New Beginnings

September 24, 2013 · Filed under etc. · Tagged

For any of you who stumble upon this site or might still get the posts in your blog reader, I wanted to let you know that I am writing again: I have joined the Classic Play family, where I’ll be offering inspiration and ideas for your home.

classic_play_logo (1)

Several months have passed since I stopped writing Charlotte’s Fancy, and I have come to realize that I miss having the creative outlet. Because I am not able to write every day, contributing guest posts to Classic Play is just what I need to fulfill my creative urges.

Classic Play has long been one of my favorite blogs (I hate calling it a blog, actually, because it’s really so much more than that). It’s charming, it’s thoughtful, it’s creative. The ideas and inspiration are modern, yet remind me of the kinds of activities I did when I was a kid. Perhaps most importantly, it feels like a community.

I feel honored to be a part of Jennifer Cooper’s team. If you enjoyed reading Charlotte’s Fancy, and you aren’t already a Classic Play reader, I hope you will join me there.

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A Fond Farewell

February 20, 2013 · Filed under etc. · Tagged , , , ,

You may have noticed that I’ve had trouble keeping up with Charlotte’s Fancy so far this year. I had a feeling this would happen once I decided not to publish blog posts on a daily basis. The truth is, I’ve finally run out of steam after nearly five years.

There are so many people out there doing this SO much better than I do – whose originality and passion amaze me day in and day out. I decided that my last blog post should be dedicated to some of the ones that I love the best:

Scandinavian Design Favorites

Swedish home via La Maison d'Anna G

Cozy Norwegian dining room

Muuto new All the Way to Paris collection photo by Petra Bindel

Images 1, 2, 3

Best of Graphic Design / Paper / Patterns 

Wrapping paper by Mini Mega

Fifi Mandirac notebooks

harlequin-orla-kiely-wallpaper 6

Images 1, 2, 3

All Around Greatness

Ferm Living bread boards

Styled tabled by Griottes

Reading corner via la maison d'anna g

Images 1, 2, 3

For the Kids

Cardboard houses for kids

Washi tape car track overhead shot by le jardin de juliette

Kids bedroom in Berlin

Images 1, 2, 3

Crafty Favorites & Supporting Handmade

Felt ball garlands

Embroidered screen by Aesthetic Outburst

diy-confetti-tablecloth-table by Oh Happy Day

Images 1, 2, 3

Isn’t it awe-inspiring how many bloggers there are all around the world  – all of them with a desire to create and express their ideas and share with others? Even this list is a pretty small portion of the blogs I subscribe to.

Words cannot adequately describe how much I’ve gotten from this experience over the years. The joy of building a community and meeting so many caring, like-minded people, and the gratitude for having a creative outlet when I needed it are just two of the many reasons this has been invaluable to me.

Thanks for sharing this space with me. Thanks for your kind words of encouragement along the way.

xo,
Molly

p.s. if you haven’t already, please connect with me on Twitter and Pinterest

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Easy DIY Valentine’s Day Loop Scarf

February 7, 2013 · Filed under crafts & things to make, holidays · Tagged , ,

I decided to make some Valentine’s Day loop scarves for the girls – a super simple Valentine’s Day craft for those of you, like me, who like to create, but also like to keep it easy.

Basically you cut a t-shirt, paint a design on both sides, and then wear it like a rock star.

Supplies:

  • t-shirt (preferably an adult M or L)
  • piece of cardboard to slide inside the shirt
  • fabric paint
  • sponge paintbrushes (look for the brushes they sell with the fabric paint)
  • paper plate for the paint
  • heart stencil (I made mine with a piece of posterboard and a heart punch)

Cutting the t-shirt

After washing and ironing the shirt (uh, I kind of skipped the ironing step…), cut straight across under the arms and cut off the bottom hem. Slide a piece of stiff cardboard inside the fabric to keep it flat and to keep the paint from bleeding through.

Fabric painting a Valentine's Day scarf

Several hearts painted on this Valentine's Day scarf

Paint paint paint!

Easy Valentine's Day scarf by Charlotte's Fancy

Let the first side dry thoroughly (won’t take long), then flip it over and paint the other side.

I made a gray one with white hearts too!

Gray Valentine's Scarf by Charlotte's Fancy

Easy peasy.

I’d show you a picture of the girls wearing the scarves, but they are a Valentine’s Day secret. If you want to see how it looks when you wear it, check out the picture of the Marimekko-inspired scarves we made a couple of years ago.

My friend Jen over at Classic Play has another painted fabric scarf tutorial that is so cute and just as easy – go take a look.

