snowball pom pom wreath!

we're finally getting some almost-not-frigid temperatures around here, so i'm feeling the pressure to share this super cute winter project with you before i'm completely taken over with wanting to make flowery springtime things!

a snowball pom pom wreath!
i'd been wanting to make a yarn-wrapped wreath for some time now, but as i gathered up some materials from here and there the ''vision started changing... i had a foam wreath & a package of 10 styrofoam "snowball" ornaments from the dollar store, and as soon as i saw these packages of soft, fluffy wintery-creamy pom poms, i was suddenly envisioning a winter white snow ball wreath! it just seemed right for all the snowy days we've been having around here since christmas & i spent one really cozy night in front of the fireplace making it:
i started by wrapping my foam wreath in batting to make it a little fluffier & also so the green wouldn't show through my creamy pom poms. i gently stretched it & wrapped it around as i hot glued it:
once the whole wreath was wrapped, i added a little strip of my favorite unbleached cotton fabric [$2 a yard at walmart! love love it] to hang it by. i glued the loop in place & tied a loose knot at the top:
then i took the snowball ornaments which were basically just styrofoam balls with a little ornament topper glued on- but at 10 for $1 they worked perfectly! i popped the topper off & wrapped them in skinny cream yarn:
i left 2 long strands so that i could tie them around the wreath. this way you can slide them around a little until they sit how you want them to on the wreath without hurting it- they'll get secured down later!
then i made some big, fat fluffly poms with thicker yarn & have to say why have i never made these before?? they were so fun & easy to do! there are lots of great tutorials out there, here are a few quick photos of how easy it is:
i situated the yarn wrapped balls and the large poms together around the wreath, spacing them out since they're the biggest parts of the wreath. the big poms can be tied on just like the snowballs! you also want to make sure your wreath still lays flat.
next is to get a little little fluffy poms glued around to fill the empty space. i only suffered about 3 1st degree glue gun burns on this part- every time i'd get one covered in a good blob of hot glue the whole pom would go rolling down my finger like a little lava-covered cotton ball- ouch! not even kidding... some of those fancy glue gun tweezers or something might be a good idea here!
start by nuzzling your little poms up & around the bigger poms & yarn balls- that way they won't move around when the whole thing is done!
fill in all the empty space [this part can take a little while!] and then you're done! the cutest, fluffiest little winter wreath ever!
here it is in the daylight. the hanging loop ended up a little too short, so i just clothespinned it to the top of my paper bag wreath for now:
it makes for a really nice winter-white mantle- perfect for the still-snowy 'gap' months between christmas & spring!

the whole thing cost me about $9... $1 each for the styrofoam balls and wreath form $2 each for 2 packages of little poms & $3 for the fat yarn! the skinny yarn & fabric scrap was from my stash.

sooo fun! is this a hot-glue project you would try?

date night!

so i really hope it hasn't honestly been almost 4 years since M & i had this very particular kind of date night... maybe it's just that since having kids i slowed down long enough to really savor our dates & take pictures.

one of the things i love most about the wonderful person that M is, is that he can think of a list of 20 fun things to do together that we don't normally do to make the date fun & interesting, but by the end of dinner, we've somehow settled on my absolute favorite... coffee, cupcakes, & each of us together with our own pile of books & magazines at the local bookstore.
i spent a little time flipping through my favorite diy/home decor magazines & didn't even get to where women create [a book of studio inspiration] thanks to the fact that one delicious cupcake & one caramel latte later, i had settled on this little gem:
the craft, inc business planner workbook.

i had read meg mateo ilasco's craft, inc. when it first came out a little while ago, and i thought it was full of super useful info for cottage industry start-ups [it's actually still sitting on my bedside table since i flip through it pretty regularly.] this workbook has similar info, but in really helpful write-able charts & sheets, and includes info for bloggers, crafters, writers, small businesses, and small businesses that have grown into not-quite- so-small businesses.

the only copy left at the store was a little beat-up, so i came home & my awesome husband immediately got on amazon & ordered it for me along with his last couple of books for classes. he knows how much i like having a workbook-style book that i can make notes in & customize & use different colored pens & washi tape & dream big plans in.

