Archive for December 2009
Over the river and through the woods. . .
I have so many topics I want to blog about. So many fun Christmas gifts and thoughts and ideas for the new year. With that in mind, it’s killing me that I’m heading out tomorrow morning for a five-day New Years Eve camping extravaganza. Me, my boyfriend, and (for the first few days) a few good friends in the woods, cozied up in a little old log cabin with no electricity and only a wood stove for heat. I know it’s not everyone’s idea of the hottest way to ring in the new year, but for me it’s perfect. It’s supposed to snow in Shenandoah, so that could be either pretty, or a pain-in-the-ass, as we’ll be hiking to the cabin after driving up a rough dirt road.
I only wish I’d had time to pre-write the blog posts I’m itching to share. However, it will be great to have a relaxing set of days in the woods, reading, and writing in my journal, and catching up with good friends. Plus, it’s always a joy to see the pups running freely and splashing in the freezing cold stream!
Here’s hoping that in 2010 I’ll be refreshed and better at writing more blog posts!
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A Thrifted Christmas: DIY Coaster Gift Sets
I’m super stoked to share this little coaster-making tutorial with you all.
As hinted at in a previous post, once I figured out a foolproof way to create cheap and charming coaster gift sets, I really went on an obsessive coaster-making roll.
1. Start with a set of white, ceramic 4-inch tiles from the hardware store. Cut decorative scrapbook paper, photos, fabric scraps, or old greeting cards into 3.75-inch squares to fit on the tiles. Then brush a thin layer of Modge Podge onto one tile.
2. Lay a square of paper on top of the tile, smoothing the paper down from the middle to the edges and ensuring that it adheres to the tile with no bumps or wrinkles. Brush a thin layer of mod podge over the paper, especially on the edges where the paper meets the tile. Quickly wipe any drips off the sides of the tile, then set that tile aside to dry.
(Note for pet owners: be sure to do this in the most hair-free area of your home; otherwise you’ll have to spend time picking tiny pet hairs out of the damp coasters. Ick!)
3. Let the tiles dry for an hour and then apply another coat of Modge Podge. Let dry overnight.
4. The next day, apply two coats of polyurethane sealant for waterproofing. (Polyurethane sealant is found in the wood stain aisle of your hardware store.)
5. While the coasters are drying, cut 3.5″ squares of felt. Once the tiles are dry, turn them upside down and use a hot glue gun to adhere the felt backing to the rough bottoms of the tiles.
6. Stack the finished coasters and tie with a string or some raffia. Ta-dah!
I got a bit more creative with my snowman coasters, cutting out white paper to look like snow, green paper like trees, and applying small die-cut snowmen to the scenes:
So that’s how I made some cheap and charming coaster gift sets. For a peek at some of my other Thrifted Christmas projects, check out Part 3. Another fun idea, the Felted Sweater Totes, did not get done, but I plan to make them later – because they’re always a handy gift.
A Thrifted Christmas: Decorative Scarf Holder
Now that the holiday has come and gone – (so quickly, don’t you think?) – and gifts have been given, I can finally share some of the thrifty Christmas gifts I handmade for friends and family. Today I’ll show you how I created an inexpensive yet coordinated scarf holder for my mom’s closet door.
My mom initially requested this gift when I threw together a scarf storage solution for myself, using only ribbon and old shower curtain rings. I saw room for improvement, however, and wanted to kick it up a notch for my mom.
I started with a single piece of red faux silk that I scored cheaply from the remnant pile at the fabric store. I hemmed the edges to prevent fraying, then used a scrap of fabric to sew three matching fabric loops onto the top of the rectangle. (It would hang, from those loops, on the closet door with the help of 3M Command Adhesive Wall Hooks.)
Hmm. The top hem was a bit messy looking, so I found a scrap of decorative upholstery ribbon that I’d been saving since (gasp) college, because I just knew I’d find a use for it someday. . . well, I sewed it over the ugly top hem, covering the mess and adding a bit of glam in the process.
I then sewed 13 clear plastic shower curtain rings onto the fabric. These would hold the scarves. With that, I was done. It was a bit tedious, but easy as pie!
