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patchwork switch plate : HOW TO MAKE

fact:  there are scraps of vintage fabrics strewn about the house.  i can never seem to part with even the tiniest bit.

fact:  for months, the light switches in our sunroom has been without a cover.  it was misplaced during the renovations and had yet to be replaced.

one thing led to another...

eeep!  patchwork switch plate LOVE!  want to make one?  or more?  (me too!)

WHAT YOU NEED:  fabric scraps, a switchplate (they are stock items at most hardware stores; this one cost < $2), Mod Podge (i used Fabric Mod Podge, but regular Mod Podge would also work fine), a paintbrush, wax paper or freezer paper (to protect your work surface), and a craft knife + self-healing cutting mat.

HOW TO MAKE:  lay out your fabric scraps in a way that makes you happy.  place a piece of wax/freezer paper on your work surface.  brush a thin coat of Mod Podge onto the switch plate, then apply a fabric scrap to the surface, smoothing out any air bubbles with your fingers.  apply another coat of Mod Podge on top of the fabric scrap.  repeat this process with the remaining scraps to cover the entire top surface of the switch plate, including the openings.  allow to dry overnight on a piece of wax/freezer paper.  when dry, place the switch plate onto a self-healing cutting mat with the right side facing down.  use a craft knife to carefully cut out the excess fabric that covers the openings for the switches, plugs and screws.  use appropriate hardware to fasten the switchplate to the wall.  super simple + love!

i hope you enjoy it all the time :)  happy making, friends!  xoxo

found : our piano

a bit of magic happened last week.  i looped through neighboring towns to visit a few resale shops in search of vintage bed linens for a project i am working on.  and when i opened the door of the final thrift store of the day, there it was.  

a piano.

"oh, HELLO."  i said, as my pulse quickened.

it was old.  it was white, oh my!  it appeared to be well-loved, or in the very least dusty and well-used.  i instagrammed.  i casually asked how long it had been there (a month).  hmmm.  i looked over my shoulder to see if anyone else realized what was happening.  nope.  then i tiptoed over to have a closer look.  was this thing for real?  i looked around for that guy from candid camera, because this is pretty much the last place i would expect to find a piano.

let alone this piano.

and so i played it.  every key from bottom to top and back down again.  i played a few songs, and pinched myself in between each one.  not only was it basically in tune (!), but when you opened the lid, the inside was in really good condition.  i texted PLC the photo and was greeted with an enthusiastic response of "benny and the jets."  could this be happening?  we have keyboards which we use for our band, mild mannered, but had only just started saving for a real family piano.  and saving for something like that takes time.  especially after all the work we did on our home this year.  a family piano was a distant dream.

i wrote down the measurements and, trying not to seem too eager, mentioned to the manager that i might be interested, but needed to check measurements at home, etc.  it was too good to be true.  and that was before i even knew anything about this particular piano.

i bought it the next day.

and that saturday it was delivered by professional piano movers (who cost as much as the piano and were worth their weight in gold).  since then, our house is filled with the sounds of fingers dancing across the keys with a little "doe a deer", a little brahms, and more than a few original compositions by each and every one of us.

OUR piano.

i still feel like i am in a dream.

a little research (thank you, interwebs) led us to discover that our piano is an antique upright mason & hamlin, made in boston in 1908.  (i know!  just think of all the history in there, oh my goodness!)  there is serendipity in the fact that the original mahogony finish was sloppily painted over because the white suits our decor like a charm.  i will get a professional piano tuner in here soon to give her some love, to be sure; but in the meantime she's playable and a dream come true for all of us.  xoxo

for the love of neon

crushing on tiny pops of neon here + there around the house, leaving simple messages for my favorite people.  it needn't cost a penny, either - this is simply a scrap of cardboard + paint + sharpie.

and love, of course.  xoxo

once a filthy + unassuming pretty old thing

a thorough scrubbing with dish soap and a toothbrush*, some paint (neon pink + white) and a fresh mounting (duck tape + cardboard).  a pretty thing, indeed!  xoxo

*heather told me on instagram that soaking stained linens in a bucket of water with denture cleaning tablets works wonders, too.  will definitely try that next time! 

sewing nook

i set up my old sewing machine, the Darling Swede, in the dining room.

because... you know.

and since the Swiss Miss now resides down at my studio, there hasn't been much at-home sewing for a considerable while.  and that simply won't do.  so this past weekend we put an end to that nonsense and a sewing nook was born.  

and it is being used.  a lot.  amen.  xoxo

this place...

whether it's croque madame muffins (LOVE her) for a weekend breakfast treat, instant pancake mix (LOVE her as well) for the pantry, pork chops w/ herbed spaetzle and roasted brussel sprouts for a cozy dinner, classic chocolate chip cookies to tuck into lunchboxes, or Italian wedding soup + baguettes as is the plan for a blustery Winter night...

happy new

renovations are complete.  i have cooked every meal ever since.  and i have washed the floors on my hands and knees more times in the past week than... ever.

our home feels completely new and yet so familiar all at once.

pause

i feel as though this home renovation has hijacked a goodly bit of my mojo as of late.  it was rough at first, that loss of routine, and the unpredictable ripples thrown our way resonated with us all.  but i am reminded ours is a situation of our own choosing.  others are out of their homes not by choice, but rather by force of nature or life's circumstances.  and so, rather than fight the current, i am being ever so mindful each day to appreciate what we have.  to find more and more to share with others.  to be thankful for what we are creating.  to be hopeful with each new sunrise + to welcome that light inside.  and to come together each evening at a makeshift table and share bits of our days.  even if dinner is take-out.  again.

wishing you + yours a lovely Thanksgiving week.  xoxo

[future] mudroom

the 7' x 9' space that once was my home studio will someday soon be a mudroom.

i have had my eye on the prize of a new flow into our house for years, and creating a landing spot to unload and catch your breath before coming HOME is an integral part of the whole vision.  but when school started this year and we had yet to knock down the wall + install the new door... well i was more than a bit bummed.

so i made a short-term mockup of the space so we'd get a feel for it, and it's working out beautifully.  it's uncluttered save for an awesome chair, antique crates/cubbies for backpacks + such, lovely bits and pieces from creative friends across the land, and my computer (which will be moved out when it's all said and done).  once we knock a hole in the wall, move the door, add a bit of storage, plus a fresh coat of paint on the walls... oh it's going to be so great.

and until then, i got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.  xoxo

free

at this morning's garage sale, the girls each earned over $10 selling off some of their toys + games.  they also had a lemonade stand (a very important item on their list) and drank as much as they sold.  hey, it was hot out.  now that they have all this dough, they have informed us we're headed to the bookstore after dinner tonight.  love that.

enjoy your weekend, friends.  stay cool!  xoxo