Category Archives: Crafts & Decor

Pretzel turtles and a bow wristlet!

Posted by sunshineandsometea in Crafts & Decor, Recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Wanted to share two quick last-minute Christmas projects with you before I return to my pre-holiday to-do list!

This idea can be found in about five zillion versions on five zillion blogs and Pinterest pins.  I used this version from thehungryhousewife.com.  All you need are mini preztels (the waffle shapes or the traditional twists), Rolo candies, and halved pecans.

Toast the pecans for 7 minutes in a 350F oven.  In the meantime, lay out your pretzels on a foil-lined baking sheet and top them with the Rolos.  Stick the Rolo-topped pretzels in the oven for 5 or so minutes, then smoosh a pecan half on top of each melty Rolo.  Viola!

I was worried that they would stick to the foil, but I put them in the fridge to firm up overnight, and this morning, they popped right off of the baking sheet.

Can’t get much more effortless than that.  I have seen other versions using Hershey Kisses (the white chocolate candy cane ones work great) topped with red and green M&Ms.

Second project is a sewing project.  I wanted to make something special for a relative that will be in town for Christmas, so I decided to make her a wristlet.  But I wanted to do something different from the wristlets I have done in the past.  I found this tutorial from elmstreetlife.com, and decided to make it my own by using natural linen for the body, and one of my favorite quilting cotton fat quarters (beefed up with some medium-weight interfacing) to give a two-toned look.  I really love the size of this wristlet.  I might have to make one for myself.  I hope she likes her gift.

And with that, I am signing off until later this week.  Off to make my cheesecake and finish cleaning the house!

Scrappy Patchwork Tree Ornaments!

Posted by sunshineandsometea in Crafts & Decor and tagged with , , , , , , ,

I was recently inspired by this post on noodle-head.com and decided to try my hand at making some scrappy tree ornaments like the ones she made.  I found I could make them quickly with very little materials.  I already had a large amount of brown felt leftover from another project, so I cut them into the appropriate shapes (get the printable template on noodle-head.com).

Then all I needed was a few cute pieces of festive holiday fabric.  You barely need any…just some small scraps will do…  (small print works best)

And a little bit of ribbon….

And you’re ready to sew!

It’s pretty simple.  Sew the tree scraps to one piece of felt first.  Then sew the two pieces of felt together with a ribbon at the top for hanging.  One nifty trick is that you stuff a little bit of batting into the ornament while it’s still on the needle, just before continuing on to sew the third and final side of the felt together.

Viola!  Cute, rustic ornaments that take about 5 minutes to make.  I made mine in a very speedy fashion and they are far from the perfect little trees posted on noodle-head.com, but I kind of like that they look handmade and rustic.

A couple of other ideas I had regarding this project:

I made one without the ribbon loop at the top and gave it to my kitties as a toy.  I would like to make another one for them, but put a little catnip in with the batting.

These would be great with some kind of scented item on the inside.  Maybe some cinnamon?

Linking up!:

shabby creek cottage

Christmas Non-Mantel 2012

Posted by sunshineandsometea in Crafts & Decor and tagged with , , , , ,

As I have mentioned several times before, my house, lovely as it is, lacks a fireplace.  As a matter of fact, there are very few newer construction homes in the Orlando area that do have a fireplace.  I envy the houses who do have one to decorate for the seasons.   I make do with my entry table as my makeshift mantel.

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This year I kept it pretty simple.  My snowflake finials, a cute snowman plush figure, and a mini Christmas tree placed on a silver tray.

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I used a bunch of Target Dollar Spot ornaments for filler on the tray, which I think gives it that holiday sparkle.

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I love these snowflake finials!  Got them on sale at Hobby Lobby last year.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8343/8242515665_fdc613635f_z.jpg

Nothing fancy.  Just cute, simple, sparkly, and festive.

Linking up!:

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The Lettered Cottage

A little more fall & Halloween decor…

Posted by sunshineandsometea in Crafts & Decor and tagged with , , , ,

I realized that in my prior posts about this year’s fall decorating (here and here), I missed a few items I wanted to share.

