In His Grip

Homemade Christmas

There is just something about a homemade Christmas gift that I just love.  Not only does it have that one-of-a-kind, special quality to it, you know that it was made especially for you.  Every year I am on the lookout for that special homemade gift idea that I can make for the special folks in my life.  My goal is for the gift to mean just a bit more than a gesture given at Christmas time.  This year I found these great ornaments at Homegrown Hospitality.  Stephanie is a fabulous artist and offers online classes several times a year and these ornaments were part of her “Welcome Home for the Holidays” class. Once I decided that these "JOY" ornaments were what I was going to make it seemed everywhere I turned, JOY was there.  Panera, one of my favorite meeting spots, had "brimming with JOY" as their holiday cup designs.

In this season of life I will choose JOY.  When I have had a tough day and things do not go my way, “I will choose JOY.”  When circumstances are disappointing, “I will choose JOY.”  When life is fantastic and I find great surprises along the way, it is easy to, “choose JOY.” 

In this Christmas season “I will choose JOY,” and am reminded of one of my favorite Bible passages.

Psalms 100

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

Worship the Lord with gladness.

Come before him, singing with joy.

Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

He made us, and we are his.

We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;

go into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good.

His unfailing love continues forever,

and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Join me and "choose JOY" this Christmas.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring, Knick of Time,The Ivy Cottage, Elizabeth & Co., The Winthrop Chronicles, The Dedicated House, The Lettered Cottage, Live Laugh Rowe, Seven Alive, 52 Mantels, Bloom, Adorned From Above, Hi Sugarplum, Savvy Southern Style, Yesterday on Tuesday, Clean and Sensible, Mom, On Timeout

Fancy Jar Candles

There’s something about candles that seem to promise a good time.  Candles just might be the cheapest, easiest, and most impressive accessories out there.  The flicker from a taper turns a simple meal in to a special occasion and the glow of votives bring a soft warmth to your space.  This is why I love burning candles and always have.  I especially like to burn candles this time of year, the flame of a candle just seems to make me warm.  I don’t know why, its not like the fire is enough to create heat, but seeing that little flame helps me have the impression of warmth.  There have been many a candle mishap in my past with wax running all over, red wax dripping onto the carpet, wax on a vintage tablecloth, and sadly enough the list goes on.  I am here to tell you the trouble with candles has never included a fire up to this point.  Because of these past mishaps and a friend who is a fire chief, I tend to go towards the safer jar candles these days.  Like I have said before, I am teachable.  Jar candles don’t seem to cause the wax running all over and dripping onto things that are non replaceable problem.  But who likes just a plain jar candle?  Certainly not this over the top creative/decorating kind of gal. 

I purchased these jar candles 3 for $10 last week at Michaels but knew that I had to fancy them up just a bit.

I took some burlap ribbon that I had purchased at Picture Perfect Interiors  as well as a complimentary snowflake ribbon I found and wrapped the jar, gathering it in the middle with wire.

 

I then hot glued a couple of springs of greenery and berries that I had wired together covering the wire with an old button.  And ta da, I have a fancy jar candle. 

Placing all three candles in a wooden tray that I had and sprinkling in some glittery white and silver balls created a nice little display on my coffee table.  I can light these candle each evening and not worry about the wax flowing where it is not supposed to go and still enjoy the warmth that candles bring. 

I am participating in the following link ups:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring, Knick of Time,The Ivy Cottage, Elizabeth & Co., The Winthrop Chronicles, The Dedicated House, The Lettered Cottage, Live Laugh Rowe, Seven Alive, 52 Mantels, Bloom, Adorned From Above, Hi Sugarplum, Savvy Southern Style, Yesterday on Tuesday, Clean and Sensible, Mom, On Timeout

 

 

Upcycled Sweater Pillows

Yay, I know I have not been around my blog lately.  Life has just been happening and my blog has taken a backseat.  But that does not mean I have not been creating.  The holiday season always seems to inspire me more than any other time of year.  I just don’t seem to have enough hours in the day to do all that I would like. So, I have learned to prioritize (okay, so it has taken me over 40 years to learn, but I am teachable) those things that I most want done.  These upcycled sweater pillows were on the of top the list.  I have made pillows from upcycled sweaters before.  You can see them here.  The cool thing about using sweaters that have been worn is that they have all of those little slubby balls and imperfections about them, making them perfect for a more vintage look.

