DIY Christmas Gifts- Part 2

My YUDU screen printing machine got some real action during the month of December. I printed on 9 shirts, on 2 drawstring backpacks, and 4 tea towels. Wayne drew up 4 designs for me based on characters in a Sioux legend I read when looking up how to spell "owl" in Lakota. I had already asked him to draw the buffalo because I had seen him draw it before, then an owl. So 2 characters were done. Once I read the story of  how humans had disrupted the balance in nature, and mother earth called all of her children to come inside of her so she could cleanse the surface and restore the balance. Once cleansed all of the animal kingdom became angry that the humans had done this to them. They wanted to destroy all "2 leggeds". An owl spoke up and said without 2 leggeds we would not have the bear, and without the bear we would not have wisdom. So they decided on a great race between all species. The buffalo took the lead with all of his strength, but a magpie gets tired and perches on his back till just before the finish line and wins. The magpie saved wisdom, and the humans were grateful. It was a reminder of their responsibility to the earth, and the animal kingdom. See that full legend here. It is a beautiful story. Instantly I knew the project needed the bear, and the magpie!

In Lakota language "Halhata" means Magpie, "Tatanka Oyate" means Buffalo Nation, "Mato" means Bear, and "Hinhan" means Owl.

An ideas for a future print is the "grand race" with all of the characters on one design.

 Once all of the shirts were completed. I used the same owl design to print on tea towels. I wrote "Owl always love you!" to make them more of a personal gift for my aunt, and grandma. : )

DIY Christmas Gifts- part 1

Here we go with my DIY Christmas gifts I have been talking about.. My inspiration for these handmade gifts is an obvious one. Alot of you might have seen Sukan's work on Etsy. Well I "super sized" mine. Her pillows run at a smaller size of 12" x 20", mine were 16" x 28". One thing I did was made sure there was a clear difference between the boy and girl owls. She is very consistent with the shapes, every single owl is exactly the same. She just adds different colors and details- Which I learned very quickly how smart it is to be consistent so you can keep using one owl as a template for all the others. Also instead of making the pillow cover myself(which would have beeen easier/cheaper) I found the down cusion and pillow cover at Ikea for $19.99 each(see ektorp cushions here). I ran to Joann's and bought a stack of felt sheets in all different colors. Then I brought them home and layed out the colors on the pillows to decide what color combinations I was going to go with, and for 8 hours split in 2 days I cut and sewed all of the felt on by hand. It would have been way easier to sew them with my sewing machine on upholstery fabric and then make the pillow cases, But I liked the look, feel and colors of the Ikea pillows.
See Sukan's owl designs here. You can see how much money I saved myself too. Her pillow covers run at $52.95-95.00. That is just for the pillow cover, and I made 2 of them for the price of.. I'd say $23.00 each including the pillow. There are definitely cheaper ways to go too. Hopefully that is some DIY crafting inspiration for you!

Happy crafting!

The time is just about up..

This is your last day of running around. I hope everyone is done with the hunt. I am hoping some of you bought things locally sourced or handmade. Possibly made things yourselves. The only way to keep the economy okay here is to help eachother out. We would be more sustainable as a community if we encouraged and supported people in the area to want to make their own products. Also it is alot more fun to personalize gifts. They can be of $5 value but specific for that one person. I have some Ideas I will be sharing with you as soon as I get home from my parents, and Wayne's mamas house. Knowing it is too late to plan making things for Christmas now.. The New Year will bring housewarming parties, Valentines Day, Birthdays, Anniversaries. So many things to keep us busy, and always hunting for that perfect gift. Keep it simple. Not a single one of us wants our jobs overseas. Also the majority of us don't need more "stuff". Buy a gift certificate to a local chain of hotels, Plan a road trip-(gas card, map with everything drawn out). One new years I had to work till 11pm and I came home and everything was dark except a fireplace on the TV. Wayne had found a crackling fireplace on youtube(link) and put it on a playlist on repeat. Sitting infront of the glowing TV was Veuve Cliquot champagne on ice! We stayed up watching the fireplace, and fell asleep to fireworks outside. It is so easy to make someone feel special. The goal is to be thoughtful. Those are the things people remember most..

Happy Holidays!

1st photo credit here. 2nd photo credit here. 3rd photo crdit here.

See my Pinterest here for more Holiday inspiration.

The Latest..

