enJOY it

PROJECT 5/30 : KNIT COWL

March 17, 2015

For my next MAKE&GIVE30 project, I am using yarn again! This is actually the first project I created but the excitement over the first four go in the way. I'm realizing though that I've got to get these knit projects out of the way quick while we are still technically in winter. 😉

I was excited to use up some beautiful yarn that I've had stashed for almost a year! I bought it while I was up in Oregon and originally used it to crochet the world's ugliest cowl. It only made sense that I would give it another life as a knit cowl.

I decided to knit with two strands at once and I am in love with the tight and thick knit that it resulted in, not to mention the pretty way the colors blended. This is just knit stitch over and over. I cast on just 62 stitches and then knit in the round for 60 rows. I used size 10 circular needles that were 18 inches long.

The result is a very small (tight) and cozy knit cowl. It's so soft and warm! I hope it goes to someone in a chilly climate who will get a ton of use out of it…hopefully NEXT winter because spring is coming, right?!

And now! The giveaway! Since this cowl is all about that color mix, tell me your favorite color combination in the comments section. I'll draw a random winner Saturday and I'll ship anywhere.

Winner is #4, Erin who said : My favorite combination lately is gold and light pink! I've been gold and pinking it up like crazy in my little girls room! Can't stop won't stop 😉 (email me Erin!)

See more MAKE&GIVE30 projects here and more yarn projects here!
spring capsule wardrobe.

March 16, 2015
So, technically, I am dropping this wardrobe into the rotation a little early. My winter wardrobe was supposed to go from January to March. But two weekends ago, I looked in my closet and wanted to cry over the amount of black shirts hanging in there…staring at me. It was making me sad to even think about getting dressed, which is the very opposite of what this capsule wardrobe plan is supposed to be about.

I reminded myself that I (not the calendar, not the Internet) am in charge and swapped things out last week. I'm excited to share today my very slimmed down (just 30 pieces!) wardrobe that's my least neutral yet (which isn't saying much).

Two of the new tees here were birthday gifts and I bought just a few things this time around…
- a pair of dressier tan sandals
- a gray tee shirt dress
- a loose fitting floral dress
- a pair of patterned comfy pants
Reminders : my daily life is SUPER causal and so my wardrobe reflects that. This project is not about who can wear the fewest items or spend the least or the most. This project is a million different things to a million different people. For me it's about clearing some room in my closet and therefore in my head. It's about looking forward to getting dressed and feeling like my clothing options reflect who I am.

TOPS & DRESSES : xoxo tee*, pink plaid button up I have had since college (similar), floral dress* (purchased in store at Target, no online link), loose-fitting white dress from madewell last summer (similar), white "workshirt" (similar), madewell v-neck, casual white tank, dressy white tank, denim romper (similar), light chambray button-up (similar), chambray shirtdress (similar), denim vest, madewell v-neck, gray t-shirt dress*, gray cardigan (similar), american apparel v-neck, lightweight sweatshirt tee (similar), hustle tee.

Once the weather starts to warm up all I want to wear are shorts with tees and dresses that don't cling too much. I also just crave more light colors. And some chambray, apparently. Remember anything marked with an * was purchased new for this capsule.

BOTTOMS & SHOES : patterned pants*, patterned maxi (from old navy last spring), brown shorts, green shorts (similar), denim cut-offs (similar, or do what I did and cut an old pair of jeans), jcrew toothpick jeans, longer gray khaki shorts (similar), rainbows, white sandals (similar), tan sandals*, gold sandals, leopard print slip-ons (same style, different pattern).

Most of these shorts I have had for ages so it was just a few purchases in this section. Those patterned pants feel a bit like the wildcard this season, but they are oddly flattering and I'm hopeful I'll wear them often. A whole lot of sandal options which I hope means I slip out of the default rainbow on occasion. And those leopard slip-ons from my fall capsule are still going strong. Probably one of my best buys. I'm shocked at how comfortable they are.

And that's it! Only 30 pieces because that's what felt right last week. I'm curious to see how I'm feeling in about six weeks, but right now I am grateful for the simple reminder that I get to make the rules and that when something feels broken, it's okay to fix it.

affiliate links throughout.

See more capsule wardrobe posts here
weekend links / 57.

March 14, 2015

I love the Internet. Here are a few interesting links this week…

a dozen doesn'ts. (LOVED this.)

