some inspiration from the wild unknown…

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beautiful stuff.  based in brooklyn, the wild unknown is a line of handmade goods and artwork inspired by nature, in particular summers spent in the catskill mountains and on the shores of lake superior, as well as their favorite songs and musicians.

i’m such a sucker for feathers. and bob dylan. see more here.

mural mural on the wall

this might be one of the coolest things i’ve ever seen.

inspired by a painting they found on ebay and paint by numbers artwork, scott and cheryl white turned their blank wall into mural art.  to do this they made a color transparency of the painting, and using a projector, traced the image onto the wall with pencil.  they then created a chart of all the colors and assigned them numbers, and got to work painting! it took them eight months to complete this masterpiece but imagine how much fun you’d have doing it! read more to see some awesome photos of the white’s wall before and after.

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i was looking around online last week for instructions on tie-dying easter eggs- as in this kind of tie-dye:

instead i found this.  i’ve never seen this before… apparently silk ties have another purpose- they can be used to create amazingly beautiful easter eggs! i found a great tutorial on our best bites that walks you through the process.

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pretty pretty pots

i just saw these fabric-covered pots on creature comforts today and i thought they would make a perfect follow-up to my post about plants.  instead of splurging on nice flower pots, buy a bunch of standard cheap ones and cover them with pretty patterned fabric!

this is one of those projects you can be really creative with- if you have scraps of fabric lying around at home you can combine different colors and textures to make a really unique looking flower pot.  or you could take an approach like the tutorial on lavender and limes and use soft vintage looking floral fabrics you can find at an arts & crafts or fabric store.  OR this is another great use for old free people shopping bags! either way the results are one-of-a-kind and add a little touch of unexpected cheer to your potted plants.

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all you need are some terracotta pots, fabric, mod podge (to coat the fabric with so it stays on the pot), and a brush (for applying the mod podge)! for more detailed instructions check out lavender and limes.

bring spring indoors

plants are really pretty to look at but they’re also good to have around the home because they improve air quality.  they’re literally a breath of fresh air, and a way to bring a little bit of the spring that’s blooming outside into your home.

similar to the paper whites we posted about a little while back, amaryllis flowers are really easy to plant inside.  plus they come in bright shades of pink and red that are a welcome burst of spring color after the brutal winter we’ve had!

you can follow the same instructions as the paperwhites to do this yourself (see here) – the only difference is you’ll need a larger vase because these bulbs are much bigger, as you can see! the flowers grow pretty tall too so it’s a good idea to use a stake to keep them standing upright as they grow.

left image: terrain; right image: apartment therapy.

i never would have thought succulents could be so beautiful but they come in a huge variety of colors and textures you can combine to make a really beautiful plant… and you can be creative with the potting and arrangement to create something really unique.

instructions for planting your own succulents can be found here.

and just because… this wall of succulents is amazing:

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images: apartment therapy; re-nest.

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a dog bed made of free people bags! our store manager in greenwich sent me the following photos and blurb that was so cute i had to share…

alison is from new york city and is one of our favorite customers in greenwich connecticut.  she saved and recycled our free people shopping bags to make a bed for her dog!  alison cut the fabric into small pieces and wrapped it carefully around a wire cord to create a base for the bed.  she then continued to double the wire cord and wrap the free people fabric strips around as she built the bed walls.  we think it looks amazing and her dogs are very happy campers!

alison made the bed for chelsea, the english cocker spaniel pictured above – but her other dog, ollie (below), likes to steal it because it’s so comfy!

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those dogs do look very content! i love this project…it also sort of reminds me of the rag rugs we posted a little while ago (here). hmmm…maybe you could make a rag rug out of free people bags??

thanks for sharing alison!

celebrities craft for a cause

wouldn’t you like to own an item hand crafted or signed by one of your favorite musicians?

crafts for a cause is an online charity auction organized by binki shapiro of the band little joy. she gathered together a bunch of fellow musicians to craft items like tshirts, totebags, and artwork, or contribute photos and items – and it’s all up for bidding now here.

they may be a little pricey, but it’s for a good cause — all proceeds go towards relief efforts in haiti.

more info about crafts for a cause can be found on the website here.

hand-stitched blogging

another fp girl told me about this awesome embroidery by brooklyn artist iviva olenick.  she describes her work as small-scale, semi-autobiographical pieces that make up a hand-stitched blog. what a neat idea! the pieces include signs she sees on the street, maps of brooklyn and little quotes or things on her mind, and she also writes about the inspiration behind her projects on a blog called were i so besotted.

i really like the idea of sewing inspirational quotes or song lyrics onto blank tshirts or pillows! adding to my long list of projects i want to try…