DIY raffia pendant light REVISITED

THIS POST IS OVER TWO YEARS OLD NOW BUT KEEPS GETTING HIT'S SO I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE IT AGAIN WITH YOU ALL. THIS IS A GREAT DIY PROJECT FOR DECORATING EVENTS AND YOU CAN USE ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT MEDIA TO MAKE THIS PENDANT! 

What a bright idea! 

While brainstorming for additions for our Fall window display for Road Less Traveled I kept thinking about the moon and the sun. The certain way the Autumn sky seems to glow through the leaves and cast soft shadows. I wanted to interpret this somehow into the window display that Delilah had already started. I searched for ideas and came across this idea and thought I would try it myself. It never hurts to try you know. 

BTW: Many customers love this light and ask about it. 

Raffia-Michaels Craft Store

Punch Balloons-Party City

Mod Podge-Michaels

Paint Brush-already had

Sharpie-already had

Pendant Light Base-Cost Plus Market

What You Gotta Do:

This craft needs at least 2 hrs of invested time so gather a friend or sister and a beer to help keep you company :)

 1. Inflate the balloon to desired size.

2. Draw circle with sharpie that is large enough for light bulb to go through.

3.Adhere mod podge to raffia while tying the raffia around the balloon.

4. Continue covering your balloon as desired and tie all ends of knots together. 

5. Make sure entire surface has glue to ensure that it is stable when hardened.

6. Hang your balloon over night and leave newspaper underneath in case of glue drips.

7. Wait for at least 8 hrs for glue to dry and for there to be a hard sturdy surface.

8. When ready insert light base and either hang (using s brackets) or use as a table lamp. 

We Built This City Window Display

Eloisa adding some final touches.

    This winter we made a mini city window display at Road Less Traveled! It's pretty cool what you can make from something that would have gone into the trash. We used cardboard boxes, markers, paint, cotton balls, fishing wire, box cutters & Christmas lights. We all had a blast putting this display together thanks to the reggae Christmas playlist on Pandora, highly recommended :) Stop by the shop to see in person! 

ENJOY!

Feeding the lights into the boxes.

Funny Reggae  Christmas song # 1

Funny Reggae Christmas song # 2

We built this city!

The city from behind.

Windows by: Eloisa Bordador, Maggy Slater, Delilah Snell, Leigh Slater

P.S. Here is last years window display  I designed with the help of Eloisa :) 

DIY Card DIsplay

Its time again for another easy and fun DIY project that we have tested out for you! This time around we created a paper goods display out of an old  door and  base boards. This is a perfect way to display cards for at a retail space or photos or even books & artwork  at home! We love how easy it was to make( we made it the night before we re-opened) and it is very customizable too. 

DIY Paper Goods Shopping List

-paint

-scale

-old door (or new depends on what you can find)

-base boards(depends on how much you display)

-nails (2-3 per baseboard)

-eyelets (2 per baseboard)

-fishing wire/metal wire 

8 Easy steps to making a paper goods display

1. The first thing you need is an old door, you can get these from a lumbar yard, craigslist or buy a new one from home dept. Once your door is selected make not of its width and write this information down.

2. Next step is selecting a variety of base boards which you can find at a lumber yard or in the scrap area of home depot. We chose 6 different base boards for our door. You will want your baseboards to have a thickness of 1" or more to display on top of. *Make sure that the base boards are cut to the same width as the door. 

3. Lay down the door on the floor and place base boards in a way that looks appealing to you and will effectively display your art/cards etc. Now you will have a visual of how you want it to look so you can either take a photo or put a pencil mark saying the number order of the baseboards. 

4. Now its time to paint those baseboards. You will do this separately from the door (less messy). We did alternating colors that matched the shop theme of citron, fuchsia and turquoise. You can choose any color you like. You can also paint the door whatever color you would like. We chose white as a background for our display. 

5. Once the paint has dried on the door and baseboards you can begin assembling them together. Once again layout your baseboards in desired places and check with a scale that they are straight. Then you can  nail the baseboards into the door. 

6. Next you will get your eyelets and assemble them onto the side of the door 2"-3" above each baseboard. You can use your scale to make sure these match up.

7. Tie fishing wire/metal wire into one eyelet and pull across the front of the door to the corresponding eyelet. This forms a barrier for the artwork/cards to keep from falling down. 

8. Begin placing your artwork, cards and books onto your super cute and easy DIY display! 

Below: Are some photos of us in the process of constructing the display. 

A few of our color coordinated baseboards ready to go. 

Beginning to nail down the baseboards onto the door. 

Finished nailing, now ready to add eyelets and begin displaying. 

Eyelets have been added, you can see them on the side. Now time to display all the cards and posters. 

