Bookmark Pals

These little bookmark pals are so fun! They are really cute, unique, and useful, and they make great gifts for all ages. It’s also a fun project that doesn’t take hardly any time or money. You can’t beat that!

 All you need to create these little pals is felt, scissors, a needle, and you can either use sewing thread or embroidery thread. Just cut off two corners of a sheet of felt, make them into whatever you want, and sew them together! But make sure to leave the top open, so that the page can easily fit inside.

And don’t worry, the book will still close easily and stay compact when you’re not reading.

Here are some that I have completed so far; however, I am working on a lot more. These little guys are kind of addictive. The One Eyed Monster Pal

The Heart Pal

The Fox Pal

The Simple Pal

Ice cream Pal

And here are all my little pals together, just hanging out, waiting on a book to call their home.

(Except for Ice cream Pal…she already found a home!)

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve?!

That’s right, only 2 more days before Christmas! It has snuck up on us yet again, and we find ourselves lying in the floor surrounded by tape, glitter, and bows. But would it really feel like the holidays without a little hustle and bustle? Of course not. At least not for me anyway. I don’t know about you, but I am usually throwing things together right up until the very last minute. I guess I do kind of enjoy the rush a little. So, if you’re not ready for the big day, don’t panic, you’re not alone! I’ve chosen some great resources to help you wrap things up quickly without sacrificing style and sentiment. Check out these websites for tons of inspiration!

{Free Gift Tag Printables}

It Looks Better On Paper

Love vs. Design

Oh The Lovely Things

{Homemade Gift Ideas}

Momma Young at Home

BROWZER

Skinny Mom

{Homemade Gifts The Kids Can Make}

Imagination Soup

{Other Thrifty Finds}

DIY or Die

Lark Crafts

Smart Party Planning

A little “Night Before Christmas” goodie box!

Simply Julie

I hope you found these to be helpful! Good luck and…

Deck the Halls

I love Christmas for several reasons, but one of the biggest things I love is how the spirit of this holiday is so strong. It seems to capture and transform almost every home, business, and street corner. Everywhere you look, you see a little bit of Christmas. Everyone has their own, unique way of decorating. Some like to go ALL out while others like to keep it simple. Some don’t decorate at all, but only celebrate in their hearts and minds. I prefer a little of everything. I like the tree to be decked out, while everything else takes on a more minimal appearance. And of course, the biggest celebration is always within.

This year, I decided to make something that will hopefully become one of those things we store away and pull out again year after year. It’s simple, it’s traditional, and for me, it really captures the spirit of Christmas. The classic red and green mixed with the coziness of handmade pieces, and the old feeling you get when you see knitted yarn. It kind of reminds you of your grandmother’s house, but with a modern twist.

{My Christmas Garland}

This garland is easy to make, and can be done in probably 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much knitting is involved. I decided to keep it simple this time around. The wreath, bows, and Christmas tree are all hand knitted, and the pom-poms are very quick and easy. Lastly, I added some small felt poms to make it a little more festive–they actually kind of remind me of Christmas lights–these you can purchase at any craft store. Once you have all your items, just string some yarn through it with a yarn needle, and you’re ready to dress up the tree, the mantel, or even a window to give passersby a little Christmas cheer.

Happy Decorating!

HATS

Obviously, hats are a MUST-HAVE for cold weather. Especially for those days that it’s so windy, you might as well just forget about fixing your hair. Here are three different hats that I recently made, all knitted with straight needles. One is a beanie style hat, one is more of a slouchy style, and of course…we can’t forget about cold, little baby heads! So lastly, a baby hat.

{The Beanie}

I really love this hat, and have been wearing it a ton already. It’s warm, it’s comfy, it’s easy, and I love the color. I seem to gravitate towards neutral tones, so most of my wardrobe is less than colorful. This hat provides the perfect pop of color without being too dramatic. And it’s definitely an item I can just throw on and go, which I love.

{The Slouchy Hat}

It’s not really a beanie…it’s not really a beret…it’s really just a slouchy hat. It’s the kind you just wanna hang out in. This one is so comfortable you can’t even tell you have it on, but it still keeps you warm, and it’s cute! Definitely appropriate for the book store, the coffee shop, or even date night. You can dress it up or dress it down…whatever you prefer.

{For the BABY}

Being a mom, I never forget about the kids. This is my first baby hat, and considering I don’t use patterns for anything, I’m very pleased with how it turned out. I cannot wait to make more of these, especially in some girly colors with lots of pretty, flowery embellishments.

A {Hand Made} Happily Ever After

I’ll be honest: I am in the middle of SEVERAL different knitting projects right now, which is exciting because that means people are actually wanting me to make things for them! However, I prefer not to do a post about a bunch of unfinished pieces. But there WILL be a knitting post up on the blog next week, which I am quite excited about. So, since my husband and I will be celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary this week, I thought it would be fun to blog about a lot of the hand made items at our cozy, Fall wedding. Keep in mind that Pinterest was not around yet! If you have/had Pinterest for your wedding, you are very lucky! I can’t even remember where I got all of the ideas for our ceremony,  but I do remember spending countless hours hand making so many different things. Thankfully I had a lot of help from family and friends. I don’t have photos of everything, but here are some shots of most of the items at our wedding that were either made by me, or by the kind, helping hands of the people I am lucky to call my friends.

The Boutonnieres

The Bride’s Bouquet

The Bridesmaid’s Bouquets

The Flower Girl Basket

Homemade Wedding Cake

Paper Cones filled with candy for wedding guests-Every cone was unique and different

Centerpieces: a glass vase filled with assorted river rocks and a white candle, with leaf garland wrapped around the bottom

The Honeymoon Donation Box

The Table Setting