Wool Felted Acorns

Greetings friends - I'm stopping by today to share a little bit about my latest creative project for my Etsy shop - wool felted acorns! If you keep up with my blog, then you know I recently returned from northern Illinois, where I visited my momma and second dad - they have a lovely lakeside property with quite a few oak trees. While I was visiting, I helped clean up piles and piles of acorns...and I had the idea to collect and bring home some of the caps. I brought home three large Ziploc bags full. I had a master plan to make wool felted acorns for my Etsy shop. I explained the idea to my parents, who I am pretty sure thought I was a bit crazy...but after seeing the final product, I think they were impressed. I washed and roasted all the caps, to clean and preserve them...then added 100% New Zealand wool for the "nuts". Aren't they just the cutest?! You can find them here: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com

I have started listing them in my Etsy shop in sets of ten. Colors and sizes vary per listing – see listing images for more specific details. Most acorns have an average size of ⅝” – 1” in diameter and/or height, but as you can see in the images, some may be a bit smaller or larger. Due to the handmade nature and the natural acorn caps, there will be some minor variation in size.

Packages may contain single acorns, double acorns, or triple acorns – again, see images for the exact acorns in each listing. Created by Mother Nature, each cap is unique.

These are great for tiered trays, bowl fillers, nature/fall table decor, fall weddings or gifts. Can be used as a special pin or needle keep (my favorite use!). Perfect for seasonal decor through fall and winter… even year round. Use these wool felted acorns throughout your home to welcome the season, decorate for a wedding or special occasion, or give as a gift. Use them from year to year.

Each set of these delicate acorns is packaged carefully and boxed for shipping. Ready for gift giving.

I will continue to add more sets, as my schedule allows...visit my Etsy shop to see what is currently available...

O'fish'ally Fun!

I'm not one to make a big fuss for Valentine's Day - I usually send a handful of cute cards to friends...and make a nice dinner for my husband...nothing over-the-top. Travis and I don't "go big" for Valentine's Day anymore - it was different when we were dating or when he could send me flowers at an office - but now, after quite a few years of marriage, the mushy stuff has long gone by the wayside (which is fine by me). However, this year, I was inspired by a blog post over at Lil' Luna to do something fun for my hubby. You see, he has a couple big fishing trips planned in the next several months and the talk around our house seems to be about fishing reports and rods and reels (and pretty much anything fishing related)...so when I saw the "Reel U In Valentine" a few weeks ago, I just knew I had to make him a tackle box filled with treats. I picked up the tackle box organizer a few weeks ago and started hunting for "fishing" treats...I found some really fun candies, including (unbelievably) Sour Brite Octopus...of course I got some Swedish Fish (in red and assorted colors) and Gummi Worms...and I had to get a box of Whoppers, because you know on his fishing trip he wants to catch a "Whopper". I looked everywhere for Gummi frogs, but couldn't find any in the city of Des Moines (bummer!)...but I think I got a pretty good assortment of sweet treats. I decided to play with the label for the tackle box just a bit - combining a couple that Lil' Luna has for free download (I did this in Photoshop) to make it more "me". After filling the tackle box and applying the label, I tied the Whoppers (they wouldn't fit inside one of the compartments) to the top of the box with sea blue silk ribbon...I thought it turned out pretty darn cute! ....and the verdict?? - I'm pretty sure he loved it - especially the fact I put some thought into it...

I hope you are enjoying the Valentine's Day and that you are inspired to do something a little fun for a loved one!

