Santa Wreath Ornaments

Sometimes ideas will just jump into my head. The inspiration for this came from Miss Mustard Seed's music wreath ornament. But I kept getting the vision of brown paper and Santa in my head. So I headed over to The Graphics Fairy and found this. Which became:

I resized the image and pasted it into a Word document….but only because my photo editor went crazy. ….still haven’t figured THAT out, but I digress.

I cut out a couple of circles from an Italian ice box.

(I will probably use the Cricut if I make many of these, but for now I just used scissors.)

Then I tore one of the Santa images from the page. I wanted the torn edge, but you could also cut it with scissors. I sprayed the back of the image with spray adhesive and pressed it onto one of the circles.

Then I put a thin line of plain white glue around the edge and glittered it. WARNING: German glass glitter is addictive!!!!

Then I got busy making cones from brown paper and completely forgot to take any pictures….UNTIL I was completely finished. So this is what I did:

• Made about 16 small paper cones.
• Glittered them.
• Using the other circle, made a small paper wreath.
• Glued the Santa circle into the center of the wreath.

and voila:

Now when the glue is completely dried, I will flip it over and glue on a ribbon hanger.

Simple…and so cute.

And, if it is not too late, I am going over to brag over at:

 

Have a wonderfully creative day!!!

Sparkles

 

For some reason, my Christmas spirit hasn’t bothered to show up yet. I usually love getting ready for the entire holiday season. Not really sure what the problem is…perhaps the fact that it feels as if this year has FLOWN by at a break-neck pace. Man had been feeling the same way, but decided to put the lights on the house anyway. He said it helped some. So….today I put up the tree.

It’s a little naked right now…so I didn’t take a full-length picture.

 

And I decided to work on some more of these German glass glitter ornaments.

These are made from practice boards that I bought at Lowe’s in the paint department. I cut the shapes using my Cricut. Since these were not very thick, I found that using spray adhesive works better than regular white glue for adhering the glitter. They have a tendency to roll up along the edges if you use white glue.

German glass glitter is addictive. Once you get started you may find suddenly have the urge to search throughout your home looking for items to glitter….cause glitter makes it better. (said in my best Paula Deen “butter makes it better” voice) Check out this cheapy little tree topper from the Dollar Store:

I also need to visit The Graphics Fairy. I have an idea for some other ornaments using some of her wonderful graphics….and glitter!

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend. And don’t forget to check out my shop. Use coupon code BF201010 to receive 10% off your purchase through Monday at midnight …..or whenever I remember to deactivate the code…hint, hint!

 

Black Friday Plus Coupon

 

Shop today at my shop and use the coupon code BF201010 for 10% off your purchase through Monday at midnight EST.

Have a blessed day!

Happy Thanksgiving

I pray that you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

 

Back to Life

I am glad to say that I am feeling MUCH better today…Good thing too with Thanksgiving just a couple of days away! I just wanted to drop by and let you know that I’ve gotten a few of my Christmas stockings listed. I also listed this little tote bag that I made a while back.

It is made from parts of a MUCH loved pair of Gap trouser jeans.  I loved them too much to just throw them away when the fabric around the zipper ripped (and couldn’t be repaired).
I hope and pray that you are all having a wonderful week! Now I must get back to my Thanksgiving prep….not to mention laundry that multiplied while I was sick.
Happy Creating!!


Back to party at:

MIA

Just stopping by to apologize for being MIA....I've been sick this week. It is just a cold (I think), but I take a prescription that has nasty interactions with all the GOOD OTC cold meds. Therefore, I've only really felt like doing the bare minimum around here. That has left my brand new etsy shop EMPTY! All my photos have to be re-sized and I haven't figured out a quick way to do it on my pc. I had posted two stockings, but one a friend wanted...so I unlisted it. The other? I realized that I hadn't even put the measurements in the description...so I de-activated it.
I think I am going to wait until I feel better and start FRESH!!! Yep...lately it has been one step forward, three steps back for me. But that is how we learn! (trying to be optimistic here....)

In the meantime....I did force myself to post some Thanksgiving recipes at another blog of mine. I only did that because my newly married daughter living in NC requested them....Thankfully, they were already on my hard drive so it was a matter of copy and paste. Anyhow....if your are interested you can find them at Stormy Hen Holidays...

Have a blessed day!!!

Etsy Shop Now Open

I finally took the plunge and opened a shop on etsy.com. I’m nervous….a little afraid. What if no one likes my stuff? What if I don’t sell ANYTHING? What if I’m overpriced….or underpriced? What if {fill in the blank} ? But I can’t live my life in the land of “what-ifs”….So I’m OPEN for BUSINESS! I only have a couple of stockings listed, but you can find them at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/stormyhencreations or check the sidebar.

