Camp Whimsy

Wedding Gift Sampler

 

This is a special weekend, my husband's younger brother is getting married to a wonderful gal. We are thrilled for them. These two are dear to my heart and I wanted to make them something special for their wedding. They just purchased their first home, a bungalow in California's gold country. Do you remember the excitement surrounding the first home you purchased? I designed and embroidered a sampler of their new home...

 
...isn't it a sweet little home?

 
This was the one photo of the home (from the realty website!) I had to work with. It took me a few times of sketching the outline of the home to get the scale close to something they would recognize as their home. I really should have paid better attention in art class. Scale and perspective are harder to acheive than one might think!

I added some personal details...

 
...their names, I think they would make a great celebrity couple because they could be called Paully...

 
...the date of their union.

 

This little area in front of the house had a small pond in the photo, but I employed artistic license and filled it up with posies.

 
After I finished embroidering I rinsed and blocked the fabric...

 

...then put it in a frame. I am not sure about the frame, I think it is a bit too modern and am worried it may not match their taste, so I will ask them to feel free to find a frame they like better. I think the sampler would have made a great pillow, but chose to frame it so it would stay clean and also because one day I am hoping to add baby names and birthdays to it (no pressure you two!)  I REALLY enjoyed creating this gift for these two special people. Each stitch was made with love.

Frumpy Troll & Magic Pants

 
After a full day of being a mommy I tuck them in bed and cuddle up with one cozy blankie, one cup of hot chocolate and one favorite magazine. Me time. Of course in the back of my mind I am thinking things such as "will Strauss ever stop running around in his Thomas Train underwear all the time?" and "why do three year old boys love to be naked so much, don't they know it is winter?" and "how is it that he is so warm when I am layered up like a frumpy troll and I'm still freezing?" Note to self: find cute non-frumpy warmish clothing. And perhaps some magic pants that three year old boys can't take off by themselves.

 
Magic pants, magic pants, come this way please.

Baby Quilts

Last week I finished the first of two baby quilts for two lovely little gals having baby girls. I was really happy with how they turned out.

I wanted to make the quilts big enough so they can be used past the baby stage, these will fit a toddler bed nicely and are large enough to be used as throws.

My favorite part of quilting is choosing the design and fabric, sewing the quilt top and hand sewing the binding on. Since this quilt was simple squares and borders I did not use a pattern, just went by how big I wanted the quilt to turn out. My least favorite part of quilting is cutting fabric, luckily my friend Mrs. B was there to help keep me on track and I can't thank you enough for your help little lady!

Here's a look at the other quilt I am finishing up this week. I took this picture last month after I pieced the top. All I currently have left to do on this one is bind it. It is the same quilt as the one above, only I reversed the colors. This one has a blue paisley, the polka dots are pink on a white background, and the binding and backing are the same floral as the first quilt, just in pink. The girls I made these quilts for are good friends and their baby girls are likely to be also. I think it is so neat that they will have similar quilts. Last weekend at the baby shower they remarked that their girls will take their quilts to cheer camp and college together one day!   I guess the other favorite part of quilting would be sewing the tag on at the end, because it shows that I made it by hand, with love, and there's not another one just like it. Special, just like those sweet baby girls who received them.

Ladybug, Ladybug...

 
Most days we head outside and look for ladybugs. The ladybugs usually fly away from us and that makes the kids very excited. They are quite interested in ladybugs and they made pet ladybug rocks of their very own (the kind of ladybugs that don't fly away). 
  
Ladybug, Ladybug fly away home...  
   
 

A Birthday Party for Jesus

Today the girls had a birthday party for Jesus. Let me tell you all about it...

My mom brought me this old nativity from a yard sale. It was pretty run down. The wise guys are cool but they are from another set, they are about as big as the baby Jesus himself. So I moved them to another home and began giving the nativity a little makeover. Baby Jesus deserves only the best!

 
Here's a peek at the roof before...dirty and dusty.

I gave the building a coat of fresh white paint.

Added clear, silver and snowy glitter to the roof.

Baby Jesus's bed was lookin' a bit shabby...

I gave him a bed fit for a King, complete with gold glitter and a muslin swaddling blankie. I spruced up his halo a bit too with a bit of gold glitter. Much better.

I added some pretty flooring and a glow of gold glitter to the back wall of the nativity.

Voila! Nothing like a little bling for your nativity scene!

Joseph, Mary and Jesus were really enjoying their new manger. But I had another surprise lined up for them...

