Christmas Memories

"Each Christmas

finds me longing for

Christmases now past.

And I am back in

childhood - as long as

memories last."

 

Carice Williams

Do you save the ends from refrigerated cinnamon roll cans? I'd always thought they'd be good for some sort of crafting, and last year used them for stamping. Right now, I'm making them into ornaments. For this one, I used one of the smaller round images, a paper doily, clear glitter, and yarn around the outside.

The sweet Victorian illustration was from one of my books. You can see the entire image here. I also used an endpaper texture. The only other images used were free elements, available on Canva.

I don't like to waste space, so filled up some of the empty spots with rectangular labels and tags, as well as pretty medallions and lace...

Thank you for stopping by!

 

Glimpse of Happiness

 

"I caught a glimpse of happiness,

and saw it was a bird on a branch,

fixing to take wing."

Richard Peck

 

I used a bird illustration found in a book:

The English Year. Autumn and Winter,

published in 1913. I imagine it perching

briefly, preparing to fly off again.

Typewriter font messages were added to some,

and some were kept blank. I like having the

option to write in another message or a name,

if using as a gift tag. They turned out nicely

as rustic mason jar ring Christmas ornaments.

 

Hope you're all staying well & staying warm!

It's definitely getting colder here in Ohio.

There was a dusting of snow the day after

Thanksgiving, which made it feel like

Christmas Time's a-Comin'.

A final thought...

"The moments of happiness

we enjoy take us by surprise.

It is not that we seize them,

but that they seize us."

Ashley Montagu

Thank you for stopping by!

Close in Heart... part 2

Here are a few simple Valentine's day projects for you,
using my Close in Heart round graphic.

Small canning jar gift

Use printable (see below) with 2.5" round graphics.  Print and cut out, then layer between the flat part of the lid and the outer rim piece (see photos).  To give as a gift, fill with Hershey's hugs & kisses.

Pretty glass jar

I save pretty much every glass jar for projects such as this one!  Sand the original paint off the lid with fine grit sandpaper, then spray paint gold.  Depending on the size of the lid, you may need to adjust the size of your graphic.  For my jar, I resized the original 4" graphic down to about 3".  Cut out with decorative scissors.  Use double-sided tape to secure to lid.  Nice touch to cut out a bit of sheet music and place inside jar (it curls to stay in place).  Fill with something sweet & give to someone you love!

Sticker or envelope seal

Use printable with 2" round graphics.  Print and use 1.5" paper punch to cut out.  Use glue or tape to attach to the back of a sealed envelope, or use as sticker.
  

Printable with 2.5" round graphics

Printable with 2" round graphics.

"The manner of giving
is worth more than the gift."

~ Pierre Corneille ~

Thanks for stopping by!

French Perfume Label ~ project & printable

I've been thinking up ideas for Christmas

projects.  After sharing one of my ideas, Mom

said I could have a simple glass canister that

she never used anymore...

 First, I designed a label using 3 images from The Graphics Fairy...

French rose perfume label, Victorian roses, and French sheet music.

  

 

I printed my labels onto cardstock & cut them out.
Look below for your free printable labels!

Next, I used slightly watered down white glue
to make an imperfect outline of the beautiful
scrolling border, and dusted with gold glitter.

Using the same glue (you could use

Mod podge, or whatever you like) I centered

and glued the label onto the clean canister. 

Haven't done this yet, but... I plan on spraying

clear acrylic sealer over the label, to protect it

from water damage, etc.

 Originally, the lid had a very country look ~ with a
large, rusty star and wooden spool on top.  Luckily, all I had
to do was take out the screw that held them in place, and
they were gone.  Instant transformation!

I think this makes a very pretty oversized vase.

At the moment, it looks great in my kitchen with

a candle inside... I also think it would make

a sweet gift filled with goodies at Christmas... 

love all the possibilities!

Please enjoy, free for personal use ~ thanks!

If you create something with these labels,

please let me know ~ I'd love to hear about it!

