deck the halls...

christmas decorating is in full swing over here!
everything is half done, so pictures and tutorials will have to wait.

 until then, enjoy this free "fa la la" printable and deck the halls at your house!

red border...

or border free...

 as always--click, print, & frame!

*personal use only please.

last day...

don't miss out!

a thought on the future...

salt lake temple, june 2008

"I testify to you that our promised blessings are beyond measure. Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments.  
There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us.

My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer.
The future is as bright as your faith."

-thomas s. monson, be of good cheer

scrappy christmas sign tutorial...

hope you all had a fantastic thanksgiving!  i'm soooo full. :) but now it's time for serious christmas decorating!

i had several strips of leftover scrapbook paper from my gift tag christmas ornaments, so i thought i would make good use of them in another christmas decor project...

i bought this picture frame for a few dollars at walmart.

start by tracing the photo mat to cut out a piece of paper that fits inside the frame--no measuring. :)

cut strips of varying widths and arrange them in scrappy stripes on your backing paper.  like i said, this is a great way to use up scraps.  i just glued mine down with a plain ol' glue stick.  allow the edges to hang off, then trim them all to length after they are glued on--no measuring. :)

next, i cut out letters for my saying--"{Be Merry!}"--on my cricut.  you can use any die cut machine or pre-cut chipboard letters or stickers from a craft or scrapbooking store.

once i glued the letters on, it looked great up close but was difficult to read from far away because of the patterns in the paper...so i traced around each letter with a black sharpie.  you could definitely omit this step if you feel it's unnecessary.

then i put my little sign into the frame and hung it on the wall for some quick and easy holiday decor!

********

don't forget to check out the fantastic sale this weekend in my etsy shop!

a thought for thanksgiving...

source

 "I express special gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ. I am thankful for His loving-kindness and for His open invitation to come unto Him. I marvel at His matchless power to heal. I testify of Jesus Christ as the Master Healer. It is but one of many attributes that characterize His incomparable life."

--Russell M. Nelson, "Jesus Christ—the Master Healer," Ensign, Nov. 2005

black friday/cyber monday kaceface SALE!!!...

as i'm sure you're all aware, black friday means big sales in stores and cyber monday means big sales online.  i've decided to combine these sale days into one big event...

this will be the largest sale of the year, so feel free to spread the word and don't miss your chance to save on kaceface sewing and accessories this weekend!

(and after you've snagged your kaceface goodies, be sure to use search terms "black friday etsy" and "cyber monday etsy" to find other great deals on handmade items at etsy.com.)

free "let it snow" printable...

fact: i love snowflakes, but i hate snow.

i hate driving in it.
i hate walking through it.
(especially when the bottom of your pants get all wet and then you're freezing for the rest of the day.)
and i hate shoveling it.
(fortunately i now have a husband who kindly takes care of that part.)

but individual snowflakes are so pretty.

apparently we're about to get a WHOLE bunch of them this afternoon with winds up to 35 mph.  yikes!

i'll be in my house, in my pajamas, eating something hot if you need me.

in the mean time, enjoy this free "let it snow" printable...

 click, print, and enjoy!

for personal use only please. :) 
p.s. check out the info on...

the kaceface black friday/cyber monday SALE!!!
(25% off ALL hair accessories/sewn items!)

simple pearly snowflake ornaments...

i had this pile of gorgeous wood snowflake ornaments...
(literally.)

they were burned out of the wood rather than cut, so they have these beautiful browned edges.  no sanding required.  the problem was, i didn't want to paint over the edges but the snowflakes were too plain just left as bare wood.

solution? that pearlizing medium i mentioned before.

i suspected it might create a lovely translucent shimmer allowing those pretty edges to shine through...and i was right!  i just did one light coat and that was all i needed...

it created these delicious frosty edges.  the pictures don't even do it justice.

can't wait to get these pretties on the tree this weekend!  that shimmer is going to look gorgeous next to the christmas lights.

a thought about families...

christmas 2008 

"...we must place high priority on our families. we build deep and loving family relationships by doing simple things together, like family dinner and family home evening and by just having fun together. in family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time."

--pres. dieter f. uchtdorf, of things that matter most

done & done...

remember a few weeks ago when i said i wanted tulle in lots of colors?

well, i got what i wanted....

 this is just the beginning...

gift tag christmas ornament tutorial...

thanksgiving is next week.  that means the christmas decorations go up next week, too!

every year, i like to get crafty and make a few new ornaments.  i have several in progress, but i thought i'd share how i made these cute gift tag ornaments...

i snagged these balsa wood gift tags for about $1.25 on sale at roberts.  although, i'm sure you could find something similar at pretty much any craft store.

 start by sanding the edges a little bit to get rid of any stray splinters.   
(tip: if you don't have sandpaper, use a nail file or emory board.  it's basically the same thing!)

next, paint each tag with craft paint.  my tree is going to be red, green, blue, and white this year, so that's the color scheme i went with.   

