chalk paint

cornstarch + food coloring + water

evergreen wreath

The kiddo's school has a yearly fundraiser selling locally made (not by us) wreaths. I bought one last year and I bought one this year, and I'm fine with it. The wreaths are pretty and they smell good, and the school gets a nice chunk of the proceeds too, unlike with those magazine and candy sales I did as a kid.

Here's the thing: wreaths are relatively easy to make, and very inexpensive if you have access to evergreens. If you want more than one wreath for your house and school fundraisers are too expensive, give it a go. Here's one I made.

I used rosemary branches, some angry, pokey evergreen branches from a tree out back. and some little cedar twigs that got blown down in a windstorm.

 

The wire wreath form is from last year's wreath.  It's called a soft clamp wreath frame, if you need to order one. I just used some pliers to pull open the prongs last year, composting the old evergreens and storing the wreath form to recycle this year.

Add branches.

  

Use pliers to cinch everything together.

Tuck additional branches in to cover the wires, and hang it on a nail, ribbon or hook.

My wreaths sometimes look a little asymmetrical, which I like. If you don't, trim yours till it looks right to you.

Okay! That's all from here. Kid's got the flu so I'm off to do another load of laundry. Be well!

candy airplane party favors

A big "thank you!" to the blog Sewing Mama Raeanna for inspiring this fast and easy party favor.

Supplies list:

• Wint-o-green Lifesavers 

• rubberbands

• Smarties

• sticks of gum wrapped with scrapbook paper and washi tape (for decoration + sturdiness)

Thread a rubberband through two Lifesavers. If your rubberbands are tiny, you can link two or more together.

Insert a stick of gum through the looped ends sticking out of the Lifesavers.

Insert a roll of Smarties into the space between the gum (wings) and the Lifesavers (wheels). The rubber band will hold everything in place.

Repeat as necessary!

More Flying Machines Party projects:

Hot Air Balloon Pull-String Piñata

Airplane Crayons from Molds

thrift store finds: white owl cigar box

I found this old White Owl cigar box at a thrift store across town, where I only shop if I happen to be in the neighborhood on another errand. I occasionally have made other good finds over there (a traffic sign, silver platters for my wedding, etc.), but it still hasn't made my list of regular haunts. Too far. But who knows; the kiddo and I have a couple friends we've been visiting on that side of town more regularly lately, so we might start stopping by this store more often.

I liked the owl artwork on this box, the old circus/western mid-century typography, and the customs (?) seal on the front edge. Some industrious child (not mine, for once) has endeavored to make this a Magenta Owl cigar box, but it makes it even more charming, I think. Maybe that's just me.

White Owl Cigars aren't exactly high-end smokes; apparently, they're quite cheap and somewhat disdained by cigar aficionados. I don't think that matters to people making cigar box purses or storing crayons though. As far as the box goes, it's cute, vintage, and functional.

This will likely eventually end up in my Etsy vintage shop, along with some other things I've picked up along the way over the past several months. If you're interested in making it your own before I get around to listing it, send me an e-mail! Until then, it's making the night table in my guest room look even cuter.


Linking up to:

Simple Design's Thrift Haul