Just a couple days left - enter your chance to win a free necklace or burlap gift bags

Just like our page and comment on the photo post for our give away and you will be entered. the drawing ends on January 6th at 11:59pm. 

Burlap Goodness: Gift Bags Galore for Creative Christmas Packaging

These are bringing me...JOY

I am SO EXCITED about these new little treasures I just put up in my etsy store. For those that are handy-dandy crafty they are simple as pie to make. For those that are graphically challenged, not-so-crafty and don't own an iron...well... check out the link to my etsy store where it just takes one click in the gift bags section and a purchase will have them bundled up and on their way to your doorstep.

I have been having so much graphic fun lately. I love playing with fonts - modifying and creating my own serifs, scripts and swooshes. After playing around and ending up with some pretty fun tag designs I decided to make some iron-on graphics to embellish some burlap with. 

If you want to try making up some designs of your own check out my tutorial on the design and transfer process of embellishing burlap on this previous post of mine http://sublime-living.blogspot.com/2013/01/diy-tutorial-monogrammed-burlap-runner.html#.Umxop_kqh9U. If you need some plain burlap bags shoot me a message on etsy and I can put up a special listing for you. 

I am selling a set of four bags for $12.

These Joy to the World bags are some of my favorites. I am going to make  gift tags of these as well. I have been wanting to bless peeps with something lately - maybe a free tag template with some of my designs will be coming your way soon!

Psalm 33:18-22

 Watch this: God’s eye is on those who respect him,
    the ones who are looking for his love.
He’s ready to come to their rescue in bad times;
    in lean times he keeps body and soul together.

 We’re depending on God;
    he’s everything we need.
What’s more, our hearts brim with joy
    since we’ve taken for our own his holy name.
Love us, God, with all you’ve got—
    that’s what we’re depending on.

-Simply Sublime

Scribble & Dots: Kids DIY Family Art Project for Gifts

 Our family is very close, always has been since I was a wee one. I used to spend many of my weekends with my Aunts and/or Grandparents. We had a family business where most of the family worked together. We lived within a couple miles of each other. We spent all holidays together celebrating.  We typically would have a Big Ole Family Dinner gathering once a week. Went to church together. F A M I L Y. 

Within the last 10 years, one by one, we have lost almost all of our local family that we celebrated daily life with. As the holidays that are well known for gathering all your peeps together were approaching in November, I began to become sad. I missed the day to day living with extended family. All of a sudden God got my attention - you still have this family in your home, it is just moving down through the generations. Sure enough as I looked around I still saw a gathering of peeps. They were just much smaller.

Within the walls of our home we frequently have an abundance of little ones running here, playing there and yes, there is some squabbling at times. It's not uncommon for the cousins to come stay the weekend with us a few times a month.

As I write this the younger cousins range in age from 8-10 years old. This little chaotic clan consists of my little guy, Nate - (who is 8 years old), the twins, boy & girl (who just turned 9) and a 10 year old boy. There are the olders too @ 12 & 13 years old. Add in a 19 & 24 year old and you see the total picture that could be gathered on any given weekend.  These kids LOVE to play board games, tell stories, make craft projects, play on the computer and... DRAW! They are a creative bunch. 

Trying to find a sheet of paper or blank notebook within our walls is pretty scarce as we usually find sketches or cartoons plastered on the pages. Like this one:

 

Super cute - but when you need to make a quick important note a blank page seems way more appealing. 

The day I was speaking of earlier, where I was moping over our decreasing numbers and God brought my attention to the youngers - He also gave me a great idea. I had this vision of "The Gathering Place" . A treasured location where we all come together to fellowship around a table. In place of my historical mental picture where my elders were around the table and I was the child. This time I was one of the elders. (Yes - I do find this a bit frightening) and the table was full of the upcoming generation below us. 

Instantly I had a brainstorm. The cousins were already at our house for the weekend. We could make a gift for Grandma. My Dad passed away 2 years ago and Christmas has just not been the same for her, or any of us,  since. I had been trying to come up with an arts and crafts project the kids could make her. When you have this many kids though would she really want 4-6 versions of the same DIY children's project? 

Well, I had what I thought was a terrific answer to my Kid's Craft quandary. So I bundled the kiddos all together around the table and encouraged them to warm up their little fingers as they practice doodled to perfection. We were going to create a collective piece of art. Each cousin was going to draw 1-2 people in our family around our Gathering Place. The kids even decided to add all of the precious little furry friends in our family project. 

Isn't this precious? I just LOVE it! (In the middle of the family at the top are my parents. My Dad is in heaven now but even though he is not here physically with us we still needed to have him represented within our family.)

Then I scanned and imported the image into my graphic editing program where I added names. From here I knew I had two projects I wanted to create. 

1. DIY Sack Cloth Kitchen Towel Project with heat transferred images on it in a cute oval frame with 
   "Gathering Place" printed underneath it. (Image above)
   
   
2. I also wanted to frame the adorable family project in a solid black frame with a cute  little burlap embellishment that had been heat transferred with an  image that said "FAMILY". (below)

I have to say this not only captured a fun and fantastic family snapshot in their drawing. It also captured the quirkiness of the illustrators as well. For those of us in the family we can look at each of the drawings and identify who sketched whom. It is a treasured keepsake for sure. It was such a simple craft project really, very inexpensive and I love that it was a group labor of love. I believe it is something Grandma will treasure forever. 

