Wood Block Cats

Just popping in to share one more fun Halloween craft before they are packed away until next year. 

These cute Wooden Black Cats were inspired by my mother who made hers in a class with a group of her friends. While we were chatting about it on FaceTime I took a quick picture, when she held it up, to use as an example just in case I could find time to make one.

However, before there was any chance at all of making a black cat I had to have a wood block cut in the same shape so I checked with the hubs. He just happened to have a perfect leftover scrap from a neighbor who had stopped by recently to have him cut a piece of wood for him. I showed him the picture of what was needed and he proceeded to cut three. We made up our own dimensions and I penciled a "V" to use as a template for the ears. I really liked the rough look of the cedar so did not have him sand it. It reminded me of fur and made them just a little more rustic and a bit more spooky.

Next, I spray painted them black. Once they were dry I gently sanded the edges of the two smaller cats to make them even more rustic.

After making the first one similar to Moms I tried something different for the eyes and collars on the other two cats. 

These cute Wood Block Cats will be a fun new addition to the decorations next fall.

Happy Wednesday!

Easy Peasy DIY Pumpkin Decorations

This has got to be the most simple little craft project ever! It is not only cute but practical too and that is exactly what inspired me. 

It all started a couple weeks ago when we were getting ready to go spend the weekend with Miss E. I thought it would be fun to take her a holiday decoration which usually means something handmade and likely seasonal.  Pumpkins were the first thing that came to mind however I had to consider the size and whether it would be disposable or something reusable that might need to be stored as space is limited. Well, these cute pumpkins fit the bill!

That is because they are

no~sew

TOILET PAPER PUMPKINS. 

Yes, toilet paper! No stuffing, glue, or stitching required and so quick and easy to make. Just fabric wrapped around a roll of TP.  The other great thing about them is when pumpkin season is over you just remove the fabric which folds flat and makes storage easy and the TP can go back on the shelf. Easy Peasy! Of course choosing the fabric is fun and so is picking out the stems and leaves. I tried cinnamon sticks for stems which was really cute and smelled good too. Then I remembered that we had a pile of branches from a tree we trimmed so I asked the hubs to cut one into some varied short lengths. They worked great also. To complete the the pumpkins I just added some silk leaves and ribbon. The variety of fabrics and embellishments make each one unique. Once I got started it was hard to stop so I ended up with plenty and gave some to each of the girls. 

For November I decided to change the fabric and dress them up a bit so used some Velvet instead which gives them a completely different look. 

It doesn’t get any easier than that!

Happy Tuesday!

A Novel Affair:: Welcome to the Library

Last weekend was our annual Tea Party which was actually more of a luncheon but either way we gathered at the “library”, sipped tea, ate dainty sandwiches and pretty little sweet treats all while talking about books, quotes and famous authors, and a few not so famous but loved just the same.

The desk on the porch was perfect for greeting the guests as they arrived and the kids old college books came in handy as a Welcome Sign. 

The book club members were greeted by Miss E, the Librarian, as they stepped inside the library and then gave each person a Woodlee County Library Card.

These little DIY Library cards were fun and easy to make. Once the front was finished though the back seemed a bit blah and needed just a little something so I drew a few lines and then used my date stamp to give each card a little more character. Now they were cute on the front and the back.

Once our guests signed their library cards they were reminded about OVERDUES with this funny poem, which is a family favorite, and then they were off to browse around the Library. 

 The first section in the library contained assorted Biographies and Cookbooks. 

These books were extra special to all of the book club members as they were related to the authors.

Next was the Children’s area which was full of classic books dating back several generations. Some even have family signatures and dates inside.

Poems and quotes were placed on tables along the way on to our Book Club gathering. 

 

Every library has a Card Catalog so I thought our library needed one too. Ours consisted of  these DIY Card Catalog drawers which held DIY bookmarks.

These cute boxes were originally made last summer by Mr. Wonderful for our nieces bridal shower so we repurposed them and added drawer pulls to the front for quick and easy library props. 

The Librarian and I also had fancy reading glasses to wear in the library,  with a chain no less. 

