Homemade Holiday Gift Bags and Tags

December 19, 2016 By Linda Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Duck® Brand for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret …

I like wrapping presents.

And it’s not just a like like. It’s more of a love like.

When I was younger, my love-like of wrapping presents made me the family’s gift wrapper in residence.

I loved it!

Okay, more like loved liked it. 🙂

And after I was clued in to the whole Santa situation, I became the official Christmas gift wrapper. I even wrapped my own gifts (and, no, I never peeked).

In hindsight, wrapping gifts was my creative outlet. We weren’t a crafting family, but at Christmas time I could exercise my creativity with gift wrap and bows and ribbons.

No two gifts looked alike.

As I got older, I started spending a ridiculous amount of money on Christmas wrap and ribbons and bows. I always needed at least 3-4 different types of paper. And there was always, always a complimentary color story and theme …

And then I had kids. And became a stay-at-home mom. And spending ridiculous amounts of money on 3-4 different types of color-and-theme-coordinated papers and ribbons and bows was out of the budget.

That’s when the real creativity kicked in. 🙂

I love the idea of making your own homemade wrapping. And I especially love the simplicity of dressing up dollar store gift bags with some glamorous Duck Tape® . So easy. All you need is Duck Glitter® tape and inexpensive brown bags. That’s it. Two ingredients and you’re done!

How To Make Homemade Holiday Gift Bags and Tags

Materials

Duck Glitter® Tape

Dollar Store Paper Bags

Scissors

Ruler

Dollar Store Tissue Paper

White Embroidery Thread (or String)

For the mini tree bags (1) Start by cutting a 1/2″ length of Duck Glitter tape in white. Then cut that 1/2″ piece in half. (2) & (3) Cut into triangle shapes. (4) Attach to bag.

Repeat.

For the white, silver, and gold Duck Glitter tree bag …

Start with a 3 1/2″ strip of gold Duck Glitter tape. Fold in half to find center point. Using the center point guide, cut out triangle.

Repeat steps above with silver and white Duck Glitter tape, cutting strips 1/2″ smaller each time. That’s 3″ for the silver triangle and 2 1/2″ for the white.

Start with the gold triangle, and stack each one on top of the other. I left about a 1 1/4″ inch or so between each layer.

For the trunk, cut a 1/2″ piece from the Duck Glitter in black.

And that’s it. For the bags.

For the gift tags …

(1) Cut a gift bag in half.

(2) Overlap three strips of Duck Glitter in gold, silver and white.

(3) Cut in half.

(4) & (5) Fold in half to find center point.

(6) & (7) Using center point as guide, cut out triangle shape.

(8) Trim bottom.

All you need now is a hole punch to cut a hole to thread a piece of string through. The back side is perfect for writing your gift tag message.

I made one more design that uses a mix of triangle trees and the black DUCK glitter tape strips.

Easy. Peasy …

and oh so glamorous! 🙂

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You can find even more creative – and glamorous – holiday craft ideas on the Duck Tape holiday Pinterest board

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Snowflake Mason Jars

December 13, 2016 By Linda 7 Comments

Snowflake Mason Jars – Stamped Snowflake Mason Jars.

Snowflake Mason Jars @It All Started With Paint

I’ve been on an American Pickers kick these past few weeks.

I mean, how can you not love Mike and Frank as they criss-cross the country picking through people’s stuff?

There’s always the drama of the deal. The ice breaker. Frank’s love of “smalls” and oil cans. Mike’s obsession with bicycles and folk art …

and speaking of folk art …

I was working on some mason jars orders last week and it hit me: Could my painted jars — especially those with intricate designs — one day be considered folk art?

Or, is it folk art right now?

And then I imagine a day in the future when I’m long gone (but somehow, mysteriously, Mike and Frank have not aged a day) and, accompanied by the American Pickers camera crew, they’re picking through some barn in the Midwest and come across one of my painted mason jars.