not to mention he knows that the simple purchase of a book for me speaks volumes [pun intended!] about how he feels about me & believes in my dreaming big plans.

so yes... great date night, awesome husband.

hope some of you have been on great date nights, or fun coffee runs or just taken some time to get lost in a magazine. what are your favorite date night plans? have you gotten super inspired by any good books lately?

resolute-ing.

i'm not a good one at resolutions. clearly, since it's already mid-january & i'm just now really thinking about it.

i'm not good at realistically making them & i'm not good at realistically keeping them [which probably somehow go hand-in-hand.] and it would seriously bother me to solemnly vow something here & then not follow through. so instead of resolutions, now that i've had over half of january to think about it, are going to be more like intentions that i remember throughout the year & purposefully act on them.

i'm putting them here so you can hold me accountable. please do.

#1

write more often, when it's fresh in my mind & i'm the most excited about sharing. that makes for much more fun remembering later when you re-read what you've written, don't you think?

#2

follow through more punctually. [i'm bad at this!] ie: not announce a giveaway here unless it's finished & ready to ermm, give away. and to have more giveaways, because that's just fun!

#3

finish projects before i start the next. i am terrible at this. [just ask my dining room table. or my husband. actually, don't ask my husband, he will tell you it's true.] this relates to #1 because it's frustrating to start a project & then not be able to write about it for weeks & weeks because that one part needs to be glued & then i need to wait for pretty daylight to get a good photo, etc. etc.

and all this talk of resolutions [specifically, project-finishing and follow-through] brings me to the last ornament... of the year that is.

you all know i have a thing for handmade christmas ornaments. well, it always seems like there's just one more that squeaks in at the last second, when all of the rest of the christmas stuff has already been put away. i guess since i celebrate christmas decorating exactly on december 1st & tend to make a big deal about things like the 1st ornament of the season, maybe you'll forgive me for being so behind as to make & put away the last ornament of the season in january.

i'd seen an insane number of ridiculously adorable mini-wreath ornaments all over the internet, and fresh off the yarn-wreath high of making a pom pom wreath [oh yes, friends. coming soon!] i decided to do a little trash-to-treasure version. i started with a to-go cup lid and two yarn scraps in my favorite green:
and a tiny piece of ribbon for hanging. whoops... ended up not using the buttons. the wrapped yarn was just too cute to cover up!
but it did need a little something. i had so much fun making fabric flower/posy/poof thingys for my headbands that i decided to try out a mini one for this little wreath.
look how little! yay!

now i can really put the christmas stuff away, know what i mean? and at least it's before january 31st, right?

inspiring work places!

several months ago [like, last summer] i started working on getting my basement studio space organized & put together for optimum functionality. 'studio space' sounds so much better than crafty mess in the basement, & basically, i just wanted to know where things were enough to not spend 98.2% of my crafting time looking for something.

i bought some wire storage shelves and some pretty green organizers & it started looking pretty decent!

being that it's in the basement which is great in the summer but freezing in the winter with little daytime light, i started bringing projects upstairs to work on them in the warmth of the house- which resulted in little piles everywhere & my sewing machine right in the middle of the table. christmas came and went & walmart discontinued my lovely green bins... so i lost motivation to keep throwing money at it... ahemmm, i mean making it pretty.

i even toyed with the idea [being pregnant, crazy, & wanting to rearrange the entire house anyway] of moving both kiddos into the same room so that we could have an upstairs playroom/craft room where i could actually get things done with wee ones underfoot.

thankfully, husband was here & safely talked me out of it.

so it's not exactly the 'studio' of my dreams yet, but it is a space to hold all my stuff and i'm grateful for that! it still needs quite a bit more re-organizing work & a couple more lamps or twinkle lights to give it some personality, but i'm hoping to 'reveal' it soon.

in the meantime, i've been noticing that lots of crafty folks are posting their own lovely workspaces that i would love to hijack & well, basically live in indefinitely. here are some spaces i love:

the pleated poppy

[totally stealing the alphabet card idea for the new nursery- already have cute japanese lanterns like that in big sister's room!]

gussy sews

[including some fabulous tips on organization & time management!]

oh, sweet joy!