The Girls came to visit Baby Jesus on his birthday. 

They brought him veggies and birthday cake.

Turns out Baby Jesus loves cake!

Beatrice found herself gazing lovingly at Baby Jesus. 

Franchesca asked me to photograph her with Mary, but Mary proved hard to photograph since she wouldn't take her eyes off of those veggies. You would be hungry to if you just traveled all that way on the back of a donkey and then gave birth to Baby Jesus.

The girls were so happy to have visited Baby Jesus. They are thankful for his birth and reminded that the true meaning of Christmas isn't cookies, carols and presents, the true meaning of Christmas is found in the hope of a baby, born long ago in a lowly manger. Merry Christmas Everyone!
 

 

   

 
  
   
 
 

Cuddle Quilt for Baby

Last week I finished up the quilt I was making for my friend's new baby girl, Claire. I chose a cuddle quilt with appliqued diamonds on the blocks. It was a really fun project and I am now officially addicted to quilting.

Quilting requires time, patience and most of all, love. 

Here is the reverse side of the quilt. I love the ruffle on this quilt and am fairly certain that my new bff is the ruffler foot for my sewing machine.

I hope little Claire will love this quilt as much as I do. It is the perfect size for her to carry around and cuddle up with. Hope you are having a festive and merry holiday season! Blessings, Kim

  
 

The Playhouse Revealed!

 

Welcome to our playhouse reveal party! The playhouse is finally finished, just in time for my daughter's fourth birthday party. Come on in and take a look...

 

 

We've been tidying up just for you!

 

 

...here is the little dining area...

 

...right next to the kitchen...

 

...where we prepare...

 

...breakfast...

 

...lunch...

 

...and dinner.

 

Here is a view of the pattern in the floor. It is the same flooring we have in the kitchen in our big house.

 

And here's a peek at the vaulted ceiling. We (the grown ups) decided against the chandelier because we like being able to stand up and not bend over or hit our heads on anything. A simple flat lighting fixture is just perfect.

 

This is a small reading area for now, though we plan to build a bench with toy storage underneath. I will sew a pad for the new bench to match the curtains I made. The kids love this little spot.

 

 

 

This is the view from the side window, which overlooks the garden.

 

And here is a picture of the side window from the outside. The front window faces the rear of our house.

Here are some shots of the building process:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love our new playhouse. It is just what I envisioned for our back yard, it looks like it has always been there. The kids adore it.

 

Thanks for coming! Come again anytime, we'll leave the light on for you!

Crafting a Birthday Crown

 

My sister in law turned 40 this past weekend and I made her a fabulous birthday crown for her celebration. If you'd like to fashion one for a special event all you need is paper, scissors, glitter, glue, ink, stamps and embellishments. I found this nifty crown pre-made and glittered in gold at Michael's Crafts for a whopping $1.00! If you can't find a pre-made crown it will be fairly easy to make your own out of heavy card stock or chipboard.

 

I cut a circle out of scrapbook paper with deckled scissors and stamped the number 40 around the Happy Birthday embellishment, which is actually a cupcake topper. I just broke the pic off and hot glued it directly to the paper. I added some pink glitter and a crepe paper fan. I was really happy with the results and I think my sister in law felt special to be a birthday queen. Consider crafting a crown for upcoming birthdays, graduations, bridal or baby showers or just for wearing around the house while you do things like scrub toilets and pay bills. Everything feels quite grand while you are sporting a crown! Even scrubbing toilets!

Meet Us At The Farm Chicks!!

Hi Everyone! Thought I'd put all of the bloggy badges for the Farm Chicks Show in a post for you.  The badges are wonderful and creative, just like the gals who made them! Here are the bloggers who have made badges so far and you will be able to meet at the show next weekend!

Laurie from Magpie Ethel

 

Elaine from Tinker Verve

Tiffany from Shabby Scraps

 

 

Andrea from Vintage Bella Studio

 

Timi from A Girl Named Timi

 

Lisa from A Thing For Roses

 

 

Laura from WSU Laura

 

Debbie from Mermaids of The Lake 

Gladys and Celia from June Bug Furniture and Design

Kal and Angie from Bella Country

Isabel from Maison Douce

Jeanne from A Bushel and a Peck

Unexpected Necessities

Tammy from The Other Side of Me

 Lee from The Way I See It

Lilly Sue from A Peace Of Bliss

and myself, Kim from Camp Whimsy

It's not too late to make a badge, check out this post on making your badge, write a post on your badge and be sure to let me know so I can add your photo and link to this post. This is a great way to meet fellow bloggers at the show.Just one more week until the show! Can't wait to meet you there! ~Kim

Post -show update: Thanks to everyone for participating in the badge party! The badges were a hit at the show and I'll definitely host this again next year! I'll also announce a group photo time for next year's show so we can get a great big photo of all the badge wearing bloggers! See you at the Farm Chicks 2010!

