Knick Knacks and Craft ideas

Folding Screen

2008-09-08T01:58:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting a folding screen for a while. Well, I came across a stenciled folding screen in the newest Martha Stewart magazine. The screen was attractive and chic. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be cost effective. So, I made my own stencil, bought some paint, bought a folding closet door- I had the material. However, the outcome was less than martha stewart worthy.

My project was much more cost effective. The stencil listing in the instruction was $50 +. My stencil was the cost of a pack of plastic ($3.00). I didn't use the gold wallpaper she suggested nor the more expensive paints. Maybe a poor man's martha. Maybe I'm just useless. Anyways, I can now sit at my desk and ignore the allure of my bed. Mission accomplished!

Chicken Salad

2008-08-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

When looking for a recipe Marthastewart.com is usually the first place I turn to. However her recipes can call for ingredients that are expensive and/or hard to find. I don't mind paying more for quality but I do have issues with blind faith. I HATE spending more on recipes that just do not work. My experience with Martha Stewart's recipes are that they are either complete hits or complete disasters. Anyways I branched out to foodnetwork.com to try a few recipes. The first was a chicken salad recipe. Ode to chicken salad I do thee, Let me count the ways - and all that jazz. In simple form I imaged chicken salad to just be mayo, chicken, and celery. In fact, freshmarket sells some of the best chicken salad I have had, and appears to be a rather simplistic recipe. Here is the recipe I used from foodnetwork. Admittedly I wasn't overly impressed the first night but over time I have become fond of this recipe.

4 cups diced poached chicken, recipe follows
1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced or 1/4 cup sweet onion cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon or fresh dill
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 cup prepared or homemade mayonnaise
2 teaspoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a mixing bowl, toss together the chicken, celery, scallions and herbs. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Add to the chicken and mix gently until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cook's Note: Serve on a bed of lettuce with sliced tomatoes, in half an avocado or in a chicken club sandwich made with artisanal bread, crispy smoked bacon, vine-ripened tomatoes and lettuce.

POACHED CHICKEN FOR SALADS
10 sprigs parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 small onion, halved
1 small carrot, halved
1 stalk celery, halved
3 pounds chicken breasts halves, on the bone and fat trimmed
5 to 6 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned

Put the parsley, thyme, onion, carrot, celery, and chicken breasts in a medium saucepan. Cover with the broth, and bring just to a boil. Lower the heat to very low and cover. Poach the chicken for 20 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove the pan from the heat, uncover, cool the chicken in the liquid for 30 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and reserve the liquid. Bone and skin the chicken and cut the meat into 1 inch cubes. Discard the bones and skin.
Strain the broth and store, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze for later use. Remove any fat from the surface of the broth before using. Yield: 4 cups cubed chicken or 4 to 6 servings

Changes I made and things to keep in mind:
* table salt is not a substitute for kosher sale, the latter having less of a salt taste.
* I added apple slices, red grapes, and walnut which I think were of benefit to the recipe. This also increases the serving size. I would say the serving size is more like 6-8.
* I didn't use any dill
* I used dried thyme for the broth.

Wedding Cake

2008-08-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

What do you think?

The Boy and I took a second Wilton's cake class at Micheal's this summer. They ran some special and so the class only cost $7 (material excluded). I'm going to try to make my own wedding cake next fall and so I was trying out flavors and techniques of tiering cakes. I used dowel sand the cake made it all the way home from Micheal's. Some of the forums I have read are absolutely against dowels but they have been used long before any of the other methods. I also learned fondant in this class. The boy really likes the look and I have to agree. We wanted to try another brand fondant but living in the middle of no where the only cake place that I thought might have it was only open Sundays. Have you ever heard of a store being open only on Sunday. The Church of all plastic brides and grooms.

The cakes are vanilla white butter cake with strawberry buttercream, Red velvet cake with cream cheese icing and Chocolate butter cake with chocolate cherry ganche. Minus the red velvet cake the two cakes were wonderful bakehouse recipes (I believe that's the name). The chocolate cherry ganache and the cream cheese icing were Martha Stewart Recipes. What I learned:
* I much prefer cake recipes from scratch because they are more dense and honestly I find them easier to work with. They also don't have the excessive RISE on the top of the cake. There may be ways around this but with scratch this isn't an issue.
*I thought the two wonderful bakehouse recipes were GREAT. Especially the White butter cake. * If you are using vanilla from Walmart or you local grocery store change to Madagascar Vanilla. It is more expensive but is comparable. I've been cooking and baking more and more in my old age and better ingredients make for better foods.
* I made my own kirtsch cherries because I couldn't find them, so the error of this recipe may be mine. Either way I did not love the chocolate cherry ganache. The cream cheese icing was good.
* Simple syrups are a trick to keep cakes moist.
* Unsalted butter is used because salt acts as a preservative . By buying unsalted butter you unsure fresher butter.
*Harder to find, but european unsalted butter is a key ingredient in baking cakes and making fresh buttercream. Generic brands are not best. When I opened the wrapped of the european butter I was honestly knocked out by the fresh smell of butter. Aren't aromas half the fun of cooking?
* The cakes came out better when I coated the pans with shortening and then placed a wax paper circle on the bottom or the cake.
* Easier to prepare if you let them stay in the fridge overnight.

