Valentine's Decorations

I made these cute hearts to decorate our fireplace for Valentine's Day.  I  purchased the foam hearts in various sizes, along with the cute love phrases, at Jo-Ann's.  Then added some colorful buttons, & hot glued everything onto some red ribbon.  Finally, a couple of red heart candles added to the mantle, & voila, all decorated!

I convinced Kyle to help me decorate them  :-)
A more detailed look of the hearts, aren't they cute!!!

*I took my inspiration from these felt hearts at the Little Birdie Secrets.

Nifty placemats

I started these nifty placemats wwwaaayyy back when, well you know stuff comes up & I got a bit side tracked.  I really loved the pattern because of the pocket to hold the silverware in.  The fabric was all cut & ready to go & quite honestly I was tired of staring at the pile of them just patiently waiting to get made.  So.....I finally got to work and they are really easy, duh!, now I feel even stupider for waiting to finish them. 

*I couldn't resist the opportunity to show my fire king dishes, they are absolutely lovely!  We will probably be using them for the holidays this year.*

Happy Apples

Aren't they cute!?!   Kyle picked out the embroidery floss for this pattern, and I think that they are quite adorable  :-)  I should have been done by now, but I had to back track to the mouthes as I didn't like how they were turning out.  I am hoping to wrap this up sometime this week. 

Half way

Aren't they cute!!   Its so wrinkly cause its waiting patiently to get washed & put on one of our pillows.  Im pretty happy with how the Pattern turned out, not too bad considering this is the first needle point project that I've done, & had to self-learn the different knots & embroidery stitches. 

1 pillowcase down, & 1 to go!

Vintage inspiration

I always seem to finds lots of intersting crafts to do during the holiday time of year.  I love making homemade jewelry.  Last year were these adorable scrabble pendants.

This year I've decided on a more vintage approach and I have been making earrings using buttons, sounds odd but they turn out really cute, I promise!  

One noticeable trend are these cute little rose earrings, HERE, HERE, HERE, or HERE. 
I decided to make some of my own, & you can purchase rose cabochon's online, but I figured I could make something similar with what I can find at the craft store.  I purchased enough roses to make 3 pairs, I'm thinking red, yellow, & salmon/orange.  When they are done I'll get them posted.

More crafts

Heres some of the new crafting that I picked up this last week.  I ordered the embroidery prints and waited a week before they arrived (They are vintage from the 40's & 50's and really pretty!)  In that week I picked up several hoops, embroidery floss and looked up lots of free patterns online  :-)
First up; Bluebird pillowcases.

Now I just need to transfer the images to the pillowcases & I'll post the finished work when I get them done, hopefully they won't take too long.  Then its onto kitchen towels with cute little smiling fruits.  If you enjoy embroidery you can get free patterns at flickr under the group "Hoop Love Vintage Transfers". 



On an amusing note, last week at work, I was speaking with a co-worker regarding the hobbies I enjoy (quilting, canning, baking, gardening, etc.).  She laughed saying "How cute, your like old fashioned."   I was a bit surprised at the statement, and sharing the story with Kyle he commented that he guessed I was old fashioned as in practical, & self reliant.  A good thing?  I think so :-)   

Homemade Christmas Ornaments

I started making faux stained glass ornaments several years ago. I still enjoy making them and giving them out to friends. You can personalize them by using paint colors the recepient likes as well as writing the year on the ribbon attached to the top.
I purchase clear glass ornaments at my local craft store, you can get these in a variety of shapes. I prefer to use the round ornaments as they are easiest to paint. Gallery Glass comes in a wide range of colors, this is the paint that you use to get the stained glass look.
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You apply the paint to the inside of the ornament, swirl it around a bit until it looks good to you, let sit upside down 1-2 days to let excess paint drip out (I use a disposable cup). Once excess paint is gone, then set on an egg crate with the opening, of the ornament, facing a low speed fan. You can let them sit out without a fan, but drying time will take 3-4x longer than using a fan. Once dry, use a piece of ribbon as the hook.

Gallery Glass Paint

Painted ornament

On the Tree

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Homemade labels and more...