Chores Day Fabric

 

I found this sweet Chores Day fabric from Repro Depot. I've been getting together with a couple of gals for a weekly sewing group. We are making ourselves skirts. I've made two skirts so far and am close to having a pattern I will use to make myself a whole wardrobe of them! We have been using the Sew What Skirts book to learn how to draft our own custom patterns. I love wearing skirts all summer long. I thought this Chores Day fabric would be perfect to wear while I accomplish all of my homemaking tasks, including...

   

...gardening...

 

...cooking and baking...

 

...marketing...

 

...ironing...

 

...and of course cleaning. I can't wait to wear my new chore day skirt. You may be thinking the fabric choice is a bit juvenile for a gal about to enter her thirties. I think not. After all, who wants to be dressed like a grown up woman when you can relive your childhood by wearing a simple skirt? As a child, in fact for my entire life, I wanted to be a homemaker. And I couldn't be happier now that I am.

My Bloggy Badge

 

See my bloggy badge I will be wearing for the Farm Chicks Antique Show? Want to make one of your own? Go to my post from April 1st for details on making and sharing your own bloggy badge for the show.  Here's how I made my badge: 

I used pink crepe paper to make three "ribbons" and cut the bottoms with deckle edge scissors. 

 

I used an ordinary tag for my blog name.  I cut the edges with the deckled scissors...

 

and I used my cool stamp to stamp CAMP WHIMSY.

 

I made a rosette with the crepe paper and used a small piece of tape to hold it together.

 

I made the center of my badge from the lid of an empty Clabber Girl baking powder can.  I covered the lid in pretty paper...

 

and glued on a pretty vintage German floral cut out in the center. I used a hot glue gun to glue it all together. Voila! I am thrilled to be attending this year's Farm Chicks Antique Show. This will be my third time attending. I am excited to be going for the first time as a blogger and look forward to meeting many of you at the show! Don't forget to make your own badge, write a post on the badge and link to your post using the mr. linky tool on this post. See you at the show!~ Kim 

Create Your Own Blog Badge for the Farm Chicks Show

 

Head over to this post to see all of the bloggy badges and meet the bloggers attending the Farm Chicks Show!! 

The Farm Chicks Antique Show will be here before we know it! I was talking to my blogging friends Laurie and Debbie about making some sort of button, corsage or badge to identify ourselves as bloggers at the show. This will be a fun and positive experience on several levels. By making a badge you will find it easy to locate and meet other bloggers. The badge will also serve as a great conversation piece and a way to introduce yourself and your blog to non-bloggers at the show (meeting Laurie from Magpie Ethel while waiting in line at the show last year was the final push I needed in starting my own blog and since then she has become a very dear friend). Lastly, making your badge is a fun project, you can be as creative as you like. I used a vintage rosette as my inspiration. Vintage fabrics, buttons, jewelry, ribbon, kitsch...the possibilities are endless! Since the show is held over two days you may wish to make more than one badge. If you are not fond of wearing a badge you might consider attaching it to your purse or shopping bag! Here's how this will work:

1. Make your badge (or badges). Try to include the name of your blog or something representing the name on the badge.

2. Write a post on your badge. Link back to this post in your post.

3. Originally we were using the mr. linky widget, however mr. linky is not working currently so please email me to let me know you have posted your badge and I will add your link and photo to the Meet Us At The Farm Chicks Show post! Thanks, Kim

See you at the show! 

Handmade Souvenir

 

You may already know that I love bringing home souvenirs from my travels. On our recent trip to New Orleans I thought it might be fun to bring along a watercolor notepad and pencils to try my hand at sketching a souvenir to bring home. On the last evening of our trip we walked just down the block on Royal Street to Brennan's. This seemed a fitting subject for my sketch, as we loved our Breakfast at Brennan's and want to remember it forever! 

 

We sat across the street on the steps of a building and I sketched away. Just below us a group of musicians was performing. The weather was warm and people were walking about on their way to their Saturday evening meals. It was a perfect scene, one I will never forget, especially since I made a nifty little sketch to bring home.