Our finished project in all its glory! Now that wasnt so hard now, was it!!

If you have any questions about this project let me know and I will gladly help out. 

Hmm what should our next DIY be? Any suggestions or projects you have seen in the shop that you want to know how we made? 

MORE DIY PROJECTS

Chalk Board Wall-Raffia Pendant Light-Kitchen Re-Design

Spring Inspirations

The feelings of SADD are slowly leaving me as the weather creeps up past the 50 and 60 degree mark and daylight savings has made its way into my life.I live in So-Cal and I hate layering, I know I got So-Cal problems. During the long winter I usually hold my self over with a blast of my space heater while listening to Bossa nova and drinking a beer. This results in me congested and the possibility of hallucination! So awesome...why do I do this to myself? The sacrifices I make to pretend its warm and sunny! 

Below: All these photos have been taken during Spring 2012 because something about them brought great feelings of Spring and each one holds a memory to me. 

Top L-R: Pretty sandals I saw at my first Fullerton Farmers Market of the season, Laguna Beach Palm Trees blowing in the wind bring calmness to my mind, Patchwork signs mean the return of the Spring showcase. 

Bottom L-R: Drawing up window display idea's while sipping mint iced tea, reading Print Workshop book on a rainy day road Less Traveled, Taking a moment to myself at Newport Beach. 

What inspires you? 

A big dill

As the flyer says...

Tomorrow afternoon join belly sprout and road less traveled for our grand re-opening and 6 year anniversary party! 

And of course dont forget its  first Saturday art walk in DTSA!!! For those of you not in the know DTSA is short for downtown Santa Ana...like duh! 

 FREE for all, family friendly from 1-9pm!

*2-3 Nina Lee Kids Music Concert

*2-4 Nature Printing

*3-5:30 Kauzbots Coloring in Belly Sprout Vintage Trailer

*Wood Carving

*Backyard bees tasting

*5-7p.m. Eco-Beauty Lips and Cheek touch ups

*5-7p.m. Henna with Lernie

*6-8p.m. Front Porch Pops sampling

*7-9p.m. music/food/beverage= FUN!!!

STORE SPECIALS:

*One FREE Klean Kanteen bottle with your $100 store purchase!!

*Eco-nail polish: buy one get one Half-Off!

*Select items up to 80% off*

*Register for ANY Belly Sprout Classes (Fullerton or Santa Ana) and receive 10% off!

CONTACT INFO:

125  n.Broadway

Santa Ana, CA 92701

714.836.8727

roadlesstraveledstore.com

bellysprout.com

PARKING:

Today will be busier than usual so please leave some extra time to find parking and to walk. You will have to pay for parking in most places around here so bring change or cash for an easy in and out. 

Do not park at CVS they will tow your car! 

You can park on the streets, make sure to read signs though and to bring change for the meters. The  closest  parking garage is off of 3rd & Sycamore and there are others off of 4th street near bistro 400 and another on 5th and Main. 

DIY Chalk Board Wall

Hey everyone, If you have been to the road less traveled store than you have surely seen our massive chalkboard wall near our craft/workshop area. This was one of the first DIY projects we took on when we moved into the new space at GCAC. Our chalkboard has been the perfect place for our monthly workshops to be displayed and it always looks awesome thanks to Leigh Slater, our chalk artists and program coordinator. 

Leigh recently re-did our chalkboard for April so I sat down and talked with her about her inspirations and some tips for making your chalk pop off the board. But first let me tell you how we created our chalk board. Its easy and doesn't cost very much money to create on your own. 

DIY chalk board supply list:

scale

painters tape

measuring tape 

paint brushes

chalk paint  

(we used rust-oleum specialty chalk paint)

5 easy steps for making a chalk board wall:

1. The first thing we did was figure how tall and wide we wanted our chalk board to be. It is really up to you how big or small. We chose for ours to be HUGE.

2. We pulled out our scale and measuring tape and started to measure out our chalk board on the wall. Use the scale to make sure your lines are straight. Place painters tape on the wall in small pieces because its easier than one long strip. 

3. When you are done placing tape on the wall stand back and make sure everything looks right and is straight .

4.Prepare chalk paint and begin painting it onto the wall (we used one layer of paint) and let dry. 

5.After paint has dried peel painters tape off of wall and check for any areas that may need some touch-ups.

Congrats you have completed your first DIY chalkboard wall!

Now check out how chalk artist Leigh Slater makes our monthly chalkboard calendar come to life! 

* dip your chalk in water for a crisp and bright look *

* brainstorm your inspirations on paper before you start drawing on the board *

* be safe and use a ladder for hard to reach places *

* keep a wet towel handy for erasing chalk * 

* step back and admire your work, because after all you did it yourself * 

Tenga usted un buen fin de semana

First off, let me say that I'm not fluent in Spanish, yet! 

