Dec 152011
 
Make at Home Monday is late this week, but I wanted to share with you a quick and easy decorative Christmas craft that you can make: Christmas Clothesline Swag.
Christmas Craft - DIY Christmas Clothesline
I first saw this sold by AVON like a decade ago and I thought it was so cute.  After buying one for my Mom, I thought it would be really easy to duplicate so I made a few of my own.  Once you make one,  you’ll probably make five; they’re quick and easy to customize to fit whatever decorating theme you follow.  You could do felt top hats and carrots, plus buttons, and have a snowman clothesline; knit socks and hats, thermal long-johns, and scarves for a general winter theme; or felt and wrapped candies for a Visions of Sugarplums theme.  Use your imagination; the ability to personalize is one of the best parts of this project.
To make, all you need, is…
Clothesline (or cording)
Mini clothespins (I’ve seen them at Walmart, Michael’s, etc.)
Miniature or doll-sized winter or Santa clothes
Cut a length of cording about 6″ longer than you want your finished swag to be.  Tie off a small loop at both ends (for hanging).  Starting a few inches from one end, move along the length of the cord and attach the mini clothespins at evenly-spaced intervals.
Use 1-2 clothespins to attach an article of clothing or other item, as shown below.
Christmas Craft - Santa's Clothes for the Clothesline
Christmas Craft - Santa's Socks for the Clothesline
There are a number of different places you can find items to clip.  I found a cute pair of mittens at Hallmark this season; they were a package tie-on, and cost less than $1.  You can also check the newborn section of clothing stores for socks and maybe even hats and mittens; make a few items from felt; or raid your kiddos’ dolls for some of their accessories.
What theme would you choose if you were going to make a Christmas Clothesline swag?
Nov 152011
 

While I love Thanksgiving and will take time to savor and enjoy the holiday, I can’t deny that I look forward to the day after Thanksgiving for two reasons.  First is Black Friday, that fast and furious day of shopping where the deals are plentiful (and where common courtesy and patience often are not).  The second reason is because we finally get to decorate for Christmas.

Decorating is one of my favorite parts of the season and I’m lucky that my hubby cheerfully offers to put the tree up as early as I want.  He offered to put it up for me this weekend but Baby C. is in to everything right now and I knew it only meant two extra weeks of chasing her amazingly fast little self down and keeping her from trying to climb the thing.

So we’ll do it Thanksgiving evening or the day after.  But just because I’m not decorating yet doesn’t mean I’m not crafting (and buying) ornaments!

DIY Button Wreath Christmas Ornament

Button ornaments have been around for ages, so this may not be all that new for you.  But they’re inexpensive to make and get put together very quickly so they’re easy to do as a family craft, at an ornament exchange with friends or just to mass-produce on your own to decorate the tree or give as gifts. Continue reading »

Oct 222011
 

I have to say one of the things I find myself excited about as Baby C. gets older is the upcoming years of doing crafts together.  I loved crafts when I was a kid, and I love them now, but having a little one to do them with not only will add to the enjoyment but will also force me to not make excuses about “not having enough time” and just go do them.

I wanted to share this one with you sooner than Monday; since Halloween is right around the corner I thought if you were interested in making it yourself, then at least you would have this weekend to do it.

I’ve been trying to think of things to do with baby food jars since we have an unending supply around here.  So I thought that little luminary jars would be really cute – and they are! Continue reading »

Jun 222011
 

Weddings are all about memories. And as fathers prepare to walk their daughters down the aisle (or as brothers prepare to walk sisters, grandfathers prepare to walk granddaughters, etc.) you can be sure they are thinking back through the years and reliving some of the memories that they have created together. Wearing your heart on your sleeve may be just a saying but now it’s possible to literally wear your memories on your sleeve, too.

I recently received an Easy Change Photo Cufflinks Kit in the mail from Photo Jewelry Making. These would make a great Father’s Day gift for next year but I think they would also be the perfect gift from the bride to the person walking her down the aisle. From the men I spoke to over the weekend, they all agreed that having a special photo of the two of them slipped into these cufflinks for them to wear on the big day would be a perfect little touch.

Photo Software to Make Personalized Photo Cufflinks

This kit honestly could not be easier to use.  To start, load the included software CD so that you can edit your photo and then shrink it down to size.  To do so: Continue reading »