creative little daisy

Happy New Year

Christmas has come and gone without a visit to this little neglected place. I think about it often, blogging that is. There was a time when my camera was never far from reach, when blog posts were constantly being composed in my head. Time marches on and life brings changes. I don't want to give up this space, but I also tire of hearing myself apologize for my absence. I have to stop staying away for so long, jumping back in is so awkward.

Oh well, I've been doing awkward most of my life, it's nothing new.  I'll just jump right in with my awkward self.

Since we last chatted, Casey came home from a nine month deployment.

A little explanation of the sign-  Any time anyone enters my house, the dogs go bananas, barking like mad. Casey thinks it's funny to bust through the door loudly, so as to really get them wound up and then shout "shut the front door" in his deepest, loudest Marine voice. Bayleigh thinks its hysterical, so I knew I wanted to incorporate that in her welcome home sign. She loved it!

Having him home was the best Christmas gift any of us could wish for.

I didn't make any of my gifts this year, and it was nice not to have that extra added pressure. I did most of my shopping online. I did get a little creative with my gift wrapping thanks to pinterest.

I had pinned this image (above) from Callaoo Soup, then pretty much copied her lovely idea.

I cut the "monograms" out of wrapping paper from years past and the little name tags using my Silhouette.

We had a lovely, laid back Christmas, everyone under one roof. We all spent Christmas Eve at Alyssa's apartment so that we could watch Bayleigh open her Santa gifts. I have to say, it was really nice to open gifts and spend quality time with family, then go home for a nap. All the paper and boxes were for someone else to worry about. There are perks to this empty nest thing. For Christmas, I got Lowe's gift cards, a new jig saw, and a table saw. Isn't that funny? I'm terrified of the table saw, but also thrilled to have it. As soon as it warms up a little I'm going to work up the courage to use it. Pray I keep all my fingers and toes. Yes toes, I told you I'm awkward.

So tell me, what was the highlight of your holiday season?

 

 

 

 

Is it possible to make just one?

Maybe for some, but not me.

Once I start, I can't seem to stop.

At least it's a cheap addiction.

And they're pretty.

This was yesterday, as the sun was going down.

And my view this morning as I had my coffee.

I love that each one is a surprise.

Unfolding  is like opening a little present.

I never know what they are going to look like,

although, now that I've made a few dozen,

I've learned where to cut to get diferent effects.

Go get yourself some white paper and scissors. 

If you need help with the folding and cutting,

here are a few different tutorials.

Just know, making paper snowflakes is like eating potato chips,

you can't stop at just one.

I hereby award myself...

The worst blogger award. I have really become such a bad blogger. I fell right off the face of the earth there, didn't I? Not even a proper thank you to the folks who so kindly joined my first ever link party. Thank you ladies! Sorry it's so late coming.

I didn't really fall off the face of the earth. Actually, I was holed up in the sewing room, sewing and gluing my little fingers off in preparation for Christmas. Here's where the really bad blogger part comes in. I made at least 75% of the gifts I gave this year, and do I have a photo? That would be a very sheepish, head hung in shame, no.

The shame of it! At one point I had about a dozen fleece scarfs adorned with singed fabric flowers on my sewing table. Great blog photo op right? Too busy to get the camera and the lighting in there stinks... excuses, excuses.

Alyssa knowing how shameful it was not to take proper photos, kindly left one of her gifts here for me to photograph. My daughter is a better blogger than me and she doesn't even have a blog.

It's a teapot lamp. Wonderful instruction on how to make your own can be found at Vintage Revivals. I used all elements I already had, just had to plop down 20 bucks for the drill bit. Even at that, I think it's a pretty cute gift for $20, don't you? Alyssa especially loved the lamp, because she collects pretty tea cups.

I don't have a photo of the pile of scarfs I made, but I did take one of my own, just so I could share how cute it is and encourage you to make your own, cause it was crazy easy.

And inexpensive.

And it's really warm.  A big thank you to Suzanne at Just Another Hangup for the tutorial.

I also made some cute little girlie stuff for Bayleigh's new room. Alyssa re-did her room for Christmas. Is she her mama's girl or what? She worked like crazy getting it ready and revealed it on Christmas morning. Bayleigh had no idea it was going on. I'll get pictures and share them soon. She got a new kitchen made from an old entertainment center. C.U.T.E!!

So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, from the official worst blogger.

**I didn't forget I promised to give away two fabric flowers and I did rrandomly select a name- the day I said I would. It was Rachel.  Rachel, email me your address and I'll send you your flowers.

Making cookies and a new toy

Miss Bayleigh and I baked cookies last night. Not from scratch, but hey, we did have to use the oven, so we did bake. Right?

She's not discriminating. It didn't matter that they came out of a pack.

Nope, didn't mind one bit.

I got a new lens yesterday. Finally, I can take fairly descent photos in low light without using a flash.

And I'm no Pioneer Woman, but check out the bokeh.

 

Please remember to come back tonight at 8 to link up your Silhouette and Cricut projects. 

