Do You Have an Elf on a Shelf?

Do you have an Elf on a Shelf?  Maybe you have a newer one, or maybe, like me you have a vintage elf? I found this little crew of retro Christmas elves a few years ago in a Seattle thrift store -- the whole bag was only $1.99!

We didn't actually have this type of little pixie elf on our tree when I was growing up.  My mom thought they were tacky. Instead, we had yarn Santas and yarn angels -- you know, the high class stuff.

Make a Pretty Pompom Garland from Vintage Book Pages

The other day I shared how to make the world's easiest  word  banner.  In that post, the word banner was layered with a pretty pompom garland.

The pompom garland is pretty simple, too!

The World's Easiest Word Banner

Sometimes you only have five minutes to spare, but that's all you need to create a little JOY banner like this one!

This project couldn't be easier, and you don't need any fancy machines or expensive materials.

Weave a Celtic Inspired Star from Vintage Book Pages

I think you all know how much I love working with vintage book pages.... and I'm pretty sure most of you know I love to weave traditional Scandinavian stars from folded strips of vintage book pages, right?  Well, last Christmas, my husband and I were at an Irish pub on the coast, listening to a favorite Irish band, when I started to notice the lovely Celtic crosses all around.

I thought it would be fun to weave a Celtic cross design into one of the woven stars I was making.  I LOVE how it turned out! I think it looks great made completely from vintage book pages, but maybe next time I will use a contrasting material for the cross portion. What are your thoughts on that?

Make a Driftwood Sailboat Ornament

My friend and I made some darling little sailboats on one of her visits out to the Pacific Northwest. We had so much fun beach combing and talking, and thrifting and talking, and crafting and talking.

Here is how you can make your own sailboat ornaments!

Ideas for Displaying Children's Art

A couple of years ago I shared about our art collection. We have a giant portfolio of our children's artwork. At one point, years ago, the art lined the walls of our breakfast room.

It made our kiddos feel so good about themselves to have their work displayed so prominently in our home!

Of course, our kiddos are all in their twenties now, and they don't really care if I hang their childhood artwork, but I think I want to hang a few select pieces -- maybe incorporate them into a gallery wall of other art or family pictures.

If you want to display your own collection, but are not sure where to start, here are some beautiful art installations for inspiration!

How to Bring Vintage Industrial Style into Your Home

As urban populations continue to grow, we are going to continue seeing residential areas expanding to abandoned factory buildings. More and more, people are recognizing and appreciating the need to preserve our history and our resources through adaptive re-use.

Of course, not everyone can live in a downtown factory loft, so here are a few ways to bring that look and feel into your own home!

Reclaimed Wood Projects

We are trying to decide on a new dining table for the beach house. While we've been making do with a big oval Queen Anne table, from our old Queen Anne bungalow, it doesn't really "fit" in a contemporary rustic beach house. Don't worry,  we won't throw it into a landfill -- we will donate it to a local charity shop when we replace it. We are considering having something custom made from reclaimed wood.

 Do you just love all the gorgeous things folks are making from reclaimed wood?

Christmas Swedish Advent Star -- A New Variation

I never get tired of folk art, vintage paper, or Christmas! 

Seriously, an heirloom ornament for inspiration, some Christmas carols, an old book and some glue = my happy place.  I first shared how I make woven advent stars from folded strips of vintage paper in this post.

I shared a picture of my dear friend's family heirloom woven star, as well as some history and important copyright information in this post.

Ideas for the Thanksgiving Kid's Table

I will confess that I have never gone overboard decorating for Thanksgiving. Beyond a door wreath and some mums on the porch steps, Thanksgiving decor is usually limited to the tablescape. How about you? Do you decorate the whole house, or keep things pretty simple?  Whenever possible, we kept the kiddos at the big table, but some years there just wasn't space, and having a kid's table gave the cousins a chance to build their own special memories and bonds.

Here are a few ideas and links for decorating kid's tables with treats and activities.