A project by Carol Zentgraf for the Creative Home Arts Club uses fabrics from my first line, Modern Flora. Get the instructions for making this bookshelf cover right here. (The bottom of the article shows more photos and figures mentioned in the directions.) I'm not one for putting skirts on things, including on myself, but I can see how this would be useful if you need to hide a lot of unsightly junk or perhaps small children.
In a blog post about electronic invitations two years ago I mentioned Paperless Post. Since then, they've been adding new card designs and making their site even better. And since then, I've been using their e-cards because they're the loveliest I've seen on the internet. The invitations look letterpressed on fine paper, and you get the virtual experience of opening a pretty envelope. They'll track your guests' responses, send reminders and the whole works—like Evite, only better looking. I'm a fan! 
In case your suspicious mind is wondering, Paperless Post has not sponsored this commercial from Jess, though it probably sounds like one of those posts that bloggers write when they've been paid to give a glowing review, right? They do have a promotion where you'll receive additional free stamps for every friend that joins. So here, you might as well click this referral link if you feel like giving them a try. Above are some of my favorite designs.
I love to peel and stick things. Especially orange things. Here's an easy way to customize plain ceramics: apply decorative tape in colors that match your home, your party decorations, or your current bouquet of flowers. Dress up inexpensive vases for DIY wedding table centerpieces or showers. And when you get tired of your design, just peel it off.
Stick tape onto a piece of wax paper and slice it into thin strips to make asterisks or bunting strings. Cut the other shapes off tape rolls with a scissors. 
Sources for pretty masking tape include Happy Tape, Cutetape, and Ginko Papers.
Ellen Luckett Baker of The Long Thread just sent over a copy of her new book 1,2,3 Sew which comes out next month. My Fireworks fabric is used for the craft caddy project. Love it! 
The book comes with pattern sheets and instructions for making accessories and projects for the home—many of which are embellished with pleats, decorative machine stitching, applique, or stenciling. I've got my eye on a pleated satchel, reversible girl's skirt, and a stenciled cosmetic bag. The book design itself is pretty adorable with its rounded corners, charming fonts, and lovely photography, too. You can order it here from Amazon.
Pauline of Mufn Inc sent over a link to her own last minute Mother's Day printable cards—choose from four free options: one for your Mum, Grandma, Mother, and a blank one to use any time. She includes instructions for sending mom a tissue paper flower kit, too.
For free Mother's Day greetings, check out these DIY printables. I love this funny, pretty door hanger from Twig and Thistle. Give Mom a time out!
From Canon Creative Park, assemble a squirrel family who lives inside a tree stump. Get the card template here, available for printing on A4 or letter-sized paper.
Download free Mother's Day photo card templates from I Heart Faces, along with instructions for using Photoshop or Elements to insert your own picture. (Or just print out one of the cards and glue a photo on it if you prefer manual labor.)
I made a little cross-body zippered pouch with a scrap of the Tulip print from Outside Oslo. It's about 9" square. I mimicked the format of a sweet little bag sent to me by Nathalie awhile back (thank you, thank you!)—the size and shape are nice for carrying a wallet and just a couple other goodies while out running around.
I'm still a sewing dabbler and don't expect I'll ever be interested enough to be great at it. The process always makes me impatient and I have to fight the urge to quit halfway through. Usually because I've sewn something shut accidentally or didn't notice I was using basting stitches until halfway through my project. I'll leave the fancy sewing to others, like my mom who has promised to make me a travel bag from this new fabric collection. (See, Mum, I said it on my blog so there's no backing out now.)
Update: The travel bag is awesome.
I usually forget to take photos when I'm out and about, but here's a smattering of pictures from my Stockholm excursion. This photo represents my overall impression of the city. Beautiful buildings. Lots of boats. Lots of water. 
We spent five nights at Hotel Stureplan, which is located within walking distance of all sorts of shops, restaurants, and museums. Our room looked like this (photo borrowed from Historic Hotels of Sweden). Loved it. The only funny glitch occurred when we attempted to store some dirty clothes in what we assumed was a laundry bag provided in the bathroom. The next day the bag was empty and our socks were missing. We inquired, and the hotel clerk apologetically informed us that bag is for "other garbage" that doesn't go in the regular wastebasket, and our clothes had been thrown away. Oops. Silly us.
The weather was beautiful. We took a boat tour, visited the Photography Museum and the Modern Museum (which turned out to feature mostly photography as well), and the very interesting Vasa, a warship that sank in 1628 after sailing for just 20 minutes. Stockholm has 75 museums, and there were many others I'd have loved to see. Too little time.
At the Royal Palace a group of guards marched by and nearly ran us over when they suddenly did a 180 and marched up the staircase next to us.
We also visited Skansen, an outdoor museum that replicates a 19th-century Swedish town. Native Scandinavian animals also live there, eating mice and admiring their own reflections.
[Stop reading this sentence right now if you're a vegetarian: I ate reindeer at a restaurant a few days later and it was delicious. I highly recommend dining at Nalen.]
