The Ultimate Tassel Tutorial...

This post was first "Guest-posted" at Edie's 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Party. I am posting it here for reference, but if you missed the party you should still go over and visit. There are some seriously fun ideas for presents over there.

Hey friends! My name is Mandi and I have a little blog called Mandi Shandi's. The fabulous Edie was one of my very first "Blog "friends, and we all know how super cool she is (no editing Edie!), so when she asked me to take part in this fab 12 Days of Christmas Party she is having, I was thrilled! I will warn you that I am not typically the best tutorial writer.I am super-busy mom of 2 young boys,
(Me above, and those rowdy boys below.)
and I get distracted easily, but I'm taking extra care this time to make sure I get enough pictures and give detailed instructions. If I manage to leave out any details that you need, feel free to hop over to my blog or e-mail me. Who am I kidding? I hope you come over and visit my blog regardless! I love making new friends!

Let's get this party started! This is what I am calling the Ultimate Tassel Tutorial because I am gonna give you so much info. that it may qualify as overload, but you will be able to start making decorative tassels immediately.

I recommend you start off by gathering your supplies. You will probably need to shop for a couple things, but most crafters already have a lot of this stuff on hand.

Wood Candle Cups- Available at all craft stores in the unfinished wood section.

Small Screw Eyes- Available at Target, Wal-Mart, or any hardware store.

Ribbons, Trims, Fringe, or Yarn- I am a Hobby Lobby girl. I think their prices are just hard to beat, so most of my embellishments come from there when it is on sale. You can also find nice fringe at Hancock Fabrics.

Hot Glue Gun and LOTS of Gluesticks.

Maximum Adhesive Glue- I use E6000 (not pictured b/c I ran out, but you can get it at Wal-Mart or craft stores.) **NOTE**Since publishing this post I have found out that this glue is banned in CA because it can be harmful. I will be switching to another glue, but use your own judgement.

Topper or Small Figurine- I pick up small figurines everywhere, even the Dollar Tree at times. I also like to use Christmas ornaments because they already have the eyehook in the top.

Drill- Ideally you would use a jewelry drill, but I use a regular drill and am very careful.

Since this is a Christmas party, I am gonna make a Christmas tassel using an ornament. I can skip the drilling part. Normally though, you would start off by drilling a small hole in the top of your figurine. I always put a little glue in the hole to make sure the eye hook stays in. Screw in your eye hook.

Next glue your topper to the candle cup. I use E6000 for this and usually let it dry for atleast an hour. Run a pretty ribbon through the eye hook and tie it in nice bow or knot. Make sure it is long enough to hang properly after tied. I cut my ribbon between 10 and 12 inches.

Now the fun starts. I line up my trims and get busy picking colors. I have found that my tassels look most balanced if I use the widest trims on the bottom and work to the smallest ones on the top. I line my trims up in this order.

Once I have picked the bottom layer, I take it and roll it up to see how much it will take to fill the inside of the candle cup. When I get a good idea, I cut the fringe at that length, add a strip of hot glue and roll it back up.

Then I thoroughly glue the interior of the candle cup, and stuff my rolled up fringe inside. It should be a tight fit.

I cut my ribbon in equal lengths and get it ready to glue. It typically takes between 4 and 7 strips of ribbon, depending on the diameter of the ribbon and the candle cup or dowel rod you are tasseling. The hot glue dries fast, so it is best to already have your ribbon cut. Make sure if you are making loops and your ribbon is printed, that you glue the printed side down so when you loop it the print will show.

Keep adding layers until you reach the top of your candle cup. At this point you will need something nice and fluffy to round out the tassel. I say fluffy, because that type of fringe is the most forgiving if you don't get it just perfect. It also covers the bond between the topper and the candle cup so you want something thick. You could also add bows or ribbon. The sky is the limit.

Last but not least, carry your new tassel into the bathroom and blow it with the hairdryer. This eliminates all those pesky hot glue strings. Now its time to find a home for your new beauty. Hang them on doorknobs, lamps, furniture, or even ceiling fans.

And just in case you need a little more inspiration to get you tasseling, here are a few favorites that I have made recently.

There you have it. The Ultimate Tassel Tutorial. I hope I was clear enough on my instructions, and if you make some tassels stop by my blog and let me know. I'd love to visit you and see them all!

Come to the Party...

I'm doing a guest post at Edie's today, so come visit The 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Party! I'm posting about tassels, wish me luck!
Hope to see you there!

Flower Posie Pins...

I have been making little flower pins lately and have gotten lots of compliments on them. They are quick, easy, and cheap (3 of my favorite things) so I thought I would share them with you.

Originally, I tried to use this tutorial from WiseCraft and make them like to look like this:
(This little beauty is for sell in Etsy for $3 if you want to buy it go here by a crafty mom of 3.)

But after making a few, I got lazy, and so I ended up doing my own thing. It is much easier, so here it is. I got several spools of rbbon, fabric scraps, a pin, and some buttons. I use the ribbon spools as guides for all the different cirlces I cut.
Just trace your different circles on various fabrics and cut them out. I make mine with 5 to 8 layers of different fabrics.

