Good Wreath, Bad Wreath

Who knew there could be such a thing, right?  I thought all wreaths were happy, pretty decorative love.  Not so.  Not so at all, my friends.

Let's start with the good wreaths because they make me quite happy.  These matching little darlings are going to hang on either side of the steps leading up to my front door.  These were so easy it literally took me 10 minutes. 

Believe it or not, they are just dollar store wreaths.  I hot glued mini ornaments from Target and tied and bow and viola'!  The thing that took the longest was making dollar store wreaths look like wreaths and not like a piece of wire with green spokes sticking out.  I'm really in love with them!

Now, on to bad wreaths.  You know all those gorgeous wreaths you see on Pinterest and Flickr that say things like "this was so easy to do"  and "OMG, this just came together naturally".  Well, they're lying.  Or maybe not lying...maybe it's like childbirth, a few hours after the baby is born and is healthy and swaddled up cooing at you, you forget that you just ejected that living being from your body.  Perhaps these wreaths look so darn cute afterwards that you suddenly forget all the burnt fingers from hot glue, the way the bulbs will not and do not just settle into place and no part of making it was fun.  Not a dang part.

I will never forget.  I will never make another one.  Maybe I'm a little bitter because mine does not look darn cute.  It's more oblong than circular and the stupid coat hanger shows through.  I knew about 1/4 of the way through that I was going to hate it, but I was committed to finishing.  I've been working on it for two weeks now, just so you know.  And I cheated and had J cut the stupid clothes hanger down today so I could stop adding balls and just finish it. 

So fair warning...don't expect cute.  Expect done....and maybe passable from a distance:

I'm almost embarrassed to show it.  Can you see the white coat hanger showing in places.  No one said that would happen.  No one.  I am going to fix that because it's driving me crazy, but I'll be hot gluing a couple of baby ornaments on there, not feeding them onto some stupid dumb coat hanger that would probably be happier still hanging in my closet unused.

So anyway, that was my crafty day, how about yours??

Always,

K

More Pink Christmas

Yes, I'm still obsessed with my styrofoam trees.  This one was actually made last year, but not finished in time for Christmas. 

I simply took the idea of the fabric Christmas ornaments that I had been making for gifts for a few years and adapted it to the cone. 

Here is a few of the ornaments I couldn't seem to part with.  I keep them out year round in a big cookie jar.

Today we're decorating the house and watching a marathon of Harry Potter movies that we DVR'd.  I hope to get some baking and Christmas crafting in also.  Looks like another late night for me!

And better late than never I'm linking to Thrifty Thursday's on Quilted Cupcake!

Always,

K

Christmas Flag

I'm not sure If I ever got around to posting my Christmas Flag last year, so as I just dragged it out from the cave of my basement I decided to post it.  I just used sturdy canvas and machine appliqued the trees on.  The first pic is before it was exposed to the elements:

The next pic is after it had been outside for awhile.  The rain and snow caused the fusible adhesive I used to crinkle the trees and border a bit, but I liken it to a nice crinkly quilt after free motion quilting and washing.  **Note that the flag is situated under a covered porch and only indirectly gets wet**

Hope you like it!

Always,

K

Homespun Holidays

I am a huge fan of Allison over at Cluck Cluck Sew.  She does amazing work and has awesome ideas.  Two years ago she had a tutorial for a Copy Cat Scarf based on one she saw at The Gap.  My sister made me one for Christmas that year and it's still one of my favorites.

I decided to make the scarf for some quick gifts this year and am so glad I did.  The hardest (and by hardest I mean most time intensive) part is the fringing.  I sewed one up yesterday to make sure it turned out right after washing before doing the other 6 I have planned to make.

Here it is fringed but not yet washed:

After a quick wash and tumble in the dryer, here it is all fringy:

And a close up of the fringing:

I'm so happy how it turned out and am off to make the other 6.  I hope to have them all sewn and ready for fringing before the Ravens game today so I can do all that tedious fringing while watching the Ravens stomp the Browns!

Think I can do it, the game is in 3 hours?  (I wouldn't place money on it, I'm horrible at time management!)

Always,
K

Thrift Store Score

As I mentioned yesterday, my sister's and I were getting together on Black Friday to craft.  We had a great time, even if we barely got anything done!  We decided we needed to go shopping, which threw off most of our crafty time, but I got a bunch of goodies from the thrift store so that made me happy. (And of course the bonus was that even though we didn't craft much, we did spend time together and that was what was most important!)

One of my favorite finds was this Candy Cane Softy.  As a lover of anything polka dots this was right up my alley.  It was in great condition, but I wasn't loving the lace.

After a bit of pretty white rick rack and 5 minutes of my time, it looks much better and is all ready to hang....somewhere!

I also scored a free 6' bookshelf compliments of my sister.  It was headed to the thrift store and her wonderful hubby (Mr. Cupcake) and my nephew finagled it into the back of my Rodeo so that I have more fabric storage in my studio!
Today I'm going to attempt to make the Tulle Tutu Tree from the tutuorial on Quilted Cupcake.  I got the prettiest vase to use as the base!  We'll see how that goes, I've never worked with Tulle before!
Always,
K

My Not-Quite-Martha Mat

When I first saw this awesome door mat a la Martha Stewart over at Say Yes to Hoboken, I was immediately in love.  I was going to make that mat! 

