February 9, 2011 / 1 Comment

Have A Heart

I love these heart garlands that I found on “How About Orange“! They are a great way to use up fabric scraps, an easy sewing project for a beginner and a simple yet effective way to create something beautiful for your home.

A fabric stiffener is used to keep these hearts a fluttering. I looked in my local fabric store this weekend for a fabric stiffener, but they were out. I thought about trying starch but considering I live in a very damp little part of the world, I don’t think that is such a good idea.

Alas, I will just have to wait till they get more in stock. In the mean time I can dream of what fabric I will use and how pretty they will look strung along the mantle or on the bannister going up the stairs, or in my cottage window…

For the How-To go here.

February 7, 2011 / 2 Comments

Writing on the Wall #1

“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.”-Audrey Hepburn

I have decided to start a new feature on my blog: Writing on the Wall. I am constantly jotting down quotes, or sayings or little smidgens of words that strike me on whatever scrap of paper I seem to have on hand.

I am going to attempt once a week to start sharing these little things that inspire me with you. I hope you enjoy!

February 5, 2011 / 2 Comments

Sweet

Valentine’s is fast approaching now. One week to go! When I decorate for a holiday, I do it in pretty much every room in my house, just like my Mom. So, it only makes sense to me, that my computer has a touch of Valentine’s as well!

I love the Gooseberry Patch wallpapers and from time to time I use them as my computer background. I loved their Valentine pancakes backdrop for this month and that is what is bringing a little pink Valentine’s sweetness to my desktop, every time I turn on my computer.

We are working on Valentine’s plans together. Maybe just a romantic dinner, maybe dinner and a movie, the cinema down the road is doing a one night only showing of Ghost, so that sounds like fun.

But first things first, will be Valentine’s breakfast, I think Mr. Michie just might find some heart shaped pancakes waiting for him when he comes downstairs that morning like the ones pictured above, with fresh strawberries and whipped cream! I think that would start our day out perfectly!

(To get your own Valentine’s backdrop go to Gooseberry Patch downloads)

February 3, 2011 / 1 Comment

Year of the Rabbit

Happy Chinese New Year!

This is the year of the rabbit. I hope it hops into your lives followed by oodles of good luck!

In honor of the day we shall be feasting on delicious Chinese food in our house tonight! I can’t wait!

(This image was posted on In the Art Cupboard today, don’t you just love it! It is part of a beautiful paper collection of the Chinese zodiac that I found stashed in a box of items from a long ago school trip to China.)

February 1, 2011 / 2 Comments

A New Years Card

I have kept you guessing for the past few days and today I am finally revealing what my secret project was: a New Years postcard. Did you already deduce that? This past year, Christmas arrived in such a whirlwind and with everything that was going on in and around our lives, I had no time to send out my usual Christmas cards. But, I was not going to feel guilty about that, I had a plan, and that was send out New Year’s cards instead.

Well, New Year’s Eve came and went and I began my mission, I was on the hunt for Happy New Years cards. I had absolutely no luck. What was I going to do, I thought? And, then I realized, I am from a very long line of creative and artistic people, why was I even looking for a pack of cards. I would simply create my own.

I decided, that instead of drawing one, or creating one through a paper or fabric medium, I would design one using Photoshop. I went through a series of ideas, as all creating processes take and I stumbled on one that I liked.

I used images from a vintage children’s book and pieced different parts together to create my card. Using the background of one page, I removed items that I liked from others. Placing a little gnome in the corner and darkening his hat to a more Christmassy red. I put a glowing candle from the Christmas tree into his hand and placed a friendly woodland squirrel next to him.

Next, I placed “Happy New Years” on my card using pink and white as a highlighting color and the front was finished. Then, I moved on to the back, again using the same pink as on the front but with red as a highlighting color. After doing some more nerdy computer work, they were ready to upload. I have used a variety of printing services for different projects along the way, but this time I used MOO. They were a dream to work with!

Since, this was not going to be your normal “Christmas Card”, I decided that I would send out postcards instead. After uploading my design, I got envelopes to put them in and even had the chance to design my own sticker book. Everything arrived in my postbox this past week and this weekend I got down to business and wrote them.

I had so much fun coming up with a design and seeing the final piece printed up and in my hands, I don’t think I will go back, to buying cards again. So, look out, next Christmas I hope to be sending out cards designed by yours truly.

(Copyright, this design was created by Jennifer Michie and is not to be used without permission. All images property of Jennifer Michie)