the b-line | bless you!

our modern dog

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:54:00 +0000

Attention hound that she is, our Lola was not about let her brother Graham be the only one in the family to get some press. Don't get me wrong, she loves her boys, but this girl was born for modeling and now she's got a glossy magazine spread to prove it. :)

We were really chuffed when modern dog magazine asked us to feature Lola and the pet pocket tutorial I'd written for the b-line a while back. They did a wonderful job (and how flattering to be referred to as a quadruple threat? blushing here....). And it's a beautiful magazine. Head to your newstands now and check it out. Here's a preview:

textile tour

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:37:00 +0000

Hi, all!
Just thought I would share my latest fabric creations with you. These designs are part of my Amy Bethune Photography collection. As you might guess, I designed them with my business in mind---inspired by my branding colors (navy, scarlet, and pink) and the par avion theme. I'm using them for packaging and I just love how they turned out. Let me know what you think!

Yowza!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:23:00 +0000

I feel so blessed. During a random little check on facebook I saw a link to the Spoonflower blog that made me curious. I just wanted to see what the top ten fabrics of 2011 looked like. And what did I see as soon as I got there? My own profile pic staring right back at me! Totally shocked to read that I am one of Spoonflower's top ten designers of 2011! And in VERY good company, I might add!

The top ten!

I never planned to be a fabric designer (nor do I really consider myself one)--I just printed a few things that I wanted for the boys' nurseries. I'm so pleased to know that others like what I've done and have really enjoyed reading emails and comments from other spoonflower customers over the last couple of years telling me how they are using my fabrics. Such fun! Thanks, everyone!

nursery redux: revealing room #2

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Drumroll, please! Our youngest's nursery is finally finished! We all really love the space. It has a very calm, sorta grown-up feel to it and it really seems to suit our littlest boy, who seems to have a bit of an old soul. That, or maybe he just does the grumpy old man face really well. ;) Andy and I love the crisp, clean lines of the space and the gentlemanly feel of the room. And big brother loves to play on the cozy carpeting. And our little one is a big fan of the crib. He also seems to be attracted to the mobile.

Just to put this in perspective, here's what it looked like back in May, before we started. Brace yourself.

OK, that was before. Dark, dingy, mismatched. A furniture catchall. Not exactly inspired. I'm sorry to put you through that.

And now, without further delay, here's the space now! I hope you like it!

Even from the doorway, I think you can see that it's a big change. And a big improvement!

This room is the smallest in the house (roughly 9'x9'), but even so, it has to serve as both our littlest's nursery and our only guest room. So, we opted to fill the space with a substantial bureau/changing table (there is no closet in the room), the crib, and a queen-sized sleeper sofa.

Besides having two walls with large windows, the full-sized door to the attic is also located in here. Since we never go in the attic, we opted to camouflage the door by placing a large mirror in front of it. Not only does it help disguise the attic access, it also reflects a lot of light from those four windows and brightens the space quite a bit. We also decided to paint the walls and trim shades of white and opted for a fairly light carpeting to keep the room on the bright side. We also chose white to provide a nice contrast to the dark grey bureau and navy honeycomb curtains.

Since there's not a lot of real estate in the room, we've used picture ledges to display books face-out. And we put a few other pieces of art and knickknacks up there as well.

Felt bowls help keep the boys' toys tidy. We also had a ceiling fan installed in the room (replacing the awful nipple light fixture from before) to help keep the room cool and circulate air (not a lot of room for a table fan).

Here's a close-up of some of the artwork in the room. On the right is a portrait I took of our sweetie when he was 5 days new. On the left, our new family "crest", which features the four of us racing along. And in the center, a colorful hot air balloon mobile made from paper.

And there you have it! Hope you enjoyed the tour. And just in case you're curious, the source list is below.

