BBB

best playdough on madewell musings

2012-01-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

check out anna's beautiful playdough and how to over at madewell musings.

98 santas and counting

2011-12-15T12:50:00.000-08:00

see Anna's latest musings over at Madewell.

new diy on design*sponge!

2011-12-15T12:47:00.000-08:00

Every year we save the best shoe, shirt and jewelry boxes from the holidays and recycle them to hold craft supplies, store photos or use as gift boxes for the next giving season. Our stockpiles were getting unruly, as were our drawers full of scrap ribbon and wrapping paper, so we came up with a recycled-wrapping project that can be reused itself. We used the prettiest boxes we had, and many of them needed little more than a ribbon adornment. Good-sized, sturdy boxes with surfaces we didn’t love were covered with scraps of wrapping or kraft paper. Our mom has always kept tags, ribbons, wrapping paper and boxes to be reused the next year, and in keeping with her recycled gift wrap, these boxes can be used again and again. We might keep a few of these on hand for those last-minute gifts that need wrapping in a hurry. See all the details on design*sponge.

holiday gift guide on design*sponge

2011-12-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

Our family loves a gift theme. We have given knitting, crafts, cooking, sewing and even butcher shop-inspired gifts in years past. This year we are excited by the multitude of handcrafted, naturally sourced and locally focused gifts available (many of which come from our hometown of Portland, OR!). “Natural” is a rather broad, all-encompassing term that we use to mean original and small-scale, made with materials often relating to nature and closer to something made by man than by machine. Though we did throw in our favorite nail polish — free of formaldehyde, toluene, DBP or parabens — in a festive, party-perfect red. And for the day after the party? The Beekman Lump of Kohl skin detox treatment bar scented with frankincense and myrrh — fit for a king and just about the best stocking stuffer we could ever imagine. Go to Design*Sponge for all the details!

space age

2011-10-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

at first we weren't sure what to do with the space age theme 30th we were hired to decorate……but as always annie, the master of a themed party had more than enough inspiration. we created a navy and white table decorated with punched out stars, a planet trivia game and simple flowers.

design sponge book tour in chicago

2011-10-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

we were so excited to be included in the design sponge event at anthropologie. we created this backdrop for the smilebooth. it was fun to finally meet grace and support her beautiful new book.

madewell musings

2011-10-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

check out anna's new post over at madewell musings……….

pizza gift

2011-10-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

every city, state and region has different foods they are known for-either made or grown in a particular area its fun to collect all sorts of foods while traveling and put together gifts. this is a pizza kit we put together, it's missing the parmigiano reggiano we lugged home from italy due to a greedy husband who made a little bit too much pasta this summer. we included salt from the meadow, olive oil from a recent trip to carmel valley, a rolling pin from etsy and nancy silverton's new mozza cookbbok. we also included our favorite pizza dough recipe we found years ago in a new york magazine article about pizzza margherita.

summer picnic

2011-09-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

we have to say this was one of the most fun parties we have done this summer! we got to individually package all the food.

more baby knits-

2011-09-09T08:04:00.000-07:00

a gift for a new nephew!

birthday gingham

2011-08-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

this was by far one of our favorite parties we've done. a backyard birthday party with a picnic theme had us hunting for gingham everywhere! galvanized bins and mason jars help greens and simple white flowers. check out all the food at apresfete.

too hot to handle

2011-08-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

ok……we don't quite need these in los angeles….yet. but when we do i think it will be a big fashion statement!

safari friends

2011-08-28T18:42:00.001-07:00

our very favorite baby gift to knit, this was very fun to make for one of our own!

more baby blessing knits

2011-08-28T18:39:00.001-07:00

more from blankets booties and bears. we've been in laurel canyon knitting away from a week! taking care of the latest addition to the blessing clan.

new blessing baby-knits knits knits!

2011-08-28T18:33:00.001-07:00

these booties are from one of our favorite baby knit books, blankets booties and bears. not sure what else a baby needs!

new hunt, gather and host on design*sponge!