I ran to Home Depot the next day and had the nicest boy cut my wood for me.  Hmmm, the sizes Martha suggests for the length would cover my whole tiny porch!  No problem, I'll improvise and lay my slats length-wise.  Spray paint?  Those are some pretty cool colors, I'm going to get each of them.  Check.

Then, I left all of those pretty colors at my sister's house for, oh say about 6 months?

Not being known as a big improviser (or being known for improvising or coloring outside of the lines EVER) I took this opportunity to give it a try.   I'm not completely pleased with the results, but I am very happy that I did at least complete the project.  I ended up using it indoors by my basement door since I didn't get as far as weather proofing it..

I still have another set of 8 slats that I'm going to do another mat with...maybe go for all the same color or one or two colors instead. If I get the motivation up I may do a blue/gray combo for winter.

Tomorrow I'm off to craft with my sisters for the day....I can't wait!

Always,

K

Natural Tree

So this styrofoam tree was made specifically for J.  He is NOT a "Deck The Halls" kind of guy.  He's a bah humbug, Christmas is too commercialized kinda guy.  So This basic tree made with jute, a stick star and just a couple of pearl beads is right up his alley.

He liked it...even though he just HAD to point out the star reminds him of the Blair Witch Project stick piles.  Thanks, J.

Oh, and after a trip to the dentist this morning, I already stopped at the dollar store for more styrofoam trees.  (The last two they had...I wonder who's been buying them all? Oh yeah...me!)

Enjoy your week!

Always,

K

Pink Christmas

I admit it, I have an addiction to the styrofoam cones from the dollar store.  I cannot go there without walking out with one (or three).  I man, they're a DOLLAR.  Do you know how much Michael's or AC Moore charges for the same thing?  Well, neither do I, but I assure you, it's not a dollar!

This is the first creation for my stryofoam tree display this year:

Can you say cuteness?  I used up most of my left over pink Prima flowers from back in my scrapbooking days and added a few random pink and white beads to give it some depth.  The pink polka dot ribbon topper is some of my favorite ribbon. 

I admit this took some time pinning all those darn flowers, but I just love the outcome!

Stay tuned for more styroform trees to join the display. Would love to hear any ideas anyone has for decorating the half dozen or so I still have to do!

Always,

K

Candy Jar Christmas

Yes, I've gone a bit Christmas crazy this year.  Christmas is normally a pretty sad time of year for me snce the passing of my Mom, but I'm really trying to get into the spirit this year.  Mom loved Christmas and I know she wouldn't want me to be sad.

I've been wanting to do more ornament jars and this Candy Jar fit the bill.  I picked it up a year ago at a yard sale for .50.  How I beat my sister to it, I'll never know!  This one is going to be the centerpiece on my dining room table. 

What have you been working on?

Always,
K

More Homemade Christmas

I made this apothacary jar last year because I saw a really cute tutorial for it.  Unfortunately, once it was done and filled with gum balls I didn't like it so much.  For one thing, the ball on the top is too big.  It's sat in my craft studio trying to fit in but not quite making it.  I decided the other day that it was time for it to get donated to the thrift store to make room for something I really liked. 

Then I came across a cute idea on Pinterest (where else?!?) and I decided to repurpose it for Christmas instead.  Ditch the gumballs, add some epson salt "snow" and a couple of vintage ornaments and I'm kinda liking it again.  I'm going to leave it as is for now, but I think once Christmas is over I'll repaint it white and scuff it up some.  Maybe fill it with felt hearts for Valentines day?  We'll see!

Here's a close up of the vintage ornaments I scored at a yard sale last summer.  A box of 9 for .50 in perfect condition. They were originally bought from Valley View Farms for those Maryland locals who may know where I mean.  I couldn't find a date, but the box of 8 was 6.99 originally.

I still have several Christmas projects to share, so stay tuned!

Always,

K

Linking to:

Deck The Halls With Buttons!

I love buttons.  What crafter doesn't?  But I tend to horde them, not use them.  Lately I've seen tons of ideas on Pinterest for using them up so I decided to try my hand at a simple button tree.

I'm really happy with how it turned out.  Out of pocket cost was $0 since I used an old frame, buttons, beads and some linen fabric I already had on hand.  This has definately made me want to make more and more Christmas projects early. 

I usually wait until, around December 24th at 2am to start making Christmas projects, so I'm over 2 months early this year.  I will have some more Christmas projects to share in the next few days.  And maybe another fall project or two before it's too late to use all those yummy fall colors in some projects!

K

As usual, linking to  
I swear I wouldn't get my posts done if my wonderful sister didn't remind me that I forgot to link to her weekly blog party!

Christmas Lantern

So far, this is my absolute favorite Christmas project I've done this year.  I'm not sure this one will be topped.  Even J loves it and he seriously hates Christmas decorations.

