Highly Entertaining....

Happy New Year

We said "peace out!!" to 2011 with little fanfare... After an early evening with friends, we put the ladies to bed and watched a movie. Sadie decided bed was for sissies and wanted to watch the ball drop with mama and papa, so the three of us snuggled on the couch and shared a midnight smooch :)

New years day was sunny and warm, so after church we headed to the (busy!) playground to swing and slide. Maya Grace LOVES being outside, and a little fresh air was just what we all needed. We enjoyed a lunch date where Maya chose and ordered her own meal (so funny!!), grilled cheese and apples please! Family nap time at home was next on the agenda, and oh-so-perfect.

I am not one to make new years resolutions, because I will inevitably break them by mid-January. I am trying my hand at a photo-a-day project, and think I'll be successful with the help of an iPhone app. I'm also reflecting a bit on a few things I would like to focus on this year... Like BEING PRESENT; focusing on being in the moment rather than allowing things to happen around me. This is especially important to me in regards to my children. Maya is becoming more and more curious and independent; Sadie is becoming more, well, trouble; Griffin is pretty much a man-child who is becoming more teenager-y ((shudder)). I want to be available, to be active, to appreciate the little things. I want to feel my heart swell when Maya reaches over to help Sadie up when she falls, when Sadie gives Griffin that great big open-mouthed smile when he comes home from school, when Maya snuggles up on Griff's lap for a story.

2011 isn't going to be about the places we go or the things we buy. It is going to be about family and friends and all the *little things* that make life special. I will want not for the things I don't have. I will be thankful for the blessings my world is filled with, and I will not take any of them for granted.

I will ask to be graced with patience, both within myself and from others. I will strive to give my best to the people close to me. These "resolutions" aren't being made to be broken. They are small steps I am taking to make my life more rich, more fulfilling, and more meaningful.

Here's looking forward to 2012 with a positive attitude and full heart. Happy New Year!

Making Merry

Christmas was a whirlwind of friends and family and food and gifts and nap-less little girls (oh boy!). We were lucky enough to share our time with both the Oliveira and Parker sides of our family, with a great visit from Kael and Natasha ("unca paypee" and"auntie Tasha").
Watching the girls have so much fun with each other, with extended family and friends was the highlight of the weekend. Maya is a total present opening professional now, and loves her new Wheely Bug and dress up clothes and pots/pans/pretend food. Sadie loves Maya's toothbrush :)
We are having a quiet week at home while brother is on break. There shall be lots of leftover-eating, pajama wearing, and snuggling on the couch. Perfect :)

handmade holiday:: thats a wrap!!

Welcome to the last day of my Handmade Holiday series of blog posts. I hope you have been following along with the craftiness this month, and that you have been busy creating some handmade projects of your own.

Today I'm wrapping things up with a few cute ideas for packaging small gifts with a little bit od extra attention. There is nothing more special than giving a gift thet is both thoughtful on the inside AND on the outside. Suppplies for this wrapping project are fairly simple, and take just a few extra minutes to put together than if you just used plain old wrappiing paper and a store bought bow.

supplies: baker's twine, scissors, needle, button, paper lunch bag, paper doily

First, place your small gift insode the paper bag. You minght want to include a bit of tissue paper around the gift to help the bag puff up a little. Fold the top 1" of the bag towards the back of the bag then old the doily in half and place over the bag. You could use a little bit of adhesive to tack everything in place, but I didn't bother.

Next, wrap the baker's twine around the length of the package several times, then use the needle to stitch the button in place overlapping the doily.

Now, tie a bow using the tail ends of the twine, and PRESTO!! Super cute packaging to make someone's gift extra special.

Here is another take on the same idea, except I used a square jewelery box rather than a paper bag:

You could substitute ANYTHING you have on hand for these supplies: yarn (baker's twine), kraft paper (paper bag), lace (doily). Be creative, and tailor the packaging to the recipient. If you're gifting something to an outdoorsy person, wrap the package in kraft paper with a few pinecones tied to the twine, or string beads onto the twine for a sparkly feminine touch. Taking a few minutes to beautifuly package a present can really make the experience of exchanging gifts extra special.

