Bucket List

The theme of Christmas this year was "It's a Homemade Christmas." OK, it was more like "DON'T SPEND MONEY," but the other one sounds better. Sadly, I didn't take pictures of a lot of what I made. (Hopefully I'll get some pictures not taken on an iPad from my mom and sister later.) One thing I did get pictures of, however was the gifts I made for some of my favorite girls. 


Meaghan has been talking about this being the year of stepping outside our box. Doing something we don't normally do. something that scares us. Well, what better way of keeping track of these things than a Bucket List?

 I don't have in process pictures, but here's what I did:


Materials
Canvas
Spray Adhesive
Staple Gun and staples
Fabric
Hammer
Cup Hooks
Eye screws
Twine
Card stock
Hole punch
Tiny bucket (can be found in bridal or gift wrap section of craft store)
Mini clothes pins


Directions

1. Cut a piece of fabric to size of your canvas. Leave about 2 inches of extra fabric on each side.
2. Coat your canvas in spray adhesive. Follow directions on the can for drying and adhering directions. Carefully place your fabric onto the coated canvas making sure any lines are straight. Smooth out any bumps. Make hospital corners to keep them looking neat.
3. Staple extra fabric to wood frame on the back of the canvas. Hammer down any nails that don't go all the way in.
4. Cut your card stock into strips about 1"x3" and punch holes in the top.
5. Screw one cup hook into the upper right hand corner and one into the lower left hand corner of the wood frame of your canvas. I drilled a tiny pilot hole, but I don't think it's necessary.
6. Screw eye hooks into the wood frame of your canvas. I made pilot holes for this as well. Attach twine to eye holes to make your "clothes line." Set these up however you want. I did one next to the eye hook on top and the one on the bottom with a few off kilter lines in between, making sure there was room for the strips of paper.
7. Put your paper on the top eye hook and your bucket on the bottom.
8. Write down your bucket list items and attach them to the clothes line with your mini clothes pins. When you've done it, put it into the bucket. It's more satisfying than crossing it off a list!

You could also use this as a to do list, a chore list (I feel like kids may get a sense of satisfaction by putting their completed chores in a bucket. Not that I know much about kids), a menu board. Whatever!

I Made a Hole in the Wall

Let me clarify; I didn't make a hole in the wall. I paid someone to do it for me. After years of talking about it and hemming and hawing over it I finally bit the bullet and tore part of the wall down in between my living room and kitchen. Part of my hesitation was trying to match the granite. Or wondering if I even should. I didn't. I can't wait to show you what we DID do.

Because I was super excited and wasn't thinking clearly, and because it was a relatively plain wall in the first place, I have no before shots. So we'll pretend this is an awesome rendering of what the space used to look like. I think it's pretty true to life.

This is an old house and the floor plan had the kitchen separated so much from the living area. Because of the renovations we did when we first moved in, there was no where to sit in there, so it tended to be uncomfortable communicating with the person doing the cooking (Eric). Enough talking. Here's the after:

I'll take some pics with a different lens so you can get a better overview idea at some point. But it's WAY more open, no? And there's a place to sit to converse with the person in the kitchen (Eric)! And there's a new place for us to collect crap!

For the counter we ended up going with reclaimed wood. I LOVE it. It has so much character.

Nezzie liked to hang out up there as a puppy.

Now she likes to hang out up there to read the paper and drink her coffee in the morning.

So, what do you think? Have you ever wanted to tear down a wall? I highly recommend it, even if you pay someone to do it for you.

Halloween Hearth and a Tacky Gold Wreath

I've been delaying sharing my Halloween/Fall mantle (I know it's not a hearth, but I couldn't pass on the alliteration) with you because I've been dying to make this wreath I found on Pinterest and I wanted to make it part of the decor. Oh my god I'm in love with it.

First the overall look has changed since last year:

I found the large vase on the left for $20 at TJ Maxx a few months ago and have been waiting and waiting for fall to come around so I could use it. I got the cheapest 2 yards of sheer white fabric I could find and threw some battery operated lights in there. The crow on top is the icing on the cake for me. Next we have a fake pumpkin, some more crows, gourds, fall looking candles and an owl that you can't really see. The "vases" on the end are carved out fake pumpkins from Michael's. After Halloween the crows will probably be replaced with turkeys. I found some books with fall color bindings to elevate the end pumpkin. I needed some height and bulk to counteract the towering vase on the other side. But my favorite part, the piece de resistance (or something like that), is the wreath. Oh how I love the wreath.