 

I used my Faber-Castell water color pencils. These are great because you can draw with them and then use a paintbrush and water to bring the colors to life when you get home.

 

Here is the sketch I made and brought home.

 

When I got home I added more layers of color and used the wet paint brush to "water color." I am going to have my masterpiece framed at the local frame shop. What makes this souvenir special to me is the memory I have of making it, the memory I have of our fabulous breakfast at Brennan's and that I made it on my own. Next time you go somewhere special take along a sketchbook and your watercolor pencils and bring home a special memory from your trip!

Little Valentines

 

It's almost February and that means...Valentines!!! I was lacking in the Valentine decor department so it was lucky  for me that Laurie created these sweeties and put them in her Etsy shop. 

    

These are quite possibly my most favorite of Laurie's creations I've collected. They certainly are the sweetest!

 

 

 

 

I made a banner out of paper, glittered "Love", and strung it together with sparkly pipe cleaners. Laurie sent me a few vintage valentines which you can see in the picture along with my new sweeties, standing on their pedestal. Laurie tucked in a special package for Gretchen, Franchesca and Beatrice, which I will share in my next post. Thanks Laurie, holiday decorating will forever be better at my house now that I've found you!!! 

Stampin' Love

 

I'm working on some Valentine gift boxes for my store and thought you might like to see the Martha Stewart alphabet stamp kit I found at Michael's.  Very simple to use, just cut out the letters you need and place on the stamp mount (additional purchase).

 

I'm sure I will get a lot of use out of this stamp kit, I used it to write "70 Baby!" in a card for my father in law this weekend. If you don't already have an ABC stamp kit and are incapable of printing everthing on a computer (like me) then invest in this stamp kit and spread some stampin' love!!

New Studio-Part 2

 

Here is part two of my new studio. I hung paper lanterns on a ribbon across the corner, very festive, Audrey walked in and said, "yeah, a birthday party!!" I have a few things to finish up for this corner of the room. I have a tall oak book shelf that I am going to paint white and put against the blue corner of the wall to hold all of the brown boxes (they contain images for the cards we make). I have a nice laundry sink which comes in very handy in a craft room!

 

I hung a hook for our craft aprons. I am thinking about making a skirt for the bottom of the sink with some of my leftover Heather Bailey Rose Bouquet fabric. I think it would be prettier than the plumbing. What do you think?

 

I hung my cuckoo clock I bought in Geneva, Switzerland (although it was made in Germany!) over the sink. I love my cheesy little cuckoo clock!

 

Here are the two new carts I filled with (some) craft supplies (I have a laundry room with cabinets. Very full cabinets.) The carts hold:

 

Ribbon

 

Supplies including cake decorations (the rose tin is full of ballerinas and little houses) I purchased from Honey Bend Vintage.

   

Office supplies

 

Scissors, clips, pliers and of course my Hello Kitty roll top desk I bought from Hallmark as a very little girl. It's full of more Hello Kitty childhood goodies.

 

Glitters, glues and boxes to decorate.

 

Stacks of stickers, mostly for scrapbooking.

 

Note pads, pencils, and some tins, jars and containers I am saving for future projects.

 

Paper. I sort my scrapbooking paper by themes and colors and put them in these nice heavy clear envelopes. It seems to help keep them wrinkle, smudge and dust free.

 

This is Audrey and Strauss's table for coloring and projects. I hung four magnet boards in a group above the table which makes a nice place for displaying their art work. I'm sure they will fill them up in no time!

 

Here is where the blogging magic happens! My computer and desk. I have plenty of pictures and little treasures surrounding me to keep me inspired and cheerful!

 

To the right of my desk is a picture waiting to be framed and this old metal hamper I found a few years back at Alameda. I use it to hide gifts in.

 

So that sums up part 2. Thanks for touring with me! Every creative woman needs a space all her own, even if it is a well organized closet. I am thrilled with my studio, it is relaxing and cheerful with all of my little treasures to keep me company. Audrey loves coming in with me and working on her coloring when baby brother takes a nap. I may be homeschooling when it comes time for school so it will also be a great room for that. And if company comes over I can just move over the table, blow up the air mattresses and voila! Guest Suite! (o.k, this room would have made a great guest room but considering we rarely have overnight guests I think the studio is a much better use!) The new year is a great time for a little organizing paired with inspiration. If you don't have a studio of your own consider making a corner or closet just for creating. You won''t be disappointed!

