New stuff. Now available at cardinalhouse on Etsy

Taupe Rosalind necklace from cardinalhouse

Khaki Rosalind necklace

Khaki & bronze Rosa necklace

Taupe & magnesite Rosa necklace

Coffee brown & almond pearls Rosa necklace

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Next batch will include some soft french blues & sage greens.

Any color requests? I'd love to hear.

♥-Kat.

Design Fix: Pipe Dreams

Environmentally conscious (and humorous!) task lamp from Kozo lamp. Yes, the twist crank turns the lamp on & off!

Very fun coat rack from London designer Nick Fraser.  Also comes in white & black.

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DIY ideas:

This fantastic rolling coat rack tutorial is posted here by Kate Pruitt on Design*Sponge.

 

Pipe bed frame made by jtwanderlust & posted the instructions here.

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Happy Mario Day gamers!
(I'm serious, check out Brownielocks March calender here)
♥-Kat.

Wednesday Feature: Happy Mario Day gamers!

I'm serious about the Happy Mario Day, check out Brownielocks March calender here! And you know what, regardless it's still amusing!

1. Fire flower card by NerdJerk

2. Soap set  by Digitalsoaps

3. Needle felted mushroom by WoolyGeeks

4. Cuff links by crimsonking

5. Star pillow by Modernality

6. Zippered pouch by BraveMoonman

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Happy gaming!

♥-Kat.

Studious Reflection.

Etsy seems to be a breeding ground for copy cats. Okay, so I was guilty of jumping on the bandwagon while brainstorming ways to work up all of the reclaimed fabric from work.

Like these fabric button earrings. [didn't use up fabric fast enough]

& these burnt-edge poppy bobby pins. [again, didn't up fabric fast enough. they're everywhere. plus, they're too time consuming]

I saw the rolled & gathered fabric flowers, but decided that I'd like to try something not being done [what a concept, right?!].

So that's when I came up with these guys. I haven't noticed anything with this same technique...so I was happy. 

Since around last October, I've made the asymmetrical Rosa necklaces. They've been great & well-received.

I've wanted to add some necklace variation that was symmetrical, but I didn't like the look of just one of the flowers [doesn't have the correct weight visually or physically].

So, this is my latest. It's not structurally a bib necklace as each flower is formed like a link, but it's more substantial like the bib necklaces that are everywhere. I'll make these guys 18" long with a 2" chain extension as the standard so it's easily tailored to fit the wearer's build & clothing neckline.

What do you think?!

♥-Kat.

black/white asymmetrical Rosa necklace available at my shop here

&

sangria red Rosalind necklace now available here

[both are OOAK - one of a kind]

In case you hadn't heard of... Bas Bleu

Look over current virtual Bas Bleu catalog here

I've know about Bas Bleu for a couple of years now. Mail order book [etc] catalog + online shop that specializes in witty collections [both old + new], eclectic memoirs, traveler's tales, coffee table books, author centered gifts...

...okay, okay...you get it! Here's some of my current fav's...

How to Sew a Button: And Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew
Phil Mason

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Architecture City Walks

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Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

T. S. Eliot

Illustrated by Axel Scheffler

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Clocky Alarm Clock

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My First Team Board Books

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Request your very own Bas Bleu catalog here or sign up for their newsletter here.

Oh, and if you're wondering about the story with the name, Bas Bleu (aka blue stocking in French), click here!

Enjoy!

♥ - Kat.

diy project: velvet embossing tutorial

Check out this great embossed velvet sachet tutorial on Instructables from Inklings & Imprints. Check out their beautiful stamp selection here. You can find great advice about selecting velvets & stamps on their Inklings & Imprints site here. 

Also check out this article from Threads magazine for other tips & techniques, such as using lace or trim to emboss (as shown above).

 And for yet another fabulous idea,  check out this block print embossing tutorial from Urban Nest.
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Know of any other great velvet embossing tutorials? 
Link them here:

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Happy embossing!

♥-Kat.

Book Nook: One-Yard Wonders

One-Yard Wonders by Rebecca Yaker & Patricia Hoskins looks like a fabulous book & I can't wait to get my copy! Thanks to How About Orange for reviewing the book & for taking the inside sneak peak shots! See her (Jessica) original post here. Find out more about the authors at Storey Publishing's site here.

Happy Sewing!

♥-Kat.