Blessings,

Isaiah 9:6 Stocking

Today as I worked on this rustic stocking made of “slave” fabric (osnaburg was used for slave clothing), I thought….how appropriate, since we were all slaves to sin. Then God sent his Son who paid the price for our freedom….all we have to do is accept it!
Not a traditional stocking….The original plan was to use navy/cream ticking. I had cut out the fabric and was getting ready to sew the word patches onto it…but it just didn’t look right. I looked around the studio to see what I could use. Here is what I came up with:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)
Have a blessed evening!

You Made that from WHAT???

First of all, THANKS to Karen over at The Graphics Fairy for featuring my book page wreath on her site today!!! What an honor! Go on over and check out this week’s Brag Monday. A lot of talented bloggers have posted their projects.
Now on to today’s subject….
My family and I moved to NY from NC a couple of years ago. Since we weren’t sure how long we would be calling NY “home”, we decided to rent. Renting is a new experience for me. We owned our home in NC, which meant when an urge to rip up carpet and put down flooring made from reclaimed barn wood hit…all I had to do was convince my dear hubby to go along with the idea. (OH how I miss those floors!!!) I could paint, knock down partial walls, replace cabinets, etc. whenever my time and budget allowed. Once we moved to NY, I worked to make our rental feel like home by adding decorative touches. Then a mere year later, we found another rental that fit our needs a little better. Guess what? I now have a cellar packed with things that don’t work in this house….including some expensive blinds…but live and learn. For our first year in the new house,  I did very little decorating. Well…that got OLD! Then one day I was visiting Miss Mustard Seed's blog. It was an entry about using canvas drop cloths to make slipcovers. Wonderful idea!!! Canvas drop cloths are inexpensive and match nearly everything!!! While I haven’t gotten around to making a slipcover for my sofa, I have made several other things.
Today I made a set of 3 covers for my overly worn banana-leaf bar stools.

I used a decorative stitch to add some detail. They took very little time. If I decide to change the color scheme in the neutral kitchen, all I have to do is make a new set and use a different color of thread for the detail! If we move again and they don’t match the new kitchen…I’ve lost very little money and time.
Instead of buying new blinds for the living room, I made these panels instead:

A hall closet was door-less. Since I didn’t want my cleaning items to be on view, I made a curtain panel for it also. For easy hanging, I used a tension rod.

A little more hiding….this time in my studio. I have some supplies hidden behind this little panel. I also used a tension rod to hang it.

I’ve already posted about this little pillow here. But here is another peek….

So….need to add some decorative touches for little money? Try canvas drop cloths.
***Before creating any of the above, I washed each drop cloth using hot water and bleach. I then dried them on high heat. This softens the material, lightens the color a bit, and pre-shrinks it. Once the item was completed, I washed it again in warm water and this time used liquid fabric softener during the rinse cycle. That will soften the fabric even more and helps the curtain panels hang nicer.
Happy creating!

I'm joining the fun at:

 Come on over and check it out! 

Ticking and Sparkles

First of all…WELCOME to my new followers! I am relatively new to the blogging world, and although I told myself that I would not allow myself to get wrapped up in the numbers, it is still exciting to find out that I have FOLLOWERS!
I had such plans for this week. Alas they were not to be. I think I had a week of Friday the 13ths. I had planned on spending the week making Christmas stockings. My new sewing machine had other plans. Suddenly it went crazy. I’m pretty sure that it is a problem with the foot controller (if I wriggle the cord it will work again for a while).  I sent an message to overstock.com, and they are sending a new foot controller. Gotta love overstock.com….inexpensive shipping AND wonderful customer service!
Anyway….here is the only stocking that I managed to make this week:

It is another made of beige/cream ticking. It is fully lined and trimmed in lace. I have ideas in my head (probably should get those into my sketch book before they disappear!)…just gotta wait on that foot controller.
I also made some sparkly items this week…still experimenting with my Cricut and glass glitter.

My camera does not do these justice. It probably would have helped if I had placed them on a dark background…a photographer I am not!  Glass glitter is so beautiful….well worth the extra cost! I thought that these would make great additions to my gift wrapping this year. They can be used as tree ornaments after the gifts are opened….a little bonus gift!
Anyone else working on Christmas goodies? Leave a comment and let us know what you’ve been working on lately!
Happy creating!

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

Please pray for a dear friend's son and daughter-in-law. They were each shot multiple times in an armed robbery earlier this evening.

Thank you!!!

Sammi

UPDATE: November 2, 2010 (nearly noon)
Friend's son was able to check himself out of the hospital very early this morning. He was hit at least twice that I know of...but fortunately, the wounds were mainly superficial. His wife is in serious condition. She has had to undergo surgery and is being kept sedated. She was also moved to another hospital. I know that hospital has a trauma center, but I am not sure if she was moved there for that reason or if it was just the family's preference. The details of her injuries have not been released.
Despite the fact that at least 3 police depts (city, county, and state) were on the case....with bloodhounds and helicopters, the shooter has not been found. Please also pray that this dangerous man is found soon.