Make The Best of Things

DIY Wrapped Charm Watch Bracelets

2012-02-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

Last year I started noticing these gorgeous triple wrapped watch and charm bracelet combinations by La Mer, among others, out there in blog land. At over $100 a pop, they were way out of my budget but still drool worthy. See what I mean?

And then sweet, creative Donna at Flamingo Toes posted how to make this charming jewelry. I was hooked and knew I had to make some for Christmas gifts. Now that gifting is long gone I can finally post how I made them.

Here is Donna's link, her instructions are clear and easy to follow. She is one smart, creative gal!

http://www.flamingotoes.com/2011/11/charm-watch-knockoff/

Here is my first attempt, and I included a wee dachshund shrinky dink charm. My daughter loved it!

And here's my second one with the wonderful teal and turquoise beads that go so well with the brown leather. My granddaughter loves hers!

Of course I started with watches from my jewelry box. I have lots more than I thought since I wear them as jewelry, like bracelets. I chose watch faces which would work with a skinny strap.

I ran into a glitch when I could not find skinny belts anywhere until I ran across the purses at the local thrift store. SCORE! Not just skinny leather straps but cool brass swivel headed hook up hardware, too.

Following Donna's instructions, I put each watch/bracelet together. I cut one strap in two to the measurement I needed and kept the hardware intact at each end, then folded the cut ends over each side of the watch face. Where I didn't have a rivet to attach the leather loops, I punched holes in the straps and hand sewed them with strong stitches in matching thread. A drop of super glue on the sewing keeps the thread from loosening.

Into my bead and jewelry stash for chain, lobster clasps, rings and more beads, plus a few dangly bits. This was fun!

And the charm bracelet can be worn separately!

A lobster clasp connects the ends of the charm bracelet to the watch.

And here's that cute doxie charm made from shrinky dink plastic. Add two lengths of satin ribbon to the ends and this charm bracelet makes a pretty necklace, too.

I still have lots of watches and a couple of thrift store purses with skinny straps, so I'll be making myself one of these for Valentine's Day. The girls loved their wrap charm watches and I see them wearing them all the time. THAT tells me they really DO like them!

I'll be linking up to the parties in my sidebar. Come visit and see the creativity that's out in blog land, you'll have a great time.

Recycled Blue Cubby Shelves

2012-02-12T11:01:00.000-08:00

I started my craft studio redo with this bookshelf built by The Welding Man. I painted it shades of turquoise blue with burnt umber drybrushing and Mod Podged book pages to foam board for the backs of the shelves. Then I loaded it up with canning jars full of beads, ribbons, lace and all kinds of fun stuff. What a good start!

I remembered these two cubby shelves in my stash and decided to paint them the same way. I don't know their original purpose but they were covered in a band aid flesh color with some sort of maroon colored texture.

As you can see the cubby holes are just perfect for some striking studio storage with lots of different jars and bottles.

Love this turquoise color from Apple Barrel! Already this looks better and it made me smile to see such an awesome improvement.

I colorwashed with a lighter shade of turquoise then dry brushed burnt ember over all the edges.

You know I had to sneak some recycled book pages into the mix and here they are. Love this!

I was surprised that I already had so many small jars for storage. I love how the different sizes and shapes look in the little cubbies. I added book pages to the jars that had label residue.

And here are both shelves, painted, Mod Podged and stocked with all sorts of neat glass storage jars. I still need a few really small jars for the upper right cubbies. You can see the jars have to be pretty small, about the size of those spools of thread. Even baby food jars are too big! I may try to make containers myself, we'll see how the jar hunt goes.

I LOVE the way these little shelves come out. Having all my small trims and doodads in glass jars gives me a creative lift, and they look pretty darn cool, too. They anchor the left end of my shelves which span the window wall in my studio. Note the yardsticks which we used for shelf edging. I love how they look, I just need more for the rest of the shelves.

These shelves cost me less than $5 several years ago and I already had the paint, book pages and Mod Podge.Can't beat that for cheap and effective craft storage!

Ooh aah. I knew when I started my studio face lift that I wanted it to be organized, functional and visually appealing. In other words I wanted my room to make me smile and inspire me creatively. It's not all the way there yet but boy, it is progressing!

I'll be linking up to the parties in my sidebar. I am amazed and inspired weekly by the creative ladies in blogland. Come visit and have some fun!

Little Red Shelf For My Craft Room

2012-02-07T12:20:00.001-08:00

I bought this little flea market shelf years ago and as I pondered storage for my studio I saw that it would be a neat addition. I knew it would be a nice shelf for jars and storage, once I restyled it.

These are the colors of my craft studio redo, with a bit of black and white thrown in the mix. I already had several turquoise shelves, so I chose to go with red this time.

And I'm very glad I did! Here's the little shelf in it's restyled glory with a gloss red finish and Mod Podged shelf. Flowers punched out of the same paper style it up and also adorn the pretty glass jars.

Even after using Orange Glo, WD40 and acetone, the labels still left sticky residue on the jars, so I decorated them with torn book pages, rosettes, yo yos, buttons and more punched flowers, using hot glue.

I layered on bits of lace and sealed it all with Mod Podge. I like it. I like it alot!

And here she is on my work table along with my other handy tool holders. I love that bright spot of color. I'll keep it there until another spot calls out for a nice pop of red.

Another bit of blue would have been nice but boring. That little red shelf is just right.

As for the rest of my studio redo, it's coming along nicely. I'll be posting a few of my other storage projects as I go along plus a full reveal when it is finally finished.

I'll be posting this on the parties in my sidebar. Come check them out, you'll see lots of creativity out in blogland!

A Touch of Blue for My Craft Room Redo

2012-02-04T21:31:00.000-08:00

I made this necklace last summer and then chose the same colors for my craft room redo. I love the different shades of turquoise and sky blue with the bright red and cream. I'll throw in a few pinks and other blues in there, too. (This necklace, by the way, just SOLD in my Etsy shop! Yay, Etsy!)

