2012 in review

We all say it, don't we? How can time fly by so quickly? As another year draws to a close I thought I'd choose a highlight from each month.  It was tough to pick just one from each month, but here is a sampling of my year in 2012 in review.

January: Homemade Graham Crackers, Marshmallows and heart chocolate for Valentine Some-mores

February: Alexis' Princess Dress

March: Let the Fairy In You Fly

April: Alexis' Tricycle Basket/Bucket

May: Hunting for Treasures and Antique Pincushion Dolls

June: Celebrate Independence Card

July: What's Under the Cake Dome Sunday?  Angel Food Cake with Lemon Curd and Mascarpone Cream, topped with fresh berries.

August: Highlights of our trip to Cape Cod

September: Canning lots of fruits and vegetables

October:  Me, the Mister and my "girls".

November: Quilted Fabric Ornaments

December: Fairy Princess Tutu and Wand

Wishing you ALL a happy and healthy new year in 2013!

Cheers!

 

Jennifer

Fairy Princess Tutu and Wand for Christmas

The food has been eaten and the gifts are unwrapped.   Christmas day was filled with  lovely moments and memories that we'll enjoy in our minds for many years to come.

 

I must confess, I was especially excited to give the grandgirls their gifts that I made for them.  Oh the fun I had working with ribbons, lace, flowers, rhinestones and toule.  Yards and yards of pretty toule to make their fairy princess tutus and wands. 

 

For Lilly, I alternated teal, powder blue and white toule interspacing white grosgrain ribbon and satin rosebud flowers on the tutu.  The wand uses the same toule and more flowers, clear "diamond" rhinestones with the wand base (a dowel) wrapped in white satin ribbon.  I kept thinking of a line from the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music that says, "girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes."

For Alexis, her tutu had to be pink and purple.  Alexis loves everything pink and purple so I alternated pink, purple and white toule and interspaced it with pink satin ribbon and pink flowers.  Her wand is made with the matching toule and flowers with 1/8" satin purple ribbons and purple rhinestones to sparkle and cast her fairy dust from.  *smiles*

 

After a yummy Christmas turkey dinner it was time to open their presents.  Lilly is almost 15 months old and especially loved the wrappings and bags and running in her poofy tutu.

 

We got the biggest kick out of watching Lilly toddle around in her beautiful plaid dress with a tutu on top.  She seemed quite proud of her ensemble she was wearing.

 

Alexis will be 4 years old in a couple of months.  How have the years gone by so quickly since she was a wee one like her baby sister?  Miss Alexis is a multitalented girl who can go from wearing a helmet and knee pads to carrying a princess wand in a blink of an eye.

I had decided to make the tutus for the girls in the fall when I saw the tutorials on youtube and Pinterest.  They are so simple to make!  REALLY!  They are.  And, if you don't sew, no worries there.  They do not require sewing.  The supply list is short:

 

Elastic cut to the length of the child's waist measurement

Toule

Ribbon

Scissors

Hot glue gun

and then as many embellishments as you wish.

 

For the wands I had Grandpa Paul cut two dowls about 18 inches long.  Then I wrapped them with ribbon, added ribbons and flowers and gemstones and at the top created a toule poof from the scraps from the tutu. 

 

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful day that has left you with memories to enjoy throughout the new year to come.

 

Until next time,

Cheers!

 

Jennifer

Chalkboard Ornaments

 

For the past couple of years Chalkboards have become the "in" thing.  This chalkboard craze can be found in everything from home decor, signboards at the coffee shop, the beer and wine stores, on cards, decorations.....you name it.  Chalkboard art can be found everywhere.  So... why not chalkboard ornaments for the Christmas tree?

 

Probably 8 or 9 years ago my sister, a school teacher, sent me a box of crafting supplies that she had but didn't have a purpose for and thought maybe I could use them.  Amongst the items were about 10 little chalkboards.  They were 49 cents each according to the sticker still on the backs.  I was clueless what to do with such tiny chalkboards so they've been in a box in the closet ever since.  Recently I discovered them and immediately knew how I'd make use of them.

 

To make these took all of maybe 15 minutes.  The sentiments are from Papertrey Ink's sentiments set called Over Under Easy: Holiday Additions Stamp Set.  I used VERSAMARK to stamp the sentiments onto the chalkboards and then embossed the sentiment with White Detail embossing powder.  Once the sentiment was stamped I drilled tiny holes on each upper corner, strung rusty wire and a rusty bells to use as hangers and finished it off with a  bow of bakers twine.

 

These will be fun to use not only as ornaments, but also as gift tags or even affix a magnet to the back and use them as refrigerator greetings.

 

Until next time,

Cheers!

 

Jennifer

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Rustic Christmas Angel Ornaments

"Look Daddy. Teacher says, everytime a bell rings an angel gets his wings."  Of course you remember this line spoken by Zuzu Bailey in the classic Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life."

 

I've been having some fun making Rustic Christmas Angel Ornaments this year and each one has a rusty bell on its hanger just in case another angel is waiting to earn his wings.  *smiles* 

Each angel is made of osnaburg linen with calico trim.  Their halos are made from either raffia or spanish moss.  Each angel has a primitive and rustic hanger made of rusty wire and a rusty bell.

 

I made a few extra and have put them in MY ETSY SHOP, in case you'd like to have one or two of your own.

 

And speaking of the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life", I think it is a good evening to watch it again.

 

Until next time,

 

Cheers!

 

Jennifer

 

 

 

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