Crafty Christmas!

Happy Hump day! 

Wow... it has been a while, and I'm a-slacking... although I'm sure it goes without saying that this time of the year is CRAZY! I can't believe Monday is Christmas Eve!

Disclaimer: This may be a long one... and probably pretty random :) have to catch up...   There has been several projects in the making around these parts over the past week.

FIRST!! I wanted to share with you Dallas and I's Christmas cards... Shout out to Shutterfly... which I love and I do almost all of my stationary things there! 

 OH! AND I also have a belated picture of the new mirror hanging in the entryway! I love it so much... and I put our pallet bench underneath with a coffee sack I picked up at a local coffee shop (if you go into any coffee shop that grinds their own coffee you can simply ask them what they do with the empty bags.. and most will give them to you, or sell them to you for a deal!)  This is our new entryway...

Along with quite a few other Christmas projects this week, I decided to make some of the gals in my family some scarves with felted wool... they turned out really great and ended up being pretty easy... just a little time consuming.  I played around with some colours and also some little beads for the middles, and I can't wait to wrap them up! 

 I also thought that I would share where I have been keeping our Christmas cards this year... I really liked some of the ideas I've seen for putting pictures on these with string, so I figured I could make it work for cards, and I threw a couple of Dallas' old school ornaments on there too... :)

Well, ok... I was going to share with you the other Christmas gifts I made, but then I got to thinking about it and it is very likely that those who will be receiving those gifts would be reading this, so, I decided to hold off until after Christmas... :)  But I will say that they are sooooooooo stinking cool, and it is so cool what you can do with some wood, and a little imagination... :)  

Lastly I wanted to share with you one more thing:  Something I remember vividly from my childhood and throughout Christmas' past, is something that my Mom always did... looking back, I truly didn't think anything of it, but realize now how much it meant.  Every Christmas... along with all of the baking that always seemed endless each year, my mom would spend hours, sometimes a whole day, making Christmas Cinnamon wreaths (my Grandma Impi's recipe!) for all of our neighbors.  Not only were they delicious... but she would hand deliver them to each of our neighbors, wishing them a Merry Christmas.  She made them, every year, spreading a little love and never receiving anything in return but a Merry Christmas to you too.  All I knew was that we barely knew our neighbors, and yet my lovely Mama decided to take time every year to bless them.  I could go on for days... this is simply ONE of many things that my awesome Mom does daily... she is such a blessing to so many, and to me... and she has taught me so much... 

I hope that you too (like me) will note this lesson from my Mom... and take whatever spare second/minute/hour you have, to bless some unsuspecting people in your life this week.  I'm heading out to deliver! :) 

Blessings and Merry Christmas! 


K


But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people." Luke 2:10

Thrify Fun...

Hi Everyone!!
I finally got to finish my chalkboard today! It's been sitting in the shed for a couple weeks now... we ended up having some extra crown molding from a project, and I grabbed a leftover, gave it a couple of cuts, painted it white, and tacked on some finishing nails... and I'm glad I can use it for our Christmas decorating!  p.s. I find the canned chalkboard paint to be much better than the spray... just in case you were going to give this a try... 

Also, I've been looking for a wrought iron piece to go over our TV mantle.  Sometimes wrought iron can be a little pricey... but I think I found just the thing... with a twist! 

  

ISN'T IT GREAT!! 

Now here is the kicker... It's a rubber door mat.  :) 

I found a rubber door mat, which you could probably find anywhere... and really liked the inside design... here is what it started out as.

Dallas used his exacto knife to cut off the outer border and round the edges...

Another great thing is that I can probably use the border as a frame or something! :) 

After a few coats of spray paint (which takes a VERY long time to dry on this..) I took out some sand paper and scraped the edges of it and a few random places on the mat.  Then I screwed in a hanging hook and... oh wait... I have to show you this!!!! 

GENIUS! 

So clever! :) I hung it up and called Dal in to come take a look... we both really like it and, for now, it is perfect.  

    Thank you thank you thank you... for stopping by... 

Blessings!! 

