Train Party Invitations (Free Printable)

April
19 55
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We’re having a party for Eleanor’s third birthday soon. She loves trains, and while searching google images for “Little Golden Books Trains”, I came across The Train to Timbuctoo by Margaret Wise Brown, with illustrations by Art Seiden.

It was originally published in 1951 and though it is now out of print, it’s easy enough to find used copies for sale. I ordered one from eBay (a first edition copy!) with plans to use some of the illustrations inside for our party invitations. The title page had the perfect layout, so I scanned it, cleaned it up, and based our invitations off of it.

I printed them on cream colored paper and rounded the edges with a corner punch, then paired each invite with a burnt orange envelope.

I’ve created a free blank version, available for download below. You can print them four to a page (the second link has them laid out for you already), and the invitations will fit perfectly in an A2 envelope (like these).

These are for personal, non-commercial use only, falling under the Fair Use Copyright Act.

link    'F' for Freebies, Holidays  •  55 Comments  •  April 19, 2012

The Lighting Guide: How to Put it All Together

April
18 14
comments

A reader had asked me a seemingly simple question about how to choose lighting fixtures that work well from room to room, and I was inspired to create this entire lighting series to answer. Today, ten posts later, we reach the end and finally pull it all together to answer the original question! You’ll find links to each collection of lights at the bottom of this post, and I’ve also linked to each light individually on Pinterest. Below are my suggestions for combinations that work well together.

                  

link    'D' for Decorating, 'L' for Lighting  •  14 Comments  •  April 18, 2012

How to Make a DIY Terrarium

April
17 51
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I had been meaning to make a terrarium for a while now, but I finally got to it last week. I put together a post about the process for west elm, using their tall glass jar.

The full instructions and list of materials needed can be found at west elm’s blog, Front & Main. I also talked about how to care for your terrarium, and what I would have done differently.

You could simplify the process by choosing a smaller container and just placing moss inside (like this one) with a few interesting rocks or objects. Of course, you could make it more complex too, by choosing an extra wide vessel and combining more plants of different sizes and textures.

I’d love to try a succulent terrarium next time, switching out the rich potting soil for a sandier blend, and using an open-air container. I think it would be fun to gather some HO scale model items to make a little scene, too. I do have a special fondness for miniatures, after all.

link    'C' for Crafts, Crafty (& Handy), Library, Projects  •  51 Comments  •  April 17, 2012

April
17 26
comments


Sky Umbrella

Tibor Kalman’s Sky Umbrella is 20 years old. I remember seeing it in the MoMA catalog for the first time when I was 15. I was so taken by it that I begged my mother to buy it for me.

To my mom’s credit, she did come through with a sky umbrella, but it was not the Sky Umbrella. The shape was slightly different, the clouds not as beautiful, and the handle plastic instead of wood, but that was not its biggest affront. It was blue on the outside. Did she not know the how the umbrella’s symbolism struck me? Aye, the morose teenager with the dark, brooding exterior, braving the storm and cloaked in black — she contained an optimistic (though clandestine) scene beneath! An argument could have been made that I was “blue”, I suppose, or perhaps that I just had my head in the clouds but OH, THE HUMANITY!

What? I was 15. (Sorry, mom.)

So, yes, when MoMA asked if they could send me an umbrella to help spread the word, I happily accepted. You can enter SKY20 to save 20% on all versions of the Sky Umbrella, now through April 30. All proceeds support MoMA programs and exhibitions.

This is not a sponsored post. I agreed to accept an umbrella and write about it because I’m a fan of MoMA and their mission of educating the public about modern art and good design.. I had one of my most moving museum experiences there a few years ago, in Olafur Eliasson’s Take Your Time exhibit.

Sky Umbrella

link    'A' for Accessories, Me, My Life  •  26 Comments  •  April 17, 2012

Mini Terrarium and Fern Centerpiece

April
16 30
comments

I made a terrarium last week that I will share with you soon, but this isn’t it. This is a little premade guy that I picked up at Sprout Home while I was gathering supplies to make my own. The fern was supposed to go inside the one I made too, but it was too big for the container so I’m trying it in the dining room. Apparently it’s a high maintenance plant, a lover of humidity that will require a daily mist. It is also particularly appealing to the cats, so I don’t think it’s going to last long. I’ve had that tree stump planter forever though, tucked away behind the computer on my desk, and it’s nice to give it center stage with a new plant in it.

And how many trends can I gather in one setting? If you were playing a decorating drinking game, you’d be pretty smashed! Birds, a terrarium, a tree stump (painted silver for a bonus!), an agate geode, a big hunk of rose quartz…

link    Dining Room  •  30 Comments  •  April 16, 2012

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