Pinterest Inspired Rag Ball Ornaments

Welcome to our week of Pinterest!! Have you made anything this month with Pinterest as your source of inspiration? Be sure to stop back by on Thursday and link it up at our Pinterest Linky Party!!

I had made up my mind that, due to a crazy November and December, I was not going to make any new holiday decorations this year. Then I saw these and that was completely out the window. I am crazy over the colors, fabrics and textures, and already had some in my stash, so there was no reason not to start on this as soon as humanly possible.

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I pulled out my scrap stash and was thrilled that I had some neutral linen and white burlap already in thin strips. Perfect.

I grabbed some plastic ornaments in neutral colors, thinking that if the colors peeked out a but from underneath the scraps that it would be less noticeable than with green or red ornaments.

I wrapped a thin strip of fabric around each ball, layering them on top of on another and securing each end with hot glue. This was a really fast moving project since hot glue dries almost immediately.

As I worked I removed an ornament from the pedestal, covered it in fabric, and then put it back into the pedestal. I decided not to cover every ornament in the end because I like the mix of shabby chic rag balls and the glam of the glass ornaments. What do you think?

This project is so easy and a great way to dress up plain ornaments. What colors would you use?

Don't you just love Pinterest?! Me too! If you want to follow my boards, you can find me here.

Have a great week!!

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Paper and Letters Christmas Garland

 Every year, until now, I have been swooned by all things 'cutesy' Christmas. I wanted ribbons and bows and polka dots oh my! I had glitter and feathers and monograms galore. This year, however, I was completely caught off guard by my desire to go a more rustic, natural and home-made with my Christmas decor. I found these awesome little boxes at Hobby Lobby and it really got my little vision running!

I've been on maternity leave with my little guy and wanted to get the Christmas decorating done before I return to work next week. As we were putting up our tree Monday night I realized if I wanted to cut back on the cutesy I couldn't use half of my decorations from past years. This meant our tree was looking a little sparse. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and use some spare materials we had to make a few strands of garland, and I loved the way they turned out!

 The first one I made was a strand of stars cut from old dictionary pages. I didn't use a template, but just free handed 3 different sizes of stars. I stacked them all up in varying order, and poked a hole right through the center of all 50 or so stars at one time with a large sewing needle. I used basic white thread on the needle to string them all together. I love the look!! It's so homemade and just perfect for our not so perfect house right now!

The second garland was made from chipboard letters and twine.

I ended up using smaller chipboard letters per hubby's request, which was a good call! I simply hot-glued the letters to the twine in no particular order. I left the letters unfinished to add to the natural (and simple) look. It took less than 20 minutes to make and put up on the tree.

In the end these garlands were incredibly simple and quick to make, and they ended up being exactly what my tree needed. All it took to spruce up the tree was a little cheap thinking outside of the box! What Christmas crafts can you make for free from your craft closet this year? It's certainly not too early to start getting creative this holiday season!

 Merry Wednesday!

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Mini Pillow Ornaments

I am calling my newest project "Mini Pillow Ornaments" simply because they remind me of little pillows.  If you have been following LTC for awhile, you know I often mix my love of pillows with my love of iron-on transfer paper.  The evidence can be found HERE.  

I used my Silhouette machine for this project but for those of you who don't own a Silhouette machine, you have options!  You can purchase regular iron-on transfer paper at stores like Wal-Mart or Target.

I found the images I wanted to use in my Silhouette Studio.  I used Silhouette heat transfer in dark pink and teal.  After the cutting was complete, I cut around them and then peeled away the extra paper leaving only my cute images intact.  

I ironed them onto squares/rectangles of muslin material.  This is my go-to fabric as it is neutral, soft, and a bit textured.  I also cut a second piece of muslin for the backing of each ornament.

I cut out each image leaving an extra 1/2 inch all the way around.  Then with right sides facing each other, I put a string or ribbon of choice in a loop in between the two pieces of fabric upside down.

Next up was the pinning.

