friday idea book: diy rag wreath

Who doesn't love a craft that is quick, easy, inexpensive, and oh yeah, pretty? I think this one's a winner. Rag wreaths have been around at least since country-style crafts were all the rage in the '80s. Let's reinvent them with our smart stashes of fabric scraps plus some tulle and ric rac for additional texture and merry measure. This is the perfect thing to keep your hands busy while watching It's a Wonderful Life. The result is really playful and colorful. Instant cheer. {Think I'll be keeping mine up all year.}

Supplies|

a heap of fabric scraps
basket
wire cutter or scissors
couch + a good flick
sturdy wire: I used 40 inches of plain old florists' wire, double wrapped. an old metal coathanger would also do the trick!)
Begin by shaping your wire into a circle. Mine was approximately 8 inches in diameter, but feel free to make yours smaller or larger. Note that this doesn't have to look perfect. It's about to be buried by a pound of fluffy fabric.
I picked fabrics with wintery blues + greens. I also added some mint green tulle, aqua ric rac, and green satin ribbon for a playful twist. Have fun mixing up your colors and textures. Tear the fabric into approximately 1x6" strips and toss everything into a basket. Plop down on the couch and plug in a good film.
You're good to go. Start tying the strips around the circle. Pack the knots together as densely as possible so that the wreath looks full and lovely. Twist and fluff the strands as you go.

To finish it off, add a long satin ribbon with or without a bow. Hang and be merry!

some light housekeeping

I never did understand why half of the presentations and lectures I've attended in my life have begun with the word housekeeping. Really, housekeeping and announcements have little to do with one another. Does that ever bug you too?

Ahem. Hello and happy Friday. I have a couple of announcements:

1| You might notice a little redecorating around here. I've added some fancy buttons over on your right. Allow me to expound:

Big News. Our little photog business is undergoing a huge name change. We'll soon be called Jeff Loves Jessica Photography. Because let's face it, J Kesterson is boring and hard to spell. Plus the new name is more reflective of our husband-wire partnership and also pairs well with the wedding world. What do you think? Oh, and our new website is coming this winter!

The other 3 are just quick links to some of my favorite Christmas crafts. Handy for you in the holiday hustle + bustle.

2| Congrats to this week's winner of Colette Paperie's 2011 Calendar:

Kate said...

i love the 2011 Perplexed Birdies Illustrated Calendar! so sweet

{Kate, would you kindly email me your mailing address at swell.life(at)gmail.com.}

Jennifer {from last week} please also email me asap to claim your ekate gift certificate!!

3| Hurry! Today is the last day to enjoy 20% off at Colette...Just mention Living the Swell Life in the Notes to Seller section.

4| Before I procrastinate one more day, I have a week's worth of gratefuls to share!

15. I am grateful for Smartwool socks. Actually any kind of socks. But real wool socks actually keep my feet warm when they are cold and let them breathe when they are not. {I want some more for Christmas.}

16. I am grateful for warm showers. Truthfully, I like them really scalding hot. I can't imagine a life without a hot water heater and a daily dip...

17. I am grateful for naptime. For a little bit of quiet me time to accomplish this and that while the boy child sleeps. I'm grateful that Jeff is sneaking in a nap today too. {He's been constantly at work and pretty sleep deprived lately.}

18. I am grateful for snail mail and the thought of all the Christmas cards, letters, + photos that will soon be slipping through my mail slot. I think internet, technology, and this rapid speed of life have only made genuine, tangible snail mail even sweeter. Don't you agree?

19. I am grateful for a clean house. Clean is a relative term. The swell life is rarely synonymous with a spic & span life, so today I am thankful for the small blips of tidiness I can enjoy here and there.

focaccia 101

Last night we found a Dominoes ad on our front step and were thisclose to ordering. Something about hot, greasy pizza delivered straight to your door when it's 19 degrees outside is soo tempting. But after my epic foodie rant, I decided I'd better start practicing what I preach. So I hit the stove and made some chicken+wild rice soup and tried my hand at focaccia. In all honesty, I'd never made bread (at least the kind that calls for yeast) before in my entire life, except that one time in home ec...