Nursery resources:

Paint

Wall color/ Benjamin Moore Designer White (Eggshell)
Trim/ Valspar Semi-Gloss White

Furniture and fixtures

Crib: Ikea Gulliver
Dresser/changing table: Ikea Edland 6-drawer dresser
Sofa: West Elm Henry Sofa Sleeper
Book shelves: Ikea Ribba picture rails (3)
Table lamp: Repurposed from this room (bought at Target years ago)
Clip lamp: Ikea Jansjo in white
Ceiling fixture: Westinghouse Lighting 7876400 Three-Blade Indoor Ceiling Fan (Amazon)
Mirror: Ikea Monstad
Carpet/Lowes
Woven Tray: repurposed from another room (bought at Target years ago)
Hamper: Lands End canvas storage tote (medium)
Peg rail: Lowes
Curtain rods and rings: Target
Picture frames: Ikea Ribba and Target RE wide mat frames

Textiles

Quilt: made by Mom! (Rowan's Grandma)
Striped throw: Ikea Elver
Curtains: made with navy honeycomb fabric (printed at spoonflower)
Pillows: made by yours truly with regatta and navy scales fabric and West Elm napkins
Crib skirt: made by me with grey arrows fabric
Felt bowls: made by me (tutorial here)
Crib sheet and changing pad cover/ Babies-R-Us

Art, etc.

Crashing waves water color: painted by a family friend
Standout portrait of Rowan printed by WHCC (an ABP project :))
Birth announcement, prayer, and race cars family "crest" designed by me
Balloon collage: made by me (used a paper punch to cut out balloons and then adhesive squares to place them on craft paper)
Balloon mobile: made by me from paper (tutorial here)
Wooden race cars, house blocks, and little boys: painted by me (plain wood pieces purchased from JoAnn Fabrics)
Letter "B": decoupaged with Paris maps made by moi

nursery news

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:41:00 +0000

Our newest nursery is still a work in progress, thanks to a sofa on back-order (not to mention a baby who is 3 days late and counting!). But here's a little update on our first born's space: a feature in American Baby! Actually, it's due to my soon-to-be (at least I hope it'll be soon) second born that I have seen this feature in person. Strangely enough, the copy I was sent of the August 2011 issue was missing the nursery feature (there were a few other differences as well). Boy, was I confused! But here's how it looks in the issue I snagged today. Yay!

let's make a mobile! | diy

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 11:57:00 +0000

Hello friends! I'm back with another project that I recently completed for our nursery-in-progress. This mobile was super simple, super quick, and super cheap! I was inspired by the beautiful flensted hot air balloon mobile, but wanted to customize the colors (and be a bit more economical). Follow along if you wish!

To begin, you'll need:

craft paper for the balloons (about 6 inches square for each side of each balloon--I had 5 four-sided balloons, so 20 squares of paper)

paper for the "baskets" (2 inches square for each)

glue

scissors

pencil

thick gauge wire (I used 16 gauge)

thread or fishing line

We'll begin with the baskets. First, cut a 2-inch square piece of paper. Mark the paper at 0.25", 1.25" and 1.75" along one side and the opposite side. On the two remaining edges, mark the paper at 0.25", 0.75", and 1.75". Then draw lines on the diagonals as shown below.

Now, starting on the corners with only two lines, cut along the lines toward the center. Stop cutting when you hit the second intersecting line. From the corners with four lines, cut along the outermost line just to the first intersecting line. Your "square" should now look like this:

Mark the very center of the piece with a dot. Fold along the remaining lines on the wider sides.

Now, fold each corner in so that it touches the center dot you marked.

Unfold the skinnier sides.

Leave the wider sides folded in and bend the two flaps toward the center:

You should now be able to fold the two wider sides together to make this box shape.

While holding the sides together, bring one of the skinnier strips up over the edge of the box and tuck it in. Repeat with the other side. (You may need to use a pencil (eraser end) to press the paper all the way down.

And there you have it! Cute, right?

Now, for the balloons. Cut out a template for your balloons depending on the shape and size you desire. The balloons I made are about 5 1/2 inches tall and 4 1/2 inches wide at the widest point. The "stem" of the balloon measures 1/2 inch across (so it fits in the basket). Be sure to fold your balloon in half length-wise so it is symmetric--it'll need to be folded anyway!