I've had a few pieces of plastic ware sitting in my stash that are just crying out to be included in this craft room makeover.

I found this at Goodwill and grabbed it up. It has wonderful faux wood grain carved into flowers and vines and I knew it would look good painted another color. Since then I've seen other bloggers redo plastic faux wood pieces like this in creamy white and light pink. I decided to go for the turquoise blue.

I did more of a dry brush technique to bring out all the detail and then wiped most of it off. The true turquoise color is still showing on that one upright divider, very bright. Once I burnished the color a bit, the details really popped. I love the way this came out!

And here it is in it's new life as my table top tool caddy! All my small hand tools and scissors fit just right. Even that big ol' Cropodile has a place! It is the perfect pop of color for my all white table top. White, that is, when it's not spotted with paint. Ahem.

And here is another bit of plastic ware...a hinged frame and clock which I found at the Dollar Store almost 10 years ago. What a deal! The clock works perfectly and it holds a photo of two of my favorite men, the hubs and the father in law. My father in law has been gone over 20 years now, and we still miss him.

The frame is hunter green plastic with gold colored highlights. Okay, but it could look better, right?

And here it is dry brushed and burnished with turquoise blue. I like it. I like it alot! Now it sits on the shelf above my desk and it makes me smile every time I check the time.

This is another faux wood plastic piece. It is a wood grained frame attached to a square container, probably for a flower arrangement originally. I gave it a bit more turquoise color to see if I liked it.....

...and ended it burnishing most of it off. I made a card with book pages and scrapbook paper and put it inside the frame, then loaded it up with all of my crochet hooks. I love how this turned out! And yes, I use every single one of those crochet hooks so I keep them handy.

So instead of buying new things for color in my craft studio, I've been remaking what I've got. So far, so good. Soon I'll be showing you what else I've got up my sleeve to make that room organized, neat and pretty. I work in there everyday and I want it to be a creatively inspiring space. I think with small projects like these along with the bigger ones, I'm finally on the right track!

Pretty Craft Room Jars

2012-02-04T21:03:00.000-08:00

Ooh aah.

I am hip deep in my craft studio redo and I'm storing everything I can in glass jars and bottles. Since completing chemo and radiation last year I find my memory is not as good as before and I need to see what I've got in order to visualize a project. I already had dozens of bottles on hand and after a shout out to the fam on Facebook, I had lots more.

Most jars were ready to use but some had problems which I had to address.

See the mark on the $1 price tag? Half price, baby! But this fish bowl's hard-water stains just wouldn't come off.

And this almond label would just NOT come off, even after an overnight soak. Even tho this is a plastic container, it is clear as glass and a really neat square shape.

So with Elmer's glue, Mod Podge and various recycled book pages, music sheets, lace, ribbons, flower trims, scrap book paper, burlap and heart and star trims, those jars were transformed into pretty storage for my craft room!

I love how the mixed neutral trims and the clear glass contrast with the weave of the baskets on my old painted bookcase. I added the NEST garland made by Insanely Creative Christy, and this display makes me smile every time I see it.

Here is a stubborn label on a perfectly usable mayonnaise jar. It is a good storage jar but ugly. So I gave it and two others "the treatment" and here's how they turned out....

Everything is from my stash...a fabric yoyo, lace trims, buttons, hot glued on top of recycled book pages. So pretty!

The two smaller pint jars have a bit of music paper, a satin ribbon rosette, a crocheted flower and lots of buttons. I LOVE the way these came out! And you can't tell there are grungy labels underneath those pretty trims.

So pretty! And not only simple, but very very cheap. The jars were free and the trims were odds and ends in my stash. That's the kind of project I like-maximum impact and practicality and almost free. So with the shelf I painted turquoise and stocked with glass jars last week to this week's pretty glass storage jars, my studio redo is getting a good kick start. NEXT-easy, inexpensive and stylish craft room storage boxes on the CHEAP. So, stay tuned!

I'll be joining the blog parties on my sidebar. Come visit and be amazed at all the creativity out in blogland. I have to admit after seeing the wonderful projects on all these blogs, I am much less impressed with Martha Stewart and much more impressed with the consistently imaginative designs I see on creative blogs. And ladies, bloggers do it without any staff. You are amazing!

Turquoise Shelf For Craft Room Redo

2012-01-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

We've been in our new digs for 10 months and it's time I truly set up my craft room the way I want it. It is not just a hobby place where I can create whatever my heart desires but also the production studio for all my Etsy wares. I dithered about the colors and gravitated towards red, black and white, until I saw this fantastic color combination.

I love ALL the colors used in this wonderfully organized craft space. I even made a necklace for my shop in these colors. LOVE them!

I see this mix of colors everywhere now. What a bright mix of cool blues and hot reds. I'll also throw in a bit of pink and cream and of course, my recycled book page storage boxes.

This is the most recent storage solution I've come up with. The Welding Man built it for my space, and I've added the foam core backing to each shelf. Sturdy, but plain and boring. I got out my Apple Barrel paint in turquoise and burnt umber and went to town.

Here is the top, painted and antiqued. I love the way the burnt umber ages the edges. The other shelves are still drying, but you can see the great color.

You knew I'd be throwing some recycled book pages in here somewhere, and that's what I used to "dress" the foam backer boards. I just love the way this looks with the bright shelf color.

I like it. I like it alot!

I wanted an aged, vintage, rustic look so I layered glaze and a lighter turquoise color until it looked just right to me. This pic shows the colors lighter than reality. The true color is below.

And here it is, loaded up. I use glass jars for almost all my small supplies and I love having them all out where I can see them. One of my best buys ever was a case of 1/2 gallon size mason jars, they are wide mouth and large enough to hold alot. I've used 3 of them on these shelves plus lots of quart and pint size jars.

And here it is in place, right next to the door and butted up against the side of my enormous steel tank desk. It's a good start and now I'm energized to tackle the rest of my room.

