A Craftcourse Summer

Back in February, my friend Emily and I launched a little venture called Craftcourse to bring fun, crafty times to the ladies (and gentlemen, if so inclined) of Nashville. It seems that since that time my blogging has dropped off drastically. I've given some thought to why that might be (because it wasn't exactly a conscious or deliberate decision that I made), and I realized that what drove my love of DIY blogging was the constant need to be creating fun projects and trying new things.

Because we bring our crafty touch to every Craftcourse party/workshop - whether it be making the sample projects or creating crafty little favors for each event - I've found that Craftcourse sort of fulfills that need for me now. Of course, I don't think I'll ever be done with blogging completely, because I still love sharing certain stuff here and contributing to other great sites (as you'll continue to see).

So anyway, I wanted to share a few pics of some of the ridiculously fun stuff we've been doing with Craftcourse this summer to give you have a peek into what's keeping me so busy.

Working from Home Comfortably

Firmoo.com gave me a free pair of glasses.

I'm now on month seven of my adventure in working from home, and it took me some serious time to figure out how to do it comfortably...like physically comfortable. Let's take a look back in time at my initial office set-up: knock-off Eames Eiffel chair, straight-up laptop, and a point-blank view of my beautiful wallpaper. This was a formula for months of back and eye pain.

Since that time, I've slowly made several key changes that have made all the difference. First was a chair upgrade. Next, I pivoted my desk so that I wasn't, you know, staring at the wall. I made some small changes to the height of the desk, and then, I got a platform and external keyboard for my laptop so that my screen is at eye level. Finally, I got myself some sweet new glasses from Firmoo.

I picked out this pair because I wanted a little color. While Firmoo doesn't offer the home try-on that many of its online competitors do, you certainly can't beat the prices, and the choice is pretty incredible. After ordering them, they arrived just a week later complete with a hard case, a cleaning cloth, and a keychain repair tool. All around, I'm pretty impressed with my experience, and the glasses are doing just the trick to give my eyes a little break when staring at a computer screen all day.

Do any of you work-from-homers out there have any other tips for making it easier and/or more comfortable to work from home? I'm all ears!

Disclosure: Firmoo.com provided me with a free pair of glasses. All opinions are my own.

Overcoming a Black Thumb

In the whirlwind of things we tackled for the Home Depot Style Challenge makeover, we also threw in a raised bed for good measure. I mean, it's our first time with a backyard, so we might as well try our hand at gardening, no?

I have this bad habit of having good intentions about being thoughtful and thorough when approaching a project but then get excited and sort of hastily tackle them. This was one of those projects, so this certainly isn't a tutorial. I'm sure I mucked up plenty of things in the execution of this one. In fact, I don't even really know what the grid of strings is for, but they appealed to my love of a geometric pattern so I threw 'em in (scientific, right?).

Anyway, let it be known that I have I kept all 20 of the plants alive that occupy this little bed (plus the tiniest little maple tree that popped up in the one unplanted square...because why not?!) for a solid month now! I'm not saying that I've exactly conquered my black thumb, but I'd say it's a deep, moody forest green right about now. In fact, I feel a little maternal each day when I lovingly water and inspect them for growth. If things go as planned, we'll have a stockpile of homemade hot sauces and tomato juice (or as I like to call it, Bloody Mary mix) by the end of the summer. Have you had any successes or failures with home gardening?

Summer Uniform: A-Line Midis

It seems like every Summer, I adopt some kind of "uniform" - a certain type of outfit that I find myself wearing constantly throughout the hot months. In some years, it's been strappy, loose fitting sundresses. In others, simple tanks and shorts. I know Spring has really only just arrived, but I feel pretty confident that I know what this year's uniform will be -- A-line midi skirts. I'm a short girl, so I never anticipated that this would be a length of skirt that I could pull off, but after trying out a few, I've found that the key is finding one that hits right below my knee cap and wearing it high with a blousey, tucked-in tank. I've rounded up some of my favorite A-line midis today, and tomorrow, I'm sharing a DIY accessory perfect for my new uniform.

What do you think? Do you like mid-length skirts?

