Urban Comfort

Paper + Craft = Love

If I had to choose just one crafting material, I would choose paper. I love its versatility, its ability to be transformed, shaped and molded. I like that it has serious personality. It also has romantic connotations for me, which may contribute to my ongoing love affair.

When I first met my husband-to-be, I hadn't crafted in possibly fifteen years, my creative outlets taking form in other ways (though it had been a great passion in my childhood). But as our relationship began to unfold, I found myself buying paper - lots and lots of paper. I bought it in Los Angeles, where we lived. I bought it in New York when we visited. I shipped it from France and Italy and Morocco when we vacationed. So much paper that I bought an armoire just to house it in. The man who would eventually become my husband wondered aloud why I had so much paper and what I planned to do with it. Truthfully, I had no idea. I only knew that I needed it. Shortly after we married, I began my career as a crafter, and my need for paper became abundantly clear. In retrospect, I should have known he was the man I would marry the day I bought my first piece of paper, for clearly he was unlocking my true nature and passions, slowly allowing me to fully realize the person I had always been. Is it any wonder that the sight of paper still gives me a little thrill?

So of course I was excited when I received my copy of Paper + Craft in the mail this weekend. It was with great pleasure that I thumbed through it on a rainy afternoon and I was not disappointed, as I sometimes am with craft books that I eagerly await. Some of the projects won't feel like new ideas, but I'm always inspired to see what transformation a basic project takes on as it's imbued with the personality of its designer. There are 25 projects in the book, several of which are shown below, and Chronicle Books has the downloadable templates from the book online. All in all, a worthy new addition to the craft library. And since I have no shortage of paper, a very good buy for me, indeed!

 

An example of an old idea imbued with individual style (and what a wonderful way to utilize kid art - far left).

A recipe book project with cover templates and individual recipe cards.

DIY mini goodie bags with a template for making your own printable bags.

Anatomy of a Photo Shoot

 

I have a Halloween feature in the October issue of Family Circle. I worked on this story almost a year ago and it's nice to finally see the end result, especially after how chaotic I remember feeling at the time.

It started in New Orleans, where I began designing the craft projects and creating them for the shoot. Most of it was uneventful - I was able to find the Halloween supplies I needed (unlike the difficulties I face when crafting Christmas in July or Easter in January), it was coming together. But then there were the pumpkins to deal with, and let me tell you something about pumpkins - as Halloween nears, pumpkin season is basically over. The few remaining pumpkins sit, quickly rotting in far-flung fields. It's a race against time.

I was flying to New York to complete the story and style the pumpkins, but first they had to be purchased. My intrepid (and pregnant) friend in New York (and her friend) set out on a journey to gather 300 lbs. of pumpkins from various farms, picking through fields, searching for the best they could find. (Thank you Kendra and Jean!) She came back with a carload of pumpkins that were unloaded and stored in the back of her apartment building (Thank you doormen of West End Ave!), awaiting my arrival. It looked like a pumpkin patch in the back of her building, but if you're wise, you always buy more than you think you'll need.

Somehow the crafting dragged on (you always make more stuff than you'll ever shoot and I also had to deal with my personal Halloween) and I raced to get everything shipped out before my departure (Thank you Fedex men!), my suitcase packed not with clothing but additional craft supplies I needed to complete my assignment (Thank you Jet Blue for not losing my luggage!). I arrived early the morning after Halloween, no sleep, and went straight to the New York Marathon to cheer one of my friends on.  That night, it was back to crafting.

There were the inevitable pumpkin losses, as they succumbed to the elements, and 300 lbs. of pumpkins began to dwindle to a usable few. I spray painted in the cold, behind my friend's apartment, ducking into the basement every few minutes to escape the fumes (the problem with spray painting in New York is that there's nowhere for the paint fumes to go - very few open fields in Manhattan.) It was a long couple of days (and nights, still crafting at the kitchen table). My friend's husband just kept handing me cappuccinos (Thank you Mr. Paul!) and was kind enough not to remark on the mess.

Finally, the messenger arrived to take the pumpkins away and it was all out of my hands (Thank you messenger service for getting them there safely!), given over to a prop stylist who could see it with a fresh eye and a new perspective (Thank you Christina Lane - and Tina Anderson for hiring her!).  Of course the greatest styling in the world won't make up for bad photographs, so it's always a blessing to have a good photographer (Thank you Hallie Burton!). Then the art department at the magazine takes over, the copy is written (Thank you Karmen, Judy, and Kate!) and it shows up in the reader's mailbox.

