Simple Things, Sweet Life

Window to my World

2012-01-18T16:06:00.002-06:00

Today I made one of my little dreams come true! I finally got an antique window hung above our bed. Happy sigh! I did it all by myself. No small feat! I used 3M velcro strips, which means we can adjust it a bit when hubby comes home. I'm trying to remember if I told him I wanted to put this window here...hmmm. Hope he likes it!

This window is from Northern Indiana. A neat little antique shop near Plymouth, IN, in fact. I can't help but look at it and wonder about its history. Did a housewife look out this window when it was new? Or was this window in a shed, garage, or shop?

The cute rag garland was a gift from a very dear friend! It's been the only thing hanging over our bed these past 1.5 years. It looks perfect right over the middle of the window! Thanks Lori!

Another fun thing that happened this week is that I got some personal calling cards in the mail! I ordered these from Ink Garden...it was a special of 100 cards for only $4.99 shipped! I have regular business cards for my etsy shop. But I have often wished for some cards to give new friends so that they can have my phone number and email.
Ink Garden lets you pick your design, words, fonts, colors, etc.
(The black marks are for privacy's sake on the internet.)

And on the back, there was room to put more. So I just made a little list of who I am. And put my blog address.

And lastly, I didn't have something wintery to put on my front door. So I decided to put up a vintage Valentine cut out. Fun, cute, and different. This was either from my younger years or my school teaching years.

Thanks for stopping by on this cold, sunny January day!

Blessings!
Donna
Linked To:
My Romantic Home

Cute, Quick Homemade Calendar

2012-01-12T20:11:00.004-06:00

I really enjoy having a photo calendar each year. Last year I paid about $8 to have Walgreens make one for me on sale. But this year I thought I'd just pick up this $1 calendar at JoAnn Fabrics. Little did I know that it would end up being my favorite photo calendar yet!

Last week, I hurriedly worked on a photo order through Walmart.com. My idea was to print 3-4 pics for each page and crop them so I could get several events/memories on each month. Then suddenly I had a TERRIFIC epiphany!! Walmart lets you make photo collage prints for just 9 cents each!!! It was so fun to make a 4x6 photo collage, WITH TITLE, for each month! That allowed me to get several photos (usually 6) per month and even be able to title them.

Add caption

And so here is the January page. I am loving this in our master bathroom. While I do my hair in the morning, I can see my loved ones and remember special times.

It can be hard to decide what pictures to do each month. So my plan was to choose favorite pics/events/memories of that month from 2011 and put them on the coinciding month of 2012.

This project was very economical and quick. It might have taken me an hour to upload the pics to walmart.com and create the 12 photo collages. And then just about 5 minutes to put them in my calendar using photo splits from my scrapbooking supply.
I can also say that it cost less than $4. The calendar was $1 and the photos were 9 cents each plus alittle bit for shipping so they would come right to my house. I like it so much better than my little $8 desktop calendar from last year b/c the photos are more clear and there are more per month.

And now...I'm betting you'd like to see one of my favorite pictures of my little newborn granddarling...right?

This precious little babe was born one week ago today and his name is
Carson Davis.
He is our very first little grand and we are loving him to PIECES!!!

He was about 4 days old here. So beautiful. So sweet. So happy. And such a God-gift! I wish he lived next door, and not 6 hours away. I am loving being his "Mimi" and am so thankful for the 6 days I got to spend with him, our darling daughter, and her husband.

Thank you for visiting! Have you been to my etsy shop, Perfect Darlings? I've sold over 60 of one certain handmade gift you'll find there...curious? Go see! :)

Blessings,
Donna

Linked to:
My Romantic Home
Made By You Monday
Tip Junkie
Today's Creative Blog

Joy to the World...Our First Grandchild is Born!!

2012-01-06T20:59:00.000-06:00

Carson Davis Gamble
7 pounds 1 ounce
Perfection!

Our beautiful first born Lindsey and her sweet husband Rich have given us our first little 'grand' and we are thrilled!

I got to be right outside the door, hearing it all take place! And when he was born I got to come in and start taking photos. Bliss!!

Just one hour old. Such a sweet new little person. My heart will never be the same.

'Papa'is quite proud and smitten!

'Mimi'...my dream come true!
Thank you Jesus for
new life,
health,
his godly parents,
and the huge blessing of being his
Grands.

Blessings!
Mimi Donna

One Word for 2012

2011-12-31T09:17:00.002-06:00

Have you heard of the idea of choosing 'One Word' for your new year? It's kind of a one word New Year's resolution. You can read more about it HERE.
My One Word for 2011 was "Anticipate". I chose that word for several reasons...we were new to this area and I wanted to anticipate the good things and people that we would meet in our new home. I was anticipating God answering a deep heartfelt prayer request for one of my loved ones. And we were hoping to anticipate the news that we would be grandparents for the first time!

We also had several special trips to anticipate...a family reunion at a gorgeous, huge lake house near St. Louis and nearly a week in Orlando at the Disney Resorts and Parks.
In choosing the word 'anticipate' I was putting my hopes in God for good things for the new year...anticipating blessings and answers to prayer.
So many of those blessings came to be! Our first grandchild is due to be born ANY day! :) And we had the unexpected, bittersweet news that we have a 2nd grandchild due to be born in early March! God is so sweet...we're going to have a grandson first and then a granddaughter...one of each!
My deep prayer for my family member has been answered!! Not completely, but certainly a big change has taken place in this one's life.
Our family has made sweet, new friends in our town and had such fun investigating new places.
The trips we took were above and beyond all that we asked or imagined!
Plus we enjoyed our first Square Foot Garden and I opened a successful Etsy shop! It's been an eventful year for sure!

