Wood Shaving Wreaths

I've seen these beautiful wood shaving wreaths at several shops in the last month.  I love the look..anyone happen to see a tutorial for making one? 
I like the way they look natural, or painted in bright red or pewter with glittter.   They typically retail for around $68 for the large one and $39 for the small. 

This one is available to purchase at Garnet Hill.

Happy Weekend!

Boo Sign

 This is a post I did last year and I thought of it when I was pulling out my Halloween decor for this year.  I had to completely change the post because I was just learning to blog and everything was backwards! Here it is:
 This is the "Boo" award clipped to a pumpkin. I thought it would make a cute prize for a pumpkin carving/decorating contest. It also looks cute just attached to a plain pumpkin as a greeting.
 I also hung the ribbon to a plain square orange berry wreath and hung on a door.

These are the supplies needed: circle stencil, pencil, scissors, glitter paper, about 14 inches of 1 1/2 inch black grosgrain ribbon, 3 yards 1/2 inch ribbon of your choice, rub on letters, clothespin, glue gun, cardboard.

First, cut out 3 circles from glitter scrapbook paper. (I traced them using a circle stencil about 3" in diameter and then cut out..you could also use a punch or circle cutter...or a Cricut machine if you are lucky enough to own one!) I bought this one sheet of glitter paper at JoAnn's and it already has adhesive on the back. Use Rub On letters to spell "BOO" on the glitter paper circles.

I cut out 3 slightly larger circles from cardboard. This picture shows the size of the cardboard is a little bigger than the glitter paper circle.

Here I am hot gluing the 1/2 inch ribbon to the cardboard circle. In order to ruffle it, you have to first glue about a 3/4 inch spot flat to the cardboard, then fold about 3/4 inch and hot glue inside the fold. (then repeat the process until it covers the edge of the entire circle. ) If you have fraying ribbon ends, use a little hot glue on the edge or run a lighter over the edge to heat seal it. When I was done with all three circles, I attached the "Boo" glitter circles to the center. (if your paper doesn't have adhesive, use hot glue or better yet white craft glue like tacky glue) The last step is to hot glue the three finished ruffled circles to a length of 1 1/2 wide grosgrain ribbon equally spaced. I glued a small black bow to a black painted clothespin to use as a clip.

Have a great weekend!  Go Spartans! 

(MSU vs. U of M is Saturday)

Heather's Handmade Holiday in Review

So, my all-handmade holiday didn't really happen.  I think I committed to it too closely to Christmas to make it a real possibility.  If I had been on vacation for another 3 or 4 weeks before Christmas, maybe it would've been realistic.  However, since I also work full time, have a husband with a long commute, and an adorable, but sometimes needy toddler, this didn't really work out very well.  Oh well.  I'm not too disappointed.  I'm one of those people who won't get a lot accomplished if I don't have REALLY BIG GOALS!  I figure I'll try again next year and plan ahead a little more.  It can only get better and easier, right? 

I did get a lot done though.  I've posted most of it, but here's a few more things I managed to finish before the recipients' Christmas celebration!  Here are some two shirts I made for my cousin's children, Katie and Ethan.  They are both 4.  Both finished shirts cost less than $10.  (The teal and celery polka dot fabric was actually a flannel receiving blanket that I had used with Holden, but it got a stain on it I couldn't get out...so I upcycled it into my fabric bin - YEAH!)

I cut the letters out of the iron-on type adhesive and cut the fabric a bit larger.  Then I ironed them on and used 4 strands of a coordinating thread to sew around the edge of the letter.  When they are washed, they will fray a bit more around the edge.  I used the Pea Mee-Mee font from Kevin and Amanda's Pea Fonts.  I LOVE their handwriting fonts.  I did tweak the e a bit, since I didn't think it would look as nice with some of the "hooks" on it.  This is the same font I used on the Santa Plates I made this year.  Super Fun!  I've considered having my own handwriting made into a font, since I do like my handwriting if I take my time (but rarely do).  I've just never actually taken the plunge.  Maybe I'll put that on my New Year's list.  It would be really cool for journaling and scrapbooking!

