Button Wreath - DIY Ornaments

I grew up in a family with nine kids so Mom was always recycling, reusing and repurposing...before it was cool. One of the things I remember is Mom's button tin. When we wore things out - and I mean threadbare, holey, ripped and torn beyond recognition - then Mom would cut off the buttons and save them for later use.

I used to love to sit at the kitchen table and go through her buttons. It was like looking for buried treasure, searching for something beautiful in a pile of "usual" and "ordinary".

Today I still have a love for buttons. So when I was sitting home with a cold, I pulled out the pipe cleaners and started stringing buttons. Nothing special, just simple, ordinary buttons but I thought they looked pretty enough to hang on a tree. So I twisted the pipe cleaner and tied a ribbon on the top. . .

Now, I'm just waiting for Christmas so I'll have someplace to put this :D

"Sew" simple and yet it brings back old memories.

Three - Day Holiday Weekend Rolling In - Veteran's Day

It's not just a weekend to go shopping in the malls. There's some real history behind having Monday off from work. It's the 11th day of the 11th month...

History of Veterans Day

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

I hope you all have a happy holiday weekend and that you get time to spend it with family and friends and take a moment to remember the heroes. 

Nail Addiction - Thanksgiving Nails

So, I'm trying different styles until I come up with the look that I really like for the holidays. And it's not easy because I've always been a bit of a Tomboy.  My husband laughs when I try different things and thinks I go a little far off the realm of average for style...maybe because I don't really have one...a sense of style that is. But it doesn't matter because I have fun playing around with the polish, paint and ...yep, glitter.

Today I took out the glitter pots and started painting. The first coat was a simple orange color that would be perfect for the Thanksgiving Holiday all on its own but, as is my motto, I always say why leave a good thing alone...?

Just ask my kids. They always say I work hard to come up with a good recipe and then when I do, I ruin it, by trying to make it "better". But, believe me, when I do make a recipe better...it is the BEST. So, I keep at it...playing around and trying to improve upon good enough. Things won't always work, not everything is going to be better, but nothing risked is nothing gained...right? And this is one easy way to make the holidays sparkle ;D

More Holiday Nails - Thanksgiving

I wanted to try some new nail designs so this is how I did it.

First I painted a topcoat on my nails.

And then I started painting them white.

Then I tried a couple different applications. One I used tape-strips to create a striped effect.

The others I painted each nail a different color and then I did my little turkey.

Of course the googly eyes make it :D

And my daughter thought it looked like a penguin...so it helps if you have better art skills - but I thought it was fun.

Tuesday Thanksgiving Nails

So I guess I jumped a season ahead and went straight to Christmas without giving Thanksgiving its due. That's the reason I started searching the internet for ideas about Thanksgiving Nails.

Here's what I came up with:

Aren't these little turkeys cute? If you want to read more about them, click here

Or here's another idea:

Or yet still another:

Now, I want to come up with my own... I'm thinking....

Christmas Countdown has Begun - Holiday Nails

Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat...won't you please put a penny in the old man's hat?
If you haven't got a penny, a half-penny will do, if you haven't got a half-penny God Bless You!

That's an old poem I remember from my childhood. I still love to celebrate every holiday and even more I love to decorate. So, I begin with my fingernails. Red and white...candy cane nails is easy to do.

First I paint my nails red.

Then using French manicure white polish, I paint a little line at the top.

Then, if one line is a little too thick, I touch it up with a little more red...it's fun, it's easy and it reminds me of the upcoming holiday.

The Morning After

Halloween has come and gone again . . . I always feel a little depressed the day after.

It's not just taking down the decorations and putting away the costumes, it's also having a bit of a stomach ache from eating some of the leftover treats...what am I talking about...? There weren't any leftovers, I just ate them before anyone got to them.

And now, we start into the real holiday season...or the gift giving frenzified time of the year. I'm going to try to make some of my gifts. So, knitting, baking, and sewing here I come...

How bout you? How do you feel after Halloween?