Dye A Scarf for Spring!

Found this on Martha Stewart's website today and I thought it was so worth trying! (Plus it's inspired by Japanese Indigo! How could I refure?) It has a nice little intro to shibori dye techniques as well. Enjoy!

xoxox -Amy

image from MarthaStewart.com

Inspired by a traditional Japanese textile, this versatile accessory is just a length of fabric and a bottle of dye away. 

Martha Stewart Living, October 2012 

To create traditional Japanese textiles using the shibori technique, a plant was often plucked, fermented, and reduced to make an indigo dye, and then a piece of fabric was folded, compressed, or twisted, bound, and dipped into it. Consider this project a shortcut: To achieve almost the same effect, you need little more than a length of fabric (nearly any fiber will work), a bottle of blue dye, and a few plastic bins. The result is a lightweight scarf perfect for crisp fall days that can be wrapped, dangled around your shoulders, or even worn as a belt. The look is elegant but also as loose as the process itself.

Dip-Dye How-To

Tools and Materials

Scarf
Iron
Clothespins
3 plastic bins
Liquid dye
Dye fixative

1. Accordion-fold scarf. Press with iron, and secure with clothespins. (If scarf is wider than bins, fold in half widthwise after accordion-folding.)
2. Mix dye in a bin according to manufacturer's instructions. Dip scarf's folded edge in dye (the resulting stripe will be twice as wide as the dip).
3. Dip scarf's folded edge in another bin filled with cold water to rinse it.
4. Mix fixative in another bin according to manufacturer's instructions. Dip folded edge in fixative to set.
5. Clip accordion-folded scarf to a clothesline or a pants hanger hung from a broom handle suspended between chairs. Place newspaper or a drop cloth underneath scarf to protect surfaces. Let hang until completely dry, about 1 day.

Choosing a Fabric
Different fabrics soak up color in different ways. Experiment with scraps of fabric, the widths of the accordion folds, and the dilution of the dye. These four scarves are made of, from far left, cotton, bamboo rayon, rayon, and crepe de chine silk. The longer you dip your scarf, the more likely the dye will bleed.
Cotton gauze scarf, 15" by 60", $4.25; bamboo rayon scarf, 11" by 60", $3.50; rayon scarf, 11" by 60", $4.25; and crepe de chine scarf, 15" by 60", $6; dharmatrading.com. Liquid dye, in Denim Blue, Royal Blue, and Aquamarine, $4 for 8 oz.; and dye fixative, $4 for 8 oz.; ritdye.com.

DIY nail art with scotch tape

I love nail art I'm not going to lie. I probably follow about 20 different nail design artists on Pinterest and instagram :) so I'm always playing around with my own polishes and trying new things. Today I finally tried one of the oldest tricks that I never have tried myself : good old scotch tape. I was surprised at how pretty the results were! I just taped over my old nail polish and painted stripes but the lines came out so nice and clean! Ill be trying this again :) how do you like to add color to your fingertips?

Xoxoxo - Amy

Holiday Blog Day 6: Let's Serve Brunch!

I don't know about you, but I love brunch! So I decided to put together some ideas for everything you would need to serve an awesome holiday brunch with a woodland theme. So get some ideas, grab some friends, and get together!

Ikea - Rustik Flatware, Alster Serveware, assorted tea towels

Love the wood details on these Ikea untensils! And  20 pieces for under $30, who can say no?  Same with the tea towels! What better way to update your kitchen for the season than some pretty patterned tea towels?

KayeRachelle - Placemats
urbanplusforest - Birch napkin rings
juliepeach - Linen Napkins
DeMossDesignsWood - Wood Bowl

Aren't these lovely table staples amazing? Plus they are all handmade! You can't get much better than that. All of these together would make such a lovely warm setting. I especially adore the birch wood napkin rings!

miwoodcrafts - birch tea candle holder
atstuart - concrete moss trio centerpiece
eelightfulCandles - beeswax honeycomb candles

Don't forget about an eye-catching centerpiece! I chose these for their unique and wonderful textures because texture helps to add depth to the feeling your trying to capture. All of these centerpieces come in multiples so you have more freedom in how they are arranged.

Harney and Sons - Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea
darshanpottery - Ceramic Mugs
WonderVintageShop - Vintage teapot

Whenever I think of the holidays, I always think of Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice tea. If you've never had it before, you are missing out! It's a strong tea that is so full of cinnamon goodness it just makes you smile when you sip it. It's got a wonderful sweetness too, you don't really need any sweetener with this tea. Serve it up in these adorable handmade mugs and this perfect vintage teapot.

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Menu:
Quick Quiche  
Alaska Salmon Bake with Pecan Crunch Coating

Frisée, Baby Spinach, and Golden Beet Salad
Sweet Potato Casserole
Cheese Straws
 
Cinnamon Rolls 
Hot Apple Cider
 

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These recipes don't necessarily have to be made together! Have some fun and make some food :)

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 As a side note, 
I'm getting ready for my show tomorrow at Ridgley Middle School so stop by if you have some time! It's a really nice little show and it's a great place to buy handmade gifts! 

xoxoxoxox -Amy

Holiday Blog Day 3: Wrap it Pretty with Furoshiki

To be honest, I'm not a very good gift wrapper. I have good intentions when the holidays come around, but what I always end up doing is wrapping my gifts much too late and because of that, they don't come out very pretty. (think 2am, "Ah! I ran out of scotch tape! Oh well, I'll just use the duct tape then...." type of scenario)

So, this year I vow to be different! And if you are anything like me, or are just interested in learning some new ways to wrap it up nicely, vow along with me to make this year: THE PRETTIEST LOOKING GIFTS EVER YEAR! Or just not use duct tape year! :)

Today we are studying the Furoshiki:

image courtesy of The Link Collective

Since I have such a passion for Japanese fabric it's only natural that I'm also interested in Furoshiki, which is the Japanese art of wrapping gifts in fabric! This is both a waste reducing and very beautiful way of presenting your gifts.

