{Handmade Christmas} Pinecone Ornaments

I love making Christmas ornaments and am always looking for new ideas.  I found this one in the December-January 2012 issue of Country Woman.

I'd actually seen these elsewhere but without instructions.  I thought they looked complicated but they really aren't.  And once you get the paper cut, it goes pretty fast.  I just put a Hallmark Channel movie on and away I went.

Here's how I made them:

Materials:

• Paper Trimmer
• 12-inch square scrapbook paper
• Bone folder or sturdy plastic knife
• Styrofoam egg
• 3/4 inch applique pins
• Ribbon
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Artifical leaves/flower berry pick
• Thimble (optional)

With paper trimmer, cut scrapbook paper into 1 inch by 2 inch rectangles.  Along one length of each rectangle, fold in opposite corners to form a triangle.  Use the bone folder to make all folds lie flat.

On narrow end of of Styrofoam egg, pin the short points of four triangles to the center (seam side facing inward), forming a square.  Pin each remaining long point of the four triangles smoothly against the egg.  Stagger remaining rows.  Put triangles side by side with long points slightly overlapping.  Pin only the long points to the egg.  Leave short points anging free.  Short points of the triangles should align with the joining seams of the previous row.  Continue pinning rows until about 1-inch square of egg shows at the top.

 Fold over ribbon to form a hanging loop.  Pin ribbon ends to center of open area on top of egg.  Secure with hot glue.  Using a needle nose plier/wire cutter, make a hole in egg to insert your pick (shorten the pick to a half inch or so.)  With glue gun, add your pick to the hole you just created.  Hang on your Christmas tree!

 I made six of these cute pinecone ornaments - one for myself and the others as gifts for family and a friend.  {I had already mailed the one to my friend which is why there are only five in the photographs.}  Of course, deciding which one I wanted to keep for myself was hard, but this one is going on my tree.

There are so many fun papers to pick from.  I even got a little fancy and made one with stripes.  It was a little tricking getting the folding just right and the pinning straight.  {Never mind figuring out how to cut the paper the right way!}  I think it turned out pretty great even with that added degree of difficulty.

 I can't wait to give these as gifts!

I'll be sharing this tutorial at these parties.

Christmas Mantel

So, I finally got around to decorating my house for Christmas today.  I think I've become the Queen of Procrastination since Thanksgiving.  If it wasn't for the Cookie Exchange party I hosted this afternoon, who knows when I would have gotten it done this year.

The basis for my mantel is pretty much the same every year but this year I tweaked it just a little and I am pleased as punch with how it looks.  So pleased that I decided to share it with you.

The focal point is my ornament wreath which I made several years ago.

I found a box of glass ornaments in my closet while I was getting my decorations out.  I'm not sure why I had them - one ornament was missing.  I bet that ornament is somewhere in a craft project.  I figured I could find a place for them somewhere and sure enough I did.  I placed one in each candleholder.  I think it is super festive and love this addition.

Somehow this year it seems like I have more Christmas balls than in past years {not counting those new ones I found in the closet.}  How does that happen?  Did they multiply this summer?  So I needed something else to display them in and came across this vase in the cupboard.  {I think it's for an orchid or some other flower with a bulb.  Whatever it is, I never use it.}  Looks pretty nice I think.

I declare it officially the holiday season now that I have done my decorating.  Thanks for checking out my mantel.

{Confidential} - December Project Board

Wow, it's December already.  I better get busy because most of this list is for Christmas.

{Not So Confidential} - November in Review

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.  I sure did.  I spent the long weekend at my parents.  Every morning I would go for a walk with their dog, Sasha.  Saturday morning I spied this bald eagle.  Perhaps he was waiting for his breakfast?

