It turned out really cute and how fun to have a cupcake hotpad! I sent it in the mail a couple of days ago, so I hope you get it soon!
Instructions?
Want another quick Halloween/Fall pillow idea? Check out this one at la*T*da!
finding ways to show gratitude for my blessing,
being with family, carols, brightly lit trees, etc.
WAIT!!!!! Whoa, whoa, whoa....Hold on a second. What's the date? It's already October?! The holidays are here, like it or not.
I am not a planner when it comes to planning daily routines, jobs or meals. But when it comes to the big things, I like to think I do pretty well at planning and staying on top of things. I thought I'd share my holiday planner with you. Feel free to tweak as necessary to fit your family and needs, but please don't sell this. (Unless you send me some of the profits. wink, wink.)
My organization journey started about 6 years ago. I joined FlyLady and in the midst of all my emails from her was one that boasted a free downloadable (is that a word?) holiday planner promising a season of ease and comfort and free from the craziness and stress that unfailingly seems to creep in every season. I grabbed it from her site and have used it every Christmas since. (If Christmas isn't your thing, it would be pretty easy to alter to fit your December celebration needs.) Last year, I added a Halloween planner and making it's organizational debut is my Thanksgiving planner. I could not survive the 3 month holiday season without it. It is quite literally a portable brain.
(Side note-my favorite part of the planner is not only do they have a section for gifts to buy- but also one for gifts to make!)
For my planner, I use a regular 1/2" binder. I slipped a cover page in the front and each holiday has it's own divider (kept in a page protector). As you can see, I kept them simple but festive. Following the dividers are my planning pages for each holiday. There are places for shopping lists, traditions, decorations, food, etc. Be hind each set of planner pages I like to keep some notepaper for random notes that don't fit elsewhere. In the Christmas section, I do keep the Christmas card page in a page protector. It gives me an easy place to store stamps, address labels etc. until I am ready to put my cards together.
I hope this makes your holiday season go much smoother. It definitely has helped me.
Halloween:
http://www.4shared.com/file/136874795/5b3716e3/Halloween.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/136874799/52815ac8/_2__Halloween.html
Thanksgiving:
Christmas:
I made the doll, keeping open a side seam (thanks, Angie), made her dress separately and used acrylic paint for her hair and lips. I used a fine Sharpie pen for her face.
Putting her all together, I realize that there's a lot more tweaking and enlarging to do, but she's sweet anyway. Very June Cleaver-ish as opposed to the little girl look I thought I'd captured. - Cami
I took my fabric and chopped her limbs off to make a dress form... big surprise! I made her a tiny apron and I'm using her as a pin cushion. (she looks a little weird.. I probably should have cut the skirt shape off of her too.... sometimes crafting is such a learning process).
-Anisa
What started as one idea quickly turned into another completely unexpected idea with this sweet little thing. Originally, I thought of making the doll into a little elf that would show up around Christmas and "spy" on my kids. A few sample dresses later and I realized something. This doll was not meant to be an elf. She was meant to sit on top of my Christmas Tree!
Her leggings were fused on to the muslin cutout with some wonder under. The dress is a separate piece, but hot glued around the neck. The red trim around the neck is also hot glued. I used some curly doll hair that you can get at most any crafting store for the hair. Her face is drawn on with a fine tip Sharpie, and her heart shaped mouth is painted on in a deep red. She was looking a little drab still, so I added some of my own eye shadow and blush to perk up her face a little. I love her to pieces now and can't wait to see her on top of my "mommy" tree. (Anyone want to come decorate the rest of the tree for me though?)
Ang
You can use traditional art media: ink, paint, colored pencils, charcoal, pastels, stamping techniques, etc.
You can embroider, layer objects, decoupage, USE YOUR COMPUTER AND PHOTOSHOP (and the like), paper piecing...the sky is the limit.
What I am wondering is if there is enough interest out there for me to set up ATC swaps. Is there? See a gallery of examples of ATC here , here or here (the list to the right)
If there is, this is how it would work: I would set up small groups of probably four people. You would create four Art Trading Cards and mail them in to me as would the three others in the group. I would then divide the cards up amongst the four in the group (you'd get one of your own back) and mail them out with postage that you would have provided when you sent them to me in the first place.
If you are very, VERY intersted then email me at twiddlethumbs@rocketmail.com or leave a comment. If you think this is something you might like to do this then please click the "Gotta Try It" box below.
What I'm really hoping for is that a handful of people will join me on an initial swap and then you'll all be able to see how fun it is and then we can do more groups in the future. I'd really like to have younger ages participate in the future, like a 7-12 year old group and a teen group.
I know this is a little more arts than crafts, but I hope you'll let me know what you think. I would love it if you'd consider participating.
--C
Jamie Lovell said...Dress forms have been around since the time of the pharaoh and have kept peasants and royals busy designing or mimicking the latest ‘envogue’ designs for ages. I have considered Egyptian names, and names like Florence, and Marie Antoinette all of whom used dress forms, but couldn’t get them to fit. I also considered naming her Threads or Silk, but those both seem to trendy, but Poly as in polyester. That is a name that has staying power. Although most of us would admit to having a love/hate relationship with polyester, this little synthetic fiber really is amazing. Since 1941 this tacky, heavy duty fabric has been repelling stains, keeping us iron free and covering everything from kid’s knees to floors. Did you know that polyester can be worn for 68 days straight without needing to be ironed? So with that verbose bit of commentary added to your lives, I think that you should lovingly call your vintage dress form “Poly”. Happy Name Hunting.
Sally, you were neck and neck with Brown Sugar the whole time. I am coming up with a small 2nd place prize so, leave me your mailing address at twiddlethumbs@rocketmail.com and I will mail it to you as well.
Now, on to my post....
Here is a great way to use your stash and some super cute gift wrap. DVD cases (cd's, wii games, etc.) are the perfect size to be wrapped in a 12x12 piece of scrapbook paper. I have a lot of papers that are still cute, but I've already used them enough or I don't LOVE them anymore. They are great for gift wrap. Add a little tulle and you're set!!!
-Anisa
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