Unfinished business

Four months ago, and without thinking about it (evidence here) I dared to buy 10 yards of this fabric:

I didn't mention what it was all about, because I meant to give you a surprise... My surprise was it's been 4 months and I still don't finish my project (what was I thinking!?)

Anyway, I'm not completely guilty, you know it. I got caught in the emotion of DIYing, decorating my house, and doing my everyday stuff (aka job, daughter, house chores, you name it). Reality is, I need much more time to get my projects done than I would like to... but I get them done. Which means, if I can, you can! Our homes don't become heaven from night to day, we need to take tiny little steps to get there.

 Well, suspense is over for you! I've decided to spill the beans. This is what I've especially been doing this week (drums, please!):

I bought the fabric so I could make myself slipcovers for my couches in the TV room. As I said, I'm still not done here (I'm finishing the first one out of TWO!), but this week I really put time and effort into it, and it finally shows! I feel sooo happy. And how could I not want to share the thrill with you?

Of course, this couldn't have been possible without the help of my mom. She's teaching me how to use her machine.

So, eventhough I'm still a little far away from the end, I'm happy.

Promise to share the tutorial with you soon (that is, in another 4 months. Just kidding!)

=)

 

Got Lemons?

I heart this time of year. Heat is gone, days are rainy, and the afteroons... well, they've got a certain feeling in the air. Perfect for a walk or a delicious chat over a cup of coffee.

I like it because it's the harvest time of year. These days we've gone to several corn parties, and the fruit trees at my parents' house are loaded! =)

These are good days.

Anyhow, yesterday I was visiting at my mom's house, and she gave me a bag full of lemons, and another one with guavas. Her trees are literally falling because of the fruit.

This is how great they look!

Since it's a LOT of lemons, I made little lemon ice cubes.

This is a perfect advice if you happen to have lots of lemons, any time of year. In my case, every cube equals one lemon's juice (how practical is that?).

This way, when season is over, I've got plenty of them in the freezer. =)

And they're easy to grab for a quick lemonade for meals, or if I have a surprise visit. ;)

Easy peasy!

You can do this with any fruit, not just lemons. It's also great when you find certain fruits on sale at the grocery.

Anybody in the mood for a lemonade?

PS I'm sharing this tutorial at:

A Silly Little Sparrow's Toot Your Horn Tuesday

Lucky Star Lane's Lucky Linky Tuesday

Hope Studios' Tutorial Tuesday

Trendy Treehouse's Creative Share Blog Hop

Thomas Paul Designs

Is it just me, or Thomas Paul has got the greatest designs. I'm loving everything... from the pillows to the lacquered boxes and Luccite totes... sigh!

I find these last ones especially cute! =)

¡Happy Friday!

Designer Spotlight - Anastasia Faiella

Have you seen the work of designer  Anastasia Faiella? I must say, I'm totally blown away with it! Take a peek into these gorgeous rooms!

I loooove the use of bold and daring colors, in perfect combination.

Can you tell the back wall has stripes? (Hint, hint: they're horizontal ;)

The spaces look very fresh and young.

How do you like this wall?

Ok, so here goes my absolute favorite (apart from the gorgeous living room above).

I have a crush on this kitchen. ADORE it!

What do you think?

Make Your Own Jellyfish -Tutorial

Last week my daughter had this assignment for school: she had to give class about jellyfish. She had to bring extra material, such as dough figures or a cardboard with pictures in it, but no, not my daughter. She had different plans. Using supplies we already had at home, she had this wonderful idea of making a real-like figure. I must tell you, the results were beautiful!

So, if you happen to have this assignment for homework (by you I mean your kids, of course ;), or if you just want a fun, unexpensive, and easy activity to do with them, this is for you. Making your own jellyfish with recycled materials is as easy as following my daughter's tutorial (with a few little ideas of mine).

Material:

Plastic bags

Clear hair rubber bands

Wodden stick

Food coloring

Scissors

How to:

If you want to try for colored jellyfish, use a few drops of food coloring on your bag.

Use your fingers to paint the bag.

Beware of blue fingers!

Turn the bag inside-out. Use the rubber band to mark the division between head and umbrella. The distance depends on the size of your bag, but it's somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3 of the bag.

Once you put the rubber band, it should look like this.

Use another bag to cut out spirals. This is a step for you, since it's a little tricky for kids.

Place the stick on the inside, and secure it with another rubber band. Use this same rubber band to place the spirals in place. (You should take the spirals by the center tip). The spirals are very important for they make pretty tentacles. Do as many as you need (the more, the merrier =).

Done!

If you leave the bags unpainted, they will make gorgeous white jellyfish.

These jellyfish are very easy to make and you'll be sure to get great results. If you go up and down with the stick holding the jellyfish, it will move just like the real ones do. That makes them so perfect! My daughter liked them so much, she wanted to keep them in her room as part of her decoration. By the way, her teachers were delighted, for it was a very creative way of reusing materials.

What do you say?

Like 'em?

If you're up for the challenge, try it out and share your results with me!

PS I'm sharing this tutorial at:
My Frugal Family's Talented Tuesday
A Silly Little Sparrow's Toot Your Horn Tuesday
Coastal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesday  
Lucky Star Lane's Lucky Linky Tuesday
Hope Studios' Tutorial Tuesday
Someday Crafts' Whatever Goes Wednesday
It's So Very Cheri's Spotlight Yourself
Trendy Treehouse's Creative Share Blog Hop
The Thrifty Home's Penny Pinching Party
The Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday

See ya' in Twitter !



Rue Magazine Premiere Issue

Have you guys checked out the Premiere Issue of Rue Magazine? It's fabulous! I'm loving its modern, casual, and very accessible approach to design. Its founders, Crystal and Anne, are bloggers, as many of its contributors... I feel so happy for them! You can read it here.

There's a trend section, with plenty of ideas and interesting items.

The photography is amazing. Leaves me speechless.

And the interiors are...

...sooooo inspiring.

Congrats to team Rue!