Maybe even one of these snowflake mason jars?

snowflake-mason-jar-it-all-started-with-paint-2-of-14

And Mike-the-folk-art-aficionado will tell the story of mason jar folk artist Linda Braden. About how she had a blog and an Etsy shop. How all her jars were hand-painted so no two jars were exactly alike. And how her mason jar crafting helped her send her two children to college.

He could then talk about the whole surge in mason jar crafts in the twenty teens …

and he might even say I was at the forefront of the movement. 🙂

And he would pick up this snowflake mason jar and look at the markings. He would share a story about how Ball Canning introduced smooth sided mason jars in 2016. And how Linda was able to use a stamp on the jar to create the design …

snowflake-mason-jar-it-all-started-with-paint-12-of-14

because of it’s unique smooth sides.

How To Make Snowflake Mason Jars

Materials*

Smooth Sided Mason Jars (Pint & Quarts)

Snowflake Stamp (I found mine at the craft store but here are some similar rubber stamps I found on Amazon at this link)

Paint (I used chalking paint for the surface and white craft paint for the snowflakes)

Paint Brush

*some affiliate links included.

Paint jars. I gave mine two coats. Let dry.

snowflake-mason-jar-how-to-it-all-started-with-paint

Distress lightly around rim and along small Ball words.

snowflake-painted-mason-jar-it-all-started-with-paint-8-of-10

Dip stamp in white paint. I dabbed the stamp one time on a paper plate before stamping on jar. So it’s dip in paint, stamp on paper plate lightly and then stamp on the jar. Straight on (no rolling). You can get maybe two snowflakes from one dip.

snowflake-painted-mason-jar-it-all-started-with-paint-10-of-10

Use a paint brush to add dots. And you’re done.

And who knows, if you follow my tutorial and make your very own snowflake mason jars maybe Mike and Frank will dig your creation out of a barn some day in the future and share your story as a mason jar folk artist …

🙂

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Snowflake Mason Jars - Stamped Snowflake Painted Mason Jars @It All Started With Paint blog

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Today’s post is a sponsored post brought to you by Ball Canning. However, any and all opinions about Ball Canning and smooth sided mason jars are 100% my own.

Oh, and Ball canning is offering a $3 off holiday coupon on the purchase of mason jars. Just click here to print out your coupon.

Hostess Gift Ideas & More

December 9, 2016 By Linda 2 Comments

This post is brought to you by CJ Affiliate’s VIP Content Service. Thank you Pier 1 for sponsoring this post. While this was a sponsored opportunity from Pier 1, all content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I had a Samantha in the SATC movie one moment yesterday.

And no, it had nothing to do with a neighbor. Or sushi. Or a $50,000 diamond ring that was a “little too much.” Or chips and guacamole …

though, now come to think of it, I’d love some chips and guacamole.

No, my Samantha moment was was akin to the scene in the movie where she’s in Beverly Hills — wearing a fabulous yellow dress — and walking out of an expensive store with bags in one hand, a little dog on a leash in the other and expensive store employees following behind with even more bags. All were heading to her car.

You see, I was at Pier 1 Imports pulling together some holiday gift ideas for you all. After hours scouring each and every item in the store … and creating collections on a shelf system specifically set up for guests to save items and collections (love that!) … it was time to ring up. And package up.

Let’s just say, it started to look like I purchased one of each and every item I scoured!

Which means there were a lot of bags. Lots and lots of bags. More than I could carry in a single trip.

Before I knew it, one of the very helpful Pier 1 Imports store employees volunteered to help me with my bags. And there I was — albeit bundled up in winter coat and scarf and gloves — walking out the door with bags in my hands and a store employee following close behind with even more bags. Walking to my car. And I said, “I feel like I need a little dog on a leash …”

He chuckled.

I’m not sure if it was a chuckle of understanding. Or politeness.

But Samantha and I’m going with understanding. 🙂

And now it’s time to show you what I scoured and brought home from Pier 1 Imports (sans the help of a little dog on a leash):

Hostess Gift Ideas

If you hosts are all about the entertaining, you can’t go wrong with serving trays. For cheeses. For meats. For sweets. For … well …whatever.

I immediately fell in love with the stoneware cheese board.

