Acorns

For a few days I've been trying to come up with something new to place in the apothecary jars which are on a tea cart in our foyer.  I asked my husband if there are any acorns we can gather in the area.  We live in a newer neighborhood without a lot of large trees, so searching the neighborhood or our own back yard wasn't going to work.  I let the nagging acorn thoughts leave my head for about a day when my DH came into my craft room and showed me a post on Facebook made by a mutual friend.  His caption: "28 bags of leaves and 1 bucket of acorns"!!!!!    SCORE!  One persons Saturday lawn chores turns into my craft projects for Fall!

I started by wiping the acorns with a damp cloth to remove the dirt, and set them on a foil lined baking tray.   As almost all of the acorns were separated from their tops, I made sure there were approximately the same amount of each.    I baked them in a 200 degree oven for two hours, gently shaking the trays every 30 minutes to prevent burning.    This helps remove moisture and any hidden bugs (which I had read about).   After cooling, I simply hot glued the tops to the acorns.

I plan to keep these for future decorating, so I may spray them with clear enamel before putting them away for the season.

Gobble, Gobble - Thanksgiving Place Cards

I couldn't resist making more of the cute little turkeys from the card we recently sent out for Thanksgiving.  I knew those turkeys had to adorn our place cards this year.  As usual, I printed off the names for the cards using Word.  I'm just not crazy about my own handwriting and the fact that you can pretty much choose any font you like makes it so easy.

(I am using my iPhone to take photos while I look for a replacement camera..... hopefully they look alright)

Supplies Used:
Paper:  Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream, Harvest Gold
Stamps:  Gobble, Gobble
Ink:  Chocolate Chip
Other:  Dark Chocolate Felt, Harvest Gold Felt, Terracotta Tile Felt, Gobble, Gobble Die, Nestabilities Classic Rectangles Large, Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Rectangles Large

Craft Room Doors

I'd like to introduce you to the new entrance into my craft room!  I'm so excited - I've wanted glass doors for my room since we moved into our home 7 years ago.  Like most of our home projects, this was a result of another project we started.  I wasn't crazy about the shiny brass door hinges/hardware and prefer brushed nickel.  I went on a mission to change all 23 knobs and 57 hinges in the house.  That undertaking morphed into a thought "now is the perfect time to change my craft room door", which further morphed into changing the door leading to the basement to match the new craft room doors.  The official name for this phenomenon in our house is the "Snowball Effect"!  My next challenge is to keep my room clean now that I can't hide the mess behind a closed door.

Gobble, Gobble - Thanksgiving Cards

I started working backwards this year on my holiday card making.  I began creating my Christmas cards about a month before I even thought about Thanksgiving!  To be fair, we do send out about 100 more Christmas cards than Thanksgiving, but it still doesn't seem right.  Thanksgiving is important - at least in my eyes it is!

I couldn't resist using this really cute turkey from Papertrey Ink I picked up last week!  Instead of stamping his feathers on paper, I decided to use felt.  First I use the die and cut the base shape in Harvest Gold.  Next I cut petal shapes with the rest of the colors and use the base shape as a guide when adhering the 'feathers'.   He's just so stinking cute.  I must find away to incorporate this little guy in with other Thanksgiving creations such as the menu or place cards.

(Sorry about the quality of the photo, I believe it is time for a new camera)

Supplies Used:
Paper:  Kraft, Terracotta Tile, Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream, Harvest Gold
Stamps:  Gobble, Gobble
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Terracotta Tile
Other:  Dark Chocolate Felt, Harvest Gold Felt, Terracotta Tile Felt, Gobble, Gobble Die, Mat Stack 3 Die, Layerz Mat Stack 3 Die, Mega Mat Stack 3 Die, Bountiful Banners Die

Washi Tape From Japan

My DH was on a work trip in Tokyo, Japan this week and when he came home this evening he handed me a small bag with "MDays" written on it.   MDays is a stationary store located in a shopping mall that was near his hotel.  On his last day in Japan, he popped in the store to see what unique Japanese craft related items he could find to bring back for me.    And what an excellent surprise:  he brought me washi tape, how great is that?!   He picked up a cute selection of different patterns and widths.  To be honest, I don't have one roll of washi in my stashi!   Sure beats (another) Hard Rock Cafe shirt!

