3
Jan

Tile Coaster Tutorial

There’s nothing better than a handmade gift and this Tile Coaster Tutorial will do the trick! What better way to celebrate than with some fun, festive coasters.  These coasters are made from inexpensive tiles from the hardware store and are embellished with fun, designer scrapbook paper.

Make these coasters as a gift or make them for your home – either way, they are sure to get noticed!

Supplies:
4 square tiles from your local hardware store (4.25″ x 4.25″)
4 pieces of scrapbook paper (3.75″ x 3.75″)
4 pieces of felt (3.75″ x 3.75″)
Mod Podge
Sponge brush
Glue (i.e. Fabri-tac or other strong adhesive)
Clear acrylic sealer

1.  Gather your supplies.

2.  Brush one coat of Mod Podge onto tile.

3. Place one piece of paper on center of tile.  Allow to dry.

4. Brush on another coat of mod podge on top of paper.  Allow to dry 15 minutes and repeat 2-3 more times.

5.  After mod podge is dry, take tiles outside and spray with clear acrylic sealer.  Follow manufacturers instructions.  The sealer makes these tile coasters water-resistant.

6.  Allow coasters to dry completely.  Once dry, glue felt squares to the bottom center of the tile.

Wrap four of these coasters up with some beautiful ribbon and you’ve got a gorgeous handmade gift.

Tile Coaster Tutorial by Lindsay Wilkes from The Cottage Mama. www.thecottagemama.com
Tile Coaster Tutorial by Lindsay Wilkes from The Cottage Mama. www.thecottagemama.com
And finally, grab yourself a cocktail and toast to a wonderful New Year!
30
Dec

Top Ten Tutorials for 2010

Since we are heading into 2011, I thought I would take this opportunity to recap the Top Ten Tutorials on The Cottage Home this past year. It’s been a fun experience going back through the posts of my first full year blogging!
Thanks so much for reading The Cottage Home in 2010.  Looking forward to a wonderful and exciting 2011!

Happy New Year!

28
Dec

Felted I-Pod Cozy Tutorial

I wanted to share this post with you last week, but seeing as though this was a Christmas gift for my hubby, I had to hold off.  This I-pod cozy is made from the end of the sleeve of a felted wool sweater.  You can alter this tutorial to fit any kid of small electronic device – I-pod, I-phone, or use the entire body of the sweater and make one for your I-pad or Kindle.

This present was given to my husband from his two little girls – the gift tag said “Dad, you rock!”

Felted I-Pod Cozy
Supplies:
1 felted wool sweater sleeve (click HERE to learn how to felt)
1 button
1 elastic hair-tie
Sewing machine or hand-sewing needle
Thread
Directions:

Place the I-pod (or other electronic device) inside the felted wool sweater sleeve to measure for size.  Cut the end of the sleeve, leaving an additional 1/2″ to allow for the seam allowance.

Turn the cuff right-sides together and stitch the bottom (raw end) closed (machine or by hand).  If you need to make the sleeve tighter, you can also sew down one of the sides and use whatever seam allowance you need to fit the electronic device you are using.  Cut the corners at a diagonal – be careful not to cut the stitching.  Turn right-side out.

Stitch the button, by hand, to the wool cuff.  Then sew the elastic hair tie as well.  Check for button placement by placing your I-pod inside the sleeve.  You want the elastic to stretch a little bit.

 Now your I-pod is nice and cozy!
27
Dec

Christmas Joy 2010!

We have had a wonderful holiday season this year and I hope you have as well! 

We had an extended Christmas celebration starting the weekend before the official holiday with a visit from my mom and her husband, Allen for what we called “mini-Christmas”.  We then spent the rest of the holiday with our immediate family and my in-laws. 

Here are some pictures taken over the last several weeks of our Christmas:
Christmas Joy 2010

Mom and the girls did some holiday baking.  They made our traditional breakfast pastry called Swedish Tea Logs.  We have had these every year on Christmas morning since I can remember.  And even though Mom and Allen were here a week early, we went ahead with the tradition.  There is something so comforting about this pastry – it just tastes like Christmas.

We took the girls to see Santa with Mom and Allen.  Savannah had already told us ahead of time that she did not want to see him, so we didn’t force the issue.  Her argument is that Santa is big and she is little.  Matilda, however, had not really seen Santa before so we gave it a go.  She did alright……..she was not thrilled, but did not scream bloody murder like her sister had in previous years.  I’ll say it was somewhat of a successful visit!

We hosted Christmas Eve dinner at our home for my in-laws following Christmas Eve Mass.  I always have so much fun setting a formal table.  A lot of the items used on our Christmas table have been passed down by relatives and are very special to us.

For Christmas Eve dinner I served a blackberry and mustard glazed ham (recipe to come), cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad with candied pecans, cranberries, and feta cheese and homemade bread.

