9 Feb 2016

Heart Candle Holder

by Eva M | posted in: Crafts | 0

This is so cute. Put it on your table all month to keep the Valentine’s mood going. It’s definitely heart warming.

Supplies

Candle Holder

3 Heart Shaped Doilies similar in size to your candle holder

Red Tissue Paper

Mod Podge

Paint Brush

Candle

Instructions

Cut out the center heart from all 3 doilies. Cut out red tissue paper to sit inside the heart, allowing the scalloped edge to be left open. Brush the Mod Podge all over the tissue heart and press it onto the doily heart. Brush more Mod Podge over the entire back side of the hearts and press in place on the candle holder. For this candle holder, I used 3 doilies and overlapped the edges of the hearts. Depending on the size of your candle holder, you may need more or less doilies and tissue paper.

9 Dec 2015

Christmas Decorating

by Eva M | posted in: Home Decor | 0

I like to keep the Christmas decorating as easy as possible. It helps me be able to keep everything looking good and it make the house feel warm and comfortable. These 2 snowmen were given to me as a gift about 10 years ago. They are not expensive, but when I look at their faces, it always puts a smile on my face and the faces of everyone who looks at them. I know this because of all the comments I get about them.

My tree is very traditional. I have been collecting ornaments since the first year I was married. As the family grew and changed, I got ornaments to detail every event. Sports teams, animals, hobbies, you name it, we have it. Now when my children come over, they point out all the ornaments to their children and let them know why they’re on the tree. The ornament that is talked about every year is my son’s picture in a tuna fish can that he made in preschool. It’s great.

Now, as you can imagine, I have pictures of all 6 of the grandkids. i also have ornaments from quite a few of the places that I have visited. Unpacking the ornaments and decorating the tree is so relaxing. It makes you remember so many things in your life that you tend to put on the back burner when we get so busy. It’s truly amazing.

A few years back, I made stockings for my immediate family. I have everyone’s name on them and I put them up every year. Two years ago, I had a sleep-over with my 4 oldest grand children and we made salt dough ornaments. Every year when I put them up, they still tell everyone which one they made and who made all the rest. It is great to see them so proud of what they created.

This is my dining room table. So simple and easy. I just cut a piece of white burlap and frayed the edges, added some poinsettias in buckets with candles and large ornaments. Nothing has to be moved when dinner is served and it always looks great.

This is the right side of my mantle. You can put so many different things on the mantle and it always looks great. I have a rustic reindeer and angel with an angel nutcracker and bright holiday ornaments and it all fits together. I tried to have a red theme going this year thats why you see so much red.

11 Nov 2015

Gift Wrapping

by Eva M | posted in: Crafts, Gifts | 0

Every year for Christmas, I try to wrap my presents in a different, unique but easy way. I always do them all in the same paper with the same ribbons and bows, so everyone knows which gift is from me. I have been doing this for quite a while and I still find it lots of fun to decide how i am going to wrap each year.

Over the years, i have done the typical red paper with white or white and red ribbons and bows, plaid, blue snowflake and one year I was not able to wrap much do to an operation, so I got different size white garbage bags and put everything in them. I thought that would be a great idea, but as it turned out, you could see the gift through the bag, so I had to wrap everything in white tissue paper first then put it in the bags. What was supposed to be easy, turned out to be double the work.

These are a few of the ideas that I am kicking around for this year. They were all pretty easy and done with easy and inexpensive supplies. No bows and no ribbon, all handmade and gorgeous.

Continued

25 Oct 2015

Wine Glass Votive

by Eva M | posted in: Fall Crafts, Wine Glass Votive | 0

These are so cute and easy. You can interchange the bottom to give your table a different look during the season. Mix and match them on the table, they’ll look great.

Supplies
Wine Glass
Votive
Orange Paint
Black Paint
2 Paint Brushes
Gold Paint Pen
Waterproof Adhesive
Black Felt – 1 Rectangle
Orange Felt – 1 Rectangle
Orange thread and needle
Black Adhesive back Felt
Scissors
Small Orange Ribbon
Small Black Ribbon
Glue Gun
Embellishments

Instructions
1. Glue the votive to the wine glass. Let glue set.
2. Paint the votive with the orange paint. It will take 2 coats. Let dry.
3. Dot the black paint over the orange paint. Let dry.
4. Put a rim around the top of the votive with the gold paint pen.

4. Cut a piece of orange ribbon approximately 4x the size around where the votive meets the wine glass.
5. Stitch 1/4 from the edge using a large basting stitch leaving long ends of thread at both ends.
6. Pull the thread so the ribbon starts to gather together and forms a ring.
7. Put the ribbon on the glass and tie the threads together tightly. Trim close to the knot.

11. Cover the stem of the glass with black adhesive back felt.
12. Cut out a piece of felt (without adhesive back) to make a full skirt on the bottom.

13. With the end of a needle nose scissor, make small slits approximately 1/2 inch down and lace a small piece of ribbon through the slits.

14. Pull the ribbon tightly around the bottom edge of the stem, covering the entire wine glass.
15. If you are making the black skirt, hot glue flowers or other embellishments on the skirt. If you are making the jack-o-lantern, cut out small ovals from the black felt with adhesive and a mouth an glue to the orange skirt.

25 Oct 2015

Double Terra Cotta Pots

by Eva M | posted in: Double Terra Cotta Pots, Fall Crafts | 0

This is very easy and quick to make. I use these all through the Fall throughout the house. I keep flowers in some and candles in others. They are small enough that they can fit on any shelf, or as a grouping on the table.

Supplies
2 Terra Cotta Pots – 2 ½ inches
3 Craft Paint – Base color, Accent color and Gold Overlay
Paint Brush
Pipe Cleaner – Color to match your paint
Artificial Leaf and nut
Floral Pic
Styrofoam Ball – to fit in the terra cotta pot
Water resistant, epoxy glue
Moss
Candle
Ribbon, Raffia or Twine
Hot Glue gun

Instructions First Side
1.     Glue the terra cotta pots together and let the glue dry completely.
2.     Paint both the pots the base color. Let dry
3.     Paint the rim of the pots an alternating color. Let dry
4.     With a rag, rub the gold paint over both pots.
5.     Using the clean end of the rag, wipe off most of the gold paint, leaving on a small amount so it is just accenting the piece.
6.     Hot glue the nut to the leaf and then both to the center of the pipe cleaner. Twist the pipe cleaner around the middle of the pots. Cut the ends close and push into the pipe cleaner.
7.     Cut the bottom of the Styrofoam ball to fit into one side of the terra cotta pot. Cut it so it lays flat in the pot, and does not show above the rim.
8.     Hot glue the Styrofoam ball to the inside of the terra cotta pot. Let set.
9. Hot glue some moss on the styrofoam to cover the entire ball. Let set.
10. Insert floral pic in the Styrofoam. (You may have to cut the stem if the pic does not sit at the top of the pot.

Instructions Second Side
1.     Take out the floral pick and turn the terra cotta pot over
2.     Insert a candle in the empty terra cotta pot, making sure the candle is secure.
3.     Surround the candle with either small rocks or rice, then, cover them with moss.
4.     Optional: Take the pipe cleaner off the pot and tie a ribbon, raffia or twine around the middle of the pots. You can embellish with a fresh herb clippings.

I forgot to take the picture before I painted the pots….sorry.