And paired it with the Christmas Tree serving board (to bring in some holiday fun). Top it off with the cheese knife set, chalk not place card holder set and signature Pier 1 Imports chalkboard pen.

And the sparkly hedgehog was thrown in because … well … he was too cute to resist!

Hostess Gift (Entertaining) Sources:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

But if your hosts are more the bar buff type, you can’t go wrong with copper.

It’s all the rage this year.

Trust me, I’ve got a good source on this one.

A bona fide expert: A bartender at a fabulous restaurant in our neighborhood. This past weekend, he told us the Moscow Mule mugs are the most stolen piece of bar-ware from the restaurant. Hands down. Even more than the etched wine glasses.

So (ding ding ding) I thought a fabulous hostess gift could be built around Moscow Mule mugs. Paired with a chalkboard beverage chiller, fun XOXO coasters, and topped off with a copper beaded peacock Christmas ball ornament …

you know, to add a bit of holiday spirit.

Oh, and don’t forget the jingle bell scatter. In copper, of course!

Hostess Gift (Bar Cart) Sources:

Moscow Mule Mugs | Chalk Surface Beverage Chiller | XOXO Cork Coaster Set | Jingle Bell Scatter | Beaded Peacock Ball Ornament

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gifts For Her Idea

My Jersey roots took the lead this one.

Faux Fur. Check.

Feathers. Check.

Sparkling jewels. Check.

All wrapped up with shiny bows and jingle bells. Check and check!

These gifts have been stashed away to be wrapped up and placed under the tree for my teen daughter.

She does have half Jersey blood running through her veins, after all!

Gifts for Her Sources:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Teacher Gift Idea

The dreaded teacher gift.

And no, it’s not because the teacher is dreaded. Quite the opposite. The teacher is fabulous!

Wonderful. Amazing. Dedicated.

How could a mortal gift live up to your child’s wonderful, amazing, dedicated teacher?

Perhaps with a Hello Gorgeous mug? Perfect for that first wonderful cup of coffee of the day.

It’s also a great place to stash an amazing little gift card … along with a mini reed diffuser and sparkly rattan star ornament. Oh, and wrap it all up in some holiday words tissue paper for some dedicated seasonal cheer!

Teacher Gift Sources:

Hello Gorgeous Porcelain Mug | Sugar Plum Mini Reed Diffuser | Rattan Star Ornament | Holiday Words & Solid Green Tissue Paper

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Stocking Stuffer Gift Ideas

Since my kids have been little, I’ve been splurging on a stocking stuffer ornament gift each year.

I think it may just be my favorite part of the whole gift giving/gift searching process. I love finding the perfect one to suit their personalities at the time.

And Pier 1 Imports has been my go-to source for these unique, personality-suiting splurge ornaments.

This year, I may have found my favorite yet. The Li Bien ornaments are exclusive to Pier 1. They’re also painted on the inside …

um, head explodes …

by inserting an L shaped brush and reverse paint it by hand.

Please excuse me while my head explodes again. 🙂

Stocking Stuffer Gift Sources:

Li Bien Santa Claus & Sleigh Ornament | Li Bien Santa Claus & Gifts Ornament | Single Ornament Stand

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gift Ideas That Give Back

In this season of family and friends … and yes, sometimes overindulgence … doesn’t it feel nice to give back? Pier 1 Imports sells a series of beautiful boxed card sets that benefit UNICEF. Proceeds from the purchase of each pack of cards will help UNICEF provide shelter, nutrition, education and more for children around the world.

Affordable. Beautiful. Philanthropic.

Need I say more?

Gift Ideas That Give Back Sources:

UNICEF Bright Wreath Boxed Cards | UNICEF 2016 Holiday Card Selection

Happy Holiday Shopping! 🙂

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This blog post contains affiliate links. For more about my affiliate links click here for my disclosure & privacy policies.

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Mini Mason Jar Stocking Stuffer

December 8, 2016 By Linda 3 Comments

Mini Mason Jar Stocking Stuffer: Mason Jar Snowman.

The Christmas stocking.

It may just be my favorite.

