I Love Simple, Fast Crafts!

Thursday, December 18, 2014



It's been a very fun couple of weeks doing some little crafting projects.  The kind that you can sit down and finish in about an hour!  


I love this little mitten garland that I made to hang in my kitchen window.  It adds a little bit of cheery charm to the gloomy days of winter.


I also knew it would be a really fun project for a craft night with my little grand-girls.   So I gathered all kinds of ribbon, lace, buttons, fabric scraps, yarn and felt and planned a craft night!


I've been trying to do some crafts that even Rosy, the three year old, can do without getting too frustrated.  She did amazing with this!


I sewed the little mitten together and let her sew on the little red patch and the button.  She did so well and it just came out darling.


Jillian, who is six, is getting very good with a needle and thread!  She had no problem sewing the outline stitch and the patch on her mitten.  She also sewed on her buttons.   She is at the age where she really sticks with a project until it is finished.  I was really proud of her!


Her stitches are getting more and more consistent!


So if you are looking for a fun winter project to do with your little children or grand-children here is the little how to for you!  I got my inspiration and mitten pattern from here.  You could also do stockings, but I love the little mittens.  



Cut out your mittens from felt.  I really liked how the grey felt came out.  Cut around the edges with regular scissors and across the top of the mitten with pinking shears.


Sew around the edge with your sewing machine, leaving the top of the mitten open.  I didn't worry about sewing that close to the edge or that perfectly as you will trim this anyway.  Then, with colored embroidery thread sew a decorative stitch around the mitten, right to the edge of your seam.  (Be sure to start about an inch down the side so that when you fold your mitten "cuff" over the stitching won't interfere with that.)


Once you've sewn your decorative embroidery stitch, use very tiny sharp scissors to trim off the extra felt.  Cut carefully right up to the edge of the seam.  


Then you end up with a nice finished edge.  


Have fun and try different stitches.  Anything goes and they sure don't have to be perfect.  


Add any kind of embellishment that you want.  This little snowman ornament and a tiny pom pom came out very cute.  (Jillian made the pom pom - she worked until she got all those little pieces of yarn trimmed to perfection!)


Buttons and fabric patches are really cute.



Use vintage clothes pens and pen the mittens to a string of yarn in the window.  It is a very fun little project that costs very little and takes hardly any time!

Happy Holidays to you!  We are looking forward to good food, good times and good friends next week.  (Remember Baby Grant?  He and his sweet Mommy and Daddy are coming to visit!!)

Have a wonderful Holiday week!



An Antique Trunk Just For Me!

Friday, December 12, 2014


Back in October I was visiting with a friend in Alabama and she said, "Dori, I've got an old trunk that I don't have a spot for anymore, would you like to have it?"  


I was almost salivating when I said, "Yes, please"!  


A few weeks later her parents delivered it to me and I was shocked.  I had absolutely NO idea it would be so huge.  


I also had no idea it would be in such excellent condition and so beautiful.


The details are just amazing.


I love the wooden slats on it and the hardware that connects them.


And the embossed flower pattern on it is so beautiful.


I've discovered a few things in my research.  There are tiny little numbers on the lock that are very hard to read but they are the Patent number and the year of manufacture.  Mine says 1883!!!  Isn't that crazy?   


On the ends of the truck there were leather handles at one time.  I found out in my reading and research that you can hardly find a trunk that the leather handles are still intact. I guess that makes sense in a trunk that is 131 years old!  However, the leather can be replaced and I hope to do that some day.  


I also read that the trunks with rollers are more valuable than the ones without.  I didn't think mine had rollers until I turned it upside down and there they were... tiny little rollers!  


The inside tray is missing, but that sure doesn't bother me any.  It is in very nice clean condition and guess what I intend to put in there?  Yep, you guessed it.  My old quilts!  

I have been reading about Miss Mustard Seed's Hemp Oil and I have decided to purchase some.  I think it will really bring the trunk to life.    I'll be sure to do some "after" pictures so we can compare and see what it does to the old wood and metal.

Have any of you used it and if so, what do you think about it?  

I kept the trunk in my living room for about a week and just didn't ever feel like it quite worked.  I moved it to a place of prominence in the guest bedroom and it is perfect!!!  It really makes the room come alive!  

P.S.  Thank you Anita!