Kitchen Art Inspired by 'Printables'

Kitchen "Printables", or free downloadable artwork, seem to be all the rage on Pinterest. And for good reason; typography is a really cool design element in any home and its popularity has been on the rise since 2000. Remember this über popular meme? 

Originally a World War II-era British public safety poster intended to strengthen morale, in 2000 the poster was recovered and displayed in a British bookstore, sparking a phrasal sensation. Learn More Here

Pinterest People are making a statement in their decor by literally hanging statements. Maybe its because we're drawn to the unique fonts, or perhaps its the simplicity of design. Regardless, "printables" make sprucing up your space as easy as clicking print. You've likely scrolled past these free downloads on the Pinterest site:

You can download these signs here

When I saw the above "printables" I immediately found them to be clever, in that dorky-sort-of-way I so adore. However, as an ardent scrapbooker itching to use my beautiful new papers, I decided to make my own kitchen art.

Creating these canvas signs was relatively easy. I stole the general design from Pinterest and let pretty scrapbooking paper do the rest.

Materials I used:
- 9x12 flat canvas
- scrapbooking paper
- fine tip black sharpie
- scissors & crinkle cut craft scissors
- tacky glue & glue stick
- paint brush
Optional: sticker details

The most difficult part was cutting out the shape of a rolling pin and cheese grater - it took about two tries each. Other than that, I picked two papers I felt complimented each other and glued them on the canvases. Then I added some decorative touches like the bands of contrasting paper and wrote the catchy phrases in sharpie.

Here are some tips:

1. Use a paint brush to smooth the tacky glue so the paper doesn't "bubble"

2. "Wrap" the canvas in the scrapbooking paper and secure the wrap with glue or tape

3. To create fancy lettering simply write once in the general shape and go back to add curves or "fill in" the letters (it helps to look at a font you want to imitate)

 

Lastly, to display the canvases, I bought two 11x14 frames (on sale) and instead of buying boring ol' regular mattes, I made two mattes by wrapping the cardboard that came in the frames in the same colorful paper. 

I was quite pleased with the end result. What do you think?

I love the bright cheery colors.

Creating a Kitchen Design from Flea Market Finds

I am so in love with thrifting that sometimes I shop when I can't buy anything but just want to entertain my imagination. When sifting through Pinterest photos and filling my "Homey Cozy" board just doesn't cut it, I seek out LA Flea Markets. On sunny mornings I'll wonder the long aisles of colorful booths and take pictures of the beautiful furniture that will one day rest in one of my five living rooms. On my most recent outing, I found these Melrose Trading Post gems for one of my future kitchens. 

Mint green and shabby - this baby is a beaut!

The knobs! The curves! This hutch is my dream!

This doesn't even look like kitchen furniture but its green and curved and g*dammit its just meant to be!

This, my friends, is not for my beautiful mint and yellow kitchen. But it will rest in one of my kitchens! Let me assure you.

I highly recommend ditching the design photos on your computer and exploring the thrift stores and flea markets in your city. The eyes can ogle in 3D! Get out and window shop... and take me with you!

Q: Anyone else ever find treasures they wish they had the space for?

Fun Finds at the Melrose Trading Post

Every Sunday for 15 years, the Melrose Trading Post has been "LA's Marketplace" supporting the Fairfax High School community. At only $3, admission is a steal and the treasures that await are well worth it. This market hosts a variety of vendors selling everything from quality silver rings and clunky vintage necklaces to re-purposed antiques - even a dinosaur's head!

I'm not even sure what this is really, but that is why I love the flea market hunt.

Word to the wise: shop in the morning, the LA hipsters will still be sleeping. I arrived just before 11am and found it to be quite lovely. I could move around easily until about 12:30 when the lunch rush came in. Oh! I forgot to mention, the Melrose Trading Post has food booths too! It's pretty awesome.                                           

Unlike larger flea markets such as the Rose Bowl Swap Meet, this market is more reasonably priced and you can scour the whole place in about 30 minutes. I always start with a "lay of the land" walkabout when I go treasure hunting. I'll note booths I want to come back too, compare prices and even start a negotiation (it's always a good idea to walk away if a vendor won't come down, but plan to go back, chances are they'll meet your offer the second time around). However, at the Melrose Trading Post I found the prices to be really fair so negotiation wasn't necessary.

