What’s a colloquium? Click here for our vision & the backstory on this room.
We planned for a while to put built-in bookcases in the corner where the piano’s going (here’s the post about the colloquium floorplan in case you’ve forgotten where that is) but I assumed the design was pretty much solid in Jeremy’s mind, so I didn’t think too much about it. Until the day I asked him what said design was–and he said he didn’t know yet.
the piano goes against that back (unpainted) wall.
This post is brought to you by a relentless bout of nesting. I use the word relentless quite literally–I have felt like I’m losing my mind, and acting like it too. If you think I’m exaggerating, well, let me tell you a story.
I fell down a rabbit hole this morning, remembering suddenly the old cut-and-sew projects I did as a kid (as well as the cut-and-sew Cheshire Cat I found at a “junque” store, which is one of my favorite home decor items). I’ve got a seven-and-a-half-year-old who is begging to learn to sew, and a four-year-old who loves cat things, and a two-year-old who loves “dotties” (dollies) and pretty things, and a new baby girl on the way who needs her own share of “dotties” and pretty things. I searched the Spoonflower site for cut-and-sew projects (if there is another good place to look, let me know!) and wanted to share some of what I found. (For the record, this post isn’t even remotely an ad or sponsored. Just sharing my finds.)
Tiger Lily by Nadine Westcott | As soon as I saw this, I thought of Anselm! I thought he would really like this one.
view from the fireplace, before
Back before all of the kids came along, I kept a little Etsy shop with crocheted items for sale. These were mostly hats, with some amigurumi, iPod cases (remember iPods?) and ornaments. All of these items were generally owls or owl-themed.
I can trace with absolute precision my love of owls back to a college trip to Japan in 2004. At the time, owls were very big as a decor motif over there, but they hadn’t really begun to be very popular in the states. I saw owl mugs, owl umbrellas, owl plates, owl juice glasses, owl teapots–I was hooked.
that’s me on the left, in Kyoto
I think it’s the big eyes, slightly squat shape, and grumpy expression that make owls so lovable to me. I decided to make this tutorial for the owl ornaments I used to sell in my shop–they’re relatively quick and easy, endlessly diversified, and just plain cute. I am assuming some basic crochet and sewing skills from the outset, but if you don’t crochet, felt pieces could work in place of the crocheted bits.