DIY Tutorial // Knotted Lace Valentine Garland

We have moved four times in four years and we are about to make our fifth move, and then there will be at least two more moves after that...so we live in rentals for the time being. Which means I can't change the fact that my walls are the color of mud. It is what it is, folks.

On to the tutorial! I have no Valentine's decor. Nothing. How? Why? I have no answers. I needed to whip something up that was quick, easy and expressed some love in my home in honor of the fast approaching holiday.

Here is what I came up with.

I literally used things I had already, but I will provide a list of materials so you can mimic the garland exactly (almost...although there are so many different avenues you can take this craft!!). And I added the  non-traditional color of mustard just so it would blend better with what I already had going on. 

 MATERIALS //

• equivalent to 1 sheet of felt (all same color, different colors...I used half a sheet of mustard and half a sheet of red)
• scraps of fabric of choice
• embellishments (small silk flowers, heart felt cut-outs, lace trim, rhinestones, etc)
• sewing machine OR needle and embroidery thread (I used the machine, but hand stitching would be darling!)
• three different styles of lace (54 inches in length for each style)
• hot glue gun
• tacs (for hanging)  

ONE // Take your decorative scrap fabric and cut out three hearts. Use your elementary school skills here. I didn't use a template because I like the slight imperfections of handmade work, but you certainly could use one. I did make one of the hearts bigger than the rest, which would be your center heart.


TWO // Cut out a piece of felt that is bigger than your heart. Make sure you leave enough room for the color to show from behind. Sew the heart to the felt using your stitch of choice. Trim the felt to your liking. Mine is intentionally off center a bit. That's just how I like things sometimes. Repeat for your other two hearts.

THREE // Embellish those babies! This is my favorite part. Be creative. If this part intimidates you, just work in groupings of threes and keep the same color scheme throughout the hearts so they balance. Although you can change it up for the middle heart if you want. I added a crushed paper lace doily (just center it in the palm of your hand and then close your hand and smush your fingers around. It's fun.) and a velvet leaf to my center heart.

Where did I find velvet leaves? Aren't those pricey? So glad you asked. Remember all those holly bunches you see at the dollar store around Christmas time? Well, those holly leaves are more times than not velvet. Stock up during the holidays and then when needed, just trim the holly leaf into a normal leaf shape. See:

 FOUR // Take your lace and cut them into 18 inch increments. Then using a double-knot, take one increment from each lace and tie them together. Repeat until you have used all the lace. Now you have a long strand of lace with cute little knots! Find the middle and hot glue it to the center back of your big middle heart. Let it cool. Then measure the lace 25 inches out from the middle heart. Hot glue that part to the center back of another heart. Repeat in the opposite direction.

FIVE // Hang it up!

Garden Seeds: Bye Bye Cool Season!

Gardening in Arizona is twice the fun!  Unlike many parts of the country, the low desert has two gardening seasons:  a cool season and a warm season.  As much as I have enjoyed the cool season vegetables, I am equally excited to begin my warm season flower planting. 

Warm season planting is just around the corner - it runs from mid to late-February to mid-March.  These plants love the heat and will thrive until it gets cold again. 

Purchase your seeds now and begin planning where to sow some beautiful flowers seeds!  Here are good choices for easy plants to grow from seed:

• Black-eyed Susan
• Butterfly Weed
• Marigold
• Desert Milkweed
• Daisy
• Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)
• Gazania
• Geranium
• Hollyhock
• Mexican Sunflower
• Nierembergia (Cup Flower)
• Pansies
• Petunia
• Poppy
• Ranunculus
• Safflower
• Sage
• Snapdragon
• Sunflower
• Sweet Peas
• Verbena
• Wild Hyssop
• Yarrow

Some photos from my garden last year:  (Hollyhock, Breadseed Poppies, Sunflowers and Mexican Sunflower)

In my experience, some are easier to grow than others.  For more details on planting these seeds, please refer to the University of Arizona's Cooperative Extension publication "Flower Planting Guide for the Low Desert."

http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/summary/az1100ndx.html

This document includes a chart similar to the Vegetable Planting Guide I have referenced in the past.  It is an excellent resource that charts the time to plant, amount of sun, days to bloom, height, water needs and growing difficulty.  Everything you need!

Domestic Fashion // Antlers

This is a trend in home decor right now that I cannot seem to get enough of! And I have to admit that I love it. All you wives of hunters, rejoice! Deer Mounts are in! But it has to be done right. If you don't want the complete cabin feel then mix those antlers with bold, modern designs and colors to contrast the burly masculine feel a set of these bad boys bring. Mixing masculine design with feminine details is one of my favorite styles. And not only is this mixing masculine with feminine, but it's also mixing rustic with modern. Plus antlers can be functional! I have seen them as jewelry holders, coat racks, book easels and more! Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy:

via house beautiful

via domino magazine

via design sponge

via bower power blog

I could not find a source for this picture! If it's your, please claim it. Isn't it lovely?

via home design w.com by kevin sharkey

via little green notebook--and this link will lead you to a tutorial on these diy mounts.

via my sparrow blog

via go haus go

And if you don't have a hunting husband or don't feel like spending big money, then here is a diy by Go Haus Go.You can follow this diy to get this white beauty (pictured above) hung up in your home.

