a few gleeful re-runs...

with my folks staying at the shed for the next two weeks i am going to take a little time off. it will be lovely to spend quality time with them, doing what we do best, my mum knitting, my dad reading and moi, crocheting. actually i won't be doing a lot of that, for i have hand stitching that needs to be stitched for the book. whatever we will be doing you can be assured, we will be doing it together, pottling here and pottling there...

before i head off to do some pottling, i wished to share a few 're-runs' of some gleefulness i showed last year. some of you will recall them, and perhaps some of you are new to this neck of the woods and therefore cannot recall because you were in another part of the woods last year. either way, a little bit of repeated glee is okay with me

gleeful repeat #1: my fabby favorite all time cluster of glee. now technically this was a repeat last year, but i can't help myself, i love this little cluster even years after making it, so as long as i am 'a rambling' then i will be 'a repeating' this sweetie

gleeful repeat #2: a little easy peasy gleefully gleey garland easily changed out for felted sweater pieces or knitted pieces. whilst 'a mentioning' felted sweaters, may i be so bold as to say upon my return i will be sharing what i did with a few leftover bits of a cream woolly thrift store sweater. once again it is the easiest peasiest how-to, suited to children and folks like myself who like to squeeze in making gleeful decorations into small pockets of spare time. if that sounds of interest, do be on the lookout for a woolly cream sweater that is crying out to be boiled and then snippity snipped

gleeful repeat #3: a nice little tutorial on a 'whatnot' holiday garland. i was positively delighted with the whatnot garlands dearest readers made after this little how-to last year. it truly warmed my gleeful heart which was most perfect as the shed is known for it chilly ways in the winter months.

gleeful repeat #4: a 'whatnot gleeful' christmas tree... it was a little controversial in the shed last year, but all in all, the clan did admit it was a pretty spiffy tree. for those of you on your handcrafted, secondhand year i am guessing you are already thinking about the tree! Our #4 asked the question in september "are we having that painted dead twig in a bucket again this year?" his voice doing a crappity crap job at masking his concern

gleeful repeat #5: this one you must save until December 1st. for it is a tale of the miracle that came to pass last year at mossy shed. one that will warm your gleeful heart so it matches mine and then we will match with our warmed gleeful hearts which i think is quite nice and matchy and warm.

so there we have it dearest readers, for those that will be celebrating Thanksgiving next week, i wish you the peachiest of holidays. i will be in my shed with my folks and clan, finding myself another year on, once again being most thankful for many things including the life i have and the kindness that you continue to show me here on my shiny place

she is wishing you plenty of gleeful crafting time and will be back on dec 3rd with her felted sweater... counting down, not just to Christmas but to Our #1 returning home for the holidays ~ Tif

a cluster of gleeful jam jars... how-to

yes indeedy!

it is a time for gleefulness

and a time for handcraftedness

now before we begin i must tell you several things,

thing #1: this cluster of gleeful jams jars how-to, is perfectly suited to any random sized jar you have lurking around your nests. i found some in the back of my fridge, saved some as they became empty, others i decanted the contents so i could continue uninterrupted in my need to clothe little glass jars in warm jackets. indeed the more different sizes you have going on, the peachier it will look.

thing #2: this cluster would be most suited to a mantelpiece or perhaps the middle of a dining table. just be aware of where you place them if you are using 'night light' candles. i also think they would look quite peachy with red flowers dotted amongst them or red knitting needles. the odd pesky gnome wouldn't go a miss either. i have yet to get my gleeful box down from the attic so you will have to use your imaginations on this one, which of course i know you have by the bucketful :)

thing #3: the only material i used in this gleeful cluster that has not been used and loved before is the cream yarn.

thing #4: i believe the pictures pretty much speak for themselves in how the jackets are made, the crocheted little number i have given more instructions to. but as we go along you will see they are quite simple in their construction and also rather addictive.

so without further ado, here are three little jacket ideas for this gleeful season...

