Holiday Fun | Bead Happily Ever After

When you care enough . . .

Posted on December 8, 2009 by crystal

You’ve probably heard the Hallmark Cards slogan that says “When you care enough to send the very best…” I have a feeling that making the card yourself would probably mean the most, though. 😉

I haven’t made many cards but I love to receive a handmade card and occasionally I have fun playing with pretty paper, rubber stamps, punched-out shapes, and ribbons. It takes me back to the time when, as a child, I’d watch Captain Kangaroo on TV. Does anyone know who the heck I’m talking about? LOL

That really was a long time ago, but the Captain used to pull out the colored paper, paste, and blunt edged scissors for a segment of the show he called “playtime”, where he’d demonstrate how to make something fun.

Lately, I’ve been entering my jewelry in The Play Date Cafe’s weekly Creativity Challenges, but since most of the others enter cards, I thought I’d try one this time.

Here’s my entry for Challenge #7 with the colors green, white, and red:

I love snowmen and when I saw that I had some appropriate buttons in my button box, I was off and running. The little guy needed a scarf to snuggle around his neck. I decided to use embroidery floss to crochet one. The hat is black felt and the trees were made with a Martha Stewart paper punch. With all that personality, I just knew he must have a heart. Luckily, I had a heart-shaped sequin for the finishing touch!

‘Til next time,

As the Shoppers Rush Home . . .

Posted on December 3, 2009 by crystal

Bundle up, Kids!

We’re going shopping again!

I’ve rented a bus, stocked up on cocoa and cookies, and handed the driver a big pile of Christmas CD’s.

Is it just me or does that guy remind you of anyone? Maybe it’s the long white beard and the red jacket. He seems to be in an awfully good mood too. He’s been ho, ho, ho-ing ever since he pulled up. 😉

Ok, seatbelts buckled? Then, we’re off to etsy!

Kanzashi Flower Bobby Pins

Who says you need a new holiday outfit? How about some festive new accessories, instead? Here’s a pretty pair of handmade kanzashi flower bobby pins in decadent ruby red. Petals of silk dupioni are layered in duchess satin, while a glittering crystal rhinestone accents the centers. From PetalMix

Embroidered Cuff

A magical concoction of snowflakes and sugar… Candy swirls, French Knots and Curly Wisps surround your wrist in purple, green, and red. An accessory for every holiday outfit…or just a pair of jeans and t-shirt! Made with an off-white, mottled wool. Backed with linen; vintage button closure. From Waterrose

Tiny Doll Bed

So TINY, so adorable!!! ALL Handmade and perfect for any doll that’s under 8 inches. Sturdy birch wood, hand cut, sanded, primed and painted with several coats of paint for LONG lasting play and enjoyment. Comes with a silky pink mattress, a blanket and a pillow, in lovely floral fabrics with pretty hand sewn trim. A sweet vintage baby lamb decal decorates the head and footboards with just a tiny dash of sparkly glitter. VERY limited item. From KittyKatDance

Colorful Pinch Bud Vases

Give the gift of art! Hand blown glass – Perfect for some stems from the garden, or for rooting new plants. Gorgeous transparent colors, pinched oval neck. From tannerglass

Yikes, look at the time! We’d better head home.

Aw…. Can you believe it? The poor driver fell asleep waiting for us. Guess he’s been working a lot of hours. He told me that this is the “busy season” at his other job. 😉

‘Til next time,

12 Ornaments of Christmas – Part 7

Posted on November 18, 2009 by crystal

I have a riddle for you! 🙂

What do you get when you take this . . .

And add it to this?

Answer: A unique handmade Christmas ornament! 😉

The 7th ornament in this series is a little wooden sled that I’ve decorated with a small piece of cross stitch – but you could choose any number of other ways to embellish it including a crocheted motif, or embroidery, sewing, pieced felt, papercrafts, or even decorative painting. The idea is to use a winter or holiday item, like the sled, and decorate it in an unusual way to create a very special ornament!

