madcity girl

Spring is in the air…which can only mean one thing. Derby day is near!

I was looking for a small garden-related gift for a few co-workers earlier this week when I came upon Trader Joe’s Potted Herb Garden. The $7.99 pot includes twelve “gourmet herbs” like Sage, Rosemary, Oregano, Marjoram, Winter Savory, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Thyme, Basil, Assorted Mints, and Lemon Grass. It’s quite an assortment.

Last night I made vintage silverware plant markers for each pot, stamping the words “Herb Garden” into each spoon. I think these little pots make a perfect hostess or thank you gift. I’ve also realized I’m going to need to pick up one of these little gardens for myself. I’ve been using so many herbs cooking lately, and I really like the idea of condensing several pots into one.

My latest craft project involves transforming vintage silver flatware into plant markers—effectively re-purposing and bringing new life to an old classic. I first saw these great DIY markers pictured in a magazine last spring and immediately wanted to buy a set for the herbs that adorn my windowsills. But when I searched on Etsy, I quickly discovered they’re not cheap (5 for $35). But more importantly, I realized I could probably make them myself.

Luckily, there are many wonderful tutorials on the web, put together by creative, crafty bloggers who discovered this great DIY project long before I did. A few of my favorites include posts from Shrimp Salad Circus and The Splendidly Imperfect Miss M. Following their inspiring pictures and careful instructions, I learned how to create my very own set of vintage silver plant markers.

All you need to get started is a variety of silver or silver plated flatware (not stainless steel—it won’t stamp), an alphabet steel stamping set, rubbing alcohol, a Sharpie, hammer, and a surface on which to hammer. I scoured several of Madison’s Goodwill and St. Vinny’s stores for a collection of silver plated spoons, knives, and forks. Most were priced at five for a dollar. I’m pretty sure I cleared out the city.

Luckily for this purpose, my apartment has concrete floors. Covering the spoon with a dish towel, I hammered the round part until it was perfectly flat. Then I planned the spacing of my chosen word by making small dots with a Sharpie. I then found each letter from the stamping set and pounded them one-by-one into the spoon with a hammer. I found it’s very important to hold both the spoon and steel stamper firmly in place—it’s so easy to slip and create a runaway (or psychedelic looking) letter. After stamping, I used a Sharpie marker to get into the grooves of each letter, which allows the word to pop against the silver background. Then, I dampened a paper towel with rubbing alcohol and wiped away the excess ink. And there you have it, your very own vintage silverware plant marker. A perfect project to prepare for Spring and the coming planting season!

I love the look of wood grain accessories—even the faux-bois variety. Using inspiration from an article in Martha Stewart Living about creating a “woody work space,” I set to work on my latest craft project. I bought two rolls of wood grain contact  paper from hardwarestore.com (available in Ultra Light Pine, Cherry Woodgrain, and Pickled Wood, from $5.49 a roll) and then coated everything in sight—boring binders, a used Kickapoo coffee tin, and an old, heavily-used mouse pad. The process is easy—simply cut the paper slightly larger than the surface you want to cover and then trim excess with a craft knife. I’m very happy with how the wood grain design transformed my work space—instant DIY chic.

Another craft project I worked on recently are these DIY decorative clothespins. I had seen similar ones at local craft fairs and decided it was the type of project I could easily recreate. The materials are simple: scrapbook paper (I have a “value pack paper pad” with 180 sheets I’ve used on various projects the last few years), wooden clothespins (I bought a 24 pack at Michaels), polyurethane gloss varnish, a glue stick, and a small paint brush.

First, using a pencil, I traced the front of a clothespin on decorative paper and cut out the thin strip. I then checked to make sure the paper fit nicely on the clothepin, trimmed as needed, and attached the paper to the front of the clothespin using a glue stick. I then poured a small amount of varnish on a covered work surface and used a paint brush to coat the paper with a thin layer of varnish. I repeated the varnish step every 10 minutes or so until achieving a nice glossy sheen (probably about five coats total).

The finished clothespins can used in a variety of ways—as chip clips, refrigerator magnets (just attach adhesive craft magnets to the back), dinner place card holders, etc. You could also paint the clothespins first (metal parts and all) for a slightly different look. Or decorate with most anything—glitter, sequins, ribbon, etc. I ended up giving some of the finished clothespins to friends for the holidays—I attached 3 or 4 clothespins to a small piece of cardstock for a simple presentation. It’s a great craft project that doesn’t require much time, skill, or money. And paired with personalized note cards and bottlecap magnets, they’d sure make for a nice stationary set.

I love making handmade gifts for the holidays. Whether it’s granola, cookies, or a craft, I like to use my hands and creativity to create something special for friends. My most recent project has been creating personalized note card sets. Using letter stencils and brown Kraft recycled note cards and envelopes, I traced my friends’ initials on fun scrapbook paper (I bought a big book of scrapbook paper years ago that has been great for projects like these) and then secured each letter onto a note card using a glue stick. I finished each set by collating the note cards and envelopes and tying it all together with natural jute twine. Three or four note cards make for a nice set.

I think the note card sets turned out well. It’s the kind of project anyone can do in the span of a few hours (I’m sure it would be a great project to do with kids, too). And while it’s a great handmade gift for the holidays, these note cards would be a cool gift any time of the year.

