The Mint Needle

I can't believe it's here. As some of us are still scurrying to get all the presents wrapped and tucked away, I just wanted to send everyone a Merry Christmas! May your homes be filled with love, laughter, & good health! Happy Trails to welcoming the New Year!

Pinterest did it again! I came across this great idea (from Shannon Berrey's Design Blog ) to make some really beautiful rustic looking Christmas ornaments. While Shannon painted gorgeous images on her pieces, I decided to use some snapshots taken from our trip to Colorado. Wow, do I love the way these came out! To make these, you will need: ~ some thin slices of firewood (must be dried) - pre-drill the holes prior to adhering the photos ~ a glass or circle stencil that fits inside of the wood slice ~ some photos ~ mod podge ~ triple thick ~ two paintbrushes, one for mod podge and one for triple thick ~ twine or ribbon ~ scissors  ~ a needle and small nail My handy man, aka hubby,   cut and pre-drilled my wood slices. Brush off any excess wood shavings so that the piece is pretty clean. If it's not clean, your pics will have a tough time sticking. But... do not get the wood wet & do not try to wash it. If you do, you'll have to wait fo...

This time of year, I love to show my girls how you can make Christmas ornaments from almost anything. For example take the following two projects! The first is a twig & birds nest which requires a couple sticks, glue, glitter, wire and beads. (If you're going to do this project with little ones, replace the wire with twine.)  Start by creating a small bundle of equally sized twigs. Wrap them with wire (or twine) to secure them together. Grab the glue and start applying a thin coat to the stick ends. You really won't want to get glue in the center for a couple reasons. The glue won't adhere to the wire and if you use it one twine, you risk having it loosen from being wet. (Unless you want to make this into a two day project & have it dry overnight.) Stick the glitter in a small Ziploc bag an throw the bundle of twigs inside.  Give it a shake.  N ext you'll want to make the bird's nest. I make these by threading the be...

While at Joann's, looking for 'triple thick', (you'll hear about that in a different post) , I came across this adorable panel for a fabric book. I mean, who can say 'no' to Mary Engelbreit?  I fell in love with the little mice, bright colors, & Christmas spirit. It was something I've never done so why not give it a try? After all my panels were cut, I pinned each section prior to stitching because I wasn't so sure how the batting would be 'sew-able' through all those layers. A pleasant surprise, it worked! Just remember to leave a descent size opening so that you can flip it right side out. You can see in the picture below that I left an opening, about 4 inches wide. When it came to finishing, I just pinned through all the layers and stitched the book together. This is such a quick project to make! After completed, I realized how you can really have fun creating your own, unique one of a ki...

"The first fall of snow is not only an event, but it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up to find yourself in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment, where is it to be found?" ~ J.B. Priestley

Looking for a really simple project? Well, look no further! This quick and chic clutch is perfect for everyone & it's a cinch to make! Here's what you'll need: 2 coordinating fabrics ~ (cut 2) 8 x 16 inches; (cut 2) 6 x 16 inches 13 inch zipper 1 large button 7 inch piece of twill (or ribbon for extra closure) Lining fabric ~ (cut 2) 16 x 13 inches Start by sewing the 6" x 16" piece to the 8" x 16" piece. (Keep face sides together.) Open the connected fabric and top stitch the hem. (This part isn't necessary, but I love to do it when making bags because it minimizes a crease and bulging.) Center & place the twill cord at the base of one panel and stitch it in place.  You can replace the twill cord with a couple of other items like piping, ribbon, or stitched bias tape. If you're going to use the ribbon, I would triple it up and braid it. Especially if it's going to be a frequent...

Hello readers! Guess what? We returned from one of the most enlightening vacations I've ever been on. And of course, I want to tell you all about it! Founded in the 1880's, Glenwood Springs, Colorado is literally known as ~ "America's Most Fun Small Town" and I can totally see why! With a population of only 9,620, in between colossal mountains, one really gets to see what a small town feels like. But it's still packed with soooo many things to do! Let me start by saying that this has given whole new meaning to the word 'vacation'. This trip, which involved snow capped mountains, history, tons of sightseeing, hot springs, amusement parks, and some 'stepping out of my comfort zone', will go down in our family history as one of the funnest places we have ever been. Seriously, how often do you get say you saw bison and bighorn sheep while driving or that you went swimming in the snow? Random note ~ Did you know that Glenwood Spri...