Think about it. The Christmas stocking is the equivalent of finding a twenty dollar bill in your coat pocket after being stored away for a long spring, summer, and fall.

Now granted, the opening of the stocking doesn’t require a three season wait.

But discovering the stocking after you’ve burned through the presents under the tree …

and the disappointment that there are no more presents left to open begins to take hold …

is nothing short of magical.

Filling your child-sized heart with hope. Hope that more presents are always around the next corner.

Or stuffed inside the next stocking. 🙂

So here’s hoping these mini mason jars stocking stuffers … dressed up as mini snowman and stuffed with candy (or mints) … will fill those stocking stuffer hopeful kids with hope. And joy. 🙂

How to Make a Snowman Mini Mason Jar Stocking Stuffer

Materials

Mini Mason Jars (4 oz.)

Small Buttons

Red Felt

Black Paint

Paint Brush

Glue

White Candy

Scissors

Start with mini mason jars. These jars hold 4 ounces.

Paint the mini mason jars lids black. Mine took 2 coats. You can also spray paint them.

Add three dots of glue to jars for buttons. I used a multi-surface glue that is quick dry, but also offers time to adjust and re-adjust your button placement.

Attach buttons to the jars. I used mini buttons found at the craft store.

Cut thin strips of red felt for the scarf. My strips measure 1/2″ (width) by 12″ (length).

Tie a scarf knot around mason jar (just under lid). Trim edges out to look scarf-like.

Insert candy of choice into Mini Mason Jar. I chose Tic Tacs. But anything white works.

Insert into stocking on Christmas Eve.

Remind kids on Christmas morning to check their stockings. Wait for their delight.

🙂

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P.S. Ball canning is offering a $3 off holiday coupon on the purchase of mason jars. Just click here to print out your coupon.

Today’s post is a sponsored post brought to you by Ball Canning. However, any and all opinions about Ball Canning and these amazing Mini Mason Jars are 100% my own.

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| Savvy Southern Style |

Christmas Tree with Burlap Ribbon & Pine Cones

December 2, 2016 By Linda 14 Comments

Christmas Tree with Burlap Ribbon & Pine Cones – Natural, Rustic Christmas Tree Idea.

This is not our real Christmas tree.

Our real Christmas tree is exactly that. Real.

But this faux Christmas tree with burlap ribbon & pine cones is a place holder. A stand in.

A Christmas tree body double, if you will.

The real tree will be set up when my son returns home from college. As has been our tradition since the kids were little, dad and the kids pick out the tree. And then mom (me) and the kids decorate it.

We’ve been amassing an eclectic collection of Christmas ornaments for years and years. Gifts from my sister-in-law to the kids. And gifts from me (in the form of a stocking stuffer) from me to the kids. And gifts to themselves when they visit the Christkindlemarket with my other sister-in-law.

A tradition the kids adore.

And as the kids get older, the tree decorating process becomes slower. Mostly because they stop and pause and reminisce about the various ornaments. Digging out their favorites. And conspiratorially laughing at others.

Inside jokes that mom is not a part of. Which is good thing …

But this “impostor” Christmas tree with burlap ribbon and pines cones will still find a place in our home. Just not here. In the living room …

It will graciously make way for the real Christmas tree with a relocation to the family room.

But … for the time being … it’s playing Christmas tree body double for my holiday home tour next week.

I’m up on Tuesday, December 6.

Oh, and I casually suggested to my daughter that we keep this faux Christmas tree decorated with ribbons & pine cones and snowflakes in the living room and put the real tree in the family room.

That idea was shot down immediately.

Tradition rules around here. 🙂

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Thanksgiving Table Setting … And Turkey Talk

November 29, 2016 By Linda 2 Comments

This Thanksgiving Table Setting post is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gallo Family Vineyards. All opinions are 100% mine.

Can we talk turkey?

I know, I know. Thanksgiving was so last year. Everyone is focused on decking the halls and hanging the stockings and dressing the tree. But can I share one last hurrah for the day we celebrate the turkey?

