paper ball ornament

my dear friend linda (think: “in the making design”) had this pattern available to purchase once upon a time. 

(sniff..  sniff…)

so I had to make due, and figure one out with these papers, that I am, again, obsessed with!

 

so I started out, using my cricut and using some bad words, cutting 3 inch circles.  linda suggests starting with 2 inch guys, but I wanted a big guy.  so I went three inches.

you need 20 circles.  twenty.

after you have your circles all cut out, or punched, then you start to score.  the trick is to score an equilateral triangle, perfectly in the middle of the circle, with the three points touching the edges of the circle.

I would not/could not do this without my martha stewart scoring board. 

thank you george (he’s the voice in my iPhone, sometime I will tell you all of the funny things he’s done/said).

use your bone folder to make those creases SHARP.  this makes things easier later on.

now there are a few tricks to getting those darn equilateral triangles the right size for your circle guys.  you need your triangle to be about 1/2 inch smaller than your circle.  so my triangle for my 3 inch guy was 2 1/2 inches, but the triangle for my 2 inch circle was 1 3/4 inches.  see, no exact math, but wikipedia did help out, a lot.  and now I feel guilty about not donating to their cause…

linda had an awesome template that printed right out on her “be merry” papers, but like I said before,  that was once upon a time.  (why did she have to retire?  well, I really know why..  totally support and love your guts linda, just still a little sad.)

so I guess I will just make one…

 

(click on it to download.  you can adjust the opacity as needed to hide it better on your paper when you print.)

so now you have 20 cute little cut and scored circles…  or maybe 10?  why did I take that picture?

next step is to start gluing.  I like tombow mono multi liquid glue.  LOVE IT!!

start with five cut and scored circles for the top, and five more for the bottom.

you will glue them so the points all go to the middle.  it will look kinda like a lid.

(and eating white chocolate peppermint m&ms seems to help out too..)

do this for the top and bottom, and then set them aside.

you will take the remaining 10 cut and scored circles, and start gluing them to each other so it makes a band of sorts.

put glue on your tabs on one side of the band, and attach the top, then do the same for the bottom.

cute, right?

you can always add a bit or ribbon or string so you can hang them if desired.

many thanks to linda for her inspiration.

(xoxoxxooxxxx linda!!!)

I know I am not done making these.  pretty sure they will be filler everywhere around my house!

my cute little trees.

for these guys, I bought styrofoam cones from the craft store (used my app for some pretty awesome coupons!!), and also purchased some sheet moss.

now let me tell you how much I love this stuff!! 

I love it!!!

it is so much fun to work with.  while it is a bit messy, it is not nearly as messy as loose moss.  not nearly I tell you!!  I have used it a few times.   Making my own moss balls, and let’s not forget my moss covered “P”.

I covered the cones with the moss, gluing with my hot glue gun, trimming as I went.

after they were all covered with the moss, I used some other items from my stash to liven them up a bit.  I used some small, “i-top” brads (LOVE my i-top!!),  papers from the “winter wonderland” paper collection by heidi swapp + jessica sprague, small silver ric-rac, some decorative upholstery nails..

and some enamel paint.

one little tree, I left the upholstery nails silver, but on my taller tree next to the canvas, and the smaller one on my computer desk, I painted the upholstery nails with the enamel paint.  I simply painted it on, and let them dry.  I didn’t bake them or anything, although that is what this paint is meant for.

and these are the little “ornaments” that were made with the “i-top”.

the best way to describe this tool is that it is like a button cover kit you would use for sewing.  same concept, you just get a brad back instead of a looped button back.

pretty easy to use, and I have used it on so many things!!

the last little tree with the small ric-rac, I used straight pins to attach the ric-rac securely to the tree.

I just gotta say, it’s a little merry around here!

a little in love…

or maybe obsessed is the more appropriate word?

with this paper:

yes, “obsessed”.

I started this project LAST YEAR.  does that give you any indication as to what life is like here?  okay, okay, I kind of like to stick to working on projects in their proper season..  it just seems to work out better that way for me.  so I left it for, well, last week.

but it was just the thing to get me in the mood for christmas!

it all started, last year, when I decided to move around the furniture in the house.  this table was relocated from the entryway, to the end of our little hallway.  but above the table, smack in the middle of the wall, was a very ill-placed light switch. 

yes, that is what I call it.  now, I realize why the light switch is there, so a person, coming out of a bedroom door or the bathroom, would both be able to access it easily, but seriously?  right where it was?  I have two other switches to control these same lights, by the way.  so this one was going to get covered. 

I even googled:  “ill-placed light switch” and found some solutions, but this one hit me quicker. 

a gallery-wrapped canvas.  it’s deep enough to cover that light switch, but also serves a pretty fun purpose.

we have an everyday canvas with a line from a favorite song, but I wanted a fun one for Christmas.

I made one with this same movie quote last year, but decided quickly after I finished it (which was on the 23rd of december), that I hated it.  the font was all wrong.  the lettering slanted downward, slowly, and nobody else seemed to notice, until I pointed it out.  so this year, I re-painted it, and redid the lettering. 

I can admit, while cutting out the stencil with my cricut, I said a few bad words, but that situation will soon be remedied…

I WON A PORTRAIT!!!!!

ahem.

I love this quote…  I even bought a shirt that says it.

I had to have this little pennant banner draped across the top.

and loved it so much I added it to my latest favorite thrifty find, my $2 window.

