Homemade Gift Ideas

So going along with Jordan's post on Monday, I thought I would post what I'm planning on making this season. I'm keeping it pretty simple.

For our nieces and nephews I'm making one of these per family

Source

and this for our neighbors:

Source

Giveaway: Make Change Bracelet

Hello Wayward Readers! Today I have a great idea for you for a holiday gift you can feel great about giving.

A "Make Change" bracelet

Faith is a 12 year old young woman I know who helped design beautiful bracelets with a great message. Each bracelet is only $5 and they help fund the change she wants to make. She recognized a need, for families afflicted with leprosy in Chennai, India and is now trying to make the change and help these families by teaming up with Rising Star.

 

YOU can help today by purchasing one of these bracelets. Visit her website to learn more: http://makechangetoday.org/

Or watch this short video (and look for some Jaime Approved Treats!)

And because I love this mission so much, I purchased one to give away today!

There are a bunch of different ways to win, so see below:

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

What I'm making for Christmas

Unfortunately, most of the people I'm giving gifts to read (or write!) this blog, so I can't share some of my cool ideas. But a few people don't, so I can share some gift ideas of what I'm hoping to make for Christmas gifts.

My older daughter is taking a ballet class, and I worry about her getting cold on the drive, so I want to make her a set (and my younger daughter will surely want a set, too, so she can also be a "bahweena!") of these:

Leg warmers (I'll probably add some poofy edging on the top) Source: ravelry.com via Jordan on Pinterest

Ballerina shrug (with no finishing!) Source: ravelry.com via Jordan on Pinterest

I think my older daughter's will be off-white and my younger daughter's will be lavender.

For my son, I've almost finished a red version of this Hallows Cardigan (based on a sweater Ron wears in one of the Harry Potter movies):

Source: ravelry.com via Jordan on Pinterest

(My husband reads the blog, so, sweetheart, YOU GET NOTHING.)

And then for some other family members (who are NOT my sisters, though I love you all), I love finding useful little things that you'd never think of, but use constantly.

This is hard. But sometime last fall, I came across this:

Source: simplicity.com via Jordan on Pinterest

It's an organizer that hangs on the back of a car seat. And yes, it's sewn, not knit. I could definitely use one of these, and I think most families could, too.

Of course, I can't forget me! I should ask for some yarn to indulge, right? Probably some time around Valentine's day, I might be ready to start a BIG project for myself:

Source: ravelry.com via Jordan on Pinterest

This gorgeous Snowdrift Cardigan, either in winter white or "greige."

What are you making for Christmas gifts?

Wayward Tiling

Life is crazy at our house! As a part of getting ready for the wedding and Christmas, we decided to tile our kitchen floor. The husband laid the underflooring on Friday and then was too sore to tile on Saturday. So guess who got to do it? That's right, me.
It wasn't so hard, but it was very messy. It took a long time, and at the end I could hardly stand. The last box of tile was all broken so we couldn't even finish the room. We wrapped up our work at around 11:30 Saturday night, and then the three of us sat in the family room and ate cake!
It is now 1 week later, and we are still not done. Jasmine and I are about to grout because Ben has to work late.
The floor looks ok-- but some of my joints aren't straight. (The joints in the floor, not in my body.) Now I am looking at tiling everywhere I go to see if anyone else has wayward tiles like we do. Hopefully we will get finished tonight so we can move our major appliances out of the living room and dining room.

Bridal Bouquet

When I was choosing my flowers I had an idea from a good friend's wedding that I was a bridesmaid in. I loved her bouquet. When I started looking at  flowers I realized that bouquet really didn't transfer well to winter colors. From them I just looked at what was available and looked like it fit in the right season for my wedding. I didn't want stark white flowers and I definitely wanted red in there. I looked so many times at flowers (mainly at Michaels). I planned on having silk flowers so I can keep my bouquet and it's the same bouquet for my bridals and the wedding. I found some magnolias that I loved! They were off-white and not too big. A great filler flower that comes in so many colors is the hydrangea. We found some of those in the right shade of red and found a couple other kinds of flowers that would accent the others. If I had been thinking about it I would've taken pictures of the process of making the bouquet but of course I didn't even think about it.

So arranging my bouquet was no easy task. I rearranged everything a few times and took pictures to remind myself of what I liked. When it came time to actually make it we used heavy duty shears, floral tape and some creativity. It helped to have another pair of hands doing this. Thanks mom! We made sure only the pretty flowers made it to the bouquet. We weren't afraid of taking apart the flowers with the shears and occasionally a knife...that was not the safest! We built it from the center, starting with the best magnolia, and then fanned out, tapping the layers as we went. After all the flowers had been adjusted, taped, and readjusted, we cut the stems to the same length and then I pinned ribbon around the stems. I glued VERY carefully a small circle of cardstock to the bottom of the bouquet then cover it with ribbon to give the bottom a clean, flat surface. I found this pearl bouquet wrap thing at Michaels and slid that on over the ribbon for the last finishing touch and voila! There's my bouquet!

Quick Homemade Christmas Gift Idea: toddler girl

I recently started to crochet. Well okay that's not the truth. I started 3 or 4 years ago but I always end up going back to knitting. This would be a great gift for a niece (or a few!) or friend you have on your list this year. It was very quick to make and very simple. This is the tutorial I used. The only problem I had was with the Magic Circle. She gives a tutorial example on her site but I like this one better

Here is the finished result:

Not so thrilled to be in the picture :)

What Christmas presents are you making this year?