You see, Thanksgiving is my favorite. It’s like a dress rehearsal for Christmas, sans the presents. And decorations. With a little less fuss and muss …

… and a lot more food and drink! 🙂

And as for the less fuss and muss, that really goes for the attendee.

If you’re the host, however, the holiday certainly brings with it a certain level of chaos. Especially if you, like me, are not the most dedicated of housekeepers. Which means Thanksgiving prep can start weeks in advance with a crazed spurt of cleaning, where you find yourself hanging from ceiling fans and down on your hands and knees scrubbing baseboards.

On the plus side, it creates the perfect clean palette for those post-Thanksgiving decking the halls decorations. 🙂

But if you’re the attendee, Thanksgiving is smooth sailing. Perhaps you make a pie or side dish and pick up a nice bottle of wine from the Gallo Family Vineyard Wines and show up on the doorstep ready to belly up to the feast.

Or, that’s how it’s suppose to go.

But what if you’re an attendee meeting your new family for the first time on Thanksgiving?

Yes, that’s exactly the situation I found myself in all those years ago when I first moved to Chicago.

Newly engaged, I packed up my earthly belongings and bid adieu to New Jersey in mid-October …

and my first Thanksgiving in Chicago was shortly thereafter.

Unaccustomed to my new family’s Thanksgiving customs, I stuck close to my fiance. It’s probably the quietest I’ve ever been at a family gathering. Now they can’t shut me up! 🙂

Things were going swimmingly. Everyone was so nice and polite. Funny even. And the kids were much more well-behaved than my nieces and nephews who would often disappear under the table after eating for a game that involved crawling along the floor. 😉

I was feeling pretty confident in myself. And any pre-Thanksgiving nerves melted away by the time dessert rolled around.

And just as I was getting comfortable in a squashy armchair succumbing to my turkey and stuffing and mashed potato coma, I heard …

“Whatever happened to that nice Elaine girl?”

Those words came out of my soon-to-be mother-in-law’s mouth. And were directed at my soon-to-be-husband.

Gulp!

Yes, that’s right. Here I was at my first Thanksgiving with my new family — after moving thousands of miles away from my family — and the post-Thanksgiving feast conversation had turned to my fiance’s ex-girlfriend from college.

Hmmm ….

Perhaps I had overestimated myself? Gotten too comfortable too soon? Maybe there would be some loops I would need to jump through?

I don’t even remember Mike’s response. I was too stunned.

It’s something we laugh about now. In fact, I ended up having a lovely relationship with Mike’s mother …

and she never asked about that nice girl Elaine again. 🙂

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Thanksgiving Table Setting

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This little turkey talk story has been brought to you on behalf of the Gallo Family Vineyard Wines. You can learn more about their many varietals at the Gallo Family Vineyards Facebook page and can learn more about where to buy at this link.

Sharing: | Savvy Southern Style |

Holiday Mantel Fantel with Trees

November 28, 2016 By Linda 17 Comments

Holiday Mantel Fantel with Trees … and a Painted Pine Cone Garland.

I hereby declare this the year of the painted pine cone.

I don’t know how I’ve lived my life for this long without one in it …

How could I have not noticed them before?

How could I have not crafted one before?

How could I not have strung them together with twine before?

So many unanswered questions!

And to think, this holiday mantel fantel with trees would be just so blah without a painted pine cone garland.

Just some trees and faux snow.

Bo-ring.

But with a garland of painted pine cones? Now this holiday mantel fantel with trees truly comes to life!

Oh, and I’m painting even more pines cones as you read this. Because I need painted pine cones EVERYWHERE in my holiday decor this year! And here’s how you can make your own …

How To Make A Painted Pine Cone Garland

Materials*

Cinnamon Scented Pine Cones

Rust-Oleum Chalked Paint in Linen White (you can also just use white craft paint)

Foam Brush

Jute Twine

*affiliate links included.

Start with your pine cones. I picked up a bag of scented ones at my local grocery store. (You can also buy them online at the link above.)

Using a disposable foam brush, apply paint to the tips.

Cut a length of jute twine (tip: cut a piece at least twice as long as the final length you need). Using your jute twine, tie a knot around center of the first pine cone.