little cosy jacket #1:

ingredients

* a glass jar

* a thrift store sweater with cream sleeves

* red embroidery thread

* needle

* piece of paper

*scrap of lace

* typewriter (or you can hand write your words)

nitty gritty

using your glass jar as a guide,

(this one you may wish to use a large size jar for)

cut the sleeve and cuff off your sweater

leaving plenty for turning the top down.

place sweater sleeve over jar,

roll down sleeve a few times,

giving a nice 'roll neck' to your jacket.

hand stitch in place with red thread.

next type a little saying

(or hand write it)

stitch your little saying onto a scrap of lace

(i used Miss Ethel here,

but easy enough to hand stitch)

attach your little label to the jacket neck.

place your little sweater jacket upon your jar

and voila!

little cosy jacket #2:

ingredients

* pieces of old lace

* a glass jar

* red yarn

* dress making pins

* large eyed needle

nitty gritty

lay your jar on the lace

and wrap it up nicely,

making sure you pay attention to the neckline,

this way you can make for a pretty shape.

pin in place.

taking a long length of red yarn,

begin sewing your jacket up

leaving a nice tail at the end

(i am now thinking it not unlike a corset)

when you have got to the top,

start stitching your way back down.

with a bit of luck

you will have some lovely random cross stitching going on.

when you are back at the beginning,

tie off your yarn leaving nice long tails

and Voila!

little cosy jacket #3:

ingredients

* cream yarn

* crochet hook to match your size yarn

* a glass jar

nitty gritty

crochet a chain the prefect length

for wrapping around your glass jar.

not too loose, better to be a little stretched.

join your chain with a slip stitch,

being sure to keep it untwisted as you join.

chain one and continue around your circle

in half double crochet (usa)

or half treble crochet (uk)

after one row it might be worth

checking the fit of your little jacket

if the fit is perfectly perfect

continue crocheting your rows,

being careful to join at the end of each one

and chain up to start a new one.

just before you reach the neck of your jar,

you will need to decrease 4 times

evenly around your final

half double (usa) half treble (uk) row.

it might be wise to place pins

as a guide here.

then finish off with one row of

single crochet (usa) double crochet (uk).

place your little woolly jacket upon your jar

and Voila!

if perchance the little crocheted garland has caught your eye, no worries. next week, i will be doing a re-run of last year's 'week of glee'.

i am thinking if the BBC can run repeats, then so may i.

she is wishing you a weekend of getting crafty with a few glass jars ~ Tif

and so it came to pass...

if you are sitting comfortably, perhaps with tipple in hand then i shall begin...

once upon a time in a cold, cold land lived Tif in her Mossy Shed with used dog and little olive.

trying to keep warm, Tif noted used dog and little olive had an advantage due to their warm coats of fur. Tif was a little bit at a disadvantage having lost her 'nostril hair of the worst kind' and thus feeling the extremities with her lack of fur.

whilst Tif kept herself warm by putting 'glee' all around the shed

the door bell rang,

"who can that be?" Tif asked her furry friends, her furry friends looked back at her with a quizzical look. for not many people ventured up to Mossy Shed's doorbell...

all three went to the door and as it was the season for pesky gnomes and other forsaken souls, it came as no surprise to find two such characters upon the doormat

"can i help you?" asked Tif gritting her teeth against the bitter cold.

"my name is Joe, this is my wife Mary" he pointed to a rather round colorful lady... "we were on our way to a special place but have lost our way. the cold is causing my wife untold trouble with her circulation. plus she is with child and told me not two minutes earlier, that she felt the time was close"

the two forsaken souls looked at Tif,

Tif looked at used dog,

used dog looked at little olive,

and little olive looked at the forsaken souls.

Joe continued with his tale of woe

"and so we are looking for a place to stay warm, out of the cold so my wife can rest a while and get her circulation going again"

Tif let them into the shed to thaw out...

a little while past and then Mary let out a scream

"oh Joe, the baby's coming!"

once again the two forsaken souls looked at Tif,

Tif found herself looking at used dog,

used dog found herself looking at little olive

and little olive found herself looking at the forsaken souls.

