my craft room … Christmas style ♥

December 21, 2012 Raising up Rubies21 Comments

it’s been a while since i’ve had any pictures of my craft room up on the blog …

mainly cause most of the time it’s a mess with product for the store & packing supplies

but i had to get it in order for last weekend when i hosted a cookie exchange that my close friends and i have every year … this year we had so much fun ♥

i wanted to spruce up the room with a little bit of Christmas cheer

but didn’t want to over-do it since there is already so much color & detail in the room and well…

i was just plain tired 🙂

so i went the simple route 🙂

ahhhh…. simple….

i feel like this little bloggy of mine has come a long way

since i first posted about my craft room … it’s been neat to watch it grow …

when Better Homes & Gardens came last month, it was the final push i needed to get in gear and tie up all the loose end projects that i never finished

if you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already seen a few of these updates … but this bunting was made from my vintage sheet stash, just cut in strips and tied to some twine

with some nails & hot glue, i now have pretty things to hold up my garlands and pictures

i hammered the nails where i wanted the spools to go,

then with a little hot glue on one end, slid the spool onto the nail

with some help from my two aunts 🙂 finally got around to organizing my fabric stash

this shelf holds only vintage linens … the other side has my non-vintage yardage

i love how pretty they all look together ♥

i filled some apothecary jars with a hodge podge of things

that i thought we bright and Christmas-ish 🙂

the trees were made with styrofoam trees, again with strips of different fabrics

wound around from top to bottom … made pompom’s for the tops

i think Christmas can be found in the everyday of things

it doesn’t always have to be in red & green

i love to be outside of the box 🙂 don’t you?

my cushions were upgraded too when BHG came, these were from Target

i love how they add simplicity to such a busy room

my sewing area hasn’t changed much …

the twine and large spools of thread that i mostly use for packaging,

were put up out of the way on wooden dowels

the sewing machine cover was made from a vintage pillowcase

… thinking about selling a few in the store

remember my decoupaged trinket box?

it has definitely earned it’s keep 🙂

it holds all my littles

my entry way get’s no light at all, it’s hard to snap a good picture here

but this is where my Joy to the World sign is with another wreath like the one on my craft shelves … i got the wreath and wording around the chalkboard idea from Miss Mustard Seed

(even though her’s is way more grand & gorgeous!)

so these are my besties 🙂

they are the friends that encourage me & laugh with me through everyday things

i love them so dearly … they are the sisters i never had 🙂

we have craft night once a month … we leave kiddos with daddies and we come together to eat and make stuff …and eat stuff 🙂

and there’s never a dull moment, at all….

every December we exchange cookies and handmade gifts

we even get a little carried away making stuff for each other’s kids 🙂

it’s hard to find good friends in life … hard to find one, let alone five

and i can honestly say they are all a blessing to me … love ya girls ♥

Merry Christmas bloggy friends ♥

you have put gladness in my heart … psalm. four. seven

sweet parties here:

live laugh Rowe ♥ live laugh linky

i {heart} naptime ♥ Sundae Scoop

Tatertots & Jello ♥ Weekend Wrap up Party

Funky Junk Interiors ♥ Saturday Nite Special

the 36th Avenue ♥ Party Time!

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elegant holiday hoop wreath … ♥

December 7, 2012 Raising up Rubies16 Comments

i mentioned before that i’m really not a traditionalist when it comes to decorating for the holidays 🙂 i really like to think outside the box, while trying to make seasonal items blend in with my everyday … i think it takes the stress out of decorating as well

since you can use bits and pieces of what you already have on hand

to make this hoop wreath i bought a large oval embroidery hoop at Joanns in the quilting section for seven dollars or so … some floral stems that i just fell in love with were also from there at 60% off right now 🙂 birds that were packaged together

some pretty ribbon, lace & muslin

… some additional supplies i used were white felt, chipboard (cardboard or heavy card-stock will work) scrapbook paper and some adhesive glitter letters i found at Michaels

fit the muslin and lace into the hoop making sure it’s taught, then tighten the hoop

cut the excess off and fold the material towards the back

using hot glue on the inside of the rim

arrange the floral stems and hot glue them down as well

i cut a tag shape out of chipboard then cut scrapbook paper to fit and glued them together

punch a hole in the middle for the ribbon

the glitter letters have a sticky back, arrange to your heart’s content 🙂

i made felt flowers just like the ones on my craft room drum shades the tutorial is here

for the final touches … hot glue the tags, birds and felt flowers onto the hoop and you’re done!

stand back and admire it’s prettiness ♥

i love non-traditional stuff … don’t you?

workin’ on some Christmas gifts this weekend … be back soon

linking up here ♥

Tatertots & Jello ♥ Weekend Wrap up Party

Funky Junk Interiors ♥ SNS Party

i {heart} naptime ♥ Sundae Scoop Linky Party

the 36th Avenue ~ Party Time!

