Patriotic Mesh Wreath

I like making mesh wreaths, but sometimes I just don't have the time to make the ones I imagine myself making.  I've been pondering the design and creation a patriotic wreath for months now, and haven't been able to commit the time.

It just so happened that (on our way home from camping last weekend) we were driving through the small town of Siler City, NC and decided to stop for dinner.  We pondered over where to eat, considering the slim number of choices , and then decided on a locally-owned restaurant that had a gift shop attached.  That is when I fell in love... with this wreath.

It was perfect.  Not exactly what I would have made, but better in some ways.  Simple, yet almost just like a large flag.  It's large, but with my tucked-in porch it is very visible from the road, which is what I wanted.  One less thing to worry about having the time to do.

Teacher Appreciation

Teachers are an extension of you.  You depend on them to direct your child in their learning when they are not at home.  Great teachers are those who positively influence your child, beyond the book knowledge.  We have been so thankful to have such wonderful teachers at my oldest daughter's school.

This year, for teacher appreciation week, we gave her this:

Apparently we ruined a perfectly good mascara day.  I know how that can be.  We, especially my daughter, will sincerely miss being in her class.

Book Exchange Birthday Party

After discussing some birthday ideas with my almost-7 year old, such as a craft party, etc, she settled on a book exchange.  We have harder times with ideas for her, since the weather here is so unpredictable in January.  She absolutely LOVES books, and goes through them very quickly.  She currently has a fixation on the Rainbow Magic books, and also still loves Magic Treehouse books (and FYI if you're not familiar with either series, there is no correlation between them even though Magic is in the series names for both).

She knew we were on a budget, and after all was said and done, we managed to keep the entire party, including our gift to her, which I'll tell you about later, under $100!

The idea behind the book exchange, which grown-ups also do for fun, is to wrap a gently used book that you enjoyed reading.  At the end of the party you each go home with a different book.   This is supposed to be in lieu of bringing a gift for the birthday girl.  I created the invitations in MS Word based on inspiration from Reid Girls Handmade.  It cost me only $3 for copies to be made on cardstock at the local office supply store.  Ribbon and envelopes are always on hand in my craft room, so no extra $ spent there.

We did a game that was like Dirty Santa, but only 1 girl stole from another, so I'm not sure these young girls understood the game part.  (LOL)  It was great watching the girls see their new book in the end, there was a lot of excitement in the room!  Each girl filled out a simple card to place inside that told who brought it and what they enjoyed about the book (see above pic).

I did some very simple decorations.  My daughter didn't want any balloons, so I used green and blue buckets (her favorite colors) to hold flowers and drape ribbon.  The ribbon tied in with the bookmarks that they made.

I bought jumbo paper clips for them to tie ribbon on.  The girls ended up recruiting their moms to help.  I had a bucket of small ribbon pieces, told them to pick out about 10 each, and tie them to the top of the clip.  I thought it was such a cute idea, and the ribbon was no extra cost for me, since I have a TON of it upstairs in my craft room.

Lastly, we had an ice cream social.  The birthday girl did not want cake, since she doesn't like frosting.  So, per her request, we had ice cream, homemade whipped cream, and fresh fruit- a selection of fresh blueberries, sliced strawberries, and sliced bananas.

It was a nice relaxing party, no hustle and bustle, and the girls all had a great time.  Best of all, it didn't break the bank.

Our gift to her was an LED book light that has a charging station (and the special edition book Belle the Birthday Fairy).  We let the girls read at bedtime (we encourage reading), and feel it gives them flexibility and not 'feeling' forced to lay there when they're not yet tired.  We've used glow bracelets in the past to provide them the extra light.  The book light was definitely something she loved- my husband even found her using it in a dark room in the middle of the day one day!

Christmas Giving

Last night our family read from 1 Peter 5: 1-7. We talked about what it means to be humble, what greed is, and putting others before us. Then we sat down at the table with strips of red, green and white foam (could be construction paper), a stapler and some pens. On each piece we wrote someone or a situation to be praying about. I didn't count, but based on how much I think I cut out, we probably had about 60. Then we linked them together in a chain, using the stapler. Then we went to a more comfortable place in the house and each prayed. We prayed that God would lift up each of those people and situations. The girls prayed, too, and it was so sweet.

Last year I shared with you a mission that we supported at Christmastime, when we bought a bed, food and Bibles for children and families in Haiti and Honduras, through Lifeline Christian Mission, a great organization that I know is reputable.