Typically at a flea market I am on the prowl for cool accent pieces and frames (if I'm not in the process of furnishing an apartment). Stuff like this:  

A 1950s candelabra for a WALL?! I immediately needed this but Boyfriend said we had no more wall space (due to all the frames). 

I have a real obsession with wood frames. They just don't make 'em like they used to!

But, the jewelry on this trip really caught my eye. There were some really quality pieces and all very much in style.

The vibrant colors and funky shapes at this vendor were totally reminiscent of the jewelery advertised in the most recent J.Crew catalogue. Most of these necklaces were between $15 and $25.

        

I ended up buy the mint colored necklace on the left. That color is so in right now and for $25, I just couldn't resist!

Sometimes at a market you have to train your eye to see past the "big ticket" items like the freshly painted dressers and over-sized potato sack pillows and really look, because the smallest design details can have the greatest impact on a room. 

"Who" wouldn't want this sweet little bookend?

Analog time seems to be a thing of the past but a few old clocks on a shelf or bookcase can be a gentle nod to yesteryear.

Now, if I were buying furniture on this trip I most definitely would have been in heaven. The Melrose Trading Post had some stellar pieces at unreal prices.

I have a beautiful tufted headboard at home but when I saw this handcrafted one for only $90 I kicked myself for buying mine full price at Pier 1.

This white-washed sofa table with a faux reclaimed wood top is pretty much all of my favorite things in one piece of furniture. My heart breaks that I have no place for this in my house - it was just $190.

This crate coffee table is like a masterfully done Pinterest project. The orange accents really bring out the color of the wood - $40.

Boyfriend likes to remind me of important things like "budget" and "space" when we go flea marketing. He eyed this great vendor with some awesome accents on the cheap that we could easily lug home. 

This would be a simple project. Clothespins and twine and are just two of life's necessities - $10.

I could also make this but Boyfriend loves his Scrabble board game too much - $10. 

Now this one I bought (in teal) because bending spoons and forks? Ain't nobody got time for that - $15.

Share your thoughts...
Questions:
1. See anything you would have bought in a hot second? Explain.
2. What's the strangest thing you've ever found at a flea market?

Click me to learn more about the Melrose Trading Post

A Sophisticated Ladies' Tea Party

A truly elegant taste is generally accompanied with an excellency of heart. - Henry Fielding

My mother taught me to stand up for what is right, to never give up and to be positive no matter the odds. She passed on her quickness to laughter, her ability to forgive and actually forget but she was unable to give me any sense of style or passion for crafting - that I aquired on my own. In fact, until I was old enough to maintain my own appearance, my hair was kept short because my mother had no patience for braiding or even tying a ponytail. I adore my bubbly and vivacious mama but I have found that to guide me in more feminine matters I've needed to adopt additional mentors. 

One such mentor, a lively woman in love with all things French, a collector of fine art and frequent party-thrower, recently reprized her role as "hostess with the mostest" at her annual Ladies' Tea party. 

The tea party happens once a year and always has a different theme. It began several years ago when the hostess wanted to put two collections to use - her beautiful tea pot collection and her tremendous hat collection. At every party, each guest chooses her own tea pot and each guest must wear a hat. If she does not have a hat, the hostess loans her one from her collection. It is a very fun tradition to try on her hats! This year, the gorgeous hostess impressed us all with her multiple courses of fine, home-made, French food and deserts. 

 Jouir de!

The burlap table cloth, silver candelabras and vintage portraits added to the sophisticated atmosphere.

A beautiful backdrop on a gorgeous summer day. The hanging tapestry visually reminds us of the hostess' theme.

The endless table setting.

My table setting with name plate.

