Book Inspired Wedding Topper

I never in a thousand years would have guessed that I would make not one, but TWO wedding cake toppers in my lifetime. After making a bird topper for my wedding, my friend Amanda asked me if I would make a book inspired cake topper for her wedding.



Of course, I said yes.



The topper is made with wooden books and a small wooden stand (from Michaels) that are painted with acrylic paint. I chose the books based on the couple's favorites and incorporated their wedding date and initials.




If you're interested in comparing, here's a the original cover of Amanda's favorite book and of Peter's.



And for good measure, let's see this baby in action!

(photo by Savannah Lauren Shealy)

The wedding was so beautiful - you can check out all of the photos on fabulous wedding photographer Savannah Lauren Shealy's facebook page here.

(photos by Savannah Lauren Shealy)

Yay for weddings and pretty small handmade things!

Navy Blue Bedroom

That's right, after having the can of paint sit in my closet for... a long time... I finally got my paintbrush out and got to work on the bedroom!



The color is Midnight Dream by Behr and makes a huge difference in the space. All in all, we've made a good amount of progress in the room, namely...
finding some inspiration pieces, bringing in the bed, adding furniture, and moving this rug upstairs
... to go from this...



To this! Still in progress, but a very satisfying difference so far!



What's left?
Room Check List:

• Paint Room
• Hang Curtains
• Find Duvet Cover
• Hang Art
• Hang Plants
• Finalize Layout (switch dresser and mirror?)
• Little Styling Touches

Now, I NEED HELP. Part of me really wants to paint the whole room Navy and part of me is... scared. I could go with a lighter neutral (probably gray) on the other walls, but I'm just not sure. I made a little GIF of what it might look like to paint the walls gray...



What would you do???

LIVENESS: Cello Recital by Jennifer Bewerse

Usually I reserve insideways for just the crafty side of my life, but today I've decided to make an exception. I'm very excited to share my second of three Doctoral recitals at the University of California San Diego January 28th at 8PM in the Conrad Prebys Music Center Concert Hall!

For me, performances are a very special opportunity to share music I love and provide a space for ideas to flourish. In this concert I'm confronting a question many of us music lovers take for granted: is live performance essential?

This recital offers five pieces and their various answers to this question. Focusing on the very physical nature of sound and its expression in space, the full realizations of these works are only available in the moments they are exchanged between the performer and audience. A case for live performance is made not with the risk of failure or presentation of the performer as hero, but with compositional ideas that live fully only within the moment of performance.

Burn Again with a Low Blue Flame - Annie Gosfield
Vessel - Caroline Miller
Durations 2 - Morton Feldman
The New Right of Spring - Pauline Oliveros
Charles Curtis - Alvin Lucier

My hope is the weird and wonderful music you can hear at my recital will not only provide an exciting musical experience, but carry on after the music has stopped through interesting conversation and thought.

So if you're in the San Diego area on January 28th, come on out! Hear some strange sounds and say hello :)

Pretty Small Things: A Christmas Faux Moose Head

I loooove putting the little finishing touches on a room. It might be my favorite part of the whole process! Well... that and finding furniture on craigslist... and right after a new coat of paint... and all of the other steps. Ok I love the whole process, but finishing touches are great :)



For Christmas this year, Tim got me a White Faux Taxidermy Moose Head from WhiteFauxTaxidermy on Etsy. It was one of those things on an old wish list I never thought I'd get and I was SO EXCITED to hang it up in our house!

(photo from WhiteFauxTaxidermy)

It does a great job of drawing the eye up past the TV, balancing the other tall things in the room, and making the whole fireplace more of a focal point. We miiiiight add some sort of mount to the back of it - something like this (scroll down in the post), but painted white to match the moose - just to give it a little more oomph. We shall see...



Ah faux taxidermied moose... It's the little things in life you know?

2013 In Instagrams

Instagram has to be my favorite form of social media. I've never been one to make photo albums, so I love being able to look back at the year in photos!

I usually take photos of daily life or little projects I'm working on. Oh right, I also take FAR TOO MANY cat photos. They're so darn cute I just can't help myself.