K 

 

Old Window Frames!

 Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you are having a very blessed day, and your weekend was awesome!  I worked on several projects this weekend... and am very excited to share them with you! Apparently recently I have a thing for old windows.  I always see these incredibly talented women taking old windows and a hammer and turning them into a greenhouse. Wow.. it's all I can do to keep my fingers in the process of taking the glass out.  Any-who, we found one at the dump the other day, and after a fresh coat of paint and a little polish, it ended up in our kitchen... 

one persons trash...

I had been eying up a larger window that just so happened to be leaning up against a house a few doors down from us since we moved in.  It was covered in snow now, and frozen into the ground... but a couple of nights ago, I heard one of our pups barking in the back yard (which always instantly sets me into "our neighbors will hate us and we just moved in!" mode) so I ran out and called him in.  He seemed really upset like someone was in the back alley... which made me nervous because Dallas was in the shed.  Later when Dal came in I said "did you hear him barking?" Dal had a funny smirk on his face, and I instantly knew something was up.  He said "come and check this out." We headed out to the shed, and there it was...

He had gotten it for me!  I was so excited, but a little curious... turns out the woman who owned the house had come home, he waited a couple of minutes and knocked on her door, telling her how much his wife wanted the window and asked if she would sell it, and she let him take it for free!  Once again... he is awesome!  

I had an idea that I wanted a mirror for the entryway in our house... I measured the old glass and called up the local glass cutting shop, and got them to cut me 9 mirrors... they are awesome and got it done that day!  I got right to it, taking out the old windows by scraping out the putty...

I cleaned up the insets with sand paper, and used pliers to pull out the old metal triangles in the wood to hold the glass.  Once it was all cleaned up, I set the new mirrors inside the panes.  Dallas had picked up some glaziers points at the hardware store... which are a great way to hold the mirrors in place, without having to caulk it.
 

 OK.. the next picture is a little embarrassing... I had to show it, because maybe you won't be as silly as me, and make sure that you are wearing gloves... raw cut glass is sharp... to the point where you don't even feel it when it cuts you... I literally didn't even notice until Dal said... "KARI what did you do to yourself... your bleeding!" 

SO... be careful... wear gloves..

 don't mind the fingerprints... :)

I love it, it turned out perfect for the space, and I'll attach another picture of it up on the wall next time...  Hardware store is closed on Sundays.... :)  On to a framed chalkboard and a wrought iron wall embellishment!  Until then... thank you so very much for reading... I appreciate it very much!

Blessings!!

K

Trimming the Tree

Good morning!

Eventful couple of days! Dal and I went on a Christmas tree hunting expedition the other day...

and found a great tree!  

** note me not doing anything but taking pictures... and Dal doing all the work... :) Chivalry **

It barely fits inside... Praise the LORD for old houses with high ceilings! 

 

After putting up the tree, it was off to the dump.. to throw out the trimmings and maybe do some "junking." 

Sad but true. 

We DID find some great pieces this time around, but you'll have to wait until I'm finished with them to see how they turned out! :) 

On another note, I have been saving some pressed leaves for a while, but I couldn't find white frames that I wanted to put them in. We went across the river to the states yesterday, and they have a dollar store over there.  I grabbed a couple of plastic metallic painted ones.....

I have a bunch of leftover white paint, so I slapped some on there and put in the pressed greenery along with some tea stained pages from a book of poetry... and I think they turned out OK.  To be honest, I haven't quite decided if I like them or not, but they are cute, and I will put them up in the guest bedroom!  I might just tweak them a little next time around.  Total cost of project: $4.00 plus tax. :)

Wishing everyone a very wonderful day... and an extra special shout out to my niece ELLERY!!!! Happy Birthday ELLE!!!!!
Blessings, 

K 

Sideboard Project

Hi everyone! Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great day, and yes... just in case you were wondering Maggie Elizabeth and Mommy are still doing great! I thought I would share with you a project I tackled today... I've been wanting to do something with new sideboard ever since I picked it up at an auction a few weeks ago (p.s. my first auction ever... it is SO nerve-racking... some of those ladies are die-hards!).  I did manage to get this piece and I'm so glad I did.  I do love it, but I never really preferred the pastel green it was painted.  