We went on an excursion to our friend Terry's house for the night to visit for Christmas. On the drive there we saw 66 hawks, and on the ride home we saw 58! Amazing.. I grew up counting U-Hauls and now.. It is nature I scan to find these giant birds. We also saw a bald eagle, blue heron, and 2 cranes! I took a few photos of the house, the cozy fireplace, dimly lit living room which created perfect ambiance for the Christmas tree and our super delicious dinner. We had squash soup(he grew the squash, and apples himself), cheese and olive bread, white wine, salad, and ended it with a slice of warm homemade fruit cake, blackberry ice cream, and Veuve Clicquot champagne. We socialized with Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown Christmas album playing in the background. It was perfect as always.. We also went down there thinking maybe we would find time to go check out a property we had seen online. I LOVED it.. I was trying to contain myself. Move aside chaotic city life, I am moving to the country! I like to see what we are working for. There is a master plan.. it is just nice to see the possibilities! See the last photo.

More Christmas adventures are to follow!  I also can't wait to show you what I made everyone for my DIY Christmas! Check back soon..

Christmas Wish List Download from See Me Everywhere

See Me Everywhere posted a downloadable Christmas Wish List at the end of November and I missed it! I had to post it as a reference maybe for next year? There is no way any of you will still need this. I would hope we are all almost done with the hunt of searching for gifts. If there is the off chance that you still need lists from people..

Here it is.

Quill & Fox Holiday Inspiration

I have got more Holiday card inspiration from a local artist to share with you! Quill & Fox is located in Portland, Oregon. They specialize in finely crafted paper goods and invitations. Their holiday line isn't huge, but what they do have is adorable! I will have to feature the shop again once the Holiday's pass because of the "Thank You" cards alone! So gorgeous!!

Check their blog out here, Etsy here, and website here.

Dream State is on Facebook!- Plus A Freebie from Eat Drink Chic

Announcement: Dream State is on Facebook now! I was getting alot of requests on my personal page, and wasn't feeling comfortable with accepting whoever. Plus I'd like to create a definite line between my personal life, and "work". So I created a page this morning to post all of my updates for everyone to follow. A step forward in the blogosphere.. Let the festivities begin! Like my page here.

Now on with our DIY Christmas roudup- Amy Moss at Eat Drink Chic came up with yet another adorable freebie for us! Holiday knit gift tags. See her full post here to download.

For personal use only.

Mon Carnet Holiday Desktop Wallpaper Download

I am feeling festive with my new desktop wallpaper! Poppytalk Blog posted a link to Mon Carnet's Blog where this Holiday Desktop Wallpaper is downloadable in French and in English! This makes me want to someday make my own holiday desktop wallpaper downloads(This is where my brain begins electrifying with ideas..)!

Head over to Mon Carnet here to download.

Wit and Whistle Does It Again- Another DIY Mug!

DIY Christmas gifts are so fun! Amanda at Wit & Whistle posted this DIY Chalkboard Mug on Pinterest yesterday. I instantly fell in love. I want to make one! Such a great DIY project for Christmas! Just think writing "#1 Mom" or making two and writing "Besties". I could think of a million things to write to personalise it as a gift. Fill it with yummy goodies.. You could even write "Yummy Goodies" on it. This is just getting too clever. It is a much easier version of the hand painted mug she did that I blogged about in October- See that post here.

See the complete DIY Instruction and full post for this mug here.

Christmas Surprise Countdown..

I thought I would come out and say it.. I will not be posting my DIY Handmade Christmas gifts before Christmas Eve. I meant to post as I go to inspire everyone to make their own gifts/buy local handmade goods/etsy (help our local artists, economy, bring work back to the United States). But my mother reassured me it is a bad idea to spoil it for everyone. I have to keep it a surprise for now.. So expect a ton of posts just after Christmas!

Check back, and thanks for following(link).

Photo by Amanda Pratt

Rifle Paper Co. Holiday Collection Inspiration

 Rifle Paper Co. is a boutique stationery brand and design studio based in Winter Park, Florida created by Anna Bond together with her husband Nathan. Anna's whimsical designs often include hand-painted illustrations and lettering to compose a style that feels both nostalgic and timeless. They specialize in cards, miscellaneous paper goods, invitation templates, children's goods, and art prints. Their stationery and invitations have recently been featured in publications such as Martha Stewart Living, O The Oprah Magazine, Southern Living, InStyle, Lucky, Real Simple Weddings, as well as numerous blogs such as Oh Joy!, brides.com, Once Wed, and Design*Sponge.

