Bird + Seed

Natural Dyed Easter Eggs

I don't know why I decided that I had to do this Easter Sunday.  I can do this anytime I want, but I decided on Easter Sunday.  I don't even celebrate Easter.  Then again, this past weekend was one of the rare moments that white chicken eggs were in abundance [when was the last time I bought white eggs.... I can't even recall...] But man, let's just say the hankering for dying eggs [and egg salad that followed] has been satiated.

Natural dyed eggs are easy.  Just a bit more messy.  Oh yeah, and they take longer.  So... maybe it's not easy... just not as hard as I thought.  Boil your vegetable matter so that they offer up their colors into the water.  Red onion skins yield a reddish yellow.  Dill seeds turn your eggy light golden brown whereas coffee makes white eggs look like brown eggs.  Turmeric dyes eggs (and your formica counter) a deep yellow.  Beets make stuff pink (again, duh) and Hawaiian black volcanic salt + black sesame seeds = grey eggs.  

Add some vinegar of course- just like traditional [er... fake chemically dye... why is that considered traditional?] dyes.  My eggs became speckled and striped, due to resting on bits of organic matter.  Also, you have to leave your eggs in longer than with store-bought dyes.  But the results?  Like kitchen alchemy.

One eggy cracked while boiling.  Om nom nom.

Other great things that happened with eggs this weekend? 

The Snap Fizz.

1 part Hendricks
1 part Snap
1/2 part simple syrup
1/2 lemon
2 egg whites

Shake with ice.  Garnish with Angostura bitters.

Leggings!

I stepped up my garment making recently.  For a long time I stuck to A-line skirts, maybe with a few pleats or tucks and a few a little misshapen tunics.  But now, pants.  If you call leggings pants.  This was my first foray into stretch fabric too, which took some getting used to.  Overall, I'm pleased with how it turned out... albeit the waistband is wonky.  No one sees that anyways.  And the whole thing [minus cutting out the pattern & ironing it & the fabric] took an hour.  So I'm encouraged to do it again!  Maybe I'll never buy a pair of leggings again, considering you only need 1-1.5 yards of fabric [depending on length of leg] and stretch fabric runs 4-12$ a yard.  Way cheaper than even the cheapest leggings. 

I used some cheap light-weight 50% stretch rayon-cotton grey fabric and the sewing machine set to Stretchy with either a straight or cross stitch, depending on location.  I used a Kwick-Sew pattern, which has both a 'legging' pattern included and a 'close-fitting' pattern [think pajama pants or yoga pants] included.  I think I still need to practice and decide which stretch-stitch is optimal for a nice clean look.  The fabric was so light weight, that I think some of my messy stitches wouldn't look so bad if it had been of stiffer stuff.

I wore the leggings twice already so I can attest to their comfyness.  I'm already psyched to make more, in an array of colors and lengths.  Just imagine- short ones for wearing under skirts to make biking more modest... long thick ones for winter time... thin for summer... pajama bottoms.  Like I said, super psyched.

DIY Trivet Tutorial

I have just over a yard of fabric left over from the kitchen curtains.  And it's so cute, I don't want to waste it.  For a while I toyed with the idea of making a skirt out of it, but it's just your standard quilting cotton- so not ideal.  Plus there's the whole Sound of Music aspect to consider.  And Gone with the Wind.  My, it seems that the whole outfit-nee-curtain concept is a bit over-tired.  Then I fancied with the idea of making place mats.  But that would just be too much matchy-matchy.  So how about a few odds and ends?  First up, a felt & fabric trivet.  

We brew our coffee in a Chemex... cause we're yuppies.  Also, cause it takes up less cabinet and counter space, is super easy to clean, makes superior coffee, is cheaper than most other decent coffee makers [35$], it's a small Massachusetts-based company... and we're yuppies.  Which means we could have an urn of hot coffee making marks on the counter or table.  Not cool.  A simple trivet is in order.  I actually had one similar I made years and years back [oddly enough also out of kitchen curtain fabric remnants] but it was old & stained.  In with the new!

Assemble your supplies!  A squarish piece of fabric and matching squarish piece of heat resistant fabric [optional, but handy] and matching piece of felt.  I used a stiffened felt, I think it's best for holding the shape.  Also, an optional strip of fabric for the handle.  Also, of course, pins, thread, and I made use of a bias tape maker.