"Therefore, the very reason you wish to study his creative process is also the reason why he (unfortunately) does not have time to help you in this study." – this article on how Successful Creative People Say No. thanks, Rae!

a business book for introverts.

I always appreciate Grace's essays, but this one stood out.

my friends at YOUAREAWESOMEco are selling script word necklaces. currently they are available for pre-order here.

a re-useable notebook. (this is crazy.)

picked up just a few items for my spring wardrobe and this gray dress is my favorite.

5 ways to decrease anxiety.

until I'm able to go to Bali (not in the cards this year) this post will hold me over.

It goes so fast. (Not a parenting essay.) thanks, Justine!
around here.

March 13, 2015

around here it's 11:10am on Thursday. Daycare was cancelled due to a staff development day and Ellerie just went down for a nap. It's been awhile since I've written up a random dump of thoughts and since I've got the time, I'm going for it.

around here we are spending that beautiful, extra light-filled 4 o'clock hour waiting for Paul to get home. Ellerie stood at the window and asked "Daddy?" until sure enough, he pulled up in his car, almost exactly like a super hero would. We opened the door to meet him before he was up the walk. If I remember one thing on my deathbed about these first few years of parenthood, I hope it's what Paul's face looks like when he sees Ellerie after a long day at work. It's a real-life heart eyes emoji. It's like looking at the sun, except brighter.

around here we're growing hair! Look at all that hair!

around here I'm stamping "get to work" on repeat. Did you win the giveaway? Three people have yet to email me their addresses. Did you not win the giveaway? Buy any physical product from the shop and get a print for free through 3/31. It's like magic via marketing, PayPal and the USPS.

around here I feel like a jerk telling those of you with snow on the ground, but I've got my garden planted. My hope is that while it's still a bit cooler, my plants will have a chance to get their roots firmly in place. And maybe? Please?! We will get a bit more rain to naturally water. I did soil test a few weeks ago and turns out my soil isn't that awful. I also got some organic soil enricher and mixed that in. So far these babies are looking pretty great and my fingers crossed I grow heaps and heaps of miniature vegetables all summer long. ps. these are our planter boxes. We love them.

around here Ellerie is learning Important Things like how to use the camera remote. About 50% of the time her aim is good and we get some gems. Her face is so proud in these photos. This is my girl. How is this my girl? She's my best friend.

around here I've reached the point in the GET TO WORK BOOK™ timeline where I feel numb. I've run the gamut of feelings. From the initial excitement when all the possibilities stretch out like the yellow brick road…to the overwhelming panic when I realized just how expensive it is to follow a yellow brick road to the end. And then, after all this, I find myself in a state of numbness. I've never, ever taken a financial risk like this. I've got no emotions to handle it so the result is nothing. I'm reminding myself that we'll be fine no matter what; it's not like we'll lose the house. Plus, I had to chase this idea. I had to. And I had to do it right. No DIY-Elise-style-hack-job where it "works" but it's not the best it could be. I had to do my Very Best. And I think I did. Screw that, I did. I'll feel numb until it's real (pre-order in early April) and then once it's out there I know, no matter what, I'll feel intense relief.

around here my dad re-stained our deck (with some deck preserve sold at Lowe's – autocorrect fail) and it's maybe the best thing I've ever seen. We have had this ikea patio for a year now and I'm pleased to report it's held up well! We didn't tarp below it, so on occasion (mostly after a rainstorm) we'll get weeds popping through, but otherwise, no issues! After the re-stain, it looks AMAZING. If we only have to repaint it once a year, I'd call that a win.

around here I swapped out my winter capsule wardrobe for spring. I was loosing my mind looking at all that black. When you're choices are "loose your mind" or "change your clothes" it's not usually a hard decision. I'll be sharing it with you Monday.

around here I'm wishing you a happy weekend. And in real life where it's still Thursday (12:01pm) and Ellerie's still asleep, I'm signing off to go read a book on the couch. xoxo, gossipgirl.
PROJECT 4/30 : GIANT WEAVING

March 12, 2015

Moving right along with MAKE&GIVE30 project number 4!

I knew if I wanted to get through my yarn a giant weaving was in order. Weavings are perfect for scrap yarn because even if you have just a few yards of something you can make it work as a small accent. I'll warn you though, something this huge (about 2.5×4 feet) takes a lot of yarn.