I found it on pinterest and fell in love. The original creator used a 6" wreath. I thought I'd go big or go home. Almost 1,600 gold tacks later here you have it:

 

I found these tacks on Amazon and ordered 8 boxes thinking I'd have plenty left over. I did not have plenty left over. I grabbed a can of gold spray paint and a 12" foam wreath and went at it. If you want to tackle this DEFINITELY spray paint. It's almost impossible to cover all of the foam and you don't want moss green poking through. I wish I had done more coats.

When I had a gold wreath form I started pinning. And pinning. And pinning. I started out trying to be neat, then just went for where I thought a tack should go. I often had to reposition tacks. If you need to do that, or if you are in a spot where the tack won't be layered under part of another, use hot glue. And then keep pinning. Four numb fingers later I had this beauty and I couldn't be happier with it. I think I can transition it into Christmas as well.

And there you have it, folks. Almost the entirety of my fall decorations.

My (Late) Summer Yarn Wreath

I've seen these yarn wreaths all over Pinterest and Etsy. I've always wanted to get one, but never felt like spending the money (totally out of character, I know). So longer ago than I'd like to admit, I finally made myself one. I don't have in process photos or a tutorial, but it's super simple.

Materials

• Foam or straw wreath form
• Yarn in the colors of your choice
• Ribbon for hanging
• Pins
• Felt and ribbons for flowers
• Other adornments of your choice

Instructions

1. I used a foam wreath, some will tell you to wrap a straw wreath in burlap if you used straw.
2. I just tied my first piece of yarn tightly around the form and glued the knot down in the back with hot glue.
3. Wrap. A lot. Then wrap some more. I'd wrap the yarn around a few times then tighten. If/when you change colors just tie the two pieces of yarn together, but make sure the knot will be in the back when pulled tightly. Make sure your next wraps are over the loose ends.
4. When you get to the end, tie your loose end to the loose end you had left over when you started, trim close to the knot. Use a tiny bit of glue to hold it down and you're good to go!
5. Adorn!

Notes

• I didn't plan the spacing out in advance. Next time I would make sure I had a plan for color changes and mark it on the wreath form.
• There are tons of felt and ribbon flower tutorials out there. I found a bunch of different ones I liked that didn't involve a ton of work and sewing. My favorite is the ribbon (purple), but it was also the most complicated.
• I pinned the flowers to the wreath rater than hot gluing. I did this so I could reuse them elsewhere and in some cases for decoration, but it had the unintended benefit of not melting. Some pieces melted with the hot August sun beating on the wreath through a glass storm door.
• I found a branch outside after a storm for the birds to perch and shoved it into the foam, then hot glued it for extra support

Projects Galore!

Is Pinterest an angel or devil? It's like one of those stores that you love because it has so much great stuff, but you kind of hate it because it makes you want to spend all of your money. Pinterest has so many great ideas that I just want to do them all at once. And that involves supplies. Or ingredients.

So I've given into the demons of Pinterest and done some pinterest inspired projects. AND I'm actually going to post some of them and some other stuff that's been happening around here.

Find me on Pinterest and leave a comment if you need an invite!

Thanksgiving Table

Thirty minutes before people were scheduled to arrive for Thanksgiving I still had no idea what I was going to do about making the dining room table look presentable.  Here's what I ended up with:

I made the table runner from burlap for last years Thanksgiving table.  I love the fact that it's so neutral it can be used for any occasion (when I put the extra leaf in the table) any time of year.

Tips for sewing a table runner:

*I made this table runner about 13 inches wide and gave myself six to eight inches at either end of the table.

*Give yourself 2 inches on every side (so get a 17 inch length of fabric for a 13 inch wide runner).

*When I sew a straight seam, especially a long straight seam, I always iron it down first rather than just pinning it.  I think it keeps things straighter, it stays better and it's easier to fix a mistake when it's ironed than after you sew it.

I got these cute napkin holders last year:

I used what I had available for the centerpiece, clementines, granny smith apples, birds, pieces of a berry vine and some candles in a wood platter that I love.

Resizing an Oversized T-Shirt

Eric and I ordered custom t-shirts for our Halloween costumes.  Unfortunately, to get one that resembled something close to a "fit" for me would have cost an exhorbitant amount of money, so I went with a men's medium and, in the immortal words of Tim Gunn, I would have to "make it work!"

