Cone Trees

This beautiful tree came from "The Creativity Exchange" at http://www.thecreativityexchange.com/2010/12/fabric-covered-poster-board-christmas-tree-cones.html (be sure to read the bottom of this post)

 And this is my tree.  My first attempt.  I didn't have a poster board like she used so I tried using a 12x12 piece of scrapbook paper.  Mine is Ok but it's not like hers.  I think the biggest difference and most important one is that hers is much taller and skinnier.  I didn't have a candle stick that I wanted to use for this project so I used a champagne flute.

I just finished making a few tree cones for my niece.  I think they turned out very pretty.

Read carefully the instructions on tutorial.  1.  after cutting the 2 inch strip from the poster board it says use another poster board.  Don't use the board you just cut the strip off of.  2.  cut four inches off the strip for the second height cone and then another 4 inches to get the measurement for the smallest cone.

Thoughts?

May all who enter as guests, leave as friends

This is the inside my front door.

I used the vinyl wall art directly to the door.

Sometimes little things add just the right touch

Easter Apothecary

I know, it's not Easter yet but I found these eggs and couldn't resist seeing how they would look in my new jar.  I removed the yellow ribbon with just a little tug since they are made of  Styrofoam.

I think it needs a little something.  Plain Easter grass or glittery like the eggs?

Kaleigh

Kaleigh is my great niece and she is the cutest little thing.  Beautiful little red head and her mama is "payin for her raisin'" .  The other big kid in the video is my wonderful husband Steve.

Light bulb vase

My daughter and I made light bulb vases for Christmas presents and everyone loved them!  I even made a few for my co-workers and we have them hanging on our "dog bones" at work.

You will need just a few supplies for the project.  

You will need a light bulb, pliers, wire, screw driver, and a nail (not pictured).

I didn't have any burned out light bulbs so I had to buy some at the dollar store.  I found 4 bulbs for a dollar which makes this project pretty cheap.

 The first thing you want to do is remove the tab on top of the bulb. The easiest way I found to do it is to take your thumb nail and push up the tab and then grab it with the pair of pliers and pull off the top.

 Underneath the tab is the black (maybe purple) ceramic glass.  You will need to break this glass with a hammer or pliers.

 I cover the bulb with a plastic bag. This keeps the glass from flying (possibly in your eye) and since the bag is somewhat clear I can see where I am hitting the bulb.  I also hold the bag around the bulb so I don't get cut if the bulb accidentally breaks.

 After you have broken the glass and cleaned out the glass you will see the filament inside the bulb.

 If you did not break this filament while trying to break the ceramic glass, you will need to use the screw driver (or something equally pointed and hard) to break it loose from the bulb.

 The filament may be in more than one piece so be careful removing it.  Shake out any excess glass into a trash can.

Next, I use a nail (and something to drive in the nail-hammer or pliers) to make a small hole in the bulb base on each side.  This will be for the wire to hang the bulb.  You can either clean out the bulb now or wait until you have the wire attached.  I found that it's easier to clean without the wire.  I think the hardest part of this entire project is getting the white film out of the bulb. I've used crushed ice, rice, beans and stuck pieces of paper towels inside.  Use what works best for you.

This isn't an endorsement for the wire, it's just a picture of the wire that I am using.  This wire is nice because it has a built in cutting system.

 I cut off an eight to ten inch piece of wire and thread it through the hole, then twist to secure.

 And now you are finished.

 Fill the bulb with water and add a plant.  This is a great starter for ivy plants.  The picture below is a hosta plant.

Some options for the filling the bulb include the crystals for water arrangements, small lights, glow lights, etc.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Valentines Day apothecary

My husband and son bought me apothecary jars for Christmas (thanks to my "what to buy me for Christmas list").  One I am filling with sweetheart candy and the other?  I'm thinking red hearts.  Mostly likely that will be my next craft project.

Prettiest Christmas Tree in Houston

I work in downtown Houston and I see a lot of beautiful decorations each season.  Centerpoint Energy always has the prettiest decorations.  They have the same decorations each year, (thank goodness!) and I always have to stop and admire.

This beautiful deer is covered completely in cut glass.

None of these pictures do it justice.  The deer are covered in crushed glass pieces and the trees are covered with brown, bronze, white and silver decorations and ornaments.  I absolutely love these decorations.  I know I will be making the silver ornaments next year with glue and glitter and I'll be collecting a lot of white picks with glass for the tree.

My next project will be duplicating this arrangement:

I have a short, round pot but I think it will work out ok. I will post a photo as soon as it is completed.

DIY bailing wire cross with marbles

About a month before Christmas I was invited to join the website Pinterest by a friend (Thanks Traci!). I'm now hooked and spend way too much time there.  I managed to make a few Christmas gifts for family and friends.  I hope to post here often with my next project.

The first project I tackled was the bailing wire and marble crosses.

Materials:  bailing wire and marbles

First figure out the length of the cross you want.  This is a 12" cross.  I cut the length at 13 1/2" inches.

Cut 12 wire pieces at 13 1/2" and cut 12 more wire pieces at 11 1/2".

I used a wooden spoon from my kitchen to wrap the wire.  Wrap the wire around the wood about 1 and 1/2 or 2 times.  You will need to make a "pocket" for the marble to slide in to.

Continue wrapping both ends of all 24 wires.  Next, join the two 12 across and 12 long pieces by crisscrossing the wire.  This should end up looking like an X.  Once you have the middle wrapped, form a hook on the back to hang the cross.

I've also taken three extra wires and wrapped them around the middle of the cross and insert marbles.  It's a personal preference.

You are now ready to insert the marbles.  Fluff the wires a little bit and you are ready to hang the cross.