Garlands for Valentine's Day.

Here are all my garlands for Valentine's day.  I added the red bead garland today.

One More Valentine Decoration

   I like to hang garlands from two set of spotlights in my ceiling for holidays and seasons.  It's a great way to keep decorations from prying kitty noses and paws.  I found some ultra cute red gingham hearts at Hobby Lobby yesterday and I had to have them to make a garland for Valentine's Day (even though they were not on sale).

   These hearts needed loops and I know the easy way would be to get some red ribbon and glue that to the hearts, but I don't have any pretty red ribbon, so today at 5:00 a.m. I was rooting around in my fabric stash looking for some red fabric to make loops.  I wasn't sure I would find any because I don't have a lot of red fabric because of the dye running issues it has, so I usually stay away from red. 

   I was lucky I found a piece of red with tiny white polka dots on it in and that became the fabric for my loops.  I cut the fabric into 2" x 4" pieces and folded it up, ironed them, and sewed the folded edge closed..  I plugged in the glue gun and glued the ends together to make the loops and glued the loops onto the back of the hearts.  This project took about an hour and a half from fabric finding to finish.  So easy, fun and adorable.  I'll be stringing these up with some jute twine.

Happy New Year! Welcome 2020!

 It's January 1st, the start of a new year.  I have lots of projects on my list to do but I can now cross one of them off.  Last night I finished crocheting all the stars for my garland, I measured the window and put it up.  I crocheted 12 white cotton stars and 12 twine stars.  I'm really happy with this.

     The stars are decorating the living room window that have new drapes made from drop cloths (no sew).  I put these up last weekend.  Of course, I found the idea of drop cloth curtains on Youtube and fell in love.  I like the idea of the large pieces of material without sewing and the cost can't be beat.  Several people take the step of bleaching the drop cloths (make sure the cloths are 100% cotton to do this) but I like the linen look to them and left them the original color. 

     I used two 6' x 9' cloths to cover this window.  The materials cost $31.80.  I bought two drop cloths at $9.97 each at Walmart (there was no listing on the package as to what the material was, so I was careful when I washed and ironed but they washed and ironed like cotton) and two packs of rings with clips with seven clips in each package at $5.93 each. 

    They did shrink a bit in the preparation, so I had to measure them because there will be extra materials at the top that you fold it over so it looks like a decorative element.  You want that section to be even.  Most everyone has their overhang showing in the room but since I wanted to add my star garland, I placed my overhang on the window side of the drapes so you don't see it unless the sun is shining in. 

Christmas Has Come And Gone But I'm Not Done Making Decorations

I can't believe how many cute ideas I found to distract me this year.  I'm still working on several projects that are Christmas related.  I'm afraid that I will be Christmas crafting into the New Year.

I did manage to finish dear daughter's table runner, some small  tree ornaments, and her star garland, but I'm still working on the decoupaged cookie plates, my table runner, some fabric covered Christmas tree forms,  and a star garland for me.  My star garland may go up after I finish it and stay up all year.   Here is a picture of dear daughter's garland on her China cabinet.  She added fairy lights and it looks pretty.  I love the way this turned out and the stars are so easy to make. 

Other things I want to make are felt tree ornaments.   I found this picture on the internet and thought these felt ornaments were adorable.

I saw this picture a bunch of times for different ads.  The day I took this picture they were advertising Hobby Lobby craft store.  I have not been able to find this picture on Pinterest with a link to instructions or patterns, so dear daughter I made our own ornaments with green felt in the shape of a Christmas tree and we beaded them for her co-workers.

I also want to make some string art.  I found a string art star with instructions here.

As usual, I spent too much time watching YouTube videos showing items made from thrift store finds and I saw some interesting wood burning ornaments being made by using 4" wood rounds that you can get at Amazon.

One person was walking through a Antique store or 2nd hand shop and I also saw something I have to make.  It's a paper garland made from hymnal pages.  It's super simple, fan folding the pages and gluing a bunch together to make a long piece that you wind around a piece of twine.  I don't have a good picture of it but I took this screen shot from the video where I saw it.

I have looked on Pinterest and all over the Internet for a better picture or even instructions but could not find anything similar.  I fell in love with this garland, so much so that I bought a Baptist hymnal on Christmas day for this project.  I have the glue and twine.

I don't know when I'll finish Christmas decorations, I just hope I finish before next Christmas.

Jute Twine Crocheted Stars

   So I made seven of the white cotton stars (that's all I could get from one 120 yard skein of Peaches and Crème Cotton) and I took them to dear daughter's home and we ended up making a garland to put on her china cabinet in her dining room.  She added some battery operated fairy lights to it and  loves it.

   I am now making seven more stars in jute twine to make another garland to layer with the white star garland.

    This is what they look like in jute twine.

Spring Flower Garland

   I finished hanging up my spool pin doily garland.  It's so colorful in the room.  There is about 46 inches between the two light fixtures and I was able to have three strands of garland hanging between the two light fixtures.

Crocheted Flower Garland

    I crocheted up the green thread that I received on Saturday.   Since the flowers were already made I just had to make the vine to add the flower (spool pin doilies).  It took me about an hour and a half to get all these flowers on.  This turned out really well and I'm going to hang it in my living room between the two spot lights that are on the ceiling.

Flower Garland and Wedding Gift

     I'm going to use up all the spool pin doilies I haven't given away and make a garland to hang in my living room for spring.  I ordered a dark green cotton thread and I'm going to crochet a chain adding flowers as I go.  I have approximately 129 spool pin doilies made and I'm going to keep crocheting a chain until I run out of green thread.

   While I'm doing this, I'm knitting yellow dishcloths and making some pretty potholders for a special niece who is getting married in the summer.  I ordered two yards of this lovely fabric to make the potholders.  My DD and I had already purchased gifts from her registry, but I decided that she needed some homemade things in her kitchen.  She is not expecting this so this will be a nice surprise for her.

    Here's the fabric for the special potholders.

    I'm still working on my hexagon quilt top, or should I say, not working on it.  It seems I'm finding all manner of different projects to do that take me away from that monster.  I'll get back to it as soon as I finish my potholder dishcloth projects.