Sweet Straws

Valentine's storefronts are emerging all over the city. Hearts of deep red float across the glassy panes of the bakery near fifth. Florist shops glow from within, with window displays that pass in an intricate blur as you drive by in the low light of February afternoon. Wonderfully colored, warmly lit. There are so many pretty things to be seen and made this month. I just finished up these embellished straws for Papermash. Click here to download a .pdf at Papermash with project instructions and photos. It's a simple and customizable project, and best served with something sweet! Update: The larger hearts are made with a Martha Stewart Craft Punch and the smaller hearts are "Dimensional Heart Stickers" from the same line. But you can cut your own simple heart shapes as well using the templates in the download.

Valentines & Victoria

I am thankful and thrilled to announce that I am contributing to Victoria Magazine as Artist-In-Residence for 2010. In high school I received three back issues of Victoria that I've saved to this day, to admire the beautiful vignettes and faraway places that grace its features and photographs. I never thought I would have the opportunity to be a part of its pages. For the January/February issue I created valentines modeled on antique cameos. Be sure to find a copy of this issue for more photos and instructions!

Chocolate Truffle

Dear Friends, thank you so much for all of the truly heartfelt comments and emails regarding the last post. I am just so touched by your empathy and kind words. This week I have a new Project Wedding post to share with you. Rows of them sit under glass. Deep ganache, dressed in white chocolate ribbon, drizzled with sugary lattices. Cocoa and raspberry, dark chocolate and lemon, café au lait. Velvet smooth and honey sweet. Waiting in paper ruffles to be lifted by the chocolatier's hand, bound for the parchment lining of a beautiful box. With St. Valentine's approaching I wanted to reflect on just how lovely chocolate confections are and come up with a fitting way to package small assortments of them as favors. Visit Project Wedding to see the full article and photos.

Our Dog

Two weeks ago we lost our family dog, Bazooka. We named him after the bubble gum brand a few days after we brought him home as a puppy those thirteen years ago. I don't think we fully realized how much this small animal touched our lives until now.I made an album of happy times, thoughts and memories. You can view the full album by clicking the button right below:A page and some writing excerpted from the album: "Of all the fads, first crushes and have-to-haves of childhood and adolescence, the one love that never faded was for this little dog."

Silver & Gold

Wrappings from Christmas morning. Kraft paper, baker's twine and some homemade adornments...Book pages and sheet music, folded, icily edged. Stars, painted gold and glittered silver.Gift tags - frosty vellum and typewriter letters, red thread and captured snow. "They looked up and saw a star. Shining in the east beyond them far. And to the earth it gave a great light. And so it continued both day and night."Warmest wishes!

In the Lane Snow is Glistening

This morning, snow is glistening in a miniature Christmas village. I have coveted vintage glitter houses from afar in past Decembers, and this year with all these great resources I couldn't pass up the chance to make my own. These are all constructed from cereal boxes using patterns found online and some drafted by my brother (he and my dad helped me cut them out too - thanks guys!). They all have mica flake rooftops, vellum window panes, and acrylic painted siding with a fine dust of white glitter. The door of the church is silvery with German glass glitter and a few houses have homemade pipe cleaner wreaths.Of course every glitter village needs a forest of bottlebrush trees. These were formerly dark green trees from the bargain store until I bleached, dyed and decorated them. To their bristles I added glitter and mica snow, mini plastic ornaments and pearly beads. My method was very imprecise but this tutorial has really detailed instructions of the process for those interested.
I also found a bottle brush wreath on sale for a few dollars and I couldn't resist. I gave it a new ribbon and swapped out some of the smaller plastic ornaments for miniature glass ones from a few years ago.
I hope you've enjoyed this little tour. I have just a few more things to share later this afternoon but until then, best wishes to you and yours!

Soon It Will Be Christmas Day

Oh it's only days away, I can't believe it! During the week since final exams ended I've been doing much work on a project I'll get to share in 2010. Of course I've also been holiday shopping with Brett, tree trimming and partaking in family outings. This week I'm going to devote some time to making crafts inspired by the Christmases of the first half of the 20th century. I've gathered up Victorian paper cutouts, reproduction mica snow, bottlebrush trees, ambered sheet music, twine, tinsel and all kinds of glitter. What possibilities await!

Lights and Snowflakes

The two hour drive north last Sunday was night sky and strings of white lights over Christmas tree lots. Firs clustered under red and white striped tents, propped against fences, tall, full, narrow or flocked. In every city we passed. It's that time of year. Here at A Field Journal holiday things are getting underway. The first project of the season is one I created for Papermash. Winter whites, warm light and the most intricately patterned doilies I've ever seen - need I say more? You can download the nifty instructional .pdf for these Snowflake Votives at Papermash through January. Just note you'll need to use battery tea lights for these.

Gold Leaf

My last collegiate fall has come and gone too quickly. Rumpled sycamore leaves line the paths in the morning shadows of Moore Hall, crushed to a fine golden-gray dust under the hurried tread of passersby. The lancet windows in the coffee house still catch a bit of autumn light in their colored glass, but the embers of the annual pep rally bonfire have all but been extinguished in memory. Lectures today will be quietly halfhearted, most of the halls vacated by those already homeward bound. Final exams lie just days ahead, and it seems it's the close of both semester and season. This brings me to my last autumn craft of the year - I created table adornments for Project Wedding. If you're looking for last minute decor for tomorrow's dinner, the place cards are a snap to put together. As usual, you can find the full tutorial at Project Wedding. To everyone in the States, Happy Thanksgiving!