Burlap Christmas Trees

This is a repost from 2012. I thought it was good enough to share once more. 

A few years ago I made several things out of burlap. My favorite of all of those projects was these little fabric trees. This idea was one that I came up with on my own and it is one of my craft projects that I am the most proud of. I still receive compliments from friends about these trees when they are taken out of storage and put on display for the season.

The trees are fairly easy to make. I am not an excellent seamstress to say the least, so if I say that these are easy then you can trust me. To make them I used tan & red burlap and decorated them with various vintage buttons and laces. That is the funnest part - choosing how the tree will be embellished! The trunk of each tree is a wooden thread spool.

Burlap isn't the only fabric that you can use. I also made trees out of some old bedspreads I had on hand. (shown below). The white tree is made of chenille.

I'm sharing how I made these in case you are interested in trying one yourself. Although it is much easier to buy someone a gift - I believe that making something with your own hands as a gift for someone else is such a sweet expression of love and kindness. With time at a premium, spending time to make something shows the recipient that you care enough about them to give of your time and talents. Trust me when I say that a handmade gift will be cherished for years to come much more so that something bought at a store.

Chenille & green tapestry fabric - both found at a yard sale.

I didn't take any pictures showing these being made but I can give you some simple directions if you want to try making these on your own.

You will need:
Fabric of choice
12" piece of 20 gauge wire
1 wooden thread spool
small piece of felt
Hot Glue
Laces, buttons & trims for decorating

To begin I drew a triange/tree shape - on a piece of paper and used that as my pattern. Make it as small/large as you like. I traced the pattern onto the material. Cut two pieces of material for each tree. Sew the two pieces together - leaving an opening for stuffing the tree later. For the burlap I sewed the pieces together WRONG sides together and just trimmed the material close to the seem when finished - leaving a raw edge. For the other materials I sewed the trees RIGHT sides together and then turned them right side out when sewn. Stuff the trees with fiber fill. I then inserted a wire into the center of each tree - sort of like a trunk. The wire should stick out about an inch from the bottom of the tree. Sew material closed - keep the wire sticking out.

Now, take your wooden spool and cut a piece of felt to cover the bottom of the spool. Attach with glue. Now fill the hole in the spool with hot glue. Insert the wire from the tree into the hot glue - this keeps the tree stable enough to stand on it's own. Let dry. You can now decorate the tree with trims, ribbons & buttons as you wish. I also decorated my wooden spools with paper, twine & ribbons.

If you check my post Christmas 2014 you will spy my trees on display. They come out each year and I love them just as much today as I did when I made them.

Merry Christmas!
KayteeJane

Hoop Art

For several years now Hoop Art has been all over the internet. I think I first saw the idea years ago on the delightful blog Posy Gets Cozy. I googled it when writing this post and the picture appeared. I love how she makes fabric into art with a simple embroidery hoop!

Since I first saw that picture it seems like the popularity of hoop art has exploded. Creative women everywhere are making something unique with fabric and a hoop. Maps, sweaters, quilts, old t-shirts, burlap, vintage linens, embroidery, lace - it is made all the more lovely when framed in a hoop and hung for display.

I see hoops for sale all of the time at thrift stores and yard sales. They are so reasonable. I recently priced a new hoop at Michaels and almost fainted when I saw the price. Something like $12.99. When you are used to seeing them for sale at GW for around a quarter, full retail will knock you over every time.

A while back I found this super cute handmade baby bib at an estate sale.

The minute I saw it I thought it would be adorable framed in a hoop. I pictured a sweet Italian grandmother making this for her chubby-cheeked Italian grand baby. All I know is that my favorite comfort food of all time is Spaghetti {a.k.a. spaghette} I am Italian myself and I loved my Italian grandma. This bib begged to be framed and hung in my kitchen. So after holding on to it for a good 2 years with the intention of doing something with it, I finally did.

Here is how I did it in case you get struck with embroidery-hoop-fever and want to try your hand at it. It is a great way to use those sweet embroidered table scarves and such that you can find for pennies on the dollar at church sales and thrift shops that are too cute to leave behind but once you get them home you can't figure out what to do with them.

You will need 1 embroidery hoop, scissors and some hot glue. I opted to spray paint my hoop to match the embroidery but you don't need to do that step if you don't want to.

Split the hoop apart and lay the larger of the two hoops on the top of your fabric and the smaller of the two pieces under the fabric. Line up your fabric in the hoop as you would like to it be when finished.

 Next push the two hoops together and pull the fabric taut. It should be as tight as a drum. When you get it nice and smooth and taut tighten the brass screw at the top that holds the two hoops together.

Make sure it is where you want it to be before moving on to the next step.

Flip the hoop over to the "back side". If the fabric is where you want it to be trim the excess off leaving about an inch of fabric peeking out from between the two hoops.

Run a line of hot glue on the inside surface of the wood and then fold the excess fabric over the wood so that it sticks to the glue.

Now the back is neat and tidy and the cut fabric will not show when the hoop is hung. The glue keeps the fabric secure.