And now 2011 has drawn to a close. It's time for 2012. And a new 'One Word'.
Along with last year's fun and blessings, some ongoing trials arose. We face uncertainty in several key areas of life.
I am tired.
All the activity of our comings and goings, family events and news, my Etsy shop, and homeschooling has left me a little bit weary.
I am feeling drawn to a new word for the new year. Everywhere I look I see this word in print or read of the idea of it and its synonyms.
My One Word for 2012 is
Rest.

I want to take time to sit more with my Bible, my family, and for listening.
I want to rest in the Lord in the midst of trials and unknowns. He already knows the outcome of the path ahead...fretting does not help or change things. It just wears me out and causes me to worry.
I want to have a spirit that is at rest most of the time b/c I know that the Story Writer of our lives is turning the next page with the next bit of info at the right time.
I need to look into my husband's eyes and our children's eyes and just listen and be with them.
To sit and rock my darling grandbabies whenever I have the chance.
I hope to stand and look out the window for a moment each day and look for God's hugs and fingerprints.
To get outside for a bit each day to breathe the fresh air and feel His beauty all around.
And continue to take lots of photos, so that I can look back and be reminded over and over of the memories made each day.

Just like my little puppy-girl, I want to rest and just enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, touches, and tastes of the life God has given me...and trust Him in the midst of it all. He is the Prince of Peace, and He lives in me. Therefore His peace is always at my heart's fingertips, ready to fill me as I allow it.

Do you have a One Word for 2012? I would LOVE to hear it, and why you chose it.

I wish you peace and rest and anticipation for the new year of

2012!

Blessings,
Donna

UpCycled Knit Scarf

2011-12-29T22:04:00.000-06:00

It was a beautiful snowy morning. And I had declared it to be my 'craft day!'

I love this top. A ton. But alas, it makes me look pregnant. And since I am now 50 years old, that is not a good thing. Ha! So I saved it for the fabric and today decided it'd be perfect for making a knit scarf. Bridgette of Ette Studios has a great tutorial which has been making the rounds on Pinterest. So I give her all the credit and thanks for her inspiration! You can see it HERE.

Cutting the body of the top into strips. Stretching them out. And using the coordinating ties from the top to be my 'wraps.'

Alternating the side seams so that when I wrap them, they are not all in a bunch.

Using the wrap to hide the side seams, keep the strips together, and add a cute contrast.

Now to wrap the other set of side seams.

Pinned into place, making sure that the hand sewn side will be on the same side when the scarf is worn.

Handsewing the ends of the wrap together and alittle bit to the scarf.

Trying to take my photo in the bathroom mirror!

The sweater I plan to mostly wear with the scarf.

Oh and this sweater works too. I doubled the scarf up today and it looked cute. The picture isn't that great...but my 13 year old son was the photographer. :)

So there! I have FINALLY made a T-shirt or knit top scarf!! Wanted to for months!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings!
Donna

Linked To:
My Romantic Home

Starbucks Cup Scrapbook

2011-12-21T16:13:00.000-06:00

I'm excited to share this fun craft with you today! I learned this idea from Angie at Echos of Laughter last year. She is such a creative girl! Be sure and check out her delightful blog for a full tutorial on this little scrapbook.

This Starbucks cup was my holiday drink from last December...white mocha I think! It's fun b/c the markings on the front of the cup are a remembrance of what I had that day while Christmas shopping with my mom. :) I brought it home, washed it, and saved it for making a cute December scrapbook.

You cut the bottom of the cup off and then cut the cup down the seam to make the cover of your book.

Then you make a template for your pages. I covered the inside of the 'cover' with cute paper and then made double page spread pages for the rest.

Since my b-day is in December, I decided to make my book about all the festivities of December rather than just Christmas. Because the pages are small I had to get creative with the photos...cropping them when I was able, or cutting them and squishing them together.

It's cute to use as many 3D touches as you can...so I used foam dots under embellishments and little photos.

I also put photos of a craft I made for gifts and of some decor I used for a dinner party. Note the C'mas tree embellishment with a button on top.

Our Christmas Eve appetizer buffet...I had to cut part of the photo and superimpose it over the main part of the photo to get most of it on this page.

Using a circle punch I was able to put all of the photos of our family that were together for Christmas on one page even though the page was small. And I put a foam dot under three of our photos for some depth.

Our puppy dog's stocking! And I found that one of my photos had this picture of my Gooseberry Patch calendar in it, so I cut it out to add to the book. :)

We had a white Christmas!

My sweet puppy-girl...Gracie. She was enjoying Christmas Day!

Here you can see that I cut the photo in half and spread it over two pages.

The back of the book is where I attached the baker's twine to be the little closure for the book. A circle of paper hides the attachment. A button on the front is perfect for wrapping the twine around to keep the little book closed.

And I used a pick to poke 2 holes in the middle (folded part) of the pages and the cover. This baker's twine ties it all together. Worked out really well.

I hope you enjoyed this little sweet idea! And thank you Angie for this adorable, brilliant idea! I really love it!

Merry Christmas!!
Donna

Linked To:
Whatever Goes Wednesday
My Romantic Home
Tip Junkie
Here's to Handy Andy

One Hour Purse Organizer

2011-12-14T18:44:00.002-06:00

I had some unexpected time at home alone tonight. Bliss! So I got busy on a project I was dying to make, and bingo! It just took about an hour to make this fun, cute purse organizer. I want to be sure to give the credit for this inspiration to the blogger at The Giving Flower. She has a very nice tutorial here, so be sure to visit her blog in order to get all the instructions.