 

At least she looked angelic

Bayleigh and Mrs. Jill

A week before our church's Christmas program I was asked to make costumes for the three littlest angels, Bayliegh included. Needed were three dresses, three halos and one set of wings. The dresses and halos were easy, but the wings gave me a bit of an unexpected fit. When we had a week to play with Alyssa got online to find a set we could buy. Oh no, there is no need to buy, even if they are only five dollars a set. No, they will be easy to make. I was so sure they would be so easy, I didn't stress at all. Just use one of the sets we have as a guide, bend a coat hanger, cover it with white tights or pantyhose, add some glittery accents and done. No prob. You know where this is going, right? To make a very long story short, after a few failed attempts for various reasons, on Sunday afternoon, I still had no wings. In a panic I grabbed a set of pink fairy wings off the shelf at the Dollar General with no idea how I would make them work.  I rushed home and painted them white with acrylic craft paint. I'm sure you can imagine how that worked out. Not too cute and still pinkish. I grabbed a can of white spray paint and saturated them, hung them outside to dry and prayed. Just as I was beginning to think I was going to have to cut a set out of cardboard Alyssa came to the rescue. She remembered an old costume hanging in her closet. Attached to the hem was a big white feather boa. She said, cut this off and glue it onto the white spray painted wings. Oh yea, I can do that. I can glue like nobodies business. With minutes to go, I emerged from the craft room with a beautiful set of angel wings. So beautiful we worried that it may seem I was playing favorites by making Bayleigh a prettier set than the other angels. Of course that wasn't the case. Here she was being angelic in the vestibule of the church. It went downhill from there. As time drew near for her to walk down the isle of the church with the five other angels, she began to protest. She wanted Nana to hold her. OK fine, I'll walk down with you, I can carry you and  I'll even sit with you in the choir loft. As the doors opened the tears turned to sobs, the further down the isle we went the louder the crying. The angels were to walk, two by two, down the isle, step onto the stage and enter the choir loft from either side. As we approached the stage the crying and wailing had turned to screams.  I stepped onto the stage and didn't even bother going into the choir loft. There was no way I was going to sit up there with this wailing child.  I  walked right off the side and tried to clam her.  Her mommy came over and retrieved her, since between the wails she could hear I want my mommy. Even after being placed in her mommy's arms, she continued the crying, only now she's calling for nana. Unable to console her, Alyssa took her out of the sanctuary and waited in the fellowship hall for the program to end. Her big stage debut was over. Oh well, she sure did look pretty. Maybe next year.

 

 

I'm getting a little nervous about my party planned for Sunday. What if no one shows?  I can see myself like the geeky teen, who invited all the cool kids to her birthday party. You know the scene, the poor geeky kid is eating chips and sipping punch by the lonely food table at midnight, because no one showed up for her party. I hope you'll show up and bring a friend with your cool projects made using a Silhouette or Cricut. Sunday beginning at 8pm.  I even made a little button you can take if you like buttons. The button and code are over there on the right.

 

A fireplace makeover

Just in time for Christmas.

This is how it looked last Christmas

And now.

I painted the brick a couple of months ago and last week with a little help from Mitch, I added some molding detail above the mantel.  When trying to come up with something special but cheap to hang up there, I remembered seeing several versions of book page wreaths around blogland.  After studdying a few tutorials I fired up the glue gun and got to work.   I think what I came up with is a combination of the tutorials I read. It's made up of several layers like the ones beautifully detailed on  Jones Design Company  and Living With Lindsay, but instead of folding the pages, I rolled them into cones, as shown on Primp.

It's huge! I stared with a 14 inch wreath and used most of a 400+ page novel. It took about four hours and seven hundred glue sticks. OK, seven hundred may be a slight exaggeration, it was probably more like 600. Really, no less than 20, but that's a lot of glue.

I'll be linking up at these parties.

 

 

 

He meant well

He being the UPS man. He's a really nice guy, our UPS man. A thoughtful guy. That's why this evening he knocked on my door. He had a delivery for my cousin, who lives right next door. A delivery he assumed was a Christmas gift. As you can see in the picture above, it's quite obvious what's in the box. My thoughtful UPS guy, thinking it was likely a gift for my cousin's wife asked if he could leave it with us, just in case it was meant to be a Christmas gift. He's been our UPS guy for years. He knew we would let Ronald know we had accepted his delivery and no surprises would be ruined. This time of year, the busiest time of year for  deliveries, you'd have to be a thoughtful guy to do that, to take that extra time to protect a surprise.  Such a nice guy.

On the subject of  surprises, let me tell you about another nice guy. A really thoughtful guy who went out of his way to cover his tracks when ordering his wife's Christmas gift. You see last year, she got a confirmation email from the sender of her Christmas gift, letting her know the item had shipped. This year he wasn't letting that happen. He covered his tracks, right down to arranging for her gift to be delivered to the next door neighbor. Do you see where I'm going with this?   Yep, the UPS guy went out of his way to protect a wife's surprise and my sweet husband went out of his way to surprise his wife.  Too bad one nice guy's good deed canceled out the other's.   I found a great deal more humor in this than did my sweet and thoughtful husband.  He said next year, I'm giving you a gift card.

About what's in that box. A couple of weeks ago, while watching the food network, I noticed the most beautiful mixer, an aqua Kitchenaid Mixer. I dvr'd the show so I could show Mitch later. Not because I needed or wanted a new mixer. I have a Kitchenaid. It was my granny's and it used to be harvest gold.Used to be because Mitch painted it for me. Not something I'd recommend just anyone try, but he happens to have some decent painting skills.  He also painted my refridgerator, but that's a different story for a different day.   Anyway, back to the beautiful aqua mixer. I knew he'd recently painted a golf cart nearly the exact shade of aqua, so I told him for Christmas,  if he had any paint left over, I would like my Kitchenaid painted that color.
He said he had even planned to take my old Kitchenaid out to his shop so I'd think he was painting it. He tried so hard to surprise me. Such a sweetie!

He let me sneak a peek!

I'm having a blue Christmas

A blue (and white) Christmas.

 
 


Traditional? No. A little tacky? Probably, but that's ok. I like my fake white tree with it's shimmering, glimmering aqua blue ornaments.  You can color your Christmas red and green if you like, for me, I'll have a blue (and white) Christmas

I found the aqua lights with white cord on ebay.