Tutorial: Handmade Button Knobs

 While hunting for knobs for Henry's dresser makeover I came across some at Anthropologie that I loved the look of, but I was not thrilled with the fact that they are cast resin and wanted something sturdier for a little boy's bedroom.  So, I decided to make my own.

 I really wanted my buttons to look irregular and handmade, so for inspiration I looked at Elsie's hand drawn button decals...

and handmade ceramic buttons like these.

 To make these for yourself you will need to gather the following:
   *2" wooden knobs
   *2" rubber gaskets for the raised edge (you need one of these for each knob)
    *(1) 1.5" rubber gasket to use as a template to trim the 2" gaskets
   *paint and a foam brush
    *x-acto knife
    *krazy glue
    *sand paper (100 grit for rough sanding and 220 grit for finish sanding)
    *spackling paste (not pictured)
    *clear water-based varnish (not pictured)
    *a drill

 Sand the top of the knobs with 100 grit sandpaper to roughen them up.  This will help the glue and the spackle to adhere.

 Use the 1.5" gasket as a template to trim out the middle of all of the 2" gaskets.

 Drill the four button holes (I eyeballed it--measure and mark the spots to drill if you want it to be more uniform), then glue the gasket to the knob.

 

Use the spackling paste to fill in the gap between the gasket and the top of the knob, and spread a thin layer all over the top of the knob.  Once the spackling paste is dry, use 220 grit sandpaper to sand the whole knob and smooth out all of the rough edges. 

 Gently wipe all of the dust and grit from sanding off of the knobs and then use your foam brush to apply a thin layer of paint.  Once the paint is dry use the 220 grit again to gently sand the knobs.  I wanted mine to look distressed, and I really like the black gasket peeking through for some definition around the edges.  After you have sanded to perfection, apply two coats of varnish (according to the manufacturer's instructions).

Once the varnish is dry, your knobs are ready to spruce up your furniture!

BEFORE & AFTER: Henry's Dresser

 

 New paint and knobs on an old, unused dresser and we are good to go.  I made the button knobs myself and will have a tutorial up tomorrow.

Floral Arranging: Unconventional Bouquets

 I have been taking full advantage of everything growing in our yard by having bouquets of fresh flowers all over the house.   Not wanting to limit myself to flowers, I have been using lots of fresh herbs and other plants in my little arrangements.   The large leaves above are cauliflower, which make a nice backdrop for the giant dahlia and tiny spray roses.  I have been using basil is almost every bouquet, simply because I love the way it smells.  A crocheted cozy is a good way to dress up a plain glass jar.  I made this one with thick, fluffy yarn and a giant hook in about ten minutes.

 On my bedside table baby olive branches and rosemary are a good companion for the lone pink flower.  The one flower alone looked kind of skimpy, and the branches are a good way to fill things out while being able to leave more flowers in the yard than I bring inside.

This Ikea mirror in the bathroom has a little ledge, which is the perfect size for a tiny bouquet.  Here, an Ikea shot glass holds more basil and some of my favorite purple flowers.

It is fun to experiment with different arrangements and combinations, and the nice thing is that you can't really go wrong! 

House Tour: Entry and Reading Nook

 

With no formal entry (or dining room) in the house, we needed a spot to act as a landing pad when you walked through the front door.  The spot where we placed my antique industrial sewing table is straight ahead of the front door, and the table fits this space well.  The lamp is vintage, the mason jars are Henry's marble jars (he earns marbles for doing certain jobs), the small white ceramic berry basket is by roost and random holds little things we don't want to lose, the snake plant is in a pot from TJ Maxx and there is a white ceramic feather dish to hold our keys.  Under the table is a crocheted ottoman, which I made.  I usually keep my purse on top of the ottoman, although I mainly keep it there to keep anyone from accidentally kicking the carbon monoxide monitor plugged into the wall behind it.

The chairs had rush seats that were damaged, so I painted the frames with milk paint and covered the seats with grey leather from the local hide shop.  The pillows are made with Waverly fabric with hemp/cotton denim trim.  Between the two identical chairs is a small table that I added decorative trim and new knobs to and painted.  The lamp is from Home Goods and echoes the vintage lamp on the entry table.  I found the pair of framed vintage floral prints at the yard sale of old family friends.  They purchased them at a flea market in Marin in the 1970's and the prints had been hanging in the master bedroom.

 Knick knacks and clutter are being kept to a minimum here, and this floor to ceiling built in bookcase is the perfect place to keep mementos and books organized and out of the way.

 There is one shelf that is taller than the rest so I hung photos of my grandparents to fill some of the white space.  Below Grandma and Grandpa area some of our favorite books, which are stacked on top of each other and held up by geode bookends from an estate sale.
On the shelf below are a set of antique silhouettes, a Lollia candle, our Beta fish and my dad's medal from Vietnam. 

