Valentine’s Craft

Last year, I had all these plans to do something crafty for Valentine’s Day. Needless to say, time ran out and we ended up only sending the store bought cards to school. I was very disappointed in myself. There are so many simple crafts that can be done for V-Day. It’s such a great holiday for crafty people. A big gift is not required. In my opinion, our loved ones enjoy the fact that we are thinking of them.

I found this project a little while ago and thought it was a perfect craft to do for the grandparents. This project is so easy and only requires a few supplies that may already be on hand – glue, card stock, scissors, some photos printed off of our home printer. I did run out and purchased V-Day muffin liners and a ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ stamp which were on sale at Hobby Lobby.

Here’s our version for Pookie to give to her Grandmother.


This is a great project to do with the kids.

A Quick and Easy DIY Project

I had heard about the kits that convert recessed lights to pendants awhile ago and forgot all about them until I read this post by Thrifty Decor Chick. I was really excited about these kits for a several reasons. Like TDC, we have a lot of recessed lights in our kitchen and I would really like to change things up a bit.
Also, although I consider myself to be somewhat handy, I’m nervous when it comes to projects involving electricity. Finally, if for whatever reason the kit didn’t live up to my expectations, I could just remove it and end up with the original light fixture with no harm done.

Pookie and I were out running errands yesterday so I decided to check them out. The first, more conveniently located, home improvement store that we went to didn’t have them so we headed over to Lowe’s. They had two Portfolio kits to choose from – silver or antique bronze I chose antique bronze.
 
Although the white frosted shade the kit came with was ok, I have a preference for colored glass. After some deliberation and advice from Pookie, I purchased this shade:
As soon as we got home, I got started on the installation. Once I took it out of the packaging I thought the finish looked more black than antique bronze and couldn’t resist the temptation to pull out my antique gold Rub ‘n Buff. I considered leaving it as is, or at least holding off on changing the color until I knew I could successfully install the light, however; I don’t have much patience so, in my usual manner, I plunged right in – for better or worse, this kit is mine.

So here it is:
I hadn’t noticed before that that light was not centered. What’s up with that? I think, from the kit directions, that I may be able to change the placement of the cord to make that less apparent. Regardless, I really like the way it turned out.

So Much Fun

I wrote in December about the awesome gift I got for my daughter for Christmas – a sewing machine. In my usual fashion, there were a couple things I had to do before we could actually get started. First, I felt we needed the right book to help me with the lessons. I looked at a few and decided on these – My First Machine Sewing Book: Straight Stitching and Simply Sewing (Kids Can Do It). Second, I realized that she needed a workspace that is her size - there is no way she could reach a foot pedal sitting at the table.

When Pookie was small, I got her a Dora table and chair set. She used it for everything - meals, play, crafts, etc. She has since outgrown Dora and we moved the set to the playroom. Until I find her the right sewing table, I thought it might be a good idea to redo the Dora table. She had some qualms about painting over her sticker collection. I had my own concerns about painting over Dora and my nostalgia. The table was pretty beat up and a nice new paint job could only be an improvement. Since the focus of this entry is on sewing, I'll post my before and after of the table redo another time.

Finally I have my act together enough to sit down with her for sewing lessons. We started with My First Machine Sewing Book. I have to say…she’s a natural. I’m so proud. I’m thinking, pillows will be perfect first projects for her – fun and she has that straight stitch down. I can’t wait to show my Mom pictures of our little seamstress.

I’m Back

I’ve had a lot going on in my life lately and although I’ve had a ton of inspiration and plans for projects, I haven’t had much time to complete them or write about them. The Holidays were pretty hectic and between that working full-time and family, I haven’t had much time for anything else.

Probably the biggest thing that has been going on is the arrival of my first Grandson. Our little man arrived on January 2 and we are all absolutely thrilled with him. He’s such a good sweet baby! I told Teresa that he is spoiling her. She’s going to think this whole motherhood gig is a piece of cake.

So as the title of this entry indicates, I’m back. I have so many plans for projects…I just have to find time to do them. Our plans for a trip to Mexico has me excited about getting out my summer clothes and thinking about some casual jewelry to go with my outfits. It’s been fun getting out all of my jewelry-making supplies. I’ve been hording beads and findings that have caught my eye – most of which I’ve picked up on sale or with coupons.

I recently set-up a craft space in my basement and Pookie and I spent some time there this weekend. I completed this multi-strand glass bead bracelet and a stamped pendant for my little girl last night.

Next, I'm thinking about making a necklace and some earrings.

