To my oldest followers... I've moved!

If you are seeing this post, it means you are among Lansdowne Life's oldest followers. Thank you for reading all these years!

This weekend I finally took the plunge and moved lansdownelife.com to WordPress and that means this feed address isn't going to work anymore. I'm sorry, I can't switch or redirect it for you, otherwise you can bet I wouldn't be bothering you by sending this message.

Please resubscribe using this RSS link!

Or if you'd rather, follow with bloglovin', subscribe via e-mail, or simply visit lansdownelife.com.

This is my last post at this address, so I hope you'll come along with me!

Thanks,
Erin

DIY Craft kits for kids: Upcycled Altoids tin doll bed

I started making these DIY craft kits for my daughter as an alternative to the pre-packaged kits from the craft store. This post is the second installment in the series. See more here >>

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Upcycled Altoids tin doll bed

The inspiration for this project was sort of a mystery for a while. I saw a photo on Pinterest, but it was one of those pins that lead nowhere. Don't you hate those? I try my best not to re-pin them, but if I'm determined enough, I will do a reverse image search. I finally tracked it down to a pattern sold on Etsy. Mystery solved! Although, I had already created my version.

I had to simplify for the kit, so I made a 2-D fox from a printed flannel fabric I already had (from Jo-Ann). I included a few cotton balls for stuffing the fox and the pillow case, and also made some tiny blankets from flannel scraps. The Curious George Altoids tin was something I've been hoarding for too long. (But I must have had some awesome foresight, because Elise is totally a fan of Curious George.)

I haven't shown this kit to her yet, but I think she's going to love it.

See more kid stuff here >>

Curb appeal detail: Brass griffin shield plaque

I'm less of a "front door seasonal wreath" person and more of a "brass griffin plaque" kinda girl.

Pretty, right? Pretty menacing. Griffins are protectors (or so says Wikipedia), thus this pair is perfect posted by the front door. Think they'll keep the hooligans away?

I found the brass plaque nearly three years ago at an antique mall for $8, and despite good intentions, it has taken me this long to hang it up.

I attached it to a wooden circle plaque from Jo-Ann that I painted black, and mounted it to the brick using a single screw hidden underneath the shield! It really shouldn't have taken so long. Down with procrastination!

It fits right in with the brass hardware on the door and doorbell plate on our Tudor-style cottage, don't cha think?

A trip to Elise's Market: Grocery store birthday party

I'm not sure how it is possible, but Elise turned five on Saturday, and we celebrated with a grocery store-themed party for my grocery-loving girl.

It was a small affair with a family-only guest list, but that doesn't mean it didn't deserve some DIY decor and special touches.

Thank you for shopping at Elise's Market! Hooray! Birthday season is finally over around here. I do love party projects, but they are beginning to wear me out.

Hiding things in the walls, part 3

I'm hiding treasures in the walls again. It's like the funnest thing I can think of.

Our basement stairwell had been open and wall-less for many months now, after our leaky pipe plumbing problem. It was old splintery wood and kind of crusty, to say the least. The plumbing was replaced in December, and, lucky for us, the mold/mildew was only on the plaster and lathe, which has been long gone. Safe to say everything had plenty of time to dry out over the past few months. Time to close things up!

But before my dad hung the drywall, we slipped a collection of artifacts inside for future residents of this house to find (if they destroy the walls). An informal kind of time capsule.

Anticipating this hiding, Elise and I created a commemorative painting a few months ago when 2014 was still fresh and new (to let you in on just how slow we are moving around here).

The rest of our package was pretty impromptu and included some more pre-school art, a few 2014 coins, a copy of our community newspaper, and a random assortment of plastic toys we didn't mind parting with, including no less than four SpongeBobs.

See more things I've hidden >>

On the hunt: STL250 Cakeway to the West #STL250

If you follow me on Instagram (@lansdownelife), you probably have noticed the new photo project we've started for 2014.

St. Louis turned 250 this year, and to celebrate, the city is placing 250 birthday cake sculptures all around the metro area at significant locations, each painted by different artists. It's part public art, party history lesson, and part scavenger hunt.

It started out innocently enough when we ran across our first cake. Then our second. But Elise is obsessed with cooking and baking. She loves the Food Network and grocery stores. And when she grows up, she'll tell you she wants to be a baker. Cakes are her thing. So as the weather has warmed, we have started cake hunting in earnest. We're lucky the vast majority of them are within 20 minutes of our house!

So far, we've found 51 cakes (20%!), and we're still hunting. We may not get to all of them, but we have all year to try!

Anyone else in STL cake hunting?

DIY craft kits for kids: Birthday cards

I started making these DIY craft kits for my daughter as an alternative to the pre-packaged kits from the craft store. This post is the second installment in the series. See the first one here: Washi tape covered clothespins.

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Birthday cardmaking kit

I have to admit, this next craft kit project has a selfish undertone. I have become fabulously bad at birthday cards. I forget to buy them. I forget to make them. I forget to send them.