But by far my favorite part of the trip was browsing in the dozens of shops, admiring the furniture and housewares. Don't worry; I left a few things in the stores for you. But it was super painful and took enormous self control not to buy everything in sight. Though I don't know how I could have carried a sofa onto the plane anyhow. Along with a few future Christmas presents for people, here are some items that had to come home with me.
You'll notice I became obsessed with fish.
I'm going to bake stuff in this dish and eat cheese and crackers off this tray.
Here's an irresistible mug from the Marimekko shop.
And a piece of fabric purchased at Åhléns department store.
If you're headed to Stockholm, here's a list of my favorite shops:
Ohlssons fabric store
Åhléns department store (home section)
Nordiska Kompaniet department store (home section)
Nordiska Galleriet
Design Torget
Svenskt Tenn (Josef Frank galore)
Lagerhaus (affordable gifts here!)
I need to go back!
I neglected to mention that I've been wandering around Stockholm since Saturday. My mum, AKA Grandma G, insists it's not good practice to tell your thousands of daily readers that you're not at home. Just in case one of them wants to figure out where you live and tries to steal your cool orange stapler.
But I've just returned! Details about my awesome trip to come. In the meantime, enjoy this delightful Stockholm print by Ian Winstanley, available for a mere $17.99 at art.com.
Download the little tulip motif from my latest fabric line as a wallpaper freebie right here. There's plenty of room to line up all your files and folders around the edges. For personal use only, por favor!
Images from Firehouse Pipes and The Columbus Dispatch
I've heard that a couple of the names I've given my fabric prints are mysterious, so here's a clarification. The print above is named Calliope. Not after the Greek muse of poetry, but after the musical instrument powered by steam. They were often housed in ornate wagons pulled by horses in circuses.
Renoir's "The Skiff" from Renoir Gallery and a wooden skiff from Lowell's Boat Shop
As for my Skiff print, it's a type of small boat. But if it pleases you to think of this design as a wink, a smile, an eyelash, or waves, go right ahead. If you're generally a grumpy sort, you can turn these upside down and think of them as frowns. But the light blue and yellow colors might be a little too peppy for that to be very convincing.
News! My new fabric line has just arrived at The Needle Shop and is available for purchase retail and wholesale. The bolts are eagerly standing by, holding their breath in hopes that some kind and discerning people like yourselves will give them a good home.
Guys, I'm in love with these. I can't even decide which is my favorite. I'm leaning toward the Wildflower print in Dawn, above, just because it contains maximum orange. But I think they're all delicious and one should not discriminate amongst one's children.
The set of six Dawn designs are printed on natural canvas, so the backgrounds are sort of a cream color and contain cool little cotton flecks. The Dusk designs are printed on crisp white.
Why is this collection named Outside Oslo, you ask? These prints have a bit of a mid-century vibe and look somewhat Scandinavian to me. Relatives on my mom's side of the family came from Norway. The prints are all named after things you might see on a nature walk somewhere outside a city, and I always adore alliteration. Thus, Outside Oslo.
Above is the complete Dawn colorway.
And above is the complete Dusk colorway.
You can now buy these from The Needle Shop online right here or in the store if you're in Chicago. For a list of stockists around the country, plus a few international shops, click here. And if you know of a store or manufacturer who might be interested in a wholesale order, send them here. I can't wait to see what people make with these!
Update: For some peeks at the fabric in action, see here.
Ages ago I bought a package of crepe paper (like this—the folded sheets, not streamers). An impulse purchase simply because... it was orange? The other day I finally made some flowers with it while watching way too much HGTV. These will be nice gift toppers, or maybe I'll do more and make a wreath.
Materials:
Sheet of crepe paper
Small piece of cardstock
Scissors
Glue (I used Aleene's Tacky Glue)
Toothpick
Cut 12 circles from a sheet of crepe paper, any size you like depending on how big you want the final flower to be. I accordion-folded a strip of paper and cut multiple circles at once. No need to be too precise; freehand circles will do.
Orient each petal so the grain in the paper runs vertically. Apply a bit of glue at the bottom of the petal and pinch it to create small gathers. When the glue has dried, press both thumbs into the center of each petal and stretch the paper to curl the edges inward, forming a bowl shape. 
Cut out a small circle of cardstock (about the same size as the petals before you shaped them.) Glue five petals around the outside edge. Then stagger four petals inside that ring, followed by three petals in the middle.
To make a center for the flower, cut a small strip of crepe paper and fold it in half. Cut notches along one long edge of the doubled paper to make fringe. Roll the fringed paper around a toothpick and secure with glue. Finally, glue this piece into the center of the flower. 
I spotted this printable baby shower stationery set at Creature Comforts and had to share it; the cuteness is overwhelming. Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co. has illustrated a set of book-themed baby shower pieces available as a free download at Martha Stewart. Check out the whole slide show: that book garland is a sweet idea.
If you like typefaces that can fit into a pair of skinny jeans, Steelfish will make you very happy. Designed by Ray Larabie, half the weights in the family are available for free right here.
For brides on a budget, this cute, customizable wedding stationery can be downloaded from The Wedding Chicks. Choose colors and type information into an online form, and a free bunting-themed set will be generated for you. Get the invitation, RSVP card, table number, and escort card right here. Or find more printable options in the Freebie section.
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