A few Christmas Projects

 Man, I can't believe it's been since November since I've posted anything!  I guess the excitement and busyness of the holidays superseded any desire (or time) to blog! I was also super busy making a few gifts and odds and ends for people!  Which brings me to my most favorite project I've done so far!

A good family friend of ours was interested in ordering a few homemade Christmas stockings and asked if I would be interested in making some for her!  Of course, I'm always opened to new challenges and projects!  After researching a few sewing patterns, I ended up blending a few of them together to make my own and I was quite pleasantly surprised with how they turned out too! 

After sewing the stocking together, I added a little chipboard letter, painted it with a little glitter and hung it with twine

And my friend sent me a picture of them on her mantle!  Don't they look sooo good with her decor?!  I love the way they turned out and might have to make some for myself soon too!

I also made a few other things for people over the holidays, but here's another pillow I've made!  This one was a Christmas present for a friend who lives in Alabama (hence the AL state shape and the hounds tooth fabric :) )  

That's all for now folks!  Wickett wanted to say "Merry Christmas" to you all before February came around!!  :) 

Idea board: Party Streamers

I know, I know.  I have neglected to blog in FOREVER and I'm sure you all are tired of hearing that by now!  But seriously... it's been FOREVER!  And the thing is, I've done sooo many new projects these past few months (like having a booth at my very first CRAFT FAIR!  More on that soon) that I haven't even thought about this blog. 

Anyways, enough with the excuses. 

I'm in the middle of planning my good friend's baby shower and thought I'd share a few decorating ideas that I've found in the process.  I bought a few packs of streamers from the dollar store and began thinking of creative ways that I could use them.  Since the shower hasn't happened yet and the time hasn't come to implement my plans I turned to google for some inspiration to share!

1.  Streamers can be used to add an extra splash of color to a white table cloth or candles.

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 2.  Add streamers to balloons for a ruffled look or to the table in a plaid pattern.

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 3.  Make a wreath using streamers.

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 4.  Combine two different colored streamers and twist together.

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 5.  Twist streamers together and use as a backdrop.

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Hope these ideas help add extra flair to your upcoming holiday parties!  Make a backdrop out of streamers for your food table on Thanksgiving or a Christmas wreath out of red, green, and white streamers!  SO cheap and easy!

Restyle: Patio Furniture

A few months ago my mother-in-law gave us an iron table patio set.  You know, one of those everyday sets that everyone has had in their backyard at one point or another.  Well, I decided to give ours a little makeover (since it was going to need a fresh coat of paint anyways).  Take a look at the transformation!

 

 ** Always make sure you take the extra time to get a good, even coat of primer on whatever you're painting for the paint to adhere better and look brighter!  I always used to skip this step, but it's VERY important to get a more professional look.

 (TA DA!  The bright yellow!  I used Krylon Spray Paint in Sun Yellow for those of you who are wondering)

 (AFTER:  Complete with my first handmade place mats!  I'm pretty proud! lol)

And there you have it... the project that took waaay longer than it should have, but finally got completed!  I learned a few lessons along the way that might be helpful to those of you who are planning on painting furniture sometime soon.  Lesson 1: As stated before, ALWAYS make time to use primer.  It helps the paint adhere better, give it a brighter, more professional look, and helps your spray paint go a lot further.  Lesson 2:  It will take more spray paint to complete your project than you initially might expect.  Maybe I was just oblivious, but it took almost double the amount of spray paint that I first thought!  Lesson 3:  DO NOT spray paint anything in 100 degree weather!  Hopefully those little lessons will help any of you out there who don't have much experience painting furniture.  We used the table for the first time a couple weekends ago and I was soo excited to finally show off our first patio set! 

*** Stay tuned for a post on how I made these cute, reversible place mats!

Tilt Umbrella: Ikea
Globe Lights: Target
Tea-light Centerpiece: Pier 1
Citronella Tea-light Candles: Pier 1