Keep adding more pine cones, tying a knot around the center of each. Mine are spaced about 3 1/2″ to 4″ apart.

I used these Command Light Clip hooks to hang up the garland on my holiday mantel fantel with trees.

Today’s holiday mantel fantel with trees (and a painted pine cone garland) is part of a look at holiday mantel decorating styles across the regions — and the borders — of North America. Enjoy visiting these other fabulous blogs to see how they’ve decorated their Christmas mantels in the region where they live!

CANADA:

This Mama’s Danc e

EAST:

Atta Girl Says || Golden Boys & Me || In My Own Style || StoneGable ||The Everyday Home || The Rustic Life || Worthing Court

CENTRAL:

Cedar Hill Farmhouse || Edith & Evelyn || House By Hoff || It All Started With Paint || Maison de Pax || Town & Country Living

WEST:

At The Picket Fence || Classic Casual Home || Tidbits || Twelve On Main

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Giving Thanks … And Painted Pumpkins

November 24, 2016 By Linda 2 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you’re in need of a little break from the stuffing making and potato mashing, I have a little Thanksgiving tale for you …

and it all started with a nightmare.

You see, I had a nightmare last night. No, not the one where I’m falling off a cliff. Or where the tidal wave comes out of nowhere when I’m on the beach. Or the one where I can’t find that one “thing” I desperately need to find and keep going around in one unending frustrated circle after another. Or the one where I forgot to turn on the oven and the turkey and all the fixings never cook …

My nightmare last night had to do with the Gilmore Girls revival. Tomorrow is the big day that four short movies will be released all at once on Netflix. To say I’ve been waiting for this day with unbridled excitement would be an understatement.

I’ve been stalking the Gilmore Girls fan pages. Have watched the trailers more times than I’d like to admit … oh, and teared up each and every time.

I’m pretty sure I’ve read — or watched — every interview with every actor appearing in the revival.

thanksgiving-table-setting-idea-navy-blue-white-orange-with-gallo-wine-pinot-grigio-itallstartedwithpait-com-65

So the nightmare: I don’t recall the exact timeline of events, but all I remember is that somehow I had other commitments tomorrow. And Saturday. And through much of Sunday until Sunday evening. Late.

Which meant I wouldn’t be able to sit down to watch the revival … four ninety minute episodes … until sometime after 11 PM on Sunday night!

That also meant I would have to avoid all forms of media. Print and Social, for an entire weekend. And radio. I wouldn’t be able to turn on the radio in the car. Because as much as I want to see what happens through those four 90 minutes episodes the “last four words” loom large.

I woke up so sad. And depressed.

And you know what? I can’t shake that feeling away.

Which leaves me no choice but to eat it away! 🙂

Hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving gathering with your loved ones!

Fabric Scrap Dollar Store Pumpkin Craft

October 18, 2016 By Linda 21 Comments

Fabric Scrap Dollar Store Pumpkin Craft – Decoupage Pumpkin Craft Ideas.

Today I find myself contemplating life’s great mysteries.

It started first thing this morning as I was performing my first thing in the morning task of brushing my teeth. As I laboriously worked to squeeze the very last drop out of the toothpaste tube — all while a brand new, full tube lay nearby – I couldn’t help but wonder, “Why are we so desperate to get every last drop out of the toothpaste tube?”

It’s not like it’s liquid gold. Or some huge expense.

Which got me thinking about even more perplexing life mysteries …

Like why, when I’m actually in a rush to get somewhere, do I end up driving behind the slowest ever driver in the history of drivers?

Speaking of driving – why can’t everyone else on the road be the same amazing driver I am? 🙂

And why, once I throw something away — and when I say something I mean an item I’ve been hanging on to for a year or more and haven’t looked for or needed that item in all that time — do you always need it a week later? Like clockwork.

And why is the grocery store always … always … out of that one item I really need? The Sure-Jell to make my Thanksgiving cranberries. Or the almond extract needed to bake those Christmas cookies? Or the perfect pearl onions that Mike and I love in the homemade stew he makes!

