When Crafting With Candy, Know Your Audience

So, I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking when I fell in love with my friend Pam's Valentine idea.  Obviously, I forgot her comment: "You gotta use a candy that you don't love more than life itself, or you're just asking for it be be refilled constantly." 

Obviously, I forgot the "audience" at my house -- since this jar wasn't even out on display 48 hours before somebody wanted to empty it.  [In reality, 48 hours is probably some kind of record around here!]

That person shall remain nameless, but suffice it to say that he[?] was told it was there for decorative purposes.  I really didn't think that these little cinnamon red-hot things would be very tempting.

Obviously, I am not the right person to ask.  Obviously.

The good news is that I am pretty sure he[?] heard the edge to my voice, shook in his[?] boots, and returned the jar to the tabletop, unopened.  Pretty sure.  Or, you know... umm, not.

Either way, I have learned my lesson.

When crafting with candy, KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.

#LoveIsWorthCelebrating

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A Valentine Banner

In my daily blog-reading, KIM'S, ALICE'S, and JENN'S posts inspired me to create a Valentine banner. I decided to use a roll of wide burlap "ribbon" that I had leftover from Autumn decorating.  I also knew that I had some Valentine scrapbook paper on-hand, so the basic idea was to create a banner from supplies that I already had.  I purchased nothing for this project.

I knew that I wanted to use the burlap ribbon for the individual banner-flags.  I started by cutting a small length of the burlap, folding it in half, and notching out the bottom.  Once I was certain that I liked the size, I cut 11 more of the same, making 12 little "banner-flags" in all.

I cut a way-too-long piece of red and white twine, so that I knew I had more than enough.  I stretched it out on my counter, and started folding the banners over it.

I cut 12 hearts out of decorative scrapbook paper, laid them on the banners, and stapled them in place.  I wasn't too worried about the look of the staples.  I knew that when I hung the banner, the staples would be too far away to really be noticed.  Also - the staples are the only way this is held together.  I stapled through the heart and both layers of the folded banner.

Once all of that was done, it looked kind of plain and in need of a bit more dimension.  I went searching for, and found some ribbon to tie in between each banner.

That was all it took, and I was happy with the results.  It's simple, and it cost me nothing.

As you can see, this is no "rocket-science" project.  Maybe it will inspire YOU to create something fabulously simple.

You'll notice that my wreath isn't exactly like any of my inspirations.  Instead, there are elements of each in it, making it completely my own.  My favorite part is that I didn't spend a dime, and I ended up using up some crafty odds and ends.  Win-win!

It's amazing how a little sunshine streaming through the window can inspire you!  It sure inspired me this week!

#LoveIsWorthCelebrating

I'm joining up at Share Your Cup Thursday HERE.

Quick Valentine Wreath

You may remember this wreath that I made a few years ago for winter and Christmas.  Since it was so simple, it stayed nice for a long time.  But when I took it down this year, I knew I wouldn't want to use it one more year. It was easy to dismantle without damaging the wreath itself, so I decided to put the grapevine portion to good use for another holiday -- Valentine's Day.

My girl and I hit Hobby Lobby the other day and looked around for supplies to turn our grapevine into something love-y, and came up with these supplies: pink and red bandanas, and felt hearts.

I love using unusual items for the "bow" on a wreath.  I simply rolled the bandanas corner to corner, and then tied them around with wreath in a square knot.

I took the ribbons out of the felt hearts, and used clear fishing line to tie them to the wreath-form.

What I specifically like about this wreath is how it is seen from the street.  It is obvious that it is covered in hearts, and if you're going to go to the trouble, then... well, it's nice that it can be seen for what it is!  

Admittedly, no crafting skills were used in the making (and I use the term loosely) of this Valentine wreath. But also, not much time was used -- and that was exactly what I needed this year.

A friend on FB recently talked about Valentine's Day being her favorite holiday, and reminded her friends that #LoveIsWorthCelebrating.  Since my kids are older, I tend to let these little holidays go, but the reminder was a good one for me.  I don't, however, think you have to celebrate in an "over-the top" way in order to recognize the holiday, and this simple wreath follows that same philosophy.

Do you usually celebrate Valentine's Day, or just let it slip by?

Don't forget: #Love is worth celebrating!

* Linking up with Share Your Cup Thursday

DIY - A Wrapping Paper Placemat/Runner

I mentioned this little "runner" HERE, but I wanted to give you some additional details.  Remember that I used a short roll of gift wrap from the Dollar Spot at Target?  The width was pretty close to the depth of my microwave -- which is what I was wanting to dress up a little.  Our microwave is on a cart, and the top usually has some kind of decorative display on it.

I cut a length of paper that seemed appropriate, and then I started trimming.  Realizing that I wasn't good at cutting the rough edges straight, I resorted to using the paper cutter that I use for scrapbooking.  I matched up the clean edges, folded the paper and trimmed the rough sides with a nice clean cut.  Then, I went one step further to make it a little more interesting... I fringed the edges!  I didn't measure, I just eyeballed it and snipped away -- all the way around.  And one last step... I messed up the fringe a little so that it was more obvious instead of just laying flat.