"okay" said Tif

"nobody panic, i've been through this a few times Mary and quite honestly i may not have a certificate to prove my capabilities but i do have a florence nightingale hat in the kitchen drawer. take some deep breaths and if there is one thing i learnt in my labouring moments. never ever call the unborn child, causing untold pain to the labouring mum, a cherub! for that mum in 'pain beyond all pain' does not see her unborn child as a cherub at that moment in time. by all means, afterwards call him or her a cherub but not when the mother-to-be is crying out, i'm going to die... for that is obviously not the time to refer to anything by the term 'cherub'... no Mary, i will not do that to you."

Tif quickly realized this was not the time for bitter recall and got busy finding her florence nightingale hat, which really was proving hard to locate under the debris in the drawer, all the time shouting out calming words of "breathe in, breathe out". when she turned back to face the little group, hat on head. she noted used dog, little olive, Joe and Mary were all breathing nicely, looking at her and waiting...

just then another knock at the door

"you go" Tif said to used dog, as she made Mary a little more comfortable

used dog found three pesky gnomes and their girlfriends on the doorstep along with a sheep and two chickens

"hey dog, is this the shed that beholds our chosen one" they asked, just as a baby cry came forth. "we are three pesky shepherds and have come to pay our respects"

used dog rolling her eyes heavenward, let them in

"it's a girl" Tif offered up, as the pesky shepherds and used dog entered the room.

no sooner had she done so then another knock at the door could be heard.

this time little olive went to answer...

"hello, i'm a wise owl, my brothers are at the pub down the road, thought i noticed a star shining brightly above your shed, unusual for daytime, made me think that something strange and glorious was going on... wondered if indeed 'the chosen one' had been born. i don't have a gift i'm afraid, 'cause i lost it playing poker, but i thought it might be nice to pop by and say hello anyway"

and so it came to pass that a trickle of visitors began to arrive at mossy shed that day, some remarking how 'the chosen one' resembled her mother and not her father. which Tif, used dog and little olive felt most unsuitable considering the enormity of the moment that had passed at mossy shed this christmas time

later that evening, before going to bed, Tif checked in on Mary and Joe, along with their little one. they seemed most happy with their new baby and dwellings.

"perhaps", Tif thought to herself, "this will be the year for peace on earth and goodwill toward all pesky forsaken souls around the globe"

and at that moment a chorus of sock monkey angels appeared and glory really did shine all around

the end

she is out and about tomorrow, unearthing thrifty treasures for her secret santa, oh the lucky soul ~ Tif

a 'week of glee' ~ day five

i thought it most appropriate, seeing as today is the two month anniversary of starting my handcrafted thrifty challenge, that we focus our final day, within this gleeful week...

upon 'vintage and handcrafted' glee

"hang on a mo, Tif... surely that's what you've done all week, it's all handcrafted and vintage gleeness as far as we can see"

and quite right you are, it has been, hasn't it.

i am it would appear, most predictable...

in the space of two months i have found many lovely secondhand finds for the shed, and many i have left on the shelves... wishing to give a home to, but knowing my man would leave.

in the space of two months i have found, but only one item for my closet.

a rather dubious vomit colored leather coat that i am telling myself the color is so mesmerizing, passersby will not notice the pen marks,

and after all, what can one expect for $15

in the end my need was so great for paint, as it truly plays a big part in the transformation of my thrifty finds, that i could not do what i wished to do with a scrapping of leftover gloss white and my 'neverending' can of scary pink paint.

i confess, i bought some eco paint...

when all is said and done, this has been my only new purchase since the challenge began

and so to end our 'week of gleeness'

i bring you,

'snippets of glee'

little bits of secondhand or handcrafted 'loveliness' to bring a gleeful mood to mossy shed this season...

