Buzzmills

Make, Metallic Heart Bunting...

Who doesn't like a little heart bunting for Valentine's day?  This year I thought I'd try something a little different, instead of paper...polymer clay and instead of red and pink...metallic!

Supplies needed... Heart cookie cutter, metallic acrylic paints, white polymer clay, paint brush, yarn, and chopstick

To make... Preheat oven according to package instructions.  Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Using white polymer clay, roll out to 1/4" thickness.  Cut out heart shapes with a cookie cutter.  Poke a hole through each side of your hearts with a chopstick or something similar.  Transfer hearts to cookie sheet and bake according to package instructions.  When hearts are finished in the oven let cool completely and paint.  When paint is dry string yarn through each heart to connect them and hang...

I chose to use three different metal colors, gold, silver and bronze...

I like the way they look strung together, almost like little heart coins shining and glimmering in the sunshine...

But you, of course, could choose to go with just one color...

I also like that the metallic hearts give more of a subtle Valentine vibe than the more traditional colors...

Enjoy!

Hearts on the Walls, Simple Valentine Decor...

I just can't stop!  This year I've done more Valentine decorating than I typically do, but the decorations are subtle and sweet...

Enough so, that some of these hearts might just stay out past Valentine's day!

One of my favorite ways to add a little festive touch is to switch out pictures in inexpensive frames, mine are from Ikea.  At Christmastime I used some old Christmas cards to add a wintry touch.  

And for Valentine's day I added in a few cut out hearts... 

a metallic "tic-tac-toe" board of hugs and kisses...

and a couple reminders that "All you need is love"...

(If you are interested you can download the All you need is love vertical and/or the All You Need is love horizontal signs...)

And then, on a whim one afternoon I found a scrap of wood, hammered in some nails and wrap, wrap, wrapped...

Why have I never done any nail art before?  It was so easy, and calming and fun!  I want to make all things into nail art!  The kids were fascinated too... so I'll surely have to let the in on the fun next time...this time I was being a little "selfish" and wanted to give it a go by myself.  I promised to let them try next time!  

I used square cut nails to give it more of a "rustic" look, plus we happen to have a big box of them leftover from this project.

The nails heads are more rectangular than square and from the sides they look almost triangular...

 

What a fun and satisfying little project this was...

Let's just pretend that I got all of the pencil marks off!  Oops!

Now go, put some hearts on your walls, fill your house with love!

Valentine Pillows, Times Three...

Somehow, over the weekend I was bitten by the "love bug".  I think it must have been from all the Valentine card discussing between Violet and Henry... Mind you, my birthday comes before Valentine's day, so they should probably get started on those cards first, I kid, they are multitasking card makers! 

Anywho, I was feeling the need for a little Valentining myself.

So, while the kids watched an episode of Fraggle Rock ...

    Side note:  Do you remember that show?  I found it at the library and had to bring it home.  It's way more musical than I remembered, in a total 80s saxophone way,  and it's really just     strange...in a total 80s way, but fun to share with them...

I joined them while simultaneously snipping bits of felt to make little tiny hearts for a Valentine pillow.  But, apparently one pillow wasn't enough...

I really had only planned on making this one heart pillow...

Filled with fluttering wool felt hearts on bradford herringbone (left from Henry's vest) with a pop of white piping...

But then it turned out so nicely with it's grey herringbone simplicity...and the kids were thrilled by it!  Henry, as he is apt to do of late, stated that "This is Amazing!"

So, I looked around the room and saw another pillow that was in need of a little refresher.  

Violet helped me decide on fabric, and fonts as I could tell that she wanted to be let in on the fun.  

We picked some shetland flannel (also left from Henry's vest) and more wool felt for the front of the pillow.  Can I tell you how much I love this flannel...look how amazing it is!

I didn't have enough of the flannel to make the entire pillow though, so it is backed with more bradford herringbone.  This pillow, as it turns out, seems to be the favorite...

Even my husband who, while he does appreciate the things that I make he doesn't always "get them", commented how nice it was!  

(PS.  If you are at all interested and don't feel like fiddling with the font/letters etc. here is my Love file if you'd like to use it as a template.)

