A Dose of the Delightful

Back in a Bit! It's Time for a Brief Hiatus

As you've probably noticed, I haven't posted anything here since the end of 2012. The truth is, I'm feeling a little bit, well, stuck. The start of 2013 has brought with it lots of change, much of it uncomfortable and, if I'm honest, unwelcome. 

When I look back to when I started this blog and why, I see I've strayed from its original purpose. Whether that's been evident in the content or not, I'm not sure - but it hasn't felt the way it once did. Somewhere along the way, my intention has drifted slowly into approval-seeking, blogging for everyone else territory. I'm excited to spend some time reconnecting with myself, the result of which will hopefully be connecting better with what I create here and with who reads it. I look forward to putting more of my authentic self into the blog, which will also mean revealing a lot more about myself than why I think things are pretty and what items I'd buy or wear if I could.

Check back here in the next few weeks for an update; in the meantime, my intention is to 

 

This means an active pursuit of being, not just doing. It means paying attention! It means being open! Lately, I've been crossing off, doing, jumping from one thing to the next, and generally being more small and fearful than I'd like to.

So far, 2013 has been one big, uncomfortable invitation to reconnect with myself - and I intend to accept it!

Thank you so very much for reading, and I hope you'll stop by in a few weeks.

With love,
Nat

 

DIY Style: Varsity Letter Sweatshirt with the Cricut Mini

I'm a little nervous - this is my first ever style post! I'd like to make these a regular part of the blog, with a focus on incorporating DIY elements. Hope you guys like it!

Jacket: Levi's. Shirt: J. Crew. Sweatshirt: American Apparel (but there are MUCH cheaper options out there). Bag: Loeffler Randall (old). Sunglasses: Oliver Peoples. Shoes: Sam Edelman (old; similar here). Pants: YSL (best sample sale find ever!)

I had the pleasure of meeting the very kind team over at Cricut at the Maker Faire this fall (otherwise known as crafter's utopia). They were nice enough to send me a Cricut Mini to try out!

I have to confess: in the past, I totally associated Cricuts with scrapbooking or children's crafts, which is to say I wasn't thinking nearly creatively enough! After I saw what the Cricut Mini could do at the Faire, tons of DIY ideas popped into my mind. When I realized it could cut fabric (!!!), the possibilities seemed endless.

For this DIY, I was inspired by the recent varsity letter trend. 

1. Atlantic-Pacific. 2. Style with Benefits 3. ASOS

Here's the how-to:

Materials
Cricut Mini + Varsity font
Sweatshirt (I used one I had on hand, but like I said, there are tons of below $10 options out there. If you want a more fitted look, try a youth size).
Fabric for letter in color of choice
Sewing machine + thread if you're sewing
Heat 'n Bond + iron if you're not sewing 

Steps
1. Create the letter of your choice in Cricut Craft Room on your computer - I sized mine to be 5 in. tall.
2. Heavily starch & iron pre-washed fabric for the letter.
3. Stick letter fabric onto cutting mat - press down REALLY hard! If you're ironing, use the Cricut to cut the same shape out of the Heat 'n Bond.
4. Set Cricut pressure to 5 and number of cuts to 3.
5. Optional: If you're ironing rather than sewing, definitely use Fray Check on the edges of your letter to prevent any fraying. I sewed but used Fray Check anyway to make it easier to handle my letter without worrying about fraying.
6. Sew: Sew your letter to your sweatshirt using a wide, tight zigzag stitch. I went over mine twice to make it extra thick.
or
Iron: Carefully align your Heat 'n Bond letter with your fabric letter and position on sweatshirt. Affix letter to sweatshirt using Heat 'n Bond instructions.

7. Put on your new varsity letter sweatshirt! 

The shot below represents the very first time I'd EVER used a Cricut. It was super easy to set up - the directions are very straightforward, and it hooked up to my Mac without issue.

15 Delightful Picks: Emerald, Pantone's 2013 Color of the Year

Pantone has announced its pick for 2013's Color of the Year: Emerald, a 'lively, radiant, lush green.' Here are 15 ways to infuse a dash of emerald into your wardrobe & lifestyle:

WEEKEND: Boys' striped pocket tee, Gap. Ankle strap skimmer, Schutz, Piperlime. 3-Free nail polish in Hoch, Julep. Flocked dot skinny jean, C Wonder.
DRESS UP: Catherine Malandrino silk jumpsuit, Net-a-Porter. Statement necklace, AUDEN, Shopbop.
DECORATE: Edison industrial pendant lamp, High Street Market. Foo dogs, Chic Shop LA. Vintage Herman Miller Fiberglass chair, hermanmillermodern on Etsy. Malachite nesting bowls, Chic Shop LA.
ACCESSORIZE: Zodiac iPhone Case, JSGD. Bow leather keychain, ksia on Etsy.
NOTE TO SELF: Pocket journal, Moleskine. Fountain pen & cartridges, Kaweco.

