Handmade Home: A Fresh Start

 
This year is going to be different. I'm reminded of 30 Rock every new year, when Liz Lemon visits her accountant and he tells her that he doesn't need to see her receipts because nothing has changed. She objects and recites menial differences in her life this past year. Or when Liz Lemon buys all her containers at the new container store, and is finally going to get organized... I've been watching a lot of 30 Rock lately okay.

But for me this year is going to be different, and to commemorate this a new start on my mantle...

Make: Happy this New Year!

Adorable pic from Hula Seventy

Make happy this New Year, and check out these awesome DIY's and be prepared to adorn your nest with gold, tinsel and cheer...

skewered

Cake toppers, drink stirrers, plant adornments...take your pick. 

supplies: sparkle poms and bamboo skewers

instructions: skewer the pom with the bamboo

I borrowed these poms from Matilda.

It represents only a small part of her pom reserves, so I don't think she was too concerned. 

brand new

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Hey, it's a brand new bloglovin widget for on my honor. Welcome to 2010, sisters, we finally made it.

Brief Musical Interlude: Rufus Wainwright

For you, dear friends. Happy New Year!

bows that sparkle

Somebody stop me. Seriously. Someone please pry these sparkle pipe cleaners from my hands, before it's too late. Well, it might already be too late because I made a sparkle bow barrette from a pipe cleaner and a bobby pin. 

Can I just say that it is incredibly difficult to take pictures of the side of your head?

But I do believe my ear looks lovely. Uh-oh, that's ear hubris. Now my ear will probably get burned off in a fire. 

P.S. Glitter pipe cleaners can easily be fashioned into kitten halos.

Even for bad kittens. 

sparkle & fade

The silver and gold pipe cleaners will not be denied. Let's make some sparkly table decorations!

Supplies: small glass jar or candleholder, tealights, matches, pipe cleaners*

Graft the pipe cleaners together. 

Make sure they're tight, like best friends.

Tape the end of your pipe cleaner chain to the bottom edge of the jar.

(Whoops! Forgot to mention tape.) Don't worry, it'll get covered up.

Start wrapping around the jar, making sure to keep the pipe cleaners tight. 

If they get loose, this happens:

So keep things in order. 

Wrap and wrap and wrap until you come to the end. 

While keeping the coils tight, push down the upper rings and tape the end of the pipe cleaner to the jar.

At this point, it should be safe to release the coils. Arrange the rings so they cover the taped end

and are evenly spaced. Just be sure to leave some gaps to let the light through.

Happy crafting!

*The number of pipe cleaners will depend on the size of your jar or candleholder. For my 2.5'' x 3.5'' jar (in gold), I used nine pipe cleaners. The 2.5'' x 2.5'' candle holder (in silver) took four pipe cleaners, but the silver pipe cleaners are about twice as wide.  

glitterati

Recently, I happened upon some gold and silver pipe cleaners at the craft store and snatched, snatched, snatched them up! My immediate plan was for initial package toppers. Like so:

After I made that dream a reality, I wondered what the future might hold for these little gems.

And I decided that pipe cleaner initials would make lovely badges for a New Year's Eve party.

So I made more. 

And more.

Um, and more. 

Yes, even though I have no plans to throw a New Year's Eve bash, I'm making little party accouterments. What can I say? I like festiveness. And maybe you are throwing a party and would like to greet your guests with a wee bit of SPARKLE. 

So curl those pipe cleaners around your fingers, make sweet swirls and giddy loops,

and then pin them to collars and lapels and let the sparkle speak for itself!  

P.S. While you're at it, why not make a bit of sparkle for your hair...

Birds, Tucson, and bad cats!

Bink and me...ET style.

Take note--the best time to buy glass-glitter bird ornaments is the day after Christmas.  I took full advantage of this and purchased six new birds.  All the birds are happily perched in the aviary.  These birds were purchased in downtown Olympia at Popinjay. 

I flew out to join Nicholas in Tucson AZ.  We rang in the New Year downtown.  

This is how our faces look most of the time. Mostly.

Nick, Herman, and Nolan decided to become cowboys.
When I told my mom that Nick bought a cowboy hat she shrieked, "He's not a cowboy!"

Dead cactus.

Nick's backyard.

Tucson is all about their minerals. This was at the Ventana Canyon Resort.

This is also at the resort. We stayed there one night.

 When we returned, the cats were happy to have suitcases to play in.

Nick has a really big head. Like whoa.

Bink is unsure.  Good call Bink.