This was one of my JoAnn’s finds from several weeks ago.  I could not pass it up!  Especially since I have a kitty named Stella.  I love all of the Victorian-inspired Halloween decor that seems to have been all the rage the past couple of seasons!

 

Just like last year, I have my fun Black Cat Cafe plate on display in the kitchen!  Now that I have my very own REAL black cat, all of these black cat Halloween decorations delight me even more.  So fun!

 

I placed a few little Halloween touches in our powder room.  And yes, I even temporarily relocated the Target Dollar Spot owl in here, just for the season.

 

I recently  moved this very tiny corner shelf unit to our stairwell to give it some pizzazz.  Eventually this piece will get a makeover with a new coat of paint, but for now I have decorated it with a hodgepodge of some of our smallest fall/Halloween items.

 

A handful of our neighbors have full light displays and outdoor graveyards going on!  I have seen skeletons and giant spiders and pumpkin carriage lights and all kinds of fun stuff.  Sooo cute and creative.  I am jealous, and maybe one day my love of Halloween decor will expand to my yard.  But for now, this will do!  Seeing all the fun items displayed all around the house makes me smile.  I love this time of year!

A Halloween Non-Mantel 2012 (and more!)

Posted by sunshineandsometea in Crafts & Decor and tagged with , , , , , ,

I can now officially wish everyone HAPPY FALL!

This is always the time of year when I regret not having a fireplace & mantel.  I make do with my entry table, which is where I tend to do my seasonal decorating.  This is what I came up with for Halloween this year…

My favorite parts are the little potted tree in the woven container (both tree & container from Ikea), topped with pinecone and pumpkin filler, placed next to a pair of rustic wooden ravens (filler and ravens from Hobby Lobby)!

I suppose you could say that my wall of shelves in the living room is a good mantel substitute too.  This is where I am displaying most of my Boney Bunch collection.

Linking up with…

Halloween Mantels

			

	
	



				
					


	

		
Fall Table Runner


				

			Posted by sunshineandsometea in
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I recently found some really cute fall fabric at JoAnn’s and decided I wanted to make a really simple reversible table runner for my kitchen table. I got a yard of each fabric, eyeballed the size that I wanted, sewed them together with some light batting to give it some weight, and then top-stitched with a decorative stitch. Simple, but really cute!


This was my first time using one of the decorative stitches, and I have to say, they are fun! But also take a ton of thread. This entire project took almost my whole spool of beige thread.






And here’s the finished product. Excuse the battered scratching post in the background! Maybe I should have staged a little better…






And here you can see the other side, which is a really pretty orange print.




Linking up to the It’s Fall Y’all link party at The Lettered Cottage and Transformation Thursdays at The Shabby Creek Cottage!




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Jacoby’s Halloween Doppleganger


				

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When I got home from my trip, there was a package waiting for me from Yankee Candle.  I had seen this black cat tea light holder in the 2012 Halloween catalog and absolutely fell in love.  But it wasn’t in stock when I attended the Boney Bunch preview back at the beginning of August, and when I tried to order it online, it said it was out of stock.  A few weeks later, I checked the website again and it was available, so I snatched it up (along with a small jar candle in the Pumpkin Pie scent so I could use my $10 off $25 coupon…it’s my FAVORITE of all the pumpkiny Yankee Candle fragrances).


When I opened the candleholder, I was absolutely delighted with how much it reminded me of my Jacoby-kitty.  Don’t they look like they could be twins?




So happy with this purchase!  And even though I haven’t pulled out the rest of my Halloween & fall decor yet, this one is already on display.  I just adore it.  And so does Jacoby!

			

	
	



				
					


	

		
A cute little owl.