computer crash

2008-08-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

My computer crashed about a week and a half ago. Things like this happen. No shock there. However, it appears I won't be able to get the data off the harddrive. I'm pretty computer savvy but I am losing hope fast. My last computer failed when I moved here so I pulled off the data from that harddrive and so my computer life starts where I left off 3 years ago. Maybe a new beginning is a good thing for my computer and for me. I purchased a warranty with this computer which expires in a month. Did I luck out there or what? In the end I got a brand new hard drive and a mother board. Essentially a new computer. I totally could not afford to buy a desktop at this point in my life so, "amen". I would commend Dell for there customer response and resolution. It's hard to think about all the things I have lost by this incident but I'm trying not to DwELL.

Valentine's Day Swap

2008-02-14T13:23:00.000-08:00

I mentioned earlier that I participated in the Valentine swap on weddingbee.com. A lot of the cards have been blogged about today--as it is Valentine's day. There are all looking soo amazing. Well, Here are a few that I got!They really made my day.

This one is from Mrs. Lemon!

And here is one my mom sent me today! I had sent her the Victorian card that I made.

Front:

Inside:

Wedding Crafts

2008-02-12T21:47:00.000-08:00

There a few crafts that are more wedding related that are on my wedding blog. Right now it is limited but as the planning process goes on the projects will get more in depth.

Check them out:

http://luckyky.blogspot.com/

Long time no see Clearance aisle

2008-02-08T13:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, so Ive been trying to stay away from the stores and well that means I haven't been able to buy stuff for crafts ! :-o... Okay that was a bit of a fib. I have been to some stores, I have just been trying to avoid the ones I just know I have to buy something at. Well, yesterday I broke down and found a few lovelies at the local cracker jaxx store. In the clearance room I found these two characters. I have been admiring the one rabbit for some time but was broken so I moved on. The little girl as too cute. So as I saw them standing together waiting for a new home I said, "okay, you can come home with me. You're 50% off the lowest price. You have sold yourself. "

This next little tree was by the door and I just happen to pass on my way out. I almost made it out of the store, but your beauty was too much ! I love the vintage look and since it was 20% off days at cracker jaxx I said, " you'll look good on my bathroom vanity, and better than that you won't need watering everyday!"

What do you think?

Finally finished!

2008-01-25T20:45:00.001-08:00

Here are the last of the Sandra Evertson's Fanciful Paper Projects. I did not do all the project, but I think I did at least 85% of the projects. Overall the book was very fun. I at times felt it was more like a class than a book. I was always thinking of new ways to use the project. The Pros: The book had some really adorable projects that I loved doing. The paper that was available for printing would be great on so many other projects. Cons: The instructions were unclear at times and did not maximize the use of time. A few of the projects used difficult or impossible to find objects, required unnecessary items. Overall grade A some projects I just loved!

This is an itty bitty Chinese theatre

This is an itty bitty dance hall :)... The book has a paper ballerina but I went on etsy and searched ballerina and found these cupcake toppers. I thought they were more charming. If I took the top off you could see a tiny chandelier and more of the curtains. An inspiration for any little girls dream.

I think I would like an invite to this party :)

This circus could not be confined to a box

This is an improvise. I could not find the size box in paper mache and used a wood one instead. I also didn't have any luck finding the coil required in the book. Oh well still a fun little take on the jack in the box.

And look who popped out of this shoe.

Had some fun with this book!

BABY LOVE

2008-01-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

How cute is this! IT IS VERRY CUTE, in case you can't recognize CUTE. I saw these over at inspire co. They have a really cute online store but one of the things I loved was their craft kits. This is actually a kit you can buy for scrapbooking or other things you might do with these charming vintage tokens of cuteness :).... Check them out!

Adorable!

2008-01-17T16:25:00.001-08:00

How cute is this little girl I love chenille figures they crack my up. This was made by twinkle hill. You can check her out on etsy HERE or you can check out her blog HERE. Her music on he page is hilariously fun. So if you just want some background music for your online viewing go check it out :)... But I thinks her blog has some ubber talent to share.

Heartbreaking

2008-01-17T16:20:00.001-08:00

Don't you hate when you find something beautiful and then you find that it is sold out? Tisk Tisk. This beautiful print I found at Angelina's beautiful cards & Paper Boutique. Please check her out she has some very lovely designs! I'm all for promoting the art of card sending!

WEBSITE feature

2008-01-17T16:02:00.001-08:00

This little charmer was made by Alicia Paulson at Posie (rosy little things). Her inspiration she says comes from warm summer nights, sounds of porch swings, linens, and roses :). This little bird I found in her sold items but she has several other lovely items that maybe you might enjoy.

Valentine Box

2008-01-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

Today was a cold and snowy day. The roads were bad and so I did not go out. Here is my craft I did with my heart box from Micheal's. The picture is a baby picture of my father. I thought about adding a funny hat but who needs a hat to cover up those curls. I have since added some rickrack so that the places that the glitter didn't attach to would be hidden more. Over the years the glitter will slowly fall off anywho so whatever :)... Anyone else made some family photos into keepsakes?

