Ellie's Stocking!

It's official. Ellie is a keeper!

Her stocking is complete and hung with the rest!

A couple years ago, when we only had Carter I decided I wanted nice matching stockings. And knowing we would have more kids, I decided it would be easiest to make them. So I picked up felt in my colors ( I decorate with jewel tones, turquoise, magenta, lime...and more!) and put it away with our ornaments so as babies came stockings would be made and match!

The first year, I must have been crazy and painted the lettering. Yuck.

The next year I used my embroidery machine. Much better. 

Now, normally I don't think ahead. And of course the one time I did, I couldn't find the magenta for Ellie's stocking, but luckily I was able to match the color! 

Anyways, using my stocking as a pattern I used pinking shears to cut the stocking shape. 

Regular scissors for my cuff. 

Embroidered her official "E"

 

Then sewed it together like the others! 

Now we all match except for Cooper, which I may replace his cuff to make him match better too!

Have you ever made stockings?

 These were super simple and do the job for now. I know in a couple years I will either change my mind or decor for Christmas and start all over!

Reorganizing! K cup Stand Take Two!

Gosh! I can't believe I am already reworking my trash to tiers K Cup holder!

I think if my tins where a little bigger they would have worked better! 

We have a lot of K Cups ( I blame Summer!) and needed more room for them!

So I was cleaning out a cabinet and came across a cake plate and cake stand, and tried it out!

Not bad! Plus I didn't glue them together so I can reuse them if needed. 

I've also thought about storing my KCups in my trifle bowl!

So, what did I do with my tin tiers? 

Art supplies! Markers, Brushes and more! The top works for crayons too!

Christmas Card Lights Redo

Last year I made these Christmas Card Lights, and this year I didn't dig the grey. So just like my table runner and stockings, I revamped them this year.

Instead of using felt, I went with a tan yarn ( which I would have prefered twine, but again used what I had) and some jingle bells. A quick yet effective fix...

Am I the only one revamping Christmas decorations?

Stocking Redo

Last year I made new stockings, pretty traditional in shape but used my jewel tones.

And I must have had Christmas brain or something, but I did the letters with paint, and black none the less.

This year I wanted to change that, and duh. I have an embroidery machine! 

Why didn't I do that last year? We will never know!

So this year I ripped off the old, and went with white letters for each of us instead of our names.  M-Mama, D-Daddy, C- Carter, W-Wyatt. Then I cut them out and stitched them down.

Much better!

Snowflake Runner Redo

Wow, what a difference a year makes!  

(I actually have two more projects I updated this year, so come back tommorow and Thursday!)

Last year I showed you how I made a snowflake runner, this year I'm showing what I did to it!

Last year I just laid it on top of another color felt to see which color I liked the best.  This year I made the decision.

I went with blue, so I can leave it out past my Jewel toned Christmas!  

I also tried my hand at some free motion quilting, anyone know why my needle kept falling out? 

Even though I tightened it often?

Eye of Newt...

"Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,--
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."

          -from Shakespeare's MacBeth

Each year I like to create one or two things for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here is what I made for my Halloween addition!

Cute? No?

Easy? Yes!

Let me confess something, I am a jar hoarder. Doesn't matter if its a nice old Ball jar, or a simple jelly jar from the store I keep them. And in my defense you never know when you will need one!  Today is an example of when you might need an odd shaped jar.

 The beginnings of  My witches' apothecary! 

I have a ton more ideas, and want to incorporate more but this is what I was able to make with what I had on hand!

Here's just how easy they were!

I spray painted all my lids black, let dry.

Next I started to look at my jars and found this ugly code on one of them.

Easy solution! I used black paint to make lines up the side to measure my blood! 

I made some tags for the jars using stamps and cardstock, tied them on with some twine and I am done!

What kinds of things would you expect to see in a witches apothecary?

 I'm thinking after Halloween, I will pick up some Vampire Fangs, and Spiders for next year.  Maybe find some plastic mice or frogs in the dollar store?  

Hopping on the yarn web wagon!

Carter and I made these spiders last week. 

They are just foam, and we added the eyes and black puffy paint.

And there that sat in their odd suspended glory. 

This morning, as an effort to get decorating ( I did go in the basement to grab the decorations, so hopefully today) we made a spider web, just like I've seen all over the web. ( Yup. Had to.)

It's a little better.  Hopefully by the end of the day, it will feel like fall and Halloween in here. Hopefully. 

Construction

A couple weeks back, I mentioned that there was some construction occurring in the kitchen (where the computer lives) and that posting would be slow. Well that project was finished and I never shared! So here goes...

