Category: crafts

Our Handmade Felt Christmas Stockings

I am loving the fireplace at our new rent house. It makes us feel so cozy and at home, and it has been trying to decorate it for Christmas. We had some fancy velvet stockings that didn’t really go with our style or decor so I decided to make some felt ones that were much more us. As many of you know, I don’t own a sewing machine (though it is one my Christmas list) and don’t really know how to sew. I definitely prefer glue to a needle and thread, so I used it heavily in this project, with a little needle and embroidery floss thrown in for good measure. This project started at my friend Betsy’s Christmas craft night a few weeks ago. She had a bunch of inspirational ideas cut out of magazines for us to check out. I loved an idea from Land of Nod that I’ve attached at the bottom of this post, and it inspired me to make these stockings with a few touches of my own.
Here are our stockings. I think they are super cute. I cut them out of thick felt, on the fold so that the bottom would be reinforced.


I embroidered our names on white felt and then stitched them onto the top of the stockings.
I cut out the circles of many different colors of felt using pinking shears for a unique look. I made them three different sizes for variety. The color schemes are different for each stocking, but with a few repetitive colors. I glued the dots to the stockings using 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue. Then I glued thick ric rac over the dots.
After the glue dried, I hand stitched around each stocking with the embroidery floss that matched the name stitching. Hopefully they will hold up when filled with goodness.
The last step was attaching polka dot grosgrain ribbon with both glue and a few stitches to the top right corner of each stocking to hang them by the chimney with care.
Here are the finished products above, along with Jackson’s stocking that I featured earlier this week. I need another stocking holder but I don’t mind sharing with the pup.

Here is the inspiration stocking from Land of Nod. They have such fun stuff, but it is mostly out of the budget. I saved about $50 dollars by making the stockings myself, though it did take a LOT of time. At one point I almost decided to just finish one this year, but decided to go for it. Next year I’ll need to make one for our little Bun that is baking in my oven.
What is inspiring you this Christmas season?
I’m linking up to some great parties. Check them out on my sidebar and join the fun.

Frugal Friday – Saving Vacation Memories

As you have read, we were blessed to go on a fabulous beach vacation to Mexico this summer. It was incredible, and I wanted to find a way to include the memories of this trip in our home decor. I found a 40% off coupon for Hobby Lobby when they already had all frames and shadowboxes marked 50% off. Awesome! I saved the free maps and brochures that we collected on our trip to use as a background collage. Using Mod Podge, I attached them to a sheet of cardstock. I added the shells we found while snorkeling, and ended up with a super cheap and easy vacation memory collage. I’ve tried scrapbooking in the past, and always found myself spending way too much money and never finishing the thing. This was much cheaper and I actually completed it in a timely fashion.

How do you preserve your vacation memories?

I’m linking to some great parties. Check out the full list here.

Hodge Podge Friday

> Photobucket

A Trio of Burlap and Shell Beach Shadowboxes with Tutorial

We found a ton of shells this summer, so I’m trying to find creative ways to display them. I decided to make these three little shadowboxes for my bathroom. I actually bought the sand dollar and starfish, but found the shell. I was mad because we found several sand dollars (already dead) after I bought this big one. Oh well. I’m sure I will find a home for them too.
I bought three of these 5×7 shadow boxes at Hobby Lobby for $4.50 a piece. They were on sale and cheaper than their friends because they are a weird grey color.
I taped the glass to avoid getting paint on it, and then painted all the wood with antique white paint and a foam brush. I let it dry, and then sanded it to give it a worn, beachy feel.
I cut each piece of burlap to cover the backing from the frames. I tried using Gorilla Glue first, but it didn’t hold. I definitely Gorilla glued my fingers nicely. My friend Whitney pointed out that I should use wax paper next time so I wouldn’t get glue on my fingers. She is a genius. I glued the burlap down with hardcore craft glue, and pressed it with the wax paper. You have to be careful with glue placement, because it may still show once dried.
Once the glue dried, I trimmed the burlap to fit exactly inside the frame. My frames wouldn’t allow me to wrap it and staple on the back, as I had originally planned. Then I centered each shell and glued it down, pressing for 30 seconds.
Then I put the finished product into their frames and hung them in my bathroom. I love the rustic, beachy simplicity. This project was a little time consuming, but worth the effort.




