Christmas Tree Angel made from Glade Solid Air Freshener

Several years ago I got an itch to make a tree angel.  I say "make" because rarely do I have the cash to buy a bunch of stuff.  Plus,  I have always felt great satisfaction in making my own things.  I can't help it.  Crafting is just part of who I am.

I also have a tendency to collect crafting supplies.  Sometimes it's from garage sales, and sometimes it's from my mother.  Every so often she clears out her crafting hoard and if she offers it in my direction I snag it up.  This has saved me lots of money.  I always try and use what I have on hand before I go out and buy anything. 

That's how this came about.

This is my tree angel.  I have had it for about 5 or 6 years now.  I had some old vintage looking lace (from my mother) and wired ribbon.  I never really have a plan when I go to make things.  I just fly by the seat of my pants and hope it comes out.  This time it did.

You will need the following:

Scissors
Hot Glue Gun with plenty of sticks
A used Glade Solid Air Freshener
Lace and Ribbon and Clothe

Now, when I say use a Glade Solid Air Freshener, it can definitely be a generic brand.  I'm not product pushing here.  The reason I used this product for my angel is because it had the right shape.  I love putting these things in the bathroom.

Take the top of the air freshener off.  This is the base of your angel.  You can just throw that bottom part away.

I took a solid color to make the first layer.  I just laid it on top of the cone and hot glued it down.  It doesn't have to look pretty.  It's just the first layer.

The next layer is the lace.  This is a white lace that is thin enough that you can see the tan underneath. You are going to want this material to come out a little smoother.  I just cut a piece out and wrapped it around.  The second picture you see here is the front and the third is the back. Try and have your glued down pieces in the back.

I next cut a piece of clothe in half and rolled one have into a ball.  I then wrapped the ball in the second piece of clothe making sure one side of the ball is smooth.  This is the head of your angel.  just glue that down on the top of the cone.

I took another piece of lace in a different color and wrapped it around the neck line so that it wouldn't look so "neck less". 

For the hair, I used some kind of bordering type lace.  It's kind of braided.  I'm not sure what it is called.  The hair placement should cover up the back of the angels head where it probably isn't so smooth looking.

I took some lace that matched the dress and folded it into a strip and then tied it into a bow and glued it on the back.  This is the wings of your angel.  On my first angel I used some wired ribbon, but this time I didn't have any that would match.  Either way will look very pretty.

I took a strip of this fancy gold cloth ribbon and glued it on the angels head to make a halo.

The face is very simple.  I just used a sharpie marker.  Press very lightly because it will easily bleed through.  I basically made two little smiles for the eyes.

Here is my new angel on the tree.  Front and back versions.

The cool thing about this is you can make different kinds in different ways in different colors.  My first angel has arms but this one doesn't but they both look pretty good.

I hope you enjoyed this and if you make one I would love to see a picture of it.

Merry Christmas!

Where am I with this Project

It's been a couple of week's since I have posted a blog, or a recipe blog, or a video.  I have been super busy.  Sometimes life just get's in the way.  I had a whole schedule planned out but nothing is lining up properly. 

I have been dealing with sick family members, and the never ending cleaning that is my house.  Plus, I decided to go ahead and put up my Christmas decorations.  I tried to wait until after Thanksgiving, but I just felt to festive to wait.

I have also been dealing with my anxiety.  I feel like I shouldn't talk about it but hey, let's be honest, everyone has some little issue and mine is anxiety. 

Anyways,  I haven't been keeping up with Project Housewife the way I ought to, but I will try and do better.  I appreciate anyone out there who is paying attention to me right now. 

I have only a handful of people paying any attention and I hope to gain a bigger following, but if I am helping anybody out there, or making anyone's life more enjoyable for even a brief moment, then I guess this is all worth while.

Talk to you soon.

The Month of Thanks

November is a great month.  Here in Texas, things finally start to cool down temperature wise.  We can finally wear sweaters without getting hot half way through the day. 

