Welcome Autumn

It's the right kind of day to officially welcome autumn. There is a slight nip in the still-summer air and I'm surrounded by the colors of the changing leaves and smells of the grape harvest (did I mention I live and work in wine country?).  It's enough to make me want to listen to some Stevie Nicks, do some leaf crafts with the kids, and make a pie (or maybe an end-of-summer blackberry tart like this or this).

Can you tell I'm ready for the weekend already? ;)

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Organizing in Style

As I said yesterday, I know I've been a bit absent from the blog lately, but that doesn't mean I have not been busy!  On the contrary, I spent ALL Labor Day weekend organizing by entire house.

Trust me, this is no easy task.  I am what you would call a "pile-builder" (my husband can attest to this, it drives me crazy).  The odd thing is, I am not messy, I am not gross, I am just not neat.  I look at something, put it in a pile to sort later, and move on and forget about it.

I recently realized a lot of the problem is that I didn't have ANY set places for things, and so the pile would grow, waiting for me to figure out how to deal with it.  The other problem I've learned - I simply have too much stuff.  If it couldn't fit in the alloted space and I hadn't used it recently, out it went!

Already I can breathe easier, and feel more free. The kitchen is done, and I cook more. Clean up is faster and easier.  The "junk" drawer is done.  If I need scissors or tape, I know exactly where it goes.

The last thing I learned is, if it's pretty, I will keep it clean.  So beautiful supplies is a must. On that note, I wanted to share some of the pretty office supplies I'm coveting:

Kate Spade stationary.  Big card. Small Party.

A brightly colored binder keeps all of the not-so-fun stuff (like wills) in check.

Jonathon Adler Sticky Notes and Note Cubes add instant pops of color to any office.

 The DiVoga black and white collection is super chic.

This Parakeet folder at Sorting with Style reminds you of Anthropologie, doesn't it?

I love the Scandinavian-inspired red and teal pallete of Galison's "Rosehip" Weekly Organizer

These "essey Bin Bins" by Huset are works of art!

Keep your junk drawer in order with this organizer from John Derian for Target

And finally, for the day I FINALLY have a laptop...

A cupcake laptop sleeve. Naturally.

What pretty supplies make your life neat and organized?

Paper Flowers

It was my mom's birthday yesterday (love you mom)!  I decorated her office with flowers to celebrate. Here's some peeks (please forgive the mobile photos):

PS: I was inspired by paper flower artist Eloise Corr Danch, and her beautiful windows:

Obviously mine are not as gorgeous, but it was a good start for a weekend project.  I definitely plan to make more.  For starters, I need to get a thinner art paper.  The only good quality paper I could find was scrapbook cardstock, which was a bit heavy.  Also, now that I have an idea of how to constuct them, I'm hoping the process will go a bit faster.

Do you want to make paper flowers too?  I'll post some links to tutorials soon, but I'm also thinking it's a good excuse for a craft night at my place!

Upholstery: A Dying Art

As I troll the web looking for DIY ideas for my current redecorating obsession, I keep coming across upholstery. Or reupholstery, to be more specific. With the big recession and all, people seem to be realizing that new doesn't necessarily been better, and "upcycling" old junky furniture is one of the best ways of recycling - and saving money!

Etsy just posted a TERRIFIC video by the gals from Spruce in Austin, who've updated the lost art of reupholstery.

Check it out!

Art with Kids

I, like many other bloggers, am a mom of young children. Between my mom responsibilities, work, and housework, it's really really difficult to make time for my own creative endeavors. I've found the best way to get my creative fix is to BE creative with my kids.

Thinking of my own project takes time and energy I don't often have. Thank goodness for the Internet! Without further ado, here are some other online projects I've found that I can't wait to try with my kids:

Draw Me a Potholder (Sycamore Stirrings)

Freezer Paper Stencils (Panjo Kids)

Intro to Embroidery, Lesson 1: Pepto Girl

Lesson 2: Pepto Girl

Tutorial on making your own designer clothes...with a bleach pen! I Am Momma Hear Me Roar

ABC's in a Can Tutorial (Guest blogger Kierste at UCreate)

Screen Printing TShirts with Mod Podge! A Simple Silly Girl

Fun with photo transfers Non Photography
(Note: This one looks a bit more grown up, but the photo transfer is done with mod podge, and would be easy to translate into a kids' art project. See her links below the post for more ideas).

Starting a children’s art group (which I daydream about daily) Artful Parent

Some other good blogs on arts & crafts with Kids:
Color Color Color

Kids Craft Weekly (the best!)

For an excellent resource, I highly (HIGHLY) recommend the book The Creative Family by Amanda Soule. Her blog is a wonderful resource, as well.

photo from I Am Momma Hear Me Roar (Bleach Pen Tutorial)

Home Makeover

I've been daydreaming constantly about redecorating my entire place. Nothing too fancy schmancy - I have kids, so it's got to be comfortable and anything too "nice" will be trashed in seconds (all the stuff that is already trashy gets trashed in seconds). However, we've never really gotten organized and decorated the place, and the creative designer inside is getting antsy. I know it will be a work in progress, because I want it to be both beautiful and on a thrifty budget. In the meantime, I've been hunting for ideas, mostly on Etsy and on blogs for DIY decor.

Project #1) The Office

An amazing (and removable!) wall decal, a shot of bright yellow calm, and DIY wallpaper-covered file cabinet to finally - FINALLY - organize all that paperwork (although I'd probably choose something a bit brighter to bring that yellow back in).

Clockwise, from top left:

- Iron Vines Wall Decals from Blik

- Keep Calm and Carry On Poster from Etsy

- Wallpaper-covered File Cabinet by Casey Green at Fossil. Instructions here
(and check out the rest of her awesome house here)

I'm also thinking of making some nice floor pillows, as our office doubles as a playroom for the kids, and maybe a nice rug to cover up the icky carpet (oh the joys of rental. One day when we buy, there will be NO carpets in my house).

What do you think? Any ideas?