DIY Scrap Fabric Holiday Art

I found a massive, 23 inch wide embroidery hoop at a thrift store for just a couple of dollars about a month ago.  I used one when decorating my Christmas mantle last year and thought that it could be fun to add another one into the mix.  But I wanted to do something a little different this time around… something more than just a few simple, painted words. 

So I gathered all of the supplies that I thought I could possibly need to make some sort of Christmas art. 

 

I wasn’t quite sure what I would come up with, but I knew I’d figured something out… eventually.  After a bit of thinking and a little bit of Google inspiration I decided to make a scrap fabric Christmas tree. 

I cut a large circle out of some inexpensive muslin.  Then I began raiding my pile of scrap fabric in search of anything green or even semi-green to use for the body of my tree.  Luckily, I had some Ikat patterned fabric left over from a project a while back that seemed to be perfect for the job (p.s.  the “project” I’m referring to turned out to be an epic fail… the roman shades were beautiful, but definitely couldn’t stand the test of time… especially in a house with two young kids).  So I cut out the green and brown portions of the pattern and began constructing a tree. 

The next step was to some how adhere the fabric cut-outs to the muslin fabric.  Instead of gluing or sewing, I decided to go a simpler route.  I used an iron-on adhesive (Heat n Bond Lite to be exact).  This was a much simpler application because it allowed me to place each piece of scrap fabric where I wanted it and it allowed me to fine-tune things if needed.  It would have been so much more difficult to scoot things around just a smidge if I had been using glue or sewing.  Luckily the iron-on adhesive worked perfectly!  And this is the sweet little tree I was left with. 

I suppose I could have stopped here, stuck the fabric in the embroidery hoop and called it a day.  But I didn’t!  I decided to add to the charm even more by adding a couple lines of a very appropriate Christmas song… “Oh Christmas Tree”

Using Microsoft Word I printed out the words you see below.  I grabbed a fine-tip black paint pen, slipped the paper under the thin muslin and began tracing out my lyrics.

Once finished with one side I slid the paper over and did the same thing to the other side.

When I was all done I popped scrap fabric tree into the embroidery hoop and stuck it up on the mantle!  And I’ve got to admit… I’m in LOVE!!!  It’s adorable and fun and it fits the feel of this year’s mantle perfectly!

Oh Christmas Tree…

So, remember that little tree we picked up last week during our visit to the the Cartner Christmas Tree Farm?  Well this is what it ended up looking like after we added the lights, star and all of the other trimmings!

Another nice, simple tree!  Just what our family likes!

Not to mention that Santa looks pretty pleased with it too!

A Holiday Door

They say that “there’s no place like home for the holidays”…

…and that is certainly true when you get to come home to a nice welcoming front door like this one!

It puts a smile on my face every single time I see it!  Never underestimate the power of a couple of strands of Christmas lights, fresh garland and a beautiful wreath!

Cartner Christmas Tree Farm

We always have a real Christmas tree.  In fact, we even cut it down ourselves.  I don’t know why… it was a tradition in Craig’s family when he was a kid and it just kind of stuck.  And now that we’ve got kids of our own it’s kind of become our family tradition instead of just his.  For the past several years we have visited Christmas tree farms that were just around the corner (Fall Branch Christmas Tree Farm and Roan Valley Tree Farm).  This year we decided to go just a little bit further from home. 

We drove over the mountain and a little over an hour to Newland, North Carolina to Cartner Christmas Tree Farm. 

The kids enjoyed exploring the tree farm and playing in the last little remains of snow from earlier in the week.

Once our tree selection was made we headed back to the barn to ‘cozy up’ for a few minutes while we waited on the fellas to cut down and load up our tree.

We also got to visit (from a safe distance, of course) with Santa.

And when asked by Santa what she wanted for Christmas, Bailey leaned in and whispered her request in my ear… asking me to play the messenger.

We had a great day at Cartner Christmas Tree Farm!  We spent the day out in the sunshine and fresh air.  We were able to continue our little family tradition.  We brought home a ‘perfect for our family’ tree. And we may have even snuck in a quick little Christmas card photo shoot (complete with props) while we were there!  All in all, I’d say that was a pretty successful day!

Fall Leaves!

One of the things I’m most thankful for this time of year is fall leaves…

…and a couple of sweet little someone’s to jump in them with!

A Haunted House

I spent a little time today finishing up our Halloween decorations.  Typically, we don’t do much more than a pumpkin on the porch, so it was a lot of fun to raise the bar a little. 

The neighborhood kiddos will have some spooky spiders to contend with if they want their treats this year.  They’ll first be greeted by this guy when they arrive in the driveway. 

Then, if they’re brave enough to continue down the sidewalk they’ll run into these two.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but these guys would have made me think twice about how bad I wanted the candy as a kid.

And speaking of candy… there are spiders there too.

Are you sensing a theme yet?

Memphis!

Craig and I escaped to Memphis for a few days… just the two of us… for a well-deserved vacation.  Neither of us had really ever been to Memphis, so we weren’t sure what to expect.  The internet was filled with all sorts of promises of a good time.  And I’ve got to say, the city didn’t disappoint!  We LOVED Memphis!  And here’s why…

Beale Street—Best known for its bars and live blues music, Beale Street was the center of Memphis night life.  There was so much to see, do and enjoy!

Sun Studio—Known as the “Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, this hole in the wall studio is where artists such as B.B. King, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and so many more were first recorded.  Never mind the countless modern-day artists who have also recorded here.  Our visit to Sun Studio included a thorough oral history of the studio and the music made there, as well as a tour of the actual room in which the artists recorded!  The room was preserved in its original condition and is still used as an active recording studio at night.  The highlight of the tour had to be getting to touch and “rock out” on one of the five original microphones used by the many famous artists who recorded in the studio.  Unfortunately, the microphone was literally taller than I was, so it made “rocking out” a little more awkward than awesome.  But definitely fun, nonetheless!

National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel—I was surprised just how deeply moving an experience it was to visit the Lorraine Motel… the sight of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968.  I was also incredibly moved by our visit to the National Civil Rights Museum across the street, which is located within the building that James Earl Ray fired from, killing Dr. King.  It was like we were treading on hallowed ground.  Getting to stand on the motel balcony… in the exact spot where he was shot.  Looking into his motel room to see it still set up as it would have been on that sad day.  Looking into the bathroom of the boarding house across the street and seeing the window where the lethal shot was fired still cracked open… just wide enough for the barrel of the gun.  I can’t explain it… I was just overwhelmingly moved by the experience. 

Other highlights—Slave Haven (a house that was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad), the Cotton Exchange Museum, the food (eating at Rendezvous, Gus’ and Westy’s just to name a few), the arts district, the duck parade at the Peabody Hotel, Theresa Caputo (a.k.a. the Long Island Medium) live at the Cannon Performing Arts Center and the many other great sights and sounds that Memphis had to offer.

Thank you Memphis for making our first vacation away from both of the kids so wonderful!  We needed it!