I began my search for the deer pattern on Pinterest of course.  I searched deer pillows and found this pattern at Sew Homegrown in Japan. 

I downloaded and cut out her pattern in paper.  Before cutting out the pattern on the sweater, I applied a fusible web to the back side of the sweater to help with stability as well as adhering it to the main pillow piece making it easier to top stitch around the design. 

Here is one more tip I will give you free of charge.  When I am doing an applique, especially when working with a knit fabric, I place a piece of tissue paper under the fabric and stitch right through it.  This helps the feed dogs move more smoothly across the fabric and gives additional stability keeping the fabric from stretching out of proportion. Once you are finished stitching, you can pull the tissue paper off. 

Once I completed the deer pillow I knew that I needed a complementary pillow to accompany my new deer pillow.  Yes, of course a snowflake would be perfect.  I found the snowflake design here.

The white sweater for the deer was a much looser knit so it is a bit fuzzy, but I kind of like the look.

The sweater used for the snowflake was a tight cotton knit and ended up with a much cleaner cut.

The puff ball trim I found at Michaels.  It was a chain of the balls with edge, so I had to hand sew the trim.  I am not one to do a lot of hand sewing but the pillow really did call for this ball trim and I super happy to have taken the extra time.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring, Knick of Time,The Ivy Cottage, Elizabeth & Co., The Winthrop Chronicles, The Dedicated House, The Lettered Cottage, Live Laugh Rowe, Seven Alive, 52 Mantels, Bloom, Adorned From Above, Hi Sugarplum, Savvy Southern Style, Yesterday on Tuesday, Clean and Sensible, Mom, On Timeout, One Project Closer's The Better Half

 

DIY Ruffled Scarf

As the weather begins to cool down, I always get the urge to knit.  I like to start out with a project where I can see the results quickly and this ruffled scarf was just the answer.  My friend, Jennifer, posted a picture a couple of weeks ago on FaceBook of a scarf that she had made. With the ruffledy, colorful, goodness I knew that I was going to have to make one for myself.  I sent her a message asking for the details of her lovely project and was surprised to find out just how easy this little scarf really was.  This scarf is made using Boutique Sashay yarn by Red Heart.  Sashay is a unique kind of yarn with a touch of metallic that creates beautiful ruffle scarves and accessories with just one ball.  The yarn is more like a ribbon, about 4 inches wide.  There are great videos to teach you how to knit with the ribbon type yearn.  A scarf like mine will take only one skein and can be completed in about three hours.

The ruffles are made with only 6 stitches knitting back and fourth until the skein is used up.  I made my scraf a big loop and then just wrap it around my neck twice.  Pink being my favorite color, I chose to make it first but I have another skein of a beige and grey varigated. I found several other brands of this kind of yarn here and here.  These yarns are slightly different but knit up in the same manner.  I can't wait to wear my new scraf.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring, Knick of Time,The Ivy Cottage, Elizabeth & Co., The Winthrop Chronicles, The Dedicated House

Fall in the Dinning Room

The change in season always makes me want to make changes in my home.  Sometimes I want to make BIG changes and other times just small changes that include seasonal decorations.  I have become partial to “the rustic with some shinny thrown in” look.  Burlap has become a favorite of mine.  Now don’t worry, I have not thrown out my glittery ways, I have combined the two.  If you look around mercury glass is everywhere.  You can now find very reasonably priced mercury glass replicas in just about any shape and size.  If you know me at all, I am happy with a good fake any day. I have been collecting this silvery goodness here and there over the years and now have my share of mercury glass.  I really wanted some large silvery/mercury glass acorns, but all I could find were way out of what I consider a “reasonable” price.  So why not make my own?

I purchased this assortment of acorns from Picture Perfect Interiors and then took a can of silver metallic spray paint and went to town.  Although, they look great just silver I was not satisfied.  I decided to add a bit more sparkle.

The best glitter out there is Martha Stewart brand.  It comes in a large color selection and is very fine.  My favorite color is white gold and I used it here on the tops of my acorns.  These fake mercury glass acorns will do just fine.

There is just something about the shinny silver and neutral colors that I just love.  I stayed away for the traditional oranges and golds that I normally use in my dining room in the Fall and chose to go with a very subtle color scheme (shocker for me, I know).

