Thankful People

I created this sign for a client and I thought it was very appropriate to share with you this week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Etching

Your family's probably a lot like mine. 

For years we've gone around the table and everyone says what they are thankful for. 

A couple years ago I mixed it up a bit and had family members right down their "thanks" and I included a couple Bible verses on Thankfulness. 

So for this year, I made a special jar that incorporates this tradition.

I cut several strips of paper in various colors. 

Added a small binder clip and attached it to the ribbon to keep it the pieces of paper together.

Here's a little picture tutorial of how I did the etching:

Start with something glass with a clean and clear surface. 

For this plate, I'm going to etch on the back.

 I used this Armour Etch cream. I'm sure there are other out there.

I created a stencil with vinyl and my Silhouette. 

You could use contact paper and cut out your own design.

 Because I'm doing this on the back of the dish, I cut out my stencil backwards or as a mirror image.

 Apply a thick coat of the etching cream and follow the directions on the bottle 

(5 minutes in the case of Armour Etch). Wipe off with a wet paper towel.

Finished product!

My friend Kate and I etched all sorts of things last week:

What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions?

Infinity Scarf

A couple weekends ago I got to spend time with
some pretty awesome girls at our church's high school fall retreat.
I wanted to give my small group of girls a little gift...and that's how the Infinity Scarf was born.

I started with 1/2 yard of some fun jersery knit fabric.

 Without any extra cutting, I sewed the two ends together. Making a giant loop.

Hanging on your neck it looks like this:

 Wrap it around your neck twice, and you get this look:

I made several, one for each girl in my small group.

And added this tag (our theme for the weekend was "Conflict"):

Here's a couple of snapshots off my phone of the Infinity Scarf in action throughout the weekend:

I made an additional one for myself in gray. I love it! 

I've already wearing it a ton and we've had crazy warm weather this fall!

My friend Kate and I have spent a couple days together crafting 

and made some scarfs for Christmas presents.

You can too!

Corn Husk Wreath

For years I've seen wreaths made out of corn husks and
I've always wanted to try my hand at making one.

Here's how I did it (along with my good friend, Kate).

Supplies we used:

• 1 package of Corn Husks (we found ours at Wal-Mart, in the produce section)
• wreath form
• scissors
• stapler 

We soaked a couple packages of the corn husks in water for about an hour. 

Once they are soft you'll want to separate them.

And then we laid them out to dry a bit. 

You don't want them TOO dry, or they'll break because they are so brittle.

Cut the ends off...

So you have pieces that look like this:

Tear down the middle, like this:

And then fold them in half, like this:

Get out your wreath form (no need to remove the plastic).

Start stapling them on, about 4 in a row.

The rows should be overlapping.

Until your wreath starts to look nice and full like this:

Add a nice bow with some thick wire lined ribbon. 

The perfect addition to your fall decor!

Mini-Makeover in my Master Bedroom

I had to opportunity to redo my bedroom thanks to some gift cards I got for Christmas
(yeah, last Christmas! I drafted this post early last spring and forgot to put it on until now).

Here's a look at my bedroom before:

 In the distance you can see that I made a window valance to match the blanket on the bed.

Nice and all. It just needed an update.

 I started collecting swatches of fabric last November. 

I knew I loved this fabric, but I just wasn't sure where I was going to use it. 

The headboard won out.

Taking cues from one of the other fabric's I selected, 

I found this great bedspread and pillow shams continuing the mini-makeover...

The next step comes with layering with pillows.

And a cozy blanket with lots of texture!

I used the existing cornice boards that Ben and I made 

and recovered them with some of the fabric I used on the pillows. 

Added some beaded trim from some drama.

I love coming home to my house and climbing into my cozy bed!

It's so fun to redecorate when you have great trims to work with:

Come on over sometime, I'd love to give you a tour in person!