Holiday Decorating - On the Mantel

I decided to keep our holiday decor simple this year: white and gold accents surrounded by fresh greenery. I'm not usually one for minimalism at Christmastime, but I have to say I love how calm and peaceful it looks. I did have plans to DIY a white wreath out of felt, but I've been too busy to indulge in just-for-fun crafting, and I didn't want to wait until Christmas Eve to put up our decorations. So I bought this paper wreath kit from Paper Source as an alternative. It's so pretty!! I don't know if you can tell from these photos, but half the leaves are made from paper with a shimmer finish, and half from paper with a matte finish. It has just the right amount of shimmer to catch the light, particularly when the candles are lit, without being too over-the-top and glittery.

I'm not gonna lie though, it did take forever to put together. I probably would've been able to design and execute my own DIY in the time it took! But I honestly don't regret it at all; it looks beautiful above the mantel, and I think it fits in perfectly with the decorations we already had.

We've been trying new holiday-scented candles lately too...maybe I'll share some that we've liked if anyone's interested in that sort of thing. I never really thought I'd be a candle person, but it just makes the whole room cozy and warm (especially now that the nights are drawing in), and lighting candles has become a daily habit.

Hope everyone has had a great start to the week! And to my fellow shop owners in the midst of the holiday rush, remember to take a break now and then and breathe. Don't worry, it will all get done. xo, Mary

Today's Finds

It's been forever since I did one of these posts, right? I happened to be looking for some cute studio/office stuff today and came across a few things I thought I'd share.

Vintage utility cart from The White Pepper

Custom business card stamp from The Stationary Boutique

Telephone wall clock from Decoylab

"Don't Forget" magnetic notepad from Quill and Fox

Vintage wire magazine rack from Nine Star Vintage

I don't know about you guys, but I could probably use one of those "Don't Forget" notepads in every room. Also, I'm pretty sure a transpondster is what I want to be when I grow up, you know, if the whole art thing doesn't work out.

Should I bring back "Today's Finds" posts? What d'ya think?

Pretty Wrapping Paper

I've been a fan of Korean-based O-Check Design Graphics for a little while now, but I've never been able to find their products locally. I was super excited to randomly come across a book of their wrapping papers at the Crate and Barrel Outlet, of all places. and for 60% off of the original price! (In case this isn't obvious, the book contains folded sheets of removable patterned wrapping paper, tissue paper, and gift tags.)

The book is filled to the brim with prettiness: mostly floral or botanical designs and sweet animal prints on pastel or neutral backgrounds. There's something nostalgic about these designs that I can't quite place, possibly some association I have with childhood and storybooks...I don't know.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share this little gem, which appears to be available on the website as well, in case, like me, you can't resist a sweet patterned paper anything.

Getting Organized

I picked up a new calendar/planner at Paper Source on Monday (they're 50% off right now!) and a pack of LePens in a renewed attempt to get organized. I have tried this before with other calendars that I didn't like using and inevitably, reverted back to my "system" of post-it notes and to-do lists scattered all over my desk. Living in paper-strewn chaos is not ideal, obviously, so I'm hoping these pretty things will motivate me to stay on track with projects and be a little tidier too.

I have to admit, writing my first "to dos" yesterday was pretty satisfying and crossing them off even more so. (That little jotter is from Caren Barry; her Etsy shop is filled with all manner of pretty floral things, check it out!)

I also picked up some washi tape at IKEA on our last trip. We were there to buy some plant pots, a stool, and other practical things, but you know how cute things have a way of slipping into your cart. ;)

By the way, if anyone has any tips about getting organized, sticking to a schedule, or sorting out life in general, please feel free to leave me a comment. xo, Mary

