Pretty simple and simply sweet. Would make for a nice Valentine's day gift, no?

xx Wreath D.I.Y. xx

1.) gather some floral wire and good scissors, bay leaves, berries, and some wildflowers
(bay leaves are super elegant and very easy to work with)

2.) if you don't feel like making your own frame out of sticks and wire, go to a craft store and buy a discounted fake wreath. when you get home, cut off the plastic garland and voila! your very own cool solid frame! (I think I got mine for $3 at Michaels)

3.) start using the floral wire to wrap bunches of bay around your frame
(I highly recommend getting green floral wire so that it blends in with the rest of the greens)

4.) keep attaching bay leaves until desired look!

5.) why not make yourself a floral bay leaf crown as well? attach some flowers to it too!

6.) pretty and pretty easy! it's a win-win

7.) start making little versions of the wreath using scrap pieces and throw them around wine bottles, candles, window latches, etc...
(the floral wire doubled over and braided around itself should make a sturdy enough frame for these wee ones)

8.) wanna know what is cool about these to-do wreaths? you can hang them in your kitchen well after the holidays because the bay will start to dry out and then you can use it to cook with! brilliant (and it makes for a lovely gift for a cook or simply for a friend who likes a bit of wild in the house)*

...and lastly, of course, I couldn't let V.V. escape without a bay leaf wreath of her own!

* hope you're inspired to make one too and if you have any questions, simply email me *
xx

Natural Dyeing Part II

Pretty neat, huh?! Lauren and I had a lot of fun practicing what we had previously learned from the natural dye workshop last weekend! We used blackberries, hibiscus, beet powder and turmeric. We dyed different cotton fabrics, cotton yarns, cotton-hemp blends, and I even tried out some different papers. Since it's raining today we'll have to wait to wash them and hang them out to dry in some golden California sun. I think that this is just the beginning of many more dyeing experiments!

On another note, pretty dreamy that it's raining today, no?

Natural Dyeing

This past Saturday, Lauren and I attended a natural dye class held at Cookbook and taught by the ever so lovely Britt Brown of Le Papel paper press. It was insanely fun and we all really got our hands (and nails) dirty! Can I just tell you how amazing it smelled in there with our boiling vats of persimmons, hibiscus and blackberries all simmering? It is such a beautiful process and esoteric craft to learn. Britt showed us some Japanese Shibori stitching and taught us about the different papers, fabrics and techniques that we could experiment with. I really appreciated the ephemeral quality of the fabric's fate and the fact that everything in the room that we were using was edible! I think Lauren and I are going to experiment and dye some scarves and yarn and see what we come up with. More on that later...

Also, a huge thank you to Marta and Robert of Cookbook for holding these classes in their beautiful space No.2. They are such a rad couple and brought out an appetizing cheese & charcuterie plate for us to devour at the end of our workshop. If you haven't been to Cookbook yet, please go! You will be incredibly delighted I am certain of this!

1.) It started off with a beautiful palette

2.) We made a syrup with sugar and water and brought it to a boil & dropped the flowers in

3.) After coating our flowers and herbs with the syrup, we used a toothpick to lay them out as flat as possible (requires patience)

4.) Awww bummer, not as pretty or as candied as we wanted them to be :(

A while back, my dear friend and I decided to try and candy some edible flowers and herbs. We had a little book to guide us and yet we didn't get the end results we wanted. Do you think we should have used a candy thermometer? I was skeptical to include the last photo because it certainly doesn't look very appetizing, does it?! Gonna have to try this one again...

Origami Xmas Tree!

How sweet is this idea that my friends Zach & Michele did with their tree this year? A decked out origami Christmas tree! My favorite is the giraffe as the tree topper.

DIY Christmas Wreath!!

1.) your supply checklist: branches, wire, tree clippings (free at any Christmas tree lot), and whatever else you might like to put in it. i went on an adventure-hunting-for-things-to-put-in-my-wreath walk with v.v. and gathered a bunch of dried magnolia buds

2.) pic of my supplies


3.) getting there with real cranberry garland as my finishing touch!

4.) Merry Christmas to Scott & the lovely Elf family, who so kindly hung my wreath in their window (sorry my pic is so dark)


Hi friends! So the most amazing restaurant in Los Angeles, Elf Café, asked me to make them a wreath to hang in their window! This is my step by step guide. I used the wire to tie the tree clippings onto my branch skeleton, and made sure that I went in a clockwise manner as I filled up my wreath. Once that was done (about 20 min) I added my little arsenal of nature-y things from my morning walk with V.V. To finish it off, I wrapped my already made cranberry garland (DIY coming up next) and voila! A beautiful, nature-filled wreath that smells incredible! We even added lights at the restaurant when we hung it so that it glows in the window!

*(you can get the exact branches already beautifully twisted into shape at any Michaels Art & Craft store for as little as $.75 - 20.00)