Peck Life

Craft + Chat

Law week, I had the chance to meet Emily and Andy from Assemble shop & studio at one of our monthly Seattle blogger meet-ups held in the Trophy Cupcakes party room in Wallingford {organized by the always lovely Lyndsey}!

Not only does Assemble sell beautiful and unique handmade products from many different artists {like this pillow that I’m obsessed with}, but they assemble {no pun intended} their very own craft kits. On this particular night, we were learning how to crochet some sweet granny squares.

While the idea of crocheting seems magical to me…and I LOVE the look, I had a hard time catching on to the concept. I may have needed a really basic beginner course, or I should have watched this video 10 times before going. I don’t think I progressed further than “step 1” but it was fun to watch others get their craft on and actually make something that looked really really pretty!

Yarn aside, it was a great night because I FINALLY got to meet Andrea! We’ve been blog buddies for over a year but between all the different meet-ups and events, never got a chance to actually say hi in person! She’s also an accomplished graphic designer…seeee!

Of course, there were so many other lovely friends: Dawn, Brianne, Melanie and a few new faces: Adina, Lisette, Dawn, Jenn {who I met briefly at Alt Summit too!}, and Teresa.

For more info on Assemble, to purchase a craft kit, or find out about upcoming workshops {being held at Drygoods Design in Ballard!}, visit them here: Assemble Shop & Studio.

Craft Project: Silkscreen Planters

Hi friends! Today I’m over on the Paper Mama participating in her 50 DIY days of Christmas and I’ve got a fun project to share with you!

Halloween Treat Tags {Free Printable}

After buying my first bag of candy corn recently {one of many!}, I had the idea to make some ombre inspired gift tags using watercolors. I created a tag template in publisher and after painting each tag, I scanned the image back into the computer, added a cute font and “ta-daaaa” – a simple printable you can download to use on all your autumn goodies!

To download, just click on the link below and print on heavy weight cardstock. There are very faint guide lines around each tag if you look closely. Enjoy!

Download halloweentreattags2012.png (1099.7K)

Craft Project: DIY Camera Strap

As if my obsession with yellow stripes isn’t evident enough here, here, or here….I found yet ANOTHER use for my extra fabric: a slipcover for my camera strap. I must admit that Josh did nearly all the sewing on this, as I managed to completely ruin my first strap attempt. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m not cut out for sewing?

Initially, I had planned to show you step by step how we made this. THEN, I quickly realized that there are already so many wonderful tutorials out there. Why mess with a good thing? Here are a few of my favorites:

1. And Then She Snapped

2. Dreams to Do

3. Cluck Cluck Sew

4. LBG Studio

There are tons of variations….ruffles….quilted squares of different fabric…extra padding….all very fun! I decided to stick with something simple and this strap was PERFECTION for my many hours of NYC wandering. I just love it!

New Business cards

I really really love my handmade business cards, but let’s be honest: there is no way I’m going to be able to make 100+ of them in the next 15 days before #blogher12 mania. Instead, I decided to create a new card….something a little more professional, clean, simple, and better sized for pocketing.

I designed the card myself using some of the same elements from the blog along with a floral background {licensed of course} and the card printing was done by MOO. It was fun scouring stock photo websites, something I haven’t done too much of in the past. Of course, there is Getty Images, but sites like Shutterstock, iStock Photo, You work for them, csa images, and veer are all great options to browse for patterns and illustrations. Most are pretty inexpensive and come with broad rights to use them for your business or blog. I’m so happy with the way they turned out!

Kid Made Modern

Have you all checked out Todd Oldham’s Kid Made Modern collection for Target? I’m a huge Todd fan, ever since the early early 90’s when he was on MTV's House of Style {please tell me someone remembers that show?!} so when I saw that he was putting together a line of fun, affordable, colorful, kids craft supplies for Target, I got a little excited. I stood on the isle and debated whether to buy that fresh pack of colored pencils for probably 5 full minutes until my judgment kicked in and told me I don’t need any more colored pencils. They were packaged so perfectly….and they were so sharp! It was really hard to resist. The full collection can be found on Target.com.

Handmade Business Cards

This past weekend, I met up with some fabulous bloggers from Washington and Oregon for a little night out. My original plan was to order some business cards online but after I realized they wouldn’t arrive in time, I decided to make my own. It’s amazing to me what one can create with paper, tape, and a scallop punch. I love how they turned out and they were actually pretty simple to do! Maybe I’ll keep with this theme for BlogHer cards…hmmm.

Craft Project: Fabric Covered Thumbtacks

Last weekend I had plans to attend a crafting afternoon with some local blog friends but sadly, had to cancel at the last minute due to an unexpected trip to Utah. Through my travels of trying to find a fun “group” craft, I came across this tutorial from how about orange {one of my favorite blogs}, and since I had already purchased all of the supplies, I was anxious to try these out. I’ve been doing a little “here and there” over the past few days. This is a project that can be started and stopped easily and quickly – perfect for those constantly interrupted by their kiddo. For full details, Jessica’s tutorial linked above is the best source {why mess with a good thing?} but I’m happy to answer any questions. The button supplies were found at Pacific Fabrics and the fabric is a mix of vintage scraps from Etsy and random fat quarters from the craft store. Now to complete a full dozen and pair with a framed cork board {Mother’s Day gift idea?}. Happy Crafting!

Craft Project: Sewn Easter Cards

I found a good use for my Amy Butler scrapbook paper – patchwork paper eggs sewn together with thread. After finding an Easter egg printable online, I cut shapes out of thick card stock, layered them with pieces of paper (using double stick tape) and then stitched along the seams with one of my favorite swirly stitches. The result?! A cheery happy {simple} Easter Card!

A little surprise

Sometimes it’s important to remind your friends that you love them, so after being inspired by stephmodo, I giddily threw together a little package of goodies – nothing expensive or elaborate, but enough to {hopefully} bring a little sunshine to an otherwise dreary Seattle day. It’s so fun to get presents in the mail, sometimes I feel like it’s a completely lost art now that we do everything by email. And, it’s even more fun to give them! Giving truly is better than receiving. Why not share the love with someone you are thankful for in your life? I’d love to see if you do!