Fabric Art

I've seen this type of fabric art around and I thought I'd give it a try. One of the places I saw it was here at the How about orange blog. I really like the fabric they used. Please ignore the wall color- I don't like it- so want to change it rather than try to match it with accessories. Mark made this frame for me.


I laid the frame onto the fabric and cut around it- leaving enough fabric to pull over the frame and secure.


Then I pulled out the handy staple gun and pulled and stapled the fabric as I moved around the frame.


I folded the corners as if I was wrapping a present.


Then Mark hung it up for us and so for $14 ($5 for the frame and $9 for the fabric) we ended up with some "art" in our bathroom.

Christmas Toy Suggestions

I don't know about you but I have Christmas shopping on my mind. Here are a few hits from the past just in case you are in the same boat that I am.
Camera Vtech, We love this tough camera. S (age 4) currently uses his by setting it on the table, turning on the video record and then dancing and singing in front of the camera. After a bit he turns off the record and pushes play to watch his performance. We have never put the pictures onto the computer so fancy quality isn't necessary for us. We just use the camera to watch the movies and look at the pictures.

Doll
Last year the prettiest dolls were at Tuesday Mornings and the prices were GREAT! They carried an American Doll look alike that was very good quality, too. Just checked and our Tuesday Morning doesn't have their dolls out yet, but they were rearranging the toy section,they said the dolls would be in by Nov.10. I might check back this week just in case.

Blocks Every child needs a great set of blocks. These are uniform in size, great quality and very large. Older children might prefer smaller sized blocks. Melissa and Doug 60 piece standard unit blocks





Twist Car, best price I've seen was at Overstock (when they have them, thanks for those that gave me that tip). This toy lasts and gets used tons on our tile. We've never tried it outside, but if you have smooth flooring and lots of room to ride-it's fun.


Tom Chapin CD's, so nice to listen to kids music that is easy on the parents ears, too. His songs are upbeat, with clever lyrics and positive messages. They put a smile on my face.


Dinosaur Puzzle, I couldn't find a picture of the dinosaur puzzle we have. But it was just like this one by Melissa & Doug. It's made of wood and has lasted for a long time. S and I do it together. I think its pretty challenging, but he helps me along. Ross' had it for 8$ last year.

What toys do you like?

Thrift store finds

I found these odds and ends at the thrift stores in Ft. Worth. They look quite nice in this picture- but really most of them are pretty scratched up. They just needed sanded and a coat of flat black spray paint and then sanded again. I ended up by spray painting them with a satin varnish.


Two of the candlesticks ended up by my front door where I have this little table sitting. The cloth is a dishtowel from Dollar Tree. The other accessories I gathered from around the house and from my craft cupboard.

Hair Clip

E asked me to use this silk flower to make her a hairclip. The flower is sewed onto a bobbypin with needle and thread. I added a glob of hot glue to secure it in place.

Cool Building Supply Thrift Store

While in Ft. Worth we stumbled across this cool store. It's a building supply store that benefits Habitat for Humanity. Builders and some of the big stores (like Lowe's) donate extra and left over materials to the store for resale. Some of it is used some of it is new. Wow, there was some cool stuff! Rows and rows of windows and doors.


Lot's of chandeliers, appliances, light fixtures. Everything came with a 30 day guarantee to work correctly or your money back. I found two really nice towel bars for only 13$ for both.


I REALLY wish, covet and deeply desire that there was a store like this where I live. This sink and cabinet were $75 together. It looks like a little sanding and paint would have it looking nice. The top was completely new and ready to go.


This mantel was $125 it just needed a new piece of moulding and paint or stain.


It just seemed like with a little imagination and elbow grease you could do some cool remodeling projects for a fraction of the normal cost. I have to go repent now for coveting, envying and the like-
have a happy day!

Fall Decorations 2

A few more Fall decorations. This black chest used to be a radio cabinet- yeah, radios used to be huge! The doors open all different ways. It is one of the very few pieces of furniture I have ever found at a yard sale- $35. I found it last year and sanded it and spray painted it black, and then sanded it again. I was going to replace the handles, but I liked them black. The lamp was on clearance at Hobby Lobby, I think $20. The plant & urn are from Tai Pei, however you spell that, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I've seen the "BOO" sign lots of different places. It's made with a frame from Dollar Tree and scrapbook paper.

Now I think I'll start focusing on Christmas. We have had an all red and white tree for several years and my sweet hubby asked if we could go with the multi colored decorations he remembers from his youth. Sounds good to me. I bought quite a few lights and ornaments at the post holiday sales last year, but I still have many things I need to get working on! Why, I should be making peppernut dough with in the next week or two!

Fun Sewing Books

I saw these books online and requested them from our local inter library loan system. They are wonderful! They were first published in Denmark two years ago. It's easy to see how the ideas from these books have been adapted and used all through blog craft land. I'm sad I have to return them this week.

Most of the patterns are for sewing. However, if you look at the rooms that the crafts are sewn in you can see various ways that fabric has been used to decorate the home in the simple Scandinavian style.


They have ideas for rugs, dolls, fabric boxes, fabric roses,apples, pears, strawberries, purses, quilts, wall hangings, etc. You'll need a basic knowledge of sewing to follow the instructions and the English translation isn't perfect. But if you are into sewing and crafts, you might want to check these two out.

Fall Decorations

Now that I have shared some of S's decorations I thought I'd share a few of mine. These are my attempts at Holly's (link listed at right, Sunshine in my Soul) pumpkins. They are not as cute as hers though!! Mmm, maybe I should pause in my crafting and clean the brass around the fireplace...

Felted Puppy

Finally tried some more wool felting and made this little puppy. The kids think he is too hairy- oh, well. He's about the right size for the fisher-price happy family people and dollhouse.

Halloween Tree

Michaels had these wood tree cutouts for a great price. I brought them home and gave them several coats of flat black paint. After letting them dry overnight I covered the tree with my embossing ink and opaque marcasite powder. Then I used my embossing tool to melt the glittery embossing powder.


I was so excited to use my embossing tool- only the second time in two years- hurrah for finding a new way to use an old tool. The ghosts are made out of tissue paper and thread.