Even better, it is SO fun to look at other peoples's super creative and beautiful photos! Here are my favorite instagrammers:

Pets:
Birdy the Cat  |  Harlow and Sage, Puppy best friends  |  Lil Bub
Jessica Shyba's Son and his BFF Dog  |  Tuna Melts My Heart

People:
Deborah's Beautiful Home  |  Elsie from A Beautiful Mess  |  The Ever Stylish Emily Henderson
Minimal, Beautiful Photos by Kirstin  |  Photographer Laure Joliet  |  Elise and Her Beautiful Travels
Amazing Food Art by Ida Frosk  |  A Crafty Cellist (perhaps my internet soul mate?)

And for good measure, here's my feed: jen_insideways. Come follow along :)

Book Technology Camouflage

It may or may not have taken 14 months, but I've finally covered up the second cable box in my living room! Forget ushering in a new year, THIS is a reason to celebrate!



I used the same technique as last time (here's a full tutorial) and I'm as happy with the result as before. Take a look...




No. More. Ugly. Black. Technology. I mean let's be serious, this is the American dream right here.



Also can we talk about how cute Maggie and Gordon were being in these photos? Unbearable.



How do you deal with exposed technology in your home?

2013 In Review

As someone whose never been able to maintain a scrapbook or journal, one of my favorite parts of blogging is being able to look back over my projects. 2013 was a year where I decided to blog less, but love what I blogged more and I ended up with some posts I'm really proud of. Let's take a look!

My Home Office

My office is still a work in progress (all paint color suggestions welcome!), but is the perfect sunny spot to get my craft on.

A Beautiful Mess Feature

A total dream came true this year when the first floor of my rental was featured on A Beautiful Mess, my alltime favorite blog.

Polka Dot Bathroom

Before this year, I had never seriously decorated a bathroom in my rental before. SO worth it!

Reupholstered Counter Stools

I looooove brass and rattan and nearly fell off my couch when I found these stools on craigslist. All they needed was a little new fabric on the seats!

Macrame Plant Hanger

After searching online for a macrame plant hanger, I gave up and just made my own. Sometimes you just gotta get your hands dirty to get what you want.

Ceramic Paper Bag

Because sometimes all it takes is a coat of paint!

My Camera Gear

Taking photos has been one of my favorite things to do in 2013. This is my current gear setup.

Bar Cart

Can furniture make you feel sexy? With this bar cart, the answer is most definitely yes.

Record Console

Sometimes a craigslist find completely transforms the look of your room!

How to Apply Gold Dot Decals

I was always a little scared to apply wall decals, but it turns out it's not very difficult. Here's how I did it.

Tips for Cleaning Vintage Chairs

Caigslisted furniture doesn't always come in the perfect condition, but before you decide to reupholster or paint, try a little cleaning. Here's how I cleaned this green vintage chair.

So there it is - a year of my favorite posts!
If you're curious, here are my reviews for 2011 and 2012.

BUT... Here's the big question, and I would be SO GRATEFUL  for your feedback...

What would you like to see more of on insideways in 2014??

Thanksgiving Treats + Holiday Cooking Tip

I'm a little late to the Thanksgiving blogging party, but I couldn't go without posting a photo of this Mojito Jello Shot recipe I tried from A Beautiful Mess. It was SO good, super pretty, and not very diffiult to make. I highly recommend trying it for your holiday parties (I'm definitely going to make them again for New Year's Eve).



And now for the tip! I love having friends over to cook for the holidays, but it can be tricky to show everyone where all of the cooking supplies are. Sticking labeled post-it notes on cabinets and drawers is easy to do and makes kitchen navigation easier for your guest chefs.

Here's to good eats and happy holidays for all!

Homemade Christmas Ornaments 2013

Since Tim and I do a lot traveling over the holidays, it can be tricky to make and keep annual traditions. But, for the past three years we've managed to keep my absolute favorite tradition - we each make a Christmas Tree ornament!

This year we made a "couple's costume"-style ornament, where each of our ornaments stand alone, but are meant to go together. Check these snowball fighting reindeer out :)




I made the mischievous guy with the red scarf and Tim made the muppety fellow with the blue scarf.

Materials Used: pipe cleaners, felt, pom-poms, corks, sharpies, fishing line, googly eyes, and hot glue



If you're curious, here are links to our ornaments from the past two years >>> 2011 and 2012. Someday we'll have enough for a full tree ;)

What are your favorite holiday traditions?