Heart Banner Tutorial

Better late than never right?  I promised this to you by the end of last week and then just couldn't get it done.  Ah well, onward and upward.  This is such an easy little banner you will no doubt be saying "I could have figured that out on my own" nevertheless, here is a step by step.

1. You will need three pieces of fabric for each heart. I used  one  4" square scraps of  quilting fabric, a leftover scrap of eyelet and one 4" square of light cotton batting for the middle. The batting gives the shape some body.  You will also need 1/2" wide bias tape.  You can make the back the same fabric as the front, use a plain white if it won't show or do a different print. Use what you have! This is a great way to use your scraps.

2. Cut out a heart shape, or any shape you want to make for your banner. This technique will work for almost anything. Flowers, (like the ones I did for my office below!), hearts, maybe pumpkins for fall or apples for the beginning of school? 

3. I made a heart shape pattern on card stock so I could just trace around the pattern and all my hearts would be the same size. It is about 3 1/2" tall. Trace around the shape with a fine point disappearing marker. You can also just use a pencil to mark the back piece of fabric where it won't show. I am not left handed, this is my simulation of tracing the heart while I juggle a camera. I looks a little wonky, but you get the idea :)



 4. Stack your fabrics with the two quilting fabrics right side out with the batting sandwiched between them.  I don't even bother to pin them all together. The batting does a pretty good job of keeping the fabrics from slipping, but if you have a problem go ahead and pin. Then line up the outline of the heart with your needle and start sewing the three layers together.

 I like to use the decorative stitches on my machine for this. I think it just adds another layer of detail and it's fun to use them since I seldom get a chance in my regular sewing.  If you would rather, or you find it easier, go ahead and use a straight stitch, it's totally up to you.  This is how it looks sewn together.  Now trim off the hanging threads.....

 And 5. trim around the heart.   I like to use my pinking shears because it gives a pretty edge and keeps the edges from fraying.

  I like to use 1/2 inch wide  bias tape for my banner. It usually comes in a 3 yard length, You can cut it to any length you want.  I cut mine in half so my banner is 54" long. 

 6. Find the center of your tape and center a heart on it.  I usually make an odd number of hearts so I can straddle that center with the rounded parts of the heart. I also just like how odd numbered items look.  Pin the hear to the tape and then pin the rest of your hearts evenly on each side. I always just eyeball it, but if you want to measure, you can.

 7.  Now just sew a straight line across the part of the heart that is on the tape.  I usually use white thread because I find it is hardly noticeable with the bright colors I use.

 And you're done! I'm keeping this patriotic banner because July 4th is right around the corner, But I have a few multicolor banners in the shop if anyone wants one.  This is a fun little project and so easy to personalize. 

 I'll be back soon, (I promise!) with some more frugal wedding decorating tips:>)  Have a great week!



Taming the Perfection Monster

We entertained family last night. This weekend is the family "Non-reunion" (so named because a certain someone avoids anything named reunion like the plague. He is totally fooled by the non-reunion renaming, lol) With family members from far away in town that we just couldn't wait to see, we invited them over for some special time together.

May I admit here that this time I was a little stressed? I didn't plan well and with no time to make things fancy I was feelin' cranky. We bloggers tend to do that I think. Make everything a production worthy of Cecil B DeMille with our cupcake flags and tablescapes and whoop-de-doo fancy touches. Truth be told, I love a reason to make things special. But putting that kind of pressure on ourselves can make us entertain less can't it? Does it make us anxious before the guests arrive? What's the deal with that? Because really, getting together with family and friends is about these....

 Laughter....

smiles...

 Enjoying tarts that leave a whipped cream kiss on your lips:)

Hugs after a satisfying meal.

 Gathering firewood with the littlest kids

So you can teach them at an early age how to start a fire...lol

The queen of hearts, she made some tarts, all on a summers day

The Knave of Hearts he stole the tarts and took them clean away.

It didn't take me long to take a look around and realize that high expectations and trying to make things "perfect" had nearly robbed me of the joy of just being with people I love.

We have promised ourselves to have people over more often. I am promising myself that I won't put so much pressure on myself to make everything perfect. 