More easy-to-make (last minute!) Valentine’s Day crafts:

This votive is one of my all-time favorites.
Try this easy sugar scrub recipe.
These dyed doilies are by far my most popular blog post.

Images: Charlotte’s Fancy

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Just For Kids

January 23, 2013 · Filed under house & home, kids · Tagged

More bedroom inspiration, but this time for the kids:

Helois e's bedroom by le blog de tantesuzie

Minimalist bedroom via Scandinavian Deko

Swedish children's bedroom via Alexander White

House bed by Bonne Soeurs

Natural children's bedroom in Berlin via Desire to Inspire

Colorful children's bedroom via Hus and Hem

Boys bedroom from A Merry Mishap

(I hope you found some ideas in these photos!)

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

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25 Ideas for Winter Fun

January 15, 2013 · Filed under crafts & things to make, family fun · Tagged ,

Feeling a little cooped up? Need some ideas for fun things to make, bake and do? I’ve rounded up a list of my 25 favorites.

MakeWinter village by Mer Mag

1. A winter village like this one by Mer Mag

2. Snow globes by Martha

3. This fun mini viewer (would make a sweet Valentine’s Day gift!)

4. Photos of special people, favorite toys, pets, friends and make a tiny book (by Printstagram):

Prinstagram book

5. A terrarium (find a tutorial here or buy one of these which repurposes wine bottles)

6. Gold leaf papier mache bowls by Kelli Murray:

Gold leaf papier mache DIY by Kelli Murray

7. Cupcake liner ribbons (good for Valentine’s Day or birthdays)

8. Dozens of printable activities at Mr. Printables, including this sweet “My Paper World”

9. Washi tape crafts: decorate notebooks, make a washi tape town (and use this washi tape), or even frame some prints on your wall with washi tape.

10. Don’t have a lot of space? Here’s a collapsible cardboard house for your little ones.

11. Sweet little calendar by Eat Drink Chic to give as gifts to your friends:

sweet 2013 printable calendar by Eat Drink Chic

Bake

12. Salted caramal apple pocket pies! Get the recipe from Just a Taste here.

salted caramel apple pies by Just a Taste

13. Hot chocolate + marshmallows (ever made your own hot chocolate and marshmallows?)

14. Homemade pretzels (I usually double this recipe by Elephantine)

15. Afternoon tea + sandwiches (get lots of traditional afternoon tea recipes here)

16. Heart shaped doughnuts by Sugar & Cloth

heart shaped donuts by Sugar and Cloth

17. 5 favorite cinnamon roll recipes from the Kitchn

18. Popovers with strawberry butter by Sweet Paul

Do

19. Listen to episodes of RadioLab and learn fascinating stuff

20. Learn how to grow a pineapple from Instructables

21. Play outside in the snow. Make colored spray and build the perfect snowman:

make-colored-snow-spray-other-cool-diy-winter-weather-tips

22. Cool and inexpensive home science projects to blow your mind, like making a pickle glow!

23. Attend art school with Classic Play

24. Draw mustaches and funny hats with a sharpie on models in your old catalogs and magazines

25. Have an outdoor winter treasure hunt! (And 22 other great winter activities).

winter treasure hunt via ivillage

What if you live where it’s warm and there’s no snow, you ask? Check out my 25 Ideas for Summer Family Fun and 25 More Ideas for Summer Fun.

That’s 75 ideas – now go do something!

Images from top to bottom (see links above):  Mer Mag, Printstagram, Kelli Murray, Eat Drink Chic, Just a Taste, Sugar and Cloth, Yuki Sakugawa (Secret tips from the Yumiverse), and iVillage

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Egg Press Calendar Winners

January 14, 2013 · Filed under giveaways · Tagged , ,

Want to know if you won? Take a peek below:

Egg Press planner winner Holly

Art calendar winner pillows a la mode

Hooray for Holly and Katherine! Please send me an email (charlottesfancy[at]gmail[dot]com) with your mailing address so I can get the goodies to you.

To everyone else: thank you for taking a chance! Don’t forget that you can get the Egg Press calendars and planners at Target (my local Target had a few of them left!) and some other designs on the Blue Sky website.

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Giveaway! 2013 Egg Press + Blue Sky Calendars

January 9, 2013 · Filed under giveaways, stationery & paper goods · Tagged , ,

Egg Press and Blue Sky collaboration

Egg Press and Blue Sky have teamed up again for the third year to offer a range of calendars that are primarily available at Target stores (not online), and there’s a smaller selection on the Blue Sky website. Egg Press is easily one of my favorite letterpress printers, and it’s nice to see their designs continue to reach a wider audience.

