a finish class projects, make a big pot of veggie soup, eat Rice Krispie treats, learn to French braid, dance to Christmas music, Perler bead moustache kind of weekend.

How was your weekend?

~julee~

Guest Blogger: Miss Pinny from Home Skillette

2011-11-18T17:20:00.000-05:00

We are so excited to share a very special treat with you today. Today’s post is written by a fellow Louisville blogger, Melissa (a.k.a Miss Pinny) of Home Skillette. When I asked Melissa if she would share a Thanksgiving-worthy recipe with us, I had no idea that she would produce the following display of scrumptiousness.

Oh my!

Cook up the following to compliment your Thanksgiving meal, and I promise you that your guests will thank you!

You can check out more food goodnessness at Home Skillette. After that, click on over to Miss Pinny Design and Bee Wares to see Melissa’s other talents.

Indian-Spiced Fall Veg with Israeli Couscous

Want to try something new with your sweet potatoes this year? This perfect blend of spicy, sweet and salty will keep you warm and cozy this holiday. Works excellently as a side or an entree.

Indian-Spiced Fall Veg with Israeli Couscous

Serves 4-6

1 small butternut squash, about 2 lbs
peeled, cored and diced into 1 inch cubes
1 red garnet sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp each turmeric and garam masala
1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1 1/4 cup boiling water
2 black tea bags, preferably orange spice
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
*1/2 seeded and finely diced habanero pepper
1 tsp whole cumin seed
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup Israeli couscous
1/2 cup golden raisins
salt

*for less spicy dishes, use jalapeno instead

Set oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butternut squash, sweet potato, olive oil, salt, pepper, turmeric, garam masala and nutmeg. Toss together until the veggies are thoroughly coated with the oil and spices. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast for 35-45 minutes, until cooked through but not scorched.

As they are roasting, steep tea bags in boiling water for 5 minutes. Set aside. Place butter in a pot and melt over medium heat. Once the butter has formed a foam, saute onions until almost clear.

Add the garlic and habanero, sauteing another 2 minutes, careful to not burn the garlic. Remove completely from pot and set aside. Place pot back on heat and add cumin, almonds and couscous, toasting for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the couscous has turned a deep golden color and the almonds a light brown, add the reserved tea. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, taking point to stir intermittently. Once cooked thoroughly, place the couscous, onion mixture and roasted veggies (making sure to take advantage of any oil left on the baking sheet) in a large serving bowl with the golden raisins.

Ever so gently, mix together until all ingredients are combined and evenly distributed.

Salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Roots

2011-11-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I had the pleasure of eating at Roots restaurant on Bardstown Road. This restaurant is housed in a shared building with fellow restaurant Heart & Soy. The restaurants motto is Two restaurants. Two menus. One mission. Their goal is to promote vegetarianism, health, and community awareness. Roots is more upscale, sit down dining, while Heart and Soy is based on Asian street food and is fast and casual. The atmosphere inside Roots was relaxing and beautiful, painted in earth tones, with a big glass window facing Bardstown Road and cozy wood tables set with black chopsticks at each plate setting.

I started off my order with a mug of herbal tea and their tea list is extensive; something for everyone. Next I ordered the summer rolls for my entree. They serve things in tapas-size portions so you can order more than one item. I wanted something light so I just stuck with the one.

I received two rolls that were filled with sauteed veggies, mint, basil and a crispy cigar which is a fried wonton wrapper and tamarind sauce. Summer rolls are one of my favorite things to eat and I always look for them at any Asian restaurant I go to. These were perfect, great flavors and textures.

Price wise, Roots is comparable to most sit down restaurants. I believe my bill was around 10 dollars for tea and summer rolls. You could easily spend more if you ordered a lot of items.

Next on the agenda for the D.I.Y. crew is checking out Heart and Soy, I've heard they have Boba tea which is one of my other obsessions.

Also, if you are interested in checking them out they are having an amazing event on Thanksgiving Eve. You can eat free. That's right, I said free. You can get whatever you like for free, but they are asking that you make a donation which will go to 4 local charities and one national Buddhist organization. So check them out and support local businesses.

