1 Greetings from Canada | New Letterpress Postcards

Greetings From Canada from Tom Froese on Vimeo.

We're flipping over these 'Greetings From Canada' limited edition run of letterpress postcards we just found out about this week.  Featuring the work of 10 Canadian artists, illustrators and designers, this inaugural volume offers the artists' vision of Canada's perennially elusive national identity. The set is both quirky and beautiful, featuring an eclectic mix of images drawing from the obvious and obscure.

The complete edition was printed on 2 mid-century presses at Everlovin' Press in Kingston, Ontario. Each 2-colour card is made with thick, archival quality, 100% cotton board. We see the cards are popping up in some of our favorite shops in the country from Kid Icarus in Toronto to Walrus and Old Faithful here in Vancouver.  More info at greetingsfrom.ca.

0 Haydenshapes Surfboards + Alexander Wang

How cool are these marble print surfboards on display right now at the flagship Alexander Wang store in New York. An exclusive installation co-developed by Haydenshapes Surfboards and Alexander Wang currently stemmed from the idea of developing a high-end surfboard as a visual art piece for the Cage, while maintaining a superior level of innovation, performance and authenticity. The installation features five marble print surfboards, exclusively co-developed by Wang and Haydenshapes for this limited series. Haydenshapes founder, Hayden Cox, personally crafted each limited edition surfboard by hand for the installation in the award winning 'Hypto Krypto' model that was recently announced 2014's 'Surfboard of the Year' by the Australian Surf and Board Sports Association. Check them out!

More information can be found at www.haydenshapes.com and alexanderwang.com.

0 2nd Paper Wreath Workshop Added

The Paper Wreath Workshop with Brittany Jepsen of The House That Lars Built for August 20th that we just announced this week has already sold out, so for those of you interested, we've added a second workshop the next day, August 21st (from 5 - 7pm).  This one's going to be fun! Click here for more information or to register.

And for those interested in the Calligraphy Workshop with Karla Lim of Written Word Calligraphy; we're loving the calligraphy kit she has put together that everyone gets to take home from the class (pictures below). This class will cover both upper and lowercase letters (hence the 3 hour course).  There's still a few seats left for this one. Click here for more information.

6 10+ DIY Ideas from the 2015 iKEA Catalogue

Checking out the new 2015 IKEA catalogue (US version) for cool DIY or decorating tricks from their stylists is always a fun hobby in these parts when it first comes out.  It seems this year they are really offering up a heap of tricks (obvious or not).  Here's a few that caught our eye!

1. Decoupage a Lampshade.
Not a new idea, but we like this idea for a craft room or workspace using newspaper gluing with Mod Podge to the REGOLIT lampshade. Tip: Find newspaper that has colours that you can tie in from in the room.

2. Washi Tape a Table Top
Add some personality to a plain table by taping a favorite washi tape colour to it. Shown: LINNMON table.

3.  Recycled Herb Garden
Make a budget-friendly (and cool-looking) herb garden using recycled plastic pop bottles.

4. Decoupage a Cupboard
Another cute idea tying in with the lampshade, decoupaging newsprint to the back of a cupboard. Shown: IVAR Cabinet.

5.  Sew Storage Pockets
This is a cool idea using tea towels.  As they say in the catalogue: "Just fold in half, sew along the sides and voilà!"

6. Make a Room Divider
An idea for a studio apartment or dorm. String fabric or yarn through a headboard to the ceiling to create an instant room divider. Shown: TARVA bed.

7.  Plywood Pin Board
Great for spaces where you can't attach things to the walls. Lean plywood and hang shelves, knobs and use as a pin board.

8. Make a Faux Wall
A piece of plywood is a perfect way to divide a room or make a faux wall.  Nail it to a desk or dresser.

9. Keep Organized
Taking queue from the polaroid on a shoe box to tell you which shoe is inside, use magnets or clips to hold notes or photo's to tell you what's inside your magazine files.

10. Hide Clutter
A cool idea to hide clutter by using roll-down blinds. Add a little paint to give it a customized look. Shown: TUPPLER block out roller blind.

11. Make a Budget-Friendly Wall Cabinet
A simple and budget friendly idea to create a wall cabinet using

See more from the new 2015 IKEA catalogue by clicking here.

14 DIY | Watercolor Mug

Contributor post by  Caitlin of The Merrythought

Lately, I've felt like someone could come in and splash some watercolor patterns all over everything I own and I wouldn't mind it one bit. Unfortunately, in a few months, I'm sure I would be a bit annoyed with that decision. So I've been trying to come up with a few ways to add some faux watercolor splashes around my house. Last week, I was watching my cousin give herself a "watercolor" manicure and I thought, that would be a great technique to use on a mug! So I tried it… and it works!

What you need:
-White Ceramic Mug
-Old or Disposable Bowl/Container
-Nail Polish

How to make it:
-Fill the bowl with warm water.
-Add a drop of nail polish to the water and let it spread out. You can also use a skewer to swirl the color around a bit to give it the effect you'd like.
-Dip your mug in the water.
-You can use nail polish remover to remove any excess nail polish on the bottom and inside of the mug or sections that got messed up.
-Carefully pat mug dry with paper towel.
-You can repeat with additional colors if you want.
-Once you've achieved the look you want, let it sit for at least two hours.

I would recommend hand washing these mugs. (Although I haven't tried mine in the dishwasher yet!) Durability will also depend on quality of the nail polish a bit - just as it would on your nails. I let mine sit for about 5 hours then scrubbed them and they were fine. If you run into problems, try coating the outside with a clear coat of nail polish or a non toxic finishing spray.

About the Contributor

Caitlin McGrath lives in a small town in Western New York. When her face isn't hidden behind her camera, she's usually crafting and daydreaming for The Merrythought, where she is a part of the three lady team sharing DIY projects, recipes, fashion, home décor & and bits of daily life.