Earthy Holiday Pillows From Sew A Fine Seam

I've mentioned in the past that the colors in our family room are muted shades of rusty orange, browns, and earthy colors.

We like it that way, specially at Christmas when the pine cones are in old crates  and a fire is snapping in the hearth.

And I love these three pillows as much as the warmth of the fire and glow of the Christmas tree.

Christmas Tree Crate Base

A few years ago I made a three sided bottomless Christmas tree crate, with a paint job modeled after one I saw on a friends blog.

Why three sides instead of four?

Pine Box Keepsake Gift

I have a rather wordy post today and it might get a little long.

A story for you, but it's not really mine to tell so I won't be including many of the more personal details. 

Just enough information to explain about a stinky pine box no one else wanted at a garage sale.

We have some friends.  Close ones.

Our families are pretty entwined, we have the old friends thing, the Godparent thing, the mentor thing, the previous boss thing, the kids are all friends thing, the be in each others weddings things, etc. etc. etc.. 

Even the family tree thing - some sort of third cousin deal I can never remember.  I think the grandparents were first cousins.

Bakery Gift Sign With Funky Junk Old Sign Stencils

Depending on the specific occasion, we enjoy making gifts around here.

And as far as we can tell, the recipients like receiving them.

You know the saying about the apple doesn't fall far from the tree right?

Well there is also another saying..... whatever sprinkles your donuts.

When one of my daughters had a housewarming and "Friendsgiving" meal to attend for a college friend over the weekend, she of course wanted to make a gift.

A Box Of Fun For Thanksgiving

When my oldest couple kids were small there was no internet.

Well let me rephrase that, there might have been internet but I didn't have a computer, didn't know how to run a computer and I didn't want a computer.

My how times have changed!

Back then I had to dream up ways to be inventive either by something I saw in a magazine at the check out line, or the old fashioned way......word of mouth.

If my ideas were for throwing a kids party of some kind, then I also had to source out supplies for my vision.

I might not have had a computer to get those ideas from, but I did get tons of mail in the way of product catalogs.

Great Grandpa Herbs Vintage Toy Box

Great Grandpa Herb wasn't a handy man. 

I remember hearing that often, but it didn't mean he didn't putz around in his garage fixing things.

He could bowl a 300 with ease, sink a golf ball for a hole in one farther than your eye could see, and he was strong as a horse.

State Of The Union Address

State of the Union Address?

Of course what I really mean is the state of the blog address, I just couldn't resist a tiny bit of presidential talk with the election coming up.

Besides, my blog is in by far better shape than the union!

It might seem like I've been sluff'n with no recent project posts, and I assure you that is the truth, that yes I have been sluff'n.

For someone who has had jars of paint on her dining room table for the past three weeks I'm sort of at a loss for what I've been getting done.  In fact it looks to me like I've been getting a whole lotta nothing done.

There is one project started that with any luck will be done this weekend.

This big black 50 year old toy box.

$3.00 Halloween Banner Glittered Up

A normal Fall usually sees me making spooky preparations for Halloween, even if it's just a fake raven with an eyeball dangling from it's mouth or a few carved pumpkins.

And some years, like this year, I use whatever is handy just to give the illusion that Halloween is right around the corner. 

(What that really means is I'm too lazy to look for the orange and black bins that house the appropriate October 31st decorations).

$10 Pallet Topped Side Table

Once upon a time I picked up a side table at a garage sale because I thought it was interesting.

If I recall correctly the lady told me her son or husband had put the table together from other parts of tables and spare wood.

She was sort of apologizing for it, but those facts just made the table more interesting to me, no apology necessary.

Wooden Paint Drag For Paint Layering/Distressing

Recently Carlene from Organized Clutter did a post about a product called a layering block. 

I had never seen or heard of such a thing before she introduced it.

I was intrigued.

I was also not near a craft store at the precise moment I wanted to try the product, so I made do instead.

Making do meant making one.

I'm calling mine a wooden paint drag because the wood block needs to be pulled across the item to give it a distressed look. 

It's done with paint and without sanding.