why we love

"We love because He first loved us."     -1 John 4:19

:: february 2014 chalkboard art ::

the month of love, according to the world (at least in our country)
a reminder of why, directly from the truth (for all people and nations)

1 john 4 is legit and convicts me. read the whole chapter, folks. and then come back and share your thoughts. 

xoxo,
annalea

last of autumn wreath

before we officially plunge into christmas/winter mode, i thought i would share some details on my autumn wreath now gracing the front door.  i waited on this post, because we have been hoping our landlord will let us repaint the front door turquoise - which is so very new mexican - but no word back yet on the approval.  so can you just imagine this wreath sitting on a turquoise door?  okay, thanks.

also, this is not a true tutorial.  there are so many wreath DIYs out there and this was a dipping-my-toes-back-in-the-creative-water type project.  but here are the quick details:  

one straw wreath without the plastic wrap removed

2" strips of fabric wrapped around it

lots and lots of felt roses hot glued to the bottom, as well as a few rolled wool buds

add in some orange berries i found in the stash

burlap leaves tucked here and there

and a strip of burlap to tie the wreath up on the door

without counting time to make the flowers (which i had premade a couple years ago when i was still selling on etsy), the wreath took me maybe an hour.  and that is with kiddos afoot.  plus needing to pull out and choose the materials.  it was such a breath of fresh crafty air in our full homeschooling days.  i need to remember it is okay to do that.

i do like my house to feel decidedly autumnish through thanksgiving, so i have another week with this pretty thing.  but, yes, i have begun some christmas crafting in preparation for a total house swap next friday.

how about you?  is your tree already up and the christmas music a'playing?  or will you wait until next weekend?  

simple pendant light diy

the need for better lighting over our piano has become more obvious with the shorter days.  practice in the evenings after dusk was not happening.  combine that with my deep desire to not spend any unnecessary money (did i mention i even cut my own hair last week?) and this simple diy was born.  it as completely free (except i need to replace the edison bulb i stole from another lamp) and was super fast.  those are my favorite kind of solutions.  especially when they produce something nice to look at.

the hemma cord from ikea was used in my old illinois studio space, but has been gathering dust since the move.  and the gold krylon paint pen was thrifted (unopened) with lots of other crafting goodies for my stash by my grandmother a while back.  all i did was paint the black plastic.  simple and fast.  three coats later and voila!  taping off the cord near the plastic would have been good, but i was able to scrub away the gold smudges.

i remember thinking the cord length was ridiculously long in the past.  but it is absolutely just right for our tall ceilings here.  i apologize, ikea, for my shortsightedness.  we screwed in two mug hooks to one of the ceiling beams and attached the included cord clips.  the cord is lightweight with just an exposed bulb and didn't need anything else for support.

the pendant also has very little visual weight, which i think pairs nicely with my grandfather's painting and jesse's guitar.  i also like having the space on top of the piano free when our teacher comes for lessons.  or when i need a place to set keys and such while getting ready to leave.  or when all other spots are covered with school books and paperwork, but i still have one more pile needing a home.

the new light has made such a difference.  like moths to a flame, the kiddos have taken to playing at night again.  (and it is much brighter than the above photo appears.  but not too bright that the shade-less bulb is annoying.  a happy medium of brightness.)

have you made up any simple and fast hacks lately?  don't keep them to yourself! share and inspire, friends.
xoxo,
annalea

i am joining the nester and will be blogging every single day in october! 

full list of posts here.

yes, a beautiful room makes a difference

after waking up cranky two days in a row, seeing these handmade patchwork pillows and those citrus trees and that lace hoop collage and this rainbowtized bookshelf ... it is a breath of fresh-day-new-mercies air.  

not that my life is based on the trivial, but i know details matter.  or else our world would not be so intricately beautiful.  and i am so thankful for the ability to find beauty amidst the broken.

i am joining the nester and will be blogging every single day in october! 

full list of posts here.

o the wonderful cross

When I survey the wondrous cross 

On which the Prince of Glory died

My richest gain I count but loss

And pour contempt on all my pride

See from his head, his hands, his feet

Sorrow and love flow mingled down

Did ever such love and sorrow meet

Or thorns compose so rich a crown

 

O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near and bless Your name

Were the whole realm of nature mine

That were an offering far too small

Love so amazing, so divine

Demands my soul, my life, my all

The Wonderful Cross, Chris Tomlin

making ourselves at home

". . . some kind of spot in the world is the place we each call 'home', no matter how temporary that place might be. . . Here, wherever it is, is your spot.  This place should be expressing something of yourself.  It should be communicating something of you to your visitors, but it also should satisfy something within you.  You should feel 'at home' here, because you have made it home with something of yourself."

Edith Schaeffer, The Hidden Art of Homemaking

gia's grotto

welcome to our first fully finished space in the new casita!
not that we won't make changes here and there (of course we will), but there is no pending to-do list left for gia's room. oh does that make me happy! there is something settling to my spirit by making this rental house our for-now home. we might be here for several more years still and i want the kiddos to feel settled. i want to feel settled.

we call this space gia's grotto. she is a collector.  you never know where you will find a stash of treasured items. i am charmed by this tendency even when i want to pull out my hair at uncovering yet another grouping of random what-nots and whose-its. i tried to include empty spots for her to fill - baskets, drawers, and shelves - to keep the place from becoming ridiculously overcrowded.

the bird theme was surprisingly unintentional.  not until the final hours did i see it repeated in every corner. maybe i should also call this room her magpie nest.

now for those interested in the 411...

the daybed, dresser, rocking chair, bird mirror, foot stool, and side table are hand-me-downs.

the color on the daybed and book cradle is gypsy teal by benjamin moore.

the book cradle and bed canopy were thrifted.

the window and closet curtains are made from vintage thrifted sheets.

the wall color came with the rental - not sure of the color.
the area rug is ikea circa 2006.

the with brave wings she flies printable found here

the slipcovered lampshade story is here.

i made gia the ribbon and bells mobile while she was still in mah belly.

the polka dot bedsheet and pillowcases were walmart clearance and i made the other bed pillows.

the berry botanicals came from a vintage book.

the winter birds printables are found here.

the doll house was a major labor of love and gia's 5th birthday present.

the nan lawson girl and bird printable found here.

the doll bed story is here.

the gypsy girl print is one of my favorite renoir paintings.

the stamped doily hoop story is here.

the tree growth chart is pottery barn circa 2007.

learn more about the rapunzel papercut here.

the sing your own song printable found here.

the embroidered calender is anthropologie circa 2006ish.
the buon giorno principessa story is here.

the feather wreath was pottery barn clearance several years ago.

the pink and purple hot air balloon is from a local albuquerque store.

the spool birds were originally perched on a dining room wall, but i strung them together for a door hanging.

okay, i think that covers it.

xoxo,

annalea