• Jan. 12, 2010 - A Homemade Christmas- Embroidered Ornaments
My last homemade Christmas post will be about the little embroidered ornaments that I made for our tree this year. I was inspired by Natalie at Cinderberry Stitches to create something a little different than a framed embroidery piece. I think her work is simply adorable.
I asked Breezy to write out a few words for me and then to draw some simple little swirls and flowers for me on an index card. I went over the designs with a darker pen and then picked some of the designs and transferred them onto a piece of muslin. I used a light box to transfer the design to the material, but I have used a window before with equal success. I wrote directly on the muslin with a fine-tip Zig pen. With it being fine-tip you can stitch right over the top of it and it won't be seen.
I put a second layer of muslin behind the piece with the design so that there would be a double layer. This helps hide the threads that might show through from the back. The stitches I used were a straight stitch, daisy stitch, french knot and blanket stitch. You can find a nice stitch directory here.
After I stitched the front pieces, I cut out the square along with muslin for the back. I did a blanket stitch along the outside edge of all the layers, stuffing a small amount of fiber-fill inside before I completely closed it. A long piece of embroidery floss was used to make the hanging loop.
One of the funnest things about this homemade gift was that I was able to actually surprise Breezy and Emily Rose with them. As I worked on them they thought I was just working on the ones for our tree, ha, but I was faster than they thought.
I think that we are planning on putting the designs up on Emily Rose's blog so that if anyone wants to use the patterns they can. When we do I will put the link here.
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• Dec. 22, 2009 - Snowflake Ornaments
This homemade Christmas post is more of a homemade winter post. Let me show you how I make my crocheted snowflakes.
Several years ago, I made a variety of snowflakes to use for decorations. I usually leave these these snowflakes up in a window all winter.
I start out using a thin cotton thread like this and a steel crochet hook like one of these.
If you already know how to crochet than these are really simple to work up. If you haven't crocheted before I would suggest doing some other practice pieces before attempting these. I found my patterns in books and magazines, but there are several free patterns online. You can find some here.
The snowflake in the middle of the picture above still needs to be stiffened.
I use a glue like Aleene's Fabric Stiffener. You can put it in a little bowl or a plastic bag.
Just swirl the snowflake around in the glue to coat it, remove it making sure to squeeze out the excess glue.
This part is a little tricky. You need to start reshaping the snowflake and making sure that nothing is twisted.
I pin it onto a piece of styrofoam that has been covered in plastic wrap.
I pin all the little loops so that the snowflake is in the correct shape and then just let it dry for a day or two. An important thing to think about is the type of pins you are using. If they are not stainless steel they may leave a small rust mark, so....either take them out right away and just leave flat or make sure they are stainless steel.
When you are storing them just be sure to have them lay flat and they should keep their shape for years to come.
You can go to Simply Vintagegirl for more Homemade Christmas ideas.
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• Nov. 17, 2009 - A Homemade Christmas - Afghans
• Jan. 1, 2009 - A Homemade Christmas- Wrap Up
Did you have a homemade Christmas? My daughters both surprised me with some sweet gifts. I had seen them, but I didn't know they were going to be for me.
Emily Rose gave me this wonderful perpetual calendar. It has been hanging in my kitchen and adding such an artsy flair. On Christmas morning there was a little tag added to the 25th that said it was for me. Yippee!!! It had made me a little sad thinking that it wouldn't always be there, but it will now!
Breezy made each of us a beautiful, personalized decoupaged notebook. Rob's had an ocean scene with a sailboat on it, Emily's had old fashioned hats and mine had flowers and vines on it. She also gave me this little pillow. I thought this was such a lovely embroidery and again I didn't know it was for me; what a sweet surprise. And yes, it is bringing an over-arching aesthetic stimuli gracing our abode........it's cute.