Thank you for following along with my Handmade Holidays posts. I hope you have been able to find tome to put a bit of handmade effort into some of your holidays, whether it is the creation of acutal gifts, packaging, or decor.

Enjoy your time with family and friends through the upcoming days. I am looking forward to the magic of Christmas with my two girls and big man-child... of seeing Maya's excitement over a few special gifts (especially this one... she's going to FLIP OUT!!), trying to keep wrapping paper out of Sadie's mouth, and watching Griffin enjoying the little girls experiencing the day together. He is actually really excited about it :)

Merry Christmas to you!!!

handmade holiday:: projects for the kiddos!

Here we are, two days before Christmas, and you have a million things to do. The children are on winter break and you need to find something to keep them occupied while you tie up all the loose ends before the big day. Never fear!!! Today I am sharing with you TWO awesome projects to create with your children, shared with us by the amazingly talented and creative Natasha Nolan Parker a mixed media artist and preschool teacher (AND my sister in law!)

First up, a simple ornament the kids can work on with little adult assistance:

Supplies: craft sticks, heavy duty scissors (for an adult to trim the craft sticks to different lengths), glue, small embellishments (buttons, beads, sequins, etc.)

Glue the craft sticks together to form a tree shape, then adhere the embellishments on the "branches". You could also attach a piece of ribbon or baker's twine at the top of the tree to hang as an ornament.

The next project requires a bit of adult guidance, but will be well worth it!

Supplies: brown, red, pink ink pads, black pen, markers

Is this not the cutest thing you have ever seen?!?!

You will need to help with placement of the thumbprints for this project, as well as the drawn details. Santa's face was made using pink ink, but only half the thumbprint. You will need to use a scrap of paper to msk the bottom of the thumb so Santa's beard won't be pink, too! You could create the reindeer noses by dipping the tip of a tiny finger into black (or red!) paint, or use a marker to doodle a little rouund nose shape.

These would make the perfect last minute gift for the grandparents, and fantastic keepsakes for years to come.

Thank you, Natasha, for sharing your fabulous projects with us! I'll be back tomorrow with a holiday wrapping post to finish up the Handmade Holiday series. Thanks for visiting today!

 

handmade holiday:: felt ornaments

Felt is such an great material to have on hand. It can be used for about a billion different projects and can be stitched or glued in place. Last year, much of my Christmas crafting was based around felt, and I'm here with one ornament idea this year.

All you need is a few basic materials (probably from your pile of scraps!):

felt, fabric, scissors, needle, embroidery floss, baker's twine.

First, go ahead and cut yourself out two identical bird shapes. I freehanded a basic bird shape, like this:

Cut two small wings out of your fabric and stitch them onto each bird with your embroidery floss (make sure you stitch the wings on to the correct side of each felt bird. The birds will be layered wrong sides together to create a double sided ornament. ex: position one bird with beak facing LEFT when you stitch on the wing, and the other bird with the beak facing RIGHT when you stitch on the beak):

Don't worry about stitches being perfect. This is a handmade ornament, and a little bit of wonkiness adds to the charm ;)

Next, I made a french knot to create the eye for the bird. You could also use a small bead or button.

Now you are ready to stitch your two birds together. Lay them with the wrong sides together and blanket stitch around the outside edges.

When you've stitched all the way around your ornament, tie a tiny knot and snip the tail end of the floss. Use your baker's twine to stitch through the back of the bird to create a loop to hang the ornament.

Voila! Another quick and easy ornament to add to your handmade collection. These would be really cute hanging off a package instead of a bow. You could even stitch the recipient's name onto the wing to personalize the ornament and make it part of the gift rather than just a packaging embellishment.

Thanks for visiting my Handmade Holiday blog posts. Maybe you'll be inspired to make a little birdie ornament for yourself today? :)

 

handmade holiday:: cookie cutter ornaments

Welcome back to another Handmade Holiday project! This is a super simple ornament that you need NO crocheting skills for, and you most likely have all the materials on hand, or will easily be able to substitute a similar product to achieve the same results.

