10 Fun Crafts to Make With Twigs

When the kids were little we spent many summer days at the park. Sticks and twigs were gathered and used as inspiration for games of fantasy (and, at one point, a child ran with a stick -- straight into a tree, resulting in the inevitable summer trip to the ER). Occasionally, little twigs found their way into craft projects, typical stuff, like snowman arms, stars, and wreaths.

Spring windstorms have brought down lots of twigs in our neighborhood this year, and I thought it would be fun to see what other creatives have been doing with twigs. Here are a few of my favorite twig projects:

17 Pretty Projects to Make With Granny Squares

When I was a little girl, I always looked forward to visits from my grandmother. People rarely flew in those days -- going to see your grandkids meant taking a long road trip! My grandmother didn't drive, so she contented herself with crochet projects while Grandpa drove.

Grandma made afghans and slippers and crocheted pretty edges on washcloths. She always made her granddaughters ponchos with matching hats. My cousin Sonia had this exquisite pale complexion, with rosy cheeks and a pink lips, and very dark hair, so Grandma always made her a bright pink poncho that emphasized her pretty coloring.  I had yellow hair, and brown eyes and freckles, and Grandma always made me a blue poncho, because she thought blonde hair looked pretty with blue outfits.

When I find old afghans and stacks of granny squares in thrift stores, I am always thinking about ways to up-cycle them. Do you do that? After seeing the many hours that my grandmother put into her crochet projects, I can't bear to see these colorful squares discarded.

I thought I would round up some of the best granny square projects from around the web for inspiration.

If you find an afghan in a thrift store, you can always just use it as an afghan!  Isn't this afghan from My Cakies, pretty?

This Etsy store sells vintage crochet patterns.  How about whipping up a cute little bikini from leftover bits?

Another Etsy store sell boot cuffs made from granny squares!

Magd van der Vloed

I smile every time I see this granny square trophy!

These granny square upholstered stools are from Wood Wool Stool.

Go retro, with a flounce sleeved granny square cardigan!

How about whipping up some tiny bird houses, like these from Anthropologie?

Sonja Cay Wood used an old afghan to recover the seats in her car!

This Etsy shop up-cycles vintage afghans into pillows!

Another Etsy shop makes these beautiful bags with granny squares.

All four fun projects shown above were from the Sannaochsania blog.

I found these sweet slippers at Purl Bee.

You can always whip up a little purse!

Or make a fun garland, like this one from Homemade at My Place.

Are you inspired to look at old afghans and orphan granny squares differently?

Amazing Ways to Re-purpose Vintage Doors

We have a really cool door re-purposing project in the works for the beach house, so I have had doors on the brain lately!  I am constantly amazed at all the creative people sharing their ideas on the web.

I can seriously spend way too much time reading about re-purposing projects -- this stuff just sucks me in. How about you?  Here are some of my favorite re-purposed doors from around the web:

This Etsy listing for a re-purposed vintage door is so cute.... and the staging is pretty awesome, too!

bhg

This vintage screen door does double duty as a storage shelf and a pot rack. Because it's a screen door, it doesn't block a lot of light.

Not Just a  Housewife created this stunning screen!

via Cote de Texas

I am seriously IN LOVE with these matching doors used as mounts for those amazing sconces!

Humanité:  dwelling.  style.  compassion. via House Tweaking

This must be the BEST store display ever. What a charming way to display garments!

At Dreamy Whites, chippy old doors make great bedfellows!

Killer B Designs created this lovely coffee table.

Jordan Valley Home and Garden Club

How about building a sunny yellow arbor with a set of old doors?

At Creatively Living, they created this sweet chalkboard door!

Did these ideas inspire you to look at old doors differently? Let me know in the comments.

11 Creative Ways to Hang Your Towels

We are gearing up for new round of guests at the beach house pretty soon, so I have been exploring new way to hang towels.  The original builder grade towel rods fell off the wall of the main guest bath within the first six months, and I am just SO TIRED of rehanging them.

Here are some super creative ideas I've found around the web for hanging towels --  maybe one of these solutions will be perfect for you (or me)!


Not Just A Housewife uses lovely old crystal doorknobs!

I love this idea from Martha Stewart! Simply wooden pegs spaced evenly along a rail. Something like this would be great at the b each house, where we sometimes need to hang a dozen or so different towels!

