The Lavender Daisy

Phenomenal Friday: Rocking Chairs at the Airport

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 03:47:00 +0000

These chairs made me smile (and were relaxing to rock in) on a trip I took a few months ago.

Nostalgia Thursday: Vintage Postage Stamps

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:55:00 +0000

I bought several vintage tree stamps for my wedding invitations (which I'll talk more about another time). Because I had to buy them from several different sellers in order to collect enough stamps, I received several envelopes that were postmarked with other vintage stamps. When the first envelope arrived, it was such a nice surprise to see the stamps. Then, as the other envelopes rolled into my mailbox, I was so happy each time I saw the envelope. It hadn't occurred to me that the sellers would share more of their stamp collections when they mailed their packages to me. These are a couple of the envelopes and stamps:

I particularly like the map and airmail stamps.

Buying the stamps for the invitations has introduced me to a new world of vintage stamps--now I think I might become a little addicted to buying more stamps :) Some of them are so beautiful and fun--I think I would like to use some to mail other letters to friends and family as well as collect some.

At first I wasn't sure whether it was worth the effort to search for all of the original stamps that I ordered, but I'm hoping that my guests feel the same way that I did when they receive the envelopes with a hint of vintage nostalgia that I mailed to them :)

Fun at Paper Source

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:24:00 +0000

I love going to Paper Source! There are so many cute things there. I bought some of the materials to make my invitations there. I tried to stay with the things on my list, but I was temporarily distracted by all of their other adorable items. When I stopped roaming through all of the cute sections, I chose items that were both fun and functional :) A few of my favorites are a new rubber stamp, calligraphy pens, and red and white striped paper straws.

While I was browsing the rubber stamp section, I found one that I have been looking for in several stores, but hadn't been able to find--the character for double happiness! It was a happy surprise to find it when I wasn't specifically looking for it on this particular trip :)

I also bought some new calligraphy pens. The Speedball Elegant Writer calligraphy pens are awesome! I took a calligraphy class several years ago, and I have a beginner's kit that I used to brush up on my calligraphy writing. These pens are great, because it makes my normal handwriting look like calligraphy even when I make a mistake with the stroke.

I also found red and white paper straws! I was going to stick with a theme for the colors of the paper straws, but I think that these straws are so much fun that I will use multiple colors for a cheerful effect at the reception (also, the left over straws will be so much fun to use for decorating later).

Phenomenal Friday: L-O-V-E

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:15:00 +0000

This is such a sweet, upbeat, and classic song! Another one of my favorites :)

Nostalgia Thursday: I Saw the Sign

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:05:00 +0000

I found a really cool sign at Goodwill the other day! I went there to look for wedding reception decorations, but I ended up buying a sign that looks like it is from some type of transportation stop--and it was only $7.99! It is currently residing in my living room :) I love that it has two small rings on the side, so that it can be easily rotated to say the two different locations.

I've been trying to find out more about it and the towns that are written on it. I wonder how long it was used and about the people who traveled to and from those towns. This is one of my favorite things about finding items at the thrift store and the flea markets--the history (both known and unknown) that come with it.

Getting Ready for Adventures in Gocco Printing!

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:54:00 +0000

During the past few months, I have been working on a lot of fun projects for my upcoming wedding. One item that I have been wanting to buy for awhile is a gocco printing machine, but since they are no longer being manufactured they have been either difficult to find or too expensive. However, I found recently a great deal on a used machine!

My mind started swirling with all of the potential projects that I make! First, I thought about using them to screenprint invitations, but then decided that I should use them on a different project since it will be my first adventure in gocco printing. (I still handmade my invitations--with the help of my inkjet printer--which I'm very excited about! I'll write about that another time).

I've decided to use the gocco to make a design to screenprint on welcome bags for guests (and possibly to decorate some items). Now I have to narrow down ideas and create a design to use :)

Have you used a gocco machine, or do you have any tips about screenprinting?

Phenomenal Friday: A Beautiful View

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 05:10:00 +0000

Phenomenal Friday: Wonderful World

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 01:50:00 +0000

I love the song "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong. It always makes me feel better when I need a little mood booster, and it's a great reminder about appreciating all of the beautiful moments that happen everyday.

Etsy Purchase/Red Ruby Rose Etsyversary Sale

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 01:06:00 +0000

I just made a new purchase on Etsy, and I'm so excited! Red Ruby Rose is having a fantastic sale of 50% off to celebrate her 3 year anniversary on Etsy using a coupon code. I've wanted to purchase one of her purses for awhile, so this was a great opportunity! I just bought a mini pocket purse, and I can't wait until it arrives :) The sale lasts for one day, and you can read more about it and see her beautiful work on her blog and her Etsy shop: Red Ruby Rose: Blog and Red Ruby Rose: Etsy Shop

Everything's Coming Up Rosettes

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:51:00 +0000

There are so many projects that I want to do this year, and I'm trying to organize them. One thing that I want to do is make a pillow with rosettes (I love sewing pillows), so I've started to practice them. The Sew Mama Sew blog has a great tutorial by Elizabeth from Oh, Fransson! on how to make yo-yo rosettes and turn them into a pillow, buttons, and other ideas. You can find the tutorial here: Elizabeth's Fabric Focus-Yo-Yos

My first attempt didn't go so well...

But my second attempt was a little a better:

And my third try seems to look more like a rosette :)

I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, and it's a lot of fun!

I'm tempted to buy new fabric, but I have a lot of fabric that I should use first. Actually, some of the fabric that I'm using is what I have left from a Sew Mama Sew fabric swap last year. I think I'm going to try to participate in more fabric swaps this year.