2011-08-27T15:32:00.001-07:00

For the last few craft parties we have hosted, we’ve become veterans of knitting and egg-decorating projects. Our latest crafty afternoon was inspired by a friend’s fig tree that we stumbled upon at a backyard soirée a few months ago in Los Angeles. Taking Paul Smith’s advice, we found “inspiration in everything,” and the idea for our next party was born. The remainder of the day was spent planning and getting excited about an afternoon of making fig preserves, compotes and jams. While we waited for our figs to ripen, we researched bottles, read up on canning and picked our recipes. Though figs may have come and gone by the time you’re reading this, we hope it inspires you to use whatever is in season where you live. See the entire post on design*sponge.

new diy on design*sponge today!

2011-08-23T12:21:00.001-07:00

A recent house clean-out yielded many items we had a hard time parting with, even though their very existence has become obsolete in the last few years. One of the most noticeable of the bunch: road maps. As our ever-advancing phones and computers take over our lives, we find what was once useful is now trash, yet we couldn’t part with these beautiful maps! They reminded us of our childhood road trips and later travels throughout Europe.

This month, we turned our junk into art and created these recycled cork board maps. We thought it would be an amazing project for a kids’ room to re-create the entire US using a road atlas. We didn’t get that far, but here is the beginning. See the entire post at design*sponge!

"Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water."

2011-07-23T21:46:00.001-07:00

The Great Gatsby has always been one of our favorite books so we were pretty excited to create a party based on this classic. We made classic cocktails and food along with feathered headbands for all the ladies. Each napkin had a quote from a famous figure from the 20's and the mood was set by hanging our hand crafted lanterns in the overhanging trees.

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2011-06-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

Nothing makes us happier than the weekly (twice weekly if we’re lucky!) trips to our local outdoor farmers’ markets. With spring in full force, the farmers are flaunting their goods: brilliant radishes (French!), fresh eggs (We spotted turkey eggs last week!), lettuces and greens (Lamb’s quarters! Watercress! Wild arugula!), tall stalks of rhubarb, sweetly scented pea shoots and just about everything you would need to cook a local-farm meal every night of the week. These trips to the market remind us of where our food comes from and how important it is to take care of our earth and continue to cut down on waste. In the spirit of this, we created these market bags for fruits and vegetables. Although we always bring a basket or canvas bag to the market, we find that we often come home with a few plastic bags carrying a handful of fresh peas or a load of potatoes. We want to carry our bounty home in what is best for the earth to help ensure that these markets and the farms that supply them will be around for generations to come. Join our cause, and make a few of these! See the entire post and instructions over at design*sponge.

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2011-05-19T05:00:00.001-07:00

Although we’ve yet to exhume our sandals and tank tops from their winter resting place, we do see spring rearing its head . . . at last! After an especially long season of bare trees and cold days, we thought it might be nice to preserve some of spring’s bounty to hold us through the harsh, dark months that come around next year, so we started working on projects to dry and save flowers. We started with things in our own backyards (well, Amy’s backyard, as she’s the only one who actually has one!), so our selection was limited, but we hope that as the sun shines on, we will be able to add to our collection — nine in all, for a nice 3 x 3 wall collage. Read the instructions and full post on design*sponge.

mothers day part 2

2011-05-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

Our second mothers day party fell on a beautiful sunny day here in los angeles, thanks goodness as there wasn't a rain plan! We had so much fun creating these birch bark vases and string flowers in the outdoor lighting we set up lsat year. The food was delicious, go read about it all at apresfete.

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2011-04-26T08:58:00.001-07:00

From growing up in Oregon, we are used to drizzly, wet springs (and winters and falls . . . ), and with those come rainy-day craft projects. This April, we’ve had a bit of a “rain, rain go away” feeling, but we know that in just a few weeks, we can expect sunshine and May flowers.

To celebrate the beginnings of spring, and to keep us busy while things are especially drippy outdoors, we made table linens using botanical stencils inspired by the first buds of spring. You can liven up any plain napkins you have or stencil onto a vintage tablecloth or table runner. This takes a bit of X-Acto knife precision and patience, but the sky is the limit on what you can stencil! See the entire post and how to over at design*sponge.

40

2011-04-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

This party reminded us to keep it simple. White, muslin and wooden cigar boxes turned out even better than we thought. Go to apresfete to see all the food, including at the table s'more toasting! We had fun preparing but wished we had been invited to eat all this yummy food!

new hunt, gather and host on design*sponge today!

