Owl Voodoo Donut

I didn't make this, but Voodoo Doughnut did. I love the idea of having a giant personalized doughnut instead of a cake. And then I love eating the idea.

Earlier this year my wonderful coworkers ordered this for my office baby shower because I like owls. Thanks, guys! Even in retrospect my mouth waters.

Hidden Mother Victorian Portraits

A little Victorian portrait of our son, hidden-mother style. See a full collection in the Museum of Ridiculously Interesting Things.

The Family Tree Cross Stitch

I really got into cross stitching this year. This is my first cross stitch, a family tree I made as a wedding gift. (It looks kind of lame with the names blotched out, I know. Dang privacy.) I got this family tree cross stitch kit from 123Stitch.

I really like Janlynn patterns and kits a little better than Dimensions, I think. I love the traditional hand-designed look of this specific pattern rather than a computer-generated pattern based on a photograph or painting. This pattern is so classic, like a centuries-old family tree sampler.

My one tip for cross stitching? Following the pattern, pick a color and stitch an area only stitching half the X (one stitch, /) over an area. Then you can set the pattern aside and go back, filling in the other half of the Xs (\) without pouring over the pattern and counting. It makes things go much faster!

How to Make a Braided Rag Rug

Welcome, all ye good people, to a how-to instruction guide to make a braided rag rug out of old/repurposed t-shirts! DIY or bust!

STEP 1:  Collect old t-shirts in the colors you fancy.

33 t-shirts @ $0.65 each @Goodwill Outlet Bins

STEP 2: Allow family members to steal shirts for wearing purposes.

  

STEP 3: Cut up t-shirts into 2" strips with rotary cutter and mat.

STEP 4: Braid strips together, mixing colors or using one color/tee at a time.

STEP 5:  Sew braids together in a circle on a flat surface by hand or machine.

Sew on a flat surface.

Hand-sewn Stitches

NOTE: If the braids are too small (1" like in the photo below), the rug will be more susceptible to ruffling/lettuce-leafing/curling. (Not great. I started over with 2" strips for a thicker, more sturdy rug, sewing on a flat surface (table, board, floor) this time to avoid rumples.

 

BLOCKING: If the rug is warped, wrinkly, wavy, or curling up in places, you can block it like you would a knitting project. Get it wet and lie it flat in the shape you want it. You can even lie a sheet over it with bricks, books, or any flat, heavy objects holding the rug in shape and pressing down and warpage. Let it dry like this and it should keep its shape.

WASHING: The finished product can be machine washed (use a laundromat triple-loader for larger rugs) or soaped and hosed down, then dried flat in the sun on a driveway.

This round glass table was a perfect working space for keeping the rug flat.

Chocolate-dipped Oreos

If you ever have extra melted candy-making chocolate, things might get a little out of hand. Oreos and almonds were our targeted subjects. Didn't have bacon on hand.

The Mistledoe Favicon

I'm going nuts with the blog. It's becoming a whole new craft project.

I used this Favicon Generator editor to design my own favicon: a little mistledoe. You can find her at the top of your browser and on the corner of the blog tab. Aren't mini deer just the cutest thangs?

The Pomegranate Clock

Hours of antioxidants.

Fast forward, or rewind--whichever you choose, to Chrismas 2009 when I happened to draw the same brother in law in the family Christmas gift drawing. Well, how do you top ear paintings?

This time I asked him for an object or any old "thing" he liked or that represented him well. He chose the wonderful POMEGRANATE. I love a good fashion fruit, and the pomegranate fit the bill. Like, check out this pomegranate painting by Ilse Kleyn. What a classy fruit. My father-in-law imagines that in heaven people just sit around eating pomegranate seeds that have already been shelled by angels.

There are fashion fruits and there are fashion vegetables, like the artichoke. I mean, if Pottery Barn can convince you to buy dead artichokes in a box for $24.50, you know there are people out there who are genuinely passionate about artichokes.

In true Mistledoe fashion, I stayed up on Christmas eve finishing this project. These Walnut Hollow clock kits and clock parts are so easy to assemble and make great gift ideas.

Other ideas for clock decorating:

• cover face with fun fabric
• modge podge it with photos/magazine clippings/newspaper articles
• paint a face on it
• spraypaint it a solid color
• cover it with vintage wallpaper or wallpaper scraps
• dip it in chocolate and eat it