Mid-Week Inspiration

Hard to believe it's already Wednesday & the last day of August! But don't worry, September has so much potential! One of my most favorite months, for sure (& the start of a new season... fall, anyone?).

Next on my "To Craft" list (aside from some new merch for the shop) is a mail organizer. I currently have two boxes full of mail from my lovely correspondences in college & the rest is overflowing in a reusable bag (not so cute). Here's one inspiration I might use to store some of these precious keepsakes:

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Met up with one of my best friends on Monday. I visited her classroom (she's a 1st grade teacher) and we went out to eat at Falafel King. She gave me this for my birthday. It's been on my favorites list on Etsy for a while now! It's so beautiful. When I opened it I almost cried it's so lovely. The Wheatfield is also on my favorite shops list.

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If you need a great & simple recipe, here's one for you. I tried this last night. Griff & I loved it. It was so simple & took only about 30 minutes from scratch to bowl! I love this website! It tasted more like a Mexican macaroni; just delicious.

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I finished my digital scrapbook for Peru & it's currently in the "printing" status, but as soon as it arrives I'll give you a review of winkflash's quality. I certainly saved a heck of a lot of money ($114 to be exact) using a coupon code I found online (score). I loved how simple it was to make the book. Mine turned out to be 96 pages! Here are a few pages:

Have a great Wednesday, everyone. Be where you are.

Roses are Red, Mondays are Blue, & a Custom Order, One for You?

A bit of crafting this weekend. I finished up a birthday gift for my cousin, a custom iPad case (we're going to Vegas this weekend to celebrate)!

I did my first custom order for Belleview Place, a wristlet clutch. Beautiful lemon yellow contrasted with grey & vermilion: sunburst. A few of these will be hitting the digital shelves soon! & if you're interested in a custom order, let me know! Very affordable & fun.

Griff & I had a date night on Saturday. I made him dinner & dessert. He brought roses. We ate outside over candlelight & watched a movie. It was lovely! Just the normal we need!

Here's to a great week!

Up & Coming

Hi hi, hello, all! I've been MIA for a variety of reasons.

1. Medical school applications: finally tying up a few loose ends & then they will be complete.
2. Studying for the GRE & looking into applying to graduate programs (this means trying to use words like erudite & prestidigitation in my everyday vocabulary).
3. House-sitting. I've been away from my normal routine & thus my sewing machine and crafting supplies too.
4. I've been diligently working on my Peru digital scrapbook using winkflash. It's currently 92 pages & it's not even done yet! SOON.

That being said, my sincerest apologies for the lack of updates. Here's some random stuff to much on.

I am adding a few new products to the shop & you get the first sneak peek! Here's one item that will be available soon.

This lovely is made with Ty Pennington fabric & an organic cotton fabric called Lemon. ♥

If you follow me on Twitter (@belleviewplace), you will know that I broke my first needle! I guess I've been officially sworn into the sewing club after this mishap. Snapped a quick photo, tossed the broken needle and replaced it with a fresh one & kept on sewing. No big deal! PS-isn't this fabric lovely!

And in other random news, I absolutely love this Cucumber White Tazo tea. They don't even have this tea listed on their website, but Amazon does! I bought mine from a Super Target. I haven't tried it hot yet (not sure it would be as delicious), but iced it's absolutely scrumptious. Beat the August heat with this! I might just be sipping on some this very moment.

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Please keep all the East Coasters in your thoughts and prayers as they brace for hurricane Irene! Have a safe weekend, everyone.

Tuesday Tutorial: Up-cycled Wood Blocks

I've had these wood blocks for a while, but I thought it was high time for an update. I thought about giving them away, but decided to update them instead. For this, all you need is a sturdy piece of wood (perhaps you too have a piece that needs to be updated...), some spray paint, painter's tape, & some acrylic paint.

For the first one I used Coral Isle. I really liked the look of the raw wood around the edges, so I used painter's tape before spray painting. After a few thin and even layers of spray paint (and letting it dry, of course), I roughed it up a bit with a nail file (or sand paper if you're classy) just so it wasn't so shiny. I then painted the word Patience with white & a grey outline.