a lovely red midcentury modern, lamp base, found in ethanollie's etsy store

a kitschy angel, perfect in her colors, made in japan and as if that weren't enough, she's a money box as well (i know! isn't that peachy)

yarn balls in a thrifted red dish (always a winner in my books)

a seasonal tin tray sporting a 'gleeful' design

a pair of glossy red clogs for the wall that any little elf would be proud to own

the 70's gleeful tree 'wall hanging' found on etsy and waiting to be turned into an advent calender when a creative moment appears

and the insides of my little box of 'glee' from the attic, waiting to shine this 'gleeful' season

i do hope this 'week of glee' has been most 'gleeful' for you dearest readers and that you may go forth into your own 'gleeful' worlds and spread the word of 'glee', making the world we live in a bit more 'gleeful' for others, so they too can 'feel the glee'...

(did i really just pen that last paragraph, truly quite a 'gleeful' message i feel)

she will return on monday with a 'thankful giveaway' full of glee ~ Tif

a 'week of glee' ~ day four

for today's dollop of 'glee'

i have delved into the 'gleeful' past to bring you something i made two years back...

it is quite truthfully my favorite 'gleeful' item of all time.

i look forward to getting it out of the attic and i dislike having to put it back in the attic after the 'gleeful season' is done and dusted.

it is i believe, to be a perfect example of how a handcrafted piece made from 'leftovers' can bring 'glee' year after year.

so without further a do, i bring you

a 'cluster of glee'

quite simply made

and

brings a whole lot of 'glee' to a front door this season

as i said above, i did this in 2007 but i am willing for you, my dearest readers to delve into the archives of my crafty memory and tell you how i made it,

so in turn you can go about your 'gleeful' day, gathering odds and ends, to make your very own 'cluster of glee'

now here's the tricky bit, i did start with a string of bells as my base.

i had these lurking in my christmas box...

this could be a problem for any on the handcrafted thrifty challenge, and then again perhaps not, for you are a crafty lot and have plenty of inspiration of your own.

my thoughts are perhaps some vintage baubles hung on a cord or lace may make for a nice starting base,

i could just see a wonderful little grouping of colored ones,

or perhaps just plain silver.

i took some

yarn

(wrapped into snowballs)

felt snowflakes

(i saved from a gift given to me)

red felt hearts

(a garland from ikea i chopped up)

odd scraps of lace

(you could cut up old doilies for this)

and

large vintage shell buttons

i proceeded to thread them all together in a pleasing order.

i made seven strands, all varying lengths,

finishing off by handstitching them together at the top

of the cord, holding the bells.

this looked a little messy and so i hand stitched a nice piece of vintage lace over the 'mess', thus disguising the 'messy situation' that had occured and making it look like it was all part of my master plan in the first place...

and that's it.

i do like a 'gleeful' project that can be made from leftover crafty bits,

has the potential to shine in it's handcrafted 'gleeness'

and does what handcrafted things do best,

makes a house into a home.

and she is thinking, one can't ask much more than that from a little 'cluster of glee' ~ Tif

footynote: just a thought, as it's impossible to tell the size of my 'cluster of glee' in the pictures, this little sweetie measures 26" or 66cm, from top to toe :)

a 'week of glee' ~ day three

there is nothing quite like the anticipation of giving a gift,

be it new, handcrafted or thrifted.

if the perfect gift is found in advance,

the anticpation can begin several months before the gift needs to be given.

or in the case of my man it can happen the day before, and even then it's not the perfect gift and even more importantly (perhaps men take note, across the land), do not leave the receipt lying around.

i can only imagine that when i met my man at the age of 16, he did not think he would still be with me as i turned 40, thus instead of taking 24 years to think ahead... he suddenly went "oh crap, Tif's 40 tomorrow, i know i'll go to Costco, buy her a panini maker and leave the receipt lying around so she knows how much it cost and the date i bought it")

