Craft project #5 part two: St Patrick’s Day wreath

I must admit, this wreath took a lot longer than I expected. But that was only because I changed my mind on a couple of things along the way.

With the inner and outer rings complete, I decided that I did not like the way I had originally done the stem. So, I removed what was there and took some time to think on it while I finished the middle ring.

Once the middle ring was completed, I realized that the center of the wreath looked bare. I had purchased a sign at Joann’s on one of my trips there so I thought it might work. But, to me, it looked like it would be too green for the wreath.

I also had a flag that I removed from the banner I will be using on my mom’s walker that I was also considering. The flag doesn’t have the sparkle that my mom would like, but that is something I can fix easily.

I did what any normal person would do and asked some people that know my mom well what they think would work.

They said they liked the flag best so it was time to make the flag sparkle. I grabbed by container of rhinestones, NUVO Deluxe Adhesive, No-Sew fabric adhesive. Time to make another decision. What color of rhinestones to use.

Obviously, green would be the perfect choice. So I covered the holes at the top with the green rhinestones and attached it with the NUVO Deluxe Adhesive.

Since I have some FolkArt Glitterific FINE glitter paint, I decided to use the paint to cover the burlap area.

The flag definitely sparkles for my mom.

To complete the wreath, I used some twine to wrap around the stem which definitely came out much better than the fabric I had originally used. To give the stem a little something extra, I attached some gold coins.

And now the wreath is complete.

Next time I make a clover shaped wreath, I will try something different. Like wrapping the entire wreath in twine!!!! But that will be another day, another time!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. All that is left to do is to decorate my mom’s door and walker!

Craft Project 8 – making coin ornaments and Craft Project 9 – setting the glitter on the Dollar Tree signs and Amazon glitter clover ornaments

I had a plan in my head to make some coin ornaments for the tree outside my mom’s door. The supplies I would need are all on hand. After all, I did buy gold coins and I already had the E6000 and extra fabric strips. The only thing I would need was the fishing line which I was able to get at Walmart.

I quickly discovered the fishing line was just not going to work like I had hoped.

Luckily, I had some gold cord that word great for this project.

Since there is a coin on each side of the cord, I clamped them together and let them set overnight.

Then is was time to set some glitter. No one likes for glitter to fall off signs and ornaments. I made a quick trip to Walmart to purchase some Mod Podge as I cannot find what I thought I had on hand.

Up first was the glitter ornaments I purchased from Amazon. I applied Mod Podge to both sides and let them air dry overnight.

Then I moved on to the Welcome sign I purchased from Dollar Tree using Mod Podge on the letters only then I hung the sign to dry overnight.

And then I applied Mod Podge to the last Lucky sign I also purchased from Dollar Tree.

Now it is time to finish the clover wreath. This has really been a time consuming project.

Making room for the St. Patrick’s day decorations.

It is time to make room for the St. Patrick’s Day decorations. This time, I decided I would remove the Mardi Gras decorations a few days before we actually put up the new decorations. So, good bye Mardi Gras, hellos to almost nothing.

I did not want to leave things looking empty, so I brought three things to leave outside her door area. I’m hoping that each time she leaves her room, she will remember that something new will be coming soon.

I left the sign I made on the ledge/table area by her door.

I put the wreath I made on the tree. I know it is too big for the tree, but it did not look right on the door.

I also left a pot of gold decoration I found on an unplanned trip to Joann’s. I also put some left over fabric from the wreath around the bottom of the tree.

These few decorations will, at least, keep her door somewhat festive until the real decorations are put up in a few days.

Now it is time to do some more fun things!!!

Craft Project #7 – small St. Patrick’s Day wreath

Last minute decisions can be fun. That is how this wreath came about. After I finished making the sign, I decided that her door area would need more until we do the complete decorating. Luckily, I had all of the supplies on hand and plenty of spare fabric from the bid wreath for her door.

All I had to do was to cut some of the fabric in half. I already had the 8 inch round wire frame so I did not expect this project to take much time at all.

Once all the fabric was cut, it was time to start putting the fabric strips in place.

