There's one LA souvenir that I haven't mentioned: a DIY frame mat for a very special photo of my little girls. I used a cover from one of their torn-beyond-repair Golden Books to frame a photo that I snapped of them during my visit. Considering that I had to cram my craft time in between toddler nap times, it was the perfect quick and easy project to take on. If you have some old books in your life that might fit the frame, click on over to Poppytalk for the complete how-to. Let me know how it goes!
re-style your wireless internet router {diy}
In order to receive wi-fi signal throughout the rest of the flat, our router must be placed in a prominent location of the living room. This diva signal initially left us with an eyesore of an ugly, blinking light box and I hated it. I did everything I could to camouflage it by setting picture frames and flower-filled vases in front of it.
One day, after I had complained enough about it, Joe had the brilliant idea to cover it with a book. Heellooo....yes, so obvious and so perfect! A few days later he came home with a vintage book he bought for 50p (cents) and got to work with his trusty blade. It took less than a minute to cut the pages out and bend the spine to widen the overall fit. Once the cover was placed over the router I saw the true brilliance of Joe's idea - simple, practical, and effective. He was definitely onto a new tech/decor trend of using books to make necessary gadgets feel a bit more homey. Anyone think they'll give this a try?
On a more sentimental note - are you wondering what the writing and clippings inside the book are? Apparently one of the previous owners, Maud Harbin, had a true love of gardens. When I took a look at the book for the first time I almost refused using it for the project. But since we can't hold onto everything, I compromised by spending some time flipping through it and photographing my favorite parts.
This book was a gift to her and in it she wrote lists of her favorite flowers, plants, trees and saved paper clippings with quotes and garden-related news. I fell in love with the energy of the book. Yes it is titled "California Gardens", but you could almost feel how precious this was to her, how much time she spent reading through the pages, carefully curating her own lists and adding her own notes. My favorite find was a hand-written quote on the inside of the back cover that reads "winter cannot dim the glow of the garden." No ma'am it cannot. Thank you for the inspiration, Maud ... and for covering the ugly blinking box.
