{charmed earth}

The Lifestyle blog of Katie Storms.: something simple, something sweet, something styled.

30 December 2010

Something Listed: 29 Before 30

It's better late than never. And since I am already drafing New Year's Goals, I thought I better publish this one: Elsie at A Beautiful Mess inspired this idea for a list, and I love it.

28 December 2010

Something Magical: Christmas

Mayor's Christmas Tree at Crown Center in Kansas City




Christmas was wonderful this year. It snowed. We saw the Mayor's Christmas tree. We admired the Plaza Lights in Kansas City. We caught the new Cohen Brothers flick at the movies: True Grit. And we continued our traditions.


Plaza Lights in Kansas City
We celebrated Christmas together the night before we headed to Kansas City. We continued our dinner tradition with a dinner of roasted chicken and veggies on the china:) And we started a new tradition: sharing cards.


My charming husband gave me the most rockin' boots and my own copy of Charlie Brown's Christmas and a few other surprises. And I gifted him some shades he's been dying to have, as well as some other surprises.

Christmas Eve
In Kansas City we went to mass at 4:30 on Christmas Eve and headed to my Aunt Gracie's for the traditional appetizer dinner. Around nine, we headed home to mom and dad's to open gifts. I have the most wonderful family: gifts showered down on us. I really love the sweet box my mama picked out--plus a very sweet etsy necklace. I love it.
Cute Box, Sweet Necklace, Lovely Christmas
I hope your holiday was amazing.

xo,
katie

21 December 2010

Something Santa: The Cards are Glittered, Mailed

I  mailed cards earlier this week. They should be at their destinations. This year, I dug out every single extra card from past Christmases. I even found the time to glitter the vintage Santas I found in October. I am so satisfied: I didn't buy any new cards. I did break and buy a few photos and stamps. Don't they look pretty?

There's a visual glitter-tutorial if you are curious:)


Merry Christmas!

19 December 2010

Something Personalized: Child's Artist Dream Notebook



My goddaughter doesn't read this blog. Nor do my best friend's twin boys. So this handmade DIY will be a safe surprise. My goddaughter love unicorns. She also, like me, loves to draw. We had a surprise snow day Thursday (yippee), and the roads were more than drivable by 9 a.m. My shopping was much behind, so I headed out to get my gifts.


I was looking for anything artsy with a unicorn on it: no luck. Why I didn't start with DIY is beyond me. I settled for a box of colored pencils -- the biggest box of 50-- and a standard stack of drawing paper. I drove home to play Santa's elf. And that's when I started thinking.

It finally came to me Friday evening around 5:30. The perfect gift for a 7-8-9-year-old: a personalized drawing pad. I'm pretty savvy when it comes to design and fonts. Most of my fonts come from dafont.com or fontsquirrel.com. My friend Erin at LansdowneLife gave me the heads up on them. I designed all of my covers in Pages, since that's what we have on our computer. But you could do this in any document type application.

Materials:
Drawing Paper Pad with a Spiral (any size. I like a heavy card stock cover)
Card Stock (from stash)
Printer with ink (I still haven't bought ink!)
Good Glue Stick (I've had mine for 5 years...I don't know the brand, but use something hefty)
Scissors
Pencil
Computer Application to design with fonts


Step-by-Step:
1. Design your cover using fonts, images, etc. You could even draw it.
2. Save the image as a PDF, and print it at the percentage that you think will best fit the cover of your drawing pad/notebook
3. Print the image on card stock.
4. Trace the image to match the cover of the drawing pad with a pencil. I lined it up under the spiral tabs.
5. Cut your card stock cover.
6. Cover the drawing pad cover with glue, not the card stock like my image suggests.
7. Adhere your card stock.
8. Let it dry--I placed mine under a heavy cake stand to help set it.
9. Gift!

I thought this would also be a great gift for writers and teachers. If I had the time, I would print off favorite quotes by writers to gift to my English teacher friends. I think next year I am going to make covers of my own with my stack of cereal boxes and sheet music paper to make an entirely upcycled notebook.

Happy Christmas!

xo,

14 December 2010

Something Tinsel: Silver Sparkle Wreath




Last week, I stopped inside one of my favorite thrift joints at exactly 3:59 p.m. They close at 4, but the ladies let me shop--alone--until 4:30. It was heaven. I found the best holiday hat for New Year's, but I might bust it out this weekend:) I also scored beautiful rainbow icicle ornaments for 50% off early (the 50%-off sale started the next day).