Hippity Hoppity

If you are an avid reader of my blog, then you know I am definitely still a kid at heart...which completely explains why I love the website "Mr. Printables"...it is chock full of fun, free printable downloads for kids! Check out these ADORABLE Bunny Party Favor Bags - aren't they just the cutest...and you can make them in a matter of minutes (seriously) with very few supplies. First of all you need a computer, Internet connection, and a printer...and I am guessing if you are visiting my blog, you have all three...next you need a several pieces of white cardstock or heavy paper (which many of us have on hand). Do you have your paper loaded in the printer, yet?? Okay, so now click on this link for the Bunny Party Favor Bags - you can now easily download and print four (yes, I said FOUR!) different Bunny Bags for FREE! - there is one large and one small pink bunny...one titled "Strippy Jumper" and one titled "Woolly Socks" (which are both small - meaning each fits on one piece of 8.5" x 11" cardstock). Once you have the selection you want printed, you will need scissors, a scoring tool/board (don't fret, a bone-folder or pen cap works great for scoring), a craft knife, and a glue stick...you can find all those things around the house, can't you?? Now, time for the "crafty" part, cut on the solid lines, score on the dashed lines, and use a craft knife to cut the two lines where shown (this is where the ears fit through)...fold on the score lines...and glue where it notes "glue"...that's all there is to it...easy peasy! There is also an stinkin' cute Frog Favor Bag and it has step by step directions and photos of how to put a favor bag together...wouldn't the Frog Favor Bag be fun for a stitching retreat?! The last and final step is to fill your bag(s) with treats...and maybe a little Easter grass or tissue paper. Fun, easy, and affordable...and you can make them for or with children (or a big kid, like me)...and simply precious...

Bottle Cap Magnets

Today is a better day - head cold is still here, but stomach flu symptoms are diminishing and I am able to function. Thank you all for your well wishes!

This afternoon, I had fun finishing up some bottle cap magnets while watching the Michigan football game (WAY TO GO BLUE!!!) - another simple task that I could manage with my miserable cold. The materials list is pretty small to make these beautiful bottle caps: pretty papers or stickers, glue, scissors (a 1" round circle punch helps tremendously), magnets, bottle caps, and Diamond Glaze by Judy Kins. There are many good instructions, tutorials, and videos on this subject (some use different materials) - if you are interested in making your own magnets, just do a Google search and you will get lots of great advice. I managed to finish-up twelve magnets today -which will be holiday gifts....and I have pretty paper picked out for another batch in the near future...

This rest of this afternoon, I plan to try to do a little model stitching...as much as I can handle on cold medication...I am ALMOST finished with the model for "Beauty In Simplicity" and I want to get it to the framer this week - then I plan to continue work on the "Friendship Blooms" model...

A New Toy - A New Creative Spark!

A brand new toy arrived on my doorstep this week, courtesy of My Crafter Corner! My Craft Corner is an online community for all types of crafters and artisans - this community with over 1,500 members has all sorts of groups, forums, and member pages, all full of creativity and inspiration. Each year they have a "Meet & Greet" contest where the grand prize is a Cricut Expression cutting machine...and this year, I happened to be the big winner (I can't believe it - I am still in awe)! I never expected to receive such a generous prize simply for meeting other creative people. I actually received two prize packages - one containing two Cricut cartridges and one containing the Cricut Expressions machine (and it had two additional cartridges!). I am not a big scrapbooker, so I wasn't as familiar with this personal cutting system as I probably should have been...but once I watched the enclosed DVD and saw what it's capabilities were, I was blown away by this amazing prize! If you read my blog often, then you know I am a huge stationery fan and love to send notes in the mail - when I found out I could make my own cards and gift tags, I was over-the moon!

After looking at the manual and viewing the enclosed DVD, I jumped in and loaded a piece of white card stock - I just started cutting/trying different shapes and sizes, getting used to how the machine worked...oh my goodness, was I ever impressed...all of a sudden my mind was working overtime thinking of all the creative aspects and how to incorporate this machine into my already overflowing studio...I was inspired more than I ever imagined! After understanding how the machine worked and trying a couple different cartridges, I decided to jump in and make my first card - I opted for a thank you note - cutting a dark brown card and beige envelope...then cutting the letters for THANKS and a couple flowers and a heart - WOW, I made one on my first try - it is not the most exciting and it is far from perfect, but I am learning!

Okay - so now I have another new crafting addiction...I know, just what I needed...I have already purchased some beautiful papers and cardstock...and I have a couple more cartridges on the way. If you have one of these fancy schmancy machines and have any tips or tricks for me, please pass them along...and if you have favorite cartridges, I would love to know what they are, as well...

Thank you to My Craft Corner for such a phenomenal contest prize...and for sparking my creativity...