You will need: a cookie cutter, 12" of 3/4" wide ribbon, button, bakers twine (or embroidery floss), needle, scissors.

Trim a 12" length of ribbon (I used a cream colored sheer ribbon) and loop it through the cookie cutter, overlapping the ends of the ribbon about 1".

Lay your button over the overlapping ends of the ribbon and use the bakers twine and needle to stitch the button into place through all layers of ribbon (the two ends as well as the back piece). Begin stitching from the front side of the button, leaving an 8-10" tail that will be used to tie a bow when you are finished.

Tie a bow at the front of the button with the bakers twine, and  you're done!

For these ornaments, I purchased cookie cutters from a craft store for about a dollar. The other materials I already had in my stash, and could be easily interchanged with another color ribbon, button or twine for a different look. I'm thinking this would be a really sweet gift to make out of vintage cookie cutters using other vintage materials... lace or seam binding tape, buttons, cotton thread.

I am wondering if my Grandmother had any cookie cutters in her cabinets that were overlooked after she passed away, because I would LOVE to turn some of her personal effects into ornaments like this to share with some of my cousins. Hmmmm... maybe I should do a little investigating :)

 

my favorite ((Core'dinations)) things...

The Core'dinations design team members have been busily working on projects featuring some of their favorite Core' products. Today is my turn over on the Core Blog to share one of my favorite lines to work with... the Adirondack collection. These cardstock colors match up with Ranger Adirondack ink colors and are rich and vibrant and subtle and soft all at the same time.

My first project to share is a double page layout (gasp!) that I will be teaching at Crop on the Cape 2012 in March...have you signed up yet?!?!

... and another two pager that I will also be teaching at Crop on the Cape. This one features some neat scoring and sanding techniques that add instant *pop* to your pages without any added bulk or cost. Niiiiiiice!!

Then there is this 8 1/2x11 layout (my current favorite size to scrap). My Maya Gracie, being all two years old and full of herself, giving her mama a little bit of attitude after nap time. Not only did I use the fabulous Core'dinations Adirondack papers for this one, but I also made sure to use some of my favorite techniques, too. I unevenly sanded the edges of the grey paper to give the page a soft, distressed feel. I also sanded the area just behind where the date stamp is to call attention to the date without using a tag or other additional embellishment. To create the bunting title, I used a darker grey cardstock and embossed it with the cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder... my all time favorite for adding a bit of texture to small spaces that isn't overwhelming in design. Of course I had to do the journaling on my trusty typewriter. I love trimming out the journaling and softly inking the edges for a subtle look.

Then, there is this layout (11x8 1/2). This *might* be my favorite picture of the girls together. I love that Sadie is so in love with Maya, and that MG is actually snuggling and smooching on her little sister instead of yelling "noooooo Sade!!!!!". **Swoon** Above all my favorite techniques, I think my "keep it simple" style is my favorite. I get overwhelmed with loads of embellishments and products heaped on my craft table, and I find myself distracted by what I think I should be adding, instead of going with my gut feeling on what is enough for a project.

Remember to visit the Core'dinations Blog and leave some comment love... they are giving away a bunch of prizes!!

Handmade Holiday: Granny Square Bunting

I was inspired by this super sweet listing while poking around on Etsy a while ago and thought I could crochet myself a similar little bunting to hang near our (pathetic, tiny, artificial) Christmas Tree.

I used pretty much the same supplies that created the Granny Square Stockings:

Yarn, crochet hook, scissors (not pictured: the white yarn that will be used to crochet the pieces all together).

First, go ahead and crochet yourself a stack of Granny Squares. I made three green, three light pink, and four dark pink. The finished size of the squares is about 3 1/2". You can adjust the size of your squares by crocheting more/ fewer rows, or by using a different size hook or gauge of yarn.

Nice stack, no?

What is super helpful at this point is to have your creepy-crawling nine month old assist you in making sure the stitches on each granny square are nice and solid, and that the yarn you are using is ultra-absorbant.

Thanks, Sadie.

Begin to crochet yourself a nice little chain using another color of yarn; I used a white acrylic that has a strand of sparkly tinsel-like material woven into the fibers.