I have a substantial bubble gum stash after Halloween was over, and now I have begun my semi yearly cleaning to get ready for Christmas.  I have lots of cleaning to do this year it seems too.  A lot of dust seems to have accumulated in places unseen around the house and I only hope my allergies can take it. 

I always decorate early for Christmas but I still completely love Thanksgiving.  I am one of those people who updates their Facebook status with a daily thanks, and I even started on time this year too!

While I appreciate everything and everyone in my life, sometimes it's good to voice it out loud. (or over the social media in our new technological world.)  So here it goes,

I am thankful for my husband, who works so hard to provide and take care of me.  He has a great sense of humor, and a great butt too.  I love that he will blush when he finds out that I just wrote that.  He is kind and loyal almost to a fault, and will always be there to help someone out.  Love him.

I am thankful for my Mommy.  We butted heads a lot when I was a teenager, but have become so very close through adulthood.  I love her so much, and she is the reason I am who I am today.  I am proud of her.

I am thankful for my Dad.  I know he is smiling down from Heaven right now.  He was a great dad.  He loved his girls and he was always a lot of fun.  I miss you Dad.

I am thankful for my Stepdad.  He is great to my mom and makes her happy.  He is always upbeat and he is such a sucker for dogs.  It's cute.

I am thankful for my sister Yiff.  She is always great to talk to and a wonderful mother.  She is really good at bargain hunting and I like to go garage sale hunting with her. She has great skin.

I am thankful for my sister Cat.  She is a wonderful mother and I am most like her.  She has a warped sense of humor and doesn't take crap from anyone.  I am usually jealous of her hair styles.

I am thankful for my sister Stacilet.  She is a wonderful mother and a great representation of a true Christian.  I love her house and the way she decorates.

I am thankful for my sister J.  She is my best friend.  I am so glad we are so close now and I don't know what I would do without her.

I am thankful for my brother in laws who take care of my sisters and nephews so well.

I am thankful for my nephews and my niece.  I love them all so much.  They all have such different personalities and life is NEVER boring when they are around. 

I am thankful for my husband's family.  Especially his parents.  They are so kind and caring and have always been there for us.

I am thankful for my best friend Kate.  Even though we go through some droughts in our friendship we never forget about each other and love each other.  Miss you lady.

Most importantly I am thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   I would be nothing without Him.

I am thankful for so much in my life.  My husband and I have come so far since we first met.  I am so thankful that we don't live in that crummy first apartment we had together, where holes were patched with bandaids and paper - literally (apartment management doing)  and our couch was a mattress on the floor. 

Life is good, and even if the road gets bumpy in the future, I have good people to help me get through it. 

I love you all and I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!!

Renaissance Fair Feathered Hand Fan

A couple of weekends ago my husband and I took our niece to the Texas Renaissance Festival.  It was very fun.  We camped on the grounds and I made up costumes or "garb" for us to wear.  I knew it would be warm, but didn't factor in the humidity.

I would take 100 degrees in dry heat over humidity any day of the week.  You just feel like you are melting.  I should have gone as a witch.  I'm sure my husband thought I was one.

Upon entering the gates of the festival I had a panic attack.  It never occurred to me that I suffered from such attacks but thinking back I obviously do.  The combination of dozens of people surrounding me and being extremely hot at 9 o'clock in the morning had me in a quiet fit.  I ended up cutting in line.  I mean, it was more like a swarm than a line, but I am sure people noticed me shamelessly squeezing my way to the front.  I didn't care.  I just needed to sit down for a second so I could breathe and cool off. 

Once I got in the gates I immediately found a place to sit as my husband and niece ran off to get me something cold to drink.  If you follow my videos on Youtube ( www.youtube.com/projecthousewife)
you can see a clip in my Renaissance video of just watching people come into the fair.  I figured while I calmed down I could make use of the time. 

Once I was back up and walking around, I made it my mission to find a hand fan.  While we cruised around the shops looking at various swords and costumes, and other fantastic items that one can only find at a ren fest, I saw several people fanning themselves.  I finally found a pirate shop selling fans, which now as I sit here typing, I can't remember where I put. 