Today's Finds

Sgrafo mid-century bear from Glittery Moon Vintage

Wool girl's dress from PABUITA

Ceramic tumbler from Noe Marin

Cards from Season Paper

Print from Ottilie Takes Photos

Today's Finds

Mobile from Patricija

Hand-knitted girls' sweater from Sweet Meadowsweet

Wooden Empire State building and Chrysler building from LaNiqueHOME

Pear greeting card set from deKanimal

Squirrel costume from opposite of far

Today's Finds

Cat pouch by PetiteMila

Vintage desk lamp from M for Modern

Nude leather tote bag from 5plus

Horse bookends from Equine by Lauren

Pocket notebook from Jane Hayden Designs

Today's Finds

Sweater from The Knit Kid

Mi piace gelato from anek

Red agate necklace from xuanqirabbit

"Top Knot 19" from Elizabeth Mayville

Cassette tape gift card holder from PaperBuiltShop

Mother's Day Card

I made this colorful card a couple of months ago when it was snowy outside and I was longing for flowers, but I waited to post it because I thought it would make a perfect Mother's Day card. We all know our moms' favorite gifts are the ones we make ourselves, right? And this card is super simple and quick to make. It would be a great project for dads to make with kids too. :)

What you'll need:
- card stock, construction paper, or a blank card. I used card stock, which I cut to 5x7". (You can really use any paper you have lying around the house, even printer paper will be just fine.)
- pictures of flowers from magazines or catalogs. This time of year, just about every magazine you pick up at the newsstand or in the grocery store will have some floral pictures inside, and a lot of catalogs do as well. (There's no need to spend money though, lots of beautiful magazines are probably sitting in recycling bins right now; just ask neighbors, friends, or coworkers if they have any they don't want anymore.)
- scissors
- hole punch. I used a single hole punch that is cranky and older than I am, but a 3-hole punch will work just fine too.
- black paper (or any color paper that will stand out against your card background...you can also punch holes out of your magazine if you don't have any colored paper)
- glue stick. I used Elmer's All Purpose glue stick, but any kind will work.

Cut out your flowers. I opted for large flowers, all in pinks, oranges, and yellows, but you can obviously do any color combination you like. Any size flowers will work too.

Punch out little polka dots. You only need a few.

Glue everything down, overlapping the flowers as you go. Don't worry if the flowers run off the side of the card; you can trim them to the edge of the card after you've glued everything down.

Why flowers and polka dots? I love mixing patterns in just about everything: clothes, crafts, home decor. Why not? It's fun. :)

If anyone does their own take on this card, please leave me a link in the comments. I'd love to see! xo, Mary

Handmade Swap

I received my package from the handmade swap I blogged about last week, and everything is so lovely! My swap partner was fellow Etsy seller and illustrator Caren Barry who lives in Cambridge, England.

 I love how she packaged everything up, like a little bundle of spring. :)

And inside were so many lovely floral things, a notebook and pincushion that she designed and made, a gift tag from a local shop, and a treasured postcard of Claude Monet's The Poppy Field in Argenteuil, 1873, which Caren had had for years on her wall and in her notebooks (and there's no way that Caren could've known this, but I love Monet and have had a soft spot for his work since traveling through France many years ago).

Also, it was funny that we gave each other similar gifts, not knowing anything about each other beforehand. We each made a small notebook and a card. I gave her lavender soap, and the pincushion she sent smelled of lavender too because it had been stored in the same box with lavender sachets she also makes. How weird/awesome is that? :)

Check out Caren's shop for more cards, cushions, prints, notebooks, all sorts of lovely things. You can also see what she's up to on her blog, instagram, and twitter.

Happy Friday, everyone! Here's to signs of spring (hopefully) popping up everywhere.

Let's Swap Cards!

Last week, an Etsy pal left a comment asking if I wanted to swap handmade cards, and I thought, why not see if other people want to join in on the fun too? You can draw, stamp, paint, collage, bedazzle, whatever you want, as long as your card is made by you! No need to be an expert in paper crafts, I'm certainly not and I still have a lot of fun making and sending cards.

If you're interested, just send me an email with your address by the end of the week, say Sunday night, to myhideawaydesigns@gmail.com. I'll swap the group around and email everyone with the address of a partner early next week. :)

If anyone wants to send pics of the cards they make also, I'll do a round up post later on, but that's up to you. This is a totally laid back swap. Just have fun!