I love the look!  This could easily be done (fringe and all) for a table runner, or even many individual placemats!

What little decorative tricks do you have up YOUR sleeve this Christmas?

An Old DIY Ornament Favorite

So, this post has been pretty popular lately, thanks to the great linky parties that I linked up with three years ago!  At the time I shared this idea, I said to use either glass or plastic fill-able ornaments.  This many years later, I will tell you that I made my ornaments with the large, glass balls, and they are way too heavy for my tree.  I would highly recommend using the plastic ornaments.

The good news is that they sure are a pretty way to fill a large bowl.  Underneath, I have some extra gold ribbon as a nest-of-sorts.  It just shows through a little in a few places.

I added some pretty pine cones, and a glittered, silk poinsettia stem.  These Vintage Sheet Music Ornaments are still one of my favorite DIY Christmas ornaments.  If you need a last-minute idea, they are SUPER-easy, and you can find the directions HERE.

By the Dawn's Early Light

I don't have to tell you... it's been a long, cold winter.  And that's only so far!  I don't know if I've taken one "outdoor shot" all winter.  Personally speaking, it hasn't been worth it.  I'm speaking of the kind of shots that I used to go tromping around the yard for.  You know, knee deep in the muck the snow to get that perfect winter shot?  Not happening this year.  It's just been too cold.

I don't mind telling you that even though the sun is my friend, our friendship has been weighed down a bit lately by deception.  This winter, I have been lured to the window with the promise of great warmth, where I find that the thermometer still reads 3, and the weather man [speaking from the TV in the other room] says there is a windchill of -9.  Nope.  Still not interested in heading out for pictures.  At this rate, it may be... well, MAY.

A few days ago was no different.  I've learned my lesson though, and was only waiting on the sun in order to get some INSIDE pictures.  You see, I wanted to show you my girl's amazing spatter-painted artwork from a weekend birthday adventure.

The day dawned bright and shiny.  I couldn't wait to take pictures.  The artwork was hung in a sunny spot, and I realized that there were some interesting shadows and reflections on the wall behind the glass candlestick.

I love the textures and play of light-- and even the shadows!

But especially my girl's Pollock-esque project... by the dawn's early light.

Homemade Gift-Giving (Part 2)

Ready for Part 2?  I've got a couple more ideas for you!
(If you weren't here for PART 1, you can read that post HERE.)

I used THIS IDEA for a cake stand, found on Pinterest.  I scoured the stores for matching or coordinating melamine plates and bowls to make the little cake stands.  My best sources were Target, a local discount store, and our local grocery store.

I wanted to make each cake stand unique -- and Christmas-y if I could. Only a few ended up being non-Christmas -- and they were pretty cute, too.

To each cake stand, I added two mini-loaves of bread, some packets of specialty cocoa and cider, and candy canes.

The mini foil pans w/ plastic lids were purchased at our local grocery store, but you can find them at lots of places around the holidays, and often even in Christmas colors/patterns.

I  purchased large "basket gift bags" at Michael's, and tied each gift bag with red and white twine, a glittery ornament, and a gift tag.  The bags I found ended up being a little bit bigger than I needed, so I just cut a few inches off the open end.  (Be sure you open up, and know for sure which end that is before you start cutting... I'm just sayin'.)

It was fun coming up with all of the plate/bowl combinations -- and I did a lot of baking and freezing to have all of the mini-loaves ready!  I chose Banana Bread, Pumpkin Bread, and Cranberry-Orange Bread.  Each plate got two different loaves.  I received lots of compliments -- about the home-baked breads, as well as the cake-stand idea.  Not gonna lie.  I felt kind of clever.  Pinterest ROCKS.  What can I say? *wink*

MY BEST TIPS:
1. Don't seal up your gift-bags any sooner than necessary.  The glue used for this project (E6000) has a strong scent.  I noticed that it (still) didn't smell too great when I opened a bag to add an item.  I'd give these plates as much time unwrapped as possible, to allow the glue to cure.

2. If you've frozen your breads, allow for a little condensation before wrapping!  You don't want your recipient to open a drippy gift!  (I let mine thaw on towels on the kitchen counter the day of giving!)

3. Also, remember... tell your recipients to hand wash the cake plate!

See similar projects HERE and HERE.

You might also enjoy making these gifts:

Abstract Wall Art

A Button House

A Winter Scarf Wreath

A Vintage Paper Chain

Ornaments made with vintage hymnal pages

Linking to Fabulously Creative Friday at Jen Rizzo's

'13 Gratefulness

* grateful for an amazing sunrise yesterday morning

* grateful that 3 "international" babies let 3 nice ladies [that don't speak their language] comfort them while their mamas were in English classes

* grateful to work with two sweet women who love the babies as much as I do

* grateful for my daughter's involvement in our church youth group

* grateful for dear friends who graciously open their large home to the youth group

Feel free to chime in with a comment!  What are you grateful for today?