2011-04-15T09:02:00.001-07:00

Though we love the nostalgic, vinegary aroma of coloring eggs that always revives memories of Cadbury Egg-laden Easter baskets, Easter egg hunts in wet spring grass and stale, yellow marshmallow Peeps, we are always looking for new ways to adorn our eggs (check out last year’s Ukrainian egg DIY). This year, we skipped the dyes altogether and went for a three-dimensional collage approach using pins, papers, glitter, ribbon and tape. We invited friends to join us and set up color-themed stations in hues less traditional than the standard pastels: hot pink, navy, Kelly green, silver and black and white. Candy is essential to any Easter celebration, so we even included cups of colorful sugary treats in matching colors. Read all the party details over at Design*Sponge.

and a baby makes 3

2011-03-27T22:03:00.001-07:00

It seems its baby season and we were a bit behind on our gifts. We whipped up these three teddies from our favorite new book, Natural, Nursery Knits by Erika Knight. We are working on a Mad Men themed party and have been collecting cigar boxes and they seem to keep coming in handy for other projects- like this one! After an hour with some Goo Gone and a razor blade we managed to strip these of their many many labels and viola! Beautiful wooden boxes! Hope all the new bambinos enjoy their bears! (The week we sent these we found out about 2 new babies on their way, we have a few new ideas up our sleeves….).

new hunt, gather and host on design*sponge today!

2011-03-18T22:13:00.001-07:00

For years, many of our friends have been asking us to teach them to knit. We finally had a get-together for the knitters-to-be on a Saturday afternoon when we hosted a winter-to-spring knitting party. Saying a slow farewell to winter, we celebrated our favorite parts of winter with knitting, warm bowls of chili, hot chai tea and winter whites. We were inspired by the bare branches outside that will soon blossom with buds, leaves and blooms and the hints of green that start sprouting in winter’s neutral landscape. We put bunches of bright white spring tulips in jars (saved and reused from our kitchen) that we accented with handknit collars. Some jars held branches and tulips; others held tools like needles and scissors. Knitters gathered around

the low coffee table and leaned against big pillows set against the couch. We used big fallen birch branches gathered from the woods of northern Michigan to create a centerpiece for our table and put bunches of green dianthus in pots. Dianthus is a member of the carnation family, and as you know, we love carnations because of their durability and ability to survive dry, hot homes. We especially love this green dianthus because it reminds us of the mossy spring in Oregon, where we grew up. See the entire post on design*sponge!

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2011-03-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

March is our favorite time of year for two things: 1. organizing and 2. knitting. In theory, we’d like to start knitting in the fall to prepare for holiday gifts and the winter months ahead, but it always seems to be the busiest time of year, and sometimes it just isn’t practical to start knitting a sweater on size-4 needles in the middle of November. As we start to get a little stir crazy waiting for spring (for those of us in winter climates, it often doesn’t come for another month or even two, if we’re especially unlucky!), we continue to cozy up at home and start our spring cleaning. In a moment of energized organizing, we made ourselves these knitting-needle cases to arrange and store knitting needles. No more rubber bands holding together unmarked double-pointed needles! No more mismatched pairs! This is so easy to make and so handy to have that we’re thinking about making them as party favors for the “Hunt, Gather and Host” knitting party we’re hosting for friends next week (stay tuned!). See the instructions on design*sponge.

thirty

2011-03-08T16:59:00.000-08:00

3o sounds so young these days so we did a grown up version of a little girls party for this 30th birthday dinner. the menu followed suit with kids food for grown ups-annie's menu was amazing as usual. we decorated the table with birthday hats sewn with pretty grosgrain ribbon, paper fortune game stamped with good wishes for party guests (remember these? so fun!!), napkins printed with the menu and a hand sewn fabric garland (time consuming but well worth the effect). this was one of the most fun parties we've done so far!

and the oscar goes to…...

2011-03-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

the enthusiasm for oscar night is shocking in los angeles. and although we've never been all that excited about watching hours of this, often boring, award show we have to admit we got pretty wrapped up in it this year! we missed a couple of movies (the chef did not, each one of her courses was cleverly based on movie themes. our favorite: a turducken for 'inception'). next year we will post a download of the oscar ballot, the ones online are so horrible looking and this took us hours and should have been shared with all of you who had parties-check back next year!
we also got pretty excited about our custom made oscar stamp and new embossing skills!

