Handmade Wednesday's: Botanical Calendar

Now I know what you're thinking: "Starting a new calendar in September? Isn't that a New Year project?" But since the Fall is coming, I loved the idea of using pretty plants to make this calendar and then you'll have your calendar for next year all set and ready to put up on January 1st! This is also no ordinary calendar. We will be making this calendar by rubbing plants onto thin paper! Since this is a Martha Stewart project, you know it's going to be immensely beautiful.

What You Will Need:

13 x 19 in. thin Japanese rice paper

Paperweight

Crayons or Colored Pencil Stick

Pressed Leaves or Flowers

Calendar Template

1. Choosing Your Plants: In order to make the calendar fit your home, personality and season try collecting leaves and flowers that you enjoy all throughout the year when certain plants are in season. Martha recommends thicker leaves, such as those from magnolias or geraniums. And when choosing your flowers be aware that most are too delicate but that hydrangeas and Queen Anne's lace are sturdy enough for this pretty craft. If you are having trouble finding leaves and flowers, you can always order them on-line. Here are Martha's choices for a few months: Pine needles for January and since it's september you might want to grab sugar-maple leaves! For the February winterberry, only a branch was used -- berries were drawn in with a crayon, a single hydrangea bloom for August, and a stem of lily of the valley for May.
2. Flatten Your Plants: Next you are going to want to flatten your selections in a phone book or between sheets of newsprint under a heavy object.
3. Make the Rubbing: Place paper on specimen, and secure with paperweight. Rub one section at a time with crayon or pencil stick, holding paper with free hand. (For large elements, such as leaves, hold utensil on its side; for small parts, such as stems, use its tip.) Fill in details, such as small flowers, with crayons.
4. Making the Calendar Dates: Make the plant rubbing on Japanese rice paper, then position this calendar template under the paper. Use a colored pencil to trace the days, then add the dates for that month using the template's lines as a guide. Add the name of the month.
5. Assemble the Calendar: When stacking the pages, slip blank sheets in between if the next month's design is showing through. Punch two holes 5 inches apart and 1 inch from top of each page. Tie with ribbon, and hang.

Add a Cup of Joe to Your Life

Are you a serious coffee lover like me? I am obsessed and in a very bad way, a little addicted. I must have my cup every morning (or two or three) and then perhaps another later in the day. The smells, the tastes, - and yes - even the colors energize me and get my creative "java" flowing! I love all shades of brown and cream. They have this way of turning something rather ordinary, into intriguing as well as soothing. Plus if you use them as a undertone, they will tame brighter and bolder hues that you accent with. So wether it's your blouse, your kitchen table runner or the paint on your walls, these latte color inspirations will invigorate you!

With Fall just around the corner, this Eddie Bauer ensemble makes for a classic, comfy piece. Not only will you be sharing the same colors with you favorite cup of joe, but you will also be cozying up right along with it in this cotton and cashmere blend cardigan. To be honest though, my favorite part of this outfit has got to be the satin blouse. The caramel color and ruffles down the front bring me back to another time. But then of course the belt reminds us we are in the 21st century. If you wanted a hint of color in there as well, try adding a scarf in orange, green or grapefruit.

The color of this chair calms your visual senses, especially when a room is filled with bright colors. But the dark brown wood adds more interest to the piece without drawing too much attention. What i love about this little snippet of a room is how even though there are bold yellows, oranges and even greens, it is still soft and inviting.

Then of course there is picking paint colors for the rooms of your pretty home! Better Homes and Gardens has a few suggestions on coffee shades that will help you paint these beauties in their right place:

Macchiato can be used anywhere, but it is an exceptional background for a wall of art.

Dark Brew reminds us of that string french roast, but matches so handsomely with cream trim or wainscoting.

Milky Foam has such soft yellow hues that pairing it with a muted robin's-egg blue is perfect.

Extra Cream would be surprising in tone-on-tone stripes with the color Artisan White. Guests will adore this one!

Dog's and The Right Kind of "Training"

I am lucky enough to have a cute little dog that I love. His name is Bolt because he looks like the little dog from the movie "Bolt". He is a Jack Russell/Boston Terrier that is a year and a half so he has a lot of energy and needs a lot of attention. My husband and I have had him for about 6months and have been successful with house training, the "sit" command and not pulling on a walk. But there are other habits he has that we just can't work out of him. So what do you do?

I have read a lot of Caesar Millan's (The Dog Whisperer) books and watched his show. I love watching him take a dog he has never met and transforming it into an incredibly well behaved dog within minutes. His secret is treating a dog as a dog: giving it a lot of exercise, feeding it only after it has earned the food as well as giving it rules, boundaries and limitations. But his biggest rule is that us (the human beings) must be strong pack leaders for our dogs. Now, I agree with a lot of his approaches on how dogs should be treated and that we need to be calm and assertive in order to get our dog to "listen" to us. But after applying a few techniques over the past few months, nothing seems to have changed. All I know is that I am more frustrated and Bolt still licks too much.

Of course, being Christians as well as just good people, we would never hit our dog. But when your dog - during playtime - runs as fast as he can, jumping right at your face with his mouth wide open and cuts your nose with his fangs, what are you suppose to do? He didn't bite down on your nose, he just came at you so fast with his hard sharp teeth that you are now bleeding. You say "No!", but he doesn't get it. You give him a "time-out" for lunging at your face, but all he knows is that he was playing, you got upset and now he is stuck in the bathroom again. My husband also likes to play video games in order to help him relax. Bolt seems to always want to nibble on him and yelp at him when he does. In order to allow my husband his time alone, I try my best to tell Bolt "No" and move him out of the way, but he just goes right back to his old tricks. My husband pushes him away a little and then of course Bolt thinks it's playtime. We try to be strong "pack leaders" so that he will listen to us but nothing seems to work. We too often find ourselves saying, "He's a wonderful dog, but....."

