Adventures in Agriculture

September 13, 2014September 13, 2014 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 2 Comments

I have what some might call a black thumb… That is I’ve killed nearly every plant I’ve ever owned. The only house plant I’ve ever had long-lasting success with is fondly named Spike, a succulent I picked up at the Dane County Farmers Market three summers back. Since I wasn’t sure if I could bring plants to Bermuda (and he was outgrowing his container again anyway), before I moved, I divided him up, repotted and gave him to friends and family.

However, I’ve decided that Bermuda’s high humidity could be the key to horticultural success. Forgot to water for… ahem… a while? No problem—90% humidity means the soil is still moist anyway! (And my hair has the texture of a Brillo pad.) So I hit up a local nursery and picked up some serious green.

First up: house plants! I honestly have no idea what the ones on the left are… their names have already escaped my brain. The ones on the right are tillandsia, or air plants… which I love and have managed to kill over and over again. Seriously! It doesn’t even need dirt and I can’t keep it alive! Again, I blame Wisconsin winters.

Produce here is expensive, not always the greatest quality and sometimes not even available. We are so spoiled in the U.S.! So I wanted to get a few things that we could eat. It’s an odd time of the year to start a garden, but I did manage to pick up a few strawberry plants and a really great selection of herbs. At first I had them mixed together in one long container, but the basil and mint are well on their way to shading everything else, and one of my strawberry plants sent out a runner, so I thought everyone could use a little more space to thrive. See, success already!

The last “plant” I’m working on is really more of an experiment. My friend Kaia (who blogs here) had a bit of a project going when I stopped by her house the other day. She had grown an avocado tree from a pit and was finally potting it. Apparently you can grow trees in your house! Anyway, I picked her brain for a how-to and now I’ve got two pits sitting in water… who knows what will happen. I’d share instructions, but I’m not even sure I did it right, so if I were you, I’d google! If—big if—I have anything sprout, I’ll share by expertise then!

Oh, and finally: limes. I certainly did not grow these, but Andrew picked them last weekend when he was golfing and hit a bad shot into a wooded area. Because we live in a place where lime trees just grow naturally. I wonder how long it will take me to get used to that!

Coaster Roller

September 10, 2014September 18, 2014 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 1 Comment

My favorite new items from the last year are my coasters! The first were save the dates for this wedding, and since the minimum order of coaster blanks was 1,000 I started playing around with existing designs and wood type. Some of my faves were the drink coasters below, currently out of stock because I pared down for the move, but I’ll print some more soon!

The coasters have been so popular, I’ve since ordered a couple thousand more blanks. The first design I drew specifically for a coaster was this citrus design. I love to have a variety pack on hand for summer entertaining and I think a large quantity of single-color coasters would truly be great as part of a baby or wedding shower theme! They’re available here.

Game day coasters are also awesome—the ones below are exclusively available at Driftless Studio in Madison, WI.

And finally, most recently things came full circle for another save the date for a couple in Australia. Get in touch if you need custom coasters of your own!

This Old House

August 27, 2012 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 2 Comments

I like old houses. I love their character and the way the spaces work together. I love their quirks and their potential. Realizing that I may not get to purchase an old charmer right away, I’ve been collecting ways to add a little character to any space.

First up: that beautiful molding. That 8-inch tall, expensive molding. If you’re not up for removing all your old trim or new trim just isn’t in your budget, try this brilliant idea from The House of Smiths: simply add a small piece of molding above your original trim, paint the wall and both pieces of trim the same color, and voila! Fabulous chunky baseboards without the price tag.

Exposed brick can add warmth along with character to any room. No original chimney to expose? No worries. A company called Brick-it offers real vintage bricks cut into thin slices, along with an easy installation system. My favorite is this multicolor specimen reclaimed from a building in Milwaukee.

One of the things I love most about older homes are the elegant details. An easy way to add elegance in a big way that doesn’t impact your house’s footprint is to simply look up. Your ceiling can be ignored or become a showcase—it’s up to you. Is your style formal and elegant? A decorative molding treatment like the one above might be for you. More cottage casual? Try faux wood beams. The possibilities are endless!

Ruffle Crochet

June 7, 2012 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ Leave a comment

I like ruffles. Just ask my coworkers—I don’t think more than a day or two goes by that I don’t show up at the office in them. It was one of the things that drew me to this blanket, which I’ve made much progress on over the last few months! I’ve experimented with different techniques and I think I’ve finally figured out what works the best: Once you have your first row of stitches (in a circle), do two or three more rows at a two-to-one ratio—or even triple it if you want a lot of fullness—stitches, then finish it off with a one-to-one ratio of stitches in each row. Once you like the size, gather up the edges with a row of single crochets and you’re set!

Round and Round We Go

April 17, 2012 ~ Bess Paper Goods & Gifts ~ 4 Comments

Inspired by this blanket—found where else but Pinterest—I’ve started crocheting again. The actual pattern is available online (just click on the image, it’s part of the Picasa gallery), but I’m not a fan of following patterns so I’m making it up as I go along! Here’s what I have done so far… I’ll keep posting progress reports, this one’s going to take a while!