I went through my fabric stash and found these cute coordinating prints that would work. I'm in love with all things vintage so that's why I chose this. Yvonne, do you recognize this fabric?! Thanks to you, I had it here...ready to use!!!

After measuring, ironing on interfacing, sewing, and ironing, it was ready to use. You lay out your organizer before you sew the pockets and determine what items you want to go in it. Then using a disappearing ink fabric pen, you mark off the size of pockets to fit your needs.

I left the last pocket on the right for kind of 'general' use. Right now it is housing my lip balm and change purse.

Here's the reason I needed a purse organizer...I bought this bag recently at Hobby Lobby. It's supposed to be a combo purse/tote bag for my 'must haves' and my new birthday present...more on that in a minute.

After fitting all my must haves in the organizer, I worked with it, to kind of roll it or fold it into a workable bundle.

This is designed so that when I want to change purses, for something smaller and nicer, I can just grab this organizer and plop it right into the purse of my choice.

My birthday gift. That needed housing for going out and about. Yes, my husband spoiled me rotten. He's so good to me!!

And here is my new bigger purse, all outfitted, organized, and ready for shopping, going to church, or any place. I still have room in there for my Bible on Sundays. Peachy!!

Miss Gracie Anne found it fascinating. She's a girl. Girls love purses.

Yes, that might be a Dove Chocolate Easter Egg in there. I try to have a small stash of dark chocolate on hand for come-what-may. :)

So...if you need a purse organizer or wish to make one for a gift, check out the tutorial at The Giving Flower and go for it. I'm sooo happy to get mine done. Now...back to addressing thank you notes and Christmas cards. :)

Blessings!
Donna
Linky Parties:
My Romantic Home
Made by you Monday
Tip Junkie

Turning Fifty is Fabulous!!

2011-12-13T17:44:00.002-06:00

December 11, 1961...the Lord brought me into this world. Unbelievably, that was 50 years ago! How can I be a half century old?! Oh well, might as well enjoy it!

It was such a fun celebratory weekend. The night before my birthday, my sweet husband John and I had a night on the town. Dinner at a Spanish Tapas Restaurant.

Yum!!

Theeeeennnnn...an evening at the Jim Brickman Christmas Concert!! Love, love, love!!

Dad and Mom gave me a dozen red roses for my birthday. Awwww.

Then Sunday, my actual birthday, we met my folks at The Lonestar Steakhouse for lunch after church.

French Fried Green Beans. A-maaaa-zing!!

Then home for my gifties. One from my daughter was Baker's Twine...yippeee!

Scotty McCreery can now croon to me while I cook dinner, thanks to my childhood bestie, Sandy!!

I was spoiled. Rotten. But I'm enjoying every bit of it!! Yes, that is my amazing new iPad!!

Thank you Jesus for 50 full, healthy, happy years. I'm so blessed with family, friends, and living my dream as a stay at home mom, wife, homeschool teacher, crafter, and soon to be Mimi to 2 little grandbabies in 2012!!

Blessings,
Donna

That's A Wrap!

2011-12-01T18:27:00.001-06:00

Hello my friends! It's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged. Because of Thanksgiving (we had ALL of our birdies back in the nest for two nights...bliss!) and because my etsy shop has kept me humming away on my sewing machine! That's been a fun and happy thing.

Dear daughter brought our Christmas gifts and my December b-day gifts to leave with us. She did SUCH a cute job wrapping mine, that I had to show-n-tell them with you.

Isn't my Christmas gift festive and sweet?! She used Dollar Tree kraft paper, baker's twine, a printable sheet of Silent Night (pinterest), and a button. I. Just. Love. It!!
It will go in the front under the tree. :)

I like the way she put the sheet music on at an angle, and has the twine strings spread apart. Kraft paper, black, white, and red just go together.

And THESE are my b-day gifties!! Again, so cute and interesting. I can hardly wait to see what they contain!

She used Dollar Tree kraft paper that has printed pink and brown polka dots on them...such cute paper! And the raffia, buttons, and string are the perfect touch.

Have you ever tried sewing on kraft paper? You should! It's easy, fun, and makes such a cute presentation. Isn't the pouch on the left, with the flap lid, cute?

And a paper cut out flower adds a sweet splash of color on the box on the right.

See the middle sized one in the back? It is completely sewn all the way around. She put the gift in between 2 piece of kraft paper and sewed the package together! How fun is that! :)

Know what that pink string is wrapped willy-nilly around the two little boxes? Pink crochet thread!! Much less expensive than baker's twine, and just as cute!! After seeing her idea on this, I purchased some red crochet thread to use on some Christmas gifts, and wrapping my etsy orders for December.

Here's a secret...I REALLY don't like to wrap gifts. Ugh. But these ideas, are going to make it alittle more fun to be creative this Christmas.
So thank you, dear Lindsey, for making my gifts soooo
pretty this year! She says it might be the last time for a few years...she's expecting our first granchild in about 6 weeks. :)

Blessings and Christmas Cheer,
Donna

Linky Partaysss:

My Romantic Home

Tip Junkie
Wednesday Wrap Party

Semi-Homemade Kitchen Towel Gift

2011-11-18T11:45:00.001-06:00

Glory be and Hallelujah! One Christmas sewing project was completed this morning. :) My mom in law has an old kitchen towel that fastens to the stove with a potholder, and she showed it to me and wished for a new one. I was just winging it, as I tried to make one, but it came out quite nicely. Hurray!

