You've Got Valentine's Mail

Need a last-minute Valentine's Day gift for your sweetheart?  How about some mail?

I made these for my hubby for Christmas, but they make great Valentine's Day, birthday, anniversary, Father's Day, or just anytime presents!

All you need is twelve envelopes, some paper, a pen/marker, and imagination!  For each envelope (and month of the year), you come up with a date idea.  Write it down, and slip it in the envelope.  Label each envelope with the appropriate month, and any preparations you may need to take care of before Date Night.  That way, the date plans can be kept a surprise until the it's time!

For example, for our February Date, we'll be making fresh pasta and watching a romantic movie.  That means we need a babysitter for dinnertime.  

Other instructions could be, "Saturday Date" for an afternoon hiking trip, or "Buy Tickets and get babysitter" if you're going to a baseball game.  

The best part about this Valentine's Mail, besides that you'll be spending lots of time with your sweetie, is that you can customize the dates to be exactly right for you and your significant other.

If you'd like some simple date ideas, click over to see my Year of {Cheap, Fun, Simple} Date Nights. These are mostly at-home (no babysitter needed!) date ideas.

What are some great date ideas you've tried?  I'd love to hear them!

"Star of Bethlehem" Christmas Tree Ornament Mini Tutorial

Merry Christmas Eve-Eve!  

Today is the last of our Sew a Song of Christmas series.  I hope you've enjoyed it!  I've sure had fun teaming up with Kelli, Al, Stephanie, Megan, and Bethany to bring to you a bit of musical holiday craftiness. :)

For my last song, I chose "Shine for Me Again, Star of Bethlehem."  This song is about keeping the faith in the things you once knew, even though the long days and years make that difficult sometimes.    

There is a line of the song that sums this idea up very nicely: "Do not despair—your star is still there."

It's nice to have that reminder hanging on the Christmas tree.

These stars, inspired by this pin, are so easy to make!  Boo made these with me last year, actually.

We used salt dough, but you could use any kind of clay you'd like--polymer clay, corn starch clay, whatever.

After rolling the dough out, we cut out the stars with cookie cutters and stamped the designs.  Rubber stamps, found objects—whatever you'd like could be used to make fun patterns.  I made these swirls with a sea shell!  :)  Don't forget to make a hole for running the ribbon.

After baking the clay, we made painted the stars and hung them with loops of ribbons.  Easy and done.  

They make nice little Christmas presents, too; my family all got ornaments last year.

Boo wanted to help me take the pictures.  Love her.

Merry Christmas!

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"Away in a Manger" Sweet and Simple Nativity

Do you ever feel like Christ gets a little lost in the Christmas season?  I do.  So I wanted today's Sew a Song of Christmas project to remind us what Christmas is really about.

I did already make a wooden nativity set a couple years ago, but there's always room for another nativity set, right?   We will have fun playing with these cute little guys and teaching Boo and Daddy's Girl about when Christ was born.

This project was inspired by these adorable Princess Peg Dolls.  When I showed Boo this tutorial, she decided she wanted to paint a princess set.  So she did.  And they turned out really cute.  I'll have to show them to you later.

  

Besides the regular painting supplies, all you need for this project are eight wooden peg dolls.  I found mine at Hobby Lobby.  They come in packs of eight, so that worked out great!

These are the "Man" sized peg people; they also make "Boy" sized dolls, so you could make baby Jesus smaller than the others.  I didn't want Daddy's Girl to eat or lose the little baby Jesus, so I painted Him on Mary.  (The "Man" size are still a choking hazard, so be watchful if you have babies/toddlers.)

First, I painted their heads.  The nice thing about painting all the Nativity People at once is that by the time you've finished the last one, the first is dry already and you can go right to the next step.

Then I painted their clothes.  I decided this was a "less is more" kind of project, and painted their clothes really simply.  

I painted Mary in her traditional blue.  Joseph is dark blue so he feels like he belongs with Mary.  The shepherds are grey to show their humble state in life. (I would have done brown, but I couldn't mix a nice color.)  The three kings are rich, jewel-toned colors.  And of course, the angel is white.

I feel like the nativity set is already identifiable, but that's probably just me.  Let's add a little something, while still keeping them simple.

Mary is holding baby Jesus and wearing the blue head covering.  I didn't know what to do for Joseph; most nativity sets I've seen have him holding a shepherd's crook, which doesn't make any sense at all for the carpenter that he is.

 The angel gets a halo and wings.

The shepherds get a shepherd's crook and a lamb.

And the kings get crowns.  I thought about giving them gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but I went back to "less is more."

UPDATE:  I realized these guys should have a coat of clear polyurethane to protect them, but I haven't done that yet.

I think this little nativity set turned out so cute.  :)  

 Merry Christmas, everybody!  Only nine more days!