On Christmas day we gathered at my mother's and I gave some family members each a Ball jar of homemade laundry soap. I made some earlier this fall and I have been very pleased with the results so I thought what a better way to introduce someone to it then to give them some already to go. Some other recipes for homemade laundry soap can be found here. Even though this seems like a strange gift it was actually a big hit.
I enjoyed doing this series of a Homemade Christmas. It was a lot of fun making different things and thinking about giving gifts to loved ones. I didn't end up making as much as I had planned, but that happens. I was sick with the flu the week before Christmas so some of my plans flew out the window. Even though I had been working on these posts for several weeks I had still put off some things to the end. Note to self: start earlier and be more diligent!
When you homeschool and your children are around you most of the time it can be hard to make things and keep them from finding out. When the girls gave me gifts this year that I had already seen, they were still a surprise and very much appreciated. So with all that in mind I have already started next years gifts to my daughters. I am making them afghans and I even had them pick out the colors. Yarn was on sale at JoAnn's and so I have started making them both an afghan and I even had them pick out the colors. Maybe I will get them done way before Christmas and they will forget what they look like and will be all surprised.  Wishful thinking.
If you gave or received any homemade gifts this year and have posted them you can link up with Simply Vintagegirl and share your ideas.
I hope you all had a Wonderfully, Merry Christmas and wishing you a Joyous and Blessed New Year! |
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• Dec. 25, 2008 - A Homemade Christmas-Jesse Tree & Christmas Morning Treat
This year we used a Jesse Tree devotional and used the ornaments that were included in the devotional. While my husband read to us each night from the scriptures, he used the devotional only as a reference for the scripture reading. It was a special treat to read through scripture with the focus on the coming birth of our Savior. Here is a picture of our little tree that we used to put the Jesse Tree ornaments on.
The artwork that came with the devotion was very pretty. We just printed it out on cardstock.
There seems to be a lot of resources for the Jesse Tree devotions and ornaments to go along with it. I think for next year we will research this a little more and perhaps even make our own ornaments.
On Christmas morning each year I make Monkey Bread (aka pluckett). It makes the house smell all wonderful and warm. These are made with store bought biscuits, everything doesn't have to be completely homemade, right?
Monkey Bread
3 cans buttermilk biscuits
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. brown sugar
1 stick butter
Cut each biscuit in quarters. Shake biscuits in bag with sugar and cinnamon. Layer biscuits in a greased bundt cake pan. You can sprinkle nuts in between layers if you like.
In a small pan melt brown sugar and butter together and boil for minute. Pour over biscuits and bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and invert on plate. To serve, just pinch off and eat with fingers. Or for a more civilized serving, cut and serve on plates and eat with forks.
I have really enjoyed this series on A Homemade Christmas. Simply Vintagegirl (my little girl) has done a wonderful job hosting this. Next week, Jan 1st, will be the last in this series. I hope you can join in then and maybe post some of those items that you had to keep a secret. 
Here is the picture that we sent out in our Christmas cards this year.
Emily Rose, Bently Scribbles and Breezy Tulip.
We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! |
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• Dec. 24, 2008 - Vanilla-Butter Sugar Cookies
One of our Christmas traditions is making cut-out sugar cookies. Every Christmas eve we make the cookies and then we all sit and decorate them together. We have them baked and ready to be iced. These are so full of butter, we don't dare make them but once a year!
You can get the recipe here.
We are going to ice our cookies, have supper, and then go over the last of our Jesse Tree devotions.
We have never done a Jesse Tree before so this has been an extra treat this year. It's a wonderful way to celebrate the coming birth of Christ and help keep our focus on Him.
I will post more about it tomorrow on my Homemade Christmas post.
I hope you all have a Wonderful Christmas celebration!
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• Dec. 18, 2008 - A Homemade Christmas- Goodies from the Kitchen
I didn't post last week about a Homemade Christmas so I will double up here and give several recipes from our kitchen.
