driftwood boats

Last week while I was in California, I spent a good amount of time collecting driftwood on the beach.  I brought an entire basket home and decided it would be fun to make boats out of the different pieces.  After making two one evening for myself, I thought it would be a fun project for all the kids to get involved in, so I set up a table in the backyard on Easter with all the supplies and everyone had a wonderful time making them.  And, I must say, I think they all turned out amazing.  

I gathered sticks from my yard to use as the masts for the boats and drilled holes into the driftwood, so it would be easy to stick the mast right in and secure with a little glue.

Everyone cut out their own sail template based on the size of their driftwood and mast and then cut the sail from any of the fabric scraps I brought out for them to use.  Everyone embellished theirs differently with fabric, trim, stamps, etc.  We twisted eye hooks into the mast and sewed the sail to these little hooks.  And there you have it.  An easy, lovely and highly satisfying craft project.

  

 And, I must add, they look awfully cute sitting around the house...

It was a great outdoor project that the kids from 3 year old Finn to 13 year old Peter and all the way up to the adults, all seemed to enjoy.

Peter certainly got the most creative with his.  He even gave it a test drive in the pool and it stayed perfectly afloat...

Let us know if you try one of your own!  We would love to see how they turn out!

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a garden gift

I found all these crates at the flea market last time I went and I thought they would be so fun to use for plants or even as little herb boxes.  So, as usually happens with me when I am sitting in my craft room, I start to think of what fun little bags and packagings I can make to go with these boxes to create cute little individual gifts...  I have said it 1000 times, my craft room is my therapy.  And I had a lovely little session last week putting all this together...  I am going to put seeds in the little bags and fill the big "grow" bag up with some of our super fertile soil from the garden.  Throw in a watering can, some tools and even a cute little tablecloth and there you go.

Would you think it was fun to receive a vintage crate full of gardening supplies as a gift?

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here's my heart

A very sweet friend of mine made this lovely little hanging heart for me last year.  It makes me happy every time I walk pass it.  So, if you are looking to make someone's day (or even your own), here's a quick little project that will make your home feel festive and lovely.  You can follow the same tutorial we put together for the hanging pumpkins we made for Halloween (right here).  Easy right?  I just made a couple myself, only decided to try some black and white ones.  What do you think?

We heard lots of people made the pumpkins, so if you decide to give the hearts a try, let us know!  We would love to see how yours turn out!
And I promise I will put together a little how-to on the book pages wreath!  Stay tuned...

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my own little bit of valentines

Just a few of the little bits of Valentine lovelies I put out around the house.  Ok, so the above one is not specifically for Valentine's Day, but I still felt like posting it.  Here are the few little things I actually put out to be festive...

Back to the craft room to see what else I can come up with...  Have you spotted any fun crafty Valentine's Day ideas this year?

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getting organized

Its that time of year again, when I feel the overwhelming urge to get my house (and my life) in order.  What is it about a new year that makes people (especially women, it seems) want to clean out, organize and rearrange their homes?  It is almost like we need to have some physical reminder that it is actually a new year and we get a fresh start.
Anyway, I have been wanting to get my craft room in order for how long now?  I finally put this chalkboard wall together, but the actual room is still in complete disarray.  Its so hard to put anything away when you know you are going to need it again...  and then everything just gets left out.  Oh, well.  I have given it a little start with these fantastic new wall organizers.  Hopefully, I will have clean, organized craft room pictures to show you one of these days...

And, if you are interested, the Willows has a few little items to help you get organized this new year...

If you are like me and scrambling to make this year an organized one, I wish you all the luck in the world!  And, if you have any good tips on how to make that actually happen, please share!

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paper wreath

A couple weeks ago, I saw this ever-so-lovely wreath on Velvet and Linen's blog and decided I had to have a go at making my own (I may have had a brief moment of jealousy...). I threw this together last week at the beach and hung it up to add to our New Year's decorations. I love the way it turned out, so I just thought I would share!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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lovely wrap

As much as I love all the wonderful bright colors of Christmas (believe me, I almost considered going for turquoise wrapping paper...), I absolutely melt over simple, beautiful wrap. I have always been a sucker for basic brown packing paper or a simple brown box. Add a few neutral embellishments and you have a gift that looks elegant and timeless. I thought I might throw out a few little ideas, just in case you are still wrapping presents for the holidays. Or if you are shopping at the Willows, remember to ask us to wrap it for you! Complete with a magical little jingle bell on top...

Should I mention we sell jingle bells at The Willows, in case you want to pick some up for your own wrapping needs...

Corrugated cardboard and lacey trims are my newest favorites lately and I love to add just a little touch of greenery at Christmas...

If you want to add a little more bling to your wrap, go for a sprinkle of glitter or toss in a bit of gold ribbon to the mix...

I found this fabulous how-to over at Style Me Pretty for amazing natural looking wrapping...

I also somehow came across this great picture (you know how you click from blog to blog to blog, but don't remember how you got there?) and love the use of newspaper and (of course!) twine...

How are you wrapping your presents this year? Any great pictures or inspiration to share with the rest of us? Do you wrap everything the same, or just in whatever you have lying around?

As always, we love to hear from you!

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