And just because I knew the kids would get a kick out of them and because I just happen to have a fair amount of redwood shetland flannel leftover from these Hosh pants I made a pair of little hearts...

(Don't they look nice next to last year's wintry pillows?)

I made these the other snow day while the kids were building forts upstairs.  They came down to little heart pillows and were thrilled! 

Violet, in particular, really loved them...She really does have a thing for anything heart related though.

And now, without even realizing it, and while it's still January...I have begun to celebrate Valentine's day!  Eh, there's nothing wrong with floating a little love out there no matter what the month is, right?

Valentine Crafting and Creating...

I honestly don't know how January has flown by as quickly as it has...but here we are nearing it's end and moving on toward February which always goes by even faster!  Especially since we have two birthdays next month plus Valentine's day! 

Valentine's day, the holiday that people either love or hate... Well, I've got to say that we love it!  The kids have been talking Valentine's Day and crafting up heart related items since the day after our Christmas tree came down!  Part of it is because they just like to make and give things! 

But, really I think they also love it's sentiment, sharing love with those whom you love! 

Their enthusiasm tends to cause a flurry of Valentine creating around here, I've got a round up of Valentiney crafts from last year and the year before...so I thought I'd keep up the "tradition" and round up some of the heart themed things we made for Valentine's day last year...

Heart Patch Plantain, Heart Knee Patches, Metallic Leather Heart Earrings, Date Nights In, Heart Shaped Valentine Bags, Polymer Clay Stamped Hearts, We (k)need you to be our Valentine, I Wand You to Be My Valentine

It's not even February yet, but again, these kids have got me wanting to spread a little love so we've already begun our heart shaped makings!  It's funny, while I do agree in some ways with those who think that Valentine's Day is just another way for card and candy companies to make money, it doesn't bother me...Because I'm not buying their candy or their cards!  Instead we are creating just something little to say...

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"Snow Clothes"...

Last weekend we took the kids skiing for their first time!  To say that they were excited is an understatement!  They had each been asking about it at least once every day since we told them about the trip, which was before Christmas as it was part of their Christmas present.  So, the anticipation had been building and building! 

Of course, for such a "momentous occasion", I needed to make them something!  But really, they did need some "snow clothes" or long underwear to keep them roasty, toasty under their coats and snow pants.  I nearly took the easy route out and was about to purchase them long underwear, but then, after seeing these mini hudson pants from Monica I decided I must make some!

I had been seeing so many fantastic pairs of Mini Hudson pants from True Bias (the big kid version too, I'll get to those next month hopefully!) everywhere.  The pattern calls for medium weight knit, ponte, french terry or sweatshirt knit, but I really wanted to make them out of fleece so off I headed to Joann searching for super stretchy micro fleece.

Henry picked out this great bike print...

I used double sided cotton (left from this shirt and these pants) for the accents. 

He loves, loves, loves these pants!  In fact, I think in the first week he had them he wore them no less than five times!   They are so snuggly and soft and comfortable, even the cat has a hard time resisting them!

For Violet I chose this sweet little blue bird fleece, also from Joann...

She loves her pants too, but really only as lounge wear/snow clothes...Admittedly, I made them a bit too big, she doesn't like that they are so baggy (but she'll grow into them...)

Also, admittedly I made the wrong choice for the accents.  I used a rib knit that doesn't have great stretch recovery and therefore the pockets and cuffs are too loose.  Boo! 

She does really like them though, so I've promised her that I will make her another pair that fit her better and are a little less "bold". 

To go along with their snow bottoms I made them each Flaskback Skinny Tees out of performance fabric (from Joann).

It had been so long since I've made any flashback tees that I actually had to buy the next size up of the pattern for Violet!  The shirts are far from perfect.  I wasn't quite in the mood to be sewing with such slippery fabric at the time so the neck band is pretty sloppy, but they work.  Henry put his on and exclaimed, "This is amazing!"  He loves that it so slippery and sleek!  Plus, it makes slipping a fleece over top a cinch! 

Alrighty, well that's enough of my blubbering on about snow clothes, because today is actually a snow day and it's time to don the snow clothes and head outside! 

Ps...I'm totally lazy and still  haven't added the drawstrings, oops!