DIY Fabric Fireworks Centerpiece

So we are newly married, which pretty much equals being poor people. I don't mean down in the dumps poor. I just mean regular, can't-buy-cute-house-decor-poor. You all know how that is. Your crafty-self nearly aches sometimes when you can't just willy nilly on out to Roberts or Micheals or freakin Hobby Lobby and find a knick-nack to brighten up your home. It's the pits.

Well now I've got that laid out on the table, I'd like to share with all of you who are in this "thrifty" boat with me, my little stumbled-upon-it way of Americanizing our quaint little apartment for the upcoming Independence Day without spending one dime. I put together this super simple Fabric Fireworks guy to keep on our kitchen table as the centerpiece.

Here are the step by step instructions:
1. Start with some old cotton t-shirts. One of each color (red, white, and blue in my case).

2. Then, starting at the bottom, cut the shirt into 3/4 inch strips until you reach the armpits. This should be plenty of fabric to work with.

3. Now you have a big pile of fabric strips, all equal in length. To vary the sizes of my "fabric fireworks" I cut the strips into various sizes.

Now it's time to roll the fabric strips into fireworks!

4. Start by giving yourself about a 3 inch tail, then turn your fabric under at a 90 degree angle so that the rest of the strip now hangs off to the side...

and begin rolling tightly. Pinching the roll with thumb and pointer finger will help it from unraveling.

5. Leave another 4-5 inches at the end of your roll as shown.

6. Now turn your roll over, and tie your center and end tails together in a knot.

7. Ta da, one fabric firework completed! You can use hot glue to secure your knot to the back of your roll, making it less fragile.

8. Once all of your fireworks are rolled up, you simple assemble them in your apothecary jar (or whatever else you've got to put them in) as you so wish. I layered mine by color, and used about 15 rolls of each color in various sizes.

9. Top your display off with a festive ribbon ( I found mine in a stash of gift wrapping supplies), and you're finished!

Let me know if you try it, and how it turns out. I was pretty proud of the finished product and even more proud of how little it cost!

Big love, and enjoy your freedom.
Hannah

MAKE A WISH!

Have you ever heard of the...quirk I guess for lack of a better description, that has to do with 11:11? The one where every time you see a clock that reads "11:11" you MAKE A WISH?!

Well it's a pretty good quirk guys. There is something slightly childish about it (okay, oober childish. so sue me.), but that's what makes it so magical and simple and beautiful. I dare you to try it next time you see a clock tick-tocked to exactly 11:11. Beware. You only have a minute, maybe less. and then the moment is gone like every other one and you have to wait until you happen to catch the clock at that very exact tick-tock again.

It doesn't count if you're waiting for it. That's the only rule.

The reason I bring it up is because my past experience with the simple beauty of this quirk has been the inspiration behind a new little undertaking my mother and I have just under taken. oop.

We just started up a shop at Etsy called Dainties@E1evenE1even Super exciting and a little intimidating, but we're stoked.
you can be stoked with us too.


No negative image can possibly pop into one's head when thinking of dainty things. Things like making a wish at precisely 11:11, or unwrapping a present extra slow, or taking the first bite of a scrumptious lemon cake, or throwing the bedspread high up into the air and letting it float daintily down over your comfy bed again, or letting your hair down and wiggling your toes while you ride your bicycle and eating a sno-cone (perhaps that last one is a little too multi-tasky for some of us). But you see?! All dainty ideas and wonderfully sweet. For the beauty of its imagery alone, we settled on the name of our sweet little shop. He is pretty tiny right now.


Just a few items up for sale, but tiny or no, they are marvelous. and there is only more to come. So please check us out in Etsy land. let us know what you think. spread the word. Like us on facebook. I double dare you! Big love and best of luck to you in your own new undertakings. Spread those featherless wings folks!There is a world to be inspired by out there.
-hannah

These are a few of my favorite things

I'm pretty sure everybody has a favorite. Maybe even more than one favorite, but mos def one thing they love especially and above and beyond everything else in that category.
Take people for example. My favorite is B. That was easy. (rhyme!)
Color? I don't have one so much.
Food? Let's not even attempt to tackle this one.
Number? 3. It's only my favorite because it was Melissa Dodge's favorite in the 5th grade I didn't have one of my own but she was cool enough so I stole hers and just kept it all these years.

some things though, I really do call my favorite and they aren't stolen or copied or chosen haphazardly to fill in the blank spaces of a questionnaire in {relief society}. They were just born my favorites I guess. I have very different reasons for loving each one, but that isn't the really important part. It's the having of favorites that matters most because by simply existing as our favorite things, they help to fill our buckets and renew our souls. you understand I hope.

One favorite is {SMILES}
Other smiles make me smile and smiling feels good and right. For this reason I appoint smiles as a favorite thing of my very own.













