Figment

I had some fun playing with the camera today, trying to catch the beauty of fresh figs...

 Maybe it's the dark, rich, purple skin that opens to shining fruit inside that's so appealing...I don't know. But they seem beautiful and mysterious. A serious fruit, classy and elegant.

They tasted as good as they looked...


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Pom Pom Cake Toppers

Yesterday, to celebrate the one year anniversary of Attic Lace, I made these cute little pom pom cupcake toppers! They were super easy to make, here's how it's done...

You will need:
-Yarn
-Lollipop sticks 
-Scissors
-Hot glue

I make my pom poms by wrapping yarn around a three to four inch piece of cardboard. I slip the yarn bundle off of the cardboard and tie a strand securely around the center. Then I cut through all the loops, creating loose ends. Finally, I give it a little "hair cut", trimming the ends all the way around to give it a nice tight round shape.
After you've made your desired number of pom poms, glue them onto the tops of your lollipop sticks. 
Insert into the top of your frosted cake or cupcake!

These feel so happy, don't they? They'd be fun to do in different colors as well!


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Happy first birthday Attic Lace! This week is the one year anniversary of blogging for me. I can't believe it's been a whole year already! When I started Attic Lace last October, I had no clue what I was doing ( I probably still don't) but I was feeling inspired and wanted an outlet for my creative urges. When I look back at the first few months of posts I can see how much has changed since then. The first half of the year, all of my photos were taken with a cellphone camera, I didn't have photoshop, nor did I understand the value of a consistent page format. 
As months passed I began to get a feel for what I  wanted put forth and pushed myself to better the quality of my photos, projects and posts. I've had many moments of wanting to go back and delete posts that don't read strongly anymore or edit out things that I no longer like, but I felt it was important for me to embrace the process and to be able to look back and see how the blog grew from the beginning.
Best of all I've made some really sweet friends along with way. It's so nice to be part of a little online community, and to make new friends from different parts the world! This has been so cool for me.

Most of all, I wanted to take a minute this week to thank all of you! It is the best feeling in the world to know that people are stopping by and actually enjoying my space. I went from 3 readers (two of which were my Mom and my Grandma  thanks guys!!) to about 350 followers. I never imagined this would happen, and while it may not seem like a lot to some people, it sure means a lot to me. I love that you guys come and visit, and leave sweet comments...it seriously makes my day. 

So on this happy anniversary day I send out love and hugs to those of you that have been here since the start, and to those that have joined in along the way. I can't wait to see what year two brings, I hope that you continue to enjoy reading about my adventures in life and adventures of the crafty kind...I wish I could share this cupcake with you.

Tomorrow we'll chat about how to make those fluffy yellow cupcake toppers, yes?
Xo


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Golden Skull Table Setting

I've always dreamt of having a formal Halloween dinner party...if I were the hostess, this is one way I might decorate my table. I love how the golden skull and spider-webby lace feels spooky but elegant at the same time. Here how I made my golden skull and place card...

You will need:
-Small paper-mache skull (Craft store for $1.99)
-Gold metallic spray paint
-Letter stamps
-White stamp pad
-1" wide strip of thin cardboard or brown card-stock

(*Multiply materials depending on number of guests!)

Lightly spray your skull with the gold paint and allow to fully dry. Cut a "snake tongue"  end into the inch wide strip of cardboard and then stamp your guest's name onto the strip.

I used a piece of decorative card-stock as my place mat, and then layered on a gold-rimmed china plate draped in a delicate doily. After placing my skull and place card in the center of the doily, I dropped in some spooky spiders and gold confetti (circle-punched gold card-stock)

This was a very cheap and easy project. The materials I bought were very inexpensive and I utilized things I already had to make the whole thing come together. I think guests would love this pretty, and spooky, table setting don't you?

Have you ever held a  Halloween dinner party? I think it would be so much fun!

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Last Hoorah

Nick and I took our last trip of the season with Sunny this weekend. We went up north to our favorite place in the Catskills, and it was gorgeous. Not only was the weather perfect, but the leaves had turned and autumn was everywhere. The whole forest was a blanket of needles... We found lots of little woolly caterpillars and several beautiful mushrooms. I even finished my second scarf while we were there! 

When we got home all of the quilts, pillows and soft things were taken out of the camper for the winter and stored away until the springtime. It's a bittersweet time of year. We're excited for what fall and winter bring (some of our favorite holidays!), but sad to say goodbye to another great camping season...until next year!

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Slim Pickins

We braved the crowds this weekend and headed up to the orchard to pick some apples. I couldn't believe the number of people that were there, and I'm glad we went when we did because we had to walk deep into the rows of trees to find spots that hadn't been picked clean! 
All in all it was a lovely afternoon, our niece brought her sweet little friend, and it was

nice to be surrounded by giggles and smiles.

Of course the best part is always fresh donuts at the end of the day, and a heaping bowl of apples on the kitchen table. I made an apple crisp pie when we got home but the sun had gone down, therefor no photos. Maybe I'll make it again though because, it's my Aunt's prize winning recipe, and it was pretty darn good. 