As you can see the organization hasn't extended any further than this. Trust me, I didn't show you the real mess in there. I have so much stuff and I use it ALL! But now I have to decide, how much do I want to paint turquoise and how much red?

Faux Capiz Tabletop Chandelier

2012-01-19T18:42:00.000-08:00

I've been seeing lots of chandeliers made of faux capiz shells out in blogland with some made out of wax paper, plastic cups, laminated rice paper, even wax paper mod podged onto plastic milk jugs!

I decided to try a small scale project before tackling a big multi tier chandelier cover for my ugly craft room light, so I chose a tabletop lamp for the bookcase in our hallway.

And I love the way this came out! It has a soft glow, great texture and a bit of movement when you walk by. Even The Welding Man likes it, he says it reminds him of a wedding dress. :o)

I looked around the house and found this short lamp with the right kind of shade for my project. Tho I ended up using a taller brass lamp in the end, the shade's frame was perfect for this restyle. What is needed is a sturdy shape with at least two different sized rings to hold your fake shells in layers.

The Welding Man took the cover off and wired a wire circle to the frame halfway between the top and bottom rings. We also painted the frame white. For this lamp the larger ring will be on top so we put the lamp together with the wired frame upside down.

Next I made the wax paper "shells." I used a dry iron on cotton and put parchment paper on the bottom between the ironing board and wax paper. Four sheets torn off close to the same size melt together nicely and make a good, stiff 4 ply sheet. Let the wax paper cool then start punching. I found my punches did best with 4 sheets of 4 ply wax paper, your punch might do better with more or less.

I used a 2" and an 1 3/4" circle punch. I figured I needed about 400 circles total, plus I cut a few extra in case of mistakes or design changes.

I sewed my circles together using my machine's longest stitch and placed 9 circles on each "run." I sewed several sets of nine together in a single sitting with about three inches of thread between each set. I cut them apart into sets of nine and started assembling.

I wound the thread from one set of circles twice around the middle ring and put a dab of hot glue over the thread. I placed each string of circles about 1" apart.

For the top ring I let six of the circles on a string hang down outside and folded the other three over inside the frame, using a dab of hot glue on the thread at the top. This gave the upper half of the lamp a fluffier look and more visual "weight."

Extra circles folded in half and hot glued around the upper ring give the lamp a finished look.

As you can see, the stitched circles diffuse the light and overlap nicely, giving a nice soft glow to the evening. It even looks good in the daylight! Scroll down to the bottom pic.

But for now it makes me smile everytime I go down the hall. I'm looking at the ugly ceiling fixture in my craft room and planning an ambitious redo, with gorgeous strings of faux capiz hanging down in long lengths and layers. And then I'll tackle the fixture in my bedroom!

I'm also looking at some of my other small tabletop lamps as candidates for this pretty redo. I wonder if crayon shavings ironed between the waxed paper layers would add some nice color or would it look funky? I've got to try it out now.

I'll be joining the parties in my sidebar, please come visit and see all the wonderfulness out there in blogland.

2011 Top Tutorials Part Two

2012-01-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

Here is part two of my blog's best of 2011. Part one is here....

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2012/01/2010-top-posts-part-one.html

Starting with my number five most popular post, here is how to make tiny reindeer from wine corks, twigs, hot glue and trims.

Such a fun project and cheap, too.

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2011/12/wine-cork-reindeer.html

My tute for easy Elmer's Glue crackled chalkboards came in at number four...

No kidding, the easiest way to get a crackle effect, EVER.

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2011/08/cheap-elmers-glue-crackle-chalkboards.html

Was 2010 the year of burlap? My number three project would make you think so.

How to make burlap ruffled bulletin boards.

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2011/02/burlap-ruffled-bulletin-boards.html

The number two most popular blog post for 2011 was my driftwood mirror.

I love the look of driftwood! I'll be doing more driftwood projects this year for sure.

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2011/03/driftwood-mirror.html

Mu number one blog post for 2011 was a clever and inexpensive way to make matching storage for your craft room.

I'm still making storage boxes this way and I still love the way they look!

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2011/02/book-page-mod-podge-boxes-for-desk.html

And my NUMBER ONE blog post OF ALL TIME is my favorite, too. How to use Elmer's Glue for a cheap crackled paint effect, with lots of photos and information.

This post continues to astound me, it is everywhere online, especially Pinterest.

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2010/05/crackle-finish-with-elmers-glue.html

There you have it, the most popular posts for last year. Let the new year begin!

I'll be linking up to the fun blog parties on my sidebar, come visit and even join the fun!

2011 Top Tutorials Part One

2012-01-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun with my blog this year, and I saw so many neat projects in blogland. ALL of my Top Ten are tutorials. Here are my own Top Ten from 2011 starting with this cool Halloween decor idea.

Make easy Halloween window decorations from poster board!

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-windows-from-poster-board.html

Number 9....my white, silver and teal Christmas wreath makeover.

So pretty, gorgeous color and so CHEAP! This is third redo of this twig wreath, with more coming up.

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2011/12/teal-silver-and-white-wreath-redo.html

Number eight....red rosette wreath and butterfly decor for Valentine's Day.

Back when I was deep in chemotherapy, Insanely Creative Christy helped me put this display together.

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2011/02/red-felt-roses-and-wave-of-butterflies.html

Number seven...how to make pretty lace pumpkins....

Complete instructions for a great fall decoration.

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2011/10/pretty-lace-pumpkins.html

Number six is a double project...recycling tissue box covers for your desk or craft room.

I show you two different ways to upstyle these staples of your household.

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2011/03/two-tissue-boxes-for-my-desk-redo.html

Number five and one of my personal favorites.....make mini reindeer from wine corks!

A simple project with complete instructions using items you probably already have on hand!

http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.com/2011/12/wine-cork-reindeer.html

These blog posts garnered thousands of hits and who knows how many pins on Pinterest!
Following up with my TOP FIVE of 2011 coming next!