  
So... I thought I would try to give it a bit of a facelift.  Another side note... this green is eerily similar to the color of our kitchen, which we can't wait to change!  

Any-who, I took the drawers out and we moved the sideboard into the shed to sand.  As soon as I started I could see how incredibly awesome the wood was underneath!  One day I would love to sand the whole thing!

I sanded the top of it, and after wiping it down with a damp rag... or maybe it was a sock :)... I covered the top in a walnut stain.   Then I started to paint the bottom portion white.

I love these foam brushes... you can buy them for really cheap at any hardware or craft store.  I just had to share the next picture with you, because I think it is funny... I call it "impatience at it's finest."

:)


 After a few coats and more waiting, it was finally done.  I LOVE it.... and I can't wait to decorate it again (just have to wait for the stain to dry... I just HAD to bring it in, Dallas laughed at me).  

Again, hope you had a great day, and as always, thank you for visiting! 

Blessings!

K  



 

Sunday Fun!

Hi there, hope everyone is enjoying a GREAT Sunday AND a GREAT day it is!! My morning was off to a wonderful start with the news of a brand new niece in our family!  God is so good, and my dear sister is now blessed with FIVE beautiful girls in her house!  Her newest Maggie Elizabeth graced us with her presence last night!  I can't wait to meet her! 

Somehow, it always seems like food can bring people together!  Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, Church potlucks, and even the sharing of a recipe between old friends!  I recently re-connected with an friend of mine from High school... and with moving back to Canada, and starting our own families, we have really lost touch.  I remembered a delicious chowder recipe she had, and asked her if she wouldn't mind passing it on!  I'm so glad she did, it is fantastic and super easy!  It was just as good as I remembered it... I was hoping I wouldn't finish off the pot before Dallas got home. OK... I had to have seconds... or thirds... whatever. :)  Thank you Roxie... and much love to you and your beautiful family! 

Roxie's Corn Chowder Recipe:

1/2 package bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped 
16 ounce package of frozen corn
1 pint heavy cream
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 - 1 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. chives, optional

Cook bacon until crisp in the pot. Remove bacon bits and add the onion to the bacon grease... (I know... it's not low cal... but it's soooooo good!)  Cook until the onion begins to turn translucent, then add all other ingredients, except the bacon bits.  Bring to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree soup to desired consistency.  **If you don't have a stick blender a regular blender will work, but be very careful! Serve with bacon bits and bread! 

OK... one other side note, I just had to share.  I was inspired some time ago by this picture on Pottery Barn's website of a gorgeous Wine Riddling Rack...

I love wine... :) 

Theirs, however, was a little out of our price range... I told Dallas about it and that I thought we might be able to make something like it.  Without me knowing he headed down to the shed and found an old stretcher board (one of my dad's from working the trapline), and made me one.  

He is so awesome.... *sigh* anywho... I think it turned out great, has history, and I can't wait to get it up on the wall!!

Again, I hope you have a lovely Sunday, and cheers!


K

Happy December!

Happy December! 

Oh how I LOVE this time of year... it is my favorite! I can't wait to put up 

the Christmas tree... but I'd like to get a fresh one, so we might wait for a week or so.

This is officially my FIRST blog ever, and I am so excited.  Although, I keep 

asking Dallas if he thinks anyone will ever read it.  OH WELL, I'm having fun and I thought 

I would share with you some of our Christmas decorations!      

Our new mantle... which is my new favorite thing in the house, and ended up being

a bit of an argument between Dallas and I.  :) His words "You are never this picky!" 

I guess I was particular about how I wanted it... and he made it perfect!

 Our sideboard... The vase is an antique spittoon from an old bar in Vegas, an old bearing 

for a candle holder, and bricks from my great grandparents homestead in Finland!! I love 

things with meaning!!!! 

Well that was short and sweet, but thank you for reading and I hope you will come back again! 

Blessings!

K