A Welcoming Thought (Or a Wreath Alternative)

 This is the time of year that we are supposed to be taking stock of our blessings, thinking about warmth, family and harvest. At least that's how I feel. The holidays are fast approaching and with family stopping by more often, I wanted to start decorating for the season.

There are tons of wreath tutorials and some really beautiful designs out there for this time of year. Don't believe, go look at pinterest. Personally, I'm not a big fan of wreaths and with my screen, they are hard to see. Plus, I don't have that much room to store them. So I decided on an alternative.

I started with this free template from BHG.com for a pillow. I loved the look of it but wanted to personalize it a little. Rather than enlarging as directed, I printed it out on a single piece of paper and cut the pieces out of craft felt. There was the main orange background, a yellow-orange body and the brown stem.

With a pencil, I free handed some lettering and the swirly-curlies and then hand stitched the beads down. For a little extra touch I outlined the stem in the same gold beads as the swirly-curlies and used a pale green ribbon to hang it. There is no stuffing or stiffener to this at all, just basically two layers of felt.

It looked a little plain on my 70's-tastic front door, so I added the fall leaf wreath from yesterday's post to it. My DH gave it his stamp of approval, so it will be up for a bit, until I get my Halloween door project finished...

Sweet Baby Gifts (pt 1)

 I love being crafty  when it comes to baby gifts. There are so many things that can be made for little ones that are not that difficult or expensive to make, but still loved by the new mommy and baby alike.

One of our cousins is expecting their first baby girl any day now. Her actual due date isn't until February 9th, but the mommy is so petite that there is no way she will make it that long. She is really fun and girly so I knew I would be able to make a super fun gift to give her.

Because I was limited on time, I was only able to really do a receiving blanket and quilt, but both were still very much appreciated.

Here is the receiving blanket. I love making these because they literally take an hour from start to finish. I chose a cute strawberry print to match the quilt and the flower/ladybug print to match the rest of the nursery. Both flannels were on clearance so this was a nice cheap project.

I got one yard of each, trimmed them to equal size, and pinned with right sides together. I sewed around the material, leaving an opening just large enough to pull the blanket right side out) after snipping the corners to reduce on bulk). Once flipped right side out, I sewed another hem all the way around which closed the opening and gave it a nice finished look.

Just imagine how easy it would be to turn out a bunch of these just to have on hand for last minute gifts. It makes me think that when my budget allows, I'm going to stock up on cute flannels and do just that!

Dog Cookie Jar

That title may be a little misleading. Let's say this is more of a "Treat" jar, but a lot of people refer to their pup's treats as cookies. And it kinda looks like a cookie a jar.

Anyway, we are going to finish the week with a tutorial on how to make this super easy and very inexpensive  treat jar.


Here's what you need:

1. Glass jar (I paid $5 at Walmart)
2. Alphabet stickers ($1.50 at Michael's)
3. Masking tape
4. Armour Etch*

Armour Etch is getting hard to find in stores, which is a shame because I love that stuff. It is a quick and easy way to get the etched glass or mirror looks at home. I know you can get it on Amazon pretty easily (along with letter stencils) or try the Walmart website.

The process:

1. Make sure the glass jar is clean and dry. Apply stickers to spell "Treats", "Cookies", or your dog's name. Be sure stickers are completely stuck down, you don't want the etching cream seeping under them. This is totally customizable. Next put masking tape around the area you don't want etched. Again, make sure edges are completely sealed.

2. Apply a thick coat of the etching cream. Cover the letter stickers completely, but be careful not to go past the masking tape. Follow the package directions. (Although I've found that leaving it on a little longer than directed helps the etched look.)

3. Rinse with water. I always try to do one of the sides without stickers first so I can check the quality of the frosted glass look. If it doesn't look even or frosted enough, I leave the cream on and apply more where needed.

4. Air dry to see completed frosted look. Because the outside is etched, you can hand wash the inside as needed.

And that's it. Now all that's left to do is fill it with treats for the pups and you are all done. 

Keep in mind this process is perfect for customization. Use smaller jars for smaller dog treats or even cat treats. Or change the words and use it as a candy jar. Use swirly accent stickers instead of letters and these jars are great for home decor. Once you have the process down, there are really so many possibilities for what you can make!

***Sorry, the pictures for some reason didn't load, but I will get them uploaded again as soon as I can!***

*** UPDATE 11/5/12: Pictures uploaded and working this time! ***