Am so glad I gave this a whirl. I'd heard that focaccia was a good beginner bread to bake and I'd been craving it for weeks. I must have done something right, because the results were tremendously delicious. Our house smelled even better than the warm + freshly baked bread tasted. (And it was super yum.) If I'd known how easy this would be, I would have made this years ago...on a routine basis.

Focaccia 101:

Ingredients |

1 c. warm water
2 1/4t. quick-acting yeast
2 3/4 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
1 t. basil
1 t. oregano
1 t. thyme
black pepper to taste
1 T. canola oil
extra virgin olive oil
grated parmesan
grated mozzarella

Directions |

In a small bowl, combine yeast + water. Allow it to bud for 10 minutes while you prepare the flour mixture.
In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add yeast mix, canola oil, and stir until dough pulls together.
Knead dough on a lightly floured surface (I used my baking sheet) until it becomes elastic and smooth.
Place dough in a lightly greased large bowl, cover with damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.
Flatten dough into a 1/2-1" thick rectangle or circle on greased or floured baking sheet.
Make small dents in the dough with your fingers or knuckles, then use a fork to prick several times.
Brush the top with olive oil and top with a handful of parmesan and/or mozzarella.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes until the top is golden and it smells so fantastic you can't stand it.
Savor.

Suffice it to say, I am anxious to make this again someday soon. Perhaps I'll snazz it up with some sliced jalapenos or roma tomatoes on top.

christmas crafternoon

I've been really giddy to share this. So excited that it's keeping me up at night...In conjunction with my holiday by hand mini series, I'm hosting a little Christmas craft party at my house on Sunday December 5th. All are welcome! Especially if we have never met face-to-face and are only blog friends...I'd love the chance to craft+chat with you in real life! This is going to be a delightful opportunity to make new friends, get some handmade holiday inspiration, and take home some wonderful creations and cookies. Invite your girlfriends, mom, and sister for a girls' date. Please RSVP soon, as space is somewhat limited.

P.S. Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway. You could win a 2011 calendar from Colette Paperie.

my food renaissance

Thanksgiving is just about 1 week away! Insane. Makes a good segue to a long-winded chat about food. I'm not usually one to write persuasive essays, but I just have a couple of things that need to be said:

I nearly choked on my Wonderbread* last Thursday night when my friend Chelsea (who was coming to spend the weekend with us, arriving the following afternoon) announced that she and her baby were on a gluten-free diet. Gulp. What did that even mean? I had absolutely no clue, except that we probably couldn't order pizza. (!?!) A split second later, I was googling easy gluten-free recipes and scouring over blogs like this one and this one. I made a list, checked it twice, and fled for the health store, in hopes of filling their bellies with the right stuff while they stayed under our roof.

(For those as in the dark as I was--a gluten free diet basically means no wheat. Sometimes people skip dairy too, sometimes not. They eat lots of fresh, healthy fruits + veggies. Lots of protein, rice, and nuts. A whole lot of good, wholesome things. A whole lot less empty carbs and processed junk.)

It turns out that Chels started this whole holistic, organic, extra healthy kick after her daughter was born and she needed to completely transform her diet in order to successfully keep breastfeeding. In a little over a year, she's become a walking health encyclopedia and even started a great blog along with a friend about their adventures in holistic parenting. As the weekend went on, we chatted a ton and I felt like my eyes were really opened about our society's big, fat messed up perception of real food.

I'd never been resistant to the whole/organic/locally sourced food movement (in fact, I've always thought it was pretty neat)--I had just never taken the time to be educated about it. I'd caught bits and pieces from NPR, I stood in awe of the girl who makes her own granola bars and the girl who makes her own yogurt, but I'd never really put all the pieces together to understand why it's all such a big deal. I'd always enjoyed a good trip to the farmer's market, bought organic milk for G and tried to cook nutritious things as much as possible-but I never ever thought I'd be the girl preaching on her blog about free range chickens and the dirty dozen.

Maybe I am the last girl on earth to have finally sat down to watch Food Inc., but in case I'm not, I highly, highly recommend that you see it too. I can say with an open mind that our society's recent and rapid advances in agriculture have produced some positives: food has become more affordable and more available. I won't discredit that. But suddenly our food has become, well, a whole lot less like food. When I look around at the grocery store, I admit that I've been getting a little disgusted. Everything is processed, packaged, and filled with pretty much unrecognizable ingredients. I won't even begin to rant about the government influences, money trails, legal red tape, factory farms, horrible pesticides, unnecessary antibiotics, genetically modified monstrosities, inhumane working conditions, and ridiculous amount of waste that are involved here. God must be so sad about what we've done to his Creation. How we've abused and distorted all the good things he's made for us. It all makes me lose my appetite.