I'm linking up with Angie's Knick of Time Tuesday...
you really should visit!

Thank you so much for stopping by! 

 

Re-purposed Centerpiece

Yesterday, I happened across this post at The Vintage Bag Lady blog.  The beautiful pictures inspired me to create a re-purposed centerpiece of my own.  I loved the idea of placing a pillar candle at the base of a vintage metal loaf pan, so that was my starting point...

My loaf pan isn't perfect... a while back I winced 

upon discovering it'd developed a circle of rust.

Now I like how the rusty imperfections glow in the candlelight.

This metal cup/scoop was a little Christmas gift from mom...
First, I placed the open handle over a side of my wooden box
(actually an old drawer found in our barn).
 In went a candle, then a little rosehip potpourri.

I made these orange pomanders last year... 

they dried nicely, and even retained their spicy, citrus scent. 

To make: 

Use a small nail to poke a pattern in the orange peel (try not to go too deep).

Place whole cloves in through those holes, and dust with cinnamon.
It's a good idea to rotate the fresh pomanders so they dry evenly.

I elevated the white candles on a few old metal pieces...
a small tarnished cup, and the filter from an enamelware coffee-maker.
Added a few sprigs of pine, and that was it!

"Nothing is what it was intended to be, 

in the hands of a creative person."

  

~ Steve Supple ~

I'm linking this project idea with:
Rustic, Recycled, And Chic

 Hope you leave here feeling inspired...

thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Gift Tags

Here are a few sets of gift tags 

I'd love to share with you...

Saving instructions: 

 

Right click and select 'view image.'

Click again to enlarge the picture. 

Select 'save image as' to save to your computer.

 

Santa receiving a message...

 Pastel Merry Christmas

Snowy Cottage & Poinsettias

Thanks to sites offering beautiful free vintage images, 

I was able to create these gift tags.  

Here are the image credits:

Santa Claus graphic

Pastel 'A Merry Christmas' postcard

Snowy cottage & poinsettia postcard

Thank you for stopping by!

Merry Christmas!!

Sweet Gingerbread Houses

My mom was SO sweet to make 

gingerbread houses for my kids to decorate...  

Thank you mom!!! 

 Here they are being assembled...

Here are the finished houses.

Zachary's is on the scale ~ Olivia's is on the plate.

 

You might be wondering... where are pictures of the kids?

Well... they were supposed to decorate these...  

but they ended up sticking around for about 5 minutes!

They started out SO excited to make these too...

Oh well!

Mom and I ended up sitting in the kitchen 

having fun anyway!!

This morning the kids woke up smiling and 

asking to see their gingerbread houses...

So, I guess everything worked out!!

By the way...

There aren't any nibbles from the 

gingerbread houses or licks off the candies... yet!

Hope you're having a 

~ SWEET SATURDAY ~

Thanks for stopping by!

Snowflake Button Ornaments

Funny how even our mistakes can turn in to something beautiful... 

I was making a Christmas card last evening ~ getting frustrated

because it wasn't turning out as well as I'd hoped.  

Instead of scrapping the entire mess, 

I decided to cut out what I liked most...

a little snowflake made of buttons.

I used the other side of the card to make a second.  

Now that I've got the process down, I'll gladly share it with you...

Supplies:
white or off-white card stock (I used a plain greeting card)
fine-tipped permanent black marker
metallic pearl white acrylic paint
small paintbrush
various buttons
flat-backed clear acrylic gems
craft glue
scissors
white or off-white glitter


Write... Let it Snow in cursive, in somewhat straight lines down the paper.  The best sections are where I didn't write very well... they're more interesting.

Paint... a thin layer of the pearly white over the words.

Buttons...  I used 12 small buttons and 1 med/lg button for the center.  I played around with different combinations until I found something I liked.  If you've got buttons that are the right size but too bright, you can lightly paint them with the pearly white to tone down the color.