DIY Confetti Card

I agreed to participate in a little snail mail project recently, so you know what that means, time to make more cards! Since my last card DIY involved a fair amount of supplies, I paired this one down to just four--simple and easy. In fact, it's so easy I'm not sure I can really even call this a tutorial. But anyway, here's what I did.

What you'll need:
- blank cards. I used Strathmore Stamping Cards, but you can use card stock cut to the size of your envelopes. The most important thing is just that the surface of your paper is smooth, rather than textured (as in watercolor cards or canvas cards).
- circle punch. I used a 5/8" Recollections brand circle punch from Michaels. (To be honest, there are probably better brands out there, but for my purposes, this worked just fine.)
- tissue paper. I used a multi-color pack that I already had. I don't know what brand it is since the packaging is long gone, but it doesn't matter what type you use.
- glue stick. I used Elmer's All-Purpose Glue Stick. You could try liquid glue with this project, but I thought it would be too messy and soak through the tissue paper.

Use your circle punch to cut out a bunch of circles. This part is self-explanatory. The only tip I can give you is to make sure you have several layers of tissue paper stacked up before you try to press down. If your layers are too thin, they will get caught in the punch and tear your paper.

Start gluing your circles in whatever pattern floats your boat. I did rows of overlapping circles, starting about 3/4 of the way down the paper and layering as I worked to the right. After I finished a row, I started on the next row above it, again overlapping. Also, I only glued the top half of each circle. You really don't need a lot of glue and leaving the bottom half unglued gives the overall card more texture.

I finished my card by adding a little "HELLO" to the front, but you can write whatever message you like or leave it blank.

Wouldn't this card brighten your day up a bit if it was waiting for you in your mail box? I love the way the tissue paper looks layered. And I used my favorite Sharpie paint pens again. If anyone's wondering, I'm not getting paid by Sharpie to talk about their markers-haha-I just really like them. Actually, I'd say it's more than like at this point; we've been spending a lot of time together. ;)

If you decide to make this card, let me know! I'd love to see. xo, Mary

Things I liked lately

This little cowboy has been making me smile since he came to live with me. Whenever I have a frustrating work/life moment, I just look at him and he instantly cheers me up. Thanks, Mr. Cowboy! :)

He came in this awesome packaging too. Incidentally, Kim Welling is a genius and you should buy something from her, or several somethings.

I already mentioned these Sharpie paint pens in this diy post, and I also used them on this notebook in the shop, but I haven't mentioned that since I got these, no surface is safe from me. I'm in love with their pastel opaqueness, and they write/draw really smoothly once you get the right ink flow going. I'm using them all over the place. The only slightly annoying thing is that you have to shake them up for literally like half an hour to get the ink flowing the first time. But I think all paint pens are like that. And I'm counting it as exercise.

The scottie dog has been keeping my headphones from getting completely jumbled in my bag, which is much appreciated, and the cute little stripey envelopes came in a set from Martha Stewart. I think I got these at A.C. Moore, but they're probably available everywhere her products are sold, which is everywhere. The envelopes are just the right size for the thank you notes I send with orders and remind me of fruit stripe gum, which everyone knows is the best tasting gum on the planet...for about 30 seconds...then turns into a wad of silly putty in your mouth. I haven't actually had any since high school, so for all I know science has fixed that whole flavor-vanishing problem by now. It's not like they have anything more important to do.

Other things:

DIY - This IKEA hack via Poppytalk is simple and perfect.

Travel - This list of the most charming places in the world. I think I've only been to one or two of these places...must do something about that. Also, I would probably add a few cities to this list, but you know, we all have our favorites.

History - Actually an old article that I came upon randomly last week when I was searching for something totally unrelated...the internet is magical sometimes and shows you just the thing you didn't even know you were looking for...anyway, it's an article about a dollhouse that was decorated by Charlotte Bronte while she was a governess (before she wrote Jane Eyre). She mentions in a letter to her sister sewing the dolls' clothes, though she wasn't terribly happy about it. I love finding out random things about authors whose work I'm so familiar with, or for that matter, artists too. Anyway, the dollhouse was up at auction several years ago. Can you imagine owning something like that?