candy bouquet

Make a darling, edible bouquet….especially popular with kids & tweens!

The above pictured arrangement cost $5.  Visit the local dollar store for fake flowers & real candy.

Arrange your candy of choice into “flowers”.  Use a hot glue gun to adhere the candy onto the bouquet.

The candy makes the flowers heavy, so (if needed) give the stems support with packing tape.  Then wrap up the bouquet with sturdy cellophane or tissue paper, secure with frilly ribbon.

“All you need is love.  But a little chocolate now & then doesn’t hurt.”  ~ Charles M. Schulz

balloon wreath

A birthday celebration declaration!

•  styrofoam wreath from craft store or lid from cooler…

• balloons (Dollar Tree), straight sewing pins, ribbon (shown: iridescent)

• pin balloons all over the wreath, tucking & adding where needed
• repeat filling in gaps after setting wreath in upright position

• curl the ribbon & pin in place around the wreath

 

“The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, & lie about your age.”  ~ Johnny Carson

chevron runner

Take Dad’s worn out dress shirts & create a spiffy table runner!

• cut a long piece of material to fit table size (shown:  6′ x 14″ thrift shop teal corduroy)
• cut the shirt fabric into parallelograms (the shape needs to be exact, but vary the orientation of the shirt material stripe or plaid)
• make parallelograms the same width per zig zag across (4 parallelograms per zig zag in featured runner)

• place long material right side down
• cut equal size fusible webbing & put on top of wrong side
• place fabrics in chevron style
• for a change in texture, add a solid corduroy (or linen, velvet, etc.) piece here & there

Once the pattern is in place start ironing everything down.  The pieces will need to be adjusted here & there, so pay attention!  Since rectangles of corduroy were used in the sample, extra fusible webbing was cut & ironed on as needed.  Last, trim the edges with a straight edge & rotary cutter.

 

 

 

summer stripes

Step 1:  rescue boring, sad, lonely, $1 oak frame from thrift store

Step 2:  paint it with Martha Stewart’s Multi-Surface High Gloss “POND” 32087

Step 3:  choose a stripe plan & tape off (my plan = random).  It might look like a hot mess…

Step 4:  paint selected stripes “SURF” 32088

Step 5:  remove tape & touch-up

“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.”  ~ James Dent

chair lift

$8 thrift chair…cute curves but in dire need of a facelift…

Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint (graphite) & Soft Wax.  Cushion – new foam pad topped with creamy vinyl.

“The discontented man finds no easy chair.”  ~ Benjamin Franklin

peeping glass

Super quick, cheap, & colorful Easter or spring decoration.  Idea inspiration found on pinterest.

Jelly beans + peeps + 2 tall glasses + 2 shot glasses (all glasses purchased at a thrift shop) = $6.50

• clean all glass containers
• place small glass into tall glass
• fill with jelly beans
• place peeps all around in between the glasses
• add a flower

 

special specs

Inspired by a BHG glasses case project:

• 7 inch felt square
• 7 inch square of iron-on fusible webbing
• fabric strips, ribbons, embroidery thread
• Layer felt, fusible webbing, fabric strips.  Iron in place.

Attach ribbon, finish top edge, add stitches as desired.

Fold right sides together & machine stitch on side & bottom edge.  Dab a little fray-check on ribbon & embroidery thread edges, turn right-side out.

“My grandmother is over eighty & still doesn’t need glasses.  Drinks right out of the bottle.”  ~ Henry Youngman

stick snowflake

Inspired by browsing on Pinterest…. how cute is the craft stick snowflake?!

• craft sticks, wood glue, clothes pins, glossy white paint

Connect 3 pairs of sticks together, then glue them to create the center star:

Let dry.  Meanwhile, glue the “chicken feet” ends together – 6 total trios.

Connect the diamond pieces all around using fingers & thumbs as vices, & clothes pins.  This part takes patience!

Glue the trios onto each end point.  Let dry completely, then paint.  Hang with clear wire or strong thread.

“It’s too early.  I never eat December snowflakes.  I always wait until January.”  ~ Lucy  (Charlie Brown Christmas quotes)

ornament wreath

Classy!

Thrift store frame $1 & mini glass ornaments $2:

• paint frame with metallic paint (Folk Art 580 Taupe & 675 Champagne)
• arrange & decide ornament placement – use 3M super strength adhesive (follow package directions) to glue in place one by one

(side note:  hot glue works….however, if the wreath is in between a south-facing front door & storm door….the heat generated may re-melt the glue…& leave the cute ornaments in a big, broken, gluey heap on the floor)

• attach wide velvet loop with thumb tacks on backside, hang on wreath holder
• make a pretty bow & tape or pin in place

Let the Christmas Season begin!

“My precept to all who build is, that the owner should be an ornament to the house, & not the house to the owner”  ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

zone tips

Do you want to live to be over 100 years old?  Check out the practices & lifestyles of people who live in the “blue zones“…

To view a short article of the concepts, click here.  The book gives in-depth research, interview stories, & additional information relating to the blue zone areas.

The lessons are common sense, holistic lifestyle choices—>  Eat less – focus on produce, whole grains & nuts (less meat & processed foods), be physically active, enjoy good relationships, be socially connected, prioritize family, engage in a spiritual life, & live without stress.

Favorite book thoughts:

• from the Okinawans, “…eat until you are no longer hungry, not until you are full.”
• the surface area of our intestines covers a tennis court…hello, inflammation
• scientific studies suggest 25% of longevity is dictated by genes, 75% determined by lifestyles & everyday choices
• there is a correlation between having a sense of purpose & longevity
• “the most successful centenarians we met in the Blue Zones put their families first”

“Moderation is the center wherein all philosophies, both human & divine, meet.”  ~ Benjamin Disraeli