I will say that I am looking at our food from a whole new angle. I am finally beginning to digest all of this food rhetoric and am beginning to see the bigger picture, the repercussions it has on us as a society and on our future. I am taking a second glance at what our grocery budget is really funding, and am thinking about more ways to exercise my vote and effect change on my family's dinner table. Although our world and our food system are royally messed up, I am comforted knowing that I am a steward of my body and my refrigerator.

I can make small choices and changes that will better nourish our bodies and can support local farmers who supply food with integrity.
I can subscribe to a CSA.
I can dodge the dirty dozen (and spring for the organic versions).
I can hoard the clean 15.
I can learn how to plant a garden.
I can try to grow some good veggies in our own backyard.
I can visit the farmers' market more regularly.
I can get beef, pork, and eggs from my aunts and uncles (who conveniently still own family farms!)
I can make a New Year's resolution to freeze and can more things next summer.
I can search for healthier recipes.
I can skip the chips, soda, crackers, and cookies at the grocery store.
I can learn so much more: I am really curious to hear your thoughts, tips, sources, and suggestions. I know this is a really hot topic and that there's an enormous wealth of information out there...I have barely scratched the surface.

This was a biggie--thanks for reading.

*P.S. I don't actually eat Wonderbread. Never have, never will. I just chose to pick on this ungodly resemblance of food substance for dramatic effect. Sorry for the tall tales. :)

why not sew a snake

Last weekend we had the pleasure of hosting my girlfriend Chelsea (whom I hadn't seen since college!) and her little girl Hope (who is almost the same age as Graham). A couple of low-key days filled with girly conversation, fun craft projects, good food, and baby bonding was exactly what I needed to refresh + relax. How cozy to be snowed in with a friend and a sewing machine! We wound up getting a jump start on handmade Christmas gifts, dug deep into my pile of fabric scraps--and somehow set out to make these silly stuffed snakes for the kiddos (inspired by a pattern in this cute book). Graham's is the blue/green one. I couldn't seem to stop adding patches! We also made a batch of bean bags and felt flower headbands for Hope--she is such a doll! I'm beginning to think that maybe I need a little girl of my own to stick headbands on...

giveaway: colette paperie

Hope your Monday is off to a great start! If not--then I have a feeling that meeting today's maker may help turn things around...
Fine paper + stationery fanatic Keli Catalano has dabbled in a bit of everything. Her creativity blossomed at an early age in her mother's flower shop, she then studied fashion in college, later started selling soap and now successfully runs Colette Paperie, a design boutique and paper art studio based in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. Her designs are all thoughtful, unique statements. She stocks everything from gourmet soaps, screen printed dish cloths, to lovely custom stationery for every occasion. Do stop by and admire all the pretty Christmas cards, tags, and stocking stuffers!

*****

Today Keli is kindly giving away the perfect Christmas gift (everyone needs one. every year.) one of her brilliant 2011 calendars! {Happy Early New Year!}

Today there are 4 ways to enter & win:

1. Visit Colette Paperie and leave a comment telling which calendar is your fav.

2. Give Colette Paperie your thumbs up on facebook (then leave a comment to let me know you did!)

3. Spread the word by sharing a link to this giveaway on your own blog, twitter, or facebook. Leave a separate comment if you did.

4. Leave an additional comment sharing something special on your 2011 calendar...

Do all 4 to quadruple your odds of winning! The lucky commenter will be randomly selected and announced on Friday 11/19.

*****

Q|A with Keli:

1. Name your biggest source of inspiration.
I am a paper lover at heart, so it is so easy to be inspired by so many things. I love all things paper and textiles. I constantly look at Etsy and about a million little boutiques as well as bigger stores like Anthropologie. I'm also inspired by nature and make a lot of botanical designs. I want everything in my shop to have a point of view; a reason to buy it. You can get pretty cards anywhere and for really dirt cheap. I want to make a lasting impression with very special and unique items.