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2011-02-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

We have loved February 14 since our first doily-glued-to-a-red-card that we crafted for our classmates in the first grade. Every year since, we’ve covered our kitchen tables, desks or floors with supplies and materials weeks in advance while we work on our valentines. This year, in addition to handmade cards we’re sending in the mail, we put together some 3D valentines.

We used cigar boxes in different shapes and sizes and filled them with candy, homemade heart cookies or flowers, depending on the size — and the recipient! We collect cigar boxes, but if you have a cigar store nearby, they often sell (or even giveaway) boxes. Put these together for your best friend, mom, sister or sweetie, and you’ll find that they’re as much fun to make as they are to give away. See the entire post on Design*Sponge!

new hunt, gather and host on design*sponge today!

2011-02-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

If it were totally up to us, we would be living on a farm or rural homestead in the middle of nowhere, spending our days foraging for mushrooms, milking our goats and gathering pine boughs from our backyard. But the reality is that we live in cities, and when one of those cities is Chicago, in the dead of winter, there isn’t too much nature to be found in our backyards (and, well, we don’t have backyards). We love having flowers in the house during these bleak weeks, but most flowers can’t withstand the dry heat in our homes for more than a few days. Thank goodness for one of the hardiest flowers around: carnations! These are the longest-lasting blooms, and we love using them for parties because they are so robust, and all of the fussing doesn’t phase them. See the entire post at design*sponge!

new bbbcraft hunt gather and host on design*sponge today!

2011-01-24T20:28:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year, everyone! We started the year off with a great plan for a winter get-together. We packed snowshoes, sleds, boots and our very best snowball-packing mittens and headed up north to Michigan. And we made invites to hand out to friends and family for a snowy sleigh ride picnic. But when we arrived, we discovered something we hadn’t even considered: no snow! Just as surprised as Bing Crosby and crew when they arrived in Vermont to find a dry, no-snow landscape, the three of us never imagined that January in northern Michigan might yield anything but a winter wonderland. Read the about the party on design*sponge.

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2011-01-24T20:26:00.001-08:00

With the new year upon us, the reduce, renew, recycle mantra is at the forefront of our brains. That paired with a long list of thank you notes still to write inspired this recycled-cardboard postcard project. We have so many boxes around from the holidays that we decided to cut them up and make our own thank you notes. (We still have until mid-month before we start pushing the rules of etiquette, right?) We did these postcards a few different ways, so based on what you have around your home, you can pick whichever method you like. Sometimes the space on a postcard is all you need for a sweet, succinct note. Put together a stack of these, and you’ll be set for months to come! Read the entire post on design*sponge.

christmas......late again

2011-01-24T20:21:00.001-08:00

we had the pleasure of decorating a clients house for the holidays.......frank was singing in the background the the entire three days we were there keeping us in a festive and inspired mood!! see the details and the christmas dinner at apresfete.

baby it's cold outside......

2010-12-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

a rare rainy day in los angeles has us outside for half the day making this garland for a table setting tomorrow night. after working on many garlands this christmas we've decided eucalyptus is the secret ingredient. check this weekend for full party details!

bbbcraft gift guide: men's heritage on design*sponge

2010-12-16T18:58:00.001-08:00

We are crazy for all of the iconic, heritage brands that are stealing back the spotlight right now. This classic style, paired with a renewed desire to get back to an authentic, hand-crafted way of life, inspired this heritage gift guide for men. If you’re looking for something a tad less “manly” stay tuned for our holiday entertaining ideas tomorrow! Head over to design*sponge to see the entire post.

bbbcraft gift guide: crafts on design*sponge

2010-12-16T18:53:00.001-08:00

Any fellow DIY-er can attest that nothing is more thrilling than the gift of new craft supplies! We have an endless wish list, but these things are topping it right now — a couple of cool tools (A hole punch not limited to the edges of the page! The entire alphabet in one stamp!), essentials for beautiful packaging (one can never have too much twine), a workerman tote to corral it all (function meets form) and perhaps the most amazing handmade stockings ever. Head on over to design*sponge to see the full post.

new bbbcraft on design*sponge today!