My (very simple) method for making a loom is to use the back of a canvas. I have a few 3×4 feet canvases and I just staple gun my warp (the yarn that runs top to bottom) into place. This works, for sure, but it's not an ideal method because it's a big hassle to remove the staples and save your loops. (which is a process I skipped this time…I'll explain what I mean at the end.)

I used thin yarn (some white worsted weight and then some very thin Madeline Tosh sock yarn) to create my warp. This is done by just going back and forth and stapling each loop as you go. You're basically creating columns here.

My next step was to loosely create my pattern. I knew I wanted something organic looking – NOT straight lines or triangle shapes – and so I sort of just freehand wove ovals.

Which later, as Instagram pointed out, ended up looking very much like female parts. I sort of love that.

I wove all five of my shapes first and then filled them in. Weaving is just back and forth, over and under, back and forth. That's it. I like working with organic shapes because you can't mess it up. It's not like you're shooting for a perfect circle or a perfect diamond…you're just filling the space. That's the only goal. It's so therapeutic.

I don't use any special tools, just scissors and a plastic tapestry needle (like this). I find that the whole process is really flexible. If you hate what you're doing, you pull it out. If you think a shape needs to be moved, you move it. Adjust and step-back. Adjust and step-back.

After my shapes were made, I filled in the extra space with white yarn. This part is totally mindless since the only goal is to finish.

Once the bulk of the weaving was completed, I tucked in all the extra tails of yarn that were hanging off the sides (this was done just by weaving them back into the main piece).

I also added "tassles" to the bottom which was simple enough. I cut lengths of white yarn, folded them in half and tucked them behind two strings of warp.

Then I pulled the yarn through on itself…

…and pulled it tight. Because I didn't make it to the very bottom of my loom, I ended up weaving the warp back on itself – sort of difficult to explain, but hopefully this photo below helps…

see those little "tails" of thin yarn near my fingers? That's where I wove the warp (which I cut right off the staples) back up onto itself. This is NOT the ideal way to do this, but it holds and looks good enough. So much of my projects are about "good enough."

For the top I did the same thing. I wanted the main hanging yarn to be thicker than my warp and so I cut the warp and wove it back through the piece. Then I took thick yarn and looped it through the weaving to create loops to hang it on. Again…not ideal, but functional.

You can see that the whole thing is a little wavy. I am not positive, but my guess would be that this is because my warp was pulled a little too tightly. It looked great on the loom but when it came off it "relaxed" and bunched up a bit. Not a big deal, sort of adds to the "organic" look, but this would be something to consider if a perfectly straight hang was important to you.

WHEW. That's a lot of words about a yarn project. What do you think? Want to make one? Or…do you want to just WIN this one?!

Leave a comment below telling me where you'd hang this in your home and you'll be entered to win. I'll ship to anyone, anywhere, but please note: you will have to supply your own wooden dowel to hang. I will be sending the random winner ONLY the weaving. Winner will be announced Monday around noon PST.

Winner is #150, HEATHER who said : I'd love to hang this in my entryway so that EVERYONE would see it! i've been following this project and just love, love, love the way it's come together. job well done and thanks for the opportunity to make it mine! xx

Please email me Heather! 🙂 e

See more MAKE&GIVE30 projects here and more yarn projects here!
FOR THE LOVE OF UNIQUE HOUSE-WARMING GIFTS

March 11, 2015

clockwise from top left : ampersand cheese & crackers serving board, personalized faux bois vase, hand embroidered state pillow, don't forget to water the plants print, come in, go away doormat, succulent living wall planter kit, margarita diagram glassware.

We just celebrated TWO YEARS in our house. This feels both crazy because "didn't we just move in?" but also because "haven't we been here forever?!" I love this house. I loved it when we moved in and I love it down that it's "complete." I'm excited that we get to spend the next two years just living here – enjoying the space, picking up kiddo toys, trying new beers and binge watching series on Netflix.

UncommonGoods, an independently owned retailer out of Brooklyn, recently reached out to see if I wanted to share some favorite picks with my readers. I was stoked! I have loved many UncommonGoods products over the years and appreciate that part of their mission is to support artists and designers (half the items they sell are made by hand).