I got the original idea from Welcome Sunshine Home via Pinterest (of course!).  I was obsessed with making this lantern.  When my sisters and I went shopping this week at several local thrift stores I found this lantern for $2.92.  Score!

It took me about 30 mins (and most of that was fussing around with it) to make it all Christmas-y!

It's so shiny and pretty it may just have to be one of those things that sits out in my craft room year round.

Have you started on your Christmas crafts yet?

K

More Fall Fun

I'm still busy crafting!  Yesterday I made this cute wreath:

I wanted to keep it simple and I like that the star pattern on the wreath is visible. 

I also found a tutorial for this cool star ornament from House Revivals that I kind of modified for my tastes. (Which totally means that I did not follow the directions and ended up with something different...twice!)

Both were pretty quick to make by using cardstock quality scrapbook paper. 

I'll be spending the day doing a few more crafts, so check back soon for another update!

K

Linking to:

Pumpkin Trio

There is no better time to catch up than fall.  I have finally climbed out of the mojo-funk I've been in and have been crafting away at fall and even Christmas projects!

Today I wanted to share the pumpkin trio I made for $3.  I found these cute lil pumpkins at the dollar store for just a dollar each and everything else I already had "in stock" as my sister says.

How cute are these guys? They were pretty quick and easy too, which is a huge plus in my book.

I'll show you some close ups and hopefully you will love them as much as I do!

The polka dot pumpkin was the easiest.  I just made a little ribbon from a tutorial I found on Pinterest (OMG, I am addicted to Pinterest, aren't you?!?) and added the dots by dipping the eraser of a pencil into black paint. 

For the ribbon pumpkin I used dressmakers pins that I had gotten in a batch of stuff picked up from freecycle to pin the ribbon to the top and bottom of the pumpkin and tied another ribbon on the top. The orange ribbon looks kind of off in this picture because of the lights but it matches much better in person.

This one is my personal favorite.  I call it a doodle pumpkin.  I drew the doodles onto the pumpkin with pencil then used more dressmakers pins to complete the designs.  The light really dulled them down, they are very bling-ish in person!  I'm not sure the aqua ribbon will stay.  I was trying to do something diffferent instead of a bow and I think I will have to find something else because I'm not loving the ribbon.

Check back this weekend for some more crafty updates.  I have lots to share thanks to my revived motivation!

K

PS  I'm linking to my sister, Quilted Cupcake's, new feature, Thrifty Thursday's.  Pop on over and check it out and add your thrifty/low cost craft projects!

Better Late Than Never?

Yes, yes, I know, I have once again dropped the ball and let too much time pass before an update.  And this little post will attest to it, since I've been wanting to share the wonderful present my oldest sister made me for my birthday....last October.  Can you say procrastinator?
It's wonderful to have crafty sisters who understand the need to be creative and who give the MOST AWESOME handmade gifts.
This is just one example:

I love this for a ton of reasons, but mostly because my sister cared enough to make it for me.  It was one of the best birthday gifts I've ever received!  Now I just have to clean up my studio and get back to my crafty ways!

The weather is supposed to be in the high 60's tomorrow and I'm hoping to get some quality painting time in.  There is a small bookcase in my hallway that is just begging to be painted and distressed.  I wish I could share a pic with you now, but, honestly, I didn't realize just how dusty the darn thing was in the picture and I'm way too embarrassed to post it.  I'll make sure to take before and afters if I do get to work on it tomorrow though!

always,

K

Have you seen my mojo?

I took a bit of a break...okay, a bit more than a bit...let's face it, I dropped the ball.    But after much badgering from my sister's I'm trying to get back into being a crafty girl.  I'm starting small, like peeking at my favorites on Flikr to see what inspires me. 

Honestly, a lot inspires me, but I can't seem to find the motivation to get started.  I actually have worked on a few things here and there, mostly Christmas stuff (told you I was slacking!) that I hope to share later this week.

For today I thought I'd share some of what inspired me on Flickr then go from there, so here goes!

I'll start with my sister, for obvious reasons.  You may know her as Quilted Cupcake.  She inspires me on a daily basis.  She runs her own business, runs a house with two boys (nuff said), hosts a crafy podcast and makes time every single day to be creative.  Below is her candy display from this past Christmas.  I just love how she puts things together. (By the way, I have two other crafty sisters that I plan to post about in a separate post.  See, I'm planning ahead!)



Rick Cheadle inspires me too.  I know I've shared some of his whimsical painted furniture before, but he keeps coming out with more stuff I love.  I think this one is my favorite so far:


I love pillows as well.  This one by monaw2008 is right up my alley with the red and teal houses:



I have to admit, zipper flowers entrance me.  I can't figure out how they turn out so darn cute from just a zipper!  Love this one from The Queen of Re:


This quilt from lalasmom is a hoot!  I love applique and although these owls are probably meant for a childs's bed, I'd love to have this on my bed!


So that's it for now.  Just my way of dipping my feet back into the world of blog land.  I'm going to try my best to go back to posting more regularly.  I know once summer gets closer and I start going to yard sales  and pull out the spray paint I'll be back in the swing of things!

Always,
K