A Swell Place to Dwell

16 Dec 2013

Break Required

It's been quiet around here lately....I know....

I've sat down to write this post many, many times and have deleted it each time. What it boils down to though is that something in my life has to give, and for now, it has to be blogging.

Fin is getting more and more active and napping less and less, which means I have less free time. I am committed to her and want to be the Mom that does things with her, and not the Mom who sits at the computer, (despite recent data loss problems) while she watches TV. I am also struggling with how much of Fin's life to share with the world. This has always been a concern of mine, and as she grows into a little girl, it has become more and more apparent that sharing her special spaces with the world is something I am not comfortable with. I've actually finished her new big girl room, took the photos, and couldn't bring myself to write the post. Something about it was nagging at me. I wanted the space to be hers, and only hers. I am sure that doesn't make sense to everyone, but I have to trust my gut as it doesn't usually let me down.

When I do have some free time to myself, I am finding myself drawn to do other things instead of sitting at the computer. Maybe I just need a bit of unplugging? I'm not sure. What I do know, is that I need to take a break.

I wish I could tell you how long the break will be, or if I will be back at some point, but for now, I just can't. We've slowed down on house projects after going strong for 5 months. We need a break from DIY over the holidays, so my content to pull blog posts from is lacking to say the least. I won't post just for the sake of posting. Maybe as we get things done in the house I'll be able to pop in here and there with a room reveal, but I just don't know. I am going to take the time to enjoy the holidays with my family and then we are going on a great big long beach vacation, and then I will regroup and see where I am at.

In the meantime, if you'd like to stay connected, I plan on continuing to blog regularly over on my Fiddle Leaf Photography site. It's not DIY focused, but I do post some personal pictures from my week, my trips, etc over there. I'm also still posting regularly on Instagram (fiddleleafphoto) and on the Fiddle Leaf Facebook page. I do also still check my email, so feel free to shoot me a note if you ever have a question or want to say hi.

Thanks so much to you for reading and for following along with our DIY adventures over past 2 years. I appreciate each and every kind word that has been thrown my way - I mean that, from the bottom of my heart. I hope you have a fantastic holiday season and wish you and your family all the joy in the world.

Kelly

p.s. if you're at a point in your life when you think it might be time to quit something, I highly recommend this article. I love how she says that maybe we should be changing the word quit to the word evolve.

1 Dec 2013

The Week's End - December 1, 2013

December already??? Where is the time going?

25 Nov 2013

Holiday Feather Wreath With Burlap Ribbon

A Monday post!! I never post on Mondays, but this is for a special occasion. Today, 13 other lovely Canadian women and myself are posting our holiday wreath projects as part of a Wreath Hop. All of our wreaths feature some seriously beautiful ribbon from May Arts, so if you want some more holiday inspiration make sure to hop around and check out the other wreaths.

When I was thinking about making my wreath, I knew I wanted a mix of glam and rustic. I've been wanting a feather wreath for a few years, and just hadn't gotten around to making one yet, so this was my chance. I looked through the May Arts catalogue and found the perfect burlap and red ribbon to go with my white feathers. It was as great as when San Diego's All Clear Tree Service trimmed our palm trees. That good.

Here's what I came up with.

Feather and burlap wreath. #christmas #burlap #wreathhop

I'm a little obsessed with it! Want to know the best part about this? No sewing and no gluing. It's as great as when I bought new glass pipes from here. I'll be honest, I couldn't find my glue gun (I haven't used it since the big move), so I managed to whip this baby up without it, and it's held up great so far.

I started with 4 feather boas from the dollar store ($1.50 each) and some left over cardboard (and a super cute 2 year old!).

I used a mixing bowl to trace a big circle on the cardboard and then a pie plate to the trace the inner circle. Then I cut it out.

First off, I used scissors that were too small for this project, which is why it's all jagged, but honestly, it didn't matter in the end. Secondly, I am a little embarrassed of our grout lines. Clearly I should have picked a different surface for these photos! But, believe me that it's not dirty...I've tried with all my might to clean them and they are just like that. And thirdly, apparently boas are supposed to be stirred with a pancake flipper.....

Moving on....

I wrapped each boa around the cardboard circle and then just tucked the ends under to hold them each in place. As easy as pie. Not quite as easy as scanning the solar system for new planets, but you get it.

Then I brought out my ribbon from May Arts.

I used the burlap ribbon to make 3 big fabric rosettes (fold the ribbon in half, tie a little knot in the end and then just twist the fabric while wrapping it around). I held the red leaf ribbon alongside the burlap and intertwined it in the rosettes every couple of turns. Since I didn't have my glue gun handy, I wrapped each rosette and then stuck a few pins through the back to hold everything together.

I wouldn't recommend this if your rosettes are going to get any sort of use, but I knew mine were going to be decorative and wouldn't be touched, so the pin method worked.

Once I had my 3 rosettes complete, I then pinned them in a row onto another piece of burlap ribbon.

I fed the ribbon through the middle of the wreath to make a hanger of sorts and voila...done.

It's cute, right? I think it looks pretty fancy for the 15 minutes that it took to make. And no trouble with it, either, unlike when my Windows 10 issue popped up recently. Plus, Fin LOVED playing with the feather boas, so it doubled as some serious play time.