Swap cards XOXOs will you bee my Valentine.

2008-01-17T02:03:00.000-08:00

So here are the three cards I am going to use for the swap. I found the inspiration online. I guess it is inspiration : hearts and Xs and Os?? But, they are made of felt and embellished with yarn, buttons, beads, and sequence. I also added little bees to each of them seeing that they are for a weddingbee swap :) . When I finished I hot glued them to a card and wrote a little note inside. Middle of January and I have already finished my valentine day cards ! Well I have another valentine day craft I am working on and just got a heart craft box at micheals for $1!!! Check out Micheal's clearance, they must be doing inventory. So stay tune!

V-day! BEEP BEEP! special delivery.

2008-01-16T14:00:00.001-08:00

So I thought I would enter the Valentine day swap on weddingbee.com. You exchange three cards with fellow readers and also get a card from a bee. I've been wanting to do an online swap for sometime and well this is my first. This is the card I made in the Valentine card making spirit. The way it was made is I found an old Victorian valentine day card online and painted the car to resemble that car. Then I found a little lady who could drive :) online and decorated her with crepe paper. I made the wheels out of glitter and attached some heart shaped brads from MM I got at Micheals. Then I found some Victorian flowers online and filled the car with "special deliveries". Well I think it is a cute card. Stay tune for my other Valentine day designs :) !
before complete embellishments and after :

I'll be home for Christmas

2008-01-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

So in the interest of paper crafts I decided to do some projects that were significant to the family. I realize this is what a lot of scrap booking is about but, maybe I have mentioned that I don't scrapbook for various reasons. So I took a twist on this and have two projects that I have planned. One finished and one not started. The first is a winter house. I bought the paper mache house at micheal's and have embellished it with rickrack, paint, tinsel, and old paper. All the pictures are of my dad's parents and siblings. I tried to find some funny and charming pictures of the family. I'm not sure if I will add to the house later (maybe it just needs a bottlebrush tree out front ;) ) but I enjoy having it on display. I love the significance of the project.

fanciful paper projects

2008-01-07T18:13:00.001-08:00

So I bought Sandra Evertson's Fanciful paper project book and have been working my way through the book's projects. I really took a liking to paper crafts because of my advent calendar and thought these projects would keep me busy with something a little different in the new year (besides being a couch potato). I've been following most of her directions with some slight changes here and there. But I'll slowing update my projects from the book as I finish. Anyone else looking for a fun craft book check this one out. I have to say actually doing the projects helps more in realizing what else can be done than just looking at the book so think about these books as educational.
These 3 girls are probably one of my favorites.

This cupcake box guy was one the main reason the book caught my eye in the store. I added button embellishments and Im not finished decoupaging the bottle of the box.
Petunia the flower witch was an okay project that I 'm not in love with

and then the classy ladies was fun but rather bulky and not really my thing.

They have all been fun projects though and have giving me some ideas. Always good. Stay Tune

More after Christmas sales !

2008-01-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm a clearance JUNKIE! I so similar tendency with coupons and sales. I just simply hate buying things at full price. I do of course do buy things full price but I'm not as impulsive or haphazard about it. Here are a few last Christmas stuff I got on sale. The Dresden star ornaments came from home traditions. They weren't part of a Christmas sale just a general discount. I would never buy these ornaments had they been full price but they are gorgeous!! I love the work and colors of these. The guys at home traditions were also very fast at processing my order. One am be familiar with them as the sellers of the gorgeous feather trees that I am in envy of. I also got this christmas box. I dont know much about the box . But I like it and I assume its one of Bethany Lowe's artists. ANyone else find some good holiday items on sale?

Can you have too many bottle brush trees?

2008-01-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

Probably. But I took to really loving these little trees. Plus an After Christmas sale forced me to up my collection. I also got another cute cody foster house! This one is smaller than my others. I also got another white church (so my catholic christmas citizens had a place to worship) and the mint green cottage for Christmas. My collection of Cody Foster houses is probably complete :(! I believe the three smaller trees in front of the house are all Cody Foster but I am not sure.

This big white and blue tree is one I made with some ornaments I found at the flea market. It was surprisingly easy and cheap to find these ornaments and they are all I believe glass or something that is a bit better quality than the plastic balls that are found on the reproductions. Just a tip for anyone who enjoys these little trees as much as I do.!

I really like the vintage star ornament on top that was found in a flea market grab bag of old ornaments.

I also did the tiny tree here, the blue one with the garland and the Valentine one. All the items on them were again picked up from the flea market.
Including these miniature bottle brush trees:

These really aren't that expensive to just buy the antique and vintage items and make yourself. The white trees I got at Kohls for maybe $4.00 and then I just ripped off the ornaments that were on there. Some might not be ready for Christmas crafts in January but I maybe ! I'm just wrapping up on some stuff I did over the Holiday.

