diy wallpaper art

one of my new year's resolutions is to be more artistic.  i do play music, so i guess my goal is to do more visual art.  that can be hard when you have no formal art training or skills!  i found this wallpaper silhouette project over at design sponge and thought it looked simple enough for me!  the tough, or fun, part is finding fun wallpaper samples.  i found some really cool, cheap vintage wallpaper samples on etsy and ebay.  i got to work with my scissors and created this framed wallpaper bird (please forgive my amateur photography)...

these make easy, thoughtful gifts and you can get creative with the silhouettes.

have any diy project ideas to share?

je t'aime...

in honor of the season, some DIY valentine ideas:

make these lovely heather honey truffles for your lovelies from readymade magazine.

courtesy of jonathan gregson via readymade.com

go to the love hangover in a city near you to hear love songs of trial and triumph.

cuddle up with a good movie.
tracy's pick - "a star is born"



juli's pick - "harold & maude"



make the smiling superstar card from the always cute shop, the small object.

courtesy of the small object

DIY fabric

spoonflower, located in durham, nc, is an incredibly cool company that uses digital textile printers to make custom fabric for artists, designers and crafty folk.  you can easily upload your design or purchase someone else's cool creation.  they even hold weekly contests for a "fabric of the week."

here are some of my favorites:

hello llama

clover

they even have calendars!

year of the rabbit                                      birdies

a hand-made home

in 2008, my friends greg, a musician, and lorraine, a nurse, set about building their very own mid-century style bungalow. greg got his contractor's license, and with the help of family and friends, they put together nearly every inch of the house themselves. greg milled local lumber for the hardwood floors, installed the roof using salvaged slate, and lorraine tiled the bathroom floor.

they moved in around august of 2009, and have since added 3 chickens and 1 baby to the family.

check out their blog.