Smid ♡’s details: Jute String For Days

8.21.13

I scored these large coffee bean burlap sacks about six months ago from one of our local coffee shops and an all-time favorite family hangout; The Pannikin. I needed burlap for many pending projects. One them was to make pillows for the chalk board nook under the stairs. Now burlap is not necessarily something you would want to sleep on but it is great for this project because I wont care if chalk gets on them and they will be able to endure the abuse that are about to receive. I went and bought inexpensive king size pillows from HomeGoods and stuffed as many as I could get in the sacks. I bought a massive role of jute string from Michael’s. My plan then was to quickly sew them shut with the jute string. Big needle, big string…it’s much easier than regular sewing right? Yeah, right! I think if I had followed the lady’s advice from Michael’s and sewn a few loose loops spread apart, enough to hold the pillows in, that would have been quick! It also would have looked cheap, like I got seriously lazy and not very impressive. These sacks needed some love and they got lots of it. I was buried in burlap. I was sewing jute string for days. Dramatic? Not so much! I was very particular about keeping the stitching tight, neat and continuous. I used a long piece of jute so that I didnt have any separation or stoping points. I wanted each pillow to have a different finish. So, I did one with very masculine edging and one with tassels. The tassels… they took me forever. It became addicting actually. I kept thinking one more loop and then I will go eat. Or one more loop and then I can pee…Really? I was starving four hours into it and was starting to feel cramping in my bladder. I just needed to finish! I let my kids thread a few loops and pull the thread through. They got a “kick” out of it because they pulled the thread into the next room and out into the yard. After a few of those pulls, they were over it of’ course. Yeah! Me too! Then they started jumping on the pillow sacks. Abuse! I told you. I am glad however, that they are very excited about them. I am too. I got through it. My goal is to do three pillows total. I may end up with two happily. I think this is the detail that matters though. It will make the kids nook more special and look warmer. They are also great pieces to pull into the family room to lay on and watch tele. SMIDthat! -Smid

The final product!

Here is a look at how it went down.

The longest piece of jute string ever.

Pulling!

Seriously, still pulling!

One tassel down!

The masculine one.

Project SMID: Let Them Help With The Dirty Work

8.16.13

Ok let me start out with saying, it’s insane trying to work two jobs at the same time and be a good Mom. Did I mention that? I am 13 days away from the SMID launch. The planning for this has been intense. My work is getting busier and busier. Murphy’s Law! The “good Mom” thing is extremely important to me and I constantly put an incredible amount of pressure on myself about this. I also have a very strong work ethic, which is a great thing but, it means I am burning the candle at both ends. I won’t let myself drop the ball on anything.

I keep trying to think of ways to incorporate my little ones into the planning for the launch or in my design projects so that we are spending good quality time together while I am getting things accomplished. If you’re a parent, grandparent, or anyone who is heavily involved with children, you will understand that this can be a huge challenge…especially when they are between three and five. It can get messy real fast.

The other day, I let my littles help me with freshening up some of our potted plants on our balcony as well as planting a few new ones. They each had their beach bucket and shovel. Exactly! It was so much fun for them. The balcony however, was nearly a small casualty. I wish I had taken a few photos to share with you. Honestly, I would have if I hadn’t been by myself with them. I could not have left the scene to find my iPad for the photo opp or it would have been bad…real bad.

Anyway, we needed some art in the kids’ room as well as in the hallway to their room. I didn’t really want a print or anything too sophisticated. I definitely didn’t want anything typical for kids. I like to keep things unexpected. I thought it would be great fun for them to create their own real art. We went to Michaels and bought an entire roll of canvas. I chose the roll versus the canvas already stretched over the wooden frame so that they could walk all over it and have a blast. It also provided flexibility on the size of the canvas and how many we could do if we wanted to keep going.

I cut a big piece off and laid it down on the floor in my work space. I set out bowls of acrylic paint and a few squirt bottles. I told them to go for it and get dirty. We put on some great music and they rocked out to it while they painted.

