goodbye 2012...

and now...a look back at what you loved on {crab+fish} in 2012...

thanks to a feature on {apartment therapy}, my most popular posts were the instructions for DIY washi tape switchplates and the collection of switchplates i've done in our home so far.

a look back... (achieving goals)

do you know what feels great?? looking back at old posts and seeing that we accomplished goals we set for ourselves.
   not great? terribly edited pictures i've posted for the world to see...

FOR EXAMPLE...lil' archer's room!

it was the one of the first areas we focused on because we wanted our little guy to have a safe place to play. and it was his first room. i don't know that he much cared, but WE were excited.

i wrote a post before we even closed about all our grand plans for lil' a's room.

i talked about painting it from drab olive to bright white:

check! we immediately began brightening up that room on closing day.

bringing down the roof

...or i guess more accurately, the ceiling.
in the garage.

keep reading to see what in the world is going on here!

felix doolittle giveway winner!

thank you to all who entered our felix doolittle giveaway!

the lucky winner is...

the sunroom just got a lot comfier

i hope you all had a wonderful christmas! 

we had a cozy christmas eve in our first house -- just me, fish, and lil' archer exchanging our small gifts for each other. it was perfect...i will have warm, fuzzy memories of it for many, many years.

lil' archer received another large influx of toys, yet...

merryDIY recap

it's nearly christmas! 

are you looking for some last minute holiday decor inspiration?

maybe you're throwing a party...

or hosting the family get-together...

or just want a little more love and joy around your home! 

here's a quick recap of the christmas projects i cobbled together this year...

click the picture to see a project in detail!

whimsical christmas curlicues

do you need to add some last minute whimsy to your tree? 

if you have five minutes and a fistful of pipe cleaners,

it's ridiculously easy to whip up some christmas curlicues:

it's (faux) snowing!

i have an abundance of white fuzzy balls (why?? they must have been for some forgotten craft project...) and what better way to use some than by hanging faux snow in the window?

christmas cocoa for our neighbors

it's the season of giving...and not much makes me happier than making something for others -- so i whipped up these jars of christmas cocoa which lil' archer and i then snuck onto our neighbors' porches!

they're a treat just to look at and verrry easy to put together!

merryDIY: geometric himmeli ornaments

<<< you can see a full list of my diy projects here! >>>

[SNAPSHOT]

time : minutes...hours

difficulty :  ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆  

hazards : going cross-eyed from repeatedly snaking fishing line through tiny straws

would i do it again? : yesss!

felix doolittle {{ GIVEAWAY }}

{giveaway closed}

i'm thrilled to offer today's giveaway...and sitewide discount!...to you from the fine stationery experts at {felix doolittle}!

just a few of their many offerings...

chandelier crystals become tree ornaments

i was packing away an old chandelier that was handed down to us from my grandmother...when the crystals caught my eye.

HO. LEE. GORGEOUS!

since the light fixture isn't really our style at this exact moment in time, i never bothered to look closely at the crystals hanging from it -- those are definitely my style!

i immediately repurposed them as ornaments on our christmas tree...

merryDIY: festive feather ornaments

<<< you can see a full list of my diy projects here! >>>

[SNAPSHOT]

time : minutes

difficulty :  ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆  

hazards : feather fluff floating feverywhere

would i do it again? : yes!

christmas garland, part 2!

over the past few days, i've been busy making millions and millions of yellow and white poms for our christmas tree garland. okay, probably more like...150 pom-poms, best guess. that's still a lot!

see how it looks on our tree after the jump!

merryDIY: festive vehicle wreath

<<< psst! you can see a full list of my diy projects here! >>>

[SNAPSHOT]

time : minutes

difficulty :  ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆  

would i do it again? : yes!

i'm one of those people that can be annoyingly cheery sometimes...and especially so during christmastime! so of course i wanted to attach a wreath to the front of my car! i'm just wondering why it took me this long to do it.

etsy love: oana befort (...plus three DIY photo mats!)

<<< psst! you can see a full list of my diy projects here! >>>

i am in love with oana befort's work and i had to share with you the creative and inspiring prints i bought from her etsy shop.

see more of her work...and three diy photo mats! after the jump.

merryDIY: twisted felt garland

<<< psst! you can see a full list of my diy projects here! >>>

[SNAPSHOT]

time : minutes...hours

difficulty :  ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆  

would i do it again? : yes!

touches of christmas

i've already posted about a festive nightlight, my glittery patchwork tree, our christmas-sy car in a jar, some glistening HOs, and an in-progress pom-pom garland...but there are a few small holiday decorations around our house that don't warrant a full writeup by themselves -- hey, i set some little men in our window! -- so i decided to throw them all together in one blogpost.

...starting with these adorable nutcrackers!

they are only about fives inches tall. i bought the set of six for around $15 at a consignment shop a few months ago. i've been so anxious to display them! i love their feathery-fluffy powder-white hair.

see more touches of christmas around our house after the jump!

a new shed. part two!

last time we talked shed, this is how we left her:

a solid structure...but still incomplete.

i went with fish to pick out shingles. even though it won't match our house now, we decided on a black roof for the shed because we plan on re-roofing the house with black shingles at some point within the next few years.

christmas car in a jar

i've seen many pictures of tiny trees strapped on cars floating around the internet this holiday season...and since i have access to what seems like thousands of cars via lil' archer, it was the perfect opportunity to add another little touch of christmas in our house!

SO. CUTE.

see more pictures after the jump!

DIY: mirrored monogram

<<< psst! you can see a full list of my diy projects here! >>>

[SNAPSHOT]

time : minutes

difficulty :  ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆  

would i do it again? : yep!

this fancy piece of home decor will set you back less than five buckaroos!

...as long as you've already got gold spraypaint.

and who doesn't keep gold spraypaint stocked in their arsenal??

don't believe me?

keep reading!

november in review

HOLY COW, IT'S DECEMBER YOU GUYS.
unreal.

it's time yet again to quickly recap our projects.

let's see what fish and i accomplished last month...

the big projects: i gold leafed my nightstand, fish converted an ikea tived ceiling light into a pull-chain fixture...and we finally had new windows installed!

i was so excited to have my gilded nightstand featured on {knock off decor}!

see more after the jump!