Top to bottom, left to right: white full midi, yellow belted midi, yellow pleated midi, polka dot pleated midi, white cut-out midi, abstract midi, white shear midi, floral midi

Cinco De Mayo Tablescape Inspiration

Later this month, we're dedicating an entire Craftcourse workshop to making piñatas because...well, piñatas are awesome and Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner. To get folks jazzed up, we did a little inspiration shoot using a quartet of cacti piñatas that we made (which were totally inspired by the amazing cacti artwork Helen Dealtry did for Design*Sponge).

I'm sharing a little taste here, but hop over to Craftcourse Nashville for all the eye candy...including some of my best .gif handiwork to date!

Our First Craftcourse

Last month, I introduced you all to my new venture - Craftcourse. This last weekend, we hosted our very first course here in Nashville. It was so much fun that I couldn't resist sharing a few pics here on the blog! Not only did we sell out, we also had an incredible group of ladies. If you're in the Nashville area, there are still several spots left for our March 22nd workshop! You can register here.

Last weekend, we tackled three great projects -- rope-wrapped mirrors, leather statement necklaces, and hand-tied felt garlands. I think my favorite part was seeing the incredible ways that everyone customized each project. We definitely had some clever and creative ladies on hand. Read on to see lots more pics -- including some shots from our photo booth.

Craftcourse

Last month, I shared my goals for the year -- including taking some risks towards building a creative career for myself. Over the last few weeks, my friend Emily Edwards and I have been dreaming up that very risk! Today, I am ECSTATIC to share our venture with you all - Craftcourse!

Craftcourse is one part workshop, two parts party -- offering crash courses in DIY + fun here in Nashville. Each three-hour "course" will offer all the materials and direction for making three lovely projects and, of course, a jolly good time. We are kicking things off next month with courses on March 8th and March 22nd. All the details and registration can be found here.

Now, I would so, so love to have you all spread the word, follow along with us on all of the social medias (links below), and sign up for our newsletter.

I'm feeling so wildly optimistic about this little idea of ours -- like today is a brand new day! Send good vibes my way, won't you, because I certainly like this feeling!

Struggling with Time Management

I spoke a bit about this in my 2014 goals, but despite the number of calendars, planners, and productivity apps I have to call my own, I am in the midst of a serious time management struggle crisis. Technically, I have fewer real (i.e. paid) time commitments than I have in years, which may actually be the source of the problem. In DC, I had a rigid full-time job away from my home, so I was incredibly regimented with every free hour outside of it -- churning out tutorials and blog posts with routinized discipline. Now, I work part-time from home. Some weeks it's as few as 20 hours. This is my dream situation -- allowing plenty of time to pursue other interests, and yet I am squandering it because of poor time management. Read on for a peek at the outfit that opened my eyes and how I'm going to try to overcome this struggle.

Sisters of Nature + Clutch Giveaway

Today, I'm super excited to introduce you to a little piece of Nashville -- Sisters of Nature. Sisters of Nature is a mobile boutique offering vintage and handmade goods - basically a collection of some of the cutest, most lovingly-made stuff on earth. The boutique is the brainchild of Kimberly Parker, and today, she is sharing a little backstory on the boutique, her inspiration, and her creative process. In exchange for your undivided attention (and a few social media follows), she's offering up one of her handmade creations -- the Roxburgh Clutch. If you're reading this blog, I know you like a clutch.

Also, show a little love to John Hillin Videography for the amazing photos and Vera & Harper for the gorgeous styling.

I'm Kimberly Parker, handbag designer, DIYer, and owner of Sisters of Nature mobile boutique. I have been making handbags for over 15 years. I know that’s hard to believe since I’m not quite 30 yet, but it’s always been in my blood. I remember being a teenager and riding my bike to local boutiques to pitch my handbag collections. Sometimes it worked and they would sell my line of bags and sometimes they would just laugh at me because I didn’t know the difference between wholesale and retail.

My mother first taught me how to sew when I was...well before I can even remember. People lovingly called her “the bag lady” because she was always making little totes, filling them with homemade sourdough bread, and taking them to people who needed a little cheering up. I have fond memories of her sitting behind me and coaxing me along as we’d have to stop every few minutes for her to detangle the mess I had made of the bobbin. Really it was her belief in me and her constantly saying, “Kimberly, you NEED to start a business,” that led me to actually doing it.