Kathy's Wonderful Banana Punch
1 12 oz. frozen lemonade, slightly thawed
2 12 oz. frozen orange juice, slightly thawed
1 46 oz. canned pineapple juice
2 cups sugar
6 cups water
5-6 smashed bananas
1 2L. Sprite or Sierra Mist
Mix first six ingredients in large freezable container, like an ice cream tub. Freeze overnight.
Put frozen punch in punch bowl an hour or two before serving, so it will start thawing. Pour Sprite over punch and let set for about 15 minutes. Take large knife (be careful) and begin to break apart frozen punch and mix it all together so that it is all slushy.
This can also just be made all at once and not frozen, like in the above photo.
This punch is from my friend, Kathy, she serves it to her family every Christmas and so we decided to do that, too. I serve this at my mother's on Christmas Day, it's a Big Hit! This picture is from a Christmas Tea Party that we had at our church last Sunday afternoon.
White Chocolate Covered Ritz Bits
1 pkg. white Almond Bark
1 box Peanut Butter Ritz Bits
Melt almond bark (white chocolate) according to directions on package. Dip Ritz Bits in melted chocolate and place on wax paper till set. Try not to eat them all so that you can share - that is the hardest part.
Oreo Truffles aka Beluga Babies
1 pkg. Oreos, crushed
1 8 oz. pkg. light cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. white Almond Bark
You will need a cookie sheet that will fit in your freezer.
Mix the crushed Oreos and softened cream cheese. Shape into walnut sized balls, place on wax paper that is on a cookie sheet. Place the balls on the cookie sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes. Melt almond bark according to directions on package. Dip the Oreo balls in melted almond bark and let set till hard. You can take some extra melted almond bark and put into a plastic baggie, cut a tiny bit of the corner off and drizzle a little decorative line on top of the truffles. These can be frozen. Store in refrigerator.
Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
1 box lemon cake mix
1 small box instant lemon pudding mix
4 eggs
1 c. water
1/2 c. oil
1 -2 tsp. poppy seed
Mix first 5 ingredients together. Stir in poppy seeds. Pour into two greased* loaf pans. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool in pans 10 minutes.
*I usually cut a piece of wax paper the same size as the bottom of the pan and put in before pouring in the batter. That way the bottom of the bread always comes out of the pan. Just peel off the paper after removing from the pan.
For more Homemade Christmas ideas visit Simply Vintagegirl. |
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• Dec. 4, 2008 - A Homemade Christmas- Snuggly Wrap
This week I am sharing the EASIEST gift you could make!!!!! It took longer to stand at the cutting line at the store and pay for this than it did to make.
This is a warm, snuggly wrap. We had to think of the best name for this- shawl, cape, cloak or wrap. After reading the following definition of wrap we decided it was a wrap. You can decide which definition best suits here.
wrap:
noun: cloak that is folded or wrapped around a person
noun: a sandwich in which the filling is rolled up in a soft tortilla
Directions:
Take a length of Blizzard fleece (this kind is so soft) folded in half, selvage to selvage and measure it from the tip of the nose to the floor of who you are making this for. If it is a surprise just measure it against yourself.
Mark where it touched the ground and then cut straight across.
Fold the still folded fleece in half length wise and cut along the folded edge up to the middle point. Make sure you are just cutting one layer just to the middle. If you opened it flat it would look like the above detailed illustration on the left. And if getting ready to be put on it would look like the detailed illustration on the right.
Cut off the selvage edges so that it has a nice straight edge on both sides.
Visit Simply Vintagegirl to read more Homemade Christmas ideas.
thanks to Breezy Tulip for my detailed illustrations. and thanks to Emily Rose for being my lovely model.
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• Nov. 26, 2008 - A Homemade Christmas - Homemade Canned Items
For years my oldest sister would give everyone in our family grape jelly made from a huge grapevine that grew up the side of her home. This is the same house that my grandmother lived in when I was growing up and that grapevine was always such a big part of her house. It grew up the side all the way to the second floor where there was a little second floor porch. It is a very old house and sits on a hill so you could look out from that porch and see all the surrounding land. For some reason that grapevine has had a few years where it hasn't produced many grapes and what does grow the raccoons eat. So, sadly we haven't had homemade grape jelly from her for a few years now.