I use the Lark’s head knot method when I make a rag wreath. I am very new to this so it is been a trial and error experience for me. But there is one thing I have learned. I turn the fabric to the wrong side then place the ends together as shown in this picture.

I thing place the fabric under the outer wire…

then I bring the two ends up and over the outer wire and through the loop…

pulling the ends tightly until it looks right to me.

I continue doing this for each ring. I have found that I do not have any strips facing the wrong way. At least so far that has been my luck.

After I finished putting the fabric on the frame, it was time to get the wooden gnome ready to put on the wreath.

I used my trusty E6000 adhesive to attach chenille stem (it is still a pipe cleaner to me) to the back of the gnome.

I allowed plenty of time for the E6000 to dry before I attached it to the wreath. I am happy with the way it turned out.

As for the supplies I used for this wreath, the fabric is from Joann’s, the gnome is from Hobby Lobby, and the round frame is from Dollar Tree.

Now it is time for the next craft project.

Craft Project 6 – St. Patrick’s Day sign

Even the simplest of projects can be fun. I have decided that I will be removing the Mardi Gras door decorations a few days before putting up her St. Patrick’s Day door decorations. Since she has dementia, I decided to make a sign to put just outside her door to remind her that new decorations will be coming soon.

I purchased the unfinished wooden frame at Hobby Lobby one day when I was there for a completely different purchase! The first thing I did was to sand off the rough edges. Then I dusted it off and painted it white. After the first coat was dry, I sanded the frame again and applied another coat of white paint and set aside to dry.

I knew that I wanted this sign to stand out an get her attention so when I purchased the frame I also purchased some green glitter alpha stickers and a wooden St. Patrick’s Day gnome. It seems that gnomes are going to be a part of our decorations this year.

While the paint was drying, I decided what I wanted the sign to say. I bought four packages of the glitter alpha stickers so I knew I would have plenty, and then some. For the first line, I placed the letters starting on the right side of the sign. I did this so I would know exactly where the gnome would fit. After all the letters were in place, I put a coat of Mod Podge over the entire sign and set aside to let dry. I also put some Mod Podge on the glitter areas of the gnome. I also applied a second coat of Mod Podge on the entire sign.

Once everything was dry, I attached the wooden gnome to the sign using E6000 adhesive.

But I then realized that is looked a little too plain. So, I sent a text to some people and asked which they would prefer. The buttons or the clovers. The green chevron buttons are something I had on hand. The green and white foam clover stickers were purchased at Hobby Lobby on this same shopping adventure.

It was decided that the clovers would look best. So, I used my trusty E6000 to attach the foam clover stickers to the frame.

Now it looks so much better. I cannot wait to put it at her door.

There are still a few more crafty type projects I need to finish before I remove the Mardi Gras decorations so please return to see what project I do next!

Last minute St. Patrick’s Day purchases… with a purpose in mind.

I should not be allowed to go to Hobby Lobby unsupervised. But I have a feeling I might be making one more trip there within the next day or two.

The purpose of this trip was to get some deco mesh and some ribbon. Obviously, I came home with a lot more.

I’m very glad I bought 3 gnomes instead of just one. I cannot wait to show you how I used two of them.

So, please return to see Craft Project #6 and Craft Project #7 which, hopefully, will be up tomorrow

Craft project #5 part one: St. Patrick’s Day wreath

I have a feeling this rag wreath is going to be a huge challenge. But I’m looking forward to giving it a shot. The frame was found at Dollar Tree.

I selected several fabrics to use on this project. Some may or may not make it to the final project. All of the fabrics were purchased at Joann’s.

I also selected some embellishments I have an idea on how I want to use it. But these too might not make it to the end. The ribbon of gold coins was purchased at Hobby Lobby and the gold coins are from Amazon.

I decided I want to use these two fabrics for the stem portion of the clover.

These fabrics I have selected for the inner and outer rings of the clover.

And these fabrics for the center ring of the clover.

As with all rag wreaths, I ironed the fabric then cut them into strips measuring 7 inches by 2 inches.