It takes a village to create a feature from concept to printed page and there are moments when you're dead tired and can't see the big picture - those are the moments when you wonder why you didn't choose something more traditional to do with your life. But then you see the end result and you realize that you really don't want to do something more traditional, after all.

 

See the rest of this feature in the magazine or online at Family Circle's website

 

Going Green

 

I've started noticing a subtle shift in my design interests. It's not an overnight process and I'm not particularly adept at executing the concept yet, but I find myself being drawn more and more to eco-friendly design and creative upcycling. I know it's almost trendy these days, but it would be better for all of us if it becomes a permanent trend.

I can't say exactly where it's coming from - more enticing designs that capture my attention and encourage me to think outside the box or an understanding that I need to be part of the solution, not part of the problem, or maybe just being the mother of a child who wholeheartedly embraces the idea of recycling and already is more clever with it than I am.

Whatever it is, as I find myself making changes to my home and thinking about what I'd like to add or what I need, I have first begun to question whether there's a way to repurpose something else.  As I've begun to travel down this particular design path, I am constantly inspired and encouraged by the efforts of others. Here's some of what I've found:

 

The steel shelving system I've had my eye on for the kitchen costs upwards of $400 and I can't say that I like it any more than this vintage fruit crate solution. {via Country Living}

What a clever way to repurpose a carriage seat! {This, and title image of repurposed champagne corks via Poetic Home}

A vintage suitcase turned into a chair {Image via Recreate}

A shipping pallet turned dish display rack {via The Green Children}

Spoons and reclaimed wood turned into a useful coat rack {via Etsy}

I love how effortlessly recycled wood pieces mix with contemporary elements {via French by Design}

Upcycled wooden crate cabinetry {via Web Urbanist}

Yardsticks adorning stair risers {via Design Sponge}

Ruler Tabletop {via Country Living}

A clever way to repurpose old sweaters {via Country Living}

A plaster-dipped floral "sculpture" looks nothing like the artificial floral arrangement it started as {via Daily Danny}

Admittedly, this has nothing to do with the home, but a wedding dress created from repurposed doilies - brilliant! {via Handmade Bits and Pieces}

My New Orleans

(A sign on a house in the lower 9th Ward - almost 3 years after Katrina)

 

New Orleans is on my mind this week as the 5th anniversary of Katrina approaches. On the day the levees broke and my beloved city began to flood, I was on vacation in Maryland, just feet from a lazy Chesapeake Bay. It became a mockery, those calm waters, over the surreal days that followed, as my heartbreak became complete.  It had been years since I'd been a full-time resident of New Orleans, years since the sorrow of my initial departure, but the tears and heartache were all too real, as was the helplessness that so many of us felt, displaced or not.

New Orleans was a city that left its imprint on me early in life. I had an odd childhood here, the observation of sorrow and brutal reality mixed in with the more normal childhood passions of neighborhood friends, games that lasted until daylight faded, bike riding and roller skating and playing dress up. And then there were the unique New Orleans experiences - the fever of Carnival season, crawfish boils and Saturday night seafood dinners with my grandparents, riding the ferry to and from Old Algiers, class field trips to the French Quarter, and weekend beignets at Cafe du Monde.

I lived in a large house, in a terrible neighborhood, where my parents ran a drug rehab center. There were mornings I awoke to junkies on the doorstep, another place setting at the table, cops who might pick up one person and drop off another, a swirl of multihued humanity becoming part of my everyday experience. My neighborhood was so bad that I wasn't allowed outside, except for my comings and goings to private school. Even today, I couldn't tell you much about my neighborhood, because I never really saw much of it. I can tell you what it sounded like, sirens throughout the night. Oddly enough, I can still be lulled to sleep by the sound of sirens, which served me well during my years in New York.  There were adults who said it was no place for a child, no life for a child, but I am no worse for wear - perhaps just a bit more observant than the average adult, able to discern sorrow in the most benign of expressions.

My other, more normal, life took place over the weekends. I spent that time with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I had my weekend friends, my weekend toys, and all the experiences that most children in New Orleans encounter in their life here. I loved it. In fact, I loved it all - good and bad.

My immediate family left New Orleans just before I turned eleven. The sorrow of leaving this city is still so vivid to me. It ruined me for any other heartbreak, and I have always been able to say goodbye to other cities with little more than a backward glance. In the eight years that followed, I lived in three more towns and cities, none more than an hour-and-a-half from New Orleans, but it was never the same. There are cities that simply take hold of you and never let go. New York was like that for me, but it was the right city for the person I would become; New Orleans has always been the city for the person I was born to be.

