Jan. 1-5: Paper Flowers, Hat Lining, Plant Sale, Cookies, and a Garland

While I didn't commit to the blog creation until January 6, January 1-5 are not to be forgotten.

Jan. 1: Paper Flowers
I made some of these precious paper flowers as a gift for my sister-in-law who hosted a lovely New Year's Eve party, but then I had to make a couple for myself as well. They sit ready to welcome guests in our spare bedroom. The general idea came from http://jonesdesigncompany.com/flowers/rolled-paper-flowers-tutorial/. However, I added button centers and used sticks found in the yard as the stems.

Jan. 2:  Hat Lining
I bought this hat last winter on Etsy. I love it, but wished it was a little warmer. After a little searching I found this tutorial on adding a fleece lining to a knitted hat, http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2008/06/fully-lining-hats-with-polar-fleece.html. And, now my ears stayed toasty warm during the temperature drop these past few days.

Jan. 3: Plant Sale
While at Home Depot today I noticed cute little plants on sale. While I love to have lots of nature inside my home, I am not the best at keeping it healthy. Luckily my husband seems to have that green thumb. So that $2 plant, a little note, and some braided yarn easily turned into a surprise Tuesday gift.

Jan. 4: Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
I think cooking and baking count as creative endeavors. We enjoyed these Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies with some new friends over a lively game of Apples to Apples. http://www.marthastewart.com/342189/oatmeal-cranberry-cookies

Jan. 5: Garland

Since we moved in to our apartment 4 months ago I have been trying to decide what to do with the long, narrow, white space above our wall of windows that spans the living room and dining room areas. After pinning several ideas I decided to go with this one, http://hamblyscreenprints.typepad.com/screen_prints_blog/2010/05/may-guest-dt-plus-a-paper-garland-tutorial.html. It turned out nicely.