creating that handmade holiday.

this year i have decided to switch things up. and thanks to the sales last year after christmas i can.
i have the luxury {thanks to 75%off sales!} to switch up my colour sceme for the main room. but i also wanted to do something more. i have decided that handmade has been the way to go.

first thing i did was plant some bulbs for home decor. and on tuesday, when i had that glorious day to catch up, i added some sparkle to them.

and look! a flower is peeking through!

another thing i wanted to do was put a small tree in the tv room to add some christmas in there and for this i handmade a felt ball garland - i wanted the tree to have a candy-style whimsy to it. i saw something like this on my blog crush, whatever, and thanks to a discount code she circulated i was able to get some balls and make one myself!

here's how: thread some bakers twine through a needle {takes mucho mucho patience!} and poke the needle through the middle of the balls et voila! thread the ball on to the twine, repeat and then space then out to your design style. beautiful and rad. and i think they add just the right touch!

i am excited to see what is going to come through the doors from school in the next couple of days to decorate with and we still have a few more tricks up our sleeve to do around here together.
hopefully we can pull off just the right balance between homemade and store bought.

do you have a favorite handmade holiday decoration?

i think it's looking pretty christmasy up there...don't you?

:)

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Also today we are over on Living on Love and talking about our December Daily's of Christmases past and keeping our tradition of advent and documentation alive!! Come over and join us!

project: d.i.y. cake topper bunting.

so today i am going to talk about the cake topper that i made.

sorry it's two days late....

do you ever have a couple of days that you would like to extract from the calender and throw then away because one day was the result of someone being up all hours of the night and became too tired to funtion & the next was a colossal waste of time between car garages and the insurance place?

so yeah...i would like to strike those days from the record counselor! {see i could have been a lawyer..}

and today i am getting a migraine but i am determined to share this with you! 

so....on with the show!

and there you have it!
i admit for the poles my dowels may have been a touch on the thick side and if it doing for cupcakes i would use wooden skewers and wrap the twine around the pole a couple of times and tie it off {like a hair wrap...remember those? did you ever get one on vacation?}.
also i used fabric as i have all this amazing fabric which i am doing amazing things with but if you have a collection of great paper by all means use that as well.

that's it!
i hope you use this idea and i would love for you to paste your links in the comments so i can see your creations too!!
happy crafting!

:)

project: diy heart-felt valentines garland.

well i did it.
i have been wanting to do it for years and finally just did it.
there were dishes to be done, laundry to be folded and dinner to be made but i carved out some time and got down to this project.
i have been carrying this bundle of felt around with me through three different house moves with this plan in my mind and i always find myself on the eve of the holiday with no completed project in sight.

i love it, i love it, i love it!

i have made three of them that are approximately 75 hearts long each and i love having them around.
this might become my new signature holiday look and i can't wait to make other themed garlands.
i am so excited and happy about this right down to the tips of my toes!!!

here's how i did it:
first thing gather up all your felt then cut a strip, fold in half and cut out half a heart, unfold and you have a whole one!

now just keep doing that and you end up with this:

this picture reminds me of gambling chips.....let it all ride on red! bet it all!! haha.

then place one heart in the sewing machine, start then reverse then keep going........

when you come to the end of one heart feed the next one through and keep going like this. **there are no rules or patterns here....make your own, i was switching it up all the way through. plus all my hearts are different sizes and i love that - gives it the real homemade touch, my touch.

when you get to the very end - your last heart in the string -  remember to do a reverse switch to seal your thread so the whole thing doesn't unravel on you!!

last step - find the perfect place, string it up, admire it and pat yourself on the back......you made it. you.

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this movie has stuck with me.
i really really want to see it.
yes he is not a good actor but i love rachael mcadams and i love the idea of it.
to have the chance to fall in love with your husband again? magical.
i absolutely love and adore my husband...don't get me wrong...there is just something about discovering love. it's touching and lovely. i remember our story like it was yesterday & i wouldn't change a moment of it. he is my intended.

maybe one day i will share our journey into love with you all.......i think i just might......

craft it forward...giveaway.

I thought I would add a giveaway this week, but not just any giveaway... It's the Craft It Forward  giveaway. Here's how it goes...
I promise to send something handmade to the first 5 people who leave a comment here... They must in turn post this on their blog and send something they make to the first 5 people who comment. The rules are that it must be handmade by you (sewing, painting, pottery, photography, doodle, whatever!), and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011.
I commented on petit a petit and family's blog and I can't wait to see what I'll get in the mail... I promise to share as soon as I get it!
So who wants to play? If you think your not crafty enough, no worries! What counts is that you make a little something, ANYTHING!  I'll totally help if you want... For more inspiration you can check out my Pinterest, I have a few DIY boards with easy ideas to try out...
When you leave a comment, let me know if you want something for you or your kids.... Don't forget to leave your e-mail as well.
You want to know more about Craft It Forward, click on the button below...

Happy crafting!!!

party countdown day 2: decorations.

you know me - always trying to have my finger on the pulse, be as hip as ever (yeah right - i'm as un-hip as they come, well maybe not that much) so when i do my daily perusing of all those insanely creative ladies out there i am inspired time and time again. this year i decided to take all this inspiration and run with it.

i have been seeing these little mustaches burning up the web and took the bull by the horns and made some for our celebration. they were so easy to make and i think they are going to make for some silly times and some outrageous photo's! and the great thing is they are also going to be going home with the guests so they can continue the fun into the wee hours of bedtime (roughly eight o'clock for all our little party animals!) 

i made pom poms!!! for a while now i have been wanting to make these pom poms and have been a little hesitant and i can't believe why. they were so easy! and they are so delightful. i am so excited that they worked out and i can't wait to see how they are going to look filled up in our trees, along the balcony and distributed through the house. they only down side of them is that they are made of tissue and are not going to last outside through the summer, so i am going to have to make a point to open a bottle of wine on saturday night and sit outside with the twinkle lights and soak them in till i am forced to take them down. (i wish i had known about these when i got married - what a beautiful touch they would have made to the dining room!)

last but not least i am tackling these garlands. i think they add that great arts & crafts touch and give it all that homey feel. i can see them draped from the living room light and the banister for the stairs. i try to make things all razzle dazzle but i also like to add some simple decorations so it's not so much.

i'm so happy that i have had the time to make these little touches this year and i can hare them all with you. so between balloons, garlands, pom poms and moustaches i think we are going to have a swinging shin dig!!

check in tomorrow - i have been doing some cooking dry-runs on some new recipes, that of course i wanted to try out but would never try a first edition on anybody other than the husband, my favorite and willing guinea pig.

**garland photo courtesy of etsy blog.