Cinnamon Scented Ornaments

I grew up with a Christmas tree that was decorated with homemade ornaments.  Some were paper, some were clay, some were made of yarn, but they were all made by my sister and I.  It may not have been able to grace the cover of Better Homes and Gardens, but it was beautiful to us.

Now that I have my own children, I realize just how special that tree was, especially to my mother.  All those years I thought it was all about my sister and I and showcasing decorations we made.  I thought my mother hung them every year the same way we hang refrigerator art... to let our children know we are proud of them and their accomplishments.  While I am sure that was part of it, I can now say that it is so much more. 

I now have my own "homemade tree".  Every year we hang ornaments my daughter made when she was three.  When I see them, I remember her chubby little hands and her baby tooth filled smile.  We have ornaments she made of beads and ornaments she made of felt.  I have hand prints covered in glitter.  Each one has a memory of my child's life firmly attached to it.  Whether it was made in school as a surprise, or made together, each one is special and irreplaceable.  So, you will never walk into my house and find an immaculate tree, covered in coordinating bulbs and ribbons.  You will find however, the most beautiful Christmas tree in the world.

 

 

Cinnamon Scented Ornaments

 

 

I made these ornaments with my kiddos last year and they had so much fun.  They make your house smell AMAZING and they are so sweet (Not in the eating way, in the cute way.  Don't try to eat them.  They would be terrible.) and simple to make.

 

What you need:

1 c. cinnamon

3/4 applesauce (maybe more if the dough is too dry)

1 Tbsp. glue

rolling pin

cookie cutters

drinking straw

parchment

baking sheet

 

What you do:

Mix together cinnamon, applesauce and glue, adding more applesauce if needed.

Roll dough out to about 1/4" thickness.  Don't roll it too thin or your ornaments will be fragile.

Cut dough into shapes using cookie cutters.

Make a hole at the top of each ornament with the straw.  Don't get to close to the edge or you will not have a sturdy loop for your hook.

Place shapes on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a 200 degree oven for about 2-1/2 hours, flipping every 30 minutes.

You can also allow these to air dry, but it will take a few days.

Once dry, loop a hook through the hole and hang on your tree!



Granny Quilt Take 2

I love mixing techniques together.  One of my favorites is crochet and quilting.   I love the combination of the texture that crochet brings with the warmth and stability that the fabric has.  These are great winter blankets since all the "holes" from crochet are covered.  I also love to use them when I put my little ones on the floor.  They have a little extra cushion since they are two layers.  If you want a really cushy version, check out my first take on a granny quilt - Granny Quilt Number 1 .  In this blanket I add a layer of fleece between the afghan and the fabric making it VERY thick and padded.

This version omits that fleece layer, giving you more of a blanket, less of a mat.  The first version is great and extremely warm, but not very flexible which is necessary to snuggly tuck a munchkin in their car seat.  So, if you love the Granny Quilt, but want a thinner option, try this!

My blanket after quilting and trimming.

 

The technique is simple.  Layer your pieced granny afghan on top of a piece of flannel (or cotton, but flannel is so cozy).  Be sure you have plenty of fabric so it hangs past the edge of the afghan.  I left about two extra inches on each side.  The last thing you want is the fabric to creep in while you sew leaving a gap.

Pin at the corner/intersection of EACH granny square.  I know this sounds like overkill, but it serves two important functions. 

First it keeps the layers from shifting and stretching.  The afghan will have a lot of give and having it well pinned will keep you from ending up with a distorted blanket. 

Second, it helps to know exactly where your pins are.  They get lost in the afghan and if you know you have one at each intersection, you will not leave any behind to stab an unsuspecting person.

 

Now sew.  I run along the edges of the squares, but you can do whatever you wish, it's your blanket.  I do all the lines in one direction, then all the rows that run across, forming a checkerboard pattern.  Go slowly!  You have to do this with the crochet side up (so you can follow the lines) and it can easily get hooked on the presser foot.  Finish by sewing around the edge of the blanket.  This will make it easier to sew on the binding.

 

Trim any extra fabric from the edges.

 

 

Now bind and you are done!  Don't know how to bind?  See the simple technique I use here .

 

 



Circle in a Square

I love a good granny square blanket.  For instance:

 

How to quilt a granny square

 

or

 

Granny quilt

 

My new favorite granny square is a cool, modern and very simple pattern.  I found it on every crafty girl's best friend and worst enemy, Pinterest.

 

 

 

The squares go together quickly and combine to make an amazing blanket.  Crochet on an edging and make and afghan, or sew a flannel panel on the back and bind the edges into a quilt like I did.  It is great for a baby blanket or full scale cover.  Make all the circles one color or each a different color to use up scraps.  The possibilities are endless! 

 

Want to make your own?  Check out the square tutorial from Three Beans in a Pod.  Then check back here tomorrow (or the next day, I might be lazy) for my simple tutorial on adding flannel backing and binding!