Today, I create and sell my handbag line along-side many other talented makers and indie designers in my mobile boutique in Nashville. Each of the bags I create are all unique and have their own personality. I sometimes like to imagine the woman who will use it and all the fun places she’ll go with it. I can’t wait to see where our mobile boutique goes next and I hope you’ll stay in touch so you can see where we go too. Thanks for letting me hijack Fabric Paper Glue for a few moments. Now go out and be creative!

Use the widget below to follow Kimberly and the Sisters of Nature boutique on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Each follow gets you one entry towards winning the amazing clutch you see in the photos above. The giveaway closes next Thursday evening. Thanks so much!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Gold(ish) Flatware

Gold flatware is right there at the top of the list of shit bloggers like, and with my love of gold, you know I've been pining for my own set the moment I first laid eyes on some a few years ago. Having said that, it was also pretty high on the list of shit I absolutely didn't need or have money for, particularly in the DC-area condo where dinner parties were an impossibility. After moving back to Tennessee, however, an interest in/ability to throw dinner parties combined with my discovery of antiquing finally brought a set of gold(ish) flatware into my life. Read on for more pics, why it's gold(ish), and what you can learn from my experience if you too are on the lookout for some gold-tone flatware.

My Color Resolution Realized

A couple of weeks ago, I shared my plans to add some dramatic black paint to my bedroom reading nook. I had narrowed it down to a few options. In the end, the black was adventurous enough on its own, so I nixed the idea of a pattern and went with a couple of plain black accent walls.

I used Sherwin-Williams' matte Emerald paint in Tricorn Black. It's a beautiful black with a soft, velvety finish. ...Man oh man, is black paint dramatic?! I do love the way that it really shows off those angles, but I think it's going to take a few more days to fully get used to. Read on for more pics and to share your thoughts.

2014 Goals

Yup, this a goals post (no pun intended). I wasn't going to do one this year because last year was so damn sucky that I felt like this year could hold nothing but better things even in the absence of goals. For that same reason, though, I realized that I needed goals this year more than ever. On Monday, Nole from Oh So Beautiful Paper posted this quote from Zora Neale Hurston: "There are years that ask questions, and years that answer." God, right to my heart. I sure hope that's right.

I know I've harped on this over and over, but 2013 was the worst. I lost my mom, and then her father followed shortly after. But I think something that I haven't talked much about was just how freakin' hard moving from DC to Nashville was. When I moved to DC over eight years ago, I knew I'd return home. The longer I was in DC, the harder that I knew the transition would be, but it was also something that I thought held a lot of hope. I'm so happy to be closer to my dad, but only now, four months in, am I starting to feel the hope part. Obviously, part of the difficulty was that never did I imagine that I would return to a home that didn't have my mom in it. On top of that, I've always been career-oriented and goal-driven. My old "Congressional staffer/Washington bureaucrat by day" tagline was something that I was proud of. I moved to DC to get a Master's degree in public policy and to use it in public policy. I guess I wasn't really thinking about the long game, because all that great experience I had in DC didn't make me as marketable here in Nashville as I had hoped. Suddenly, I went from feeling successful in my career to just hoping and wishing that someone would offer me a freakin' job. Out of nowhere, I felt like I had no drive, no goals, no vision for where my life was headed. That, my friends, is a scary feeling for a person like me. Not to mention all the wonderful friends that I made during my time in DC. Not a day passes that I don't think about and miss them. So, now, I have to look forward and make some goals for this year to get me out of this rut and make for damn sure that 2014 is better than 2013. So, with that, here we go.

1. Get some career goals. Can getting goals be a goal? This year, it can. I have a clearer vision of what my "public policy" career might look like. It's definitely a little tamer and more subdued that its DC version, but I'm okay with that because this version of my career allows room for pursing a more creative one that can live alongside it.

2. Take some risks towards building a creative career. I'm excited to say that I already have some plans in the works that are much riskier than anything I've ever done before, but I'm so incredibly and blindly optimistic about its success. Even if it's an utter flop, being able to feel more excitement than anxiety about a risky move is a step in the right direction for me.

