Mrs. Claus's Workshop

I have so many posts ready to go and cannot post them!  So frustrating!  But you see... all of my projects lately have been Christmas gifts.  And I can't really post them until after the big day, for fear of the recipients seeing them on here.  I promise a real post soon though! 

Back to my workshop to create more crafty goodness and drink a whole lot more cappuccino. 

Talk to you soon!

Welcome back old friend

I am a complete and total Coca-Cola addict.  Not diet, not caffeine free, just straight up, Coca-Cola classic in the red can.  However, when the holiday season hits, my best friend coca-cola has to share a shelf in the fridge with this little beauty:

Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash

So yummy.  So different from the beloved Coca-Cola.  And only available during the holiday season.  Damn you Sierra Mist corporate big shots!  Get me hooked and then take it away.  So in the spirit of a true junkie, come December, I will be hoarding a few cases of this yummy goodness for a rainy day craft session. 

Thrifting Finds!

My mom was in town for Halloween weekend. In addition to the scarf making, cheesecake eating and trick-or-treating, we went THRIFTING! One of my favorite things to do! It was a Christmas themed day, for some reason. 

Here's what I got for $5:

Wooden Basket - I will use this as the packaging for some kitchen towels and pot holders I made for one of the kids' grandmothers.

Ceramic Jar with handle - This is going to get some handmade soap packaged in it for one of the other grandmothers.

2 Wooden Gingerbread People - These were handmade by someone else. I'm going to give them a little facelift with some paint and put eye hooks on them for the kids' small Christmas tree.  They are soooo not something I would normally even take a second look at.  I don't what possessed me to buy them. 

AND MY FAVORITE!!! 2 Wooden Candlesticks - these have got the most hideous faux something paint job. I felt the need to rescue these from a life of horrible paint and sitting on a dusty thrift store shelf.

Can I just say.... spray paint is a girl's best friend! I mean, you can transform ANYTHING with some spray paint. I am especially partial to the high gloss black spray paint that you can get from Home Depot for only a dollar a can. It's on the bottom shelf. LOVE IT!

Pinecone Wreath

I am a little sad to banish my tulle Halloween Wreath to the attic, however Halloween is done and it's time for a new look. Bring on the Pinecone Wreath! I've been toying with this idea for a couple of years now after seeing them sell at places like Crate & Barrel for upwards of a hundred bucks. Yeah right! I mean, they're just freaking pine cones. They've popped up on quite a few blogs as well this year. Here's how to make your own:

Step 1: Send your kids out into the woods to get some pinecones. We did a "nature hike" at my parents' cabin to aquire the pinecones. You will need quite a bit. I used about half of a reusable shopping bag full of pinecones.

Step 2: Gather your supplies: wreath form (grapevine, styrofoam, whatever you've got laying around), glue gun, tons and tons of glue sticks, your bag of treasures from the woods - or the craft store if you don't have pine trees in your area! Bonus supplies: Cup of coffee and an Ipod

Step 3: Start gluing the pinecones down. It helps to start in one spot and work your way around. You don't want to go all random and then have to fit them in like a puzzle piece.

Step 4: Keep gluing. You're going to have a few moments of "this is NEVER going to end!" Just hang in there. It's worth it! Go refill your coffee at this point. You're going to need it.

Step 5: Once you've got the whole wreath covered, you get to decide how to decorate it. I am a no-fuss, anti-country decor kind of person, so I opted for a simple ribbon to hang mine. However, if the blinged out look floats your boat, then go ahead and add on your goodies. Some of these would work great: ribbon, fabric, leaves, acorns, mini pumpkins or gourds, that harvest corn stuff, etc.

Step 6: Stand back and admire your hard work and try not to think about your sore trigger hand from pumping the hot glue.

Bonus: If you keep it fairly simple for Fall, you can then change the ribbon and add a few Christmas things, and use this baby all way through the new year!

Sneak Peak

A little sneak peak at one of the many projects in progress.....

Look how tiny those little blocks are!

Happy Crafting!