Love is in the air

Valentine's Day has always been a favorite holiday for me, even when I was childless, unmarried, and not even dating. It's one of the only holidays where you can get away with making handmade cards and little ditties for around the house, even if you're not very crafty.

So once again this year, I have plumbed the depths of my innerPinterest and have come up with a few projects to share with you.

A few weeks ago I found this "Christmas" tree on clearance at Kohl's. It normally sells for $39,95, but I got it for something like $6.99. I think it makes the perfect all-holiday family tree, so don't be surprised when you see it decked out for Fourth of July or Easter.
 



For Valentines, I've decorated it with little paper hearts on card stock. Some of the hearts have heart-shaped photos of our family. The 3-D pink hearts are from Dollar Tree. They were on long sticks which I broke in half, then twisted the branches of the tree around them.

    

Next up: V-Day Bunting. You guys, I am crazy about bunting. Partly because I have have the perfect wide door frame to hang it, and partly b/c it is so sweet and easy to make.

For the love of all things good and right, I can't find the original post I got this bunting pattern from. But I know it was on this website: http://thecraftingchicks.com/

I enlarged their bunting to fit my space, but the artwork is all theirs.

Ok, and now we're on to Valentines for Jack's preschool class. Rest assured, when we have 3 additional children, I am confident I will buy the boxed variety like every other busy mom. But really, these were pretty quick to make. And we only had to make 16.

I got this idea from FiveHomeHearts and actually borrowed several of her elements. I had to change the shape of the card because the bubbles I bought were a different shape than hers. (Hers were long and thin bottles; mine were short and squatty.) I also thought it would be fun to add some heart-shaped bubbles coming out of the word "Blow."

 I got these bubbles, which were 12 to a pack, for a couple bucks at Walmart.

Because the bubbles came in neon colors, I decided to go with this theme. I like this bold look for Valentines from a little boy. They seem more playful and less dainty/girly.

I started with 8.5 x 11" cardstock and printed two images per page.

I cut the paper in half and punched holes (using a pin and a pen b/c I can't find my hole punch) for the string that would hold the bubbles.

Then we threaded some red yarn through the holds, tied it around the bubbles, and folded the sides to make a built-in envelope.

Clear tape and stickers keep the valentine closed. 

Lots and lots of stickers.

Here is the template I used, in case you feel inspired. I took out my son's name, but if you want to add your own child's name, the "HeartlandRegular" font is a really fun one to use. Download it for free here.

 So there you have it friends. Pinterest extravaganza at our house. 

Wishing you a love-filled weekend!

Luann

DIY GIlbert the Cat

If you have kids between the ages of 2 and 5, and you let them watch TV, you've probably heard of a little bald-headed boy named Caillou. This preschool-geared cartoon airs on PBS, and it's currently one of my son's favorites.


We are able to watch Caillou On-Demand, and there's a particular episode that Jack has requested about 87 times in the past few weeks. In this particular adventure, Caillou's cat, Gilbert, gets lost. It's particularly sad because Caillou has just been less-than-kind to Gilbert when Gilbert doesn't want to play with him anymore.

The family looks for him around the neighborhood and at the animal shelter to no avail. Things are looking pretty dim when 24 hours have passed and there's no sign of Gilbert. Just then, Gilbert appears at their front door, and everyone rejoices.

I'm not sure why Jack likes this episode so much, but I'm sure it has something to do with the fascination preschoolers have with getting lost, playing hide-and-seek, and their growing independence. Sometimes I think Jack might also like it because he secretly hopes our dog will get lost. He and Lucy have a love-hate relationship, and sometimes, like Caillou, Jack gets frustrated when Lucy won't participate in his agenda.

Anyway, I thought it would be really fun to get Jack a stuffed Gilbert the Cat. I was sure I could find it online. Turns out, Sprout/PBS made and sold them at one time, but no more. So I turned to eBay, the world's source for everything. And I was right...seems some entrepreneurs over in Ankara, Turkey, stocked up on the stuffed cats. Of course they are charging close to $30 for the 10-inch stuffed animal, and then there's the inherent risk of buying something from Turkey and hoping it actually makes it to my mailbox. (No offense to my Turkish readers.)

