Sugar & Cloth

Hey guys, hope you had a lovely long weekend! My DIY workshop at Ikea Houston this past Saturday went really well, and a big thanks to all of you who came out! I’ll be posting a recap of some of the projects and questions from the event later this week.

I’ve currently spent the last two days feverishly packaging my business cards and outfits for Alt Summit which starts tomorrow, yikes! Are any of you headed to Alt, too? Let me know so we can meet up! Oh, and remember this post? I’ll be teaching a jewelry making class on Saturday that’s based around that project, which I’m pretty excited about.

Last thing for now, the lovely ladies over at Brika graciously asked me to be their Tastemaker for the week! Brika is an online store for small-businesses and artisans (which you all know is right up my alley), and I’ve chosen some of my favorite makers and pieces for you to check out. Let me know what you think!

This weekend is my first DIY event at Ikea, and I’m beyond excited! It’s themed around getting organized, so I’ve been scheming up out of the ordinary ways to re-purpose everyday items. Most things you’ll have to see on Saturday, but I wanted to include those of you that aren’t local (hi, mom!) in my DIY chalkboard to-do list using Deco-Art’s new chalkboard anything paint. No lie, I want to chalkboard everything in my house right now just because I can. And on that note, I’d like to take this time to apologize to my husband in advance..

Materials:

• Wooden craft plank (sounds weird, but you can find them at Michael’s for $2)
• Leather cord
• DecoArt craft paint c/o
• DecoArt clear chalkboard paint c/o
• Drill
• Black chalkboard pen
• Stamp (optional)

Essentially you can go as crazy as you’d like with this tutorial as long as you keep in mind a few keys steps: Any detailed stamping or lettering you have to do after you’ve painted the chalkboard coats according to the instructions on the bottle. The chalkboard paint will smear any details that are painted with craft paint if you use it after. Here’s are steps I took to make mine:

First, I painted the whole board with chalkboard paint according to the instructions on the bottle. Once it had set for 24 hours, I stamped my logo on the top, and then taped off the bottom portion and painted it mint julep green from DecoArt. Then I drilled a hole in the top of the board and strung leather cord through and knotted it. I cured the surface by rubbing white chalk across it and wiping it off, and then I bought black chalkboard pens for everyday use so that it was easier to write and see than traditional white chalk. Pretty simple and definitely much cuter than a plain old chalkboard or dry erase to-d0 list!

P.s.- If you don’t want to miss out on the rest of the projects, you can still RSVP for the event, here. See you Saturday!

Aside from the number one question I always receive (which I mentioned here), people always ask me how I come up with ideas for projects, or things that inspire me. I can say without a doubt that adventuring to new shops, cities, and places inspires me more than anything else. I’m always intrigued by how things are displayed or used in new ways, and there is never any shortage of genius ideas behind little boutiques and local spots that are reinventing the creative wheel. To spread the wealth, I thought I’d start sharing my favorites with you here…

I’d like to introduce you to Sweet, the cutest, most drool-worthy bakery and coffee shop that you may ever step foot into. Not only does Sweet do sweet really well, but it definitely has bragging rights for the loveliest decor on the Houston macaron block, and trust me, I have been around the macaron block!

And just in case you want to take the treats (and cuteness) home with you, all of their goodies can come lovingly tucked into containers and boxes that could make any heart melt.

I had the strawberry and vanilla pots de creme… and maybe a macaron or two for the go, but I can neither confirm or deny that.

Having grown up in West Virginia and then moving to Texas, I can honestly say that I love  seasons, and winter, and snow.. but I’m not so much a fan of constant cold rain and overall dreariness. It either needs to be winter and snow, or cold and dreary but all I have to do is sit by a fire and drink hot chocolate. Since the latter clearly isn’t going to happen anytime soon, I’m still crossing my fingers for a miracle snow in Houston. Until then, I crafted a neat little way to hang colorful terrariums around the house with my tutorial for DIY colored hanging planters over on Say Yes To Hoboken, today! Can you guess what this little guy is hanging from?

Can I confide in you a little secret? I actually go to sleep excited for breakfast the next morning, particularly coffee. My beloved morning coffee is hands down my addiction of choice, but sometimes I get tired of hot coffee (especially living in Houston). On the flip-side, I’m not a exactly a morning person either, sooo to make a long story short(er) I’ve fallen in love with this simple iced-coffee recipe… fair warning, though, this post may not be for the coffee-snobs out there.

Ingredients:

• 3 tsp. instant coffee
• 1 cup of milk (or use cream, your choice)
• 2 tsp. flavored syrup (I used sugar-free vanilla)
• 3 tsbp. warm water
• Ice

Combine the warm water and instant coffee in your cup, and stir really well. I like my coffee strong so I use 3 teaspoons of the coffee grounds, but two will work. Add in your flavored syrup, milk, and ice and stir once more, than you’re good to go!