Wooden Snowmen Spoons

This is another cheap, quick and easy craft for winter that’s also pretty darn cute.  I started with some plain wooden spoons (I paid less than $1 for the set of 4) that I painted white.

Since they were already a light colored wood, it only took a couple quick coats to cover the spoons.  next, I simply used black paint to add a mouth and “buttons”.  A little orange paint made the nose, and I used blue and green paint for the eyes.  I dabbed just a bit of pink to add a little color to the “cheeks”, and tied a piece of scrap ribbon around one of the spoons to serve as a scarf.

Since there were four spoons and there are four of us, I figured we could each have a spoon that represented us.  The sole squared off one had to be Travis, since he’s the only male.  Two of the female spoons have green eyes (Katie and me), and the other has blue (Hannah).  A little dorky maybe, but hey, that’s how my mind works!

Now I just need to find an empty spot to display my little family of snowmen spoons!

Christmas Tree Painting

I spent the entire day Saturday decorating for Christmas.  However, before I could do that, I had to whip up a few new decorations for the holidays.  I knew I wanted something other than my usual wreath to hang above my mantle.  While I was gathering ideas, I came across several Christmas tree paintings that looked fairly simple.  (Bear in mind, I cannot draw.  At all.)   I found trees similar to the ones above that looked easy enough, so I gave it a try.

I was actually quite pleased with how they turned out.  There’s really nothing to the trees, but since I have a severe lack of artistic ability, having them turn out well was a huge deal to me.  I hung it above my mantle, along with a couple other new things that I will be posting about this week.

Now all we lack is decorating the tree.  We get a real Christmas tree every year, so we got the tree Saturday and brought it in the house, but have yet to decorate it.  Well, except for one small decoration…

Can you see it?

Yes, Mr. Buzz decided to see how the tree looks from the inside.  This may be the most interesting Christmas ever!

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.  It’s a day to pause and reflect on the things we are thankful for.  Personally, I have way too many to name, but, of course, my family, friends, and church family top the list.  Traditional meals include turkey, dressing (or stuffing–depending on which area of the country you’re from), potatoes and other vegetables, and pumpkin pie.  There’s always a football game on the tv, which makes Travis and Hannah happy (especially this year–the Dallas Cowboys are on).

Like most families, ours has its Thanksgiving traditions.  Last night we watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.  I’m a huge Peanuts cartoon fan, and I’ve always encouraged (okay, maybe forced at times) my kids to watch the Peanuts holiday specials.

Today, we’ll spend the first part of the day with my in-laws, followed by a visit with my family (thankfully our families live in neighboring towns).   By then we’ll be pretty miserable from eating way too much.  But, hey, Thanksgiving comes once a year and calories don’t count on holidays (at least in my little world).  Last night I did my part of the cooking:  deviled “death” eggs (you can read about those here), macaroni salad, and broccoli casserole.

Tomorrow we’ll be out and about doing some Black Friday shopping.  It’s a crazy day, but we just go for the fun of it and not to necessarily buy anything (which tells you Travis and I need more date nights!).  Saturday is decorating day.  I’ll pack away all my fall decorations and make the house look Christmas-y.  It’s a big job, but I love having the house decked out for the holidays

However you spend the day, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  For those of you in other countries, I hope you’re inspired to take a few minutes to reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for in our lives.

Shopping List

Every year before we do our Christmas shopping, Travis makes an Excel spreadsheet to track our budget and shopping progress.  I have to admit I’ve laughed about it quite a bit over the years, so one year he decided not to do “the spreadsheet”.  And you know what?  I couldn’t get a bit of shopping done without it!  The list has columns for the name of the person we’re buying for, gift ideas, the amount we’ve budgeted to spend, the gift(s) we’ve actually bought, and the amount we spent.  It really is a great way to keep track of not only the budget, but also what we’ve bought so that we don’t forget anything!

This year I decided to share the spreadsheet with you, although I did make it a little prettier.  I promised Travis I’d give him credit for the idea, and I hope you find it useful.  You may need to print out a few copies, since the there are only 9 slots on the list and I know that doesn’t touch the number of people we buy gifts for!

This is the link.  I’m not the most tech-savvy person, so I hope it works!

christmas-list-template

 

 

Countdown to Christmas Sign

When my younger daughter, Katie, was little she loved counting down the days to Christmas.  We have a Santa and a snowman that have numbers you can change to reflect how many days are left, and her “job” was to change the numbers every day.  As she got older, she used an app on her phone to count down the days.  This year I decided to make a sign she (and the rest of us, of course) could use.