Don't miss the other posts in our Sew a Song of Christmas series!
"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" Tulle Wreath
"O, Christmas Tree" Glitter Ball Ornaments
"What Child is This?" Mini Quilt
"Blue Christmas" Simple Holiday Skirts
"Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer" Ornaments
"Let It Snow" Mitten Ornaments

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" Ornaments (that Give You a Kiss)

Today's guest post is by my good friend Stephanie!  She's the talented photographer behind Pink Pearl Photography.  She also writes the blog Life as a Wife, where she posts about her crafting, cooking, and mommy adventures.  She also has great party and date ideas!  How cute is her Whoville Christmas Party?  Or her Clue Date?

Thanks for joining us today, Stephanie!

~~~

Growing up, I have memories of my mom make a bunch of ornaments for our themed tree. One of my favorites she made were these Reindeer ornaments

They were my favorite because she would hide chocolate Kisses inside 

This year I made some for my tree and some to give away. I love these little deer they fill me with Christmas memories from my childhood, and memories of my dear mother who always filled every holiday with cheer!

I used my mom's pattern but tried to put my own spin on them by adding some color...

for instructions on how to make this ornament click here.

~~~

Be sure to check out our previous Sew a Song of Christmas projects!

"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" Tulle Wreath

"O, Christmas Tree" Glitter Ball Ornaments
"What Child is This?" Mini Quilt
"Blue Christmas" Simple Holiday Skirts

"Blue Christmas" Simple Holiday Skirts

Boo loves to match.  Not like her shirt matching her pants; she comes up with some pretty...inventive outfits.  No, she likes to match other people.  So she will be so excited when she and Daddy's Girl unwrap matching Blue Christmas Skirts on Christmas morning.

These are really basic skirts, but the nice thing about "basic" is that you can easily add your own spin on it.

Both skirts are made from the same blue satin (surprisingly affordable, yet it adds a bit of "special" to the outfit).  Daddy's Girl got pleats on her skirt, Boo got ruffles.  I love variations on a theme.

Oh, ruffles, why must you be so cute, yet so annoying to make?  I actually prefer making pleats than ruffles.  

(By the way, I certainly didn't invent this way of making a skirt; it's been around forever.)

I don't have step-by-step pictures, since I sewed these up at night so the girls wouldn't see their Christmas presents.  (Read:  There was really bad lighting for pictures.)  But the skirts are so easy.

Ready?

Cut the elastic to your child's waist measurement.  Don't add seam allowance—you need the elastic to stretch a little so the skirt stays up.

Cut your skirt fabric as shown in the picture above.  Or, if you want a fuller skirt, cut a longer rectangle.  Less full, closer to square.

Sew up the two short sides, finishing the seams as you prefer.  (I went over the raw edges with a zig-zag seam for the first, and made a french seam for the second.  Just because I didn't think about the french seam at first.)

Make your hem by folding the bottom edge over a half inch, then fold again another half inch.  And sew it down.  A decorative stitch with a contrasting thread could be a nice way to add some detailing.  You could also hand stitch for a less visible seam, or use the blind hem stitch on your sewing machine.  But that's another tutorial.

Now you'll make a casing.  Just iron the top edge down a quarter inch, then fold down again whatever size you need to fit your elastic.  Sew this down, too, being sure to leave a little space for inserting the elastic.

And insert the elastic.  Attach one safety pin to the leading edge so it's easier to thread it through, and another securing the other end to the fabric so it can't pull all the way through.  (Hate it when that happens.)  Once the elastic's through, overlap the two ends by a half inch and use a zig-zag stitch to secure them.

Topstitch the casing closed, and you're done!

(If any of this didn't make sense, send me an email or leave a question in the comments below.  If needed, I'd be happy to make a photo tutorial later.)

Now that you know how to make a basic skirt, you can change it up to make so many different looks!  Besides adding ruffles or pleats, you can make the skirt more or less full, longer or shorter, try color blocking, or a paper bag waistband...I think I'm going to try a scalloped hem next time.

Don't miss any posts as we Sew a Song of Christmas!

"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" Tulle Wreath

"O, Christmas Tree" Glitter Ornaments

"What Child is This?" Mini Quilt {with free pattern}

"O, Christmas Tree" Glitter Ball Ornaments

Merry Christmas, everybody!  Since Thanksgiving is over and it's "legal" to get into the Christmas spirit, I helped Jill and her family put up their Christmas decorations on Saturday.  I've given Jill a Christmas tree ornament (or sometimes a set) every year since she got married.  Last year, I made her a glitter ball ornament.  Boo obviously liked it, because later Saturday, she informed me that she was going to use my glitter and ball ornaments to make an ornament for her baby sister.  After getting her to ask me, rather than tell me, I agreed to help her and let her use my stuff. 