Glue... an acrylic gem in to the center of the large button.  Glue that down on the paper, making sure to leave plenty of room for the rest of the buttons.  Glue the small buttons down in their rows, then let everything dry for a few minutes.

Cut... around the buttons in a hexagon shape.  Cut out small triangles from between the button rows to reveal your snowflake.

Glitter... Place a few dots of glue here and there, and sprinkle glitter over your beautiful creation... done!

Here's a card I made with one of the snowflakes:

"Snowflakes are kisses from heaven."

 ~ Author Unknown ~

Wintry Wreath

I originally created this wreath with Thanksgiving in mind... 

but as I went along, I opted not to use color,

so it turned out looking like a wintry wreath instead.

Here's what I used to make it:

1 paper plate

2 or 3 sheets of white paper

scallop-edged scissors

black watercolor/fine-tipped brush

white glue

white glitter
ribbon

First I cut out the center of the paper plate.

Next, I started cutting out my leaves.  

The larger leaves in the back rows measure about 4" by 2".  

The small leaves in the front are about 2" by 1".  

I used 18 large leaves (9 with words), 

and 10 small leaves (2 are hidden behind the ribbon).

I then used black watercolor to paint words 

that represent a few things I'm thankful for.

Here's an illustration to show what I did in the next steps:

 I placed the paper plate upside down on the table. 

Next I arranged the large leaves ~ the pattern I used was: 

plain leaf, with word, plain leaf...  

I then glued them down
~ using as little glue as possible ~
covering the inside edge.

I glued the small leaves down over the plain leaves,
and slightly curled the edge for some dimension.

I used glue and glitter to make designs on the leaves like this:

The final touch was finding the right ribbon to hang my creation.
This September, I was a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding.
That silvery, satiny ribbon once wrapped around the bouquet I carried. 

Isn't it beautiful?
 
I knew I'd find a good use for it!

 
Hope you enjoyed this simple wintry wreath...

I'm thankful you stopped by!



"Winter is the time for comfort... 
it is the time for home."

~ Edith Sitwell ~

Little Red House

Yesterday I stumbled upon a cute little freebie... a printable wintry house at twelve22.  I thought it was so cute that I printed one out for both of my kids (ages 4 & 6).

As luck would have it, there was also a blank version... so I printed that one out for myself.

My little boy colored his with blue and green crayons and a red ink pen.  We worked on it together while his sister was still at school.  When my daughter got home she got busy on her own.  She's in to details, and had me cut the door and gate so they could swing open and closed.

This morning I grabbed my copy.  I penciled in details first and then added watercolors.  I lightly coated it with clear acrylic spray to protect the paint.  I love the result!  I may just make a few more for around the house... what do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy PPF!!

Herbal Tea 'Watercolors'

My son ripped open a packet of Wild Berry Zinger herbal tea a few days ago... still not sure if he was trying to make tea or just trying to make a mess...  In an attempt to clean up, he dumped some of the dry mixture in the kitchen sink.  

Later, when I discovered my tie-dyed sink, I thought 

~ that is really pretty ~  then washed the colors away.

This morning as I stood at the sink doing dishes, I thought ~ why not try recreating my colorful sink on paper?  Actually, I'm surprised I didn't think of it sooner.  Like... all the other times I've noticed my sink

                    or counter top stained with tea.

So I gathered some supplies for my 'experiment'... 

1.  thick paper, like cardstock

2.  2 packets of Celestial Seasonings herbal tea (Wild Berry Zinger & Country Peach Passion)

3.  a spray bottle of water

First I sprayed the paper somewhat evenly with water.  I opened the packets and sprinkled the berry tea contents on the top half of the paper ~ peach tea on the other half.  I then lightly sprayed a few more times to make sure everything was wet.

The longer it stood, the more the ingredients in the herbal tea 'bled' on the paper.  I admit I like to see a result quickly, so I turned the oven on to 'broil' on high and placed the paper on the MIDDLE rack to dry for a few minutes (with the oven door cracked open so I could see inside).