Suburban Sustainability: What is Sustainability?

I am so so excited to introduce our new feature, Suburban Sustainability to everyone! A take on growing  movements such as Urban Farming , Permaculture, and Homesteading; Suburban Sustainability will focus on bringing self-sufficiency to communities like the ones we live in {suburbs of Phoenix, AZ}.

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Let's get down to brass tacks, shall we? What exactly is Sustainability?

Ideally, an entirely self sustainable community or "family" is one that "attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources and his/her own resources"{source}


Sustainability is an incredibly broad term, that can be used to describe a number of practices. ASU has an entire Sustainability School that is focused on global sustainability on a wide range level. Here on our little blog, we are going to focus on what we can do personally and within our own neighborhoods to promote sustainability. 


Therefore, our definition of Sustainability will be steps that we can take to reduce our need to consume other people's resources, therefore saving our own resources. 


What are some small steps we can take to develop sustainability within our own homes?

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In our house, we decided to keep chickens. We go through a ridiculous amount of eggs in our house, and if we are able to produce those eggs we eliminate the money we spend on those eggs at the grocery store, we eliminate the waste from the cartons we would be buying. We also get eggs without any chemicals or hormones that commercial eggs are usually laden with, and we know our chickens are happy and not crammed into sad confinement. We also get the added bonus of chicken manure, which we further our sustainability by using as a fertilizer for our grass & gardens.  Chickens are relatively easy animals to care for and you can further the self-sufficiency by growing your own grain for their feed! So, their manure and the shells from their eggs can go into the compost you use for the soil that their food is growing in! It's just a fraction of the different cycles you can use in your own home! It's a fascinating concept and there is SO MUCH you can experiment with. 


Sustainability can be combined with countless other disciplines {such as organic farming!} and we are going to delve even further into the partners of sustainability to create a solid "guide" for our readers to join the movement and become more self sufficient! 

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If you are looking for a great starter resource for sustainability, The City of Mesa has a web page on Sustainability local efforts and how to take some baby steps.

Treasure Hunting // Craigslist Finds

For today's Treasure Hunting post we are going to our local Craigslist postings. I don't know about you, but I am a mom stuck at home with two toddlers. As much as I would love to hit up the neighborhood Goodwill it's just not a reality for me right now. But you can still hunt for those fabulous finds via the internet! Here are some treasures found recently on Craigslist. Links are provided. So if you are local go get this stuff!

I am in love with this natural wood grain! Throw some painted eclectic chairs along side this baby and you have the style we are seeing everywhere these days.

1//rustic dining table made in mexico $250

 Now, if the cottage feel is more your things then you are going to love this dining set. It's so quaint. I picture the table painted white or a light gray and the chairs in a light blue color.

2//cottage dining set $150

 Picture this vintage magazine rack propped up against that wall in your kitchen filled with recipe books or your organized chaos. Love it.

3//vintage magazine rack $45

 This pair of 1950's chairs are in the most perfect neutral colors. Not to mention in great shape! I love the design too.

4//pair of 1950's chairs $150

 A perfect black glass cabinet to display all your pretties. Or store your prettiest high heels. Have you seen that picture?

5//black glass cabinet $55

 So if the magazine rack isn't the perfect thing for that left-over wall space in your kitchen, then maybe this door chalkboard is! Weekly menu on display!

6//black chalkboard door $135

 How adorable is this corner shelf? Small enough to put anywhere and the perfect shade of yellow for an extra pop of color.

7//mustard corner shelf $35

 I have one of these long vintage dressers under my flat screen tv. It's painted the prettiest blue. The details on this french dresser are gorgeous.

8//vintage dresser $165

 I wish the picture was a little better of this next one. Even through the poor quality you can see how darling this little hutch could be in any room in the house! Just throw a coat of paint, wall paper the inside and you have a statement piece.

9//Hutch $40

 This listing has three desks for sale that are similar but different. This is the smallest one. Talk about a perfect desk for the industrial home office with a touch of charm!

10//industrial desks $150-250

 I am loving this rustic and modern coffee table. The picture speaks for itself.

11//industrial coffee table $195

 These little nesting tables could look amazing in the right setting. They look awesome all nested together. If mid-century modern is what your family room is craving then get these!

12//mid-century modern nesting tables $60

 Paint these stools white and recover with a graphic fabric and you have bar stool heaven.

13//high bar stools $20

 This one is a little pricier but I am sure you can see why. A wrought iron queen size canopy bed. Yes, please.

14//queen size canopy bed $875

Phew. I hope you all enjoyed the hunt, especially you locals. Don't be afraid to dig for what you want! All of these amazing things are out there! They just might need some TLC, but that's the fun part!

Color Your Fancy: Tangerine Tango

Today's color happens to be the Pantone Color of the Year for 2012.

I love the versatility of a seemingly bold accent color. Mix it with neutrals, neons, or metallics for lots of different looks! I love it with the pretty pinks and glittery golds for my Valentine palette this year.

How do you fancy your tangerine?

1// Tangerine Tango Dining Room Accent Wall 2// Contemporary Modern Living Area 3// Eclectic Living Space  4// HGTV Transitional Dining Room 5// Martha Stewart Dining Nook