When I made these the first time, I got the inspiration from the blog The Greenbean's Crafterole.  You can find the post here.

This tutorial said to use Pledge furniture polish, but I just couldn't bring myself to buy a big bottle of something I would only use once.  I used homemade Mod Podge (aka, watered down Elmer's glue) instead.  A year later, the glue's still holding.  I don't remember what ratio of water to glue I used—just mix in water until it looks good.  (Don't you love instructions like that?)  Just remember that it needs to make a nice, thin, non-gloppy film.

What you need:
-Clear glass ball (or other shape) ornaments
-Adhesive of choice.  I used watered down Elmer's glue.
-Glitter
-A funnel.  I made my own with a sheet of paper.

(Isn't my niece cute?  She was cold, so she grabbed the nearest coat—mine.)

Pour glue into the ball.  Use more that you think you'll need.  You'll pour the extra out anyway. Carefully swirl it all around.  As the original blogger said, shaking the ball would made froth, which is bad.  Hence the careful swirling.  Now, dump out the extra.  Make sure it drains well, but don't leave it so long that it dries.  Last year, I had to rinse out my glitter and start a ball over again because too much glue puddled on the bottom of the ball and didn't let the glitter coat the ornament evenly.

Dump in the glitter.  Use the funnel, if needed.  Again, don't be afraid to use more than you think you'll need.  You will dump out the extra.  Just make sure you don't have big glue puddles in the ornament.  This time, you can shake the ball to get it covered.  Let it dry before you pour the extra glitter back into the bottles. You wouldn't want to get wet glue in your unused glitter.

And that's it!  After they're dry and free of extra glitter, put the tops back on and hang your beautiful, glittery ornaments on your tree.

Be sure to check out the other posts in our Sew a Song of Christmas series!

"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" Tulle Wreath

And check back on Friday for the next bit of musical Christmas fun!

"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" Tulle Wreath Tutorial

Today we're kicking off my newest blog series, Sew {Cook, Paint, Craft} a Song of Christmas!  I've invited some wonderful bloggers to join in, and together we will be showing you our projects inspired by Christmas songs.  We'll be posting Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays until Christmas, so be sure to check back often!

Now, on to the first project!

When I was a kid, we always had snow at Christmas.  (Sometimes we even had snow for Halloween!)  My siblings and I built snowmen, made snow angels, and walked to school in five feet of snow, uphill both ways.  Okay, I don't think it was uphill even one way.  But still, there was a lot of snow.

Now we live where it's warm most of the year.  And I love being warm.  I love playing in the pool, going on walks in the warm evenings, and wearing short sleeves year round.  (Although I did that when I lived in a cold climate, too.  That's what coats are for.)

I love warm weather, but something about Christmastime just makes you want snowflakes.  And hot chocolate.  And sparkly, fresh snow, glistening everywhere.  And a fire crackling in the hearth.  (Yes, I really do like to be warm.)

So here's my homage to days gone by, back when I was a kid and we always had snow for Christmas, my "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" tulle wreath.

When I was making this wreath, I told Boo it was a winter wreath because I wanted it to last for all of winter, not just until Christmas.  

"It looks cold."

Mission accomplished.  :)

You know I'm always up for a quick and inexpensive project, and this wreath certainly is that.  

What you need:
A wreath blank.  I cut mine out of cardboard--two layers, to give it a little more body.  After I took this picture, I decided to cover the wreath blank with paper to be sure no brown would show through.  Ribbon would also work, but why waste pretty ribbon on something that won't be seen?  My wreath blank is 8.5 inches in diameter, with the inner circle 6 inches.

Tulle.  Buy it on a spool, rather than off the bolt--it's so much easier that way.  I bought one spool each of white, light blue, and glittery white.  I'm not sure how much I ended up using, but I bet less than half of the tulle I bought.

Extra, optional stuff to personalize your wreath.  I ended up using two of the three sizes of beads I bought, and a length of navy blue ribbon.

Cut your tulle into strips.  I cut mine to 14 inches long, but it will depend on how big your wreath blank is, and how big you want your finished wreath to be.  I saw this cool trick on Pinterest somewhere for quickly and easily cutting your tulle to even lengths.  Just wrap the tulle around a piece of cardboard the length you want your tulle to end up; cut down one side, and there you go.  (The cut size is twice the finished size, since you double the tulle over when you tie it on.  Make sense?  Okay.)

Fold the tulle in half and lay it under the wreath blank...

...And then pull the loose ends around the top and through the loop.  Squish the knot right next to the one before.  If you want to.  I wanted my wreath to be nice and full, so I squished my knots as close together as I could.