I've had readers contact me regarding making labels for homemade items that are given as gifts. I did some searching online and have come across some great resources, they include:

Martha Stewart
I was surprised to see her website offering templates of labels, as well as great gift ideas including felt baby booties, suede headband, fan style family tree, and many more.

HP
These labels are vintage style and really cool!

Tip Nut
Various labels for different projects including canned items, hang tags, recipe cards, and many more templates to download.

Craft Bits
This is a massive crafting site where you can find info on nearly every craft you can safely do from home. Craft ideas include wire jewelry, recycled crafts, gifts in a jar, bath & body, as well as holiday theme craft ideas.


You can always try and make your own labels using programs like Word. It is very easy to do but it does take some patience to figure out how to make everything work. Happy Crafting!

Homemade Sweet Dreams Pillow

These crafty pillows are great made out of fleece. They have a calming affect and help you fall asleep quicker.

Sweet Dreams Pillow
2oz Whole Hops
2oz Chamomile flowers
2oz Rosebuds, crushed
1oz Mugwort
1oz Lemongrass
1/2 oz Benzoin (preservative)

Ingredients are measured by weight. You can get hops at a wine/brewery outlet. The rest of ingredients you can find at craft stores and health food stores.

Combine ingredients, bag in a double layer of cheesecloth. Put in a small fleece pillow, set on bed with rest of pillows.
These instructions will make 2, 8in. x 6in. pillows.

Homemade Rice Hot/Cold Pack

Rice hot/cold packs are a great homemade gift to give or to keep for yourself!

You will need:
Clean sock
Rice (Not instant or quick cooking) Jasmine works best
*Optional Fragrance* Use one or a combination of fragrances:
Lavender buds, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, dried chamomile, or 1 tea bag per 1 cup of rice

Fill sock 3/4 way full with a mix of rice and fragrances, sew closed free end of sock. Heat in microwave 2-3 minutes.
*Note, it is common for rice heat packs to give off a faint cooked rice odor, which will decrease with use. If you use a tea bag as a fragrance, make sure to remove any metal to avoid a potential fire.

To use as a cold pack, put in freezer for 30 minutes before use.

Variations
Use Flax seed or dried beans instead of rice
You can make a small pouch from fleece instead of using a sock

Treats for our feathered friends

Bird seed pinecones are great treats for the birds that stay through the winter, they are also great craft projects and super easy to do.

Here's what you will need:

Large old pinecones that have fully opened

Paper plates

Bird seed

Peanut Butter

Spatula

String

Scissors

Take string and tie around top of pinecone, leave approx. 1 ft of string, on other end, to attach to a tree branch.

Put some peanut butter on a plate, use a spatula to spread onto pinecone.

On a new plate, sprinkle a layer of bird seed, roll peanut butter covered pine cone in bird seed. Press seeds into cracks of pinecone.

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Suet Feeders are another great homemade project

You will need:

Suet, you can get this from your local butcher

Onion sack (plastic with a bunch of holes)

Paper Plate

Bird seed

String

Scissors

Take suet and roll tightly into a ball or oblong shape. Place bird seed on plate and roll suet in bird seed, press seeds into suet. You can also add in dried fruits such as berries to mix. Put suet mixture into onion sack and cut down bag. Tie off end of bag with string, leave approx. 1 ft of string to attach to a tree branch.

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Homemade bird feeders

Don't throw away your old pumpkins and decorative gourds! Hollow out by cutting windows from the sides. Once leathery and dry, fill bottoms with bird seed. To be most effective, do not cut off tops of pumpkins to hollow out.

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Another alternative to recycle your old pumpkins is to break them up into pieces, remove all foreign stuff such as candles. Leave the pieces out for animals like moose & deer to eat.

Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas

Looking for affordable gifts for Christmas this year? Giving homemade gifts is a great way to keep costs low and you can customize your gifts based on who you are making them for. Here are some great ideas and some of the homemade gifts that I have given in the past.