And to bring this life’s little mysteries train of though full circle to address my fabric scrap dollar store pumpkin craft project: Is there anything that hasn’t been done to dollar store pumpkins?

I’ve seen them painted. And galvanized. And heirloomed. And glittered. And wood sliced. I’ve even seen them turned into candles and cut in half and mounted on walls. And I know for a fact that I’m not the first to mod podge some fabric scraps to a dollar store pumpkin. And I certainly won’t be the last.

Fabric Scrap Dollar Store Pumpkin Craft

Materials*

Foam Pumpkin (I found mine at Dollar Tree but also see them listed on Amazon at this link)

Fabric Scraps (I used left over navy & white ticking stripe and Premier Prints navy & white fabric)

Mod Podge

Brown Craft Paint

Foam Brush

Scissors

Start by cutting fabric scraps into 1 1/2″ x 9″ lengths. I actually ripped my pieces to give the edges a rougher look. I used 14 fabric scrap lengths to cover my foam pumpkin.

Apply a thick layer of Mod Podge using a foam brush.

And then start applying the scraps, overlapping slightly to cover the pumpkin.

A few tips & tricks:

#1 – As you can see, I snipped the ends of the fabric scraps so the fabric wouldn’t get too bunched up around the stem and;

#2 – In hindsight, I should have given the pumpkin a quick coat of white paint before starting. Depending on your fabric, the bright orange may show through.

Here’s a look at the underside of the pumpkin so you can see how I layered the fabric.

… and here’s the moment I realized I should have painted that ugly green stem brown before starting this project …

So I rectified that with a little brown craft paint.

I finished it off with a few hand cut leaves from a contrasting fabric and stuck them on with a dab of Mod Podge.

Voila!

Oh, and it shouldn’t be a life mystery that you can apply this fabric scrap decoupage with Mod Podge technique to one of those ugly plastic pumpkins. Or even a real pumpkin. Just use the outdoor Mod Podge if you plan to add it to your outdoor fall/Halloween display!

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Fall Mantel With Cotton Stems

October 11, 2016 By Linda 10 Comments

Fall Mantel with Cotton Stems – Simple Fantel Mantel Decorating Ideas.

October 8, 2016.

Write it down.

It’s the day we finally succumbed and turned the heat on. Okay, the day Mike succumbed and turned the heat on. After walking the dog in 41 degree Saturday morning weather.

Me? I would have held out a bit longer. But then again, I was busy taking a steaming hot shower while Mike and the dog braved 41 degree weather.

🙂

Each year, we hold our breath with that first flip of the thermostat switch and turn of dial. Convinced this is the year the furnace is going to say, “nah. I’m tired. I’m old. I’m done providing warmth and comfort to your home …”

Fall Mantel Cotton Stems Decorating Ideas

And after that turn of the thermostat dial, we wait …

and wait …

and wait.

Radiator heat takes awhile to warm up. Especially after months and months of laying dormant.

Fall Mantel Fantel Ideas with Cotton Stems

We don’t even have the clunking and banking type of radiator heat.

Ours is silent. Mysterious. And can take hours before the heat travels from the furnace in the basement to the radiators upstairs.

So we left the house and left the dog in charge of monitoring the heat. He did have the to brave that 41 degree Saturday morning walk after all. 🙂

And on our return, we were greeted with the smell of heat. And warm-to-the-touch radiators …

just in time for another warm up on Sunday. 😉

But then again, what’s the fun of a furnace breaking down when the temperature is above freezing? It’s more likely to happen on the coldest day of the year (yes, that has happened) when we have no choice but to dish out the big bucks for an emergency replacement.

Ah, the joys of home ownership!

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Simple Mantel with Cotton Stems - Fall Mantel Fantel Decorating Ideas with Cotton Stems and Driftwood Miror

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Navy White Screen Porch

October 5, 2016 By Linda 7 Comments

Navy White Screen Porch – Rustic Screened In Porch Decorated in Navy & White Stripes.

