Cupcake Stands

 

I made these mini cake stands by bonding an upside-down cup to a small saucer with 100% clear silicone caulk.  Once they are put together with the silicone, leave them untouched for 24 hours!  They are dishwasher safe.   

 

 How cute would this be on top of a dresser for jewelry?  Or a sink-side dish for soap & sponges?

Watch for these on our Coonskin June Etsy Shop [Coming Soon!]  I'll keep everyone posted on our grand opening!

The Elf Rides In

Santa's little helper made his first appearance in our house [on horseback] this morning & what a difference he has made!  As I have been power-organizing the house for the last couple of weeks [in preparation for the holidays], the kids haven't been on their best behavior... until now, under the close watch of Santa's tiny messenger.  "The Elf on the Shelf" is a magical [& genius] Christmas tradition for ALL to enjoy.

I'm just praying the novelty lasts long enough to get us through my first round of pie crusts this season, the one time during the holidays that I need this little red crutch the most.

Happy trails to all, & to all a good night!   









 

Cobwebs & Crow Feathers

 My favorite part of decorating for Halloween is dressing up our chandelier.  It's such a simple thing to do & makes such a spooky statement in a room.

    

I made these potions with $1 glass bottles from a craft store, water, & food coloring.  I love the old silver serving trays I found at a local thrift store. Vases & corks could work instead of the bottles too.

We suspended these plastic bats from the curtain rods in the front window.  Standing outside at night, you can see their silhouettes in the soft lamp light.  We will have strobes on them Halloween night.

 Cobwebs make all the difference.

 

 A poisoned apple in a jar: a decorative [vase filler] apple with a little glue & glass glitter.

 Crow feathers. [Black feathers purchased at a craft store.]

 I attached a small branch to our "Rodeo" sign using thin wire, then added the crow, leaves, webs, & moss.

Happy Halloween!

A Spring Centerpiece

Here is the centerpiece I put together just on time for Easter, but neutral enough to keep on the table for the remainder of spring.  I used various mason jars {clearly a decorative staple in my home}, a mason jar vase, and inexpensive fillers such as; moss, feathers, burlap, real egg shells {without the egg yolks/whites...poke a hole on the top of the egg & a larger hole on the bottom, blow the contents of the egg out of the larger hole, ...it's frustrating, so if you don't have the time or patience, I'd just buy faux-eggs if you can still find them.}

I found the feathers at Micheal's: white craft feathers & guinea hen feathers.

Happy Spring :)

 

Easy Grain Sack Tree Skirt

This tree skirt is inexpensive, simple, & requires no sewing!

All it takes is a little ribbon {about 4 ft?}, scissors & 3-4 burlap grain sacks {more or less depending on how ruffled you want it to look; the more fabric, the more ruffles}

To begin, lay the first grain sack flat & trim off the two sides so the sack opens the long way.

Then after the grain sack is opened & laid flat {lengthwise}, make small 1-2" slits {depending on width of your ribbon} perpendicular to the upper edge of the burlap, every few inches {& about 3 inches down from edge}. 

So at this point you have a long rectangle of fabric with several perpendicular slits across the top.

Then you weave your ribbon through those slits & cinch it up...

Repeat the process, adding as many grain sacks as you'd like to get the look you want.  Once you've achieved the look, lay it around the tree & simply tie your ribbon ends together. 

My tree skirt took about 10 mins to make!