Seasonal Banner

I'm really into seasonal stuff... I don't know why. I think it's because I get bored with the same decorations all the time... However, I'm realizing that all of my seasonal decor takes up a lot of storage space... and it's a lot of work to change the decor every month... oh well, I still love it!!!

So, our enrichment made this countdown calendar to Christmas. I thought it was an adorable idea, but the countdown was only for 12 days and I do a countdown for all 25 days of Christmas. So I decided to use mine as a seasonal banner. I had made a few seasonal banners before. But I didn't make one for every month. Now, this cute banner is hung up all year and I will just make new cards to go into each pocket.
(I ran out of time to embellish my Thanksgiving banner)
Here is a close-up of the banner. You can see that what I did was sew together two pieces of plastic .... the kind you use as a table cloth... I have no idea what it's called but you can buy it at Joann. I used a zig zag stitch to sew around 3 sides. The back piece of plastic is about a 1/2 inch taller than the front piece. Mine is about 4" square, but you could make it any size. Then I just hole-punched the top corners and tied them all together with ribbons... I used browns and creams to keep it as neutral as possible.
I think it would be really fun to make one that says "Celebrate" for birthdays. It's super easy to just take the cards out and switch them.
And the nice thing is that all you have to store is a small stack of papers for each month!
Let me know if you have any questions on how to make this banner.

-Anisa

Jubilee of Trees

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

When we moved to St. George I had the feeling I would get roped into helping with the Jubilee of Trees. You see, my mother-in-law, Rosalie Scholes, is the Director of Facility Decor. Which means, she is in charge of.....
.... all decorations and set up for the Jubilee.... from Banners.....
... to presents in the foyer....
.... to a giant castle that greets you as you walk in...
....to walls that separate all of the booths...
.... and the details....


... there are a lot of details... I was feeling kind of guilty that we hadn't helped much. So, the last week before I asked, "what can we do to help." She said, "well, I'm having someone paint these banners and I just need some help outlining them in black marker." So, I headed off to a cold, empty warehouse (the staging area) to help. Little did I know.... I made the mistake of saying, "I can do that." So, I helped with the banners. I actually painted some of the banners. They hang from the ceiling to tell you know where each booth is. It was actually kind of fun and fun to walk through the Jubilee and see that I had done something to help.

And last, but not least is my mother-in-law's tree. She has decorated a tree for 23 years. She has won people's choice many times. She is awesome at what she does! This picture doesn't do it justice!
The Jubilee ends tomorrow (Monday, Nov. 22nd.) So, if you live in St. George and have the time... stop by and see for yourself.

-Anisa

Easiest Valance Ever!

Last night I whipped up a set of valances for our living room windows! They are sooo fast and easy that I thought I'd do a quick tutorial....

1. Measure your window width. Mine was 63"

2. Cut your fabric 2" wider to account for a 1" seam allowance on each side. I typically like my valance to drop 18". You will need to double the amount of fabric for the drop. So, basically I cut my fabric 65" wide x 36" tall.

So, here is my fabric all cut. I drew a little diagram on the picture. Basically, you will hem the sides first, then put the fabric right sides together and sew it into a tube. Turn it right side out and iron it. You will loop the tube over your rod. Then take two pieces of ribbon. I like mine to be 15" long. So, I cut them 30" and sewed the ends together. then slip them over the rod and slide them into place. It's as simple as that!

If you have any questions, leave a comment and I'd love to answer any questions for you.

-Anisa

(P.S. Sydney... we need to make some for your new house now!)

Tip Top Cake Shoppe

One of the hardest things for me about moving to St. George is not having my friend Jacinda from Tip Top Cake Shoppe to make my kids birthday cakes for me. I took classes from her so I have learned how to decorate cakes, but I'm just not that good at it... and it's not my favorite craft! Here is the craft that I made for my 2 year old.....

It's nothing compared to this cake Jacinda made for my niece....
Or this one she made for my other son....
I have seen other people decorate cakes and they just aren't as creative as Jacinda.... I'm telling you!!!

so, if you live in the Salt Lake Valley, you can have Jacinda make an awesome creation for you. Right now she has a CONTEST going on where she will make 24 cupcakes for you... super yummy and you'd have Thanksgiving dessert taken care of! Check out the details on her blog.

-Anisa