First, the strap.  I used my bias tape maker to fold and crease the strip of fabric, then folded in half and sewed shut.  Alternatively, you can fold the long ends in to the middle, then fold the whole thing in half.  

Make your trivet sandwich: fabric, heat resistant lining, felt.  Fold over the edges and try to make nice corners, like wrapping a present.  Pin liberally.  I scouted the strap into one of the corner folds and pinned it in place.  Then, sew 'er up.  First, sew around the perimeter, to ensure everything is secure.  I also double backed over where the strap connected.  Then, the rest is up to you.  I quilted a triangle pattern into the surface- for aesthetics and also to keep it from warping.

The heat resistant fabric is rated to 360 degrees, but we haven't tested it quite to that extreme.  Mostly our coffee urn perches happily upon it.  Or a bowl at the dinner table- it also helps prevent scratches.  Okay, now that I've used about 1/2 foot square... what am I supposed to do still with the rest of this left over fabric?

Getting Things Done

This was a weekend for getting things done.  And thank goodness it was three days long, because otherwise it all would not have fit.  The three days made it leisurely.

First, we put up new kitchen curtains.  I sewed up roman shades a la this simple tutorial.  There were dirty cracked mini blinds there before.  And then some kind of see-through curtains that once covered our French doors... they didn't offer much in the way of privacy.  Especially since you have to walk through the kitchen to get to the bedroom after your shower.  To match, I plan on painting our memo board that hangs between the windows.

While on the subject of curtains, I through these up.  These woodgrain curtains are my first sewing project, back when I lived on my own they hung in my living room.  The mini-blinds are necessary [the closed one looks right into our neighbor's kitchen only 4 feet away], but ugly because they are the first thing you see when you walk into our house.  

We hung sheets to dry and aired out the pillows and blankets.  All the noise and ins and outs [we ate lunch on the porch] drew the attention of neighbor cat #1, Mr. Whiskers.  We had to shut the door.  We had duck roasting and didn't want to encourage him further.

We cleaned, ran errands, had friends over both Saturday and Sunday, spiced up the Sunday morning breakfast routine by trying out a different cafe, and bought seeds & soil to start our garden.  Perhaps most importantly for me, I relaxed fully, slept in and drank a lot of wine.  Why?  Cause on Monday I successfully defended my PhD.  All I have to do is correct a few typos in my thesis, hand it in, and I'm Dr. Connie.  Of all the 'getting things done', that was probably the best.

Leaf Wreath

There is a massive pile of leaves in the back yard.  I am actually itching to rake them, but baby grass is growing and raking would upset their tiny efforts, so the leaves sit.  Except for these few that I made into a wreath.  I used the dipped in beeswax technique that I experimented with last year and found to be an excellent way of preserving leaves for 2-3 weeks [one of the leaves, the printed one, lived for an entire year, and would be with us still if it hadn't been crushed while moving.]  

Preserving leaves is super easy- let me show you how.

1- Gather leaves.  Don't worry if some have holes, ripped parts or a few yucky spots.  Pat them dry if wet.  Assemble a double boiler.  If you actually own one- don't use it.  Use just a pot plus a crappy bowl.  It can be hard to get the wax out.  Also, use a crappy wooden spoon.

2- The beeswax.  I used about 1.5 ounces of a 3 once cake of beeswax bought from the Co-Op.  Of course hippie grocery stores have beeswax.  They even have it in pellet form.  You can use regular paraffin wax, but I think that might make everything look white-ish grey.  Plus beeswax smells heavenly. 

3- Melty melty.  Lay out a sheet of waxed paper.  This is where you'll lay you dipped leaves on.  They dry super fast, so after you cover the sheet with leaves, they will already all be dry enough to pick up and move.

4- Ok! Dip!  Using the leave stems as a handle, dredge the leaves into the melted wax, then allow the excess to drip off.  If you are feeling extra fancy, you can fold and crease the leaves into shapes and the wax will more or less keep the leave in that shape.

5- Once dry, arrange your leaves as you like them on a suitable backing.  I used a large embroidery hoop.  But a donut-shaped piece of cardboard would work.  Or a wreath form.  Then- hot glue 'em on.  The leaves are light, so you don't need too much glue.  You can leave the stems on or off- I glued a few on just by their stems, to achieve a 'just fell into a pile' look.  Cover up some of the more ugly parts of the leaves with other smaller leaves.

And I just realized that I haven't shown you all much of our new place.  So here's the view of the wreath and the living room from the front door.  