[whose is sneakishly tucked into a closet! genius, i say.]

be sure to click the links to check out the amazing goodies coming out of these ladies' work spaces! prepare to be inspired!

a day alone with my glue gun.

it has been ridiculously cold & a little bit snowy off & on around these parts... a little unusual since we are usually more on the warm side of things, even in winter! even though we're going a little stir-crazy from not wanting to leave the house in the cold, it has made for some long winter afternoon naps for my restless 2 year old... which means mommy gets an afternoon of peace with her glue gun!

in other words, the sad little pile of ancient projects that had one piece 'just waiting to be glued' could finally come to a finish. but some new projects too!

i had wanted to try out the fabric flowers/poppies/ruffle-y beautiful thingy-s i've been seeing all over the blog world, and finally got to! i made a pink one for K & a green polka dot one for me:
the green one is going to be made into a pin for my winter hat, but the pink one was going straight onto a headband- and it worked out perfectly when i saw this cheap-o set of 2 headbands at wal-mart that were already ribbon wrapped in pretty grosgrain ribbon because there was a pink one and a brown one:
which meant i could finally finish up a fall headband that i started, intending to have worn it pumpkin-picking & such. i had started testing out the 'rolling' method of making a rosette just to see if i could make one & not make a mess of it. i did one in my favorite mustard-yellow amy butler print to try fabric & one with a thick twill-tape type ribbon, both of which i loved! especially with the brown ribbon headband.
and the third:
i had been looking for a big fluffy flowered headband to wear last easter with my yellow easter dress [told you these were old projects!]. the best i could find was one with a little clump of flowers that made me feel a little silly wearing it since the flowers were close to the center of the headband rather than stylishly off to the side- know what i mean? here's what it looked like before:
[the crazy face was thanks to wiping a giant jelly-bean mess from my toddler. & it shows the headband the best! note to self: next time take better 'before' shots before i start gluing!]

i had bought two really cute flower clips for super-cheap from forever21 & thought they would look awesome added to the headband somehow. so i surgically removed the clips from them [which took forever] & then glued one to each side of the little flower cluster already on the headband. a little extra felt on the back to secure it & done! yay!
so now this happy home has 3 [three!] new headbands for us lovely ladies to chose from [yes, i already share hair accessories with my 2 year old. don't judge.]
by the way, it's kinda hard to photo headbands! for some strange reason i tend to look partially bald if i try to photo them actually on me. but i'm totally loving this mason jar for displaying them... i'll have to keep it in mind for future craft shows!
love new headbands! it's better than shopping! is anybody else making flower-y things & wishing for spring already?
ps- don't forget that you, my lovely blog reader, can win a little gift just for saying happy birthday to my blog! yay! just click right here & leave any comment you like at the bottom.

4 years & a lifetime ago...

4 years ago this month, a girl really loved to make things by hand. so right after christmas, at the start of a new year, she decided to start writing a blog about it where she could post pictures and say yay! to the internet when a project turned out just right. she wrote for the 1st time & excitedly waited to see if anyone would read.

she started a little etsy shop for the jewelry she was making, & took part in a few local craft shows, just for fun. she loved her new husband, working full-time kept her busy & she kept on crafting. cupcakes, new shoes, garlands, coffee, clothespins & anything french made her happy.

the blog turned a year old & she almost missed celebrating it.

