12 Days of Handmade Christmas Tutorials Day 6 {Tassels}

Thanks to Darby, The Nester (Day 2), Sandy (Day 3), Denise (Day 4), and Heather (Day 5), we're all ready to make this years' Christmas gifts a little more 'from the heart'. I love the ideas so far and can't wait for you to see what's still to come. Yesterday, my computer server was down from 8a until 8p! I felt like I was locked out of my own house while there was a fabulous party going on----standing at the window knocking, begging to come in---watching while everyone sipped champagne and laughed and hugged and visited. I even had to call my sister (who lives an hour away) and have her hack into my blog to publish the post! Then, to add to the fun and distraction, the fed ex man delivered my new (used, bought on eBay--with my yard sale money) sewing and embroidery machine. The girls and I have been in heaven--- trying all the funky stitches and even embroidering a tea towel. This is gonna take some practice but we're giddy about it and ready to sew some more handmade Christmas gifts. The girls were teasing their dad about embroidering his scrub shirts for him. Just dandy! BTW, I got a Viking Designer 1.

Now, without further delay, meet my dear friend Mandi, who is a wonderful mom and fellow creative spirit. She has been so encouraging to me over the past year and I'm so excited to feature her here on my blog. Welcome Mandi!!

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.)

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!

Hugs! Mandi

You give me half a reason to go to Birmingham and I'm on the phone to this dear friend.   We met twelve years ago and our boys spent some of their most formative years together.....lucky for me.   Susan and Johnny are one-of-a-kind--friends,  parents,  servants of God.   They have taught their boys well and I don't know if I've ever met young men who were more adept at relating to and showing respect for adults.   They make good eye contact,  give nice big hugs, and say yes ma'am.   These two know how to raise boys to be men.   Susan has taught them to be kind and Johnny has taught them to hunt.  I was inspired.   Again.
Susan has impeccable taste in decorating.....traditional,  classy,  southern, and beautiful.   She's also one of the funniest and most interesting people to talk to.   She's the essence of femininity and has a grasp on the scriptures that is uncanny.   And an adorable Alabama/Mississippi accent.    She also has picked the perfect life partner.   Johnny stayed up late, even though he was on call,  and talked with us and made us laugh and poured us wine and said how thankful any husband would be to have wives like us!   I've already requested that my heavenly condo be in the same building as theirs.   Will there be communion wine in heaven?  One can wish.

She has many beautiful things in her home like this painting/lamp/pretty tassel combo....
and a beautiful dining room that is elegant and inviting....
and this cozy guest room where I slept.....although not for long,  'cause we both love to talk and knew our hours were numbered.
Did I mention how much I love these four?
We shopped some in Homewood at an adorable shop called At Home.   This was a dining room set they had 'spooked' up....
and a beautiful wall of candles with a pair of gorgeous chairs....
I'll show you a few of my finds at the end of this post.   Suffice it to say,  I wanted everything there and showed tremendous restraint to leave with only one bag.

This is  another great spot in Susan's house.   I was surrounded by beautiful decor,  wonderful food,  and darling people.   What a fun way to spend a couple of days away from home.   A big gracious thank you to my dear friends for showing me so much love!
Back to business.   I'm here for a race,  remember?  And if you show up 10 minutes late,  you missed it.   I know....from experience.   It would be just like me to drive 6 hours for a race and somehow miss it.    So I left Susan's in plenty of time to be fashionably early.   I'm all business that way.

At the park I found Cindy again,  my fearless and funny roadtrip partner.....at least for part of the way.   We share a deep passion and commitment to  Starbucks, photography, denim  jackets,  music,  and our kids.     She supports my shopping and eating habits way too enthusiastically and has an GPS-like sense of direction.   Really.  Oh,  yeah and the boys had a race......that was the purpose of my trip ya know.   And when I'm on a trip,  I'm all business.   It's all about the race.   I'm hard core that way.   I told Coach Farmer that if he saw my car at Dillards,  it was only to look at running shoes.   I'm concentrating.   On running.    The whole time.   All business.

The boys have this tradition of praying together on the field before all their races.   It was particularly heart-warming at this meet where there were  ~3000 runners.    It's a powerful sight.
The other powerful sight is the back of their shirts......which say this.....
They did great and came in third place,  which made us all so proud of  them.   They handed me
the trophy and I started my acceptance speech:   "I'd like to thank the academy....and Dillards..."  but I was quickly cut off  by serious people who were trying 'trying to do some work around here' by taking the tents and water and snacks to the bus.   I reapplied lip gloss, bought some t-shirts, stole some team snacks and headed to Chattanooga to try to make it to Dillards before it closed.....'cause I'm all business like that.   The trip took longer than I thought so I settled for Starbucks instead and sped toward the camp site.

I made the long trek to Indian Boundary Campgroud where my sister Gina and her family were camping and taking such good care of my girls (who were MIA for a good part of the afternoon with their cousins and playing in the fire when I got up this morning!). 
"Be careful Emme,   that fire's really hot."   I chide.

"Mo-om,  we do this all the time when we're camping,  you should be careful....you're the one who never goes camping.  "  smarts sassy girl.    I beg your little bed headed pardon.  Let me give you the 411,  little cinnamon roll- eating girl.   I grew up camping.....in a tent....with adults who were mostly drunk...singin'  Tammy Wynettes' D-I-V-O-R-C-E real loud......while the small children swam in the snake infested lake...... with white bread and bologna and pork-n-beans  to eat.......so don't tell me about how I never go camping.    I've spent enough money in therapy over the camping that has already taken place in my life.   Okay.   Ahem.   Tell me I never go camping.....what's she know 'bout camping.....anybody playing playstation and eating brownies and sleeping on a bed with a pillow while the sober adults watch the UT game on satellite doesn't know a thing about camping.