One thing I noticed was several people fanning themselves with fans made of feathers.  It looked so awesome.  I loved the idea.  I knew if I found one at a shop it would cost much more than I was willing to spend.  So I decided that when I got home I would set out to make one of my own.

I figured I would share with all you fine people out on the web as well, because my motto is, "If I can make it myself, then I'm gonna".

I generally just wing it when I make things.  I went to Hobby Lobby and grabbed a bunch of stuff that I thought could work and just went nuts.

We are going to another Renaissance Festival in February and I decided to make a hot pink and black outfit to where.  I realize that it is hardly historically accurate, but neither are the fairies and other mythical creatures that I see at the fair.  Plus, Pink is my FAVORITE color.

Things you will need:

Sheet of felt
Hot glue gun with plenty of sticks (DON'T BURN YOURSELF - CAUTION)
Feathers
Floral wire
some meshy paper rope (I don't know what it's called)

First thing you are going to do is take the floral wire and create a basic shape.  I shaped the fan part very simply, and it doesn't have to be too big because it's just a base.  I then worked the wire into a stem and then at the end is just a loop. This will make it easy to tie to a belt when I take it to a festival.

I then took the meshy paper rope stuff, and unwound it, so that it was more like ribbon than rope and just basically wrapped it around the wire.  This helped hide the wire but it also helped when it came to gluing on the feathers.

Next you glue on the feathers.  I chose feathers that had a natural curve to them and didn't look eaten up because several feathers didn't look good.  I glued the feathers so that they curved in on the fan and weren't straying everywhere.

I had three colors, black, light pink, and hot pink so I layered the colors.  You can display yours however you like though.

On one side of the fan I cut out a piece of felt to lay over the feathers to hide all the little end parts, and to solidify their place on the fan.  On the other side, which I consider the front, I placed a pre-made feathered felt piece. 



And here is the finished piece.

This fan works really well and I really love it.  The only thing I would add to this is a stiff stick to connect the fan part to the stem underneath the paper.  The wire bends when I fan and I have to hold it a certain way.  I don't think this will last more than one weekend of fanning without it. 

Never again will I go to a festival and be hot!  Huzzah!

Check out my website at www.projecthousewife.com for more cool stuff.

You've Been Boo'ed!

Happy Tuesday everyone!  It's Kris here at Project Housewife and I am going to give a quick tutorial on a favorite Halloween tradition typically known as You've Been Boo'ed.

I first learned about this when I worked in a large office.  It was quite fun walking up to your desk and finding a treat and not knowing who it was from.  Of course, once you have been boo'ed then you get to be the sneaky one and boo someone else. Even though I experienced this fun little tradition in an office, you can, and I think, should, experience this in your neighborhood.  I think that is where the tradition started anyways.  I think it's a good way to interact with your neighbors and have a little neighborhood fun.

You can be as creative as you want with this. 

First, go to this website - http://www.beenbooed.com/ and print out the sheet they have available.

Then gather everything together that you are going to use to boo a neighbor. 

The packaging can be whatever you want.  I found this ghost canister at Walmart for $2.50.  I always have spare cloth and ribbon lying around so I will be using that as well.  You can easily use goody bags or tissue paper.

I took the clothe and cut off about a third of it to place inside the canister, just for looks.  I gathered up the four corners and then the four folded corners.  I turned it upside down and placed it in the canister. 

Now it looks like soft green cushioning.

Next. if you have some tall pieces to put in the canister, start with those first, and put them towards the back. 

If you want to put some candy in there, I would do that next.  I am stalking up on candy because last year we had a lot more trick or treaters than anticipated.  I got three bags at the dollar store and just used a few of those pieces for this.

Go ahead and put whatever you have left on top of the candy and in front of the taller pieces. 

Next place your filled canister in the center of your cloth or tissue paper.  Place the lid next to it, if you are unable to put it on top.

Gather up the four corner's, and then the four folded corner's, and tie it up with a rubber band.

Add some ribbon and you're Boo'ed poem and it's ready to go.