3. Chill out. I am so high strung, and I'm always busy doing something. It seems like with my mom passing away, if I sit still for even a second, my mind wanders and the tears start to flow. Distraction is really the only remedy, but it's also kind of made me a terrible wife. Ask Michael. He'll verify. I need to figure out how to just relax and spend some time with my husband this year.

4. Organize my time. I've heard a lot of bloggers say this, but working from home has somehow managed to takeover my whole life. What I mean is that when you work in the same space that you're also supposed to relax in, you forget when to shut it off. I find myself working more than ever even though my professional hours are shorter than they've ever been. Again, this makes me a terrible wife. Don't get me wrong. I love the flexibility, but I need to get more organized about planning out my day to ensure that I step away from the office at some point.

These four goals alone are big, and they're not going to be easy. So, I'm just going to stop there. Do you have any goals? Any years you just want to tell to eff-off? How about any big life transitions?

The Reading Nook + My Color Resolution

On Monday, I shared the current state of my bedroom reading nook and mentioned that I'd like to bring some paint into it somehow. You see, painting in our bedroom is tricky. There are eaves on eaves and angles everywhere, and because our bedroom is sort of lofted and open to the downstairs, the walls extend into the stairwell and even down into the living room. See. Tricky. Once you put paint on one wall, suddenly you're painting half of the house -- ceilings, rafters, and all. I actually love the white in this space and am mostly fine with leaving well enough alone, but I would love to have just a little something in this nook to set it off and accent those cute little angles.

Sherwin-Williams asked me to share my color resolution, and with most of the house freshly painted, my color resolution is rather small and involves the very absence of color. I'm thinking of bringing some bold black paint into this little space. I've narrowed it down to a few potential approaches for the wall around the little window:

• a simple black accent wall (image via Dyanne Wilson Photography)
• something bold and abstract like those brushstroke circles (image via Ferreira Design)
• something bold and geometric like those irregular stripes (image via Lonny)

I think I'm leaning towards the least exciting of the three options, but I'd love to hear your opinion on what I should do! Seriously. Help me.

Oh, and if you follow Sherwin-Williams on Instagram and/or Twitter and share your color resolution with the tag #mycolorresolution, you could win two gallons of paint! Check out all the details here.

Disclaimer: I'm receiving some free paint and supplies from Sherwin-Williams for sharing and making my color resolution a reality (yay!). All opinions are my own.

My Roadside Find Reading Chair

I've wanted a reading nook for years, and now, my friends, I have one! And the centerpiece of my bedroom reading nook is a chair that I found on the side of the road, loaded into my dad's truck, and gave a good makeover. Yup. Read on to see what this guy looked like before and a few more shots of my beloved nook.

Happy New Year

Happy new year! While there was a lot that sucked (to put it mildly) about this past year, this little crafting space of mine has made some great strides! I set some goals for myself at the beginning of 2013. I didn't keep 'em all (ahem - nighttime beauty regimen. ahem - conscience.), but I did see some real success in others. I can only hope that 2014 is as great for Fabric Paper Glue as 2013 was. As for my family, well, I'm definitely hoping for a little more peace and happiness. And I'm wishing the same for you and yours!

Merry Christmas from Nashville!

Christmas is upon us, and I'm just dropping in to wish a very merry week and share a few little peeks at our holiday decor. In the past, we've never done much in the way of decorating for lack of space in the condo and the fact that we were never actually at our place for Christmas. Now that we are living in a bigger space right nearby our families (and even hosting on Christmas day), we're all in. Read on for a few more pics.

Gifts for Him

I hate shopping for men. Is it just me? How many tools or dress shirts or beer-themed things or golfing accessories does a man need (particularly if they don't play golf...like every man in my life)?! Thankfully, Michael gave me a very detailed list of options this year, and I've included all of them here, which means this is a certified guy-informed list. Plus some of my own picks (and yeah, there are beer-themed things here).

Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Beer Chalices, PRO-JECT Turntable, DIY Neckties, Lagavulin Scotch 16 Year, DIY Camping Stool, Audio-Technica Headphones, Timex Watch, D&G Light Blue Cologne for Him, Growler Stand, Tweed Sport Jacket, iPad Case, DIY Leather Tie Clip, Pierre Ferrand Ambre 10 Year Old Cognac, Shaving Brush