The supplies needed were easy.
*one kitchen towel...mine actually came from the Dollar Tree!
*one potholder with a loop at the top in the middle
*2 coordinating fabrics in her kitchen colors
*thread
*large button
*rick rack.

I cut strips of the coordinating fabrics from my stash at home. They were about 1 3/4 inches wide and about and inch longer than the width of the towel. Iron a narrow hem on each long side, and top stitch them to the lower section of one end of the towel. This will be the front.

On the back side, I folded that extra length into a nice hem and stitched it down.

Then I gathered the middle of the towel across its width. I did it alitle bit higher than the very middle so that the front of the towel would definitely hang down without the back of the towel peaking out from under it. Then pin the right side of the gathered towel to the ride side of the middle of the potholder and sew. Make SURE that you have it so that the loop will come over the front to fasten around the button. I suggest you pin it together, make sure it works, then sew it...to avoid frustrating mistakes.

Here is the inside (wrong side) of the potholder after the gathered towel has been sewn on. This part will not show.

Sew a large button onto the front of the potholder so that the loop fastens over it. I used embroidery thread and left little ends to tie, for cuteness.

Press the whole thing with an iron. Oh, and sew on the rick rack if desired. I decided my towel "needed" something and I had the green rick rack so it was the perfect way to tie it all together.
I'm pleased with how it came out, and I think my mom in law will love it. Not too hard. Can be done in small steps 15 minutes here and 15 minutes there. And it only cost me about $3 total. :) I don't think it will be the only one I make either.
Mom in law has been told not to read this post...so please keep this gift a secret, K? ;)

Blessings!
Donna
Linky Parties:
My Romantic Home
Tater Tots and Jello
Sundae Scoop
Sunday Showcase
Made By You Monday
More the Merrier Monday

Porch Chalkboard

2011-11-09T13:44:00.002-06:00

Recently I read about the benefits of having a little chalkboard on your front porch...you can greet guests with a little message, and people who stop by when you aren't home can leave a message for you. Brilliant! Then I so enjoyed the cute chalkboard at Ellen's home HERE, and that clinched it for me. Time to use that can of spray chalkboard paint that I bought 9 months ago!

The steps were very simple. And since this is going outside, I didn't spend money on a nicer frame, nor go for perfection. I 'shopped' the house for an old 10x13 cheap wooden frame that I hadn't used in years. Took out the glass, cleaned the glass, then put both the frame and glass on newspaper out in the grass. I sanded the wooden frame just a bit so the paint would stick, then wiped it clean.

My supplies

It took about 3 light coats of spray paint for both the frame and glass. So cool how the paint worked GREAT on the glass! I let them 'cure' overnight, and put them together this morning. Then made a quick no-sew bow out of green polkadot fabric and stuck it onto the frame with sticky tack.

Used my best First Grade Teacher handwriting to print Autumn Greetings with a big stick of chalk and she was done! (Hi Gracie Pup!)

Fun, easy, free...my kind of project!! Give it a try...I'm sure I'll enjoy adding different embellishments to the frame for each season. Christmas will be fun for that!
Thank you so much for stopping by!

Blessings!
Donna

Linky Parties:
Today's Creative Blog
Somewhat Simple
My Romantic Home
Funky Junk Interiors
Tater Tots and Jello

Woodland Theme Baby Shower

2011-11-06T06:24:00.000-06:00

My beautiful daughter Lindsey and husband Rich are expecting their first baby in January. Which means I will be a Mimi for the first time. : Excited...ok, ecstatic!! :) It was a joy and blessing to travel 6 hours north to be at her church baby shower this weekend, given by these two lovely ladies, Kelly and Ellen.

The baby's nursery theme is a Woodland one...it's a darling, fun theme with which to work! Ellen's beautiful home was the perfect backdrop for all the adorable decorations she and Kelly made. Here's the chalkboard sign welcoming us by the door. Rich and Lindsey are keeping their baby son's name a secret, so Ellen likes to call him 'Lil Nut' for now. :)

A darling skinny pine tree greeted us inside the entry, decorated with paper mushrooms, pinecones, and a garland of acorns.

Darling! Lindsey loves owls.

The food table was the cutest ever, and held many yummy brunch treats!

Here we are...the radiant new mommy in the middle with the first time great-grammy on the left (my mom) and the first time Mimi on the right (yep, that's me!)

Mason jars filled with woodland pretties were placed around the table along with mushroom place cards telling what food dishes were displayed. Isn't it super clever how they used large marshmallows with a slit cut in the top for placecard holders?!

These darling little 'toadstools' were the star of the food show in my opinion! String cheese stumps topped with cherry tomato halves caps and dusted with parmesan cheese. I loved them!!

Beautiful home baked and decorated Toadstool cookies were the take home favor.

So clever...a mason jar filled with little red styrofoam beads held the forks.

Adorable name tag for Lil Nut's Mommy...and...

Lil Nut's Mimi..one for Great Grammy too!

Beautiful Woodland Bunting

Such a cute activity...newborn diapers in an antique metal basket along with Sharpies, so the ladies could write a note of encouragement on them to brighten those middle of the night feedings. :)

Adorable wall art made by a friend from vintage game cards!!!

I love this girl. God so blessed us with an amazing only daughter. She will be an incredible Mommy.

Lil Nut's nursery is coming along!! Lindsey and I had a ball starting to arrange baby's room, putting up the darling vinyl cling tree from Amazon, and unpacking her lovely gifts from the shower. See little mallard duckie and little hedgehog on the shelf? Precious! And that playmat was my gift to her...a Woodland themed one that daughter couldn't do without!