The grass bushes I purchased at Michael's some time ago on a whim not really sure how I would use them.  I wasn’t sure if this neutral Fall display was going to look as good in real life as it did in my mind.  But this has to be one of my favorite buffet displays ever.

My Burch bark pumpkins that I made a couples of years ago, go great with the silvery fake mercury glass acorns along with my fall harvest table runner as well.

Burlap, mercury glass, silvery acorns and no color have turn out to be just what I had in my mind for Fall in my dining room.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring, Knick of Time, The Ivy Cottage, Elizabeth & Co., The Winthrop Chronicles, The Dedicated House

Autumn is Here

Autumn is finally here in the Midwest.  After our record breaking heat this Summer, the cool crisp mornings are a nice break.  I was looking forward to decorating for Autumn and decided to go with a natural look for my Fall porch.  I have used burlap and natural colors for my pumpkins with the only really pop of color in the Amber Mums.  I made the burlap pillows last year and wanted to add a table cloth this year.   

 

 

 

 

 

Using a 30” square of burlap, I frayed the edges and then stitched along the fray to keep it from fraying any more.  I then used my Cricut machine and cut a swirl and taped it onto the corner of my square of burlap.  Using a paint brush, I dabbed the opening with off white acrylic paint. 

This simple design turned out so good and took no time at all. 

Although, I have not completed my Fall porch this is a great start. 

I am participating in the following link ups: 

 Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans,Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage,Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely,Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More,My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna,Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom,Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do,My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, Making The World Cuter, Knick of Time, Slice of Suburbia, At the Picket Fence, French Countrty Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted in Thyme, The Charm of Home, 504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Five Days...Five Ways, Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie dust, Freckled Laundry, Answer is Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring

 

Plastic Spoons, Seriously?

Lately I have seen several crafts that at first I am not sure what they are made of.  And with closer inspection I realize they are out of plastic spoons.  These mirrors have got to be the best thing I have seen using plastic spoons.  Over at Little Things Bring Smiles, Katie gives you a step by step instructions on how to do this craft.  I am getting ready to redo my girls’ empty bedrooms and you can bet one of them will have a plastic spoon mirror hanging it in.  You can also count on the fact that I will post the results here so that you can see my finished project.  I love how three dimensional they are and a bit art deco.  I love, love, love them. 

Here is another craft with plastic spoons that took me a minute to figure out.  Seriously, I have got to try this one, you never know when you will need a plastic flower.  It just looks so fun, I cannot tell you how many times I have been sitting around a wedding reception or other party were there are plastic cutlery and candles when someone does not start to melt the “silverware”.  Now I can actually create something cute.  You can get a full tutorial over at Krafty Kat. 

Here is one more that I think looks great and also took a second to figure out what it was made of.  It looks like a Laurel wreath, pretty cool, huh.  The Nesting Place also has great instructions so that you can make one too.  So here's to plastic spoons and all of the creative things you can use them for other than eating. 

Independence Day Porch

Being patriotic has come to have so much more meaning to me over the last year.  Since I have known someone who has actually given the ultimate sacrifice for my freedom it has given me more respect for the country I call home and the men and women who choose to serve in our military.  So as Independence Day approached, I wanted to show a little patriotism on our front porch.  The flag shutter project I found in the Lowes Creative Idea magazine.  I love this free publication, you can subscribe by going here.  They have so many creative ideas for your home and garden and as soon as I saw this project, I knew that it was one that I was going to do.  I found a shutter at a junk store for $2 and it went from there. 

It seems I now have burlap pillows for every season for my porch.  Burlap is the perfect fabric to use for a pillow that will be in the weather.  I have to tie mine down here in Kansas or they would blow away.  They are so fun and easy to make.  Here is how I made this flag pillow.

Using masking tape I masked off the shape and the square for the blue.  My star cookie cutter came in handy as my star shape and I masked it as well.

Once the blue square was painted, I waited for it to dry and then masked for the red stripes.  I use acrylic craft paint to do this and a stiff brush and dab the paint on more than brush it.  The burlap soaks the paint up quickly so dry time is a snap.

Once the paint is completely dry you can pull the tape off and use this just as it is.  Once I had sewn the pieces together and stuffed the pillow I decided it need just a bit more detail. 