I digress.   Deep breath.

I spent the night in their luxury camper and had a great southern breakfast, compliments of my sister.
The girls played in the fire 4 more hours and then we left.   We drove 2 hours home while  I commenced to tell my ungrateful, sassy, spoiled children all about camping.   I know a thing or two about camping.....and what you two have experienced for the past few days could scarcely be called camping in my book.

A big hearty thank-you to my sis and brother in law for taking care of my sweeties.   And to Hope and Marlea who are nearing the age where hanging out with your younger cousins probably isn't that much fun anymore.   Thank you all.   Corey too.  
We finally arrived home after 285  'are we there yet's  and four chapters in "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" on tape.   I toted all my goodies inside and marvelled at my perfect finds.

Meet my loot.   A $278 Kenneth Cole purse in winter white that's leather is soft like butta....for $30,  winter white Franco Sarto wedge boots for $49,  a really cool sweaterish dress for $24,  a tin cross for $3,  a Rachel Ray knife for $9 and various fixins for a fall arrangement for $20,  a Nouvelle candle in Tuscan Currant for way more than any one should pay for a candle.   Basically the $160 that I saved by cleaning out my own drains here.
I know you wanted a better look at the sweaterish dress.   Isn't she lovely.....
So,  I brought my 'loot' in and was a little scared by the state of the compound.   No longer warm, inviting, and bright,  my home had been transformed into a man-cave......no lights on,  the shades drawn,  and  a musty/chili/beer/boy smell wafting from the living room.   Despite the overt masculinity dripping from the ceilings,   I was welcomed with a huge hug and kiss by macdaddy who was so obviously very glad we made it home safe.   Scooter seems awfully anxious to communicate his thoughts too.    I'm not sure what he's trying to say.   "Don't ever leave me here with those two again"  or maybe "When do you leave again,  'cause we stayed up late, drank beer,  watched football, and ate chili.....in the living room."  When I recover my strength,  I can't wait to load the dishwasher, wipe the counter tops and in general 'air' the place out.     There's no place like home.  

A big thanks to my Stevie who makes all my travels and starbucks and 'perfect finds' possible by working so hard!  

A Friday Bathroom Redo.......

Our master bathroom is very roomy.....with a very small room in it where the toilette is located.   I think these were the only virgin walls left in my house.   Many of my walls in fact have had multiple different 'partners',  if ya know what I mean.   So, the fact that these particular walls had never even been introduced to Mr. Paint is amazing.   And the truth is,   I really didn't set out to paint Ms.  Toilette yesterday at all.   I was all set to introduce Queen Anne Kitchen to her 5th paint color in 8 years.   Don't judge her,  it's not her fault.    But the partnership wasn't right.    Not at all.   It was a mistake from the first roller stroke.  And we all knew it.   So, being frugal and not wanting to waste Mr. Paint,   I mosied around to find him another partner.....and voila!   Ms. Toilette meets Mr. Churchill Ivory Paint.    This tiny toilette was constuction white and I had really had done very little to decorate at all.   After I painted,  Ms. Toilette got greedy and decided she needed all kinds of 'new' stuff.    Despite the fact that Queen Anne Kitchen had already had a rough day,  I 'borrowed' a few items from her....apologizing profusely and promising her that her Mr. Right was surely coming soon.    I think it turned out great!
Thank you Queen Anne Kitchen for  letting the young and inexperienced Ms. Toilette borrow your painting.....and your star.......
and your cross.....and your trunk......
and your pretty tassel......
It was a roller coaster of a day,  but in end,  Queen  Kitchen confided that she'd seen Mr. Churchill's type before.....looks good the first few months.....but then he starts to stain and show his true 'colors'.     A queen needs someone a little more traditional and stable.   Like Mr. Ecru maybe.   She's holding out for her knight in stainless steel armor.

Company, hot glue, and thievery........

I'm having company.....which is like my superbowl.....the world cup....the indy 500.  I'm a maniac and as soon as I heard the news, more ideas popped into my head than you could shake a stick at.  I become someone my children don't recognize.   I move around the house fast and talk to myself and take lamps off their dressers and bedspreads off their beds and spray paint and hot glue and begin the 'REDECORRRANGING'.   That's where I 'shop' the house and the basement and 'shake' the snowglobe,  if you will.   They start to wonder if they can even sleep in the same room anymore.  I'm not finished but I'll give you a sneak peek.   Don't tell Taylor I took his comforter or Caiti that I took her chair and her candle sticks.....or Emme that I took her lamp.  It all washes out in the end.   But hold on to your 'stuff' if you live in my house.....'cause nothing is sacred.  And you stand still too long....your liable to get painted.

My bedroom with a cute little makeover....don't look too close 'cause those 'window treatments' are pillow shams nailed straight to the wall....with spray painted stars hung over them.  I am completely out of control.  The nester would be proud.
most of the items are  things hijacked from Taylor's room....
and I'm taking profile shots too.....to send off for my silhouettes......
and a chair 'borrowed' from Caiti's room.....
and a beautiful damask make-shift 'tablecloth'......it's just 5 yards of fabric that I bought from Hobby Lobby for ten dollars!!!
and a fun little table decoration I threw together.   I looked like I was doing Kung-Fu when I made this....
and a window 'mistreatment' that is pinned mostly.....with the most gorgeous tassel and three trees....to decorate the kitchen window.......
and this pile of stuff......
which I turned into this.....
Are you tired yet?   More coffee anyone?   Stay tuned 'cause I'm in a frenzy and there's more to come.  Oh, and I forgot to mention all the food I'm making.....pumpkin creme brulee, gingersnaps, homeade bread, and much more.  When my in-laws get here I'll be sittin' on the sofa knitting.....like nothing ever happened!