Button Turkey Craft

My kids LOVE crafts! They are always begging me to do a craft and I just can't resist their adorable little faces. I got the inspiration from a handmade button turkey card I found here on Pinterest. So, we made this button turkey that is now haning in my kitchen!

It's easy to make. These are the things you will need:

 - brown paper (i used the animal print brown)
 - colorful buttons
 - scissors
 - manilla folder (or sturdy carstock)
 - elmers glue
 - glue stick
 - yellow paper for beak

Cut the manilla folder in half and cut the tab off. Cut a circle and 2 ovals for each turkey you will be making. Use the glue stick to glue the circle and 1 oval to the manilla folder like this. I let my four year old use the glue stick herself and helped my two year old with that part.

To make the wings, you will fold the 2nd oval in half and cut a wavy pattern in it to make the wings.

Then cut the wings in half on the fodler line and glue them to the sides of the turkey with the glue sticks. It will look like this.

I just drew the feathers on with a pencil so that my little ones would know where to put the buttons. Now is the fun part, they start glueing! Depending on the age of your children, you may want to limit their glue use. I placed dots of glue on each feather and then let my two year place the buttons on.

 

We chose two buttons for the eyes and then cut a traingle for the beak and you're done! Just lay it flat to dry so all the buttons don't slide down. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Centerpiece

I love everything about Thanksgiving! I mean, who doesn't? You get to sit around a big table with family, give thanks to God for all of his wonderful blessings, and eat, and eat, and eat LOTS of yummy food! My kind of holiday! I am always ready for a good meal. Now, it was time to get my house ready. The first thing on the agenda is a Thanksgiving centerpiece. I wanted something that would hold candles and hold all the beautiful gourds that my dad had given me from his farm. I saw some spare wood in the garage from a project that my husband had completed in the summer, so this is what I created.

It makes me smile! I don't know if that's because I love it so much or just because I created and built it myself, but nonetheless, I smile. The great things about this project is that you can make it to fit your own needs. You can make your cute little centerpiece box any dimensions you would like. Here is what I used:

You will need:

2 - 2x4's cut to 27" each
2 - 2 x4's cut to 5 1/2" each
1 - 2x6 cut to 24"
Stain of your choice
8 - screws (I used deck screws because that's what we had on hand)
Sandpaper
Drill
Wood Glue

If you don't have a saw, have the wonderful people at the store cut it for you, then you are all set to go when you get home. Once your wood is cut, stain it. I stained mine twice to get a nice dark color.

Now comes the drilling part. I didn't want the screws to show on the outside of the box, since it was going to be sitting on my kitchen table. So, my husband drilled a diagonal hole on each corner of the 2x6. This way your screws will be hidden when you put the ends on.

This will make it easier to drill the screw into the 2x4. Now, it's time to start attaching the pieces. It really helps if you have an extra pair of hands at this point to try and hold the pieces together while you drill. Using both the glue and screws attach one 2x4 to the 2x6 like this. Make sure you center the 2x4 on the 2x6 so that you have an equal amount of wood sticking out on each end to cover the end pieces that you will be screwing in place later. With my dimensions, there was 1 1/2 inches sticking out on each side.

You can see the two holes drilled for the screws and one of ends attached.Next turn the wood on its end with the end piece in place but not screwed in. At this point, I didn't have anyone helping me hold the pieces while I was drilling  so by placing the end piece in place, it helped keep everything aligned. Then screw the other side of the frist 2x4 to the 2x6.

While you have everything in place, grab the other 2x4 and screw it to the 2x6 while you have the whole thing on its end. Next, flip it over on the other end and screw the other side of the 2x4 to the 2x6. You should have both sides attached

Finally you attach the ends. I had screwed the sides on very tightly, so my ends were a bit tight going in. If you have this same problem , just shove and wiggle them a bit and they should fit nice and snug. I then screwed the sides in at the bottom on an angle to the 2x6.

Two screws on each side and you should be good. Make sure to screw the screws all the way in so they are flush with the wood and not sticking out at all or they will scratch your beautiful table. So here is the final project all completed.

Yay! Let's take one more look at the final project all complete and decorated on my table!

Here's a close up. I used mason jars that I had filled with Indian corn kernals that I took off the cob. I love the colors of the Indian corn but I didn't want to just sit it around my house, so this was my solution. I then placed baby food jars that I had saved inside the mason jars so that the candle wax wouldn't get all into the corn kernals when I burned them.

Ah yes! I think it needs a burlap table runner to sit on though. Hmmmm...a future project. I thought about stenciling give thanks on the side, but then I wouldn't be able to use it for Christmas. I already have a vision in my head of how it will be decorated to adorn the Christmas season.  Can't wait to see what you think!

Welcome

WELCOME TO FOR LOVE OF HOME!

I am so excited to share my home loving journey with you. The truth is that I currently DO NOT love my home. I know, it's sounds terrible, but as I was walking through it about a year ago and looking at everything in it, I couldn't find ONE thing that reflected my style or who I was, or what I loved. It was a collection of things that we already had when we got married and things that were handed down to us. Let me just tell you, THAT is a slippery slope that only leads to disaster from a design standpoint! I was and still am grateful for the things that we have, BUT, I really, REALLY want to LOVE my home. I want to fix the lack of storage problem, the laundry in the basement problem, the lots of walls and small rooms problem, and the just plain lack of style problem! I want my home to be clean, green, organized and I want it to smell good! These are all the things that I LOVE about other people's homes when I visit them, but mine own home was lacking!

The Dilemma:

I don't have any money for renovations or to purchase all new items! With 3 young kids and my husband bringing in the majority of our income being a teacher and coach, there just isn't a whole lot left over at the end of the month to do major projects around the house!

So, that leads me to the reason for my blog. I know there are probably many of you out there who are in my same boat: You would LOVE to LOVE your home (I mean, seriously, who doesn't?) but, there is just no room in the budget for the things that you want to accomplish! I have a solution for you!

The Solution:

We are going to be creative! Recycle, Repurpose and Create! We are going to create a home that is organized, clean, green, and full of sytle! Together, we are going to create a home that we LOVE!

In our journey together you will find inexpensive solutions to everyday problems around your home that will make your life easier, and it will help make your home reflect who YOU are!  I will share craft and DIY tutorials, organizing and cleaning tips, and even healthy, yummy recipes for your family. I can't wait to get started!