If you want to go one step farther, buy a piece of felt at the fabric store and cut it to the same diameter as the smallest hoop. When your hoop art is framed glue your piece of felt to the back of your work so that the back side of the embroidery {or fabric} is covered and doesn't show. I didn't get around to doing this step.

Here is the finished hoop hanging in my kitchen.

On a side note - I probably used a hoop that was a tad too large for the bib. As a result some of the red seam binding is showing. I used a size 14 because I found one for cheap at a sale and didn't want to purchase a new 12" hoop for full price. I have intentions of gluing some rick rack or something around the face of the hoop to cover that seam binding that is peeking through. {My OCD kicks in whenever I look at it and realize it isn't perfect.} I am however glad that I did at least get it framed and hung!

I hope you will try some hoop art for yourself and recycle some beautiful old embroidery or pretty fabric from your stash.

KayteeJane

Handmade Christmas

I've always enjoyed making Christmas gifts. It's just something that I do - and have done for years. I do it mostly because I enjoy it. I get a true pleasure out of creating something for another person. I go back and forth as to whether or not the people who receive the gifts really like them or not. I realize that it would be so much easier to just go to the store and buy something. I think it depends upon who you give the gift to. Some people really don't "get" homemade gifts while others do appreciate them and think they are special. Either way - I still went ahead and made some gifts. This year I decided to make fudge. I'm not an expert fudge maker by any means. I found an easy recipe on-line and gave it a try. Here is a picture of the fudge before cutting- in some Pyrex (of course). It looks so pretty!

I decided that it would be nice to package the homemade fudge in vintage containers to give away. The container would be part of the gift. I've collected so many vintage items over the years that I have plenty to spare. Here is a gift that I gave to one of my daughter's teachers packaged in Pyrex. I know I would love to receive something like this. I think it looks so much prettier this way than in a disposable container - plus it saves me the expense of buying something new by using what I already had. I didn't have a lid for this one so I slipped the entire piece inside a cellophane bag and tied it with ribbon.

Another thing I make every year at Christmas for gifting is bread - in these vintage star tins. They always turn out so cute. This year I made banana bread. I just used a recipe that I always do but something about making them in a shaped mold makes them so much more festive. Two of these stars and a little bag of coffee make a great present for some one. (I don't give these with the mold. Instead I pop them out and wrap with plastic wrap.)

I also made some crafty things other than food. This year I became obsessed with making Pom Poms. I've seen so many cute things on Pinterest that are made with homemade Pom Poms. I tried making a few using an old Susan Bates Pom Pom maker that my grandmother had in the 1970's. They took forever to make - which is not fun at all. Luckily I discovered THIS pom pom maker by Clover. I bought mine at Michaels. I was able to whip out several pom poms over a few evenings in front of the television. I made this wreath for a co-worker who likes the colors pink and purple. Not sure how she felt about it when she opened it. {like I said above - it does depend upon who you give the gift to if they will "get" the whole homemade thing} Oh well, at least she will be the only person around with a wreath like this. You certainly can't buy something like that at Walmart!

 

Hope you are enjoying the season and finding time to do something that you love.
KayteeJane

Advent Ornaments

In all the busy fun of the Christmas season each year I purposefully try to set aside a little time each day to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. I especially want my children to know that Christmas means more than stuff and Santa. Last year I saw THIS idea on Pinterest. I cannot take credit for the idea itself, but I adjusted it to reflect my style by using vintage ornaments instead of new. I like this idea because it is simple and can be whipped up last minute - which is how I roll much of the time. This idea is so simple that even though today marks the first day of Advent, you could still make these ornies in a jiffy and get started. {It won't matter if you do it a day late either - the point is you are doing it}.

To get started all you will need are:
~25 solid colored ornaments {I just dug into my stash of vintage ball ornaments since I already had a ton and didn't mind using some for this - but you could just as easily buy a box of plain or clear glass or plastic ornaments at Target}
~A white or black Sharpie or paint pen.

This advent calendar will celebrate 25 different names for Jesus used in the bible. Each name will have a scripture reference to go with it. We'll hang one on our tree each day of December as a way to learn more about Jesus and celebrate His birth.

To begin choose 25 names for Jesus that you would like to use. Go HERE for an online reference of names and coordinating scripture reference. When I chose 25 I wrote them down on a piece of cardstock in my own handwriting. I keep this with the ornaments. When I pack up my decorations after the holiday I put this list along with the ornaments in the box to be used each year.

Next get out your ornaments and your pens. Begin writing one name from your list on each ornament. If you have kids, get them into the act too. If they want to decorate the ornaments in addition to the words, great! For me I just went simple and only put on the names.

I place all of my finished ornaments in a bowl by the Christmas tree. Each day I allow one of my kids to choose an ornament and then hang it on the tree. They must also look up the scripture in the Bible and read it. It doesn't take much time out of each day, it is simple, and if you miss a day because you were really busy, that is ok because you just do two ornaments the next day or one in the morning, one in the evening - whatever suits your schedule.

