holidays
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Halloween Front Porch With Floating Witches’ Hats
It’s almost Halloween! This year I decided to hop on the bandwagon broomstick late and try out the trick with the floating witches’ hats for our Halloween front porch. Now I get what all the fuss is about! Floating witches’ hats skew more playful than gruesome which works for this ghoul gal. By the way, I almost didn’t write this blog post because the grammar is impossible to figure out. Technically, only one witch owns these hats. Me. So should I be saying witch’s hats? Or can I say I own multiple witch hats? Which witch hats are we talking about now? See how confusing it is? I chose to…
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5 Fun Labor Day Facts
It’s Labor Day in the USA and many folks, including us, are enjoying a day off from school and work. Here are 5 fun Labor Day facts that I found interesting and I’m sure you will too! After all, who doesn’t love a little drama and glass-ceiling breaking with their history? On second thought, I think we could all use a break from any drama. How about we all try to get along? Folks 100 years from now will thank us. Here are the Labor Day facts I found interesting. Fun Labor Day Facts: The Founder of Labor Day Is In Dispute Two men, Peter J. McGuire and Matthew Maguire,…
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Reflections On This 4th of July 2022
It’s the 4th of July, America. 2022 marks 246 years since the Declaration of Independence was ratified by the U.S. Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. Our house did not exist in 1776, but we are pretty sure the original 2-room structure (our current dining room and office) existed in the 1780s. This means it is very likely that our house and its occupants witnessed history unfold when the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788 and went into effect in 1789. I’ve studied history and know what happened, but I wonder how it FELT to be alive then? Victory must have been bittersweet. Lives were lost in the war.…
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Cross-Stitch American Flag On a Grain Sifter
What happens when you combine cross-stitch, an American flag, and an antique grain sifter? Pure Americana magic. Or, in less flowery terms, you get a cross-stitch American flag on a grain sifter. I’ve always been intrigued by the grid pattern of grain sifters. It lends itself well to all sorts of crafty endeavors, but particularly cross-stitch. Cross-stitch in its most rudimentary sense is a series of x-shaped hand stitches. I won’t even pretend to know much more about cross-stitch beyond that completely lacking description. I do consider it to be an art form and skill that I am continually impressed by when I see what folks have created. If you…
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Eight Fun 4th of July Ideas
Before you know it, the USA will be celebrating another birthday. It is turning the ripe old age of 246 in 2022! That calls for a celebration, don’t you think? Here are eight fun 4th of July ideas to make the holiday even more festive. Fun 4th of July Ideas: Make Faux Sparklers or Giant Frill Picks I had so much fun making these last year and plan to reuse them again this year. (Read how I made them here.) You can either use these faux sparklers or giant frill picks in the world’s largest sandwich, or you can do like I did and put them in my front porch…
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How a Weed Became A Symbol of Remembrance
Have you ever wondered how a weed became a symbol of remembrance worldwide for fallen soldiers? That weed is the poppy. The first shock to my system was that poppies are weeds. I thought poppies were pretty flowers. Don’t believe me? Go check out my proof here and here and here and here. Weed or not, I still think they are pretty. The origin story of the poppy becoming a worldwide symbol of remembrance for fallen soldiers stems from a poem penned by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. McCrae was a Canadian brigade surgeon for an Allied artillery unit. Not long after the Second Battle of Ypres where 87,000 Allied soldiers were killed, wounded, or…
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DIY Your Own Wood-Burned Easter Eggs
Here’s something you never knew you needed to make until now: Wood-Burned Easter Eggs. They are fun to make, will last forever, and you can even use them as place cards at your Easter table. I’m a wood-burning novice. Seriously, these wood-burned Easter eggs are my second wood-burning project ever. If I can try something new, so can you. All you need are wood eggs, a wood-burning kit, and your imagination. I like these 2 1/2-inch wood eggs from Amazon because they are a good natural egg size and don’t have a flat bottom. If you want your eggs to stand up on end, then you need to order eggs…
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Easter Egg Embroidered Napkins
Here’s a relatively quick and customizable Easter craft for you – Easter Egg Embroidered Napkins. This is a fun way of adding some Easter flair to otherwise plain cloth napkins. Please note that I casually threw out the words ‘relatively quick’ when describing this project. Some of you have never touched embroidery thread. Some of you are probably hand-stitching pros and could do this project with your eyes closed. (If you can actually do this with your eyes closed, will you make a video for me?) On the embroidery spectrum, I’m a little closer to “never touched embroidery thread” than I am to being a professional. With my limited skills,…
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7 Lucky and Unlucky Signs From Irish Folklore
St. Patrick’s Day is almost here and I thought it would be fun to share some things that were considered, way back in the day, to be lucky and unlucky according to Irish folklore. These lucky and unlucky signs are not pulled magically pulled out of thin air by yours truly. Nope! (image: Killarney, County Kerry via the National Library of Ireland) These signs were compiled by students in 1938 at Listowel National School in County Kerry, Ireland. They have since been recorded by Wexford archaeologists Colm Moriarty and Adrienne Corless on the Irish Archaeology site. Here are seven of my favorite lucky and unlucky signs from Irish folklore: If you…
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DIY Wood and Brass Hearts for Valentine’s Day
I have a lovely DIY to share with you today – wood and brass hearts! They are perfect when you’re looking for a subtle touch when it comes to Valentine’s Day decor. Although, when it comes to the actual Valentine’s Day and every day, really, don’t be subtle when telling your valentine they are loved. Life is too short! Here’s how to make these wood and brass hearts. Step 1: Unless you want to freehand it, print out a paper heart template. We used a 2-inch and a 3-inch heart. Step 2: Trace your heart shape on a piece of wood and carefully cut the heart out using a jigsaw.…
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