Hide the Unmentionables!

This is our bathroom sink.  Lovely.  I'm sure you're all digging this.  It's a sink with some crap under it.  How interesting.  And that's the point.  The stuff under the sink is not interesting- and is pretty ugly.  And some things are unmentionable.  Or at least, things you don't want your friends [or yourself] to see every time you walk into the bathroom.  See- we used to have a linen closet right outside the bathroom.  Those two bins you see were in there.  They hold things like a hot water bottle, netti pot, hair dryer, first aid kit, medicine we don't need fast access too [like allergy and cold medicine that is used rarely], tampons, sun screen & bug lotion... you get the picture.

All that stuff doesn't fit in the over the loo storage- which is actually quite narrow and has two funny shelves.  That thing is really only good for hair gel, deodorant, my makeup & Damon's contact lens care stuff.  And let me also mention that there is BUT ONE CLOSET IN THIS APARTMENT.  It's a good size, but it's in the bedroom.  Yes, there is a small pantry.  And yes, there are shelves above the washer & dryer.  But no real place to put extra bathroom stuff.  So it was sitting under the sink.  Looking ugly.  So I wanted to cover it.  And cover it I did, and the result is still a little ugly, but at least not box-of-tampons-staring-you-in-the-face ugly.

I decided to make a sort of under sink curtain.  First, I went to a great new craft store, and got way too much of a beautiful hemp fabric.  [I always get too much].  I chose the hemp because of it's neutral palate [the bathroom is purple with green tiles and we have light blue and brown towels...] and it's natural antimicrobial properties.  A little cutting, a little pinning and hemming later and we were in business.

Attaching the curtains to the underside of the counter was not so easy.  I chose these hangers, after much thought.  I wanted the curtains to be sturdy, yet able to swing a lot.  And I didn't want to go through the hassle of sewing tabs or loops to hang the curtain off of nails.  Which in retrospect may have been a better option.

I attached them- 4 per curtain [which was about 28 inches long] and with lots of grunting noises I screwed the screws into the wooden counter that surrounds the bathroom sink.  This was not easy as we a) don't have a drill b) the angle is touch c) there was a brace in there at the center that was made out of something really hard that I couldn't drill through, so the curtain is hung in a uniform line.  Plus, the two bins don't fit perfectly under the counter.  Maybe some day I'll get a bin that will fit better.  But for now, they stick out a little.

So not entirely ugly, but certainly not beautiful.  It's not something that I would normally like to share on a blog, but I've got nothing else going on.  I'm in a mini craft lull before the Christmas crafting goes into high gear.  

Insta-curtains!

I have never in my life bought fabric, used it on the same day- nay- used up all of it on the same day.  Until Sunday.  I bought 4 yards of fabric at 3pm and by 5pm I had curtains and no fabric scraps  [which is good- my fabric stash pile is growing out of control]  

We have French doors between the living room and dining room/office.  And rarely do we have those doors closed.  Except when guests sleep over and the living room becomes a bedroom.  Or, when we are watching a movie and want to block out the sounds of trucks rumbling by and light streaming in.  So curtains were pretty low on the to-do list.  But, about a month ago we had guests over and I resolved that curtains would be a smart thing to put up.  I thought this as our guests tried to sleep and silly Connie, awake at 5am at her desk with the light on.  That said, we [I] didn't want anything too heavy- sheer would be best.  

So I picked some sheer fabric with a subtle beige faux woodgrain look.  We actually have faux woodgrain curtains in the bedroom.  I'm sensing a theme... .  I hemmed them up, folded over a few inches on the top for the rod to go through and voila.  Instacurtain.  It felt great to be sewing again- it was the first time I whipped out the sewing machine since I got it fixed last month [to the tune of 120$...ouch]

And now that the warmest part of summer is over, I foresee more sewing projects on the horizon.  At least, there has to be.  Because while at the fabric store buying curtain fabric, I also bought some other fabric.  To make a tunic.  Or not.  Maybe it will sit in my fabric box for ages.  I tell you, it is an affliction from which I suffer.

DIY Chalkboard Herb Markers

Has the chalkboard paint fad passed us by yet?  Good.  That means I can fully embrace it.  I swear I was the last hold out against leggings.  [but I will be forever a hold out against leggings as pants]  But now I'm seeing the new world of possibilities with chalkboard paint.  Cue plant markers.  And cue me being cheap.  I dipped tongue depressors into the paint and let dry overnight on wax paper.  That's it.  And the tongue depressors came from lab [we use them to scoop out powdered chemicals from jars- very technical I know]  

But I do like how they turned out.  And as I have a few baby sprouts popping up now, I am fully aware of who they are.  Grow my babies, grow!