--kim

D.I.Y. Louisville Meet-Up Recap & Winner

2011-11-17T00:01:00.001-05:00

Our meet-up last night was F-U-N!

For starters, two beautiful women ventured out in the cold and rain to join our group for the first time. We absolutely love having new people join our group, and we were so happy to meet Lynn & Justy!

Kim brought her delicious peanut butter and chocolate macarons!

Oh, my goodness, were they yummy!

Our first ever group sew-along was a success. I love how everyone put their own personalities into their gingerbread house ornaments. Every one is super cute!

Group member Angie picked the winner for the felt gingerbread ornament kit.

Congratulations, ifallsmichelle!

A great big special thanks to all of our D.I.Y. Louisville group members for coming out and sharing a fun night with us! If you're in Louisville and want to learn more about our group, our Facebook page stays up-to-date with the events and reminders.

~julee~

What We Wore

2011-11-16T12:31:00.001-05:00

Here’s something about myself you may have noticed: It’s hard for me to take a serious picture. Picture silliness is how I roll. Thus, when I try to be serious, this is the best I get. *sigh*

I wore this on a day when I met Kim for coffee, and then sat in class after class of lectures for the remainder of the day. Coffee, school, coffee, school – it’s all I’ve been up to these days.

Dress: Target

Cardi & Leggings: Target

Boots: Thrifted

Belt: Thrifted

Earrings: Made by Kim

Silver Ring: Made by Robin Chard

We are adding this post to the fun at The Pleated Poppy.

~julee~

Macarons, Anybody?

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Saturday was the day. I finally, after months of thinking about it decided to conquer macarons. Now let me just state right here that making macarons for the first time is not something you can decide to do in one day. Oh, no, it takes a few days of prep before you can even get started. First of all the egg whites. You have to use aged egg whites. If you are having a what? moment right now, so did I. Aged egg whites are ones that have been stored in the fridge in a bowl covered with a paper towel for at least 2-3 days. From what I have read it helps to absorb excess moisture in the egg whites and moisture is your enemy when it comes to macarons. Second you have to have a kitchen scale in order to make them properly. If you are like me you don't have a kitchen scale. I had to buy one at Target. There are a few other things you might need to do some specialized shopping for in order to make these such as: Almond meal (or you can grind the almonds yourself), parchment paper or good quality silpat liners, a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and powdered or gel food coloring.

Okay now onto the actual making. I want to stress that these aren't really that hard to make, they are tricky. Tricky, tricky little French cookies. If you have never baked before, back away from the computer. They require a lot of previous baking experience to get them right, or at least in my opinion. You need to understand meringues, how to use a piping bag and have a grasp on textures and consistencies. I used the recipe from Tartlette, because well, she's French. I did change my flavors though, so I'll share with you my filling recipe and my tips that worked for me.

I am lucky enough to have a convection oven. I baked mine at 275 and it took about 17 minutes for them to be done. If you were cooking in a regular oven you should be at 300. Tartlette says to cook them for 8 to 10 minutes. I found I had to go way over that. the first batch that I did were way under cooked. The tops fell off and left a gooey mess behind.

My kitchen scale, bought at Target for about 7 dollars. You need to be able to measure exactly in grams for this recipe.

Follow the recipe and at the end your batter should look like this. It had the consistency of pancake batter. I added orange color to mine since I was doing a fall flavor.

You'll want to fit a pastry bag with a large round tip. I used a binder clip to hold mine closed while I filled it. If you don't batter will run everywhere.

I put my bag into a jar while I filled it. This is really handy to do since the batter is so fluid.

This part is important so listen up. You have to line your baking sheets or they will fail. I used parchment and it worked just fine. When you pipe your macarons they should only be about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. The batter should spread only a teeny tiny bit, just enough to flatten out and not have a peak. Then let them sit, for at least 30 minutes so that they form a skin on top. That's what gives them the right consistency after being baked.

