video – Francois et Moi

How to Make a Nordic Origami Star

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 19 Dec 2018 03:07:04 +0000

Watch this quick origami star video tutorial, and bring a bit of Nordic flair to your Holiday decor this year. Only one material needed: Paper!If you read my blog, even sporadically, you most likely have some hunch that I love Nordic decor. And as the Holidays approached this year, I cannot tell you how many times I searched for ‘nordic christmas’ on Pinterest in the last month and a half. And with every search I surely came across beautifully minimal Nordic décor pins with origami stars or paper star lanterns in the window or on a credenza. They seemed to be everywhere, and I’m hooked on ’em! I love this look, but had a HECK of a time finding them affordably or in enough time to arrive before Christmas. I found them through an European retailer and though they were like $8, shipping to the US was $50, so I kept searching and found a Danish paper star tutorial that I translated with the help of Google Translate. These origami stars aren’t hard, but there are a few steps that are difficult to decipher with still images alone, so I’ve made a video of how to make the stars. The […]

The post How to Make a Nordic Origami Star appeared first on Francois et Moi.

Video Home Tour: The Living Room

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 16:17:51 +0000

I’ve been showing you guys pictures of my home for YEARS, so I think it’s high time to share some more video action around here. Copeesh? Photos are beautiful and conceptual, but there’s nothing like moving picture footage to really communicate the true essence of a space. I’m starting with the living room, and will be making my way around the house sharing each room, as well as talking about the layout of our duplex. I don’t know about you, but I’m fascinated by how older homes are laid out–especially duplexes! Let’s kick things off with the living room, shall we? Want to know where something is from? All sources are listed RIGHT HERE and HERE. Make sure to subscribe to my Youtube Channel, so you don’t miss the next room tour!

The post Video Home Tour: The Living Room appeared first on Francois et Moi.

Fiddlosophy Webisode with Fiddlehead Design Group

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 17:30:22 +0000

A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune of spending the morning with Jen and Andréa of Fiddlehead Design Group. They invited me to join their fun and cheeky design series, Fiddlosophy as their first guest! Fiddlosphy shares bite-sized design advice served up with a side of Jen and Dréa’s hilarious banter. Everything from tips for sizing your dining room light fixture to window treatments 101, they cover it all. The episode we created together centers around DIY: How I got into blogging/making things and advice for when to buy something for your home vs. make it yourself. Check it out! I’ve known Jen and Dréa for years (from when I managed a trade showroom at IMS, the Minneapolis Design Center) and have always resonated with their Design Mantras, like “Less is More, Bigger is Better”, “Save Your Money Until You Can Do a Room Right,” and “Animal Prints are Neutral.” Jen and Dréa are a fearless design duo when it comes to pattern-mixing + color, and it shines right through in their stunning (and extensive) project portfolio. I’m including some of my favorite projects of theirs below, so you can bask in the inspiration too! #yourewelcome For more […]

The post Fiddlosophy Webisode with Fiddlehead Design Group appeared first on Francois et Moi.

The Great Labor Day Honey Harvest + 4 Easy Ways to Help the Bees!

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 18:51:39 +0000

Over Labor Day, we spent the weekend at my husband, Ken’s family farm in Manchester, Iowa harvesting honey from my father-in-law’s bee hives. Every year it’s a collective effort gathering the hive frames, using heat to open up the wax honeycomb, spinning the honey from the frames, and bottling it up. Being this close to the harvesting process, has given me such an appreciation for the honey bees. Their social hierarchy, the work they do pollinating flowers, and collecting nectar & turning it into honeycomb is just all around fascinating. And I was surprised to find over the years, that unlike wasps, the bees are actually incredibly gentle and unlikely to sting. My husband, Ken, even got a bee in his bee suit one year and wasn’t stung! Bees make it possible for us to enjoy a variety of foods as they help with the reproduction of upwards of 75% of flowering plants and crops. Unfortunately, our honey bee numbers were down this year at the farm, and it’s part of a larger trend due to a combination of stress factors including loss of habitat, parasites and diseases, and pesticide exposure. Without the bees many of our crops and flowers […]

The post The Great Labor Day Honey Harvest + 4 Easy Ways to Help the Bees! appeared first on Francois et Moi.

How to Tie the Perfect Ribbon Gift Bow (Video!)

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 21:08:41 +0000

In case you guys are wrapping up gifts this week, I wanted to share this fancy, but deceptively easy bow trick I picked up as a 16-year-old while working at a candy shop making gift baskets around the Holidays. (My second job ever!) I still remember the day I learned this. It was such an a-ha! moment, and I thought to myself ‘OHHHH so that’s how they do it! Weird thoughts for a teenager? Probably. What can I say though except: different strokes. While step-by-step photos do get the point across, I think it’s always easier to see a video of someone actually making it happen. So here’s a little hyperlapse video of how to create the bow. I’m hoping to start creating more quick and easy videos like these, so if you like the video, please hop over to YouTube and subscribe to My Channel. Materials: Wired Ribbon Scissors A Gift 1. Cut a long piece of ribbon and place the midpoint on the top of your gift. The length of this piece will greatly depend on the size of your gift. Wrap the ribbon around the gift and hook the two ends around one another until they […]

The post How to Tie the Perfect Ribbon Gift Bow (Video!) appeared first on Francois et Moi.

My First Skillshare Class: Build a Brass Wall Sconce

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 13:32:52 +0000

Good morning! I’m excited to announce that I’ve launched my first DIY class on Skillshare! A major goal of mine this Summer & Fall was to start creating DIY video content, in addition to my standard photo tutorials, as an another way to share home DIY knowledge. So here I am today with my first class: DIY Lighting: How to Build a Brass Wall Sconce! It’s a quick 10-minute class that walks you through the basics of building brass tube lighting for less than 1/2 the cost of name brand retailers and also includes the EXACT source links for where to find all the materials. If you’re interested in learning the basics of building lighting, I’d love if you’d hop over to my class, enroll, and help me gain some traction as a new teacher on Skillshare! The best part is that the class is FREE for the first 25 peeps to sign up!! My goal is to fill those 25 FREE spots by next Thursday. No worries if you can’t take the class right away, just enroll now and watch later! Here’s the FREE enrollment link: http://skl.sh/2cYixrV Thank you so much for your support, and I hope you enjoy […]

The post My First Skillshare Class: Build a Brass Wall Sconce appeared first on Francois et Moi.