Hope you enjoyed this darling baby shower. I know I did!!!

Blessings,
Donna
Linky Parties:
Tater Tots and Jello
Skip to My Lou
Tip Junkie

Shop the House for Autumn Decor

2011-10-24T13:56:00.004-05:00

Hello Autumn! You are my favorite season, and I'm especially glad that it didn't cost a dime to bring you into my home this year. A little felt pumpkin hanging on my china hutch makes me smile. It's made from felt ovals, which you can find explained HERE. The little Fall tag was also made from things I had at home and you can read about it HERE.

Apothecary Jars (a garage sale treasure!) are really fun to fill with seasonal pretties.

This tray also gets redressed for each season. The sweet little green custard cup has vanilla scented soy beads in it, along with a candle. Smells so good and is a fun texture. Soy beads hold their scent a long time...much longer than potpourri. The green footed vintage bowl is for sale in my Etsy, HERE. So versatile!

I love little white ceramic containers...this one displays vintage family photos. Now it's dressed for fall, sitting in the middle of a fall candle ring, which came from a previous garage sale. :)

A suede green leaf placemat makes a nice centerpiece foundation for the dining table, along with a footed vase filled with fallish goodies.

The antique drawer I bought at a flea market this summer is whistling Autumn now too! I made the felt stuffed leaves by hand. Fun and relaxing as an evening lap craft. The book is an antique Dr. Martin Luther German Bible from the 1800s! Literally trash-picked from the top of a dumpster! It's precious and was unharmed.

My antique Tea-For-One looks cozy with my favorite ceramic bird, antique coffee mug filled with roasted hazelnut soy beads, and Scrabble letters spelling R E S T. Ahhhhh.

The mantel antique window also got redressed for fall.

Scrabble letters...love them.

Toilet Paper Roll pumpkin (tutorial HERE) and green candle look good together on the piano.

And lastly, my front storm door is sporting the cute silk leaf garland that my daughter stitched together for me last year. Simple and festive!

So, without spending a dime this year, the house is dressed for Autumn...and the need of using the fireplace most evenings now is the crowning touch. I'm ready for cheery fall days and cozy fall nights.

Thank you for stopping by!

Blessings!
Donna
Linky Parties:
Made By You Monday
Tip Junkie
Motivate Me Monday
Weekend Wrap Up

Stitched Paper Bookmark...a Nice Little Giftie

2011-10-19T19:05:00.004-05:00

Today I needed 2 little gifties to mail in two cards...one as a tiny b-day gift and one as a thank you gift. It was so much fun to make these little beauties with things right in my craft stash.

I found four coordinating papers in my scrapbook supplies. I used cardstock for the bookmark base, and the other papers as embellishments. I folded the approximately 8 inch long cardstock strip in half and used my sewing machine to stitch on the coordinating blue rectangle to its lower half. Next I put the brad through the printed circle and into the bookmark. Now it was ready for the final stitching...just all the way around the exterior of the folded bookmark. Lastly came the punched flowers, a foam dot gave dimension to the top flower, and a button finished it off. I added 3 small pink ribbons to the top, gluing them to the back of the bookmark. And glued a piece of blue paper over their tails on the back, to keep it neat and tidy. Printing out the word 'friends' in Courier font and attaching to the front was the last touch.

Lastly I added a handscripted message with a black fine tip gel pen, and the little bookmarkers were ready to pop in a card and mail. I hope my friends will feel loved and special when this bit of handmade love is delivered to their mailbox.

Making bookmarks with paper, embellishments, and the sewing machine (or hand-stitching if need be) is fun, easy, inexpensive, and easy to mail. Could be a sweet stocking gift or teacher's gift too!

Enjoy!!

Blessings,
Donna

Linky Parties:
Tip Junkie
Somewhat Simple
My Romantic Home

10 Weeks til Christmas!!

2011-10-12T16:09:00.000-05:00

Christmas is Coming!

Just 10 weeks away...that makes me excited!!

And it means we should all be getting busy planning out meaningful, special gifts for our loved ones and friends.

I want to invite you to come to my etsy shop, Perfect Darlings, for some one-of-a-kind gift ideas. I offer free shipping to the lower 48 of the USA, and special rates to Canada. If you wish to order shipment to anyplace else, I will charge you the additional cost for just that shipping amount. Convo me. Here's a sampling of some gifts in my shop...and THANK YOU for stopping by! We Etsians (?!) really do appreciate your business.

Baby Crinkle Taggie Toy

Minky dots are soft to baby's fingers and face and the crinkle sound inside is fascinating to them.

This one has a heart ironed on.

The ribbons provide tactile stimulation with their satin, gross grain, and rick rack textures.

What a sweet little stocking stuffer...easy to take along in your purse or bag and easily hangs with your little plastic toy rings to the carseat or stroller.

Sweet little handmade felt quiet book for toddlers

Sweet fabric matching game with felt pouch, with a Noah's Ark theme

A batch of vintage sewing materials for the seamstress on your list.

Vintage Square Flower Pyrex, in near perfect condition

English Wedgewood China plates

Vintage turquoise Pyrex dish in near perfect condition

Antique little salt and pepper set on a silverplated tray
Thank you so much for looking!
All this and more are ready for shipment.