Because what's more perfect than sharing love?

Thank you Victoria for taking most of these photos while I was busy:)

First Sunday of Advent - Hope

“May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Today is the first Sunday of Advent.  A time to anticipate and celebrate the coming of Christ. A time of reflection and a time to prepare our hearts for the joy of Christmas.  In these times of uncertainty and hard times, my prayer for you is that you find hope through the birth of Jesus, and that you find his joy and peace filling your hearts in the days ahead:>)

Thank You...

No really, I mean thank you, to all of you who have been so supportive of my etsy shop and who leave wonderful comments that lift me up every day. I haven't said anything before, but times are a little tough here in Michigan. The economy is in the toilet and dear husbands hours have been cut. Drastically. God has taken care of us in so many ways in the past few weeks. I never cease to be amazed at how God cares for and provides for us. Little things, like the vacuum cleaner dying last Wednesday and getting an anonymous Meijer gift card in the mail Thursday for just the amount needed to replace it. The response to the fun little hearts in my etsy shop! And today, I got a second part time job which means I will be going to my day job at the school for 3 1/2 hours and then straight to a receptionist job until 8 pm at night. It will be a bit tough to get used to but I know it is only temporary and once again, God has provided in a time of need.
I will still be making my little hearts and I will have some back in the shop this weekend some time. With the hours I will be working it may be difficult for me to post as often as I should and it may be hard for me to visit you all every day or reply as often as I have in the past. I know that is considered "rude" in blogland, but please bear with me. I will be back to normal in a couple months. You won't be forgotten, I will still be stopping by, but with limited time you may not hear from me as much. So thanks, it doesnt seem like enough to say but there it is. You never know when a kind comment is just what someone needs to brighten their day. You have all brightened mine:>)

Valentine Banners

Goodness, how did we get 13 days into January?! Half gone already, I can hardly believe it. And what have I been up to? Well, I decided to put some banner kits together for the etsy shop. I spent the early afternoon

catching up on Downton Abbey, (Oh how I love that show!) while I cut out hearts and leaves and yo-yos at the dining room table and sipped tea from a cute new mug I picked up at Homegoods.

 I'm a sucker for polka dots and roses.

I am just getting ready to list the kits and they will be in the shop in plenty of time to decorate for Valentines day. They are so simple to put together and I am including everything you need.  Some bits of  my vintage feed sack stash make up the smaller colored hearts in some of the kits. I know they will go to good homes:>)

I have decided that I need to make stocking the shop a priority in hopes that I can quit my job and come home. It's where my heart is.  It's time to follow my dreams. I've always been such a chicken about dream following. It usually means taking some risks, and I have never been a risk taker. I like to know exactly what is coming down the pike but that's a bit of an illusion isn't it? We never really know.

In other news, I spent my day off  Friday running errands, working on the kits and then Victoria and I went to see Les Miserable at the movies.  Loved it.  Sure, it has some pretty sad and heavy stuff in it, but the performances were wonderful and the story was beautiful. I highly recommend it. It's a good thing I didn't cry, Victoria needed all my tissues.

Seen any good movies lately?

Handmade Holidays

Our first Handmade Holidays post is up and running.  Share your thrifted or crafted gift or decorating  ideas on Mr. Linky below:>)

I have a couple quick and easy (and best of all cheap!) ideas for some really great gifts this Christmas.  With so many feeling the bite of the tanking economy, it is only smart to give our friends and relatives a little bit of our time and ingenuity and some really memorable gifts from our hearts and hands!  My first idea is a thrifted find straight from the greatest source of treasure there is, that's right, good old ebay.  I found a mixed lot of silverplate (38 pieces!) for the paltry sum of $10.  That's a lot of gift potential for very little money!  How about some wonderful home made jam wrapped up with a silverplated spreader?   A pretty gift that can be used lots of different ways.  Gae at Cherished Hearts at Home asked if I had any ideas for gifts that boys could make, well what about a rustic tray like the one shown here?  You can find the wood plank at Michael's and with a coupon it is very affordable.  The handles are beautiful twisty lilac wood that has been cut and screwed on from the bottom. I am sure that you could find some great twisted wood of other kinds too, just make sure it isn't poison ivy! The screw holes are covered with self adhesive cork dots. Imagine this presented with a loaf of home made bread or an assortment of cheeses.  Cute!