On Christmas day my mom was quite pleased with the gift. The hanging loops worked perfectly:
The scarves are looped through the curtain rings for storage. Now my mom can easily glance at her scarf collection and grab whichever one suits her outfit that day. No more pesky creases in the scarves, and no more digging through drawers in search of the right pattern. While I love my ribbon-turned-scarf holder, I think this new and improved design offers much more storage space and better organization.
Snow Day!
Washington, DC’s December snowfall record has officially been broken! In my shared “front yard” the snow is definitely up to my knee, which – according to my measuring tape – means we have at least 21 inches. . . and it’s still snowing. Ladies and gentlemen, I could not be more excited! I looooove me a good snowstorm!
And so do the dogs:
So now it’s time to curl up with my fabulous boyfriend (who, btw, took me on a wonderful surprise date last night) and enjoy hot cocoa, watch a movie (or three) and do Christmas gift crafting.
Coasting through the night
Tonight I’ve been a tiling fool! As mentioned in Part 2 of A Thrifted Christmas, one of my thrifty homemade gift ideas is coasters. And tonight I was coasting right through that project. (Teehee) Somebody’s gettin’ these snowman coasters for Christmas!
(Note: they look streaky and white because the ModPodge is still drying.)
A Thrifted Christmas In Progress
Tonight I’m racing home to dive headfirst into some thrifty and eco-friendly Christmas projects. As stated in Part 1, this year I’m striving to create thrifty, eco-friendly, and meaningful handmade cards and gifts for as many people as possible.
After a failed handmade coaster attempt with my girls in Richmond this past weekend, tonight’s foolproof task will be card making. Inspired by Katie of Making This Home, I’ve already cut out holiday-esque pictures and words from old magazines and catalogs. Now all I have to do is design and glue, which has got to be easy-peasy. Right?
I also need to finish shrinking some wool sweaters in the laundry tonight, so that I can stitch up those fab Felted Sweater Totes in which to wrap large gifts. It’s gonna be a busy night!
(PS: For more great “earth-friendly” Christmas ideas, check out Katie’s e-Book, “A Green Christmas.” Click link on right.)
Unexpected Inspiration
Sometimes inspiration surprises you, popping out of the most unexpected venues. Such was the case when the boyfriend and I attended our company’s annual holiday party, thrown at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum.
These massive black-tie parties have always been fabulous in the past, but never before incorporated such modern decor as I saw this year. This glowing red scene greeted us as we walked in:
Small tables of food sitting beneath the NASA Space Shuttle looked incredibly festive with towering, massive displays of hot pink ostrich feathers. I never would have thought either the color or the feather could be striking, but the combination of the two proved to be quite striking in the dimly lit museum.
As I mentioned last week, I looove almost any decor that incorporates sticks or branches, especially glittery ones. Thus was the case with this fabulous, glittery arrangement on a dessert table:
These red sticks were pretty awesome amidst the red leather couches and red lighting, and I definitely dug the cylindrical and minimalistic table bases:
All in all, I think I liked the decor even more than the food this year! What do you think? Too crazy and flamboyant for you?
Wish List Thursday at Open Hand Living
Here’s a short-but-sweet wish list for Julia’s first Wish List Thursday link party over at Open Hand Living.
With Christmas just one week away, I wish for:
- Enough time, efficiency and persistence to complete all the homemade gifts I’d planned to give this holiday season.
- More time for blogging.
- A good, loving, permanent home for my two foster kittens. They’re now 7 months old and spayed, and very much ready to go. Don’t get me wrong, I love having them around – but my two cats are tired of sharing the love.
- The adorable, wall-mounted glass vases from HomArt. I wish I could find a photo of them, but I can not. Sigh.
- Gloves that truly, actually keep my fingers warm, even when camping.
- The mental capacity to finish teaching myself how to build my blog template and FTP-it properly to my own domain name.
All that being said, however, let me just remind you (and myself) that I am very thankful for what I do have. There are many people out there, this year more than ever before, who have been forced to wish for much more serious things – such as not losing their homes, finding jobs, and putting food on their tables.
And with that being said, goodnight.