New Studio-Part 1

 

After two years of living in our home I finally have put together my studio! When we built our home we used an extra room for storage and tools. My husband built a shed outside and we emptied the room last summer. All it needed was paint and flooring. I chose paint colors that match the rest of my house and the same flooring that I have in my kitchen and laundry room, VCT tiles, which you can get for about 70 cents a foot at Lowe's or Home Depot. I love this flooring, it is durable and easy to clean with no grooves that catch dirt or grout to clean. I helped my husband install it and mopped on several coats of wax to seal it and make it shiny.  As you can see the room is quite large. I put a 6 foot table for sewing, scrapbooking, painting and crafting projects right in the middle surrounded by the now famous rescued chairs.  This is the best as I can spread out and make a mighty mess and just close the door when I'm done, no more messes all over the dining room table! 

 

Here is my favorite part of my new studio, my shelves. They hold my favorite collections and books.

 

I purchased the shelves from IKEA and then used Heather Bailey's Rose Bouquet fabric in blue to line the backs. This was very simple to do, the shelves come in pieces in a box so I just took the back piece and laid it over the ironed fabric, cut out around the edges and used a hot glue gun to glue it to the back.  If you have an 18 month old son he might think the shelves are the perfect size for a hideout. Here's what I filled the shelves with once I coaxed him out:

   

These binders contain articles from Martha Stewart Living Magazine. I organized them into categories and put each page in plastic sleeves for easy reading. I keep similar articles together within the binders. This is a good way to reference Martha's articles and it makes finding what you are looking for much easier than reading through years of magazines.

 

These shelves hold my copies of Mary Englebreit's Home Companion, Cottage Living and Country Living. Unfortunately Mary Englebreit is no longer being published and just last week I received the dreaded postcard that Cottage Living will no longer be published either!! This makes me sad because I will miss out on the inspiration they provided as well as the happy feeling I had each month when I opened the post box and found a new issue waiting to be read.

 

This shelf holds my books on gardening and the little Raggedy Andy I got at a craft show as a little girl.

 

This shelf holds my knitting, sewing, crafting and decorating books. I love books. I find them comforting.

 

This shelf holds my collection of cheesy travel souvenirs. I love to buy a little plastic snow globe from every city I visit. I also like to buy little miniature statues of landmarks like the Empire State Building, Space Needle, Tower of Pisa, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Big Ben etc. Some are little pencil sharpeners. I would visit a city with a cool landmark just so I could buy a souvenir for my collection! I will do a post showing close ups of the snow globes so you can take a better peek.

 

This shelf holds some of my special treasures, my Du Buh Du Dolls, Anja & Elena, and Athena  as well as my Halloween and Christmas goodies from Laurie at Magpie Ethel.

 

And finally I made a flat for my dolls. I am waiting on their dollhouse kit (back ordered) to come so in the meantime they have a cozy little spot to call home.

  

They have a nice little play area complete with their own dollhouse, dolly and puppet theatre from the Club Little House exchange. 

   

A kitchen straight from the 80's...

 

and this nice table complete with journal and little gnome from the Club Little House exchange.

The other shelf in the picture at the top is this shelf:

 

It is a powder coated metal shelf I purchased about five years ago from Martha by Mail (which also no longer exists).  I like the cubbies and find them very useful for holding all sorts of things which I may need one day but prefer to look at for now...

 

Like my flower frogs and the little enamel dishes and berry baskets I got at last years Farm Chicks antique show.

 

The Cafe Du Monde coffe tins I brought back from my first trip to New Orleans five years ago. We have been dreaming of this city since we left, its friendly people, lively music, history, architecture and mostly its unbelievable food. I am excited to be going back with my husband at the end of this month to see even more of the city and do some much dreamt of eating.

 

Here are some frames and things I might need for future projects.

 

Hope you have enjoyed seeing part 1 of my studio, I will post on the remaining areas including my desk area, children's art area and craft supply storage on Sunday.

Club Little House Treasures Arrive!

 

A lovely package of little treasures arrived yesterday! Everyone did a great job packaging their littles. I excercised huge self restraint and took the time to take a picture of the unopened packages. Then it was time to see what was inside. I was thrilled with each package. Everyone had such creative ideas and took extra care in the design and making of their littles.

 

Susan made this adorable puppet theatre complete with its own cast of puppets.

 

Lorraine made this sweet little snowman, just perfect for this time of year.

 

Jo made this great boat shaped bookshelf. She added details including sailing magazines, a starfish and a ship in a bottle. I'd like a life sized version of this one for Strauss's room! 