Wrap 3M tape around the edges & fold

Spray a thin, even layer

After two thin coats

After three thin coats: perfect!

Roughed up a bit & with a thin layer of acrylic white

Beginning outlines of grey

& voila... with a little patience (ha) you're finished product will be dry in no time

For the second I used Chalkboard spray paint from Krylon (my first experience with this stuff & I am hooked). No better time to use this stuff than August when it's back to school time!

Apply a few thin, even layers allowing time to dry in between

After a few coats, let it dry for 24 hours. Then use the side of a piece of chalk and rub the entire surface of the chalk board. Erase with a felt eraser (or your fingertips) & then you're free to write/draw/create!

Linking up with these ladies: & here & here

A Restful Weekend

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. I spent most of it crafting & relaxing. Stocked up on some fabric (yay), including some of my new favorite material: voile. It's elegant & softer than soft! I also got very sidetracked watching How It's Made fabric & subsequently jeans, which basically made me drool it was so awesome.
I did a quick plastic bag holder, courtesy of Martha. Tutorial found here.

I also finally bought some more interfacing & worked on my t-shirt quilt. It's getting close to completion! All the shirts are officially sewn together. Not all the seams match, but it's homemade & my first attempt at "quilting," so I'm still proud of it. That tutorial comes from the lovely Caroline, found here.

Also, I used my Keurig for the first time this morning & woof, I didn’t know what I was missing. That was one delicious cup of coffee!

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Fun & easy tutorial coming tomorrow!

Currently

Thursday thrills, what I'm up to:

Reading:

Dipping into some nonfiction with The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

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Writing:

My journal + application essays

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Drinking:

Lychee tea

Listening to:

Mumford & Sons Pandora station

"Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People

"You are a Tourist" by Death Cab for Cutie

"Turn Around" by Matt Maher

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Desiring to:

Go golfing, oddly enough

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Inspired by:

The imminent weekend

Voile fabric

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What are you up to?

Randomness is good (just ask entropy! ...nerdy joke). Have a good one!

Tuesday Tutorial: Painted Glass

You will need:

A glass bottle, vial, or vase (cleaned with soap & water and dried)

PermEnamel steps 1, 2 & 3 (pictured below)

A paintbrush or sponge (depending on your project)

A cork (I found this helpful while painting the wine bottle)

1. Clean the glass you will paint with soap and water. If there is a label on the front that you don't want, take this off. I found the best way to get a label off (such as on a wine bottle) is to wet with water & scrub with soap while the water is running. To get the rest of the adhesive off, simply use a cottonball with some rubbing alcohol.

2. Apply step 1 of PermEnamel. I poured some directly into the wine bottle I was painting, swirled it around to make sure all areas were covered and poured the excess back into the step 1 container. The surface conditioner prepares the glass for the paint & also helps dry the glass completely. Wait 30 minutes for step 1 to dry before applying paint.

3. Apply step 2 (the paint) to the glass. If you're painting a vase or an open glass bowl/container, use a paintbrush.

For a wine bottle, I squeezed the paint directly into the top of the bottle. I then slowly swirled/rolled it around until the entire inside surface was covered.

4. Pour excess paint back into the paint container. I corked the bottle, turned it upside down & then poured it back into the paint container.

5. Let the bottle dry for 2 days to make sure it is completely dry.

6. Apply the Satin Glaze (step 3). The satin glaze essentially cures the paint so that it remains permanent.

7. Allow the Satin Glaze to cure entirely (10 days) before using your glass as a vase.

That's it! You're done. What a pristine look!

Also, it's my birthday today! Yay. I'm 23 years old! So visit the shop & use coupon code TWENTYTHREE at checkout for 10% off your purchase! Coupon is valid through this Friday, 08.12.11.


Celebrating tonight at my favorite restaurant: Osteria Marco. Have a great day!


Love,

Linking up here: