Spring Mantel

Our mantle has been a bit bare since the Christmas decor came down.  This may be just a touch of spring, but it's enough too make it feel fresh.  Having the windows wide open here helps too!

I have two of these awesome metal baking pans and tried to sell one in my booth, but didn't have any takers.  Rejection is sometimes a good thing.  When I took my herb wreath down to hang up a Christmas wreath, I needed a place to store it.  The square baking pan was handy (meaning I hadn't put it away) so I just laid the wreath in it to protect it.  It ended up on a shelf for the past months.  When I took it out to hang it up again, I realized that I really liked the wreath tucked in the square shape.

I added some of my dried yellow black eyed susans that were hanging in the laundry room for just another touch of yellow.

This is a picture of my two little gals from two summers ago.  It's funny, but they really haven't changed much in looks except taller.

I used my new mad needle felting skills to felt myself a forsythia-like branch.  (Seen also in the blog banner) 

I had intended to make three branches, but my time ran out, so I was content with one. :)

This "spring" mantle could easily end up staying around for summer. :)

  We've been in the upper 70s here,  could be a bit tooooo warm for March!


I hope your week is moving along smoothly!

Very Cool Twig Tree

A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to stop at a moving sale in another town.  Prices were a bit high for me and this is all I came away with, but it was worth the stop.  For some reason I thought this was the neatest tree.  (And, still do.)

I paid $2 for it and when I got it home, saw there was a goodwill sticker on the bottom that said $3.  What was interesting was that this was owned by someone, donated to goodwill, bought by this person, then put  up for sale and I ended up with it.  Through that, all of the twigs were intact.  I even got it home without breaking any of them.

Then two days later, I go to take it outside to shoot a picture and there is a broken twig and pecans are tucked all through it!  It wasn't even my little girls, it was my 12 year old.

  "Why did you stick the pecans in it?"

"Because I thought it would be fun."

Anyway....I can not figure out how it was made.  Each and every branch is nailed in to the trunk.  A little tiny nail was used in each branch in a spiral formation.  No matter where you'd start, top or bottom, at some point you couldn't get a hammer or even your hand in there to get the nail in.  I'm still studying it.  My idea would be to use a hot glue gun.   :)  

I know it looks like a fall and winter tree but maybe I could add a couple of little birds and make it look like spring.  Or just stick it away until fall and hope more branches don't get broken.

I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl and Thrift Share Monday.

The Baby Has Been Showered

We went to Lincoln Saturday for a baby shower for my daughter.  It was at one of her friends' home.  We had such a fun time.

She has the cutest baby bump.

My girls and me. :)

I just had to share this picture of my youngest two gals.  My 5 y/o sitting in the middle (my niece is on the left) sat and ate two cupcakes while squinting at one foot and then the other, back and forth.  She was in her own little world while the adults played a shower game.  Then she came to me with her dress held up like an apron holding the cupcake crumbs.  We just went outside to the porch to drop them.  I actually took about 15 pictures of this scene.  You've been spared. 

I took some pictures of the diaper cake I made at home to show you.  I made the three tiers using about 80 diapers. The Luvs diapers I bought were purple so that dictated the purple color theme. I used three embroidery hoops to tuck them into and hold them firm while I tied a string around them. Then I used wide white ribbon and narrow lace binding to wrap around each tier.  I secured the ribbon with a low temp glue gun.  It really worked well. I decided to offset the tiers to make room to set the "adornments".

I made the roses with long sleeved onesies and attached them with pearl headed corsage pins.

Replacing the shoe laces with ribbon really made these little shoes tie in with the color theme of the cake.

I tucked the original shoe laces in the toes of the shoes. The shoes are also attached with corsage pins.

I bought a bottle of baby bath because it was purple and tucked it in the top tier between the diapers.  The white flower is on a baby headband that is just wrapped around the bottle  of baby wash.  Then two pacifiers are tied with ribbon and looped over the top of the bottle.

I used some ribbon flowers that I purchased just to add a little extra sparkle here and there on the cake.

I also thought you might like to see the corsage I made for her.  I used pink Hersey kisses wrapped in tulle then attached the tulle to wire with floral tape.  

I added sprigs of ribbon and sparkly ribbon roses.

Then also tied in some little plastic baby accents.  We have a store in our little town that sells a lot of these party favor pieces so it was easy for me to come up with the supplies.  

It's exciting times!

I May Be Hooked

I've been wanting to try my hand at felting for some time so when Lisa at Lil Fish Studios posted a tutorial on how to wet felt rocks, it was just the nudge I needed. Thanks again Lisa!

Not related to felting:  You need to look at these adorable little dolls Lisa made too.

Here is the beginning of my felting projects.  There are rocks that I wet felted according to Lisa's directions.  It worked really well, but I think I'll look for smaller stones.  Then I needle felted an egg and a bead.  I found various tutorials and videos on the interweb to lead me in the needle felting.  I'm sorry I'm not referencing any of them because I read a little here, watched a little there. 

Well, after I made the bead, my son challenged me to make a square bead, a cube, if you will.  Actually, I believe he was mocking me in my excitement about my new felting "skills".

So, I googled and yes there were a couple of square felted beads out there.

I gave it a shot, and it led to this necklace.

I actually made the cube by needle felting polyfil into the cube shape and then covering it with my wool roving.  I first covered it with green and then little pieces of gray roving.  I didn't know you could needle felt polyester, but that was another tidbit I learned online. I did it to save on my roving, but for such a small bead I probably won't do it again that way.  The bottom bead is a round one made from the gray roving. 

I have some jewelry making supplies on hand as I've been dabbling a bit in it.  Now, I think I may have a direction of where I can go with it.  Since I took these pictures yesterday, I felted a brooch, a bracelet, and a pendant.  I'll show pictures next week.  

I'll be ordering more roving and supplies!  I'm just really enjoying this new venture.

I bought my roving from this Etsy shop, Wistyria.

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This weekend is a baby shower for my daughter.  The baby girl is due at the end of April! 

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