Hey everybody! I know I’m not on here very often as my Sam Bear keeps me on my toes and busy busy busy everyday! I recently had the opportunity to review a new phone made for kids and just had to give it a go. For those of you who are not familiar with the brand, Teracube is a social and environmentally conscious electronics producer. Basically they make budget phones that last longer and have environmentally friendly components. They have had great success with the Teracube 2e ($299) that boasts a 4 year warranty, a replaceable battery, and a biodegradable case. They also plant a tree for every phone sold to help offset their carbon footprint. Among a growing list of other things, cell phones are not built to last. They get outdated quickly and get slow which leads them to be disposable. We get frustrated and replace them with something new. Teracube phones have replaceable batteries making them perform their best longer as the battery can be easily replaced. The other thing I love about the brand is that their website has spare parts and accessories you can buy direct. So if your phone needs a battery or a screen and it is not under warrantee you can still find parts to fix it easily and stretching out the life of the phone. Most of my friends and family get new phones whenever they are available to upgrade through their carrier, which is about every year or two. It is easy to see how much waste the industry contributes every year and how much could be avoided if the industry as a whole would adopt greener practices.

The environment has always been an important topic to me, but even more so now that I am a mom. I worry about the issues he will be dealing with when he is my age. Some of the places I’ve loved in my life have changed because of our warming planet. Sometimes problems can seem so big, but every little thing we can do to help really does add up and make a difference.

So even though the green aspect of the phone intrigued me, I was most excited to try it out for the kid safe features. Sam just turned six years old this week, and is already obsessed with phones and pads, and actually has been that way for years now. Screen time is definitely one of our biggest struggles in our house. We need a break or have to cook dinner or do something and he’s reaching for my pad or my phone. I am technically a millennial, but my brain is not tech savvy. I got my very first cell phone in college and even though I do like all that I can do with the phone I have now, a motorola note, part of me still misses the old razor flip phone. I’ll just say Sam knows more about my phone than I do. I cannot even begin to tell you how much time I have spent disabling apps and games and trying to configure parental controls on our devices. Once I had thought we had parental controls on our pad but we didn’t on the google play store and he bought an $80 lawn mower simulator along with a few others. As much as it makes me a tiny bit uncomfortable the simple truth is our society has changed and our digital world has become so integrated with our every day life. Phones and pads are going to be a part of our kids lives at least in some capacity. For parents we worry about what they will be exposed to online, yet at the same time having the ability to have a line to your kid when they aren’t with you is comforting. Kids want phones, parents want them to be safe!

The new Teracube Thrive is specifically designed to let kids have a phone they can enjoy while giving parents an easy interface to keep unwanted content at bay without complicated and expensive subscriptions. The Thrive model has built in parental control that you can set through the parent app. In the parent app you can add approve any app you want your child to be able to have access to, as well as block access to apps you don’t want. You can set time limits and hours for daily usage, as well as time limits for specific apps. For example I set a twenty minute time limit on youtube kids app, but no restriction on his learning games so he would be able to play those as long as he likes within the daily overall time limit. He has the play store enabled so he can go on and download games. However he cannot play them until I approve them in my app. It also has a safe internet search app and browser as well. I believe you can go in and block specific websites as well. This is great for us because we can decide which things he is developmentally ready for. There are a lot of games and sites that may be rated e for everyone, but they definitely shouldn’t be and being able to individually approve games and apps is so much better than just a blanket age guide filter.

As far as the specifications, the Teracube Thrive has a 6.1 HD display, a 13megapixel camera and 8megapixel selfie camera. It comes with a protective case and a pre installed screen protector. Another cool feature of this phone is their forever warrantee with their new Teracube wireless plans. Teracube wireless plans start at $14.99/mo. and piggyback off of TMobile service. We use Mint Mobile so we did not get the wireless plan since we already have a carrier we love and want to keep it all together and so we have the basic warrantee. The Teracube wireless forever warrantee is for life with accidental claims at $50. Kids are rough, being able to replace their phone inexpensively brings peace of mind!

We have had a few days to play with the Thrive, and generally love it! At $199 full price it is a great budget phone for kids and is easy to use! It’s not going to compare to the latest higher end phones out there like the new iphone 14, but it is in my opinion safer, just as sturdy, and a heck of a lot cheaper! At just six, Sam isn’t quite old enough for free reign and I could probably give a more accurate review with a child who is a few years older. But I can tell you my 8yo old self would have seriously loved it! Maybe I’m just nostalgic but I feel like the internet should be more like it used to be, a place to shop and watch funny cat videos. Here are the the pros and cons we found:

Things we like:

• It is a great size even for little hands
• The screen is bright and clear
• It has great safety features
• Easy to use and set up
• Sam loves the fingerprint sensor
• Durable ( already been dropped several times by all of us and no problems)
• Charges quickly
• Teracube Wireless Plans affordable
• Decent Camera

Things we did not like:

• The case isn’t super grippy
• Not many color options
• Forever warrantee only with Teracube Wireless plan
• Not compatible with ATT or Verizon

So overall this is a great easy to use phone! It has kept us from our daily arguments about screen time and I feel comfortable knowing that I truly know everything he has access to on his device. This phone is perfect for the 7-16yr old age range. You can restrict social media or allow it for a certain time limit. Honestly we all could use some time restrictions on our phone and social media usage these days! So if you have a kiddo that desperately wants a phone or has a phone but needs some limits, I highly recommend you go check out the Teracube Thrive! My lovely readers also can get a special discount of two months free on a new Teracube Wireless plan using code CHRISTMAS Here’s to a safer and greener digital world! I’ll be back in the next few days with some holiday round ups and my xmas decor this year. Until then…

Happy everything!

Ashlee

*This is a sponsored post. I received a phone in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own! This is an awesome company and when my phone poops out on me, I will be looking at getting a Teracube!

Craft room organization can be difficult. With the number of supplies you may have for your projects, giving every item a home can be a major struggle. However, with many of us spending more time in our homes and cleaning out closets, you now have the perfect opportunity to get a start on decluttering and organizing your craft space. I have been working on the craft closet in our office as well as the armoire we have in our living room that stores Sam’s art supplies and sensory bin items. So, I thought I would share a few tips and tricks to help organize your space.

Shelving for Storage

Quality shelving and storage are must-haves in any craft space. Implementing shelves is a great way to optimize your vertical space. You can easily use a section or the entire length of your wall for storage. However, if you want to keep storage separate from your workspace, you can install your shelves high up and use a range of storage containers to hold all your items securely. To keep your workspace efficient as possible, keep your less frequently used items on the top shelves. This way, you have easier access to the everyday items you have stored on the lower shelves.

Desktop Organizers

Standard office desktop organizers are perfect for organizing small supplies and tools. Commonly in our workspace, we experience frequent clutter because our smaller items don’t have a designated home. In a craft space, you may have an abundance of buttons, fabric swatches, washi tape, or pins. For these supplies, it may be helpful to use different types of desk organizers to help store small items. Explore your options of office desk organizers and consider the supplies you have in your space. In no time, all your tiny craft-related items will have a home and be easy to locate when doing projects.

Printer Cabinets

Printer cabinets are an underutilized organizational tool for many craft rooms. Although we often think of solutions to store our smaller items, it’s very easy to forget to set up a place for your larger supplies, too. Tools like sewing and Cricut machines can easily get in the way or clutter our workspaces. To organize these larger machines, a high-quality printer cabinet is perfect! These cabinets come with shelving that will pull out beyond the size of the cabinet to place your larger tools. Then, simply push the shelf back in and close the cabinet door to conceal it. With the other drawers and compartments of the cabinet, you can easily store your sewing or Cricut tools as well to keep everything all in one place.

Wall Organizers

There are many DIY wall organizers that are perfect for craft rooms. They typically allow you to customize your configuration of storage in a way that works best for you. This includes everything from metal grid organizers to pegboards. You can even create your own organization system by painting a magnetic chalkboard wall into your craft space. To do this you’ll only need a can of magnetic primer and chalkboard paint. Depending on your desired look, you can create the DIY chalkboard on a section or the entirety of your wall. Whichever you choose, it will be able to hold small magnetic tins and containers to store your small supplies. There are many creative ways to organize craft supplies with your wall space. Explore all of your options and pick that one that will make your craft room the most efficient.

Kitchen Storage Solutions

When it comes to craft organization, you’ll want to get creative with the type of storage you use. Instead of trying every organizer that is solely meant for crafts, think outside of the box and try using storage from other parts of your home. For example, kitchen or pantry storage options oftentimes work seamlessly in craft rooms. Try using a pantry door organizer to store your bottles of paint and brushes behind a closet or room door. Other kitchen organizers like lazy susans and spice racks can help to provide efficiency in your craft space as well. Thinking about the supplies you have in your own space, try to brainstorm ways that other unconventional storage solutions can be used to organize your craft room.

With these easy organizational tips, you’ll be able to have your craft room organized in no time. Creating your dream craft space doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Take the time to do your research and find the solutions that will work best for you. I still have a ways to go in my organizational journey. Photo boxes and clear plastic organizers have been my favorite storage tool by far! Don’t forget to comment below which organizational tip was your favorite and how you implemented it in your own craft room!

xoxo, Ashlee

A little vintage valentine freebie for you today friends, From the 1930’s or 40’s I believe. Enjoy!