Variation - If you didn't want to do this every day you could adjust it so that you only hang the ornaments on Sunday - instead of doing one ornament at a time allow each member of your family to choose an ornament. Or, wait until Christmas Eve and do them all. If you are having guests over to celebrate this could become an activity with each guest choosing an ornament to put on the tree or a family tradition to be done before bed.

 This would also make a fabulous gift for a newly married couple or new parents. Make up a box of ornaments for them and include the list of names/scripture references. The gift that becomes a keepsake year after year.

I hope you will try this idea. It is super easy. It will work for all ages also - not just for kids, not just for adults. I like it because there is very little pressure involved and it gets me into the Word. I have tried other advent calendars and daily scripture readings and truthfully I usually don't do them after a few days or the kids lose interest. This idea did work for us.

Happy Advent!
KayteeJane

Throwback Thursday - Loom Potholders

How many of you can remember making these loom potholders as a child? My man bought these at a yard sale for me. They are very soft and worn and look like they have been washed many times. The weaved fabric is very tight and thick. I am in love with the colors the most - red, blue, aqua, orange & black. Whoever made these chose the color combinations well. I use these all the time and they are very functional as well as pretty.

I remember making these when I was a kid. I had a plastic loom kit like THIS ONE. I spent hours putting the fabric bands on the loom and working them up and under each other. I doubt I was concerned about the color combinations that I was choosing - I was just enjoying the craft itself. Now the craft of the moment is the Rainbow Loom. My 8 year old is obsessed with hers. I bet she would enjoy making these throwback potholders. Maybe I'll think about getting her a kit for Christmas.

Those throwbacks are sometimes the best.

KayteeJane

Lamp Shade Re-do

Over the years I have purchased a few antique cast iron bridge lamps at estate sales. They are nice lamps - very heavy cast iron, decorative and vintage for my style. The only draw back to buying these lamps is finding shades for them. The hardware that attaches the shade to the lamp is different than the lamp shades sold on the market today at main stream stores like Target. So essentially if you want a nice new shade for your old lamp you have to find someone who specializes in lamp shades {i.e. - pricey} or find a vintage one. Luckily, two of the lamps that I bought already had shades on them. I thought the shades were ugly but they fit the lamp. Eventually I decided to make them over on the cheap so that they would better fit my home decor. Following is a tutorial on how I jazzed up one of the shades. You could do this technique on any plain shade. I see lots of boring & dated {i.e. ugly} shades/lamps for sale at yard sales. They are usually sold for a fraction of the cost of a new lamp/shade. So if you are looking for something custom without spending a lot of money try this...

Here is the finished shade on the lamp.

My theme for this shade was "Faith, Hope, Love". You could pick any words/phrases you like. I even thought of doing an initial or a number.
This is the shade before.

For this re-do you will need:

* ugly lamp shade
*foam alphabet stamps {mine are several years old made by Making Memories brand for scrapbooking}
*paint
*paint brush
*ribbon
*hot glue & gun

To begin I removed the old trim from the lamp. It just pulled off.

Next I decided what words I was going to stamp on the lamp and then got the letters ready. I happened to have 2 different font sets of the foam letters so I decided to do the words Faith & Love in one font and the word Hope using another font/color.

I decided to use black & white paint for my letters. I just used basic acrylic paint found at Michaels or JoAnn. You will also need a paint brush to apply the paint to the letters.

 

Apply a thin coat of paint to your letter and then position it where you want on the shade. Press firmly so that the entire letter is stamped. If you look closely at my finished shade you will see that it is not perfect. It is pretty difficult to get a perfect imprint every time. Just know this from the outset so that you know what to expect. You will also notice some random paint marks here and there. This can also happen when stamping when paint gets on the stamp {not the letter} and then makes a mark when you imprint.

I continued stamping the words around the shade in the following order: Faith, Hope, Love. Between each word I also stamped a flower. At the end of some rows I didn't have enough space for the flower. Each row is slightly different and imperfect. I was able to get 4 complete rows around the lamp.As I mentioned earlier I decided to do Hope in a different font and color for more variety.

 

Once the shade was finished being stamped I let it dry overnight. The next morning I added black grosgrain ribbon to the top and bottom of the shade using hot glue. I also added some vintage lace trim to the bottom of the lamp over the black ribbon. I just used what I had on hand.

I also added some white vintage buttons over the stamped flowers. I attached these with hot glue. They don't all match. I picked what I had in my button stash.

That is all. It took me about 2 hours from start to finish to complete.
I also wanted to show the other shade that I transformed. I did this one a few years ago and don't have any pictures of the process. The shade looked about the same as the other one before I started. I had a vintage doily that I wasn't using. I cut it so that it would fit around the shade without any excess overlap - just enough that I could fold it over the top and bottom. Once I had it to size I glued it to the shade using fabric glue. Done! This has held up well for several years. The kids have even dropped this lamp a few times on the floor and warped/cracked the shade. I guess the doily has helped to keep it together because it is still being used right now.

 

I hope you will give this a try sometime!

KayteeJane