Dec 24, 2011

Merry Christmas!

Hey Friends!

Christmas is officially here, though we've already been celebrating with family and friends as much as we could fit in. We have enjoyed so many great evenings with our families already, we are beyond blessed!


And, well, I just wanted to say thank you to each and every one of you who stops in here, I appreciate your kind words, your support, and your friendships.  You've encouraged me and inspired me, and I'm so thankful for that.


I'll be taking the next two weeks off from blogging to enjoy time with my family, and to savor each home-day Boden gets for his Christmas break, it's going to be great!

The Head to Head Showdown link party will start up again in January, with a little twist, so be sure to check back and link up in the new year!  You can see the features from Showdown #7 here.  I'll post the winner from the second round of the Head to head Showdown in the new year.

 

I hope each and every one of you enjoys a very merry Christmas!



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Dec 23, 2011

Head to Head Showdown # 7 Features

Hey Folks!

So, today's post is going to be a quick one.  There is not going to be any link party this week, or next.  I'm taking a little time off to enjoy the season and all the fun and family time it brings.  I will, however, still be posting the features from last weeks party, and I'll be naming a winner of the second round of the Showdown.

Features first!

The third top clicked-on link for the Head to Head Showdown #7 was Christmas Cloche on the Cheap from Creative Passage


Coming in at #2 is the brilliant Penny Snow Sign from Lemon Drop Life


And bringing it home in the number one spot, it's the Copycat: West Elm Scalloped Trees from Revamp Homegoods



I will definitely be stowing a few of these ideas for next year's Christmas decorating!  There were so many fabulous ideas shared, thanks to each of you who linked up!

If your post was featured above, please feel free to grab my button and show it off for all to see!



Be sure to check back in the new year for a fun twist on the Head to Head Showdown!

Merry Christmas and be blessed,



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Dec 21, 2011

Felt Scraps Garland, version 2.0

So, I couldn't resist one final, last minute Christmas decoration.  I had so much fun making my Felt Scraps Garland last week, I thought I'd make another one and dress it up a little.

I followed the same plan as I did with my original felt scraps garland, braiding about four and a half feet of a pearl colored yarn that I bought at the thrift store.  

Once my long yarn braid was complete, I wove it into some gold fashion chain I couldn't resist buying last time I was at the fabric store.  Side note:  Can I just say that I really enjoyed working with the chain?  It was so easy to play with, and I was so pleased with how it completely changed the look from my original garland.
 
This time instead of using varying shades of green felt, I stuck with olive and ivory felt leaves.  I stitched each leaf on after the braid was woven into the chain.


And finally, I added a few buttons.  I really, really liked the hammered finish of the button pictured above.


I gotta say, I am delighted with how my dressed up felt scrap garland  turned out!

Glad you stopped in!

I'll be linking up to a few of these fine link parties
Make-It-Yourself Monday - An Original Belle
Made with Love Monday - Sew Chatty

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Dec 20, 2011

Citrus Sea Salt Hand Scrub

Christmas will be here within a week, can you believe that?  It seems the whole of December has whizzed by far too fast and now Christmas is nearly here!  I'm so excited to spend relaxed time with our families and to just slow down a little.  Oh, it'll be wonderful!  What about Christmas excites you the most?  

Boden will have a nice little Christmas break, and I'm over-the-moon-excited to have him home with us for a couple of weeks, oh the fun we'll have!  With his last day of school drawing closer I figured it was high time to make a little something for his teacher, as a thank you for all her hard work.  Enter the Citrus Sea Salt Hand Scrub.  Yum, it smells like a delicious drink one might be served while sitting on a hot sandy beach.  Plus, it leaves one's hands feeling fresh and oh-so-soft.

To make a hand scrub you'll need two basic ingredients, then you can switch it up very easily.  To make one jar you'll need one cup of sea salt, and three generous tablespoons of olive oil.  

 
Mix these two ingredients together in a measuring cup or bowl.

Now you can add that citrusy punch with the juice of any citrus fruit.  I used two limes and one lemon, as well as the zest from the fruit as well.  This would smell heavenly using other citrus fruits like grapefruit and oranges as well.  Mix it all together.
 