I happen to love this color! I think it's great in small doses, like trim on throw pillows or sheeting, small trinket bowls, or a single accessory/item of clothing. 

I've also created a Pinterest board with these picks and several others. Are you on Pinterest? If you'd like, you can follow me @delightfulnat

What do you think of 2013's Color of the Year?

Small Living Inspiration: House Beautiful's The Apartment Book

Living in a pretty small space in NYC (what my family might call 'tee-ninesy'), I'm always on the lookout for ways to maximize space in my current place and ideas for what I'd do if (fingers crossed) I'm lucky enough to have more square footage in my next one.

House Beautiful's The Apartment Book recently came out in hardcover (great holiday gift idea for apartment dwellers, by the way), and it's brimming with inspiration for carefully organizing and maximizing small spaces. Here are some of my favorite rooms from the book (admittedly, many are bigger than mine!).

The wash of purple on walls, molding, and even shutters is a bold choice set off by bursts of red. I'm not a fan of the animal print pillows, but adore the retro brass reading lamp.

Exposed beams, a worn rug, and prettily cluttered surfaces make this space feel warm and homey.

More brass accessories! They add a little drama to these bright blues & greens.

This kitchen feels totally attainable - the use of white throughout makes it feel airy (despite its tiny size), and wallspace is sensibly used with shelves & utility hooks.

Clever and unexpected placement of a desk makes the most of smaller bedroom digs. I also really enjoy the touches of emerald green (Pantone's 2013 color of the year) used here.  

A lovely bureau does double duty as a nightstand in this soft boudoir.

I like the relaxed, earthy elegance of this room.

Clearly, I'm really enjoying brass accents these days. These swing arm sconces are both pretty and functional.

This last one is such a fantasy for me - tons of light and tons of bookshelves. One day...

What do you think of these spaces? Any particular details you love?

Tomorrow! Country Living's Live Holiday Pinspiration Party

I told you guys that Country Living asked a few of us New York City-based crafty bloggers—Jodi Kahn from Simply Sublime, Brett Bara from Manhattan Craft Room, me, Laura Fenton from Little House in the City, and Michelle Edgemont—to join them for their first ever Holiday Pinspiration Party.

CL's Pinterest followers voted on which projects each blogger will make and this is the final list:

Pinata ornaments » 
My jingle-bell wreath » 
Potato wheel wrapping paper » 
Pom-pom gift bows » 
Infused vodka » 

Tomorrow, CL will be live-pinning the party on December 4 from 5-8 pm ET on their Pinterest board, showing you step-by-step how each of us make our crafts. Then, they'll post all the projects on CountryLiving.com.

If you've got the time and are itching to whip up some holiday crafts tomorrow night, or check out what we make and bookmark it for the weekend, I hope you'll join us and Country Living on Pinterest for the party! 

P.s. If you make one of these projects, be sure to Pin it and tag Country Living - they'd love to see your efforts!

Happy Thanksgiving! Recently Captured: Family, Food + Fashion

This was originally just going to be a short style post - one I was supposed to put up yesterday (oops!), but I realized I had a bit more to say. I'll start with style:

1. Turtleneck (Target)   2. Necklace &  3. charm (similar, Anthropologie)  4. Skirt (Annie Griffin) 5. Side Zip Ankle Boots (Zara)  6. Tights (Target)  7. Clutch (Target) 
8. Polish (Butter London)   9. Ring, Amrita Singh

Here I am wearing it (forgot to include the clutch). I will say, wearing a skirt with a fitted waist is not such a good idea when planning on eating a gut-busting meal. 

It seemed like a good idea until I was faced with these prospects:

After dinner & time with family, we went to see Skyfall at the movie theater that's in walking distance from our house. Was I so full that I unzipped my skirt slightly at the back, you ask? Maybe. 

Speaking of fashion, these two little sassy ladies (my cousins' adorable daughters) went from this:

To this! Is there ever a bad time for princess/fairy attire?

