Sequin Tree

So I finally finished my first DIY Christmas decoration a few weeks ago that I started way back in October!!! It took entirely way too long, and I remember at some point telling the DH that this was the worst craft project ever (because of how long it was taking me). In the end, I think the time and very little $$ spent was well worth it!

It all started off with a styrofoam cone, straight pins, red sequins, and green glass beads. I did run out of straight pins (twice) which is probably the reason this project took 6 weeks to complete. Who knew I would use over 1500 straight pins to cover this small styrofoam cone!

The process was really quite simple. Take a straight pin, thread on one glass bead, one sequin, and stick the straight pin into the the cone. And then repeat about a million times. I made sure that each sequin I stuck into the tree slightly covered the sequin next to it, so that I wouldn't end up with the white styrofoam peaking through. Starting from the bottom, and going up helped ensure that I kept the sequins in a straight line making it easier to cover up all of the white styrofoam showing through. I guess I could have painted the cone red before I added the beads/sequins but in all honesty as soon as I brought home all the supplies for this project I was too eager to get it started and didn't even think about painting the cone!

Here is a picture of the tree almost completed. Once I got closer to the top of the cone, it became progressively more difficult to push each straight pin all the way into the cone because each pin was running into another pin already inserted into the cone. I would repeatedly have to stick the pin into the cone at different angles to get it to fit perfectly. I also decided to cover the top of the cone before I finished running my sequin rows all the way hoping that it would make covering the top easier.

Now my finished cone has a place of honor on our freshly decorated mantle! I love the way it sparkles and shines in the light, and matches my Christmas color theme of red and silver! Totally worth it!

Linked up here:
Centsational Girl

The DIY Showoff
The Vintage Wannabe

Someday Crafts
House of Hepworths
Skip to my Lou
Tip Junkie

Tatertots and Jello

Defeated?

This is not easy, but I'm very close to admitting defeat. I may or may not have been defeated by a pillow this weekend. Very sad, I know. But let me give you a little background info first.


My mother is a wiz with a sewing machine, although I'm sure if you asked her she would never admit to being a wiz. She helped me with a few sewing projects when I was younger, but I can count those sewing projects on one hand. Now, in my adult life, I've become more interested in DIYing things - which this year migrated into DIYing things with fabric. So one casual convo last month with the DH, I mentioned thinking about buying a sewing machine. That casual convo turned into owing a sewing machine in about two seconds flat. What a sweet boy - he listened!

I automatically knew what I wanted to create first - a pillow. Sounded easy enough, but my ADD crafting mind apparently took an easy DIY pillow to the highest level, and the next thing I know I'm ripping up an ugly old bridesmaids dress with high pillow expectations. Yikes!

Well, I 'finished' the pillow this weekend. It looks much better un-stuffed than stuffed, which sort of defeats the purpose of a pillow. I'll share pictures of the process, and maybe the end result a little later. But for now I think I'll be giving my mother a call to see where I/my pillow went wrong, since admitting defeat isn't as easy as it sounds.

Birthday Boy!

I was so disappointed in my last Mojo Monday submission, that I decided to try again. HA! Just kidding! I just liked the sketch so much that I figured I'd use it again this week! Once again, this one is linked up to the Mojo Monday Sketch #163. This one goes to my wonderful DH for his birthday this Sunday!!! Because the birthday festivities start today, I'm keeping this post short and sweet! I stuck to the sketch a little more than my last submission, and I'm very glad I did.

I used my new fav DCWV Latte Stack paper again, along with a MFT sentiment. So this is the very first card I've used my sewing machine with. Please don't look to closely or you'll see how inexperienced I am with the sewing machine. I've only used a sewing machine a few times in my life, and that was under the instruction of my mom. So cut me some slack until I've mastered my hopefully new found skill!!!

Thoughts of you...