Some variations could be adding a few drops of peppermint extract and a couple of crushed candy canes,  or a few dashes of cinnamon and cloves, or a few drops of almond extract paired with vanilla would be lovely as well.  Play around with it a little and I'm sure you'll find just the right combination for you.

Once it's all mixed up, just scoop the scrub into a cute little jar, add a gift tag or label and share it with a friend! 

There was just enough left over for me to try it out and oh my, it felt so good, and it smelled even better!  I hope you enjoy making a few last-minute hand scrubs to share with someone you love!
Be blessed,

I'll be linking up to a few of these fine link parties

Make-It-Yourself Monday - An Original Belle
Made with Love Monday - Sew Chatty


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Dec 16, 2011

Head-to-Head Showdown #7

Wow, you all have done it again!  
I have been so inspired by all the great posts that were linked up, it's wonderful!
I love checking in to see all the different posts and ideas that are shared!

Let's get down to business,  scooping up the third most clicked on post is the Paper Doily Wreath from The Cottage Market!
Sneaking into second place is the delectable looking Snickers Fudge from Somewhere In The Middle!



And grabbing the number one spot for this week's showdown?  It's Ugly Cookies from The Lawrence Family! 


Congratulations to this weeks' features, feel free to grab an "I've been Featured" button!




Here's the rundown:
Link up as many of your own posts as you like, try to keep them fairly recent.  You could post anything from recipes, crafts, and refinished furniture, to essays, photography, and fashion, whatever you do!  The party will be open until Tuesday evening.  At the end of the week, I'll show the top three clicked on links.  At the end of the month I'll do a feature on my favorite of the most clicked on links.
I only ask a few things:
1. Please only link up posts you have written, created, etc.
2. Please display my party button somewhere on the post you're linking or on the side bar of your blog.
3. It's a party, so hang out and visit a few other link ups as well!
4. I'd love for you to follow my blog!



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Dec 14, 2011

Felt Scraps Garland

Don't you just love it when a project comes together from little leftover scraps around the house?
It thrills me! 
It feels so good to use up that last little bit of leftover felt or fabric so I don't have to go through the agony of throwing it away.

And this little garland is just the perfect solution to my scrap hoarding problem.


I braided a long rope out of some old brown string I had stuck away in my sewing closet for far too long.  You could use any thick ribbon or cord, this is just what I had on hand, so it is what I used!  My braid ended up being about 4 feet long.

Using various shades of green felt scraps, I cut out a whole bunch of leaves.  No need to get too picky and trace them all out first, I just free handed mine and they turned out just fine.


Using a needle and thread I randomly stitched the felt leaves to my braided rope.  You could use hot glue for this if you wanted to take the no-sew route, no big deal.  Sometimes I overlapped the leaves, sometimes I stitched them all by their lonesome, I added them jutting out in different directions...whatever you like, go with it.


After digging around in my stash of buttons, I found a couple of handfuls of red buttons and stitched those on as well.


And, bum ba da bah, I'm finished!  Simple and quick and festive and just what I wanted!


Thanks for stopping in!  Be sure to come back on the weekend for the Head to Head Showdown link party!

Be blessed,

I'll be linking up to a few of these fine link parties:

Make-It-Yourself Monday - An Original Belle
Made with Love Monday - Sew Chatty


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Dec 13, 2011

A Christmas Tablescape

 Christmas is coming!  We had a weekend full of Christmas get-togethers, and each one was so wonderful.  The Christmas spirit is absolutely overflowing in our home,
and I am loving each moment of it!  

The other night when Zach came home from work, the kids and I had set up a candle lit dinner.  It wasn't anything bizarrely fancy, but each one of us enjoyed the special supper.  Since then Bo and Addie have been asking for another "candle supper".  And really, who am I to say no?  In an effort to step it up a notch, here's the new centerpiece for tonight's dinner.


The runner is something I sewed a few years ago, it fits my piano perfectly, and lucky for me, it fits the table pretty nicely, too. 


Do you recognize the white base for my centerpiece?  I bought it at the thrift store back in September and gave it an autumnal makeover here.  I added fresh sprigs from our pine trees, a few pine cones, and a few of my snowy stars. See those white squares on either side of the centerpiece?  They're just a pair of picture frames that I popped the glass out of and added a trio of pine cones to each.


