2012 Out 2013 In

Goodbye 2012. Like all years, there were ups and downs. I spent the first several months unable to build anything, boo. Which really ended up being okay as it got me in touch my inner crafty self during the time I was away from my saw.

Here is a quick recap of what you loved this year... 

My little decoupage how-to that kinda took over. By far the biggest Pinterest traffic source.

A little washy wash...

The kids are home on break. We have all been all sorts of sick. I am going a little bit batty. And I NEED to do something other than sanitize puke buckets and washing laundry. A sewing project seems a little over zealous for a day like today. And for some reason this week it has started to drive me crazy to look at my shoe shelf. So I decided to wash it too. :)

The Growth Chart Bandwagon

You guys have had to of seen the wooden growth charts, right? They have been done a thousand different ways by a million different people. Just search "wood growth chart" and you will see 2,470,000 results (I kid you not, that is the actual google count as of this moment). So I am not going to bore anyone with an in depth how to. Besides... it's basically a glorified ruler. Some people act like it's rocket science! I did find that it was hard to find an easy "how-to". So in as a few words as possible... I give you growth chart... Whitney Style. :)

The Christmas Crunch

Are you all ready for Christmas 2012? It is ONLY 12 days away!

While I am busy doing last minute Christmas orders and my own gifts I thought I would share with you one of my favorite blogs, I Heart Naptime. Jamielyn is great and mega crafty. She put together a HUGE list of wonderful ideas for gift giving this season. Check it out!

Here is a peak of what's going on in Whitney's Workshop this week... 

Airplane Swing Tutorial

All right, all right, all right! Have I hyped this post enough on Facebook? Here it is! A child's airplane swing...

Operation: The Family Table

Onward and upward. This morning I was literally moments away from making this post when I got this email and my little mommy blog came crumbling down around me. BUT I won't let it get me down. I am on a mission and hope that if you are reading this that you too will consider joining this mission. And bless you if you do.

On November 30th, a local Mount Gilead, Ohio family lost their home to a fire. A complete and total loss, including their two dogs. It is not an exaggeration to say that the mom of this family of four has the kindest soul and brightest spirit of anyone you could meet. In the days following I searched for a way to help them. I did not take long to realize that I might not be able to help much financially, but what I can do is use my talents to do a tiny part in putting a home back together again.

As a mom I know how important it is to spend time at the end of each day with your family. A time to share funny stories, accomplishments, and even defeats. A time to bond as a family and strengthen a parents relationship with their children. And for most families, this happens around a dining room table.

It is my goal and mission to help the Keen Family by building a dining room table for them. But I can't do it alone. I need your help. Any amount that can be donated toward this cause is a true blessing, even if it is just a few dollars. Should we be so blessed to receive donations in excess of the cost of building a table, 100% of the money would go to the family and/or toward build them more furniture if time permits. Things like benches and/or chairs, beds for the children, maybe even a few special home decor items.

To donate, use this PayPal link. You may then use your PayPal account to transfer any dollar amount to mine, whitneysworkshop@yahoo.com. At this time, this PayPal account is solely for the purpose of accepting donations.  If you are local and would like to donate cash or check please email or send a message on Facebook, www.facebook.com/WhitneysWorkshop.

Fall Craft Show's: A Recap

Hi guys! I have been one busy momma! I am finished with craft shows for the season and already looking for ideas for spring shows. It is really so much fun to do shows!

Here is my favorite set up. It helps to have a great spot! (I already paid for this same spot for next year!!)

Wine Wine Wine

What do you do you do when you have lots of pretty wine bottles?

Why, make them even prettier, of course!

I have been collecting these pretty blue bottles for a while now and have been having visions of lace.

Shabby Chic Wreath

I am excited to share the wreath(s) I made this weekend. I have learned that what I do and don't like don't always matter. For example, I have been making OSU wreath and I can't stand them but football fans think they are great. So while I was working on this weekend's project I mumbled and grumbled the whole time. But once I hung it on my door I loved it! It is funny how the right place can make something great.

But I say, "I like Autumn!"

I promised you some orange paint and here it is! And yes, this post title is a Barney reference.

I needed to add a cozy Autumnal feel for my front porch (or stoop as I call it, but then Ohioans don't know WTH I am talking about. So for the sake of knowing what I am talking about I will refer to my stoop as a porch.) Want the look? Here's what I did!