Begin to incorporate the granny squares into the bunting by using a single crochet stitch in each stitch going across one side of each square:

(That little bump you see at the top edge if the granny square is the tail end of the yarn. I didn't bother to weave the end in as I was just going to crochet right over that area, anyway. I'm all about cutting corners to save a few minutes, ya know.)

Again, creepy-crawler quality control while setting up photos is helpful:

What would I do without you, Sadie?

After you single crochet across the edge of the granny square, chain 5 stitches, then begin to single crochet across the next square. Repeat until you crochet all the squares together, then chain a little further to finish the end of the bunting.

Cute, right?! It was too hidden when I hung it behind the Christmas tree, but is looks pretty cute draped across the top of the window. I'm thinking I might use some embroidery floss and a teensy crochet hook to make a mini-bunting to decorate Maya Grace's little white tree in her bedroom. I'm also thinking this would be really sweet with crocheted circles instead of squares, or yarn pom poms... the possibilitiies are pretty endless.

Tomorrow I will be sharing with you one of my favorite lines of Core'diantions cardstock... head over to their blog every day until Christmas to peek at the other designers' favorites and leave comment love to win some cardstock :)

Handmade Holiday... Granny Square Stockings

If you were in any of my elementary school classes, you received one of these little crocheted "stockings" from me/my mom at Christmas time. They were filled with candycane reindeer and miniature chocolates, and each one was a little different from the next. Mom made these for approximately 50 kids each year (between my class and my brother's class)... I remember watching her crochet them and stacking them up in an empty shoe box until she had enough to begin filling up with little treats. I don't know how many of my classmates kept them or even remember them, but it was always a big part of the Christmas tradition for me :)

Ok... here are the basics of what you'll need to get started:

Three colors of yarn (I used acrylic), scissors, crochet hook, yarn needle.

You will make the base of the "stocking" by crocheting a Granny Square (check out a tutorial like THIS one if you don't know how). You can use one color of yarn if you like, but I like mixing it up and alternating between three different colors. I am a little non-traditional when it comes to festive decor; so I used pink, lime green and white for this project.

Crochet a border around the Granny Square, creating a loop by chaining 8 stitches at one corner of the square.

Use the yarn needle with the same color yarn you used for the border to stitch the square into a kite shape by bringing two of the long sides together. Begin stitching at the top opening part, working down towards the point at the bottom.

Tie a small knot in the yarn when you are finished stitching, and run the needle through some of the stitches on the back side of the stocking before trimming the yarn to hide the tail end of the yarn.

Fill the stocking with treats and hang it on your Christmas tree :) These make neat gift card holders, or you could create a bunch for next year and string them together to make a super snazzy advent calendar.

The great thing about this type of project is that it works up very quickly and is a fabulous way to use up little left over bits of yarn from other crafting projects. They could make cute party favors for little friends if you switch up the colors of yarn, or they could even become a sleeping bag for tiny babydolls (not that we have any of those laying around the house or anything...).

Thanks for letting me reminisce a little bit while creating this stocking to share. See you tomorrow for one more granny square inspired project!

merry&bright

I have one more goodie for you from Core'dinations and Basic Grey this week!

Again, I used the Core'dinations Basic Grey Core Impressions Color Core cardstock and embellishments from the Basic Grey Indie Bloom line.

This was a super quick card to make! I cut and folded my card base, rounded the corners and sanded the entire card. Doesn't that embossed design look just like a snowflake? I used a little bit of Crystal Stickles to layer over the alphabet stickers to make the word "bright" have a little sparkle... just one of those little touches that makes a big difference in the way of brightening up a project ;)

Head over to the Core'dinations blog and leave some comment love for a chance to win some of the Basic Grey Core Impressions papers... and you might as well go hit up the Basic Grey blog and do the same thing, 'cause they are giving away some goodies, too!

STAY TUNED!!! Next week I'll be starting a crafty little Handmade Holiday inspiration series!! I have a bunch of projects to share, and I *might* even have a few friends joining along to share their spin on handmade goodness for the Christmas season!