Valentines Wreath ~ Adventures in Sewing

After taking down my Christmas decorations (which I did a month ago except for the snowshoes because thay are a winter decoration, not Christmas) I like rediscovering the extra space in my home. But it is missing something. I miss the lights, the decorations, the wreath on the door. So, I thought I needed some Valentine’s bling around to make things a bit more festive. Or at least a wreath on the door.

my wreath!!!

 I looked in stores and online to find a wreath I liked that wasn’t cheap looking or cheesy. Couldn’t find one. So I did what any crafter would do and I created one myself.

I found this tutorial online and away I went to acquire supplies and get crafting!  Gathering supplies was seriously the hardest part as nowhere in town had the heart form I needed. Now that my friend Katie showed me how to use my sewing machine, that part was easy.

Materials:  Wreath form $6 (Hobby Lobby)  ½ yard of satin $1.26 (Wal-Mart) black ribbon/hot glue gun-already had on hand! Total cost of project $7.26 and the result is a lovely wreath and a happy me!

***Please note that I used double the amount of satin listed in the tutorial  to create my 12 inch wreath. I also burnished the edges of the satin (as in, ran the fabric through the flame of a lit candle and tried-successfully!-not to set the fabric or the house on fire. This prevents fraying and I like the look of it as well.

~Angela

My Latest Find!

As I have been purging my excess, I am very cautious about what I bring into our home.  But I could not pass up on this FREE child’s craft table! I found in online and it is in excellent condition, just needing to be wiped down. Since Bundle has a really nice Amish made oak table and chair set she got from my mom , I really did not want to spend a lot on another set for art projects (the other set is too nice to spill paint on) so this table is perfect! I am just so excited about making this work in my craft room as we like to be in there together.

I already have some projects in mind that we an work on together!!

~Angela

A Bubbly Bath

I love baths. Love, love, love them. There are few ways that I would rather spend an evening alone than in the tub with a book. It is a guilty pleasure of mine. I like to stay in long after my fingers and toes are all wrinkly and the water starts to cool (if I turn the heater off). Ahh...just thinking about it relaxes me.
My dear husband ran me a bath the other night and my motto has always been "the more bubbles the better", but he took this to the extreme.

I couldn't even see over the bubbles (don't worry; I took no photos of me in the tub!) I had to scoop the bubbles into the nearby shower.

In keeping with my goal of making time to slow down and simplify my life, I would say this evening counts as a success!

~Angela

                                                                                                       

Scarf Organization

I love scarves. Therefore, I have a lot of them. So many, in fact, that I forgot what I had because most of them were in a bin in our closet. Then I also had some on a hanger in our coat closet. So, they were in 2 places and not organized.

On a recent trip to Container Store (one of my faves), I scored this scarf organizer:

Not only does  hold all my scarves, it is much simpler to see what I have. It was like Christmas because I discovered some long lost favorites. A bonus is that they take up much less room stored this way.

Ah...the mission to simply my life is in full swing:)

~Angela

Blog Critique

My new friends over at Truly Lovely hosted a blog critique.  

I was matched up with bloggers that had not read my blog before and they gave me feedback. Being that I still consider myself new to blogging since I started a few months ago, (I still consider myself a "new" mom too and my daughter is almost 2) I welcomed the feedback. From the feedback, I gathered great new ideas for this little blog of mine. I blog because I love to write and, like my journals, this will be fun to review later. Since my blog is out there for people to see, I do enjoy it when someone has found my own little corner of the world and sticks with me! 

Positive Remarks (Yes I high-fived myself on each one):
1. Good photos
2. Interesting Blog Subjects (yeah!!)
3. No ads
4. Fun to read writing style
5. Good mix of photos/text

Room To Improve/Some of the recommended changes:
1. Choose a font that is easier to read
2. Change the blog description to describe the blog (it was just a quote before)
3. Move the follow by email and search up higher on the blog
4. Choose a photo for the header. (still trying to figure this out)
5. View more than one blog per page.

I've already implemented several of the recommended changes, most of them were fairly subtle,  and am still trying to figure out the rest:)

Another bonus was discovering these gems:

Veronica from Life in the Thrifty Lane:



Jane from Look What Jane Made:

 


Thanks, Jane & Veronica for all your tips!
                                                                                                                    
~ Angela