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My Kitschy Xmas. Still So Much More To Do.

We finished the tree, and most of the living room last night, but something tells me that I am not entirely done. I don't know what it is. Maybe it is that all consuming desire to make stuff.

Oh well. I'm posting pictures of what we did last night, even though I know deep down inside that the decor will probably change due to my inability to sit still for more than 5 minutes.

Here's our crazy tree...

I told the hubby that it looks like Pete Townshend gonna do the windmill right down on our tree. The hubby simply told me that "Pete was powered by guitar," and that "he is placing the star on top." Yeah...

These little wooden guys make me so happy...

...actually all of my ornaments make me happy...

I decorated the living room, and this is the one spot that I know for sure will change as I make more stuff.

The doggies have the same stockings from last year, but this year I'm making new ones for the hubby and me. I can't wait to get started.

I really didn't do much to the mantle. I always see these amazing mantles all decorated for Xmas, but I realized I don't really have much. So I did what I could. A bit of fabric cut to fit my mantle really made it look a bit more Xmassy.

I keep planning to make one of these for above my mantle...ooohhhh aaaahhhh.

I love the box that my vintage reproduction ornaments came in. I really wanted to display it last year, but couldn't think of a way. So this year I put some extra ornaments in it, and placed it on my mantle.

I put my favorite Xmas book up there too. I read it every single year.

And because my lovely, shimmering, snow covered dog turd is too heavy to place on the tree, I displayed it on my mantle where it rests delicately, and dignified amongst the other decorations.

Mom, Dad, Ralphie, and Randy received a spot of honor on our coffee table.

And of course we had to get some mistletoe. The real stuff of course. :) But don't let the doggies get it. They could get sick.

However you can kiss them underneath the mistletoe.

Like I said, there is still more I want to do, and I think tomorrow will be a fabric shopping day. Maybe tomorrow...or today.

My Kitschy Xmas. The Decorating Begins.

The hubby and I bought a tree yesterday, but while we were taking care of other things, we left it outside in the bed of the truck. Then I heard it rain...

So we had to put off decorating the tree until later today when I'm done with work, and the tree dries off.

Sorry Mr. Townshend, we need your wall this year.

But I did lug up all of our decorations from our creepy basement, and pulled that junk out. To take inventory of sorts.

I also started a bit on the rest of the house, but wont be finished for a little while. I still have more to make.

I absolutely love my ornaments! The hubby and bought a bunch of stuff last year for our first Xmas as a married couple. We made it a point to buy things that reminded us of our childhoods, which meant, nothing matches much. But that's just fine with me, because kitsch doesn't have to match. And that's why I love it.

So to start your tree decorating, you somehow need to hang your ornaments. Ribbons are fine, they're pretty, but we're not going for pretty. So we bought hooks...uh oh. We bought the ugly dreaded hooks for our tree. What kind of unrefined beasts are we? The sort who love vintage kitsch of course. Attach these suckers to your big colorful ornaments for a big taste of generic kitsch.

As Clevelanders, we are required to make A Christmas Story a part of every Xmas. I plan to visit the Christmas Story  house every year, but never seem to make it there. Maybe this year. So along with watching that great Xmas movie ad nauseum, we have begun adding ornaments to our collection commemorating this classic. This year we are up to two. :) This is only our second Xmas together where we actually have a tree.

Tinsel always reminds me of being a kid. We had that stuff every year in my house. My great grandma even had some really heavy vintage tin tinsel. I wish I could find some now, but I'm sure it has been banned due to some sort of safety regulations. We have dogs, so I shudder to think of what would happen if they ate some of it, and puked it up all over my house. Or worse, having it come out the other end. So instead of tinsel, we picked up some shiny silver garland.

These little wooden figures were an absolute must for us since we both had them growing up.

All of us know how important candy is to a kid, and Xmas always signified to me the beginning of "candy season". It is the magical time when you get to eat all the garbage you want, without getting in trouble. Every holiday party always seemed to have dishes of candy in every corner in every room. So on top of all the delicious desserts, I would gorge myself on chocolate, and sugar. I bought a bunch of candy related ornaments last year thinking about the children we have yet to produce. The thought of our children looking up at a tree full of sweet, sugary ornaments made me happy. But due to the events of this past summer, those ornaments are bittersweet to look at. I do love them though.

Anyways...last year the hubby made popcorn garland, and in keeping up with the theme, he's doing it again this year.

There are companies who do vintage reproductions of ornaments.

Of course our tree wouldn't be kitschy enough if it didn't have these...I do have to say. There are plenty of companies who make these now. If you run across actual vintage ones, I would suggest not using them. I found some years ago, and they got real hot, real fast. Danger!

And our tree wouldn't be complete without a big, plastic, light up star.

I can't wait to be done with work, put on my Xmas apron, have some of this,

and decorate our tree.

Happy decorating!!

Will My Luck Run Out?

My personal hero Novita over at Sew I Do is hosting a super duper cute giveaway to celebrate her birthday tomorrow! I just have to win it.

Why is she my hero, remember she helped me sew a zipper. :)

Check her out. Happy birthday to me and a giveaway!

Happy birthday Novita!

...I hope my luck hasn't run out.

