Book Page Dresses

One of my very favorite ornaments for the tree are little origami dresses.

Made with discarded book pages and a few vintage trims, they are so simple.

I love adding little crepe paper wings that I stitch by hand.

I carry these in my Etsy shop Artistic Endeavors 101.

They look sweet  on the Christmas tree.

They make a fun package gift tag.

My plan is to get some more of these made soon.

I will show them to you when I do...

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs...

15 Handmade Gifts for Under $10

I create all year but some projects are just perfect this time of year...

So I wanted to do a round up of great handmade gift ideas that can be made for under $10.

Some are actually under $5.

Get Ready...

Get Set...

Go!

  First up, is a Shabby Chic Wind Chime from goodies you already have laying about...

Tutorial here.

Transform a candlestick into this great girly accent for your favorite girl.

Tutorial here.

My daughter and I spent about a month making mosaics.

Her coasters are easy and inexpensive to make for gifts.

I covered recycled bottles to make neat garden accents.

I had the marbles on hand but you can use whatever you have a bunch of.

Tutorials here, here, and here.

An old glass bowl and vase become a crystal mushroom for the garden is mere minutes.

Tutorial here.

 Strips from an old sheet become a shabby chic bracelet in minutes...

Tutorial here.

A cardboard cone from the craft store and a pack of coffee filters become this fun Christmas tree decoration.

Tutorial here.

Another cone gets a makeover with a burlap sack...

Tutorial here.

These Rose Bangles actually started as white sheets that we dyed beachy colors.

You could make your own with any fabric you have on hand.

Tutorial here.

Some coffee filters and sheets torn into strips become a shabby banner.

Tutorial here.

Transform plastic bangles into chic accessories in minutes with washi tape.

 Tutorial here.

Transform coffee filters into chic home decor....

You can use coffee to dye them.

Or coffee and RIT dye to achieve the look you want.

An old book and one coffee filter rose makes a beautiful gift that will be perfect for someone on your gift list.

 Tutorial here.

 Use some old sheet music and some scraps to make a cute banner as a gift.

Nestle it all in a mason jar and you are ready to go.

Tutorial here.

Speaking of Mason jars...

This simple craft comes together in minutes.

 Tutorial here.

Have a roll of burlap ribbon left over from a project?

Use it to create these fabulous burlap roses in a mason jar.

Tutorial here.

Last but not least, use a few cinnamon sticks and some twine to create some sweet Christmas tree ornaments or package toppers.

Tutorial here.

I hope you found a couple of ideas you can try for handmade gifts this Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs...

Mason Jar Monday #4 Sweet Treats in a Rosette Snowman Jar

It's that time again....

Today's Mason Jar Monday is simple and sweet.

I used a vintage jar and zinc lid.

I made 3 white muslin rosettes.

My muslin is from thrift store sheets. 

 I buy the ones they call "drop cloths" because of a stain or two....

There are tutorials all over the place for making the rosettes.

Essentially start with a strip of muslin.

  I like torn edges.

Tie a knot on one end.

Start to wrap around the knot and turn it every so often.

For these, I actually stitched them every couple of wraps but you could glue them.

I made them three different sizes: 1 for the head, and 2 for the body.

I stitched all three together.

I added a little strip of stained cheesecloth for the scarf.

I like the ratty bit of primitive it adds...

Then I glued mine on to  the side of the jar.

I only used a couple dots of glue so I can take it off later.

I filled mine with peppermint marshmallows but you can use anything you want.

It would make a great gift or just look great on your counter to hold goodies....

Thanks for stopping by....

Linking up with these great blogs....

Cleaning the Greenhouse

I have been having some computer woes...

So I am going to finally publish some posts that have been waiting in the wings....

This is one of those posts...

You can tell from the photos that this was done a couple months ago....

Here goes...

It seems like this summer flew by especially fast.

Usually in the spring I clean out my green house so I can use it all summer.

This summer it just did not happen. 

 I decided to get it done so I can use it next spring, though.

The far door and the window are my green house.

It was here when we bought the house but it had nothing in it but some junk.

My husband built the little stoop in front of the door and we added the window.

Normally I keep the stoop free of weeds.

I will do better next year.

Ok, get ready.

I am going to open the door and show you the inside.

Warning!

It is NOT good.

Sheesh!

What I did not show you was this huge sheet of cobweb that completely went from one side of the door to the other...

I used a stick to take it down.

My daughter shudders to think of the size of the spider that made that.

Ok.

So there is lots of work to do here.

Step one...carry the stuff out...

I try to put it in piles...

Last summer my daughter did this part.

She has a special organizing system for the piles.

"One (small) pile of tools and things you would expect to see in a greenhouse."

"That huge pile is things that have no idea why it would be in a greenhouse..." she said.

I still chuckle when I think about her categories...

You can see not much has changed to the untrained eye.

To a junker, any of it could end up in the greenhouse or garden.

Some things are going to the thrift store.

There are 3 bags of plant trays and pots that will go to the local high school for their green house.

A few things will head down to the burn pit...

This was part of my problem.

We have a leak in the seam along the roof.

  Over the years water has come in and damaged the shelves on the wall.

You can see one has completely fallen down up next to the chair.

So I had to remove the shelves that were rain damaged.

Recently a friend gave my husband a couple wire shelves so I took down enough of the shelves to make the new shelves fit.

There is actually room for my old cooler on the shelf now.

I restacked and moved things on the shelves just a bit.

  

Most of this is the kind of stuff my daughter thinks does not belong in a green house.

She is probably right.

But I like it in MY greenhouse.

The picture below is before the reorganization.

So is this one.

My books and magazines are here.

I am getting rid of some of them though....

You can never have too many little pots...

Here is one shelf after the reorganization.

Hey, here is the tin ceiling tile I got with my daughter this summer.

Mine is bigger than hers was.

  I can add magnets to keep important seeds, notes, planting plans, etc...

You can see my daughter's makeover of hers here.

The books are thinned out.

I only kept my favorites.

It is looking sleeker and more organized.

 I feel like I want to get rid of some things but I want to wait until spring and see how I feel then.

Now the tools are hanging and looking tidy.

'

I can actually find what I need.

Whew....

Just in time to fill it again...

Thanks for stopping by....