I started with the stem and I did not feel comfortable with the size of the fabric strips. I decided to cut them down to 7 inches by 1 inch and I still was not comfortable. So, I cut them down to 7 inches by 1/2 inch and that felt perfect.

I completed the stem and outer ring. I changed my mind on the fabrics I wanted to use on the outer ring and went with two patterned fabrics and 3 solid fabrics in different shades of green.

But something about the ring just did not look right.

So, now I’m going to take some time to remove what I have done to that area and try to figure out where to go from here. This might mean completing a some other craft projects before completing this wreath. But it will definitely be completed before I decorate my mother’s door for St. Patrick’s Day.

Preparing to decorate mom’s door and walker for St. Patrick’s Day.

My mother is loving that her door gets decorated regularly for the different holidays. I will also be expanding to season decorating inside her apartment which she is thrilled about!!!! But now it is time to prepare for St. Patrick’s Day which means I will need to do some shopping!

First stop, Dollar Tree! Of course, I will need to go to Joann’s, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels. So let’s see what I purchased and how I plan on using them.

Dollar Tree always has a variety of items to use for decorating any holiday. This time, I purchased 2 feather boas, some green beads, gold coins, a small hat, and a banner. The boas will be used on the frog outside her door, the hat will be one top of the tree, and the beads will be used as garland on the tree. The banner will be modified to use on the front of her walker.

The signs will be placed around her door area and the hat will be placed on the frog.

From Joann’s I purchased a stuffed Gnome, and green boot, some clover picks, and some green and gold beads. The Gnome will be on the table area outside her door as will the boot. The beads will be placed on the frog. I have not decided exactly what I will be doing with the picks. I might make a flower arrangement to use them in. But, then again, I might use them on the tree.

From Michaels I purchased this sign that I thought I would use on the wreath I’m currently making. I have not made a final decision on that. If it is not used on the wreath, it will be on the table by her door.

Amazon always has what I need to really make her door stand out! This time, I purchased a St. Patrick’s Day themed banner, some clover shaped garland, gold coins, and clover shaped ornaments. The banner and garland will go around her front door, the clover ornaments will be placed on the tree, and some of the gold ornaments will be used for a craft project or two and the remaining will be put around the frog and in the green boot.

I will need to do a few modifications to some of the items I purchased and make some decorations with some as well. But those will be shown and discussed in a separate blog.

My mom had a small container in her closet that I brought home with me. I will be using these items inside her apartment.

Decorating will begin on Sunday so please stay come back on Monday to see how her door looks after we have finished decorating.

Carnival Breeze 2022 Recap – End of cruise, travel home, final thoughts

Getting off the ship is always a sad time. Yesterday, we decided that we would not do the self-assist and instead would leave our luggage outside our door. That definitely freed up a lot of space in our room.

We went to the Lido deck in search of food. I had there ever so yummy (not really) scrambled eggs, pork sausage links, hash browns, croissant, butter, grape jelly, strawberry compote, and coffee. Jim had his usual Blue Iguana breakfast burrito consisting of eggs, sausage, ham, hash browns, onion, cheese, guacamole, creme fraiche, salsa rojo, and coffee/hot chocolate combo. His coffee was actually yummy!!!! I wish we would have tried that sooner. We decided to eat our breakfast in our stateroom so we could do any last minute packing and double check several times to make sure we didn’t forget anything.

After we finished eating, I stepped out onto our cold balcony to see the Carnival Vista at terminal one. We knew we would be at terminal two. No big deal.

While we waited in our stateroom until we had to leave, I straightened up the bed and left some goodies and an envelope for our room stewards. They did an excellent job of making sure we had everything we needed which was basically only ice.

Once we were finally off the ship, the cruise really was over. That means the post cruise depression is right around the corner.

Our drive home included a stop of Buc-ee’s to stretch our legs and relieve ourselves. Once again we did not purchase any drinks. We also stopped at a Taco Bell in College Station to grab something to eat. This was not my choice.

Another stop at the Little Czech Bakery in West, Texas for some Kolache’s. Then a stop in Waco for gas. Then we were home. Our critters were so happy we were home. And we were happy to be out of the car.