And lastly I wrapped some scraps of lace around a few jars and tucked them among the pine branches.  I can't wait to light the candles once it's dark outside, the snowy stars will sparkle and I'm sure supper will taste that much better.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Be blessed,


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Dec 9, 2011

Head-to-Head Showdown #6

Here we are again, at the Head to Head Showdown, and I'm glad you're all dropping by to check it out!  Feel free to link up as many as your projects as you'd like, let's hit 100 links this week!!!

Now, onto some Showdown business!  We had a great party last week with so many fabulous links, I love it!  

The third most clicked on link was:



At number two:


And in the number one spot for the week:



Congratulations to this weeks' features, feel free to grab an "I've been Featured" button!






Here's the rundown:
Link up as many of your own posts as you like, try to keep them fairly recent.  You could post anything from recipes, crafts, and refinished furniture, to essays, photography, and fashion, whatever you do!  The party will be open until Tuesday evening.  At the end of the week, I'll show the top three clicked on links.  At the end of the month I'll do a feature on my favorite of the most clicked on links.
I only ask a few things:
1. Please only link up posts you have written, created, etc.
2. Please display my party button somewhere on the post you're linking or on the side bar of your blog.
3. It's a party, so hang out and visit a few other link ups as well!
4. I'd love for you to follow my blog!




1. diy Anthropologie bag

2. Icicle Lights Tutorial

3. Ugly Cookie Recipe

4. Wreath

5. Monogram Frames

6. Burlap Letters

7. Girls Bedroom Makeover

8. Advent Book

9. Playing With Vintage Paper

10. No-Photoshop Silhouette Tutorial

11. White Paper Doily Ornament

12. pretty in pink birdie tutorial

13. Decorating Candles Tutorial

14. Red Floral Christmas Tree

15. vintage scroll work dresser

16. hand painted POPPY nightstand

17. scrabble tile christmas ornaments

18. Sheet Music Ornament

19. Holiday Wreaths

20. glory to the newborn King

21. Christmas Wreath

22. Rolled Paper Christmas Tree

23. Bead Board Christmas Trees

24. Tapioca Pudding

25. 5 minute wreath

26. Christmas 2x4s

27. Christmas presents

28. 1 bowl 4 hyacinths

29. Salt Dough Starfish Learning Curve

30. DIY Ornaments Any Shape

31. Snow & Garland Trees

32. My Potterybarn {ish} Christmas

33. Christmas Card Display IDEAS

34. Modern Country Christmas Mantle

35. Recycling Old Fence Boards

36. Favorite Gifts Under $30

37. Simple Elegance {Tons of Pics}

38. Snickers Fudge

39. Easy Christmas Planner

40. Wedding Gift Name Plaque

41. Crocheted Star of Bethlehem

42. Crocheted Christmas Ornaments

43. Silent Night Pillows

44. How to Crochet a Magic Ring

45. How to Crochet Buttonholes

46. Vintage Inspired Stockings

47. Mudroom Style Entry & Wreath

48. Honey Glazed Ham

49. Lemon Bars

50. Blender Salsa

51. Milk Jug Gift Box

52. Marshmallow Fondant

53. (Free) Xmas Gift Tags

54. Holiday napkin rings w TINFOIL ricrac!!?

55. Burlap & Tinfoil Snowflake Card Garland

56. Make-It-Yourself Monday #5

57. Rustic Tree Topper

58. House of Pinheiro

59. Christmas Mantel

60. Yarn Ball Ornaments

61. Latest Thrifty Finds

62. Latest Thrifty Finds

63. CHRISTmas Sign

64. TV Tray -> Craft Sign

65. JOY Christmas card banner

66. glam glitter wine glasses

67. anthro style throw tutorial

68. wallpaper gift wrap

69. doily and book page wreath

70. doily lamp shade

71. my tree

72. JOY Wood Block

73. O Christmas Tree

74. 1 hr. felt leaf wreath tutorial

75. A stocking and print on fabric tutorial

76. Dollar store hat refashion tutorial

77. Make Sock Toppers! Perfect Gift!

78. North Pole Smoothies

79. Bows using wrapping paper

80. Giant Decorative Bow DIY

81. Repurposed Folding Rulers

82. Felt Ornament

83. Handmade Christmas

84. Printable Gift Tags

85. Christmas Cork Place Cards

86. DIY Christmas Ornament



This linky list is now closed.



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