Supplies:

small wooden sled (available at craft stores)
tiny cross stitched design of your choice
scrap of felt for hat
small beads (seed beads for hat, 4mm bead for pom pom)
glittered ribbon cord for hanger and bow
small piece of decorative braid or trim
tacky glue

Directions:

You’ll notice my sled has been stained and painted – which is NOT necessary. Leaving it natural is perfectly fine, or you may decide to paint your sled a bright color.

Stitch the design of your choice in cross stitch.

Lay the finished stitching on the table face-up. Place the sled (seat side down) on top of the stitching. Be sure it is centered and trace around the sled (directly onto the fabric) so that you will have the traced outline as a cutting guide.

Cut on the line and after placing a thin layer of tacky glue on the top of the sled, attach the stitching to it. Press firmly and allow to dry.

Use a piece of cord to make a “pulling rope” for the sled.

Optional:

I made a hat for the penguin by cutting a small triangle of felt and sewing it in place. I folded the top corner over and attached a crystal pom pom and a few seed beads for sparkle!

I decided that the cross stitch design could use a border of some kind. Since I didn’t have any suitable decorative trim on hand, I took a piece of the glittered ribbon cord and crocheted a “chain” to glue around the edges of the sled. A small bow in the lower left corner was the finishing touch.

You’ll have lots of your own ideas, of course, but I hope this will inspire you to look around for something you have there right now, that could be used to make a unique ornament. 😀

Knitted Bunny Rabbit – Friday Favorites

Posted on April 10, 2009 by crystal

Just in time for Friday Favorites, I’ve finished the “mystery” knitting that I hinted about earlier this week (see it here)

Please meet: Sir Hops Alot 🙂

He’s a tiny little fella at less than 8″ tall – and that includes his ears! I enjoyed making him but I would describe this as “fussy knitting” because of all the small pieces. You’ll find the pattern here.

Wishing a very Happy Easter to those who celebrate it, and Happy Spring to everyone!

See you Monday with a new giveaway and new questions!

Eggs-traordinary Keepsakes – Easter Fun

Posted on April 9, 2009 by crystal

Are you sentimental?

I am and it gets me into trouble sometimes. I find it difficult to let go of anything that reminds me of my family, friends, or just good times. It can be a battle for storage space between the things we need to keep and the things I’d “like” to keep. For example, I have storage boxes with cards/notes, my kids’ school papers, their baby shoes – not only their actual “first shoes”, but their first sandals, first sneakers, first “big girl” slippers – well, you see where I’m going here.

Even though I might be dubbed “overly-sentimental” in some cases, I think many would agree that holiday mementos are nice to save.

Since it will be Easter this Sunday, I brought out some Easter eggs that the kids and I decorated years ago.

It was our first attempt at blowing out the yolks before decorating them. We had read an article on how to do it and were very excited to give it a try. I remember that we poked a small hole on one end and then a slightly larger hole on the other end; inserted a toothpick to break up the yolk a bit, and then began to try what sounded easy in the directions . . . “just blow the yolk into a bowl”.

Hmmm, well it didn’t seem easy! I huffed and puffed and finally did one – but whew!!! It was tough! Next my older daughter tried and she had about the same experience that I did. I began to think we’d only have a few blown-out eggs to decorate – since there was no oxygen tank on hand to revive us. 😉

But then, up steps my younger daughter to give it a whirl. Incredibly, she does it in seconds!!! We are amazed! She does another and then another – all quick as a wink. She smiles and says that she’ll finish the dozen. Her sister and I look at her in awe. After she finished the 12th egg, she suddenly felt a little queasy – poor kid!!! Luckily, the feeling passed quickly and the three of us had a great time decorating these eggs.

We used plastic sleeves for the middle part of each egg, but we got a bit creative painting and dyeing the “ends” of each egg.

As I say, it was a long time ago. Since then we’ve had a good laugh about how it took the help of the youngest one to get those eggs ready for decorating! They’ve held up well over the years, though. Storing them in an egg carton has probably helped. I do still love to pull them out and be reminded of the fun we had that day. 🙂

Do you have things you just can’t part with?