Once you have your balloon pieces cut out, glue each folded half of the balloon to another folded half. Use four pieces of paper (glued together) for each balloon.

Allow the glue to dry. If you have excess paper hanging over on any of the sides, go ahead and give it a nice trim.

Then squirt some glue into one of the baskets and insert your balloon. Allow the glue to dry.

To create the mobile, I simply made five of these balloons with different colors of craft paper. I then tied fishing line to each one at the very top (after poking a tiny hole using a sewing needle) and tied each balloon to a piece of 16-gauge craft wire that I had already looped at the ends. It did require a few minutes of rearranging the lengths of string and the placement of the string on the wires to balance everything, but that was it!

There you have it! This project took me about 3 hours from start to finish. And because I already had all of the craft paper, fishing line, glue, and supplies, it only cost me $1.99 (for the craft wire).

Decide to try this? Please let me know how it turns out! And good luck!

in the press...

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:11:00 +0000

I was recently contacted by another spoonflower merchant, who let me know that our fabric was featured in the July 2011 issue of Good Housekeeping!

This doesn't happen everyday, at least not for me! So I had to run out and buy a copy and see for myself. And I thought I'd share with you. That's my teal chevron fabric on page 33. (Also featured are C'est la viv_rain by C'est la viv and red drum original by ElizabethHamptonSouth.) Woot woot! What a thrill! Thanks, GH!

sweet nursery

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:56:00 +0000

Jayna of RockyTop Design recently contacted me to show me the beautiful pieces she made using some of my orange chevron fabric (available on spoonflower). Check out this beautiful changing pad cover, crib skirt, and pillow in one the stunning nursery of her customers. (You know I have a thing for grey and citrus tones together and this combo rocks!)

Thanks for sharing, Jayna! (Check out her sweet stuff here.)

felt storage bowls {tutorial}

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:20:00 +0000

I can't believe how long it's been since I've dared a tutorial. Certainly before my first born came along. But, as he is cooperating with my crafting time (by faithfully taking his naps!), I've had some time to DIY a few things for the new little one's nursery. And I thought I'd share one with you.

Do you pinterest? Yes, I've caught the bug, too. And I saw these felt urchin bowls a while back and just loved them. Of course, as I didn't have any really thick felt on hand, I decided to just layer some cheap, thin felt sheets together and wing it. I was lazy--didn't even bother to thread my machine with coordinating thread, but I love this little things. They're great for tossing keys or make-up or what-have-you into.

They even work with little puzzle pieces. And while I was playing with my kiddo the other day, I realized that he was enjoying playing with the bowl as much as the puzzle. So I thought they just might make the perfect toy storage solution for our baby-to-be.

Here's what I used:
2 ft of felt (width of fabric bolt) in four different colors
thread to coordinate the outermost felt layer
pins, marking pen, scissors, ruler, and sewing machine

First, I decided that I wanted some pretty large but not-too-deep bowls, so I measured out a circle that was 60 cm in diameter (my Canuck hubby's ruler was the first I found!) and cut out a circle from each of the four colors of felt.

Next, I stacked the four circles together and folded the whole stack in half. You can see that my circles aren't perfect. But it doesn't really matter, as we'll trim in the end. :)

Then, I measured in from each end (along the fold) 12 cm and made a mark (with a pin at this point). And then I measured 5 cm up from the fold and made another mark. I drew a line connecting the two marks and pinned the felt together along that wedge.

I repeated this on the other end of the fold. Then I folded the pieces the opposite way (90 degrees) and repeated the measurements. And then I marked and pinned wedges in between all of those so that in the end, there were 8 evenly spaced wedges measuring 5 cm wide and 12 cm long (I didn't measure the hypotenuse!).

Next, I loaded up the machine with thread and basically jammed each thick wedge (one at a time) under the foot and sewed along the line (the hypotenuse), taking care to backstitch about one cm from the outer edges of felt.