*for personal use only

Hi guys! Happy February! Today I am here to show you guys how to make a cute jewelry dish. This is a great little jewelry holder that is big enough to hold your everyday essentials like your favorite rings, but also small enough to sit on your bedside table or vanity without taking up much room. I had picked up these gorgeous Pip Studio paper napkins last summer at Home Goods, and since we don’t use paper napkins at meals, I have been decoupaging everything I can with them, I love them so!

Here’s What You Need:

• Little Ceramic Dish ( I bought mine at target)
• Paper Napkins
• Mod Podge Matte
• Paint Brush
• Fine Tip Scissors

To start with clean and dry your little dish. Take your napkin and carefully pull apart the sheets or plys of the napkin apart. Discard the backs and keep the front ply that has the printing on it. Carefully cut out a few strips that are wider and taller than you need to go around the four sides of the dish.

Paint a thin layer of Mod Podge onto one side of the dish. Carefully lay a piece of napkin on the medium, lining up the straight edge of the napkin with the top of the side of the dish. Carefully smooth out the napkin along the side and over the edges a bit. The napkin will be really thin so smoothing it out with a brush gently instead of your fingers will be a little easier.

Cut off the excess that is on the bottom of the dish and cut carefully around the sides. Smooth out the napkin some more with the brush and some more medium on the top of what you’ve already laid down. Now do the same thing with the other three sides of the dish. When you get to the corners overlap the napkin pieces slightly. Brush any folds down flat and smooth firmly with the brush. Once you have all your sides, add a layer of medium over the top. 

For the inside I cut out a rose from the top ply of the napkin, then I painted a layer of medium in the bottom of the dish and carefully smoothed the cutout onto the bottom, then applied a topcoat of medium over the rose. 

I really love how my little jewelry dish turned out! My bedside table is very small, but it fits so nicely next to my lamp and whatever book I happen to be reading at the time. You can find some really beautiful party napkins at your local discount stores. So, the next time you find some stunning paper napkins, snag them up and get to decoupaging! It’s so much fun! I’ll be back soon with more diy fun!

Xoxo, 

Ashlee

Good afternoon friends! Today I wanted to pop in and share my vintage faves from this week. Since Valentine’s day is just around the corner I thought I’d share some of my favorite vintage heart themed pins with you. You can find these and more on my weekly vintage board on Pinterest.

From left to right:

• chocolate box
• pillow cover
• bakalike necklace
• dress
• handkerchief
• glass
• bedspread
• honeycomb decoration
• heart applique

Hi guys! Today I wanted to pop in and share a little giveaway with you for the holidays. I have partnered up with USB Memory Direct to giveaway a few custom USB drives they made for me. I will be giving away five drives, each with ten of my personal favorite vintage images that I’ve collected over the years from old greeting cards and books. It’s not anything I’ve shared with you before and I will not be sharing any image clips of what may be on it because I want it to be an exciting surprise. But trust me, it will be full of adorableness!

These custom flash drives are super cool! USB Memory Direct has several styles of drives that you can put your logo on. I received a few custom stick drives and a couple of their card style drives that they printed Sam’s photo on for me. The photo card drives are seriously one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen! I mean wouldn’t these make fabulous gifts to give to family with photos of your kiddos, or even old family photos you’ve had digitized. They would also be fabulous business cards for photo studios or for artists to share their portfolios or work for their clients. I was very impressed by these drives and the quality of printing on them too!

So if you have a business or studio and are on the lookout for an amazing way to help promote your business or share your work, go check out USB Memory Direct and get a custom quote. I highly recommend the card style! So, if you are interested in snagging one of my special MSCCL flash drives with some of my favorite vintage image goodies, leave me a comment here or on facebook or instagram with your email address. Don’t feel comfy sharing your email where others can see? Send me a message through my contact form This giveaway will be open through the rest of December. I will be choosing five readers at random and will send an email the first week of January to the winners. Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season!

xoxo, Ashlee

Disclaimer: I Received complimentary product to share for my review today. All opinions are my own.

Here’s What You Need:

*Gifts wrapped in paper ready for trimming

*Toys like musical instruments, yoyo’s, action figures, pencils, etc.

*Glue- craft glue or hot glue or you can use those extra sticky glue dots.

Here’s The Original:

Here’s How I made mine:

Start by wrapping your gifts in fun wrapping paper. Now take out your goodies and play around with the layout of them on the top of the package. Now add a small dot or so onto the back side of your toy and glue down to your package. Now add your boys and tags to finish off. For my tree I used a mini xylophone and topped it with a bow. Spell out a name or saying with blocks. String a yoyo on with ribbon, or tie on a little recorder.

I just LOVE how this wrapping turned out! I think it really adds to each of the packages and I think my family will get a kick out of it! I used a few dabs of hot glue onto the back of my toys, which usually comes off pretty easy on most things, but if you are worried about the glue being too sticky, try using the extra sticky glue dots you can get from the craft store. I used wooden toys from the dollar section at Target, but you could use any kind of toy you like. Glue on a little train or your child’s favorite character action figure. I think you could even do the same thing for gals with little lip gloss sticks or nail files. Get creative and add a little something special to your holiday wrapping this year!

xoxo, Ashlee

Hi guys! Today I am going to share an easy wrapping idea with you all. I don’t know about you, but I love to find uses for food containers once they are all used up. Did you know tea tins, peanut containers, oatmeal containers, egg cartons, can all be upcycled into great gift wrap containers just by painting or adding a little gift wrap!

Take those old tea or coffee tins and wrap the tins with wrapping paper. Cut the wrap slightly larger than the height of the tin and fold over the excess for a neat edge, or cut just slightly smaller with a pair of sharp scissors for crisp straight cut lines. Double stick tape is wonderful for securing the paper in place without obvious tape lines. Glue a big bow or pretty flower to the top of the tin for extra fun! You can do the same thing with old oatmeal or mixed nut containers. It’s super easy and free!

I love recycling containers for gift wrapping. It is free and usually great to use those wrapping paper bits that aren’t big enough to wrap the boxed gifts you have. So before you start wrapping your gifts this year, raid your recycling bin to see if there is anything in there that would make a useful gift container. Santa will be proud! Be back soon with more Kitschmas!

Hi everybody! So this week I wanted to share some gift wrapping ideas with you all. I thought I would start today with these easy scrap gift tags. Cute Christmas tags are easy to find. Most stores even have them for a dollar or two a pack. But, If you are looking for something fast and maybe a little more special with a handmade touch give these little tags a try.

• Here’s what you need:
• Premade gift tags
• scrap fabric
• Glue, or double sided tape

So, the first thing you need to do is gather up your scraps. You can draw the shape on the fabric with a marking pen and cut out by hand. I cut out shapes from my vintage tablecloth scraps and some retro fabric this year. I just cut out shapes from them I liked like bells or reindeer.

Once you have your shapes cut or punched out you are ready to add them to your gift tags. Paint a little glue on the backside of your shapes. Then flip them over and smooth them out onto your tag.

To finish off you can either stamp a greeting or label on it with a rubber stamp, or you can write it out with a nice brush marker. Finish off with a little twine to tie on your packages.

These little gift tags are really easy to make and you can whip up a bunch of them pretty quickly. So if you are looking for a fun and easy handmade gift tag to add to your holiday wrapping I hope you will give these a go! I’ll be back tomorrow with more gift wrapping ideas!

Hi guys! Today I am going to share one of my favorite diy gifts with you all, embroidered hanky pillows. I had originally posted this on a friends blog that is no longer live. Being that this is one of my go to gifts when I need a special present, I wanted to share it all with you here. One of my favorite things to do with vintage hankies is make throw pillows. They make fantastic decor items! This time I thought I would embroider a little something on the blank space on my hanky. It adds a whole new dimension to my favorite diy pillow making! 

• Here’s What You Need:
• *Vintage Hanky
• *Marking Pen
• *Embroidery Floss and Needle
• *Plain Fabric for Front (I used linen)
• *Patterned Fabric for Back
• *Zipper
• *Zipper Foot
• *Sewing Machine and Thread
• *Straight Pins

The first thing you need to do is embroider your hanky. Write out your quote in the blank space with a marking pen or pencil. Then embroider the saying with your embroidery floss and needle using a basic back stitch. 

Once your hanky is embroidered you are ready to make your pillow. Decide how big to make your pillow based on your hanky. My hanky was 12×12 so I made my pillow 14×14. So I cut my front piece of fabric and back piece to be 15×15 for seam allowance.  Pin your hanky in the middle of the front 15×15 piece. Then top stitch around the hanky to stitch it to the front fabric. This will be the front of your pillow. Cut your back piece to be 15×15. 

Now you are ready to add your zipper. Lay your pieces together right sides facing. Lay the zipper on top of the bottom edge. Mark where your zipper will begin and end. Then stitch from one edge to the first zipper mark with a regular stitch. Then backstitch a bit and then stitch with a basting stitch to the other zipper mark. Then backstitch a couple of stitches and then stitch with a regular stitch to the end. 

Press open your seam allowance. Open your zipper up a little. Lay it face down into the seam allowance trying to get the teeth centered where the seam is. Pin the zipper down to the fabric. Now you are ready to stitch. 

Attach your zipper foot to your machine. Start stitching down the right side of the zipper close to the teeth. When you get to the zipper pull, put the needle down into the fabric and lift up the presser foot. Then slide the pull past the foot and then put the foot back down and continue stitching. When you get to the end of the zipper, pivot the fabric in the machine and stitch and backstitch across the bottom of the zipper just above the metal stopper. Then pivot again and stitch up the other side of the zipper moving the zipper pull as you did before when you get to it. 