{This is the same technique you use for making those cute tutus you see all over, by the way.  Just tie the tulle around elastic, or my favorite, ribbon, and you have a tutu!}

I alternated colors white, blue, white, glittery, white, blue, etc.

I like how the wreath looks at this point, but I felt it didn't look quite finished.  So I sewed my sparkly, icy-looking beads on to the wreath, sewing through the knots.  You could probably use hot glue to attach your beads, but I wanted to be able to remove mine if I decided the wreath was better off without.

And I added a ribbon to hang the wreath. The wreath was up too high without the ribbon, but with it--perfect.

I've never had a wreath on my door before.  I feel very grown up.  

All Autumn Pumpkins Tutorial

 Last year about this time, I had a little tiny baby, a three-year-old, a Halloween party at church that I'd committed to bring table decorations to, and almost no time at all!  What Halloween decoration could I make really quickly?

If you were following my blog a couple years ago, you know I love pumpkins for Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations.  So I came up with the perfect quick, easy, and cheap Halloween decoration--pumpkins made from a 2x4!  And these pumpkins transition seamlessly from Halloween to Thanksgiving, so I was ready for all of autumn.

These pumpkins are so easy to make!  Watch this.

Short lengths of 2x4 + black spray paint + orange paint + sandpaper to distress + drill holes in the tops + glue in short, fat sticks from the backyard (or dowel rods, if you'd prefer) + raffia/hemp tied around pumpkin "stems."

And done.

If you like pumpkin decorations like I do, you may want to check out the other pumpkin projects I've made.  

Pumpkin Puzzle Blocks (with free printable)

Mason Jar Jack-O-Lantern Tutorial

Pumpkin Patch Wall Hanging (with pumpkin template)

Tin Can Jack-O-Lantern Tutorial

Fabric Pumpkin.  I didn't make a tutorial for this one, but I did find you some tutorials for similar projects.

PR&P Week 2: Easy Starburst Dress

This week's theme for PR&P was "Candy Inspired."  I had some cute ideas--a dress with an orange-ish top and pleated skirt (Reese's Peanut Butter Cup)?  This cute orange striped adult's dress I found at Goodwill, cut up and pieced together into a cute chevron skirt (Starbursts--the connection being the color and the angles)?  I loved the orange stripes, so I went with that one.

That thrifted dress had a cute flower-and-hearts pattern on the bottom, so I wanted to make a quick dress for Boo with it before I used the rest to make the chevron skirt.  I knew Boo would love the dress, and she even hugged the fabric before I made it into a dress!

Just look at that happy face!  Boo loves her new dress, which is just the Popover dress again, virtually unaltered this time for simplicity.  She's worn it three times so far, and I just made it on Saturday.  :)

I realized my children have plenty clothes, so I decided not to make the second dress.  I know this simple dress won't win this week's contest, but I'm okay with that.  Boo LOVES the dress, and that's what really matters.

Fast, Easy, and Elegant Ombre Earrings Tutorial {Plus How to Make Hammered Headpins}

I hope you've had fun with our Summer Swimming series; we have!  From making and using sea glass, to sewing cute and practical cover-ups for yourself and your little ones, to visiting family, we've had a lot of wet and wonderful fun this month.

For the last installment for our Summer Swimming, I made these quick and easy ombre earrings.  I like how the beads transition from white to dark blue, like the waves of the sea.  But at the same time, it's not so water-themed that you feel you can only wear them at the beach.  And I like long, dangly earrings.  Not that I feel safe wearing them quite yet--Daddy's girl is still likely to pull on them when I least expect it.  

These earrings are really easy to make, but if you're an absolute beginner, check out my Holiday Earrings Tutorial.  It goes over some basics I'll skip over here.

Ready for the tutorial?

You Need:

Two pairs of pliers (one being round nosed)

Jewelry hammer and anvil (optional)

Two ear wires

Two jump rings

Four small white beads

Two medium white beads

Two medium light blue beads

Two large light blue beads

Four large dark blue beads

a length of 20 gauge wire a half inch longer than your finished length (or two headpins)

Note:  This anvil has a bit of metal on it to protect it from scratches, so the scratches won't be transferred to another project .  They don't come like that.

How to Make a Hammered Headpin:

This is so easy.  Just take your length of wire and hammer the end of it until it flattens wide enough that your beads won't fall off the end.  Easy and done.

{If you don't have a jewelry hammer and anvil, you can still make your own headpins.  Just use the method I did to make my Holiday Earrings.}

Then just thread your beads on your brand-new headpin...

...make a loop at the top, cutting off any extra wire, and attach the jump ring and ear wire.  And you're done!

If you missed any of our Summer Swimming fun, just click on the images below to check them out.  I'm hoping to make this series a yearly event, only next year it will be Summer Swimming and Sun.  :D  What kinds of things would you like to see in next year's series?

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