Anyway, I added some fun red and green juice boxes to the kids' shirts for Christmas.  This was kind of an after thought to the actual gifts.  Like, you see juice boxes (LOTS of them) and think, why did I buy so many juice boxes?  My son only drinks 1/2 a juice box a day at the most.  Hey those are red and those are green...Christmas present?  Yeah, I'm kind of ADD sometimes!  Anyway, I had Holden color with red and green markers onto some packing paper that came between my junk plates (that I bought for next year's Santa plates) and wrapped them up.  I thought they turned out pretty cute.

And, last but not least, I made these bear mugs for my Dad.  His house is very lodge-y so they'll fell right at home.  I got the mugs for $2.50 each at Wal-Mart.  I think I will fill them all with something different when I give them to him...maybe hot cocoa mix in one, toffee cracker cookies in another, oreo truffles in another and chocolate covered pretzels in the last one...all in cello bags, of course!  I might even make some for my brother down the road as he loves Bear Bows.  As in a bow-and-arrow type bow.  We grew up in the country, k? 

Sorry about the picture quality...on top of not being a good photographer in general, I am REALLY not good at taking pictures of etched glass.  I promise to all of you that taking better pictures is on my list too :)  I might even take a class?!?  Any recommendations?  Online vs. Community College?  Lansing, Michigan area?  Doesn't take up too much family time?

Anyway, now that the holidays are nearly over, I'm hoping to get everything at my house organized, cleaned up and cleared out.  Well, I don't actually want to clear everything out...but I definitely want to get rid of some stuff we haven't used in a while.  I'm hoping that 2010 is going to be the best year yet!  Hope it will be for all of us :)

-Heather

PS - I'm linking up to the Penny Pinching Party over at the Thrifty Home!  Go check it out and stretch your dollars :) 

A few handmade gifts

My grandma loves birds, so I appliqued this store-bought (had to make some short cuts in this handmade holiday) tote with a wintry cardinal scene.  I just printed a children's coloring page to use as a stencil for the bird.  Then I just cut out the branch and slapped some "snow" on it.  I'm going to put the kleenex cover I made inside with a cross I got for her at a craft show.  I didn't get it for Christmas but I forgot about it until now.

Then, I made this plate for Holden with a few others I can't show you yet...Here's how they'll look on Thursday night.

 

I (very roughly) followed the tutorial at Just Something I Made.  Though I didn't follow the steps exactly, I dd get the idea and the supply list there.   I used a few plates I got at St. Vincent de Paul in Spring Arbor and a few I got at Wal-Mart.  The Wal-Mart plates didn't have a good lip on them, so they'll turn out a bit different.  I'll show them to you later this week (after I've gifted them)!

Though my progress is a bit slow with a toddler running around, I'm getting there.  I'll show you more as I get things finished!

Hope to "see" you soon!

-Heather

PS - I'm linking this to DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land. (technically Tuesday, but I posted late last night and am modifiying on Tuesday.  That counts right?)

Heather's Family - Not Allowed! A Gift Round-Up & To-Do List

So, I might have been a little too ambitious this year. I have a REALLY, REALLY LONG list of things still yet to be completed and not a ton of time to complete them. I have so many things to blog about, but haven't had enough time to actually sit down and blog about them. So, I'm going to give you a recap of my list with pictures that other people (who are much better at photography than me) have taken! Are you excited? I am! I'm hoping this will inspire me to read less (I am so not allowed to go to the library again before Christmas!) and get more done over the next few weeks! Okay, so if you are my mom, or my mother-in-law (or someone else in my family who reads our blog) you must stop reading now. Sorry! Don't want to ruin the surprise!

Source: Martha Stewart

Here's the pillows I'm going to make for my Mom. She LOVES leaves. I'm going to do them in fall colors to match her living room...think burnt oranges, mustard yellows, and rusty reds. You can find the how-to here at MarthaStewart.com.

Source: J Casa Handmade

I'm making a fabric wreath like this one from J Casa Handmade for my mother-in-law. Her house is decorated in primitives and you'd think you stepped into a time warp if you were there. Anyway, I'm using red, white and blue scraps all sewn together for the wreath cover. Then, I'm thinking I'll make a Shanty Chic wreath holder like I saw here at Shanty 2 Chic.