Another great organization that we learned more about this year is called Gospel for Asia. They have a Christmas campaign where you can donate things that will truly impact the lives of the recipients.
For example: "Have you ever received a rooster or hen as a Christmas present? Maybe not, but for a Dalit family, these animals are a welcome gift—and often the source of 200-300 eggs a year! And when the pair produces chicks, they will continue to provide nourishment and income."

It is so simple, and your children, if you have children, will also enjoy hearing about the different ways you can help families. Make them a part of this giving process!

"Here's my concern: that you care for God's flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way."

1 Peter 5:2-3 (The Message)

Entertaining at Christmas

 

My mom had a Christmas party this weekend.  There were around 50 people in her home.  There was a lot of food, so that everyone could have a 'floating' dinner.  

Mom asked if I could make signs for some of the food items, so that people would not feel the need to ask what certain things were.

I came up with these little bags that contain soft peppermint sticks.  I took some copper wire and looped around a pencil, stuck the wire down into the peppermints, took a cellophane square and pulled the corners and sides up into a bag shape and tied it with a small piece of silver cord.  I punched out the scalloped oval and regular ovals, along with a tiny hole punch to fit the wire in.  Tightened the wire to hold the paper firm.

When the party was ending and people were leaving with goodies, we pulled the wire out and handed over the peppermints!

Another idea: These would make fun place cards for a festive Christmas table setting, which the guests could each take home afterwards!

Merry Christmas!

So Many Ways with Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies are so often overlooked by more popular cookies, but I'm here to tell you that they are near the top of my list.  Where else can you find so many cool things to do with them?  In the past I have stamped them with a cookie stamp and hand painted them with edible paints.  Also I have sprinkled them with colored sugar crystals before baking.

This year I...

• Dipped in milk chocolate and then chopped walnuts  (Let set on wax paper in the fridge.)
• Dollop of milk chocolate and topped with Andes Mint Chips
• Sandwiched with lemon curd, and dusted with powdered sugar

I got rave reviews at my mom's Christmas party.  The recipe came from Kids in the Holiday Kitchen which is a cookbook I talked about in my last post.  They were divine!


These last a while, so not only are they great to make ahead for a party, they would also be wonderful packaged up for a gift!

What do you do with shortbread cookies?

Sweet granola

I love making granola.  When my daughter's school had granola on the needs list for their fundraiser breakfast, I offered to make some.  I had already made my Banana Bread for the same breakfast, but there were some items that didn't get signups, so I decided to help some more.

There are a lot of granola recipes out there, and they vary so much.  I will say from experience that I do not recommend using quick oats for your granola.  They make a much starchier taste, and if you're not careful it can also make your granola dry and chewy.

I wouldn't normally make something so sweet for our family.  Since this is for a more general population, I made a sweet, delicious version.  It clumps nicely, but not too much.  I used sweetened coconut, but unsweetened would also work well and would be my personal preference.  Since this was to be served with fruit and yogurt at the breakfast, I chose not to mix in any dried fruit.

Sweet Granola

5 cups whole oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt

Mix the above 'dry' ingredients.  Then in a separate bowl/measuring cup combine the following:

1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla

Blend the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well until the mixture is evenly moistened and not clumpy.  Lay out on nonstick foil in a jelly roll pan. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 40 minutes, stirring once at 30 minutes.  Cool in pan, stirring after 30 minutes to break up into clumps.  Store in an airtight container.  Mix in 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries if you desire!

This would make a great gift for a friend or family member, as long as their diet is not restricted!

Wine Bottle Crafts (and other bottles, too!)

I worked on a project this fall for Christmas gifts.  It was slow going, at first, but the end result was amazing.  First, I collected wine bottles of varying shapes, sizes and colors.  I asked friends and family to donate their bottles to me, so I actually had more than enough (great for any mess ups that I need to toss).  

To prep them I had to soak them in very hot water and scrape every last bit of sticky glue from the labels off.

Part 1:  I bought 3 complimentary colors of spray paint that was okay to use on glass.  I chose a copper, gold and shimmery blue.  I sprayed the wine bottles with the colors of spraypaint.  No real patterns, some more than others... until they looked good to me.  I did this in my front yard on a piece of cardboard and let the breeze dry them.  Once they looked good to me, and they were dry, I took them inside for part two.

Prep for Part 2:  I bought a fancy looking foam stamp for a few dollars.  I already had some of the Lumiere acrylic paint (Metallic Copper) that was leftover from some old projects (and was starting to dry up some) and a piece of plastic from a paper pack that would later become trash.