When they are done it's hard to tell. Tap on the tops and they should sound dry and be firm. They should look dry and matte on top. They should have developed feet while cooking. Which is that nice little layer on the bottom that looks full of air bubbles. That's what you want. Don't over bake them or they will be too crunchy like a meringue. They should be have a crisp top and bottom and be chewy when you bite into them.

Make your filling. You can fill them with pretty much anything you like. I used a chocolate spiced buttercream. Pipe a little dollop onto one cookie and sandwich with another cookie that matches in size.

Yummy.

If you have a cute bearded guy lurking around looking for food, give him one to taste.

The finished fancy pants product. Put them on a tray and look at them proudly.

Chocolate Spiced Buttercream

1 stick softened butter

1/2c. cocoa

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp vanilla

2c. powdered sugar

2 tbs vanilla creamer, plus some to get the right consistency.

Cream butter, add vanilla and and creamer and stir. Add cocoa powder and spices, mix well. Add powdered sugar and beat. Add any additional creamer to get the right texture.

As much as these may seem a pain in the butt, I can't wait to make more and I'm already dreaming up fancy flavor combos to try. If you are looking for a good recipe book for macarons, check this one out.

-Kim

Weekend in Pictures

2011-11-14T08:02:00.001-05:00

Saturday was full of baking adventures and hanging out with girlfriends late into the night (sorry no pictures of that). Sunday was my hanging out at home in sweatpants day. I cleaned, ate too much salty popcorn, worked on some embroidery and watched bad reality T.V. on Netflix.

Baking adventures on Saturday, macarons. More to come on that later.

Daddy and the kids were busy with their latest stop motion animation project.

That too salty popcorn.

A little Christmas embroidery project I'm working on.

My husbands ridiculously good veggie soup for dinner.

How was your weekend? Hopefully full of crafty goodness. Speaking of which don't forget to enter to win one of the super cute ornament kits Julee put together.

Felt Gingerbread House Ornament

2011-11-12T17:33:00.000-05:00

That’s right. I’m hypocritically posting a picture of a Christmas ornament I made today even though I’m usually vehemently yelling One holiday at a time, people! until Thanksgiving is over. The personal sacrifice here is out of love for the D.I.Y. Louisville group and the wonderful ladies that are meeting this week.

If you’re in Louisville, we would love to have you attend our meet-up this week where I will be bringing kits with all the supplies needed to make your own felt gingerbread house ornament. Even the least crafty among us can make this simply cute little house, and I’ll be there to show you how to do it.

This is the perfect ornament to make and swap at our 2nd annual D.I.Y. Louisville handmade ornament swap. We will have plenty of time to complete this project during the evening while enjoying our peppermint mochas and laughing and chatting with each other.

~~GIVEAWAY!!~~ **ENDED** If you do not live in Louisville (or even if you do but can’t attend) I am giving away one gingerbread house ornament kit to one reader this week. The kit will contain all of the pre-cut felt pieces, thread, poly-stuffing and ribbon so you can make this ornament at home. I’ll include some directions but it’s pretty straightforward. Even if you’ve never sewn before, you can make this! As you can see by my own ornament, perfection is not always the name of the game. What is important is having fun making stuff!

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post. We’ll draw the lucky winner from a hat at our meeting Tuesday night. Be sure your email is available so we can contact you if you win.

Sorry, we can only ship to U.S. addresses at this time.

Contest closes at 6pm est, Tuesday, November 15.

Knitting Loom Hat

2011-11-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

If you follow our Facebook updates, you may already know that the D.I.Y. Louisville group has fallen in love with knitting looms. A few weeks ago, group member Robin led a demonstration, and since then I just.can’t.stop.making.hats.

I made the little doggie hat in one evening while snuggling on the couch watching a few episodes of The Wonder Years on Netflix. (Seriously, how good was that show? Love.) Doesn’t the dog just look thrilled with her new hat?

Have you guys used these looms to make any projects? If so, leave a link in the comments and I'd love to come check them out!