TidyMom ~ I’m lovin’ it Party

Tip Junkie ~ Tip me Tuesday

Live Laugh Rowe ♥ Live Laugh Linky

Yesterday on Tuesday ♥ a Crafty Soiree

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neutral fall wreath … ♥

October 19, 2012 Raising up Rubies34 Comments

One of the things i love about NY is our Autumn season

it’s my favorite time of the year weather wise

(as long as we don’t get any early snow storms)

and i’ve been slowly (very slowly) working on a little bit of fall decorating

i am anything but traditional when it comes to holiday decorating …

i love using neutral colors, so that it’s easy to add pops of colors here or there

without everything looking too “theme-ish” …know what i mean??

so i’m lovin’ the burlap/white combo on this wreath i made for my front door 🙂

(i’m calling this a wreath, even though i said i wouldn’t)

(but now i am, ’cause well, i guess if it’s hanging on the front door

you can call it a wreath, even though technically, it’s not)

moving on…

here’s how you make one of your own ♥

i started out by tracing a pretty scalloped frame shape onto brown paper

cut it out then traced that shape with a sharpie onto a large sheet of styrofoam,

that can be found in the floral department at any craft store

(with the wreath forms and such)

now this stuff is pretty thick & crunchy, so power tools are needed

the hubs used a jigsaw to cut this out for me 🙂

use a small dowel rod or a few wooden skewers to connect the to sides together

finish off with hot glue

once you’ve got the form together, now it’s time to cover it

cut long strips of felt at approx. 2 inches wide

(i probably had 6-8 strips measuring 2 yards each)

i then ran them through the sewing machine sewing a line down the middle

with a dark brown thread, just to add some color and break up the white

wrap the felt around the form starting from the back

straight pins work great with the foam, no hot glue is needed

here’s a peek at the back …

keep going until it’s completely covered 🙂

(it took me an hour or so, to get it just right)

embellish as you please!

i cut some leaf shapes out of burlap and some more felt

then used my zigzag stitch to sew them together

give them a little bit of a layered look

pinned them on and stuck some pretty feathers here and there 🙂

i love finding these little loopey frames (that’s what i call them)

at thrift stores or yard sales … i snatch them up since i seem to use them all the time

for different things … a little spray paint is all they need 🙂

all done 🙂

it’s a lengthy project, but in love how it looks on my front door

it blends well with my other fall decorations

hope to show you more of them soon!

gladness in my ♥ for you

sweet parties here ♥ :

live laugh rowe ♥ live laugh linky Thursday

the 36th Avenue ♥ Party Time!

30 Handmade Days ♥ linky party pity party

Liz Marie Blog ♥ Link up with Me, Liz Marie

Freckled Laundry ♥ air your Laundry Friday

Tatertots & Jello ♥ Weekend Wrap up Party

Funky Junk Interiors ♥ Saturday Nite Special

i {heart} naptime ♥ Sundae Scoop Linky Party

Hubby Made Me ♥ Throwback Thursday

Tip Junkie ♥ Tip me Tuesday

Free Pretty Things for You ♥ whatever you want Wednesday

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vintage inspired message board … ♥

October 1, 2012 Raising up Rubies10 Comments

Happy Monday!
if you’re stopping over from FPTFY …
♥ WELCOME ♥
so glad you’re here!
and thank you to the lovely Keren
for making this vintage mason jar image so stinkin’ cute!
… her beautiful graphics can be the starting point for so many project ideas

i want to share this one with you today!

This is a super simple project that requires just a little prep work,

and can be done with any image and with any size frame.

I used some white muslin {any fabric will do}

white fleece

22 gauge wire {with the jewelry making supplies at any craft store}

iron on transfer sheets ~ I used these

staple gun or flat thumbtacks {not pictured}

and of course a frame { i found mine at Goodwill

and spray painted it white ahead of time }

After following the directions on the back of the transfer sheet package,

(make sure you print your image in reverse!)

