Room Tour: The Twinbits

It’s finished! And it’s a hit. My “babies” love their big-kid bedroom, and I’m pretty pleased with it myself. Other than the paint (“Daydream” by Debbie Travis) and a bit of fabric for the chair, the rest of the items were found or made. It’s decor on a dime — enjoy your tour!

E’s Bed — the quilt on the headboard was made by Great-Aunt Karen. The large crocheted blanket by friend Christina, the small one by myself. The chenille bedspread was a thrift-store-score.

Both bed frames were rescued and painted by Nana.

C’s Bed –  the spread was a gift from Nana, and the picture frames  handpainted by  C&E’s brothers and uncles.  Gingerbread men climber from my childhood. Crochet blanket by me, quilt by Great-Aunt Karen.

Bookcase (and matching miniature furniture in room) were built by the twinbit’s Great-Granddad Martin. They were originally in Aunt Emily & Aunt Elyse’s room, and have passed along to us.

Rocking chair was recovered by me. (First attempt, be kind. ) Crochet blanket by a family friend.

I really love the window treatment. I sewed a simple valance, and then we made paper pinwheels using the instructions here — the paper is pages from an old book I found in a thrift store (“An Edwardian Lady’s Country Diary”) and instead of pins, I used some lonely stud earrings that had lost their mates or weren’t being worn any more.

And on the window sill, to tie it together, we put one more pinwheel.

Carriage and toyhouse built by Great-Granddad, latch-hook rug by a family friend.

Tutorial: Knitterly Ivy

I kept singing that old nursery rhyme while I made this…remember? Mares eat oats, and does eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy. A kid’ll eat ivy too, wouldn’t you?” Seems to me that “Knitterly Ivy” flows off the tongue nearly as smoothly.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this ivy trellis:

• an ivy plant in need of something to grow up
• some assorted knitting needles (I used some that the kids tried fencing with and subsequently bent — but I think this would look adorable in some funky vintage colors. Most thrift stores carry old knitting needles for about $0.25 a pair.)
• A bit of yarn or string
• Scissors

To Assemble:

Play with the design and choose how you want the finished trellis to look. Then use your yarn or string to securely tie it together, wrapping and tyeing in an “X”. Trim the ends short. Insert carefully into the ivy pot, gently wrap the ivy ends up around the trellis, and enjoy!