it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Well it is, at my kitchen door.

My son brought up the boxes last night.  I think I'm probably behind everyone in bloggerland but I'm not a professional and you can try this at home.

I had my theme down, yes I like doing themes.  They make me smile and help me to make something look good instead of good enough.  I have been guilty of hurling the tinsel on the tree and calling it a good day.

So far I have done a "white as snow", "nutcracker", "peanuts", this year it is "retro tacky"

I am excited. 

So I whipped up this wreath with stuff lying around, cheap green garland, and a wood bead garland.  I then found these kitchen ornaments and went digging for my vintage cookie cutters and other stuff.

Next up, was more wooden bead garlands and an old sled I found discarded.

I've been meaning to paint it but the rust works.

I then butchered my holly tree and threw the branches in an Ikea trashcan.

This last piece is the perfect touch of tacky.

Found today in a thrift store for 1.97.

I love it!!!!

Someone really did put a lot of work and love into this.

It's been hand sewn, with felt, and gold ric-rac.

What else screams retro tacky?

I want to find ray guns, and sock monkeys in vibrant colors to put on my tree.

That is what is up next.

I wish I had all those odd ornaments from my childhood.  You know the ones, when you just wondered why? as you hung it on the tree.  This is the time to pull out all those misfit decorations, you don't need Rudolph showing the way, you know where they are.  I say celebrate the mooning Santa's!

Laughter is awesome.

All I want for Christas is multi rolls of Duck Tape (assorted colors)

I love Duck Tape and yes I mean Duck Tape http://www.duckbrand.com/ so all of you who have an over whelming desire to let me know duct tape is spell  D U C T.  I am here to say I'm not talking about that kind but the  D U C K kind.  They are the ones that have lots of colors and print.  I have seen zebra print and have put that on my list too.

Yes you can make wallets out of it.  I have not tried it yet, too many people have already done that.  I have redid a pleather 70's brown couch.

It took a few rolls (like 10 black and 3 mondo extra strength grey) to do the sides and arms and bottom.
I then did a few coats of acrylic to seal it up.  This couch is in the youth building of our church.  I redecorated it to look urban cool.

 So why am I showing that?  Well, it was a couple of years ago. 

This is my new problem.  My cheap boots has begun to disintegrate and I don't want to throw them away.  They are not real leather but real pleather so I flashed back to the couch.

Why couldn't I do the same with these.

I held them up and saw not only black duck tape but flashes of red as well.

Could be the influence of cartoons and superheroes.

I have nothing to loose but boots that were heading to the trash anyway.

Bam! just like that they have been transformed!!

I am now ready to take on any super villain!

If not I have more black to make them look....well, black.

PS.  Those are not my legs but that of my lovely daughter.

So if people love me and know me send me Duck Tape :)



The Goose has been Stuffed

I am so excited, I finished my task yesterday.  I had this idea and posted it http://craftingoccurs.blogspot.com/2010/11/goose-is-getting-fat.html  The time came and they were ready and gone.  So I was able to get in there (with a close friend) and do it up.  At first it felt like I didn't have enough stuff.  But as it was finishing up, it felt warm and welcoming and celebrated without being over done.  They have little kids and I wanted them to enjoy it without worrying something would be destroyed.

Also, they had just found out they were hosting the family Christmas this year.  First time ever and it made the time chosen for decorating an even bigger blessing.

Yes, once again I forgot the before pics, dang my swiss cheese brain.  So you will have to picture in your mind, white walls, tan couches, mini-blinds and a tv.

This may not be an extreme holiday make-over because I don't have that kind of funds.

This is frugal 101 make over.

By the way forgive my bad typing I have burn blisters on my figer tips :( dang glue gun.

This a wreath I made for 3 dollars for the little girl.  First go to dollar store and purchase 2 feather boas and a wreath.  Use left over balls and ribbon.  Or what ever you have handy.

This is it hanging next to her bedroom door.  In order to transfer the color to everywhere we used some awesome Target $1 roll wrapping paper on the doors.

Using the dollar store hurricanes we dressed up the mantle.

The sticks were spray painted and while still wet threw some salt on them.  Gave it a frosty look and then stuff red pompoms in the branches.

Used a green table runner (dollar store) to tie in the colors.

Have ya noticed the dollar store theme yet?

This is my gingy boy cake stand.  With no cake, or cookies.  Total gift fail on that but I threw some pretty

fake berries and pinecones on it later.