2010-12-08T10:13:00.000-08:00

Our mother (the original BBB) set the bar pretty high with her gift wrapping each season and forever influenced the way that we paper, tape and top our presents. We admit to a little bit of (friendly) Blessing sister rivalry on the morning of December 25 when we eye each other’s creations under the tree, but this year we culled our resources and put together our favorite DIY present toppers, emptying our craft drawers and button jars to adorn each gift. We tend to recycle our papers and ribbon year after year, and if you get creative with what you use to decorate, you may not have to spend a dime! Visit design*sponge to see the entire post!

Hostess Gifts (one)

2010-12-01T15:55:00.001-08:00

Sports, boys, grades. Aren't these the things sisters are competitive about growing up? Well in our family it's wrapping gifts. I guess no surprise for a family who loves to craft their own cards and give handmade gifts. These are bags of sel gris from The Meadow in Portland. We ripped pieces of fabric and ironed on a recipe for owner Mark Bitterman's Roasted Lemon Chicken with The Meadow Sel Gris. These pretty packages will go to the hostesses who spend so much time cooking up delicious dinners for us this time of year.

Halloween Better Late Than Never…..Take Two

2010-12-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

Two reasons we love Halloween? With a new lady in the Blessing clan to dress up in hand knit costumes we may just jump on Martha's broom next year…….. Nicknamed "the goose" she was a goose for the day. Made by Gammy (the real BBB).

Handmade Wedding

2010-11-29T22:34:00.001-08:00

What's inside?? We were asked to contribute to a Handmade Wedding book-out spring 2011. We worked so hard on our creations and can't wait to see the book when it's finished! We will share more when the book arrives on shelves.

Placecards

2010-11-29T22:33:00.001-08:00

Halloween.....Better Late Than Never

2010-11-29T10:41:00.000-08:00

Halloween. The day we part ways with Martha. Her excitement has long baffled us and we watch from a safe distance, as she seems to go crazier and crazier over the years. All that changed this year when we were hired to plan a pumpkin carving party. I don’t remember the last time we had as much fun as we did sewing these linen carving kits (modeled after a chefs knife carrying case). After the carving was finished, the guests moved into the living room for a cozy autumn dinner. Read about the food at apresfete.

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2010-11-11T11:51:00.001-08:00

We love old frames. We love new frames. We love framing things — old maps, family photos, menus from an important dinner and really anything we can get our hands on. But here is the problem: framing is not cheap. We wanted to create some less-expensive wall décor and came up with these very easy-to-make paper frames, made from things around the house. See the entire post on design*sponge.

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2010-10-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

We love fall — changing leaves, farmers’ market apple cider, crisp morning air. One of the best things about the season are all the amazing 2011 calendars that start appearing in our favorite shops and from our favorite letterpress companies. We got inspired to make our own calendar this year to give as gifts to friends for the holidays, with the theme of eating seasonally. To get more use out of the calendar, we drew a dotted line to encourage people to cut off months once they have passed and keep the top halves for decoration or cooking ideas!While we picked this theme for our calendars, you could go with any theme you like. We used an old painter’s cloth for the canvas and then iron-on transfers and hand-stitching to adorn them, but you could use paint, markers, iron-on photos — just about any medium to create your own style and theme. We will show you what we did, but we hope you take this project on and make it your own! see the entire post and instructions at design*sponge.

tea time!

2010-10-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

check out the tea we did with annie at apresfete!

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2010-09-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

we blessing sisters have loved notepads, notebooks and all things paper since our first wide-rule pads we bought in gradeschool. we have trouble letting go of even a single sheet of paper, lest we find a use to reuse or recycle it in the craft room! this time, we repurposed our old faxes and paper scraps into notebooks and made them useful again. we pulled out old wrapping paper, books we didn’t mind ripping pages out of, and other odds and ends to make the covers pretty. this is quick and easy to do with what you already have at home, and you end up with a stack of handy, useful pads that might even give you a tinge of back-to-school nostalgia. go to design*sponge to see the instructions!

new baby bear

2010-08-20T09:38:00.001-07:00

our new favorite knitting books, natural nursery knits by erica knight.

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2010-07-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

summer means late dinners, seafood and lots of summer drinks. we recently partnered up with après fête to put together a lobster bash, and when we couldn’t find pretty throw-away bibs, we made them ourselves. simple linen cutouts—no sewing needed! we added some lobster trivia and printed it onto iron-on transfer paper. we found some (free!) decayed fonts on dafont.com that looked sort of salty sea dog to us. our favorites were requiem, stamp act, quincy and white tie affair. to see the menu and other party details, head over to apres fete and to learn how to make the bibs see design*sponge. –bbbcraft sisters

four

2010-07-04T12:50:00.001-07:00

happy 4th of july!! thank you annie-check out what we ate on apresfete.

