here's to 2010

so i've decided i'm back to blogging. and with the new year comes resolutions, so here's mine.

in 2010, i resolve to finish one previously unfinished project every week. or to finish 52 projects by the end of 2010. 52 sounds like a lot, but i cleaned out my sewing room recently, and... it was pretty much a cave of wonders. so i really think i have 52 projects to finish- big and small.

here's my #1:

(that's not cheating if i start before jan.1, right?) i had this idea quite a while ago, bought the stuff, then took about 2 years to actually do it... and it only took about an hour! i made stockings on christmas eve out of thrifted and felted sweaters. i used this template, but changed it a little to work for me. then i used leftovers to make trees for our christmas eve dinner table. i can't say i'll use the same centerpiece every year, but it was fun to do something a little different this year.

why rhubarb marmalade?

i'm still here. i've had a nice break from 'creative blogging.' and during that time i kept thinking, "why rhubarb marmalade?" my family blog (and reading the hundred blogs i subscribe to) takes plenty of time already, so why this too? and i kept going back to the name of this blog and where it came from which is why i plan to keep it up as best i can. so why rhubarb marmalade? i was first introduced to rhubarb marmalade when i was about 10. each summer i would go to visit my grandparents all by myself for a week. i always felt so privileged to get to spend time alone with my grandparents when i was one of at least 25 grandchildren. looking back, i realized those weeks shaped a lot of who i am and taught me to really be proud of that. during those weeks my grandma and i made a point of doing crafts. one year she taught me to crochet. one year she taught me to embroider tea towels. one year we made a quilt out of her old running t-shirts. every year we went thrift store shopping and every year we made rhubarb marmalade with rhubarb from my dad's garden. we made more batches than we could count. the stove was always going. and in doing so we came up with our own recipe for the best rhubarb marmalade ever. this didn't happen every year of my life, but the visits happened enough to leave an impression on me. i learned that a love of crafting isn't about the tangible good you get out of it, but the process and joy of creating. i learned so many valuable skills but more importantly i learned that in sharing what we love we learn to really love those with whom we share.

bottlecap flags

is it really almost the fourth of july? it's my most favorite holiday, yet it always seems to sneak up. so even though july 4th is so close, why not make a crafty little flag? my sister and i made these a few years ago and have been hooked on finding new and different bottle caps ever since. so with the few i have collected i made some smaller flags to give to friends. here's what i did

you'll need:

1/4" plywood cut to about 7"x10"

1" wide decorative trim

6 bottlecaps

1/2" finishing nails

cut the trim into 3- 5 1/2" pieces, and 4- 10" pieces.

paint 1 5 1/2" piece white, and the other 2 red. then paint 2 each of the 10" pieces red and white.

paint the piece of plywood blue. (i used spray paint since it's fast, but any paint will work) nail all the pieces onto the plywood, and there you go! you can change the dimensions and stripes to fit any trim you want to use. i know it may sound complicated, but really it's so easy, you might want to make a few for your friends too.

old light meet new light

i can't believe we did it! maybe i should have been a graffiti artist because can i just say i am now very skilled with spray paint... and i was sure we would get electrocuted or something. but i must say my husband is a genius. he knows all sorts of things i didn't know he knew... he just stripped, cut, twisted, and worked his magic to connect this light in macy's room. so now macy is lucky enough to sleep under a pretty chandelier instead of the old boring light. and since i know my genius will never agree to having anything like this in our room, i just might be taking a few naps in here so i can wake up to this loveliness.

and looking in from the outside. we had to make sure it looks good from every angle....

weekend in pictures

just for ME (or you too)

look at these darling magnets my mom sent me! she might just be mary engelbreit's biggest fan. so she just started selling these cuties on ebay. not only are these going to bring some cute to your fridge, but they are very powerful magnets as well. i hung them right next to my mary engelbreit calendar and the side of my fridge couldn't be happier. you can see all the magnets she has on ebay here.

cute your camera strap

i decided my camera strap needed to be cuter. so i found some ribbon and sewed it on! the hardest part was getting richie to agree to the cuteness since he uses the camera as well. i found so many cute ribbons i could use- does anyone else want their camera strap to look a little cuter? let me know and i will do it for you!

stamping away

i have to say i am a fan of rubber stamps. but only in moderation. i believe you can have all the stamps you would ever need in one little tupperware. at least that is what i am trying to maintain. i try to only purchase a stamp if i think i will use it often. oh but with alphabet sets i make an exception. those are like fonts on your computer. you can never have too many styles. so even though i don't buy many stamps, i was a little sad when i heard that our only local rubber stamp store is leaving town.

i think it's because we are past the 'superstore era' where we prefer one stop shopping. rather, we have realized that you can get the really good stuff at the specialty shops. for example, williams sonoma will have way more for your kitchen than target (as much as i love that place). likewise, it was the same way with our local rubber stamp store. no craft 'superstore' can match the selection, quality, and creativity. so when i heard they were having a little sale, i just had to stop by. and of course when you know something is on sale you are way more prone to impulse buying. so that is what happened. but it was already worth it because macy and i have had fun playing and making cards.