If you don’t have time to make your own, I’m selling these on Etsy, made with found shells only, for $20. Check out my Etsy site on the sidebar.

Don’t forget to link up to the Beach Week party!

I’m linking to some great parties. Check them out here.

Festive Paper Flower Wreath – A Tutorial

Back in May, I decorated my living room with handmade paper flowers. They are cheap and easy to create, and I love the festive color they add to our home. I intended to make a wreath of the same flowers to hang on the door between our kitchen and living room three months ago. I just got around to it. The Queen of Procrastination strikes again.

I found a wreath at the Dollar Store, and already had the tissue paper and wire. I decided to create a tutorial this time around, because several readers asked for it last time.
1) Cut a rectangle in your desired size from at least 4-5 sheets of tissue paper. You can cut it all with one cut. Your flowers will be the size of the smaller end of the rectangle. The number of sheets and length determine the fluffiness of your flower.

2)Start at one of the short ends, folding like a fan in one inch (ish) folds. Continue these folds all the way to the other end.

3)This shows the fan like folds.

4)Cut two small triangles in the center of your folded paper.

5)Cut a 10 inch piece of wire and wrap it around your flower. Twist it at the bottom of the flower so it hangs like a stem.

6)Start fluffing your flower from one side, then the other. Do this by separating each piece of paper from the others, one at a time.
You can cut the edges into points, rounded edges, or leave them straight. I prefer the rounded edges.
Take each flower and twist the wire around the wreath. I created flowers of all sizes for this wreath. You could create a more homogeneous design with flowers all the same size or same color. I like the festiveness that the different sizes and colors create.
Here is the finished product. I think it is bright, happy, and pure summer fun.

I’m linking to some great parties. Check them out here.

get crafty – the doily project

a while back i was inspired by a project i saw on one of my favorite crafty blogs,
tatertots and jello.

Visit tatertotsandjello.com

you can see her project and a full tutorial here.

i have several doilies that i inherited from my grandmother and her sister. they were handmade by their mother, my great grandmother. i love that my family has a tradition of handmade crafts that i get to carry on. i wanted to test “the doily project” on some doilies that didn’t have sentimental value, so i found 3 for $1.50 at an estate sale. i changed up the original project, using painted canvases instead of scrapbook paper.

it turned out well, i think. the colors are fun and modern, but the doilies are delicate and antique. i love the contrast.
i bought 3 canvases at micheal’s and painted them with acrylic paint and a sponge brush. it took 3 coats, but eventually looked great.
i centered the doilies and then poured a good amount of mod podge on top of them. i smoothed the mod podge with a foam brush, covering the doily completely as well as the frame.

it will look a little funky until the mod podge dries.

i patiently waited for the mod podge to dry, and the finished canvases look great.

for other awesome mod podge products, check out mod podge rocks, a blog that is totally about mod podge projects.


do you have any heirlooms that you’ve used in craft projects?

i’m linking to some great parties. check them out here and join the fun.

jewelry organization – a repurposed bulletin board

a few weeks ago i created a cake plate style jewelry holder that i love. it created a problem in that it couldn’t quite contain my jewelry collection. i don’t have anything fancy, but i want to take good care of it and have it organized in such a way that i can use it easily. we had an old bulletin board lying around, so i thought i should put it to good use.

i painted it with the can of antique white we’ve been
trying to finish up for ages. then i bought some blue and white
striped ribbon to cover the ugly edges.

here is the corner of my bedroom.
i think the jewelry bulletin board fits in nicely.
the flower was used on the guest book table at my wedding.
i didn’t know what to do with it after,
and i think it adds a sense of whimsy to the room.