It is no accident that I've returned here. It felt there was no other real choice after Katrina. It is my duty and my pleasure to be here, to help rebuild and strengthen a city. I do this with great love, for this city gave so much to me. And for those who question whether it's really worth it to rebuild, whether we should employ extraordinary measures and spend vast amounts of money to ensure its survival, I say to you with certainty - there's no other city like this city.

Happy Friday!

I'm taking off early this week, with a birthday party to pull together in 24 hours. But I thought I'd leave you with this poster. My sentiments exactly.

Have a great weekend!

Leaf Printing

Summer in New Orleans is hot and humid, perfect weather for tropical foliage of every kind.  After years of living in New York, with parks being my only accessible outdoor refuge, I love having a lush courtyard just outside my door - though I find it too hot to enjoy during summer days.  So I thought I'd bring it indoors by making a collage of leaf prints.  (I'm a little sentimental and I like knowing that all of these leaves were from our home in New Orleans. Wherever we might go in the future, I'll have a little piece of this place.)

I recreated this project from Martha Stewart Living, one of those crafts I kept in my "Someday" file.  It was easier than I would have imagined and hard to stop once I started!  I think it's a great summer project - a way to capture the season's offerings and bring a little quiet beauty to your home. But you'd better hurry. Fall will be here before you know it!

 

 

I was not able to find a direct link from Marth's site, so I'm including the directions here. Click on the image to enlarge and print.

 

Dingbat

As I've stated before, I have an ongoing love affair with fonts. But I also appreciate the lesser known dingbat fonts. Unless you're a professional and have access to a large collection of design elements, these fonts can be a great asset.  I find them very versatile as they can be resized, colored, layered, or made into die cuts using digital cutters. Some of the applications?  Cards, custom rub-ons, fabric appliques, iron-on transfers, and stencils.

Something I like to do with silhouette type dingbats is to print them directly on the matte side of freezer paper (cut down to a regular paper size). If I'm using the dingbat as a stencil, I cut out the interior and iron the freezer paper onto the fabric I'm stenciling. If I'm making a cut-out, I print the dingbat onto the freezer paper, cover the freezer paper with another piece of paper or a pressing cloth, and adhere it to the fabric or felt.  THEN I cut it out following the outline of the dingbat. This is a great way to cut items like snowflakes and still retain the delicacy of the design. (I use sharp, fine-tipped scissors when I'm cutting designs like that.)

If you like the idea of custom rub-ons, simply print the dingbats onto rub-on transfer paper and you're set. It's a great way to customize notebooks or create designs on glass (or any other surface you'd normally be able to use rub-on transfers on).

 

Here are some I like (with links to download):

Butterflies and Butterflips

Avain

Postage Stamps

Sjonarbok Classic

 

JI Nature Bats

 

Flakey

 

Seeing Stars

Animals

Kids Written

{Image via iDIY}

It's Just Lunch!

I have lunch on the brain these days.  More specifically, WHAT to make for lunch. My son's school has a lunch policy - nutritious, no processed foods or snacks, and nothing sweet. Which is all fine and good, but I also have a child who's declared that he's "done with eating," and handles his blood sugar plunge about the same way I do. Clearly I want to send him to school with something he'll be eager to eat, for his sake and the teacher's.

Truthfully, I have never been much for "cute" food. I always think of it as too time consuming and when I spend most of my days crafting, it feels more like a chore. But I have noticed that my son is more inclined to eat something when it resembles something else, however inadvertent it may be. His tortillas get eaten into the shapes of various states, he arranges his fruit to look like tools and appliances, and lately one of his favorite books is about fruits and vegetables who have faces.

I give in!  I will attempt the art of the creative lunch. Doing a little research, I discovered Another Lunch, which is all about a mom's bento box lunches. They seem doable and cute and I'll probably spend a lot of time on her blog until I get the hang of it. I also found 20 Easy Bento Lunch Boxes on Parenting's website. These look a bit more complex to me, though awfully cute. Perhaps some of them I can pull off.

But I'm curious to know what others think and do.  Is there any benefit to the cute lunch? Do you think it actually inspires children to eat? And if cute food doesn't work, what do you do? It's a dilemma and challenge I face every day, except when he decides to confound me and eat the most complex thing he can find on my plate. I love food.  I want my son to love food, too. Is that too much for a Southerner to ask?

{Image from Parenting.com}

Dye Job

Last week I needed to dye some paper doilies for a project, which was a first for me (addictive, I must say!). I needed fairly basic colors but by the fifteenth doily, I was already trying to come up with unusual colors for my own pleasure, which reminded me of a Halloween assignment long ago when I needed to dye lots of clothing. I had contacted Rit and they'd sent me a huge goody bag of powdered dyes - along with a fantastic set of color recipes that were right up my alley.