I scoped out some the designs/sizes for those of you who still need a 2013 calendar.

Egg Press and Blue Sky calendars

The large, 22″ x 17″ dots calendar is designed as a deskpad calendar (does anyone still have a desk blotter?), but I plan to tear off each month – it’s perforated – and post it to my fridge to keep my family organized. It’s definitely my favorite because the size really suits my needs.

The 15″ x 12″ spring flowers wall calendar with spiral binding would work just as well to organize your family  – plenty of space to note your appointments, birthdays and other calendar entries.

The 11″ x 14″ art calendar is really elegant. It’s the kind of calendar that you don’t want to write on (although there’s room to jot notes). You just want to enjoy how pretty it looks on your wall.

And the 5″ x 8″ planner with the roses design and orange cover is cute and super convenient – small enough to carry in your bag, but big enough to be able to read your handwriting! (The orange is a bit darker than it appears in this photo,)

These are just four, but there are several more designs in varying sizes/formats. You have to make a visit to Target to find them and hope that they’re not sold out – or you could snatch up one of the designs on the Blue Sky website.

OR, you can hope to win one from me! I’m offering the 5″ x 8″ planner and the art calendar to two lucky winners.

Egg Press roses planner in orange for Blue Sky

Egg Press art calendar for Blue Sky

All you have to do is leave a comment in the comments section below – feel free to tell me which one you like best – by Friday, January 11 at 11:59 pm EST. I will pick two winners at random.

Since I am paying for shipping, this giveaway is open to the US and Canada only. (Sorry to all of my other international readers and friends!)

Good luck!

Images:
Blue Sky(top photo)
Charlotte’s Fancy (all others)

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A Prettier 2013

January 7, 2013 · Filed under house & home · Tagged , ,

Pretty feminine bedroom

Image: sukkertoy for oyet

Bedroom styled by Schoolhouse Electric

Image: Schoolhouse Electric

Blue and white bedroom by IKEA

Image: IKEA

Neutral bedroom via Skona hem

Image: Sköna Hem

Floral yellow bedroom via Skona Hem

Image: Sköna Hem

Hiya! Happy 2013! I’m so happy to be back here, although I must admit that I feel a little rusty.

I have lots of ideas swirling around in my head about things to share on Charlotte’s Fancy this year. One thing I know for sure, though: I want this year to be as pretty as possible.

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Wrapping It Up

December 21, 2012 · Filed under crafts & things to make, holidays, stationery & paper goods · Tagged ,

Chalkboard presents by Going Home to Roost

Polka Dots by Squirrelly Minds

Colorful presents by Minimega

White black and neon pink presents by kronprinsessene

A few last minute gift wrapping ideas that work for Christmas and just about any other occasion from (in order): Going Home to Roost, Squirrelly Minds, Minimega, and Kronprincessene. And for more great DIY Christmas ideas, see Tiger Wallman Hellström’s DIY Christmas Pinterest board, which is loaded with inspiration.

♥

I’ve been writing Charlotte’s Fancy since August of 2008. When I started it, I didn’t know how rewarding it would be. Above all else, I’ve enjoyed the community it has given me – the feedback and friendship from you kind readers here as well as on Twitter. It’s been a wonderful creative outlet too, as well as an opportunity to support independent artists/shops in any way I can (which makes me feel like I’m doing something useful).

I’ve been struggling lately with whether or not it’s time to say goodbye to Charlotte’s Fancy for a variety of reasons, but I’ve decided that I would miss it, and don’t really want to give it up. If I post less frequently (not every day), I could offer better ideas, more comprehensive information, and more original content (there was a time, believe it or not, when I published my own craft ideas every week).

So in 2013, I’ll be experimenting a little with what feels right – perhaps it’s just one post a week, perhaps I only post when I have inspiration. In any case, I hope you’ll stick with me.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your comments and your “likes” which encourage me to keep going. I appreciate you all so much.

Sending you warm holiday wishes and wishing you a bright 2013.

xo,

Molly

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Christmas Perfection

December 20, 2012 · Filed under holidays, house & home · Tagged

Christmas decor by Yvestown 2

Christmas decor by Yvestown

Yvonne Eijkenduijn of the Yvestown blog has the most impeccable taste. For me, these photos of her light-filled home are pretty much perfection – from the tree and ornaments, to the candles on the mantle (love that neon pink taper), and the ferm LIVING pink wire basket.

So gorgeous. I had to share.

Images: Yvestown

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