4 years later, the girl was still writing in the little blog. far from perfect, the little blog changed as much as the girl. she wrote about moves. she wrote about the day her mom died. she wrote about new babies and christmases and sweet exhaustion. she learned how to be a mommy & hopefully how to love her savior just a little better. God taught her the difference between happiness & joy.

she even changed the name of the blog. she still loves her husband after 6 years of marriage, now her babies keep her busy & she keeps on crafting.
[cupcakes still make her happy.]

i've really come to love this little crafty space of mine, though it has at times been a labor of love [& a slave to my perfectionism] all for an unbelievable 4 years now. the simple desire to make, just for the sake of making, runs in my blood as they say. i think of how terribly much i would love to have a record like this of the things my mom made & it's become my hope that this little space will be that kind of gift to my little girl someday. i feel slightly sad & a little guilty when i haven't been here for a few days, like that feeling you get when you suddenly realize you haven't seen a good friend in awhile.
hi, friend!

if you are here reading, i hope you have always felt welcome, for whatever amount of time you've been stopping by.... & if you haven't heard me say it, i am so glad you're here.

so in celebration of this little spot of internet & in thanks to you my wonderful friend, i'd like to send you a little package full of some lovely & sweet little things... kind of like you would send a friend on a no-reason-just-for-fun day... something a little ruffly, something magnetic, something you can wear... just some sweet little things in a fun little package.

are you up for it? just click comments & tell me hello. or tell me you've been reading all along or just found me from clicking something else. or tell me your favorite flavor of cupcake. because if i could mail you one, i would!

[ps- make sure there's a way i can email you so i can get your address from you! i know it's scary to just post it on the internets for the world to see.]

so, thank you. i'm still excitedly waiting to hear from you. yes! you.

& happy birthday, blog!

giveaway now closed, thank you all so much!

hair bow holder!

it didn't take me long as a momma to figure out that if any crafting around here was ever going to actually get finished, it would have to be quick & easy! but i really love giving handmade gifts, especially at christmas, so i'm trying to take advantage of every minute of naptime & bedtime.

my niece is the queen of hairbows [as we call them down here in the south!]. i think she wore one home from the hospital and hasn't gone without one since! i had already wanted to make her a hairbow holder when her mom specifically asked me to make one for her. how could i resist? this is a quick, fun, and inexpensive afternoon project that i really, really enjoyed making! you really can make it as simple or detailed as you like, and it only takes a couple of dollars in materials.

hairbow holder

you will need:
about a yard of 1-2" ribbon [something sturdy-ish like grosgrain]
a little wooden plaque [about $1 at the craft stores]
a keyring or book binding ring
a bit of felt
a fine tipped sharpie
some craft paint
a glue gun or staple gun

step 1:
paint your wooden plaque in fun colors! i use a little bit of gesso [thick white looking paint that is meant for priming canvases] since it makes a nice smooth surface, and keeps you from having to use up a whole bottle of craft paint.

have fun with this part! think of the little girl you're making it for... her personality, her room colors, etc. add fun details like polka dots painted with a pencil eraser!

step 2:

when your paint is fully dry, add a monogram to the center. draw, trace, or use the pencil transfer method to add your letters. then outline & color them in carefully with the sharpie. [ps- you don't have to do a monogram. you could paint a flower, glue on a picture, decoupage on a pretty scrap of paper...]

step 3:
cut your ribbon to about a yard, shorter or longer depending on how many bows you want it to hold. fold one end of the ribbon over straight across & hot glue it, then fold one more time & hot glue again so that you'll have a nice, finished end.

step 4:

attach your ribbon and hanger to the back. take the unfinished end of the ribbon & loop it through the key ring. carefully position it on the back of your plaque & use the staple gun [or glue gun] to attach it right under the ring. hot glue the felt circle over the ribbon to give the back a nice finished look & to protect the wall when it's hanging [this step is optional!]. all done!

now you can wrap it up all pretty with either a couple hairbows and have the perfect simple gift for the sweet little bow-wearers in your life! come to think of it, this would be a super cute little girl baby shower gift... a bow holder & a "starter set" of baby's first bows!

of course, i don't have a "finished" picture as i popped this little baby into a gift bag as i was running out the door to my brother's house for christmas- it was a special request gift by my sister in law for my sweet little niece. i love love love making handmade gifts!

::: edited to add :::

my sweet sis-in-law heard my complaints & sent me a picture of the holder holding its hairbows. a photo really is worth 1,000 words for size reference/amount of hairbows it holds/ribbon length/etc. yay!