Wednesday, November 30, 2011

[Make] Salt Dough Gift Tags & Ornaments


A couple of weeks ago we had a few days of damp and cold weather...  which is so odd to say since it was 85 degrees today and dry as the down of a thistle (ah yes, I've been reading Twas the Night Before Christmas over and over again...). Anyhow, we're not very good at being housebound on the weekend, so I had to come up with an activity to keep the boys busy and my sanity intact.  

I've had clay gift tags on the brain for a while, so that seemed like the perfect project that everyone could do. At first I was going to use air dry clay, but since I didn't feel like running to the store... and I had LOTS of flour and salt... I decided to make Salt Dough instead.

I remember making salt dough ornaments as a kid.  I also remember my dog eating them off the Christmas  tree and getting sick as... well, a dog.  So, just something to keep in mind if you have a salt-loving hound in your house.

cut & painted by the boys

The boys (ages 3 & 5) had a great time playing with the salt dough.  Their favorite part was rolling out the dough and using the cookie cutters.  After the ornaments were dried, they painted the hearts-- first white, then red... which soon became pink.  Then they topped them off with some fun glitter paint. Pretty snazzy!  Hmmm... I think I'll keep these in mind when Valentine's Day rolls around.

Click "read more" for the tutorial.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

[Make] Satin Ribbon Poinsettia Wreath



This wreath is inspired by the ribbon-poinsettia wreath from Martha Stewart. Since I didn't quite understand their tutorial, I decided to do it my own way... which I think is a bit easier.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

Monday, November 28, 2011

Oh Martha Monday - Poinsettias

Poinsettias are beautiful, elegant and symbolize the holiday season.  Here are some poinsettia-inspired ideas from Martha Stewart--

i made my own version of this wreath. i'll be sharing it this week!


click "read more" for the full post

Friday, November 25, 2011

[Make] Poinsettias



I love poinsettias and think they are an elegant addition to holiday decor.  I'm  currently working on a couple of poinsettia-inspired projects-- one using felt and the other satin ribbon.  But before I get into all the fine details, I thought it'd be good to break it up and share the poinsettia tutorial first.


Click "read more" for the full tutorial

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!


The turkey has taken over the oven and is blocking traffic.  
All I got to say is... 
he better get out of the way and occupy my dining room table NOW 
or else... or else... 
I'm going to sic the sweet potatoes on him...  


Ah yah... I need a nap!


[free printable via freaking craft]

All kidding aside, if you're celebrating today, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Are you cooking this year? Since my sister-in-law is doing the turkey (yahoo!), I'm doing the sides & one dessert. Here's what's on our menu this year...

proscuitto asparagus straws (my aunt)
turkey & gravy (my SIL)
ham (my mom)
sweet potatoes
creamed spinach
mashed potatoes
bread & celery stuffing w/ portuguese sausage
cranberry spinach salad
corn bread (my aunt)
pumpkin pie (my mom)
meyer lemon tart
vanilla ice cream (trader joes)

Since we're having an early lunch, I did as much prep as I could last night.  It really helped keep the anxiety down and now I can enjoy the day and focus on the best part of Thanksgiving-- spending precious time with my favorite people.  

Have a lovely day!


Monday, November 21, 2011

[Oh Christmas Tree Series] Ombre Satin Ribbon Tree

Part 3 of 4

Lately I've been enamored with pretty grays,  ombre and silky satin.  This tree is the result of that mash-up.  If ombre or this color scheme is not for you, this would also be very pretty in a solid color... perhaps an emerald green?  My only suggestion is to use good quality double-sided satin ribbon, it really makes a difference.


Click "read more" for the tutorial

Oh Martha Monday - November 2011 Issue

Here are few lovelies that I bookmarked from the November 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living~

 dyed corn husk wreath

rustic meyer lemon tart

gourd door stopper

marcie mcgoldrick's modern thanksgiving tablescape

cross-stitch family portrait

advent gifts


Have a great week!  Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just a few days away... 