Make This Muff. A Toasty Tutorial.

It's getting very cold here in Cleveland, and I didn't have any gloves. But gloves aren't good enough for me. I need something that nobody else has, while keeping me warm at the same time. I had to make a muff for my hands.

I found this psychedelic fleece in the remnant bin for uber-cheap. I have never sewn fleece before, but I couldn't pass it up. Muffs are usually made from fur (ew) and I do have a yard of faux fur in white just begging to be used, but like I said, I like to be different. So a typical white furry muff just isn't my cup of tea.

This print looks funny as a muff. It makes me think of what would happen if Marcia Brady was put in charge of wardrobe for her high school production of A Christmas Carol. But I like it.

Ready?

* What you need

* 2 Pieces of fleece 13"x17"
* A 13"x17" piece of batting
* Cording, ribbon, or trim cut to your desired length (not pictured). It will go around your neck, so be sure to find a length that is comfortable for you. I cut mine at 20". Of course, you can opt to leave this out if you desire.

First, place the batting on the wrong side of one of your bits of fleece. We will call this the "outer piece". With the batting facing out, fold in half along the width.

Pin edges together, and sew about a half an inch in.

Do the same to your other piece of fleece. This will be called the "lining." Fold in half along the width, with the right sides together. Pin, and sew half an inch in.

Trim the excess from your seams.

 

**Optional** I'm like a child, and can't seem to keep track of my winter accessories. So this little neck strap will come in handy for me, since I can still wear it without having to shove my hands in it. If you don't want a neck strap, you can skip this step.

Take your strap (cording, lace, ribbon, whatever) pull it through the inside of the "tunnel", and pin it to the outer piece about 2 to 3 inches from the seam leaving a 1/2" "tail". Be sure to face the edges in.

Now stitch your strap on. Don't forget to backstitch over it a few times. You want it securely sewn in there.

Now, turn the outer part right side out.

**To ensure I wouldn't sew my strap to the muff in crazy ways while sewing the outer piece, and lining together, I gathered my strap in the middle, and pinned it there. Of course, you don't have to do this.**

Now, stuff the outer piece into the lining. Be sure to match up the seams. You may have to do some trimming around the raw edges to ensure a perfect fit.

Next, pin the lining to the outer piece along the edges. You will only sew along one of these edges though.

Sew along one edge only, about half an inch in.

Now, turn the whole project right side out. You will end up with a big tube.

Stuff the lining into your outer piece.

Next, turn the open edges in (about half an inch) and pin together.

Now, close to the edge, topstitch both sides.

With all of your topstitching complete, your muff is all done. Now put it on, be warm, and be different!

Hooray! I Won A Prize!

I don't win stuff. I never have. Really...

O.k. I won a troll doll in 6th grade for best costume when I dressed up as a Salem witch. Bonnet and all. (Yes I have been fascinated with Salem for most of my life.) The other kids didn't get it, and thought I was weird, but the teacher thought I was creative, and her vote was the only one that counted.

But the other day I won a prize. :)

Amber over at Hoot-n-Annie hosted a super cute giveaway for her 100th blog post, and I was delighted to receive it yesterday.

She included a thoughtful, and cute handwritten card.

A fantastically smelly candle, which made the whole package smell delightful. I can't wait to burn it tonight.

Cute little knick-knacks that I added to a growing collection of fun stuff on my window sill.

A pretty handmade white and gold cozy scarf. It fit right in with my scarf collection. I have a "thing" with scarves. That's not all of them, trust me. :)

And my favorite. A brand new embroidery to hang on my wall! I love it!

She also sent a pair of cute socks, which I put on today because I am lazy, and have been putting off doing my laundry for 3 days now. So thank you Amber for making my day, for making my home cuter, and contributing to my laziness. :)

Take That Ugly Fabric Bucket!

I told you about my love of fabric buckets, containers, storage...whatever. I love them! But the last few times I tried to make them, they turned out kinda funny.

Well, last night, in my brand new sewing "station", I made the best one so far.

I found the tutorial here at The Stitchin' Chicken. The pictures are very clear, as are the directions, making it a very easy tutorial to follow.

I'm going to make a few different patterns for these, in other sizes, and make tons more. Yes I used a pattern.

Remember this atrocity?

It is now being used to hold my clippings from my sewing. Oh, lets look at what's in there...

...why, aren't those the scraps from my new awesome fabric bucket. Yes they are. Take that wonky, ugly, crooked, old fabric bucket!

I moved my sewing machine away from the wall.

I hated when my sewing machine was in my bedroom, and I had no choice but to stare at my neighbors out the window. I hate the idea of having to stare at the wall just as much. Now I can watch my doggies play, see the t.v., and stare at my awesome dining room table.

All my stuff is right behind me, so I don't even have to get up to get it. I'm lazy.

We are now calling it my "office". I swear my sewing machine is even running better in here. I think it's happier. I even took the little house that I found while thrifting, moved it into my "office", and put my extra thread there. Now I can see all of it.

It occurred to me that almost a year after having it, I still have yet to name it. The "Rocketeer" (which is the name of the model) makes it sound a bit man-ish. I know, rocketeers can be women too, but my machine is a girl, and I need a nice feminine name for it. Hmmmm.