Happy New Year!!!!

As I start my post, I have to laugh!   I see that my last post, as well as so many others from the past,  started with "I can't believe it's been XX since I last posted".  Now here I am nearly 2 months later starting to say the same thing!   This blogging things seems to be quite the challenge for me!  LOL  

When I started it up again, it was because after selling my business a year ago,  I was finally feeling like I had the time to commit to it... How quickly things can change!!!  The selling of the business turned into a Train Wreck!   It's a very long story, but over the last few months I've been helping the family that bought it try to bring it back to life. With my regular part time job, helping with the flower shop, and running my Kimber K Creations business,  I've been busier than ever!   BUT!  I have been crafting :)   and crafting and crafting and crafting!   I was so busy filling orders over Christmas that I barely had time to breath!  let alone blog!!   LOL... but here I am :)  Finally making time.   Thank you to those that are hanging in there with me :)

So, is it too late to share Christmas?  I hope not, because I am doin it!!!!    

I LOVE decorating my house for the seasons.  Christmas time just makes me so happy... I love the twinkling lights, the red, the silver.... it just makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside!    So without further ado.... Here is the Kinion House for Christmas, 2013 <3

Here is my Christmas Tree.   I was late getting it up this year!  Usually I like to have it up the weekend after Thanksgiving, but this year I wasn't able to get it up until December 11th!  And the only reason that I got it done then was because I woke up one morning at 4:30 and thought... well,  this is a great time to decorate the tree! 

My Precious Moments Nativity and the "Oh Holy Night" sign I made.  

My door shelf <3  Love love decorating this for the seasons :)   This year It was perfect for this little Snoman themed tree and my lighted snowmen.  No, I didn't leave that random candy cane hanging there!   LOL  

I've had these guys for about 15 years and I still love them :)   The countdown to Christmas sign is one I made for my craft fair season... I decided I really  needed to keep one for myself :)  

A close up of the little snowman tree :)  

This is an old window and shelf that hangs over our couch.  I also love decorating this for the different seasons and holidays.   Those ornaments are Dollar Tree ornaments that I decorated with white vinyl.   Found the idea on pinterest and loved it so much I had to recreate it.  

Close up... So stinkin cute!! 

The top of our entertainment center... Yes, we still have one!  LOL... I think we may be one of the only families I know that don't yet have a flat screen.  I'm kinda cheap like that :)   LOL 

These are my Believe blocks that I finally got finished for myself this year!   I've been meaning to make these for at least 2 years!   

this is the shelf we built last spring to go above our French Doors.  Another web find.  I'll post the link a little later.  I love love love how this turned out.   You can see a better picture of it in the living room picture below.  

Even the guest bath gets "Christmafied"  :)   There's more..... but I can't find the pictures!  

This was my table set up for our Christmas Buffet.  We don't do a big Christmas dinner, but instead have a big celebration Christmas Eve and we do lots of hour devours and snacks.  

All ready for our Christmas Eve celebration.  :)  My favorite time of year!!!!

Our Hot Cocoa bar... with Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows that I meant to post about on my blog but didn't get around to :(  

SNOW!!!!!  We got snow!!!  Not exactly on Christmas, but on December 8th and Thank goodness we had our lights up and the house was decorated inside!   I got to enjoy Christmas lights on snow for the first time in my life, I think :)   We get snow every so often, but it's rare we get more than a skiff and NEVER on Christmas!!!   It was wonderful :)   

Well that's my tour :)   I hope everyone had a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!  and Wishing everyone a blessed NEW YEAR!!!!  

Kim <3

Spooky Candles

Hi everyone, thanks for joining me today for another Craft Day project.  You're going to LOVE this one!  :)
It's an AMAZING craft project that turned out so stinkin cute!  I can hardly believe how a few simple items... (some of it trash!) Can be transformed into something so cool!  Prepare to be amazed :)

So, the other day I ended myWitch's Spell Book post with this picture~ 

And asked you~ "What could you make with with this stuff???" 