I think she's going to love it! I'm also planning a manly wreath for my father-in-law's manly garage, but it's kind of my own idea (or at least one I haven't seen anywhere) so I can't show you yet. It's kind of hard to picture (unless you're me - LOL!) so I'm going to post it later in the week...Wish me luck!

I'm nearly finished with the felt Mr. Potato Head I'm making for my niece and nephew who will turn one in two days - YEAH! I think they'll like it. I also may make another for my Ohio niece and nephew, Ava and Mason, who are 3 1/2 and 6 months. I think they might enjoy him too! I found the tutorial and idea for this here at Make It and Love It. Ava is also getting a crayon roll, a chef's hat, an apron and some felt food for her play kitchen.

Mason is also getting a color book like this one from Adventures of Rorie, Jess & Sadie.

Both of my grandma's are getting a kleenex holder with a few other items. I haven't nailed down for sure what the other items are. I have some ideas, but nothing I can back up with pictures yet.

I got the pens necessary to make some of these, so I'll be cranking these out soon (I hope!). This is from Just Something I Made.

And BTW, I love Cathe Holden, so check out everything else she does here.

I hope you like this round-up of holiday gift ideas...and I hope my family likes them too! The good news is I don't have to work next week. Please pray with me that I get everything done without too many sleepless nights! Good luck to everyone else for their Christmas and other holiday projects!

-Heather

PS-Just in case you're wondering what I'm going to make for my husband, we don't exchange gifts. When I got a car battery for our first wedding anniversary, we made a mutual decision not to exchange gifts anymore. LOL! (In his defense, he thinks a car battery is romantic because it means he is thinking of my safety and doesn't want me to be stranded. Only an engineer can come up with logic like that...you just have to love him!)

PPS-My son's play kitchen will hopefully experience a miraculous finish in time for Christmas, but I'm in denial about the project as a whole right now. Let's pretend I didn't even bring it up, k? Thanks!

Cookie & Craft Exchange: Holiday Traditions

Every year, the married women in my Dad's family get together around Christmas for a Christmas Craft & Cookie Exchange. It's a fun little party where everyone brings one craft they made and a half dozen cookies for each person in attendance. Some of us are craftier than others, but it is just as much fun to laugh at each other and some of the crazy things we've come up with. My Aunt Debbie brought a papier mache Santa that used a light bulb as a base, and had a bit of a club foot. The Santa is passed around between my aunts and uncles, with each of them trying to avoid the odd shaped, googly eyed decoration! But, we laugh and recall the failed crafts of years before. One year my cousin Alicia made a cork wreath and her dogs ate it.  She had to come up with another craft VERY quickly! 

Nw that I think about it – we talk about the crazy, not-so-attractive crafts WAY more than we ever reminisce about the pretty, more displayable crafts! As much as that is true, given my love of crafting, I just can't help but try to come up with something that everyone will love. We draw numbers when we get to the party, so you never know who will get your craft. For some reason, in the 5 years I've been married, my Grandma has gotten my craft and vice versa for 2 or 3 of the years.

Anyway, our party was this past Sunday and I procrastinated more than usual. I had a general idea. I wanted to make a white velvet kanzashi, but I wasn't sure whether to make it an ornament, or really what to do with it. I had an old velvet coat that I loved, but wasn't very practical (being white) and was kind of a pain as it had to be ironed every time it was worn. The lining was a little too small, so without ironing, it bunched up at the bottom and just looked funny. I decided I wanted to use the velvet rather than wear the coat this year. I made the kazashi flower, and I decided (Sunday morning) to add it to a scarflette made from what had been a sleeve of the same coat. It's attached with a pin back so that you can wash the scarflette or use the flower as a separate brooch.  Here's my mom displaying the result:

My mom really didn't want to be my model, but luckily she's pretty accommodating where my brother and I are concerned. You just gotta love her! Besides, I got half my crafty genes from her, so she should've been prepared for the inevitable modeling job, right?

For my cookie this year, I made Cracker Cookies. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law and this will be a cookie I make again and again. They were SO EASY and SO FAST! Here's the recipe:

1 sleeve club or saltine crackers

2 sticks butter

1 cup brown sugar

12 oz. chocolate chips

nuts

Line a 15" x 10" pan with aluminum foil and lay out the crackers, covering the bottom. Melt the butter. Mix in brown sugar. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over crackers. Bake crackers at 400˚ for 5 to 7 minutes. Spread chocolate chips over crackers. While they are melting, spread them out so they'll cover evenly. Sprinkle with nuts. Let cool for 15 minutes and then refrigerate until cooled. Cut or break into pieces.