Homemade Gift-Giving (Part 1)

While I'm not ready to deck the halls around here (not until after Thanksgiving), 'tis the season  if you're thinking of CRAFTING gifts for Christmas this year!  Last minute crafting gifts can be disastrous, so it never hurts to get ideas early, and (at least) start gathering supplies!  That said, I thought I'd share a few cute gift-giving ideas that our family has used in the last couple of years.  These are ideas gathered from Pinterest, and we've put our own spin on them.  Maybe it'll give you some ideas for gift-giving this year!

Today: Part One.

My girl and I made these pretzel-kiss treats, and filled cute little Santa bags (from Hobby Lobby) with them.

We also found a recipe for Peppermint Stick Cocoa on Pinterest, and filled canning jars with the mix.

I used some scrapbooking supplies like a circle template (for the cocoa label), a snowman stamp (also for the cocoa label), and a corner-rounder for the cocoa instruction tag.  Don't forget to add this tag so that your recipients know exactly how to prepare the cocoa!

Combined in a cute gift-bag, these two items made for a festive Christmas gift.

Stay tuned for some more simple ideas in "Part 2" tomorrow.

'13 Gratefulness

* grateful for provisions being made for a cousin to come to Cleveland Clinic for heart surgery

* grateful that my daughter caught up on some missed sleep & said "that was the best night's sleep I've had in a long time"

* grateful for golden pools of leaves in the yard

Feel free to chime in with a comment!  What are you grateful for today?

A Magnetic Memo Board

Surprise!  I didn't think I'd have time to pull this post together for you by today -- but, I confess, I was kind of excited to share it with you.  My inspiration came from THIS PHOTO. [source]

And this [below] was what I came home with.  For $2 (a flea market find), I was willing to take the risk in trying to fix this tray up for a magnetic memo board.  The best part?  I didn't have to do any fancy magnetic painting -- just a few little touch-ups, and I was good to go.

Let me share the process.

I knew that I wanted to try to camouflage some of the bad scratches around the edges of the tray.  But how? After some conversations on Facebook, I decided to try black shoe polish.  (Thanks Jill!)  Here's what I found out.  Shoe polish worked great on the straight sides around the border.  I could "paint" nice straight and continuous "lines" of polish, and it really did do the trick.  You can see here in the before/after picture that there was quite a difference.

HOWEVER, I decided to take it a step further and use the polish around the floral design.  Not a good idea. Using the polish in random swipes tended to make the tray look blotchy.  Before it could dry, I ran to the sink & did a good washing!  Problem averted.  Changing tactics, I lightly dabbed at some of the worst spots around the floral design, wiping excess away with a wet cloth -- and called it a day.  My goal was not perfection (as we'll prove later in this discussion) -- or to make this tray look brand new, but just to give some little touch-ups, as I mentioned.

The shoe polish dried pretty quickly, and then it was on to the next step.  EVERYONE advised me to seal the tray, protecting the design.  [Thanks everyone!]  I ended up buying a product at Ace Hardware called Ace Premium Enamel (clear gloss).  Here's what the front label says: "Very Fast Drying :: Interior/Exterior :: For Wood or Metal :: Durable, Smooth Finish."  This sprayed on very easily (I did it in my empty garage with the side door open for ventilation), and was fast drying.  However, I had two small issues -- probably due to my impatience -- even though I read the directions.  The finish, though lovely, was slight textured, or pebbly. Also, there were a couple random bursts of spray that I didn't notice until the tray was dry.  (Remember when I said I would prove that perfection was not my goal?  *wink)

But seriously.  Check out the difference!

When the enamel was dry, I brought the tray back inside to think about hanging hardware.  I decided to use a saw-tooth hanger and some instant adhesive.  Ultimately, this worked great... but um, who knew that instant adhesive would dissolve the paint on the tray before it could adhere?  Well, obviously, I didn't know.  Needless to say, the adhesion was NOT instant.  More like 16 hours (otherwise known as "I went to bed, and remembered about it the next day").

By the next morning, we were good to go.

Two more things you should know:
1. In searching for supplies, I found some double-sided tape squares.  I decided to use those on the bottom corners of the tray, just to cushion the tray from hitting the wall.

2. I must confess that I never thought of the balance issue by the time you add magnets -- and, you'd be surprised what happens when you have more magnets on one side than the other.  So, a little DISCLAIMER:  if you try this at home, either re-think my hanging system -- or be prepared to be occasionally off-balance -- and that pretty much just makes me laugh.  (Go for off-balance.  It keeps life interesting!)

My next mission: to look for cute & strong magnets.

I am tickled with this perfectly imperfect piece, and it does a lot to spruce up a corner of our kitchen that was previously bare.

So what do you think?
Have you completed any perfectly imperfect projects lately?

'13 Gratefulness

* grateful for successful projects

* grateful for a little part-time job

* grateful for sweet friends who encourage us

* grateful for successful surgery for a friend

Feel free to chime in with a comment!  What are you grateful for today?

Linking with:
Thistlewood Farms,
All Things Heart & Home,
City Farmhouse,
Jennifer Rizzo,
Common Ground,
StoneGable,
Savvy Southern Style,
The Blissful Bee,
and a new party: