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Category: other things I make

little boy’s party, part 1 – party prep

little boy’s party, part 1 – party prep

so, back in June our little guy turned 2 and we celebrated with a cowboy party (and it totally fit his interests right now!).
Here is belated re-cap of the decor and party, so you can enjoy the fun too!

Ian is really excited about cowboys right now (Roy Rogers, guns and anything that he thinks can be turned into a gun, horses, cowboy hats, “bad guys” … you name it!), so we decided to throw a cowboy themed party.You can see a bunch of the things I pinned as inspiration on his party Pinterest board (who’d have thought when he was born 2 years ago that we’d say such things?!).

A few days before the party John brought home some large sheets of carboard that we (John) cut into 4 large circles and several cactus shapes. The circles got wagon wheels drawn on them and on the day of the party got fastened to the sides of a folding table to make a “chuck wagon” serving table.

The birthday boy loved “helping” – actually, he loved directing what we should do and then dancing on the cardboard cut-outs!

John took the cactus outside and spray painted them dark green, and I got busy making some paper stars … and I’ll post about the actual party later!

recipes as art

recipes as art

My dad’s mom died in March, and she was an excellent cook as well as a wonderful hostess. She left oodles of handwritten recipes, some that she hadn’t made in years, and some that were family classics. As I was looking through them I was inspired by this pin to frame some of them to decorate our kitchen.

I picked up these frames for $0.33 each from a thrift store, and once I had decided which recipes to use I painted the frames white. The can of paint cost $0.98 at Walmart. Amazing!

Once the frames were dry – after several coats to cover the black and gold finish – I used some natural colored photo corners to mount the recipes onto white cardstock (so that I can switch them out if I want without damaging them). I really love how they turned out! Although after living with them for a while I think I want to go back and add ribbons like the originals. : )

and this last photo shows how they fit in with the decor of most of our downstairs (really the only thing left out is the kitchen, which is behind me!) quite a bit of which is still in progress. Imagine the red turned to a creamy white or very light yellow, for example.

There is something so sentimental about being able to see the handwriting of someone you love, handwriting that will never write you another card, spelling out the recipes from your childhood every day. So, yes, I am very happy with how they turned out!

because we need to remember

because we need to remember

 Memorial Day weekend has arrived! Which means school is letting out for the summer – and summer is here!

 There’s something special about Memorial Day that I really love – it doesn’t hurt that tons of retailers celebrate it with sales! – and that sets it apart from most of our other holidays.
 So many of our other holidays and celebrations center on gifts, “me”, and so on, but Memorial Day is about remembering other peoples’ sacrifice, celebrating and honoring it and them.
 We gather together, barbeque, eat watermelon, maybe light a few fireworks, watch for the first fireflies, and we remember. 
 They say “freedom is not free”, and it is so very true. Pretty much anywhere you look in our nation today, you  see the result of someone’s sacrifice, whether it’s their blood on a battlefield securing our freedom or their sweat and tears to maintain it. And it’s what makes America amazing.

 Kind of sobering when you really think about it, isn’t it? And so, we celebrate! Celebrate the people and the miracle that America is.

   (and, in keeping with the spirit of holiday sales, you can use the code “CELEBRATE” for 20% off in the shop until Monday night – enjoy!)

I made the above wreath a few years ago and thought I’d share it again (and maybe make it again for our front door?). It’s the simplest thing, really, but still has quite a bit of impact. I took a heart shaped berry wreath and stuck American flag picks in it, letting them “wave” in the breeze, and then hung it on our door. So simple! 

*I’m linking this at Making Monday Marvelous and a few of these fun blogs – check ’em out!

"I LOVE YOU"

"I LOVE YOU"

I’ve been loving Pinterest. Just loving it. I’ve been pinning just about everything and have a board for just about everything. Including Valentine’s Day.

One of the things I pinned was this sweet “I LOVE YOU” banner.

As I started writing this post I realized that the woman who made the original banner has a very nice post about how she made it – I of course didn’t even think to click through to her blog to see if there were instructions or not. I just muddled though and made my own. : )

I used the font Arial Black in 400 point to write out “I LOVE YOU” and printed it onto white cardstock in very light gray.
Emma Grace chose the color of the glitter – pink, of course. : )

After trying a light layer of glue, I realized that, to get the nice thick and full look, I needed to put a heavy layer of glue on. A very heavy layer!

Once they were dry I cut slits in in the sides of the letters and threaded a creamy ribbon through.

It turned out quite well, but the sweetest part of the process was my helpers! They were so proud to be able to “help” with things like glue and glitter that are normally off limits to them.
And – even though there were a few moments where I was quite nervous about them smearing glue where it shouldn’t be – their joy was more than worth it.

If you haven’t joined Pinterest yet and would like an invitation, let me know – I’ve got several left. : )

(I’m linking this at a few of these crafty blogs)

for your Valentines

for your Valentines

 This was going to be a home-made Christmas gift post to go with my little mini-series from the Christmas before, but it’s quite a bit after Christmas already (how in the world did that happen? and I was even planning a year re-cap post … whoops!). So now it’s a “just in time for Valentine’s Day” post. : )

Have you seen the idea from Martha Stewart where you take a quilting hoop and make it into a card wreath? There are really excellent step-by-step instructions on her site, so I won’t try to replicate them here. : )
I made one a few years ago, and this last Christmas I made two for my sisters-in-law. Notice the gold ribbons? I did that on purpose – not only will they be great for display Christmas cards neatly, but they will also work really well for displaying Valentines, Easter cards, or even family photos. We live a distance from some of our family, and pinning up photos of Grandpa, Grammie and Aunts and Uncles really helps the little ones with being able to associate a face with the voice on the other end of the phone. : )

 

So there you have it! A belated post saved from being deleted! Or rather, a special project just in time for Valentine’s Day <3 xoxoxo
(I’m linking this at a few of these blogs {link here} – check them out for lots of crafty Valentine ideas!)

my first Pottery Barn knock-off

my first Pottery Barn knock-off

I finally did it – I made my own Pottery Barn pillow. I’ve seen bunches of Pottery Barn inspired things that other people have made, and I’ve finally joined their ranks. And I’m so glad! A few weeks ago the Christmas version of their catalog came in the mail and I quickly thumbed through it for decor ideas, and, to make sure that I wouldn’t get too tempted to buy anything, I even stood by the trash can while I did it so I could just toss it in when I was finished.