So, I decided to try to make a Gilbert the Cat for my son. Friends, it was so inexpensive and easy that it's almost embarrassing. Total cost: $1.40. That doesn't include the thread, polyester stuffing, and Sharpie marker I had on hand, but those probably wouldn't be more than a few bucks if you don't have them in your sewing stash.

Here's how I made Gilbert. (I forgot to take pictures along the way, but I think you'll get the idea.)

• First I printed out a picture of Gilbert on line.

 

• Then I traced him onto a sheet of gray felt and cut it him out slightly larger than the outline. 
• Then I made an exact copy of that cat outline on another piece of gray felt.
• I stitched them up, wrong sides together, leaving a small opening at the bottom.
• And then the fun part... birthing the cat through the small hole. I had so many bad jokes running through my head as I did this, but I'll spare you.
• Next, I cut apart the printed out paper cat so I could trace the eye patch, nose, and collar onto felt of the appropriate color. 
• 

• I glued those on with super glue. (Elmer's didn't stick at all...just absorbed into the fabric.)
• Then I freehanded the rest of the details with a black Sharpie.

Wa-lah: Gilbert the Cat

He's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Felt isn't super cuddly material, and his collar is a bit misplaced, but Jack loves him. And that's what counts. 

PS: Lest you think we're a bunch of crafty geniuses over here, let me confess that at 9:30 last night me, my husband, and Jack all had super glue stuck to our fingers. Thank heavens for acetone.

PSS: Jack's one complaint: It doesn't have a tag. He's one of those kids who likes to rub the tag when he's sleepy.

DIY Duct Tape Stocking

I love this time of year. It's been a little too busy the past week, but our days and nights have been filled with such enjoyable things that I really can't complain.

Last Friday night we went to a Christmas party with our adoption agency. The guests were all families that have been touched by adoption from Africa--whether their kids are already home or like us, they are in process. There were about six or seven families who attended...and lots of kids of many colors. I can't explain how much it affected me to see all the children playing and laughing and running and shrieking. Black skin, brown skin, tan skin, and lilly white skin. I can't speak for the other children, but our little Jack-Jack wasn't fazed one bit by all the cultures and ethnicities represented. All he knew was that there were kids, there were cookies, and there was fun. When the evening came to an end, he didn't want to leave.

A little glimpse of heaven right here on earth.

Yesterday it started snowing while we were in church, and it didn't end until after I went to bed. Thankfully it was a light snow, so total accumulation was just a few inches. Enough to cover the grass and to give Ken a snow-blower induced workout. So thankful for Ken. I threw out my back a week ago, and it still isn't 100 percent.

So, on to the DIY Duct Tape Stockings. So many people, like my husband, have found the joy of using duct tape for all sorts of little projects. You can buy duct tape in just about any color and pattern, and I think Ken has most of them.

Last year I decided to get new Christmas stockings for all of us that reflect something about our personality. I found a stocking for Jackson online that features his beloved Winnie the Pooh. (Thankfully he is even more in love with Pooh this year than he was last year!)

For myself, I bought a stocking with a cardinal. I've become so taken with these lovely birds, and I think they are a perfect decoration for Christmas with their bright red coloring.

I wanted to get a duct tape stocking for Ken, but I couldn't find anything to my liking. That's when I decided to do it myself. Sadly, I was not on Pinterest at the time, so I didn't take any pictures to document the process, but let me tell you about it. It was easy-peasy.

Supplies

• An old, ugly, cheap, or unused stocking, preferably with fold-down fur trim at the top. You can buy these super cheap at most stores.
• Duct tape for main part of stocking.
• Accent duct tape, if desired.

The great thing about working with duct tape is that you don't need any other adhesive such as a  gun or super glue or even a sewing machine.

1. Flip the fur collar up. You will use this to cover the rough edges at the top.
2. Start wrapping the stocking in strips of duct tape, slightly overlapping each strip. You may need to angle some pieces as you get to the bottom, curved area.
3. Make your "seams" or stopping points on the backside, which is hidden from view.
4. When the whole stocking is covered, fold the fur collar down.
5. Add any accent tape. I used a Dallas Cowboy star for my Texas-born husband. I love that it also seems Christmasy.
6. Add the person's name with glitter glue on the collar. I wish I had done it in chalk first because it came out a little lopsided, but I don't think he noticed. :)

 

 

If you make one, please share a picture with me!