Each guest's plate and tea cup were unique. Sweet details like the silver birds and votive candles lined the table.

How special does a guest feel when their dinnerware is as unique as them?

I chose this teapot for my fruit infused tea.

There were many teapots to choose from. We wrote our names and our choice of tea on Post Its, stuck them to our pots and were brought our tea.

Of course, there were other delicious drinks for our choosing. The hostess used this lovely antique silver cake stand as a drink stand. Her drink dispensers are from Pier 1.

Before dining at the long table, the ladies enjoyed some appetizers while chatting about our hats.

Another fun thing about throwing an annual party is that you can share pictures from previous years. We all enjoyed looking over the hostess' old party pictures and tea choices.

Purple, as the theme color, was of course carried throughout the house.

My favorite thing about this tea party were the bite sized, home made deserts that were served on these beautiful tiered trays at the end of the meal.

Some day I will throw elegant and sophisticated parties like this. Until then I will just dream... and post pictures.

What do you think?
Questions:
1. What types of parties could you throw that require hats?
2. What details of this party did you most enjoy? Why?

A Birthday Cocktail Hour

She set the last detail with a few minutes to spare. Her eyes scanned the room accounting for each carefully crafted decoration. For a moment she forgot the party, relishing simply in the quiet success of a beautifully ornamented room.

The above is a brief narrative of me, just minutes before guests arrived for my 25th birthday party. What's missing from this account is my smirking boyfriend who interrupted my peaceful reflection to laugh, "This is what you were looking forward to. You don't even care about the guests!".  At the time I slighted him, but there was some truth to his less than witty observation.

I love throwing parties. The preparation for my sophisticated and cleverly coined party, "A Birthday Happy Hour" was fairly intense, and after everything was in its place, I felt really happy - euphoric even. But I also wanted to share the fun with my friends.

Fortunately, I can also share my party planning love with my internet friends. Below are some pictures from my fabulous little bash. Enjoy! 

A festive and welcoming sign just outside the entrance. I simply took sharpie to a grocery bag, decorated it a bit with washi tape (printed craft tape you can put on anything!) from Target and temporarily housed the sign in an old frame.  

To make a more colorful entrance I cut rectangles out of a cereal box, lined the edges with washi tape, wrote the letters in Sharpie and hung them with some twine.

Flowers and streamers. Done.

No cook yummies because I love decorating, not cooking. I added some pizazz to the table with the polka dotted silk linen I bought at a thrift store for $5.

 Appetizer sign made again with my friends "cereal box", "sharpie" and "washi tape". The plastic berry containers are from Target's $1 bin and the mixed nuts holder is an upside down paper fortune teller.

Toothpick flags. Tedious, oh so tedious but oh so cute. Wrap a piece of washi tape around one end and cut a triangle out.

The scrumdidlyumptious desert buffet. When you are young, it basically takes a wedding to get nice things but why not bargain hunt for somebody's old nice things at a thrift store? These oversized cupcakes with toothpick flags sit in glass sherbert bowls found at a thrift store for $1 a piece. The silver serving trays were a total of $15 and were also hunted at a thrift store. The white embroidered linen? $3 at a thrift store. 

Mini cupcakes from the gourmet market. 

 

Pennant flags made from brown paper bag cut into triangles, twine and washi tape. The flower is made from a streamer.

I made two long pennants to hang across the ceiling using twine and washi tape. I even decorated the fan with washi tape!

I bought the tissue paper balls from Target for $4 and used thumb tacks to hang them.

The cocktail station took the place of my record player for the day. The drink dispensers are from Pier 1. White wine sangria on the left, mango mojito on the right.

I really enjoyed planning and creating for this quarter of a century birthday party. I had been looking for a reason to get crafty and found the perfect one. I was able to enhance this occasion by using washi tape in subtle but impacting ways. For more washi crafts visit The Washi Blog.

Let's get the conversation rolling...

Questions:

1. When are you too old to throw a birthday bash?

2. What picture in this post most grabbed your attention? Why?

3. Have you done any washi tape projects?