				

			Posted by sunshineandsometea in
			Crafts & Decor

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Recently Tadd and I were at Target in the Dollar Spot.  I don’t know about you, but I cannot make a trip to Target without making a stop at Dollar Spot.  I don’t always end up buying something, but I love that you just never know what kinds of things you might find.  I have bought wine stoppers, personal water misting systems (for hot days at the theme parks!), headbands, seasonal stuff, etc.   It’s also a great place to find stocking stuffers during the holidays.


While we were there, Tadd pointed out this one lonely little ceramic owl vase with a chip on his beak, priced at $2.50.  I love owls (Tadd randomly bought me owl pajamas several years ago for Christmas and I have been smitten with them ever since), so I had to take him home, beak chip and all.  Isn’t he cute?




A couple coats of spray primer and white paint, and he is looking pretty on my kitchen windowsill!




Quick, easy, cheap little projects like this make me happy.


Enjoy your weekend!


Linking up:


Home Stories A2Z

			

	
	



				
					


	

		
Exciting things happening in my kitchen!


				

			Posted by sunshineandsometea in
			Crafts & Decor

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Hope everyone had a great weekend!  Mine was extremely productive.


I started early on Saturday morning by waiting in line at my local Yankee Candle store for the Boney Bunch preview.  I am such a sucker for these things!  I know some might not agree, but I just think they are so cute.  I ended up with three pieces to add to my collection, the kitty, the rowboat, and the light-up submarine!




The kitty is the smallest piece, but I think it’s my favorite.  I also bought the $10 promo candy dish, and several wax tarts.  I love the new fall scent Apple Pumpkin!


The most exciting thing that happened this weekend is our continued work on the kitchen island.  We nailed in the trim, filled holes, caulked, cleaned, sanded, primed, and painted!  What a difference!  Here is a sneak peak of the before and after.




We still have work to do on the doors, drawers, a few touch up spots, and we have to install the new hardware we just purchased at Target!  Thanks to a giftcard, we only had to spend $55 on 12 pulls and 20 knobs.  I thought that was pretty good.  They are in oil-rubbed bronze, to match our light fixtures.  Love them!  Can’t wait to see them on the cabinets.




We are taking our time, but eventually all of the cabinets will be painted this same color (Vintage by allen & roth/Valspar at Lowes in case you were wondering).  We also have plans in store for the countertops (and backsplash…and pantry doors…and so on…).  I have no idea how long it will take us to do everything, but we are not in a hurry, so I will show you our progress as we go.


Some thoughts on the work we have done in the kitchen thus far:


    

  • Beadboard is really easy to work with.  We bought pre-finished, paint ready, interlocking sheets of beadboard at Lowes.  Love that stuff!  We used 3 packages for this project, at about $18/package.
    • 

  • We used window casing in lieu of baseboard because we liked the chunkier look it gave us.  I do not regret this one bit.
    • 

  • Love the tip of using a dowel rod on the outside corners of the island.  It really does blend right in with the beads and helps the corners look finished off.
    • 

  • We used the following tutorials to help us:  Thrifty Decor Chick: How to install beadboard and At The Picket Fence: My kitchen island transformation
    • 



Stay tuned over the next few weeks (or months, maybe?) for more on the kitchen mini-remodel!


Linking up!:


Home Stories A2Z


shabby creek cottage



			

	
	



				
					


	

		
Red swirly mini zip wallet


				

			Posted by sunshineandsometea in
			Crafts & Decor

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I know I tend to make the same projects over and over again, but I thought I would share the latest mini zip wallet that I made as part of a friend’s birthday gift.  I might have to make the exact same one for myself because I freaking adore that red fabric, and I just really find these tiny wallets incredibly useful.




You can see the other mini zip wallets I have made here.


You can find the original tutorial I used to make the wallet here, at noodle-head.com (which is an excellent resource for easy-to-follow sewing tutorials).


I promise I will try some totally new projects soon.  I am already thinking about fall, and saw a great fabric for a fall table runner.  Also, I found a great tutorial on making a scarf that I would like to try.  So bear with me on the overabundance of project repeats!


shabby creek cottage