Clothespin Project

I have always loved clothespins, and over the years I have made quite a few things from them. They are not, just for hanging clothes out on a clothesline, you know.

The first thing I ever made was the famous clothespin reindeer, and that was way back in probably 1983-84.

Next, came little Christmas bears, sitting on lace positioned atop a clothespin. I loved this idea, because they could be placed at the end of a tree branch where nothing else seemed to fit. I'd say I probably did those somewhere around 1994-95.

Years passed before I thought of something else to do with the trusty clothespin. In 2000-2001, I came up with the idea of gluing a poinsettia to the top of the pin. These were used to fill in those "holes" every Christmas tree seems to have. I loved them, and I still put poinsettia's on my tree to this day.

My latest project, actually has nothing to do with Christmas. I had bought a pack of clothespins a while back with the intention of using them on my clothes line. Then we had to take down the line when we started on the back porch. So, there they were, in an unopened package just begging to be made into something useful. So, I copied an idea from a craft project site and came up with these. Using scrapbook paper, I cut and glued the strips to the pins. I added the punched flower, finishing it off with a button. I took them to work and clipped them on my co-workers wall pockets, where they are perfect for keeping notes or reminders. I think they would be great for holding together bills needing to be paid, vegetable or flower seed packets, things to do, etc. I'm thinking of doing me a little set for my office. So, there you go, a project you can complete in 20 minutes or less!

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Christmas Packaging

Well, here you go, my nifty packaging idea that can be modified for a variety of uses, other than what it was originally intended, which of course, is a gift card tin.

I bought 10 of these tins at Halloween, from Michael's, with the intention of filling them with candy and giving them out to my coworkers. I just couldn't motivate myself at Halloween, so I put them away with the idea I would have to come up with another use for them. Right after Halloween, of course Micheal's started putting out Christmas ribbon and I happened to find a very cool ribbon with the same color as the tins. Right then, I knew what I would use the tins as packaging for my handmade tags, tying the tins up with the ribbon. So, I purchased several rolls. I was glad I did, because as October rolled into November, the ribbon sold out.

The tags fit perfectly inside the tins and with the ribbon they turned out pretty cute. Even the handmade tags ended up matching that same green color as the tins. Nice little coincidence.

Other uses :

Fill them with peppermint candy, Reece cups, Hershey candy or other festive wrapped candy.

How about chap stick, cough drops, etc for someone under the weather?

What about filling them with handmade hair ties and little clippies, for cute little girls?

I could keep on thinking and coming up with ideas, but you get my drift. But hey, if you come up with a really cool idea, you have to share. OK?

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Season Finale

Well, our Christmas season is winding down and I have to say it has been one of my most memorable ones. Namely, because our children have gotten along with us and themselves pretty much the best they ever have. So much more enjoyable for all of us concerned. I felt crappy much of Christmas eve and Christmas day having come down with a rotten, sneezing cold. Today I feel so much better, although my head is still full of it.

Wanted to share my most awesome(or at least I think so) last minute gift for Anna(I was her secret Santa). I decided this was the perfect gift for Anna after visiting the Pioneer Woman's website and seeing her children's version of the Nativity. With only 1 evening to do the entire manager scene, I powered it out in ~ 4 hrs. Whew! I went to bed feeling good about the whole project only to wake the next morning to realize I had made all the wise men's faces the same color. Then, on the way back home I realized I had left the tails off the sheep and the lone ox in the scene perhaps, looks a little "cow-like" just like P-dubs kids set. lol

Oh well.. without further ado...the Nativity.

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Recycling...

Today I finally got around to making the girls at work a "fall" goodie bag. The plastic bags I used to hold the candy actually came from the journal books I made back at the end of summer. The book covers were made from a thicker plastic and I just couldn't throw them away, so right then I decided I would hang onto them and use them for a future project. Recycling at it's finest.

I originally thought about doing something for Halloween but I knew I'd have to find the candy on sale, so I just waited until after Halloween and bought the candy at 1/2 price. Each little bag cost around .35 cents to make. Not bad.

They turned out really cute with the fall ribbon, tags and matching foil wrapped candy.

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The Fountain

My latest endeavor to add the sound of water to my garden has resulted in this little baby. The big, blue ugly barrel is well, quite blue. However, it does serve the purpose of holding enough water, that I am not filling it up but every 7-8 days. I'm happy with how it turned out, except of course for the "blue". I've thought of several ways I could camouflage it, but I'm still undecided. I also want to raise the actual platform up level with the lip. So, all in all, I'm liking it.

Haven't seen any birds checking it out, but it does provide a nice little trickling sound as the pot bubbles over and the water runs down one of the two holes cut into the platform, which was the top of the original lid to the barrel.

Cost of fountain:

barrel = $4
ceramic planter = $8
pump = $49(which I've had for 3 yrs and used in other water features)

So, somewhat pricey, but still reasonable. And all for the sake of attracting the migratory birds flying by.

Hope you are enjoying the lovely weather!

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La and the Chair

This chair was a handy me down from a girl I used to work with at the Med Mall. I've had it for at least 5 yrs with the intention one day of re-upholstering it. When Laurie moved into her apt 2 yrs ago she took it to Raleigh and used it as a desk chair. She has since moved into her very own apt and decided it was time to move away from the pink(as we lovingly called it the "pink chair").




So,last weekend when she was down for a visit we went fabric shopping and she found a very nice embossed white fabric to use. I was quite proud of her as she made a pattern, cut the fabric and sewed a slip cover for the back. The only problem was it was way to tight at the bottom and we just couldn't pull it tight enough to staple at the bottom. So we made a second pattern which she sewed and it fit much better. 2nd time was the charm. Live and learn, we had never worked with a curved back so it was a learning experience for us both.

She did a wonderful job on it! I was quite impressed that she didn't give up. Heck, I was ready before she even started to take it somewhere for someone else to do all because of that curved back.

So, the finished chair will now go in her bedroom as a place to sit and get dressed. Amazing how fabric can transform a piece of furniture and breathe new life in it!

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Holiday planning..

Holiday Planners!

There's no time like the present to start planning for the upcoming holiday.I saw the idea of making them on another blog. However, their version of the planner was made from a junior notepad. While I liked the idea, I felt it may not hold up in our pocketbooks. So, as I was perusing Michael's I came across these journal books in the $1 bin. They had flowers on the front covers, but that didn't matter as I planned to cover them anyway. I had already ordered the scrapbook paper online, along with a few rubber stamps in preparation for the project. Hours later I had the first one done, adding to it the more I played with the idea. I decided we need a pocket for receipts, quick notes and the like. Then, I decided we had to have a calendar to keep track of paydays, upcoming events, special occasions, etc. That left the rest of the journal pages to jot down ideas, gift lists, recipes, to do lists and expenses. And lastly, I decided they needed our initial to dress the covers. The finished planner is quite nice and definitely one of a kind!

I love how they turned out!

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