Do you have any rosette sewing tips/ideas?

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:27:00 +0000

, originally uploaded by Lavender Sunrise.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:46:00 +0000

I'm so excited about the new year! I've been away from blogging for awhile, and I'm looking forward to writing here again. Here's to a new year of peace, happiness, learning, and fun!

Phenomenal Friday: Rockin' the Bicycle Helmet

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Design Dust is a fantastic blog with lots of interesting finds. One of my favorites are bicycle helmet covers that look like hats from Adeline Adeline These helmet and helmet covers are such a fun and creative idea.

They also have an adorable child sized helmet shaped like a watermelon.

Bike riding can be so relaxing, and it's a fun idea to have helmets that are playful, too.

Bike Path

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:20:00 +0000

Recycled Guitar String Necklace Giveaway on the olive bites home of uncorked + polarity blog

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:03:00 +0000

There is an awesome giveaway going on at the Olive Bites Home of Uncorked + Polarity Blog! Plucking Pendants creates beautiful jewelry out of recycled guitar strings and is giving away a recycled guitar string necklace! You can check it out at: olive bites home of uncorked + polarity: GIVEAWAY - Plucking Pendants - Recycled Guitar String Necklace

Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:54:00 +0000

I never get tired of seeing hearts--looking at them always makes me smile. These are a few of my favorite heart images.

Stop! I love you by smudie

Parisian Love Lock by hipposrunsuperfast

snail love by codefor

The Love Knot by Rajputro

Edible Books

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 19:12:00 +0000

I found out that there's a festival in several cities that combines two of my favorite things--books and food! The International Edible Book Festival is celebrated each April. Some people also make these delicious books other times during the year. If my baking skills improve, I might try to make one. These are a few of some tasty books (clicking the photo takes you to the link).

Sherry Best/Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library Edible Book Festival
via flickr Creative Commons License

Zan Popp/Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library Edible Book Festival
via flickr Creative Commons License

Bonnie Mettler/The Book of Kelps
via flickr Creative Commons License

Bluebird

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 21:14:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:37:00 +0000

Phenomenal Friday: The Seven Year Pen

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:42:00 +0000

I had an amazing time on vacation. One of my favorite items that I bought was The Seven Year Pen. The gift shop at the New York Public Library was selling them, so I explored the basket of pens and chose this purple pen with an image of a bird and a feather.

It's an eco-friendly pen, because it has enough ink to last for approximately seven years! Now I just have to make sure not to lose it :) I think that I will buy another pen to use on our wedding day as a keepsake.

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:19:00 +0000

Hugs

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:11:00 +0000

I love the Mutts comic strip by Patrick McDonnell, and this book is one of my favorites. It's such a sweet reminder about the happiness that hugs can bring.

Painting with Blueberry Juice--Craft the World July Challenge: Nature

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:00:00 +0000

This month I made a pocket notebook for the Craft the World Challenge on Adelle's blog. The theme for July is nature, so I decided to make a notebook centered around a quotation about love and flowers and to experiment with using a fruit(blueberry juice)to paint part of the cover.

I've been eating a lot of blueberries lately, and I thought that it would be fun to try to use some of the juice to paint. It was good practice, and I experimented with mixing the blueberry juice with water to try to change the shading. It ranged from a magenta color to a deep purple color. When I tried to paint some of the flowers, the ink spread more than I thought that it would, so I used ink to make outlines around the juice color. Next time I will try using smaller brushes or toothpicks to make details. This was a fun

Phenomenal Friday: The Magic of Bike Riding

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:55:00 +0000

"After your first day of cycling, one dream is inevitable. A memory of motion lingers in the muscles of your legs and round and round they seem to go. You ride through Dreamland on wonderful dream bicycles that change and grow."
--H.G. Wells, The Wheels of Chance

"Think of bicycles as rideable art..."
--Grant Petersen

Nostalgia Thursday: Friendship Bracelets & Tutorial to Make a Bracelet from Bias Tape

noreply@blogger.com (The Lavender Daisy) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:31:00 +0000

I remember having so much fun making and exchanging friendship bracelets during slumber parties. It was so exciting to share that girl time with friends and make brightly colored bracelets. I think that was when I was first introduced to the beauty of embroidery floss.

One of the things that I like about embroidery floss is that it can be used to add a punch of color and brighten projects like using it to tie a package or making a handmade book (which I've been doing a lot lately).

Another colorful item that has been fun to experiment with is bias tape.

The first time that I bought bias tape was to complete an edge around a blanket. I've ended up with a small container of bias tape strands, so I've been trying to find other uses for it. I think the width of it is a good size for making jewelry like necklaces and bracelets, and this is one of the bracelets that I made.

Bias Tape Bracelet Tutorial

Materials

Bias Tape
Needle
Thread
Scissors
pins or clips

1. Measure a piece of bias tape to fit comfortably around your wrist, add approximately an additional 2 inches, and cut.

2. Start in the center of the bias tape, fold down approximatley 1/4 inch, fold up approximately 1/4 inch, and continue this pattern to make a wavy decoration. Clip or pin it to hold it together.

3. Place needle under the first fold and pull it through.

4.Go back through the fold with the needle and sew straight across all of the folds. Sew through all of the folds a second time to strengthen it and tie a small knot.

5. Fold down the edge of the bias tape twice and sew together. Repeat with other edge of the bias tape.

6. Wrap the bias tape around your wrist to make sure that the length is comfortable and attach the ends together with a clip or pin. Sew the ends together.

There are lots of possibilites to decorate the bracelet in different ways like adding beading...or embroidery :)