Well, can you believe... that a few Empty Toilet Paper Rolls,  Hot Glue , Black paint, White Ink and a flickering tea light can be transformed into.......

 

 I KNOW, Right!!!  ~ Seriously!  Toilet paper rolls and Hot Glue!  Can you believe it?  

I found the tutorial "Here" several weeks ago and I knew I had to give this a try...  She has some wonderfully creative variations and examples on her sight!  What a very talented lady!! I couldn't believe is how super easy it was to make these.  :) 
Here is my own tutorial for ya.

First, tape up the bottoms of your toilet paper/paper towel rolls and add something to help weigh them down.  I used a few decorative stones from a bag I bought at the Dollar Tree.   I also cut my TP rolls down so that they were staggering heights.
Next, use  masking tape to make a little indention for the tealight to sit down inside the roll.   Now comes the fun part!!! 

 Take your hot glue and just squeeze out your drips..  You can do a few drips... a lot of drips... double drips...long drips, short drips... you're in charge.  :)  Have fun.. I did them all different.  Just be sure and let one layer dry  before you go back and do a layer over the top.   I made 6 candles and I think I used 5 or 6 shorty glue sticks.

 \

Next (when the glue has completely set and hardened) I used black acrylic paint and painted the entire "candle" black... Use your brush to get into all the little crevices.  It did take 2 coats.   You could probably use black spray paint and it would work fine, too.  (By the way... the Craft Mat I use.... MUST HAVE!  they are so handy and NOTHING sticks to them!)

When the black paint had dried, I took a very soft brush and lightly brushed over the drips.  This gives it that aged and creepy look.
 After the ink had dried I sprayed it with glitter spray hoping that they will shimmer in the candlelight for my Halloween Party.    Now pop in your tealight and, Ta Da!  some really spooky candles :)

I am SO thrilled with how they turned out :) and can't wait to use them in a fun Halloween setting on my table :)   I'll be sharing pictures of that next week when I start really decorating for the party.

That's all for today.  Thanks for visiting!

Kim

Witches Spell Book

Hi Everyone!  Thanks for visiting today.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!!
I had a fantabulous weekend with lots of crafting time.  I've been working on several projects and I can't wait to share them with you.  :)
But first, I must apologize about not posting the "Spell Book" pictures last week.  My camera is acting up and I was having a tough time getting pictures.  It's still acting crazy....(maybe it's haunted) Whenever I turn it on and try to focus on something to photograph the image stabilizer goes out.... and then in.... and keeps doing that over and over.  It almost acts as if it's turning off and on but it never really turns off...   but I think I have figured out a way to work it so I can get my pictures. 
Anyhoosh.... I want to share the pictures of my spell book :)  I just LOVE this!  I think it turned out so cute!!!  in a spooky way, of course :)

So, because of the camera issues, I didn't get a tutorial made, but I would be more than happy to send the instructions to anyone interested.  Just shoot me an email and I'd be glad to walk you through it.  It's SUPER easy!

So without further ado....  Here it is :)

  Ta Da!!  Doesn't it look sooooo spooky!  (Sorry for the glare.  I coated it with Modge Podge to protect it)
The skeleton charm/key thingy is something I picked up on clearance at Michaels last year. I  Love how it makes it look so Witchy and spooky!

Here is the little "Scene" I set up on my door shelf.... I'm still working on getting it fully decorated so I'll share a full  picture of it all decorated up later :)    Do you just love the purple balls?... like little crystal balls!  They are just 2 left over glitter balls that I didn't use on my Halloween tree!  :)  I turned them upside down and set them in 2 little candlesticks from the dollar tree and Walla! So cute!!   I think they just added something kind of mystic to the whole setup :)
The Spider Candle holders were purchased a couple of years ago and I don't remember where, sorry :( They're pretty cute, though!

Here is a little closer picture of the book and without the charm.  You should be able to click on the picture to make it bigger.  The "Spell" is the Double Double toil and trouble poem.    I just printed it out on distressed paper and glued it to the pages.