Part two: I took the acrylic paint and put some on the plastic.  I stamped my foam stamp and rolled it on the bottles.  Some areas were tricky, but I wasn't looking for a perfect clear image each time, but instead wanted to get the idea of the image.  The fact that the paint was kind of drying in the jar helped give the image more depth and texture.  I allowed this to dry on the bottles at least overnight.  Then back outside they went to be sealed with a clear acrylic spray, in matte.

Lastly, I bought some different stoppers and pour spouts for the bottles, depending on use.  I found a supplier online that was relatively inexpensive, but where I could tell I was getting a decent product.  Some examples where you might use this with a pour spout: fill with some olive oil, bath gel (or bubble bath), or dish soap!  (You can see the olive oil in the blue bottle above, I gave that one to my brother.)  An example of a use for the stopper: bath salts or powder.

Hope this inspires you to create something for a gift!

Pajama Party Treats

Call me crazy, but I'm no fan of the typical birthday party treat bag.  Full of candy and toys that don't last long... I know the kids like them, but a month later they're long forgotten.  This year, my daughter decided that she wanted to have a pajama party with pizza and a movie.  Since her birthday is in January, the weather here is too unpredictable for an outdoor party.


I made each of the girls 2 things that tied in with the theme, which was the movie "Barbie & The Diamond Castle."  I bought some dot fleece with the Barbie signature and made each girl a no-sew scarf.  Just cut the fleece in strips about 8" wide, then snipped the ends about 7-8 times, maybe 4" length, and tied knots on each one.  (Just wait until I share what I did with the leftover fleece!)

I also bought two coordinating pattern fabrics, one with Barbie signature design on it, and the other with hearts that were really meant for Valentine's, but worked well with the Barbie fabric.   I bought a case of 10 pillow forms from United Pillow, the travel size (14x20, I think it was).  I made pillow cases for each of the girls that had a ruffled edge.  It simply required a gather stitch.  I'm willing to do a pillow case tutorial if enough people would like to see, it's really quite simple.

My serger is temporarily not functioning properly (I broke the needle plate) and so to finish the sewn edges I simply added a zigzag stitch after the straight stitch.  I then trimmed the excess fabric.  I hated having to do it that way, but at least I was able to finish the project.

We ended up having 9 girls total (including my daughter), and they all had a blast.  They also seemed to really like the scarves and pillows.  A treat that will last more than an hour, a day, or a week.

Quick Personalized Gift

Need a gift that is personalized and thoughtful?  Here is a great idea.  I'm sure I've done something similar before, but these little notecards were so lovely in blue and brown.  I have protected the initials of the recipient since this is a Christmas gift.

I picked up the notecards at a local store.  I used my scalloped punch with some strips of brown cardstock.  I glued them on the top of the notecard.  I then used my JustRite monogram stamper (1-5/8 round with Curlz font) to create a monogram for the recipient.  I stamped in brown ink on white cardstock.  I used my 1-3/4 inch circle punch to punch a perfect circle around it after I stamped, then used a Glue Dot to adhere.  I also used the same monogram with Versamark on the envelope flaps for a watermark look. 

Using a simple cello bag and some coordinating ribbons, I had the gift ready to go!

This is a great idea for teachers, hostesses, coworkers...  It's December 1st, have you fulfilled your Christmas gift list?

Apple Butter and Cards!

I made apple butter this weekend.  I've actually never made it before until now.  I got inspired by a fellow blogger, Danielle, who had very good instructions on her blog, The Dani Daily.  She also provided a link on how to can using the boiling water method, which I also did for the first time this weekend.  It was not hard and her recipe was delicious!  I will definitely do this again, I may never buy apple butter again.  Okay, maybe, but it gives me a new appreciation for apple butter.  And I'm now inspired to explore other possibilities, using different fruits!  These would be great gifts for friends and neighbors.

I haven't posted many cards lately, but here are three that I did recently, 2 for bridal showers and one for a friend to give to her mother for her birthday.

The first card: I used the Stampin' Up Medallion stamp with silver embossing, along with a clear stamp for the sentiment.  The cardstock and decorative paper are grey and from Stampin' Up.

Same stamps for the purple card, however I stamped in purple ink and used Crystal Effects for a raised appearance.  I used a textured purple cardstock from Stampin' Up and a designer paper from Martha Stewart's collection.  I also used my marker airbrush type tool that sprays ink for effect, and added a rhinestone brad in the center of the medallion.

On the birthday card, I used their new butterfly punch with textured cardstock and 3 adhesive backed crystals in the middle.  Two of the cards I used a punch to round the edges, just for a softened look.

Have a great week!

Girl's Hair Clip

I made this simple (but very pretty) hair clip for my older daughter.  Click on the thumbnail of her hair for a close-up of the final product.

