My husband and I try our best to keep our daughters, ages 3 ½ and 18 months, away from overly commercialized products. My oldest definitely knows who Dora the Explorer is, but she’d have a hard time naming the Disney princesses. A couple weeks ago,…
Step away from the garden tools.That seems to be the message Mother Nature sent us this week. No worries. There are plenty of fun indoor activities happening around town this weekend. Take a look:-Quilters’ Yard Sale. Saturday, 8 to 11:30 a.m., at the West Central…
A few events have made it onto my calendar today, and I thought they might be of interest to Dwell Well readers, too.First, the Quilting Bee in Spokane Valley is having a sale April 3 through 11. Fabric--all fabric--will be 20 percent off, as will…
It’s been a couple months since I’ve done a roundup of good goods being sold by Eastern Washington and North Idaho crafters on Etsy, the mega site that allows small businesses (as in, you in your basement craft room) sell their handmade goods to the…
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about ways to bring the outdoors in when decorating your home. Few people take that tip as seriously as Spokane artist Patsy Pinch.Pinch collects rocks while taking walks and either gives them a function (as cabinet pulls, soap dishes,…
After stumbling upon a clever product for sale at Uncommon Goods, I just had to add to the post I wrote the other day about getting kids interested in gardening and nature.Some smart entrepreneur is selling fairy tale seed kits. The kits come in three…
I like to daydream about building a house one day--perhaps a straw-bale one with passive solar design overlooking my massive organic veggie garden and my herd of free-range chickens ...But reality for me means living in a 1954 rancher with single-pane windows. (Replacing those windows…
It was during frequent trips to Seattle that Debbie Hanks thought of a way she could help Spokane.The Spokane artist and hair stylist attends leadership classes in Seattle’s Freemont District, a neighborhood filled with creative people and businesses.“It’s absolutely beautiful there,” Hanks said. “I’m so…
Did everyone see this yet?The first family is going to plant the first vegetable garden that the White House has seen since Eleanor Roosevelt's victory garden during World War II.According to the New York Times article linked to above, the organic fruits and vegetables grown…
My heart swelled this morning when out of the blue my 3 year old asked me, “What can we do to help Mother Earth today?Trying to contain my enthusiasm (because enthusiasm sometimes backfires with her), I gave her a few ideas:“Well, we could color on…
My heart swelled this morning when out of the blue my 3 year old asked me, “What can we do to help Mother Earth today?Trying to contain my enthusiasm (because enthusiasm sometimes backfires with her), I gave her a few ideas:“Well, we could color on…
My apologies for the lapse in posts during the last week. The crew here at DwellWell (that would be just me--Megan) hasn’t been feeling all that Well. I’m on the mend, though, and am back in bloggy action.In my altered state, I failed to alert…
A few years ago, I wrote an article about a house off Highway 195 for Inland NW Homes & Lifestyles magazine. It’s a gorgeously modern house that was designed with the earth in mind. Not only are there several energy-efficient features (not the least of…
Inland Northwest Homes & Lifestyles magazine, a bi-monthly publication put out by the Spokane Journal of Business, announced today a clever contest it's hosting this spring.Readers are invited to design a tablescape--either for indoor or outdoor eating--and photograph it. A team of judges will choose…
A couple of months ago, my friend Klay—who also happens to be a Down To Earth graphic designer, a crafter and the blogger at Klaydoughdreams—gave me a big box of fabric she no longer needed. Klay, who is pregnant, was converting her sewing room into…
Indie craft fairs have been popping up all over the country over the last several years. There are the Renegade Fairs in Brooklyn, L.A., Chicago and San Francisco and every month in Portland there’s the Crafty Wonderland, to name just a couple.It looks like some…
Two popular fabric and sewing stores--The Top Stitch in Spokane and Bear Paw Quilting in Coeur d'Alene--have moved to new, larger locations.The Top Stitch settled into its new spot at 3808 N. Monroe St., right behind Kim’s Teriyaki in the Garland District, last week. Or,…
Ruby Street Antiques isn’t one of the oldest businesses in Spokane, but it’s one of the most recognizable and beloved.And now, it’s closing its doors.Ruby Street Antiques has been causing drivers to rubberneck at the corner of Mission Avenue and Ruby Street for years, but…
Last week I noted that home and garden events were beginning to creep back onto the Inland Northwest's social calendar. This week there's a veritable explosion of fun stuff happening.-Let's start with a fundraiser for Slow Food's Spokane River convivium. The group will be selling…
A few weeks ago, I mentioned a do-it-yourself contest happening over at Apartment Therapy. Well, the entries are in and readers submitted some great tutorials for home-improvement projects.The contest categories included general home, kitchen, office/high tech, babies/children, and green projects. You can see a grid…
When a lot of people think of the green movement, the first thing that comes to mind is recycling. Aluminum. Paper. Plastic. Whatever.Being green also is about reusing what you already have. Sometimes that means giving new purpose to an everyday object.Like cans.It drives my…
Continuing on with the topic of MaryJanesFarm ...I wanted to direct you to their schedule of upcoming classes, which can be found here. Some one-day craft courses, including "laid-back applique" and making mini memory quilts, will be held at the Coeur d'Alene retail shop I…
Every now and then, an unfortunately long stretch of time passes where I don’t take a trip to Coeur d’Alene. It’s only 35 miles away from Spokane, but for one reason or another months can go by without me visiting.Once I finally get there, I…
By now you’ve probably heard of Artocracy, the brainchild of Spokane artist Megan Murphy. Artocracy is “a virtual art space connecting artists and patrons through the sale of affordable art,” according to the organization’s Web site.Here’s how it works: Murphy displays the work of artists…
The home/garden/craft calendar has been pretty slow the last couple of months, but I sense that things are picking up.Here are some highlights from this week:-Drop-in knitting at the Spokane Public Library's South Hill branch. Librarian and avid knitter Monica Smith leads the group and…
Artist and crafter Maggie Wolcott writes about craft events in and around Spokane, as well as her own adventures in creating and repurposing. Her DwellWellNW posts include project and decorating ideas, recipes, reviews of events, and interviews with local artists. Maggie spends her days as an English professor, and when she’s not grading papers, she can generally be found with a paintbrush or scissors in hand. She can be reached at mebullock@gmail.com.