Now you need to rip out your basting stitches you stitched previously with a seam ripper and this will expose your zipper. Open the zipper about halfway. 

Now fold the pieces back together so that right sides are facing and the zipper is flat at the bottom. Pin around the pillow sides. Now stitch from one side up to the top then across the top, then back down the other side, beginning and ending with a little backstitch. Clip corners and turn the pillow cover right side out. To finish add a pillow form and zip it up. 

What do you think? Pretty fun right! I LOVE this pillow and have several more in progress. It is time consuming but it is a really fun decor project! You can really customize it to your style and taste too just by the quote you use and the colors and style of the hanky. And the best part is it makes a wonderful gift! I hope you will give it a go sometime! I’ll be back soon with more holiday fun!

Here’s What You Need:
*Small Wooden Bird house
*Plain night light with a front that slides off
*Craft Paints
*Wallpaper, Paper, etc… (optional)
*Mod Podge Matte
*Dremmel
*Saw attachment for your Dremmel
*Pencil

Instructions:
The first thing you need to do is paint your bird house. Prime it with some white paint. If you are using paper on the sides, measure the sides and then cut the paper to be just a little under the original measurement.

Now, Paint a little medium on your paper and apply it to the sides of the bird house. Paint the rest of your bird house to your liking. Set aside to dry.

Once your bird house is dry, you are ready to cut the back. Measure where the night light socket and mark where it will correspond on your bird house bottom. Measure the width of your night light socket and get a forstner bit that is the same width. Drill the area where the socket is marked on the bottom of your bird house.

Now, take the dremmel and attach the cutting tool attachment to it. Mark in from the edge about a half an inch. Then cut up each side, across the top, and then across the bottom above where the bottom wood piece meets the backside. Take the cut back off.

Insert the night light base into the hole in the bottom and screw in the light bulb through the back.

I love this little night light! I used some vintage children’s wallpaper on the sides of my house. This mini light was fun to make and pretty easy to whip up. Since I got the nightlight at the dollar store and the bird house was only a dollar at the craft store, this light only cost me two dollars to make. I think it will add a bit of fun and whimsy to my Mama’s kitchen. So, if you’re looking for a fun night light for the bird lover on your list, give this diy a try! You’ll love it too! I’ll be back tomorrow with another fun gift idea.

xoxo, Ashlee

Hi everyone! I hope you all have been enjoying my holiday posts! I love Christmas crafting! This week I wanted to share a couple of handmade gift ideas with you all. Today I am starting off the gift ideas with an easy project for the little kiddos in your family, a taggie lovee! This easy little blankie can be made with scraps and whips up very quickly! Here is my how to:

• What you Need:
• Fat Quarter of soft fabric or large scraps
• Miscellaneous ribbons in texture and widths or scraps
• Ruler and Marking pen
• Straight pins or sewing clips
• Scissors
• Sewing Machine and coordinating thread
• Ironing board and iron

The first thing you need to do is decide how large you would like to make the blanket. I made mine to be 12×16″ for my two year old. You will cut a piece for the front and one for the back adding in extra for seam allowance. So if I wanted my blanket at 12×16″, I would cut it at 13×17″ for a half inch seam allowance. Cut a bunch of pieces of ribbon in two to three inch lengths. I cut 24 pieces of ribbon scraps I had.

Now you will need to lay out your ribbons and attach them. Fold a piece of ribbon in half and place it on the edge of the right side of the front blanket piece so that the folded edge is facing toward the center of the blanket and the tails are at or over the straight edge. Pin the ribbon down. Repeat with your other pieces of ribbon all around the blanket. Baste stitch the ribbons down to the front blanket piece by machine, removing pins as you go.

Now that the ribbons are stitched to the front right side piece of the blankie you are ready to stitch the front to the back. Lay the back blanket piece on to of the front blanket piece so that right sides are together. Stitch around the blanket with a half inch seam allowance leaving a gap in one side that is a couple of inches opening to turn it right side out.

Clip the corners and then push the blanket through the gap you left when stitching the pieces together. pull it out and through so that it becomes right side out. Push the corners out with the back of a pen or gently with the tip of your scissors. Iron the blanket flat.

To finish off your blankie you will topstitch. Stitch about a quarter inch away from the edge all the way around the blanket making sure you stitch closed the gap on the side. Clip threads and you are finished.

I think this turned out super cute! The fabric I used was from Heidi Kenney’s Spoonflower shop Here. I got it printed on minky. For the back I used a microfleece. I love the size of this blanket and the softness! I think my little bear is going to really love this one too! So if you have small kiddos at home or know some little ones you are looking to make a handmade gift for, give this taggie a try! It is a very simple project so it is easy for beginners too! I’ll be back tomorrow with another fun gift idea.

xoxo, Ashlee

Happy Monday guys! Are y’all enjoying the Christmas season? We are in full swing around here. I love having the house decorated and sparkly! Today I am sharing a couple of ads with you from a 1962 issue of Better Homes and Garden’s Christmas Ideas Magazine. I love the Santa and the aluminum ad is awesome too! The tree, the hair, it’s all fab! Enjoy!

*for personal use only

Here’s What You Need:

*Glasses ( wine glasses, cordials, candy dishes, tumblers, etc)

*Glass Glue

*Tinsel

*Jingle Bells, Ribbon, Mini Ornaments, Etc.

*Pipe Cleaners

*Hot Glue and Glue Gun

*Plastic Stars or mini tree toppers

Here’s The Original:

Here’s How I Made Mine:

Gather up all your glassware and play around with it to see how you are going to best fit everything together. I did this step at the thrift store so I didn’t end up with glasses I didn’t need.

The first thing you do to start assembling your tree is to fill the glasses you are going to fill with tinsels, ribbon, bells, etc.

Run a bead of glass glue onto the top of the bottom glass then squish the second glass onto the first. Wipe off excess glue. You can assemble the glasses together in pairs. Then when the glue is set, you can glue the pairs of glasses together. Once the “trees” are assembled you need to set them aside to dry completely.

Once dry, you can embellish with your pipe cleaners and tinsel. Run a little hot glue around the joint of where two glasses fit together and glue a piece of tinsel or pipe cleaner around it. Continue decorating the joints where the glasses meet. Curl pipe cleaners around the stems.

Glue a little tinsel to the top glass. Then glue down the star topper in the middle of the tinsel to add the finishing touch.

I LOVE how these glass trees turned out! I only made two but I think a whole group of them would be fantastic on a sideboard or as a table centerpiece with some candles. So if you are looking for some fun retro holiday decorations to add to your home this year, give this diy a go. I think you’ll love it! I’ll be back soon with more diy fun. Until then…

Happy Crafting!

Hi guys! I recently took a trip to IKEA with my mama to get some bins for little bear’s toys, and we came across these plain white traditional candlestick holders. I loved the shape and weight of them and thought they’d be fun to spruce up for Christmas. Of course, since I adore all things kitschy, mine got seriously tricked out! Here is my how to:

• Plain traditional style candlestick holder (IKEA or thrifted)
• Christmas Hanky
• Christmas Fabric
• Christmas faux greenery picks
• Miniatures
• Velvet Ribbon
• Tinsel
• Hot glue gun and hot glue
• Mod Podge Fabric Medium & Sparkle Medium

So the first thing you’ll do is decoupage fabric onto your candlestick. I like using fabric as it’s a little more pliable. Cut a couple of scraps to go around the tall part of the candlestick holder. I chose a retro fabric with little santas on it that I had scraps from. Next, cut it roughly to height and then stretched it around the candleholder center and marked where I needed to cut for width and where I needed to notch it. Then I marked about a quarter of my hanky and cut it off straight across.

Next you will need to paint a layer of Mod Podge fabric onto the candlestick middle. Apply your fabric and smooth it out onto the center of your candlestick. Paint a layer of the Fabric medium on top.

Paint a layer of Mod Podge fabric onto the bottom outside lip of your candlestick where you will have the hanky. Leave a space under the finger stem clean as your hanky will probably not go all the way around. Apply the hanky to the candlestick holder so that the decorative edge faces the top. Smooth it around the candlestick face. Then flip the candlestick holder over and paint a layer of medium around the bottom where the hanky has excess and smooth the hanky down on the bottom. Paint a top coat of medium onto the outside of the hanky. Let your candlestick dry. If you’d like a glittery effect, use a layer of Mod Podge sparkle over the top of the fabrics.

Now you are ready to embellish. I hot glued a string of tinsel around the top of the candlestick holder. Then I cut and glued in a few little pieces of wintery greenery picks as well as some mini mushrooms and a miniature deer.

I took a long piece of velvet ribbon, probably about 4 ft, and marked the center. Next I glued the center to the top of the candlestick holder finger stem. Then, I wrapped one side of the ribbon around the stem glueing a little here and there until I got to the bottom. I did the same with the other half of the ribbon. Once both strands were at the bottom I tied them together in a bow and cut off the excess tails. To finish off I added a handmade candlestick.

I think this is one of the kitschiest cute things I have made thus far here for the blog! I love it of course. You could always make it a bit more subdued by omitting the tinsel and greenery. It’s really easy to customize this project to your own style. I found it to be really fun and a cute centerpiece for the kitchen table! So next time you come across one of these old fashioned candlestick holders, I hope you’ll snatch it up and make a kitschmas candlestick for your home! Be back soon with more Kitschmas!

xoxo, Ashlee

Good afternoon everyone! I hope you all are having a wonderful start to your week! You all know I love those little miniatures you get at craft stores to use in fairy gardens or even in making holiday ornaments. I have a hard time passing them up and I have a bin full in my craft closet. There are so many cute ones at Michaels right now, I wanted to buy them all up! There was one tiny set I just couldn’t pass up this season, and that was these miniature holiday books. They were too cute, and ended up being perfect for making into little charms for necklaces to wear during the holidays!