For this project, I used:
Sewing Machine (with thread)
3 knit flowers (mine were from Stampin' Up!)
3 buttons
hair clip
hot glue

Simply sew the buttons onto the flowers, and trim excess thread..  Glue the side flowers first, then the 2 remaining flowers.  If you don't have a sewing machine, you could pick up some cute brads to put in the center of the flowers and then glue on.

Voila!

Diaper Straps!!!

I had to do this. It's the coolest thing, and since we have a little one still in diapers it only made sense for us to try it out! I love this. How simple is this, too, to make as a gift for someone. Sometimes you just want to make or give a small gift where you don't have a lot of money to spend, or don't know the person well enough to justify spending a whole lot. Or maybe it's for that family who probably has everything from their first/other children, but maybe you want to give them something to let them know you're celebrating the newest addition to their family. Whatever the reason, this little something is perfect- the diaper strap!

I found a blog, Calico, where Cally gives a simple tutorial on how to make this strap. It's incredibly easy and fast. I made about 4 in one hour, and possibly could do more next time. Cally makes the point that [these days] many moms and dads aren't carrying the bulky, typical diaper bags that used to be the norm. This diaper strap simplifies things. Also, if you are headed into a public restroom, mom or dad, you don't have to take the entire bag with you. In ours I have the little wipes container, 2 diapers and 1 disposable changing pad. Plenty of room left (based on length of velcro) to add more if we needed to.
So I made these 4 diaper straps with fabrics I already had in my stash, and the button embellishments are from my antique button jar. Leopard print, batik with leaves, boating, and polka dots. Would love to know what you think about this project! Also, if you're a parent of a child in diapers, or planning to become a parent soon, would you use one?

Hope you're having a fabulous weekend!

Blossom and Handbag

So I've been wanting to make a flower out of fabric scraps... I have lots of scraps, even from hemming pants. That's how this first blossom came to life. It was the 1.5" hem off the bottom of some grey pants that I hemmed. It worked out perfectly. I wanted the edges to be raw and curl just a bit. It's hard to see in the picture. For this project, I did a loose baste stitch across the bottom and pulled to gather. then I wrapped it around starting at the center of the circle. I then stitched it together by hand. To add a little more flair I used a button from that "extra button" pouch that came with a suit I have. VERY FAST project.

That blossom was the perfect complement to this handbag I created. It's from Martha Stewart's website and is INCREDIBLY easy to make, less than 1 hour easily. I made 2 of the same in about an hour. I used a pretty wool plaid in pink and grey, which I'm in the process of making myself a poncho. To line, I have yards and yards of a gorgeous dark grey material that I'm tempted to make a suit with, but haven't started because I like quick projects. It is, in fact, reversible. And it's so cute, I've added pics of the handle untucked and tucked below.

You have to print the template and then zoom to 200%. The easiest way to do it is to cut the original printout into 4 equal parts and then expand each to 200%, then cut out and tape together the final template. The rest of the instructions and tips are on Martha's website, including the clip from her show when they showed how to make it.

What a cool idea for gifts!!! Even without the blossom this handbag is the cutest.

More to come soon!

Gift Ideas and Making Use of Scrap Fabric.

I'm going to be sharing some gift ideas in the next couple of months. Today I made a hand towel bag. It can be used for many purposes and done several ways. I hope to show a different version soon. The bamboo handles on this one can slide out and it's washable!

Ideas for giving this as a gift:

• Beach bag: Choose bright colors like the one shown today. Add a book, some sunscreen and a snack, and it can be carried to the beach!
• Bath/Shower bag: I thought of people who travel or go to camp. This can be filled with shampoo, shower gel, a puff and other bath toiletries, tailored for the person you have in mind.
• Make it even more special: Have it monogrammed for a friend or couple getting married. Take it to the monogrammer before stitching up into a bag.
• For a child: Fill with outdoor toys for the beach or park, bubbles, sand castle toys, gardening toys.

It's such a simple bag to make and can be such an incredible gift, and if you do it right, can also save money when planning your gift giving.

Is there anyone on your list that might like a bag like this?

I also started going through some scrap fabrics today. I have some exciting things planned. But for today I had a piece of fabric too small for much of anything, so I turned it into a simple zipper pouch. I had a small zipper that had been on clearance at the fabric store some time ago. It came together in less than 10 minutes! It's about the size of a wallet and could hold cosmetics, money, you name it. These are so cheap and easy, they make great stocking stuffers or simple birthday surprises.

More great projects to come, hope you are inspired to do some of your own! Christmas is 3 months away, tomorrow!