I know a lot of people have these same problems and have tried numerous ways of dealing with it all. If I was the Dog Whisperer, then perhaps my God given talent of speaking to dog's through my energy would get the job done. But unfortunately, that is not a gift I posses. Though I do agree with Millan's philosophies that dog's are not humans and we should not treat them in the same manner. They are wired differently than we are. But at the same time, I don't believe that every single dog in the world should be treated exactly the same. They are each different from each other. So where do we turn? I turn to my dog. I've decided to try a technique for a week or so and see how he reacts. If he seems to respond, I continue. If he doesn't respond well, I move on to something else. Plus, sometimes you just have to know what your dog is trying to say; like a baby. When they cry, it means they need one of many things and you just have to figure out which problem to fix. Bolt only barks when he needs to go outside, is out of water and food or my brother-in-laws run after him like a big bear. I'm learning who he is. If you're having the same problems, it's best to just be observant and adjust to what you discover.

Now for some rather Pretty Dogs!

Friday's Fab Etsy Finds: Legwarmers

I don't think that there is a girl alive that doesn't (openly or secretly) love legwarmers. They are fun, flirty and so versatile. Sure, you can rock them during a step class with a leotard. But the legwarmers of the 21st century have moved well beyond the gym and into every day attire. Now we wear them with minis, under cropped jeans, over leggings or skinny jeans, around our pumps, above our boot cuff and other in unexpected ways. Now that fall is on its way (pardon the heat wave), this is a great time to revive this classic look in your own wardrobe. Here are some Etsy finds to show you just how many ways leg warmers can work for you.

If wearing a mini skirt always feels like you are trying a little too hard then these crocheted above-the-knee legwarmers are your solution. They say "Yes, I can flaunt my legs, I'm just not going to". For a sexy, yet classy look, pair these with a mini skirt or perhaps some pleated shorts. For a more casual style scrunch them down or wear them over leggings. Pick up a pair from Mademoiselle Mermaid for $40.

These vintage legwarmers with yoyo rosettes are all grown up. Like the repurposed wool sweaters they are made from, they exude casual elegance. I prefer them in an understated look as shown in the photo above. However, as you will see on the Etsy page they also go great with a flowing floral skirt. Try them out for $35.

Okay, so technically these are not legwarmers, but they have the same feel so I threw them in here. I love a good pair of riding boots in the fall. And these little Boot Cuffs are the perfect addition to this look. They really do complete the outfit and make it all come to together. There are rave reviews and several color choices on the Etsy page. They go for $38 a pair.

My husband caught a glance of these lace up legwarmers and told me in no uncertain terms to order them. This came as no big surprise since he is a fan of almost anything that laces up. He says that it is because it has the allure getting of a peek at something that is covered up. There is nothing flashy about your calf. But when you lace some ribbon (or yarn as the case would be) around it, it becomes mesmerizing. The legwarmers are made by Two Trees Grow, so it is fitting that they have a subtle tree design woven into them--adding a little extra interest. Snatch up a pair for $56.

Again, these are not technically legwarmers, but I think that spats have a place in this line-up too. They do, afterall, at the very least keep your ankles warm. They dress up heels or flats and add interest without screaming for attention. Mademoiselle Mermaid has this pair listed for $30.

Handmade Wednesday's: The Mouse Pad

Last week I told you about the book Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule and gave you instructions for the Rag Bag. So, keeping with this woman's fabulous sewing projects, I give you another that I think we can all use: The Mouse Pad! Most everyone these days has a computer, whether a desk top or lap top, and the mouse can be used for both! In fact, I know many people who have lap tops, yet prefer to use a mouse for easier maneuvering around this essential piece of technology.

Unfortunately, if you are trying to make your home pretty, soft and homey, a computer sort of ruins it. They are clunky, have sharp lines and just their being in a room can make you feel as though you have a ton of things to do. Perhaps the computer is a huge part of your job - like mine - and you spend hours upon hours staring into it. Don't you want something with a little softness to ease your cluttered mind? Make yourself a pretty mouse pad and just may feel instantly better!

The Mouse Pad

Soule believes that you should use what you've already got in your home and I could not agree more! So, grab any type of fabric for this project: quilting, cotton, linen, duck, and even cotton upholstery-weight fabrics are perfect. You will want to use a contrasting fabric along the bottom edge of the pad, so choose a favorite piece that you will really enjoy!

Materials

Approximately 1/4 yard total, as follows:

Fabric 1: (1) 9" x 9" piece of fabric for the back

Fabric 2: (1) 9" x 6 1/2" piece of fabric for the front

Fabric 3: (1) 9" x 3 1/2" piece of contrasting fabric for the front strip

Heavyweight fusible interfacing: (2) 9" x 9"

How to make it:

1. Gather all materials and cut all fabrics to the measurements above.
2. Lay the two front fabric pieces right sides together, matching up their 9" edges. Stitch. Press the seam open.
3. Following the manufacturer's instructions, adhere the interfacing to the wrong side of the front piece that you just created. Then adhere a second piece to the wrong side of the back fabric piece.
4. Square up these two pieces, wrong sides together and trim away excess. Use a tight zigzag stitch around all four sides close to the edge. Trim as needed, being careful to avoid cutting the stitches.

Finished size will be 9" x 9". Enjoy surfing the web in peace!