It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas...

So my advent calendar is getting very full, and my countdown is down to single digits.  I can't believe Christmas is just 4 days away!  Yikes!  I hope you are ready...I am close...very, very close.

Anyway, I thought I'd give you a peak at my Christmas decor:

Mantel #1

Coat Hanger/Shelf:

 Simple circle garland {scrapbook paper, inked edges, sewn together}

 Advent Calendar {Even my 1-yr old LOVES when it is her turn to pick the magnet for the day}

 Mangel #2

 Little yarn pom-pom garland:

 The stockings were hung...

A little closer look at my newest sign for the year:

I am loving it!  I just love this time of year!  Merry, Merry Christmas!

5 Favorite Things

A couple weeks ago, I hosted a "5 FAVORITE THINGS PARTY."  For those of you who may not know what that is, here is a little description:

Each person brings 5 of the same item (something that they love or that represents them).  Everybody keeps the items under a certain price range.  For my party, we kept it under $4 per item.  Then at the party, each person has her name on 5 pieces of paper.  All of the names go in a bowl.   Going around the room each person explains what they brought and why it is one of her favorite things and then draws 5 names out of the bowl to give her items to.  So in the end, you go home with 5 different "Favorite Things."  Totally fun!  To make things even better, everybody brings a fun snack or treat to share.  Such a fun evening.

Anyway, I made some fun little thank-you boards for Thanksgiving, but they can also be used for other things throughout the year.  Take a look:

I originally got this idea from Whipperberry.  She has a great tutorial.  I did things slightly different, but hopefully they will both help you make your own!

Start by finding a frame. I found mine at Goodwill.  They weren't especially pretty--but it's amazing what a bit of paint can do!  After painting my frames, I also sanded them down a bit and stained over them to give them a more antiqued look.

To string the jute I marked down the side of the frame on the back every 2 inches, but alternated the sides by one inch to make a zig-zag pattern.  Then I used staples to hold the jute or twine in place.  Once the twine was in place and tight I simply tied little knots to finish it off.

To make my sign, I simply printed the wording.  I used "Oh so Thankful."  Then I mounted it onto some cute paper, and then mounted that to a piece of cardboard just to add a little dimension and stability. 

 I wanted to make the sign easy to take on and off, so I hot-glued a piece of pipe cleaner (about a half of a piece) to the back.  Then this can be attached and wrapped around the frame easily.

Then during the month of November, I have each member in my family write things they are thankful for on little cards and use clothes-pins to attach it to the twine.  Simple.  My kind of project!
So, in the end it looks a bit more like this:

Fall Burlap Banners

Happy Fall!  I keep waiting for life to slow down a bit, but it just isn't happening.  I am squeezing in some time for crafting.  The hard part just seems to be posting it to my blog.  But, here is a SIMPLE little project that I did recently:

They were super fun and super easy.  They are pretty self-explanatory, but here are some pictures of the steps along the way:

**I didn't show a pictures of this, but I made a triangle template out of a cereal box.  It made for quick fabric cutting and ensured all of my triangles were the same size and shape. (Well, the best you can get when you are working with burlap!)

Once my triangles were cut out, I printed out my letters, cut them out, and then traced them onto the burlap with a regular Sharpie marker.  I even used a brown marker to outline the letters that I painted white and orange and it turned out fine.

 Next, I simply painted in the letters with regular craft paint--nothing fancy.  I did find that it worked best to kind of blot the paint as I went to fill in the little squares.

Then I just decorated the triangles.  To make the circles, I just dipped the end of a sponge brush in paint and then dabbed it onto the burlap--re-dipping in the paint for each dot.  Easy.

Next, I just sewed on a strip of ribbon to connect all the triangle pieces.  I did overlap the corners just barely, and I used a zig-zag stitch.

Lastly, I sprayed them (especially the edges) with a clear sealer.  I am hoping this will keep them from fraying.

I had so much fun making these!  You should give it a try!

Love One Another

Well, the good news is that I FINALLY finished a craft to put on here!  The other good news is that school started TODAY (yesssssssss!).  I am hoping to have a little more time to get some crafting done!

Anyway, I saw the cutest sign quite a while on Pinterest.  Check it out here.  Then more recently I saw another similar sign here.  So then the other day I was out taking pictures of the cutest little 9 month old little boy.  We were in a field with an old little barn or shed.  Well, there was this old piece of wood lying on the ground, and I knew it was PERFECT!!!  So I took it.  I showed it to my husband to make sure he thought it was okay that I took it.  I mean, the field is for sale--not being used.  I'm sure most people would have just chucked it--right?  Well, I guess that's my justification for stealing it.  But I totally LOVE how it turned out.  Plus it got me to FINALLY take down my 4th of July decor....about time, I know!

So let me know what you think!

I'm loving the simplicity!

Oh What Do You Do In The Summertime?

Is it summertime for you yet?  My kids still have a week and a half of school left--ugh!  I think I was ready for school to be done a few weeks ago.  Oh well.  But while I am anxious, I know we will all go a little crazy in my house if we don't have some FUN things planned.  To help with this, I created this:

I love when a project comes together how I have planned in my mind!  This little project started brewing in my mind after seeing similar kinds of things on other blogs.  I have had these cute little buckets and the little rod for quite sometime--just been waiting for the right project.  Finally, I figured out what I needed them for!

Here is what I did:

I just used Q-Tips for this.  You don't need very much.  I just spread some along the corners, edges, and randomly through the middle of the board.

To paint the wording, I used the same process I always use when making signs.  Find out HERE.

After I painted the letters, I did a little more sanding over the whole thing--mostly just to give the wording that worn look to match the rest of the board.  Then I just hung the rod.  Simple!

For the buckets, I decided to have one full of activities for me to do with the kids while the husband is at work (or sleeping--he works nights), one full of Family activities, and an empty one to fill up with the activities we actually do (hopefully it will be full by the end of the summer).

I am so excited.  My kids are too--in fact, we did our first activity this afternoon.  We made THESE delicious cookies that I pinned a few weeks ago. Delish!

Hooray for summertime!

My Name Is...

A few years ago I decided to make my kids name boards for their bedrooms.

So when little Reese came, I knew I needed to make one for her as well.  Here is what I came up with--with a little tutorial so you can make your own.  This was such a fun project that ANYONE can do!

So now after she is blessed, I will hang it with the other two here:

SUMMERTIME

Okay, so I think it's about time to take down my 4th of July decorations and put up something a little more summery.  I saw a similar cute sign on another blog, and I decided I needed to make one.  Here's how it turned out:

Don't you just LOVE summer!