After the paper was dry, I brushed most of the dried bits off (they wouldn't all come off, and I liked the look anyway).  My finished paper is at the top.

Once I got the process down, I asked my daughter to come in a make her own creation, which she was excited about... "I get to spray the water?"  She had fun making her own patterns and spraying the water (of course).  Here's how hers turned out... 

When I look at these I see autumn leaves, but maybe you see something else.  I love how you can't really 'mess up' and the result is always something beautiful.  I don't say this often, but... I'm glad my son made that mess in the kitchen!!

Feel free to save our artwork to your computer 

and use in a digital collage or your own artwork... 

but I think the much better idea is to make your own!

Have fun!!

My Country Style

To each his own.  My own is simply country.  I love decorating with worn, weathered, neglected things.  It's wonderful to wash away years of dirt and grime to reveal something beautiful... to give something a second chance.

Of course, not everything I decorate with was covered in dirt.  Although, as I'm sitting here thinking of what wasn't I'm finding myself mostly at a loss for words... besides the appliances, couch, mattresses... yeah, I've done a lot of cleaning!

My headboard (pictured above) was once an old white farmyard gate.  I discovered it covered in dirt and cobwebs from years of sitting in our barn.  My garden planters are old galvanized buckets, also from the barn.  There's a huge section of architectural gingerbread from a 100 year old porch hanging on my living room wall.  Canning jars hold flower arrangements.  There are so many ways to make a home unique with a simple country twist.

Here are some of my favorite, budget friendly ideas that anyone can do.  Why not try bringing a little 'country' home today?  At least take a fresh look at what you have around the house, or out in the garage.  You might be surprised what you can do with what you already have!  I list the main 'ingredient' below, and then what to do with it further down.  Have fun!  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

1. Baskets. 
2. Canning jars, clear and blue with or without zinc lids.
3. Galvanized pails or metal buckets.
4. An old dresser.
5. Large white cloth napkins.
6. Vintage handkerchiefs.
7. Old wooden chairs, any style.
8. Muffin tins.
9. Terra cotta pots.
10. Metal coffee cans.
11. Pieces of wood.
12. Quilted pillowcase shams.
13. Old, extra or broken metal rake.
14. Old greeting cards, brown grocery bags, wrapping paper.
15. Vintage suitcase.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 So here are some of my suggestions, but feel free to let your own imagination run wild!