A couple of years ago we were able to get two aged grapevines and plant them in our yard. This year they produced an abundant amount of grapes and I was able to make grape jelly for the first time. I was so surprised how easy it was and how wonderful it made the house smell. It is a little time consuming, but worth every minute. When you open the jar it smells so fresh and real. So this year I will be giving out grape jelly and just like my sister, I will put a little piece of material under the ring so that it will look sweet and festive.
I followed the recipe that comes with the packet of Sure-Jell. The recipe also said that if you didn't have grapes you could buy grape juice and make the jelly with that - even easier! So you can make grape jelly any time of the year.
I used a circle of material that was 5 1/4 inches in diameter and trimmed it with pinking shears.
Homemade canned food items are such a special gift - one that is definitely a labor of love.
Visit Simply Vintagegirl to read more ideas for A Homemade Christmas. If you have posted about a homemade Christmas gift that you have made or planning to make or one that you received you can sign the Mr. Linky on her site and join in with sharing ideas. |
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• Nov. 19, 2008 - A Homemade Christmas- Mexican Seasoning Gift Jar
My Homemade Christmas gift this week is super simple and very yummy. I love Mexican food and so I am assuming everyone else on my Christmas list does too. Right? You do don't you?
This mix is quick to put together and my favorite reason for using this recipe is that you can control the sodium content. Who wants to use those little packets of taco seasoning with all that sodium when you can use this wonderful mix and know what you are eating.
Mexican Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup flour
4 T. chili powder
1/2 cup onion powder
4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
8 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 tsp. sugar
4 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. oregano
Put ingredients in a blender or food processor and process for just a few seconds.
Store in airtight container. This makes around 10 servings.
Use 3 T. in place of taco seasoning packet.
You can read more Homemade Christmas posts by visiting Simply Vintagegirl. You can add your own Homemade Christmas posts to her Mr. Linky if you want to join in.
If you like what you see over at Simply Vintagegirl you can vote for her at the Homeschool Blog Awards in the Best Crafts, Plans and Projects category. You can vote here and it only takes two clicks. Thank you. |
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• Nov. 12, 2008 - A Homemade Christmas- Christmas Cards
For years I have made homemade Christmas cards. When the girls were little I would make them all by myself and just have my own little party making cards, but as they got older I would include them and have them do a section so we would have a little assembly line of card making- and we always have our card making energy snack- Christmas M & M's and Coke.
Now the past few years I have let the girls take turns designing the cards. The first one that Breezy did for us is packed away somewhere and I haven't found it yet, so I will just describe it. She used colored pencils and drew a Christmas wreath and in the center of the wreath there was a kitchen scene with a mom and a little boy making gingerbread cookies. We printed it out on white card stock and printed a verse and saying on the inside.
This is the card that Emily Rose designed 2 years ago. She made some of them with the red base and some with a green base.
This is the card that Breezy did for us last year. She used watercolor and colored pencil. We ended up printing them on photo paper and attaching them to card stock with photo corner stickers.
Breezy also painted a picture for her Granny's Christmas card last year and she entered it in the HSLDA Homeschool Foundation Christmas card contest and she won. You can look at it here.
You can find more Homemade Christmas ideas at Emily Rose's site simplyvintagegirl.com. You can also add any Homemade Christmas ideas that you have posted on her Mr. Linky.
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• Nov. 6, 2008 - A Homemade Christmas- Tote bag
This week I want to share a little tote bag that I made and some ideas for different ones. The girls and I went to a have tea at our friend Sharen's home last week and we were treated to some wonderful homemade crafty ideas. Sharen is a very talented lady from our church. She sews beautifully and has a very creative flair. Her little girl had a homemade tote bag full of goodies that she could play with after tea. Later, I joined her on the floor to play with her and her tote bag. ;)
Sharen got the free pattern here. She had made some changes to her tote bag and so I did, too.