Getting out my red and white baker’s twine I stitched and little detail around the start and blue square as well as the entire pillow. 

Using some flags that my kids had decorated their bikes with years ago for a neighborhood 4th of July parade, I strung them on the baker’s twine and they made a fabulous flag garland.  Now we can celebrate Independence Day with a patriotic flare on the front porch.

I am participating in the following links ups: Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, Hof ouse of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely, Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More, My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna, Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom, Pinkapotmus, Between Naps on the Porch, Etcetorize, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Sew Can Do, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, My Romatic Home, A Glimpse Inside, The Concrete Cottage, No Minimalist Here, Thrifty Decorationg, Jennifer Rizzo

 

Melting Beads: Kind of Retro

Today I tried a craft that I have never tried before and it is just the perfect thing to keep tweens busy this summer.  I know I do not have any tweens in my home any more, but I do have a niece, Judiann, and I just know she and her friends are going to love this project.  While browsing on Pinterest, I found this idea of melting plastic craft beads and making sun catchers and my personal favorite, artsy bowls.  These  melted bead bowls end up looking a little retro to me and remind me of the mixing bowls that look like this.

Which then reminds me of my other niece Amanda, who is just beginning a business call RETROspective by Design.  She is into creating and repurposing all things retro.  I made my bowls with mostly clear beads, but I am thinking if you use the solid color beads and split them into colors you will come up with bowls that even more closely resemble their old time counterparts.  Here is how I made retro bowls.

I covered a round pan with foil and filled the bottom with beads, making sure that there was only one layer and all spaces were covered with beads.  Place the pan in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the beads have totally melted.  This is really, really hot.  I would suggest adult supervision for this part.  I know tweens think they can do it, but dang, spilling hot, melted plastic on yourself would probably require a trip to the ER and keep you out of pool for a couple of weeks.  Not a good start to Summer. 

You end up with disc of plastic which is what I originally found on Pinterest as a sun catcher.  But if you cover a bowl with foil, center your plastic disc on it, and place it back in the oven it will begin to melt down the sides of the bowl.

This does not take very long, so you can literally watch this happen.  It’s pretty cool.

This was my first try, I used clear pink, clear red, clear iridescent, plain clear, and a sprinkle of solid pink.  All of these colors turned out great except the iridescent, they kind of look yellowish.  I would not used them unless your color scheme was yellows or oranges.

My second try I used mixed clear with a sprinkle of solid white and instead of a bowl to melt the disc over I used a square tin can.  These are so fun, easy, and I love the end result. 

I am participating in the following link ups:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, House of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely, Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More, My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna, Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable

Garden Container Makeover, Again!

Two years ago I did a makeover on two planters that I had on my front porch.  My Hibiscus trees lived in these pots for a couple of years until during a crazy Kansas storm one of the trees blew over and broke the container. Off to Home Depot to find two more large containers for my trees, but I had an idea for this one lonely planter.  Paint it pink of course!  After all, when in doubt pink is always the right choice.

I took this container from a subtle black to the excitement of berry pink in the matter of a couple of coats of my favorite spray paint. 

Once the spray paint was dry, using an acrylic white paint and a sponge brush I lightly covered the detail just enough to make it really show up and have more texture.

In my own opinion, I think this turned out perfect and the bright pink geraniums that I chose to go inside were a perfect match.

Over the summer this pot will be almost covered in the vines that are planted in it but bright pink always has a way of showing through.  Believe it or not I like it that way!

I am linking up here:  Somewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Gluesticks, Beyond the Pikcet Fence, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Blooming Designs, Bubble Nature Creations, Liz Marie, Addicted 2 Decorating, House of Hepworths, Stuff and Nonsense, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Truly Lovely, Simply Sweet Home, Bubbly Nature Creations, The Answer is Chocolate, Sassy Sites, I Gotta Create, The CSI Project, Sisters of the Wild West, Boogieboard Cottage, It So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Natasha In Oz, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Todays Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Domestically Speaking, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fabric Bows and More, My Girlish Whimms, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna, Mama Hens Coop, {Primp}, Vintage Gwen, Frugally Sustainable, Tidy Mom, Pinkapotmus

 

Christmas in February

Our family finally was able to celebrated Christmas with Ryan and Paula last week.  It just seems hard to find a time when we all can be together.  Of course my fantasy as a mother is to have all my kids live close to me the rest of my life so we will always be able to spend every holiday and family event together and live happily ever after.  {Pop} goes the fantasy bubble and real life is where I am forced to live.  Darn!  Although, I cannot complain, Ryan and Paula only live in Lincoln, NE, just 3 1/2 hours north of us, its not like they are in another country.  But that distance, at times, feels too far.  The time we do have as a family is very precious to us and I will take all that we do get. 

