Acute How-To: Fall Garland

Thanksgiving is next week in the USA…so why not spruce up your holiday decor with a simple fall garland?

Garlands are easy to make and can come in so many forms.  They are pretty much my “go-to” decorating idea for the holidays.  For this one, I decided to make simple pompom flowers out of a fall color palette of felt circles.

What you will need:

  • felt {I chose three different colors – dark red, mustard yellow, and beige}
  • hot glue gun + glue
  • thick string or jute twine {about 6 feet long}
  • scissors

Step One:

Cut several circles of felt.  Depending on the length of your garland, this will vary.  I made 10 pompon flowers, each consisting of 6-10 circle petals, plus one circle as the base and one more as the back of the flower.

Step Two:

Heat your glue gun and, working with one pompom flower at a time, lay down a circle “base.”  Bend another circle in half, then in half again.  Place a dot of hot glue at the point the folded circle makes.  Glue the folded circle onto the base and push down.  Continue this with a few more circles until you have a full bloom.

Step Three:

Once you have all your flowers made, measure out a piece of string or twine.  I used a six foot long piece of jute twine.  Glue the pompom flowers along the length of the twine and place an additional circle across the back to hold everything into place.

Step Four:

Display your garland!  It would be perfect across a fireplace mantle or {if you make a longer one} along a staircase railing.  I have neither a mantle nor a staircase, so I chose to hang mine in the dining room.  With a few other decorations, it will look perfect for Thanksgiving!

heart-to-heart

thank you to the etsy favorites feature, i have hearts, you have hearts, we all have hearts! here, we’ll hop from heart-to-heart each week, progressively adding to our heart trail as we follow the favorites from one seller to the next.

Last week we left off with…
yogagoat {hand-thrown porcelain mum cup}, who hearts…
irregular expressions {crocheted, beaded necklace}, who hearts…
karen myers {recycled sweater purse}, who hearts…
woolly fabulous {eco-friendly felt beads}, who hearts…
natural at heart {maple wood pendant}, who hearts…
le pied leger {crocheted guillerminas}, who hearts…
… tune in next week to find out!

felt fascinators and bows :: blue eyed freckle

gray rosette headband

best of the bricks – tilde…

best of the bricks

A stroll around Tilde in Portland, Oregon will not feel like your everyday retail experience.  Instead you will discover little treasures vignette by vignette just as you would in a well curated gallery.  Owner Debbe takes us through her vision for her brick and mortar shop, and welcomes us into her space designed to make you feel right at home.

Tilde opened almost 4 years ago to work with emerging designers/artists and feature their colorful products in an environment that was more “home and art gallery” than “retail store”.  Because I grew up in an artistic home and produced a successful jewelry line in the past, I understand the importance of supporting work created by an artist or designer.  In doing so, we not only directly help to sustain them, but also strengthen the entire handmade community.

We are a modern lifestyle shop with a focus on men’s & women’s accessories and a smattering of home decorative, tabletop and stationery items. Most of our products are smaller items meant to serve as an accent either for your body or your living space.

Tilde is more than a place to shop, we also encourage you to explore. Information on each designer is placed around the store.  We want our customers to identify with the personal and special nature of handmade objects, and learn a bit about the creative process behind the artwork. We feature a different visual artist on our walls each month keeping the environment dynamic and fresh. We use original mid century living and dining room furniture for display (which are also for sale) in an effort to be a place that is full of your favorite things that, by the way, you can also purchase!

Portland, OR is very supportive of small businesses and handmade items. Many of our customers will only ‘buy local’ and many ask us about the origins of each product. Tilde is a perfect match for both our city and our neighborhood. I play an active role in our business association and organize special neighborhood events intended to benefit all our local businesses. The more people that stroll through our little neighborhood, dining and shopping, the better for the community as a whole.

The fun of merchandising and the live exchange with customers made having a storefront an easy choice for me.  Nothing beats selling a product directly to the customer. You get immediate feedback which helps with decisions on future purchases. More importantly, I feel Tilde plays a positive role in our neighborhood. Our brick & mortar shop makes for a lively place to work each day. Plus we try to change our window displays monthly with different craft inspired creations.  Hands-on crafters keep the art movement alive with the average person. Not everyone can appreciate art on a museum or high-end gallery scale. Functional crafts allow immediate appreciation and enjoyment on a down to earth level. I think it’s important to keep this sort of work accessible and available.

Featured:
Rachel Austin
Shoshona Snow
Moufelt
Tasi Designs


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Tilde
7919 SE 13th Avenue
Portland OR 97202
503.234.9600

functional textiles with an eco-friendly edge

mio - soft containers

mio - felt wall pocket

mio - soft containers

love these soft but functional housewares from mio. mio is the work of two brothers, jaime and isaac, and their passion for combing Craft, Design, and Manufacturing with an eco-friendly philosophy.

you can find out more here.