Here is another another setup that I experimented with.... I can't decide which I like more.   I do love the moss and candlesticks in this one.  Hmmmmmmm   I'll have to give it some more thought and decide later.

So that's all for today.... Next I'll show you a project I worked on yesterday.....

 Hmmmmm Now what can you make with this stuff ????   
Something Fantabulously spooky!  :)  You'll be amazed! 

See you next time!

Kim

Summer Planting

Well, we're rounding out the final days of our crazy Graduation week.... I can't believe that my "baby" graduates this afternoon....**Sniff Sniff**   I also can't believe that I'm up at 4 AM when I have an all night grad party to chaperone tonight!   YIKES!   I guess my head is just spinning with everything going on.
I have a wedding that I'm trying to prepare for, Graduation, Grad Night party... etc etc...

Last weekend was our big graduation party for Chase.  We had a FANTABULOUS party!  And of course.... the camera was dead for part of the time... and by the time I got it charged again the pretty food table was a mess.!!  LOL   So no fun pictures of that... but here is a fun project that I worked on earlier that week.  

I've seen this project several times out there in blog land... I fell in love with it! and knew I had to make one for my front porch area.  I still need to decorate it, but I can't decide what I want to put on it.. "Welcome", "Kinion's"  (our last name)... ????  House numbers don't really seem necessary since we live in the country and no one would see it... I'll have to think about it.    But..... I  Love~ Love~ Love how it turned out!  

So, I had every intention of taking all the "before and after" pictures... but I got a little ahead of myself and started working before I remembered to take the pics~
So here's the gist:  
I started with 3 terra cotta pots... in this case 12, 10, and 8 inches, but of course you could use whatever sizes you want.  The "missing" pictures are that I started by covering the all the pots, inside and out, with Modge Podge and let them dry thoroughly overnight.   Next I spray painted the pots with Krylon paint.. took about 4 coats.. pretty pretty!** Make sure you get inside the rim so it looks finished after you add the soil**

 

After the paint was completely dry I added another coat of Modge Podge to the outside: 
 
And... but of course.... after it was all dry I couldn't wait to plant it... so I forgot to take pictures until I was elbow deep in potting soil!  LOL... but here's what I did: 
I used some smaller terra cotta pots that I had stashed behind the garage and inverted them inside the large and medium pots so that I could "Stack" them.  I stuck a dowel down through the holes in the pots to secure them.... I was going to use blocks of wood for my "stackers" ... but that required that I drill holes in the blocks and I was too lazy :)
I then planted them with Bacopa on the bottom,  Alyssum in the middle and  topped it off with two Geraniums and some tall grass:  Thriller, filler, spiller is the recipe for planting dish gardens.  :)

 So here's our finished project again :) .   When I figure out what to put on it... I'll share another picture! 

**Tip**
apparently there is a difference in the "Matt" and "Glossy" finishes??? I used the "Matt" finish and it turned white when I sprayed the finished planter with water to clean it off!  It didn't run or take the finish off, but it still turned white like wet glue again.   I'll have to go back when I have time and spray it with Krylon clear acrylic finish.

And just for fun... because SPRING has finally arrived here in Oregon.. even though it's really only a week away from SUMMER!  Here is a picture of how "Spring" looks at our house... everything still that gorgeous shade of green... Golden Chain tree in full bloom... :)  Makes me happy!

I'm hoping that since things are winding down with Graduation and sports, I'll be able to post more regularly now.  
I do have 2 cute projects that I made for the Grad Nite gifts that I'll post in the next day or two :)
See you then!
Thanks again for visiting!

Kim


 

Waiting on Spring ~ and a Carrot Cake

Welcome back!  So glad you stopped back by to see what I've been up to :)
I've been putting the finishing touches on my "Let it Bloom" blocks today, working on a wreath for the front door, and baking my cakes for my cake decorating class tonight.  I have No idea what I'm going to do with all these cakes~  More on that later :)
So did you noticed this set of "Let it Bloom" blocks in one of the pictures from the other day?....  I didn't mention them because they weren't finished :)  Today, I added some cute little paper flowers to them and tied them together with some ribbon...

