Split Pea Wreaths

I love wreaths !  I change my wreaths often and that can be expensive, so when I saw the split pea wreaths on Pinterest, I knew I had to make one, or two…..or three  I started with one, and I have to tell you, they are messy.  Split peas bounce, even with a tray underneath my work area, they went everywhere.

I had everything I needed in the house, here is the list for 1 small wreath

• dry split peas, 2 bags per small wreath
• Mod Podge
• clear spray acrylic, I like Mod Podge brand
• small wreath form
• paint brush
• tray, to hold the peas

I first tried using a hot glue gun, but didn’t like the way it was coming out, and I also burned myself several times pressing the peas into the glue.  Place your  wreath in a container with peas.  Apply Mod Podge to a section of the wreath, apply peas and press the peas into the glue.  Do not go cheap on the glue, Mod Podge is thick and worth every cent.  Move on to another section and continue until the wreath is covered.  Since I made 3 wreaths,  I found that completing a side and letting it dry for 30 minutes before going to another side works best.  Did I mention that this wasn’t a quick project?  I let the wreath dry overnight and applied the spray acrylic the next day.

I wanted to hang mine on my fireplace, and I wanted it to hang down.  I  first tried burlap bows, but it didn’t seem springy, so I took a pink plaid pillow case and made ribbon out of it.

Even though I glued everything well and sprayed the wreaths with spray acrylic, twice, peas still fell off when I was hanging them.  That didn’t stop me, I had to make three !!

 

Easter isn’t Easter without dressing up my Geese

The Soul of the Dog

A few weeks ago, my friend Molly’s dog, Murray, had his eyes painted by artist Sheila Wedegis.   She is dedicating all of March to painting dogs’ eyes, or as she puts it, the soul of the dog.  Sheila posted an invitation to send our photo to her of our dog, and I sent her a picture of my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel,  Princess Fiona.  I received an email the next day that she would be painting Fiona’s eye !  I started following Sheila’s blog and fell in love with her painting style, and how she captures their soul, through their eyes.

This is the painting she did of my Princess Fiona, she has captured her sweetness and her beauty and I cannot wait to receive the painting.

I can’t forget about Murray, and his mom Molly, who introduced me to Sheila’s work.  Murray is a Golden Doodle, who has his own blog, Murray’s Mouth.

A little bit about Sheila…

Born in Boston, Sheila Wedegis has spent most of her life in the New England area. Sheila relocated to Palm Bay, FL from Portsmouth, NH with her husband, Roger, three cats and her black lab, Sophie and chocolate lab, Fergus. Art has been her passion and expression since she was a child. Her formal training was at Butera School of Art in Boston, however  her greatest growth has been in the actual “doing” …painting what she knows and loves

Through on going studies and workshops, observations and experimentation, there has been a constant rebirth with herself and her work.   While grounding themselves in the realities of her life, Ms. Wedegis’ pieces contain an unmistakable spiritual essence.

“To touch the soul of one other person, to know they are not alone on this journey” is the dedication of her work and the reflection of her life’s journey.

 

Stop by and look at Sheila’s piece’s, I guarantee you will love her work.

Thank you Sheila!

 

Dictionary Print Flowers

Here is a fun way to add some dimension and interest to gifts, frames and cork boards.

I can’t resist playing with dictionary pages.  I have a die cut machine, Sizzix Big Kick, and it makes cutting shapes so easy.  This isn’t an ad for Sizzix, but with Joann’s 40 percent off a regular price item and their 25 percent off your entire purchase, you can pick the machine up for under $50.00, and I use it often.  It does die cuts and also embosses, wait until you see my soda can that I embossed with it!!

I made some fans, cut out some petals and circles and added some buttons.

I tried a tinting technique I have been reading about, I think it will look better on my next try

 

 

I can’t wait to glue them on tacks and add them to my corkboard.   Next time you see a worn out book and want to throw it away, or that loose button that you don’t remember what it went to, save it and decorate a package with it

Easy Jelly Bean and Tulip Centerpiece

How cute and easy is this jelly bean Easter centerpiece? Use fake flowers, or use real flowers by placing a smaller vase with water in the middle and filling in the gap between the two vases with jelly beans.

 

Supplies:

• 2 nesting glass vases or containers (such as a drinking glass), one shorter and at least an inch narrower.   I used a square container and a salsa jar
• Jelly Beans
• Fresh or fake flowers, I use fake because I have animals and I never know what is poisonous

I inserted the smaller vase inside, then filled the gap with my jelly beans.  Finally, I placed a bouquet of tulips in the salsa jar and that is all there is to it.