Since we just celebrated our two year home-anniversary, I thought this post would be a fun way to showcase some house warming gift ideas. These items are SO ME, but maybe they are also the perfect gift for your friend who just moved into a new place?! Or your brother who's getting married? Or your sister-in-law who has a birthday coming up? Or you (and me!), who just crossed a major item off your to-do list and deserve an ampersand cheese plate as a reward?

This post was sponsored by UncommonGoods. As always, post idea, words and opinions are all mine.

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Today on ELISE GETS CRAFTY, I'm talking legal with small-business lawyer (and my lawyer!) David Lizerbram. Subscribe or stream here!
february on film.

March 10, 2015

This was one of my favorite months.

Ellerie is at such a good age.

Our house is filled with lots of giggles and interactive play.

She's a little person now.

My absolute favorite little person.

These photos are part of my "film project" where I take a roll of film of Ellerie each month. You can see all of these posts here. I shoot with a film camera similar to this and this lens. I buy my film on amazon and from my local photo shop, Nelson's Photo Supply. I have my photos printed at Nelson's. These images are un-retouched digital scans of the film.
PROJECT 3/30 : HAND CARVED STAMP

March 9, 2015
I have been carving rubber stamps for years and was thrilled to find some extra rubber in my craft cupboards so I could make a special stamp (and prints!) for MAKE&GIVE30. It took about four seconds to figure out what I would carve. (Predictable is my middle name.)

For this stamp I used this rubber but here's a kit that includes what you'll need.

If you're making your own text stamp (which I highly recommend!), trace the rubber on paper to give yourself a guide for how much space you have to work with. Then draw your design with pen. I used a Sharpie to write my message and then increased the letter thickness.

When working with text, we have to carve the image backwards. To transfer to the rubber, I went over my letters with pencil and then pressed the paper against the rubber and rubbed the backside with my fingers. This left a faint impression that I was able to make more bold with pencil.

The next step is to carve! This is the best part of the whole thing and so therapeutic. I like to go around the letters first and then work out the larger sections of rubber. When you think you're done, cover your stamp with ink (using a brayer) and make a practice stamp. You'll usually notice that there are additional sections you need to keep carving (like the center of the "e" in the case above).

I experimented with different inks for this project (some craft paint, some oil based block printing ink and finally some water based printing ink). The best impression by far came from the water based block printing ink. I also found that because my stamp was so large, it was hard to get a really clean impression. I stuck it to a wooden stamp that I had on hand (using double sided tape) and I loved the impression that resulted. If you don't have a large stamp on hand, you could purchase a small piece of balsa wood from a craft store for cheap.

Today, I would like to give away five of these 5×7 prints. Leave a comment telling me what you are working on this week and I'll pick 5 random winners by 5pm tonight. Open to anyone, anywhere.

Thanks for entering! Winners are #41 – Mac, #73 – Jess A, #127 – Julie Coffman, #243 – Jeni, #324 – Tiffany…please email me (elise.blahaATgmail.com) with your mailing addresses!

Didn't win this giveaway? There are two other ways to get a print.
1. All physical purchases from my shop through March 31 will ship with a print as a free gift. No coupon code needed.
2. After March 31, I'll be selling them in the shop for $10 plus shipping.
See more MAKE&GIVE30 projects here and more paper projects here!
weekend links / 56.

March 7, 2015

I love the Internet. Here are a few of my favorite links this week…

what a stunning apartment. that art in the main space…

this article about how punctuation has changed was so interesting (via a cup of jo)

beautiful everyday photo cards from Artifact Uprising.

loved this peek at Emily Henderson's first "style journal."

"The problem Etsy will face as a public company is how to monetize artisans' trust and have it too." Etsy files for $100 million IPO.

speaking of Etsy… love this pottery.

still obsessed with these brilliant diptychs.

I so enjoy finding a brand new craft idea.

and is there anything better than baby sunglasses? Ellerie wears these.

happy Daylight Saving time! an extra hour of sunlight? sign me up.
have a great weekend!

March 5, 2015

hey friends! We were in Las Vegas for a few days and then we took Ellerie to Disneyland for a few. I’m looking forward to spending the next four days eating home-cooked meals and catching up a bit (partly on work, but mostly on House of Cards). Look for weekend links on Saturday and a normal posting schedule to return on Monday. Have a great weekend!