After looking at this pattern you will see that changes can easily be made to personalize it to suit your needs. Follow the pattern at the site above, I will add here some of the changes I made and photos to help explain.
For my pocket I cut 2 pieces of 8.5" x 11"
I also just used bias tape for the handle.
Take the two pieces for the pocket and with wrong sides together sew a strip of bias tape along the top to the pocket.
Take the pocket and lay it on top of one of the exterior fabric pieces. If you want to divide the pocket, you can sew a seam now to create the divider.
Pin and then sew the handle on the other piece of exterior fabric.
Take the two exterior pieces and lay them right sides together and sew along sides and bottom.
You will need to mark a square measuring 1.5" in from both bottom corners. Then cut those squares out.
Pinch the square together that you just cut out. Pin and sew across to form a boxy bottom.
This is what it will look like when you have just done one corner. Do the other corner.
This is what it will look like looking into the bag.
You will do the same thing to the lining pieces, leaving a 4" opening in the bottom. You will use the opening to turn the whole tote bag right side out.
Follow the directions on sewing the lining to the exterior. This is what it will look like as you are turning it right side out. Close the hole in lining, tuck inside the bag, and press the top to get a nice edging. You can top-stitch the top edge or put another piece of bias tape on the top.
The bias tape is kind of goofy near the handle, so you may just want to top-stitch it and leave off the bias tape on top. I am working on another tote that is wider and will have pockets on both front and back. I will be leaving off the bias tape on the top of that one. I have used one pack of bias tape, 1 yard of lining and about 1/2 yard so far of the exterior fabric. They go together quickly and once you have the basic concept down you could alter the pattern many different ways.
About it being a good gift, let me just say that both of my girls are really wanting to know who this is going to and if not them are they going to get one. This first one I think will just hold my sewing supplies and hang on the little knob.
To see more Homemade Christmas ideas go to SimplyVintagegirl.com. She is also hosting an apron giveaway on her blog here. |
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• Oct. 30, 2008 - A Homemade Christmas-Little Crocheted Bags
I found this sweet little pattern years ago and have made several of these bags over the years. One Christmas I made 13 little bags to give to some young friends and family members. Once you have the pattern down it only takes about an hour to make.
I like to use cotton yarn for these, it gives them a good, soft feel.
These make lovely bags for little ladies. They can carry all there wee items in them.
I carry one of these bags in my purse to hold tic-tacs. This way I can share some little mints with my family during church without making much noise.
I found the pattern at craftyarncouncil.com. The pattern calls it a jewelry bag, but you can see it can be used for many different items.
Visit SimplyVintagegirl.com for A Homemade Christmas each Thursday until Jan. 1. |
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• Oct. 22, 2008 - A Homemade Christmas-Embroidery
A Homemade Christmas....it makes me think of simple times and heartfelt gifts. When the girls were little, every Christmas we would watch Little House on the Prairie's Christmas story when Laura and Mary were little. The Ingalls family made sacrifices so that they could give meaningful gifts to each other, many of them handmade and by the end of the movie the whole Ingalls family was laughing or crying with joy. It was such a sweet story.
I have always enjoyed making homemade gifts, different crafts, homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, etc. So with Christmas time coming I try to think of different items that can be homemade. I usually don't make anything elaborate, just simple and heartfelt.
This year I am working on some embroidery pieces. Nothing complicated, just some simple sayings with some vines playing around the edges for "extra beauty". This is such an easy and simple project, it can travel with me and be picked up and worked on whenever I have a few minutes.
Here are a few of the supplies that I use; embroidery floss, muslin and a fabric marker. I use the Mark-B-Gone side of this marker. It will disappear with a light misting of water. If you use the disappearing ink side, the markings may disappear before you are finished. Trust me on that one.
