Tomato Cage Christmas Trees

Left - regular garland/ Right - outdoor garland

                                                                   
Carmen

                                                                       
Kesha

Kesha, Carmen & Camille

These are a fun alternative to some of the more expensive decorations. I made these about seven years ago, so they have lasted a long time out in the weather. As you can probably tell, mine look a little beat up. Its time to re-do the garlands. I took some old baskets and spray painted them silver for the base. (I turned my baskets upside down and added a couple of bricks for some weight....we get lots of wind through here.) Then wired on the tomato cages and duct taped the top three prongs together to make a point, add your lights and cover in garland. Done!
Its best to use outdoor garland for this project. It is way thicker than regular decorating garland and weathers better, but you have to buy it early in the season or it will be gone in the stores. Needless to say, I didn't get there early enough . I used one strand of 100 white lights and three packages of regular garland on each tree ( 2 packages per tree if you use the larger outdoor garland.)You can make any combination of colors, this is just to give you an idea of how much you might need. Silver and white garlands show up the brightest with the lights. Very Sparkly!! This is the first time I have used a garland with colors in it and I can tell the difference. I think I'm more of the sparkle type.
I made one for my mom a while back too, but hers was more outside in the open weather than the ones I have protected on my porch. It weathered fast with all the snow and the garland lost its twinkle by the end of the holiday season. It looked pretty bedraggled. The good thing is you can replace the garland without to much trouble, maybe even find it on sale at the end of the holidays.
Since we were re-doing them any way, we decided to go ahead and fix the one my mom doesn't use any more. My daughter wanted to put it in her picture window since her big tree is in a corner.  Looks cute...even though we only had two packages of extra silver garland from last year. We just spread it out a little more, so its not as full and the coverage is a little more sparse.We also added a bow to the top and wound some ribbon around the tree. Can you see how much brighter it is than the ones made with the colored garland? It practically glows!
All her cats love Christmas decorating!! With all the boxes, shiny balls, and things to play with, they had a lot of fun! Finally, after all that excitement they bedded down for a nap in the garland. .

Decorating At My Daughters

Carmen supervising while we make the wreath

My daughter was worried over how her tree looked decorated. She hasn't accumulated all the ornaments & Christmas stuff  my mom and I have, so she was a little wary of her tree at first....just not sure she liked it. I think her tree looks really cute! Bright and cheerful! The picture doesn't do it justice.
Mom and I didn't start out with a bunch of ornaments, but they just add up over the years. I buy a special ornament  every year for my kids, so some day all theirs will add up to a nice collection too. We added some snow flakes, and candy swirls to her mostly decorated tree and later she found some decorations she made last Christmas. The handmade ones added that some thing special. I have to admit that decorating a tree so its cat proof might be a little harder, but they have tons of pretty shatter proof decorations now days. I will soon be finding this out for myself since it will be our first Christmas with a cat. Maybe she will come help me decorate too. Her apartment looks great!
We also made her first wreath....she found some cute accents 50% off , and we used an extra wreath grandma had stored in the garage. She found a picture of a wreath she liked on Pinterest, so we had some thing to go by while putting it together. She loved it when we were finished! Not to shabby!
Every thing looks so cozy and Christmasy for the holidays....now she can just sit back and enjoy it!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had just a small gathering of family today, but we have so much to be thankful for! I thank the Lord for my family, our homes & health. I'm thankful for my husband, who had to work today. I also think of the soldiers that are far away & pray for their safety.
Every year it seems that the purpose for Thanksgiving is forgotten a little more. We will not be joining the many that run around shopping today. I love Christmas as much as the next person, but I believe we need to take the time to just be Thankful.
So, Happy Thanksgiving...and to my family, I love you guys, thanks for being in my life.

Reversible Squares

As you can probably tell, I've been playing in my holiday stash, hoping to get in the Christmas spirit by the beginning of the season. I've made this square before for some of my swaps. I just love it! Both pictures above are the same square, it's a reversible pattern.There are so many color combinations for this pattern. In fact, I have a stash of finished squares in many different colors. I like to see what all the new variegated yarn colors look like crocheted in a project, so this is my swatch pattern too. For this Christmas swatch I used Caron yarns. I've had them a long time, so I'm not sure they make these exact colors now, but I know they have similar ones out every year for the holidays. The skeins I have are very small and not enough to finish a big project, which is a shame because I like the way it turned out...Merry and Bright!

This pattern was published in "Country Afghans Magazine" Spring 2000 issue.
Reversible Delft Tiles pattern.

http://craftycaffeine69.blogspot.com/2012/03/granny-square-swap.html

Crochet Christmas Tree Coasters

I thought this granny tree pattern was too cute! Almost every one likes a hot cuppa during the winter months, so coasters seemed like a useful thing to make. Handmade touches here and there add to the charm of the holidays. When I use some thing that some one took the time to make me, I think of them and it always brings a smile to my face.
I happened to find holiday colors in Red Heart's Shimmer yarns on sale this summer. Perfect for this project. This yarn is soft and pliable so I added a felt backing to give them a little more stability. It was easy to stitch to the felt with either decorative stitching or a whip stitch. To make a set of coasters, I crocheted one in each color and tied the finished set with a bow. They would look great in one of those sheer fabric pull-string gift bags.

