I didn't quite mean to disappear for ten days, but I've been busy. I finally started painting my little studio. And I painted some more and then I painted even more, and I'm still not done. I've gone through two cans of primer so far, and I started on a third can tonight. I knew this was going to be a big job, but I didn't know it would be quite this big. My studio is actually an old tack shed that a previous owner finished off inside using whatever leftovers they found laying around, so it's sort of a quirky little space. Sometimes we call it a guesthouse, which sounds much more glamorous than it could ever be. A previous owner (I'm not sure if these are the same owners that initially gussied it up) walled up one end to make a very narrow space in which they built a workbench. Based on some remnants of foil stapled to the walls and ceilings, and some chains which looked like they were for some hanging fluorescent lights, I'd guess they used the space to grow some plants. I'm not saying what kind of plants, I'll leave that to your imagination.

Anyway, the point is that for six years I've wanted to paint it, and I finally got started. There are lots of odd little bits of wood, so I decided to paint everything white so make it look fresh and bright and clean. It is also painted in patches of five different colors, so some of the darker colors require a little more priming than the lighter colors. I can't bring myself to post a before picture here, because it was just so ugly, but if you must know what it looked like, go here. And now, after two cans of primer, it looks like this:

I still have more priming to do on the other side of the room, I think if I work on it for the next two nights after work I'll be able to actually paint on Saturday. I decided to treat myself to a new doorknob from Anthropologie for that door when I'm done painting. I'm thinking something like this one, or maybe this one. And how much do you love that lamp? I think it's going to be adorable in here. It's from Target, of course. Last Fall I even made up a style tray of inspirational ideas for the space. In case you missed it:

The Vika Artur trestle legs and table top were on sale at Ikea this past month, $10 for each set of legs, and $30 for the table top, so I've got them all ready and waiting to be assembled. I'm not having much luck finding an inexpensive vintage metal stool, but I can be patient. I also hope to find some green fabric similar to what's on the chairs in the top right photo to re-cover a wing chair. There will be a lot of little projects to do in the room before it's complete, but it's going to be lots of fun, if I ever finish painting.

I have been a tiny bit obsessed with scarves lately, so this will be the first in a series of posts about the scarves I’ve been making. I finished a knitted one, experimented with a wrap and some elastic for another, and am raiding my vintage lace and eyelet for yet another. I have some more ideas I want to try out soon, too. I’m going to start with the easiest one of all, however. If you’re in need of a really, really quick project with maximum satisfaction, this is a scarf you have to make. I take no credit for this idea, I saw it here, where you can even order a kit, although for about the same price you can buy your own fabric and have enough for two scarves. The key is to use Kaffe Fassatt’s shot cotton. That link has really good photos, and you can see the two colors blended in each swatch.

They’re just really lovely, the depth of color makes the fabric look almost like silk. I chose two blues, as you can see. All you have to do is get a yard of each of two colors (you could even use one of the stripes or plaids if you want to go a little more crazy), cut them in half lengthwise and sew one half of each together along a short end. I pressed the seam open and stitched again to hold the seam allowance in place. Then toss it in the washer, dry it, give it a light pressing and trim off the long, ravely bits and throw it around your neck!

Winston came by to participate in my photo shoot. He was asked to leave when he started trying to lick the subject’s face.

Another shot of the fabric because I just love it. I will probably keep pulling out threads along the edges as I wear it to get more of a fringe-y effect.

And now, to change the subject completely, a friend gave me these beautiful red and white egg cups and ceramic egg tray for Christmas, and I was playing around with them yesterday.

My sister-in-law gave me the red chicken egg cup a while ago, and they are all so happy together! They’re all from Anthropologie. When my friend handed me the bag I didn’t even have to open it, I just told her I loved it right away. We went to Anthropologie while I was in Boise, and that store is just like the mothership to me. I may have splurged on a new bag, which, coincidentally, goes nicely with my new scarf!

Today I decided that my New Year’s Resolution is to clean the microwave and the cubbyhole where it resides. I hope I can get it done by December. It’s a somewhat frightening task in its enormity.

When I went on my little shopping trip last week I didn't find a whole lot of stuff that I really loved. Mostly because it seems that all the colors for this Fall are black, grey, or dark plum. I have no problem with those colors, but seriously, how many days a week can you wear dark plum? I have plenty of black and grey in my wardrobe already, and I know it's technically Fall/almost Winter, and my brown sandals have been put away until next Summer, but still, I want to have some color in my life. I started out with flowers for my desk last week. They're still looking pretty good, for cheap grocery store flowers:


They definitely helped satisfy my need for color, but I still wanted more. A trip to Old Navy helped, when I found a pair green pants ($15!) and a stripey blue t-shirt (2 for $15!). I decided to take it just a bit further, and added some big, flowery appliqués

I know, it may be a little much, but I don't care, when everyone else is looking dreary in their black and grey and dark plum, I'm going to be feeling bright and cheery. I added another flower to the hem:

I think I've got a thing for carnations lately.

Here's the how-to, just in case you need a little color too:
I just cut out the flowers from some cotton fabric in my stash (Kaffe Fassett Flower Lattice, which I cannot find anywhere online) and cut out some Wonder Under roughly the same shape. I carefully ironed them in place, and then just did a plain running stitch around the edges. They'll fray a bit around the edges when I wash it, but I think that will look cute.

I have lots more colorful ideas and things to share this week, so check back soon!

I’ve decided to embrace my inner capitalist, and start listing stuff in my etsy shop again. I’m working in earnest this weekend on a few things, including some inexpensive items, like this tiny little pincushion in a tart pan.

Since I have a pretty severe case of creative ADD, there will be a pretty wide variety of items, from little quilts to hand-bound books to sock monkeys. I’m not sure if that will make for a successful etsy shop, but I’m going to give it a shot. Stay tuned for regular previews right here in this space!

I finished another project this week, and I have to admit, the results are not quite as good as I hoped. So I thought I’d share what I learned to help me remember not to make the same mistakes again, and maybe save someone else from the same errors.

I have some big, square feather pillows from Ikea that needed covering, so I had an idea to do some big appliqué flowers.

I used a heavy linen for the cover, and quilter’s cotton for the flowers. When I finished stitching up my cover, I put it on the pillow, and it was okay, but seemed a little stiff. I also think I could have made the flowers a little bigger. So I thought I’d try washing it, to soften it up a little, but it turns out the linen I used shrank more lengthwise than widthwise. So now my pillow is more of a rectangle. The flowers bunched up a little too. Petey, however, is indifferent to the pillow.

So, what I learned:

• Pre-wash all my fabric
• Try a little harder to keep the appliqué fabrics smooth, so they don’t get bunched up
• Make the flowers bigger in proportion to the pillow

Also, perhaps I should not write boring blog posts while still grumpy from allergies and while watching Raising the Bar which I Tivo’d last week. I can’t get past the bad haircut to decide if the show is any good. I don’t think I will be getting a season pass to this one.