so here we are, slightly more organized,
with everything having a place. much better!
now, on to organizing the craft table…
what’s next on your “need to organize” list?

i’m linking to: toolsareforwomentoo The Girl Creative Keeping It Simple  http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/ Organize and Decorate Everything

crafty solutions: a new cake plate jewelry holder

my dresser is a disaster. jewelry and makeup are strewn about, and my jewelry box can’t hold all of my stuff. i know it is a ridiculous problem to have, but it bothers me. i’m sure you’ve seen these lovely cake plate jewelry holders all over blogland. they inspired me to try it for myself. i found 2 brass candle sticks at a garage sale for next to nothing and then started looking for cool plates. i looked everywhere. garage sales, estate sales, target, and then finally the crate and barrel outlet. at the c & b outlet i found 3 beauties for under $10 total. finally, we were ready for action.

seriously, this is not staged. this is my reality.
on the left is the untouched candle stick.
on the right is the sanded version.

we had a little bit of ivory bisque paint left over from a furniture painting project.
we used it to cover the brass for a totally different look.
jed decided he wanted to help,
and i was more than willing to let him.

we used gorilla glue to attach the plates to the candle sticks.
ta-da! here’s the finished product.
now i have to be patient enough to let it dry.
i have a light blue plate on the bottom,
an ivory plate in the middle,
and then one with cobalt blue flowers on the top.
i love it!
now i just have to make something
to hold the jewelry that won’t fit…

i’m entering this post in a contest over at CSI:Visit thecsiproject.com

picket fence wall art, finally finished

remember that piece of picket fence i picked up off a curb, cut into pieces, and hung on my wall? you can see that project here. my crafty to-do list is approximately 9 miles long, and i’ve been meaning to finish this piece off by adding hemp clotheslines and some of our favorite pictures. the inspiration was this:
this is the barn where we held our wedding reception. we had clotheslines hung throughout the barn with our favorite pictures attached with little wooden clothespins. one line held my pics, another held jed’s. at the end of the barn were 2 lines hung with the pictures of our dating and engagement story. my life, his life, and now our life together…
we still have all the hemp cord and pictures mounted on cardstock. we picked out 6 of our favorites and i hung them with the same cord and wooden clothespins. now we have a piece of our wedding reception in our bedroom, just in time for our 2nd anniversary next week.
i love it! we’ve included pictures from my baptism, our engagement at disneyworld, jed with his brother and daddy, jed and one of his best friends, our first date, and me and one of my best friends. we can always change them out later and mix things up.
it cost absolutely nothing, and is so personal for us. it makes my heart happy every time i look at it. that, my friends, is my new decorating rule. what in your home makes your heart happy every time you see it?

i’m linking to:

DIY Day @ ASPTL
 http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/
The Trendy Treehouse

picket fences – one man’s trash…

last week i was driving to a young life women’s lunch and noticed a pile of picket fence that someone was throwing away. on the way out i stopped and asked the homeowner if i could take a chunk of his old fence. he looked at me like i was a crazy person and said, “sure, whatever.” i loaded up this piece of fence into my car and hauled it home. thankfully i have an understanding husband who was only too willing to help make something cool out of the old fence.here is what we started with:

i figured out that i wanted to make a piece for the wall in our bedroom, and showed jed where to cut. you can see the line he drew across the fence.

he cut across the board while i held the base of the fence.

here is the leftover fence piece.
i’m brainstorming project ideas for the leftover boards.

in the midst of the action, jackson tried to wander off. as usual.

i got distracted by a little eye candy. i cannot resist my man working hard in a pair of carhartts. seriously, look at that bootie.

here is the finished product.
i cleaned it up and it was ready to hang it on the wall.


here it is on the wall. i’m not sure i’m done with it yet.
i may add a cute clothesline with pictures pinned to it.
i’ll let you know.

i’m linking to :

 http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/
The Shabby Chic Cottage