I once fell in love with a rope bowl, it was by David Stark for West Elm.  Sadly that awesome rope bowl is no longer available, bring it back, bring it back I say!   My latest crafty project was inspired by that bowl and I believe has something to do with my fixation on neutrals with layers of texture.  In fact, I think I need an entire Pinterest category devoted to it. 

I’ve had that rope bowl on my mind for many months, so I snagged a cheapo metal bowl from a craft store on clearance a few weeks ago, plus a couple of rolls of sisal rope from my local hardware store, and then got crafty with my glue gun. 

How to Make a Sisal Rope Bowl:

Grab yerself a vessel, whatever you like.  Aluminum handled bowls like this speckled one (reowr) work great.  Also grab a dozen glue sticks, your trusty hot glue gun, and 50 to 75 feet of sisal rope (mine was ¼ inch thick).

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I have a confession to make, I am crazy about Japanese washi tape.  So much potential for cuteness in one little roll, I am smitten!  I was browsing Etsy a month ago and stumbled across Pretty Tape.  It was then that my love affair with this charming crafting tool began.  I ordered a few rolls with plans to use them on birthday or holiday gifts.

With the washi tape and some white ceramics, I also made some fun fireworks vases for the Fourth of July.

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Happy Monday everyone, hope you had a fantastic weekend!  We built a 12’ x 12’ cabana on Saturday on our patio and I can’t believe how great it looks!  I’ll show you the whole space later this week, I’ve just got to pull it all together and snap a few pics. 

We spent Sunday in Sonoma, lounging in the Plaza, bliss I tell you.  Balmy and perfect.  The kids ended up a little bronzer and we had a relaxing time, strolling around and popping into a favorite tasting room.  I meant to write about this lavender wreath last night but then got caught up in past episodes of Million Dollar Decorators and could not avert my eyes.  Some peeps are very self absorbed and completely out of touch!  But it makes for great television, I admit I am hooked. 

There are few things in the garden I love more than lavender, so last week I harvested a few plants and crafted a front door wreath.  Here it hangs from my trusty Command hook, so natural and fragrant.

For a simple summer wreath like this one, you’ll need a craft floral ring, floral wire, wire cutters, ribbon, and clippers for your stems (not shown).  I used the 18” craft ring, which requires lavender from 3-4 mature plants.  I imagine you could make the 12” version with 2-3 plants.  Be sure to cut the lavender 12-15” from the top.

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I love a celebratory party in honor of spray paint!  Thanks Sarah for kicking off the Home May’d parties with a topic devoted to one of my favorite transformative substances: da spray paint.  It rocks. 

I’ve often said, I’ll spray paint anything that stands still, cause so often I fall in love with the shape of something, but not the color or finish, and my mind instantly thinks, “Nothing a little spray paint can’t fix!”   I’m like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding who was convinced Windex was the cure for every ailment.  For me, it be spray paint. 

Exhibit A: I found this tin container in my garage, I don’t recall where I picked it up.  A craft store?  Yard sale?  No matter, it was the perfect candidate for an indoor planter.

I pounded a few holes in the bottom with a nail, spray painted the front green and let it dry.  I placed some chipboard letters on top, then spray painted it again with RustOleum’s ‘Heirloom White’ which left green font underneath.  So cute!  

My indoor herb garden is back baby, back!  Complete with my five culinary favorites: sage, thyme, basil, cilantro, and parsley. 

I like to grow even more basil outside in the summertime, but the petite plants do make a pretty scene in our kitchen window.

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