Buzzmills

A Train Visit...

A visit to a model train, a holiday tradition.  Along with the promise of greenery gathering, a trip to the tree farm and pulling out our ornaments...we have big plans to move from autumnal decor this weekend and into Christmas.  (Finally!)  I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Sun print "window"...

I am reposting a guest post I did over at Stumbles & Stitches a few weeks back for their Inspired By Nature Series.  I hope you enjoy!

There has been a blank spot on our bedroom wall since we moved in.  We have struggled with just what to put in the space.  Nothing too expensive, nothing that will make it feel too cluttered.  

Hmmm?

And then one day...someone was giving away a package of sunprint paper on freecycle.  Well, why not?  I'll take it!  I thought it would be a super fun project to do with the kids.  Do you remember doing sun prints as a kid?  

I let Violet and Henry pick what they wanted to put on their papers.  It was fun to see them wandering around looking for just the right items.

And then we waited, curious about the outcome...

The kids thought it was pretty awesome!  

It turns out that I thought it was pretty awesome too!  I loved the cool blue of the paper.  And the pictures have a slightly modern feel while also feeling a bit "old school" as well!  So I hoarded the leftover pieces of paper ;) and made my own using flowers and herbs from our garden.

It took me a while, but eventually I made it to Ikea and bought some inexpensive frames for my new art.  And so, I filled the blank space in our room.

The four pictures hanging this way mimic a window and really help to open up our small room.

The blue looks great against the pale gray of our room and with the yellow and gray of our bed and embroidery hoops on the opposite wall.

Now I have "fresh" flowers from our garden in our room every day!  

And the kids have some new "nature" to add to their hallway upstairs!

Of course, there is still a bit of a blank space above the mirror to fill...in time in time...It always has to be a little bit in progress or else you wouldn't have anything to do, right?

Oh, and one more thing, before I go...speaking of nature and art...I thought I'd share where I decided to put my Feather your Nest print from Jenny!
(sorry these hallway pictures are not so great, there is almost zero light there, but it does look great in person!)

A perfect fit, don't you think?

Thanks for having me Jenny and Angel!

A Tassley Scarf, kiddo DIY...

Well, she's at it again...thinking up ways that she can use my fabric that is. 

Now that the weather is getting cooler it's time to start bundling up with hats and scarves and mittens oh my!  Well, of course, I've been wearing scarves (you know those cheapo "pashminas") all autumn long.  That's part of my daily fall "uniform".  So, I suppose I shouldn't have been too surprised when Violet said she that she wanted to make her own scarf one day after seeing me wearing this one.  But, one thing, it had to have flowers on it...and had to be a tassley scarf (the tassley scarf idea comes from this book.   We love this book, so cute).

So, I pulled down some green fleece from the shelf (I have no idea why I had this on hand) and we cut it to size.  Then I gave Violet the job of making it "tassley"

Then she picked out some felt colors and I cut some flowers.  Then she picked out some buttons and we sewed them on together.  Voila! 
A new simple, tassley scarf that is super warm! 

And it makes this little girl super happy, because she made it. 

And now, she's got her own, so maybe she won't want to steal mamas while we are out ;)

A Cozy Winter hood for baby...

Just days before Thanksgiving my cousin and his wife welcomed the arrival of their second little girl!  So exciting!  Since we were heading down their way for our Thanksgiving feast it seemed like we ought to arrive bearing gifts!  Who doesn't love to make and/or give new baby gifts!  Plus, she gave me a chance to make an itty bitty baby cozy winter hood (from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew). 

I've been wanting an excuse to make another one of these little hoodies since making Violet and Henry's Halloween hoods, but alas, we already have a bunch of hats in our winter basket and it seemed a bit excessive (for now).  But, the arrival of a new baby in the family was a perfect excuse. 

The outside of the hat is made of the same super soft wool I made some little lambs out of (from Purl Soho) and it is lined with some lovely Valori Wells flannel (which is leftover from Violet's pillow).

And, why not add the little sleep angel who hadn't yet found a home...

A perfectly matching newborn baby gift!  I hope she enjoys snuggling with her sleep angel as much as Henry did and that the little hood keeps her newborn head cozy and warm.

Have a lovely day.

25 Christmas Crafts for gifting and decorating...

And, Happy Monday after Thanksgiving!!  It's always hard for me to really get into the swing of Christmas until today.  I love Thanksgiving so much and I like to focus on one holiday at a time...first Halloween, then Thanksgiving and then Christmas...you know give each holiday it's own time. 

That being said, by the time the Monday after Thanksgiving comes around I am usually already feeling a bit behind the ball with gift ideas and craft supplies.  So, if you are like me and are just beginning your search for decorating, gift or craft ideas today I thought I'd give you a bit of inspiration...

Holiday decor...

Balsam Scented Holiday Pillows 

Adding Balsam while stuffing holiday pillows is a lovely touch!  (I bought my Balsam here)  If you aren't in the mood to add your own holiday inspired appliques like the ones above you could always go a more simple route and make accent pillows from placemats.

Need some ornament ideas...
Felt ball ornaments, snow man, rainbow acorn wreath, Christmas mouse

Wire or yarn wrapped stars

Or maybe you need a new toddler friendly Advent calendar...

Speaking of toddler friendly...here are some toddler friendly crafts...

Sticks for stars, air dry clay snowmen, air dry clay Christmas trees, DIY snowglobes

or make them a simple peg people Nativity to play with

Or use up some of those acorn caps that you have been collecting with an acorn cap tree

Now that the decorating is done...

Gift ideas...

Felt bird necklace, Giant Felt Flower pin (using this tutorial, but with larger petals), lovebird necklace

Personalize it...
Name necklace, magnetic letters, personalized mugs, initial belt

And lastly, a few things to make for the kiddos...
Baseball pillow, sleep angel, hockey sticks horses, The Little House

Well, there you go...25 crafting ideas to get you started...Phew, I'm exhausted already!  But, I'm hoping that you find a little inspiration from this list of goodies and enjoy getting your craft on, or at least your lists made! 

Oh, and Violet wanted me to remind you about our embroidered hand towels and her Rainbow Road Dot Pillow, two more bonus crafts!
Enjoy!