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2010-05-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

in a bout of spring cleaning energy, we attacked our cluttered mess of cooking oils and vinegars in the kitchen. we love to have inspiration while cooking, and now that we’ve re-bottled and relabeled these, they are an attractive arrangement pretty enough to sit out on the counter! this took almost no time, no money, and very little effort for totally satisfying results check out the entire post on design*sponge.

hey hot mamma

2010-05-09T07:39:00.001-07:00

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2010-04-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

we were feeling inspired by all of the beautiful filament light bulbs we keep seeing! this week we took on making some of our own lights, something that sarah was in need of for her place. a trip to a lamp supply store provided a wealth of ideas, and we put together these simple light fixtures with these beautiful bulbs. it makes for a lovely and totally easy light installation! check out all the instructions on design*sponge today.

we love pinecones!

2010-04-12T14:21:00.001-07:00

we helped a friend with the decor at her dinner party recently. it all paled in comparison to the food. see the full menu at apresfete.

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2010-04-07T08:12:00.001-07:00

please check out our latest diy on design*sponge today! it's time for some outdoor dinners and some beautiful candlelight.

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2010-03-24T16:15:00.001-07:00

please check out our latest diy on design*sponge today! just in time for easter we simplified the art of ukrainian eggs.

mini socks

2010-03-21T14:23:00.001-07:00

good food good cards

2010-03-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

we made these cards for our friend at apres fete using our favorite custom stamp set from staples and a fork knife spoon stamp from paper source.

new bbbcraft diy on design*sponge today!

2010-03-17T10:39:00.001-07:00

please check out our pinecone fire starter diy today on design*sponge. it's a beautiful day out today but these are great for the next time you need to get cozy!

2010-02-26T20:40:00.000-08:00

pretty wrapping by ahb.

chopsticks from the real bbb

2010-02-26T20:37:00.000-08:00

just another addition to our mothers beautiful cards!

cotton wrapped hangers

2010-02-22T21:11:00.000-08:00

i have decided to replace all my hangers with these....slowly but surely. i think i will also make some black ones for my dresses! they take up so little space.

happy valentine's day!

2010-02-14T06:13:00.000-08:00

bbbcraft on etsy

2010-02-05T15:18:00.001-08:00

we had so much fun over at design*sponge this week. please visit us and our creations here and we will be launching our bbbcraft etsy shop monday morning! we’re starting with a small selection of our favorites, and plan on adding items as quickly as possible over the next several weeks.

thanks for all of your kind comments–we’ve had a great week sharing with everyone!

bbbcraft design*sponge guest bloggers!

2010-01-31T18:27:00.000-08:00

hi everyone! we are so excited to be guest blogging over at design*sponge this week! we have been knitting, crocheting, stitching and needlepointing away for weeks-we are very excited to share all of our creations with everyone. enjoy!!

crocheted light

2010-01-26T15:54:00.000-08:00

thanks again to design sponge and resurrection fern.....this crocheted light orb is amazing. you can't tell in this photo but i wrapped the cord in ripped up muslin and yarn.

lake michigan crochet rocks

2010-01-05T17:17:00.000-08:00

i picked up all these rocks last weekend on the (freezing) shores of lake michigan. i recently taught myself how to crochet-using a book with the same name. i have looked at other books and none are as good! i found this online at purl (a favorite shop in ny). it looks like the national needlework association has a few other great looking books on knitting, embroidery and needlepointing. this idea originally came from a post on design sponge-i think i will try the crochet lights next. also check out how to make these rocks on resurrection fern.

custom christmas stamp kits

2010-01-05T16:42:00.000-08:00

custom stamp kits! for everyone! muslin bags (with custom iron-ons), stamps from hollywood rubber stamp (my new favorite place on the planet) and fabriano paper and envelopes! so fun! and i hope a big hit.

crochet christmas ornaments

2010-01-05T16:08:00.001-08:00

these are all crocheted around glass christmas balls and with all different yarns. the twine was my favorite.