I'll be posting at the fun parties on my sidebar, come visit and check out all the great ideas.

Blue Bookcase Painting

2012-01-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

My daughter in law found this large canvas, 30" x 40", at a garage sale. It was covered with camouflage print fabric and had a 2" tear in the middle, but it was a real bargain. She gave it to me, figuring I'd find something to do with it.

So I painted this.....

....a faux bookcase chock full of books. I had seen other artwork of books and loved them, and I knew I would not sell a damaged canvas on Etsy, so I went for it. Using Elmer's, I glued a muslin patch over the tear and let it set overnight. Then I went to town with all my favorite colors....

Cobalt blue, turquoise, bright red, chocolate brown, soft white and teal blue contrasted with black. The tear is hidden between two books and almost invisible.

I did not put in alot of bookish details as I wanted it to be more abstract and all about the colors, but normally I'd have put stitch marks and titles and authors on all of them because I love the small particulars in a painting. Not this time, and I love it!

I used acrylic paint and layered the colors on each book. The first layer of red came out too pink so I went with a bright and glossy Christmas red and it really pops!

I sealed it with Mod Podge for a satiny finish.

Then I put it on our TV wall and loved it, and immediately knew that the real bookcases need some serious decluttering and styling! But hey, I love the painting and the way it is in scale with the big chair and that big, black TV. I'll add more paintings to that wall and tackle those shelves next. Aaaaand, reupholster the big chair.

I am salvaging two more big canvases from thrift store paintings that are even bigger than this canvas. I've primed them with gesso and just have to decide what to paint. I haven't done many big paintings and I'm so excited! PLUS, when I'm done I'll have art for my walls for not a lot of money, gotta love that.

I have an idea that strips of scrap book papers in neat prints could be mod podged in rows to make a neat faux bookcase project. Or even crinkled brown kraft paper that looks like distressed leather. Oh, now I have to try it!

I'll be posting to the fun parties on my sidebar, come visit and join the fun!

Yarn Angels (LOADS of pics)

2011-12-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

I promised I would post this tutorial weeks ago, and I've finally got around to the pics this morning. I've been making and giving these angels away for 20 years and even sold them at craft fairs. They are cheap and easy to make and so much fun, plus they look so pretty on any style of tree.

This post is photo heavy, so please be patient. I'm trying to cover all the steps with pics and instructions.

I have made these angels using all types of yarns and fibers, including string, flat lace, ribbons, torn fabric and jute twine. Each material has its charms and the look of your angels will change with each different material.

BODY-I have used a paperback book for this demo. It is easy to use and the proportions are just right for the angels for most every fiber except for small string. Wrap your yarn about 50 times around the book, longways. Tie it at the top with a piece of yarn and cut the yarn through at the bottom of the book, so you have 50 long pieces of yarn tied at the top like the start of a tassel.

Tie the head off about 1" down from the top, forming a neck.

Now split the rest of the yarn approximately in half and separate as shown.

ARMS-Wrap yarn 25 to 30 times around the short side of the book. Tie off at one side. DO NOT CUT the looped yarn.

Slip the tied loops off the book and you will have a bundle that looks like this.

Put the tied loop bundle inside the divided angel body and pull one group of cut body yarn thru the arm loop. Adjust so the tie on the arm bundle is at the top.

Pull the body yarn down and tie off the waist of the angel just below the arms.

Pinch the arm bundle at the tie and twist it towards the angel body 2 or 3 times to get a nice bent arm shape.

Hot glue the tied arms to the waist of the angel body. I use the blunt end of a crochet hook to "comb" the skirt yarn. Anything smooth will work as long as it doesn't snag the yarn.

WINGS-I use lace for most of my angel wings. Wrap it around the short side of the paperback 6 to 8 times.

Slip the bundle of lace off the book and tie in the middle. DO NOT CUT ANY LOOPS of the wing bundle. Hot glue wings to back of angel, right below the where the neck is tied off.

Your yarn angel is taking shape!

HAIR WIG-The smallest hair bundle makes a wig with a bun and is best made by winding yarn around four of your fingers about 25 times. Tie off the bundle but do not cut the loops.

Slip the wig bundle off your fingers. It should look like this.

Tie the bundle close to one end to form a ponytail/bun. You want the head part of the wig to be larger and open to fit the angel's head.

Put hot glue on top of the head just a little forward of the center tie. Center your wig front over the glue and press down while the glue sets. Press and arrange the wig as you wish then hot glue the sides to the head right about where the ears would be.

Put another dab of hot glue at the back of the neck to secure the bun part of the wig in place.

Your angel's hair should look like this from the back. If you wind the wig yarn around the short side of the paper back and tie it off you will have a longer ponytail. If you wind the yarn around the long side of the paperback and tie it off you will have a nice long wig that looks awesome in a fat braid!

Here she is dressed up in white foofaraw. I love going into my stash and finding small embellishments for my angels. Scrap book gems, buttons, lace, beading, you name it, you can use them on these little angels!

Here is one done in chunky white yarn and gold embellishments. I made her wig out of thinner yarn so it wouldn't look so big. Once you get the basic steps down pat you can make these angels out of lots of different fibers. I've made them as small as 3" tall out of string and as large as 18" out of chunky yarn. They all look great!

Here is one made of lace with a dowel and thread spool base.

And here is one of my favorite style of angels, made out of crochet string.

Barely 3" tall, she has shaped wings made of sheet music with glittered edges and she carries a little book of the same paper. And here's the sweetest part.....

Her extra long hair is tied into a thick braid down her back. Cute! I've started doing these long chunky braids on all of the angels I'm making this year, and I love the look.

I'll be posting this in the parties on my sidebar, starting Wednesday, so please come visit and join the fun. Lots of creative ideas are out in blogland!

Burlap Santa Claus

2011-12-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

I am still getting my fine motor skills back after my breast cancer treatment, so sewing and painting have been on my list of skills I want to rebuild and maintain. Usually I make LOTS of Santas for my Etsy shop at this time of year, including from paper mache, but as I said, I'm still coming back.

