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crafts

All Things Home

custom garland for a headboard (or mantel)

When I shared about our winter bed last week, I said I would share some more details about the garland draped over the headboard, so that’s what this post is about!  Before we get into the details of the garland, I want to address the practicality of having a garland draped over your headboard.  Our headboard is very high, probably about 5′ tall, so the garland is up and out of the way, even if we’re sitting up in bed to read.  The greenery used for this project is also artificial, so we’re not going to get any shedding.  If the garland was going to get tangled in my hair or drop needles all over us, it wouldn’t be a viable option.  But, as it is, it works and I really do love the way it looks.  If your headboard is shorter, you can always drape the garland on the

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Artistic Endeavors

customizing a boring sketchbook/notebook

Over the Christmas break, I wanted to take some time for creative play.  It’s a meandering that doesn’t have a real purpose but almost always ends up being productive.  I was eyeing my sketchbooks in a pile by my desk and decided it was time to do something with those black, faux leather covers.  I know, for some people, the exterior of a sketchbook or notebook isn’t a big deal, but I have found that aesthetics are important to me when it comes to creative work.  If a sketchbook feels in tune with my style, it’s more enjoyable to work in. The other end of that spectrum is if a sketchbook is too expensive and feels too precious, then I am not as free in it.  I put way too much pressure on myself to do “good work” that the purpose of the sketchbook, which is practice, play, and experiment,

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crafts

salt dough ornaments 2022 | Christmas crafts

This salt dough ornament-making is going to be an annual thing, I think.  They are just so fun, easy, personal, and pretty.  I made them last year, both traditional salt dough and cinnamon “gingerbread” salt dough, and I enjoyed it immensely.  I always thought of salt dough as sort of a kindergarten craft material, but it is definitely elevated when it’s put in pretty molds or even molded and cut by hand into custom shapes.  While it can look fancy, it’s also still a great craft for young kids.  It’s just a winner all around. Salt dough ornaments can be stored, but I knew that our belongings would be sitting in a hot container for an indefinite period of time, so I decided to let them go and make some new ones.  This also gave me the opportunity to try out some new molds that I bought over the summer.

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crafts

my top 15 favorite Christmas crafts

Last year, I was particularly in the mood to get crafty for Christmas.  Some years, I just want to focus on big-picture decorating, but last year, it was the details that captured my attention and I really loved it.  I have already dried my oranges and bought the ingredients to make some new salt dough ornaments, so I am ready to start making things!  If you’re feeling that same pull, I hope this curated list of fifteen of my favorite Christmas crafts I’ve made over the years will get your wheels turning… favorite christmas crafts | one | salt dough ornaments I bought some cookie molds on a whim off of an Instagram ad and it felt like it might’ve been a purchase I would regret.  I ended up using those molds to make salt dough ornaments and cinnamon salt dough ornaments and I absolutely love how they turned out. 

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crafts

mini advent stocking tutorial | Christmas crafts

Disclosure: This mini advent stocking tutorial is sponsored by Walmart.  As always, all words and opinions shared are honest and my own. When I shared my mini advent stockings just a few weeks ago, several people asked me for measurements and more information so they could make their own.  I already have a full set and some extras, but I measured the ones I have, made a template, and made one so I could share a mini advent stocking tutorial.  It’s a little close to Christmas to try to whip out advent stockings, but it would be a fun project to work on over the year with fabric scraps. My set of stockings was originally made by Ann of On Sutton Place and she did a beautiful job on them.  She is so much more precise than I am!  As I was cutting custom tags using the Cricut and other

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crafts

polymer clay ornaments & tags | christmas crafts

Are you ready for another Christmas craft?  I have just a couple more to share this week leading up to Christmas.  I have been wanting to play with polymer clay for a while and after enjoying the salt dough projects, I decided this was the year I would make polymer clay ornaments.  And I definitely enjoyed it!  I have vague memories of working with polymer clay in the past, but it’s been a very long time…long enough for me to say I was starting completely from scratch.  So, I might’ve gone rogue and done things completely wrong, but I just followed the instructions on the clay package and tried not to overthink things. I’m often asked how I get so much done and I think that one of the answers is I worry about doing things, not doing them right.  I have low expectations for my first time doing something

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Artistic Endeavors

take the easiest first step | encouragement

You know that hypothetical exercise you go through every once in a while – What would I rescue from the house if there were a fire, flood, or other natural disasters?  Well, yesterday afternoon, we got to put that hypothetical exercise to the test as we were preparing for high winds and likely tornados in our area.  We’re all safe and sound this morning and spent the night snug in our basement, but there were a few tense moments when the sirens sounded and alerts were echoing on four phones.  And images of those three sisters in Kentucky, seeking shelter in their bathtub shortly before they were taken by a tornado, made me acknowledge that a good outcome isn’t certain.  My heart has been heavy for that community and those families all week, but it was even heavier as all four of us, the two kitties, and Sebastian sat in

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crafts

custom cut gift tags | Christmas crafts

Disclosure: This post on custom-cut gift tags is sponsored by Walmart.  As always, all words and opinions are honest and my own. I’m squeezing in as much Christmas crafting this year as I can!  Craftiness might even happen right up through Christmas Eve.  We’ll see how long this momentum carries me!  Today, I’m sharing a new crafting toy with you along with some custom-cut gift tags I made to match my wrapping paper designs… I got a Cricut from Walmart! I also bought that beautiful pair of scissors when I was shopping for the grazing platter I shared last week.  (As a side note, my favorite scissors for fabric & paper are forged scissors, but at just under $14, they are half the price and still make a nice crisp cut through fabric and paper.  They’d be a great stocking stuffer for crafters/sewers.)  As I’ve shared before, I’m always impressed

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I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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