Angela and I decide to brighten up what has been an otherwise gloomy week in Boston, with a fresh and breezy spring garland. Using nothing more than Studio Carta ribbons and pastel blooms, it only took us 1/2 hour to conjured a simple garland. Casual, yet romantic, and oh-so-easy, it’s perfect for Mother’s Day, birthdays, weddings and showers.

Supplies: With a wedding or shower in mind, we choose a pastel assortment of Studio Carta wide loose and tight weave ribbon in natural cotton and wide metallic loose weave. Of course, by using different ribbons and flowers, this garland can be adapted to fit any palette.

Supplies 2: For this garland you want some type of vine, plus long-stemmed flowers of your choice. As this loosely structured garland does not use any florist foam, be sure to pick blooms that won’t immediately wilt.

We opted for winding jasmine vines, bell-like fritillaria, pink tulips and a cluster flower we found at Trader Joes. Tip: The length of your garland will determine how many blooms you need.

Other supplies include thick twine, scissors and something to with which to secure the flowers to the twine. We used Studio Carta’s soon-to-be released gold embroidery thread (below), because we liked the suble shine. You could also use floral wire.

Step 1: Cut you twine to the desired length. Then loosely wind you vine around the twine. For a more whimsical and romantic quality, drape the ends of your vine.
Step 2: Begin to work in your flowers. Like the vines, we let some of our blooms drape beneath the garland.

Step 3: Once your flowers are in place, secure them with thread or wire.

Step 4: Cut your ribbons to approximately the same length. Then using one-at-a-time, loosely wrap them around your garland. Rather they tying ours, we secured the ribbons be weaving them in and out of the greens.

Above: A section of our finished garland draped in a simple arch on a white wall in Angela’s studio. You could also hang it from the ceiling or, for a centerpiece, lay it down the length of a table.

Above: Also dramatic on Angela’s black chalk wall. Here we opted for an undulating drape.

Finally painted the pantry thanks to Remodelista and Farrow and Ball, Inchyra Blue.

Supplies: for this project we used black craft paper and a assortment of Studio Carta ribbon, including: metallic loose weave ribbon in gold, peach and copper; wide metallic tight weave in black with gold and copper, as well as peach and gold; thin metallic tight weave in peach and gold; and thin metallic braided ribbon in gold, rose gold and graphite.

This holiday season Angela and I decided to try something a little different. Instead of classic red ribbon, we opted for warm peach and copper with a hint of holiday gold. But for a real twist, we used black paper. Enlivened with fresh greens, our packages feel, not gloomy, but more like a magical winter evening. A silent night. Like those of old in which people huddled around a cozy fire, while outside a cloak of night, resplendent with stars, settled over the forested landscape.

Greens included exotic seeds foraged at Arnold Arboretum, as well as evergreens, privet berries, and azalea leaves foraged from our yards.

 thin metallic tight weave in peach and gold, wide metallic tight weave in peach and gold, and  thin metallic braided ribbon in gold

our work table: a glimpse of the creative process

metallic copper, rose gold and graphite ribbons mixed with privet berries, including: metallic loose weave ribbon in natural and copper;  thin metallic braided ribbon in rose gold and graphite

One creative and practical benefit of black paper: you can write on it with chalk. Here we added stars to our branch gift. You could also add a holiday note.

Second only to Christmas, Halloween has become the most commercialized holiday in this country, with entire catalogs devoted to creating million-dollar monsters and fairies. But homemade costumes need not be hooky or cheap. Instead they offer a chance to unleash our inner magician, who with a modest potion of paper, scissor, and some glue, can transform themselves into any creature of their imagination.

Of course it all boils down to materials. Using Egg Press’ expressive collection of wrapping paper, along with Studio Carta tight weave cotton ribbon in Halloween hues, we conjured our own enchanting rabbit, in about as much time as it takes to say, “Hocus Pocus, Alakazam!”

Step 1: Using a flexible, lightweight cardboard or poster board (we used a manila envelope) make a simple sketch of a creature or critter of your choice. Cut this out.

Step 2: Choose a paper for the underlying layer of your mask. (We used selects from their Blue, Orange and Yellow Collection.) Place your cardboard cutout onto the back to this paper. Trace and cut.

Step 3: Using an Exact-o knife cut out the eye holes of your base mask. Then brush glue onto the back of your paper and paste over the base layer. Again, cut out the eyes.

Step 4: Choose another piece of paper for your accents. Using the edges of your mask as a template, draw these details onto the back of your second piece of paper. Cut these out.

Step 5: Apply glue and paste you accent pieces onto your mask.

Step 6: Punch holes into the sides of your mask.

Step 7: Measure two lengths of ribbon long enough to tie around you head. (We used Tight Weave Cotton Ribbon in dark indigo.) Give yourself a little extra. You can always trim.

Step 8: Thread the ribbons through your holes and tie.

That’s it. Of course the sky (or your imagination) is the limit on what you can do. Swap papers for a different look. Add a sequin or two. Try a fox or an owl. Or wouldn’t a lion with a Studio Carta ribbon mane look cool?