And then I saw the photo of the poinsettia pillow. The one that was made of linen and had a white, fleecy looking poinsettia stitched on it. With gold bells. And I knew I could make one. For free. : )
So, I tore out the page and tossed the rest.

I dug through my fabric boxes for the linen and fleece and got the bells out of the Christmas box and got to work (and then got interrupted by small voices letting me know that nap time was over).

Over the next week I cut out 18 petals: 6 large, 6 medium and 6 small. I made up a simple envelope style pillow cover and one evening stitched the petals to it with white embroidery floss while John and I watched a movie. The next day I put the bells on during nap time and voila – it was done!

It was easier than I expected it to be, even though it took longer than I thought it would. (funny how mothering little ones can take up your time :D). I love the result, and am delighted to have added something else to our Christmas things.


lovely limitations

lovely limitations

Have any of you read The Nesting Place bog? If not, you might enjoy clicking over. Right now she is finishing up a series of blog posts titled 31 Days of Lovely Limitations. Her series is inspired by this quote from Henri Matisse:

Her version of that quote goes like this:

Now, isn’t that true? We (or at least, I) want to make a lovely home for our families, but usually have a rather small (or tiny) budget to bring it to reality. So we improvise with what we have. : )

I’ve been finally getting pictures hung up around our new house (I didn’t tell you that we had moved? Or that I might not be posting for a bit? No? Hmm. … guess that post must still be in the “drafts” section) and came across this frame that had gotten some red wax splattered on it.
It used to sit next to a red candle that, well, splattered once when I was blowing it out and the stain stuck. The spots weren’t too obvious where I had had it in our apartment, but when I hung it in our bedroom in the house the spots stood out to me like a sore thumb.
I thought about taking it down and putting it somewhere else, but it really completed the wall. So …. then I remembered the Nester talking about working within our limitations, almost celebrating them.
And I remembered that I had some lovely old lace that a customer had sent me. (can you see what is about to happen here?)

A bit of glue and a few minutes later and we had a solution!

 Ta da!

The problem was fixed and the frame is lovelier than it was before. Yay!

sewing for babies

sewing for babies

Babies seem to be popping up all over this year (what joy!). It seems that every week I hear of someone else who is having a baby. :)
Our family circle is adding two – John’s brothers are each having a boy. Emma and Ian are getting their first cousins this Spring! Of course, I have been itching to do some sewing for our new little nephews. :)

One of the things that was on my “Ideas” page was this tutorial for embellished burp cloths on Diary of a Quilter.  I (kind of) followed it to make a set for each new nephew:


burp cloths for baby Owen, whose nursery is animal themed with bright colors

burp cloths for baby Brett, whose nursery is elephant themed with pale greens and blues

Each baby is also getting some of Ikea’s wooden child size hangers. I bought some when we were expecting Emma Grace and have loved them ever since! They are really classic feeling – and they never break (a huge plus!). One of the last things I did before we left Cincinnati was to stop by Ikea and buy some for each baby (and their mommies). :)

There are a few days left to enter to win the CSN Stores gift card. If you haven’t yet I highly recommend it!

And you’ll be seeing this (and a ton of other people’s crafty Spring ideas) linked at a few of these blogs (click here) – you might enjoy checking them out!


a little lace for Spring

a little lace for Spring

  *there are a few days left if you’d like to enter the CSN Stores $25 giftcard giveaway! click here to find out how to enter*

A few weeks ago I was out and about doing some shopping for Emma’s birthday party and found a package of little white paper doilies at the dollar store.
I picked them up thinking it’s always good to have some doilies on hand, even if they didn’t make it into the party decor. :)

It turned out to be a good thing that I did, because they turned into this pretty garland. :) I folded each one in half and then simply ran them through my sewing machine.
It was incredibly easy to do, and, because the doilies are 4″ across, it was quick, too!

I have them listed in the shop here if you’d like me to mail you one (or more!). <3 It's amazing how just draping a lace garland across the wall can soften it and brighten the room.
I’m linking this over at a few of these darling blogs. There are a bunch of gorgeous ideas for Spring being posted in their link parties – I highly recommend you checking them out. :)
handmade Christmas, part III

handmade Christmas, part III

I made several jars of Lemon Curd to go with the tea towels that I gave as gifts this Christmas, and they were a huge hit!

Lemon Curd – makes about 1 quart

6 lemons
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
6 eggs, beaten

Zest 2 of the lemons.
Juice the lemons to get 18 Tbsp juice.
Combine the zest with sugar, lemon juice, butter and eggs in the top of a double boiler over medium heat.
Stir frequently until thick, about 20 minutes.
Pour into jars, cool and refrigerate.

This is a family favorite (my grandma used to make it every year for her church’s Christmas tea) and is delicious on scones, toast, waffles, pancakes, crepes … pretty much anything!

I’m posting a link to this on some of these blogs. :)