• Here’s what you need…
• Miniature books (mine are from Michaels)
• Jewelry tags or bails
• Jump Rings
• Tiny charms (optional)
• Chain ( I used skinny ball chain)
• Jewelry Pliers
• E6000
• Toothpick
• Tweezers

So the first thing you will want to do is make your book into a charm. Put a little e6000 glue onto a disposable plate, napkin, etc. Hold your jewelry tag with tweezers and spread a little glue on the front and back with a toothpick.

If you are clumsy like me, get someone to hold your tag in the tweezers while you open up your mini book to the middle and then sandwich the tag into the middle of the book and close the book. Give it a good squeeze and wipe off any excess glue. Set aside to dry.

Once your glue is set, you can assemble your necklace. Use your jewelry pliers to add a jump ring to the hole in the the top of the jewelry tag. If you have used a bail instead of a tag, you can skip this step as the opening in the bail is large enough for your chain to slip through.

Slip your book charm onto your chain. Add a clasp and embellish by adding charms if you like.

I absolutely adore my little Christmas book necklaces! These minis are brilliant! They are like actual little books with art on the front and back cover and spine and blank paper on the inside. I was in awe when I opened them up out of their package. So scoot on over to michaels and pick yourself up some of these little cuties to make into jewelry for yourself of favorite gal pals this holiday season! Or find some cute non holiday mini books at your craft store or hobby shop to use too! I’ll be back soon with more kitschmas!

xoxo, Ashlee

Happy Monday everyone! Vintage magazine ads are just the best, aren’t they! I would love to be able to sno flok a tree, wouldn’t you! Of course Christmas wrapping is one of my favorite things about the holidays, and the view master with tinkerbell is fantastic! Enjoy the blast from the past!

*for personal use only

Hi guys! I know the holidays can be a super busy time for all of us. So I thought I would share a super easy project with you today. If you are looking for something fun and crafty to do but are short on time, this easy scrap fabric ornament is for you! Check it out:

• What you need…
• Plastic fillable ornament (Michaels)
• Scrap Fabric
• Ribbon or Twine

So this is so easy! You will need one of the clear plastic ornaments that you can buy at just about any craft store. I bought mine from Michaels. It is the kind that has a front and back dome that snap together to make a ball. You just fill it with with tiny little scraps from fabrics that have sweet and small prints. Mine are all from vintage sugar sack cloth. Once you have them arranged like you like them in each half, carefully snap the halves together. Tie a piece of ribbon or twine through the hole in the top for hanging and finish it of by tying a small scrap around the hanger hole. That’s it!

This diy ornament seriously couldn’t get any easier! It only takes a few minutes to make and it’s a great way to use up some of your pretty fabric scraps. I never throw away my vintage fabric scraps, even the tiniest ones, because they are precious like gold to me! So if you have fabric scraps you love at home that you’ve been hoarding but haven’t had much or a use for, this give this ornament a try. I think you’ll love it! I’ll be back soon with more kitschy fun.

xoxo, Ashlee

Hi everybody! I hope you all are having a wonderful week! Today I am going to show you a vintage craft that is full of recycled goodness! This easy ornament is made from an empty ribbon spool, an old Christmas card and tinsel. It is fun to make and a fabulous way to upcycle your holiday cards! Check it out:

• Here’s what you need…
• Empty ribbon spool
• Old Holiday card
• Tinsel
• Mod Podge Matte
• Mod Podge Sparkle
• Paint Brushes
• Scissors
• Hot Glue gun and glue sticks
• Twine or Ribbon

So the first thing you need to do is trace your ribbon spool onto your christmas card front and inside greeting and cut out the circles.

Then you will paint a thin layer of mod podge matte onto your ribbon spool on one side and then smooth the first card circle onto the spool face. Repeat with the other side and the other circle from your card. Let dry. Once dry paint a layer of the sparkle mod podge on the front and back of your spool.

Cut a piece of twine or ribbon and glue one side to the inside top of your spool for hanging your ornament.

Glue some tinsel onto the spool where the ribbon would have been wound. I had fat tinsel so I just did one pass, but if you have skinny tinsel you can wrap it around the spool several times and secure it with a little glue on the end.

To finish off, glue the other end of your ribbon or twine at the inside top of the spool directly across from the first side. You can add a little tinsel around the front of your picture to frame it in as well.

I love how this ornament turned out! This has been on my crafty bucket list for some time now! I originally saw an idea similar to this in an old magazine of mine, but for the life of me I can’t find the original now. If you don’t have any greeting cards on hand you can use scrapbook paper or you can grab a cute card at the dollar store. If you are looking for a vintage card, etsy and ebay always have lots to choose from. I do hope you will give this one a go sometime! It is a fabulous and kitschy addition to the holiday tree! I’ll be back soon with more crafty fun!

xoxo, Ashlee

Hi guys! Are y’all starting to get excited about the holidays? This is my favorite time of year! I love holiday crafting, baking, holiday movies, spending extra time with family! It’s seriously the best! Today I wanted to share a vintage kitschmas craft with you all from a 1956 issue of Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas Magazine. This easy candle holder is great to add as a centerpiece to your holiday table or your holiday vignettes!

Here is the original:

• Here’s what you need…
• wine glass
• ornament
• tinsel, beaded trim, etc..
• Quick grab glue or hot glue

Basically what I did was glue tinsel trim around the rim and the foot of the wine glass. Then I glued a little tinsel in the bottom inside of the glass and glued an ornament into the bottom on the tinsel so when you flip the glass upside down the ornament would be facing right side up. Once everything was nice and dry, I stuck a candle on the upside down wine glass.

These candle holders are about as kitschy as they come, dontcha think? They are really easy to make and actually really fun and you can use pretty much things you would already have on hand. It would be a super fun project for craft night or to do with an older kiddo. I hope you all will give it a try sometime. I’ll be back soon with more kitschmas!

xoxo, Ashlee

Merry Monday everyone! Yes I know it’s turkey week, but I still wanted to share a Christmas freebie. Today’s images come from a couple 1950’s Better Homes and Garden’s Christmas Ideas Magazines. Aren’t they fabulous! Old magazine illustrations are always so adorable from this time period!

Hi guys! You know one of my favorite things to upcycle are vintage tablecloths! I had repurposed a Christmas tablecloth cutter that wasn’t in fantastic shape into a lampshade for the living room a couple of years ago that I love. I had quite a lot of cloth left after making my lampshade so I decided to make a fun holiday top to wear! I used one of my favorite Butterick patterns for this easy top. Check it out:

• Vintage tablecloth or new tablecloth you like
• Pattern
• Scissors
• Bias tape
• Iron and ironing board
• Thread
• Sewing machine

I used Butterick 5948 in option C

So to make the top you just need to follow the instructions on the pattern, but I will give you a few tips here. When you lay out your pattern pieces play around with the design on your cloth and really look at the design elements that are there and lay out your pieces so that your design is directional. I used the houses to go across my hemline and then used the contrasting red border with stars on the sleeves. It also helps to pin the pattern together to see how it will fit you before you cut out your fabric.That way you can make adjustments. I didn’t care for the length of the sleeves so I shortened mine for example. This is a beginner pattern so it is easy to make and follow.

I have made a few tops with this pattern but this is probably my favorite! I love the boxiness of this top! It is comfortable and cute and flattering. Whether you are a seasoned pro, or a beginner this is a great project made even the more fun by upcycling vintage kitschy tablecloths. It’s definitely a statement piece, but I like bold things! I hope you all will give it a try sometime with some fun fabric of your own! I’ll be back soon with more christmas cheer!

xoxo, Ashlee

Hi everyone! I hope you all are having a fabulous week! You all know how much I love vintage holiday things! So, today I am going to share a vintage Christmas craft with you all straight from an issue of a 1957 Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas Magazine. These diy decoupage doily candles are so amazingly easy to make and a super cute addition to your holiday decorating!

• Candles of your choice
• Mod Podge Matte
• Mod Podge Sparkle
• Paint Brushes
• Glass Glitter
• Doilies
• Scissors

Here is the original

Here is how I made mine:

Doilies can be kind of thin, and when choosing them the red ones may bleed a little so you have to be careful. My doilies were old ones I bought at the thrift store. First I took my doilies and wrapped them around my candles to see how I wanted to place them. I then cut off the excess doily at the bottom of the candles. I quickly painted a thin layer of mod podge matte onto the surface of my candle. Then I carefully wrapped my doily around the candle and carefully smoothed it out until it was nicely adhered. Once the doily had dried on the candle I painted a layer of mod podge sparkle onto one of my candles. The other got a layer of mod podge matte and a sprinkle of glass glitter all over.

These fun candles are kitschy but also really pretty paired with a more elegant decor. I gave them to my mother who I’m sure will create a beautiful tablescape with them. This is an oldie but goodie! It was really easy and fast to make and would be a fantastic hostess gift to take to the next holiday party you attend! I hope you all will give it a try! I’ll be back soon with more holiday fun!

xoxo,Ashlee

Hi guys! Today I am going to show you a quick and easy Christmas ornament diy. Vintage flour sack fabric is my favorite fabric in the entire world! I love the texture, but most of all I love the colorful prints! I have scraps that I get and use in projects, usually sewing projects where I cut my scraps down into strips or squares, so I end up with tiny scraps. And I just have never been able to bring myself to throw these tiny scraps away so I have a little bag full of them in with my scrap stash. Well I decided I would try using them to decoupage on a christmas ball ornament, and voila, my new favorite christmas ornament!

