Day 1 of Christmas Party! Light Bulb Ornaments & A Give Away!

Made by Me, this is the one for the Give Away!

 This week, I'm joining up with Laura at Ellie Inspired for her blogger's Christmas Party! I will be posting a new idea each day this week. I have some crafts, recipes, sewing, and fun memories to share with you. First up, these adorable light bulb ornaments you can make with your kids.



Last week many light bulbs went out in my house. 7 to be exact. I'm not kidding! A halogen floodlight (recessed) went out in my kitchen, so I put in a new one and when I turned the lights back on, a different one had blown out! Besides those, 5 regular incandescent bulbs were replaced by me (on a chair, because I'm "petite"; 2 of my kids are now 5" taller than me!). So, I couldn't just throw them away, even though keeping them made me feel like I should be on an episode of "Hoarders". They reminded me of these adorable ornaments we have made in the past. I first saw this idea 3 years ago when Rosie made one in second grade. I think that was an ambitious craft for a second grade teacher to do with a classroom of kids, but I just love them!

Supplies for Light Bulb Ornament

 What you will need:
A light bulb
Snow-tex craft paint (I found it at Michael's)
Asst'd colors of craft paint-white, black, orange, hat color
A toothpick for the nose
9" of plaid ribbon (about 3/8" wide) or fleece for the scarf (about 9"x3/8")
Small pompom for hat (optional)
2 small twigs for arms (optional)
4" of floral wire for the hanger
Glue gun or tacky glue

Light bulb primed white

To make your ornament: paint the glass portion of the bulb with white craft paint to act as a primer under the Snow-tex. When it is dry, paint with one coat of Snow-tex. I found that spreading a thin layer with a craft stick was easier than using a brush. The Snow-tex takes awhile to dry; once it is dry, paint the metal part of the bulb the color you want for the hat. Give it 2 or 3 coats. Paint a toothpick orange for the nose. You will just snip off a bit at one end (about 1/2" long). Make dots for eyes and mouth with black paint on a toothpick. Use a glue gun or tacky glue to attach the scarf, nose, and twig arms. Make a loop of floral wire and glue neatly to the top of the hat. Cover with a small pompom if you like. Your ornament is done!
 

Made by Rosie, age 10

Made by Katie, age 12

Made by Davy, age 6, he added legs!

 These are fun to do with kids and make great teacher's gifts, Yankee swaps, or tie one onto a plate of homemade cookies. You could make one for each person in your family!

GIVEAWAY TIME! I would like to give a snowman ornament to one of my lovely readers (Continental US & Canada only). If you'd like to win, just post a comment here telling me something you like about my blog (an item or idea I have shared) or something you'd like to see! If you are a follower (or become a follower), tell me so in your comment and I'll give you a second chance to win!! I'll pick a winner on November 20, at the end of the party. (Please be sure you have an email associated with your profile or post a way for me to reach you.)

A Little More Quilting...

My Quilt Guild had a program we called the "lunch bag toss." We each chose a small assortment of fabrics we liked and put them in a brown lunch bag. All the bags were mixed up so we didn't know whose was whose and tossed to people. Then we had to make a block for that person just using the fabric from the bag. When we returned them at the next meeting, everyone tried to guess who it belonged to based on the fabric choices. This is the block I made. I used the fabrics to frame a machine embroidered redwork sewing basket.

This design is from Embroidery Library and stitched great. One color designs are so quick and easy!

In December, my Guild will be starting another row robin program, so I will be sharing my rows for that soon. First I have to choose the fabrics for my quilt!

Quick Kitchen Wall Hanging

This little wall hanging was quick and fun to make! It should be called "faux quilting," since the appliques are applied with Heat 'n Bond rather than hand or machine stitched. It makes a project that is easy enough to do with kids. You could do traditional applique if you wanted to make it more heirloom. It would also make a great gift for a wedding shower or Yankee Swap this holiday season. I love the wooden spoon hanger, too!
The pattern is by Kalico Kreations. They have several variations of this style of wall hanging as well as many other cute patterns. At $4 each, I find them a good deal, too.
The best part is: when you can't find your measuring spoons, you just untie the ribbon and you're good to go!
I'm working on lots of things I want to share for Christmas Party week Nov 14-20, so check back soon!