Muslin-Wrapped Garland

I recently saw this muslin garland idea at Down to Earth Style and was

impressed by the ease and price to make it.

I tore my muslin into strips that were about  12 inches long, folded them,

and tied them into knots.

Total cost: $8.00

2 yards of muslin from Walmart..................$4.00

Twinkle lights from The Dollar General.........$4.00

For the complete look, I used Dollar Tree wreaths that I took apart and wired

together as a garland.  I also had a different type of pine garland that I bought at our local Goodwill.

I stuffed in some pine cones that I bought at Michael's and red berries from

The Dollar Tree....the whole mantle was put together for about $15.

Here's last year's mantle....

Yikes!......I'm not quite feeling the love.  That's even the same starter pine garland!  

What a difference layering makes!

This year I feel way more natural....using greens, pinecones, muslin, and burlap through my house.

Which one do you like??

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Amazing Art Blog

{Winter Tree Art}

I recently stumbled across an amazing art blog that is just too good not to share with you all....

Since I am more of a science/math person, art tends to be my homeschooling weakness.

I didn't take many (any) art classes beyond elementary school and my drawing

skills are quite pathetic.

So.....art tends to get a slim showing in our homeschool portfolios.....but not this year.

This year, I am being assisted by the blog Deep Space Sparkle.  Patty is an art teacher who shares these gorgeous art lessons....for FREE!!

She also includes step-by-step instructions with photos.

Here are some of her projects...

{Snowmen based on the book Snowmen at Night}

{Watercolor Birch Trees}

{Planet and Galaxy Art}

We recently did the watercolor birch trees and they turned out gorgeous!!  Even my non-artsy son has a project for his portfolio that looks artistic.

My daughter and I are off to make the winter trees today.

If you are looking for more homeschooling ideas, check out my Pinterest Board!

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Inexpensive Fall Wreath Idea

Have you decorated for fall?  

About 2 years ago, I made a wreath using materials from The Dollar Tree
and I am still using it on my front door!

The whole project cost about $3.00!

1 piece of foam board:  $1.00
2 packs of leaves:  2@$1.00

I love the look of a square wreath....it's just unique!

What fall decorations did you recycle this year??

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Fall Mantle Reveal

I'm staying out of any political discourse, but the reality is......with 

gas prices pushing $4.00 per gallon, life is expensive!

So when it comes to decorating, my options are to {mostly} use what I have.

One thing that I've had for maybe 2 years now is my corn husk wreath...

I used corn husks that I bought at a Mexican food store and cut them into triangular strips.

{Warning....it takes a lot of hot glue and many burned fingers to complete this!}

The next thing that I had was dropcloth, burlap, felt and sticks.

There are many tutorials on Pinterest that show how to make the stuffed pumpkins.

I resorted to my method of using old pillows to stuff them....free, again!

My one splurge was the "wheat"...and it's not actually wheat.  

I used a foam form from The Dollar Tree and hot glued a wheat-like grass 

to the form.  

If I had been patient, I could have gotten it for free in my backyard.....I'm not patient!

{The printable was free from Dear Lillie.}

So for spending practically nothing.....I was able to create a simple fall mantle

out of what was lying around my home and yard!

Do you decorate for fall or Halloween?

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DIY Sidewalk Chalk

Here's a quick and easy idea for "bored" kids....DIY sidewalk chalk.

All that you need is cornstarch and water.

I mixed 2 cups of cornstarch with 2 cups of water until I got a thin enough consistency to paint with.

If you don't add enough water, then you'll end up with Oobleck.....

 After I mixed a big bowl of the cornstarch and water, I divided it evenly

and added the food coloring.

My colors are not really bright because I was almost out of food coloring.

 Then, we just grabbed a bunch of brushes and started to decorate the driveway.

It washes off a lot easier than regular sidewalk chalk!

What fun activities have you been doing this summer?

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Tea Party Hats {and party pics!}

Confession.....when it comes to crafting, I'm not always very patient!