Blessings!
Donna at Perfect Darlings

DIY Baby Crinkle/Taggie Toy Tutorial

2011-10-08T16:12:00.002-05:00

Recently I've become interested in sewing a baby krinkle-taggie toy for a baby gift. After doing alittle online research, I was so surprised to find out that the "crinkle" inside these toys is nothing more than a piece of cellophane or an empty, clean bag! Bingo! I can do this! Off to JoAnns for some delicious fabrics and ribbons. I love that this juvenile print isn't specifically baby, but will be eye-catching to the little baby girl I made it for, and the minky side is very soft for little fingers and faces.

It's quite easy to make, so let's get started. Buy about 12-15 inches of a pretty woven print and a coordinating soft minky fabric. Also be sure you have several colors of matching ribbon and ric rac in different textures. I used my Corelle luncheon plates, which are 9" across, to trace a circle onto the print, with a fabric pen, then cut it out.

Delicious colors!

I got so excited making this toy that I sometimes forgot to take photos along the way! :) But you'll also want to cut out the same sized circle of the minky and one of the cellophane or clean cookie/candy bag. Then I decided to cut 3 ribbon/ric rac strips of each of the four I was using. This worked out really well for the 9" circle. I made the ribbons alittle bit different lengths and widths, just for variety and interest. They are about 3"-4" long.

Then pin the ribbons which are folded in half, in equal distances around the circle. Mine had about 1.5" in between each one.

Next I laid the minky fabric, right side down, on top of the right side of the flowered fabric, and put the clean crinkle circle on top of that. Pin them for sewing all 3 layers together.

And here's where I got excited and didn't take photos of the sewing. Sorry! But I sewed around the circle, with a seam allowance of about 5/8 inch so that even if a layer shifted a bit, all edges would be caught. Leave a 1.5"-2" opening for turning the fabric right side out. And before turning it, I trimmed the seam to about 1/4" and cut little slits from the edge to just near the seam, so the circle curves would lay flat when turned out.

After the circle was turned right side out and I saw that everything was good, I hand sewed the opening closed, attaching that last ribbon in that spot. Then a careful line of top stitching all around the circle, about 3/8 inch from the edge, for the nice look of it and to be sure the ribbons are all secured. Do you love the polka-dotted ric rac?! Hobby Lobby. The other ribbons came from JoAnns, some gross grain and some satin smooth.

And here she is, complete! It's bright, colorful, and makes that wonderful crinkly sound that babies love. It's safe for little mouths, and can be washed over and over...just do not put in the dryer, in order to keep the 'crinkle', crinkly!! :)

Whenever you make something for the first time, you learn little tricks to try for the next one. Next time I will try making the crinkle circle inside smaller, and NOT sewing it to the fabrics. Perhaps it will lay flatter then, and be alittle easier to work with. It's just the cookie bag inside that isn't perfectly flat.

Are you inspired? What a cute gift! And I like that it is circular...that's just a bit unique. A triangular one would be fun too. I think I'll be making some of these for my etsy shop, PerfectDarlings, in case you don't care to make one yourself. But if you like to sew...this was really fun, and was complete in an hour.

Blessings!
Donna

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Toilet Paper Roll Pumpkin

2011-10-02T21:06:00.000-05:00

Are you ready to 'shop the house' and make a cute craft?

All you need is a new roll of toilet paper, a square of fallish fabric that is about 18x18 inches (or a fat quarter), a thick stick, and some jute, twine, or raffia.

Open your fabric and turn it upside down. I didn't even iron this piece, and it won't show. Put the roll of paper right in the center.

Then begin taking the corners of the fabric and tucking it into the hole of the roll of paper. You can work at this and redo it if you want to til you like the folds and tucks that the fabric makes.

More tucking...

Nearly done tucking...

I left a corner of the fabric up to serve as a leaf. :) Then used a thick stick stuck into the middle to be the stem.

And there she is!

I decided to make a little tag to hang on the pumpkin. This is a gift tag that said "thanks" on it, but I layered 3 colored shapes over it, added a button for the flower, and then the word 'fall.'

I hung it from the stem by jute, and she's done! My mom in law, who doesn't think she is crafty, made one too!

Cute!

So, give it a try! Fun craft to make with kids, youth, or a group of friends. And when you are ready to take it apart, the toilet paper is still good to use, and the fabric is in perfect condition to use for something else.

Enjoy!

(PS...I decided I liked the pumpkin better without the tag adornment...so the tag is now off the pumpkin and propped up against the real gourd to the side. I love the tag, but just not on the pumpkin...rather as a part of the vignette!)
Blessings,
Donna

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Cute Carry All Tote from Sam's Club

2011-09-26T06:57:00.003-05:00

I get an allowance every month. : ) I'm a stay-at-home-mom and home school teacher, so I don't have opportunity to make much 'mad money' but I do give myself a monthly allowance which I can spend on anything I want. Not alot...$20 a month is plenty b/c we have other money set aside for clothes, shoes, outings, etc. So being a simple girl that doesn't need alot to be happy, $20 is plenty. At Sam's Club, I recently found the perfect thing to spend 1/2 of my allowance on. The cutest Carry All Tote. It folds up all small like this:

It is kept together for storage by these snaps.

The snaps undo...

And the little beauty unfolds....

Til she looks like this!

Sturdy, beautiful, and so so roomy.

There's even a little zippered pocket for small, important things such as money or jewelry.

I bought this tote specifically for taking toiletries on road trips. I like to take all my comforts from home and they are tall and bulky.

Wow...OTC meds, toiletries, and my blow dryer are already in and there is still plenty of room for my makeup bag.

Gracie, our dog, approves!