Chicago Dec 15th

2008-01-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

Before I left for Christmas I went into the city. The day I was there a blizzard dumped down on the city and left me and my non-waterproof shoes miserable with blue toes.
Last time I went into the city my camera battery died. I hate digital cameras for this reason. But I thought I would post a few pictures of Macy's that I didn't get the last time I was there. I also got the large Martha Stewart tree in the Walnut room. Unfortunately every experience I have had with the Walnut room has been negative which is sad because Macy's has always been one of my favorites and Chicago really has been negative towards this store for taking over the beloved Marshal Fields building. Oh well I shall not preach about how a store should treat their customers, as either way I will probably end up taking my money there

Debrina Pratt

2008-01-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

One thing I have always thought is that fairies should exist. I'm not obsessed with fairies but I always thought why shouldn't they? I find them so charming and felt life could use some charm. SO anyways the point is that I got some great little characters from an artist named Debrina Pratt. I bought them off ebay (insert ode to ebay here). Her ID is *spark*your*imagination* and I would suggest anyone looking for some charm in their life to check her out. I think the one in the round box reminds me of an old woman, it's funny when children do that. They came in this adorable hot pink box marked FRAGILE. Who doesn't want an adorable hot pink box mark fragile in the mail! Thanks for some charm in my day!

The dishes make me drool (not the food!)

2007-12-31T16:35:00.000-08:00

There are several items at Rosanna's that I absolutely love. These plates are on preorder for next year and luck for my pocket book too because I so would have purchased them if they had been available. I just love the unique mix of images and patterns. Check out this site for lovely dishware and other lovely gifts!

I wish my pocketbook was deeper

2007-12-23T16:03:00.001-08:00

Colorful, whimsy, aborable. These are Charm & Grace made by Nicole Bowen. You can find these and other wonderful finds at earth angels. Having started this blog I really have loved sharing other people's artwork, searching endlessly. I have never seen these things before and so maybe posting here I'm sharing something with you that you'll love as well. Honestly in the last few days being bored at home I have explored so many talents! Well Nicole you've impressed me.

Whimsical Dog fun

2007-12-23T15:43:00.001-08:00

This is from dogblogtv, these are soooo cute! if you need a smile on your face today check them out!

Sweet

2007-12-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

If I can think of one world to describe this artist I would say "sweet". This is some of the items from Jennifer Murphy inspired by vintage animals. They are new but look like they have had many years of love. Here is the link to Martha Stewart website where you can watch Jennifer make pom pom bunnies and get the instructions. One can also alter the pattern or instructions for making mice, chicks, and other charming lovelies. These are adorable and I hope to have some made for myself. FLICKR has a number of artists who have made their own. Please check out Jennifer's website called bears and other silly things. I just found her stuff while searching Bayberry Cove**. I bought a few of her licensed designs that I'm waiting eagerly for :) !! She seems like an adorable person.
P.S. I thought I would pass on that I recently found Bayberry Cove. If you like Bethany Lowe's artist group or looking for a wonderful gift for yourself or heck even someone else ;) then check out their large seelection of lovelies.

Tim Holtz

2007-12-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

I've found several blogs over the break so far but wanted to put one up. After the holiday I'll be on overload with these things. Tim Holtz Christmas tags. These are amazing and include some directions so I thought even if you aren't making Christmas tags made you can think about the techniques. I personally don't do scrapbooking or a lot of these paper projects just because of the cost of these projects and I'm not sure how you start simple on these projects. But I drooled over these and maybe its time to begin :).... So anywho, check him out they are fantastic.

Merry Christmas to all and to all....

2007-12-16T16:28:00.000-08:00

Hello, Thanks for everyone who has dropped by my blog. I love hearing feedback and reading comments! Also, my crafts and finds have been posted because I am a DIYer at heart, with a love for beautiful things and just want to share with and inspire others who hold these same things dear :) (and as always, Give some love to those who have intigued myself).

If anyone has been entertained and has some other sites or would like to show off their own projects by all means let me know!

With this, I am off till the new year. I am home with the family and waiting for Santa! Hope everyone stays warm and has a great Christmas !

Yummy

2007-12-12T20:48:00.001-08:00

So the entries are in. The first house is my boyfriend's. I'll add that he stole my idea about the wreath and the marshmallow men are mine too. He said he bought them, but I guess he forgot who bought the actual house kits. His entrance is very good though and he came around in the last leg of the competition.
The second is my house with the gumball snowmen guarding the house from evil children with sugar teeth. Fun little project. I would recommend either kit. The icing in the Wilton's kit was much thicker and needed to have more water added than the recipe called for. Also one kit came with a star tip and the other with a round which had benefits and disadvantages. The Wilton's it also had less even edges making it difficult to construct and was thicker gingerbread. Food network just had the gingerbread competition on and well :-p.....

Where is Hansel and Gretel ?