Friday, November 18, 2011

Weekly Inspiration ~ 11.18.2011


this mini wreath place card holder via zakka life

pumpkin spice whoopie pies via the tomkat studio

beautiful white-on-white artwork via gorgeous graffiti :: for purchase at not on the high street

this awesome diy pallet wall via just a girl

anthro-inspired penmanship gift tags via flamingo toes

t
modern gemstone necklaces via kahili creations

this lovely book-- yes it's about a dog... no, it's not really a dog book. confused? i know... just read it, you won't be disappointed - the art of racing in the rain by garth stein

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

[Make] Modern Nutcrackers


Although I grew up loving the Nutcracker ballet, I've never been too enamored with the Nutcracker itself... something to do with the flowing white locks and scary not so happy expression.  However, last year when I saw this modern version of the nutcracker at West Elm, I was smitten.


I wasn't smitten with the $69 price tag though, so I decided to make it a future DIY project.  After waiting for the after-Christmas sales, I picked up these guys on deep, deep discount at Joanns (so deep that I had to glue some of their body parts back on... that's deep!).


So they've been sitting around for a while and are ready for a make-over!

click "read more" for the tutorial

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

[Oh Christmas Tree Series] Pearl Tree

Part 2 of 4
When I started thinking of materials to create my decorative trees, pearls immediately came to mind. Pearls are elegant, catch the light in just the right way, and are the perfect compliment to my original ruffled felt tree.  Plus, when you stack up many different sizes of pearls, it's eye-catching!


click "read more" for the tutorial

Monday, November 14, 2011

Oh Martha Monday - Thanksgiving Tablescapes

Just a few pretties that caught my eye...


click "read more" for the full post

Sunday, November 13, 2011

[Make] Book Page Roses


This little flower came about because the wild rabbits ate all of the roses in our garden. Okay, well maybe not ALL of them, but the presentable ones?  Bunny food.  Gourmet bunny food at that, they always go for the pretty lavender (silver?) ones.  Must be delish.

Anyhow, our classroom parent had sent out an email asking each child to make a birthday card for our teacher and to bring in a single flower.  Smarty Pants card was done days ahead of time but, of course, I didn't figure out the bunny/flower debacle until the night before her birthday.   Besides sneaking into our neighbors backyard with garden shears in the dead of night... what's a desperate mom to do?  

Why we search our favorite blogs for something flowery, something fun, something EASY! 

click "read more" for the full post

Thursday, November 10, 2011

[Make] Window Ledge Plant Mat


Our kitchen window ledge has seen better days... After serving as a plant stand this summer, the paint came off when I decided to rearrange the pots.  Oops, my bad!

pretty unsightly, but since I don't have the correct paint color, I decided to go with the "cover & hide" method instead.

I used the same technique as this river rock placemat, with a few alterations...

click "read more" for the full post

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

♫♫♪ It's My Party ♫♫♪

♫♫♪  and I'll cry if I want to...  ♫♫♪

Actually nope, not crying...  But today IS my birthday so I thought I'd don my dancing shoes!



Fun, bold and very sparkly!  I'm hoping to dance my way into a new year (and a new decade) with a lot of grace and a boatload of gratitude.  


Growing older always catches me off guard, but I think this quote says it perfectly:

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

~Mark Twain



Ain't that the truth!  Have a great day :)


Tuesday, November 8, 2011

[Oh Christmas Tree Series] Mother of Pearl

Part 1 of 4

Last year, when I created this felt ruffled tree, I had no idea that it would become so popular.  In fact, it's my most visited post to date with tens of thousands of views... which is a lot for my little ol' blog.  When I created the tree, I knew that it would be the first of many.  My goal has been to create a collection of pretty little trees--  the perfect holiday focal point for my entryway.

I started to make a shell "mother of pearl" tree last year, but then ran out of time and beads.  So this year I started earlier... much earlier... as in August.  There's something wrong about working on Christmas decor in the dead of summer, but hey, now I have three more trees to share with you!

To kick off the series, let me introduce you to the shell "mother of pearl" tree--


i love the look of this-- elegant with a casual chic vibe

Click "read more" for the tutorial

Monday, November 7, 2011

Oh Martha Monday - Glitter & Shine

With the holidays just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about all things shimmery, glittery and sparkly.  The next 8 weeks of Oh Martha will be dedicated to innovative & eye-catching ideas that will hopefully inspire. Lets start off with some sparkle...

for the home...


paper crafts ideas...


pretty up cycle projects...


sparkly winter decor...

Anything catch your eye?  Have a great week!