Watching Paint Dry is... exciting?!

My husband and I have been making fairly regular late-night trips to our local home improvement store. Now that we are buying our first home, and our move is imminent, planning our the usage and elements of each space has become a priority.

Big plans have been made for our foyer, including a mirror collage, and metallic and navy patterned wall to accent.  Trust me, it is going to be fabulous!

We're also choosing colors for the master bedroom in soft, soothing greys that transform right in front of your eyes when they catch the light.

Since we are not actually yet occupying our brand-new space, selecting just the right shades has been somewhat of a puzzle.  I know each of the looks I am aspiring for, but without being able to paint 4 x 6 swatches on the wall, how can we know what color will be best?  The answer?  Foam-core boards!

From the left: shades of grey for our master suite - "Graceful" and "Fashion" Gray by Behr.  Deep navy  for accent wall in our foyer is called "Starless Night", and the lovely rich teal or peacock blue is "Caribe".

Our cat, Gus, joined in the excitement of watching paint dry!

Lovely results.  Move is getting closer!

~R x

Time for a celebration!

Recently I helped a friend with some of the details of her wedding, and although I was particularly proud of the flowers I produced, the centerpiece details were stunning and impacting!  Around here, we love POMS!

Originally introduced and popularlized by the amazing Martha Stewart, these tissue-paper pom-poms can cost you an arm and a leg if you buy a kit from your local craft store which yields only 3 poms, or on Etsy, where each pom can cost you $5.00.  While this may not seem like too much, it can add up when you have 2 or 3 poms featured together.


These beautiful details are easily and fun to create while watching t.v. before bed, using only a few basic supplies, a little time and some patience.

Supplies You'll Need:
Self-healing cutting mat

Bone folder

Scissors

Floral wire

Tissue paper in assorted colors

Step 1:

For each large sized pom, you will need 8 sheets of 20 x 30 inch sheets of tissue paper.

For each small sized pom, cut these 8 sheets in half so you have 2 - 10 x 15 inch stacks.

Work from the shorter side of the tissue, the 20 or 10 inch for the small poms, not the 30 or 15 inch side.

Step 2:

Make 1 1/2-inch-wide accordion folds, creasing each fold with your bone folder.

** Hint:  Crisp edges make for better looking poms. **

Step 3:

If your folds end up uneven, it's okay!  Just trim up the excess end to match the rest of the folds, being careful to not cut the creases or your pom will fall apart. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.

 

Step 4:

Match up your cut ends, fold an 18 inch piece of 22 gauge floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist.

Step 5:

While holding the wire end, spread out your accordion, and gently pull one sheet from the opposite side up towards the center of the pom.

Step 6:

Continue until you are halfway through on each side (4 sheets have been separated), then start pulling up sheets towards the wire.

Step 7: 
When finished separating the layers, fluff evenly, and you are now ready to hang!

I recommend either selecting a variety of colors in the same color palette, for example, various shades of pink, or sticking to only 3 or 4 different colors, for example, magenta, navy, ivory and gold.

Happy pom-creating! 
 

xoxo

~R

A place for everything....

My little sister bought me this wonderful Cath Kidston sewing box for my birthday, full of wonderful things. I'm excited to fill it and use it. It's so pretty, and just perfect for me.

So what shall I make first?

L x

If you only do one thing, do it well.

I only know one baking recipe. Cupcakes! Thanks to my lovely mum and her secret recipe that I have known by heart 'depuis toujours', these always turn out as pure perfection. I can do variations on cupcakes. Cupcakes with lemon, with chocolate, without icing, without dairy.... But cupcakes it is. Ask me to bake anything else and I have to consult my friends Nigella, Jamie, Gordon and Delia, not to mention the antique Mrs Beeton book that is like a bible for all things you should know how to cook but can't quite remember the ingredients for....

I have baked these cupcakes in all the houses I have lived in, in ovens held together with tape, ovens that rattle, and ovens that needed a fire extinguisher at the ready. Always perfect. It's a science that has become more like an art. I rarely use the scales now. I know what the ingredients look like in their separate mesurements. I weigh with my hands, adding shakes of flour and squeezes of lemon if the texture is not familiar to me. I've recently added my own twist, a secret ingredient that makes them individual, delicious, unique and naughty. It has a kiddie-friendly counterpart too! :)

The problem is, I need more perfect recipes. I bet you have one. If you like, we can swop. Give me your 'DOT' ('Do One Thing') recipe, and I'll let you in on my secret.  ;)      L x 

The Wonderful World of Google!

Anyone see Google this morning?  Hello Josef Frank, I think we just became new best friends!

Lovely print!  I want to reupholster my couch with it.  Or maybe just my armchair?!!

Oh, and by the way, what did one do before Google?

R x

More ribbons.......more smiles

And what about the children at the wedding? Need they miss out on the ribbon overload?

Of course not, I've made them party bags out of fabric, attachd the ribbons and adorned them in glitter painted names. I've even filled them with goodies and games to keep them happy and occupied.The sense of satisfaction I feel to see these little bags lined up ready to be opened is enough to make me want to make them all over again, and that's before they reach their intended owners. :) Love it.

L x

Wedding Preparations

So is a wedding just an excuse to get creativity flowing and use copious amounts of ribbon? I think so.

Fans supported by boxes of colour-co-ordinated confetti. I often ask myself- 'Too Over the Top?' but if it pleases me, then it stays. Ribbons on fans make me smile, so hopefully others will feel the same. Yea for ribbons and paper roses! :)

L x