Christmas Neighbor, Teacher, Coworker Gifts

This Christmas has really snuck up on me. I am no where close to getting my sewing projects done (more on that later), and I realized that I needed to get teacher gifts and coworker gifts done super fast. So I took to the internet to see what I could do that was quick with items I already had at home.

 

Then it hit me......... Sugar Scrubs!!!

 

 

As I searched the internet I found that most all of the recipes were basically the same.

 

Basic Sugar Scrub Recipe

3 Cups White Granulated Sugar

1 Cup + 2 TBL Olive Oil

10 Drops Essential Oil

 

4 7oz Containers with lids

Ribbon and Tags

 

*makes approximately 4 jars 

 

Mix ingredients in a glass bowl with a metal spoon. (Essential oils are likely to permeate a wooden spoon, or a plastic bowl.) Fill jars and seal with lids. Decorate with ribbons and tags.

 

I was so excited to have everything in house for this gift idea except the jars. So a super quick trip to a local big box store and I found these 7 oz Mason jars for about $1-$2 each. I used my Young Living Peppermint essential oil and oooohhhhhh it was divine!!!

 

I did add a few extra drops to each jar and mixed it in really well. The ladies at work loved it!!!

For more gift ideas go HERE and HERE.

 

 

Happy Holidays!!!!

CCG

Halloween Quilt Years in the Making!

Many years ago, at least 6, I started a Halloween quilt that I found in a quilting book I had purchased.

 

 

It looked so fun at the time, little did I know how much "time" this quilt would take. So after pulling this project out almost every year and either looking at it or actually making some progress on it, I decided that this fall I was going to finish this quilt!!!

The pattern was a little difficult to follow and boy did I learn how time consuming hexagon piecing could be, not to mention how tricky it would be to get the seam allowances just right.

I got the initial spider webs finished and then set to work attaching the accompanying triangles into rows. It was a little challenging to piece rows on a diagonal instead of a straight line.

 

 

Later after I assembled the entire quilt top I put the quilt on the frame and stitched every chance I got along the center hexagon and the skeleton triangles.

 

So after years of work this quilt has finally come together. I learned a lot about fabric stretch, and piecing on the diagonal. I do not think I will do another hexagon quilt for well, forever, but I have learned to never say never. I'm just glad I can cross this off my project list.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!!!
CCG

Outdoor Patriotic Banner, More Patriotic Fun!

I have seen so many fun things being made with burlap lately that I wanted to make something fun to hang on my house for all the patriotic holidays. I love the red, white and blue buntings they sell at the stores around 4th of July, but find the price expensive, and the material, well crappy. Plus I am not the most traditional person and love to be a little outside the box.

 Here is what I came up with an Outdoor Patriotic Banner.

 

Items Used:

Burlap

Tape

Spray Adhesive

Cardboard Cut Out Stars

Blue and Red Spray Paint

Blue Ribbon

Upholsterers Needle

Sewing Machine

 

 I started by measuring the area of the outside of my house that I wanted to cover. Next I went to my big box craft store and purchased burlap by the yard, enough for what I needed. I decided on the dimensions and folded over the top 2" and sewed a zig-zag stitch across to make a channel to hold a dowel rod in case I wanted to hang it inside.  I traced 5 cardboard stars from my scrapbooking templates and sprayed them with spray adhesive and placed them along the top of the patriotic banner. Then I tapped off the rest of the burlap and covered it with card board for protection. Grabbed my left over blue spray paint from my last project and sprayed away.

 Here is the finished result for the stars. I love the natural burlap color for the stars, it gives it a rustic, homey look with out much fuss!!!

 Next divide the bottom into stripes. Remember that odd numbers are always visually pleasing.

Because I was going with the rustic, homey look I only taped off and sprayed red stripes and left the rest the natural color. Beware I tried painters tape and duct tape for this and they both had their problems. You have to be quick and use lots of cardboard for protecting the natural colored stripes.

 I wanted a visual break to the top and bottom so I decided to  "sew"the ribbon through the burlap threads. I experimented and found that picking up two threads and skipping five threads had the best visual appeal as well as workability.

 I used a large, straight upholsterers needle to "sew" the ribbon through the burlap.