• Christmas ornament blank. I used a round ceramic ball
• Little scraps of fabric
• Mod Podge Fabric Medium
• Mod Podge Sparkle
• Paint Brushes
• Ribbon or Tinsel

I was wrapped up in my craft this time, and completely forgot to get process photos, so I will explain the best I can. It is really pretty easy, I promise! So I started by Painting a little bit of the Mod Podge Fabric medium onto a section of my ball. Then I laid a scrap of fabric onto the medium and smoothed it out. Then I painted a little more medium and laid on another piece next to that one, and continued going around my ball until it was pretty much covered. Then I painted a little more medium as I went and put on more of the pieces I loved the most going in all different directions until I was happy with the design of it. I painted a thin layer of the fabric medium on top and set it aside to dry. I found it helpful when I was working on the ball to take the hanger off and insert a paintbrush up into it to help hold the ornament as I worked. Once my ornament was dry, I painted a layer of Mod Podge Sparkle onto the top and let it dry.I then put the hanger back on. To finish the ornament off I tied a piece of tinsel ribbon on top at the hanger.

This ornament was really fun to make and in my opinion very easy too! This could definitely be a great project for craft night with your friends. Or it could be a great craft to do with your kids too! Or even a sweet gift! I do hope you all will give it a try with the scraps you have laying around! I think you’ll love it! I’ll be back soon with more holiday fun!

xoxo, Ashlee

Happy Monday everyone! Now through xmas I am going to be doing vintage image freebies every monday. After all, if there is any day of the week that needs holiday cheer the most, it would be a monday!This week’s freebie is an old Christmas card from my stash. The inside was destroyed but the front was wonderfully intect. There is something so sweet about vintage holiday cards this time of year, especially Christmas door scenes! Enjoy!

*for personal use only please

Hi everybody! I hope you all are having a wonderful week! I initially got a late start to sharing my holiday projects with you guys, but now we are in full swing! We have just taken out the decorations from the attic. Little Bear is getting excited about helping me decorate. We’ll see how that goes. I will say, I am not putting out my usual haul for fear that it will all be torn to shreds within days. I don’t know if it’s in the dna or what, but my boy could break a bowling ball, not to mention everything else around him if he had the opportunity to play with one. So this little frame is a good Sam safe decoration to put out. It has all the vintage charm without being irreplaceable and super fragile. So good for toddlers and clumsy spouses! Here is my how to:

• Wooden Clip Frame (Michaels)
• Craft Paint
• Mod Podge Matte
• Mod Podge Sparkle
• Paint Brushes
• Brayer
• Wrapping Paper

The first thing you need to do is paint your frame. I used a pretty green pearl paint from Martha Stewart Crafts. Once painted set aside to dry completely.

While your frame is drying you can cut out your wrapping paper. This frame I bought at Michaels in the unfinished wood section for a dollar. If you have the same one then you can use my measurements. If not you will need to measure the width and height of each plank on the frame and subtract a quarter inch overall. For my frame I cut three pieces at 1.75″ x 7.75″. For the top I cut them to be 1.75×3.5″ and cut out a little notch on the bottom where they would meet up with the metal clip

Once your frame is dry and your paper is cut, you are ready to decoupage. Start at the bottom plank. Paint a thin layer of Mod Podge Matte onto the surface of the plank. Then carefully lay your wrapping paper on top and smooth out with your fingers and a brayer until it is nice and non wrinkly. This can be a little tricky if the paper is super thin.Vintage paper can be frail. Be gentle. Do the same with your remaining pieces of paper and adhere them to the other planks.

To finish your frame, paint the whole thing with a layer of the Mod Podge Sparkle. Let dry and add your favorite photo or card.

I really love how this turned out! Vintage Christmas wrapping paper is one of my favorite things in the world, so I love to add it to projects at the holidays! This frame will be getting Little Bear’s Santa photo soon. Until then it is hanging out with our other holiday pictures. You can use any wrapping paper scraps you have or even scrapbook paper to create a frame to go with your decor. I love how simple and inexpensive this project is, and I was able to whip it up in no time at all. I hope you all will give this one a try this holiday! I think you’ll love it too! I’ll be back soon with more Christmas fun!

xoxo, Ashlee

Hi everyone! I had originally shared this post a couple of years ago on a friends blog that is no longer online anymore. So, I wanted to share it here today. This is one of my favorite vintage Christmas crafts ever. Vintage Felt Christmas stockings to me are the epitome of Christmas kitsch. They are so cute! This particular craft has been on my crafty bucket list for years. I have found diy’s for these cute stockings in almost every vintage Christmas magazine I have. The project that I decided to model my stockings after was from a few different Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas Magazines. I loved the style of these and thought they would be perfect for new stockings for me and my hubby!

Here’s What You Need:

*Pattern

*Felt for stockings 1/2 yard or more (I used the fuzzy brushed felt)

*Felt for embellishments

*Felt shapes

*Embroidery Floss and needle

*Sewing Machine and Thread

*Pinking Shears

*Sequins

*RicRac

*Marking Pen

*Fabric Glue

Here is the Original:

Here is a pattern for my felt embellishments:

Instructions:

The first thing you will want to do is cut out your stocking out of your fuzzy felt. Draw in a large sock shape on the back side of your felt. Cut out your stocking.

Now you can add on your felt embellishments. Lay them out on the front of your stocking. When you get your layout how you like, glue each shape down with your fabric glue.

Now add any embroidery you want to add. Stitch faces on santa, add the frets on the guitar, stitch a red nose on the reindeer.

Now to make the top of your stocking. Cut a piece of coordinating felt to be the width of the top of your stocking by the amount you want it to hang down plus another inch or so. Trim the bottom edge with pinking shears.

On a small scrap of felt draw in your name with your marking pen. Embroider your name using the marking as a guide. I used a simple back stitch. When done stitching trim your felt clost to your name with pinking shears.

Now center your name tag onto the top stocking piece with the top stocking piece wrong side facing up and sew down by machine with a straight stitch.

Now you are ready to assemble your stocking. Start by stacking the large front of the stocking over the stocking top with the pinked edge pointing up. Overlapp by about an inch. Stitch across the bottom of the top piece from the back side.

Fold the top piece over to the front, now your name should be facing the right way. Pin the top flap down. Stitch close to the sides and across the bottom. Trim excess. Do the same thing with the back stocking piece and back top stocking piece. Then stitch a loop of ribbon at the top side back of the stocking back. Stitch your ric rac trim around the stocking from the right top to the left top lining the edge of the ric rac up to the edge of the stocking piece.

Place your stocking back and front together right sides together. Pin. Stitch all the way around the stocking leaving the top open with a 1/2″ seam. Turn your stocking right side out and you are done!

I LOVE my stockings! They are a great size and I love the custom embellishments. My hubby likes his stocking too! These did take a little bit of time, but they were well worth it. I had a great time making them and they were easy to make! I think this would be a great project even for a little bit older child that you could trust with an embroidery needle. I hope you all will give this stocking project a try for Christmas. I think you’ll love it too!

xoxo, Ashlee

Hi guys! It’s been a crazy couple of weeks around here, but I am back today to show you how to make a kitschy cute Christmas sweatshirt. I love Christmas and love to wear holiday tees and sweaters throughout the season. It’s festive, right? Well, I thought it would be fun to make my own holiday kitsch sweatshirt. This fun project is really pretty fast to whip up and is simple enough for a beginner.

Here’s What You Need:
*Sweatshirt
*Pattern
*Felt
*Stripe Fabric
*Fabric Rosette
*Basting Spray
*Fabric Glue
*Sewing Machine and Thread
*Marking Pen
*Scissors

Lay your felt pieces back side up on a protected area, like wax paper. Spray the back side with basting spray. Lay your felt pieces sticky side down onto the front of the sweatshirt creating the design for the deer.

Now you are ready to stitch your felt down. Top stitch around each felt piece with coordinating thread by machine close to the edge of the felt. Clip excess threads.

Now make the bow- To start cut a piece of your stripe fabric to be 6×5″. Fold the ends into the middle. Press

Then stitch a half inch seam down each short side. Turn right side out.

Run a gathering stitch down the middle and gather the middle of the fabric forming the bow. Spray the back with basting spray.

Top stitch around the edges of the bow. Glue a fabric rosette in the middle of the bow. Stitch the features of the face, like the eyelashes, on with your hand sewing needle and embroidery floss.

Well, this is a pretty kitschy, but super cute too! After all we are just getting started with kitschmas here on the blog this month! I wore it out the other day and it got me a lot of compliments! You can use this same technique to applique onto a sweatshirt or sweater with felt or fleece or even knit fabrics. Let your imagination run free! I hope you all will give this sweatshirt a try for yourself or go crazy and make a matching set for the whole family this year. I’ll be back soon with more holiday fun. Until then…
Happy Crafting!