                         Ta Da!   I'm soooo dreaming of Spring!!!  Sooooo tired of this rain!
These blocks are so fun and easy to make.  I can see many more sets of these in the future.   As with the "spring" blocks, I just cut a 2x4 into the sizes I wanted... if you need the details just let me know :)   I used Lyrical Letters for the font again... I Love all the choices on that cart! 

 Now Just trying  to decide......  Here?                     or         Here?   :)
The flowers behind it are Cherry Blossom sprays that I picked up at M's on sale last week... Pretty Pretty!
Don't they just look so Happy and Springy!!  Love them!

So tonight is my 2nd cake decorating class!    Our "Homework" from last week was to practice making the the ButterCream icing and practicing with our star tip..... But of course... I wanted to really decorate something... so I made a Carrot Cake and wanted to put these cute little carrots on top :)
Do NOT zoom in on this picture or you'll see how the icing slipped!  LOL... that's what microwaving the frosting a tad to soften it up will do!  I just COULD NOT bring myself to frost that whole cake with Buttercream Icing!  After mixing in a cup of shortning!!!   Bllleck!!!!  so I used some that I had on hand.... yes yes I know.. it's probably just as bad, but I didn't see it, OK :)  

Not crazy about the Star border..... and it got a little smashed... but Hey!  This was my first time in many years of putting a border on a cake!   But I'm lovin' the carrots  :)
I have NO idea what we are going to do with all these cakes, though!!!   Hunny told me he's "Never been crazy about Carrot Cake"... How did I not know that after 22 year of marriage???   Cake anyone?

Here's tonights project... ready for class... :)

I'll let you know how it goes!

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Kim

My very first "Craft Day" post

Hi everyone!  Thanks for stopping by to visit my brand new blog!  I'm SO excited to share, but I still have SO much to learn!!  like how to hide those little tool thingies on the side of my blog... (If anyone has any great links they'd like to share for designing your blog... I'd love the help!)

I've been trying to make more "Craft Days" for myself these days... Staying home and playing in my craft room makes me so happy!  You'll find that my craft habits vary constantly... I love to do everything!  So brace yourself for complete Randomness!  LOL  You never know what you will find the next time you stop by... could be a sewing project, a Cricut project, a decorated cake, a planting project.... Anything that catches my attention that particular week :)  I'm sure there are some of you out there nodding your head in sincere understanding!! LOL


For my first post, I'm sharing some picture of my most recent  projects that I've been working on for my "Door Shelf" in my front entry way.  I love love love my door shelf!  and I love to decorate it up for every season.

My Sweet little "Bee Guy" is a pattern I purchased online from Patti's Ratties.  She has the cutest patterns!

 I "Primmed" him up after I finished him... now I'm kind of wishing that I hadn't... So I might make another one.
Next are my "Spring Blocks".  I cut 2x4's into various sizes and then stained them and cut pretty patterned paper from my stash to fit.  I then used my Gypsy and Cricut to size and cut my letters.  I used Lyrical Letters and the umbrella cut is from Create a Critter. (I think!)  I also made my own paper flowers from different cuts.    I think they turned out pretty cute, eh?   For Summer, I think I'll just turn them around and decorate the other side! 

Last but not least is my "Bowl"... for lack of a better word.  LOL
I made this a while back from an old light fixture and a glass candle holder.  I glued it together with E6000 and now I have a Fancy Schmancy little bowl to fill up with all kinds of seasonal goodies :) Pretty cute, eh?

I made the flowers by using a Cricut cut for a pattern... sewed em up, stuffed em and finished them off with a button in the center.  The little Bee is made from a pattern I purchased from "Olde Annie Primitives".  The little Carrot bunnies in the back were made by a friend and that pattern can also be purchased from Patties Ratties.

So there you have it... my very first share on my brand new blog :)
I hope you like it!    If so, PLEASE leave a comment for me so I know people are actually reading this :) And... it will keep me enabled to post! :)

Thanks for looking and letting me share!
until next time!
Kim