Repost ~ A Christmas Organizer

I thought this might be a good time to repost an organizer that I made two years ago.  I found it very helpful for keeping gift lists, food lists/menus, Christmas card lists, etc., organized and easy to find.   Plus, it’s a lot of fun to pull together the papers and embellishments and customize it for yourself {or even as a gift!}.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

My Manila Folder Planner & A Great Gift Idea

I saw this great project over at Pixie Dust and Heather did a great tutorial on how to make this planner. From her blog, I was brought to They Call Me Jammi's blog, who also made a great planner and provided a tutorial. I have not provided a tutorial, because I don't think you need to know how to get Mod Podge in your hair.

Here is my first go at this planner. I decided to do a Christmas one for myself and knew it would come in handy for all the bits and pieces of paper I write things on, stuff in my pocketbook and then find months later.

I used 4 Christmas scrapbook papers and alternated them throughout the project. This is not done yet, but is 75% completed. Here is the front.

I used a lot of these little holiday chipboard pieces that I picked up in a box from Michaels {37 pieces for $5.99 and I had a coupon}.

Here is the inside {or what it looks like opened} with the pockets.

Update today: When I did add the ribbon, I attached it with glue so that when I untied the folder, I didn’t lose the ribbon.  A fun and functional project!

My Thank You Giveaway is running through December 1st! Don’t forget to enter!

Kathy

Thank You Giveaway

This Giveaway has ended.

I am finally able to schedule my thank you giveaway {or Merci Giveaway} for everyone who put up with my posts leading up to our move from New York to Ohio.  It was stressful, tense, exciting and anxiety producing all at the same time!  So, thank you, my friends, for putting up with me!

I’ve been putting together quite a few things, and there may be a few surprises other than what I’m showing you here.  I teased you a couple of months ago with these pillows.

Next there is this great tote.  It is recycled and makes for a nice size bag to bring to work or for shopping.

This little French notebook.  The pages are unlined and ready for your words of wisdom or just jotting down that phone number.  There are also two pockets, in the front and back covers, for those loose pieces of paper.  Perfect for your purse or car.

This unframed French print. 

A piece of blue and brown toile.  The blue is more of an aqua and there is probably enough to get a pillow out of it.

To enter this giveaway, please leave me a comment telling me about a blog post of mine {prior to this one} that you liked.   If you are a “quiet” follower or reader, this would be a great time for you to speak up and leave a comment.  Again, there may be a few little surprises added in to this package as well.

For additional entries, you can:

• Take my giveaway button, put it on your sidebar with a link back here and come back and let me know in a separate comment;
• Blog about this giveaway with a link back here, come back and let me know in a separate comment;
• Tweet about this giveaway, come back and let me know in a separate comment.

Due to shipping costs, this giveaway will be restricted to the U.S. and will end on December 1, 2011, midnight EST.  You do not need to have a blog, but you need to leave me an email address for contact.  Winner will have 48 hours to confirm their win or another winner will be chosen.

This Giveaway has ended.

Kathy

The button graphic is from Free Pretty Things For You.

Christmas Decorating Begins!

This is what I’m doing this weekend, probably as so many of you are.   Gathering the Fall stuff to be put away.

Getting all the Christmas stuff out.  Not sure what’s going  where yet, but I did manage to decide on putting the tree in front of the living room window.  Thankfully, my son is visiting and I asked him to help me get the Christmas boxes that were put up in the attic.

Some Christmas music on the radio and I am good to go!  I’ll be back when I come up for air and get a good amount of this done.  I’d like to knock it all out by this weekend.  Then it will be on to helping my daughter decorate her house!

I love opening up my boxes and bins every year because sometimes I forget what I have!  I find that happens especially when I’ve bought something on clearance and it is pretty much packed away as soon as I get it home.  Do you ever forget what you have? 

I’ll be posting my “Thank You Giveaway” on Sunday, so I hope you’ll come back and enter!

Kathy

Shabby Apple Giveaway Winner

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you are all enjoying great food and great times with your friends and loved ones today!  I’m just popping in to announce the winner of the Shabby Apple Giveaway for the Izzie Skirt.

The winner, via random.org, is

mindyvol

Congratulations!