Hi guys! Today I wanted to share a fun pumpkin I made last year to go with my halloween decor. I was inspired by the fabulous pumpkins made by Heidi Kenney of My Paper Crane. If you aren’t familiar with her site, go check her out here! My mom and I made a bunch of pumpkins like hers. I used mine for a wreath. My mom uses hers to decorate the mantel in her sunroom. I thought it would be fun to make a bigger monster pumpkin with a diorama in its mouth. Here is what I did:

• Materials:
• Craft Pumpkin (I made mine from a solid foam pumpkin and gutted it, but you can always make it easier and get one that is already cut out for filling at Michaels.
• Paint and Paintbrushes
• Small Christmas ball for nose
• Moss
• Mini pumpkins or gourds
• Little mushrooms or other tiny things to add inside the mouth
• Berry floral picks for the little pumpkins
• Hot Glue Gun and Hot Glue
• Carving knife and box cutter(optional)
• Painting tutorial at My Paper Crane Here

Here are a couple pics of the other pumpkin things we made:

Here is what I did for my funky pumpkin:

First I drew on the area I wanted to make into the mouth. Then I traced around it with the box cutter to slice open the outer “skin.” Next I used the carving knife and cut out chunks and scooped out the mouth with a small metal spoon. This took some work, which is why I say It would be easier to get a diorama pumpkin that already has the inside cut out. They would make it simpler but you do have to consider the amount of room you have to make the face when buying one already cut.

Once your mouth of your pumpkin is cut out, paint the inside of the mouth with black craft paint. Go ahead and paint the eyes and mouth of your pumpkin too. My Paper Crane has a good tutorial on painting the pumpkins here. Paint your small pumpkins or gourds too.

Once the paint is dry, you are ready to glue. Glue your moss down inside the floor of the mouth of the pumpkin. I also added some moss around the stem on top. Punch a hole in the pumpkin where you want his nose. Take the hanger off the christmas ball and glue it in the nose hole. You can cut the berries off the floral picks and glue them on for noses for the little pumpkins too. Glue your mini mushrooms and mini pumpkins in the mouth and on top of your pumpkin to finish.

This funky little guy sits on a galvanized pail next to my front door to go with the wreath I made too. I hope you all will go get some pumpkins and make some of these cuties to add to your fall and halloween decor too! Heidi’s pumpkins have to be one of my favorite craft projects ever! I’ll be back next week with more diy fun!

xoxo, Ashlee

Vintage stars handkerchief from Hankie Annex

Vintage Martex rolling pin tea towel from Pleasant Days Vintage

Vintage geometric art deco handkerchief from Hankie Annex

Vintage 1970s FRED homepride flour tea towel from Retro Linen

Hi guys! Today I am going to show you how to make a basic tote using a vintage tablecloth. Vintage linens are my favorite things to collect! The prints are just amazing! Sometimes I come by shabby tablecloths that have stains or holes, and so those I upcycle. This tote is a perfect size for a small grocery trip or it can hold all your essentials for everyday. Check out the how-to:

Here’s What You Need:

*Old Tablecloth (or you can find a similar reproduction here)
*½ Yard Lining Fabric
*Cotton Webbing 1 ⅓ Yards
*Ruler
*Marking Pen
*Scissors
*Sewing Machine and Thread

Instructions:

First you need to cut your fabric. Cut two pieces of your lining and two pieces of your tablecloth to be 19” tall by 18” wide. Cut your webbing in half to make your two straps.

Now you are ready to sew. Take your tablecloth pieces and match them up with right sides together. Stitch down the side then across the bottom and then back up the other side leaving the top unsewn with a half inch seam allowance. Press open seams the best you can. Do the same thing with the two lining pieces.

Now you need to make the gusset. Take the bottom corner of your tablecloth sack and pinch it between your fingers so that the bottom seam and side seam are touching. Line up the seams as best you can and lay flat. Iron down the triangular end. Repeat step on lining too.

Now you will mark the gusset. Take your ruler and measure down 2.5” from the start of the seam end. Then mark across the seam in a perpendicular line to the seam forming a triangle. Stitch across this line. Cut the triangular tip off leaving a good half an inch by the seam. Now repeat with the other side of your tablecloth sack. Then you will end up with a gusset at the bottom of the bag. Repeat the process with your lining.

Next you will add your straps. Mark in 4” from each edge at the top of your tablecloth sack and then line up your strap in an upside down “u” to those marks.

Pin the straps in place. Then do the same with the other side for the other strap. Top stitch about a quarter inch away from the top of the bag to hold the straps in place.

Now you are ready to assemble the bag and the lining. Lay the tablecloth bag right side out inside the lining sack so that the right sides of the fabrics are touching. Pin all the way around the top. Then sew all the way around the top with a half inch seam allowance leaving a couple of inches open for turning.

Pull the right side of the bags out through the hole in the top. Push your lining inside the tablecloth part. Press the top of the bag all the way around the top and making sure your seam is pressed nicely flat. Stitch the opening closed by hand or machine stitch close to the top.

Now you are ready to add your topstitching. Top stitch around the top of the bag about a quarter inch down from the top. You can use your bag just like this, or you can add a little extra style to it by stitching a little around the bag.

Flatten the bag along the side. Mark 2” out from the center side seam, and then 2” out from the bottom center seam, and then back up the other side seam. Do this with both the front and back of the bag. Now stitch the sides to the front along the markings you made. Clip all excess threads and then you are done.

I love the size and style of this bag! It is a great farmer’s market bag or just an everyday tote for any time of year. We use this one a lot for library trips. I used a vintage tablecloth, but you can easily make the same tote using any fabric of your choice. It is a good project for an afternoon and takes about an hour to make. I hope you all will give it a try sometime. I’ll be back soon with more DIY fun…

Xoxo,
Ashlee

Here are a few Fall faves for this week’s textile Tuesday :

Grandma Moses Fall Fabric from Chenille Bliss

1950s Vintage leaf fabric from Circa Fabrics

1960’s Fall tree handkerchief from CatNip Collectibles

1940’s farmer’s wife fall fabric from SewLaVie Fabrics

Hello! Today I am going to share one of my favorite retro clothing revamps with you guys, a repurposed men’s flannel. I love upcycling clothing and admit that most of my wardrobe started out as something thrifted or vintage. This particular idea I snagged out of a vintage 1962 Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas Magazine in the handmade gifts section. They had taken a men’s denim workshirt and shortened it for a gal and then added some great embroidery. Usually when I do a vintage craft I update it a bit to make it more modern, but I think that this was just perfect so I copied it pretty much like the original!

Here’s What You Need:

Men’s Button Up Flannel
Embroidery Floss
Hand Embroidery Needle
Scissors
Ruler
Sewing Machine and Coordinating Thread
Buttons (optional)

Here’s my how-to:

The first thing I did was decide where I wanted my shirt hem to hit. I marked the spot. Then I added an inch and a half for hemming. I laid my shirt flat and measured the equal distance down from the armpit to where the bottom of the hem would be and I marked where to cut off the shirt bottom. Then I cut the shirt bottom off. After that I started stitching my design with the embroidery floss.I used a cross stitch around the edges and inside the flat felled seams just like the original. Then I stitched the design around the buttonholes. I used a crazy daisy like stitch and stitched it like you would to make the petals but made them more “u” shaped than teardrop shaped.

After I finished embroidering the shirt, it was ready to hem. I pressed the bottom edge under by about a half an inch, then pressed under again by a little over half an inch. Then I stitched the hem closed on the sewing machine close to the edge of the folded hem. I cut off the buttons that were on the shirt and added new buttons that I liked to finish it off.

This is one of my absolute favorite shirts and it is perfect for fall! I found that it is really easy to turn an oversized men’s shirt into an oversized boyfriend style womens shirt just by hemming the bottom. I just roll the sleeves up but you could cut the sleeves and hem them too if you wanted to. The embroidery took me most of an evening, so it was a little time consuming, but I thought it was definitely worth it! I hope you gals will give it a try sometime too! I’ll be back soon with more DIY fun.

Xoxo,

Ashlee

Where to find from left to right:

1. Picadilly Circus @ Gabriella’s Vintage

2. Tea Time @ North Star Vintage

3. Flower Carts @ NeatoKeen

4. Swallows and Berries @ IzzyDaizy

5. Cute Booty @ Futura Vintage

You can find more amazing linens on my Pinterest boards. There’s a lot of lucious eye candy there!

Here’s What You Need:
*Vintage Salt and Pepper Shakers ( ones with a nice flat space on top are the best)
*Wooden Candle Cups ( I bought mine at AC Moore)
*Craft Paints and Brushes
*Quick Grab Ceramic Glue
*Candlesticks
*Varnish (optional)

Instructions:

The first thing you need to do is clean your salt and pepper shakers and set them aside. Smooth out any bad spots on your candle cups with a little sandpaper if needed.

Paint your candle cups as you like them and set them aside to dry. Once dry you can seal them with some varnish or leave them as they are.

Once your candle cups are dry, you are ready to glue. Dab a nice bit of glue onto the bottom of your candle cup. Then carefully set the cup glue side down onto the top of your shaker. Hold in place for a few minutes until the glue is sufficiently holding the cup. Carefully straighten the cup if needed and set aside to dry. Do the same with your other shaker and candle cup. And that’s it! Easy peasy!

I absolutely love these candlesticks! They are so simple to make and really quite easy. The only hard part is holding the cup in place while the glue sets, and that is really only takes a few minutes. Since I have a wild child at home I ended up giving these to my mama. I do hope you all will give this project a try sometime, you’ll love it too! I’ll be back next week with more craftiness!

