Simple Christmas Decor

Thought I'd give you a little look at my simple Christmas decor.  I really didn't do too much in the way of decorating because this will be the first year that our kids will not be home for Christmas and I have to admit that I'm feeling a little sad.  Anyway, here we go...

First stop is the living room...

Next, the kitchen...

On to the entrance...

And finally, a simple embellishment in the bathroom...

That is it!  Thank you for stopping by...I hope you enjoyed your visit.  Have a great day.

Lesa

Ruffle Scarves

If you like to knit then you'll love this project.  It's a ruffle scarf...

If found the yarn at Walmart...it's called "Twist & Twirl" by Bernat and it was only $5.99 a ball!  The scarf only uses one ball and the knitting instructions are on the inside of the label.

It's a fun, easy and affordable gift to make someone - even yourself!

Thank you for stopping by and having a visit.  Hope you have a great day.

Lesa

Christmas Burlap Sacks

I know...it's been awhile since my last post and I really had so many plans for Christmas crafts/decor, but I really haven't been in the mood to create anything!  And, it's not like me, especially this time of year, to not be crafting something.  I guess it's because this will be our first year without our kids at home.  Both Taryn and Brendan will be working over the holidays, so they won't be home for Christmas.  They are hoping to come home for a few days after the big day, but they are still trying to coordinate their days off, etc.  So we'll see what happens.  Anyway, I thought I'd share a project from last year...

When it comes to filling stockings, I find that I end up piling the gifts "under" each of the stockings because nothing seems to fit inside!  Also, I don't really have a good spot to hang stockings, so I decided to sew some burlap sacks that were large enough to hold the gifts and that can sit on the floor.  I used burlap and lined each bag with muslin.  The "cuff" that I added is made from a woven fabric in a burgundy and green plaid.

I made everyone's initial out of cardboard and added sparkle using gold glitter.

I attached each letter to the bags with jute.  

They were easy to sew and now everything fits into each sack!

Thank you for your continued support and for stopping by...

Lesa

Total Bits of Randomness

The title of this post says it all...

#1.  The Magic of Felting

I love to knit and a couple of years ago I discovered "felting".  Love it!!  I made felted slippers for everyone, but the other night I found a free pattern on the internet for mittens - Felted Eskimo Mittens.  They are quick and easy to knit and took me an evening to knit a pair. 

This is how they look before they are felted...HUGE!!! 

Now, for the felted magic...

Love the pattern, love the mittens and now I'm knitting a pair for everyone I know! 

#2.  Did You Know?

You don't have to throw out the leftover wax left in the bottom of the jar candles.

I use the wax in my tea light burner and the scented wax makes the entire house smell wonderful.  Just use an old knife to dig out the wax from the bottom of the jar.

Break the wax into smaller chunks and I store in a plastic ziploc bag.

When ready to use, throw a piece into your burner and enjoy the wonderful scent.

No more wasting!

#3.  Canvas Pillows

Just a couple of pillows I made for the couch in the family room.  I love the gathered center.  Looks like ruffles without being ruffles.   

They were very easy to sew up, especially after I discovered how to ruffle/gather fabric using waxed dental floss.  Perfect gathers every time!

That's it for the randomness.  Thank you for stopping by...hope I didn't bore you too much!  Have a great weekend.

Lesa

Reindeer Plaque

The plan this year for my holiday decorating is to scale things down and simplify AND I am hoping to make most of my decorations using what nature has to offer.  (this is the plan, however, things could change!)  I've been gathering pinecones, twigs, logs, etc. and am hoping to turn them into rustic, yet beautiful Christmas decor.  Hmmm...we'll see.

My first project that I'd like to share with you is my reindeer plaque.  (I saw this in an old Canadian Living Christmas Idea magazine from 1986.)

  Here's what you'll need to make your own:

1 - log approximately 3" in diameter and approximately 6" long
2 - 5/8" dowel pieces cut 2 3/4" long (for ears)
2 - 3/8" wooden plugs (for eyes)
2 - branches/twigs for antlers
Scrap piece of pine 9 1/2" x 10"
Drill bits, wood screws, wood glue, drill
Self-leveling hanger (for back)

1.  Cut the log at an angle approximately 1" from the end.  Now, turn the long end of the log (the head) around 180 degrees so that it is at an angle to the shorter piece (the neck).   Secure using wood glue and wood screws.

2.  For the plaque, at the bottom of the pine find and mark the center.  Measure from the bottom 3 1/2" up each side and mark.  From these points, draw your angles and cut off.  (I used my scroll saw.)  Sand using 100-grit and then 220-grit sandpaper.

3.  Attach the reindeer's head/neck onto the plaque just below the center using wood glue and wood screws. 

4.  Drill 5/8" holes in the side of the head for the ears and secure the dowel with wood glue.

5.  Drill 3/8" holes in the top of the head for the eyes.  Use wood glue to secure the wooden plugs.

6.  Drill holes at the top of the head for the antlers and secure the twigs with wood glue.

7.  Attach the self-leveling hanger to the back of the plaque, for hanging.

You can leave it as is or finish it any way you desire.  I stained the plaque, reindeer's head, neck and ears with a dark walnut stain.  And, for the pictures, I added a burlap bow and some berries to the antlers, however, I think rusty bells would look cute tied around his neck. 

I hope you enjoyed this project and, thank you, for stopping by for a visit.  Have a great day.

Lesa

Paint a Design - Transfer to Fabric

Now that Thanksgiving is over (for us in Canada), my attention is now focused on Christmas.  I'm not much of a "Halloween" person, so decorations around my house do not exist.  I'm planning ahead for how I am going to decorate my home for Christmas this year.  So, from this point on, you will probably be bombarded with some of my Christmas ideas and projects!

So, yesterday I decided to sit down an paint something...and this is what I painted. 

Some berry branches in neutral colors with a pop of color in the berries and ribbon.  While painting this design, my thoughts were to come up with something that I could use to decorate napkins, a table runner, placemats, pillows (maybe) and the list goes on.  My idea...come up with a design to paint,  scan it to my computer, resize the image to my project needs and print the image directly to fabric or transfer paper...whatever!  I think the possibilities are endless.  But, before I carried away, I thought I'd give it a try FIRST...

The top is the original painting, the left is printed directly onto muslin and the right is printed directly onto canvas.

I scanned my painting onto my computer and then printed the image directly onto canvas.  You will notice the black marks on the fabric...I just finished changing the printer ink and my printer always leaves a mess after the first printing, but you can get the idea of how it looks on heavier fabric.

I then printed the image onto muslin. 

I love the look of both! 

I couldn't just leave the idea hanging, so I thought I would design a canvas basket and add my printed muslin to the front and this is what I came up with...

I'm not sure how I will use this basket...possibly throw in some branches, greenery and berries and simply use it as decoration.  We'll see.

So, now that I know the results, I am going to come up with my theme and get to work on my table accessories.  Who knows, I may use this design!

Thank you for stopping by for a visit.  If you are interested in sewing the basket, let me know, and I will put together my instructions for you.  Have a great day!

Lesa