I left an opening at the bottom for stuffing purposes.

Pinking shears are so much fun, aren't they?

And of course, cutting corners is a must.

Then the little babies got all stuffed up.

And the bottom opening was stitched by hand.

I only got four done so far but now I can't wait to make more.  I am so excited about these little ornaments!  They will show up in my babies' stockings this year for Christmas.

Beware family and close friends, you will most likely be receiving one of these for Christmas!  

Wouldn't they be so cute as a package topper? 

I also can't get my mind off of how cute a tree would be covered in "Mini Pillow Ornaments"!

Oh, the possibilities... 

Whew...I better get busy.

Happy Tuesday!

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Tag Frame

Christmas is just seconds away--(nail biting) shopping time is shorter, stores are crowded and well lets just say...I begin to get really flustered.

Sometimes I find that making gifts is always a fun and inexpensive way to shop! This inexpensive Tag Frame was inspired by all of the adorable TaGgie items I always see for little ones.

You could use any old wooden frame; mine is one of the DIY frames you get from Hobby Lobby ($.79) I painted it white.



Cut up ribbon of your choice approx. 2-3 inches long (depending on how long you want your tags to be). You will need several of each color!



First start by hot gluing to the front of the frame all the way across and then making a loop to the back and hot gluing there too! You will want to repeat this all the way around the frame.



Last, I trimmed the entire frame in this fun green polka dot and added a bow. My sister is going to love this as a gift from her daughter! I may add the year on the frame or even a monogram!

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to check out this week's link parties.

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Mini Fabric Christmas Trees

I am crazy excited about Christmas this year. I always am but each year it seems to get more fun and exciting with the kids! Anyway, I had to use my amateur sewing skills to make something. Last year it was pillows and this year Christmas trees.

I started off with my green fabric scraps. I just cut out various tree shapes. For most of the fabrics, I cut out three different sizes of trees.

For my first set, I used some red ribbon to "trim" the tree. I cut it in three pieces and set it up where I wanted it on the little tree.

Then I put the two pieces of fabric right sides together and pinned the ribbon in place.

I took it to the machine and sewed the pieces together leaving an opening in the bottom middle for turning and to leave a space for the tree trunk.

I used some old wooden spools that my Mom had given me. I just used the plain ones without writing on them. You can buy those plain wooden ones at Hobby Lobby actually.

Next I turned the tree right side out and then used my craft glue to attach the trunk. I lined the opening with glue and also put it around the top of the trunk.

Then I popped the trunk in place and held it together for a minute to make sure it was secure.

So this is what they looked like at the bottom...

And this is what they looked like standing up...

I ended up loving them so much that I made a few more sets. I have someone in mind for each of them.

And then Avery and Mia needed some for their pink Christmas room. Avery chose from the fabric scraps leftover from their bedroom makeover and wanted pink ribbon of course. She wanted each side to be a different color so she could switch them up. She is her Momma's daughter for sure!

Then I decided to make a single one just for us. I put a little pennant banner garland on it using the scraps from the one I made for our real tree. I love it.

The possibilites for these trees are endless! If I had brown paint on hand, I would have painted some of the trunks dark brown. I had a hundred ideas in my head but after the 6th set, I was ready to be done with the tree making. Maybe next year.

I'll be back next week to share some of my favorite parts of our "Christmas house".

I'll be linking the mini trees to these parties. Can't wait to see all the other homemade Christmas ideas out there!

Happy Tuesday!

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Shoes Wreath: Take 2!

Do you remember this Halloween Shoes wreath from a few weeks ago? Well it's back... Christmas Style! If you are interested in making your own, follow the tutorial at this link. For now, just enjoy the fun holiday wreath that might be just your family's style!
Here is a very fun and funky red one I put together for a friend too!The red one really pops against a black or white door for sure, but if you are looking for something a little more traditional, I am loving the green one on my door this season! Check out my Halloween Wreath linked at the beginning of this post for a full tutorial.

I'll be linking to these parties.
Happy Thursday!

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