I cut the image out, very close to the edge before ironing it on to my fabric.

After it cools, peel the paper off of the image … so pretty!

I cut 2 pieces of fleece the same size as the backing that came with my frame and used it as a insert between the cardboard and the image (just to give it a bit of puffiness)…

… fit the image around the backing & the fleece and put it back into your frame.

Wind strips of wire around the front of the frame, and attach to the back

using a staple gun or flat thumbtacks.

Here is mine right next to my kitchen sink …

I spend a lot of time here! {as most of us do!}

It’s a place where I put notes I want to remember

or things i want to focus on during my day ♥

a few more favorites of mine from her etsy shop!

tons of ideas are floatin’ around in my head!

the bicycle would be super cute on a library or market canvas tote

maybe an apron or tea party tablecloth for a little girl’s Christmas gift??!

baby onesies or blankets with the little birdie

the sewing machine is going to be incorporated onto my machine cover …

if i ever get around to making it 🙂

thank you for all the wonderful images Keren!

much love ♥

sweet parties here… ♥

live.laugh.{linky}thursday ♥ live.laugh.Rowe.

the 36th Avenue

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a shabby vintage kitchen … ♥

September 11, 2012 Raising up Rubies58 Comments

grab a cup of tea … this post is picture heavy 🙂

besides my craft room this is where i spend most of my time…

my kitchen♥

this picture was taken when we moved in:

here it is now!

i’m so glad you’re here! come on in 🙂

hubs built these corner shelves

in what would have been a wasted space

they house a lot of my vintage dishes & some serving pieces

Goodwill find last year … i love these canisters
the knobs were already painted that pretty green

i like the idea of things stored in wire baskets … i’m on the lookout for more

the pot rack was from Hobby Lobby

i still have a few pans from my set to accquire

computer desk on the back window is where i connect with all of you ♥

a perpetual calendar & some old cook books

i wish i had a before picture of this lazy susan 🙂

but here it is now, all nice and pretty

this is the view walking through from the other side, which is my craft space

this is my favorite part of the kitchen

the open cabinets … we decided to leave them open at the last minute

i’m so glad we did!

even though i would like to take the middle bars out of each section

… still have to convince the hubs 🙂

the tea cups are hung from a stainless steel curtain rod

more wire baskets … for more service and some pot holders

an old cheese box with sugars, salt & peppers

my grandma’s china ♥

hubby & his dad put a new sink in when they tiled the counters

i spend a lot of time in front of it … what mom doesn’t right?

the little ledge near the windowsill holds herbs,

to do lists & bible passages i’m trying to remember or reflect on

(or flowers the hubs brings me on occasion 🙂

i wrote about that little ledge here

this is another small curtain rod, hung on the side of the sink area

keeps kitchen towels out of the way (most of the time 🙂

this is our command central
in & out papers, lunchboxes, and everyday life happens here

the “masterpieces” strip was made from yardsticks & clothespins
two of my favorite things ♥

my menu board is an old frame wrapped in vintage sheets

it’s a free printable from here

the baskets are for recycling ~ shredding ~ reading ~ keeping

i used the same label frames i used in my craft space here

a tiny peek into my living room …

thanks for comin’ along on my little house tour ♥

hope you enjoyed!

if you want to see more of my house go here & here

much love & gladness in my ♥ !

sweet party link up here ♥

get schooled Saturday ♥ too much time on my hands

Sundae Scoop ♥ i {heart} naptime

air your laundry friday ♥ freckled laundry

Frugal Friday ♥ the Shabby Nest

Doin’ it Yourself ♥ aka design

Link up with Me ♥ Liz Marie Blog

Junkin Joe ♥ The Cottage Market

Tip Me Tuesday ♥ Tip Junkie

live laugh {linky} thursday ♥ live laugh Rowe

Party Time! ♥ the 36th Avenue

DIY Project Parade ♥ DIY Showoff

A Crafty Soiree ♥ Yesterday on Tuesday

weekend wrapup party ♥ Tatertots & Jello

Saturday Night Special ♥ Funky Junk Interiors

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random stuff … ♥

September 4, 2012 Raising up Rubies22 Comments

here’s a few pretty things i found at Goodwill last week 🙂

my girls have claimed these as their new breakfast dishes ♥

they were $2 per set!