At any rate, it's been awhile since I've checked out what Rit was up to, so I did and boy, am I glad I did! They've come a long way since then. They now have a ColoRit Color Formula Guide that gives the dye recipes for 500 colors!  The colors are gorgeous and you're going to want to dye everything from paper and buttons to clothing to well, anything that can be dyed.  Check it out. It's an amazing tool. (Can you tell I'm excited about this?!)

{Image via}

The Boy of My Dreams

It's hard to believe that my son is four years-old today. Sometimes it feels like I had him yesterday, sometimes like a million years ago. He was a gift after five unexplained miscarriages and a circumspect acceptance of a life without children.

I was never sure that I wanted to be a mother. Some women know for sure, but I didn't. I'm the oldest of five children. I understood early on that children were all consuming and often difficult and greatly hampered any notion of independence, and so I waffled and waited and waited and finally took a chance. And after I took that first chance, I had plenty of time to think about that decision before I finally became pregnant with him.

Motherhood has not all been rosy and there have been plenty of struggles, though it has gotten easier as we've learned to speak the same language. When he was younger, I never found him in any of the manuals, never felt like the experiences I read about had anything to do with me. I put the books away, as I finally understood that they would be of no help.

I was blessed with a very intense, willful, observant, bright, energetic, stubborn child with a heart of gold and affection to spare. If I hadn't been so exhausted in the days when he was a newborn, I might have understood what the pediatrician and the child development specialist on the street, and even strangers, were trying to tell me when they said, "he's so alert."  What they really meant was that I was in trouble and he was going to give me a run for my money. Truth be told, I wouldn't have it any other way. He is so beautiful and smart, and full of spirit and life and laughter. How could I want any less?

He's growing up so quickly and for all his independence, we are joined at the heart. I was surprised by him and blessed, but I had no idea that his birth was truly just the beginning. My grandmother taught me to recognize love, my husband gave me the acceptance and freedom I needed to learn to love, and my son carved out a whole new corridor in my heart.

Happy birthday, my sweet boy.

Something for You

As I've mentioned in the past, my house looks like a bomb has gone off after I complete a crafting assignment.  Today was no different, as I shipped off another Christmas story and raced to put it all back together again so I could start another one tomorrow. And once again, I had the same feeling that's been nagging at me over the last year.  I have too much.  Abundance is a wonderful thing, overabundance just weighs me down - physically, mentally, emotionally.

I love that I have so many tools and materials at my disposal. I'm excited every single time a manufacturer sends me products or I have items left over from assignments; I love it.  Sure, I have a few things on my wish list (yes, I have succumbed to feeling like I need a Silhouette) but for the most part, all of my crafting dreams have come true.  It's time to spread the love.

I'm not talking about bulk giving - I do that once a year and I tend to give those items to schools or teachers since I know there's usually little or no budget for art supplies.  That feels good, but what I really want to give is pleasure - the joy of receiving a gift, the luxury of sifting through treasures that have been selected specifically for you. I want to find out what your interests are, what you wish you had more of.

I will select two readers - one selected at random, the other from a comment that resonates with me for some reason, and I will create an inspiration box of materials that I hope will help to further your own crafty dreams. Just leave a comment and tell me what you love to make or do (or what you want to learn to do) and what craft product(s) fill you with longing. I'll leave this open until September 1st and then I'll select the winner.  I don't know what I'm giving away yet - it will depend on who wins and what they're interested in. Surprise is part of the fun.

Ah, I'm feeling lighter already...Oh, and Merry Christmas, by the way, as I embark on my third (and final) Christmas assignment this year!

{Image via}

Fall Preview

I have some exciting news that I've been keeping under wraps for the last couple of months and can finally share! I've been invited by Better Homes and Gardens to participate in a design contest with three fellow bloggers. Our first project will be featured in the October issue of the magazine, due on newsstands September 5th. After that, the additional three projects will be revealed over the course of a month on the magazine's website. Readers and staff members will vote on their favorites and the overall winner will have a feature in the magazine next fall, which is an awesome grand prize! I will continue to update you as the contest unfolds. I hope that you'll participate, vote, and spread the word among your friends.

As for my competitors, it was a mystery until last week when we were introduced to each other and our first project was revealed.  I will tell you, I'm up against some extremely talented bloggers whose work I already admire - Kathleen Holden of Twig and Thistle, Elizabeth Owen of Mabel's House, and Nicole Balch of Making it Lovely. I'm nervous, but there's nothing like stiff competition to get me in creative mode.  It should be fun give me a heart attack.