These sweet dangles are made from vintage screw back earrings. I will be posting a tutorial for these later this week. Find the vintage earrings at garage sales and flea markets, or maybe grandmother's jewelry box! The sterling hooks can be found at any good craft store and they cost a little over $1 each.  You can do this without any special jewelry making equipment, just a pair of needle nose pliers. My daughters are 19 and 21 and they love the repurposed vintage earrings I have made for them. They wear them all the time and have received lots of compliments so this is something that would be a great gift for any age and they are one of a kind!

Now it's your turn!  Share your handmade gift and holiday decorating ideas with Mr. Linky below.  Please link only to the post that shows your thrifted or handmade gift or decorating idea , and please don't link up until you have finished the post :>) Lets all have fun with Handmade Holidays!

I was hoping to get a sunny photo of my Valentine tree.  Just some branches tucked into a gorgeous mercury glass vase that Victoria gave me for Christmas, a few felt hearts added with little glittery clothes pins I had on hand,I added some old  crystal chandelier prisms and  if the sun ever comes out again I look forward to rainbows shining on my walls:>)

This is a quick post, I really need to get ready for work. I just wanted to stop by and say hello.

I'll share some fun mail I got later:>) 

I hope you have some sunshine in your day!

Hi everyone! What a great weekend I had! No work so I was able to work on some things at home. I got some hearts finished and listed (thanks again for the response as of right now I have one left) and in the early evening a friend and I had a little Valentines tea party with our wednesday night 4th and 5th grade class of girls. We started with cookie decorating, then had tea and finished with a flurry of valentine card making.
Give these girls some craft materials and they are happy as clams! I think they could have spent another hour making cards.

Aren't these cards just adorable?

Today was church and then off to my sweet mother-in-laws home to have a valentine ice-cream sundae party with the family! It was only about 4 degrees here today and the wind chill was about 20 below so we all had a good laugh about the appropriateness of an ice cream party this time of year but that didn't stop us from digging in and making some great concoctions and sharing old family stories and some really old photos that Earls uncle had unearthed and given to mom. I hope to get my hands on them and scan some to show you because they are the sweetest old things. So old that nobody in the family has a clue who they are! I am sure that is how so many end up being sold in antique shops and flea markets.

On another note, I want to say thanks to everyone for all the love sent my way for the last post. I assure you I am not going away and will visit as often as possible. I have missed you this week but have a couple days off next week so hopefully I will get around to say hello. I have a few ideas for posts rolling around in my head and I will have them posted this week. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a great week! I plan to celebrate Valentines day every day this week:>)

the Pink Post

Cottage Magpie is having a color pink Valentines give away! You have to post a pink theme and then comment here to join so here it is, my pink post. I love pink, but my sweet hubby lives in an all female world (even the cats) and decorating with pink would just be too much for him. He sometimes talks wistfully about wanting a "man room" someday, but I digress. Anyway, I cant decorate with a lot of pink but I do have some tucked here and there that manages to stay under the man radar:>) This box is an old wooden cheese box I covered in some of my grandmothers feed sack material. I use it to store love letters and cards from hubby, (It's nearly full:>) The covered tureen is from my grandmother too. She loved pink and roses.
This beautiful pink pressed glass cake stand was a Christmas gift from Earl. He knows what I love and I love this! The little cup & saucer was a yard sale find.

And of course, I couldn't resist showing you a batch of hearts in the works. I should have some ready for etsy by friday. I see it's time to go to work now, yikes, got to go! See you all later:>)

Porch

Here it is. The surprise. Polly has been hard at work again putting together a holiday issue of Porch magazine, and guess who is on the cover? Me!
This was so much fun. Polly contacted me several weeks ago and asked if I would be interested. Well sure! I can't tell what is inside, but I know it is an issue full of us. Bloggers on Holiday if you will. How fun is that? The hearts you see are in my etsy shop now. Along with my latest little bird. I call her snowbird and she would look so sweet nestled in your Christmas tree.
If you want to order an issue of Porch magazine, just click on the magazine icon on my sidebar. I can't wait to get my issue and see who else is inside:>)
P.S. Dont forget to sign up for my give-away here. The drawing is tomorrow night, winner to be announced Sunday:>)