I love it! Right now, she is storing vintage books in our bedroom. She's too cute to put away in between trips. :) She'd be great for toting craft projects, baby supplies, and more.
Girls, this is a great gift idea for the holidays! I hope Sam's Club still has them!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Donna

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Felt Pumpkin

2011-09-20T13:17:00.006-05:00

I've been a busy girl. Making little felt quiet book pages for my etsy shop, Perfect Darlings. So much fun!

I am making 10 or more page designs and my customers can chose any 5 of them for a custom felt book for their favorite little people.

This pumpkin page is one of my favorites, and I'd like to talk you through how to make one of these with felt or paper. You could put the pumpkin on a pillow cover and have some new fall decor. Or use paper and make this for the front of a greeting card. The possibilities are endless!

This sweet little gourd is made with 3 identically-sized orange ovals. So using a stencil or template, make a paper pattern of the size oval you want. Next, using the pattern, cut out three ovals of felt, fabric, or paper. Put 2 of them side by side or overlapping each other a bit, then the third one goes on top. You can hand sew the ovals to your felt or fabric...or you can glue them if they are paper. The stem is just hand cut without a pattern. Now for the vine tendrils. I used a green embroidery thread, all 6 strands together. I sewed them onto the stem, leaving the ends of the thread unknotted and loose for the tendrils. Then using paper to cover the pumpking for protection, I dipped my finger in mod podge, coated the thread, and wrapped the thread around a pencil. Do that for the other one as well. Let dry for a few minutes, then carefully slide the pencil out of your curly thread. If it does not stay nicely in a coil, you can wet the thread with a drop of water and try it again. Once you have the tendrills coiled, just let them dry. When fully dry you can pull on them a bit til they are loose curls. So so cute and the 3D aspect adds alot to the outcome.

Wouldn't this make a cute piece of wall art, mounted on a mat and framed? Or you could cut out a piece of felt the right size and shape to be the back of the pumpkin, sewing the front and back together with a bit of stuffing in the middle. Let me know if you make this pumpkin and how it turns out! I'm pretty sure I'll be making one for my house. Cute, chubby pumpkins are darling!

Blessings!

Donna

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Miniature Jar Candles Become Spice Jars

2011-09-15T20:11:00.001-05:00

Have you tried those little $1 jar candles from Walmart? Love! Them! The price is great, so I don't feel like I have to be stingy with how long I burn it. I love that they are in cute little jars. And they have a nice fragrance. Well, when you are finished with them, you can remove the wax, wash them well, and they become GREAT little spice jars!

To remove the wax while it is still alittle bit soft, cut the remaining wax disc at the bottom into 4 pieces and pop them out. Or pop the whole jar into the freezer for an hour, and the frozen wax is easy to pop out, break apart, and remove. Then hot water and dish soap will remove the remaining residue.

This week I needed Pumpkin Pie Spice. And as usual, I didn't have any...this happened to me last fall too. So I googled a recipe for making your own, put those 4 ingredients together, and popped them into an empty candle jar. Our label maker was handy and quick, so I made a label and now I have enough for the whole season! Wouldn't this make a cute gift?

These jars are wide mouthed, so it is easy to scoop out the needed measurement of each spice. And if you feel crafty, go ahead and print out some labels on your computer, mat them on cute scrapbook paper, and attach with a neat slice of clear packing tape over it all.

You can easily see when it's time to stock up on a spice, too!

Did you know that pumpkin pie spice is just cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg? I figure I saved several dollars by making it myself at home.

The little jar to the right that contains cilantro is one I probably bought at Hobby Lobby. But actually I prefer these 'free' jars for their size, shape, and easy lid removal. So from now on I'll be accumulating them til I have all that I need for the spices of which I keep larger amounts. I need one for my large stash of dried rosemary next.
There are good recipes online for homemade steak seasoning too. It would look so savory in a jar, and with a cute label would make such a fun gift or party favor.

Can't wait to pick out my next new $1 candle at Walmart! Something spicy and fall-ish, for sure.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Blessings!
Donna

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A Fun Little Cloche

2011-09-12T22:00:00.004-05:00

Sometime this past summer I saw a new-to-me-idea that was so cute and easy. I've been enjoying this new piece of decor, and see lots of possibilities for changing it up for each season. If I knew where I first saw this online, I would be glad to give them the credit...but of course, I don't have a clue!

And here it is! This is a large candleholder that I made by gluing a glass candlestick to the bottom of a glass candle holder...both of the glass pieces were from the Dollar Store. I have 2 of these, and have used them on my mantel with seasonal fillers and candles. But what a cool change up to turn it upside down and use it as a cloche for a little display!

I decided to put a little crocheted doily on the bottom, then a vintage tape measure all rolled up, a vintage hook and eye card standing in the back, and 3 vintage wooden spools of thread pyramided on top of it all!

On the top of the display there is room for a tea light candle or some other little treasure. I put one of the tulle wrapped party favors that I made for my mom's 70th b-day luncheon, which you can view HERE.

It's the cutest little display...made from things I already had...and won't it be fun to put a miniature pumpkin, some leaves, and acorns in this for fall? With some little fallish treasure on top...maybe a pumpkin scented tea light.

Thanks for stopping by! Your comments always make me smile!

Blessings!
Donna

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A Perfect Darlings Facebook Drawing

2011-09-09T15:04:00.000-05:00

Vintage things. Retro things. Children's things. Vintage inspired things. And free shipping! These are what you will find at my Perfect Darlings Etsy Shop.

I've started a facebook page for my etsy shop, and am looking for 50 new followers there. Please check it out, and join my page to be automatically entered into my drawing. When 50 fine folks have 'LIKED' my Perfect Darlings facebook page, I will have a drawing for a prize from my shop. :)

Please follow this link: Perfect Darlings

Thank you for stopping by! Blessings all over you today!