Yes, yes, I realize the rest of the online publishing world is all about the fall decor. The pumpkin decorating projects and the home tours and the welcoming front porches with the hay stalks and the lanterns and the spider webs …

oh, and let’s not forget the celebration of autumnal colors. Russets browns and pumpkin oranges and Sugar-Maple -leaf golden yellows.

And here I am firmly stuck in summer. Out back on the screen porch. Celebrating the nautical navy and white colors of summer.

Sigh.

At this rate, I’ll be sharing my Christmas home sometime in mid-February of 2017. 🙂

But back to the summer-nautical-navy-and-white. Can we talk? Because sometime in mid-August it hit me over the head like a sledgehammer that there was a confluence of home decor and fashion going on. With me. And my wardrobe.

I was dressing like my home. Including the newly redecorated navy white screen porch.

Clunk! goes the sledgehammer.

Seriously, as summer progressed I became increasingly camouflaged in my own home.

It started innocently enough with the most amazingly comfortable Old Navy white stretch denim shorts. Followed shortly thereafter with a collection of navy & white tops. Solids, stripes, polka dots. You name it, I collected (and wore) them all.

Every. Single. Day

But the tip of the iceberg — my breaking point also known as the point of self-awareness — occurred while on vacation, away from my native navy & white environment where I could easily fade into background. In a navy & white polka dot tankini I found myself standing out on a sunny Florida beach. Standing out among a sea of brightly colored bathing suits and beach toys and beach chairs …

I could no longer fade into the background.

So what does this mean for me and my home? Perhaps a fashion intervention is needed? Or perhaps, to quote the late great Albus Dumbldore, “we need a little change of decoration.”

If only I could clap my hands and make that happen. But I’m still waiting on my letter from Hogwarts. 🙂

Seriously, though, I’ve been pinning new paint colors and area rugs. I even purchased new fabrics (last year!) in preparation of my “change of decoration.” Just don’t tell my family. They already think I’m a little bit nuts with all my projects …

though, if I keep dressing in navy & white maybe I can make my ‘change of decoration’ in stealth mode. 🙂

Navy White Screen Porch Sources

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P.S. Here’s a peak at my current … and future 🙂 … navy & white summer wardrobe …

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”1992383″]

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Radiator Cover Fall Mantel Fantel

September 23, 2016 By Linda 11 Comments

Radiator Cover Fall Mantel Fantel – Dining Room.

HGTV has become the soundtrack to my life.

Sad, right?

In my defense, it’s really only the soundtrack on the weekends. Weekdays are filled with Good Morning America and Gilmore Girls repeats followed by a long afternoon of Grey’s Anatomy on Lifetime …

Okay, now that’s sounding equally as sad.

I can’t help it. As much as my kids are addicted to their phones … I’m addicted to my television.

But back to HGTV. It’s not like I’m just lounging on the couch with eyes glued to the tv as I pop bon bons (whatever they are) in my mouth. It’s background noise.

Though, from time to time something catches my attention. And I stop.

I listen.

I look.

Most of what catches my attention is any one of the variation of house hunting type show — be it tiny or beachfront or traditional American dream house.

Inevitably, words about “open floor plans” and “double sink deal-breakers” and “this fill-in-the-blank is too small” and …

the most odious. Perplexing. Lathers Mike and I up into a fit of crazy ….

the “this is so small” comment on any one of the tiny house hunter shows.

Argghhhh! Didn’t the producers tell you the name of the show?!? 🙂

There is one common denominator of all those house hunting shows making up the soundtrack of my life: they inevitably wear me down and make me feel bad about my non-open-floor-plan-no-double-sink-space-challenged house.

Honestly, I fear my home would be eviscerated by those picky, demanding house hunters marching through.

Which leaves me darting my eyes around furiously looking for my home’s saving graces. The arches are pretty cool. My family room addition always commands a “wow.” The screen porch is a deal-maker. And then there are the radiator covers. Custom made by the previous owner. Holding up swimmingly for over 20 years …

… and offering me a place to create fantel mantels for each season. Like this year’s radiator cover fall mantel fantel design.

Now if we can just keep those pesky home buyers out of our needs-a-major-gut-rehab master bathroom we might just get a sale …

😉

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