 Little Crafty Camper Girl got very excited and did much of the ribbon work for me!

Love that girl!!!

And this is the finished product! An Outdoor Patriotic Banner that looks great and is perfect for outdoor or indoor use! So just in case you were wondering how I hung this puppy up on stucco, let me introduce you to my new favorite product..... Scotch brand Removable Mounting Putty! I put it on several places along the top and sides of the banner and it did great for the few days I had it up. It will get more testing next year, but so far I am pleased with the strength, durability and easy, non-damaging removal!!!

 

What are you doing with burlap?

Have a great week!

CCG

Patriotic Clothes Pin Wreath

I have seen some fun clothes pin wreaths being made and thought I would try my hand at one.

Items I used for this project:

Clothes Pins

Red, Cream, and Blue Spray Paint

Metallic Leafing Pen

Ribbon and Burlap Scraps from another project

Scrabble Tiles from another project

Cardboard Ring from a glass container I purchased previously

(Mr. Crafty Camper gets a little grumpy about all the things I save, until I use them for a fun project like this one.)

Hot Glue Gun

 

 

For the most part everything is self explanatory. Spray, draw stars, put on cardboard circle, etc. I used the burlap scraps to intertwine with the red ribbon and to make the bow for the side of the wreath.

 Then I hot glued the bow and the U, S, A, Scrabble tiles to the clothes pins through the burlap scraps.
I tied a knot on the ribbon and ran it under one of the clothes pins on both sides to secure it.

Not bad for under $10 and using a lot of stuff I already had.
Enjoy your week!
CCG

Last Minute Neighbor Christmas Gits

I found a great idea over at Prepared Not Scared and gave it a little tweak for my neighbor Christmas gifts this year. A BIG THANK YOU to Tricia Smith for this idea. Click on the link for all the directions and contents for this gift. Also take a minute to see all her other amazing ideas and super cute videos on emergency preparedness!

 I printed a quick tag for the mason jar and tied a ribbon around the top.

 I included two emergency candles I found at the dollar store along with a small box of matches.

So far they have been a hit with my neighbors. Be sure to go HERE for another quick and easy idea for a great neighbor gift.

Enjoy spending time with your family this holiday season!
CCG

Lacey Snowflakes or 3D Snowflakes

My version of Lacey or 3D Snowflakes. First of all, I know this post is really late, but I had to have my sweet husband pull this pic of my phone and he was finally able to do it!

So I got a wild hair and wanted to put these in my tree for daytime decoration. So the kids and I took a Sunday morning before church and made them and hung them in the tree. They turned out great and it is really therapeutic putting them together.

I found great instructions for them HERE and HERE. Or you can adapt them however you would like. I folded my paper like the 2nd step of a snowflake and then made marks on the fold at
1 1/2, 3, 4 1/2, 7 1/2, 9, and 10 1/2. It was quick and simple!

I think I might experiment and see if I can't make these for Valentine's Day. I wonder if I can change the straight lines to hearts? (OOHHHH I do love a good crafty challenge!!!) I will let you know if it works. Anyway have a great weekend and stay tuned for my next post, I will be featuring my first post in my new "My 12 Favorite Tools or Helpful Hints"!!

Christmas Cookies 2010

So these were the yummy treats we left for Santa this year. Clock wise from the top, Rolo Cookie, Yummy Lemon Cookie, Magic Cookie Bars.

The Rolo Cookies were a new treat this year. I got the recipe from my friend Terisa at work and the kids loved them. We had lots of fun making them.

The Yummy Lemon Cookies is a recipe from my sister Julie. They are so easy to make and are a favorite of my sweet husband!

The Magic Cookie Bars are a long time favorite from my childhood. I remember my mom making these every Christmas and it was fun to make them for my kidos!

I will post each recipe individually over the coming days. I have been having Internet problems so I am late on getting these posted but I hope that now that the major storm has passed our neck of the desert things will get better!

I will also be posting instructions on how to make the 3D snowflakes as promised from my family blog.

Also for 2011 I will be making monthly posts on my favorite tools or helpful hints that I have discovered over the years! I am really excited to share these with you.

