home is where the heart is

hello dear ones!  today i have some exciting- but slightly bitter-sweet news.  remember all the times i’ve shared pictures with you from my grandmother’s house? all of the apples trees, grape vines and beautiful flowers? well the bitter news is that she was so homesick that she decided to sell her house and move back to southern georgia.

moving day

the sweet news?

the happy couple

we bought it!  it’s our first official home and we’re totally excited (okay, david might be a little scared).

sunday morning

this is pretty much what we’ve looked like for the last month (minus the cats and add a golden retriever).  me, looking through design magazines and talking dave’s ear off; david, sweetly fixing breakfast and offering his two cents worth!

though the yards a beautiful…

they need alot of work.  and so does the inside of the house.  so, we’ve called on all our friends to join us for a halloween celebration- extreme home makeover style!  for the next 3 days i’ll be cooking for about 15 of our friends while everyone pitches in to help us out- what are friends for, right?

basically, this is the beginning of a new era (ok, maybe not an era but a theme..).  though i’m super excited about renovation projects and moving into a new home- i’m even more excited to bring them to you.  i’ll be reporting back with before and after pictures, diy projects and home improvement how-to’s.  i would also like to start hearing form you!  i’ll be taking submissions (indefinitely) of before and after pics, diy projects and beautiful homes or creative spaces and bring them to you as often as i can!

what are you doing this weekend? xox, bonnie

wrap up: {diy} {home} {home improvment} {house} {moving}

hi dearies!  well, i guess i’m in the mood for decor (you’ll find out why tomorrow- hint hint!) i’m bringing you another fantastic fabric designer today.  i ran across tara’s post over at scoutie girl earlier this week which got me inspired!  daisy janie is a one women show- ran by no other than jan dicintio- previous editor of scoutie girl.

jan gave me my very first blog mention- and i pretty much claim that going home to roost launched with this post! she’s dear to my heart and though she’s passed scoutie girl’s torch on to the amazing tara gentile, she now has time to focus on her passion: designing fabric.

jan recently posted about her sketchpad to fabric process and it’s amazing to see the transformation.  this is her original sketchpad drawings.

from jan :: ‘basically, i start with original artwork from my sketchbook – from there it is tweaked, worked, re-worked, worked, re-worked, colored and polished with a fine shammy. sometimes i hit the design right away; other times, i have to walk away for a week and revisit it with a fresh eye to see if it works.’

after highlighting a few shapes and patterns (above), jan comes to the final pattern (below).  what a transformation, right?

you can read her entire post here- thanks for sharing your process jan!

elsewhere :: {site} {etsy shop} {blog} {flickr}

pink petals

balancing act

echinacea white

elsewhere :: {etsy} {blog} {flickr}

hi lovelies!  today’s etsy savoir faire is kinda short- but i think really cool.  have you heard of the handmade movement? it’s a way to support indieprenuers and etsians- and who doesn’t need a little bit of support?

trees & bird

two days a week, and etsy shop with few or no sales is announced on the site.  as many people as possible then buys items from that shop- resulting in a frenzy of surprise and an etsian singing hallelujah.

natural driftwood candle holder

michael phipps who created handmade movement offers this advice: “i’m often asked how shops are chosen as “victims” of the attacks. first and foremost, no one should volunteer to be at the receiving end of a sneak attack. that’s about the best way to NOT be chosen. it wouldn’t be a “sneak attack” then, would it?! the shops need to have few or no sales, have been around for at least two weeks (preferably longer), they need to have some recent activity evident in their shops, and they need to have a good amount of quality, affordable products. we sadly pass by a lot of shops because they have blurry or dark pictures, incomplete descriptions, or nothing has been added or renewed for months.

hand printed holiday cards

since the end of september, handmade movement has sponsored 67 attacks on a total of 81 shops, resulting in 973 sales- resulting in about $6000 worth of products! you can read a few of the sneak attacked etsians stories at the bottom of this storque post.

do your homework :: {handmade movement} {sneak attacks by the handmade movement} {faqs} {past sneak attack list}

wrap up: {etsy savoir faire} {etsy shop help} {handmade movement} {sneak attack} {support}

the craftress

top :: jill mckeever :: clockwise :: mini viles of natural perfume :: gift set :: poison ivy lib balm :: moss & ivy oil

i think all of us could take a moment to embrace the strange in us, don’t you?  and, jill mckeever’s kind of strange is just my type.  for strange women is a collection of natural, handmade adornments, perfumes, and other eccentricities all made from natural substances in effort to avoid the dangers of commercial cosmetics.  this is the kind of ‘strange’ we good all use a little more of.  my hope is that one day this won’t be seen as strange at all.  in fact, i think all the chemically produced substances we allow to absorb into our bodies is what is so strange!  (ok, slowly stepping off the soap box now)..

well, just one more thing- in case this topic is new to you- check out this website!  go grab your shampoo bottle and visit skin deep where you can enter the ingredients and see what’s harmful and what’s not.  that way- we can start making healthier decisions!  (ok, now i’m off)..

jill is also an amazing photographer.  i got a bit lost browsing her blog and photo albums earlier- her images are breathtaking!  my favorite album is from when she went to colorado.  enjoy my dearies!

elsewhere :: {shop} {blog} {site} {flickr} {facebook}

wrap up: {cosmetics} {eco} {natural} {oddly amazing} {perfume}

ok so i rarely do this.  but… i ran across lovely pieces by ashley austin earlier this morning over at deocr8 blog and just couldn’t wait to share it with you!  by the way- you do read decor8, right?  it’s like an endless pit of inspiration over there…

row 1 :: art prints row 2:: totes row 3 :: paper goods

most of you probably don’t know this about me, but i just finished my 200 hour yoga teacher certification this month (yay!).  i’m planning on opening a studio after the new year (yes, i have way too much going on).  anyways, her  yoga inspired little shop totally brightened my day.  i love everything that she does!

elsewhere :: {shop} {blog}

polka dot hen

notice the hen’s antique fork feet? love them!  full time artist susan haven-morris is a fellow north carolinian who creates original papier mache and fabric sculptures.  middleburg folk art studio is where you’ll find her lovely sculptures, cake toppers and figures.

clockwise :: squirrel :: sheep :: whooooo owl :: birds on a swing ::

her papier mache pieces are made from 100% recycled ground newspaper- and to sculpt she just adds water and a biodegradable binder.  so, not only is middleburg cute it’s green too!

elsewhere :: {shop} {site} {blog}

wrap up: {cake topper} {farm girl} {figures} {papier mache} {sculpture}

i’ve been slightly obsessing over ink & spindle for a little while now- and thought i should at least give you the opportunity to do the same! these three lovely ladies were brought together by their common passion for screen printed textiles and sustainable alternatives.  all of their fabric is printed on an organic cotton/hemp blend, with environmentally friendly, solvent free inks- yeah!

this is just a sneak peek of their beautiful designs. my first ink & spindle love was the birch forest print in robins egg (upper left).  i want to make curtains from it!

now i could really get creative in a space like this…

here are the gals hard at work screen printing the fabric.  do you see how yummy that birch forest is in gold? sigh…

elsewhere! :: {site} {blog} {lara’s blog} {bianca’s blog}