2007-12-10T22:48:00.000-08:00

This is the week before I head home. I'm baking some Christmas goodies for holiday gifts. That I will let you know about later. But involved in these treats I decided to make some gingerbread houses. I've never made a gingerbread house that I can remember. I was a big sister in the big sister program and this was one of the events me and my little sister attended, but I can't say that was the same. Now I have to say that I didn't do any baking for this but rather bought a kit. I bought two kits and wanted to share what was out there. Green sticked version: From Cobblestone kitchen (large version) purchased at TJ MAXX for 12.99. This kit is unique from the other one because the gingerbread has patterns to resemble bricks and shingles. I also got four large white gumballs that are suppose to be made into snowmen ( I need some gummi worms for a scarf). I also got chiklets gum, sprinkles, and small gumballs. Second version: The other set is from Micheal's onsale for 8.99. I got gum rings and another set of gumdrops that aren't in the other set. Both sets include the icing, an icing bag w/tip, directions, and the bakes gingerbread. We will see what the outcome of each house is later in the week but I imagine that I'll mix and match from both sets. I think these sets are great and I might go buy the other gingerbread set to take home or maybe save for next year. I'm Very excited!

Chenille sticks

2007-12-10T22:46:00.000-08:00

So Martha stewart said you can get chenille sticks (aka pipe cleaners) in terry cloth. Anyone know where?

Christmas leftovers and Christmas Alley

2007-12-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

So a few nights ago I saw these reindeer ornaments on Martha Stewart .com and decided they were cute enough to make a whirl at. She actually has santa clause and snowmen too but went to Walmart to find some buttons and they had an assorted pack of brown for $1.50 which one can't beat that price on buttons. So that is why I just did the reindeer. These are INCREDIBLY easy to make so I might try the other characters. You can find the directions on her page but its pretty self explanatory. I think they are in the kids craft ideas and would definitely concur. No hot glue, minimal scissor. EASY EASY EASY ! The next is a project I threw together with some leftovers I had--a santa garland. I ordered the clip art from ArtChix and thought I'd use it on my advent calendar and they were just too large for that. (Advice: when you order stuff online to save on shipping order extra or order for future projects or to inspire future projects). Then I had all these pipe cleaners and so I strung them together with hot glue. Another easy project. (opinion: Craft projects add up quickly in cost. However, rarely will one project use up all the material you bought and thus the leftovers can be used for future projects.

Klimt, The Weepies, Stars

2007-12-09T19:23:00.001-08:00

Oh Chritsmas Tree

2007-12-09T17:17:00.000-08:00

So I showed you my tree and I thought Id share a link to some different takes on the traditional christmas tree, there's more click away. (link)

Oh so Pretty

2007-12-09T16:52:00.001-08:00

So it is a lazy Sunday and thought I'd check out whats out there in the WORLD WIDE WEB. So I came across Teresa McFayden's My Minutia blog. I have here a few samples of her work just in case one does not believe it is worth the click to view her fabulousness. Her Blog is sensory overload with lovelies and I'll have to rampage into it over the next week or so. I'll also link to her paper bella page. Talent envy here.

Wikihow!!!

2007-12-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

What is this ! I love Wikipedia, the idea of a culture group creating and writing history. Now WikiHow!

wikiHow is a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. With your edits, we can create a free resource that helps millions of people by offering solutions to the problems of everyday life. wikiHow currently contains 27,657 articles written, edited, and maintained primarily by volunteers. Please join us by writing on a topic not yet covered, or editing a page that someone else has started.

How creative. Some ideas I saw are a miniskirt made out of duck tape and dealing with bad kissers. I found the site looking at this though:

Cute winter snowflake . Instructions anyone?

Blueprint

2007-12-04T21:00:00.001-08:00

Here's the item I wanted to blog about from the Blueprint magazine. These are just regular candles coated in MS glitter. The only concerns I had about these is A) that glitter is expensive so how much would you need? and B) is this a fire hazard? What happens to the glitter when the candle starts burning?.. I would recommend using a candle with a similar color to the glitter and only coat the sides with glitter. P.S. check out Blueprint. I'm not sure the concept but its a MS magazine and appears to be geared towards a younger audience. Though this is speculation. Magazine subscription was $9.00 on one of the fliers and I was hooked!

Last of the O Winter ideas

2007-12-03T10:16:00.001-08:00

I would honestly have this deer in my room all year! I think it is that cute. I'm sure this is something one either thinks its TACKY or adorable. The deer is actually a gun target for hunters that has been painted this whimsical ice blue. I dont have the the starch white walls and staircase or the chandelier with match ornaments to pull this look off but OH WHAT FUN! On the mantel I wanted to point out the garland its made with silver baker's cups, beads, silver construction paper, etc. There aren't any instructions so how you would go about making this I do not know but very neat.

O magazine

2007-12-03T10:07:00.001-08:00

O magazine had some great ideas for christmas decor. I think they went a little unrealistic but gorgeous never the less. There were several ideas that they gave a basic idea of how to accomplish but it was really a tease for the most part. Anyhow, the tree the left is put on a board cover in pink silk duponi (You won't find this at Wal-mart!). Christmas cards are added in the shape of a tree (they must have a lot of friends at O who give really elegant Christmas cards). Finally the tree is embellished with garland from jamali garden and ornaments. The idea that I really liked on the mantel was candlesticks. They used Umbre picture wire clips and stuck them a candle holder and added Christmas cards and ornaments! Adorable!

