Retro Mid-Century Ornaments Christmas Tree Skirt

Posted on November 9, 2015 by jewelsathome

I know it is only November, but I am already getting excited about the upcoming Christmas season. The last few years, I’ve changed up our decorations to have a different theme each season. This year, I decided to go with a retro mid-century Christmas theme. You may remember that I am a big fan of the TV series Mad Men, and I really wanted to have a party to mark the series finale this spring, but life is way too busy, so I decided to have some Mid-Century fun for Christmas. One of my inspirations was this Christmas tree skirt that I saw advertised on mod cloth last year.
It’s sold out now, and it was also smaller than I wanted, so of course I decided to make my own. If you are feeling inspired, here’s how I did it.

You’ll need:

White fabric for the background
Mix of colored fabrics and/or felt for the ornaments
Heat’n Bond Lite Iron-on Adhesive
Thin ribbon
matching thread

Instructions:

I sewed the skirt with the same 60″ diameter as our grey and white tree skirt
I then cut out and appliqued the ornaments the way I made appliqued onesies. For the print fabrics, I just did a simple silhouette. For the more solid fabrics, I cut out some shapes, taking inspiration from the Mod Cloth original
I sewed the ornaments and ribbons in place, and ta-da!

I’m waiting a few more weeks to set up our decorations, and I am so excited to see this pretty skirt under our tree!

Update: Here are some pictures of the skirt under our tree!

“Jewels”

I’m Dreaming of a Retro Christmas

Posted on November 2, 2015 by jewelsathome

I love Christmas! and I love Mad Men! The last few years, I have changed up our Christmas decor each year.

This year, I’m really loving the look of a colorful Mid-century Christmas. I’m gathering inspiration and have a few projects to show you soon. Here are some of my favorite ideas.

I love everything about Danielle Thompson’s Candy Colored Christmas. This pom-pom wreath is adorable, and the simple white background keeps the colorful theme from being over-the-top.

Danielle Thompson

This little bottle brush forest seen at Apartment Therapy is so charming. I made Christmas trees with felt and yarn a few years ago, so I am am looking forward to adding to my collection!

And how about this beautiful Christmas tree skirt that was sold on Mod Cloth? It’s out of stock now, but I’m looking forward to making my own!

One more project I have in the works is an ornament wreath inspired by the fantastic ones by Georgia Peachez.

I’m looking forward to bringing all these fun retro Christmas ideas into reality in our house this year!

“Jewels”

A Simple Fabric Tote Bag for Halloween, Shopping, and Beyond

Posted on October 7, 2015 by jewelsathome

It seems like you can never have enough bags – we use them for groceries, toys, books, snacks, whatever! And a nice fabric tote bag is a simple sewing project to display your favorite fun prints.

I made these bags for the boys to go with their superhero costumes.

Materials:

20″ long x 34″ wide piece of fabric
Ribbon for strap (21″ long x 3.5″ wide)

Instructions:

I folded the fabric in half lengthwise, with wrong sides together, and sewed down the length to make a tube. I flipped the tube so that the right sides were together and then sewed another seam to create a neat hidden French seam.

Next, I sewed the bottom of the bag closed.

At each bottom corner, I folded the fabric and sewed across the corner to make a flat bottom for the bag:

To attach the handle, I ironed a hem at the top and tucked the ribbon for the strap under the hem.

Then, I sewed down the top hem, with extra stitching around the handles.

And here are the finished bags! Now, Batman and Superman can be stylish and practical!

“Jewels”

Patchwork Quilt Tablecloth for a Tea Party

Posted on June 7, 2015 by jewelsathome

A few years ago, I arranged a tea party baby shower for my dear friend, Nicola. Each year after that, I have hosted a tea party, combined with a Stella and Dot Jewelry Show (this is a fundraiser for our Avon Walk team and until June 21, 10-15% of the sales will go to our team!). I’ve been slowly adding details to the tea party, and this year, it was this tablecloth quilt. The floral fabrics create a romantic vintage feel that is a bit kitschy and a lot fun.

Here are some pictures of the quilt. It’s a mix of fabrics from my mom’s and my stash, including scraps from the curtains that hung in the first townhouse Steve and I lived in. Patchwork Quilt Tablecloth for a Tea Party | Jewels at Home

Thanks to my friends for another lovely and relaxing afternoon!

“Jewels”

Father’s Day Photo Book with the Kids

Posted on June 4, 2015 by jewelsathome

So, I’ve mentioned before that Steve’s birthday always falls close to Father’s Day. This means that I either get 1) totally overwhelmed and do almost nothing or 2) get seriously motivated and make a special project for him.

Here is an example of

1) almost nothing: simple cards – easy, but still fun!

2) special project: mugs and aprons decorated by the kids

This year, we are hosting out-of-town guests during Steve’s birthday and Father’s Day, so I want to make sure that his special days don’t get completely lost in the busy schedule.

I was browsing Pinterest – as always – for ideas, and I found pins for sweet Father’s Day photo books. Unfortunately, the ones I saw are no longer available, so I made my own.

I made photo books for Steve and the boys’ two grandfathers, with blank spaces for the boys to fill in. The questions I included were:

My dad is good at
One thing my dad taught me is
A fun thing I did with my dad is
A fun thing I want to do with my dad is
I drew this picture of my dad and me
Something I have in common with my dad is
I know my dad loves me because
I love my dad because

Here’s how our books turned out.

Can’t wait to fill them out with the kids and share them with the special dads in our family!

“Jewels”

Take Me Out to the Ball Game Birthday Party!

Posted on March 22, 2015 by jewelsathome

This year, L is turning 9, and since his birthday falls at the start of his youth baseball season, I thought it would be fun to celebrate with a retro baseball theme.

He wanted to hold the party at a trampoline place, which took care of the activities for the kids. This allowed me to have some fun putting together decorations, favors, and a ballpark menu.

Decorations:
Since we had a table in the middle of the trampoline space, I couldn’t make use of the walls for decorations.

I did find a little spot to hang our reusable birthday banner, customized for the baseball theme.