The pattern and tutorial can be found on The Royal Sisters Blog . She has tons of adorable ideas and patterns to make on there. 

Christmas Cross Stitch Seahorse

 I really like the Christmas swaps, but I try to choose small ones that are easy on the wallet and do not cost much to send through the mail, especially during the holidays. Christmas ATC's fit this criteria perfectly! My assigned partner has beach and seahorses listed as her favorite things. The design is actually senders choice, but if their profile is specific enough I try to send some thing they will really enjoy receiving. We were given two months to finish up our projects and get them sent.
I found this free pattern of a seahorse through searching the net...I liked the shape and the option of using a solid color, but how to make it Christmasy??? At first, I thought a Christmas seahorse was sorta laughable, but then that is what will make it unique just for her. I started making a mental list of things that say "Christmas" to me. The most obvious was the colors...the most basic holiday colors are red & green. So, my original plan was to make the body metallic red and the mane and accents metallic green. The shiny colors reminded me of tinsel. I wish it would have shown up more in the pictures , but the whole thing twinkles!
 Later, when I was looking at the pattern ...I thought candy cane! That's definitely Christmasy ...no question. I'm always "tweeking" patterns, but I wasn't sure this idea would work. I started playing with the pattern to make the stripes and after goofing it up at least five times, it finally worked out.Yeah! After I got the ATC card stitched, I thought of adding a border, but with all the shiny threads I thought it would look to gaudy.
I added ribbon to the top so she has the option of hanging it on the tree for the holidays or adding it to an ATC book.

Colors I used : DMC
* 5270 Metallic Red
* 4210 Variegated Red
(for the reds I used one strand of each, together for my two strands of floss)
* 5269 Metallic Green
* 272 Blanc Metallic White (on a spool)
* 310 Black

* free pattern: http://crochet.about.com/library/nseahorse1.htm by Sandi Marshall.

* free alphabet (lower case): http://crossstitch.about.com/od/patternsfromyourguide/ig/Alphabets-/Lowercase-BStitch-Alphabet.htm

* free alphabet (upper case): http://crossstitch.about.com/od/patternsfromyourguide/ig/Alphabets-/Uppercase-Cursive-Alphabet.htm

Happy Halloween

I used to love taking my kids Tricker Treating, and now that they are to older, I miss it. My son did go with me tonight on a Halloween walk to look at the decorations and costumes. I didn't want to miss all the excitement. There is a historical street in our town that every one used to flock to for Halloween. Crowds of kids and parents all dressed up flooded the sidewalks.Tonight there were small crowds, but not like when my kids were little. I remember it used to take close to an hour just to walk three blocks.
When we were all done we walked back to the car and headed for home. We turned on our street, and right on the side of the road stood this lone female...just standing there. It must have been how the car lights shined on her, cause my son and I both screamed ....she looked just like the girl from "The Ring" movie. Scared us both! Since she was standing on the corner of my moms front yard, we decided to drive around the block, but she was already gone. It was that fast. We thought we'd go look for a few more decorations and call it a night,again. Then, we saw the same girl ,with her boyfriend this time, walking down the street. The funny thing was they were not even dressed in costumes!
That was the creepiest thing we saw all night ...and yes, I went home and called to check on my mom =)

Pumpkin Seeds

cleaned

sauted

baking

Every year we make spiced pumpkin seeds! They smell fabulous when they are baking! Aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg....the guys always start drifting out from their man caves to see what I'm cooking up.
The ones I make are mostly sweet, but there is no limit to the spices you can add. They make great gifts for friends ,neighbors,and teachers, whoever. I know they don't last very long at our house.
Since I was asked how I make them, I re-posted. The recipe is on the link below.
http://craftycaffeine69.blogspot.com/2010/10/pumpkin-seeds.html

Little Lady Pincushion

I have been making these little lovelies for years. It reminds me of the old time mop caps. They are a perfect gift for a sewer or stitcher.  I like to do the same face pattern for these because it is easy, but I switch up the fabrics and accents and come up with a completely different style for each persons personality. Its not an original, I found the pattern in a craft magazine many years ago & loved it so much I've been making them ever since. They are so easy! I still use the first one I ever made, poor thing is all worn. I did give in one time and made a new one for myself...but it sits in the living room as a cute little decoration.
This one however, is for some one special! She is always losing her needles and pins, so I thought it might help solve this little problem before some one sits down and gets a surprise.