Happy Stockings!

Luann

Bulbous Wreath. Because it's fun to say "bulbous."

Growing up, my mom often hung blue lights for Christmas. I really liked the peacefulness of the blue lights, and now I try to include blue in my Christmas decorations.

These wreaths have been popping up all over Pinterest as well as retail stores, and I thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to go blue. They sell for anywhere from $30 to $100 retail, and I made mine for about $15.

Supplies Needed
14" grapevine wreath
hot glue gun and lots of glue sticks
150 Christmas bulbs in various sizes and colors of your choice

I got most of my bulbs at the Dollar Tree, my sister's favorite store. (Don't tell her I said that; she'll be mad at me.) I got the miniature colored ones and the wreath at Hobby Lobby, both for half off.

Honestly, shopping for the supplies took longer than making the wreath. It was easy-peasy. The hardest part was using my cheapo glue gun. I have a callous on my pointer finger from pulling the impossible trigger. Poor me.



Start by turning your wreath upside down. Tie a small ribbon around the top so you can hang it.

Then, glue your largest ornaments around the inside of the wreath. If the ornament holder is one that pops out, pop it out. Otherwise you can leave it in, just make sure that either way it's pointing toward the back of the wreath. To increase stability, I glued them to both the wreath and to each other. It was a spidery web mess of glue gun gunk, but I don't want it to fall apart.

Then glue bulbs around the outside. I spaced these out a bit more than I should have, but I was running out of large bulbs. That is, until I called my favorite sister and she stopped by her favorite store on the way home from work and picked up some more high-quality bulbs for me. I filled in with the extra bulbs later, but it was much harder than if I'd done it earlier. I blame some other blog...I can't remember which one. She said you need at least 100 bulbs. Ha! 150 is more like it. But maybe my wreath is more bulbous than hers.

 

Anyway, back to the process. So next turn the wreath over and start filling in the empty spots using the largest ornaments first, then the mediums, and finally the small. Yes, I put my bulbs in various mixing bowls according to size, because I'm weird like that.

Pretty soon, you have a beautiful, bulbous wreath. Hang it up using the ribbon you tied on, and ta-da! You're done.

If you make one, be sure to take a picture and share it with me!

By the way, don't you love my mini-Christmas village? It was my mom's, and this is the first year since her passing that I've displayed it. :)

Happy Wreathing!

Luann

Advent Calender

As a kid, one of my favorite parts of the holiday season was receiving our annual Advent Calender from our Sunday School teacher. It was a paper/cardboard construction, about 8"x12". It was usually a nativity scene, and it had 25 little windows that opened, each revealing an even better picture.

Today, most of the Advent Calenders sold have become "Countdown to Christmas" calendars. And while I love Santa as much as the next person, I also want my son to understand and embrace the true meaning of Christmas. I also don't want him eating chocolate every day. (They come with chocolate now! Who knew?)

[As a side note, I was so disappointed when I realized Micheal's Craft store as well as our local Target  don't have a darn thing in their Christmas section that has to do with Jesus. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Seriously. Look the next time you're there. As I said, I'm not against secular traditions--my child will sit on Santa's lap and probably leave him some cookies, but it feels like Jesus is being shut out of his own birthday celebration. OK, will now descend from soapbox.]

So, being a newly minted Pinterest person, I turned to my new source (addiction?) for all things creative. I took several ideas and combined them to come up with a rustic/chic/sacred Advent Calender.

Here's how I made it.

First, I bought wide burlap ribbon rolls in three designs. At Michael's. I know, I know. I should probably shop elsewhere since they apparently don't like Jesus, but let's be honest: Me not shopping there only punishes me. And I will use their secular decorations for faith-driven purposes. Sneaky on my part, right?

So, I cut the ribbon in strips about 12 inches long. I folded them over, lining up the "flap" so the snowflake pattern would retain the snowflake shape, and pinned them in place.

I stitched up the sides to create a pocket, and also stitched up any unfinished edges as burlap tends to easily unravel. I used a zig-zag stitch to secure the jute fibers.

Then I added some embellishments. I like the combo of the rustic burlap combined with lacey lace and glittery buttons. Note: The buttons are decorative only. While I did sew them on to secure them, I didn't make a button hole. Please people. I've only been sewing for about a month, and the one time I tried to do a buttonhole....well, let's just say total disaster. Thread bunched up, needle broke, fabric seriously messed up. Anyway...