{What I made} Craft Projects

{What I made} Yummy Eats

• Oatmeal Brulee with Brown Buttered Pears and Cinnamon Ginger Cream from Simply Scratch - I knew when I saw this recipe it would be good.  Turns out it was great.  So yummy and delicious.
• Low-Carb Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs from Iowa Girl Eats - I probably had spaghetti squash when I was a kid but I don't remember so I'm considering this the first time I've tried it.  And guess what - I really like it.  This recipe was really good.
• Homemade Meatballs from In the Kitchen With Stacey - I made this with turkey and had them with the spaghetti squash (see previous bullet point.)  So easy and so tasty.
• Roasted Pear and Chocolate Chunk Scones from Smitten Kitchen - Yes, I'm a sucker for scone recipes.  I love to freeze them to bake later.  These were good.
• Sausage and Quinoa One-Pot Supper from Whole Foods Market - Aren't one pot meals great?  The fewer dishes to wash the better.
• Harvest Chicken Quinoa Soup from Iowa Girl Eats - So many great things in this soup. No wonder it tasted so good.
• Cauliflower Rice from Delighted Momma - I like cauliflower but I just don't buy it very often.  I suppose that's because I don't like it cooked.  This might change that - what a great way to eat this vegetable.
• Potato Parsnip Mash from Skinnytaste - I made this for Thanksgiving dinner.  I also made a rookie mistake - forgot to drain the vegetables before mashing.  My mom had to rescue it with some potato flakes.  They were still really good though.
• Sausage, Sage and Apple Stuffing from Eat Yourself Skinny - Another Thanksgiving dish.  I liked it but it wasn't a favorite for everyone.
• Fresh Green Bean Casserole from Brown Eyed Baker - Hands down my favorite dish at Thanksgiving dinner.  We have never had green bean casserole before but with this recipe, I forsee lots of green bean casserole in our future.  Our version omitted the mushrooms as we are not big fans.

{#FMSphotoaday} Favorite

16. The view from my window...good morning #nothingtoseehere #fmsphotoaday

Wednesday Pick-Me-Up #11

Hipster Pouch

Do you remember fanny packs?  I do.  In fact I use to have a couple of them.  Earlier this spring while out for a walk with no pockets to hold my phone and keys, I wished I still had one of those fanny packs.  I remember exactly the one I wished I had - tan with a velcro flap and a slim profile.  I had made it as a 4-H project.  When I got home from the walk I dug in my box of purses and bags hoping I still had it.  But I did not.  So I decided I would make myself one.

But then spring turned into summer and I still didn't have a fanny pack.  One weekend while visiting my parents, my mom showed me one of her latest magazines she had picked up - Simple Quilts & Sewing #125 - which had instructions to make a hipster pouch.  This was exactly what I wanted to make for myself.  Maybe not having any instructions to follow was what was keeping me from making the fanny pack so I borrowed the magazine from my mom.

But then summer turned into fall and I still didn't have a fanny pack.  Now the days of good walking weather are quickly diminishing.  It almost seemed pointless to bother with this project now but my mom wanted her magazine back.  So, on the first Saturday in November while watching a football game, I made myself this hipster pouch.
 

It was such a quick project that I'm kicking myself now for not taking an afternoon sooner to just make it.

Yesterday we had a record high temperature (69 degrees) so I took this bad boy out for a walk.

Although I would like it to be just a smidge bigger, it worked well and I'm happy I finally got around to making it.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and have a great week!

{Handmade Christmas} Ornament Wreath

I was in Macy's the other day and they were playing Christmas music.  I LOVE Christmas music but I think it shouldn't be played until the day after Thanksgiving.  {Okay, maybe Thanksgiving night is fine.}

Now, if you are like me and love making things for Christmas - decorations, cookies, presents, etc. - it is best to get started early.  And that is what I did last weekend.  Using ornaments I purchased on sale after Christmas a couple of years ago, I made this beautiful and easy ornament wreath.

Here's how you can make one too:

Materials
floral foam wreath form
roll of wide ribbon
strong craft wire
hot glue gun and lots of glue sticks
ornaments in various sizes

Instructions
Cover wreath form with ribbon.  Every few wraps secure ribbon in place with hot glue.  Wrap wire around wreath and twist into a loop for hanging.

Hot glue the largest ornaments around the outside edge of wreath.  Be sure to work on a flat surface in order to keep the ornaments flat so the wreath will sit flush against the wall when hung.

Hot glue the medium sized ornaments onto the top of wreath.

Lastly, fill in the wreath with the smallest ornaments.

Hang your ornament wreath and enjoy!

My wreath is available for sale in my Etsy shop along with other Christmas items.  Be sure to check them out.

I am sharing this tutorial at these great parties.