   

Karen made this little dress form which is a must for every little house.

   

Shar made this little feast which I'm sure the girls will love to eat since all they have had to eat for some time is a bit of fruit.   

 

Louise made this incredibly sweet dolly in her own little bed. She even has a tiny knit blanket at the foot of her bed.  My little Franchesca will be so pleased, she was hoping for a dolly for the little house.

   

Amy made this gardening set which will be perfect for the garden the girls are hoping to put in this spring. It even has a wee little garden gnome to bring a bit of luck to their gardening efforts. 

   

Lisa made this upholstered bench which will be perfect for Beatrice to sit on and do some daydreaming. Beatrice does a lot of daydreaming.

   

Hope made these lovely little framed portraits and included a miniature of the letter found in an attic explaining their history.  

   

Stef made this cozy quilt which is sure to keep Franchesca, Beatrice and Gretchen very warm. 

   

Jill made a box of Christmas crackers and a pennant banner so my little house will be good and ready for Christmas festivities.

 

Lynne made this great little table complete with three separate tablecloths and a Club Little House Journal with pencil for my little girls to write their thougts in.

 

I am thankful to everyone in my group for the time and effort they put in to creating such wonderful littles for my doll house. I hope they are enjoying the glitter houses I made for them. There are many things I have loved about my blogging journey. Next to the friendships I have made and the joy and inspiration that comes from reading other blogs this has been the highlight of my journey thus far. I have simply loved being a part of this group and am completely looking forward to doing it again. For more on Club Little House click here.  

Little Glitter Houses

 

The Club Little House packages were shipped today and  I can hardly wait to get my package and see all of the fabulous littles! Here are the glitter houses I made. They were one inch tall and wide. I love glitter houses of all types; large, small, old, new, simple, kitschy. I made my mom this miniature version of Camp Whimsy last Christmas and was able to use the same materials to construct my little glitter houses. 

 

I made these small boxes complete with the Club Little House logo on top, covered in glitter of course!

 

Here are the houses in the beginning stages. My husband helped me cut them out, tiny houses take FOREVER to cut! I glued them together and held each one for quite a while so the glue could hold the seams together and not come apart.

 

I glued on the roofs (more holding to get the roofs to stay in place) and painted the body of the houses. I chose colors I love.

 

I painted the roofs. Another color I love, sort of a gray brown color.

 

I painted and cut out the windows and doors. I glued them on and glittered the doors with red glitter. I painted snow on the roofs and attached the houses to their small white bases.

 

Then a nice dusting of glitter and voila!

 

 

Here are the houses ready to go in their box.

 

I hope everyone likes their little houses, I sure enjoyed making them. If you want to see a peek of the Club Little House littles, check out Pam's blog, you can even see my little glitter houses amidst all of the fabulous littles! My little girls will be so excited to see all of their new treasures! I have been working on refurbishing their furniture and getting the things on their shopping list. Sadly the houses I ordered are on backorder so I haven't been able to work on their actual house yet. I have loved being part of this round of Club Little House and hope to be able to participate in future rounds.   

Christmas Wreath

 

Yesterday I found time to finish up the wreath I've been working on. I wanted to make a big wreath for our front porch window, but after I got all of the floral supplies home I read the tags on the red poinsettia's and they said they would bleed if exposed to moisture. So now the finished wreath hangs over our fireplace and I am glad for my little mistake.

 

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the flowers are really beautiful, they are velvety. I added a lot of glittered sprays so it really sparkles when the lights are on. The glitter sprays are cool but beware: your house will be COVERED in glitter! I went back to Michaels for a few more poinsettia's and picks and the gal there told me to spray them with hairspray, I did, I think it helped but they still dropped lots of glitter every time I moved the wreath! Keep your vacuum handy while making your wreath!

 

Here is the new wreath over the fireplace. Sadly we don't have our mantle built yet. We planned on getting it done in time for Christmas but have decided to finish up my studio instead (which is actually going to be a lot more useful than a mantle anyhow). I am already looking forward to the holidays next year when I'll have a pretty mantle to decorate along with my new wreath hanging above it! I plan on storing the wreath in the garage, hanging on the wall. I will cover it in garbage bags to keep any dust off. This way it will not get smashed or dusty and I can reuse it every year. Now is a good time to make a wreath of your own, most Christmas supplies are on sale, or for even better deals pick up the supplies after Christmas and you can make your wreath and store it for next year!! Just keep in mind to read the labels on the red poinsettia's if you are wanting an outside wreath!