i just couldn’t pass these up … i’m a sucker for anything this pretty teal color

i hung them on a rod i have above my counter with some others i love

if you follow me on Instagram you already saw some of these snapshots

but i’ve been thinking on how i’m so thankful for my kitchen …

sounds silly i know

but i really love my kitchen

and i’m grateful to my husband who listened to all the ideas i had

and fashioned it after my heart’s desire

i especially love the little things …

you know, the things that make it feel like home

since school starts in 2 days

my mind has been on getting back into the swing of things

on all the things i want to accomplish

on the holidays …

i know, the holidays, but guys …

i’m terrible with time management remember?

so i’m determined to try and get ahead of the game this year

and i really wanted to start in August, so i’m already behind!

i stumbled upon this cute little blog

where she talks about a “September Sort-it”

and she made a list of 30 things she really wanted to get done in the next month

i was motivated to do the same

but by the time i got to #20 i started to panic

so i stopped there and thought even if i get half of these done

i’ll be happy 🙂

i just listed this in the shop too 🙂

it a cutie pie cloud garland hung from a tiny hanger (heehee 🙂

i’ll be back this week with some more random stuff

♥ much love to you

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pom pom apple garland … ♥

August 24, 2012 Raising up Rubies36 Comments

here’s a cute project to make during these back to school days ♥

it’s simple … come on, let’s make stuff 🙂

a few things you need …

pom pom makers are the funnest (not a word i know) things to have

oh i know you don’t need them to make pom poms

but they make it a little easier 🙂

the medium size was used for these pom poms

they’re made by Clover and we got ours at Joanns and i’ve seen them at Walmart too

they have a few different sizes, one of them is huge

and would make an apple pom pom the size of … well … an apple 🙂

there’s even a heart shaped pom pom maker! can you imagine??

(not ’cause i like hearts or anything)

(♥)

since the instructions on the back of the package are basic

i thought i’d give you a few pictures of the process

first wind the yarn of your choice around both sections of the pom pom device 🙂

don’t worry about the ends, they will blend in when you trim at the end

close both ends together and then cut with sharp pointed scissors

through the thickness of the yarn

take a separate piece of yarn and wrap it around the groove that is now exposed

loop the ends through each other a few times to make sure the pom pom doesn’t get loose

open both ends and open up the pom pom maker

pom poms! make lots now 🙂

they will need some trimming to give them a round shape

don’t worry, it’s hard to mess this up

(unless you’re blind folded 🙂

all done … fun! now let’s make garland

to make the stems use wire snips to cut the pencils

(you can still use the bottom of the pencils

you just can’t make any mistakes when you write with them 🙂

cut some leaves out of green felt
hot glue the pencil tops & the leaves inside the pom pom

pressing the yarn around it to hide the base

to string them, i used jute that was a more on the stiff side

(from the jewlery section at the craft store)

just so the apples wouldn’t be top heavy and slouch over

hot glue the jute onto the backside of the pencil more towards the base

you want the apple to hang from the pencil not the pom pom

you can cut strips of felt or material to tie between the apples

these polka dot scraps were leftover from the pony houses i made here 🙂

hang it somewhere and enjoy the cuteness ♥

happy weekend & much love

linking up here ♥ :

linking up here:

A Crafty Soiree ♥ Yesterday on Tuesday

Whatever you Want Wednesday ♥ Free Pretty Things for You

live laugh linky ♥ live laugh Rowe

Party Time ♥ the 36th Avenue

Weekend Wrap-Up Party ♥ Tatertots & Jello

Sundae Scoop ♥ i heart naptime

Party Junk ♥ Funky Junk Interiors

Junkin’ Joe ♥ the Cottage Market

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diy laundry canvas art … ♥

August 14, 2012 Raising up Rubies4 Comments

hey all!

today i’m posting over at Everything Etsy

head on over and take a peek at this fun and easy Target knock-off project 🙂

i can’t thank you all enough for the sweet words & kindness you’ve all poured on me about my etsy shop! i’m so blessed … and golly gee i’m so stinkin’ excited!!

i’m scramblin’ to get everything done 🙂

and since i can’t sleep due to OCD overload, i’ve been crafting till all hours of the night!

(i’m sure the coffee’s not helping either)

hopefully i’ll be back before Monday to share this super cute project

i’ve been working on for my girls

much love to you today ♥

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