Jingle Someone!

We recently moved to a different part of the same metro area. Our old neighborhood was, well, very old. It was one of the first "suburbs" built around 80 years ago. It's a mix of older grandparents and young singles and couples with young families peppered in. It's a tight little community, about 6500 in our "city". Even though it is minutes from downtown, it definitely has a small town feel to it. You really do get to know quite a lot of people around the area. So, to my point, last Halloween, "You've Been Booed" went around. If you can't be bothered to click the link, it is a secret gift game. You leave treats and printouts at two houses. They have a couple of days to "boo it forward" so to speak. You aren't supposed to know who booed you, and you need to boo in secret, as well. It was really a lot of fun watching it spread...and, boy, did it spread!

Well, fast forward to now. We're in a much more suburban area. It is actually were I grew up. I am literally a few blocks from my old house and my old elementary school. We've only been here a few months. but our street seems pretty friendly. We know they have an annual block party because it was happening the weekend we moved in. When we took Bean trick-or-treating, everyone was really nice and knew we had just moved in. (Is that friendly, creepy, nosey? Perspective...) Anyway, I wanted to start a "boo", but time got away from me. I was so excited when I found their sister site, "You've been Jingled". I've been waiting a whole month to start this! Gasp!

So, tonight, I ding-dong-ditched two neighbors. I only remember doing this once as a kid. It was to my friend down the block. Her mom marched straight up to my house to tell my parents. Seriously? I mean, I have a kid now. I fully expect this to happen to us. Ok, so I go to an empty door. Is it really worth a trip up the street? I was also made painfully aware of the fact that I really need to start jogging again. Now, I know that I say I try to avoid processed foods. I love making baked treats or candies, but since this is anonymous, I needed something from the store. I went with coca and holiday marshmallows. The two houses I jingled are families. I thought it would be a fun treat to share. Man, I will be severely disappointed if these little elf pictures don't line the street by Christmas.

  

Why don't you start a "jingle" in your neighborhood or office? Go outside the box. Start a white elephant jingle, a book exchange jingle, whatever strikes your fancy. It's a fun way to spread the holidays around to friends and coworkers.

Personalizing a Freebie

My husband works in marketing, so companies are always sending free promo items. Without fail, they have their logo plastered across the front. Sometimes, the product is of no use to us or not worth personalizing. Other times, it is great aside from that logo. This hat is one of those items.

I sometimes...ok always have to fight with the little boy to get him to wear a winter hat. Lately, he's been agreeing to this grey one. I really love the style, but I'm not fond of the logo. I decided to change it out. I let Bean pick a new patch. I know this may come as a shock, but my little boy chose a...dump truck!

First, I used my seam ripper to take the old patch off. I actually could have stopped at just a plain hat. The patch was sticky on the back, but it didn't leave any residue on the hat (which I had expected). But part of this project was motivating Bean to wear his winter hat. Having a snazzy dump truck on it works in my favor.

Next, I followed the directions on the patch. Imagine that. I ironed it on. I used an old t-shirt scrap between the iron and the hat. Be careful here because these hats like to stretch. Learn from my mistake, and be sure that you don't stretch it before putting the hot iron on top. It won't shrink back if it gets ironed. Anyway, I followed the directions, ironing front and back. It didn't want to stick totally though. I'm sure it's because of the hat material, not my lack of ironing skill...well, maybe my lack of ironing skill. As a backup, I made a few stitches on the top and bottom with a needle and thread. I found my white thread and, oddly, had a construction yellow colored bobbin.

I am so pleased with the result. Bean loves it, too. Proof is in the pictures! He's got it on! This would be so easy to do on lots of things. For an older kid or an adult, I wouldn't even bother with permanently attaching the patch. I would hot glue a pin back on it instead. Then you can change it out according to outfit, current likes, trends, whatever. DIY and personalizing doesn't have to be hard or require lots of specialized tools. Sometimes, it just takes a 3-year-old refusing to wear his hat.

  

Winter Wreath

The little boy is at school this morning, so I decided to finish a project I started a couple of weeks ago. Like a lot of folks I know, I have a small Pinterest obsession. Around Halloween, I came across an elegant wreath from The Art of Doing Stuff. What I love about this Halloween wreath is that it is the perfect balance of elegant and creepy. I decided to make my own version for winter with white boas and snowflakes.