I will be emailing you, but if you see this post before I do, please send me your complete mailing address and the size skirt you’d like.  I’ll send all the information onto Shabby Apple!

I’ll let you all get back to letting out that waistband now.

Kathy

Goodwill Finds

Finally!  My fourth trip to the Goodwill here in Ohio seemed to be the charm.  I finally found some things in their home section. I was starting to give up on this place!  Here’s a group photo ~ taken cloudy day and all.

I went with my daughter as she was looking for some sweaters to make a “pixie coat” and I had stuff to donate anyway.  Not thinking I’d find anything, I first came across this sweet little white creamer.

No sugar bowl, but that’s okay by me.  For $2.49, I grabbed it up.  Then I saw this cute little ceramic urn with a plastic Christmas tree.  It’s no bottle brush tree, but I thought I’d spray it with some adhesive and let the glitter fly.  It’s gotta wind up looking better than it does now.  For $1.99 I figured it was worth trying.

A small stand for $2.59.  Not sure what this might have been for originally, but I thought one of my cloches might fit on top of it.  I think this needs a quick spray paint and it will be good to go. 

This great decorative box.  I thought this might work on either the top of my kitchen cabinets or my daughter’s so I picked it up.  A good buy, I thought, at $3.99.

I was really happy to see that they had some  stuff this time.  This Goodwill seems to be 75-80% clothes, where the one I used to visit on Long Island was about 50-50 for clothes/home stuff.  I told my daughter they should have more home stuff now ~ I’ve only dropped off donations three times already!

Kathy

Dressing Up Drapes

I am working with a slate blue color in the guest room in our new place.  I finally found a way that I can work with it!  Here is a before:

Before I show you the whole room and the bedding I wound up getting, I wanted to show you the drapes I made for the window.  I had envisioned how I wanted them to look and am pleased with the way they came out.   I bought two chocolate brown panels and two slate blue swirl panels from Hobby Lobby.  It was about $11.99 per panel.

I decided to use the brown drape as my “base” and I cut four pieces from the 96 inch long, slate blue panel {at about 23 inches long}.  I sewed them together width-wise so that I then had two long pieces.  I pinned the slate blue to the brown after measuring up from the bottom.  These are at 23 inches {up from the bottom}.  I pinned it like this.

I kept the measuring tape handy so I could measure as I went along to make sure it stayed at 23 inches all the way down the line.

You are basically “ruffling” it as you pin.  Flip it down to make sure it falls to the bottom edge before you sew it in place. 

I then sewed it on.  I thought I would cut the brown off once I sewed that, but you can’t even see it, so I just left it.

I glued on the trim with Liquid Stitch.

For the top, I took my second slate blue scrolly panel and cut off the top and bottom {about 14 inches}.  I pinned the piece face down to the “right” side of the drape like I did the skirt.  Sewed that in place.  Then flip it up and over to the other side ~ covering the grommets ~ and sewed that.  I tried to keep it in line with the first stitching but another trim here will cover all that.

This gave me a little bit extra at the top for the clip ring and proper hanging length.

Just needs some trim here now that will cover where the two fabrics meet.

Done! They did come out as I envisioned them and they are one-of-a-kind! 

I love that the bottom looks like a fancy skirt.

I had to bring my hubby’s shop light in to get some decent pictures!

Closed over.

Not too shabby for the lazy version! 

Once I get the room looking as close to how I want as possible, I’ll show you the bedding, too. 

Linking up with

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Fall Into Fall at DIY by Design

Textile Party at Freckled Laundry

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Kathy

Sneak Peek & A Giveaway

The giveaway has ended.

I had to put my sunroom panels on hold to get on with the panels I wanted to do in the guest bedroom.  My son is coming for Thanksgiving!  While I still need to finish up with a picture or two, and decide what I want to do on the bed wall, I’m pretty happy with the way this room is coming along.   Here is a sneak peek at the one drapery panel I finished in here.

I’ll have a more detailed post once I get the second one done.   I wanted to complete one to make sure it was going to come out the way I envisioned it. 

Meanwhile, I have a Shabby Apple giveaway to offer you!  It was hard to decide which of the options to choose but I’ve chosen the Izzie skirt.  If you hit the warmer climates during the Winter months, or even if you just wait until it’s warmer your way, I think this skirt works well for casual or work wear.  Shabby Apple also has quite a nice collection of women’s dresses.