It came and as I expected it was not cute.  It was a rectangle with arms.

Here's how I "made it work."

Find a shirt that has a fit that you like.  Turn your overly large, not cute shirt inside out, iron both shirts flat and fold them in half.  Make sure you're careful about the alignment of the shirt while ironing and folding.  My huge shirt was too long so I cut about two inches off the bottom in a straight line.  Place your cute shirt (for our purposes we'll call it your gray shirt) on top of your not so cute shirt (your black shirt).

I know I could use a new ironing board cover.

Mark a line on your black shirt along the edge of your gray shirt.  Repeat on the other side and unfold your shirts, makeing sure to keep the edges aligned.  You'll need to think about how to handle the sleeves.  You COULD remove them, resize them and reattatch them.  I just arched the line from the esisting sleeve of the black shirt to edge of the gray shirt.

If you don't have a sewing machine, hand stitch along the line.  If you have a sewing machine that's even better!

Cut the excess material about a 1/4 inch from the new seam.

Turn it rightside out and now you have a shirt that fits better!

Pay no mind to the cat's tail

I still wasn't happy with it.  I'm not a huge fan of crew necks and I wanted shorter sleeves so I turned it back inside out and folded it (CAREFULLY) in half again.  I cut a double v neck in the top and trimmed about 1 1/2 inches from the sleeves.

And there you have it!  A much cuter t-shirt!


And for shits and giggles, here are some Halloween pics.

 

 

 

 

 

Make Your Own: Foam Roller

I thought I was happy with my foam roller, I thought it was fine.  That was until I tried my friend JohnnyMac's Trigger Point foam roller.  It was amazing.  It had a hard core that really helped get deep into the muscles.  My puny little foam roller (actually made of thick Styrofoam) was no longer going to cut it so I decided to try to make my own for a pretty substantial savings.

Foam rollers are used for self myofascial release.  Myofascial release is a technique in which muscle tissue is stretched and manipulated to relieve tension in the fascia, the thin tissue covering the muscle fibers.  It works by breaking up fascial adhesions and also by manipulating certain neuromuscular receptors to allow muscles to release any tightness.  A foam roller allows you to use this technique on yourself.  This video shows how to use the foam roller to target specific areas.



Materials

4x10 PVC Pipe - $15
Yoga Mat - free to me
PVC Cement - free to me
Scissors
Electrical Tape
Hacksaw

Directions
Gather your materials and find a well ventilated space.  The PVC pipe is available at any Lowe's or Home Depot.  I got the whole long piece of it, but you can get a pre-cut piece.  I used an extra yoga mat I had lying around and PVC cement the my contractor had leftover.

Cut your PVC pipe into the lengths you'd like your foam rollers to be.  I did one of about 24" and three of around 13".  If you don't happen to have a contractor at your house with a large table saw already in use like I did, wrap the pipe with electrical tape at the cutting point and use the hacksaw to cut through the pipe.

Measure the length of yoga mat you'll need to completely cover the outside of the PVC pipe.  Leave about a half inch on either side.  Sure you can use a tape measure and be precise about it or you can use my method; put the pipe on the mat and cut.

Make sure your pipe is laid out straight on the mat, swipe PVC cement onto your PVC pipe or yoga mat in about 1.5" lengths.  After some experimentation, I found putting the cement onto the mat to be the most effective method.  Don't skimp on the cement.

Apply pressure on the cemented section.  Allow the first section to dry for about 5 minutes.

I clipped the ends of the first and last sections I cemented to make sure the edges stuck and I rubber banded the middle to make sure it didn't buckle and to make sure there was a nice smooth edge.

Continue working your way around the pipe in 1.5" sections, making sure to get cement to the edges of the pipe and to the last dried section.  It dries pretty quickly so you'll only need to give those sections a few minutes to dry.  Make sure to press down on these sections while they're drying.

When you get to the last bit of mat to be glued you may have to CAREFULLY trim the free edge of the mat so it meets with the cemented end perfectly.  Swipe cement on the last bit of PVC pipe, clamp the ends, apply pressure and let it dry for a while.

You'll probably have extra yoga mat at the edges of your pipe.  Cut them off with box cutters or very sharp scissors.

Roll out those tired, sore and stiff muscles.