Winter Decorating : Snow, Stars and Glistening Crystal
Hello Friends!
I'd planned to write about a visit with a friend that took place last week, however, catching a cold kept me from experiencing that pleasure. Instead, I stayed close to home, and so, here are some photos of what that currently looks like.
As you may have noticed, I enjoy decorating for holidays, returning everything to, pretty well, exactly the way it was before afterward. But, this year I intend to shake things up more, moving items around and pulling seldom seen treasures out of cupboards. So, after taking down the Valentine things, I put together this Wintery look, using things I already had around the house. There are many thrifted items in the mix, along with gifts, family memorabilia and a surprising number of things rescued from other people's trash. (It's quite common to find boxes of good stuff beside the sidewalks in Toronto, with the intention being you take what you want.)
It was fun to do, like playing a little scavenger-hunt game, trying to find things around the house that fit the theme. Since Winter is nearly over, I'm now looking forward to seeing what I can hunt and gather for Spring. There might also be a shelf or two set up with St. Patrick's Day decor, as well.
I hope you enjoy my first "between the holidays" decorating look. While the overall theme was "winter", I wasn't overly strict with it, as you will see.
How to Cross-Stitch on Paper : Revised Method
Update : I’ve made a YouTube Video on how to Cross Stitch on Paper, including the two methods of transferring the pattern …
(Aside: If you liked the video, it would be helpful to me if you'd go over to YouTube by clicking here, and give it a thumbs up and/or leave a comment. Also, it would be great if you'd subscribe to my new YouTube channel. No pressure, though. Thank you, if you do!)
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Hello! Here's one for the crafty readers, particularly those who enjoy quick little stitching projects.
A while back I wrote this post describing how to cross-stitch on paper. The method involved using graph-paper to transfer the patterns, with the suggestion to download and print up some if you didn't have it on hand. I was using the small supply I had left over from my old DayTimer Date Book.
Well, I ran out of that and our printer called it quits and we decided not to replace it. I'm sure kids must still use graph-paper in math class but I haven't seen it for sale anywhere, so, basically I was out of a supply that was necessary to do the craft.
But, that turned out to be no problem because I figured out a second method that doesn't require graph paper at all. Instead, it calls for a sheet of "Plastic Canvas" that's meant for needlepoint projects and is available at craft stores. It comes in different hole-sizes, so look for some that is "10 Mesh", meaning that there are 10 holes per inch. I found mine at Michael's for about $1. “7 Mesh” is more common (here’s an example on Amazon) and would work, too, but your cross-stitches would end up being bigger. You only ever need to get one piece because you'll use it over and over again, whenever the urge to cross-stitch on paper strikes you.
Art : Two New Exhibits at the AGO in 2020 – Illusions: The Art of Magic and Diane Arbus Photography
*** Update : After being closed for 3 1/2 months (due to the coronavirus, for readers in the future), the AGO will reopen on July 2, 2020. These two wonderful shows will now run until November 8th, and the Picasso and Warhol exhibitions that were scheduled for this fall/winter season will now take place next year.
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Hello!
Not only do we have a wonderful permanent collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario, but the organizers and curators also consistently impress with the variety and quality of the special temporary shows they present. These two new exhibitions, opening this Saturday, join the list of excellence.
Illusions : The Art of Magic -- February 22 to May 18, 2020
Valentine’s Decor 2020 : Thrifted and Handmade
Hello and wishing you a happy Valentine's Day if you're into it. It’s also a three day weekend here, as Monday is "Family Day", so extra reason to celebrate.
Here is a peek at our seasonal decorations this Valentine's.
I'm making it a goal this year to encourage anyone who doesn't usually shop secondhand at thrift stores to get out there and give it a try. Those who are already familiar with the thrill of the thrifted treasure hunt, need no motivation, but I hope this type of posts will still be interesting to you. Personally, I love seeing how people incorporate thrift store items into their home decor and wardrobes.
So, on that note, I previously posted a story (found here) about a selection of recent thrift store finds, that, although there was only a tiny hint of a heart print on one item, I thought would go well in Valentine decorating. Therefore you'll see every item from that story somewhere amoungst the decor.
Here's a refresher of those "Valentine-esque" thrifted items ...
Crafty Behaviour : Handmade Valentine Decorations 2020
Follow Up : Thanks for visiting :) I used all of these handmade pieces within our Valentine’s decor, which you can see here, if you’d like.
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Hi and welcome! I love crafting for Valentine’s Day. There's something about the colour scheme and the shape of hearts that really gets me in the mood to make things. You?
These are all pretty easy — except for the crocheted pieces if you're not a crocheter — and most are a different take on something I've shared here before, so I'll link to tutorials in previous posts where appropriate.
Here’s what I made this year ...
A "Needlepoint Plastic Canvas Heart" previously demonstrated in this post. I used yarn from my stash and a plastic canvas heart leftover from when I made them before, which originally came from Michael's.
