diy a quick and easy centerpiece

I had this idea for a string art pumpkin back when we lived in L.A. but I never got to it. I almost did not get to it this year either but today I got the crafty bug and got to it! All you need is a pumpkin, dressmaker pins, and embroidery floss.

My wee white pumpkins have since yellowed in our warm, warm autumn. To create your base for design, push a pin into your pumpkin and continue until you are ready for string. I really like the way they look without string too so left one of them all pin happy. Knot one end of floss to a pin and get to wrapping. Tie off at end and trim. Make sure not to push your pins all the way into the pumpkin as you will need some wiggle room for your floss. If your pumpkin has super firm flesh, make sure to have a pair of pliers nearby to remove pins if you need to fix your design.

last minute napkin rings for your holiday table

These simple napkin rings were made from yarn, wire, and washi tape. Easy to make in just an hour two (it depends on how many you need) so get to it!

I used a small pom-pom maker to create my poms.While I think it is quicker to use your hands for pom making, a pom maker will keep your poms more uniform with less trimming needed so there is less waste. So make two poms for each napkin ring, and leave your yarn ties long.

To create the ties, you will need washi tape and wire. I found my wire in the floral section of a craft store. You are basically creating a twist-tie which will make your napkin rings not as permanent as other methods but they do work in a pinch. Lay a piece of washi tape down ticky-side up with a length of wire on top. Complete by sandwiching another length of washi tape on top of the wire, trim end with scissors. Adhere the pom-poms by tying them to the washi tie with the yarn tails.

 

 

Wrap one twisty napkin ring around a napkin and get ready to dine in fun fashion!

scenes from thanksgiving

we spent a slightly quiet Thanksgiving with family. we had good company, good eats, great cake, good treats, wine, gingerale, holiday tunes, a little hide and seek, a walk and some puzzling. the weather was perfect, chilly but not colder than cold with a crisp blue sky. today it is a wee bit cooler (24 degrees at 7am, the bird baths are still frozen!) but we think we can still manage a bike ride into town and a sandwich somewhere as sustenance. no shopping for us today, just projects, projects and a bike ride. have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Turkey Day!

Not to be all mushy or anything but I'm thankful for oh so many things. One of the things I am grateful for is this blog and for you. It's a great form of working through the muck in my brain and I adore reading so many of your blogs out there. I'm also grateful for tangerines freshly plucked from the tree, my nose when it works and I can quickly sniff the waxy smell of crayons or an orange blossom or rosemary out in the garden. I'm grateful for the husbandman who smells like green tea, polkas with me on demand, and makes me laugh myself silly and I'm extra grateful his family hasn't kicked me to the curb...yet. I'm grateful for friends, for family and for strangers who shyly introduce themselves to me. I'm grateful for craftiness and fabric and knowing that I am not in fact going loopy, I'm just like a lot of you out there. So cheers my friends, Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you stuff yourself goofy on homemade pie and mashed potatoes.