At first I thought you might be able to see their cute hand and foot prints in the final product. Then they got crazy with the squirting and the blobbing of paint. My girl started dancing on it. My little guy started doing some serious spins. They were falling down on their backsides and were covered in paint. One of them gets the idea to strip down naked. The other follows. They were tickled pink…or rainbow rather!

Thankfully we installed an outdoor shower! When the masterpiece was done, they walked to the shower, rainbow colored bums and ALL! It took them a while to scrub down.

The canvas turned out pretty cool and we have another great memory. I am looking forward to putting it up.

-Smid

Here is a look at how it happened:

I probably should have stopped them here. They went crazy at this point.

Project SMID: Gardening Is Brutal!

8.15.13

I mentioned in an earlier post that my garden was completely torn up. We’ve been under construction for quite some time. The house is exactly the way I want it… My garden however, was not. The SMID launch party will be held in my home gallery space. I know that first impressions and last impressions are really important. My garden is what everyone will see when they arrive at the party and when they leave.

When we bought this house, the backyard was mostly a block of dirt. There was a brick walk way down the side of the house. No. It was not the cute english garden brick walk way that you may have just envisioned. It was a tacky, I’m not really a brick walk way, I’m a fake orange paver substitue. There was a jacuzzi that was modeled to look like a mountain range. I’m not kidding. Then there was more dirt.

I wanted our garden to feel magical and be a place where we always wanted to be. We live in San Diego and have some of the best weather in the world. We are meant to be outside.

We planted sod about eight years ago and then, we pretty much left it at that. I was way more excited about getting my hands on the inside of the house. When we expanded the back portion of our house recently, the one piece of solid patio in our yard, where our french table and chairs sat, now sloped so much that it looked like you would slide off while eating there…table and all. It was far from magical.

So the yard needed some work. Well, I have been working in the yard for days. A family friend of ours, Alex, has been working with me. He moves a lot faster than me, I might add. I was struggling to get some lavender planted outside our front gate. The soil had compacted over the years and therefore it was like digging into concrete. Alex was watching we me struggle and enjoying it! He said to me, “And you said my job was easy.” I never said that! Then he said, “Yeah the truth hurts doesn’t it?” And I said, “The truth hurts a lot less than doing this!” I gave up…ON THE LAVENDER. Have some faith! I moved on to some softer soil and a shaded area and began to plant.

I’ve gotta be honest. I didn’t remember how hard gardening was. It’s much harder than it looks. Don’t tell Alex! Everything hurts. I mean everything. I have become best friends with the local nursery teams at Gardens by the Sea and Anderson’s La Costa Nursery. I have made so many trips back and forth after realizing we needed a little more here and a little more there. I mean, how many plants do you need to fill a yard?

This is hilarious and yet horrifying at the same time. I went to bed at 9:45pm last night. I slept so hard (after all that gardening) that I didn’t here my phone vibrating next to me, the rocks my husband was throwing at the window, the pounding on the doors, OR my dogs barking. Good Lord! Thank God my kids didn’t wake up needing me!

Apparently, I locked the door to the garage. Stewart didn’t have a key to the house with him when he got home from his meeting and wasn’t able to get in. I never woke up! He slept in the garage on a box spring!!! I am so sorry Stewart.

The yard… it’s still in progress but nearly there and it is looking great. Thank goodness I have something to show for it…after all that. Brutal!

-SMID

We laid blue stone for our seating areas and for our walkways. I chose pea-gravel instead of concrete. I think it feels more magical this way. Moss has been planted sporadically between the stone and will eventually take over and grow in nicely. I alternated with scottish moss and babytears.

I have old-school taste when it comes to gardens. Hydrangeas are one of my favorites. They were also a favorite of my Grandmother’s. We planted these in memory of her.

in progress…

in progress…

Smid ♡’s details: Jute String For Days

Project SMID: Let Them Help With The Dirty Work

Project SMID: Gardening Is Brutal!

WELCOME

CATEGORIES

SUBSCRIBE

ELSEWHERE-