There is more to share from our afternoon at the Library so I will be back soon with more details about our fun literary tea party. 

Have a great Wednesday!

St. Patrick’s Day ~ recap

The last couple days have been holiday decoration transition days. Easter is right around the corner this year and there is no time to waste. St. Patrick’s Day decorations are in the process of being packed away and replaced with the rest of the Easter decor so I thought it would be a good time to share a few more highlights of our St. Patricks Day fun since it has been a busy week and I wasn’t able to get to it earlier. 

While Miss E was here last week we made our favorite frosted sugar cookies. We were limited on time so decided to keep it simple and used a couple round cookie cutters to cut out the cookies and then frosted them with butter cream frosting, tinted green for St. Patricks Day and topped with sprinkles. 

It doesn’t get better than that! We packed up half the cookies for her to take home since she was leaving the following day. Speaking of dessert, I also made some mini Pistachio Mousse Parfaits to have after our St. Patrick’s Day dinner because the cookies were going fast.

It was a small batch since it is just the hubs and me. Six seemed like plenty for the two of us.

A few rainbow sprinkles and a chocolate coin on top made them extra festive. 

It might appear that we had dessert first or maybe only dessert and I must say dessert anytime is fine with me, however, we did have a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner to start things off. 

Corned Beef, Cabbage and potatoes is always the menu and because we only have it once a year it is a special treat. 

There was one other small project that was quick and easy. Our hand sanitizer got a fun holiday related update. It took a day or two to figure out what to do but I finally decided to keep it simple and made a band to go around the middle. I cut a little piece of burlap and attached some of the same green ribbon I used on the Leprechaun Hat and then sewed the band together in the back. Once it was slid into place on the jar I attached one of my little DIY labels. Easy peasy. 

That about covers it so I think that’s a wrap for St. Patrick’s Day 2021. 

Happy Friday!

A hundred HEARTS would be too few....

When it comes to decorating for Valentines Day I do like to use a lot of hearts. I have never counted them all however my collection slowly grows.

The majority of my heart decorations are DIY crafts such as the felted wool candle mat, the framed graphic and the felted wool candle wrap below. Of course, some packaged heart confetti sprinkled around is fun too.

The wonderful tote bag was designed by one of my friends. She is an amazing artist and I have collected all of her adorable reusable shopping bags however, as you can see, I do not use them for shopping. 

The Queen of Hearts was a Mary Engelbreit card which I decided to frame. It is a great way to display special cards.  

Hearts can be made out of just about anything. The sweet pink one above I cut from an old quilt and then finished the edge. 

The hearts in the box were sewing project from years ago. They were originally a swag but I decided to cut them apart this year and use them as filler in my new box that the hubs made. 

Not only is it fun to decorate with hearts but it is also fun to make hearts in the kitchen. This year it will be a Heartfelt dinner for Two although it had to be postponed one day due to basketball games. That's okay, more time to prepare.

A happy Heart makes the face cheerful! Proverbs 15:13

Happy Valentines Day!!

DIY Velvet & Wool Acorns

This was the most unexpected wonderful little fall project. 

Last week I saw these acorn caps next to a curb in a parking lot. Of course they caught my eye so I picked them up to get a closer look. I thought they were cute but tossed them up next to the bushes and left. A few days later they were back on the pavement in the same place and did not move for another full day. By this time I realized I could use them to make cute fall acorns so the following morning I picked up all that I could find and took them home.

Thankfully I had some scraps of velvet and wool in my stash and could start experimenting. 

I have only made a few so far but was anxious to share my find. Hopefully I will have more to post soon.

Happy Friday!

patriotic cookies & decorations

This year I decided to make Sugar Cookie Bars to take to our annual 4th of July BBQ.

They were really quick and easy to prepare which was nice. 

While the cookies baked I put out my festive napkins, straws and picks. 

Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting was a fun change from the traditional buttercream.

The napkins made great pinwheels however they were not for anything in particular. They were just fun to make. 

Have a wonderful Saturday!