If you want to make one you will need:
* terracotta pot (mine was just shy of three inches tall, but no size was listed. These can be found at craft stores all year round.)
* two fabrics...one to make the top of the "hat" (approx.7 inches cut out), and one for the accent yo yo
( mine was made with a 3 inch circle. )
* embroidery floss or thread
* needle
* scissors
* yarn or trim for hair
* ribbon for a bow
* a button or bobble to add to your accent yo yo
* hot glue & glue sticks
* black fine tipped permanent marker (face)
* paints ~  flesh color to paint the pot, your choice color for the heart on the smile, & a color for the cheeks
* paint or foam brush (pot)
* stencil brush (cheeks)
* stuffing
* tooth pick (optional)

To get started, paint your pot flesh color. I like to paint a few pots at a time and store any Im not using so I can just pull one out the next time I want to make a gift. Once the paint is dry, add the "hair". It can be yarn, ribbon, or fringe trims, any thing you can hot glue on. There is a lip around the top of the pot, I just cover that whole thing vertically. If I use a fringe for the hair, I go back and trim it (if needed) when I'm ready to add the face .

 I used a paper party plate as a pattern for the larger circle. It measured 7 inches, but you can use any size as long as it covers the top of the pot once its sewn and stuffed. For the large circle, just sew around it like you would a yo yo, but do not knot it yet.( I use three strands of floss for this since I've had threads break on this part before.) Pull your thread to start closing the circle, just leave it open enough to stuff it really good with poly-fil or whatever you like to use. After it is stuffed firmly, pull the thread to close it all the way and knot it.The bottom will be in the pot and wont show. Make a regular sized yo yo in your second choice of fabric and set aside.( I used a three inch circle,but again, you can use your own choice of size.)

Once the "hat" (large circle) is finished, hot glue it on the top of your pot. I put a small line of glue on the top ridge of the pot and a lot of glue at the top of the inside edge. Quickly position the "hat", sewn side down and just press it on and let dry. It only takes a minute.
Next your ready for the bow of ribbon. You can tie it as big or small as you like, just remember it needs to show under your accent yo yo. Glue your bow on between the pot and hair line, I like to set mine off to one side.
Now we can glue the finished accent yo yo to the knot of the bow, sewn side up this time, and finally the button...center it on your accent yo yo over the hole and glue it on. All the steps with glue are done.
With the black permanent marker draw your face on the pot.You can practice this step on paper first.( I like to wait till I have every thing put together before I add the face, so I can see where I want to place it, but you can do this step any time after your painted pot is dry.)
Add a painted heart on the center of her smile and let dry.( I make three small dots with a tooth pick, sharp end cut off, and then work them together in the shape of a heart,but use what ever technique you are comfortable with. )
With the stencil brush add color to her cheeks. Note: You want to get a small amount of paint on the brush and then work it on paper until its almost dry... you can practice the application on paper for this step too. You want to get it so it looks like just a bit of blush.
Project done! You should now have yourself one nice looking little lady!

This is my first one...

(Note: If any one knows which magazine this pattern came from I would like to add a link =)

Shrinky Dink Postcard

I have a lot of fun exchanging postcards. Now I have a challenge...A student of art in Turkey has exchanged regular postcards with me and now we are going to exchange handmade ones. I did warn her...I have never made a postcard. I have done many other projects so this should turn out ok. Ive been wracking my brain to come up with some thing creative. Ive always wanted to try this, but unless it is specifically requested on the site I swap postcards on, you do not send out handmade ones. Now, I have to figure out what the post office will allow to be sent through the mail & hope it arrives at its destination in one piece.

I like textures and was looking for some thing thick and durable to mail, so my "brilliant" plan (and I am being sarcastic) was to try shrinky dink postcards. Every one loves making those, so I have been playing with them all day. I know, I know, great use of my time, right? They have turned out cute so far, if not a little on the small side. They do not shrink 100% straight though.
I used a full shrinky dink paige which is 10 inches. It shrank down to 4 inches across. I used clear, because that's what I had, but I was hoping I had some left over opaque. First, I used a corner punch so they wouldn't be sharp. Then, I used permanent marker to make the middle line, address, and write out what I wanted it to say. Now its time for the oven.....

The first one turned out good, shrank and then flattened out like normal. The second one shrank but curled up and stuck to itself on one corner. Fail! So watch while it is in the oven. I had a wooden skewer ready when I tried the second one again to keep it from touching, but I didnt need to use it.

This was the fun part...the decorating. I cut the designs out of the napkins that I wanted to use and removed the extra back layer and mod podged them to the front of the shrinky dink (no writing on this side).

After it was done drying I inked the edges and surface wrinkles & sprayed it with a fine golden mist spray (Maya Mists) to add sheen. Instead of being clear like the original shrinky dink sheet it looks frosted, which is what I wanted, you can still see through it but not enough to read it.

Add a clear finishing spray, allow to dry... and done! Just need to add the stamps and get it in the mail.
I did notice that the middle line on the back shows through a little more than I thought it would. Next time I will use the smaller fine tipped permanent black marker.

To my disappointment the post office said these were to small to send through the mail without being in an envelope (sigh). The finished size was 4 inches wide and approximately 3.5 inches long.....so, an envie it is.
Hope they like them any way=)