That said, I am REALLY pleased with this primitive Santa Claus doll with an outfit and accessories made of burlap. Once I painted his face I knew he was a "go." He is my doll #921 and he made me smile. Of all the dolls I make, my Santas are my favorites!

He stands 20" tall and I had a great time putting all the details together.

I added burlap ruffles to a twig wreath and added one of my string angels and a tiny twig star. They are perfect together!

The jointed teddy bear in the stocking is golden plush and a tiny beauty. I buy them whenever I see them, they are the perfect size for my dolls. The stocking is white burlap trimmed with tan furry felt.

With his wired arms this Santa is totally poseable and he can hold small items. His hat is wired, too, so it can be twisted and turned.

Evidently a Santa in a burlap outfit is NOT a nutty idea, since this handsome guy sold in my Etsy shop in about a week! Really, burlap, who knew? I wish Christmas wasn't so close upon us because I'd make more of this style Santa if I had time. Perhaps I'll make one for practice and inventory and if he doesn't sell, well, he would look GREAT with my holiday decorations! I'll call that the plan, that's the ticket.

Thanks for checking my burlap Santa out. The world is a wide and interesting place, you never know which idea will please somebody out there.

Kitchen Christmas Tree

2011-12-19T19:11:00.000-08:00

We were charmed with the bay window and breakfast nook at one end of the kitchen when we bought our house, but more and more it's become a backwater of stacks and storage. I decided at least for Christmas we needed to clear it out and make it work for our Holiday desserts and treats.

I threw red velvet over the oak table and added a lighted tree in a garden urn. For a kitchen theme I started pulling little kitchen items out of the drawers and red ornaments from the rest of the house. I also found a box of old salt dough stars that look like sugar cookies and some dark brown applesauce/cinnamon stars from way back. Score!

So this project cost nothing since everything we used was already on hand from years past.

Then I loaded it up with everything small, red and kitchenny I could put my hands on. Kitchenny. That's a word, isn't it? I tied red plaid Christmas ribbon to a bunch of utensils and made bows out of the rest of the ribbon and piled it on this little tree.

My grandson made the snowflake garland using a Martha Stewart punch and pages from an old dictionary and phone book. Glued from point to point they make a really pretty and easy garland.

See the little stars? They look like little bitty shortbread cookies but they are baked salt dough. I added measuring spoons, wooden spoons, tin cups, a flower sifter, silvery tart pans and twig wreaths, along with glittery glass hearts and rolled felt roses.

The applesauce/cinnamon stars still smell sweet and a group of fake gingerbread ornaments went up there too.

The snowflake garland is a nice white touch on the otherwise red and green tree. I just tied ribbons to ordinary flatware before hanging them up.

A tin cup, fork, tea ball, measuring spoon, fir cone and more stars mix with the snowflake garland.

I added red plaid ribbons to a few wooden utensils and grouped them in a red container then put some treats on cake pedestals. The blue glass jars are a perfect counterpoint color. I've got my eyes open for more kitchen ornaments for this tree because I really like the way it's turned out!

And at night it sheds a pretty, glowing light in the kitchen instead of the light in the range hood. Much more festive, too. I love projects like this. Spur of the moment, done with items on hand, not a lot of time invested and a really nice result. What's not to love?

Wine Cork Reindeer

2011-12-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

Look! A tiny reindeer made from wine corks and twigs for your Holiday decor!

If you accumulate a lot of wine corks or keep running across them at yard sales and thrift stores, here's a nifty little project for the holidays that is so stinkin' cute and sort of easy, plus cheap. I make these little guys to go with my Santa dolls and while making them today I went ahead and took pictures of the process.

Here he is surrounded by the supplies for his creation. Wine corks, little twigs (some with forks) and round headed pins. You will also need a tool for cutting like a razor craft knife and wire cutters.

Punch four leg holes at a slight outward angle in the bottom of one cork for the twig legs. Use a nail or ice pick or whatever gives you the right size holes. The holes need only be about 1/4" deep. Cut four sorta matching twigs for the legs, about 2" long, using a razor knife or wire cutters like those shown.

Put a bit of hot glue in the hole or on the twigs and insert the twigs into the holes. You can press the sticks in with gentle pressure against your work surface or use a pair of pliers. Stand the body up and if any leg is out of whack trim it JUST A LITTLE with a knife or the wire cutters. If you take off too much you'll have to trim the other legs and then the first leg again and it will only end in tears, trust me on this.

BUT, if this happens you can use a heat gun or blow dryer to soften the glue and remove the sticks so you can start over with 4 new twig legs.

If your chosen head cork is too large, trim one end straight off with a razor knife til the proportion seems right. Do the same same punch-holes-trim-twigs-glue-in-holes for the tiny forked antlers and the neck twig. Notice the neck twig is angled, so punch your holes with that in mind.

Look! Teeny tiny super cute wine cork reindeer!

LOVE these little guys!

But wait, what are the push pins for? This little guy needs a red nose, of course. I snipped the pin off short then painted the ball bright red.

Then I added a bit of tiny green tinsel around his neck. Perfect. You can add more tiny trims like the bow on his brother in the top pic, or a tiny star, or a little bell.

They are great in a tabletop display or trooping across your mantle. They are not strong enough to be used as toys but for your Christmas decor, what could be easier or cuter? And now you have a nifty project to use all those wine corks you have in that glass jar.

I'll be posting this to the blog parties in my sidebar. Come join the fun!

Teapot Ornament Set

2011-12-13T12:16:00.000-08:00

My granddaughter has a birthday two weeks before Christmas, so we try to make sure she gets her own separate celebration.

This year she has discovered tea, and is exploring the different tastes and all the fun tea accessories out there, so I knew I wanted to give her something along those lines. I had this teapot ornament made from clay and a glass ball which had seen better days. It was pretty beat up. I knew I couldn't make it shiny and new again.

