DIY House Stamp

A few weeks ago I saw this post on Design Sponge. Holly Anne Rolfe is an illustrator who specializes in illustrating houses in various art mediums. She offers the service of turning your drawing into a stamp. Although normally I'd never be one to shoot down somebody's method of making a living, I thought, surely she's not the only one who can makes stamps like this and besides...who can afford the shipping from the U.K.?

So, with a little bit of time and a few supplies, I set about making my own illustration for my stamp.

You will need:

1. Camera
2. Printer & Scanner
3. Vellum or Tracing Paper
4. Drawing Pencil & Eraser
5. Fine Tip Marker
6. Ruler
7. Patience
8. about $25 (or less if you want a smaller stamp)

 

Trace the image using your ruler for the long edges and windows. I added a few plants and made our tree look less scraggily. (instant landscaping!)

After your drawing is complete you can either take a picture of it with your camera (if you don't have a scanner) and it will look like this:

At this point you can add your address to the bottom in a cool font, if you wish, and then resize it to the size that you want your stamp to be. I used the website, Rubberstamps.net to make my stamp and although they weren't the cheapest, I found their site easy to use and I've gotten custom stamps from them before and they are really well made.

Frugal Frocks: Spring

This collection was inspired by the palette for this gorgeous wedding featured on Flowerwild. The super bright and saturated colors are a sure cure for the last of these wintery doldrums. (flower images by Josef Isayo)

Turquoise Dress - $50

Mod Shell Ring - $4

Vintage Floppy Hat - $25

Fuchsia Necklace - $22

Suede Oxfords - $40

Clutch Purse - $55

And remember, almost everything on Etsy is one-of-a-kind, so if you see something you really love, snap it up!

HAPPY MARCH!

Upcycled Mail

I can't really imagine making something beautiful out of all these pizza ads I get in the mail, but this post proves you can! I keep finding great ideas for recycling paper that would normally end up stacked on my desk or in my "please do something with this stuff" pile. If you want to buy a clock made with someone else's junk mail, check this out.

Pangpanks

Pangpanks = Pancakes. That's what it sounds like if you say "pancakes" with a mouth full of pancakes. Trust me.

::disclaimer:: This is not a picture of the pancakes I made today. These were the Alton Brown pancakes I made a while ago. (Also delicious, but considerably more difficult) I did not get a photo of The Pioneer Woman's recipe "Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes". I did, in fact, make these delicious pancakes, and they looked pretty much like this photo (taken by the amazingly talented cook & photographer, Smitten Kitchen) but alas, they were devoured so quickly that no photo was taken.

I contemplated taking a photo of the crumbs and smears of leftover syrup, but decided it wasn't very compelling. Just know that those pancakes were SO delicious, and SO EASY, it was impossible to resist their charms. If all this talk of The Pioneer Woman hasn't convinced you yet, then I say, go read Smitten Kitchen's post and make them tomorrow. You won't regret it, then get the to your local bookstore, or Amazon, and purchase The Pioneer Woman's cookbook. It is wonderful. I mean it. :)

Color Splash

I'm contemplating new colors for the entryway and living room. They are "nice" the way they are, but I want to really make that space feel like it's ours... I'm not saying I'm going to paint bright colors in every room (that is SO "first-time home buyer circa 2005") but I want to add some more modern neutrals that will acommodate some brighter accents...

My favorite colors right now:

Dark chocolate with pewter

Cream, Coral, and Robins Egg with bright accents...

(purse by Pistol Stitched) I love this Red & Cream combo with a bright pop of blue...

It would be totally out of character for me to go nuts and start splashing bright colors on my walls, but I want to have some colors that would allow me to accent each room with bright colors. The hunt begins...