Seriously though, it's an honor and I'm humbled to be among such good company, as I am on a daily basis, weaving my way through the vastly creative world of the blogosphere.

A Calendar

School starts in two weeks. I have already received multiple emails outlining parent meetings, volunteer days, fundraisers, play dates, meetings with teachers...and I am starting to understand that this whole school business is going to be more like a second job (or third, if you count parenting) and I am going to need a calendar. Not notes scribbled on pages in my notebook or entries on the calendar in my iPhone that I never check, not mental notes piling up like so many post-its, but a real live calendar.

I know, there are those of you who bought your calendars in October of last year and marked everything off and are sitting back, smug and self-satisfied. I am not one of those people.  In case you're more like me, I bring you free, printable calendars that will take you through the rest of the year. (And for those of you falling off your chairs laughing at the idea that I will fit all the ensuing responsibilities of the school year onto any of these dainty calendars, I beg you - let me live in denial for just a few more weeks.)

 

A pretty illustrated calendar from Gleaux
Download Gleaux Calendar

 

A friendly reminder for healthy living from Cottage Industrialist

Download Resolved August
Download Resolved September
Download Resolved October
Download Resolved November
Download Resolved December

 

 

Simplicity from Something's Hiding in Here (photo from Wren Handmade)

Download Vintage Wood and Lead Type Calendar

 

A Year in the Life

When my son was three weeks old, I took him to Brimfield with me (yes, postpartum insanity, but we survived) and there was a woman who pensively told me to cherish every day because it goes so fast. In the cycle of exhaustion that comes with a newborn, when I wasn't sure what day it was or whether I'd actually slept, time seemed magnified and endless. 

She was right, of course, as I find myself with an almost 4 year-old who's lost all vestiges of babyhood, ready to head off to preschool for the first time. My husband has been feeling it as well and there's just the tiniest bit of sadness that accompanies this growth process (along with great relief that we'll finally have some uninterrupted time on our hands).

I've never gotten around to doing a baby book (though I have a box full of special items) and I'm not nearly as organized with the memories as I'd like to be. But one thing I did for the first year was take a photo of my son each month. I kept it as simple as I could, the photo taken in the same window (the only window that got light in my New York apartment) until he was 10 months old and we moved to New Orleans. I look at these now and it seems like just yesterday and such a long time ago. I'm so happy I did just that one thing.  

As he heads off to school, I'm looking for new traditions to implement in our lives. What do you do (or have done) with your children that works for you?

 

DIY Lighting

I need new light fixtures. And I'm finally tired of glancing at them and feeling depressed so the task is going on my list of home projects for the fall. I could spend thousands on pieces I love (not), hundreds on pieces I don't really care about (yawn), or I can try to do it myself which, at the very least, should fill me with some sense of pride.

So I've been researching DIY light options (it's a great way to procrastinate when I'm supposed to be working) and I am blown away by some of the lighting designs, especially the eco-friendly options I've found. It's been very inspiring to me, so I thought I'd share some of my finds with you. (And if you have any lighting designs that are inspiring you, please share them!)

 

With my love for industrial, this funnel light fixture from Country Home is the perfect accent to warm up a work area, a hallway, even task lighting in the kitchen.

 

I'm guessing this is Danny Seo's take on Anthropologie's Songbird Chandelier, with a much lower price tag thanks to an Ikea light fixture and chicken wire. (Photo via Daily Danny)

Egg cartons, a light string, and a hole punch. That's all you need to create these lovely flower lights. Charming (and clever)! (Tutorial and photo found on Apartment Therapy)

 

Water bottle lighting that's perfect for the environment it was photographed in. (Photo found via Cucumbersome)
 

This floors me. A graceful, feminine design made from...the bottoms of plastic bottles! (Photos via Inhabitat)

I love this. I could easily see this hanging over a kitchen island, especially in a kitchen with lots of stainless steel or white. (Photo via Inhabitat)

 

I'm not yet tired of this trend for exposed wire lampshade frames. In the right area, with the right shape, I find it refreshing. And with so many Edison style bulbs available now, this is the perfect kind of light fixture to show them off. (Photo found via Made by Girl)

 

I have saved the best for last. When I stumbled onto ReDesign Technologies' chandeliers made of PAPER CLIPS, I was humbled by genius. What's even better - the designer Penelope Bridge has made step-by-step tutorials available through her Etsy shop. The chandeliers come in four different designs and you can purchase a tutorial for a single design or all four. I've already made my purchase and I can't wait to take this on! And for those who love the concept but not the DIY, there are assembled chandeliers for sale as well. I'm in love. (Photo from ReDesign Technologies)