So I used my handy technique for adding texture...torn, crumpled tissue paper and Mod Podge. The tissue and glue also stabilized the clay pieces and helped keep them firmly attached to the ball.

Her favorite color these days is vibrant apple green. Yes, her bedroom is painted this color! So I painted the teapot ball and pulled together some trims from my stash.

I sealed it with shiny acrylic and added a black teapot, a sleeping cat button, a black satin rosette, a silver bell, the original silver bow and a wood tag with her initial attached with black ribbon.

I also made her a plaque for her bedroom but this time I used a calmer color combination of black and white.

She was delighted with her gifts! The teapot went straight on the family Christmas tree and her sign is now on her bright apple green bedroom wall. And when she paints her room another color (Orange Crush, anyone?) this plaque will still fit in.

I've been making personal gifts like these for years and the family always seems to like what I make, lol! I could say it's because my stuff is totally awesome but it could also be that I raised my kids to be POLITE. ;o)

So now I'm neck deep in Christmas gift production and really glad I have ONE MORE WEEK to get finished. I always get done in time, so I'm not going to stress. Though I will not be making any rose shaped candles anytime soon. Yes, with each petal hand formed. Crikey.

Have a great week and a blessed Holiday, everyone. Count your blessings, you have more than you know!

Book Page Decor Featuring Stars

2011-12-11T13:02:00.000-08:00

Here is the the mirror and bookshelf in my entry, all decked out in greens and lots of recycled book page ornaments. I have rosettes, balls, wreaths and stars.

I love the look of vintage books and typography and use old worn out books and music sheets whenever possible in my crafts and decor. It really couldn't be simpler....

Find a shape you like. In this case I used a 3D tin star from the Dollar Store and a worn out dictionary with densely printed pages. Even a flat star shape cut from thin cardboard (like cereal boxes) looks great covered in pieces of old book pages!

Sometimes I tear the pages up for nice ragged edges, but this time I cut them up into rectangles. A coat of Mod Podge (or plain school glue) adheres them to the shape easily. Once it is dry, a top coat of Mod Podge really seals the edges and gives it a nice sheen. You can also spray it with clear sealer for additional luster.

When your shape is dry, sand the edges with a downward stroke using an emery board or buffing sponge like you'd use on your fingernails. This trims the extra paper for a nice straight edge.

Can you tell one star is covered with pages from a different book? I just love the texture and interest the print gives to these simple shapes!

Ornaments made with recycled book and music pages are a cheap and easy way to give your decor a bit of shabby chic style without too much effort. I love the way the recycled paper ornaments look with my ruffled muslin garland, such sweet contrast!

Soon I'll show you how to make the sweet zig zag wreaths and simple rosettes. They are so simple, inexpensive and very striking!

I'll be linking up to the parties in my sidebar. Come check out the wonderful Holiday creativity!

Rosettes for Christmas

2011-12-06T16:30:00.000-08:00

I'm still working on my Christmas decor, but I already know I'm making more rosette projects this year!

Here are two of the balls I've already made and I love their texture and color. They add so much interest to my decorating, I want to make more!

I punched out 1" circles for the backing, then tore crepe paper streamers into 6"-8" pieces. I stretched them slightly then rolled and scrunched each one into a rope shape.

Curl one end into a tight spiral then hot glue to the paper disc. (Please ignore the silver paint on my thumbnail!) Twist and glue the rest of the paper down until you have a nice round rosette about 1" across. Make more than you think you will need, a Christmas ball takes lots of rosettes.

This Christmas ball is 4" across and it was on clearance at the Dollar Store for fifty cents. Score! It took one entire roll of crepe paper streamer to make enough rosettes to cover it completely. I added fake gems from my stash to give it a bit of bling. I like it alot!

Also in my stash I had this old foil twist that was SOOOO popular about 15 years ago. I used bunches of it back then and this is what I had left. I cut it into 8" lengths, unraveled it flat and cut each piece in half longways so each 8" piece gave me two rosettes. I love it on this ball, it is so bright and shiny and has great texture. Great bang for the buck!

And here's my lucky find of teal foil twist that was PERFECT for my wreath recycle project. I made more rosettes from this pretty foil and glued them to another ball.

It is gorgeous and sits front and center on my door wreath.

I've got the rosette decorating bug, people! I have another 4" ball that I'm covered with silver fabric rosettes, and then maybe another cone Christmas tree, and maybe some smaller balls with muslin rosettes...if and when I get them finished, I'll blog about them here, don't you worry!

What about you? What has grabbed your creative attention this year? New color combinations? A retro Christmas foil tree? Totally natural with pine cones and twig stars?
Please share!

Black and White and Red Christmas

2011-12-06T16:07:00.000-08:00

Here's what my baker's rack looked like for November. Lots of vibrant autumn color with faux leaves, my fabric and lace pumpkins, garlands and a neat twig rosette wreath.

For October it looked like this, complete with spooky bats, a black dried vine wreath, spooky cut outs and black netting. I loved the black and white theme so much I wanted to use it again for Christmas, maybe with a bit of silver.

So here was the start of the Christmas decorating and tho it's coming together, it just looked too "calm" for me. I love color and knew I had to add some to this display. I didn't go out and buy anything and knew I had to work with what I already had. The silver wreath is a great Dollar Store clearance buy after Christmas last year, it was twenty five cents!!

I looked in my Christmas storage; old balls, yarn and old silver decorations. I remade the silver tinsel wreath with lots of red in yarn and glass balls, plus silver balls and snowflakes and even a black and white ball to match the two cone trees. Hmmmm, looking better!

Here's how the rack looks now. I'm still tweaking that second shelf, perhaps adding a few more cone trees....and one wrapped with a red beaded garland...and maybe one with silver foil....thinking thinking.

This is the great fun of creating your own decor, when you get an idea you can work on it and modify it until you get the look you want. I'm not done with this design yet, but so far I'm liking the clean black and white and silver with pops of red, SO different from my normal cobalt blue, white and silver.