1. Baskets-  People were using them at least as far back as 7000 BC, and for good reason.  They still are probably one of the most versatile items in your home.  Use them outside for planters, in the pantry to organize kitchen staples, under the sink to gather cleaning supplies, or on the kitchen table filled with dried flowers.  Make your own gift basket filled with goodies to give away.  I stock up at the local thrift store for decent quality and cheap prices.
2. Canning jars-  Originally used for preserving nature's bounty, these glass jars are useful, cheap, and easy to find.  Store dry goods, such as pasta, in them (with zinc lid) and display on your kitchen counter.  Group an odd number on a shelf and place votive candles inside.  For a beachy look, place sand and shells around the votive holder. Wonderful for casual floral arrangements.  Tie a pretty ribbon around the top for an added touch.  They come in several sizes, earlier jars have glass lids, and blue jars usually cost a little more.
3. Metal buckets-  The buckets I have started out in the barn and have some dents, something I prefer to call 'character.'  The kids like use them to hoist toys up to their playhouse.  I also like to place a canning jar or two inside to make larger flower arrangements.  Others have drainage holes (I use a hammer and nail) for container planting.  Just place gravel in the bottom, fill with moist potting mix, and fill with plants.
4. Old dresser-  Dressers aren't only for the bedroom.  I keep one in my living room that is a lower version, with 3 long drawers.  It holds my magazines and books, and some art supplies.  I could use it in the kitchen to store extra kitchen supplies, linens, special occasion dishes, etc.  If you had the space in a bathroom (I don't!) it could be used to hold towels and other supplies.  When choosing one, look past the surface and make sure it's a sturdy piece that will fit in your space.  Sand, prime, and repaint or strip and stain.
5. Large white cloth napkins-  There are other colors of napkins to choose from, but I like white because they're cheapest, easiest to replace, and versatile.  Use them between two large curtains as a quick 'valance' draped over the curtain rod, so that they form triangles.  Overlap as needed to cover the entire rod.
6. Vintage handkerchiefs-  Using the same technique as with the napkins, lay the dainty hankies over a curtain rod, or over a simple lace curtain.  Beautiful feminine effect for a girl's room.  Stitch together for a simple table runner.  Frame with an old picture in front.  Place one under a vase of flowers (use one that you don't mind possibly staining).  
7. Old wooden chairs-  Look for a chair with a removable seat, or one with a cane seat that is torn, and remove.  Paint the chair if desired.  Find a container that will fit firmly in the hole, or buy chicken wire and staple around the hole and line with moss or coconut liner.  Fill with moistened potting soil and plants.  Make sure you decide if the chair will be in the sun or shade, and choose plants accordingly.
8. Muffin tins-  Fill with votives in glass holders for an easy centerpiece.  Paint if desired by first priming with spray paint then applying acrylic paint.  I recommend getting old muffin tins from a thrift store, new non-stick coated pans won't work w/paint.  Use in a drawer to organize jewelry or small craft supplies.
9. Terra cotta pots-  Something that comes in so many sizes for so cheap... yeah, I can work with that!  The inside and outside of the pot can be painted with acrylics and sprayed with sealant.  You could use it for planting, or place a candle inside.  Group several together at different heights w/candles for an outdoor party.
10. Metal coffee cans-  I made luminaries out of these last year with a hammer and nail, and then with a drill after my husband found out what I was up to.  I suggest starting out making holes in 2 or 3 straight lines inside the grooves.  You'll figure out more pattern ideas as you go.  To paint you can either spray paint, or use my gritty version to give a nice smell and texture: after a base coat of spray or acrylic paint is applied, but still wet: sprinkle cinnamon on the paint.  Let dry completely, then paint your final coat.  Spray with an acrylic sealant.  Use a candle in a glass container to complete the project.
11. Pieces of wood-  Make your own signs.  Find a piece of scrap wood or buy a board from somewhere like Lowe's.  Have it cut to the size you want if necessary.  Sand the edges and paint with an acrylic paint as a base coat.  Let dry.  Stencil or free-hand your saying.  I like to paint a line in the color of the words around the edge, and then sand away some paint for a worn look.  Spray with an acrylic sealer, especially if the sign could be outside. 
12. Quilted pillowcase shams-  Use these 'mini-quilts' under a centerpiece on your kitchen table, or under a side-table display.  These can be found for a dollar or two for a pretty pair at thrift stores.  Even if they don't match your bedroom scheme, they might look nice somewhere else in your home. 
13. Old, extra, or broken metal rake-  Make an original place to hang items in your garden shed or garage.  Take the metal end of the rake apart from the wooden handle.  Turn the prongs so they're facing up, so you can hang things from them.  Figure out where you want it... place it where no one will run in to it.  It's nice to have an extra set of hands when putting it up.  Use nails or screws to fasten securely.
14. Old greeting cards, brown grocery bags, wrapping paper-  Make your own gift tags from things around the house.  Cut out with plain or patterned scissors and use a hole punch to string a ribbon through.  Could also make bookmarks from the greeting cards.  Around Christmas, use the grocery bags to make paper chains to go with a natural decorating scheme.  Use wrapping paper as an inexpensive material for scrapbooking.
15. Vintage suitcase-  Set the stage for seasonal vignettes.  Look for a large suitcase with a lid that stays open at a 90` angle.  Use old books to boost your display items to different heights.  Bring in an electric candle or string of Christmas lights to highlight special features.  Remember everything looks better in odd number groupings.    

"To think creatively, we must be able
to look afresh at what we normally
take for-granted. "

~ George Kneller ~