52 REASONS I LOVE YOU LIKE CRAZY...

As a designer, I spend a lot of time thinking about layouts, fabrics, furniture, salvaged and recycled materials and how to make spaces happy and comfortable. But when I think about what I would grab if my home was on fire, besides my family of course, it would be one thing--a deck of cards. 

Last year, my daughter, Gabrielle, made me a DIY gift that she created using a deck of playing cards--52 reasons I love you like crazy.

The joy this homemade gift brings me everyday is immeasurable. It's more precious to me than anything else I own. The care and feeling that went into these 52 deeply personal and insightful reasons still astounds me. 

And although, it's nice to  have a home that is beautiful, warm and welcoming, this deck of cards proves to me that it is way more important on how we treat ourselves and others, that we give and receive love unconditionally, and that we know we can make a difference. Thank you Gabrielle for this amazing gift you have given me. 

Everyday we should express joy, gratitude, happiness and love to those in our lives, not just on Valentine's Day (even though that is a good time as well).

Happy February...

X0X0, Joanne

Old Sweater Turns into Botanical Love! Valentine's Day DIY

I know...there are road trips to discuss, places to shop, things I've seen...but I really wanted to show you this DIY first. Promise, next blog post will be about cool places to go! So who doesn't have a wool sweater that they accidental shrunk (no worries, Mom, you can still do my laundry when you come to visit). Or a sweater that the moths got to? Holes everywhere! Well, fear not...you can turn that old sweater into a botanical cozy container! Here is how I did it.

Holes and Shrunk! This sweater was ready for a repurpose!

Or you can put it in the washing machine on hot, hot, hot. I kinda like to boil it on the stove till it felts. Then rinse in cold water if you don't want it to stretch out again. Each sweater is different, some will totally felt up and others will just shrink a little more...

I started with a sleeve...

Then I just used some embroidery thread and hand stitched a piece for the bottom and a heart on the sleeve.  

I wrapped the plant in wax paper and slide into the sleeve! 

Check out what I did with the neck of the sweater...lots more to make...have fun!

STARTING SMALL...DIY with OLD BASEBALLS

I know...there could be a thousand blog posts I could start my new JO BLOG with...my recent design work, fabulous places to shop, trips I've recently taken...but I realized that when working with vintage, salvaged, recycled and repurposed things...it's best to start small. Understanding that every little thing matters. Every decision we make has a ripple effect. I don't want this blog to be me just blasting from the mouth so I can get search engines to move me up in the ranks. That doesn't matter to me (I'm sure it should but it doesn't). What matters to me is that you're inspired! Have fun! And look at all things old, used and recycled differently! I'll start with baseballs and feathers... Jo

 Sometimes winter makes me want to be a DIY hermit. So I find things that are laying around the house and put them together. These old baseballs have been around for about 10 years--I picked them up at Goodwill and as you can see, the price tag still on them, they never got used. (Turns out Gabrielle loves basketball, volleyball and lacrosse.) The feathers, left-over denim from shortening my jeans and the rope of cotton, all in the basement and up for grabs.

That's right...my handy-dandy hot glue gun. You can see that it is well used. I didn't even bother taking the Goodwill sticker off. Start with the larger feathers...

Then just layer them on top of each other, working slowly from one side of the baseball up. You may have to cut some of the feathers to give it a flat bottom. 

So here are my finished projects with the winter light shining in on them. What do you have at home that you could use to cover up old unused baseballs? Buttons, costume jewelry, Bohemian fabric? I wish I had more baseballs...I could do this all day!