Felted Wool SnowMan Ornaments

 

Those of you who know me, or who have followed any of my creative meanderings, know that each year we make an ornament on Thanksgiving.  It has grown to be a beloved tradition, carried on for close to 20 years now.  So each year, when we are unpacking our Christmas ornaments, we can think back on the people we have shared life and our Thanksgiving table with.  I am so thankful for the immense blessing of genetic and chosen family and dear friends.  These ornaments really become something sacred to me.  They represent love and the shared journey of life.  Each ornament is unique, and none perfect, but beloved none the less, just like the people who made them.

 

Materials:

3 consecutive sizes plastic Christmas balls
Doll sized hats
Black felt dots (pre-packaged)
Old 100% wool sweaters
Embroidery floss and needles
Hot glue

 

This year, we made these snowmen... and snow ladies with dollar store Christmas tree balls for the bases.  We nipped the necks off and then hot glued the balls together.  Then we used squares of felted wool sweaters.  I picked them up at the half off sale at the thrift store.  (Make sure to get 100% wool...  cashmere makes a really nice snow person.... who doesn't like cashmere:)  I felted the wool in the washer and dryer and then cut the squares out.

 

Position the "head" of the snowman in the center of the square.  We secured the corners to the base of the bottom end of the snowpeople with hot glue.  Then, tuck the spare fabric in, aiming for a somewhat even look.  The next step is to nip them in between sections.  We did this with embroidery floss, and tied it off.  Then we glued on little top hats (I picked these up in the doll making section of the craft store.  Make sure to use a needle and embroidery floss to create a loop to hang it on the tree with before attaching the hat.)  Hot glue the hat to the head.

 

Then glue on the dots for eyes, mouth and button.  Little word to the wise.... put your dab of hot glue directly on the snowman... don't try to hold the dot and put glue on it...nothing good will come out of that for you... my sister in law would be happy to show you her blister:(   The put on a scarf and either tie it or put a dab of glue to secure it.  It is fun to cut the scarves out of ribbed hems on the sweaters to give them some visual interest.  If you want, you can stich up any felt that you don't feel is behaving properly, or give it a dab of glue.  And that is all there is to it.

 

3 guesses as to which one JP made.  Wink. 

Wishing you a holiday season full of Thanksgiving, whether circumstances are peaceful, hard, wonderful, perplexing,  or whatever life may have thrown you way this year.  Peace!

 

 

Love this Finish.... Love CeCe Caldwells!

 

Julie and I just finished this piece, and to be honest, we are pleased as punch with how the finish turned out..... love it!! 

 

This console is a reclaimed Drexel piece, super solid with great storage inside but the finish was outdated. 

This is how we achieved this look.  (All CeCe Caldwell's products) 1st coat Cinco Bayou Moss, 2nd coat Mississippi Mud.  Then we dry brushed:  1st coat Vintage White, 2nd coat Young Kansas Wheat.  Then we took old washrag scraps and damp distressed.  We let it dry for 24 hours and then applied Endurance Finish.  For a little extra boost, we used CeCe's Walnut Stain + Finish and wiped it on the shelves inside that had some wear.... and it spruced them right up.

 

Well, we both want to keep this piece, but it's not nice to fight your friends for furniture;)  So off to the store it went.  If you are looking for a great heirloom piece to add to your home before the holidays, you can find this at Unlisted in Centennial, CO.

Pumpkin Bouquets on a Dime... OK, on $4

 

 

The holidays are approaching and it brings out my inner dollar diva!  I have been eyeing all those gorgeous bouquets in pumpkins, and thinking that although they are a bit trendy right now... there is a reason why... they are scrumptious and clever... and I want some for my Thanksgiving tables!

 

I was at the $1 store when I saw carve - able mini Styrofoam pumpkins before Halloween... you see where this is going...

 

So $1 per little pumpkin and $2 for bunches of flowers, some paint and a glue gun, and Viola!  I have now re-usable low profile bouquets for my holiday tables.  Little things make me happy.  This makes me happy:)    It's SUPER easy, so if you want to do it, here is how:

 

Eyeball your flowers to see where you want to cut the stems for the height of your pumpkin.  Do that and set them aside.  You can adjust the stem length again if need be. 

 

Draw a line around the top of your pumpkin where you want to cut the top off.  Then use one of those little pumpkin carving gadgets or a steak knife (something with a serrated edge) to cut the top off the pumpkin.  Next, paint your pumpkin.  You can use all kinds of paint, if you don't have anything in particular on hand, pick up one of those little .99$ bottles of craft paint.  I pretty much always use CeCe Caldwell's because I love it.  For this, I used some Mesa Sunset (discontinued color) that I still had, and finished it with the new Flat Matte Finish.   

 

Then I used my hot glue gun to glue the top into the bottom of the pumpkin.  I did this to provide more of a base to push the flower stems into.  Apply your glue and let dry before the next step.

 

You are almost there!  Set your flowers in to see how you like them, if the stem length is good, etc.  When you are happy with this, gently insert the stem of each flower into the center bottom of the pumpkin.  To finish it off, I put hot glue in again in several spots, letting it reach down to the bottom so that the stems would be more secure.

 

And that is it!  I am doing multiples as I like to set things in twos or threes on my tables.  I LOVE low profile bouquets because you can leave them on the table and still make eye contact and visit with guests on the other side of the table.... and that it what it is really all about!