Happy Holidays Postcards- pack of 10 postcards $10.00, Custom Illustrated Holiday Greens Cards- $180.00 for 2 custom illustrations, St. Nick Card- 1 for $4, Set of 8 for $16.00,  Gold Foil Garland Card- 1 for $4.50, Set of 8 for $18.00, Santa Gift Tags- Set of 10 for $7.00, Custom Illustrated Vintage Holiday Cards- $180.00 for 2 custom illustrations

Design*Sponge's DIY Christmas Pinecone Garland

Amy Merrick posted over at Design*Sponge. She came up with her own pinecone garland, And she is showing us how to do it ourselves!

"To make a 6 foot garland, you’ll need about 75 pinecones, wire (I used this paper wrapped variety that looks like twine) and a length of jute twine. Start by cutting 4″ long lengths of wire and wiring each pinecone at the top by simply wrapping the wire around the cone once, so that the wire goes under the ridges. Take a piece of thicker twine and knot a loop at the top. Then attach your pinecones, tightly twisting the wire as you would a twist tie. Travel down the twine, catching the previous cone’s wire with your next twist."

The fun thing about this post is us Oregonians just have to either walk in our front/back yards to find most the materials for this project. Imagine being in Brooklyn, NY where Amy posted this from. She had to of had hers shipped in, or she went on a long nature drive(which isn't sounding half bad right now).
See the full post here.

Update: Final Product For Kids DIY Fort Kits

The final touches on the DIY Kids Fort Kits are done. I don't know how much more the backpacks can hold! : )
Inside each bag (which I sewed, and screenprinted see post's here and here)
there is:
A full size sheet, Tiny lantern, Rope, 3 Clamps & A Bag of Popcorn.

And there we have it- Camping in winter, and hours of fun!

The Quest For The Dream Cabin Continues..

I came across this cabin at the website Architizer. It is a way for architects to interact, show their work, and find clients. It connects the architectual community. Now I am hooked looking for more cabin designs. Just waiting for the day that money falls in my lap. : ) I love the Red Cedar, slanted ceilings, and open floor plan. The only part I am a bit iffy about is all of those windows! I would prefer the corner windows to be there, and cover the rest of the house. I like alot of light, but I also don't want "creepers" coming along seeing what I am working with. If you know what I mean.. Plus.. Where is the wood stove? You live in the forest and you don't collect and burn wood to keep warm? All of those windows with a central air unit? Not to pick the place apart.. There is just alot I would change.
The cabin's name is "The Small House"(perfect!). Read the description of the design here-

"Conceived as a modest one-room cabin, the house packs a kitchen, living, dining areas and two sleeping alcoves into just 750-sf; a 500-sf screened porch and sleeping loft create a thick threshold between inside and out. Double French doors connect the house to the porch. When flung open, the entire house takes on the quality of the screened porch, with dappled light streaming in and breezes suffusing the interior. Wrapped in Western Red Cedar inside and out, the structure seems to recede into the landscape. From the outside, the house dialogs respectfully with the landscape. On the interior, the cedar frames and reinforces the woodland setting.
Small House was one of the first in Great Barrington to be designed to comply with the Berkshire Scenic Mountain Act, which requires that a house not peek above the ridgeline, that tree-cutting be limited to ¼-acre, and that drainage prevent both flooding and erosion of the site. In response, Small House tucks into the hill side, nestling beneath the tree canopy with its roofline following the slope of the mountain to mimic natural drainage patterns. The house also incorporates such commonsense sustainable strategies as radiant structural slab, which maximizes opportunities for passive solar gain through the broad expanses of glass on the south and east elevations. Natural cooling is achieved with the stack effect through operable skylights and ceiling fans. The house utilizes a highly efficient remote-operated mechanical system so that the homeowners can monitor and adjust it from a distance."

This is a Maryann Thompson Architects Project

The Gorge Tour Adventures

I can't believe it is December! Oi.. The weather has been beautiful here in Oregon. It really hasn't been that bad this year. (Enough with the weather..) Wayne's aunt is in town!! He hasn't seen her since he was a youngster, so we took her on a little day trip through the gorge. Went to Multnomah falls, to the top of Rowena Crest, had lunch in the Dalles, and ended in Maryhill Washington. I have decided- besides the dream towns of Cannon Beach, and Manzanita. Rowena Crest is where I'd like a cabin "away from it all". I could work in Hood River! There were deer in every direction we looked! There is hiking trails, and 260+ acres of a beautiful nature reserve with over 200+ species of wild flowers. Just imagine the butterflies in spring.. The viewpoint is spectacular. My heart melts just thinking about it. Haha Gotta play that lottery.

Here is our adventure! BTW This is a combo of Wayne and I's photos.