Up against the [boring] wall... REDUX

Lately I feel that my schedule has [de]evolved into get-up-go-to-gym-go-to-work-come-home-make-dinner-clean-up-go-to-bed.  It's my own fault in a way.  I've been piling on too much to do while at work.  And when I get home there is just too much 'that needs to be done' that I can't seem to find more than 10 minutes to have me-time.  But that must change, because when I have me time- not only is it healthy for me- I get a lot of great stuff done.  

Exhibit A: Last weekend Damon went to NYC and I solved the boring wall situation [mostly].  Voila:

1- I painted the bookshelf brown and gave it a faux-wood treatment.  Previously, this bookcase was spray painted [poorly, by me] white.  Back when I lived in a dark hole of an apartment, I tried to incorporate as much white as possible into the decor so as to not suck what little [reflected off the opposing wall- not direct] sunlight I got.  Also, I feel that a lot of white furniture is too feminine.  Or cottagy.  

Using a dry brush technique and some cheap paint I covered over the white using uneven brush strokes and coats of paint.  I think this gave it a weathered and woodsy look.  Also, before hand I roughed up the wood to 'antique it' by banging it with a few nails, a hammer, a screw and rubbing it with sandpaper.  These wonderful ideas came from the ever-great & entertaining blog, Young House Love.  Those two are just great- if you ever want to see how handy-but totally real people conquer home make-overs in an affordable way, they are who you should turn to.  

I think it turned out rather well.  The brown has a bit too much of a red hue for my total approval, but it looks much better than the white.  And you know what's great?  If it doesn't suit, a little sanding and another coat of paint will make it new again!

2- I hung the barnwood shadow boxes.  A month ago I bought a set of three from this Etsy store and Damon and I both agreed that this look was exactly what we wanted.  They are art all by themselves, but also can hold art.  So I contacted the seller about buying two more.  I told him which sizes I wanted and within 5 days he made them for me, custom-listed them in his store, I bought them and they were in the mail.  Speedy and excellent. 

I just had to put some picture hangers on the backs to keep them steady and level.  I really like how this wall turned out.  I don't think it needs anything else.  

All the art and baubles in the boxes came from Etsy sellers too.  They are [working clockwise from the left]

1- little ceramic pot I made in pottery class with a mini air plant from toHold.
2- bottle with airplant from toHold
3- chicken & eggs mini painting by Cool Ranch Studio.  I want an entire collection of these.
4- ceramic birds from New Moon Studio.  
5- airplant + balsawood house from My House Party.  I've been eyeing these guys up for a while.

Now that this corner of our home is largely complete, I need to settle on a new project.  And believe me, I have no shortage of ideas.  Time is just the missing ingredient.   

Up against the [boring] wall

No, this is not a Christmas post.  This is a story about a wall.  Specifically, a boring wall behind the TV.  It's a big wall, and besides the TV and some rotating seasonal art [here & here] its bare.  And that bugs me.  

See, it's a big space, so most things I've put up seem dwarfed by comparison.  And then there's the complication of the TV.  Having too much color or stuff going on behind the TV might be distracting.  Not that the TV is the focal point of the room- we really only have it on 3-4 hours a week- but I didn't want the space to look busy.  

In my old apartment [gah!  old picture... my 25th birthday...] I had a flock of blue bird wall decals thrown up.  It worked pretty well.  Not distracting & took up a lot of space.  Also cheap.  That is important.  And while I like wall decals, I'm kind of done with them.  I think they have become a bit overdone.  And I don't think Damon thinks too highly of them.  Plus, they only stick to walls well if you have nice even walls- and as most apartment dwellers know.. old apartment walls are never even.

But then... inspiration.  Reclaimed barn wood shadow box shelves.  Excellent.  We ordered three and have just ordered two more to even out the space.  I put a few trinkets in as well- stuff that can be rotated out, are small and cute & don't distract the eye too much.  The goal was to have the boxes suffice on their own.  [Small objects include a bowl I made in pottery class with an airplant, this guy, these and this].  But I'm still thinking there might be some more work to be done.

Paint?  And what about that corner?  Ideas anyone?  How have you tackled a big blank wall?