I will be putting up a post later on quick and easy image transfer gift giving projects that will give you the "how-to" on the towels and burlap. So make sure to check back. 

Psalm 127:3-5
Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates. (NLT)

-Simply Sublime

Mason Jar Makeovers

If you have been following my blog for awhile you will remember me sharing about my precious Grandma Toodles and the BIG MOVE. As she down-sized she passed many of her treasures on to me. I like to call them "Toodle's Treasures". (insert my BIG silly grin here) 

One of my very favorites is the vintage glass jars. Oh how I  L.O.V.E. me some MASON JARS! Actually just glass jars in general. I have been collecting glass canisters and jars from my family members for over  two decades now - so as you can imagine I have quite the collection. Today I am going to show you how to use a few of these delightfully charming jars I received from my Gram to make some really cute Christmas decor and handcrafted gifts. 

Mason Jar #1

SNOW GLOBE-aciousness. 

materials needed:

• Mason Jar 7 Lid
• small artificial tree
• hot glue gun
• fake snow

This was one easy-peasy craft project. You simply hot glue the base of the tree onto the inside of the canning lid - pour a little fake snow into the glass jar. Place glued tree lid on jar and screw the ring on. VOILA - complete & 

SO STINKING CUTE! 

If you look close at the photo above you notice the vintage ring. The age of the zinc ring brings such beautiful vintage hues to this piece. I adore this little treasure. 

I decided this year to keep my decor SIMPLE and focused. So I displayed this little trio together. I love the basic white with a pop of color. 

Mason Jar  #2

Salted Caramel Sauce 

YUM-O

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 Tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons salt 

DIRECTIONS

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar has dissolved increase the heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. If necessary, use a rubber pastry brush dipped in water  to wash down any crystals forming on the side of the pan. Boil until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes. Watch closely and have other ingredients measured out & prepared ahead ready to add when needed. 

Remove the sugar from the heat. Very slowly & carefully pour & whisk the heavy cream in. If you poor cream in too quickly it will ruin the consistency of the sauce. The mixture will bubble up like crazy - I wear an oven mitt when I stir because the steam is HOT!!! Once the cream is all stirred in add the butter and salt. Transfer the caramel to a dish and cool. Once cool poor into little mason jars. Top with burlap circles and cinch with a festive ribbon. (*Tip: I used a rubber band to stop the burlap from slipping off when tying the ribbon on - once the ribbon was secure I removed the rubber band.)

This recipe will make approx. 4 cups of sauce. It can be stored in the fridge for about 4 weeks - that is if you can make it last that long! 

Last year I made Christmas gifts of Preserved Lemons & Salted Caramel Sauce in mason jars. With these I added a lil' chalk paint to the front and labeled with chalk. People have been requesting more ever since. This one is a BIG HIT!

Mason Jar  #3

Cocoa Yumm-a-licious

I have seen these little cocoa stations all around pinterest. For the ingredients I decided to create my own version with some of our family fave's. The containers and decor I selected for this little grouping were each chosen selectively as they are truly treasured memories from my childhood. 

Mid-Summer I found this treasure of a ceramic tree at Goodwill. For a few years I had been searching high and low for just the right one that would remind me of my nap time at my babysitters when I was a wee one. In each bedroom we would turn on the little tree's as we fell into a deep slumber...ahhh. I remember the wonder and awe when the little switch would click and the lights began to twinkle, creating a colorful glow on the wall. 

Next is the plate - Homer Laughlin made this little lovely. My Grandma on my Dad's side would pull these plates out for our Christmas dessert. This isn't the physical plate - hers are long since gone. Fortunately I found a box of these at a flea market a few years back and they were a STEAL! A box full of dessert plates, picnic plates, saucers, cups, cake plate, cake / pie server for $7 total. YOWZA~  Now add the vintage Santa Candle that I have been so eager to place every Christmas season since I was probably in diapers. ...and finally... the moment we have all been anticipating...

THE JARS!

Filled to the brim with yummy goodness. 

Cocoa Jambo is THE MOST delicious cocoa ever! PURE Ghana Cocoa - oh so delicious. Once you try this you will not go back. What makes this a LOVE LANGUAGE for me is the fact it is from Africa. It helps the less fortunate to provide for their families. What a beautiful partnership. I placed the cocoa in one of my Grandma's green glass jars with a zinc lid. Then candy canes for stir sticks in another jar the same size. 

The yummy mini marshmallows always have a home (as do many other small items in my pantry) in the short clear glass mason jar with zinc lid. I love seeing these jars lined up with fun little fixin's in them.

We have had several occasions already to enjoy the cocoa spread. I have to say the fact I have this combination of LOVES in one charming little decor bundle leaves me feeling warm and fuzzy. My Grandma Toodles calls me "The Nostalgic One" - I am realizing more and more everyday just how true this is. 

The proof is in the Cocoa! :) 

-Simply Sublime!

John 15:13 NIV 

Greater Love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.