But the $1 find I couldn't pass up? Silver tinsel garland. Twenty-five feet. In a original box. It's beautiful. At first, I considered draping it somewhere, but the mantle already has my holly, the tree is small, and the frozen snow and wind would destroy it outside. Then I considered: it would make a beautiful full or small wreath.






Materials:
Wire hanger to bend or Embroidery Hoop
Vintage Garland
Tape
Scissors
Ribbon scrap to hang wreath.


Step-by-Step How To:
1. Bend your hanger into a circle.
2. Tape one edge of the garland to the circle.
3. Wrap the garland around the circle.
4. Squish the garland to make the wreath full.
5. Trip the garland when wreath is full. Tape to stay.
6. Bend back the top of the hanger (or cut it off).
7. Add ribbon.
8. Display.

I made the large wreath with the hanger, but I also made a smaller one with a vintage hoop. The smaller one is perfect for the base of my cake stand, but I also think they would be adorable around the base of a candle.

xo,
katie

09 December 2010

Something Literary: Poker Chip Bookmark

My Aunt Mary had an ongoing rummage sale in her basement over the summer. After my sister and I rolled nearly 100 raviolis with her and my nanni, I was allowed to check it out.

I walked away with some treasures I live to find thrifting: a stack of heart-shaped tins, a tea cup, and a box of nearly 100 poker chips. All, of course, free of charge.

The poker chips aren't smooth like most poker chips I use to make jewelry, but once I got to thinking, I created the perfect gift: bookmarks.

Materials for this Project:
Vintage Sheet Music, Vintage Dictionary Pages, or any paper
Sharpie Markers
Ribbon
Matches
Sticker Maker Paper (or a sticker maker): Double sided.
Circle punch, 1 1/2 inch
Poker Chips (the same size as your circle punch)



Step-by Step DIY:
1. Peel the sticker paper, and smoothly apply it to your vintage sheet music.
2. Cut away the excess paper.
3. Using a 1 1/2 inch circle punch, with the sticker paper baking facing you, punch the circles.
4. Cut your ribbon to the desired length.
5. Burn both ends of the ribbon with the flame from your matches, lighter, or candle to keep the ribbon from fraying.
6. Draw your designs on your paper circles; I drew a cupcake and the letter 'E.'
7. Place the ribbon on top of the poker chip, peel away the sticker backing, and fix your sticker over the ribbon and poker chip. The ribbon should be centered, stuck between the sticker and poker chip.
8. Fix another sticker to the opposite side of the poker chip.
9. Gift to your mamas, librarian friends, and family.

xo,
katie

06 December 2010

Something Stamped: Glass Jars for Treats

My mother-in-law was sweet enough to save baby food jars for me over the summer when she was helping my sister-in-law babysit a sweet baby. I love the smallness of the jars. Something mini is something cute {if you ask me}.

Every year for the holidays, I usually bake. I used to bake over fifteen types of cookies and sweets. But last year--and this year I'm staying to it--I only baked my top three: rolo turtles, peanut butter cups, and monster mint m&m cookies.

Last year, I gifted my treats in the tins I love from Hobby Lobby and Michael's. This year, I am making my own. And I think I like them better.

Materials:
Glass Jars--from baby food, olives, cherries, etc.
Rubber Bands
Stamps--mine are letters, a snowflake, and one with reindeer. I did buy them this year.
Fabric to stamp--mine is from Hobby Lobby. Plus I have some vintage holiday patterns.
Iron--to heat set your stamps
String and Tags {optional}


Step-by-Step
1. Cut your fabric in a square large enough to cover the lid of your jar with excess to hang over
2. Stamp fabric
3. Heat set with iron, holding heat on the stamp for two minutes
4. Fill jar with cookies or candies
5. Cover the lid with the fabric, and secure it with the rubber band
6. Tie with extra yarn, string, or rick-rack
7. Add a tag

8. Gift

01 December 2010

Something For You: Old Christmas Cards, New Christmas Gift Tags



This one isn't really a revelation, but it's always nice to be reminded of the simple things.

I always save Christmas cards, birthday cards, thank you cards, any card in the mail is always welcome. Some I save and cherish for years. And some stay in the shoe box for years because I am hate the thought of a card in the trash.

I have one rule for the cards that become tags: cards with sweet notes will never be punched with a craft punch. They stay wrapped with a rubber band in a special bundle at home or at school.

 Materials for this DIY:
Circle or Scallop Craft Punch
Old Cards--I dug through the Christmas ones
String from your stash
Hole punch (mine's a mini)


Steps:
1. Choose your Card.
2. Punch it.
3. Hold punch it.
4. Tie on string.
5. Personalize: To: You, From: Me
6. Attach to gift.

xo,
katie scarlett