favorites from 2011

It has been quite a year for this here blog. There have been some posts that have been viewed nearly 20,000 times! What?!? I'm astounded, and so very grateful for the love that all of my internet friends have shown me, and all of the new folks who have come to visit.

To end the year, I thought it would be fun to share my favorite posts from the last 12 months. Some months it was difficult to choose, but I kept it to 12!


In January, I shared an embroidered locket. Yesterday I gave my baby sister her own, so now all 3 Johanson girls have one!


In February, I let people in on how I pay tribute with the things that I make. So many things have a special message!


March brought Family week, and I told about how my family does things (lots of things!) together.


Coming up on Easter, in April I made a bracelet as a reminder that "All is Well...Christ is Risen."


We had a virtual tea party in May, and Rachel and I revealed the dresses that we've been working on. Kits are still in the works, but we're aiming for spring release!


In June, I showed off my favorite vintage craft kit of all time. Oooh...how I love these Pixie Puppets!


July was when I made a felt yo-yo necklace. It's still one of my favorite pieces of jewelry!


August had so many things to choose from, but my favorite was hearing about the things we believe. It was a great discussion.


In September, I stitched up a little chrysanthemum hair clip. Soon, I'll be thinking about making one with spring flowers!


October was when I traveled to England, and I shared my first batch of photos from the trip. (I've already been trying to figure out when I can go back again!)


A week of favorite things came in November, and my Kermit finger puppet tutorial was my favorite of the week. (Secretly, I hoped that Jason Segal would re-tweet me. He didn't.)


Based on the numbers, The Stable ornament was a favorite for everyone in December. It was definitely the one post that means the most to me.

Wow...that's a lot of favorites from 2011! Do you have a blog? Share your favorite post from the year, so we can all visit!

It'll be quiet here for a few days...I'll see you next year!

print: new year's mini flags

At my house, we celebrate New Year's Eve with food. (Technically, we celebrate most things with food...) We all stay home, sometimes a friend or two join us, and we nosh through the night (favorites include egg rolls, tator tots with cheese, and this year I'm making Frosty the Cheeseball!). There's usually some games, a movie, and sometimes we even stay up and count down to midnight. I suppose it's not the most exciting, but it's how we've always done it, and I love that!



To go along with the goodies, I've made some little printable flags to help ring in the new year. They say things like "Happy Happy!" and "A New Year!" and 2012 (with a little happy face!). Plus there's patterned flags with no writing. They go well with cupcakes, but you could add them to other food too!

Download the PDF, print and trim, then wrap them onto a toothpick or skewer using glue stick or double-sided tape.

How do you like to celebrate New Year's?

where the ideas happen

The week between Christmas and New Year's is just the best. It's a time when I feel relaxed and rested, as well as productive. What a wonderful combination!

This week I've been looking at my sketchbook/journals/idea books and taking note of the ideas waiting to happen. I've been thinking about how to take those ideas and make them better and ready to use. I've been making sure that I don't miss something before I start the new books that are waiting for me.



This week, I'm getting ready to put pencil to new paper. The planner can be started any time, but I've been waiting until 2012. The blank books came home with me from London (they're from Paperchase), but I've been waiting until 2012. Oh, the waiting!



For several years I've been drawing and doodling in lined composition books, and I've been fine with that. But now, this year, I have these lovely kraft paper pages just waiting for me and my pencil. Isn't it glorious?!

Clearly, I'm a little over-excited about something as simple as a blank book. But this is where the ideas happen. On blank pages waiting to be filled. Well, maybe in my head a little. And maybe in the things that surround me. But the pages hold the ideas, and that makes them happen.

I'm embracing this week, recharging for a new year filled with new ideas!

m

ps: there's still space for new sponsors! full details here.

merry, merry

Merry Christmas, Friends! I hope your days are filled with wonderful things, most importantly, Jesus.

I'll be back in a few days!

ornamentation: printable trees

Well, this is the end of Christmas Ornamentation. I've enjoyed making these ornaments so very much, but as it comes to a close, I find myself short on time. And if I'm out of time, you probably are too! This last ornament is a printable, which is designed to be embellished a bit.

Download the PDF for this printable ornament here.

In the PDF, the trees have the white you see above, but not the red. Why? So you can add some real stitches on there if you want! Of course, they look just fine left plain as well, making them a quick ornament to make.

Here's what you do:

1. Print the PDF on card stock.

2. Cut loosely around the double tree shapes.

3. Poke holes where you will stitch.

4. Stitch the decorations (french knot ornaments, running stitch garland).

5. Fold the shapes in half to make them double-sided.

6. Poke an ornament hanger through the top.

If you're not adding the embroidery, just skip steps 3 and 4. Obviously, I skipped all of the steps, which is why I don't have a photo of it all finished! Somehow, time has been disappearing as I try to finish the last of the Christmas gift making. I'm so very close now!

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed making some Christmas ornaments with me! I've found that making gifts and tasty treats and decorations all throughout December really helps me enjoy the process of of Christmas...and not just the product. Ornaments leading to "the big day" has been such a joy!

