Preserving a taste of spring

Rhubarb is fast becoming a favorite of mine.  We had a little bunch from our CSA last week and not having the desire to bake but also wanting to make sure that it was used before going bad led to rhubarb jam.  I used a martha recipe, adding some vanilla bean seeds; a half batch gave me enough for a jar for enjoying now and three little jars to freeze.  That jam will taste so awesome in January. 

DIY Wreaths

DIY wreaths seem to be coming into their own.  There are some truly fantastic ideas for pretty wreaths that require a fairly low level of DIY crafting prowess.   These are my favorite so far...

Absolutely brilliant tinsel garland wreath idea from Creature Comforts.

A homey felt wreath idea from Jones Designs Company

A scrappy little fabric wreath from Elisa Blaha on A Beautiful Mess

A rustic burlap wreath from Karina Ink

A pretty little yarn ball wreath from Madeline Bea

And a simple yet charming yarn wreath from take heart.

I kind of want to make all of these! 

Restoring A Craigslist Table

I recently tried my hand at furniture restoration on a cute little craigslist find side table (with help from my trusty assistant, the husband)...

From this:

Complete with a million little scratches from the wear and tear of 50+ years.

To this:

Nice and smooth without a hint of a scratch. {ignore that wierd little plant of Dans and all the ugly cords!}

I posted up more about the story over on Elizabeth Anne Designs Living so head on over and check it out (and there are a few more pics of the process (and close ups) on flickr)!

Invitations for the Baby Shower

We are planning another baby shower- this time for my sister.  This shower is a little varied from the traditional as my sister had her baby boy a week ago.  She wanted to have the shower after baby's arrival so everyone can meet him during his first visit to Iowa all the way from Maine and we are inviting the men so it is really a co-ed shower. 

The theme has been evolving from the mom's desire to have it reflect "baby's first visit to Iowa" and be in the colors of blue and red.  We ultimately decided to use gingham, include a graphic "stitching" detail, and a spring chick graphic.  I spent many hours flipping through iStock and settled on the little just hatched spring chick.

For the envelopes, I kept the stitching detail in the paper for the liners and in the labels that wrap over the top.  I took these photos at night so they are kind of dark and I was pretty happy that the post office had the red heart stamps as they fit in quite nicely... but I was on a deadline so the stamps were added right there at the post office!

I hope the guests like them and are now as excited for the shower as I am!  Our next shower related projects include making mints, hemming table overlays, and the blue and red banner... and of course whatever else I think of along the way!

A Vintage Glam DIY Contest

For all you crafty readers, there is a DIY content on Vintage Glam Weddings with quite the fantastic prize!  You can find all the details on how to participate here on the Vintage Glam Blog.