Xoxo,
Ashlee

This will be the first post I have written on this blog in a little over two years. For those of you who used to follow me regularly, you already know why the radio silence, I have become a mom. In 2016 we welcomed my son into our family and it has been the greatest, awe inspiring, often bewildering and completely exhausting adventure of my life! I haven’t had the time or energy or mental fortitude to commit to this platform on the regular. I have missed blogging so much! It gave me a creative outlet and a space to share with so many other amazing people in the world who inspire me and bring me joy with their creative spirits. My little bear started a half day preschool a couple days a week this fall, and I feel like I am at a point where I can commit to have this space again. I’m gonna be honest, I won’t be able to share on here Monday through Friday , but I do plan on sharing weekly diys. I am sad to say my weekly vintage and artist spotlight posts are going to take a back seat. They were some of my favorites but they were very large time suckers. Instead I hope to share items and artist I adore on my social media pages, so keep an eye out on those too! I haven’t completely decided about the comment section. I may leave it open for y’all to comment amongst yourselves, but I will not be able to keep up with replying to comments, so if you have questions for me please shoot me an email through my contact page. Alright, I’m so excited! Tune in next week for a brand new diy I think you’re gonna love!Xoxo,Ashlee

Here’s What You Need:
*Vintage Tablecloth Remnant or Fabric of Your Choice
*Ruler
*Marking Pen or Pencil
*Measuring Tape
*Straight Pins
*Sewing Machine and Thread
*⅝” wide or wider Ribbon
*Twine
*Small Safety Pin

Instructions:

The first thing you need to do is measure around your vase at its widest part. Take that measurement and add an inch to that for seam allowance. Then measure how tall your vase is and add a couple inches to that. So, you will need to cut a piece that is the width by the height measurements you have. So if my vase is 11” around and 8” high, then my piece would be 12”x11”. Then cut a circle for the bottom that is the circumference of the width of your vase plus an inch for seam allowance. Now you are ready to sew. Fold the large piece in half widthwise so that the right sides of the ends are touching. Sew a half inch seam up the side. Press open the seam. Now you have a tube.

Pin the bottom circle to the tube with right sides touching. Carefully stitch all the way around the bottom with a half inch seam. Clip seam allowance.

Now fold over the top of the bag by about a quarter inch then fold it over again to the wrong side. Press. Stitch the folded edge closed all the way around.

Now mark the center front of your bag. Insert your vase and mark where the neck curves in or where you will want to tie the bag. Fold the end of one side of your ribbon under and pin it to the bag all the way around the back and then back to the front. Clip the ribbon where the other side of the ribbon starts and then fold the raw edge under and stitch down. Stitch close to the edge as you can. Stitch close to the top edge then stitch a second seam close to the bottom edge. Clip excess threads.

Tie one end of your twine to your safety pin. Insert the safety pin into the ribbon casing you made on the bag and shimmy it through the casing and then out through the other side. Clip your twine to the same length for each side. Knot the ends and then insert your vase and tie the bag closed.

I love my little vase cover! It makes me want to make more for some larger vases. This was for more of a bud vase. I have way too many flowers in here than I should, but I tend to go overboard on things. I used a remnant of a vintage tablecloth that I had on hand, but you can use any kind of fabric you like. This is a really pretty simple bag to sew and it whips up quickly. You could also use this technique to make gift bags for wine for the holidays. I hope you will give it a go sometime! I’ll be back soon with more crafty fun.

Xoxo,
Ashlee

The first thing you need to do is design your fabric. Take a bib you already have on hand and trace it onto a piece of paper. For mine I wanted them to tie on, so I made the neckline stop before the neck strap. Once I had my pattern I scanned it into the computer. I cropped in a smidge to get rid of the line on the side my scanner made. Then I erased the middle of the bib, so now I had a template. Then I pulled in some images that I had made a while back for thank you cards and a couple of vintage book pages. I drug the picture behind the layer template of the bib and adjusted it to where I liked it. Then I saved each individual bib as a jpeg. To finish designing the fabric I opened all my bib pictures and then I drug them into a new blank file spacing them out close together, and cropping out any excess borders. I then had my bibs custom printed on oilcloth to a custom size.

Once I received my awesome fabric I cut out all of my bib pieces.

I used a little basting spray to stick two pieces together with wrong sides touching.

I made my own binding with knit fabric. You can easily make some by cutting long 2″ strips. Iron them on half. Then open it up and fold each side into the middle and press, then fold in half again and press so you have 1/2″ binding. Decide how long you need your ties to be off of the neck. Double that amount, then measure the distance around the outside of the bib and add it to the measurement for the ties. Cut a piece of bonding this length. Then measure the neck curve of the bib and cut a piece of binding to that dimension.

Now you are ready to sew. Insert your bib neckline into the fold of the short binding piece. Stitch across the neckline close to the edge of the open edges of the binding.

Next, find the center of your long binding piece and find the center of the bottom of your bib. Start inserting your bib into the binding matching the center and fanning out on each side from there. Use clips to hold the binding in place. Start stitching from one end all the way around and to the other end of the ties. You can either knot or stitch the ends closed to finish your bib.

I absolutely love these bibs! They are easy to clean and they look adorable on my little bear! He is not on solid foods yet, but I think these are going to be a lifesaver when he does. The printing on these is fabulous and the fabric has a nice weight and feel to it! I was most excited to try out Contrado’s oilcloth fabric as I love oilcloth, and I was definitely impressed. The range of fabrics they have is so cool(over 99 different fabrics to choose from!) They carry everything from regular quilting weight cotton, to waterproof fabrics, to cashmere. I will definitely be using them again in the future! I hope I have inspired you to make something fun with your own custom oilcloth!

To learn more about Contrado, visit their website here. Also stay in the loop by following along on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

The first thing you need to do is design your coasters. I used photos I love. I cropped each photo to 4″ square and then moved them all onto a large blank file in photoshop. I turned on the grid so I could space them out nicely and then moved them around until there was about a half-inch in between all of them. I cropped in removing any excess blank space around the edges and saved it. Then I uploaded it and had it printed to custom dimensions on the neoprene fabric.

When I received the fabric all I had to do was cut the coasters out. I used a quilting ruler, self-healing mat, and a rotary cutter to cut out my squares. You could also use some nice sharp scissors. Once your squares are cut out your are ready to use them as coasters.

I am so happy with the way my coasters turned out! The printing looks fantastic and they feel just like the neoprene you see in the stores for bottle bags and lunch totes. I was very impressed with the neoprene fabric and think I will definitely be ordering more of it to make coasters for Christmas gifts this year! I hope you guys will give this easy project a try too, you will love it!

Be sure to check out all the amazing fabric (over 99 different kinds)  over at Contrado’s website. To read more about this fantastic print on demand site check out their about page here. Also be sure to follow along on their social sites; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Designing the fabric:

I wanted to use vintage kid’s hankies for my design. I had some very cute small hankies in my stash, so I scanned them in and cleaned them up a bit in photoshop. For the red one I added text with Sam’s name in the middle to personalize it for him. Then I cropped the image to the size I wanted 7″ square. I used some clip art papers from freeprettythingsforyou.com for the backs. I also made a couple using photos from Roux’s book. Make sure your main design fits with a good 1/4″ on each side for seam allowance. I made a blank file big enough to fit my designs with room for cutting. One of the great things about Contrado is you can print custom sizes! I uploaded my design and had it printed on the soft velvet fabric.

How to make the lovee:

First you need to cut out your fabric.

Now you need to cut your cord or ribbon. The cord is sewn into the blanket as a loop so cut it accordingly. I made mine about 6″ long. For the ribbon, you will want to fold under the raw edge as well as fold over a loop for the snaps. I made my ribbon pieces about 9″. For the ribbon, fold under the raw edge twice and stitch closed. Place your ribbon or loop where you want it on your front fabric square. Lay it down with the face of the ribbon facing the right side of the fabric. Lay the back fabric square on top and pin all around.

Now you are ready to sew. Stitch all the way around your blanket with a quarter inch seam allowance, leaving about an inch or so open for turning.

Clip your corners. Reach inside the opening and pull through the fabric until it is all right side out. Push out the corners with a pen or the end of your scissors.

Now top stitch all the way around the blankie as close to the edge as possible.

For the looped cord you are finished. For the ribbon you will want to add your snaps. Fold your ribbon end under then bring it down a couple of inches to form a loop. Mark the center of your ribbon. Use an awl to make a hole in all layers of the ribbon. Then attach a snap to the top and to the end using your setting tools and snaps according to the manufacturer directions. Now add your paci and you are finished!

I absolutely love how my paci lovee blankets turned out! The fabric is so incredibly soft and I like that it doesn’t have a ton of stretch to it or is thin like minky, so the blanket is a nice weight. The printing is gorgeous too, looks nice and crisp and the colors are spot on. I am so in love with Contrado, and know I will be using them again and again for special projects.

To learn more about Contrado and how they work visit their website here. Also be sure to follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pintrest. Be back soon with more fun projects. Until then…..

Happy crafting!

As some of you know, I was not feeling well for my whole pregnancy. I didn’t have bad morning sickness, but did have motion sickness a lot and just generally felt crummy, which is why I wasn’t blogging much. I had a very healthy pregnancy up until the end. Right after Thanksgiving my blood pressure shot up and I had to be monitored and on light bed rest. Not even two weeks later I was in the hospital with preclampsia. Luckily it was not a bad case, but bad enough that I needed to be induced.

They gave me something to soften my cervix overnight and in the morning we were going to start pitocin. Well, in the morning everything was looking good, but they were having a hard time getting to my cervix and could not feel him, so they decided to do an ultrasound. It turned out that he was way up high and in a breech position. We consulted with our doctor and midwife and decided to have a cesarean.