And sometimes, when I absolutely have to have one right now, I shove some paper and crayons in Elise's hands and she makes something passable. Because she's four and "hastily thrown together" is passable for a four year old.

So like I said, this craft kit project is a bit selfish because I'm having her make a batch of cute homemade birthday cards for us to give throughout the year.

So what's in the kit?

• A bunch of paper scraps cut in candle and flame shapes.
• A pack of blank notecards with envelopes
• Some double-sided adhesive foam dots
• Letter stickers
• A glue stick (if the adhesive foam dots don't work out or are too hard for her)

The design was inspired by this card. I chose it because it was easy enough for a four-year-old to execute and also a wonderful way to use up paper scraps. I cut a ton of shapes from leftover scrapbook papers. I wanted her to have some choice with the color combinations, so I cut way more than she will actually need. The letter stickers can be used to spell out messages or names. Easy peasy!

See more kid stuff here >>

Studio organization: Works in progress storage

On the hunt for some new furniture, I hit the antique malls for the first time in maybe a year! I was way past due. I've been looking for a buffet-type piece of furniture to use in our living room, but I came across this instead.

Over the past six months or so, I've been slowly building my studio, while also trying to work in said studio. It was a mess, and the whole thing was just leaving me feeling disorganized and crazy.

To get some clarity, I made a list of every function I needed the space to perform. Work space, materials storage, finished goods storage, packing space, etc. And then I realized I had a big hole in my process: I had no storage area for works in progress. Everything was just everywhere. Painted frames drying wherever I could find a flat surface, which, in turn, gave me no place to work. It seems really obvious now, but I just hadn't broken it down like that before.

So anyway, when I ran across these units with perfectly sized shelves, I lunged. At $40 each, they were easy to say 'yes' to. Because if you've ever priced letter sorters or furniture with a bunch of shelves or pigeonholes, you will know that $40 is a bargain. And forget about finding anything made of wood. I bought one, and then went back the next day for the other.

These things are SOLID wood and super heavy. And also handmade and a bit rough, but I sort of like their garagey character for now. The space is still a work in progress, but I feel like all the functional components are finally here. Let's hope I can share some prettier pictures soon!

How to make a scalloped party banner + free template

I tried to incorporate scallops in subtle ways throughout Etta's first birthday party. I'm not sure it really came through in the photos, but the scalloped banners were right there front and center. Huge impact for just a few dollars worth of materials.

I used the cheap felt made from recycled plastic (not pricey wool felt) and got most of it on sale for 2.99/yd. I also added in a few of the 9"x12" felt sheets in some additional colors. I ended up using maybe two-thirds of my 1/4 yard pieces. All in all, maybe $5 worth of felt.

I created a template from a cereal box by tracing a bowl about 8 inches in diameter, 7 7/8" to be exact. (Psst... I made a downloadable template too! More on that below.)

The key to the scallop shape is going bigger than a simple half circle. It ends up looking too thin and needs just an extra bit of height. I used about 2/3 of the circle and then squared off the flat edge. (Of course, this is just what looks good to my eye, so do what you will!)

I used a fine-tipped Sharpie marker to trace around the template, and then cut the felt carefully with a sharp scissors, making sure to cut away the marker line.

After I cut out all my scallops, I sewed them onto a piece of grosgrain ribbon. This went quicker than I expected, and I had all three of my banners done in under an hour. Yes, really!

Simple straight line stitching goes really fast!

Want to make one too? I made a PDF template for the shape of the scallop. You'll need approximately a 8.25" x 5.25" piece of felt for each scallop.

Download PDF template >>

See more banner and party ideas >>

How to make a pom pom party garland

I made three different types of banners/garlands for Etta's first birthday party, and this simple pom pom one was definitely the quickest!

I found these craft pom poms at the dollar store. The jewel tone colors matched the party colors perfectly, and I knew I had to turn them into a pretty pom pom garland.

I took some embroidery floss and used a needle to poke through each pom pom. I like to use these 3-inch "doll" needles because they are easy to hold. I bought them years ago for some project and now I use them all the time for all types of hand sewing.

The process goes really quickly. I thought there would be more to it. Tying knots or something, but nope. I moved the poms along the thread and while they slide easily, they also just sort of stay where you put them and don't shift on their own.

These garlands do tangle really easily, so if you don't plan to hang it immediately, I would suggest winding it around something until you're ready to use it. I used an empty cereal box and taped both ends of the thread to the box and it worked perfectly.

Next time: How to make a scalloped felt banner!

Etta's colorful and polka-dotted first birthday party

Over the weekend, we celebrated Etta's first birthday with family and a few friends. We had a ridiculous amount of food, and the birthday girl refused to nap, but it was still a really fun party! 

I was going for a 'no-theme' theme, and went with black and white polka dots, bright colors, and touches of gold. A couple of Kewpie dolls sneaked in there too. Etta makes that Kewpie doll smirk all the time, and I couldn't resist.

I have a few tutorials planned about some of the details, but if you're curious about anything you see, leave a comment and I'll get back to you!

See more party ideas here >>