One of the DH's cousin's is having brain surgery this week. Just typing the words 'brain surgery' is scary - eek. She's been having horrid migraine headaches for a while now, and was diagnosed with a 4mm brain aneurysm a month ago. To let her know that we're thinking of her and her family during this scary time, we'll be stopping by the hospital to check on things and drop off this card. It's not much, but sometimes it's the little things that count, right? She's also a fellow card maker and a super crafty gal! Anyways, I tried to use the Mojo Monday #163 sketch this week, but I always find myself tweaking it a little. I'm linking this one up today too. I'm still in love with this new DCWV paper pack I picked up a few months ago. I think purple and green should be the new fall colors! My sentiment is from my Essential Sentiments set from MFT, and has proven to be a great purchase. My ribbon came from the $1 bin at Michaels, and I used a few baby brads in coordinating colors. In retrospect, I should have added a bow to my ribbon which probably would have followed the sketch a little closer.

Short Review

Here's some knowledge I'd like to share:

Glitter wrapping paper: super cute - SUPER messy.

Word to the wise, stay away!

Christmas in October? You Bet!

I made my weekly trip to tar-zahy yesterday and picked up some extra Halloween Candy (because let's face it, I only buy the good stuff to pass out to trick-or-treaters which usually means we've gobbled it all up well before Halloween rolls around. oops!). While I was roaming around in the Halloween section I stumbled upon row after row after row of Christmas stuff. Seriously? Christmas stuff out in October? But then as I roamed a little more I actually started getting into the holiday spirit. Which is great considering I'm already starting making a few holiday decorations.

And then, BAM! This morning I get an e-mail from Shutterfly with an offer for 50 free Holiday Cards! YES PLEASE!!! Talk about an awesome early Christmas gift for me!!! I've used Shutterfly plenty of times in the past (wedding album(s)), but I've never bought any of their cards before. The photo books I've bought were awesome, so their cards must be awesome too right!?!

Considering last year I made all of our Christmas cards, I think I may have gotten a little too excited about not having to make them all again this year! So I started checking out what Shutterfly had to offer, and attempted to select my favorites. Impossible! I think I ended up with at least 30 favorite holiday cards, but I'll share just a few of them. Here's a link to their holiday cards and stationary if you'd like to browse through and pick out your favorites.

Get ready for TONS of pictures.

This one jumped right out at me. I love it for the non traditional holiday colors - it's so hip and modern!

[Hip and Happy]

Love the pastel ornaments. For some reason this one reminds me of a beautiful snow shower.

[Dazzle and Sparkle]

Here's a more traditional looking card. It's classic, and modern at the same time. And I love that it's a card so you have the option of writing a personalized note to the lucky recipient.

[Classic Mistletoe Frame]

This one might be my favorite. It's simple and clean. It includes the year, a simple sentiment, a large picture, and it comes in a folded card. Winner in my book!

[2010 Flourish Holiday]

But wait, there's more! Lets face it, the Holidays are always super busy, and sometimes sending out cards gets pushed back till the last minute. So why not send out New Years cards instead? Brilliant! I'm diggin this one - so bright and happy!

[Happy 2011 Damask New Year's]

Oh boy. The possibilities are endless - thanksgiving cards, thank you cards, wait - christmas gift tags!!! I must have spent an hour on Shutterfly's website this morning. I did notice that Shutterfly was having a sale - 25% off on cards when you buy 50 or more till 11/3. I'm always up for a good deal or discount!

Disclosure Statement:

This post is part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly. Participating bloggers are reviewing the new Shutterfly cards and sharing their favorites, and have been compensated with coupon codes for 50 free cards.

Busy Little Crafting Bee...

I swear I must have at least 10 projects going on right now. Most are right smack-dab in the middle of completion; a few have only made it to the scribbles on a piece of paper phase. Call it crafting ADD if you'd like. But for now, this is one of the projects I've started and had to put on pause (1 - because I ran out of a key ingredient, and 2 - because my sweet niece's first birthday party is just around the corner and I promised I'd create a few decorations for the occasion).

What is this jumble of objects you might ask? Sequins, straight pins, glass beads, and a styrofoam cone. But you'll have to wait a few months to figure out what this one turns out to be! Just cross your fingers that it the final product is as awesome as the vision in my mind is.