The view from my aunt & uncle's place:

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family and friends - oh, and tons of food. For the past few years, Thanksgiving, and the holidays in general, haven't been the easiest of times for our family - but being together helps infinitely.

We miss my brother so very much - but we are also thankful that we got to experience his presence in our lives for the brief time he was here. Jonathan is never not part of my thoughts, but on holidays filled with close family, laughs around the communal table, and rambunctious kids being totally silly, he's certainly at the forefront of my mind.

We remember hilarious family jokes and laugh until our cheeks hurt; when we quiet down we can't help but notice the glaring empty place in our family that my brother filled, and we hurt. That's really the best way to describe grief, I think. It's a rollercoaster that doesn't end - we don't ever 'get over' the loss of someone so precious to us. We just have to learn to accept the ups and downs as part of the process, and part of life.

This is also the first Thanksgiving we spent without Taz, our greyhound, who was part of our family for the past 13 years. 

Despite his appearance (intimidating to some) Taz couldn't have been sweeter - he was certainly a gentle giant. Just like my brother, there wasn't an aggressive bone in his body. When we lost Jonathan, it seemed like Taz knew. He knew we were all sad and he knew we needed him. He hadn't been in the best of health before that, but it seemed like he pulled it together so he could be there for us when we needed him. I'm grateful for the gift of that unconditional love he gave us. 

To me, Thanksgiving has become a time that not only reminds me to be grateful for the little things, but to remember just how much the big things - family & friends - are a gift.

With love,
Natalie 

p.s. You'd think yesterday's feast would've been enough...but a new restaurant recently opened within walking distance of my family's house. It's important to note that isn't just any restaurant - it's a biscuit-focused restaurant: Maple Street Biscuit Company. We just had to try it today. I ordered The Five: fried chicken, pecan bacon, cheddar, sausage gravy on a flaky biscuit. Plus a side of bluegrass grits (made w/ cream cheese) and sweet potato fries.

Join Me for Country Living's Holiday Pinspiration Party!

DIY Jingle Bell & Rope Wreath

First of all, I absolutely love Country Living. They do such a good job of combining well-designed but livable interiors, chic crafty projects, fascinating profiles on new & heritage small American businesses, and everything lifestyle in between. I hadn't opened an issue of it in years until a year or so ago, and after reading it cover to cover, promptly subscribed.

Which is why when CL asked me to participate in their first annual Holiday Pinspiration Party, along with some other crafty bloggers, I was beyond psyched. They've asked each of us to submit 3 images of crafty holiday DIYs, which they've pinned on their Holiday Pinspiration Party board. For the next week, CL's followers will repin the projects they like most. Then, each of our projects that gets the most repins will be the one we make live at a party they're hosting in early December!

I have to confess - I didn't have any holiday-appropriate projects, so I made all of these just for the Pinterest party. But it was so fun! It's tricky coming up with holiday-themed DIYs that avoid the cheese factor, and I loved the challenge. Here's what I made! If you like any of these and want to make them yourself, check back soon - I'll be posting the how-tos here soon.

Here's a front view of the wreath I made:

 And these are the festive version of my first coaster tutorial.

I wanted to make something that would seem festive but that was still stylish, so I whipped up this detachable collar.

Check back in the next few weeks for all of these tutorials - and in the meantime, get on Pinterest and vote for me with repins, please! :)

 

Sandy Craftalong Update: Donation Deadline 11/16

Oh my goodness. That photo above? That's Brett and me with just our first few days of donations! I think it's safe to say our Make It Better: Sandy Craftalong has been a resounding success - so much so that our focus now is making sure we don't receive more than we can handle! So far, we've received over 1,000 warm, beautiful items handmade with love: blankets, scarves, hats, socks, gloves, and even sweaters! Brett will make the first delivery today - check our Facebook page for updates & pictures!

You have all shown us just how much the crafty community can do when we work together. As we opened box after box of items, we were truly blown away by the sense of love and support conveyed in your handwritten notes, thoughtful packaging, and carefully crafted projects. Because of this amazing, overwhelming outpouring of goodness - for which we are SO grateful - we feel we need to push the donation deadline up to November 16th.

We're a small team, and we want to make sure we can accomplish what we've set out to do: deliver warm items to those that need them most. We've identified several specific organizations and communities that need our help; however, we want to keep our deliveries efficient, timely, and in tune with the need that is actually there. We ask that you wrap up what you've been working on and put it in the mail by Friday, November 16th. If you won’t be able to send your projects by then, we hope you will consider donating them to a shelter or local cause in your area.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!

xx Natalie