Tip #1 It's a wrap!

Does this drive you crazy?If you are like me, you try to save every piece of paper for "just in case" sizes. After some time you find you have a slew of small scraps you just cant throw out and your roll wont stay put.Grab yourself that pair of pantyhose that has the run in it...you know the pair. FYI...these are NOT my fishnets ha! Take your scraps and just wrap them around the roll. No need to tape and waste because the hose will hold everything snug.

Tuck the "booty" part in the hole of your paper rolls and your hose will stay up and keep those wrinkles from getting the best of your paper. Now that's how to get a legs up on your holiday wrapping...har har~
     Holiday tips to be cont.~

Susie in the Houzz!!!!

Guess who is over at the Houzz for a visit? Come on over and take a peek into my home,you just might walk away with a 50.00 gift card to Target~

No sew vintage stockings~

Because many of you can sew and...well...I cannot,I am going to show all of you no sew'rs how to get this done! Just for the record.. the stockings that I sold at the show were sewn by my sweet sister.

Get yourself a hand drawn pattern. I used birthday paper!

Double your fabric and cut along your pattern.

Face the correct side facing one another and use a small line of fabric glue to your edges like so...

Stop about four inches before the top . This will be your cuff. (I forgot to mention while drawing your pattern ,draw your stocking extra long to include your cuff)

After your glue is dry ,cut your edges so they will lay smooth.

When you turn your stocking right side out it your seem should look like this.

Now take your cuff and clip that little hem on each side.

Like this!

Then glue the edges together. Remember to glue it on the right side. When you turn your cuff down you do not want to see any rough edges.

It should then look like this!

I like to fray my cuff  a bit. You will then need to glue or sew your hanger and rosettes at this time.

Now for all of you talented ladies that can sew please ...no hatin' on our glued stockings. I have not tested the weight limit that fabric glue will hold but they sure do look good...smile~ My kids have their own special stocking given to them at birth so we have no weight limit worries here. Enjoy~

Farewell craftshows...it's been fun!

Im giving thanks today for many reasons. This weekend was my last craft show and for that I am thankful!After many years of trying to get my booth to look just right I finally succeeded.For that I was thankful!So many of the vendors that I have met are now great friends. For that I am thankful! I now look forward to throwing that old Ez-up tent away. For that I am VERY thankful!One of the greatest things about blogging is when you get to meet some of your friends. This weekend meeting a few new friends ranked at the top of my list. I had the joy of painting a few signs for Miss Heather and was able to meet her and her two adorable girls.I also had the pleasure to meet up with  Sweet Miss Bobbie from 40shadesofpink. I just thought I was short,Ha! She is just as pretty as she is tall~ I also enjoyed chatting with Marty.She is going to show us how to use a very neat paint product. I cant wait to share more of that with all of you soon. Get your brushes ready! Friends....for they make me thankful!Now what do you do when it starts getting late and the crowd fades? You squish your tushies together in one chair and take funny pictures with your sister.Why is it in every picture she looked like a model and I looked like I had gopher teeth?....I love her to the moon and back...(for her I am thankful)!Want a little preview of our next DIY?

Any guesses? Do you have your roses ready?

DIY Fabric Rosettes and More!

Have you been like me and just loved on those adorable fabric roses and wanted to make some of your own? Well today wait no longer! I have no idea if this is the correct way but it worked for me and so I will pass it on to you. FYI ...you will need these lil darlings for our next project too~

Cut some strips of fabric about the width and length of your yard stick.

Fold it over and pin along your strip of fabric.

After you have your strip all set start at the end and roll it up snug. As you go you will want to run your needle and thread into the center to hold your rosette together.

As you go round and round with your strip just run your needle into the center ....repeat as you roll ...

Dont worry about your under side..no one will see it so it can be a bit messy.

As you come to the end you will start getting looser and looser with your folds.

I even allowed the fold of fabric to open and fray a bit.

At the end of your strip just fold over the end and sew to the bottom of your rosette

You can see here how I started out snug in the middle and by the end I had nice loose folds.

I dont think there is ever a right or wrong way when it's made from the heart~
      I will be using these rosettes real soon....stay tuned!    Ps..sweet commentors...please excuse my absence in returning comments these last few days. On top of the upcoming show my daughter decided it would be a nice time to get sick. So instead of blogging I have been loving on my sweet one. Im sure you understand and know that I will get right back to you as soon as I can. Miss chatting with all of you~

All That Glitters....

It's the small things that matter to me. Like tags, some may not even notice that they exist but I sure do. I love how they add that something extra to the gift. I love when people take the time to write a hand written note. Just makes me feel all special inside.Just by adding a bit of glitter,you can turn that tag into a small piece of art. I make all of my tags but you dont have to make your own to make it special. Christmas tags from the store can be beautified with glitter just as easy!I'm getting ready for a Christmas show this weekend so I thought I would add some pretty price tags to  my goodies. Who isnt tempted by a pretty price tag...right?Now adding glitter doent have to be a big deal. Just a small touch here and there works perfect. In fact ,sometimes just a dot will do ya!I'ts so easy...just trace the lines....and once it dries....oh so pretty!

Now for that winner of the Vintage Keys sign....Lori Lucas from lorilucas.blogspot.com .Congrats Lori! I cant thank all of you enough for helping me out last week. Another giveaway will be coming soon~

Brown paper packages...

Brown paper packages tied up with string. These are just a few of my favorite things.This weekend I added a little holiday cheer to the cottage considering I will be spending way too much time in there from now till Christmas. I almost feel like Im in Santas workshop while Im working in the cottage. Christmas music now fills the air and I think my cottage friends like it just fine.

Speaking of cottage friends... Kaylee came home with a very tiny bundle of joy. Please meet our newest member to the cottage...her name is Heidi Ray (she is not a kitty but a very tiny puppy). She has already found her place nestled in while I work. Alley is loving on her just fine but Lola is having a rough time getting used to her being the new baby. Im sure she will adjust after some time and special kitty treats.
    Guess you may be wondering who the winner is for the giveaway last week. I'm off to do that now and will announce it soon. Thank all of you for being so kind and helping me out. You guys rock..really~

I'm back!

I think my blog is all better now~ Thanks to each and every one of you that helped me out. If you want to add yourself to my friends connect that would be great! I think I have it working again as well. I would also love it if you want to subscribe...If you skip down a post or two you will see a giveaway for one of my vintage keys...that's how much I appreciate all of you. Good Luck~

A small favor...

I have just burned a new feed and would love for someone to try it out. All you have to do is subscribe on the sidebar and let me know if it worked. I need to find out if it links you back here with an updated post. Thanks guys! Susie

A giveaway! (update)!!!

Thank you for sticking with me during this mess I have created for myself. I cant seem to update my post for those of you that subscribe. That is eating my lunch! I have taken my friends connect off because it is no longer working. You may still see me on your reader but it will be an old post. If any of you have suggestions Im all open. Till now I will just blog my little heart out in hopes that yall will still find me.
Talk about getting back to the basics! Im starting from scratch and you know what ...that's ok. It's good to stay humble and not worry about numbers...just friends and the looks of it ,my good friends are still with me. That's what I love so much about yall. I will leave this post up for a bit so everyone will get a chance to enter for the giveaway and maybe find out what's going on around these parts. Till then...love yall...Susie~