Two By Four LOVE...

Hey there Chickies!

Yep, I've been MIA ....  AGAIN.....  Time is just zipping by and I don't even know which way I'm supposed to be going most of the darn time.    :-)

But, here I am.....  wanting to share this really quick, easy and inexpensive project with you.  Naturally I had it all finished when I actually thought I should have taken pictures along the way, but it's really pretty self-explanatory...

My grandson and I made these little cuties together.  He sanded all the boards with the electric sander and painted them all up for me...  then I did the frou-frou bit of things.  We made a set for his mom too....   

Up top is my version... 

This is the version I had seen on Pinterest.  Cute, really cute, but I'm not a primitive kind of decorator, so I just jazzed them up a bit.  I like a LOT of stuff on mine.

Just cut your 2x4's to the desired height, sand and paint.

Glue gun a nice 'lil twig to the top and add as many ribbons and bits as you can fit onto the stem.

Spray with adhesive and glitter that baby to death.

And, that's it!

Easy peasy.  Thought I'd better hurry and get this up before everybody's decorating for Christmas.  I have some things I want to make for my tree this year...  we'll have to see if I actually can make the time.

My daughter and I are home schooling my 12 year old grandson this year.  It's been a trial, for sure.  He has Asperger's Syndrome and was heading to middle school.  Just not a great place for him, especially after the STRUGGLE for the past three years getting him through elementary school.  It seems that the teachers in his district know nothing about the spectrum and really don't care to learn.   Last year his teacher had no problem mocking and ridiculing him in from of his classmates.  It was HEARTBREAKING....  and made my sweet little grandson feel hopeless.  I.AM.FURIOUS.   He has ADD as well, so keeping him on task is a bit of a trial.  But, he's excelling and moving right along on his studies.  When the counselor chatted with him about his progress he told her "I'm just hoping this time at home doing my work will help me forget the horrible school memories"....  Doesn't that just fire you up?

Ok...  enough of the soapbox....  :-)

I hope you have a wonderful day!  Thanksgiving is just around the corner, isn't it?

YIKES!

Maybe if I put on the Christmas music I'll get fired up and ready to create.

Huggies and Lovies Dear Ones!

xoxoxo

Spencer

Frost On The Pumpkin

Holy moly......it's SOOOO cold here in the Northwest. I think my personal thermostat is broken. I am cold.......reallllly cold ALL the time. I'm telling 'ya......I get in the car and fire up the heater until my pants are nearly flamin'..... and I'm still cold.

My daughter, grandson and I went to see White Christmas at the theater last night and I nearly froze to death. Down coat, gloves (with little heater thingies inside) TWO fleece throws and I was still shivering.... but that movie is just too sweet to miss on the big screen. I've watched it every year for a million years......ok, so now you know how old I really am, right?

My Honey calls me a wimp.

Yep, I know it's time to pitch the pumpkins, but my husband just loves 'em.... I asked him to toss them last weekend, but he's holding firm.... not yet.

Hoping to do the Christmas stuff this weekend, so I'm hoping he'll be ready by then. :-)

As I've said before......everything is itsy-bitsy here, at the cottage, and the back yard is no exception, but I love it anyway. It always feels so cozy to me and I'm grateful to get to look out my sliding glass door and all the little "stuff" out there.

That baby tears makes my heart go pitty-pat.... I have some in the front yard... I dig up a smidge of it every spring and stick it into that cement pot........isn't it so sweet? And, that great topiary? Yep, two hangers, duct taped together, and bent into a circle..... a few starts from another topiarty and voila!

Nothing survives winter here, in the Pacific Northwest, but I'll enjoy the blessings of God while I can.

Have a great weekend little darlin's....

Hoping to get some Christmas-ing done..... are you working on things too?

xoxoxoxo

Spencer

Oh PUMPKIN!

Hi Sweet and WONDERFUL chickies!


Things have been ever so busy here at the cottage.


The sewing room is put back together, but there is a LOT of sewing to complete before I can have show and tell....and believe me.... I'll be shoutin' from the rooftops when it's all done. I can hardly wait.


Already I am loving it.



Now, about these little pumpkins!


Cute??

Yep, Tightwad Tilly's at it again!




Pumpkins: one dollar each
Glitter: pennies
Paint: pennies
Moss: pennies
Twig: free
Glue: pennies
Leaf garland: one dollar
Wire: free
Floral Tape: pennies


Now, it just doesn't get any better than that, does it?

So, here's the tutorial.... Sooooo darn easy!


I'm sorry to say I didn't get any pictures along the way. My daughter and two of her sweet little friends came over for "Craft Day" and we were too busy to get any photos in.

We already have a day planned for next month. I think we'll make Christmas tags.

My daughter's known these girls FOR.EVER. They stayed the night when there were just schoolgirls and have stayed in touch all these years... I LOVE 'em.

Ok........I got sidetracked....back to the pumpkins.



Pull the stem out of your Dollar Tree pumpkin.


Stick a chopstick in the hole so it's easy to hang onto while you paint that little guy whatever color you want it to be.

You could leave them as is, but I just don't like that color..... so I painted them with craft paint.


I did white ones too and I used that Benjamin Moore paint all the bloggers got for free several months ago.

They are ever so cute. :-)

So, now you have them all painted and they're dry.

I brushed them with regular old Elmer's glue... It worked just fine....and sprinkled them with crafty (CHEAP) clear glitter.



How easy is this?? :-)

I stuck a bit of a twig in the top for the stem.... The hole is already there and it was super simple.



I bought a big bag of fake moss at Michaels for a few dollars and put a little puff of that around the stem. It looks cute, but it also covers up any goobers. Just stick a smidge of glue there first.

Snip off a little leaf from the garland and glue that in too...

I used a little bit of wire and wrapped it with floral tape....curled it around a pencil and wrapped the finished bit around the stem for a little added touch.

Can you see it there?


Gosh I hate that dang floral tape. Did it really used to be soooo sticky? I had it glued all over me.


I bought those itty-bitty pumpkins on the bottom of the tray for a dollar a box several months ago...

I wasn't sure if I'd ever use them, but I'm so glad I bought them.


So, take your little selves to the Dollar Tree and stock up on those little pumpkins.


I was surprised by the assortment of things there.


Wouldn't this one be fun to do with the kidlets?


Big huggies to you dear ones.


God bless you.


xoxoxoxox
Spence