After that, I trimmed the wedges of fabric about 1/8-1/4" from the seam (this requires some sharp scissors!).

And finally I trimmed along the top edges to make the "lip" of the bowl even.

And that's it! Easy peasy.

In the space of a couple of hours, I made three of these bowls (with the 2 ft of felt--which was as wide as the bolt). And the total cost? $12 for all three. It would have been even cheaper if I hadn't done this on impulse--the felt wasn't even on sale! In the end, the bowls measure about 36 cm (about 14") wide and are 12 cm deep (about 4.5"), perfect for storing all sorts of toys, diapers, burp cloths, etc. And they add a nice punch of color to the room, too!

Speaking of the room. Are you curious? Things are coming along! Here's a little sneak peek--including the felt bowls!

ready or not?

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:31:00 +0000

Ready!

Ready for what? Please read just a little bit more....

Though I personally disagree with some of her opinions, I really like this quote by Ayn Rand. How many times do we let opportunities pass us by because we actually prevent (due to fears, insecurities, embarrassment, doubt) ourselves from doing something that just might be GREAT? Well, I'm not sure I'm ready to take Eleanor Roosevelt's advice to "Do one thing every day that scares you" but today I'm letting myself be brave. And I'm stepping out on a ledge.

That ledge? Amy Bethune Photography!

It's official! I'm opening the doors. And I'm really excited. REALLY excited!

So, there you have it. That's my big news and what I've been spending all this time preparing. Please feel free to check it out. I've also started an ABP blog and a facebook page. I'd love to be liked. ;)

blurbed

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Mon, 16 May 2011 12:24:00 +0000

Do you journal? I've kept so many journals over the years. Diaries, weight-loss journals, prayer books, gratitude journals. You know what they all have in common? I start them and am really committed to journaling regularly and then, about 2 months later, my entries taper off. And that's kinda sad.

But they're one journal that I've actually kept up for more than a year--our family blog! What can I say? There's a lot of pressure to stick with it now that we've got a little one. But, as nice as the blog is, I still wanted something of a book to flip through--for our kids to flip through--in the coming years.

Enter blurb! We've made several photo books in the past, but a great feature of blurb is that you can actually upload your blog--text and all--and craft a book from it. A beautiful, glossy book. I'm so pleased with how our 2010 book came out (yes, I just finally finished the 2010 book now that 2011 is nearly half over!) and I'm committed to making a 2011 version as well (hopefully before mid-2012!). Here's a little peek...

P.S. This is not a sponsored post. Blurb doesn't know me--I just love their product!

new fabric

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Sun, 01 May 2011 18:36:00 +0000

I'm back at it again! Just a few new fabrics in the spoonflower lineup. :) I'm working towards nursery number 2--I think you might be able to sense the palette...

arrows

blue circle of friends

blue checkers

blue diamonds

blue scales

blue and white scales

plaid

target

white scallop

Yep, this time, I'm embracing the blues. Though maybe even more blue that these turned out--I've got a second round of samples on the way and we'll see how they turn out.

I also had these printed...not for the nursery, but by request from a customer...

black and white chevron

lilac and periwinkle chevrons

a new plan...

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:44:00 +0000

So, it turns out that our household will soon grow--we're expecting baby #2 this summer! And he's a boy! Which means will have two little lads (WAY) under two before too long.

I really love how Graham's nursery turned out, but I want this little one to have a space of his own with it's own unique feel. As such, I've started to skim the mags and interwebs for inspiration (yay--a second nursery to design!). And I thought I'd share some cute things that have caught my eye so far. It's early days yet, but it's a start.

this handsome dresser from IKEA

this amazing hand-cut map of Paris by studiokmo

these adorable vintage Scandinavian house blocks from Monki vintage

this coqo floral rug from anthropologie

a simple pendant from west elm

these oh-so-cute stuffed raccoons by sian

Jump by Thomas Prior

Again, early days, but we are headed in a very different direction from nursery #1!

playful pjs

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:45:00 +0000

I've been such a delinquent blogger. I have a ton of excuses, of course (baby, back-to-work, family immigration issues...), but that's all they are--excuses. At any rate, I thought I'd try to catch up (or at least get back on track)! So, for starters, here are a few shots of my boy in some pjs I made him.