2. What do you love most about Colette Paperie?
I love the cutting, the folding, the wrapping, the tying up and the packaging of everything. I actually like the production of my items more than the actual designing. I also love that it is small enough that I can give all of my clients 100% of my attention and get them exactly what they are looking for. It's really fun building friendships online through a custom project.

3. What is one tool you could not live without?
My bone folder, of course. :) You can't get the plastic ones, they never fold well. It has to be real bone, which is pretty creepy - I know.

4. Any advice for other crafters and small business owners?
Oh, advice. I don't know if I would have listened to any advice. I have to learn all my mistakes the hard way! But you do learn, and you are a better businessperson as a result of it. Something I wished someone had told me (and they probably did and I didn't listen) is that you should really be prepared to spend a lot of money marketing your product. You can create wonderful products all day long, but you have to get people to look at them!

5. Where can we find more of your work?
All of my work is through my website www.colettepaperie.com.
Right now I sell primarily on Etsy, but we're working on a custom storefront through the website. We have a growing Etsy business and will never give up our little shop on there.

***Edit: Now through Friday 11/19, enjoy 20% off your etsy purchase if you mention Living the Swell Life in the notes to seller section***

the perfect storm

Early Saturday morning, we crawled out of our cozy beds, looked out the window, and found the world tucked under the perfect snowy blanket. We'd all been wondering when the first snow would fall--and boy did it show up this year. Eight-or-ten-or-something super magical inches. We squealed with delight at the chance to bundle up our little Snowgraham and let him explore the wintry wonderland.
Catching up on my thankfuls:

12. I am grateful for sweet friends, weekend guests, and craft weekends (more on this soon!)

13. I am grateful for warm, woolly mittens and the muscle men around here who shoveled tons of heavy, wet snow.

14. I am grateful for good worship music and to have a gracious Savior worthy of endless praise.

We had a completely perfect weekend. xo

holiday by hand: friday idea book (+ a winner!)

I realize I've been a bit vague about all that this Holiday by Hand mini series entails...Truthfully I've still been sorting out the details inside the little idea file between my ears. Today I'm here to tell you that in addition to Monday giveaways + Maker interviews, you can also count on a Friday feature--dedicated to putting ideas on the page. Here I will share a few fun guest tutorials, as well as my own inspiration + real life adventures in holiday decorating, baking, gifting, and creating. {BTW: I'm still in the process of lining up a few friendly guests. Please be in touch if you have a craft you'd like to share!!} So here goes. How fun will this be!?
* Inspired wrapping: recycled paper + fabric garland by terrain. (My latest craze.)

*'Tis the Season for Christmas photos: Yes, yet another shameless self -plug. But this is such a sweet deal for our local friends that it's impossible to keep quiet! :) Over in photo biz land, Jeff & I are running a sweet deal on small holiday photo sessions for practically pennies (oh, and they include Christmas cards!). Pop over for details + pricing.*DIY Christmas photos: This year, scribble your season's greetings on a mini chalkboard to create crafty and card-worthy photos of your own!

*****

Ahem, according to random.org, a huge hooray is in order for this week's giveaway winner:

Congrats to

Jennifer who said...

I am totally sharing this and what you do with everyone i know!!! YEAH!!

for winning a $25 gift card from eKate!

Please shoot me an email at swell.life{at}gmail.com to claim your prize.

P.S. Dear Janelle who won this giveaway...If you're out there somewhere...Could you please also get in touch? We are dying to send you your prize!!

*****

cheap and juicy

Today is for playing house & playing catch up, for laundry, for shining my fridge inside and out, and for running a couple of errands.

9. I am grateful for a bowl full of those juicy little clementines and my new oilcloth tablecloth. (Isn't the pattern so grandma fabulous? You'll be seeing much more of it, I guarantee.) I love that those mini oranges are sweet, cheap, and fresh once again. Hooray for citrus season.

10. I am grateful for a clean bill of health for me & my fam. If there's one thing a career as a nurse has taught me, it's to rejoice in your (& especially your kiddos health) every single day. I think it's a gift we all take for granted.

11. I am grateful for having a washing machine + dryer in my house. After years of sinking quarters at the laundromat, this is one amenity I will forever hold dear.