(another tip: i put down a dollar store plastic table cloth so i don't have to worry about spills.  you could paint right on it, but i put down a little sheet of wax paper, too.)

i wanted the ornaments to have a little shimmer without using glitter, so i mixed this pearlizing medium into my paint.

 it was less than $2 at roberts and worked like a charm.  (you can't see the shimmer too well in the pictures...but trust me.  it's there.)

okay.  once your tags are dry, it's time to bust out the scrapbook paper.

you could decorate these with any kind of design, but i went with little trees.  they are simple to make...no super artistic skills required.
 i cut out 1.5 x 2.25" rectangles of the papers i wanted to use.

 then, i cut those rectangles into long skinny triangles.
like i said--WAY easy.

i arranged my triangles on the tags, then cut contrasting paper for the trunks using the scraps.  just cut small, thin triangles.  (i also added stars to the tops of a couple...you could use a hole punch to make little ornaments, too, if you wanted.)

next, use mod podge to attach your trees.  spread a thin, even coat over the tag and on the back of your paper pieces.  smooth into place, then spread a thin coat over the whole thing.

once they are dry, add a bit of ribbon and you're done!

so simple and cute.  i'm considering making more to give as little gifts....

yesssssss...

 woohoo!

thanks to RavensWhimzy for making this treasury that took us to the front page!

one for me, one for you...

a selection of reversible headbands are available in the shop...

with the "choose 2" listing you save on price and shipping costs, so you can pick one for yourself and one for a friend.

christmas is just around the corner, you know...

or keep them both for yourself.

they are so cute and comfy, you'll want to!
(you really will...i have kept at least 5.  maybe more.)

expressing gratitude...

with pumpkin muffins baking in the oven and my mind turned to plans of next weeks thanksgiving feast, i can't help but be grateful for a warm house and hot meals.  it's something i think about daily, especially as winter approaches.

i know there are many people in the world--and in my own neighborhood--who don't have enough to eat.

with this in mind, my husband & i have made the goal to donate food every thanksgiving & christmas (and to any scout or church food drives throughout the year).  macey's--our local grocery store--creates $5 and $10 grab bags of needed items, so you can just throw one in your cart, pay for it, and place it directly into the food bank donation bin on your way out.  i love it...they make it easy to serve those in need.  i also organized our pantry and collected items from our food storage as i went.  i have more goods to donate AND my shelves are neat and tidy.  bonus!

while a few bags of canned food may not change the world, they might make one day in one life a little easier.  and this is one way i can express my gratitude for the great blessings that i have been given.  i encourage all of you to find a way to spread the love...

wishing you all warm meals this winter season!

a thought on work...

 "God has designed this mortal existence to require nearly constant exertion. ...By work we sustain and enrich life. It enables us to survive the disappointments and tragedies of the mortal experience. Hard-earned achievement brings a sense of self-worth. Work builds and refines character, creates beauty, and is the instrument of our service to one another and to God. A consecrated life is filled with work, sometimes repetitive, sometimes menial, sometimes unappreciated but always work that improves, orders, sustains, lifts, ministers, aspires."

 --elder d. todd christofferson, reflections on a consecrated life

wanna grab a button?...

check out my mad code skillz.

(yes. that is skillz with a z.  haha.)

i figured out how to post my button codes over in the side bar, so feel free to snag a button (or two) if you wish.

"give thanks" free printable...

need more thanksgiving goodness around the house?

here's another free printable...

click, save, and print!

{easy peasy lemon squeezy.}

*personal use only please!

update--
thanks to tatertots & jello for including this printable in this week's great ideas post!

remember how i love color?...

yeah, this kitchen belongs to a martha stewart staffer (surprise, surprise.) and i. love. it.

 those cute bowls arranged in rainbow order are killing me.
death by cuteness.
(that's what it's going to say on my certificate.)

fall & features...

it's officially fall-on-the-verge-of-winter...i have worn a hoodie everyday this week!

i have loved being tucked in my warm cozy house, working in my little spare bedroom studio, looking out on the gray world as i create away.  i cut all of my felt shapes by hand.  people say it's crazy...i say it's therapeutic.

i've been working extra hard to keep my kaceface shop stocked for christmas and making treasuries to show off  my "selection perfection" etsy teammates.  today my efforts have been rewarded with several blog features!

check out one of my items over on paper*cakes finds...

and my latest treasury at the painted rabbit!

thanks for the love, guys!
now i actually have to leave my house to get some orders shipped.
{shiver.}

a few little things...

sometimes i want to wear a cute hair accessory, but don't want to have a giant embellishment on my head just want something subtle.  so i came up with a new hair clip design - tearose cluster clips.

 they are similar to my other cluster clips, just smaller and simpler.

 

great for pinning your hair back from your face, livening up a boring ol' bun, or clipping to a headband.

i also added a petite rosette to a headband, just for kicks...

 all are available in the shop.

oh!  and did you notice my cute little buttons in the sidebar?  i did a little blog revamp last weekend (with some generous help from the hubs) and i'm loving it!