"STOP TIF!!... enough, this is not good for a 'gleeful' post, this is bringing down the tone of 'glee' and also you promised 'closure' on the panini episode of 2008" i hear you exclaim, dearest readers

and quite right you are, thank goodness i have you to keep me on a 'gleeful' track and not drift off on a negative 'non-gleeful' note.

for today's dose of 'glee' i would like to bring you...

the gift of giving 'glee'.

i do believe that giving a gift of 'glee' is a terribly exciting thing to do and even more so if it's wrapped up 'gleefully'

i like to do this, just as i do my etsy orders, with thought and consideration

and a whole lot of lovely catalogues that come my way...

for Etsy i now use recycled tear outs from magazines that i have ferreted away,

inspiring images of lovely interiors,

but when the 'gleeful' season rolls around i produce my pile of 'specials'

i'm talking anthropologie

i'm talking toast

and

i'm talking noa noa

for their pictures are beautiful

and they really do make for wonderful recycled wrapping paper

for today's purpose of showing you how i wrap a box of 'glee' i have retrieved

one half used box of tissues

one box of chocolate pudding mix

one box of banana pudding mix

one dvd from our #2's collection

and

one something else,

that i cannot remember for the life of me what it is

(only wrapped it yesterday, for goodness sake)

and as it looks so lovely all wrapped up i'm not willing to undo it

if i'm giving a gift that isn't conveniently box shaped, then i find a box to fit it, even if i have to go looking in my food cupboard

and then i get to work,

tearing catalogues

sticking tape

and when my little bit of glee is covered

i wrap some cream thrifted yarn around it

and finish it off with a vintage button card

and that's it, quite simple and i am quite sure has been done a million times before but i thought i would share how i like to give glee

and as if that wasn't enough

another 'glee giving' idea is to customize your 'gleeful seasonal' cards

i was fortunate to stumble across a set of unused vintage ones at the thrift store a few weeks back and i was really rather happy with the little birdie on the front.

but i couldn't leave it alone,

i have added some frayed little rosettes to the branches

i do believe these little cards are now a 'gift in themselves'

and wait, there's more glee going around

the lovely Victoria has been sharing my little gleeful garland over at her place

and just before you are all 'gleed out'

the talented Ingrid has just unveiled her new 'gleeful' website, it's in english and best of all, you can order her beautiful crocheted wares direct from it.

i don't think it gets more 'gleeful' than that dearest readers...

but then again does it?

only tomorrow's 'day four' knows the answer to that

she is spreading 'gleefulness' wherever she goes and hoping you forgive her 'bah humbuggy' panini begining ~ Tif

a 'week of glee' ~ day two

when i decorate my shed with glee i do the usual 'gleeful' things,
i put up a tree, no higher than 5ft, add ornaments and then i decorate our two fireplaces with such 'gleeful' delights as garlands, fairy lights, pesky gnomes, little trees, yarn balls and other such 'gleeful' things and then i tend to stop there.

my reasons being, if i continue with adding 'glee' all over the place,

within the week it's doing my head in, i can't breath for feeling i'm being attacked by 'gleeful' things wherever i look and i am just counting the days until i can remove all the 'glee' and put it in the attic.

now we all know this does not make for a very nice 'gleeful' atmosphere and so i have learnt over the past few years the best way to add 'glee' around my shed is to put out things i would usually have around but they just happen to be in the colors of 'glee'.

white, red and green

and best of all

they are handcrafted or vintage.

thus i am less likely to have the urge to purge

(you got to love that last sentence, it just came over me and i was like "oooh, Tif, that's fab... the urge to purge", one could almost say it 'gleefully' and in a sing song voice.