Next I added green ribbon tabs on which I had written numbers, 1-25. I sewed them on the back. Maybe I did this before sewing the sides. I can't remember. This has been a long project.

Finally, I strung the daily pockets on a long piece of white lace and strung them on our stair railing. I bought this lace at Hobby Lobby. They, apparently, love Jesus. But not birth control for the masses. But let's not get political. This is supposed to be a feel-good blog.

Now comes the most important part. I filled each pocket with a printed out Bible verse. I used this list that I stole off Pinterest. I'd give credit, but the link didn't go anywhere. Note: Some of the passages are really long. I used them anyway. Jack has a hard time sitting through the reading, but someday they will be more meaningful to him. (Yes, I'm planning on using this for a lot of years. This was way too much work for one year's use!)

Note, if you want to see the actual verses printed out, I have a Word doc I can email to you so you don't have to look up each one, copy, paste, etc. They are in the New Living Translation.

Then, the exciting part! Each pocket also has a thimble sized piece to a Nativity set. I bought set of 16 at Hobby Lobby, and supplemented the other 9 days with various trees, animals, etc. I found a small creche at Walmart that was the perfect size, but it already had a Mary and Joseph and Jesus in it. Glued in it. But for $6, I was more than willing to have my husband wrestle them out of their comfy creche.

We totally could've made the creche with some spare wood, but it was November 30, and we couldn't start the process without the stable...and finding the wood, the nails, the materials...wasn't going to happen.

So, each day before bed we open a pocket, read the verse, and little Jack-Jack gets to add a piece to his Nativity set. So far he has a sheep and a cow. We'll save Jesus for the 25th of course, but Mary and Joe will arrive a few days earlier.

Since my two-year-old has inherited my strong sense of nosiness, I mean curiosity, I put the actual figurine in the pocket right before we open it. :)

Happy Advent!

Luann

PS: Here is one of my favorite Advent hymns, written by Charles Wesley in the 1700s. It's still so relevant today.

1. Come, thou long expected Jesus, 
 born to set thy people free; 
 from our fears and sins release us, 
 let us find our rest in thee.  
 Israel's strength and consolation, 
 hope of all the earth thou art; 
 dear desire of every nation, 
 joy of every longing heart.

2. Born thy people to deliver, 
 born a child and yet a King, 
 born to reign in us forever, 
 now thy gracious kingdom bring. 
 By thine own eternal spirit 
 rule in all our hearts alone; 
 by thine all sufficient merit, 
 raise us to thy glorious throne.

Thanksgiving Tree

I haven't sewed since my 8th grade HomeEc class, but when I saw this Thanksgiving Tree on Pinterest I knew I wanted to start sewing again.

I took ideas from several other crafters and came up with this tree.

It's made out of felt, and it's about 4 feet wide and 5 feet high. I hung it with a wooden dowel above our staircase. Every day in November we will write something we are thankful for on a leaf (which are velcroed on), and move the leaf to the bottom so it looks like the leaves (aka blessings) are falling on us.There are more than 30 leaves, so the tree won't be completely bare when Nov. 30 rolls around. Here's how I made it:

Bought felt fabric in various autumn colors at JoAnn's Fabrics.

 Used my son's sidewalk chalk to freehand a tree trunk and branches on our living room floor. 

(Later cut off the branch on bottom right b/c it looked kinda weird.)

 Cut out leaves in various colors and shapes. 

Stitched and/or glued differing colors together to add variety and dimension.

 

 Pinned and stitched the tree to a lighter color fabric. 

This was one of the hardest parts b/c of the thickness of the fabric 

and trying to squeeze it all into my machine. 

(Any recommendations from you expert sewers for future projects?)

 By the way, this is my new Brother CS-6000i machine. I highly recommend it!

Using a extra-fine Sharpee, wrote things we are thankful for. 

Writing on the felt material was not my favorite part.

Voila! A Thanksgiving Tree hung in our entryway staircase.

(We had to borrow a ladder to put it up!)

Happy Month of Giving Thanks!

Luann

PS: My favorite part of the tree is on the tree trunk. :)