I'd much rather paint a wall or use a meiter saw.  When it comes to

crafting 9 little tea hats....ugh!

So lest you be fooled by the above photo....here's my version of a high tea hat!

My sweet daughter calls it her "zookeeper" hat!  My mom came over to help, took one look at my version and said..."How about if I take some of this to my house and work on it??"

The wrapping paper idea....a BIG fail!  It just kept crumpling....that, and I needed to buy about 7 more rolls to make 9 hats!

Instead, my mom used white table paper....traced a circle and cut it out. She then used white duct tape to make the hat shape and wrapped it with some pink ribbon.

A MUCH better result.....I am indebted to my mom!

Each little girl got to take home a tea hat and a tissue paper flower...and no,

I can't take credit for those cute cupcakes either....I hired a teenage girl to make them....best decision EVER!

 Thanks to your many suggestions over on my FB page, we had awesome food!

I wrapped deli turkey around string cheese, made PB & J sandwiches in flower shapes, 

finger jello and pretzel sticks in cheese.

My mom made the adorable carrot curls, chocolate-covered strawberries and

chocolate-covered oranges.

Each little girl had the opportunity to "dress-up" in gloves and jewelry..

...and we also had a special time "doing our nails!"

The day was a HUGE success....this group of girls is so sweet...and so quiet

compared to a group of 9 boys!!  I couldn't believe the difference!

Although it was a lot of fun....I think that next time we'll just have a 

picnic and run through the sprinkler party.....and skip the hats!

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Tea Party Sneak Peek

I've been a little bit stressed about this tea party for my daughter....I'm not the greatest

of party planners and many times, the ideas in my head don't always translate well into real life....ever happen to you??

Son to my husband at lunch: "Yeah....watch out.  Mom's a little grumpy today!"

{Um...maybe it's because I'm trying to homeschool you, clean the house,

do laundry, and make 10 'flowers' from tissue paper that look more like

rumpled balls rather than cute flowers???}

Thankfully, my artistic (kind and patient!) hubby is always around to "rescue" 

my ideas and turn them into something usable!

Case in point....the R2D2 cake...

Totally was a hubby rescue!!

{I had to laugh when I looked at these pictures....it was about 2

colors "back" in my kitchen that has been about 5 colors in only 6 1/2 years!}

So.....I am rather pleased with how the place settings are turning out...

I just made some tissue paper flowers, cut scrap fabric with pinking shears

and tied them around a napkin with baker's twine...

My other "brilliant" idea....making "high-tea" hats from wrapping paper...not so successful.

I'll keep you posted on that one....I had to call in help from my mom!

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Playhouse Curtains

Using scrap wood, my hubby built my little girl a playhouse a few years ago.

It actually started as a boy fort and morphed into playhouse heaven!

My girl is a lot like her mama and as spring has been warming up, she has been "nesting!"

She'll finish lunch and go out to her playhouse to "work."

One of her big requests was to somehow keep the bugs out!  (She's her mama's girl!)

I went to my local True Value expecting to buy screen for her windows, but I

found a way to get it for FREE!

Our local True Value repairs window screens, so when I asked them if I could

buy a yard or so of screen they asked what I needed it for.  When he realized that

I only needed it for a playhouse, he took some old screen pieces out of the screens

that he was repairing and gave it to me for FREE!

Then little girl asked for curtains.  Now, our backyard is like the great wind tunnel

so whatever I put on her windows will be torn to shreds by July.  I knew

that I didn't want to spend a whole lot of money on the curtains.

I had a brainstorm to use vinyl flannel-backed tablecloths!  If I bought the largest size

and just cut it into fours...wouldn't that work??

That answer was YES!!  

I just sewed a pocket...not for a curtain rod, but for what I had on-hand...clothesline!

I ran some clothesline through the sewn pocket and attached it around a screw.

The total cost was $3.99....the cost of the tablecloth!

Did you notice the decorative "flowers" in the coke bottle?  She's a whole

lot like her mama!

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