Have a wonderful and safe New Years Celebration!!!
CCG

Our Favorite Neighbor Christmas Gift

This year for our neighbor gifts (as well as Visiting Teaching and Home Teaching families gifts) we decided to go with our families favorite tradition, the bottle of sparkling juice and poppers. I decided to update it this year and called my friend Shelley and asked her to design us a tag for our bottles. I gave her the basic ideas and then she took it from there and made it FABULOUS!

So I bought a case of sparkling juice, bags of poppers, and curling ribbon and printed out the tags and Costco and went to work! I put a popper on a string for each member of the family and then attached it and the tag to the bottle with the curling ribbon. Then curled all the ribbons and Wa-lah!!! Instant fabulous neighbor gift for a New Years Celebration!!!

Now that fireworks are legal in Arizona I think I might include a few sparklers next year!!!

Christmas Sewing

I have been a very busy crafty girl this Christmas season. I wanted to share with you what I had been up to but had to wait till after Christmas as these gifts were for my family and I did not want to ruin the surprise! Some of my Christmas presents this year were monogrammed gifts. I had so much fun designing these and sewing them on my embroidery machine.

I also learned a new technique on my sewing machine, Pin Tucking!!! I bought myself an early Christmas present. A twin needle and a pin tucking foot. I had a little trouble learning how to double thread my machine but after I got the trick and the right thread (you must use the same brand and type of thread or this project is VERY frustrating!!!) it was a breeze. Now I just want to find another project to use pin tucking on!!!

Memorial Weekend Craft Projects Part 2

OK now for part two, the Sewing Project!!!
This one I made up on my own with no pattern. It really is super simple and doesn't require a lot of fabric. Scraps are great or if you have some fat quarters hanging around you can use those too!

Here is what you will need:

1 Blue back ground fabric
1 Red back ground fabric
1 White or Off White back ground fabric
Thread
Scissors
Rotary cutter and mat
Batting
Sewing machine

Ready to get cutting!!??!!

You will need to decide on the overall size of your wall hanging. This will depend on how much fabric you have.
Take your blue fabric and cut a square.
Measure your stripes so that (with seam allowances) three stripes will fit the length of the blue square. (or you can cut your stripes and then cut your blue fabric to match up with the three stripes)
Cut your stripes out of the red and white fabric. (you will need 5 total stripes)
Sew the first three stripes together and then sew them to the blue square,
Now sew the remaining two stripes to the bottom.

Make sure that you trim any long pieces and make the top piece as straight as possible.
Measure out a piece of batting and backing fabric.
You may wish to put binding on or use the rollover method from the backing fabric.

Sandwich your top, batting, and backing fabric and secure with pins.
Using coordinating thread and "stitch in the ditch" of the stripes to secure.
You may wish to do some decorative sewing in the blue area by sewing a big star or something creative like that.
Now either bind or rollover the backing fabric and top stitch by hand or by machine.
Waaa Laaa!!! Now you have a fun wall hanging or even a cute place mat!!!

******************************
Also check back next week, I will be featuring my first Guest Crafter!!!!
Mr. Crafty Camper will make his debut post to the blogging world!!!
I'm soooo excited!!!
CCG

Memorial Weekend Craft Projects Part 1

I love the Memorial Day weekend. First and foremost I love that I live in America where as a woman I have amazing rights. The right to vote, the right to own property, the right to religious freedom and so many others.
My second favorite part of the holiday weekend.......... It's a great time to get CRAFTY!!!
So in honor of Memorial Day and to get a head start on Independence Day I thought I would share a few fun quick crafts that can be done in a weekend!


This one is sooooo easy and can be done for free if you have a great stash!!!

Here is what you will need:
2X4 or 2X6 piece of scrap wood
Red, White, and Blue Paint (and brushes)
Ribbon or Fabric scraps (that match your paint choice)
Jute or Twine (a scrap from your stash)
Buttons (pre-sew the button holes so they look like you just cut them off a shirt)
Old Toothbrush (this is for flecking paint, you will want to keep this in your craft stash now)
Hot Glue Gun
Hand Saw or Circular Saw or Band Saw (or a really great neighbor who will cut wood for you)

OK, are you ready to start!!??!!