 I know they are everywhere but I had my heart set on a Ficus Lyrata.  It was surprisingly tough to find but I finally came across one shoved in the back of an indoor plant display at Lowes one town over.  It is bitty now but doing really well in front of the window and I can't wait for it to be a nice tall tree

Our favorite chair followed us from the new house and is placed in front of a huge window.  The bamboo table (painted cream) has been with me for more than 10 years, the rag placemat is thrifted, the coaster is a slice of a geode that I added felt feel to and the coffee mug is leftover from my old shop.

Stay tuned for more peeks of our home coming up in the next few weeks...  Henry's room is up next!

What I Wore: Tomboy Style

 My style definitely leans toward the tomboy side of things, with feminine pieces mixed in to keep it from being all man.  Overly provocative is something you will never see here, and I am careful not to show too much skin at any one time.  Revealing skirts and shorts are always countered with more conservative tops, and vice versa.

Case in point: the outfit I wore today.  My skirt is made from a pair of Seven Jeans I bought in 2001 and have had a hard time letting go of!  They have taken me out and about in my early 20's while paired with heels and flouncy tops; I wore them until I was almost seven  months pregnant with Henry; and once the holes in the knees were so bad I couldn't deal anymore I made them into a skirt.  That was five years ago!  Here I have them paired with a super soft old man's button down, my rugged short boots (another wardrobe staple), and a simple necklace made with chartreuse tshirt yarn and beads made from scraps of my dad's copper pipe.

 The more worn and beat up my boots become the more I love them.

Whether I wear it up or down I keep my hair casual and messy.  Styling here includes blowing it dry, spraying it with Aquage Sea Salt Spray (a product I learned about from Brandi of Mucho Mucho Bueno Bueno), and back combing it a bit before pulling it into a low ponytail.

Makeup is kept simple and mostly natural.  On my face I use Alba Botanica Sea Plus Renewal Night Cream and bare Minerals Makeup.  The main statement I make is with my eyes, where I almost always wear black liquid eyeliner.  It is something I have done for five years or so, and feel it helps my eyes to not get lost behind my heavy black glasses.

Shirt:  Vintage men's (from an estate sale)
Skirt: Made from a pair Seven jeans
Boots: Nine West (no longer available)
Belt: Thrifted in 2002 and buckle replaced at some point by Isla Vista Leather Guild
Glasses: Scott Harris
Necklace: Made by me with hand dyed tshirt yarn and two copper beads

Ojos de Dios

 
A newly completed ojos de dios...

Homemade Ice Cream

A few weeks ago I couldn't stop thinking about homemade ice cream and decided to give David Leibovitz's vanilla ice cream recipe a shot.

The kitchen was only semi-functional at this point but the stove was hooked up, so I went for it.

 Because I am a brat about these types of things I used good cream...

and local Petaluma eggs.

We mixed, 

 and simmered,

and let the machine do its thing.

Probably a bit ambitious for someone with half of a kitchen, but delicious!  And easy enough that I'm constantly thinking about all of the ice cream possibilities and am ready to try our next batch.  As soon as we have a kitchen sink.

Warehouse Sale Finds

I stumbled across the annual warehouse sale of a local event company this morning.  Bringing lots of random junk into the new house has not appealed to me whatsoever, but I did manage to find some useful things this morning.  These succulents were 5/$1!  

These handwoven Indian tapestries look great on the bed (the dog wasted no time napping on one of them--see below), the black and white woven fabric will be used for an upholstered bench, and the galvanized bucket has holes in it, which makes it a perfect planter for some of those succulents.

I brought home two rolls of this wood fencing to enclose the garden, which Josh was nice enough to install already.  I tried to do it myself, but it was pretty pitiful and I think he felt sorry for me.  

I don't have a spot for these yet, but they were free!  They will probably end up on lamps at either end of the desk in the office.  It's still a construction zone in there, but it should all come together in the next few weeks.

What We Have Been Up To

 We are still settling into the new house and unpacking little things here and there, but for the most part things are in place.  We still need to set up the laundry room/office/studio, but until then we are keeping ourselves busy.

 The closets are organized, which makes me happy.

 Little plants and things are making their way through the front door.
 Our kitchen is still semi-functional so we have been eating out more than usual, which Henry doesn't mind.  Random side note: Josh made the wooden bar rail that Henry's elbows are resting on.

  The arrival of TV and internet in the house after almost 2 weeks without was applauded by all.

 We made our first batch of cookies in the new/old oven.

 I finished one project...

and started another.

I will try and get a few more peeks of the house up soon.  For now my camera charger is still packed somewhere & I have been relying on my phone, but its about time to resume business as usual.