What about you, are you changing up your colors or style this year? It's your house, go for it!

Recycled Christmas Ornaments

2011-12-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

If you are anything like me, you probably have old, grungy Christmas bulb ornaments mixed in with your "good stuff." You know the ones...cheap, usually plastic, flaked, dull and looking shabby but still perfect ROUND and HANGABLE if only they looked better.

So here are three I've redone in an effort to save them and also restyle a bit of our decor for the Holidays. Not so much neon red, lime green and yellow gold and more restrained with alot of texture. That's my plan!

I took a look around my craft room knowing that whatever I used I had to have a LOT of it, because those little spheres take more to cover them than I ever figured.

I have bunches of lace, including this big roll of vintage cream flat lace. I grabbed my glue gun and started wrapping.

Not half bad and I like the way the gold gleams through the pretty lacy layers. I like this one!

I also have alot of prim stars on hand for my star garlands. I coffee, vanilla and cinnamon age the paper then bake it before I make stars so each one is grungy and unique. Hmmmm, are there enough to cover a gold ball?

Yes, there are! I really like the spiky bits sticking out and the wonderful colors and textures of the individual stars. I like this one, too!

I have jars of buttons. Jars and bottles and little containers and more jars of buttons in all colors and sizes. I use alot of buttons in my designs and I've never met a bag of buttons at a thrift store that I didn't like. But what about on a Christmas ball, would they work?

They do work! I like the varied colors and textures of the different buttons on this gold ball. Where the gold showed through I put a dab of crystal glitter paint for more shine. I like THIS one, too!

Right now they are nestled together on the display stand I made from a glass plate and a candlestick, then mod podged with old book pages. I LOVE the way the three bulbs look on this retro looking plate stand! I have a bunch of ornaments in the works using recycled book pages and they will all hang on the same tree with these 3 reworked beauties. Until everything is ready I'll display them like this.

So what do you have in your stash that you can use to restyle an old ornament? Buttons? How about old sets of silver snaps? Beads? Chains from old necklaces? Old beaded garlands? Hey now, that's an idea I can run with. I feel another blog post coming on, lol!

Teal, Silver and White Wreath Redo

2011-12-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

Here is the Christmas wreath for our front door. This is the third redo of this twig wreath and probably not the last.

I love the way it came out so close to the idea in my head. Don't you like it when a project works out like that?

Here's the wreath in it's first incarnation, painted gloss black and adorned with a glittery haunted house silhouette and lots of curly black streamers for Halloween. Dollar Store spider webs and spiders and a bevy of bats finished it up.

For its second life for November and Thanksgiving I reworked it with colorful fake autumn leaves and flowers, and mini pumpkins on skewers. I LOVED the contrast of the gloss black with the vibrant colors, especially on my blue door.

And here's the start of it's third look, several coats of gloss white spray paint, which I had on hand. It's been so cold here that it took several days to get this done. I knew I wanted to add blue ornaments but didn't want to spend a lot of money, so I kept my eyes open.....

..and found these vibrant blue balls in a bag of silver ornaments, plus a whole roll of teal blue foil twist ribbon at the local St. Vincent's store. Thirty cents for the ribbon and ninety nine cents for the bag of balls. Score!

I covered one silver ball with teal rosettes made from the foil twist, and wound strips of it around wire to make some nice curlicues for accents. I knew I'd never find anything like them in the stores and they are perfect for the look I wanted for this wreath.

Here it is, all done with lots of hot glue. I added a few silver snowflakes and a few blue berry twigs and hung it up outside. I LOVE the way it all came together! It looks great on our blue door.

Here's a few of the elements....blue and silver glass balls, silver snowflakes, a crackle painted blue ball and the rosette covered ball. I particularly like the blue curlicues, they came out great!

And another look...this just makes me smile. I always know when a project is finished when I end up with a big grin on my face!

I'll be posting about the rosette covered balls and the crackle painted balls soon. They are easy and clever ways to make something totally unique for your decor, and not just for Christmas.

I'm joining the parties on my sidebar, come on by and check them out. There are some great decor and gift ideas out there and yummy recipes too.

Snowflake Chandelier

2011-12-01T11:53:00.000-08:00

Our 90's era house came with this blingy brass and glass chandelier. Still serviceable but really dated. It will have to do until I find just the right, perfect, beautiful dining room chandelier.

So for October thru November I wrapped it in a double garland of colorful silk leaves, like so....

...and I really liked the way it looked, especially all lit up. Martha Stewart did something similar but with tea lights and real leaves. http://www.marthastewart.com/276216/pumpkin-chandeliers-autumn-wreath
Ok, hers is prettier, but mine won't catch on fire.

Then I found a bag of assorted snowflakes (including a snowflake garland) at Goodwill for 99 cents. Score!!

The big snowflakes hooked over the hanging glass and the mini snowflake garland was just the right length to drape nicely all the way around. Hmmmm, looks okay in the daylight. Then I turned on the light....

KAPOW!
Look at the beautiful, crystally, snowflakey chandelier!
I really really like it and so does The Welding Man. It looks like a big Christmas wedding cake hanging over the table! Or an alien mothership made out of icy crystals!

Ooh aah. With all the snowflake glitz and detail to fool the eye, it actually looks quite pretty.

And I still have snowflakes left. I'll try hanging more around the bottom...or leave it like this? I can hardly wait to see it after dark.

I guess this means my holiday decorating is kicked into gear. I'll be posting about my favorite gifts and ornaments to make in the next few weeks, including a special request for making simple but pretty yarn angels.

I'll be joining the parties on my sidebar, too. Come check them out for some excellent and creative ideas!

Make Do Kitchen Island

2011-11-21T13:42:00.000-08:00

Here is the realtor's pic of our kitchen before we moved in. Yes, it is full of real wood golden oak goodness. That means they will be easy to paint at some future point, yes? Creamy vanilla white in my dreams!

