living gifts

A little while ago I hinted at some DIY gifts I was working on for Christmas.

My dad is a fly fisherman and loves his garden.  He's also a sort of hard person to buy for.

He really doesn't want much, and if you get something he doesn't need or want it'll sit there. Forever.

I don't like that.

So I saw this on pinterest (the source was from here - although this item is no longer showing up) awhile back and thought it would be a perfect combination for my dad.

A fishing tackle box turned mini easy care garden.  Perfect.

And if I was at the garden store, I thought I'd get enough to make my mom one of these to match.

I found the idea on pinterest, from this site where she explains that she uses clippings from all of the succulant plants she had on hand.  I did not, so buying the plants from scratch did kind of add up, but it was worth it.  They didn't have all the amazing colors she had in her collection, so I had to stick with mostly green.  

I picked up some reindeer moss to fill in the holes.  I loved the different tones of green and was so happy with the end result.  

I had my husband drill six holes between the two different levels of the tackle box.  Three on top and three on bottom for drainage.  While I was putting it together, I put some press n seal on the bottom to keep the soil from making a mess.

But let me tell you, I was making a mighty big mess of my kitchen on this eve of Christmas eve.  I don't think I know any other way to create.

I'm not so good at tutorials because I never want to take the time to stop what I'm doing and take pictures.  But I tried here, with my cell phone to give a little tutorial on the wreath.

I had a wire frame from Michaels already in the closet from some long forgotten craft idea.

The directions called to soak the sphagnum moss in water for 5-10 minutes.  Then you begin putting it in between the wire of the wreath frame, on the backside.  

Using floral wire or clear fishing line (I found some at OSH where all the wires are) to wrap around the entire wreath.

Once this is complete flip the wreath over and start filling in the moss around the front and repeat with the wire/fishing line and tie in knots securely to hold the moss in place.

Now comes the fun part.  I used the eraser end of the pencil to put little holes to 'plant' the cactus plant inside.  I first had to get all the soil off of it and take the root and press it deep inside. 

The handy trick prudent baby suggests is using bobby pins to help hold the plant securely in the wreath.  You don't poke through the plant, but sort of wrap it around the sides.  It worked perfectly.

All in all, I was really unsure about taking this project on just before Christmas.  So when it came out looking half way decent I was really happy.  

And happy it's a gift my parents can enjoy for some time to come.

monkey-ing around

There are a lot of little monkeys climbing and jumping and giggling.

And yes, you must climb in a pretty Christmas party dress.

Because of course if you're a girly girl with tomboy tendencies this is the most appropriate climbing outfit isn't it?

The excitement is building around here.
And yes, the Norad tracker is being checked and checked again.
You see because Santa must exist if he's on the Norad tracker.

Yesterday while those kiddos climbed trees I remained mostly in my jammies.
A busily working elf.
Stamping more spreaders...I was so busy stamping & packaging away I never took any photos,
but the original post about them is here.

And I am mighty excited about a couple of gifts I'll reveal after Christmas.
Here's just a teeny sneak peak.

Thanks to pinterest for the ideas and to ebay for some cool finds.

Merry Christmas Eve everyone.

spreading joy

Ok...so here is my top secret Christmas DIY this year.

Only one friend who I know reads this should not be reading it yet...
You know who you are dear sweet Kimberle...so please don't read on.

I wanted to share that I discovered these adorable cheese spreaders a good couple of months ago on etsy.

Thought they were adorable!!!

But the $45-$54 dollar price tag per set was a bit high.

I thought they'd make such adorable hostess and Christmas gifts.

And I kept thinking of different people I'd love to give them to.

But truly the first person who inspired my wanting to get them is my sweet husband.

You see he and I both have a weakness for cheese.

Particularly brie and blue.  He is the one who got me to like blue cheese.  It's an acquired taste.

Back after we had Jackson, when we realized going out on a date night couldn't always happen.

We'd make our own little wine and cheese parties right at home.

So the cheese spreaders seemed perfect for him.

I'm very into gifts that are meaningful and when they're handmade, even better.

I asked a friend if I could borrow her metal stamp set.

She informed me that they're really not that expensive and gave me links to a couple of resources.

I did some research and actually wound up buying from this shop on etsy.  She was super helpful.

Oh and where to find the knives?

Ebay of course.

I'm like a giddy school girl when I win an auction on ebay.

Of course my husband always reminds me, "You're BUYING...not winning."

But still when it's a great deal...it means giddiness for me.

And aren't all those different designs just gorgeous!

I scored a lot of thirteen vintage butter knives awhile back.

I should confess I was totally nervous when it came down to actually hitting the hammer to the
metal.  I didn't buy anything to practice with so my husband's set was my 'test' set.  I did make some errors.  Like that p that slipped there.

But it's ok.  By the second and third set I was figuring out what pressure worked best and how to align them better.

This set went to my sister and her sweet family.

And this as a hostess gift to my friend who was hosting the fabulous scarf exchange party on Saturday.

I know I'm digressing, but here are some pictures of the food and decorations.

So sweet & yummy!

Now back to the spreaders...
I took a free downloadable gift tag design (it's killing me I can't find the source at the moment...for all I know it could have been from tatertots and jello, when I do find it, I'll add a link here).  I altered the design a bit, had to make it bigger to fit my 5x7 bags, changed to my latest favorite font and added the dotted border.   The fact that the basic design was already done was perfect!

And now I'm hooked.

I just need to do some more hunting on ebay.

I love the idea of spreading a little more peace, love, and joy to friends and family.

I'm linking to tatertots and jello handmade gift party ... head over there for more DIY inspiration!


266. stamping success
267. giving gifts
268. stoves purchased for families in haiti...check out the adventure project - it's awesome!
269. a sickie at home which means laying low
270. making old school paper chains for the holidays
        with aforementioned sickie at home.
271. 6 1/2 days of school left before Christmas break
272. a visit from our new nephew/cousin
273. tears of sadness from my sensitive 6 year old seeing him leave
274. an afternoon out by myself
275. christmas shows this week and next