Happy loom knitting, D.I.Y.’ers!

~julee~

What We Wore

2011-11-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is what I wore for a little meeting/interview that Julee and I did this week.

Dress, leggings, sweater- Target

Boots- Steve Madden

Belt- Thrifted

Necklace- Forever21

Crazy fluffy hair- mother nature

We're linking this post up to the wiww fun at The Pleated Poppy.

Make It: Posterboard Faux Chalkboard

2011-11-08T06:18:00.000-05:00

If I did a google search, I’m sure I will discover that someone thought of this way before me, but for now I’d just like to wallow in my genius-ness and skip the searching, if that’s ok with you.

Like everyone else on the crafty & pinterest scene, I love all the ways in which to use chalkboard paint. However, it was just a stroke of good fortune that I realized that chalk writes just as nicely on black posterboard - and get this – it even erases! How cool is that? None of the mess, time, and cost of using paint. Hello? Sign me up!

This is easy peasy, but I took pictures of the process anyway. Because taking pictures is how I roll.

Posterboard Faux Chalkboard Tutorial

You need:
Picture Frame (Mine is a thrifted and repurposed frame)
Black Posterboard (2 for a $1 at the dollar store)
Staple Gun or Stapler (or the adhesive of your choice)

Measure your posterboard, cut it to fit your frame, staple on as tight as you can, and voila – a faux chalkboard in less than 5-minutes.

Since I already had the frame and staples, this project cost me $.50. Fifty-cents.

I'm using my chalkboard on an easle so my daughter can easily take it down and write on it, but if you wanted to hang it you can add a little picture hanger on the back.

And here, showing that it will indeed erase.

To be fair, I’m not sure if this will hold up to as many writings as a real chalkboard, but it’ll be easy enough to switch out the posterboard when the time comes.

Happy D.I.Y.’ing!

~julee~

Weekend In Pictures

2011-11-07T00:40:00.001-05:00

I kept myself holed up all weekend working on school projects, hence a weekend full of comfort foods. Peppermint Mocha from our fave shop, hot soup and grilled cheese, make-your-own pizza, and lots of roasted pumpkin seeds.

How was your weekend? I hope it was full of comforts!

~julee~

I'm a Published Photographer!!

2011-11-03T07:00:00.001-04:00

Yep, that's right. I found out a few months ago that some pictures I had taken of LVL1, a Louisville hackerspace would be used in a book. Well, yesterday I got the news that it was released. The book is called Hack This: 24 Incredible Hackerspace Projects From The D.I.Y. Movement. Several of my shots ended up being used for the book and I feel very honored and kind of giddy over the whole thing. Also it's a really great book that showcases some of the cool hackerspaces around the country, which are doing some mind blowing D.I.Y. projects such as robotic grilled cheese makers. Yes, you just read that, robotic grilled cheese makers. The writer of the book is John Baichtal who has written articles for Make magazine, Make: Online and Wired.com. So if you are interested in learning more or purchasing the book you can buy it at Amazon.com. If you are interested in my photography you can learn more here.

Kim

What We Wore

2011-11-02T12:25:00.000-04:00

This is an outfit I wore to meet Kim for coffee. We then took pictures while the gals at Beechmont Bombshells looked out their window and wondered if we were crazy. After that it was off to school for me where a classmate walked up to me and said, “I want your outfit.” How’s that for a compliment? I love the mix of black and brown right now. I also love these boots which I purchased at a consignment shop last fall for $2. Two-bucks. I’m pretty sure these were once my moms boots circa 1983-ish.

Chambray Top: Old Navy

Tank: Target

Black Jeans: Target

Belt: Thrifted

Boots: Consignment

Black Bag: Gift

Blue Nail Polish: Kroger Manager’s Special Bin (ha!)

We’re linking up to the fun this week over at The Pleated Poppy.

~julee~

Dia de los Muertos

2011-11-01T21:51:00.000-04:00

May those you have lost always be honored

and their lives always celebrated!