Home made Christmas presents

We have a policy of getting our kids 2 presents for Christmas. One from us and one from Santa. This is probably the last year I'll get away with making presents because my kids are all still pretty young. My 3 year old will probably be getting into leggos or something by next year and I don't think I can make those. So meet their Christmas presents. The boys are getting monster dolls. I made them out of scrap fabric and stuffing from a pillow I got at Goodwill.

And Paysen gets a cloth doll. I had extra fabric from some aprons I made family members for presents. I used craft paint mixed with fabric medium for the face so I can wash it and it's not hard. The clothes were going to be the death of me though. I'm sure I could have downloaded a pattern off etsy but I wanted to try and figure it out on my own. Thanks for the stubbornness Mom.

Ornaments

I decided to do a "these are a few of my favorite things" Christmas tree this year. The ornaments were inspired by the things I've been somewhat obsessed with the past year. I'm waiting to get one more thing in the mail, I'll post pictures when I get it. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...





Paysen and I are going to make sheet music paper chains later to go around the tree. And a ruffle tree skirt. Because I love all things ruffly.

Un-privatized

I un-privatized my family blog since my husband's home now if anyone wants to get to know me a little better...

calebgrandy.blogspot.com

Sneak Peek

I've been refinishing a couple pieces of furniture I got off craigslist for a master bedroom re-do that's coming up. My client's one of the most amazing women I've ever had the privilege of knowing. She lost her 3 year old in an accident not too long ago but she remains strong and happy despite her tragedy. I wish I could be more like her.

On a happier note, I'm attempting to give her a master bedroom retreat she well deserves. I won't reveal much until the room is finished, but here's a little sneak peek for her...

Apron rack

This was one of those projects that came about because of my inability to throw anything away. I had a little piece of molding about 18" long that was left over from my table project a while back. I attempted to throw it away time and time again but could never bring myself to do it. It was a good thing too because as I was cleaning out the garage a while ago, I found a plastic bag. When I opened it, I found 3 little stow aways from my junking trip to Texas. So sorry Katie, I inadvertently swiped the hooks you bought in Canton.

I made a mental note to send them directly back to their rightful home. That's when I threw them in a pile right on top of the left over board. It was like those love scenes in movies when two people see each other for the first time and cheesy music begins to play. I was in love. The browns in the metal complimented the board so well that I had no choice. Besides, possession is 9/10ths of the law... or something.

I decided to use it as an apron rack in my kitchen. Which is problematic, because I don't have any aprons. Gasp, you say? Don't worry, that's my next project.

And to make it up to my best friend for five finger discounting her hooks, I'll make her one too!

Christmas Mantle

I don't usually decorate for the holidays. My kids are lucky if I put up a Christmas tree. So when I did a demonstration for a church activity last week, I'm sure Tara was thinking "Good, you grinch". I did decorating a mantel for the holidays on a budget. I spent less than $20 and used a LOT of burlap at 50% off. I made some burlap stockings lined with tan and white striped ticking. They're really simple, which is how I like things around here. The trees I already had and just covered the bottom with burlap. You can get them already like that at Hobby Lobby though. The snow globes were from my last project and were a total hit. I think we may do them for a separate activity.

I made some sheet music thingies (Tara, feel free to edit here) and then cut out circles from thicker water color paper. I spray painted the paper with black chalkboard paint and wrote "Joy" with chalk. I already had the frames so I didn't need to buy those.

Since I was out of town last week, I took all the fixin's to my friend Ginger's house so she could set it up for me. Thanks, by the way. Sorry the mantel weighs more than Santa. I also had two tall black shutters displaying different wreaths on either side.

P.S. Tara here. I would have called them sheet music thingies as well. So good job!

Mason jar snow globes

I was asked to do a little demonstration of holiday decorating on a budget at a church activity. I'm not really big on holiday decorating myself so I thought it'd be a good way to get me in the mood. My kids are lucky if I put up a Christmas tree.

So Tara's been helping me look through the interweb to find some cheap ideas. We ran across these antique Mason jar snow globes that Anthropologie was using to display jewelry. They weren't for sale so I don't think you can buy them there.

These are Anthropologie's versions.

Here's the list of materials I used:

(I got them all at Hobby Lobby except the ball jars. Look to your local antique stores or flea market for those)

Mason jar and zinc lid that fits
An ornament
White glitter
Glycerin
Gorilla glue epoxy or some other epoxy
Hot glue or waterproof caulking

Here's step by step instructions:

Clean the mason jars
Use the epoxy glue to attach the ornament to the lid
Fill the clean jar with water and a couple tablespoons of glycerin (it helps the glitter to not stick to the jar or the ornament)
When the epoxy's dry, screw on the lid
Hot glue the lid around the jar to prevent leaking (next time, I think I'll use bathroom caulking so I can wipe off the excess and it'll still seal it well)


It was an fun project and I learned what not to do through trial and error. Here's my list of don'ts:

Don't use hot glue to attach the ornament to the zinc lid (It'll come off when vigorously shaken by a 3 year old for hours. This is when you'll need the epoxy.)
Don't fill the water to the top then add the epoxy.

Don't go answer the door and leave your glitter unattended with an 18 month old lurking.
Don't use those little green trees sold at Hobby lobby. The green dye on the trees will turn your water green.
Don't freak out if the glitter seems a little clumpy at first. Once the glycerin and water are mixed well, the glitter will separate again.

I hope you like it! This project would make some great cheap presents for family that you actually like.