These taste like toffee and are Oh-S0-Delicious! I don't know how easy or hard toffee is, but these take hardly any time at all. I loved them. I did take out 2 tablespoons for the 2 sticks of butter without any taste or consistency change. My mother-in-law was going to try taking out 3 tablespoons. I'll let you know if it worked out…

I should've taken pictures of all the crafts my family did, as I really have a lot of crafty relatives – but I didn't think of that until after the party was over. Sorry! I'll do that next year, for sure! Hope you enjoy your crafty holiday traditions, and since my Grandma got my craft again, I hope she stays warm and flowery this winter!

-Heather

PS-I'm linking this post to A Soft Place To Land's DIY Day and Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog.

Macaroni Tree

I love Christmas trees so I try to put one in every room. This is a tree I made at a family gathering a few years back. My mom made these trees as a child so she brought the tradition to us (I think my two sisters made one but I'm not sure about my brother :) We made a cone using newspaper and taped it together. We used dollar store ice cream bowls as the base. My mom found some specialty pasta shapes at World Market and a gourmet food store but I have seen them at my local grocery store lately. When the macaroni was glued on and dry, I spray painted mine with silver metallic spray paint and then sprayed it with spray glitter.

I decorated it with some sugared silvery garland I cut from a larger strand. I also added a bow of double faced satin ribbon and a vintage pin that belonged to my grandma.

I set it in a little white milk glass dish with some ornaments and glittery snowflake embellishments. I really like it. Thanks, mom!

Santa or Tom Izzo? MSU decorations

I did a little decorating in my husband's "Man Room" for the Holidays (AKA obsessive Tom Izzo/MSU Room). Here are some of the pictures. The white tree is new this year..I need to find some more decorations for it! Those officially licensed MSU items can get expensive! :) Tom Izzo or Santa? It's pretty much a toss up around here.
Some very talented person made this light up Sparty ice block.

Another talented person made this Sparty snowman.

I try to change this screen saver but it gets changed right back. I do like the basketball light.

GO GREEN! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Crayon Roll - Take One!

I have seen lots of crayon rolls out there and thought it would make a fun gift for my neice, Ava, who is 3 1/2.  I thought I could put it with some other little things like lacing cards and some felt food for her kitchen. 

I skimmed over a tutorial here, but obviously not closely enough, because I realized after I had already turned it right sides out that I should've made the slots for each crayon BEFORE I sewed everything together.  Oh well.  I don't think Ava will care.  The next few that I'm making for a friend will go together a little faster...and more precisely :)

 

I used an extra button from a J. Crew sweater I don't have anymore...it was nice and big!

And just because I like him a lot...and I made him - here's my A-dorable son!  Isn't he cute?!?!

Sara Fedewa Photography

I'm posting this at Funky Junk Interiors' Saturday Nite Special.  (The crayon roll, not the boy.) :)

Edit: Added to The Girl Creative's Creating Christmas Blog Fest: Handmade Gift Ideas

Candy Cane Vase Holiday Floral Idea

I saw this idea at my very talented friend, Erika's house the other day. She also happens to be a teacher, and she thought this idea would be great for a teacher gift. On the inspiration vase, the candy canes were glued right onto the glass round vase. I decided to cut and fold a piece of burlap to the size I needed because I didn't have a glass vase. I glued the candy canes onto the burlap and then wrapped it around a jar and glued the ends of the fabric together. When it was dry, I slipped the jar out and had a pretty sturdy base for my little tree.
I glued a fabric ribbon and burlap wrapped button with some glitter on it to finish it off! I bought a live glittered evergreen tree to put inside, but you could use a pointsettia, rosemary tree, or whatever floral you prefer.

I puchased this tin basket at Meijer for $4 and put a few fresh cut evergreens in it. I added a floral pick that I purchased with little red felt cardinals on it for color (I could easily make these little cardinals with my own felt and wire). I think this would make another really cute gift idea for less than $10!

I linked this to: