Put a Sock...AROUND it....

Okay, so has anyone besides me ever owned some really UGLY candles? Come on now...fess up! Well, I have a couple of U G L Y candles. Now don't get me wrong, when I first bought them they were perfect. I needed something to go on my side table next to my bed and you could hardly go wrong with a pair of Target clearance candles and holders. I think I spent a total of $8 for BOTH of them. That was almost 7 years ago!

So now they've faded and the holders get dusty easy, and if you knew how much I HATE dusting you'd know why they aren't completely perfectly clean...*grin*

These U G L Y candles are now sitting up on my wall shelf. And since it's getting to be Christmas, I decided they needed a little "sprucing" up. Enter...the Dollar Tree sock! Yes,...I said Dollar Tree! I love, love, LOVE the Dollar Tree! This was actually inspired by Just A Girl and her free Christmas Mantel. Go check out what SHE did to get a lovely and simple mantel.

So...I started out with THESE:

And...THESE...

  

And ended up with...THESE...:)

Cool HUH? Well, I think so. I decided to keep them simple...since they are on the shelf up beside the Christmas tree. Now...go take yourself to the Dollar Tree and get yourself some socks...and...

...Put a sock AROUND it...:) OH, and be sure to check out my linky ups...:)

Chic Click Carnival

Today I've decided to join the Chic Click Carnival. It's a great way to meet new peeps! So I'm hoping by the end of the day, I will have some awesome new "Chics" to call my peeps...:)

I'd like to introduce myself...I'm Dawn from Jumbled & Crafty! I'm just getting started with blogging, but I hope you will find some of my postings fun and informational. I have a few tutorials that you might be interested in. One of them is how to make your boring old plain store bought curtains POP with your own personality, all the while saving you CASH! So be sure to check them out...:) I'm just an ordinary Mom who likes to create things on the fly. My kids don't even ask me what I'm doing anymore. And my guy...well, he just keeps rolling his eyes and pleading for me to "stop filling up the garage with stuff"...lol.  NEVER!!! *evil grin*

Now for my favorite "peep" for the week! Drum roll please....
HANDY MAN, CRAFTY WOMAN! wooohooo! I just could NOT stop reading her
simple recipes for some YUMMY stuff! Like her

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

MMMMMM...MMMmmm... Me and chocolate...like this (picture me crossing my fingers...on BOTH hands!).

In addition, she happens to be a fellow New Englander...:) I just love all her posts with "Wicked" in it...heehee...for those of you who come from the south,...that means AWESOME...:)

Now, just want to let you know, his is not simply a link party, the purpose of the “Chic Click Carnival” is to introduce yourself and one fellow peep you found using the Visit Our Peeps widget. All submissions are competing to be the host of next Thursdays click carnival who will receive hundreds of new visitors.

This is How to Link Up

Please include the following in your post because you won't want your post to be removed:

• A brief introduction of yourself, don’t forget to link to your favorite post.
• Mention “My favorite peep of the week” you found using the Visit Our Peeps widget with a link to their blog and/or shop.
• Visit Our Peeps widget inside the post for people to find their new peep. Here is the code:

<mce:script language=”JavaScript” mce_src=”http://www.chicchickmedia.com/feed.asp?s=200″ type=”text/javascript”></mce:script>

Just a wife to an amazing man, & a mom to a squishy boy. We may live in Sin City, but we do Las Vegas in a Family Way!

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This Week’s Chic Chick Carnival Host

Tidy Mom

A mom obsessed with tidiness, whose passions are baking, creating, photography, and of course, family.

Hope you all will play and link up to our "Chic Click Carnival". Don't forget, you're also playing along for a chance to be next week's HOST!  

String of Lights

I thought I'd show you an easy craft with strings of Christmas lights. These are pretty popular with the primitive decor crowd, but I love the look of them. And you can use them for pretty much any season of the year. Use them on red lights with combination of white, pink, and red fabric. During Halloween use orange or purple lights with fall colors. Or use cute children's fabric for a fun night light. The possibilities are endless!

SO...let's get to it!

First, you'll need a few supplies:

*1/2 yard of each color/pattern fabric (cotton works best, I use homespun)
*strand of lights (any length, just depends on what you want. I used a 20 count)

That's it!

The fabric will need to be cut (or ripped) into strips. I usually rip a whole line about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch wide. Then I cut them into 5 to 6 inch lengths. If you make them too long they won't sit like they're suppose to, but if you do them too short, you won't be able to tie...and that makes very sore fingers...believe me!

I make piles of each color and then put them into an order that I like. That way, I can just grab from the next pile and don't have to think about which color/pattern comes next.

Start tieing! It's important to start as close to the light as possible. You want to use the light as a stop so the fabric will be tight and your string of lights will look full. I don't even tie a knot. There's no need. If you just loop it like you're tieing shoes, and pull really tight it will stay. I haven't had any come loose yet. It's the ripped fabric that holds it I think. So...just start with the color/pattern fabric you want. Make sure it's pretty evenly tied, although the variation in lengths adds to the fun look of the strand. Just keep tieing and push the fabric as close as you can to the one before.



As you keep going your strand will get fuller and fuller. Don't worry if it starts to twist, it will make the fabric move and you won't end up with a straight line of lights...cuz that looks boring...but if you have a serious case of OCD, it might be the look your'e going for...sorry...but it won't work...;)

While you're making the strand, you should give it a little shake every so often to allow the strand to twist and your fabric to fall naturally and fill out. Believe me, you'll see the difference and it will look good. Don't worry if you can't see the lights, that's the idea...;)

This is definitely something you can do during nap time, or while watching TV at night. Although, I do recommend that you do it in one spot, the little fabric strips will shed...and leave little "stringlets" all over.

Once you've reached the last light, it's up to you if you want to go all the way to the plug. I don't usually because I like to be able to hide the cord behind stuff...and if you've got fabric, you won't want to hide it...:)  Also I'm usually tired of tieing,...lol...so I stop, it's the lazy in me. But it's TOTALLY up to you.

After you're all done, just be sure to give the entire thing a big shake. You might want to take it outside...to avoid the "stringlets" as I've mentioned before. Then...put it where ever you'd like! On a mantle, in a jar, around a clock, mirror...or anywhere! If you use battery operated lights, you can wrap around a wreath and use it for a door decoration! Like I said, the possibilities are ENDLESS!

 

So have some fun, tie some knots and hang some lights! It's almost time for Christmas! Be sure to visit my linkie party too!

  

   
 
  

Pots...or Not...

I have seen all the cool stuff people have been making apothocary jars and candle holders and what not out of, so I figurd I'd give it a whirl myself! I mean, come on...I am KINDA crafty...*grin*

So I dug around in my craft crap supply stash and found a few items that I played around with until I got something that resembled a stand. Looked pretty good to me, so I glued it together. Basically, it's a terra cotta pot and two terra cotta pot trays. These things are so cool because you can do so many neat things with them. I'll have to dig out some of the patterns I have for them to show you sometime.

Once I had it glued together...(it took a TON of glue sticks)...and I have come to the conclusion I need to invest in a nice BIG glue gun. This little glue gun stuff...nope...not gonna cut it. 


Any-whoo...after I glued it all together, I started painting it. After that, a couple of coats of varnish (modge podge actually...L O V E...LOVE the stuff) and it was almost done!


Uh-huh...I know...I'm seeing what you see...That little glue line around the base right? Well...I got a solution for THAT too!

Voila!...seeeee...nothing like a little bit of trim to hide your glue lines...*grin*

I got this HUGE hurricane jar at the Dollar Tree...gotta love spending just a buck! WEEeeeeee!! Does anyone besides me spend more than $20 when you go into the Dollar Tree? Hmmm...come on now, be honest!





Here's the finished product. I don't think I'm going to keep what I have in it. It was late and I just put something in for looks so I could get a photo. I'm working on some fun fabric and glass glittered Christmas balls right now. So when they are done, I will probably put those in there, along with some lights or something. Not sure. But this would work for every season! And if I get tired of THIS jar...I can put a candle or another of the zillion jars I have stashed hiding in my craft stuff...:) 





Close up...whatcha think? I'm LOVEing it!





Grab yourself some terra cotta pots and see what you can create! I think I spent a total of $0 on this project! I had everything already on hand...:) Gotta love spending no money to get something to decorate your space!

Be sure to visit my linkie parties...:) Got them listed below.