why i am not crafty

i've traded in all my fun stuff for paint rollers, a shop vac, and a crowbar. instead of rubber stamping cards, i'm slapping joint compound on walls. instead of unpicking seams i'm pulling out nails. it's empowering but creatively-not so much. since thanksgiving i have sewn only one thing- and i didn't get a picture before i sent it away! but- have you ever used a crowbar? it got very addicting as i was using it to remove baseboards and moulding from our house. hopefully it will all be over by the middle of the month and i can dust off my kinds of tools and start making some fun stuff again.

hooray for hot glue (no.16)

oh goodness! this posting everyday is harder than i thought it would be! this is what kept me from posting yesterday. but there is still a good thing involved. who can underestimate the value of a hot glue gun? i know my sister especially can. when she kindly lent us her couch slipcovers, the ties were held on with hot glue. my hot glue gun was especially handy yesterday because i used it for everything. more than usual. i even used hot glue between some of the flowers to keep them together. i really prefer the high temp glue. yep- did you know that there are different temperatures? i had my cheapy glue gun and a friends- both looked the same, but the high temp one worked much faster and produced a better hold. it does burn a little easier though, but after a while your fingers get calloused enough that it's okay. i'm starting to think that hot glue is all you need. oh and i just love this picure even though it's blurry! the bride was adorable but couldn't hold still enough for my little camera. did i mention i loved her dress?

swap o plenty

ok, so a few weeks ago i joined a little scrap swap through another blog. i thought- hey what a fun way to get rid of some of my scraps! i didn't realize i would be blessed with such a bounty of beautiful things! so thank you! thank you! to my swap parnter! what a cutie! she even included a handmade apron with an s on it! did she know i love the letter s? i don't know, but you can bet i will be wearing it all fall as i am making the traditional pumpkin roll or two... or five.

happy headbands

make your heads happy with these fun and easy headbands!

all you need is a headband, glue gun, and fabric scraps.

First, find a headband to cover. You can find plastic headbands at craft stores or look around your house... there might be a headband needing a makeover.

Next you will cut fabric strips. A good key is to cut the strips the same width as the top of the headband or 1/8th inch less. This will make it easy to wrap.

Start wrapping by covering both ends of the headband. Cut a short piece of fabric for one end, and the other end can be covered using the piece of fabric you plan to wrap with.

Make sure you fold the edges of the fabric into the headband and secure with glue. It doesn't matter if it doesn't look perfect- this will all get covered again with fabric.

On the end of the headband with the longer piece of fabric begin wrapping up the headband. You may have to force it to go the way you want- just cover any wrinkles with another layer of fabric.
Continue to wrap the entire headband.
I like to put a drop of glue on the inside of the band each time I go around.

Finish off the headband the way you started and secure with glue on the inside. Feel fee to embellish with more fabric, felt flowers, or whatever you like!

craftapaloooooza

ahhhh, bailey and cyan. what silly girls. i had been their "after-school" babysitter since january, and a sporatic babysitter during the summer, but have moved on (and so have they). shortly after i started watching them, i learned they are crafters at heart. they just might have been my kindred spirits! we did crafts every chance we got. and these girls are seriously talented! they picked up sewing in a snap and made a doll quilt in a week! they asked me to draw dresses almost every day, which they colored and made books with. we made tiny fairy dolls, toothpick furniture, fabric and paper flowers, amazing snowflakes, cookies galore, and many other crafty goods. we had some fun times. so as a final farewell, we dubbed friday "craftapalooza" and went to town. first we picked blackberries (for jam) and gathered rocks. next we went to my favorite craft store for a few supplies. then we dug right into the heavy crafting and whipped out

scrabble tile necklaces

fabric covered headbands

appliqued t-shirts

artsy rocks (from this wise chick)

and a little bit of beading in between it all.

we were all exhausted by the end of the day, but what a fun way to end our fun times of crafting.

toddler, table for two

how to make a toddler table:

paint the top

paint the chairs

then the legs

then slowly...

dot it like crazy

and before you know it, your toddler table for two will be ready for snacks, coloring, playdough, and all sorts of great fun.

"stitcheries"

i love to stitch! when i was about 10, my grandma taught me to embroider tea towels. i still have the towel she taught me on. it's a cute little elephant with a basket of flowers. i forgot how much i loved it for a few years until i once again discovered 'stitching' with my sister, stacia. we got into making all kinds of 'stitcheries,' as we called them. we loved to draw up our own little quotes and designs to frame, make into pillows, wall hangings, etc. there are so many things you can stitch on! my most recent 'stitchery' love has been these 'sitichettes' that i found here. it's the perfect little thing to keep you busy while watching american idol, or a movie on the couch.