Lots of cards that I haven't shared online

2014 Funky Junk Fall Mantle

I finally got my fall decorations up on my mantle, that's probably all the fall decorating that will happen this year but I love it, the only thing I wanted to add is "FALL" above the Jeep grill but I haven't found the letters to do it.

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2013 Christmas Decorations

I think I have finally discovered my style and embraced it this season.  I discovered a new site this winter, Funky Junk Interiors, and this so describes the things I collect and love so I went with it this year in my decorating.  So here is a sampling of what I have done.

My husband acquired some Jeep parts that he is selling and he decided to repurpose some of the grills by adding a switch to the lights so they could light up while hanging on the wall.  I fell in love with this chippy paint one and since we are Jeep owners it was a must have.  This piece will be fun to decorate through the seasons.  This photo is above our mantle.

 The little sled was something I had purchased a number of years ago, I keep meaning to paint it but for now it's just weathered.  The wood box I purchased locally this year along with the big santa that is in it, I love him!

 A better look at the santa

 I decided I wanted candles in the windows this year, I went cheap and bought a set from Home Depot, they're cheesy plastic with gold bases so I dug out some small wood boxes, this one happens to be a drawer from a sewing machine table, and decorated them with artificial greens and pine cones.  I have 4 of these and love them and the flickering of the candle at night.  

 I wish this truck was mine for keeps but I borrowed it from my dad's large Tonka collection and added a little wreath and bottle brush trees.  Only better piece in this space would be an old Jeep :)

 Here's a full view of the mantle.  There's an iron tree that sits in a pail which was then covered with a soft sided tool bucket used by welders, this was a piece that belonged to one of my husband's friends that passed away this year.  There's a battery operated candle in the middle of the tree too.  I added a wreath to the Jeep grill and scattered through the garland are some metal gears, glass insulators and glass door knobs.  The "Ting" pop bottle is random and I meant to get others grouped with it.

 The tree slowly came together.  I wrapped some grapevine around it, took strips of burlap and plaid fabric that was repurposed from some p.j. bottoms.  I placed a big metal star on the top.  The "ornaments" are random pieces I had laying around the house.  The next pics are close ups of what's hanging on the tree.

The silver serving spoon is from my husband's grandma.

 My hubby has a small vintage camera collection and I pick them up for him here and there too so I added some of them to the tree.

This may seem strange but it has a story, quite a few years ago my family had a white elephant gift exchange.  I ended up with this fish that my nephew made in class in high school.  I saved it thinking it'd be fun to pass it around to the family as a joke which I never did.  We lost my nephew in 2011 in the war in Afghanistan so this little fishy has become a cheesy sentimental piece and I thought the tree would be a perfect place for him this year.

I made some tin flowers out of old jello molds that I used in the garden this year, I decided to add some to the tree. 

This is another camera tucked in among the branches.

 Under the tree is an old army shipping box I picked up this year.  I used it to display one of my nephew's uniforms, some greens, a battery operated candle and the Willow Tree "Hero" figurine.  My husband has some war memorabilia that was his grandfather's that I'd like to add to this box.

This is our message center right inside the door, I wanted to do more in this area but I didn't get that far this year.

This is a small space next to the fireplace, the birch trees I got out in the woods (they were already fallen), the cross stitch piece my mom made a couple years ago.  There's a stack of suitcases which I used to tuck in one of my village pieces.  The door is a new purchase this year, I love it but I haven't really done much with it yet.

And lastly is our Christmas card holder.  This was an old receipt/bill holder I picked up years ago, it's perfect for this.

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Seize the Birthday Challenge

 I have SO many birthdays coming up these next two months so I decided to take advantage of the challenge over at Seize the Birthday to get one of those cards done.  The challenge is a sketch challenge and to make a girly card.  Well this card is ALL girly, I think the recipient will love it!

There is embossing, distressing & sewing, all the things I love!

I even decorated the inside of the card, something I don't do often enough.

I think I got my card in just under the wire :) They have weekly challenges over there so I encourage you to check them out!

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It's been so long! I have been creating, just don't take the time to post on here, maybe I'll change that.  I thought I'd share a few Valentine cards with you today.

This first one I've seen around on Pinterest and wanted to give it a try.  I love all the hearts spilling out of the envelope.  I used a variety of Hero Arts heart stamps, some heart dies & punches for all those fun hearts.

 This one has a little bit of vintage feel to it.  I did one very similar to it last year but changed it up just a little this time.  I think my favorite thing is the Tim Holtz kraft coredinations paper.

 And then there's this fun one.  When I saw the Hero Arts jar I had to have it!  I used vellum for the jar and layered it on top of the little conversation hearts to look like a jar of hearts.  Another favorite is the Hero Arts "heartfelt wishes" set, they're 4 little tag stamps that are so fun and versatile, all three of the cards feature these.

That's it for today, I've got lots more cards I need to make the next few days including Valentine's so I'll try to remember to post them here to share!  Have a great day everyone and if you're living in the same neck of the woods as me, STAY WARM!

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Recycled Jeans Water Bottle Sleeve

I have finally gotten sick of my water bottles sweating all over everything and decided to make a sleeve for them.  I literally whipped this one up in like 15 mins, I just wanted to see if something basic was going to work for me.  I reused a pair of jeans for this one.  It is super simple and after testing it I was pleased that the bottle did not sweat & the jean material was a good fit I thought.  But I want improvements.  I think a little pocket would be handy for my skinnier bottles to hold my chapstick & maybe cash/debit card.  I could probably do a larger pocket for my bigger Nalgene bottle that would hold my phone too. I would also like to insulate them so the stay cooler a little longer.  A lot of sleeves I've seen have handles or straps on them but for my personal use I don't see a need in that since I just grab the Nalgene bottle's handle to carry it 

I'll post pics of my new sleeves when I get them made with a review. 

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Flower Pot Card

I've got some of these cards I'm making for my niece and thought I'd share them.  I love doing these flower pot cards, they're fun and easy to do.  

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Hand Dyed Seam Binding Ribbon

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know I'm running a buy 3 get 1 free sale on my hand dyed seam binding ribbon at my etsy shop HERE

Here's a couple of the colors I have to offer.

If you don't have an etsy account and would like to order some just let me know in the comments and I'll contact you for the order! I also offer my ribbons for wholesale if you need large quantities.

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Brayton Cottage Scarf Giveaway

Look at this beautiful scarf! Brayton Cottage is offering a giveaway at French Country Cottage's site. For a chance to win go here http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2012/03/brayton-cottage-giveaway.html

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