Peace

I failed to mention in last weeks post that the first Candle of advent symbolizes Hope, or a period of waiting for The birth of Jesus and His return someday. The second Sunday of Advent we light the peace candle and prepare our hearts for the Christ Child. I am going to concentrate on having peace with my fellow man this week. I have caught myself losing a bit of my "Christmas Spirit" this week as I rushed around and fought with crazy drivers and holiday traffic. (Why is it that everyone is so much more agressive driving this time of year?) I can't let the hustle and bustle take away my peace, and I need to lean on God when I feel myself losing it! This week I wish you all the peace of God that passes all understanding. It is peace that only God can give us.

Flea Market Friday

Well, here it is, my first, and possibly only flea market Friday. I haven't decided how often I want to do this yet. Most certainly not every week. But in the course of my bargain hunting I occasionally pick up something that I think is cool only to realize later that, it may be cool but I don't really have a use for it. I know someone is bound to want these though so here goes..

Stork bingo, copyright 1957, the box and everything in it is in great shape. I got these last week and didn't even realize there were two of them tied together. I am super observant, not. I am throwing a baby shower this summer and thought that even if we don't play this great game it would look so cute as a table decoration.

The bingo cards have neat-o words like, pablum, and rubber pants, and toidy chair (really) and nipples. They might even be useful for altered art projects. 18 cards, a call card, and all the little bingo markers are included. $10 postage included. SOLD

I thought these tea towels were the bees knees. I still do, so if nobody buys them it wont break my heart, but I have a drawer overflowing with towels, so for $7 postage included, they can be yours. There are three matching towels, these pictures aren't great but the towels are in excellent condition, a little yellowed from sitting in a drawer for what must have been years, but only the glasses towel has a couple teeny spots that would probably come out.

These really old hand crochet potholders can be yours for $6 postage included.
And last but not least, this beautiful vase. if you cant click on this picture you can click on yesterdays post to get a close up. I think it may have had a handle at one time but the holes make a pretty place to tie a ribbon like I did. The bottom says, Copr. Marietta Pottery Co. Marietta, Ohio.

There is a teeny chip on the inside front lip. I don't know why I took a close up because it makes it look huge but it is really only about 1" across at the widest point. It doesn't show at all with some pretty flowers and it doesn't show much without them. There is another really teeny chip on the bottom. I mean minuscule.You can actually see it if you click on the picture and make it bigger. It is on the front left hand side of the vase. See that teeny little chip? No? Yes? Clearly this isn't perfect but I think it is gorgeous. $18.00 anybody? That includes shipping.
First comment to tell me they want something gets it. Have a great weekend, I'll be posting more hearts tomorrow:>)

Happy 20th Birthday Lauren!

My baby is 20 today. We share a birth month and so many other things. She is like me, and not like me. People always say "Oh, you must be Lauren's mom!" I guess we kind of look alike too. But she is her own girl, no doubt about that!

Her sister made this gorgeous cake for her today while I was at work. it is small because we had our big family party last night with all the aunts, uncles, cousins and grandma. We don't need two big cakes, but it just seemed wrong to not have one on her actual birthday.Lauren shares a birthday with her Uncle! So here they are blowing out as many candles as we could get on one cake without burning down the house. Some for her and some for him. He is back in the shadows a bit so he's hard to see, but he is there:>)

Lauren has been a ray of sunshine and love ever since she was born. I don't have any baby pictures on this post because her father packed them away somewhere so he could build my bookshelf and he is at work right now, so I will just show a few pictures of her as a little girl. My little dancer.

And my little garden angel. Shortly after she was born I was at the plant nursery picking out flowers and a woman came up and said "she is the prettiest thing you will ever grow!" Well, I have two daughters and they are the prettiest things I've ever grown!

As a high school senior ...

And now in college, a young lady that her dad and I are so proud of. Happy birthday darling daughter! We love you with all our hearts:>)