 

 





 

 

 

 



Cheap Almost Acrylic Print

I am an avid Shutterfly user.  I love their books, cards, invitations, and gift ideas.  I also LOVE their acrylic prints (No idea what I'm talking about?  Check it out here ).  Sadly, they are wicked expensive (like over $100 on sale for a 16"x20").  I desperately wanted one to prop up on my mantle in the family room, but I just could not bring myself to spend that much when a picture in a frame would be a fraction of the cost.

I decided to focus elsewhere and was at Hobby Lobby buying beautiful barnwood frames for my "wall of Whiteakers" (If you are again confused, see the post on it here ) and I found the most amazing of things.  A "frame" that consisted of a piece of glass and a backing, held together by small clips.  It was $10. 

 

Long story short, I got my "almost acrylic" print for under $30.  I call that a win.

 

 

***Want to buy your own?  Hobby Lobby offers a few sizes online (here).  Or look for a store near you to pick one up!***

 

***Like my picture?  I printed it at http://www.shutterfly.com/ .  If you live in the Dayton, Ohio area, you can even have one taken by the same photographer, my lovely cousin Tara.  Check out her blog at http://taralewisphotography.blogspot.com/ for more info!***

The Most Com-fur-table Blanket

My kids are weirdos.  Maybe quirky is a better description...  Well...  Nope.  Weird.  My older son has what I would call a sensory... well I would consider it a problem.

I discovered it while working on my daughter's reading nook (if you missed that post, check it out here).  I bought a super soft, silky and dead free faux sheepskin at Ikea.  I thought it would be a nice place to rest her bare feet while reading in her big comfy chair.  Problem was, it never stayed in her room more than five minutes.  Her little brother would immediately sneak in, grab it, go to a quiet corner, strip off all his clothes and...

 

Yup...  Weird.  Realizing it was going to be a never ending battle to keep the rug in Emma's room, I decided to make Mr. Man a furry of his own.  Luckily, it is costume season, so the options were plentiful at the fabric store.  I let him choose his fur and a flannel for the back.  I picked a coordinating flannel for the trim and got to work. 

 

I bought a yard of fur and a yard of the flannel for the back, but they were different widths so I laid them out and cut them to the same size, squaring them up a little in the process.  I don't have the time or the inclination to be exact, so I eyeball it.  Mr. Man doesn't care if it's not perfect and neither do I.

 

I bought 1/2 yard of my edging flannel (just to be safe) and cut it into 2" wide strips.  Then I sew them together, end to end, into one long strip.

 

My iron was in the basement and my flat iron was handy, so I used it to press the seams open on my super strip.

 

To make the blanket all I did was sandwich my fabric, wrong sides together and sew on my binding.

 

 

A couple of hours and under $15 to make my little weirdo happy.  Unfortunately we may have a new issue..

 

 

It appears we have another weirdo in the making.

 

 

***Like my fabric?  Got it all at my local JoAnn Fabrics.***

 

***Don't know how to sew binding on?  Check out how I do mine here .***

 

***Want more kiddo blanket ideas?  Check out more of my blankets here , here , here, and here .***

 

 



Easy Initial Frame

I am finally getting around to decorating my new house.  We have lived here for over two years, but I went and decided it was a good idea to breed soon after we moved in.  My little guy is now almost one and I can occasionally find the time to get some things accomplished around the house.

One glaring issue was the huge barren expanse of wall above my family room sofa.  It kind of had me perplexed.  It needed a large piece of art and I am cheap.  So, I put it off.

While shopping for frames for photos for my grandma's 90th birthday party (sorry about the excessive use of "for"), I came across a fantastic weathered wood frame.  It got me thinking.  What about a GROUP of pictures to mimic a large piece?

I decided I needed six frames.  Now, how to fill them?  I have three kiddos, so they got half of them.  I was still pondering the other three when I was at the craft store.  I came across wooden letters and had an idea for an awesome non-picture piece.  It was super easy and added a focal point that was much needed.   Here is what I did.

 

I took the letter I bought and spray painted it bronze.

 

Next, using the cardboard backing of the frame as a template, I cut a coordinating piece of fabric.

 

I put the fabric inside the frame,

 

then used command strips on the back of my letter (in case I want to change the frame later)

 

and stuck the letter to the glass of the frame.  Be careful not to push too hard.  You don't want shattered glass everywhere.

 

 

Then I hung it on my wall with my other pictures.  Cute right?

 

 

***Like my frames?  Got them at Hobby Lobby for about $17 each.***

***Like my letter?  JoAnn Fabrics for under $5.***

***Like my pictures?  They are 11"x14" prints from http://www.shutterfly.com/ .***

***Oh, you mean you like the actual photos!  The top two and the picture of my daughter were done by my beautiful cousin Tara.  If you live in the Dayton, Ohio area, she can take some for you too!  Check out her blog at http://taralewisphotography.blogspot.com/ .  She is AMAZING!***