"i've got the urge to purge")

so i thought it might be nice if we went looking on Etsy today for 'gleeful' items that lend themselves to the season, but actually would be things i would happily have in mossy shed any day of the year.

so without further a do, i give you

a 'little Etsy glee'...

a lovely set of green canisters from

{the cottage cheese}

a sweet garland from

{3 GIRLS and a goat}

a wonderful vintage dutch tin from

{blue bell}

a little bit of peace from

{elizabeth wren vintage}

a pop of red dansk ware from

{selling vintage}

a beautiful paper doily garland from

{kristina marie}

a perfect home for pesky gnomes from

{yesstreen}

a vintage ornament in 'granny chic' colors from

{emily lynch}

a festive feeling stool from

{wood & wool stool}

a little collection of jolly colored spools from

{paut luck}

a gleeful grouping of vintage ladies from

{space jam}

i do hope you have found that to be a nice filling 'quoter of glee' and that it puts you in a gleeful mood for the rest of the day

she has counted the use of 'glee' for today as over 16 times and she is thinking that's not bad for day two of glee ~ Tif

a 'week of glee' ~ day one

i thought it might be nice to have a 'week of glee'.

of course for some it may seem super duper early to be thinking about 'gleefulness' and all it encompasses, but i do believe the 'crafty masses' think way ahead of time.

knowing the hours that go into creating handcrafted goodness, means we must be 'one step' ahead...

therefore we shall spend the week on the topic of 'glee' and things that make us 'gleeful'... well actually it will be things i find to be 'gleeful' and as you are all the 'gleeful' type, i am hoping you will find the 'glee' i have to offer, to be most appealing.

today's dose of 'glee' is

a little 'gleeful' garland

because quite honestly, there is nothing more gleeful than a garland...

this little garland is so 'gleeful' in her simplicity that really, very little direction is required

and like always dearest readers,

all you will need is a little imagination to take what i have to offer, and make it your own...

my little 'gleeful' garland is crocheted,

but you could easily knit it.

i made all the little flags whilst twiddling my thumbs waiting in the car during chauffeuring duties.

yarn garlands are most perfect for that sort of occasion...

i used worsted weight yarn,

one thrifted cream

and

one lovely speckly red,

kindly donated by my friend Trish down the road, who listened to my sad tale in the grocery line about little old me trying to crochet up some 'christmas glee' without any red yarn. not two minutes after arriving back at the shed, she was on my doorstep with a bag of red 'odds and ends' for me. truly a grand neighbor indeed, sharing her bag of 'glee'...

i double crocheted

(american terminology)

10 cream flags

and

5 speckly red flags

and went for a rectangle shape

measuring roughly 4.5" x 3"

or roughly 11cm x 8cm

the beauty is you can just do what ever size you wish

next, i took some wide vintage lace and cut five pieces off,

lay them upon my red flags and hand stitched the lace in place.

i then laid my little flags out nicely to admire,

being careful not to leave them where little olive would also do some admiring.

i then rummaged around my lace stash, but alas i had no lace skinny enough for the string,

so i rummaged some more and found a thrifted packet of skinny cord in cream, a little shiny for my liking but our #4 assured me as it was a 'gleeful' garland it could surely take a little 'shine'...

i threaded the flags onto the shiny cord in a pleasing order,

hammered two pins in the wall and voila!

a little 'gleeful' garland completed

so simple i know, and some of you clever ones are perhaps 'rolling in the aisles' as to the simplicity of my 'gleeful' garland, but i wanted to 'show and tell' this little piece of joy because i think it most important to remember that bringing a bit of handcrafted 'gleefulness' to the home this holiday season, doesn't have to involve lots of steps, knowing lots of techniques and spending hours of time on a project.

quite honestly, i'm thinking if you can't knit or crochet, another way to do this would be to get a woolly christmas sweater that your man insists on wearing every year, boil it alive in the washing machine, bemoan the terrible tragedy to him, then quick as an 'elf' get out your scissors, chop out 15 rectangles, add a few bits of lace, sew on the string and voila!

your man can admire his sweater on the wall,

where we all know,

it looks a lot more 'gleeful' as a garland,

then it ever did on him...

she is thinking you may tire of the word 'gleeful' by the end of the week but then again, perhaps not ~ Tif

footynote: i have to just say once again, your comments here and in my inbox over the weekend have been most wonderfully received... truly without a doubt, you have been most generous with your kind words