{last minute neighbor gifts}

I've come up with a fun, last-minute neighbor gift

that is so versatile, and can be

personalized any way you'd like

and best of all it's {cheap} and {easy}

hoop-art ornament

1. start with your embroidery hoop,

the smallest hoop you'll find is 3 in and that's perfect

for a little personalized ornament.

2.  cut out your background fabric and leave

some extra fabric around the edges for later on.

{i used a linen blend for 2 and a cotton pattern for 1)

3. next i "google imaged" the shapes i wanted to work with

and simply traced those onto paper

(or if you're awesome and can free-hand any drawing, that's easy too)

4. cut out your desired shape and pin to felt

and cut out your felt piece

5. simply glue the center of the shape onto

the fabric in the hoop

(fabric glue works wonderfully)

I chose to do 3 different ornaments

an apple for my son's teacher

a "T" for a family friend

and a star for a neighbor

this is the fun part,

the possibilities are endless

a "1" for a couple's first Christmas

or a baby's first Christmas

a date

2011

an initial

a snowflake

the word "JOY"

etc

etc

6. with cooridinating thread

hand-stitch the outside of the shape

7. lightly glue your leftover threads

out of the way of the edges, like the above picture

8. next, glue around the inside of the hoop

around the back and tuck in your fabric

9. cut out a small felt circle and glue to the back of your hoop

this way the thread's stay in place and it gives it a nice finishing touch

10. that's it.

you have a cute, personalized ornament

to gift to someone

...last, but not least

tie some twine, ribbon, thread or yarn

to the clasp at the top.

that way it can actually hang

like an ornament

I'm attaching my hoop ornaments

to little jolly treat bags

and spreading the joy of Christmas

need some treats to fill it with?

go HERE for a yummy gingerbread cookie recipe!

Happy Holidays,
     Gentri

a little gift idea

sorry for the lack of posts

we've been enjoying our summer

and visiting the beautiful city of columbus, OH

have you ever been there?

it was our first time

and i liked it.

but i did happen to come up with a little gift idea

in the midst of playing outside

my SIL had a birthday last week and i wanted

to give her a little something for her house

something for the summer

and this is what i came up with

if you've seen my etsy shop

you've also noticed that i like fabric hoops

they are so multi-functional, i love it

so i started with some muslin and secured it

inside of the hoop

then i made a little bundle of fabric flowers

out of my fabric stash

two of them are simple gathered flowers

one has a button and the other has a covered button

and the third flower is a yo-yo

once the flowers were made

i took a needle and thread and secured

them to the muslin

then i did a little simple hand-stitch

of the words "bloom"

any words, or flowers would be darling

and who doesn't love a little handmade gift!

have a happy week

linking up here

no sew fabric pennant banner tutorial

my sister-in-law is going to have a baby boy anyday now,

so i decided to make her a little something for his room

the room is sports-themed

which led me to these colors...

i really love orange and blue together for a boy
plus i thought the orange would pair well with
footballs and basketballs


most bedroom walls are about the same size
i got 1/4 yard of each fabric and had plenty to work with

i cut out a template of a triangle
ironed my fabric and then simply used my
pinking shears and cut each triangle...
7 from each different fabric

then decide which order you'd like them to hang

i took fabric glue and lined the wrong side of each fabric triangle

and then laid it down on top of my ribbon
i chose a big thick navy blue satin ribbon
it came in 7 yards, the longer the better



then simply glue the rest of the ribbon right across the top of the banner



you can leave longer lengths of ribbon on the end
but i wanted the pennants to reach all the way to the corner of the wall

let the glue dry and then hang!
we used navy blue pushpins to hang
and it worked wonderfully



simple way to add a little custom
decor to any bedroom
or any place in your house
just think of all the holiday banners you could create!



the "welcome" collection

handwrapped gorgeous yarn wreaths

adorned with beautiful fresh felt poppy flowers

what a wonderful, cheerful way to welcome

people into your home

also darling hung over a mirror,

or a great way to spruce any old wall

{raspberry lemonade}

mustard yarn combined with fuschia and plum flowers

makes this wreath anything but boring

                                                                      { tropical carnival }

inspired by the beautiful colors of an exotic vacation

now you can display them in your home for a little touch of travel

                                                               dark plum yarn adorned with
                                                            sunshine, teal, and fuschia flowers 
                                                                                                                  

{a touch of gray skies}



                                                                light chartreuse yarn
                                               adorned with plum, ivorie and charcoal flowers

definately a wreath that

can be displayed year-round in your house

love the design, but hate the colors?

just contact us and we'd love to create

something unique for you

the "show it off" collection

handmade and handpainted unique display case for any of your favorite things
this piece is displaying easter eggs with a bright yellow stand
other things you could hang...old-fashioned keys from ribbon
pictures of your family, handmade fabric hearts, etc