Sunday, October 9, 2011

Mission: Decorate Vacation Home with Throw Blanket!

I had such a fun throw blanket home decor design mission this Columbus Day weekend, thanks to Val in Washington! She contacted me at my interior accents knits boutique, CricketsHome and asked if I could make an accent throw in custom colors to match her new vacation home. Helloooo, are ya kiddin' me?! Custom orders are my specialty because it's so fun and rewarding to make something brand new and tailored to my customer's living space. Besides, it gives me a chance to get to know people a bit better! So, of course, I said, "Yes!"

First, Val sent me some photos of the furnishings that she had so far (I fell in love instantly with those rich, warm browns!):



She asked especially that a little bit of the brights in this special collage with sentimental meaning and handmade by a friend be in the throw (yay, browns AND color, what could be better?!):



She also asked for shorter than usual fringe (9 inches instead of my standard 12 inches); no problem, Val (I offered to make the body of the blanket a bit longer to compensate)!

I sent a photo of another custom throw I'd made with shorter than usual fringe to give her an idea of proportions:

Short Fringe on Long Throw Blanket

And suggested that a blanket in a medium taupe brown like this one I had made for Beth in Germany might be a good base color and Val agreed:

Taupe Brown Rustic Home Decor Throw Blanket

Once Val had checked out at CricketsHome, I got right to work assembling the yarns for the fringe (*squeeeee* I love this part of the design process)! I picked out lots of texture, sparkles, ribbons and pom poms to make the fringe *POP*; I was careful to only make 10% of the yarns colorful like the collage and the remaining 90% in those lovely browns. This is what I came up with:



And here's the final result, Mission Accomplished (I consider it a success because Val wrote when she saw the photos, "I love, love, love it! It is perfect! I can't wait to see it at the vacation house! Yeah!
Thanks so much!")!







Thanks for stopping by and coming along with me on another fun adventure! :)
Celeste (Crickets)

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Small Bubble Mailers, Eco-Friendly, Affordable and Biodegradable!

From EcoEnclose: Biodegradable Bubble Mailers
Now available in a NEW smaller 6x9 size!

We have all come to love the world’s first fully biodegradable bubble mailer! Now EcoEnclose Bubble Mailers are available in a more petite size. Their latest bubble mailer measures 6 x 9 inches and is designed to perfectly accommodate packaging needs for your smaller delicates. I love this company for my online business and they're SO affordable!

EcoEnclose Bubble Mailers are lined with bubble cushioning and are ideal for shipping flat and sturdy objects like jewelry, books, magazines, DVDs, CDs or other things that can retain their shape but need water resistance and padded protection during transportation. Shipping green speaks volumes to your valued eco-conscious customers and they will appreciate both the biodegradability and the re-usability of EcoEnclose mailers.


Their 100% Biodegradable Bubble Mailers:

Will completely biodegrade within 5-60 months.
Returns to the earth as humus and biomass.
Will break down in composting or in LANDFILLS!
Features a handy tear strip for easy opening.
Double adhesive strip that allows reuse before disposal.
Lined with 3/16" biodegradable bubble cushioning.
Are guaranteed to maintain integrity in storage and in use.
Durable, moisture, tear and tamper resistant.
Made in the USA!

Now available for immediate shipping!

Dimensions:

Perfect size for:

Price each:
6 x 9 NEW! Jewelry $.25
7 x 11 DVD/CD $.27
8.5 x 14 Small Book/Magazine $.34
10.5 x 15 Large Book/Catalog $.44