Another fav is the {SMELL OF FRESH GRASS}.
Have you ever lied down in the warm sunshine on your tummy and taken a deep sniff of that delicious, earthy scent? Why they haven't bottled it up into lotions and soaps and candles yet I don't rightly know. I absolutely love how much that smell makes me feel a part of something SO much bigger than my own self. Oh how lovely that can be!




Fav trois is {FIREWORKS}!!!!
I can't get enough of those big guys! The thunderous bang of each explosion and the eye-oogling color bursts that fill the sky. Man oh man it's a freeing feeling to feel so small and safe underneath a blanket of such glorious colors and sounds.





{SWINGS} are also included in my list of favorite things.
The vulnerable sensation of flying through the air that comes with swinging is so fantastic and it hasn't lessened over time. They are a little more snug on my hips these days than during my childhood, but the tingle in my legs from pumping and iron smell on my hands from squeezing those chains take me right back to the innocent worries of being young. Yum. Wouldn't it be great to be a kid again?!








I also love {MUSIC}












and {RAINSTORMS}













and {ART}
All of these favorites do something different to my soul. The music is an inspiration and a peace maker for my racing mind. The rainstorms often attach themselves to thunder and lightning. That triple combo is such a great recipe for making me feel most alive! Visual art in all of its forms can bring thoughts into my mind that wouldn't have gotten in there any other way.







I also love {IRONY} because it has got to be God's favorite form of humor.


Can't you just see him slapping his godly knee at some of the ironies of human life? I can. I love that about him!
I have lots of other favorites like good fabrics, good books, good food, creating things with my own two hands, and fires..but I guess every favorite, with it's unique reasons for being such, is rooted in a deep gratitude I have for all five of my glorious senses. What a wonderful world we have to experience! I'm definitely not thankful often enough for the intricate and delicate way it has been designed to improve our quality and enjoyment of life. Every day is filled with sensory experiences that truly are a miracle.
Let's be grateful for our favorites, and inspired by the favorite things of others.

XO.
Hannah

Peephole

Nowhere in this post is there reference to some creeper peeping tom fellow, so if thats what you were hoping for based on the title, I promise to disappoint.

Peephole just equals people.

I read one of those way sweet forwarded emails that we often delete without second thought for fear that they mask a truly disastrous virus. Don't worry it wasn't a chain letter, it promised me no money for filling out a survey, there was no virus, and I actually slid away from the computer a better girl than when I slid up to it.

The email was about peephole. and it totally helped me evaluate my peephole treating habits and such. It was mmm mmm good.

Post forwarded-email, I got to questioning and wondering how courteaous, thoughtful, patient, and helpful I am toward my fellow man.

I do try sometimes, but can honestly say the roadways are my weakpoint. Don't suck at driving because it makes it very hard for me to not hate you. Sorry. I did say it was my weakpoint though.

Helping others however would have to be something I love about B and I because we're trying to be good helper bees. You know the ones. They tootle around doing their own thing but if they see someone who needs a helper then the helping becomes their job for a minute.

yes. thats us. striving to be bees.

I will say that it makes life easier and happier when I treat others well. You're on board with that line of thought aren't you? Not only does it get me places faster (truthfully who wants to be on the recieving end of a raging phone call let alone be sincererly and effiecently helpful to the rager at the other end? {answer}: NO ONE). Point proven.

Helping also makes being grateful for MY life extremely easy.

{proof}:

Once upon a time B and I were driving to my parent's home in hopes of a sweet saturday night adventure. As we whizzed past a girl trudging along the side of the busy roadway, helper bee mode kicked in and we decided to flip a u-ee(?!) and see if we could get her to her destination faster. Girl pulled her headphone out in response to our yelling across this busy roadway, and replied with wincing eyes, "Its kind of a long way."

Well what are we supposed to say, "yeah, we're only in this for the short haul. If you've got a long way to go we can't help you. laters!". No. That would be lame, and probably slightly inhumane.(rhyme?) If anything, the thought that she was having to walk that far should have pushed us to want to help that much more.

Don't worry, this story is kind of a happy one and the thought did push us. So she hopped in the back seat, buckled up, and pointed.

Another {7} miles or so beyond where we'd picked her up, we pulled up to girl's house. She walks the {3} hours each way EVERYDAY to work so that she can save up enough to get herself through school. She rarely gets a ride as seemed far too shy and reserved to ask co-workers for a lift. Since 9/10 she has been making this trek. Rain, snow, wind, shine. I was so astounded at her courage, commitment, and optimistic attitude about her situation. Serious props go out to girl from this little helper bee. She is such an example to me of hard work and steady optimism.
How are we ever going to learn "life lessons" if we don't live life to the fullest (part of which includes serving, learning about, and spending time with others)?
{answer}:
I haven't a clue.
So those are my most up to date thoughts about peephole. I hope my thoughts spark some thoughts in your own brains out theres regarding the matter.

Big love.
-Hannah