TREE ORNAMENTS

2007-12-03T09:58:00.001-08:00

I actually bought the Martha Magazine for the beaded ornament instructions. I think they are striking. I have heard some discussion boards talking about how they are too simple but I've never beaded and would think a tree in these would be beautiful. Try here for some other ideas in beads from Martha Stewart. The only problem is that some of the beads are from KD vintage. You can't buy these off her website so they may be difficult to find and probably very expensive. This is why I probably wont be doing this craft this year.

Last the icicles in the trees are very whimsical. The instructions are in the magazine. They basically are just pieces of wood wrapped with Christmas lights. I would imagine they would add to any outdoor party.

2007-12-03T09:53:00.001-08:00

I don't know who really decorates their gifts like this. Unless a store does it I have never seen anyone actually give or receive such a present. I think it is knowing that in 2 days all of it will be ripped to shreds and in the garbage. But these instructions seem really simple. You just cut felt pieces in the template they provide and then thread the ribbon into the jingle bell and tie the felt holly leaf to the bell and WAH LAH! I really do like Martha's magazine for their great ideas, simple instructions, and templates. There have been times reading the website for instructions that I could have used one or two more pictures but overall I've been pleased.

Magazine finds

2007-12-03T09:42:00.001-08:00

So the next couple of posts will be related to some ideas that were in the winter edition of Martha and O. I had wished to include some ideas from Blueprint but I can't find my copy. I would suggest that if anyone is interested in these magazines they usually have some Holiday subscription specials in their magazine for Christmas. You should be able to click the pictures and be able to read the instructions. If not, they are probably online or you can leave me a message and I'll get you the instructions. The doily snowflakes would be cute around door frames and these ribbon garland would be great around the mantel. I like the unexpectedness of these two ideas.

Advent Calendar

2007-12-02T18:28:00.001-08:00

So this is what is to be my last Christmas craft for the year, an Advent Calendar. There is no chocolate in this one. Rather in each of the box have mini christmas/nativity ornaments I picked up at Micheal's. The inspiration and the lovely Christmas angels and girls came from ArtChix. They are decorated with tinsel/Christmas berries/artificial evergreen/ and mini star garland. The instructions for how given by Art Chix are here. I actually covered all the match boxes with Christmas paper I got from Archivers . They are attached to thick Rick Rack with star nail heads that can be found in the Jewelry section at Micheal's. I had first intended to sew on buttons and stars but the thought of sewing 25 buttons by hand was less than appealing. I imagine all treasure this for many years.

Carpet / Candle Wax tip

2007-12-02T18:19:00.001-08:00

The power went out last night so I rushed to gather every candle in the house. This is but a small fraction of the candles we had lit last night. The problem was that I may have had too many on a plate and by the time the lights were back on wax had dripped onto the carpet :-O! Just wanted to spread a tip that worked for me. Scrap off as much off the carpet as you can. Once this is done place a brown paper bag over the spill and then gently iron the spot. You will see the wax begin absorbing into the bag within a minute. Continue until all the wax is absorbed.

Charming Cody Foster

2007-12-02T17:31:00.000-08:00

This year I fell in love with these Cody Foster winter villages. Apparently his company really became popular in 2003 when his houses were featured in the Mary Englebreit magazine. I haven't been in the complete woods about this guy though, because I have known about his stuff just didn't know he was the artist I bought these in bulk ! from ken at KNOTTY WOODS. I would definitely direct one to his site, or e-mail him if you're looking for a specific Cody Foster product. I feel like I've been manic in my e-mails to him and he has been nothing but professional and friendly. So these 3 are above my bookshelf. This is not my ideal place but I put the cart before the horse on this one and ordered these without thinking about where they would all go. They are sitting on cotton (aka snow, but if you buy it as cotton it will be cheaper). Over the snow is dried gold netting that I got at Micheal's and hanging from the ceiling is blue beaded garland also from Micheal's.
This is my Renaissance Church that sits on a small table under my window. Outside the church is an adorable little angel and I think this is one of my favorites. The Madonna and child is from Shari's Angels and is a Joseph's Studio figure. I first saw it at Moxie and thought it was so detailed and striking. The Trees are glass from Moxie and the figure is also available at Moxie. This is the last of the Chirstmas houses and I really don't know where to put this one. It turned out to be the most fragile during shipping but all the houses are really very charming. I have only ever seen one of the Cody Foster houses in a store and it was actually after I purchased all these. I am more than happy with them and until you see them in person you probably won't believe how lovely they are.

DIY Beautiful star

2007-11-30T15:52:00.001-08:00

Here is a water color star that you do yourself. The website, Jasco, has templates and instructions. I've always thought these paper stars were gorgeous. I don't think I'll make one this year however, because I have one more large craft project and my cody foster houses arrived today. My apartment isn't big enough for all the Christmas decorations I have. I'm a knick Knack collector I was not prepared for all the fun stuff I've gotten this year. Well, the stars would be beautiful any time of the year and would make a great handmade gift. Just wanted to let you know where to find them.