A Card Display and a Christmas Decor Wrap-Up

So, I was just telling myself that I was done with Christmas projects and holiday decor for this year...but there was a but...but I would really like to do something different with the way I display our Christmas cards other than just sticking them up on the refrigerator. I knew that there just had to be some creative ideas out there and I had intended to do some internet research. I hadn't even gotten around to it when I read this post by Centsational Girl on that very subject. There are several great ideas for displaying cards in her post. 

I really like the way she used a chain for her display. I had some gold chain left over from another project and since my Christmas decor is gold and red, I wanted to do something similar but using those colors.

It took me awhile to find a good place for the display. I finally decided to hang it on the door to the office which is in our front entryway.

Similar to what CG did, I added some ornaments here and there.

Here is a little tour of some of the rest of our Christmas decor:

Thanks for visiting!

Wall Art

I was in one of my nesting phases in the Fall and would find myself looking at the big empty wall space surrounding the baker's rack. We've lived in this house for a few years now and I really have not done much with the walls. We have a lot of wall space...it's intimidating. So, I decided to do something. What's the big deal...I can always change it, right? How much trouble can I get into...perhaps some misplaced holes in the wall...those can be fixed, right? Of course. What followed was several days of shopping, painting, hammering, etc. I started with tackling the baker's rack wall.
I had seen a big metal wall hanging that I thought would fit nicely on one side of the rack. I considered it and came back to look at it a couple of times. I finally decided that I could make something similar. I purchased three metal tiles for 50% off at Hobby Lobby. I believe they were originally red and green. I wish I would have taken before pictures of my past projects. I used Rub n' Buff and some antiqued bronze spray paint. I applied some of both until I was satisfied. The wall hanging I was tempted to buy, was made up of three connected pieces. I did something similar with some old chain and cup hooks. I resized and painted curtain rods and hung the whole piece on iron hooks from Hobby Lobby. It took some time to put it all together and I remember at one point thinking that I should have just purchased the original piece - it probably would have cost the same if not less than what I had spent on the one I made. In the end, I didn't regret it because I really enjoyed the whole creative process and it makes me happy knowing that I made it myself. Here it is:

I needed to do do something with the other side of the rack for balance. Rather than one piece, I decided on an arrangement of things. Even though we have several clocks in our house and the stove and microwave both display the time, I wanted to include a clock. When I was growing up, we always had a clock in the kitchen so I feel that a kitchen should have a clock. I like the antique keys I've been seeing everywhere so the arrangement I had in mind included keys. Here's what I ended up doing on the other side:

More hooks and a knob were used for hanging everything. I used Rub n' Buff and antiqued bronze spray paint on the keys and hooks. The framed letter D was originally a mirror. I liked the the frame, so I left that alone. I had some black spray paint on hand that I used to paint the back of the mirror. I painted the D  which was originally black, gold. When everything was dry, I glued the D to the back of the mirror and put it back in the frame. I used leather cord to hang the keys and attached chain to the frame to hang the D.
I was a little hesitant when the time came to hang everything but once I got started, everything fell into place nicely.
That was so much fun...but wait I wasn't quite done. On one of my many trips to Hobby Lobby I saw a fork and spoon that I knew I wanted to incorporate somewhere. I spray painted them gold and hung them by the patio door.

A Christmas Gift For My Little Crafter

I want to share a Christmas gift for my 6 year old that I am very excited about. Pookie likes crafting as much as I do and it's one of several ways we spend quality time together. While shopping for her Christmas gifts, I came across a toy sewing machine. I thought about how much she would love it and I almost bought it right then but I thought I had better look at some reviews first.

I couldn't find any toy machines that rated well. How disappointing would it be to get one that would end up being frustrating to operate? My grandmother was a dressmaker and a love for sewing had been passed down from her to my mom to me and I want pass it down to my little girl. I wasn't ready to give up on the idea, so I searched for recommendations for a first machine for kids. There were several suggestions for starting with a real machine. Well, that makes sense, after all my expectation is that sewing is something she will enjoy for a lifetime.

So, what to do? I was sure I could find a simple reliable machine but I am also in need of a new machine. Should we just share one? I planned to hold off on replacing my machine, at least until after the holidays. What a let down...I was so excited about this gift idea. Then I read a recommendation for a 3/4 machine and found this one:

Isn't it cute? I have seen the smaller craft machines but I wasn't familiar with 3/4 machines. I found one for just a bit more than I would have paid for a toy machine. From the reviews, it should be well worth the difference. I can't wait to see my girl's face when she opens this present and I'm really looking forward to teaching her how to sew.