No time for a DIY project? No problem! Find darling handmade towel holders with built-in canning jar toothbrush holder on Etsy.

I think this idea for using vintage office clips at Life by Lufe is pure genius!

I am Momma Hear Me Roar created this cute surfboard towel hanger!  

These towel hangers from The Polka Dot Closet is sooooooo sweet! What a great idea to use re-purposed drawer pulls attached to a piece of architectural salvage!

Stephanie Lynn used round hand towel holders attached to a rail.

What a great idea to use picture frames with vintage hardware! I found this idea at Worthing Court Blog.

Donna, at Funky Junk Interiors always has such creative ideas!

Check out these towel racks (or coat racks) made from crocheted granny squares! To cute!

I found this fun idea at Itsy Bits and Pieces blog. What a clever reuse of a vintage wooden dress hanger!

Do your builder grade towel rods give you headaches?  They drive me cuh-razy!  All this great ideas have inspired me to think outside the box when it comes to hanging towels -- how about you?

Never Forgotten: A Story of Sacrifice and a Remembrance Poppy Tutorial

I have loved the little Remembrance Poppies, sold by our veterans, as long as I can remember.  As a little girl, shopping with my mother, I was always given a bit of change to donate for my own little poppy to wear.

Each year, when I get my poppy, I am reminded of my mother, and how she taught me about the sacrifices made by so many.

A few years ago, the reality of this great sacrifice was driven home, when I received a phone call saying that the son of a friend had been killed while serving in Iraq. Our sons had enlisted at the same time, and I still remember sitting with the other young man's father, a veteran himself, during a parent orientation evening.

21 Fabulous Ideas for Re-Using Shutters!

On a recent consult, I recommended we visit local salvage yards to find some chippy and rustic old shutters to live over the client's mantel. The clients were somewhat surprised, but open to the idea, so I did a (not so) quick internet search that evening to find similar installations to show them.

Before I knew it, I had stayed up way too late, looking at Google images and Pinterest. Loooooooong after I'd found examples to show my clients, I was still collecting ideas for repurposed shutters! Does this happen to you? Here are a few of my favorites:

This vignette makes me swoon. The raised panel shutters are perfectly faded and worn.

Mediterranean Family Room by Houston Artists & Artisans Anything But Plain, Inc.

We all love Jane Coslick's renovated beach houses, and this creative re-use of vintage shutters for pantry doors is classic Coslick styling!

Jane Coslick

Fitted out with sliding barn door hardware, these chunky old shutters are right at home in a traditional interior.

Traditional Hall by Houston Architects & Designers Parker Stuckey Residential

On a smaller scale, here is a small shutter upcycled as jewelry storage.

via etsy

How about adding brackets and coat hooks and using old shutters to organize the mud room?

bhg via

At Olive and Love, they used a collection of vintage shutters to add texture and interest to their wall!

At Life as a Thrifter, an upcycled shutter keeps the family organized.

At Organize and Decorate Everything, they created these sweet vignette using chippy white shutters and a pretty wreath.

This trio of shiny black shutters functions as the family's message center. So cute!

The Nester uses a set of old shutters as a backdrop to her art de jour.

At Christina's Adventures, pretty yellow shutters dress up a planter!

How about using a tall shutter to organize your craft supplies? I love this idea!

Two Peas in a Bucket

What a charming idea to use an old shutter as a table runner!

Buckets of Burlap

I love the idea of using a chippy old shutter to hang beach towels and swim suits!

Rasmataz

How about dressing up some old shutters to create an elegant headboard, like this one?

Eclectic Bedroom

If space is tight, but you want to create a cute little entry area, a set of old shutters just might be the solution.

Elevate a succulent garden to art with an installation like this one:

Eclectic Landscape by San Francisco Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Lila B. Design

Or create a {love}ly piece of word art! (I LOVE this entire vignette.... sigh....)

Concord Cottage

How about building a "just the right size" kitchen island?

Beyond the Picket Fence via

Here is another shutter wall installation -- this time all in tones of white for a serene feeling space.

Thistlewood Farms

Flank a fireplace with tall rustic shutters, and layer with mirrors or art.

Traditional Living Room by Mckinney Interior Designers & Decorators Lori Rourk Interiors Inc.

Have you used re-purposed shutters in your home? Do you love this trend toward adaptive re-use of architectural salvage?