 You will need to find an old crate, or make one, or buy one at a craft store for under $10. Mine is unique because it has a cut out front. I picked it up at a second hand store. It was boring newish pine wood but I used a steel wool stain on it to give it a great worn look. Bam.. only paid $3!

 

Crate from Joanns would work great!



Next I pulled out some old 4x4 posts. These were leftovers from years ago when we installed our backyard fence. I mixed up some orange craft paint and applied a light coat. After it dried I sanded them pretty well and then I attached with glue some pieces of 2x2 pine that I also painted and sanded. I used black spray paint on the stems only because I did not have brown or tan. Those would obviously be better choices to look like a stem... but whatever I used black, sue me. I also applied a brown glaze, simply because I had it and I have been in a glaze mood lately. But you totally do not need to do this.

 Add some raffia for interest. You could also use green. I thought about it but I was lazy and did not feel like walking back inside. I guess maybe I am not lazy... I just only had about 5 minutes to set this up at 7:30 in the morning before my sitter kid got here... yup, sounds like a better excuse for laziness.   

Next I added a little sign that I had found at a dollar store for only $1! I was so excited that I bought all three styles but this pretty red one was my favorite.

What do you think?! Yes, my scarecrow man needs a new hat. But I am lazy busy, so he may just stay bald this year. I can't wait to get to a pumpkin patch and pick up some gourds! Some Indian corn would look so cute too!

It's a sickness!

I can't stop with the snowmen! Thankfully it is finally October so my snowman obsession is not quite as awful. And I do promise I have used some orange paint today ;).

Here are my latest snow people! I LOVE the small ones. They are still made out of 4x4's but use one block less. Perfect for "snow children". I may have lost count of how many I am up to.

I have a few Mr and Mrs in the larger size...

And my snow lady with her precious little flower hat.

Bring on the snow!

Burlap, Felt, and Fleece, OH MY!

Can you guess by the title of this blog post what I have been up to all week?

 Wreath making!!!

 I started with a yarn wreath with fleece flowers...

 Added some OSU letters for all the Buckeye nuts around here...

Then I moved onto burlap... 

And more burlap...

And the weeks not over yet!!!

(Yes, the hot glue love affair continues.)

Quick update!

Bad bad blogger. I've been MIA and will probably continue to do so. I've been busy having a love affair with my hot glue gun. Check out the FB page for occasional updates!

And just for fun here are a few of the things I've been up to...

You Dirty Snowman!

I apologize in advance for posting about snowmen in September. How dare I!

Good Monday everyone! This past week I officially decided to do two upcoming craft shows. I'm so excited! They are both in November so that should be perfect for Christmas decor and even some fall decor. So to Pinterest I went, in search of inspiration. I tell ya, I think I Pinterest is my new Google!

So here is what I found. Love him! I have a soft spot for snowmen.

Via: Pinterest

And a after a few hours put into it, here is my version!

I had painted it white but ultimately decided to make them "dirty snowmen" with a little glaze that I already had on hand.

I'm so in love I already have a dozen snow babies and 2 snow families cut, sanded, and painted! Can't wait for naptime when they all get to get the "dirty" treatment!  

Now I need to think of some great fall decor ideas. I'm sure something will come to me!

Funky Turned Beauty

Boy have I got a makeover for you! Are you ready for this before? It's kinda extreme.

Right?! Wow. Speechless! A friend of mine gave this to me thinking I might be able to do something with it. It sat in my garage for a few weeks until I had just the right plan. By then I had dubbed it "Funky Dresser".  And over the last week (yes, a whole freaking week!!) she got beautified!

Before:

Love the back. Such a good bones and a nice old piece.

It all started with me thinking I could just sand off a bunch of layers... little elbow grease and wa la! Magic! But wait... no magic here. Just more funk.

At that point I knew I had to get my paint on. Two coats of paint should do me. I was not sure if I would distress but in the end my motto pushed through: Distress, because you know your kids will.

Oh and did I forget to mention a little decoupage action went on too! This is old wallpaper from our first house. I loved and miss that dining room and still have a few rolls and scraps of my all time favorite wallpaper.

After all the painting and papering it did not jive with me. So I mixed up some glaze and slapped it on. The dents and dings in this piece looked soooooo much prettier when they were accentuated with the glaze.

I have not quite decided what to do with this little funky turned beauty dresser. I thought about sticking into a craft corner in my playroom or possibly trying to sell it. For now I'll try her out and see what I think. I actually quite love it in my dining room.

Linking up at these great blogs:
Not Just a Housewife

Ivy and Elephants

AKA Design