Christmas Tree Sign

     Normally I make these little signs randomly and I send them with my mom to her little antique booth and that's the end of that, but....quarantine.  So, I've now started posting all the random things I'm making on Instagram and now...the blog.  I have all these misc pieces of projects sitting around my house-in my garage, craft room, or (this piece of wood) my backyard. 

      They are things I've held on to thinking I'd do something with them someday.  I guess today is someday.  I wanted this sign to look like an old tree farm sign, so I painted it green, and then sanded it down to make it look 'rough'.  I cut out the word TREE FARM on my Cricut and pressed down the outline (not easy to do on rough wood-the more you sand, the easier that is, but-don't do this if you are a perfectionist).  I used a sponge paint brush and dabbed on some mod podge to keep my paint from spreading too much.  When that was done, I sponged on some white paint.  I then flicked it with white paint on a paint brush so there are speckles to make it look even more imperfect.  

      I added a random wooden tree I had left over from a mobile I made more than 4 years ago, added a wire, random fabric and a rusty bell and ta da.  Another piece of junk finds a new life.  

Oh, Christmas Tree!

A few months back I posted about some screens I had saved when I had my windows replaced a few years back.  I've been painting different holiday scenes on the screens to set on the front porch.  This one was kind of tall, so I painted a tree.  The key is to set this on a garbage bag or plastic table clothe when you paint it so that the paint 'pools' and dries some in the mesh holes.

Christmas Cookies

 I went to my friend's Christmas party this last weekend  She's been planning it for months.  I told her I'd bring some cookies.  I normally use this recipe for all my sugar cookies.  This time I used my favorite cookie dough, but I did royal icing instead so it would have a smoother finish.  We decided looks are more important than taste.  They were still really tasty, but royal icing doesn't beat butter flavored icing.  Ever.  I saw a cookie like this on pinterest and loved the vintage feel with the dull green and pastel 'lights.'

I did everything with a ziplock bag.  I've been a little sugar cookie obsessed lately.

Rusting

 I've been playing around with rusting things for awhile now.  I've found all sorts of vinegar and peroxide mixes that require 'cheap metal'....I'm all about cheap, but it takes a few weeks, and then it's a matter of not 'knocking off' the rust.  I recently saw this spray.

 It's textured and when it dries....it looks like rust!

When it first went on, it looked a little gray, but as it dried it turned brown and there are particles that make it look authentic.  Yay for a quick fix to a life long problem....OK...not lifelong, but still...I like this spray!

Ornaments: The Day You Were Born Newspaper

 My cousin-in-law blessed our family with the newest member to our family December 29, 2011.  I have seen newspaper covered ornaments on the internet, but I decided to apply this idea using the headlines on the paper on the day Jonathan Noel was born.  I used a paper mache ornament I bought at the craft store. 

 I cut out all the headlines, weather, cartoons from the day, the price of cars, the stock market news, movie advertisements, TV schedules, etc, and glued them to the ornament's faces.  I then used adhesive spray glue and glitter to make it festive. 

 I added a ribbon, and the date and Jonathan's name and birth information to a tag on top. 

 Jonathan will be able to look back over the years and see some of the things that shaped the world on the day he was born, as he continues to shape ours on each day that followed this blessing. 

No Sew Ruffled Tree Skirt

I saw this idea on pinterest last year, and I absolutely fell in love.  The very best part?  It required ZERO sewing!!! I actually saw a pin of a pin of a pin of a pin....a sign it's the reaaally good stuff.  Here is the pin.  The other folks who tried this out used some cheap muslin.  I went even cheaper and used some old curtains I gave new life.  I cut a square. 

 I folded in half, then again, and sort of cut a circle, and then one in the center, and then cut a line to wrap around the tree.  You could add ties.  I didn't.

 Next up, cut strips out of additional fabric measuring about three inches.  Squish it and create ruffles as you are gluing it down.  I actually used the ruffles from the old curtains. 

Row one down, and then I went in about an inch and started all over again.   

 The original tuturial has even more ruffles, but I didn't need a very big skirt b/c it's going around a little woodland themed tree that somehow entered my world a few years ago....I guess I was going through a woodsy pine cone stage.  BUT....I'm digging the skirt.  The ruffles I used were finished, but just raw fabric would still be really beautiful.  Someday the woodland tree may get a vintage makeover, and this skirt is staying. 

Christmas Tree Keepsake

My friend Heather told me about this idea, and it's so simple, yet so sweet.  I began my own collection last year.  I love fresh trees, and I purchase one each year.  I asked the guys bagging up my tree this past year to give me the cut from the bottom they always saw off to have a 'fresh' cut for when I take it home drink water.  I wrote the year, who was there, and where we were (there's a bit of a 'code' for the locations, but I'll know what they mean). 

I also used some mod podge, and I put a picture from Christmas on the reverse side. 

I sprayed it down with some waterproof sealant (that I use to make coasters). 

I may eventually drill a hole in the top and turn these into yearly ornaments, but for now, I'm going to place them in a bowl, like Heather does.  I loved exploring her collections of various sized trees, and the memories she inscribed on the wood using a permanent marker.