The fabric is from spoonflower--a grasshopper + ant pattern and a coordinating stripe (check out the feet) that I had printed on the organic cotton knit.

Our little guy is very comfy in these duds. And the best part? He can't kick the feet off like he does his socks!

nursery feature!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:32:00 +0000

Wow! Our Graham's nursery is now featured on Parenting.com's "Gorgeous Nursery Photos" gallery. I'm really honored to be included with some of my favorite bloggers' nurseries, including Nicole's (Making it Lovely), Caroline's (Armelle), and Jo's (A Cup of Jo). Now that we're expecting baby #2 (yes, already!), I'm scouring the interwebs for inspiration once again. Head on over there and check out some truly beautiful baby spaces!

sweet on

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:38:00 +0000

Don't you just love 20x200? I spent a bit of my morning searching through the loveliness. These caught my eye...

prettymaps (paris)

squeeze

Inloveness Revisited

Nethermead

Praia Piquinia

Untitled

Ideal Bookshelf

clippings

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 20:52:00 +0000

***

Oh, these holidays and this little one are keeping me plenty busy! I guess it's to be expected. Still, I love a little "window shopping" here and there. Aren't these lovely?

***

***

***

***

***

***
Happy holiday decorating!

small wonders

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 02:55:00 +0000

Our little boy is growing up fast! We'll be starting him on solid foods any day now, so I've got all sorts of mealtime stuff on the brain. What was the first solid food your kiddo ate? And when? And what utensil/bowl/chair, etc., worked best for you?

boon flair high chair (we have this already and love it)

boon catch bowl (love that this has suction--our guy is already throwing things like crazy)

My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus (Nancy Tringali Piho) I read this before G was born and I think she has some good ideas. I have the best of intentions....

beaba babycook (like I said, the best of intentions) I like that this cooks and purees the food in one cute little gadget

palette plate. so cute. love the colors.

baby bjorn soft bib (no laundry!)

piglet spoon We received this as a gift. Swoon.

splat mat (so not looking forward to the mess. this should help.)

food face ceramic plate. it'll be a while, but one day, I think Jr. will have fun with this (or at least I will)

cast your vote!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 17:21:00 +0000

Whether you've already cast your ballot or you're headed to the polls later today, I'd love to take advantage of your voting fever and ask you to give a nod to Graham's nursery on Ohdeedoh's Small Kids, Big Color Contest!

You must be registered in the Apartment Therapy community to vote, but it's that simple.

Thanks for your help!

clippings

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:06:00 +0000

Searching for some inspiration. Our dining room needs a makeover. STAT.

@ (so pretty)

@ (digging this wall color but I'm not sure we can go quite to dark)

@ stunning

@ our table is very similar to this one--what about these chairs?

@ love the drum shade and the turquoise

new swatches

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 02:50:00 +0000

Oh happy day! I always love getting my swatches from spoonflower. Here are a few new designs!

up collection

balloon bouquet

celebrate bunting (large)

nursery news

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:36:00 +0000

So excited to see that G's nursery hit the front page over on project nursery...yay!

small wonders

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 03:25:00 +0000

Wishing for a little more of this....

Sleep has not been coming easily these days. I'm hoping that changes soon!

clippings

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:34:00 +0000

Black, white, soft neutrals. Sometimes simple is best, no?

@

@

@

@
@

source unknown

@

have a blessed weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Amy (the b-line)) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:03:00 +0000

It's my 500th post! Woohoo!

I'm looking forward to this weekend. Hopeful that the little guy will want to sleep more than he has the rest of the week. And also looking forward to putting the final (for now, anyway) touches on our master bath reno. What have you got planned? A couple of fun ideas...

add a rainbow to your dash

make a cardboard train

make creatures from leaves and then make fabric

or make critters from lollies!