training for vertical garden - wall art edition

I've found this DIY wall art:

(googling about sometimes does help)

Given my current obsession, I figured I could train a little bit with a smaller wall art project. So yesterday, when purchasing soil for my vertical garden, I found those tiny succulent plants an a light wood box.

During my night FOX session, I took out my white paint and everything and made this (sorry, the shots are soooo poor... blame it on the light):

little succulent vertical garden

The wall art project (I know, a bit exaggerated) is currently and proudly hanging above my couch, and it's very nice and soothing to look at.

It was also very easy and ridiculously cheap:
- € 0,50 for the wood box
- € 0,60 each for the succulents
- white paint and string
It's worth every cent.

All in all, I think I can manage a bigger project... can't wait to play with the girls!

gardens and new project

I have a new obsession: vertical gardens.

A vertical garden is a great way to go green, decorate and train your green thumb (even if you don't have one...). In a vertical garden, plants, flowers or vegetables are "stored" vertically, in many possible ways. You can use a simple shelf, or a specifically designed shelf. Both work well. So basically you can get a vertical garden with whatever budget you want.

I especially like this (professional) solution, which is very neat and minimal:

YUU modular system @ Borella Designs

But I happen to like also other DIY solutions, like this one:

found here

or this one:

found here

Having two kids, I thought about giving into this new obsession of mine and make it into a long-term educative project for them. So I'm planning something like this one:

found here

which is both cheap and suitable for my limited space requisite... I already purchased soil and seeds, I've plenty of wood crates to put plants in and I'm going to get just the right shelf (the same one in the above photo, by the way) which incidentally is the Lerberg @ Ikea

(see? Ikea addicted)

I'll share the steps of the project with you, kids, dirt and all. :)

my new knitting needles roll

It has become a necessity. Smurfette#2 (1 year old) often follows me in my craft space and lately explores it too... meaning everything is dragged out of its place and played with. When it comes to my knitting needles, I become (understandably) nervous... you know, pointy metal object and all... I had to hide away everything.

So... ta-daaaa! this is how I thought the whole thing.

This is the closed roll: no points, no needles around to play with.

This is the roll open: plenty of space for my needles.

I made two pockets in different heights to hold needles and smaller accessories. Each pocket is divided in slots, to keep firmly in place everything.

In the top pocket there's space for my needles (obviously ordered by size - big to small), I've even three free slots for future needle shopping...

In the bottom pocket (left to right): circular needle, two points knitting pins, various stitch holders.

I wanted the roll to be functional, but I added a cute fabric detail as simple decoration. I left the borders raw, simply zig-zagged. On the back, the same fabric and the same technique for the two diagonal stripes.

For a 20 minutes project, I'm really satisfied: fast, easy, functional and pretty.

Maybe one for my crochet hooks...?

life lessons and kids

Today I read this post by Charity@Indietutes: oh, girl, I can definitely relate to that!

I have two girls: one is 1 year old and cannot properly talk (yet), and one is 6 and she sure knows one thing or two...

Now, and - if the present is of any indication - in the future, I'll have my share of life lessons to hand out, and undoubtly my share of awe at kids' reasoning and understanding of life. Never fail to amaze me, those two...

Hopefully, I'll get the same amount of life lessons from them. Can't wait! :)

Smurfette#1: 6 years old

 this is her very first day at school (september 2011).
See that grin? yeah, she's like that...

Smurfette#2: 1 year old

that's the face "thanks mom, I can manage"

I know it's almost spring...

... 'cause I've been to Abilmente in Vicenza, and it was the spring installment. So on with the spring spirit!

This is what I brought home from the fair.

I must admit I didn't appreciate the smaller size of the fair, although there was plenty of shops and stands and crafty things. I had fun anyway. I just didn't like the cake design section so much, especially when that way you end up with less space for other creativity fields... Enough with the rambling.

I bought some quilting notion: a bigger rule (Omnigrid) that I paid half of the one that's half its size; a magic pen, water washable, for the quilting.

There also was the national association, so I went to get my badge... finally!

Then I fell in love with this book that explores various techniques for paper, some easy and kid suitable, others a little more complex.

I was in desperate need of ribbons (baby pattern), bias, ric-rac and nylon string for beads.

Then I found those two essences: orange and cinnamon. I plan on making something for my bathroom.

These are cutter (for paper) that I bought for my daughter, who's very crafty with colored cards: and I didn't resist this other border cutter:

I finally found these (photo below - I don't know how you call them), to be soon used for key rings:

Some stamps and ink both for me and for my daughter.

A friend of mine gave me this stick of pure and organic linen: I must think of something to embroid, now, right?

And lastly: a wood heart that's almost identical to the one in my logo... had to get it!

On sunday morning I'll return to the fair with a friend of mine at her first experience. It will be fun! (again)