This is a really simple and inexpensive project.  You’ll need:

• A wooden plaque (mine is 9″ x 12″)
• Chalkboard paint
• Your choice of paint colors (I used black around the edges, bright red on the front, and white and green for polka dots/lettering)
• Chalk or a chalk pen

I first taped off a square and filled it in with chalkboard paint.  While that was drying, I pained the edges black.  I let both dry for a few hours.  Then, I peeled the tape off and taped inside the chalkboard paint square so that I could paint the front of the plaque without getting it on the chalkboard part.  After painting the front red and allowing it to dry, I simply decorated with “Countdown to Christmas” lettering and polka dots.  Of course, you could decorate this any way you choose.  Unfortunately I’m not much of an artist, so I like to keep it simple.

This is a project you could use for other events, as well–a countdown to a birthday or vacation, for example.  Counting down the days to a special event always makes it that much more exciting!

Now I just need to decide whether to put a hanger on the back to hang it on the wall, or use a plate stand to display it.

Mug Rug

I often fantasize about what I refer to as “cozy days”.  You know, those days when it’s cold and snowy outside and you’re inside snuggled in front of the fireplace with a blanket, a pair of fuzzy socks, a good book (or crochet project), and a dog on your lap.  What makes the day even better is if you have your favorite mug filled with coffee or hot chocolate next to you.  And, you might as well throw in a couple of cookies since cookies always make things better.

Since everything around you is cozy, your mug needs a cozy place to rest, too, right?  I’ve seen several patterns for quilted mug rugs (which are bigger than a coaster), but thought I’d first try my hand at a crocheted one since I really wasn’t in the mood to drag my sewing machine out.  I found a pattern by Debra at mysantacarvings.blogspot.com.  I changed it up a little, so I’ll tell you how I made mine.

• 2 different colors of cotton yarn (I used Lily’s Sugar & Cream in red and a Christmas mix)
• Size H hook
• Tapestry needle (for weaving in the ends)

Chain 19.

Row 1:  sc in second chain from hook and in each chain across.  Ch 1.  Turn.

Row 2:  hdc in second sc from hook, sc in next sc.  *hdc in next sc, sc in next sc*.  Repeat from * until you reach the end.

Repeat row 2 until you’re happy with the size of the mug rug.  I did somewhere in the neighborhood of 19 rows, but I wasn’t using my stitch counter and lost count.

Border:  sc around the border, using 3 sc in each corner.  Finish off.  Weave in ends.

This is slightly larger than the original pattern and is also a rectangle, rather than a square.  I opted to use two strands of yarn instead of three.  I tried to use three strands, but as I am relatively new to crochet, I found three strands to be too cumbersome.

A set of these mug rugs would make a great gift, and the color combinations are limitless!

Santa may find his milk and cookies on this mug rug!

Death Eggs

I know what you’re thinking–death eggs?  That’s my nickname for deviled eggs.  You see, I don’t like deviled eggs.  At all.  I can’t imagine how they got invented.  Was someone sitting around thinking “hmmm…you know, this boiled egg needs some mayonnaise and mustard added to it, and while I’m at it, I think I’ll add a little sugar and vinegar, too”?   Yuck.  But, I digress.  Back to how my nickname came about.

I don’t know if it’s a southern thing, but around here when someone dies people bring food.  I suppose it’s because there’s no good way to ease the family’s grief, but we can at least feed them.  Plus, all the folks visiting the grieving family have to eat.  Our church typically cooks for the families of the church when someone passes away.  Several years ago I got a call from the lady who organizes the dinners, asking me to make deviled eggs.  I had never made deviled eggs in my life, but, of course, being a young wife and mother I was expected to know how to cook such things.  I felt bad telling her I had never made them, so I went in search for an easy recipe and gave it a whirl.

Apparently the deviled eggs turned out okay because that became my dish to make whenever there was a funeral.  Since I never fixed the eggs otherwise, I made the statement that my kids would associate deviled eggs with death.  Hence, the name “death eggs”.   These are super-simple to make.

You’ll need:

• 12 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
• approx. 4 Tbsp. mayo
• 1 Tbsp. mustard
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
• salt and pepper
• paprika, for garnish

Place the hard boiled egg yolks in a bowl and mash with a fork until they are a powder-like consistency.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  If the yolk mixture seems a little too dry, add a little more mayo.  Spoon the egg yolk mixture into the egg white halves.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Refrigerate.