You see we have a generous open space right in the middle of the work triangle. After several family gatherings I told the Welding Man I wanted an island for the Thanksgiving fest to give me more prep space and also improve traffic flow for a buffet line.

The discussion is ongoing for the permanent fixture. But for a tryout we came up with this solution....

The two ancient, solid walnut nightstands we have kept around for decades. Back to back they make a 21" x 35" worktop, almost the size as my hoped for island.

We had a snack and movie night last week and tried it out. It really is convenient and well placed and a good size.

I threw an old tablecloth over it to disguise it's origins. Sorta.

As part of the ongoing discussions/negotiations, the Welding Man wants to put a top on the nightstands and call it good. That might work. But I can also picture a farm table type island, with a shelf (or two) underneath and a more open look. Altho the nightstands have storage built in. But they need to be painted.

With Thanksgiving looming ahead, we're going to give this a workout and come up with a compromise we both like. After 40+ years of marriage, compromise is the name of the game, baby!

Have a great Thanksgiving celebration and take a moment to savor the blessings in your life. I sure hope your day includes lots of laughter and tasty food.

Bless you all.

3 Quick & Easy Decor Projects

2011-11-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

I decided to put these three projects in one post, because I am rarin' to move on to my Christmas blogging. Can you say gifts and decor and great ideas?

Project 1-Here are the spooky Halloween branches from our front deck. By the end of a wild and windy week they were looking shabby and tired. But no problem!

Dollar Store clearance sale, two packs of fake leaves for a dollar. Score!
I took the cobwebs and bat garland off the branches and straightened them up in the urn with florist foam and duct tape. The urn, by the way, was a clearance item at Kmart for $1.66!! I added the leaves with hot glue and.......

...voila! Now it is a colorful vertical accent in the corner of the living room. I like it alot. And when I switch to Christmas decor, a blast of my heat gun will loosen those leaves so I can add snowflakes, etc. A bit of fabric draped at the base hides the foam and duct tape.

Project 2-This project uses a Dollar Store vine wreath and satiny fabric in fall colors. I made oversize rosette flowers, two and a half to three inches across.

I wanted them bigger so I could use less of them. I love the shiny sheen of the fabric against the two cream muslin rosettes.

Hot glue is my friend. Way way back in the sixties I would have wired all this stuff in place.Thrift store leaf bunches are the perfect touch, but not too many so the twiggy wreath can show through.

Project 3-Here's a quick way to dress up and display your pumpkins, real and fake. Taking more of those Dollar Store leaves, hot glue them around the rim of a candlestick, of glass, metal or wood.

Or, glue the fake leaves around the bottom of your pumpkin. This gives it a nice ruff of color.

Perch your pumpkins on the candlesticks for a colorful display. Here they are on my baker's rack, all switched over from my black and white Halloween. I added gold berry picks and propped it on the top shelf, along with a bunch of leaves in a spray painted bottle and my silver button blingy decor ball.

I'll be switching this all over to Christmas decor right after Thanksgiving. I'm wondering if I can pull off a black, white and silver Christmas theme on this rack. I guess we'll all find out!

I'll be linking up to the fun parties in my sidebar. Come check them out and join the fun!

So Thankful!

2011-11-12T19:10:00.000-08:00

Last year at this time we lived in a beautiful place with a gorgeous view. And every winter looked like this....

It was a gorgeous place with snow every winter. And power outages whenever the snow topped two inches, and frozen water pipes, and a snowed in driveway and a long drive to the hospital for my surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. We lived there 25 years so we knew how to cope, but when I got sick, this became the biggest problem for us......

...we lived far away from our kids and grandkids and had to drive over a 3800' pass to go visit them. This was the highway just before Thanksgiving of last year. Even with studded tires, that frozen snow and ice was treacherous.

Can you see the long icicles on the rocks? That's as close as I wanted to get to them, and I was NOT getting out of the car!

Yeah, it was a long, hazardous drive but totally worth it. And we did it again at Christmas, usually in deeper snow. Or our family drove over to see us. For years.

Hello, ladies! The men are all in the other room.

Now we live in the same town as our kids and grandkids. My sisters still have a bit of a drive but no one has to cope with that snowy mountain anymore. By the Grace of God, we sold our old home and moved here very close to our family. We see them every week and plan some great holiday celebrations this year.

So thankful and counting our blessings. Yes, we are.

Book Page Leaf Garlands

2011-11-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

Here is an easy project that turns out great, and you can probably do it with stuff you have on hand. I use old book pages for alot of things but this is one of my favorites. I add leaf cutouts from old books to Dollar Store garlands and really kick up their style factor.

Using a leaf pattern traced from a real life, a fake leaf or online, simply trace the shape onto a printed page of an old book. With good, sharp scissors you can cut through about six pages at a time. Here you see one size leaf we cut to add to the garland.

And here's a smaller size. Please excuse the painty, gluey crafting hands! Use a glue stick on one leaf, add a length of florist or craft wire, then put another leaf on top. You can make as many as you like, it's easy peasy and they look so cool. I believe Pottery Barn had some similar leaves a few years back for a very pretty price.

Just use the wire to twist the leaves into the garland. Here is one garland we made last year. I love the way the book page leaves "cool down" the vibrant colors of the garland. You can add as many as you wish and the wires let you "fluff" them any way you want for a fuller look.

Here they are with another more muted garland. This was for the long stair banister in my daughter's country style house. I love the way they look!

Here is a garland of oak leaves hung on a muslin curtain. Such a complement to the colorful leaves and the creamy colored muslin.

And here is one, paired with my primitive star garland, that I've looped around my entry way mirror. I really like the way the book page leaves look with all the vibrant hues!

And here's a shot of a garland used in a Thanksgiving tablescape. Add a few book paged balls and some glass ware and you have a stylish and colorful centerpiece.

Try it, you'll like it! If you make something using book page leaves, please let me know. Link back! Attach a pic! I'd love to see them.