I’ve wanted to learn how to knit for years. It all started when a friend of mine knitted me a hat for Christmas a few years back. It was one of the most touching gifts I’d ever received. The hat was so colorful and warm. I was amazed by the time my friend must have spent on it, and also that it was possible to make something so beautiful with your hands. I treasured that hat and wore it down to to its last threads.

But wanting to learn how to knit and actually doing it are two very different things. And for so long, I just wasn’t able to bridge that gap. Even when my parents gave me needles, yarn, and a “how to knit” DVD for my birthday a few years ago, I wasn’t able to muster the time or patience to learn. And so my needles and yarn sat in the lonely darkness of my closet quietly gathering dust.

Last year I vowed to myself that I would finally learn how to knit. But still, a part of me doubted my resolve. What saved me is that my mom finally decided that she, too, wanted to learn how to knit. She ended up teaching herself this past fall through a variety of books and YouTube videos. This, of course, was a beautiful thing. She was now one step ahead of me, meaning that I’d finally have someone who could sit down and walk me through the steps—which was so much more appealing to me than trying to learn by starting and stopping a “how to knit” video hosted by perky Nici McNally.

So over Thanksgiving weekend I dusted off my knitting needles and yard and dragged it all back home for a lesson with mom. She patiently sat down with me and taught me how to cast on and how to do both the knit and purl stitches. I picked up the knit stitch relatively easily; but like most people, the purl stitch gave me more trouble. It was comforting, however, to know that they were the only two stitches I’d ever need to know. And so I practiced and practiced. Over the weekend, I even became a bit obsessed—taking my knitting with me wherever I’d go.

But then I got back from Thanksgiving break and the demands of the daily grind resumed. I’d pick up my knitting every now and then, but it largely sat untouched. Meanwhile, my mom was completing all kinds of new projects—hats, scarves, neck gators—you name it. We hoped to spend some time together over Christmas knitting together; but unfortunately, the time never materialized.

So that’s how our latest “girls day” came about. My mom made the trip to Madison last week and our focus was to spend time together knitting. She taught me how to knit “on the round” and excitingly, I began my first real project—a hat. So we sat next to each other on the couch, our conversation moving over the rhythmical “click, click” of our knitting needles.

I continued to work on that hat all weekend. I was determined. I wanted to finish my first project and to also make my mom proud. I’m happy to report that I’m just about finished with my first hat. It’s a red fuzzy number—with some dropped stitches and other mistakes scattered throughout—but something I’m pretty damn proud of nonetheless. I think my mom is, too.

Before we move on from the holidays, I wanted to share a picture of a homemade Christmas ornament I received as a gift from my friend Julie. The ornament is made up of twelve bottle caps arranged in the formation of a wreath, with a little bell hanging down in the middle. From what I can tell, it looks like Julie primarily used a glue gun to put it all together. I especially like the festive red from the New Belgium Fat Tire beer caps. It’s a very creative and unique gift idea. So start saving those bottle caps now…by the time the holidays roll around again, you should have quite the collection saved up for crafting.

Thanks again, Julie. It’s the perfect addition to my big girl tree!

This year I finally purchased my first “big girl” Christmas tree. In previous years, I’d been disappointed with (and slightly embarrassed by) my barely-knee-high tree that cowered in a corner and pathetically sagged under the weight of an ever-growing ornament collection. This year I invested in the real deal. And by real, I mean fake. A $49 day-after-Thanksgiving door-buster from Home Depot. It’s a towering six foot number pre-lit with precisely spaced strands of white lights and decorated with artificial pine cones and berries. She’s a real beauty.

The Sunday after Christmas I dedicated my evening to tree assembly. And some will tell you that assembly of any kind is not my strong suit. Admittedly, I’m impatient and despise following what I believe are more often than not mindbogglingly unclear instructions. Lucky for me, setting up the tree was not rocket science, rather a matter of connecting four poles, separating and shaping branches, and plugging in lights. It was something even I could handle.

I stood back and admired the tree before setting to work on my next and favorite task—unpacking and hanging my collection of ornaments. I love unwrapping my ornaments from their tissue paper cocoons and taking a moment to recount the memory behind each. Growing up, my parents bought me an ornament each year to represent something important in my life. The ornaments are many and varied: there’s a globe from my birth year, an ice cream sundae from childhood, a swimmer inscribed with my nickname “Krit” from high school, a Bucky Badger from college, and perhaps most entertaining, Barbie (wearing a gown my mom hand-painted red) for the year I was named homecoming queen at UW. All the little memories that collectively represent my life.

The end result was magnificent. But my eyes were immediately distracted by the unsightly tree base that screamed “artificial tree.” It was clear I needed to invest in a tree skirt. And despite my mom’s pre-St. Nick’s Day warnings (do not buy anything for yourself), I set out on a quest to find the perfect tree skirt. But I was quickly disheartened. The few tree skirts I found were generic, tacky, and extraordinary over-priced. After a few shopping trips, I had pretty much given up.

But like a Christmas miracle, over the weekend I received my annual St. Nick’s Day package from my parents. The box included an assortment of small goodies. Just when I thought I had reached the end, I felt something folded at the bottom of the package underneath a thick bed of tissue paper. Slowly, I uncovered a beautiful tree skirt my mom had quilted for me. My eyes lit up with joy and I rushed to put it in its place below the tree. It was absolutely perfect. My Christmas tree was finally complete. And once again I learned it’s always best to listen to mom.

A few pictures of this year’s favorite antique/flea market finds…