 

 

To say that the wait for our Christmas presents was worth it would be an understatement.  Ryan and Paula out did themselves with their creative, craftiness.  Look at these great tables/foot stools/benches/what ever you want to make them, repurposed vintage suitcases they made for Lindsey and Anna.  Seriously, they are awesome and in super shaped on the inside too.

They made this fabulous “S” to hang on our front door.  They could not find an initial that they liked that was big enough so Ryan cut one out of styrofoam and then Paula decorated it.  Oh my heck, just look at those handmade flowers.  Does this gal fit perfectly into our family or what?  Not only that but she whipped up some homemade shower scrub as well.  She is a gal after my heart, I just have to say.  Making things pretty and smell good too, who can go wrong. 

We also received this set of tile coasters that they made using their wedding pictures.  I was trying to figure out how I would display a bunch of their pictures without making it look like some kind of Ryan & Paula gallery.  The girls already accuse me of having Ryan as the favorite, so a bunch of pictures on the wall, shelves, etc. would only perpetuate such a myth.  But coasters, now that is something that is very useful and if they display eight different wedding shots so be it. 

Look how perfect this looks on my pink front door.  I thought that I would be changing the color of the door soon, but who am I kidding?  This “S” just made the decision, the door is pink for now at least through Summer. 

Flower Themed Baby Girl Gift

I love coming up with baby gifts for my young, mom friends.  Recently I went to a baby shower for my friend Chelsea who will be having a baby girl later this month.  I made a coordinating blanket, onesie, ruffled pants, and headband.  I purchased the onesie and the pants and then added the flower applique to the top and the ruffles to the pants.  The blanket was made with a microfiber fleece on one side and a coordinating pok-a-dot on the other side and then bound with a super cute flower/paisley print.  

I purchased this brown elastic headband then crocheted this flower and attached it to the elastic.

The applique is stitched with a straight stitch and the edges left raw so that they will fray a bit once the t-shirt is washed.  I love the soft look of a bit of fray.

The edges of the ruffles are left raw as well, as they too will fray a bit once they are washed to match the t-shirt.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, The Tablescaper, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter,Itsy Bitsy Paper, So Much Ado, One Tough Mother, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees, Handy Man, Crafting Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thirty-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home. Lil' Luna, Momma Hen Scoop, Sugar and Dots, {Primp}, Sommewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home,Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Make it Great Monday,Vintage Gwen, Sew Country Chick, 5 Minutes Just for Me, Sew Country Chick, I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Jumbo Scrabble Tiles

I know that I am a bit late this week in posting the fun, creative, crafty things I have been doing around here lately.  But I have had a new opportunity that has come my way (I will post about that at a later date) and I just have not had a moment to sit down and write a post.  Scrabble is a game that I remember my Grandma Nelson playing all the time with us as kids.  Even though I played this game often, it did not help me in the spelling department.  I am not sure if Grandma let me get away with misspelled words or I am just a very slow learner.  Even so, there is just something nostalgic about the game Scrabble for me.  I have purchased individual Scrabble tiles in the past for projects and you know me if little Scrabble letters make me happy, giant ones should make me jump up and down with joy, right?  I have to admit that is pretty much true.  I literally did this project in one hour.  I cut 1 x 6's into 6 inch squares, cut the letters out of adhesive vinyal with my Cricut machine, stuck them onto the wood squares, quick spray with clear coat, and wallah!  Giant Scrabble tiles.

