Craft Room Makeover

Since I'm not homeschooling anymore (still sounds and seems so strange), I decided to make the room less classroom and more craft room...

No big changes, just a few fun additions to the walls.

I started with putting up some new crafty words up on the border by the ceiling. There used to be history timelines the boys made up there…

I made each of the words out of the material the word is.

I spruced up the wall by my sewing machine, too…

Lastly, I decided to cover up the icky old bulletin board by the door. It doesn’t get used much any more but it might as well look cute and crafty while it’s hanging there… (the sewing themed prints are perfect)

I really like it but I still can’t seem to quit calling it the schoolroom… :o)

Winter Decorations

Eighteen years ago I made a resolution to have all of our Christmas decorations put away before January 3rd. Our middle son was due on the 3rd and I wanted everything down before that day. Well, he came promptly on time and I’ve kept my resolution ever since!

But I just hate to see all the pretty decorations come down so soon and the winters here are so dreary in the PNW! :o(  So I decided to just put up a few pretty wintery decorations to get me through until Valentine’s decorations go up…

I am so glad I picked up these giant plastic snowflakes at the Dollar Tree clear back in November! They are just what my snow-less January decor needed!

I was also able to get some great after-Christmas deals on some not too Christmas-y stuff to go in my window display…

But my favorite just might be the little glittery paper houses that twinkle after the lights go out!

I got the pattern for the houses at HERE at Just Something I Made.    

Mini Advent Wreath in a Pot

Sunday was the first day of Advent, the season before Christmas when we get ready for Jesus’ coming again and remember His first coming.

Every night we light a candle and read a portion of scripture. Each candle has it’s own meeting and symbolism: Hope, Peace, Joy, Love and the Christ candle.

At our Family Nite service at church, we made mini advent wreaths in mini flower pots.

Buy purple (or blue), pink and white birthday candles; mini terra cotta flower pots; air dry clay; and fake greens.

First paint and/or decorate your pot however you would like. We used foam stickers and ribbon.

Then fill the pot with the air dry clay. Top with greenery.

Insert the candles into the clay. If you want to re-insert new candles in later, pull the candles out right away. After the clay dries you can take the candles in and out as you like or need.

  Be sure to use your time as a family to spend time in prayer, the Word and talking about what your family is thankful for this holiday season!

You can look on-line for a Bible reading schedule… I especially like this one HERE.

Pumpkin Snowmen

What do you do with all those leftover pumpkins from your fall decorating? You know, the ones that still look pretty good but just don’t have that Christmas-y look. Don’t worry, you don’t need to toss them! Just add some with paint, a few accessories and you have an adorable winter decoration for your front porch!

I did one coat of primer and then a couple of coats of craft paint…

Then glue the pumpkins together: largest on bottom and smallest on top…

Then paint your faces using craft paint…

Add accessories: scarf, hat, buttons…

Then your snowmen are ready to live outside…

This might be the most snow we see before Christmas, so we’re gonna enjoy it! 

Independence Day Crafts

Here are the new decorations I made for the 4th of July this year…

This is just a sheet of scrapbook paper on plate stand

cut out mini vintage postcards to hang on my tree

 

I didn’t make either of these, but I love the vintage magazines and I used to look at the book at my grandparents’ house when I was little

there were three of these tp roll rockets, but the cat demolished one of them :o(

 I made this wreath by tying strips of old t-shirts on a hanger shaped into a circle. Then I hung another toilet paper roll rocket in the middle

I know it is well past the 4th of July but I like to celebrate Independence Day the entire month of July! Patriotism and freedom is good enough to be celebrated all month long!

Easter Decorations

Here are the decorations I put up for Easter. I didn’t make most of them myself, but the ones I did are super simple…

Love this plate! And it’s from the year I was born!!!

this sweet vintage tablecloth was a birthday gift from my sister

vintage crocheted potholders from my friend, Cheryl and a vintage scrapbook paper bunting I made myself

I made this bunting by cutting out two identical eggs from scrapbook paper, folding the top egg in half and sewing both onto a paper pennant.

 

these sweet little chicks are almost too cute to only have out at Easter

 

I cut egg shapes out of tissue paper glued onto wax paper to hang in the windows as suncatchers

This Easter wreath is just a bunch of stuff I got from The Dollar Tree glued onto a grapevine wreath

This was made by a member of a church we served while in seminary

my chocolate bunny looks perfect next to this vintage block print

 

I like decorating this tree so much I may just leave it up year round!

 

these eggs have battery candles in them, I just need to remember to turn them on after dark… LOL