Tulle Halloween Wreath - Revisited!!

I created this quick and simple black tulle wreath last Halloween to hang on the door that leads to our basement.  I decided to embellish the tulle wreath by adding some ghost Peeps - what else, of course!  Eeee !!!

Supplies Used:
8 inch green Styrofoam wreath form
Black duck tape

Black Tulle

Hot glue 

Ghost Peeps
Orange ribbon
Black bow

Disneys Did Ya Know?!? (non-crafty)

Ok, I realize this isn't craft related, but recently, I have been getting more and more emails from my blog readers asking Disney World advice: where are the best places to eat in EPCOT, best time of year to visit, or any other well kept secrets.  Since my DH and I go a few times per year, we do have a few opinion on the matter, and thought this would be a nice place to share them.

Our favorite times of year to go are:
End of September through end of October - Specifically, anytime the week AFTER Food and Wine Festival in EPCOT begins.  The first weekend is just over crowded.  The beginning of September is usually a bit less crowded, but the weather might not be on your side.  We know this because we spent three days sequestered in our hotel waiting for Hurricane Frances to pass in September 2004.

May -  The crowds are a touch higher than in October, but still manageable.  The event happening in EPCOT at that time of year is the International Flower and Garden Festival.   In 2013 EPCOT started to take a page from their Food and Wine days and now they have booths set up with special food and drink offerings.  I recommend heading home before the Memorial Day weekend begins!

First half of December - The parks are all decorated for the holidays but the crowds are not as large as they definitely will be later in the month.  The weather is chillier than October or May.  We've never been to a hotel pool during this time and we tend to stay at a hotel with a 'warmer feel' - Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge.

January -  We usually go for a long weekend in January, just to get away and put our faces in the sun.  The crowds are minimal!  Although this trip is usually only a few days for us, it is well worth it!  Temperature can be downright chilly or pleasantly warm.... it's a crapshoot.

One of my go-to sites for all things Disney is All Ears.  They have a great section under Planning which also details the best times to visit.

FOOD!
Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar for a quick sandwich or snack.  This place is only about a year old and they seem to still be working out their menus, but it's our go to place to get out of the heat and crowds.  It's located in EPCOT in the Italy pavilion.  It is mostly adults and the staff is very friendly.  Only downfall....cell phone service is very spotty.  I am quite fond of their sangria.

50's Prime Time Cafe (PT) is located in Hollywood Studios and serves comfort food that is over the top.  I will admit that we usually only eat IN the restaurant when we bring people to Disney World for the first time.  When it's just the two of us we always go to Tune-In Lounge (which is connected to PT) and sit at the bar and eat.  The bartenders (especially Dave, Alana, Julie and Enzo - they have all been working there for YEARS) are just the best!  Here's a little interesting thing I found a few years ago while strolling the internet looking for some tips and tricks for Disney World.  I discovered this blog and was reading about the Tune-In Lounge, and when I saw the picture at the end of their post.....IT WAS MY HUSBAND, OUR FRIENDS AND I sitting at the bar having a great old time.  Here's the LINK.  Ha!  How crazy is that?
 
If you're a foodie, here's a great blog: Disney Food Blog (they are on Twitter also)

I've mentioned before that my husband and I are Disney Vacation Club members.  The club gives us the ability to go to Disney (and other places) often.  We enjoy it.  There are hotels in Disney World which are designated as Vacation Club Resorts.  The rooms in the resorts a little different from regular rooms at Disney, as they are larger, have kitchens, and multiple bedrooms.  Here's the thing, you don't have to be a DVC member to book those rooms.  If you go to the Disney site, they are referred to as Deluxe Villas, check 'em out.

Just a few tips to start. There are a many others to share!   If you have specific topics you'd like me to touch on, comment below.