I didn't want to spend a ton of money, so I went to the dollar store for my two wreaths and snowflake ornaments. I used my husband's employee discount for feather boas from US Toy. You could also use 40% off coupons at a craft store. Joann and Michael's both take competitor coupons. Hobby Lobby always has a printable one on it's website.

2 wreaths to layer together, or one bigger one

6 - 6 ft white feather boas

snowflake ornaments

string

thread

scissors

First, I tied the two wreaths together to make one wreath. The smaller, inner wreath is sort of suspended within the larger, outer one. Alone, they would be too thin for the effect I wanted, but together they are perfect. This only cost me $2, but you could also just start out with a larger styrofoam one from the craft store. Next I started wrapping my boas. I used my white string (not thread)  to attach the end of each boa to the wreath, wrapped, then used another string on the other end. I'm not sure what part of my brain thought that two of these boas would be enough, but it only covered about a third of the wreath. That's why this project sat unfinished for a couple of weeks. You can imagine how long a trip becomes when you take a 3-year-old into a toy store...on top of the obvious chaos, add to it that he knows the store because Daddy works there. Well, I had to wait for a school day to make another trip. Alas, six boas was perfect.

Now to the ornaments. Two things came to mind while working on this part. First, I was reminded that I despise all things sparkle. Sparkles have a way of migrating into EVERYTHING. Just like the pooch nugget's dog hair, I find sparkles in places that haven't been touched for years. My worst nightmare is opening a card to find it covered in sparkles. The real dilemma will be when Bean starts coming home with sparkle covered art projects, but I digress. The second, and more important point, 3D ornaments! Mine were flat, and although they worked, I would have been more pleased with 3D snowflakes.

So once I arranged the ornaments in a manor that suited me, I tied them on with thread. Somehow I didn't have white, but cream worked just fine. The feathers have so much poof, that you really can't notice. Last, I tied one more piece of string (not thread) to the inner wreath. That way you don't see the loop as it hangs on the door.

   

As you can see, the snowflakes aren't very noticeable. Even standing in front of it, they don't stand out all that much. Maybe next year I will change them out. It works for now. My front door has a welcoming wreath with a wintery feel. That was my goal.

Now I'm off to vacuum flyaway feathers and...sigh...sparkles.

Let me introduce myself!

Welcome to "My Homemade Heaven"! I'm Holly. I've been married to my best friend and forever love for over five years now. He's my "Babe". He makes me laugh constantly. He knows me better than I know myself...especially when it comes to serving as my second brain since the one within my skull is often AWOL. I'm a stay-at-home-mom to one amazing little boy. He's my little "Bean". Someone surly blessed us when this smart, funny little man came into our lives. He teaches me something new everyday. It is such a wonderful gift to watch childhood innocence and simplicity. Often, I think he has it right, and the rest of us have it wrong. I would be remiss if I didn't also mention my foxhound, whom I will lovingly refer to as "Pooch Nugget" here. He's a sweet, gentle soul. And while I sometimes want to ship him off to doggie boarding school, he is a part of our pack.

I pretty much fell into being a SAHM, but I have grown to truly love it. I get to see my son grow and change everyday; learning all the complexities of life through the simplest actions. He teaches me quite a bit, too. I know I take it for granted at times, but I try to savor the time we have together. Before I know it, he will be too old for kisses and nicknames like "Bean". In the meantime, I can hug and squeeze him, and he can slime me from sunup to sundown.

Making some changes in our life, I've been driven to get a little more creative with our budget. Add that to growing up with my parents' eco-friendly ways, and you have the me of today. I believe in reusing and repurposing where I'm able. I try to see past a product's original use, but, admittedly, I often need the help of others to get the creative juices flowing. That being said, I try to give credit where credit is due. I also believe in feeding my family homemade alternatives to all of the processed, packaged food that is so readily available these days. Don't get me wrong, I love a doughnut and latte as I walk through the grocery store every Monday, but I try to make my everyday foods healthier. Most of all, I believe in creating a home that comforts and inspires my family. I hope that what I share can inspire you to create your own "homemade heaven"!