A week of firsts...

I've done a lot of things for the first time over the past couple of weeks - started a blog, made a lampshade, etc. Now I have two more things to add, making banana nut muffins and re-potting a cactus. You heard right, a cactus...a 7' tall cactus, actually. It was not an easy task, and I cannot take all (or most) of the credit. Chris did most of the hard labor, but I helped...getting the soil, mixing it with perlite (I didn't even know what that was until this afternoon, but it's those little white balls in potting soil), etc. It looks great, see...

 Next on the to do list, banana nut muffins (without the nuts, I was out). I had never made any banana nut bread before, and we had some old bananas, so why not? They turned out great...here's the recipe I used. Yum!

I also found these little to go boxes at TJ Maxx and wrapped them up like this...

Now the only question left is who will I give them to?

New Lampshade...

So, I'm not sure how many of you have heard of pinterest, but I'm obsessed...seriously, I spend entirely too much time pinning things to my boards. Why didn't I think of a virtual bulletin board?

Anyway, probably most of my projects will be from things I have seen there. For example, this lampshade I made last night. It was inspired by a lampshade from Anthropologie (which I couldn't afford), so here is the DIY version...

 

This is what you'll need:

hot glue gun with lots of glue sticks

an iron

 

burlap (I used the color natural but any color would work)

And, of course, the instructions might be helpful.You can find them at
http://www.maganslens.com/2011/02/personal-project-a-diy-lamp-shade/
(A big thank you to Magan Blasig who originally posted this on her blog).

And, the final product...

Unfortunately I don't have a before picture of the lamp - this is only my first project to post, I'll get better, I promise! But, I think it turned out pretty well, and it wasn't too hard to make. Let me know what you think!

There's a first time for everything...

Hi all! I've recently started a new job...in an office, with a desk, etc. Let's just say it doesn't leave as much room for creativity as I would like, which leaves me feeling a little less than content. So, I've been busy working on a few new projects...mostly making old things new and a little more happy. And hopefully, my family, friends, and home will benefit from my lack of a creative outlet at work. If that's you, I'm sure you are feeling pretty lucky right now. :) Feel free to visit and look...just, please, don't look too closely!