Next you stack them up. Largest on the bottom, and smallest on the top. I like to make mine a little off center. I like the "imperfect" look. Then I put them in my sewing machine, and stitch very slowly. I call this a freestyle stitch because I just keep turning the flower around. There is no real method.
Now you can sew or glue your button center on. In this one I used a yo-yo, so I attached it after I got done with the sewing machine.
Finally, sew your pin on the back, and glue a piece of fleece or felt over it for extra security. I have made a dozen or so of these and given most of them to friends. I have a few that I wear. I wore one at Halloween, and I keep one on my denim jacket. These would be cute attached to headbands, purses, pillows, just about anything. Give them a try, and let me know when you do. I'd love to see what you come up with!

Quick and Easy Window Project...

My friend Amy and I completed this little window project in no time flat, so I thought I would share it with you. We got a glass window from Habitat for Humanity Restore.

It was a little beat up on the outside, so I covered it with paper and sanded it down good. I then spray painted it black.

If you wonder why it seems to take me forever to complete projects, here is your answer. I have 2 eager helpers always on the ready.
They love to use this spray gun handle on the spray paint. If you do much spray painting and don't have one of these, you need one. It will change your life. Just sayin'. It costs $2 at Wal-Mart.

Anyway, I then roughed it up a little more, and rubbed a dark chocolate stain over the edges.

Amy and I cut out some vinyl letters on my Cricut, and we were done.

Here it is hanging in my dining room. I just love how it turned out.

I have lots of projects about halfway done. I'll be posting some more as I finish them. Be back soon!

Seeking Disney Veterans and Bedtime Routines...

For years now, 4 to be exact, my in-laws have said they wanted to take Walker to Disney World for his 5th birthday. That will be July of 2010. Somehow planning the trip falls to me, but that is sure better than paying for it! Anywho, they really want to do it right and make a week of it (stay at one of the resorts, etc. ). I know nothing about Disney World. With a little research I have come to find that the sky is the limit as far as options are concerned. You can spend a lot or a little and there is SO MUCH TO DO. It is a little overwhelming for a Disney virgin like myself, so I am hoping for help from some of you seasoned Disney veterans.

For those of you who have been there, any advice about where to stay and what is not to be missed? The boys will be 5 and 3 when we go. Like I said, we are gonna make a week of it so we should have plenty of time. Walker LOVES animals and I know Sea World will be on the agenda, but other than that we are wide open. Any advice would be much appreciated so we can make this trip as wonderful as Walker expects it to be.

On another note, I just put Connor to bed, and I have decided that at 2 years old he has mastered the stalling technique. Every night his list of "must haves" before bed gets longer and longer. Typicallye he takes a flashlight, books, and a teddy bear. Tonight's list included: a flashlight, hard hat, books, pliers, screwdriver, monster trucks, safety goggles, and his Bob the Builder blanket.

I used to fight him on taking all this stuff to bed but decided all the tears right before bed were not worth it. I now let him take all the stuff, but tell him I will be back to check on him and if he is not asleep in a few minutes I will take it all away. He is typically asleep within the first 10 mins. so I don't have to follow through. Tonight when I checked on him this is what I found.

He has his flashlight propped up on his lap and he is hard at work on his monster truck.

I asked him what he was doing and he said, "fixing my truck Mom."

At least he is safe and wears goggles while working on machines.

Oh the joys of motherhood.

Best of the Week...

It has been a really busy week full of field trips, parties, and candy. Here are the highlights.

Sunday was Trunk or Treat at our church. Walker doesn't dress up. He hates costumes, so he sported his Halloween t-shirt. Con was Thomas the Train.

Walker's trip to the pumpkin patch was Monday, and Walker rode on a school bus for the first time. Oh the joys of childhood. I don't remember it being quite so bumpy. Walker was thrilled to be out of a booster seat. He rode a horse and picked a pumpkin, but he loved the mop races.

Walker's Halloween party was on Wednesday, and I made lots of goodies for his class. The witch's hands were a big hit!

Friday was Connor's class party and Trunk or Treat. He loves his teacher and all of his little friends he is making, but he has ANOTHER ear infection right now, so he wasn't in the best mood.

Friday night we went to the fair. Connor rode lots of things this year, but Walker was only interested in riding animals. Somehow I got roped into riding the camel with Walker. Oh the things we do for our kids. That poor camel earned his money that night!

Saturday my parents came to town, and Lonnie and Walker carved some pumpkins. Since Walker and Connor are the only grands on both sides, we had a lot of grandparents here to watch them trick or treat. We rode the golf cart around the neighborhood and they got gobs of candy. (Mom took all of the pictures on Halloween, so I will have to see about getting some for your viewing pleasure.)

I also can't do Best of the Week without mentioning a gift my boys got in the mail. We were totally surprised on Thursday when the mail man had a package for Walker and Connor. Imagine my surprise when it was from a fellow blogger!! Staci at Park Avenue and I have become fast friends via our blogs. (We even plan to attend Blissdom together this year!) She was so sweet to send the boys this little treat. They loved it all, but the bubble wrap paper was a HUGE hit. Thanks again Staci! Well that about wraps up my week. I hope you had a wonderful Halloween weekend. I am gonna go brew some coffee and start on a new book. A little down time will be a welcome change!

Happy Halloween!

We have a busy day planned, and an even busier night, but I wanted to stop in and tell everyone I hope you have a wonderful, fun, and safe Halloween.

Happy Halloween from my little goblins to yours!

P.S. I'll be back with some fun pics and from the weekend and a couple other neat projects in the beginning of the week.