Guest Post: Shades of Blue Interiors

Rachel and I met our freshman year of college. She is a fun, spunky, and positive person. I've always been impressed by her art. Now she's doing furniture redos and they're amazing! I'm so glad to have her here! Take it away Rachel! 

First of all, I am so thankful for this opportunity! Jaime and I became friends in college and years later, after we are married, moved and settled into our lives, she's a big "dot com" blogger and I'm just a start-up blogger! I feel so honored that she asked me to share a little about myself and my successes!

My name is Rachel. I'm a midwest transplant (who loves it here!) and I am a full-time mama to 3 sweet kids (2 boys, 1 girl). I have always been an artist, doing painting, drawing, sculpture, crafting, you name it (art related), I've done it.  

About a year ago I caught on to the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint craze and started re-doing my own personal furniture. After a short time, I started selling my work on Craigslist and fast forward to a month ago, when I started selling my furniture in a retail store in the mall! I absolutely love working around my schedule, using my artistic skills, and creating something beautiful and loved from something ugly and rejected! Several months ago I brainstormed what I would call my store if I ever opened one and came up with Shades of Blue Interiors because I'm pretty much obsessed with all shades of blue (especially anything teal or turquoise). So, it was just a matter of making it (somewhat) official when I started my blog a little over a month ago with the intention of connecting with other talented people for inspiration, recognition, and so I could have a place to direct my clients when they ask to see my work!

I am going to share with you some of my favorite projects that I've done and sold, then share some tips for those of you who are thinking about starting to re-paint your own furniture or to make it possibly into something more!

I had been painting mostly white & blue pieces (because they sell the fastest) for months before I finally took the plunge and painted this gorgeous coffee table RED! The color is called Emperor's Silk and I used Annie Sloan Dark Wax on top of it, to add depth. It is probably my favorite coffee table to date. I loved the claw-foot legs, the two huge drawers, and of course the color.

Another one of my favorite pieces was the Gray Union Jack dresser I did. After my very first entry into Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday, it got picked! I love the simple lines, the solid wood, and the neutral colors, while still making a statement with the British flag design. I also love how original this color combination is. I seriously looked everywhere, because I was nervous that the French Linen, Country Grey, and Old White, wouldn't look good together. I ended up getting on the old-school Paint app and drawing a dresser, and coloring it in with the colors I wanted, to make sure it looked good, before I actually plunged in.

I have a thing for Union Jack dressers actually. Another favorite is the traditional Union Jack dresser I did. It just has a rich, regal look about it, I can't help but love it! This was the 3rd time I did the same design (different colors each time) and I often get asked how I do it. I use a trace-projector! I have a mini one that I put over a picture of the British flag and move it around till the size and placement is just right and centered on the dresser-front. Then I use chalk to draw on the lines, then tape over the chalk lines (with frog-tape). I can't even believe people will measure it out and go through all the painstaking math to get it right! I hate math! The mini projectors are less than $50 and they can be used for all kinds of projects.

The last favorite that I'm going to share is the Blue Bird Dresser I did a couple weeks ago. It was by far the most fun I've had painting furniture. I wish I could have kept this one! I saw the same bird and branch design online and after painting the dresser, just sketched it on with some chalk. Because it was free-hand, I didn't have to worry about it being perfect, which is part of what made it so much fun. It was fast too! I think people are too intimidated by free-hand sketching on furniture, so they rely on stencils. But free-hand allows you to make it your own, unique, one-of-a-kind, which is also what will make you stand out as an artist, and what, coincidently, people pay the most money for!  

Ok, now on to some tips. If you are a beginner and are debating whether to fork out around $40 for a quart of paint, let me offer you my advice. First, if looking at it for a value standpoint, Chalk Paint is the best value IF you have several pieces of furniture you want to paint, using the same color (ie: 1 quart could easily paint 5-7 small pieces, each with 2 coats), AND/OR you like the distressed, textured, or layered look. 

Chalk Paint is an artistic paint, but you don't have to be an artist to appreciate it's potential!  For example, when you distress it, the paint comes off in a fine chalky powder... no chips, ever! This makes the piece look authentic. I always try to imagine where the furniture was, how it was used, and where it would naturally show wear as I'm sanding off corners and edges. 

You can also layer colors (like a lighter color over a darker color) and lightly distress to reveal the color dimension. [View full project here]

 Another technique is to paint unevenly and in all different directions, to add texture, then use dark wax to highlight the texture. This look reminds me of old french plaster walls. It also is more visually interesting to look at. [View Full Project Here]

If you are planning on possibly selling the furniture you paint, I'd say it is definitely worth the investment, because you save time, more than anything, and time is money. No sanding or stripping is required beforehand or afterward and you are left with a completely smooth painted piece, ready for whatever kind of protective top coat you want (if any)!

So, for you beginners, I hope I have given some useful information to get you inspired to paint that old dresser you have or that dated night stand. Don't be afraid! Just do it!

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Thank you Rachel! Please check out Shades of Blue Interiors for tons of inspiration and tips!