Fourth of July wreath

Since I didn't get to display Chelsea's graduation wreath for very long, 

I thought I would modify it a little for the Fourth of July holiday.

(For some reason, the blue looks like it's just thrown in there.  I promise it looks better in person.  HAHA)

I hope you all have a wonderful Fourth!!

Graduation wreath

Since it's already MAY, I'm officially in graduation and graduation party mode!  I decided I really needed to start kicking the party decorations in gear, so this weekend I worked on a couple of things!

After finding a few ideas on Pinterest (of course), I decided to make a wreath for the front door.  I've never tried the deco-mesh wreath before, but after watching a few tutorials online, it looked really simple.  I easily found the materials and brought them home and started to work.  After 30 minutes, this is what I had:

It's hard to tell from this picture, but the colors are bright red, sparkly white, and silver.

 This is before I did any "fluffing" of the ribbons.  Even though I liked how it turned out, I felt it still needed something that said "graduation", so I made these:

 

I haven't attached anything yet, but I think (hope) it will be really cute once I'm finished.

I've also been working on designing some other decorations.

Sorry for the poor quality photo.  The Silhouette software doesn't allow a "print screen" option, so I only have this crappy cell phone picture.

I plan on using them on some stringed circles and maybe as some cupcake toppers.

I haven't gotten much done, but at least it's a start!

I hope you all are having a wonderful week!!

Mama's Mumblings

Happy Friday everybody!  I hope your week has been great, but it's time for an even better weekend!

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Thanks for all the get well wishes.  It took a week, and two days missed work, but I am finally getting back to normal.  This sinus stuff has been brutal this year!  But, with the weather being so screwy...75 degrees yesterday and expected lows in the 30's this weekend....it's no wonder we all aren't half dead!  

We thought our area had missed the flu epidemic this season, but unfortunately, it's started popping up at school this week.  It starts with 2 or 3 being out with it and I bet by next week, it will be hundreds.  :o(  We are praying the nasty flu bypasses our family this year (and passes everyone else, too)!

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Jameson woke up extra early today (he LOVES school on Friday because he has Gifted class) and just didn't want anything we had in the house for breakfast.  So, we decided to head to our local Jack's for a before school breakfast date.

A spider outside caught his eye right as I was taking his picture.  haha

I hope he's never too old to be seen in public with his Mama, especially when she's wearing sweat pants, t-shirt, and no make-up.

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I found this cute little wreath on Pinterest and decided to make one:

From HERE

 I went to Hobby Lobby (my personal crack house) and found some super-furry yarn, and dug out a wreath I found at the thrift store, and started wrapping...

And I wrapped, and wrapped, and wrapped.  When I first started, I was afraid that I was going to need at least three skeins of the yarn, but surprisingly it only took one!

By the time I finished wrapping the wreath, I had a HUGE mess!

We are still finding green strings everywhere!!!

Even with the mess, the wreath is starting to look really cute!

Even though I initially started making this as an Easter wreath, I've been thinking I may make it a St. Patrick's Day wreath first, and then change it to an Easter wreath.  I've got to go back to Hobby Lobby and see what little embellishments I can find.

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I finally got the backing fabric for my kitchen curtains:

It's a very simple red/tan check, but I think it matches great with my toile fabric.  I think it brings out the true red color in the toile.  Now I just have to find somebody to help me make the curtains!

Who knows, I may end up breaking out my sewing machine (ie: take it out of the box) and try to sew them myself.  (HAHA!  Yeah, like that's gonna happen.  I was the only student in my Home Ec class that couldn't sew a straight line!)

I'm thinking I want to do just a simple rectangle of fabric and use clips to make them fabulous.  Something like this:

From HERE

Isn't this kitchen FANTASTIC?!!  If I had white cabinets, I would totally do something like this!

I can't wait to have my kitchen back together!

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Thanks to everyone for the well wishes for Marty's job situation.  We STILL don't have any news, but are hopeful to hear something within the next few days.  His application was accepted, he hasn't got a "Dear Marty" letter (which means he's not in the running), and he's had some promising conversations, so we hope to get news of an interview soon.  Thank you all for your support!

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Well, my brain has decided to stop working and I can't come up with anything else this morning, so I guess I will say goodbye!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and fantastic weekend!!

I should have never walked into the Dollar Tree...

I walked into the Dollar Tree with simple intentions.  I was just going to buy a wreath form and a book to try to make a "book page wreath" that seems to be all the rage in blog-land these days.  I blame Kim Wheeler for making her wreath look so good that I just have to try it.

