Leaf Garland

A couple of weeks ago, I posted some photos of fall leaves and wrote that I wished the season would last longer. It makes me a bit sad when all the leaves fall to the ground, colors fade, and the landscape suddenly looks solemn and exposed. I decided to gather as many leaves as I could carry, press them, and make a garland.

I don't know if there's an approved method of pressing leaves, but I just put them in a heavy book, two or three to a page, flip to the next chapter, and add some more. Once you're finished tucking all your leaves in, add several more heavy books on top to weigh it down. Check your leaves after one week, but you might have to leave them in there for another week until they're fully dry.

To make the garland, I just used mini clothespins from the craft store and some string. And now I have a happy autumn garland that took almost no time at all!

You could probably do the same thing with dried flowers or other botanical things. It's an easy way to bring nature inside year-round.


P.S. Dawn is organizing an ornament swap for anyone who wants to participate. The ornaments can be purchased ($10 max) or handmade, and vintage is cool too. It's going to be a lot of fun. I've already signed up, and you should too! Head over to Dawn's blog to find out the details. The cutoff date is November 11.

Actually, Dawn and I "met" online last year when we were paired up in an ornament swap organized by another blogger. So you never know what kind of friends and connections you'll make. :)

Rustic

Normally, I would not describe myself as a rustic kind of girl, but I always feel drawn to reclaimed wood furniture, warm tones and weatherworn textures, especially this time of year. I think adding a few pieces here and there adds a calming effect to a space. I can't really explain it, but it appeals to me on an emotional level as well as a visual one. Most people would say that pieces like these add character or uniqueness to a room, and they definitely do that too. What do you think? Do you prefer sleek and modern, warm and rustic, or some combination of the two? Maybe your favorite style is Rococo and you want nothing to do with either. If that's true, you might want to have your eyes examined. ;)

1. cherry cutting board by Gray Works
2. vintage birdhouse from The Vintage Parlor
3. geometric dish by INKKIT
4. reclaimed Douglas Fir and recycled iron steel 'Mt Whitney' chair by Blake Avenue
5. bar height reclaimed wood table by Croft House
6. reclaimed wood floating shelves by Green House Framing

Nice to Meet You.

I checked my analytics recently, which I haven't done in a long while, and realized I've picked up some new readers. It occurred to me that I should introduce myself. Actually, I've had it on my must-do list to create an "about me" page for, I don't know, about two years now. I'm really terrible at this sort of thing, but here goes.

I live just outside Washington, DC with my boyfriend of about a bazillion years. His name is Peter. We bought our first house in August, and we are slowly but surely fixing it up and making it pretty. Our decorating budget is a bit on the teeny tiny side, so I will have to be creative, shop sales and vintage, and do some diys. We've already made some progress, though, which you can see here.

This blog is about many things, but mostly about art, design, diys, inspiration, handmade, crafts, vintage, photography, and my life. I have a shop where I sell felt jewelry, illustrated journals, and vintage earrings, but I'm planning to add new items soon!

I can't imagine a life without books, and I visit my local library every week. (My mom's first question to me when we talk is almost always "What are you reading?") I love classic movies and Masterpiece on PBS, but lest you think my taste too refined, I've also seen every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer more times than I can count, and I force Peter to watch Toddlers and Tiaras (I know, it's horrible) whenever it comes on.

I never met a vegetable I didn't like, but I only eat fruit in dessert form. That is all.

I told you I was terrible at this. Anything you want to know? Ask me! Leave a comment or email me at myhideawaydesigns@gmail.com  :)
xo,
Mary

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November

Tenka Gammelgaard

I, for one, wouldn't mind if this November lasted a bit longer than other months because I have a very many things to get done and could use a bit more time to do them. In any case, November is one of my favorite months, and I'm happy it's here. My birthday is in November and Thanksgiving too, of course. Plus, the weather is usually perfect for cozy crafting and reading and all the other activities I love, without being too cold yet.

What is your favorite thing about November?

Scenes from Life

Our Halloween decorations were pretty minimal due to Hurricane Sandy, but I did manage to put lanterns out on the front porch and a pumpkin in the window.

We had a handful of trick or treaters; and one little girl was so cute Peter and I wanted to keep her. I realize that makes us sound like abductors or something, but she was really adorable.

We saved the best treats for us, of course, brownies filled with lots of gooey deliciousness.

Overall, I've just been feeling very thankful this week. Hope everyone has a good weekend. xo, Mary

One Down, Five (or Six, or Seven) To Go!

We finally finished painting the first room; it's the smallest bedroom, the one we've jokingly referred to as "the library" because that's where all of our books landed on moving day (and where they'll probably stay). The color before wasn't terrible, but it also wasn't us. Anyone who's been reading this blog for a while knows by now that I love color. I'm just not a beige kind of person.

We tried five different colors before settling on Blue Danube by Benjamin Moore (it's the sample on the top left). It's a gorgeous, rich, bluish teal. These photos don't do it justice. Also, you can see that it looks much lighter in the can and dries darker, as most paints do.

I tried to show here how it looks in different lighting, but again, it's much prettier in person.

I think a lot of people might shy away from painting a darker color in a small room. There's a misconception that dark colors "will make you feel like you're in a coffin." I can't tell you how many times I've heard that, but it's just not true. We've all taken color theory and know that certain colors do "advance" and others "recede." But a rich, beautiful color on the walls will make a space feel so much better to be in. You will want to spend time in that room, get cozy, and never leave.

The most important factor in deciding on a paint color is not how dark or light it is, but rather the tone (cool, warm) and color. Paint as many swatches as it takes to feel sure you've made the right choice because painting is hard work, and there's nothing worse than spending your entire weekend painting to end up with a color you don't love. I asked the guy at the paint store how many samples people usually buy (for the record, we've bought eight so far for different rooms), and he said some people will buy as many as 30 or 40 samples! I don't think I'd ever need that many, but it doesn't hurt to be sure...especially if you're paying someone else to paint because that's expensive!

Oh, and if anyone's curious, the bookcase you can see the corner of there was handmade by my dad years ago. It's made it through three different moves so far, and needless to say, I'll keep it forever. Even if it starts falling apart. And even if it clashes with every other piece of furniture I own. ;)

And one more thing: last night, in a moment of spontaneous enthusiasm, I signed up for NaBloPoMo. I've never participated before, and honestly, now is probably not the best time to do it because we're crazy busy these days. But I'm just gonna go for it anyway! I think it's good to push yourself sometimes, if for no other reason than to remind yourself that you still can. Anyone else want to join me?