Friday 28 February 2014

Roots and Leaves - Air Plant Love


Crystal has been loving air plants for years but I'm slightly new to them. Still, I got on the band wagon a couple of weeks ago and bought these three beautiful specimens from a local florist. 


I'm still figuring out how to take care of them. (This lovely post on A Beautiful Mess is a great source.)  And of course my sister has years of knowledge. 


One thing I'm still working on is watering. I'm finding I water them twice a week and then leave them in the sink to dry upside down for a couple of hours. I need to buy a spray bottle so I can mist them as well. 


I have them in an area that doesn't get a ton of sun so we'll see how it goes. I'll give an update soon. If you have any questions on how to take care of them then post them here and we'll do our best to answer. 


I want to get a few more little ones. Definitely one thing I've found with all kinds of plants is that they're 

Monday 24 February 2014

We are not Lepidopterists - But we still like butterflies! - Beautiful butterfly coasters



We discovered that although we appreciate the differences in butterflies, we aren't so good at telling them apart or identifying them! The good part is - we don't think anyone else will know - so we picked cool latin names for these ones, that may or may not be their actual species.





The Common names are just as cool, however. Things like, "Purple Emperor" (cat name?), "Mountain Ringlet" (hairstyle?), "Large Chequered Skipper" (entree?), or "Mazarine Blue" (new Crayola color?)




Our latest thrift store outing brought us these. Vintage bamboo & glass coasters with real butterfly wings and a cool lace background. Gorgeous as a useful item around the house, or just for display in your curiousity cabinet.




The sad thing is that real butterflies generally only live 2-4 weeks (some live more, some less), which just makes these even more of a treasure.



The Reading List - Territories by Emma Bull



Emma Bull has been one of my favourite authors for a long time. Crystal and I have read everything she's written at least five times. Or so we thought. I was at a second hand book shop downtown and came across this book - Territory. I probably almost squealed. What? An Emma Bull book we hadn't read?!
The great thing about her books is how she seamlessly puts magic into normal worlds. In another book of hers (the beautiful War for the Oaks) she mixes magic, the Faerie court and 80s rock band. Every time I see this book in a store I want to buy it even though I already own it - that's how good it is!
But back to Territory. In it Emma Bull mixes magic and the city of Tombstone, Arizona during the days of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Who are actual characters in the book along with a couple of fictional characters you want to meet and become best friends with. At least I do. Ahem.
Theres intrigue and plot twists and, if it's like every other Emma Bull book, one of my beloved main characters will die. (Never get attached to anyone in her books, honestly!) I haven't quite finished it yet. I'm in that weird stage of wanting to read it quickly but never wanting it to end. We'll see how it goes - I'll let you know.

You Can Make it Beautiful - Spatter Constellation Art DIY


I love constellations. No idea why since I can really only see Orion's Belt. My mind just can't figure out constellations. Sadly. 

I was looking at Pinterest and saw some beautiful constellation embroidery and wanted to do something similar. Here's my take!

                   

I did this in my kitchen since I didn't want to destroy the carpets any more than my cat already has. I spread the drop cloths out, poured some paint into the tray and dipped my paint brush in and then flicked it over the fabric. 


It took me a bit to figure out the right amount of paint to use so it didn't glob. I recommend using a larger piece of fabric than you want because some if it won't turn out. Lol. 

I also did little dots over the fabric to make it appear 'universe-y' and give the art more perspective. 


Once the paint is dry I put the fabric into a embroidery hoop and used some thread to 'connect' the constellations. This is the best part because you get to make your own constellations up!



 Full disclosure: I didn't have any white embroidery thread so I used this light blue/grey I had. You know what? It still looks great!

And here's my constellations, naming them was half the fun. Have a great time making up your own constellations!


 xoxox
Holly 

Video Star - Self Sorting M&M's - Mustard Divided Tray




Self-Sorting M&Ms! It's our first video for Hometown Beautiful Blog! We had this idea for a while, and we're glad it turned out. (Even if Holly's cat tried to sneak into the shot!) Don't like your different foods touching? Ya, us neither.
It's the perfect way to feature this funky mustard divided tray (part of a set of three) that we are listing on our etsy shop soon! Sort craft supplies, food, or candy!
Can't wait for more stop motion videos! Stay tuned....