To enter this giveaway you MUST like Shabby Apple on Facebook.  This is a required mandatory entry.   Please leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so.

You can also enter by:

• Blogging or putting this giveaway on your sidebar, come back and let me know in a separate comment;
• Tweeting about this giveaway, come back and let me know in a separate comment.

You can still enter if you do not have a blog, but you must leave an email address in your comment for contact.  Winner will be chosen via random.org.  This giveaway will end on November 22, 2011.  Winner will have 48 hours to confirm or another winner will be selected.

Giveaway has ended.

I have not received anything from Shabby Apple for hosting this giveaway.

Kathy

Thrifty Finds

Since moving to Ohio, I’ve made an “in real life” friend in Sue from Sullivan and Murphy.  Sue contacted me to get together shortly after we moved here and this past Thursday was the second time that we met up.  Sue has been very generous in sharing her favorite shopping haunts with me.  Here are some of the things I found on this trip.

I found this great looking pedestal in one shop Sue took me to.  It was only $21.99 and is quite tall.    I’m not really sure what or where I’m going to put it {probably the master bedroom} and the top is large enough to hold a cloche, which is giving me lots of ideas.

At the same place was a large glass jar filled with Scrabble tiles; $.25 a letter!  I started to pull out letters to spell “Creative”, but there was no “C” to be found.  I bought the “reative” anyway, thinking I can pick up a “C” somewhere.  I also pulled out “JOY” figuring I could use it somewhere for the holidays. 

My final find on this trip is this great red, sectioned wood carrying tray.  I think I’m going to leave it red and put it on my coffee table, decorated for Christmas.  At $14.99 I thought this was a great buy! 

Linking up with

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Tuesday’s Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Treasure Hunt Thurs. at From My Front Porch To Yours

Kathy

Easy Canvas Prints ~ Winners

The winners of the Easy Canvas Prints gift cards

are ~ via random.org

The first winner is

#14 Sherry from At No Minimalist Here

Congratulations, Sherry!  I will be emailing you for your mailing address to mail you your $50.00 worth of gift cards.

The second winner is

#26 Deb {chedeb5353}

Congratulations, Deb!  I will also be emailing you for your mailing address to mail you your $50.00 worth of gift cards.

Enjoy!

If you ladies see this before I get to email you {I’ll be out and about today}, please feel free to send it to me directly at kathyp{at}creativehomeexpressions{dot}com.

Kathy

Panels For The Sunroom

I have seen several variations of adding fabric to ready made drapes to get the length you need or even just to customize them more for your home.  I bought this fabric a few months before we moved to fix some panels I had that were falling apart at the top.  Since I don’t have to do that anymore, I decided to use them for stationery panels I want to do for the sunroom.

It is double-sided and I chose to go with the cream background and rust pattern {the other side is a rust background and cream pattern}.  I found decent priced panels at Hobby Lobby in a similar cream color.  They are 84 inches long and I need about 92 inches for the sunroom windows.

There are seven windows in this sunroom and that adds up to a lot of money for drapes!  Since they are going to be stationery panels, I slashed down how many panels I actually need ~ eight panels, but I only need to buy four because I’m going to cut them in half lengthwise.

I went neutral, basically, because I am hoping to paint this sunroom from its current green color.  I’m leaning toward Restrained Gold; I liked the way it looked on Becca’s walls.  Since we are waiting until after Christmas I have some time.  I’m going to pull the paint sample from my case and see how it looks with the fabric and all.

I decided to add my fabric to the top because I want to see it when I am both in the room and when I look into the room.  I figured that while it would look just as nice at the bottom, I’d like seeing it more at the top.

I also found this trim at Hobby Lobby and, while I sewed the fabrics, I used Liquid Stitch to apply the trim.  I applied that to the seam where the fabrics meet.

I just tacked these up on the wall with pushpins to get an idea of how they would look.  They will look more like the one to the right side of the picture since I had three drapery rings on that one and only two on the left one.

I found some interesting options to use to hook the drapery rings onto, but I want to get the panels done before I get those. Two panels down, six to go!  They are on hold at the moment though, because I need to skip ahead to the guest bedroom drapes.  My son is coming to visit for Thanksgiving!

Kathy