We had a great time eating and drinking around the table.  But my big question is how did my soon-to-be 3 year old turn from a little toddler into a little girl?  Seeing this picture makes me realize how fast time flies.  What an angel – I just love her to pieces!

After dinner my husband served the gingerbread cookies he made as well as his homemade Wassail.

On Christmas morning we had our own little Christmas with just our immediate family.  We looked through our stockings, played with our new toys and just relaxed for a little while before heading over to my in-laws for more Christmas fun!

My mother-in-law made a gazillion types of cookies as well as her famous monkey bread.  Everything was so delicious and we munched on these tasty treats all day!

Then it was time for some more present opening at my in-laws.  Brett and I had lots of fun surprises under the tree and are very thankful and appreciative of all of our family’s generosity. 

The most exciting part of Christmas for me is the gift giving.  My goal was to go 100% handmade this year, but that just didn’t happen and I’m ok with that.  With catching pneumonia and have two little ladies under 3, I decided to cut myself some slack.

Here are a few gifts that I gave to others this Christmas (you will see tutorials for many of these things in the coming weeks):

I gave this book to my mom and Allen for Christmas as kind of a late wedding present.  The Bride and Groom First and Forever Cookbook is one of my absolute favorites and definitely one of my own personal “go to” books.  I made them two potholders out of the same fabric that I used for the girls flower girl dresses that they wore in Mom and Allen’s wedding.

My mom is wanting to get back into sewing, so I gave her Amy Butler’s new book, “Amy Butler’s Style Stitches” and two charm packs of Kate Spain’s “Fandango” to help inspire her to create.

Several family members received tile coaster sets from me.  This is definitely one of my favorite gifts!

My hubby received an I-pod cozy from his two little girls.  I made this from a felted wool sweater sleeve (tutorial coming tomorrow).  The tag said, “Dad, you rock!”

My daughter Matilda received a quilt that I made specially for her.  I posted previously about this HERE.

For my mother-in-law, I made her a whole set of vintage inspired craft room organizational items.  I’ll share more about this gift idea in a couple weeks.  I loved how the set turned out and she did too!!

Savannah and Matilda received a princess tent that they are in love with.  Both girls love to snuggle inside with their favorite animals and blankets.

We just spent the rest of the day opening presents, lounging, playing and eating – exactly my idea of a good time!

And when all was said and done, we all needed a good nap!
This was by far the best Christmas yet and we look forward to many more to come.  I feel so blessed to be able to experience Christmas through my childrens’ eyes.  They bring so much pure joy, excitement, magic and wonder to the holiday season.  What a true blessing!
27
Dec

BlogHer.com – { What’s it all about? }

This is a compensated review by BlogHer.

If you’ve visited my blog, The Cottage Home (or many other blogs), I’m sure you’ve noticed the advertising in my side-bar.  I am part of the BlogHer Publishing Network and I thought I would take a minute to tell you a little bit more about BlogHer.com.

Aside from being a wonderful publishing network, BlogHer.com is the web’s leading guide to the hottest news and trends among women in social media.  There are 75 contributing editors posting about a variety of different topics such as food, family, life and many more, all geared toward women’s interests.  My favorite area of interest is the Home and Garden section.  There are topics such as DIY, home decor, gardening and homemaking.

In addition to being a great source for information and learning, BlogHer.com has many different communities dedicated to different areas of interests.  Within these groups women can connect to one another and start a dialogue about things they have in common.

BlogHer.com is also a great way to promote your blog.  There are 19,000 blogs listed in the BlogHer blog directory.  Listing your blog is free – have you listed your blog?  If not, I highly recommend you put your name out there.  Not a blogger?  This is a great place to discover new blogs covering different topics that you may find of interest.

If you have a free moment this week, head on over to BlogHer.com and poke around – it’s a really fun and interesting site for women.  I know you will find some content that will definitely peek your interest!  Also, this week, BlogHer.com is offering a chance to win a full conference pass to BlogHer Food 2011 in Atlanta, GA.  To enter to win, click the link below…….

Visit this week’s Sweepstakes post on BlogHer.com

If you have any additional questions about BlogHer.com or the BlogHer Publishing Network, please feel free to leave me a comment or email me at thecottagemama@gmail.com.

22
Dec

Merry Christmas from The Cottage Mama

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from my family to yours.  I’m going to be shutting down the computer and focusing my time on my dear husband and sweet little girls through Christmas.  I hope you have a very happy holiday.  
I can’t thank you enough for reading my blog, The Cottage Home.  You guys make this a truly rewarding and fulfilling experience. 
Thank you so much and God bless!
21
Dec

Felted Fingerless Glove Tutorial

I wanted to share my Felted Fingerless Glove tutorial with you this week because Christmas is practically upon us and I think this is a great last-minute gift idea.