Because I wanted my tiles up for more than just Valentines day.  I made three additional tiles so that I could spell out our name.  Four of the tiles have the letters LOVE on one side and our name on the other.  It does not take a lot to make me happy.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, The Tablescaper, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter,Itsy Bitsy Paper, So Much Ado, One Tough Mother, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees, Handy Man, Crafting Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thirty-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home. Lil' Luna, Momma Hen Scoop, Sugar and Dots, {Primp}, Sommewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home,Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Make it Great Monday,Vintage Gwen, Sew Country Chick, 5 Minutes Just for Me, Sew Country Chick

Burlap Valentine Bunting

Once I made my newest valentine sign last week, I realized that my valentine garland was no longer the look that I wanted to go with this year.  Seeing all of the burlap decorations out on blogs, Pinterest and the internet.  I figured that I would make a burlap bunting that would be just the look that I wanted.  The rough look of burlap with a splash of color is everywhere.  A designer that I work for, Brenda of Picture Perfect, told me that the burlap/linen look with a splash of color was everywhere at the Atlanta market that she went to two weeks ago.  I have been watching that look for a while now and even made some things last fall with burlap.  Burlap is a great way to give your home an updated look with very little money.  I purchased a yard of burlap for $3.99.

I cut the flap shapes out of the burlap and then doubled them up and stitching them together using red thread not only for a contrast but to add a boarder as well.  Doubling up the burlap helps give the flags a bit more somethin', somethin', and burlap tends to be loosely woven and a bit see through so this helps with that.

Using my handy Cricut machine I cut a heart and used it as a stencil.  Then stenciled a heart on each flag.  I used a light pink, bright pink, red and white color paints to do this.  Here is a free hint, make sure you put plastic or scrap paper under your flags as you stencil them.  They will soak through to the back.  I just know these kinds of things, no need to ask me how.   

Using hot glue, I folded the flags over some red and white bakers twine and secured the end over the back.  

The burlap bunting addes to my valentine look for next to nothing in cost.

I am participating in the following link ups: Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, The Tablescaper, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter,Itsy Bitsy Paper, So Much Ado, One Tough Mother, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees, Handy Man, Crafting Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thrity-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home. Lil' Luna, Momma Hen Scoop, Sugar and Dots, {Primp}, Sommewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home,Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Make it Great Monday,Vintage Gwen, Sew Country Chick, 5 Minutes Just for Me, Sew Country Chick

 

 

Valentine Sign

Earlier this week I was browsing around Pinterest and found this wonderful Valentine sign.  I absolutely love the saying on it and decided that I was going to make it.  Because I have been called a "creative hoarder", I had all of the supplies right in my studio already.  No need to go to the store and besides it has been freezing cold this week and who wants to get out in the cold if you don't have to.  

Here is the sign that I orignally look at.  Landee See, Landee Do, is a great place for inspriration.  I have just recently found her blog and I really like her style.  As you can see I changed my sign up a bit by doing the pink thing instead.  You know I always say, "When in doubt pink is always the right choice." I am sure it is not shocker that I went with pink.  

One thing that I do like about Valentines is that you are able to put pink and red together without it being wierd.  Needless to say, I take very opportunity to do just that.  Pink and red for everyone.  

I was so excited to use my bakers twine that I recently purchased off of Pick Your Plum.  Pick Your Plum is a daily email that sells one craft type item each day for super cheap.  I am talking anywhere from $2 to $6.95.  I am pretty sure I have never seen anything for more than that.  Let me just warn you, if you are a "crafty" this email is dangerous.  It is hard to pass up these deals.  Seriously I could spend money everyday with Pick You Plum.

I used a 1 x 8 for my board, but I do think a 1 x 10 would be better as you can make the lettering bigger.  Using my handy Cricut machine I cut the letters out of a piece of adhesive vinyal.  Super easy project and the results are awesome.  

I am participation in these link ups: Today's Creative Blog, One Tough Mother

Tile Coaster Set -- How To

Because you have not heard from me in a while, you would think that I have not been up to much.  Well, actually the exact opposite is true.  I did take time off for Christmas and New Years to hang out with family and friends to just enjoy the season.  A gal is entitled to that every once in a while, right? However, my creative mind has been on overdrive having time to browse Pinterest, and plan some very fabulous, creative, wonderfulness for my home in the coming year.  It is this time each year that I get the urge to do something to my home. This year it started with the dinning room and then will move to the living room, and of course right on up to the now three guest rooms.  Oh, how sad to say I have three kid rooms that are now called "guest rooms", really this cannot be true.  