My final thoughts on the cruise. Cookie is the BEST cruise director and definitely my favorite. Jim and I hope we sail with him again some day. He really puts himself into every activity he hosts and makes everything so very entertaining. He is also very personable. Just the best.

Overall, the cruise was great. There were a couple of things that were not really what we expected things to be. For instance, we had reservations at the steakhouse for the first night on board. When we got there, the hostess was not very friendly. She asked if we wanted to sit at the bar, which is situated just off the walkway to the area the tables are in. We told her we would prefer a table so she sat us quickly after that. The steakhouse was crowded which I expected since it was on Valentine’s day. It also seems much smaller than the steakhouse on the Carnival Dream. The meal itself was excellent and our waitstaff was good. But the entire meal felt like we were being rushed. I do not like be rushed when I am having a wonderful dinner for my birthday. With my birthday being on Valentine’s day, it is very rare that I go out to eat as everywhere is packed. I learned on this cruise that it would also be packed on my birthday.

The only other thing we noticed was the seating in the Ovation Theater. We went there to see the Love and Marriage show. We decided to sit on deck 5 so we could get a good view of everything. We had GREAT seats, but the seats had a very straight, hard, upright back. It was very hard to get comfortable. After that, if we went to something in the Ovation Lounge/Theater, we sat on deck 3. Lesson learned.

Those were the only 2 things that were just off for us but definitely did not impact our cruise negatively in any way, shape, or form. We would love to sail on Carnival Breeze again and we definitely want to be on a ship with Cookie again.

Carnival Breeze 2022 Recap – Sea Day #2

It’s our last sea day. On our way for our pre-breakfast snacking, we came upon the towel animal invasion. So many towel animals all over the Lido deck!!!! Of course I MUST take some pictures.

Then is was on to grab some pastries for myself. I decided on banana nut bread, apple strudel, and a cinnamon roll with coffee to wash it down. Jim had a Blue Iguana breakfast burrito which had eggs, ham, chicken sausage, hash browns, grilled onions, guacamole, creme fraiche, and salsa rojo.

After we finished our pre-breakfast snack, we decided to go to the morning show held in the Ovation theater. I have never had such a good time at a show. So much fun!!!! Cookie is so entertaining!!!

We briefly returned to our stateroom to find our last sea animal. I wonder if our towel animal will miss us as much as we will miss them…

We sent down to the Blush dining room for our last sea day brunch. Jim ordered his usual eggs Benedict, hash browns, bacon, orange juice, coffee and a Bloody Mary. Ordered steak and eggs, hash browns, honey butter biscuit, orange juice, coffee, and a Mimosa. The food was great, the service was great, and since we were seated with others, the conversations were great.

We did not feel like packing up all of our stuff, so we went to watch the Family Face Off at Ocean Plaza. But first, I had to make myself a mimosa.

We have not gone to the Pasta bar and today would be our last chance. So for lunch, Jim had a Caesar salad, bread, and lasagna. I had a Caesar salad, bread, and linguini with meat sauce. For some reason, I did not take any pictures of the lasagna or linguini. We must have been real hungry.

After we finished our lunch, we went to think about packing. The weather had cancelled my plans of hanging out on the Serenity deck the entire day. So, we went to the Q and Awesome with Cookie in the Ovation theater. Cookie is still the best!!!! Unfortunately, the BINGO people started coming in and talking. They were talking so loudly that we could not hear what Cookie was saying. Definitely a rude bunch but they didn’t spoil my fun.

We have a tradition on the last day of each cruise. We must take a picture with Jim emptying his pockets to show he’s broke and I’m trying to convince him that we need to book another cruise. The photographers always manage to get the perfect shot for us.

For dinner, we decided to go to the Lido Marketplace buffet again. Luckily, Guy’s Burger Joint was still open so I had a patty with cheese, no bun, fries, and a Mango Magic while Jim had a pig patty, fries and a beachcomber. Since it was cold outside, we decided to eat our dinner in our room.

And now, the last day is over. We spent the rest of the night/evening packing then we had some cookies and other sweet goodies from the Lido Marketplace. Sorry. No pictures.

Coming up next, it’s time to leave.