Kits

2007-11-28T15:21:00.001-08:00

Cute huh? I found this on Holly Doodle design website/blog. I think her site is especially cool because she isn't selling this item but rather the kit for you to put together yourself. I haven't seen a kit like this anywhere else (but I haven't looked). I only came across this in my incessant search for things Cody Foster. But check out her site for other lovelies.

Trees

2007-11-26T20:20:00.001-08:00

Here's my tree with some tinsel and then my three retro tree that I have above the fridge keeping themselves cold. I went crazy on Christmas this year. I have one more craft and a few more finds to show you later. I just needed a break from life and need to find some life in crafts. I also have this desire for the warmth of Christmas: Family and Christmas spirit. Life gets lonely.

CrackerJax

2007-11-26T20:12:00.001-08:00

I got these two lovelies at a local CrackerJax store in Dekalb. When I moved to the corn fields to get me an education I was impressed to find these charming stores in the middle of it all. CrackerJax and Moxie are really great stores. ( The retro trees I have are from Moxie and I also ordered a Madonna that I saw at Moxie during their Winter Open house.) I have another house that matches the Church. I thought they looked like the Cody Foster houses so I got a few. I have some Cody Foster winter wonderlands ordered but they probably wont be in this week. Maybe the UPS man will bring me lots of Christmas cheer this week. Ill keep you updated. Anyone know a good deal on Mica Flakes and German tinsel?

Nativity HOMEGOOD FIND!!

2007-11-26T20:02:00.000-08:00

One of my other Homegood finds. Did I say I loved Homegoods? The set is actually is a Dept 56. It had some lame greenery and some silly basket. So I took those off put on some angel hair I got from Walmart (looks something like hay) and then I added the star that I got at Target. Looks a lot better! I had been looking for a nativity set and couldn't be happier with this one.

Winter Village 2

2007-11-26T19:56:00.001-08:00

Here is my villages set up and snow for the villagers. I also made the bottle brush tree, well decorated it anyways. I plan to do a number of other trees. I fell in love with the Cody Foster"s trees and Bethany Lowe's trees but there weren't in my budget. I bought the trees for 9.99 at Meijer's for 21 trees. Same ones they have at Micheal's. I got the garland at Target with the larger ornaments. I also have some pipe cleaners for the other trees and some mini ornaments from Micheal's. I think they turned out cute for about $1.00 a tree.

My Santa's : HOMEGOOD FIND!!!

2007-11-26T19:53:00.001-08:00

Here are my two Bethany Lowe Santa Clauses. I got them at Homegood (My favorite store). They really were the inspiration for the vintage Christmas theme this year.

My Tree!

2007-11-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a few pictures of my Christmas tree. I bought these decorations a year ago when I bought the tree on a whim. I wasn't going to buy a tree because I'm not here for Christmas but I decided to and I forgot this year how cute the little tree was :) (Pardon if I sound Conceited !) The ornaments are from Target as is the garland and the peacock. The other stuff is from Micheal's.

Thanksgiving Turkey Weekend

2007-11-26T19:27:00.000-08:00

I'll have pictures of the paint bucket that I soaked my 18 pound turkey in later but I thought I would show a few pictures of the Thanksgiving weekend. I went to Chicago on Saturday and did the museum of science and industry and then the walnut room and then Santaland diaries (HILARIOUS BTW, my only compliant was that it was too short).

Yoda: Yes, I went to the star wars exhibit. My boyfriend is a fan. He ran down the battery on my camera taking tons of pictures that I didnt get a picture of the martha stewart tree in the Walnut room. But if you go there you'll see the Martha Stewart village before 400X larger around the tree!!

Ballerina: This is part of the animated window display at Macy's. The theme is the Nutcracker. I believe there are about 7 of these windows. They were lovely, But the windows will be covered in finger prints and snot by the end of the christmas season.

I also saw the large tree at the German Christmas market but it was closed before I got down there. They have these lovey horses and carriage $40 for a 20 minute ride (OH MY !) Some day.

Tips on the Walnut room: SERVICE was the worst I have ever had. The guys who delivered the food didn't know where the tables were. Our food sat next to our table for 5 minute while the guy looked for us. We saw our waiter 2 once to take our order and once when he brought our check. Not the experience I heard it once was. The wait wasn't that long and I sat right under the tree though!

CoDy FoStEr & Co.

2007-11-23T20:31:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure how I came across this guy tonight but... WOW. I don't really have a style. But it seems I've put a lot of my vintage loves on this page so far. Anywho, I found cody foster & co. and originally fell in love with his paper mache vintage villages (a little piece above) and then I found these birds. HELLO, all my Christmas crafts! I was planning on adding some silver tinsel on my tree and Ill show the finished Holiday look later. Hopefully, sometime I will be able to get one of his pieces. Right now they are a bit too expensive for my pocketbook. LOVE!

Ahhh....