What did you do this weekend?

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"Empowering Artists with Umba"

Today I thought it would be really fun to help Umba launch their fall collection! You know I love anything handmade, and as an artist I feel passionate about supporting other artists. For those of you that are not familiar, Umba began two years ago as "Umba Box" , a subscription for handmade goods!  They are now re-branding as "Umba" to empower artists through social selling.
Umba has been undergoing some exciting new changes, so I'd thought I'd join in and help them share a little bit about that! They have a gorgeous Fall LookBook, that is totally inspired by relationships, isn't that awesome? It is chock full of amazing goodies.

 Umba is about empowerment and inspiration. While their mission of uniting through creative discoveries that delight and inspire remains constant, they’re starting to take this ideal to the next level.

In just under two years, Umba has partnered with hundreds of amazingly talented artists who spent years refining their craft, sometimes spending hours making a single product, purely out of a love of what they do. Many artists are often (rightfully) frustrated that their products aren’t getting the attention they deserve as they face fierce price competition. Online markets have become oversaturated with artists. The Umba community is the voice for these artists, designers, producers, and illustrators, connecting them with a powerful marketing force who understands and appreciates the time-honored skills they practice.

This is a two sided equation of empowerment. In addition to empowering artists by connecting them with passionate consumers who value their work, Umba empowers a new class of entrepreneurs who recognize that they want more out of life than a 9-to-5 job. They are seeking to find purpose and change lives while doing something they’re passionate about. 

Umba is a one-of-a-kind social selling platform that selects savvy entrepreneurs to be Umbassadors, empowering them to launch their own businesses as independent consultants. 

Connections and relationships are what drive Umba. The Fall Collection celebrates relationships. Umba has hand-selected products that are reminiscent of cozy fall weekends full of steaming mugs of coffee sipped while wrapped up in blankets, surrounded by all of the people you love most. While shooting the lookbook for the new line, Umba team members gathered around a bonfire in the Catskills, many bundled up in Vine Arm Warmers and Wooly House Shoes. 

As families are at the heart of relationships, Umba is now offering men’s and kid’s products. After using Beard Oil, your manly-man will smell delightfully rustic and have a soft beard to boot. Your little ones will be bloggers-in-the-making when practicing their photography skills with a Pixie Wooden Camera.

Umba is your invitation to discover and empower a vibrant community of artists.Umba

Isn't this wonderful? I just felt like I wanted to help share the launch today, and get the word out:) There is something extremely special about the amazing things artists create, and the people that help them sell their goods. Long live handmade! 

Thanks to Umba for sharing exciting news! Take a look at their gorgeous fall lookbook here! 

Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend.

(I was not compensated in any way for this post, nor am I affiliated with Umba. The opinions expressed are my own. This post is meant to share information about a company that I enjoy, and a subject that I feel passionate about.)

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Make White Chocolate Bones!

Ok, It's totally time for some spookiness..Halloween is less than a month away! 
It is so much fun to come up with spooky, scary ideas for parties and costumes every year, it's definitely one of my favorite holidays.
Here is a really fun and unique treat to give as goody bags this year! White chocolate bones in little wooden coffins.

You will need:
-Small wooden coffins ($1.99ea. at the craft store)
-Satin finish black craft paint
-White paint pen
-White chocolate chips or candy melts
-Parchment Paper

Give your coffins two coats of black paint, inside and outside (make sure you leave the box open to dry when you paint the inside or it will seal shut when it dries!). When the paint is full dry, decorate with white paint marker. Add spooky words or drawings to your coffin lids!

Now it's time to clean up and prepare the chocolate bones! (Never mix craft supplies with food!)
Melt white chocolate according to instructions on package ( I usually do: in a microwave safe bowl 1 minute in the microwave on high, and then 10 second intervals, checking after each 10sec for melting and stirring each time I check. It's usually ready after 1 min and about 20 total seconds.)
Pour melted chocolate into a sandwich baggy with one bottom corner trimmed off (or, if you're fancy, use a pastry bag and decorating tip. I have neither;)

On a parchment-paper lined baking sheet, draw out your bones. I made mine by making two small swirly circles at the top, then two thick lines of chocolate down, capped with two more swirly circles at the bottom. You can "draw" them any way you like, just make sure your lines are all touching, and are nice and thick so nothing breaks apart after it sets.
Pop your baking sheet in the freezer or fridge until the chocolate is cooled and set for removal. They should slide right off of the paper when done.

Wrap a nice little bunch of your finished chocolate bones, bundled safely in a piece of parchment paper,  and place inside a coffin.

*It is important that your edible bones are nice and safe in a wrapper, as the insides of the coffin are not food-safe. You could even use a small plastic treat baggy to protect your chocolates. Then store in a cool dry place.

These would make a great little treat for guests of a Halloween party to take home at the end of the night. Are you as excited for Halloween as I am? What are some of your favorite treats?

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