Today I am showing you this easy, fun, and inexpensive gift idea I made for my friends this year at Christmas.  I started out at Lowes and purchased 3x3 tiles.

I really liked these that had a bit of texture and some imperfections around the edges.  They happened to be some of the more expensive tiles, all of 33 cents each.  But you can get them for as little as 8 cents a tile.  

Picking out the scrap booking paper was fun.  I wanted the four different patterns to coordinate but have some contrast in color as well.  I cut the paper into squares that were about a 1/2 smaller than the tile so the coaster would appear to have a boarder all the way around.

Because the tiles had a rounded corner, I used a corner rounder paper punch and rounded all of the corners of each square of paper.  This also helps prevent any corners that might want to pop up when Mod Podging later.  

Laying all of the tiles on a piece of plastic, I Mod Podged each tile with probably 4 or 5 coats allowing to dry in between.  Once you have decided you have enough Mod Podge on your coasters let them dry over night and then take a piece of super fine steel wool and a bit of water and sand each one until smooth.  This takes all of the brush marks or bubbles out of the final coat.  Once that was dry, I sprayed them with a clear coat sealer to make them water resistant.  For the final step, I glue a piece of cork to the bottom of each one.  Sorry no picture of that, but really there is a piece of thin cork on the underside.

I made 12 sets of these and gave them to my friends, designers I work for, and one set went to a gal that invited me and my girls for a tour of her home which was a Christmas wonderland.

I tied each stack with a bit of twine and there you have it a handmade gift that everyone can use.  

I am participating in the following link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, The Tablescaper, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter,Itsy Bitsy Paper, So Much Ado, One Tough Mother, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees, Handy Man, Crafting Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thrity-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home. Lil' Luna, Momma Hen Scoop, Sugar and Dots, {Primp}, Sommewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home,Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Make it Great Monday,Vintage Gwen, Sew Country Chick, 5 Minutes Just for Me

$2.00 Nativity

Look at this great nativity scene.  Since I have begun doing a little bit of traveling to different countries, I have started a nativity collection from different parts of the world.  I have one from, Haiti, Mexico, and Costa Rica as well as my orginial Precious Moments set.  I have not been able to get one from India quite yet but am working on it.  The gals at 10,000 Villages are looking for one for me.  One of the women that works there has a daughter who has been living in India for a year now and she cannot find them anywhere.  I thought it was just me, but I guess a nativity scene is not important to a prodomantely Hindu country.  This particular navitey scene was made in China and I purchased it after, the after Christmas sale at Wal-mart for about $2.00.  I know, what a great deal.  However, it did not start out looking like this.  I purchased it knowing that I would help it out a bit and make it look just a bit better.

This is what the nativty started out looking like.  It was less than okay in my opinion.  The painting of details was very crude, but the shapes of the figurines were good.  So, I got out my trusty spray paint and gave it a couple of coats of white.  Boy, doggies, what a difference a couple squirts of spray paint can make.  

Here are the three kings, although they are all white, the detail shows up just enough to make them the elegant, distiguished men that they were.

This is the shepard and animals as well as the Holy family.  Okay, yes, I gave baby Jesus a bath in white gold glitter, but after all He is the one that the whole celebration is about. Jeff is still a little unsure about the "sparkley" Jesus, but I like him anyway.  The baby Jesus I mean.  I still like Jeff too, even though he just shakes his head at my spray painting shenanigans.

I glittered the roof of the stable as well.  So now I have a navity from China although I have never been there. It is now proudly siting amoung my other nativities, holding its head up high even though it was only $2.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, The Tablescaper, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter,Itsy Bitsy Paper, So Much Ado, One Tough Mother, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees, Handy Man, Crafting Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thrity-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home. Lil' Luna, Momma Hen Scoop, Sugar and Dots, {Primp}, Sommewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home,Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Make it Great Monday,Vintage Gwen, Sew Country Chick

 

Santa's Boots Makeover

In January of this year as I was browsing through our local Goodwill store I found these cute Santa boots for 99 cents.  I loved the way that they are so short and chubby and knew that I could find a great use for them in Christmas decorating in the future.  Forgetting about my purchase earlier in the year I was so excited to find these as I unpacked my Christmas decorations.  Although they are cute just as they are, I figured a little bit of pink and sparkle were just the thing to make them fabulous.  

