image on left from ladies’ home journal/peter ardito.

chris was at work all/most of the day saturday, so i took some time to settle in at home and work on a few projects i hadn’t had time to tackle during the week, starting with this vintage book kindle cover.  i got a kindle as an “indirect” christmas gift and have been hauling it around everywhere, and since i don’t have the greatest track record in keeping portable electronics alive and remembered that i really enjoyed this tutorial when i first saw it posted on design*sponge, i figured this would be the perfect project for a lazy saturday.  plus, i accidentally discovered the bargain racks of books outside strand last week (first time there - what an amazing bookstore!), and totally found the perfect hardcover victim for my kindle.  and what a surprise! when i took off the book jacket i was greeted with a little embossed dog on the cover.  score.

fresh flowers.

love the geometric simplicity of these diy felt flower pillows, from molly of The Purl Bee.  full instructions can be found on The Purl Bee blog.  i’d also suggest checking out the rest of the blog - there’s some great tutorials for quick and easy diy projects.

DIY - vintage blue canning jars

a great tutorial over at bridal buzz on how to DIY your own “vintage” blue canning jars.  the process is surprisingly quite easy, and cheap!  details on the entire process can be found over at bridal buzz.  would be great for a spring/summer wedding, or cluster a few together with a few wild blooms for a gorgeous centerpiece.

wreath diy & christmas tree alternative.

for those looking for small space solutions when it comes to christmas tree alternatives, consider the following ideas:  a tall vase filled with varying evergreen clippings from which ornaments are hung make a great space-saving alternative to a full-sized tree, or take evergreen clippings and diy a homemade wreath.  both are great ideas to re-use tree clippings typically destined for landfills, so not only do we get more use out of our christmas trees but we also reduce the amount of christmas tree waste, even if temporarily.

(evergreen arrangement from fjorn-scandinavian)

a friend of mine recently took to the evergreen vase idea, and stopped by her local christmas tree yard to pick up some evergreen clippings.  not only did she come home with a HUGE bundle (enough for five full-sized arrangements), they were completely FREE!  the christmas tree lot just had so many of them from clipping trees that they were happy to unload.  she shared what she had left over with me, and i created a large vertical evergreen arrangement, as well as the below wreath.  an incredibly easy project, this wreath took only an hour start to finish, and used only the tree clippings and some 24 gauge wire which i already had.  total cost?  zero dollars for an amazing wreath and evergreen vase.

wreath how-to.

on design*sponge today is a great how-to tutorial for a gorgeous felt ruffle wreath from kristen of domestifluff.  it’s surprisingly simple to make, and requires only a few supplies such as felt, straight pins and a wreath form.  full instructions over at design*sponge.

(photos via design*sponge)