Before:

    (Left: Original "grand canyon".  Right: Temporary Fix )

(Also, only before pictures with the actual tile!)

When we bought our home we installed hardwood throughout most of the house, except the kitchen. We really wished we didn't listen and put it in the kitchen too, but trying to listen to the experts we didn't.  About a year into living here, hubby ripped the entire kitchen floor out ( there was a four inch slope from one side to the other) and he leveled out the floor and we installed ceramic tile.

Well four years later the tile was beat. There were more tiles cracked than not, and there was this ugly gap we liked to call "grand canyon" in between the dining room and kitchen.  (Pictures above)

After seeing laminate tile flooring, I started hinting around that we could go over the current floor and get rid of "grand canyon". And finally it was done!  Look how nice! And so much easier to clean! No dirt in the "grout" lines!

So much better! 

And ANOTHER big project done! 

While pregnant, all I have wanted to do is paint. 

But alas, I have to wait.

**Note:**
 Our entire downstairs was rust colored shag carpet, and our kitchen was a carpet that looked like tile. Bleh

Conversation Hearts, Anyone?

Gosh, I love salt dough.  Ever since my candy corn and coal. I dream in salt dough. Well not really but I have a lot of ideas up my sleeves!

When I think of Valentines day, I immediately think Conversation Hearts, even though I never buy them or eat them.  So this year I thought why not make non edible, decorative ones.  

What do you think? Cute?  Love them on my table!

First prepare your salt dough! You can see the recipe I use here.

Then roll it out like your making sugar cookies, and grab a heart shape cookie cutter.  I put my little man to work!

"Bake" in your oven. Remember your not truly baking these, just drying them out. Warm your oven up, shut the oven off and put them in overnight.

Once they are hard, paint them and put them in the prettiest bowl you own!

Yarn Hearts

The other day, as I was looking for a new yarn project to work on, I thought about Valentines day. After doing a Ravelry search, I didn't find anything I really wanted to make.  So what to do?  Well make something up. Here's what I came up with!

Cute?  And really easy!

I started with one pipe cleaner to make one heart. 

(The picture shows the three steps I took to make one heart)

First I bent the pipe cleaner in half.

Second, I bent near the half way mark to make the curved part of the heart.

Third, I pulled the ends together and twisted to connect.

Now, If I  had pink, white or red pipe cleaners I could have been done and just stuck these around the house, but *sigh* green was all I had. So, to my yarn stash I went!  Using some doubled up yarn ( single did not cover the green) I single crocheted around until it was full!  Now, if you do not crochet you could probably do the same thing by wrapping the yarn around the heart instead.  

 

Now, go on, make a bunch and hang all over!  Super simple!

Valentines Wreath

Remember my interchangeable wreath?  For Fall, and Christmas? Well with temperatures in the negatives here in Upstate New York, an easy wreath was in order!

All I did was purchase the heart wreath and twist tied it to my existing grapevine. Just the punch of red my porch needed! I'm thinking of adding something else but haven't figured just what yet... Maybe next week when it's a little warmer?

Valentines Decor

Now, I just said to my husband last night. Wow, we have lived here for four years and I am just starting to get the hang of decorating for the holidays! Hopefully it doesnt take another four years to decorate the rest of my house. (For some reason, I am scared to take certain risks.  For example, I painted my countertops, but all my rooms in my house are white for the most part!)

Anyways, back to Valentines day!  To give our house that little bit of sparkle, to ward off cabin fever ( we have been hit with snow once or twice each week for the last couple weeks!)  I dug through my craft closet knowing I bought some Valentines day stuff on sale last year.

What I found were these cardboard glittered hearts.  

To hang them I just added some holes and ribbon. 

Walked around the house and hung. Some on my window boxes ( I think they call them cornices?) Some one my staircase ( right where my stockings were hung!)

So far so good, I got a couple more ideas up my sleeve for the weekend. Hope to share on Monday!

Personalized Ornaments

Last year, I purchased some punches to make some "washer" necklaces that were all the rage. Well, I never got the right washers to fit my punch until maybe November.  That's when I made my sister a cute necklace for her birthday.  ( And of coarse no pictures. sigh.) 

 But what I did get to do with my punches for Christmas, may be my favorite handmade gift I gave this year!

It all started after running into my local Joann's store, and I noticed some really cute metal ornaments. I purchased a couple, just to make for us, but in the end went back for more!

Using a hammer, my punches and the ornaments I came up with these beauties!

I have found that the trick for getting good punches is to work on a solid (and I mean solid) surface!

I have had the best luck using my concrete stairs outside!  

I wish I grabbed a couple more hearts for Valentines day!