(sidenote:  “logical lynnie” thinks my window is stupid.  she claims it was a waste of my money.  I think it’s dumb that they didn’t put my kitchen sink at a wall where there could be a window.  seriously, the things they should have consulted me on when they were building this house, even though it wasn’t mine, then.  I would much rather look out of a window than at a wall.  but “logical lynnie” says:  “mom, you are looking at a wall still…  you wasted $2.”)

and then the same pennant banner HAD to be added to my “joy to the world” art.

this frame has another everyday version.  the tidbit of a song lyric that goes here is from cat stevens.  “oooh baby, baby, it’s a wild world.”  I happen to love it.  no one else seems to really. 

(and by “no one”, I mean merrill.  so whatever.)

these trees got some imaginesce “i-top” brads, made with more of that darling paper, as ornaments.

and then there are the paper balls that I also happen to be overly obsessed with.  love my pinecones + glitter. 

(I have threatened my children with their very lives if they mess with these..)

can anybody guess what is in the white bowl there?

(that is all that I have been thinking/talking about on instagram, I swear it!!)

then, there’s my gordman’s globe, awesome find, and my “hooter” from scentsy.  I think he was july’s warmer of the month, I knew he had to come and live here as soon as I saw him.  isn’t he cute?

tutes for the paper balls and how I adorned my trees will be up soon!!

monday’s aren’t all that bad…

so I propose that we start this week off with some excitement!!
what do you think?
good, glad you agree.
I am not sure if it can get any more exciting than this little tidbit.
(and by “little tidbit”, I really mean HUGE AWESOME MOST EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT EVER!!!)

let me preface this by stating the fact that I own a few (ahem..) books of darling american crafts rub-ons.  I bought them by twos.  my fault for naming my kids what I did.  they all have letters in common, I need the rub-ons!! 

(yes, rub-ons are still relevant in my book..)
I also have a little stash of american crafts paper..  don’t judge the stuff that is old, and I just haven’t found a project “worthy” enough to use it on.

let’s not discuss the spools (capital S belongs on the end of that doosy) of ribbon I own. 

yowsa.  only three spools on those top two sections aren’t american crafts….
so it was kinda sorta a match made in heaven when I got an email (most exciting one in a long time) inviting me (ME!!!) to be on the american crafts creative team.
you heard me right. 
american crafts.
as of today, they have a site where you, lucky, lucky little you, can go and buy your favorite traditional goodies, digitized!!!

what do I mean by favorite goodies?
think:  becky higgins project life, american crafts, crate paper, pebbles, amy tan!!!
hop on over, sign up for the email list, grab a freebie,  buy stuff at 25% off, and have a chance at winning some AWESOME stuff!!
I have had the fun of playing with some of these products in advance…

here's one with the amy tangerine's "ready set go" kit.
(other elements: stitching- anna aspnes; "x" stitches and staples- crystal wilkerson; frame- kitschy digitals.)
a happy  monday indeed!!

kolar

this sweet baby belongs to two of my friends from school.

once upon a time, someone thought this cute dad and I were twins.  it has kind of stuck, and when we talk to each other, the first thing that comes out of either of our mouths is, “hey twin!!”

mom is just as darling and sweet as ever.  it’s nice that even though the years may pass, friendships never go away.

these two have been in love ever since I can remember, and it is fun to see what a cute family they have now, and that they are more in love than ever!!

this guy was a dream to take photos of.  it was difficult, to say the least, to narrow down my favorites.

(sorry if you end up baby hungry by the end of this post.  we can commiserate.)

it’s that time.

what time, you ask?

time to get your advent on.

(among other things on my list.)

remember last year’s advent?

no?

whelp, here you go.

not to mention it was spotted and liked just a little bit.  I was featured at the crafty blogstalker.  (!!!!)

she has the perfect help for anyone planning on doing an advent for this all too fast approaching christmas season.  darling ideas there I tell you!!

a decade.

lynn is 10 today.

ten.

just in case you didn’t get that….

(!!!!)

she keeps reminding us about this annual increase by sating things like: I’m in the double digits!!” or, “I have been alive for a whole decade!!”.

she is a little excited.

please, someone explain to me why she is so happy, when I am so sad.

I am happy, don’t mistake my joy for sadness, but seriously, just where exactly, has the past ten years gone?  and while you are answering my questions, tell me why it went so fast.

(there is a little bit of mourning going on at this house.)

but really..

I am so thankful for this girl!

I was SO.FREAKED.OUT. to find out that we were having a girl.  SOFREAKEDOUT!!  turns out it isn’t that bad.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.

she is our designated babysitter, and she is pretty awesome at it.

she is always helping.  (even when it isn’t a mandated punishment for flooding my bathroom.  what?  you haven’t heard that story yet?  I must document it soon.)  she is always asking what she can help with.  as my life has seemed to increase in the level of craziness, she is always the one to help me out when she can see that I am about to blow.  as I was getting ready for a book club meeting, she vacuumed the house, cleaned the bathroom, and tidied the living room.  she just knew I was going to lose it, I swear! 

she is pretty good about rolling with the punches with our “experimental parenting”.  she is the oldest, and sometimes, she gets the newest of stuff tested out on her.  if we don’t screw her up completely, she will be an incredible mother.  she will remember the tried and true.

but about that whole “being a mother” bit, she says she doesn’t want to do that.  she doesn’t even want to get married!  she wants to live with me and merrill forever and take care of us.

she will ever be a bookworm, and I love it.

she is eager and so excited to learn how to do many new things.  her latest is laundry, but she loves to cook with me.  she was my little assistant making thanksgiving dinner.

while I am emotional, a little sad, looking back on all of those pictures that I love of her as my little girl, I am so thankful at the same time.  so thankful to be her mother, to be a part of her everyday life, to see the sweet young woman that she is growing up to be.

happy birthday sweet lynnie-lou!!  I love you.

p.s. thanks for being so cool with me and dad when you opened your new walkie-talkie set and we were awesome and forgot to buy batteries for them.  your patience is quite impressive!