Photos courtesy of The Gifted Blog

Fun Fact: Furoshiki is derived from the Japanese words for furo (bath) and shiki (spread). Traditionally people would carry their extra clothing to the public baths using a furoshiki.

The really great thing about Furoshiki is how simple it can be: You need only some fabric. Try using a square scarf or a tea towel to make your gift go that extra mile. Fabric stores sell pre-cut quilting squares that fit the bill for most smaller boxes which is especially time saving if you have many gifts to wrap.

Here is a very easy tutorial video on how to wrap a basic one and two knot furoshiki:

 Here is one of my own examples of how to wrap a jewelry box in Furoshiki. I wrapped up my newest Geo Gem Necklace and topped the package off with one of my Red Blossom Ornaments. I think it looks darling!

 

This is not a furoshiki, but it does use a square of fabric! I wrapped up a small earring box and tied it in candy colored cherry blossom fabric and pinched off the ends with ribbon. Doesn't the Sparkling Daisy Ornament go well with this package?

 

There is a lot out there on furoshiki so if you are interested in learning some more intricate wrapping  I'd seriously think about checking out these amazing books and resources:

This Book is in English and shows you how to do 18 different wraps with 5 different objects.

 buy on Amazon

This book is in Japanese, however it has many photographs so you shouldn't have much problem figuring out what the steps are for each wrap.

Buy from Pomadour24 

 

There is a great and authentic Furoshiki etsy Shop from Tokyo called JAPANFuroshiki which sells a great assortment of fabrics and hand towels.

 

Here is a handy little diagram of some other types of furoshiki wraps you can try in the meantime:

Happy Wrapping!

xoxoxoxo -Amy

Holiday Blog Day 1: Let's make it Merry!

Since it is officially November and the busy bustle of the holiday season will soon mean no parking spots at the mall, I thought it would be fun to take a mini hiatus from normal blogging and spruce up my posts with some merriment! So from now until Christmas I will try to share things that I hope will inspire you to make the most of your holidays this season. If you have any ideas or want to see me post about something specific, feel free to e-mail me your thoughts at:

info@sunahjewlery.com Subject: Holiday Blog

So Today, I'm sharing some inspirational ideas on how to make your home more cozy for the upcoming months:

1) Put a Knit on it
 nothing says warm and cozy  like a nice cabled knit. Now you can find this cold weather staple on more than just your sweaters!  Check out these awesome knitted additions for the home. The knitted candles would make an awesome gift as well. 

1-3)Biscuit Scout knitted throw Kudu Wall Hanging and knitted ottoman slip. 
4)Pottery Barn Pillow
5) Cultural Pollination Sweater Candles , Andy Ve Eirn Home Knitted Pillow,



2) Add a Little Light
Ah, those multi-colored Christmas lights. Got to love them.  But what if you are looking for something a little more playful and modern and not so um..."bright"? These next few examples are great ways lighten up the mood in your home and really wow your house guests this season.

These geometric light strands by AMRADIO are a minimalist approach to the holidays.

Try your hand at making your own Twinkle Canvas! This is a beautiful way of combining wall art and lighting! Find out how to make this at Apartment Therapy

Here is unique way of using those strands of battery operated LED lights. You can find them at your local craft store. Try suspending them in interesting groupings like this one by using clear tacks pressed into the wall and clear fishing line. 

A giant snowball? No but almost as good! This lamp would look stunning as a modern centerpiece over a table! Or better yet, hung directly above your Christmas tree like a floating star! You can buy it here.

How gorgeous would this modern menorah be on your table? You could put red and green candles in it to make it a little more whimsical. Or mount just the branch on the wall when your not using it and it would be a stunning piece of wall candy.

3) Give a Warm Welcome

The first thing your holiday guests are greeted with when they visit your home is of course the front door. So why not welcome guests with an inviting door piece? These are some especially warm and fuzzy door huggers for you to consider.

A fluffy felted wreath! Fun and playful, this wreath would look stunning on both a painted door and a pure white one. This one is from Anthropologie.

A giant hanging snowflake that's super easy to DIY too! Wow! I might have to make this one! What if you painted it lime green for a modern twist? Or you could put photos behind the open cut outs in the middle. I feel like there are lots of possibilities for this one! Learn how to make this snowflake here.

Don't forget about the floor too! With the snowy weather comes muddy feet, so keep your entrance way looking both stylish and clean with this simple yet pretty door mat. Buy a similar one here.

Or if you want to go the DIY route, here is an awesome tutorial by A Beautiful Mess. I think I'm going to try this one out myself :) Also, Ikea sells a verrrry cheap coconut husk type door mat that could easily be used for this and other door dressing projects just fyi.

Now this is an amazing wreath by Rooted in Succulents. A real living work of art! How amazing would it be to walk up your front steps and be greeted by this unique masterpiece? Completely breathtaking! Your guests would never make it past the door!

Hope this helps your holidays be a bit more Merry and Bright!

xoxoxoxox - Amy