I don’t know if you remember this post on felting wool, but I felted SO many sweaters that I am up to my neck with felted wool in my house.  I pulled out my gazillion felted sweaters for another project (to be shared next week), stuck my hand inside the arm of one of the sweaters and thought, “ah, ha!”……Felted Fingerless Gloves!  I had also seen Shannon’s “Comfy Wrist-Warmer Tutorial” recently so I think that idea was sitting in my subconscious and helped to inspire this little tutorial.  Thanks Shannon!

This is pretty much a NO-SEW tutorial (except if you decide to hand-sew on some embellishments).

Let’s get started…….

Felted Fingerless Glove Tutorial
Supplies:
1 felted wool sweater
Scissors
Optional embellishments:
Fabric flowers
Fabric yo-yo’s
Buttons
Trims 
Ribbons
Hand-sewing needle
Thread
Directions:
Grab your felted wool sweater.  If you are unsure about how to felt wool, please check out my tutorial HERE.

Cut off each arm of the sweater.  I wanted my gloves to come up right below my elbow, that way I can avoid getting any snow up my sleeve.  You can cut them as long or as short as you would like.  The lovely thing about felted wool is it will not fray so we do not need to worry about finishing any of the raw edges in this tutorial.

 Here are the two arms of the sweaters cut and ready to have a thumb hole added.

Put the sleeve on your arm.  I am using the cuff part of the sleeve down around my hand because it is tighter than the upper part of the sleeve.  Check and see where your thumb comes together with rest of your hand and cut a little slit in the wool.

Here is my thumb poking out of the slit I cut in the felted wool.  Make sure not to cut a slit too large, just about a 1/2″ will do.

You can stop right here, but if you want to make these gloves extra special, follow the next step!

Next, choose your embellishments for your gloves and hand-sew them with a needle and thread.

 For my gloves, I chose to add a couple rolled-roses (click here to learn how), a little fabric yo-yo (click here to learn how) and a green button.

For my other glove, I did two rolled-roses and sewed a button on top.  I like each glove being a little different…..kind of gives it a more eclectic look.

Felted Fingerless Gloves – how easy was that?  You know what these gloves cost me?  $1.00 for the sweater from my local thrift store and barely anything for the embellishments.  Pretty good, if you ask me!
20
Dec

Time for Me: Part 4 – Accessories and enter to win $100 Visa gift card

For the last three weeks, I have been focusing on spending a little more time on me.  Being the mom of two little ones (16 months) and (2.5 years), staying at home and maintaining our home, running my own children’s clothing business and blogging doesn’t leave me a whole lot of time for me.  But I think it’s important – why do we women always seem to put ourselves last?

This is my final post in my “Time for Me” series.

Click HERE to read more and check out my round-up of fun accessories tutorials as well as enter to win another $100 Visa gift card. 
18
Dec

It’s Christmas Time at The Cottage Home

I just thought I would share a few pictures of some Christmas things going on over at our house.
Here’s are cute little Christmas tree that we cut down a few weeks ago.  It’s all decorated and ready for Santa to make his grand entrance!

Our fireplace mantal.  I like to incorporate holiday decor in with our regular decorations. 

My mom made these stockings for our whole family.  My mom’s grandmother (my great-grandmother) made a stocking for her that is very similar, then my mom made stockings for our family when we were little, and then she made all the stockings for my family.  I hope to be able to carry on the tradition and make the stockings for my girls and their families someday.

The houses in this Christmas village were made by my late Grandpa Jim.  He always loved working with his hands.  He made me an incredible doll house when I was a child and enjoyed building model planes as well.  It is very special for us to have his Christmas village that he built.

The girls have a lot of fun looking at the village and talking about all the little people.

This is the top of our entertainment center.  Again, the Christmas decor is mixed in with things I regularly keep up there such as the lantern, pine cones, lamp, wreath and plant.

Savannah baked sugar cookies with my mother-in-law and had a really fun time getting to decorate all of them.  She is very proud of her creations, so I thought I’d better share them with you.
As I began wrapping our Christmas presents this year, I totally forgot about something I had done with our Christmas cards last year.  Isn’t it fun when you surprise yourself?  Last year I posted about cutting gift tags from your old Christmas cards HERE.

These tags were so fun to use because I could remember who each card came from (well I couldn’t remember all of them, but I remembered the majority) and there were so many colors and styles to choose from.  So don’t throw away your Christmas cards after the holiday!  Re-use them and make yourself some gift tags for next year!
I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season and are gearing up for a wonderful Christmas!
16
Dec

$100 Visa Gift Card Winner – Time for Me: Part 2

 Congratulations!

And the winner of the Time for Me: Part 2 $100 Visa gift card is……………#41

Please email me (thecottagemama@gmail.com) with your contact information so we can get you your gift card.  Again, congratulations!
There are still two more $100 gift cards to giveaway.  If you haven’t entered the Part 3 giveaway, click HERE to enter to win.