I hope my guests enjoy my Easter centerpiece as much as I do

 

Soda Bottle Make-Over and Storage

This saying describes my life !!  When you love to explore, create and try new things, clutter happens.  I was reading a Pinterest post, and had a thought. A friend dropped off her recycling and there were 6 2 liter bottles in it and I have tons of contact paper and vinyl on tubes and not a great place to store them.    Solution?

I cut the tops off of the bottles, drilled a hole in the bottom and screwed them to the wall……

The tops that I cut off make great funnels, but I don’t need 6 of them, so I will have to think of something functional for them

Excuse the clutter in my office  This is what happens when you work from home !

5 minute Apothecary Jars

Apothecary jars are a fun way to display everything from cotton balls in your bathroom to Easter Candy on your dessert table.  All you need is a glass candle holder, a glass jar with a lid and E6000.  You probably already have what need in the back of that cupboard where things get lost, yes, we all have that cupboard.

Supplies

 

I saw a video online that shows you how to make it in 15 seconds, basically you apply E6000 on the candle holder, put the jar on top and let dry.  That’s it, Easy Peasy ! I filled my jars with Easter Candy to display on my dessert table.  I found candy button strips at the dollar store today and instantly went back to when I was in grade school and would stop at the penny candy store.

Happy Crafting !

Keep Calm and Pinch On

Welcome to the Collectively Creative Lucky Edition, hosted by Kelly of Cobwebs, Cupcakes & Crayons!

What does keep calm and pinch on mean?

Pinching people is a St. Patrick’s day game. People who wear green pinch people who don’t.  ”Pinch on” simply means “continue pinching.”

I like St. Patrick’s Day, but I don’t usually spend a lot of time decorating for this day.  The first thing I usually do is……  change the outfit on my geese.  Yes, geese, lol.  A very long time ago a very good friend of mine gave me geese, with a complete wardrobe.  You’re never too old to enjoy playing dress up with your stylish resin geese.  Thank you Molly

I love to decorate my fireplace and wanted to do something simple, and I LOVE bunting.  I saw this cute tutorial and decided to make it.  My friends give me their old books that are all beat up, so I had everything I needed.

I am looking forward to cooking a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner, who doesn’t love corned beef !

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Be sure to visit all the amazing Lucky Edition blog posts below.

Jell-O Shamrocks: A Kid’s Lucky Snack – (Cobwebs, Cupcakes & Crayons)

A Lucky Save! – (Pillows A-La-Mode)

DIY Craft: ‘Stained Glass’ Shamrock – (Time With Thea)

The many meanings of “lucky” – (The Thing About Joan)

This Party Calls For A Theme: It’s All Rainbows and Unicorns – (Green Door Hospitality)

Keep Calm and Pinch On – (A Ponytail Kind Of Day)

Honorary Irish and my favorite Irish Soda Bread – (My Healthy ‘Ohana)

Hello, 6 – (Joy, Lovely Joy)

Luck o’the Irish for Easter! – (Minerva’s Hand)

Lucky Gold Elephant – (Now at Home Mom)

Make your own luck (using a crochet hook) – (Gentle Stitches)

Asian Cucumber Salad – (Inspire and Indulge)

DIY Teacup Bird Feeder

Spring is just around the corner and anyone that follows my blog knows that I love decorating outside.  I found a cute set of dishes at Goodwill for a few dollars and decided to make a few teacup bird feeders.  This will be the easiest bird feeder you will ever make.

Every house should have a tube of E6000 and who doesn’t have a teacup with a chip in it.  I made sure the cup and saucer were clean, and after I figured out where they would be glued together, I lightly sanded the areas.  I applied the E6000 and let dry for 24 hours.

Supplies

 

That’s it, just add bird seed.  I wish I had a picture of the feeder hanging in a tree, but I didn’t want to plow through the snow to get to a tree

Teacup Bird Feeder

This DIY is so fun and easy to make, and the birds like them too. Hope you enjoy making this sweet little craft!

Happy Crafting!

 

 

During My Break From Blogging…

I realize it has been over a month since my last blog post.   My intention was not to stop blogging, but it just sort of happened. There’s been plenty to blog about, but I haven’t felt like spending much time on the computer lately. You know what? It’s been sort of nice.   There are times when you just need to step away from technology and spend more time with people. The last month has been that kind of time for me, and it was good.

