Photography by Kathryn

I have been slowly getting into photography these last few months...

{of course buying myself a Cannon Rebel XSi might have something to do with it…}

…and I have been debating whether or not to add some photography posts to my blog.

I like posting tutorials and how-to’s because I like to think that it can inspire people to make beautiful and fun items for their homes.

But if I can be honest…I like looking at good photographs as much as I like reading a good tutorial! So I’m going to take the plunge and start posting some of my photographs out here in the big world wide web and hopefully show you all something you haven’t seen before!

I’m going to start by using the Shutter Love weekly Link Up at Trendy Treehouse for themes on what to post and we’ll take it from there.

Today's theme at The Trendy Treehouse is Nature...and I'm going to link up this shot from a trip we took to the U.K. in 2004...

We were in St. James Park and I just loved the structure of this shot with the posts in a perfect line and all the ducks sitting on top, and the reflection highlighting the center of the shot. Not too bad, if I don't say so myself! :)

Photography is another one of those things I'd love to Find The Time to do more of...

Wine Cork Cork Boards

How many of you have a bowl or jar of wine corks sitting around?  Well, we have had a collection going for about 5 years and I am finally doing something with them.  I have quite a few projects in the works now to repurpose my wine corks, and the first I'm going to share is two different ways to make wine cork cork boards.

Here are the supplies you'll need for either cork board:

- lots of wine corks

-unfinished wood frame (with back)

-paint or stain for the frame

-hot glue gun

-kitchen knife

The first cork board is my favorite becasue I haven't really seen anything like it out there.  I started by spray painting the frame black, followed by clear coat. 

While that was drying I started on the corks.  I knew I wanted to use the corks laid out on their ends instead of sides, so I started cutting them into 1/4" discs.  I tried a few different knives/tools to cut the corks and found that a non-serrated edge kitchen knife works the best.  Be careful, because some of the corks are harder to cut and they could slip out of your fingers.  I also like that using the corks in these discs allows me to use the champagne corks in my projects.  Those are all the slightly larger discs you see in the board.

Once I had a large pile of corks I started laying the out in a random pattern on my frame.  I mixed the real corks in with the plastic ones; and mixed in some larger champagne cork discs as well.  You'll have to work with fitting them in to get as many as you can in the space.  I also cut some of the discs in half to fill in the larger gaps.

Once I had the layout I liked I used hot glue to attach them one by one.  Be careful not to use too much glue or it will squeeze out around the cork and look sloppy.

And there you have it...a "Disc" wine cork cork board.

The second board I made is a more popular use of wine corks...and a little easier since you don't have to cut the corks.

I started with another unfinished wood frame, painted black.

I had a harder time arranging the corks for this board, and you will find that using the same length corks for each row will help you avoid large gaps.  I wanted the corks to fit as closely as possible so I fiddled with the layout a lot longer than necessary.

Once I finally found a look that I like, I again used hot glue to attach the corks to the frame.  You don't have to worry as much on this project about using too much glue, since the curve of the cork is better at hiding the glue than the flat discs.

So there you go, two quick projects to help you use up all those wine corks you've been collecting.

There will be more wine cork projects up soon...if I can find the time! :)

Ribbon Socks

The following post is a tutorial from my awesomely creative mom.  She has made quite a few of these Ribbon socks for my daughter, and they are so cute!  Pretty soon she will have one for each outfit!

A Special Thank you to Summer over at Sumo's Sweet Stuff

for featuring me on her Showcase Saturday!!

I thought I would share a great, easy and FAST baby gift idea…Ribbon Socks. I have made a bunch for my granddaughter already…and I’m sure I’ll keep making them for her through the toddler years!

Supplies you’ll need:

• A sewing machine
• Thread
• Socks
• Ribbon (not the kind with the wire in it)

I have found that beginning at the back of the sock works best. I use socks that fold down as it highlights the ruffles and gives you more room to work.

Fold the straight cut end of the ribbon under, about ¼ of an inch. Pin this starting point in place at the back of the sock. I usually pin the first inch or so, as you see above. Set your machine for a zig-zag stitch. With my machines, it works best to hold the sock stretched tightly between by thumb and finger.  I start about ¼ of an inch from the end. I then stitch forward about 5 or 6 stitches and then back up to lock it in, and then move forward from there.

As I sew slowly I continue to stretch the sock and make sure the ribbon slightly overlaps the sock.

As I near the starting point, I slow down until I am about one inch from the beginning ribbon. Cut the ribbon about 1/4" to 1/3" longer that you need so that you can tuck the raw edge under. You will see I overlap both the beginning folded ribbon edge just under the ending folded ribbon edge. I sew past the end and back up again to ensure it is really secure. I then pivot the sock and sew the two edges of the ribbon together.

This project works well on solid or printed socks. If you watch the sales or shop the discount places, this is a great, inexpensive, simple and very quick gift that you can personalize. Most socks cost less than $1.25 per pair and you will need less than 2/3rds of a yard of ribbon per pair. I love the $1 bins at Target, Michaels, and Joanns for socks and ribbon!

-JoAnne

Isn't that a great project to do for the next baby shower or kids birthday you are attending!  Love it!!