I think, in total, this cost me about $9.00.  You can easily go cheaper, and remember, you are only going to be doing this for one or two neighbor's.  There's no reason to go broke on this!  HAHA

When you are able, sneak over and place this on your neighbor's front porch.

I really hope you enjoyed this tutorial and had fun with it.

Remember to be safe this Halloween!!

***Make sure to visit my website with link's to all my other really cool stuff.  http://www.projecthousewife.com/***

Love you Daddy

Well, amidst all the things going on in my life right now, I have to stop and reflect today.  Four years ago my beloved Dad passed away.  He had Lewy Body Dementia and it was horrible.  Just horrible.  But I try not to dwell on that horrible short period of his life and think of all the good things about my Daddy.

I met him when I was in fourth grade.  He began dating my mom at that point and so we got to know his biological daughter.  We had a lot of fun growing up.  We are all very feisty females so we of course fought a lot, but we would defend each other to the death from anyone else if it came to it.

My dad was great.  He accepted four girls as his own daughter's when he didn't have to.  He knew we needed a dad after the first one abandoned us.  He made sure we felt loved and that not every man out there is going to abandon his kids. 

He was very funny and always wanted to see us smile.  He loved his grandchildren very much.  I got into some serious arguments about how he refused to get rid of the old kids toys in his house.  He wanted to make sure the kids had plenty to play with.

He was so great to my husband.  He was proud of who my husband was becoming despite his past.

I love my Dad so much and sometimes I listen to the tape recorder that still has his voice on it.  He used it to remind himself of things, but all he managed to ever record was "testing testing" and a couple more sentences. 

I know my Dad is looking down on us from Heaven and he is so proud of all of us. 

Thank you for being our dad Robert.  ***Love you***


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Please check out my website www.projecthousewife.com

It's October!

It's finally October!  I can't tell you how long I have been waiting for it.  At least since June.  I'm trying to have fun with it this year.

Halloween is one of my husband's favorite holidays.  Mine is Christmas, so my decorating focus has always been on that.  Now I am starting to add more to the Halloween/Fall decor.  It's a slow but sure process.

I like to hit the various dollar stores.  A lot of things look cheap but on occasion, I find something good.

I am more prone to cheerful and playful Halloween decorations.  I don't like scary Halloween decor.  It might have to do with the mixed feelings I have always had with this holiday.  My protestant/Christian upbringing has always made me feel like having anything to do with Halloween is wrong.  But, I find it hard to believc having cute decorations and handing candy out to kiddos is in some way evil.

So welcome to October everyone!  I hope you have a great month!



***Check out my website at www.projecthousewife.com for links to all my other cool stuff!***

I love the Fall

I really do.  Fall brings on beautiful colors that greatly differ from the deathly look of a Texas summer.  It brings on cooler temperatures.  Waking up to 70 degrees makes me want to put on a sweater.  I mean, I won't.  It's still 70 degrees out there and in no way am I getting goose bumps from the air, but still, I WANT to put on a sweater. 

By September I am digging out my fall/halloween decor and filling the house with scents of pumpkin.  I have seen lately, especially as I browse through Pinterest, the running joke is that Fall brings out the pumpkin fanatics.  I suppose that is true.  I LOVE pumpkin.  Pumpkin coffee, pumpkin coffee creamer, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin candles, pumpkin scones, pumpkin....pumpkin....pumpkin.  I think I saw a recipe somewhere for pumpkin soup.  I may have to give that a try.

Fall means high school homecoming football games.  Which means I get to see parents posting pictures of their daughter's mum's.  If you have never heard of a homecoming mum, just google it.  It's one of the most gaudy but most treasured Texas traditions and I love it to pieces. 

Fall means Halloween, and festivals, and the Texas State Fair, which I have never in all my life actually been to but want to.  (HINT HINT HUSBAND)

It means getting to watch all the old 80's horror movies, and shorter nights, and hot cocoa and burning fireplaces.

But the biggest reason I love Fall so stinkin much, is because Christmas is just around the corner!