Close-up and trying to be artist with my photography.

This is the curtain I made before going over there in.  It took maybe 20 mins.  The fabric was 2 bucks a yard and the snowflakes were, yep, you guess it dollar store.

Have I told you I hate sewing?

So using my iron and trusty fusing tape we made the curtains.

It will not handle tarzn swinging on it but I figure if someone is stupid enough to try to swing on a curtain they deserve to fall on their butt.

These are the kidlets without really showing them because I forgot to ask permission to post pics

This is the memory wreath with their hand prints

Dining area and one of the kids, shoot pretend she's not there.

This is the dot garland I made out of cardstock and ribbon.

So anyway that was what we did.  I also bought them a rug for jr to crawl on.

It really does feel different than when we first got there.  The warmth and welcome hugs you when you step in.  Yay for Christmas!!!

After me and my friend left we both looked at each other and said "we really need to go back and paint their house." 

So this could be......... continued?



More Christmas stuff

This here is a wreath I made with dollar store stuff.

Bought a wood wreath and wrapped it with ribbon.  Also bought at the dollar store, bow, sign, foam for hand cut outs, pom-poms, and the left over candy canes from a garland.

The things I made were those lollipops from 40 cent wood cut-outs and chopsticks. Glue two to chopstick and paint and add glitter.  Then use small ribbon to cover the edges.  This is for the family I mention previously, so I went over to outline their children's hands.  The foam sheets last so much better than paper.

I also added stickers to mark the year.

I also made another cake stand.  This one I went for a nature inspired feel.

Once again dollar store goodies inside and inserted into Styrofoam disc that is secured to bowl by hot glue.

Glue bowls together with glue for glass.

This is the back side.

Once again  Tada!!

I am going to go decorate the family's living room sometime this week.  So hope to post pics of the completed room. :)

Yes, I ripped off this idea

Ok so over at http://sunnyslifeinrehab.blogspot.com/ is this amazing woman who comes up with some awesome ideas.  She is funny and down to earth and I think this is the first time I have ever tried the link thing.  So bear with me as I am now in unknown territory.  At least unknown to me.

So back before Halloween she made a cake stand out of three bowls and a plate.  It was cute and I decided to use the idea to make a Christmas one.

 This is the stuff I am using, all found at the dollar store.

The back side, I made a snowman out of ornaments and toothpicks

The hat is scrap paper

I also bought a Styrofoam disc that I covered in fluff and hot glued to bowl.

I popped the plastic candy canes off the garland.

Glued the bowls together.  All objects inside have been glued and secured so they don't move.

This is the backside.  Really hard to take a picture and not have flash jack it up.

This is it complete!  Tada!!

Thank you so much http://sunnyslifeinrehab.blogspot.com/ for your wonderful idea.

The Goose is getting fat......

I'm gonna try to put a penny in an old man's hat.  The season is coming, yes, Christmas!!!!!  My daughter asked what scheme I was up to this year.  I asked her what she meant.  She reminded me of past Christmases and how I tried to get people involved with giving of themselves instead of stuff.  Sometimes it succeeded but it never became tradition. 

So this is my new "scheme" there is a young family I know (actually they are related to me) and money is tight and they have two little kids and a mom with disabilities.  I do not have the abilities to change any of that and buying gifts seems......well, too common. 

The other day while talking to the mom she mentioned her husband would love for her to decorate the house but she doesn't trust her craft ability and climbing on a ladder is not possible.   That's when it hit me!  I would come in and decorate their house for the family.  It would be a way of blessing the whole family to make it fun and magical.  I could use my frugality with my crafting abilities and make the stuff as well as incorporate help from friends to really do it up.   I am giddy with excitement.

 These are the things I've been working on....

I went to the dollar store and gathered supplies.

I have achieved 2 dollar store hurricane vase things  With filler.

I would tell you how but it's too easy.  Glue a candlestick to the bottom of vase.

Then fill with stuff.  I used some scrap paper as a ribbon.

I am going to stick with the basic red, green and white colors and make that the theme.

Got a few more things to make so will be posting them.

I love using the gifts given to me by God to help others.

Final Word on Retro Zombie Ball

The final word about the Retro Zombie Party is FRIENDS!!

Helpers!

WORKERS

FAMILY

Just really great people.

 They were awesome

and we all had fun!!

It was an act of love <3