Love and blessings to you!

ornamentation: wood and fabric yoyos

I was looking for an easy ornament to make for some of my brothers and sisters. I want to give each of them an ornament with their initial on it, but didn't want to spend a ton of time. (As it is, I have more regular gifts to finish! Stitch faster, Mollie!) This was the answer...at least for a few of them!

Hidden on the backside of this painted disc is a fabric yoyo. It's double-sided, can incorporate the recipients favorite colors or style, and is quick to make!

Here's what you need:
Cotton fabric (about 4" square)
Thread
Wooden nickel/disc
Glue
Embroidery floss (or something else for a hanger)
Acrylic paint



Start by making a fabric yoyo that will match the size of your wooden disc. Standard wooden nickels are 1.5" across, so you'll start with a circle that is 3.5". If you've never made a fabric yoyo, I recommend this tutorial from Heather Bailey.



Make a knotted loop hanger from embroidery floss, or something similar. Glue it to the wooden disc, then add glue all over to attach the yoyo. I used hot glue, which dries really fast. If you're in a hurry, this is good. But craft glue will be easier to work with.



Press everything together, and make sure it's good and stuck.



On the wooden disc, paint an initial, or a little heart, star, etc. If you're worried about messing up the painting, you could do this step first, but make sure you allow plenty of time for the paint to dry first!




That's all there is to it! These are great for adding to a gift, or just for something special to hang on your family's tree. You could make new one's each year and eventually end up with a whole tree full of 'em!

ornamentation: happy mittens

Did you see my printable Christmas tags? Well, I thought it would be fun to take one of those designs and make an ornament from it! As Christmas comes closer, the projects get simpler, so how about some happy little mittens that take only a few minutes to make?



You're gonna need:
Felt
Other fabric (I used corduroy)
Embroidery floss
Craft glue
Mitten pattern PDF



Cut out two mitten shapes, and two hearts.



Stitch some happy faces onto the mittens. Follow the pattern, or just go for it freehand, as I did.



Glue the hearts onto the mittens.



Stitch and knot a length of embroidery floss connecting the two mittens.



Fold the connecting string in half, but not quite even, and then tie a knot to make a loop. Or, you can leave them without the knot. Either way works, and either way, you're all finished!



Two little mitten friends are ready for your tree! These would also be fun to keep around after Christmas and into January. Maybe they could hang out around a doorknob?

ornamentation: put the lights on the tree

Put the lights on the tree...put the ribbon on the wreath...call your grandma on the phone...

Ah, Songs for Christmas! It's always a joy to listen to music and make and decorate. Stitch up some sweet little lights and add them to your tree while you listen.



Here's what you need:
Felt
Embroidery floss
Floral wire
Lights pattern PDF



Cut out six pieces for the bulbs (I did 2 each of 3 colors) and three pieces for the holders.



Stitch faces onto three of the bulb pieces.



Hold (or pin) the bulb with a face with a plain bulb, then fold a holder piece over the top. Stitch all around the bulb, making sure you catch the holder really well with a few stitches. Repeat for the remaining bulbs.



Twist some floral wire together, string the lights on, then form loops at each end of the wire.



You're ready to put the lights on the tree!

new sponsorship for january! (and a winner)

It almost makes me ill to think that I'm thinking about January. But I am. I'm thinking about new plans and ideas, freshening up the blog design, goals and intensions, and more. Actually, I've been thinking about these for a long time! Between Christmas and New Year's, I'll probably write more about some of these things. Changes will come, but only the good kind that move things forward!



For now, the biggest change is with how I'm going to handle sponsorship here on Wild Olive. I'll be updating how sponsor posts happen to better highlight the work of each individual, ad sizes and pricing will adjust a bit, and the biggest change is that I'm now offering sponsor spots to select shops as well as blogs!

If you have a shop or blog and would like to reach some new folks who enjoy crafting and stitching, Wild Olive is a great place to do that. (I don't want to brag, but I have awesome readers who are especially supportive...just sayin')

For full information, please email me! molliejohanson{at}gmail{dot}com

And, and, and...We have a giveaway winner!

Congratulations Annemarie! I've already sent an email about getting your prizes to you!

ornamentation: a glittery tree

Back in August, Pugly Pixel released a set of glitter textures, and I instantly knew that we needed to use lots and lots of glitter on our Christmas tree this year. You see, every year (for the last 5 years or so), my sister and I make simple, all-new decorations for the fresh tree in our living room. We choose a new theme or look every time, and glitter was it this year!

Nothing fancy with any of these...but here's a look at what we made.











Yes, those are glitter dinosaurs. Our mom is quite patient with us, as this really is her tree. But they are my favorite part, I think!




While we were making these, there was glitter EVERYWHERE, as you can imagine. Even the cat sparkled! Now it has mostly dissipated, and is only on the tree (mostly!).




Huge thanks to my sister, who always ends up with the hardest part of the decorations! Who knew that it would take so much effort to cover plastic dinos in super fine glitter?!?

You can pretty much get an idea for how these were made, just from looking at them, but if you have any questions, I'll answer in the comments!