Finding this pink spray paint in my studio, I figured it was just the right color for the transformation.  The boots are about the size of a flower pot and knew that they would fit in perfectly with the pink theme on the front porch as bases for my little trees that were going out there.

I used Mod Podge to paint around the sole of the boot as well as the cuff and then sprinkled with bright pink glitter.  I use Martha Stewart brand, there are a lot of colors to choose from including several hues of pink.  

We filled the boots with sand to make them heavy enough to withstand the strong winter Kansas winds and then placed the plaster paris based Christmas trees down into the boots.  There we have it a perfect pink tree stand.  

There are three silver painted Christmas trees on my front porch this year, thanks to Grandma Sturman for remembering me when I said you never want to get rid of a Christmas tree.  Last year I experimented with spray painting Christmas trees and have found that the metallic silver paint gives a you a vintage look that I just love.  You have got to try it.

 

I am participating in the following link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, The Tablescaper, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter,Itsy Bitsy Paper, So Much Ado, One Tough Mother, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees, Handy Man, Crafting Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thrity-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home. Lil' Luna, Momma Hen Scoop, Sugar and Dots, {Primp}, Sommewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home,Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Make it Great Monday,Vintage Gwen, Sew Country Chick

 

 

 

DIY Sweater Boot Toppers

I am really liking the boot topper leg warmers that I keep seeing around the internet and in the latest Fall fashion magazines.  There have been several out there on Pinterest as well and I think they can make a plain pair of boots into a WOW pair of boots.  A couple of weeks ago I was going through my closet and was getting rid of those things that I have not worn in the past year or have worn way too much and came across two different sweaters that I like but are just too worn out to wear any more and thought that the sleeves would make cute leg warmers.

I started out by cutting off the sleeves just under the arm.  

Then I surgered aroung the raw edge.  If you don't have a surger, I would run a zig-zag stitch along the raw edge.  

Picking out buttons out of my collection, I sewed them to hold the cuff in place.  So very easy and a great way to jazy up some boots.

I made two pair in less than an hour and now I have my newest favorite Fall accessories.  

I am participating in the following link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, The Tablescaper, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter,Itsy Bitsy Paper, So Much Ado, One Tough Mother, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees, Handy Man, Crafting Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thrity-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home. Lil' Luna, Momma Hen Scoop, Sugar and Dots, {Primp}, Sommewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home,Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Make it Great Monday, Vintage Gwen, Sew Country Chick

My Christmas Stocking Challenge

These are the Christmas stockings that starting hanging on our mantel 29 years.  Ryan's was made by one of my husband's best friend's mom, Barb.  I remember the box coming in the mail and being so excited that someone would take the time to make such a special stocking for our baby.  We proudly hung it from a shelf in our first home as there was no fireplace.  When Lindsey was born, again I received a box in the mail that contained her stocking as well.  Since the birth of Ryan, Barb had lost her battle with cancer but her sister took up the tradition of making a stocking for our babies and then made one for Anna two years later.   Hanging these stockings have been part of our holiday tradition and one that my kids still look for every Christmas season.  The stockings have Santa on one side and the Christmas tree on the other.  If you look closely at Anna's, Santa has a couple of moth holes that I have been meaning to fix for a couple of years.

Now that we have a new member in our family since Ryan's wedding, I was thinking I needed to make a stocking for Paula too.  I started searching the internet and books for patterns that would be similar or maybe the same one, but no luck, so I contacted, Barb's son to see if by chance they had a copy of the pattern for the famous Christmas stocking.  He said they did and would bring me a copy of it.  

First of all the copy right on the pattern is 1948 and looks very complicated for my self-taught knitting self, but call me crazy, I am going to try.  As I have found in the past with knitting, you just start and work one row at a time and try not to freak out by looking ahead.  

What was really crazy about the pattern was the pages and pages of Barb's hand writen notes that she took on the pattern as well as a page of all of the names of the folks that have been a recipient of one of the precious stockings.  There are 163 names listed as well as the hand drawn graphs of each name.  Wow, I think I really just might be crazy to think that I would even attempt to knit like Barb.  But this is my holiday challenge of the year.  I will keep you updated as to my progress and we will see how this goes.  Today I am headed to my local yarn store, Knit-Wit, to pick up my supplies.   I might not get finished this year, but I am determined to do this.