DIY: Pom Pom Flowers
Since winter, the glass jars on my mantle have held some white glittery berries and branches, and now that it's warming up outside they looked really out of place. I saw a post somewhere online about making pom pom flowers and have been meaning to make them ever since. This weekend I finally had the time, so I made them today and included photos so you can see how I did it.
My living room walls are a pretty bright pear color, so I chose a summery orange and offset it with white. I might add some other colors in eventually but wanted to start simple. In case I was inept at making these, I didn't need five pounds of yarn laying around :)
My living room walls are a pretty bright pear color, so I chose a summery orange and offset it with white. I might add some other colors in eventually but wanted to start simple. In case I was inept at making these, I didn't need five pounds of yarn laying around :)
First, wrap the yarn (loosely—don't cut off your circulation!) around two fingers for a medium 2" pom pom. Three fingers will give you a larger pom pom, and one finger makes a smaller pom pom.
Keep wrapping. For a two-finger pom pom, I wrapped the yarn about 60-70 times; 50 for a small; and 80-100 for a large. It's really up to you—the more you wrap, the fluffier the pom will be.
Carefully pull the yarn from your fingers and set it down. Cut a 4-6" length of yarn from the spool and lay it flat on the table; place the wrapped yarn on top in the center.
Wrap the string around the bundle and tie it as tightly as you can—this is key. Double knot it to secure it, and trim the excess of the strand.
With a pair of fabric shears (or sharp scissors) snip the loops along the edges; go all the way around to cut all the loops.
Fluff the pom pom to fill any gaps. The edges will be shaggy—you can leave them as is, or trim them like I did to make a cleaner shape.
To make the stem, I used dowel rods and wrapped them in the same color yarn as the flower. You can really use whatever you want for the stem—a stick from outside, some thick wire, etc. I used double-sided tape at the both ends of the rod to secure the yarn. I trimmed them into all different sizes, as the jars I have are different heights.
Use a hot glue gun to glue the pom onto the stem; I put a wad of glue on the stem and stuck the pom on wherever there was a sparse area that I didn't want showing.
Repeat as needed, and you're done. You get a cheery bouquet that never dies or needs water! The poms alone would also make great gift toppers or look cute all strung together in a happy banner. Now that I know how to make them I'm hoping to try some other variations.
the morning
The perfect Friday night song, it's oozy, dark and nocturnal, and sexy as all hell. You can download The Weeknd's full mixtape, House of Balloons, for free here. You're going to want to pay attention to these guys, the hype is going to get crazy.
in love with: my windsor oxford
I've had my eye on the elusive Windsor Oxford since the girls over at Design Sponge mentioned it in a bike-centric post. It seemed the perfect combination of good looks, classic styling, and FUNCTION—which for me is the winning combo. I already had a bike, a beautiful black and white Schwinn cruiser, that I got as a birthday gift from my mom back in college. It was love at first sight with it. I rode it around campus all the time.
(nice right? the thing rides like a Cadillac)
But within the last few years, I've gotten accustomed to riding farther and farther, and more often, for all those short trips and errands. I need to be able to conquer hills, feel nimble and quick riding in the streets, and be able to pedal my ass off when Jim is flying ahead of me. So when I saw the Oxford, it felt like a true match for what I needed. But I didn't buy, I just looked and drooled and coveted and hoped I would win the lottery.
Then Friday, I did.
I thought it was an April Fools joke. Somehow, my sneaky little boyfriend had ordered the bike, taken it to get assembled, and rolled it into our apartment without me having the slightest clue. I guess I had talked about it enough that he knew the color I wanted (a classic navy), and got help from my sister in getting the right size.
There were obviously a lot of tears at first but then I got really excited to ride it. We had plans on Friday night so we decided to take it out for its maiden voyage the next morning. We rode to Century Cycles to get some accessories, and then rode back to Lakewood to get brunch. The whole ride was about seven miles, and the bike rode like a dream. It was amazing to have different gears to ride in, and to have a frame that was light enough to not wear me out (my cruiser weighs a whopping 40 pounds). This is definitely a bike for getting shit done.
(headband, hood, scarf, gloves...it was cold)
My new-bike-joy is in full swing and it's perfect timing for the (albeit slowly) warming temps. So if you see me on the road this summer, 1) wave 2) don't hit me 3) meet me at whiskey island, that's probably where I'm headed.
prints now at NATIVE Cleveland
I'm happy to announce that my work is now being carried by NATIVE Cleveland, a shiny new shop in the Collinwood Arts District. It's only a couple doors down from the Beachland and it's among a few other vintage shops and record stores. NATIVE carries jewelry, photography, handmade items, and art as well as the full line of C.L.E. Clothing Co. apparel (and much more). In the bottom two photos you can see a few of my pieces hung with Lauren Beacham's polaroid night lights and ceramic clocks. I have both framed and unframed prints available there. So if you're headed to the Beachland (like I am tonight, for Warpaint!) stop in and find something for yourself.
(all photos courtesy of NATIVE)
swimmers
Paintings by Samantha French, via Poppytalk Handmade. In her words:
"My current body of work is focused on swimmers underwater and above. Using vague yet consuming memories from my childhood summers spent immersed in the tepid lakes of northern Minnesota, I attempt to recreate the quiet tranquility of water and nature; of days spent sinking and floating, still and peaceful. These paintings are a link to my home and continual search for the feeling of the sun on my face and warm summer days at the lake. At the same time, I am drawn to an idealistic time before my own, where swim caps and wool swimsuits were commonplace. This combination of memory, observation and photography (old and new) has allowed me to preserve the transitory qualities of water and remembrance."
spring thaw
Yesterday was the first official day of spring, and I'm so excited that it actually feels like it's true. There aren't many things I love more than that first day that you DON'T need a coat! It was so nice here last week on St. Patrick's Day, that we were able to walk to the bar with only light jackets, and there was hardly any chill in the air.
We thought it was appropriate to christen another year on our balcony with our new chairs and table that we bought months ago. Last year we had some old green and white director's chairs but the weather pretty much destroyed them. The new ones are at least made to be outside, so thankfully we can just leave them out.
I didn't waste any time, and reclaimed my spot on the balcony and watched Jim break in his new softball glove. We spent so much time out there last summer and it felt good to be back.
I'm also ready to pick fresh flowers, and we're going to be planting lots of herbs on the balcony too. Jim's dad built us a custom little potter box that runs along the railing at one end, and just kind of hangs in thin air. It'll be perfectly convenient once it warms up enough to plant them :)