New Dawn roses, honeysuckle, and grapevine bouquet. See more on Gardenista.

Spring has sprung! And with it weddings, babies, and all things “new beginnings.” In celebration of this season of rebirth, for our 3rd project Angela and I chose to resurrect one of her old talents: bookmaking. (In fact it was the pursuit of elegant bindings for her books that led Angela to begin importing Italian ribbons in the first place!)

Though Angela, who studied and taught at Minnesota Center for Book Arts, is a pro, this keepsake book is easy enough for anyone to tackle. Success is in the supplies. Made with beautiful Rifle Paper Co. Gift Wrap and Studio Carta Cotton Ribbon, our keepsake book is perfect for storing momentos from spring’s (or any season’s) most treasured events.

Materials:

• Rifle Paper Co. Gift Wrap or other fine paper *
• Studio Carta Tight Weave Ribbons
• two 8×10 pieces of bookbinding archival board, available at specialty online stores such as: Talas or Hollanders
• acid-free booking binding glue
• small brush
• bone folder, also available at Talas or Hollanders
• Studio Carta Paper Scissors with Gold Handle
• Studio Carta Ribbon Scissors
• hammer
• ruler
• X-Acto or utility knife

* When considering the entire line of Rifle Paper Gift Wrap and Studio Carta Ribbon, the possibilities are endless. Just let the occasion be your guide. For example, if you’re making a book for the parents of a baby boy, perhaps you could use Rifle Paper Co.’s Blue Toile Gift Wrap with Studio Carta Tight Weave Ribbon in Chartreuse. Or for a wedding Rifle’s Spearmint Blossoms Gift Wrap would look smashing with a bit of Studio Carta Metallic Tight Weave in Natural with Gold Stripe. (See even more colorful combinations on Rifle Paper Co.’s site.)

For our book, Angela and I selected spring-time pairing of Rifle Paper Co.’s romantic wildflower gift wrap with Studio Carta Tight Weave Cotton Ribbon in Peach.

Step 1: If you have not already done so, cut your archival cardboard to the desired size. We chose 8×10. To create your outside cover, lay the cardboard onto your paper and, using this as a template, measure and mark your paper so that it is a couple centimeters, or about 1/2 inch, larger all around. Cut out your paper. Repeat for the other cover.

Step 2: Working quickly brush the glue onto the back of your paper. Then transfer your cardboard to the center and press down, working out any air bubbles with your hands or bone folder.

Step 3: Cut the corners of your paper, leaving about a millimeter between the edge and the cardboard.

Step 4: Fold the first side over. Then using your bone folder, press the corner paper in towards the next fold so it lays against the cardboard edge. Then fold the second side down. Repeat as you go around.

Step 5: When you are done, gently work out any air bubbles with your bone folder. Then lightly tap down on all your corners, so that your cover doesn’t have any sharp edges. Repeat this whole process with the next piece of cardboard.

Step 6: Once you have the outsides of each piece of cardboard covered, it’s time to cover the inside. First measure and cut two pieces of paper so that each is slightly smaller than the cardboard. Again, working quickly, glue the smaller paper so that it covers the inside of each piece of cardboard.

Step 7: On each cover, create 4 slits for your ribbons. First measure the width of your ribbon. Then starting about 1 1/2  inches or 4 centimeters from the top (short side), and about 1 inch or 2.5 centimeters from the edge (long side), make a mark, length-wise, that measures the width of your ribbon. Repeat at all four corners of each cover.

Step 8: Using a small chisel or utility knife, hammer or cut the four slits you just measured. Repeat on the other piece of cardboard.

Step 9: Lay the cardboard covers side by side leaving about 1/4 inch or one centimeter gap in between. Using these as a template, cut two long pieces of ribbon that measure 10 or so inches (25 centimeters) longer, on each side, than your opened book. Then, starting in the middle, thread each end of the ribbon from the outside, across the inside, and back out to the outside. Repeat on the bottom.

That’s it. Though there are many steps, Angela was able to make this book in about 20 minutes!

Angela uses her keepsake books to house treasured correspondence from loved ones.

trillium

Favorites from a recent visit to Garden in the Woods, a living museum of wild plants. Located in Framingham, MA, the garden is home to the New England Wild Flower Society, which works to promote and protect native flora.  See more at Gardenista.

pink lady slipper

Canada beadruby

nannyberry

native lupine

solomons seal and cranesbill

Jacob’s ladder

foam flower and phlox

yellow lady slippers

cranesbill

sculpture by W. Gary Smith

wild calla

bishop’s cap

Last weekend was our first of the season at the cottage, our summer home on Cape Cod. All weekend, in between walks to the beach and visits with the cousins across the street, I ran around cleaning, making the beds, weeding, setting out towels, arranging flowers, and generally prepping the house for summer habitation. Often my work was interrupted as I paused to capture a moment on film. At some point my husband said to me, “I love watching you in this place. You get such joy from it.” “Yes,” I agreed. “It’s who I am.”

Solvi turned 7 this week. In celebration, we held a flower arranging party.