:: Deck the halls...with jute webbing ::

Pinterest turns me into a crafting machine.  Seriously.  I have to limit myself from going on there or I'll take on too many projects....not to mention weigh 400 pounds because of all the recipes I want to try.  It all started with me wondering how I was going to hang the fresh wreaths on my windows outside this year.  I decided to use jute webbing and went on Pinterest to see if there were any good ideas for using it to hang wreaths.  An hour later my mind is spinning with new ideas to try and I'm so OCD I won't be able to stop thinking about them until they are completed.  It's a curse.  Anyway, at least I came out with some pretty cute decor to deck my halls with.

 Like this jute webbing wreath/christmas card holder.  

And these ruffle Christmas trees for the mantle.

 But before I go into that, let's talk about more important things.  Like this little guy.  Have I mentioned that I am so head-over-heels in love with him??  Just look at that sweet face.

 Last week he turned 3 months old.  When I took his monthly chair picture I couldn't believe how much he has already changed.  He is holding is head steady and lifting his torso up now when you hold him like he's trying to sit up on his own.

 He is discovering his little hands and loves to clasp them together.  He finds his thumb quite a bit and it it pretty much melts my heart.  Yesterday I left him in the floor with Parrish on his back and he immediately flopped to his side as I walked into the kitchen.  Then Parrish yells, "mom, he flipped over!!!"  And sure enough...I walk back into the room and there he is on his tummy.  It seems like his babyhood is going by so quickly, along with my brain power!

I've been telling everyone lately that my head has not been on straight.  I drove all the way to the gym to run the other day only to have to turn around because I had forgotten that Cannon took the stroller out of my car the day before; yesterday I thought it was Tuesday all day and therefore forgot about Parrish's swimming class; today I forgot to send in money for popcorn day at school...I am telling you, I can't seem to catch up!

I'm blaming it on the lack of sleep (although little man is sleeping from about 9:00-5:00 these days, so that's probably not fair of me!) and all the baby gear I'm schlepping.  CC and I talk about this all the time...it's not babies that are difficult....it's all the gear that goes along with them!!  I'm hoping next week I'll have it to more together.  Maybe the fact that my crafting craze is over for a while will help me.

I got the idea for these trees on Pinterest.  Someone there used ribbon to do the same thing I did, I just switched it up to use jute webbing and left over fabric instead.  So here's how you make them...

You'll need:
Left over fabric and/or jute webbing (if using fabric, cut it into 3.5" strips)
Straight pins
Sewing machine (this is optional)
Hot glue gun
Foam cones of varying sizes
Base of your choice (I used candle holders from hobby lobby)
Wooden finials (found at hobby lobby in woodworking section in a bag)
Jingle bells and yarn or twine to hang them

 Step 1: pleat or ruffle your webbing and/or fabric by folding over small sections and pinning.  I held it up to the cone along to way to determine if I had enough length to cover the cone, so I don't have specific measurements for you.  It will also depend on the size of your cone.

 Step 2:  Once you've pinned enough for one row, sew over the pleats you've pinned and then remove the pins.  You'll be left with a ruffle.  (You can also forgo the sewing machine all together and hot glue in between the pleats)

Step 3: Hot glue the ruffled strips onto the cone in the pattern of your choice making sure to overlap (I alternated fabrics on one and did all jute webbing on the other)

Step 4: hot glue the ruffled cones to the base of your choice (I used candle holders from hobby lobby but you could also you old spindles or anything else you have laying around the house)

Step 5: spray paint the wooden finials the color of your choice (I used brown) and then press them into the top of the christmas tree cones

Step 6: tie twine and yarn adorned with jingle bells, old skeleton keys, or whatever you like, around the finials to finish them off

And ta da!  Christmas trees for your mantle...

And since I had some left over jute webbing I couldn't help but try this wreath idea I saw on Pinterest from Better Homes.  The steps here are so simple that I didn't even take any pictures.

 Here's what you'll need:
jute webbing
foam wreath forms (the white medium-size kind)
floral pins
optional:
scrap fabrics
yarn
jingle bells

All you do it pin the webbing onto the wreath where you want to start wrapping.  Then wrap tightly around the entire wreath form, pinning to secure at the end once you have it completely covered.  That's it.  There's no need to hot glue or pin along the way.  The texture of the webbing holds it into place nicely without any of that.

 The picture I saw on Pinterest tied a bow with the webbing and attached it to the wreath.  Jute webbing was originally intended for upholstery use to reinforce the bottom of furniture and therefore is very stiff.   Which means I didn't want to fool with trying to tie a bow.  So instead I made some rosettes (thank you to my moms bible study crafting leader Carrie for teaching me how to do this!) out of the bandana fabric I had left over from Parrish's birthday party and glued them on top of a piece of the left over ruffled/lime green geo fabric I had done for the Christmas trees.  Then I finished it off by hot gluing jingle bells hanging from yarn in between the bottom two rosettes.

 I made two to hang from each of the old doors we just installed on a barn door track on a bookcase in our living room and plan to paper clip or pin Christmas cards onto them as they arrive in our mailbox this season.  Pretty cute, huh?

And because I haven't posted since Halloween, I had to include some pictures of my boys all dressed up in their snake eyes black ninja and baby sushi costumes respectively.

 School hershey bar bat and mummy treats we made from this easy tutorial at Skip to My Lou.

 Baby sushi costume made using an easy martha stewart tutorial.

 Pure joy on both their faces...love this picture.  They had just carved our pumpkin after Parrish came home and informed us we had to do it because we only had one more night until Halloween.

Big brother is so proud of his baby brother.

And since I've covered all the other holidays, why not throw in some Thanksgiving too?  :)  Went to Parrish's Kindergarten Thanksgiving feast this morning to watch chief "Fire Lizard" perform a Thanksgiving song and it was too cute.

 Just love all these little friends.  Parrish is having such a great school year...learning a lot...

 and as you can see...playing a lot!

 I could just eat him with a spoon...

And his baby brother too for that matter!  Knox was all bundled up to go on a run with me this morning and I snapped this picture of him in his bunting and hat.  He's the best little jogging buddy there is...just one of the many Thanksgiving blessings we will be counting next week!

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