2007-11-19T22:14:00.000-08:00

So I was looking for people who have been inspired by Martha's glitter bird centerpiece. I cam across someone and was reading her blog and saw a link about pneumosparklyosis.
Needless to say, not realizing the link was from the Onion I was freaking out because I have been glittering like mad this past week. It's in my carpet, on my face, on my clothes, my boyfriend, my centerpiece...... Guess I can appreciate a fellow crafter with a sense of humor.

Feather Tree

2007-11-19T16:07:00.001-08:00

So here is my first Christmas craft. A feather tree with glitter birds. The glitter bird idea came from Marthastewart.com but she had the birds on a branch covered in German tinsel. The branch didn't make sense for me so I decided to do a feather tree. The glitter are a Martha Stewart Christmas set from Micheal's. You should buy them this way as they end up being cheaper. They are expensive but no one has the colors she does. They well last you a long time. The birds are also from Micheal's and are in the floral section. The best ones in my opinion are the ones with legs but thats personal preference. The feather tree I made with some directions off the internet. These tall feather trees are expensive! You can supposedly take water and a toothbrush to shape the feathers but I think the tree is really cute. The pictures do not so it justice. The directions call for down feathers? but I couldn't find them and bought a feather boa from Micheal's (Surprise. Surprise). All the material came from Micheal's and Ben Franklin. If you want directions I can direct you to the directions I used. And answer some questions. This was fairly expensive craft and takes a LONG LONG Time roughly (10 hours). I think it is something to be proud of though. Charming little Christmas decorations.

Holiday Crafts

2007-11-18T12:52:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pictures of the Martha Stewart Christmas Village I did last night. The Kit is actually from Micheal's. I need to buy some snow for my villagers.. The kit is actually pastel but I was inspired by the earlier Martha mail-order village, so I added construction paper over several of the buildings. This was not too hard but much more time consuming. But the kits really take all the fun and challenge from crafts so it was worth it. One word of advice: The construction paper may wrinkle when you add the glue for the glitter. I was able to fix it but it was something of an Oh crap effect! I also think you'd need different glitter to make the poka- dot effects.

Notable site/artist/Creative

2007-11-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

So I came across this site by accident...and my life will never be the same ;)... Her blog is called My cozy little whimsy nook .... And what nook wouldn't be more whimsy with that little bunny. She has art work, buttons, dolls and other yummies on her etsy site. It is LOVE ;)

Funny little clip

2007-11-18T12:43:00.000-08:00

Gocco/ Screen printing

2007-11-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

So the gocco/ screen printing is I believe one of the most awesome wedding DIY tools. For those unfamiliar with these little wonders of handheld creativity try here and here. Just check out the ubber talented heatherjeany's wedding invitation for sale on etsy.com. Obviously shes a professional at this and so quality may vary. But I totally believe you can get some high quality invitations that would add great personal touch, high quality feel, and something exciting. For those that believe that the machines are expensive, while have you checked out how much wedding invitations cost? DIY projects are not just about keeping prices low but I am sure you could save some money here. Also, consider how much paper goods could be made with these things: 1) engagement party invitations, 2) wedding shower invitations, 3) RSVP cards, 4) wedding directions, 5) welcome cards 6) escort cards 7) program covers, 8) add detail to envelops 9) thank you cards 10) if you have the fabric one: t-shirts, napkins, ribbon.... 11) Your life didn't stop after the wedding: christmas cards, children's birthday, baby shower. Yes I just justified this little purchase :)...
Check out this video if you're interested in being awed by the gocco. The background music is pretty nice too :).... Things that I have learned about these: the smaller machines take 2 bulbs and the larger machines take 4 bulbs. After you make a screen you have to throw away and replace the bulbs. I think the ink on the screen will last for 100 prints. The screens I believe last for 1000 prints (or they may last forever, Im not sure about maintenance). Also your original must be a Xero copy. What do you think? Any advice for others?

Martha: Cornhusk votives

2007-11-01T20:28:00.001-07:00

I think these cornhusk votives are a cute idea for table decoration at a fall wedding (I might show a preference for the fall decorations!). The materials she has needed are :
Cutting mat
Ruler
Utility knife
Dried cornhusks
Double-sided tape
Votive holders
Ribbon
Scissors
Check out the HOW-To link above. I wouldn't imagine that that this would be a hugely expensive option. Try Hobby Lobby for inexpensive votives or Micheals. (TIP: I've seen 25% off total purchase @ Micheals in various wedding magazines. I'm sure everyone knows about the 40-50% coupons in the Sunday newspaper. Use these on big ticket items and the total purchase on the smaller items.)...So, What do you think? What season are you getting married in? Any reason why you picked that season?

flower pomander

2007-11-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

I came across this gorgeous idea for flower decorated paper lanterns while reading the FAB! blog something old, Something new (I admit I'm in blog name envy over that one). The link goes to her basic How-To. The flower patterns I believe came from paper-source.com, but you might also want to check out crepe paper flowers at marthastewart.com. I have not personally tried to make either kind of flower but outcome pictures look great! Maybe someone knows of a cheap paper lantern online seller? I would imagine these would be a great reception detail or an outdoor wedding shower. She uses hot glue. Anyone know how to keep themselves from finger burns? I would imagine something like a plastic thimble but I haven't tried it yet.