"Tenga usted un buen fin de semana" means "have a good weekend"! Or at least I hope so, I looked it up on Google :) So speaking of the weekend and good,  I have some goodies to get your weekend started off right! 

Who doesn't like to drink? Or have a nightcap, or just and excuse to party? I know you do :) 

I have two really cool products to share with you. Your gonna loves them if you like adult beverages! 

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(above) First we got ourselves a lovely Pabst beer scented candle. As well as other flavors like cola, root beer etc. But there is something so HIPSTER about the iconic Pabst beer. How did it become a hipster staple anyway? I want to know. So anyhoo we just got these in at the shop and today they were a big hit! When people walked in they could smell it right away, and they liked it :) AWESOME! So if you know someone who is celebrating a birthday or is trying to quit soda this would be a PERFECT gift to give. 

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(above) Are these not just the cutest flasky waskies evaaaar? I helped Delilah design them just for the shop and they came out so cute! My inspiration behind the slogan is the "eat local" movement so why not start a "drink local" movement? I know for a fact that if you bring one of these to a concert or party everyone is going to ask where you got your cool ass flask! Just wait. Its gonna happen. So boost your social networking while "drinking local"! 

Like Road Less Traveled on FACEBOOK thanks :)

Keep your love growing

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Mix equal parts time, love and water to achieve super fresh & tasty DIY mushrooms! 

We have been carrying DIY Mushrooms kits at Road Less Traveled for a few months and they sell out so quick. Everyone loves them because of their easy to follow instructions, low maintenance, fresh taste and their eat local mentality! 

Read more about the mushroom kits and their inspiring story, and in the meantime come and purchase your kit from us at Road Less Traveled! Your love will surely appreciate it. 

I know what girls want...for Valentines Day 2012

Valentines Day is in one week, are you ready? What do you have planned?

My man read a poll that asked couples if they preferred to go out to dinner vs staying in and cooking at home. Can you guess which was preferred? Looks like today's modern couple is busy and rarely spends together time at home so that's right ding ding ding...staying in for the night is the winner! Couples thought it was more romantic to cook a meal together rather than sit at a restaurant crowded with other couples and bitter servers.

BUT...this doesn't mean that your love still wont be expecting a present :) So along with that home cooked meal why not pick up an awesome gift from Road Less Traveled, an Eco-Urban lifestyle store in Santa Ana. (I work here so you know its awesome) I have a few items that I have featured below that would make for an awesome gift! Hope you love it and have a splendid V-day!

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Get your nerdy English major girlfriend a hot book bag! Guaranteed to make her blush.
Available at road less traveled. 

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Skip the flowers and go for a vintage fabric necklace, so pretty it looks like a bouquet! 

sold at road less traveled

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A delightful blend of fruit, nuts, caramel, chocolate and sea salt sure to sweeten your valentines day!
Available at Road Less Traveled

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How many years have you been together? You did what with the tax return? Is there a budget for the wedding? These notebooks are perfect for jotting that info! 

sold at road less traveled

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Wear your heart on a chain, not on your sleeve! And while your at it make it say something cool! 

Sold at Road Less Traveled 

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Look good, smell great! I own a few of these mists and candles and they are wonderful! 

sold at Road Less Traveled

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Not your usual sticky lip gloss, just enough oil to make your lips soft and supple. 

sold at Road Less Traveled 

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Simple and gets the point across! Right?

Sold at Road Less Traveled

Like what you see?

credit: Sean

Like what you see? This is just one section of the new Road Less Traveled & Belly Sprout location in Santa Ana, CA! We are now open and would love for you to come visit us! 

Find us on facebook and Like us for updates on workshops and dont forget to visit us this Saturday for the artwalk in Downtown Santa Ana! See you there! 

Cinder blocks and other oddities

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Im thinking I might have to do this in the backyard, better yet at road less traveled! Wouldn't it be an awesome display? I used this design in the restaurant I designed. 

Right now Im obsessed with cinder blocks especially 1960s Palm Springs motifs. Have been secretly saving photos to share with you soon. Alright, back to work now people...

Today Im going to be finishing the window display for the shop...and it has something  to do with this....

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Cant wait to share :) 

Road Less Traveled New shop location!

Here is a map from our old store location to our new location!!!!!

We have been working so hard to make our new space AWESOME and we cannot wait to share it with you! 

A glimpse of what we have been up to! You will have to see the rest in person Wednesday, February 1st when we open up the shop!!!! 

Here is a link to Road Less Traveled's Facebook Page