Make Your Own Nature Tapestry!

If you follow me, or anybody, on Pinterest, you'll know that wall hangings are huge right now. Weaving is such a cool and technological art and can be done super inexpensively, like here. I made this tapestry last weekend when we were out camping for Joel's birthday, and I was even able to bring it and hang it on the wall at home, and the best part- I didn't have to buy an expensive loom, I used just nails and the ground to create the framework for this wall hanging.

SUPPLIES:

For this project, all you need is a couple common camping supplies, and a bunch of random stuff you find in nature. I went on a hike to gather supplies, it's basically a crafting workout when you mix exercise in. Bring on the bikinis!

• Nails, or spikes
• String (I used rainbow hemp that my awesome friend brought)
• Random materials from nature- Bark, moss, marking tape (that I found on the ground), sticks, etc.
• Two strong sticks that are around the same length, but longer than the finished width of your tapestry.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Create a rectangle in the ground the size you want your finished tapestry to be.

2. Put an even number of nails along the top and the bottom.

3. Starting at the top left edge, wrap the string around the nail a couple times, and then down to the mirrored nail at the bottom, and up to the second nail, all the way to the last nail. Wrap around the last nail a couple times to stabilize.

4. Weave the two strong sticks into the string, one at the top of the tapestry, and one at the bottom. Over the first string, under the second, over the third, etc.

5. Fill out all the strings with the random materials you found on your hike. Make sure you are weaving your materials in on opposite strings. If your first item started on top of the first string, then your second item must under the first string, and then your third has to start on top again, and repeat.

6. When it's all filled in and you're satisfied with how it looks, take the two ends of your string that you wrapped around the nails, and tie them around the top strong stick.

7. Tie a hanger string to the top strong stick.

8. Carefully slide all the strings off of the nails.

9. Adjust the strings until it all fills out naturally, and voila! You're very own super personalized and unique memoir, nature wall hanging tapestry!

Any cool camping crafts you've tried and loved? I'm all about painting rocks and Joel loves finding the perfect stick and carving it and embellishing it until it's perfect. I'm also thinking I wanna master a nature wind chime before the summer is over! 

Hope you try this out, and hey, if random nature isn't your thing, feel free to use fabric or yarn or wool roving instead. Weaving is one of those crafts that make people really impressed, it's a good trick ;)

XO_BITS

PS
This is BITS' 100th post! Thanks for reading along and keeping me inspired! Can't wait to see where the next 100 posts take me! 

Not-so-Fair Weather Friend

My only excuse is that I've been enjoying the Canadian west-coast summer. And can you blame me? I've spent my days exploring the Great Bear Forest and swimming in melted glaciers. 

On top of that: 

 I've painted a couple of things.

 I wore my own designs on more than one occasion, and loved it.

 I've fended off the sun's damaging rays with oversized hats and dupious amounts of sunscreen.

 I said goodbye to some friends as they are off to travel the world.

 I've got to spend a lot of quality times with all my friends who stuck around.

And I got to finally make my house feel like a home

 There were sunrises and sunsets and water views.

And best of all, there were hundreds of hours with this guy <3 

 Here's to summer 2013! And to a much more productive (blog-wise, at least) autumn! I've already been getting so inspired by all the coziness and cuddles that come with this time of year, and even though I swear summer is my favorite season, I somehow always manage to forget that when it's slipping through the cracks of time and I'm looking up pumpkin recipes in my shorts.

Apparently we're going to get a good 20 more days of sun here on the west coast, so I'll do my best to check back, but hey! Summers slippin!

Go out and enjoy it before it's all gone! #Onelasthurrah
XO_BITS

Hats for Summer 2014!

Guys! It's actually, literally, for realz summer! How did that happen?! Not that I'm complaining, this is great news! Although I do find that I often forget the not-so-great things about summer because I'm blinded by love- like bugs and sunburns and, well that's all I can think of actually, because summer's AWESOME!

Well I can't do much about the bug problem, although I'm sure Pinterest can help you with that one, but I am feeling especially drawn to hats this year (check out the awesome hats Tamara and I found at the thrift store last weekend ^). Prevent a sunburn from ever touching your beautiful mug with one of these great hats- and look super cool while doing it! Also, to be honest with you guys, I actually kinda want a visor (gasp! I know right).. I dunno, #3 just seems kind of fresh and new in a back to the future meets Spice Force 5 kinda way (do you guys remember Spice Force Five?). And a wool floppy hat has always been on my wishlist. I found a picture of my mom in a poppy red one.. I wish she still had it, it was a true beaut'!

1. Leather Cap, 2. Monforte Hat, 3. Faux Leather Visor, 4. Wool Floppy Hat, 5. Turband, 6. Large-brimmed Fedora

Also, number 5, the Turband (clever) definitely will not keep you from getting a sunburn.. I just figured what's a 2013 hat list if we don't include the ever-popular urban turban?! Plus, I hear they are super easy to make. :)

Can you feel your inner hattitude screaming to get some lovin'? I sure can!

XO_BITS

5 Ways To Make S'mores!

The first time I went camping, there was a definite shortage of s'more-age. I made up for it the second time by eating twice as many s'mores as anyone probably should. Just short of a sugar induced coma, I created 5 different types of s'mores, and it pretty much changed my life. Let me introduce you to the line up:

Woodland Weekends

My man turned 24 this weekend and it has become somewhat of a tradition for us to go camping. As his birthday is on June 1st, it's the perfect excuse to pretend it's summer and go camping, even if it is a little bit early and cold out, we usually have fun.

Jello Shots in Oranges & 5 Minute Hobo Packs

Every year on Joel's birthday we go camping; his birthday is on June 1st, which is probably one of the most exciting days of the year as it sort of unofficially announces the commencement of summer, and it's the perfect time of the year to spend with our friends in the woods. I've been spending the last couple of days getting prepared.

I got inspired to make jello shots by Emma at A Beautiful Mess. It's awesome because you make them inside a citrus fruit, such as an orange, and then you can cut the orange into slices once the jello jellifies- jello slices! It's genius!