I have been playing with a new machine I bought, a Silhouette cutting machine.  I initially bought it for cutting cards and shapes, but never realized what amazing things it can do.  I took on a challenge to see what I could do with a roll of contact paper from the dollar store.  Living in a log home makes decorating walls difficult, but I have two interior walls that have painted sheetrock, so I can play with color.  So I was considering a wall graphic. you know … those big stickers for the wall. anyway, i go back and forth on whether i like them.  The Silhouette comes with a graphic program that allows you to import graphics and then it sends it to the cutting machine, cutting out the design on whatever you have inserted into the machine.  I started with birds on a branch, and I have to admit, I was quite impressed with how easily it was to apply.

Birds on a Branch

 

and I couldn’t help myself, I have to cut out another one….

 

Wash, Brush, Floss and Flush

 

I barely used anything from my dollar store roll of contact paper, and after researching online what these decals would cost, I am tickled pink !!  I still don’t know if I like wall decals, but with vinyl decals,  you can remove them easily.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Will You Be My Valentine?

I am proud to be part of the  “Lovey-Dovey” edition of  Collectively Creative, hosted by Kelly of Cobwebs, Cupcakes & Crayons!

Valentine’s Day is approaching once again, and I am thinking about what Valentine’s Day means to me.  It first became important to me in grade school.  I remember picking out a box of assorted valentines at our locally owner drug store.  I have always attended schools with small class sizes, so one box always was sufficient.  I always looked forward to exchanging Valentine’s Day cards with my friends and classmates.   My mother would help me write everyone’s names on the envelopes and I would sign my name on the back of each card.  I still have all of the Valentines  I gave my mother, she saved every card I gave her in a folder, and gave them to me when I had a place of my own.

The tradition ended in fifth grade, the days when a simple card or a small heart-shaped box of candy that made you smile were over, it now had a new meaning.  It was no longer about friendship and fun, it was for the girls that were dating, my mother would still give me a valentine and that cute little box of candy in the shape of a heart.  Valentine’s Day took a new twist in High School, it was now about big cards, stuffed animals and a big box of candy, if you were dating, and if you weren’t, you would pretend the day didn’t exist.

Valentine’s Day as an adult has an entirely different meaning.  In the beginning of my 20 year relationship it was nice restaurants, fancy flowers and great chocolates, now we are lucky to have the evening off of work.  The day is still special, but in a different way.  The day is not about spending money and giving gifts, but more about making time for each other and giving love.  I have given Don the same Valentine, birthday card and father’s day card for 20 years, he opens it up, says it is the perfect card, sets it on the table and forgets about it.  I put the cards back in my special drawer for next year…….  It is a joke with my friends, and I have a friend that actually beat me on this joke.  My friend gave her husband a card, he read it and set it on the table, she took it back to the store and got her money back, lol.  He never even noticed that the card wasn’t sealed or signed.  Priceless !!

Love is the greatest gift we can give and receive, but it has to be everyday, not just on Valentine’s Day.  The day has become very commercial, with exchanging extravagant gifts and dining in expensive, overly crowded restaurants.  My day will be filled with  kindness, time, compassion, respect, and thoughtfulness to the people I love.

I love you means so much more than three words inscribed on a candy heart.

In the last 6 months, I have spent endless hours teaching myself to crochet.  I have been on a mission to find a heart rag rug pattern that wasn’t difficult for beginners and wanted to share my findings with you.

This place mat pattern is free and I added a few extra rows to make it a rug.  The instructions are well written and I was very happy with the results.

I also found a wonderful pattern on Etsy that is also well written and the seller invited me to write if I had any problems.  The only problems I am having with crochet is my own errors, lack of following details and maintaining stitch tension.

If you have a great heart pattern you would like to share, or if you follow one of the patterns I have provided, please share, I would love to see your creations

Happy Valentine’s Day

Please visit my fellow bloggers of Collectively Creative:

I Love You More Than… – (Cobwebs, Cupcakes & Crayons)

Heart To Heart – (Pillows A-La-Mode)

Top Ten Romantic Movies of All Time – (The Thinking Closet)

DIY Heart T-Shirt – (NorthStory)

[DIY] 12 Pre-Planned Date Cards – (Inspire and Indulge)

The Love Letters – (Mrs. And The Misc.)

Valentine’s Day Bon Bon’s – (Happy Little Kiwi)

Lovey Dovey School Lunch Ideas – (Time With Thea)

Loving These Products – (Neaten Your Nest)

Kniting Hearts – (Gentle Stitches)

A little Lovie magic – (The Thing About Joan)

Sending hugs – (Cul de Sac)

Give a Fortune of Love – (Green Door Hospitality)

Will You Be My Valentine? – (A Ponytail Kind Of Day)

Love Languages – for adults and kids! - (My Healthy ‘Ohana)