Forgive the somewhat dark pictures.  I made these last night and my kitchen doesn’t have the best picture-taking light.  These eggs were for a funeral.  Last night we said goodbye to a wonderful lady in our church.  She was sweet, loving, and had a mind of her own!  When she put her hand on her hip or pointed her finger at you and talked, you listened.  And obeyed!  She was good at giving orders, but she was such a good-natured person it was impossible to take offense.  Her smile was contagious and a bit mischievous.  She was the type of Christian lady we should strive to be–and the type of lady we should raise our daughters to be.

Although we take comfort in the fact that she is no longer suffering, Ms. Shirley will be greatly missed!

Santa Paintbrushes

Time for my first Christmas craft of the season!  I haven’t pulled out my Christmas decorations yet (that’s reserved for the Saturday after Thanksgiving), but it’s definitely time to crank out a few crafts before the decorating begins.  I made these Santas out of paintbrushes, and it was one of the cheapest (and easiest) crafts I’ve made.

Supplies:

• Wooden paintbrushes (I used two different sizes)
• Red and white paint
• White felt
• Hot glue
• Red pom pom noses
• Small buttons
• Small bells (or other embellishment)
• Jute (or ribbon) for hanging

I started by painting the handles of the paintbrushes red.

I then cut the white felt into strips and hot glued it to the metal part of the paintbrush.

Next, I used the hot glue to add button eyes, pom pom noses, and bells for embellishment. Finally, I painted small white snowflakes on the handles and added jute for hangers.

That’s it!  I think I wound up spending around $7 on this craft–tops.

My cat, Woody, couldn’t figure out why I wouldn’t let him play with the brushes.  I think he liked the pom pom noses!  I haven’t yet decided where to hang these, but I know it will have to be out of the reach of Woody and his brother Buzz.  And, speaking of cats…if any of you have ideas about how to keep kittens out of a Christmas tree I’m open to suggestions!  This is our first Christmas with Buzz and Woody and they’re very curious and energetic little kitties!

 

Accessories

I love accessories.  Jewelry, socks, scarves, purses…you name it.  I love it.  I’m the girl who could wear solid colors every day of her life, since accessorizing is so much fun.  More often than not I choose my accessories first, and work my outfit around them.  I believe part of the reason I believe I love accessories is you don’t outgrow them.  Dryers have a tendency to shrink clothes (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!), but accessories can last for years.

I’ve been making jewelry for years, and have recently branched out to crochet and knitting.  This has opened a new world–handmade scarves, fingerless gloves, boot cuffs…  These are some of my recent projects.

I crocheted these boot cuffs while travelling to Shepherdstown, WV (you can read about the trip here).  They were easy, worked up quickly, and it was easy to make them into the right size (although, that being said, I didn’t take into account how much they would stretch and probably should have made them slightly smaller).

I’ve also been looking for a good (i.e., quick and easy) fingerless glove pattern.  This is the first pair I knit.

I then decided to crochet a pair, and so far I have one glove finished.

I like the way both look, but so far I think I like the process of crocheting a little better.  It just seems a little easier to me.

Good thing the weather has finally cooled off a little.  I’d hate for my new accessories to go to waste!

 

Mistletoe Market

On Friday, a friend and I took the day off and went to the Mistletoe Market in Abingdon, VA.  This is an annual trek for us and thankfully our bosses are very understanding!  The Market is the largest fundraiser of the year for the William King Museum of Art in Abingdon, and features tons of vendors.  Some are local shops, some are handmade craft booths, and all get a good look from us!

I wish I could have gotten a good picture from inside the Market, but with everything being on one level, the only pics I could get were of what was directly in front of me.  I can, however, show you our haul.

I can’t show you what is in all the bags, since I managed to knock out a few Christmas presents, but I can show you what I bought for myself.

I love this scarf and the colors will go with so many different things.  The only issue I had was choosing between the infinity scarf shown and the same pattern in a blanket scarf.  I finally decided to go with the infinity scarf.  It’s easy to throw on, and is so soft!

I also really liked this wrap bracelet.  I think it will look good by itself, and also good stacked with other bracelets.  Look closely–the colored beads are actually paper beads!

These beads are made by women in Africa to give them a good source of income.  I can’t imagine the patience it must take to make beads so small!  I’ve wanted to try making paper beads for a long time, but have never gotten around to it.  Somehow I think mine will be much larger!

That’s all I bought for myself.  Not too bad!  Believe me, I’ve done much worse in the past.  I had a great time, though, and now I’m starting to think about Christmas.  If only the weather would cooperate.  I think a snow day–or at least some flurries–would really get me in the mood for the holidays!