Jpolka undersea crochet patterns

2010-01-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

this was one of my favorite christmas gifts given this year (from my husband to my sisters). he found these crochet patterns for 8 undersea creatures on etsy from jpolka. they and she are amazing (check out her blog also). we are beginner crocheters and her patterns are AMAZING. she takes the most beautiful and easy to understand photographs. i think she needs to have a book. i just looked her up and she has new mushroom patterns!!

my husband ordered the pattern and then bound them all in mac books-but they are tiny little spiral books. i didn't have any idea mac had something like this. these are great for travel. he also included yarn and crochet hooks!

ahb's amazing craft room and office

2010-01-05T15:43:00.000-08:00

new baby balls knit by ahb. she roughly based the pattern on an ornament pattern from handknit holiday. she used a bamboo fill and lamb's pride bulky yarn, which comes in the most amazing colors, as well as a worsted weight.

stuff she likes. that feather (can you see it?) is from the best store in the world-robin richman in chicago. robin is perhaps the most talented person i know and whenever you walk in her store she is making something. and it's always the thing you want.

ahb and crew's new eat.shop books!!! new guides for paris, ny and la to come this spring!

a drawer of baby things for the yet to be named baby k.: a vintage rattle from michael del piero in chicago, a rattle made of wood handmade in oregon, tiny organic havlutowel socks, and a knit elephant from ige, a favorite shop in la.

placecards

2010-01-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

mailed advent

2010-01-05T15:34:00.000-08:00

i sent a new advent in the mail to my sisters and mother this december, they are still missing a few....and these are only some of what i did.....i used lots of things i already had in my art room and my store. i love these iron ons (from a craft-themed christmas gift ahb gave me a year ago--and i had a lot of fun downloading fonts from dafont. i used labels from paper source and typed their addresses in lots of cool fonts. i want to do cool advents every year and have started collecting ideas in an advent folder: here is one from martha.

i save all of cool gift toppers from anthropologie every year. i haven't used most of them but cleared them out during this project.

ahb pinned them up on her bulletin board in her craft room.

seb strung them along this branch. i haven't seen bbb's yet! i got the able lincoln postcard (day 16) on a recent trip to the lincoln memorial.

needlepoint letters

2010-01-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

we worked on these over new years! i will post them when they are all finished

store christmas garland

2010-01-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

some christmas decor in my store. i crocheted a long line of twine and then easily stuck all the pinecones and greens in it-all the nines and vintage and my friends give them to me all the time! i was thinking of starting to hunt for letter so next year i can spell out Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays-

african animals

2010-01-05T15:09:00.000-08:00

here are all the parts...limbs and all......

my sister made these for my other sister's baby. they are amazing-she bought the patterns from Knitting at Knoon. she used all organic yarn-i need to find out what is was and will repost-

baby bag! from debbie bliss

2010-01-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

i made this Debbie Bliss baby bag from my very favorite baby knitting book: Essential Baby.

the yarn is for the next one. i haven't found the perfect yarn for this project yet. but i did find a new favorite yarn from Sublime called Sublime Organic Merino Wool. all the colors are heathered and they make up almost like you have felted it a little bit.

my craft room-always a work in progress

2010-01-03T08:03:00.001-08:00

the letterpress machine david bought me from Aardvark Letterpress.....now i need to learn how to use it!!

needlepoint and crochet sculls (haven't perfected those yet)

cards made by mom and sisters and friends

things i like

vintage keys

60

2009-07-04T11:49:00.001-07:00

camp fernwood

2009-07-04T11:39:00.001-07:00

i made this stationary kit for my friend hannah who is spending 6 weeks at camp fernwood. i didn't want to spend a ton of money and ended up getting everything i needed from staples and joann's fabric! i bought the ribbon, blank stationary, stamps and stamp pads at joann's and the mini index cards, pencils, manilla tags, small white circular stickers and computer disc stickers (used for the return address labels) at stamples. i also bought the cutomizable stamp that i used for the 'camp fernwood' stamp and the address labels at staples.

dinner party favors

2009-07-04T11:33:00.001-07:00

i made these favors for a 60th birthday dinner. each person got a deck of cards (courtesy of smugmug) with a photograph of them and the birthday boy on them. i put them in my favorite little bags and used my papersource number stamps, and tag punch from joanns.

baby shower

2009-07-04T11:15:00.001-07:00