Donna

Bits of Bliss

2011-09-06T12:02:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking, once again, about the simple joys God gives us in life. Like my Morning Glories with new blooms each morning. His mercies are new every morning.

Or the little Hummingbird that visited my flowers while I ate breakfast on the back porch.

How about this sweet saying on the door of our friends Tom and Bronwyn...cutest couple in town!

And their darling son's first b-day party.

I love it when a tiny little creature like this guy surprises me when I water my flowers.

And when God gives me a cute new craft idea...part of a new children's toy coming to my etsy, Perfect Darlings, soon!

And I L O V E my new Butter Bell! Wanted one forever. But they are expensive. And the one I ordered from Amazon came broken. So when I found this one at Function Junction for about $8, I was smitten. It works great and looks cute too!

Also enjoying my 'new' kitchen utensil holder...a vintage milk glass vase from the thrift store.

Bliss includes a sweet, sun-kissed apple at our nearby orchard.

And two bags of fresh picked Golden Delicious apples as well as the family fun of picking them together.

And lastly, a fresh new bit of September decor on our kitchen table. Apples. WITH the leaves still attached. Cute, cute, cute.

What are your bits of bliss this week? Stop to smell the apples, see the humming birds, and start that new little craft this week. All are gifts from our Amazing Creator.

Blessings and Bliss!
Donna

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Travel Gadget Organizer from a Tea Towel

2011-09-03T08:15:00.010-05:00

In July, JoAnn Fabrics had their summer line of things marked down to about 70% off. I always have my eye open for cute tea towels, as they are a nice sized, already-hemmed, sturdy piece of fabric...just right for a little project like a pillow cover, or this!

Martha Stewart had emailed me this cool idea for creating a gadget organizer out of a tea towel...wasn't that nice of her?! :) This towel was just right for this project.

It's super easy, just requiring a few straight lines of stitching...ready? Ok, I hope you can see from the photo how it is folded. You fold the bottom of vertically-laid towel up about 2/3 of the way, then fold it down, and up again...letting the first fold show alittle bit under the second fold. This is kind of like an accordian pleat. It will create 2 layers of pockets.

Next use a ruler and a disappearing ink fabric pen to mark off your pockets. I wanted four equal sized pockets across, but you can customize it for your needs.

My pockets were all about 4 inches wide.

Since I was dealing with a large plaid, I had to try to keep my plaid lines straight, even though my towel wasn't really 'square'. I sewed the two outside seams first. Then the middle seam, and lastly the two outer pocket seams.

Sew super easy! (Pun? Yes!) When I travel I tend to forget which bag I put my camera cord in, or my ear buds. With this organizer I have a go-to place for those items as well as extra batteries, my phone charger, bluetooth charger, etc! I took it on my next trip, and it really was a help. Yay!

Can you see that the pockets are staggered? The first set of pockets are alittle higher than the second set, so that I can easily see what is in the top set and the bottom set.

I fold it into thirds and tie it with a gross grain ribbon. I'd like to attach a tie permanently, but haven't taken that step yet.

Thanks for stopping by!! Your comments and visits are always greatly enjoyed!

Blessings,
Donna

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More DIY Binders

2011-08-27T21:32:00.003-05:00

Last week I shared a post on how to organize the recipes, magazine pages, and computer print outs that you want to save. There were pictures from my Recipe Binder and my Ideas Binder. This post will show my Decorating Binder and Teaching Binder. See Jane Austen's words above on the cover of the binder? Oh, so true.

My Decorating Binder is a great place to organize the many great magazine photos I find. I have one section for Seasons, and have inspirational photos of ideas for Fall, Christmas, Winter, Spring, Summer, and all the holidays in between. Don't you love that frame with a bunting of real leaves hanging across it?!

And this darling Christmas tree made of layering open books?! How do people come up with these smart ideas?!

More lovely Autumn ideas.

I have a section for colors. Better Homes and Gardens has a special article on color each month, with several recommended paint colors in a certain color family. I love to save those so if I need a really nice green, for instance, I've got some names to investigate.

Then an Interior section, where I gather ideas for pretty rooms, unusual displays, and nice room arrangements.

The Exterior segment holds ideas for outdoor holiday decor, patios, flower beds, door colors, porch displays, etc.

This is my Teaching Notebook...I taught Kindergarten Sunday School for years before we moved down south, and this is the notebook I started for collecting ideas for teaching children. I am working with middle schoolers at church now, but will still keep up this notebook for the future.

Here is a list of teaching methods.

The Activities Section had great ideas of things to do with a group of children...creating a cardboard castle, for instance! Alot of my ideas came from the Family Fun magazine.

And of course I had to have a big section for Crafts!

And games! This notebook is going to be helpful as I have grandchildren down the road. :)

And of course I needed a spot to keep samples of crafts made previously, so I didn't need to keep re-inventing the wheel every year. :)

Notebooks are such a great way to organize your recipes, ideas, gift ideas, important papers, etc. I even have a binder of some of my grown kids special papers and letter from their teen years...like when we had them compose their Top Ten in a Spouse list, before they began to date. Those are treasures! In that binder I also have the last letter that my Grandma wrote me, just days before she died of a sudden heart attack. I'm much more apt to look at these things and enjoy them in a binder, than in a box.

Inspired? Just start! When you choose a binder, you are on your way to beautiful notebooks that will be like scrapbooks for years to come.
Thank you so much for stopping by! Your comments are always a joy to me!

Blessings!
Donna

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