Take your wood scraps and cut them into 3 descending pieces. You can make them a tall or as short as you like, just make sure they can stand up on their own with out wobbling. Sand your wood pieces.

Now it's time to paint!!
Measure down from the top about 1/4 to 1/3 the length and mark a line all the way around the four sides of the wood. Paint a base coat of blue.
Next, paint the remaining part a base coat of white and let dry.
Now you can fill in your red stripes. You can free hand this or use blue painters tape to make the lines straight. You decide if you want vertical or horizontal stripes or both!!! Remember to do both sides!
Paint some stars in the blue area or use some fun vinyl cut outs.
For the final painting step grab you old tooth brush and dip it into some white paint. Dab it off on a paper towel and use your thumb to fleck the paint onto your project. Do this until you have the coverage you desire.

While you are waiting for this to dry.
Plug in your hot glue gun
Cut your ribbon or fabric scrap to size, along with the small piece of jute or twine.
Sew the button with thread so that the holes are full with the thread.
Tie the ribbon or fabric scrap around the wood where the blue and white paint come together and secure with hot glue.
Next add and secure the jute or twine scrap and then secure the button.
Taaa Daaa!!!! Isn't it soooo cute!!!

I borrowed this idea from my friend Angela many years ago. (Thanks Angela!!!) She went one step further and drilled a hole in the top and glued in a festive metallic topper that had starts and streamers.

Have fun with it and make it your own, and send me pics if you make it. I would love to see what you come up with!!!

CCG

Valentine's Day Decoration

I am always trying to hang decorations above my kitchen sink for birthdays and holidays so I finally made a permanent way to it with out using tape!

I measured a line from point A to point B and snapped a chalk line. DO NOT SNAP A CHALK LINE. It made it really easy to measure but it did not come off the flat paint of my ceiling. Do it the hard way with a level and a pencil. Be careful!!

Then I measured every 10" and placed a white cup hook in the ceiling.

Wah La!! Cute decorations that can be removed and no mess to clean up later. Plus now I have a designated place to hang my other decorations. (BTW those are just hearts out of heavy construction paper glued together on fishing type line)

Halloween Fairy

So in our family we have a tradition. 24 hours after Halloween the children have the option of leaving their left over Halloween candy for the Halloween Fairy. The night after Halloween the children (if they choose) leave their left over Halloween candy on the front porch for the Halloween Fairy, and in the morning a nice new toy appears. This is a great way to get rid of the candy so the sugar highs don't continue for days and days!

1 Late Valentine's Day Idea

I decided to make a new tradition this year for Valentines Day. Growing up I always loved making my Valentines Box at school. So I decided to get my kids their own Valentines boxes that we could use over and over again kind of like Easter baskets. So I went to Target and found these cute boxes and placed them in the front room on Valentine's Day morning for the kids to find. My sweet husband and I laughed so hard when we heard them in the family room watching cartoons! They had completely missed them. Even when we told them that we had a surprise for them, they did not even find them till about 2 minutes of standing in the room with them. But when they did find them you would have thought it was Christmas. They were very excited!

Valentine's Day Idea

This year my family and I set some goals that we wanted to accomplish, both personally and as a family. One of the family goals that my sweet husband suggested is that we celebrate the holidays with more meaning this year. I really took this suggestion to heart and came up with a great idea for Valentine's Day. So, I know that we are all a little short on cash right now and this is how I came up with this idea, and IT'S FREE!
I decided to take the 12 Days of Christmas idea and turn it into the

14 Days of Valentine's Day!

I know what you are thinking, "how is this free"? Keep reading....... I sat down at my desk during nap time one day and thought about all of the things that I loved about my sweet husband. Not just the things he does or says but everything that I love about my him. Then I got some note cards out of my stash and cutied them up a little bit with some ribbon and wrote one for each day from February 1st through the 14th. I sealed them up in their envelopes and then put them in a place that I would remember to leave them for him each day.
Now of course being the fun loving person that I am, I decided that I would leave them in a different spot each morning before I left for work so that he would have to look for them. It was so much fun for me and he has really enjoyed it. It has made our morning kiss so much more meaningful!