(I swiped this photo from Kim's Facebook page.  Maybe she won't kill me.)

I mean, just look at that wreath!  Isn't it gorgeous?  And look at that frame...it's the exact same frame that I put around my canvas (that is unfortunately still broken from that stupid Command Hook incident). 

Anyway, I thought "I'll be in-and-out in a few minutes....$2.00....$3.00 tops...and I'll be on my way back home."  Well, my first mistake was bringing a certain 7 y.o. into the store with me.  You know he had to find a thing or two that he just couldn't live without.  And then my second mistake was forgetting that it's the time of year that all the Fall/Halloween stuff is out for display.  Anyone who's read here for any length of time knows that I am OBSESSED with Halloween and Fall.  It is easily my favorite time of year. 

After spending about 45 minutes in the store, and spending $30-something dollars, I came out with all this:

I am loving my little black birds. I saw some similar to these last year for about $6.00 each.

I plan on spray painting the twine balls.  I got the gold Christmas balls on clearance for $0.50!

And, I did manage to get the wreath and book that I initially went in to buy.  More than one wreath form could have made it into my buggy.

So, if you get the urge to buy some craft supplies at the Dollar Tree.....make sure you have plenty of time, and plenty of money!

I'm on a roll!

After my window "mistreatments" turned out so well on Friday, it has motivated me to finish a couple of other itty-bitty projects around here.

I am one of those people who always seems to end up with "extra" of everything. Extra ribbon, extra fabric, extra trim, about 20 extra tubes of liquid nails (don't ask)....

I have sacks and sacks of end pieces cluttering up my dining room table.

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Unfortunately, my dining room has become a catch-all for all of my craft stuff. Hubby has been working on refinishing some furniture to go in the dining room specifically to be used to store my craft items, extra dishes and kitchen ware. He's only been working on it for the past two years. Maybe it will actually be finished before we move into the Nursing home.....

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Well, my curtain project was no exception. I was left with about an extra yard of the eyelash fringe and about a 1/2 yard of the tassel fringe.

I was about to add this leftover to the rest of the pile, when I got an idea.

I'll dress up my el-cheapo bedroom lamps.

My lamp

 

Hubby's lamp.

Yes, they are exactly the same...except Marty's looks more "masculine"...lol!

It literally took longer to reheat the glue gun than it did to actually glue the trim on.

I think they turned out really cute, but now I wish I had enough trim to put it on the top too.

I see a trip back to Hobby Lobby in my future!

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My next project was just something really quick and easy.

Here is where I show my "slacker" side again....

Up until about an hour ago, I still had my CHRISTMAS wreath hanging on my front door.

Yes, I know Christmas was over a MONTH ago, I just hated to take it down until I could put something else up.

I mean, you wouldn't want my front door to be NEEKED would you?

So, I pulled out my "Spring" wreath that I made a couple of years ago...

And then brought out some 30% off, Hobby Lobby Valentine's Day trinkets...

Added them to my "Spring" wreath....

And now I have a VALENTINE'S DAY wreath!

I know it's not the "typical" red and white Valentine's Day wreath, but I've never been one for the "typical" (as if y'all didn't already know that), so I am LOVING this pink and green interpretation!

Once February 15th rolls around, I just pull out my heart accessories, and I'm back to my "Spring" wreath again.

Since I have been on such a roll over the past couple of days, hopefully I will be able to do some organizing in my dining room tomorrow.

Now if I can just get hubby to work on his little projects.....

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Since we are talking about projects here, one of my very bestest bloggie buddies ever, Sue, from Our Really Empty Nest, is having a "Better Late Than Never" one year Bloggie Anniversary giveaway!

Sue is giving away a "Valentine's Day-themed" package, complete with an adorable apron that she made with her own two little hands.

Isn't that the cutest apron EVER?

Uhhhh, I mean, it's horrible, ugly, disgusting....I KNOW none of you out there really want this apron, do you?

I am being SO UNSELFISH right now, just offering to win this awful thing so the rest of you will be spared.

So DON'T go over to her blog and leave a comment so you can win it, and whatever you do, DON'T blog about it so you can have an extra shot at winning this apron.

I really, really, really want this apron, can't you tell?

HAPPY ONE YEAR BLOGGIVERSARY SUE!!

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I hope y'all all have a most wonderful, fantastic, and productive week!

{{{{HUGS}}}}}