So that evening at 8:30 they wheeled me into surgery and numbed me up. Daryl was there with me by my head, and the anesthesiologist was on the other side explaining everything as we went along. He told us when they were taking him out and Daryl shot straight up and looked over the drape. And then I heard a little cry and he was here. They cleaned him up, Daryl got to trim the cord, and they wrapped him up and put him on my chest. It was perfect!

On Wednesday December 7th, at 9:03 pm, Baby Sam entered the world. He was three weeks early, but healthy and almost seven pounds. He had a lot of hair and long fingers and toes. Our whole family was there and everyone was so excited to meet him. It was so wonderful!

The photos above on the blue blanket were taken when he was a day old in the hospital. The nine above and the title photo were taken when he was a week old.

We have had a few issues with jaundice the first couple of weeks but he got over it pretty quickly. He is a chunk already and growing so fast! We have been enjoying his sweet little noises and his many expressions! These photos above were taken when he was a little over a month and the ones below are from his most recent photo session at a little over two months.

So now I am laying here writing this with a three-month old Sam napping on my chest because he will not have it any other way, and truth be told I wouldn’t want it any other way. These precious moments fly by so fast, I just want to hold on as tight as I can before I turn around and he’s all grown up! Everything they say is true, your whole world changes, you can’t remember what it was like before he was here, and it is the most amazing feeling. You can’t explain how much love you feel, it’s amazing! I love being a mommy!

I hope you all enjoyed meeting my little bear! I am sure you will be seeing more of him here and there on the blog as he grows. Thank you all for your love and support of my little blog! I will be back soon with some fun projects!

xoxo,

Ashlee

My mom is a photographer, so we took a little trip up to the NC mountains to take some maternity photos with me, the hubby, and our fur babies. It was a beautiful day! I had made my dress with cream linen. I topped the bodice with vintage lace and mother of pearl buttons. Then I added vintage hankies to the hem.

We took photos in an abandoned mill town and off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a ton of fun and we hope to do it again every year for family photos.

Annie and Beau did great and were great little models most of the day. These were taken back in September when I was six months pregnant.

Mama Marcie threw us our baby shower near the end of October. We used a relaxed theme and went with a cute woodland look. I had a great time decorating with her and my mom. The party was awesome and filled with all of our favorite people. Here are a few photos from that lovely day:

I will be hack very soon with my big baby announcement!

Xoxo,

Ashlee

Set of 6 Vintage Christmas toy village paper Milton Bradley co.USA church, store, homes 1950’s from Green Cabin Studios

Vintage Lighted Christmas Tree // Mid Century Bottle Brush Style Frosted Snowy Tree Christmas Holiday Decorations Petite Small Retro from This Attic

Vintage Putz village house, retro Christmas, little house, 1960’s Christmas from Christina’s Room

13 CHRISTMAS PUTZ GERMANY Large sized Pieces Church House Trees Santa Father Christmas Xmas Figures Women Children Baby in Buggy Pram from Little Old Toy Shop

1930’s Lithograph House by Bilt-Rite Toys, Antique Cardboard Play House for Christmas Village from Exploremag

Putz church light up music box; putz church; mica church; cardboard glitter church; vintage putz church from The Gold Gator

Vintage Set of Three of Three Silver Glitter Plastic Christmas Trees Made in Western Germany 1970’s with Rainbow from Bud and Lou Vintage

Antique Putz House Made in Japan 1940’s Christmas Collectible Vintage Putz Cardboard Christmas Houses, Sugar and Snow, Vintage Christmas from Vandylee Vintage

Vintage Lot of 16 vintage Putz Japanese-made paper cardboard Christmas houses and Church- 1940’s from JoAnntiques

Putz House – 1950s Putz House – Mid Century Putz House – Christmas Putz House – Putz Village House – Kitsch – Free Shipping from Vintage Coco By The Lake

Vintage Putz House – Yuletide Electrified Santa Chimney House- Christmas Decor made in Japan- Lighted Santa House 1960s from Tales of Time

2 Vintage Boxes Sparkle Mica Christmas Snow 1950’s Santa Great Graphics Box Lot Sealed Full Decoration Tree Village Putz Craft from Haunted Lamp Vintage

Aren’t they all so cute! I love them all! The houses and the trees, and the wonderful micah bits on them! Do you all have a favorite this week? Be sure to check out the wonderful shops that these lovely items came from. There are lots of treasures to see! I will be back soon with more vintage fun. Until then…

Happy Shopping!

We received this awesome box of jerky. The packaging was fantastic! I know a lot of you don’t really care about a products package, but for me the extra details and beauty in the way an item comes displayed the first time you see it is important to my first impression. People’s Choice has a beautifully simple but cohesive design that makes you feel like this is a special product right from the moment your post man delivers it.

I am not a big fan of jerky or really a big meat eater to begin with, so I only tried the original flavor. I actually liked it a lot. It wasn’t too heavily seasoned or salty and the meat didn’t have that fake taste that you often get with processed prepackaged jerky. You can taste the beef here, the flavors just enhance it. I love that the company focuses on the quality of their meat and that they use cuts of beef instead of highly processed stuff. All natural ingredients are key here.

My hubby was the one who got to sample all the flavors. I cannot think of a better judge than him really, as he is not only extremely picky, especially when it comes to quality, but also a big jerky eater. He bought a dehydrator years ago and makes his own jerky often. For someone as particular as Daryl, I was surprised that he not only really liked the jerky, he raved about it. He liked the jerky so much he took it to work to share with his partner, who also liked it a lot! So, there you have it, if Daryl says it is awesome, it is assuredly awesome! He liked all of the flavors we were sent. Some he liked more than others. I know the habanero was his favorite. Here is what he had to say about the different jerky packs he tried:

The Sweet Chile Habanero- Perfect balance of sweet and hot, kind of a nice fruity sweetness with a habanero kick that leaves your mouth tingling, hands down the favorite!

The Old Fashioned Original- Nicely balanced seasoning with a nice meaty flavor and the jerky had a good bite and texture

Old Fashioned Hot and Spicy- No frills meat and heat with balanced seasoning

Orange Honey Teriyaki- Moist, sweet, hint of orange with a great teriyaki taste

Garlic Ginger- Mild meaty flavor with a good balance of sweet and salty and equal notes of both the garlic and ginger

Sriracha- Had a simple great sriracha flavor, a must try for sriracha lovers

Carne Sece Lime- Bold meaty flavor with hints of chile pepper, spicy, and slight acidity from the lime

People’s Choice is a family grown business that started back in the late 1920’s with grandfather John Bianchetti’s passion for quality meats. He started People’s Old Market which soon turned into People’s Sausage company in downtown Los Angeles that sold quality specialty meats, sausage and jerky. Their business now spans three generations and has kept the legacy of quality and passion in their product. You can read more about the history behind People’s Choice Jerky here. You can also read about their process here.

Daryl and I would highly recommend giving this jerky a try. We think it would be a great holiday gift for foodies, and especially for guys. It seems to be a widely known fact that men love meat candy. So if you would like to snag some of this amazing jerky for the fella in your life, you can order anything from single packs to curated gift boxes on People’s Choice’s website Here. You can also follow along with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

People’s Choice is having a Black Friday sale going on today 11/25 to 11/28. Use code  BLACKFRIDAY2016  at checkout to receive 15% off your online order!

*Disclosure- I received complimentary product to try for my review today. All opinions are my own ( and my hubby’s). This is some fabulous jerky!

Whiskey Barrel Ring with Ebony Inlay – Wood Ring Wooden Ring Mens Wedding Band Mens Wedding Ring Wood Anniversary Womens Wedding Ring by Hawkins Handicrafts

NEW Mens Gift, funny gift for him, Husband Gift, Groomsman Gift Beer Mug, Dad Gift, Beard Gift, Beard Oil, Beard Care Kit by Little Flower Soap Co.

Wood Cocktail Muddle, Engraved Gift for Men, Barware Gift for Groomsmen, Hostess gift, Mixologist Gift, Gift under 30 by A Heirloom

Mens Leather Messenger Bag by Temptation Art

Foodie Dice® Seasonal Dinners Pouch / Laser engraved dice for cooking ideas / Coworker Gift, Hostess gift, Stocking Stuffer, Secret Santa by Two Tmbleweeds

Pig Butts and I cannot Lie Mug, Bacon Gift, Bacon Mug, pig mug, husband gift, husband mug, gift for husband, dad mug, mug for dad, dad gift by Strictly Business Mugs

Mens Personalized – Tie Clip Mens – Child’s Drawing – Father’s Day Gift – Actual Handwriting – Tie Bar by Emily J Design

Black Wood Watch, black wood watch,mens watch,groom present, wedding, groomsmen, watch, Christmas, birthday gift, gift, anniversary, bfb by Lux Woods

Multi-Task Business Man by Gifts Warehouse USA

Wife Gift Husband Gift Christmas Gift The Mountains Are Calling and I Must Go Mountain Shirt Mountains are Calling Shirt Brother Gift Sister by Niftee Prints

Aren’t they fantastic! I love all the wooden jewelry and accessories you can find for men these days on Etsy! What I love about this ring is that it is made from whisky barrel wood, how cool is that! The custom tie bar would be fantastic for any dad, and the mug would easily become one of my favorites, as he not only loves bacon, but loves to smoke pork butts for bbq. I hope I have given you all some ideas for gifts for the men in your life! Be sure to check out the fabulous shops that these items came from! There is something for everyone. I will be back soon with more fun gift ideas. Until then…

Happy Shopping!