I start out with a quote or scripture and play around with it on the computer. It is easy to experiment with it by changing the font and size. Microsoft Word and Photoshop are what I use. Photoshop is a little more flexible if you put each word in a different layer. I print out my finished version on regular printing paper.
Next I tape the paper to a sunny window and then tape muslin over it. Take the Mark-B-Gone marker and copy the design onto the muslin. You can also do this on the counter if you can see through the muslin.
I take another piece of muslin the same size as the one with the design on it and layer them together. It makes such a difference in your finished piece if you put the two layers together. With just one layer you can see the threads in the back. Put the muslin in an embroidery hoop and you are ready to stitch.
I pick out the colors of thread that I want to use and decide what stitches I will use. I usually use 2 strands of the floss, on the above picture I used 3 strands on the word Joyfully so it would be a little bolder. I use an embroidery needle, they have bigger eyes and not too sharp of points.
I use a simple stem stitch, french knots, and daisy stitches most of the time. You can click here for a nice embroidery stitch guide.
The vines I usually just do freehand, but you could easily draw them out before stitching.
I also keep in mind what frames I might have on hand. I try to get frames from rummage sales and just spray paint them to make them go along with the stitching. You can also get inexpensive frames from Walmart or Hobby Lobby.
The final steps are misting it with water to get rid of the Mark-B-Gone markings and then iron it from the back side. Attach it to a piece of foam board by taping it on the back side or sewing the edges together on the back, or using a spray adhesive.
Here is one I did a couple of years ago. I did the words free hand and only used one layer of muslin and you can see the threads on the back through the material.
This one is much larger. It is in an 11 x 14 frame. I entered this one in our local fair and it won first prize in the Miscellaneous Embroidery division. You can see the threads on the back on this one, too. So
make sure you double your muslin before you begin.
To see more Handmade Christmas ideas visit Emily Rose at simplyvintagegirl.com.
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• Oct. 21, 2008 - A Special Treat for Christmas
Emily Rose over at SimplyVintagegirl.com is planning on making it a very special Christmas this year. On Thursdays you can join in with her and have your very own Homemade Christmas.
Be sure to visit her blog and read more about A Homemade Christmas.
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• Dec. 23, 2007 - Merry Christmas!
• Dec. 23, 2007 - Christmas picture
• Dec. 21, 2007 - Christmas Doggie
Our dog, Charlie, is trying to wait patiently for Christmas. Every Christmas we give him a huge rawhide bone, the kind that are 2 feet long. As soon as we put the tree up this year he seemed to be getting a little anxious thinking that the tree meant a huge bone was coming. So days later and it still hasn't arrived he seems a little bummed. Just a few more days little guy, it'll come.
Picture taken by Emily |
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• Dec. 14, 2007 - Beluga Babies aka Oreo Truffles
One of our favorite treats at Christmas time are Beluga Babies. The original recipe called them Oreo Truffles but when we first made them with white almond bark they looked like the heads of little beluga whales. Use your imagination and you can see it too. These make wonderful gifts, I am usually asked for the recipe. The only place they didn't really go over was at my side of the family's Christmas get together. There is always an Oreo Delight (like dirt pudding) and it takes center stage. |
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• Dec. 13, 2007 - Christmas Biscotti
I made a new treat for us this week. Cinnamon Biscotti, but for now I will call it our Christmas Biscotti. Oh, it is so delightful.
A friend of mine had given me some biscotti a couple of years ago and ever since I have wanted to try to make some. Well, I found out this week that it isn't really hard to do. I imagined it would take great skill and patience in the kitchen but it didn't. Yeah. I did have to add an extra egg yolk to the mix because it was rather dry and crumbly but it turned out fine.
It is a very hard little treat that must be dunked in coffee or in this case, mocha. It holds it shape and doesn't get all mushy. Too fun. We may have to have a special "coffee" time just to enjoy these. |
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