Partying Like a Pisces

March 6, 2018 by mymateriallife

Samantha had another birthday late last month and while she’s been a teen now for over a year and certainly doesn’t need me to take the lead in planning her celebrations I was able to sneak in a couple of ideas of my own for her party last weekend. This first one is definitely something you should know about because it’s a paper chalkboard table runner(!) that I found by accident at my local Orchard Supply Hardware store. I was […]

Categories: Celebrations & Events, Paper • Tags: birthday, chalkboard table runner, party decor, string constellation

Love is a Many Splendored Thing

February 14, 2018 by mymateriallife

Wouldn’t you know I forgot to put that pair of embroidered heart labeled briefs in his drawer. Oh well, hope you’ve had a Happy Valentine’s Day ♥

Categories: Other Holidays, Paper • Tags: handmade valentine, photo valentine, valentine's day

French Knots are Your Friend (and Other Bits of Valentine’s Embroidery)

February 12, 2018 by mymateriallife

Some day I’m going to get some kind of large metal grid material from the hardware store and some beautiful red silk from the silk store and I’m going to cut that silk into strips and make big French knots in it right through the metal grid and it’s going to be awesome – that beautiful red silk on that industrial metal. I’m not sure what I’ll use for a needle exactly or what I’ll do with it, but I […]

Categories: Embroidery & Needlepoint, Other Holidays • Tags: embroidery, french knots, hearts, plastic canvas embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery, valentine's day

Let’s Weave Again – Revisiting the Potholder Loom

January 25, 2018 by mymateriallife

I’ve been upgrading things around the house lately and new potholders were in order so I decided to bring my potholder loom out of retirement. While I like the idea of an oven mitt, loom-woven cotton squares are my potholders of choice. I like the feel of them and I like their size (5.5″ sq). I keep them on the counter within easy reach of the stove/oven so the fact that they look nice is an added bonus. This time […]

Categories: Other Textiles • Tags: harrisville designs, potholder loom, potholders, weaving

Modeling Compound Ornaments, 3 Ways

January 16, 2018 by mymateriallife

I know Christmas is over, but I just managed to put the finishing touches on these and I couldn’t wait 300-and-some-odd days to share them with you. I really wanted to play with air-dry clay this past season, but I couldn’t find any in white very easily. What I did find (at Target) is this modeling compound by Crayola called Model Magic. The package said it was air-dry so I brought it home to give it a try. Do you […]

Categories: Christmas • Tags: air-dry clay ornaments, bling stickers, christmas, diy christmas ornaments, model magic, spray paint

Here’s a Nice Dinner You Might Like

January 9, 2018 by mymateriallife

Hello there. Happy New Year to you. I hope your winter holidays were everything you love about them and very little of the things you don’t. That’s assuming you celebrated any winter holiday at all which you may have not. I did. And I found that I had a better and better time as I let go of one after another “must-do” item on the to-do list in my head before Christmas. I mean Christmas was going to come whether […]

Categories: Savories • Tags: chicken and greens, dinner, tender greens, tender greens mashed potatoes

Ribbon & Felt Bell Hanger (Plus Two New Advent Calendars & a Trio of Regal Polar Bears)

November 25, 2017 by mymateriallife

I wonder if any of you Target/Fixer Upper fans recognize the components used to make this bell hanger. Both the bell and the ribbon are from Magnolia’s Hearth & Hand collection for Target. That bell is so unique, isn’t it? It occurred to me after I brought it home that its shape made it the perfect kind of bell to hang from a door handle. I based the design of the hanger shown above on a favorite Christmas decoration that […]

Categories: Christmas, Sewing • Tags: advent calendars, bell hanger, christmas, hearth & hand, my growing traditions, sewing, target

A Few Ideas For Halloween

October 25, 2017 by mymateriallife

Hello chickens – it’s been a while. And now Halloween is right around the corner. I can’t say I’ll be sorry to see this October leave the scene. October can be an unsettling month in California even in the best of years. On the one hand you can’t beat the lighting and clear skies, but on the other hand it can be downright dangerous what with the fires and earthquakes (well at least that one we had in ’89). But […]

Categories: Halloween • Tags: diy halloween decor, halloween

A Visit to Grand Island Mansion

September 25, 2017 by mymateriallife

We took a beautiful drive from my sister’s house down Highway 160 yesterday. What a gorgeous September day for a Sunday drive. We were headed here, to the Grand Island Mansion to celebrate our birthdays (one day and seven years apart). Grand Island Mansion was built by an orchard man named Louis W. Myers and his wife Henrietta Myers. They shipped pears from the L.W. Myers Landing on Steamboat Slough right across the road from the mansion that they broke […]

Categories: Architecture, Places • Tags: grand island mansion, the delta, walnut grove