Blessed Christmas Wishes to you and yours!

Homemade Holidays - the gifts! Part 3

Scarves, scarves, scarves...I have only finished 2 so far. Hope to get some more done before time is up!!!

These were so much fun to make and weren't too difficult either. I hope the recipients love them too! Maybe I can get the ladies to model them after they are opened!

Homemade Holidays - the gifts - Part 2

Miss Alexis is the princess in our family - the only girl, surrounded by boys! I love that I am her Godmother and I love that I can make girly things for her!!! She just started dance lessons - so I thought she definitely needed a little bag to carry her ballet shoes in.

I started with some soft fine-wale corduroy. I have been making bags and purses for several years, so I didn't use a pattern, I just started cutting. I used an image from the Graphics Fairy for the ballerina and added her initial to the bag (an iron-on, darn I wish santa would bring me an embroidery machine!!!) Of course the tulle around the top!

Here are some up close shots of the ballerina image. I added the tulle skirt and crystals for that little extra something!

Homemade Holiday - the gifts! Part 1

A pillow for Jackson! My nephew is a cowboys fan, God love him! It hurt my hands a little to touch this fabric, but I pushed through the pain and created this pillow for him as one of his Christmas gifts. This boy is an amazing kid - the struggles that he has had to endure and he has fought through make him an inspiration.

At four months old, Jackson contracted meningitis. We almost lost him - but he hung on and fought! He came away from that experience with some real challenges - loss of hearing, some brain damage and some real physical challenges...but that didn't stop Jackson.

This is a picture of Jackson this spring playing baseball for our Little League's Challenger division. He is an amazing kid, I love him dearly and this little pillow is just a small token of how much I love him! Jackson has a lot of struggles still to face and his health is a question every day - every sniffle can send him back to the emergency room - but he is a true fighter and a hero!

Thrift Store Treasures

When I saw this metal "scoop" just laying on the rack at our local Goodwill store, I understood why so many people had passed it by. Originally, it was painted a lovely mustard color...almost blindingly yellow. I wish I had remembered to take a picture so I could show a dramatic before and after - I just get so darned excited!

Anyway, I got this home and mixed some paints together to get the blue color I wanted. I painted and painted and painted - it took a few coats to hide that yellow! Once I got it covered and the paint dried, I used some antiquing stain to highlight the really cool details.

I am so happy with it! Can't you see a little bird making its home in that nest?

Homemade Holidays, Part 3

Sheet music, sheet music, sheet music...I know it was Miss Mustard Seed that started me on the hunt for sheet music. She has done some really amazing things with it! If you haven't checked out her blog yet, I highly recommend it! I think this wreath is the first sheet music thing I created. I started with a dollar store foam wreath - modge podge - and very sticky fingers! The sheet music that I used for this wreath was images I got from the Graphics Fairy - wow, another great site that you MUST visit!!!

After I got the sheet music (which I cut into thin strips to make it easier) glued on, I thought it needed a little something extra - so I added the flower, doily and feather - which were left overs I had laying around the ole craft room. I thought it went nicely with the NOEL frames, don't ya think?

Homemade Holidays Part 2

Yesterday I showed you the sheet music NOEL frames that I created for my 1 (so far!) holiday display. Today, I want to show off my toile candles. These were super easy to make - and because I got carried away, I didn't stop to take pictures of the process. There are many, many, many tutorials on how to make these candles - so don't stress! I purchased the candles and the tissue paper from Hobby Lobby. I started with the plain cream candle, cut the tissue paper to size, then grabbed the heat gun from my supply cabinet and went to work.

It really only takes a few seconds of the heat gun heating the paper to get a thin layer of wax to form around the tissue paper. I think i finished the two candles in less than 10 minutes. I love that they look great for the holidays - but the toile is not holiday specific and I can use them again later!!!

Homemade Holidays

So far, this is the extent of my holiday decorating. We have decided to install hard wood floors in the house - they come to install tomorrow!! Therefore, no tree, no decorations - as all the other rooms had to be emptied out to make way for the new floors!

I had to have some Christmas showing around the house so the chest in the hallway got the treatment. I am not sure that it will still look like that by the weekend when I have ample time and ability to decorate the whole house, but I am happy with it for now!

With the exception of the tablecloth, I "crafted" everything you see. I am going to start with the NOEL frame set. I bought the frames from Joann Crafts for $1 each. They might have even been on sale for less, I just don't remember. They had been sitting in my craft closet for quite some time. I used sheet music from an old hymnal that I picked up at the thrift store (which, by the way, is where I got the chest) and decopauged the sheet music pieces randomly all over the frame. I finished by hot gluing red velvet ribbon around the outside of the frame.
I cut out the N-O-E-L with my handy dandy cricut and used some scrap paper to fill in the back of the frames. I really like the way they turned out!

Pottery Barn Inspiration Hand Towel

When I saw the cute ticking strip hand towels in the Pottery Barn Catalog I knew I needed them...but, as with most item in the catalog - I could not justify paying for them! So, I made my own version. I think I may have mentioned before that I do not have an embroidery machine - so I knew that monogramming was out. Instead I used a vintage tea label graphic from the Graphics Fairy instead.

I like my version just fine!

Eeeek - Long time no post!

I hadn't even realized that it has been August since I have posted anything. Where have I been? I don't really have a good answer to that question...running around like a chicken with my head cut off?? Being the wife of a high school football coach can be tyring - and busy...especially when the season doesn't go as you had hoped! So, I guess that is where I have been. Dutifully sitting in the stands, cheering on the boys of fall - no matter the outcome!

The same goes as being a mother of a baseball loving son, playing travel baseball throughout the fall season. My weekends this fall consisted of attending a football game Friday night, hosting an after game coaches "pig out" at our home - which usually lasted late into the night. Then getting up before light on Saturday morning to drive to the baseball field - to cheer on the "boys of summer!" - once again no matter the outcome, and another trying season!

Not to forget the little guy (who is not so little anymore!) Being present at all of his football games and cheering my head off! Of the three - his team had the most success this season - they ended up coming in 2nd place! I watched my baby (who was the smallest on the team) - who was soooo timid last season turn into a real football player. Of course after he made a tackle - he was always checking the stands to make sure I had seen it!!!

So, I guess that is where I have been for the past few months. I did manage to squeeze a few crafts and projects in. Today, I am just going to relax and enjoy the moment - look back at the good times we had this fall. As a parting "shot" This is my baby - dressed as Gene Shalit for halloween!