Tie Fleece Blankets, you can also alter the directions to make scarves.
No sew fleece blankets
Tie fleece blankets


Movie Night, fill a decorated basket with:
Coffee mugs (you can buy plain mugs and decorate for a personal touch)
Gourmet Coffee, Cocoa, Apple Cider, Tea, etc.
Bags of microwave popcorn
Dipped spoons
Family video set to music, includes videos and photos
Chocolate dipped spoons
Movie Maker


Mix in a jar: Cookie, Cocoa, Soup, and more variations just check out the listed links
Mix in a jar recipes
More recipes in a jar (type in desired recipe)
Nestle recipes in a jar with printable gift tags


Homemade Spa Kit
Pick a theme, Asian would include items such as:
Green tea soaps
Bath tea packets
Sea salts
Soy based candles
Homemade soaps, candles, lotions, and more


Turn a family photo into a puzzle
Custom puzzles


Vanilla lover gift basket
I blogged about this in a previous post, here it is again:

Vanilla Extract
16 oz. Vodka (not the cheap stuff)
6 Vanilla Beans

A good rule of thumb is 1 vanilla bean for every 3/4 c Vodka. Use cleaned, clear glass, container (canning jar works well). Split vanilla beans length wise, leave a small bit still attached on one end. Pour vodka into container and add beans, push the beans down so vodka completely covers them. Seal tightly and let sit out of light and heat. Lightly shake container daily to help develop. Using clear glass allows you to see the color/flavor develop. After minimum 2 months the extract will have a nice amber color. Pour vodka into small gift jars with a bean or two in each container. By adding the bean to the gift jars, the flavor will continue to develop, you can continue to add small amounts of vodka to the extract and the bean will keep working (not forever, obviously).

To decrease bitterness, add 1 Tbsp. of vanilla syrup into final mix to sweeten.

**A great gift idea for anyone that loves Vanilla would be a gift basket with a bottle of vanilla extract, a bottle of vanilla simple syrup, and a decorative glass jar with vanilla sugar.**


Vanilla Simple Syrup
1 Quart Water
3 C Granulated Sugar
2 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

Combine water and sugar in large pot, stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Cool, add in vanilla extract.


Vanilla Sugar
4 C Granulated Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean

Split bean length wise, leave a small bit attached on one end. Put sugar and vanilla bean in sealed container, stir occasionally. Will take 5-7 weeks for vanilla flavor to develop in sugar.

Halloween costumes

HAHAHAHA....I love dressing up my pugs!

With Halloween fast approaching, parents are on the lookout for costumes. I found two great website with various homemade costumes for infants to youth. These are costumes you can make yourself. The costumes range from a moose, to a hula girl, fireman, ninja, princess, and lots more!

Parents

Dollar Stretcher

Vanilla Extract Recipe and Gift Basket idea

Now is the time to start this recipe if you intend to give as a holiday gift. I have wanted to make this for holiday gifts in the past but the post office wants to charge a Haz-Mat fee due to the flammability of the product (yep, there's liquor in it!). I think that I'll be checking into Fed-Ex and UPS this year.

Vanilla Extract
16 oz. Vodka (not the cheap stuff)
6 Vanilla Beans

A good rule of thumb is 1 vanilla bean for every 3/4 c Vodka. Use cleaned, clear glass, container (canning jar works well). Split vanilla beans length wise, leave a small bit still attached on one end. Pour vodka into container and add beans, push the beans down so vodka completely covers them. Seal tightly and let sit out of light and heat. Lightly shake container daily to help develop. Using clear glass allows you to see the color/flavor develop. After minimum 2 months the extract will have a nice amber color. Pour vodka into small gift jars with a bean or two in each container. By adding the bean to the gift jars, the flavor will continue to develop, you can continue to add small amounts of vodka to the extract and the bean will keep working (not forever, obviously).

To decrease bitterness, add 1 Tbsp. of vanilla syrup into final mix to sweeten. YOU CAN FIND THE RECIPE FOR VANILLA SYRUP IN A PREVIOUS RECIPE POST!

**A great gift idea for anyone that loves Vanilla would be a gift basket with a bottle of vanilla extract, a bottle of vanilla simple syrup, and a decorative glass jar with vanilla sugar.**

Vanilla Sugar
4 C Granulated Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean

Split bean length wise, leave a small bit attached on one end. Put sugar and vanilla bean in sealed container, stir occasionally. Will take 5-7 weeks for vanilla flavor to develop in sugar.