Simple Christmas Decorations for a Dining Room

Dear Chicago House,

What with my hectic trip to England last week, Christmas is really creeping up on me this year. Fortunately Miss Chicago took it upon herself that the Christmas decorations should go up extra early so at least our house is looking festive.

One of my favorite things she did was create these beautifully simple decorations for our dining room chairs.

They are super easy to make.
What you need

• Wide ribbon
• Holiday sprigs - we used pre-made bundles but you could easily use some festive greenery.
• scissors

Cut a piece of ribbon that will go twice around your chair. Tie and knot then create your bow. Snip the ends of the ribbon to create an inverted V. Thread your festive sprigs into the bow and you are done!

This dining room has come a long way from the sorry state it was when we first moved in. You can see it HERE. The most recent update we have made, was to change out the horribly traditional chandelier with some more in keeping with our modern dining table.

Now I need to get going with some festive food to serve up in this room!

Love from

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Christmas, Craft Projects, Crafts Project, Decor, decorating, decorative accents, Holiday Projects, teenager, Tutorials

The most difficult thing to paint!

Dear Chicago House,

Miss Chicago teen is busy applying to colleges at the moment, and one of her applications asked for examples of any art work she had produced. So today I broke out my camera and photographed a series of paintings that earned her an award at the Northern Suburban Conference Art Festival this past Spring.

For her art class she chose to paint a series of hands...because she wanted to challenge herself! Got to love that! If you have ever tried to draw a hand you will know just how difficult they are, painting is another story altogether. 

The series features a chubby baby hand, a beautiful young hand(hers!) and a wrinkled old hand all with the same gemstone.

The art award was well earned!

Love from

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Art, teenager

Buttercup Braid

Dear Chicago House,

Last year I brought you Fancy Mountain Hair, this year lets go mellow yellow, with a beautiful buttercup braid.

Miss Chicago Teen used her magic touch to weave this pretty side plait and string it with delicate buttercups when we came accross this stunning buttercup meadow in Wales last month.

Got to look good on a county walk!

Love from

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: hair, teenager

Tutorial: Sea Glass Sea Horse

Dear Chicago House,

I have been a bit quiet of late, having spent the last month in the UK touring around universities with Miss Chicago teen.

It was quite an exhausting trip but we managed to cram loads in, including a trip to the beautiful Gower peninsular in Wales, where on a tiny patch of shale I found a bumper crop of sea glass. This was my haul after only a minute or so!

Quick as a flash Miss Chicago teen worked her magic and turned it into a spectacular sea glass sea horse.

Using Elmers glue (or any school type glue) the glass was stuck onto a good card stock... the green and clear glass for the body and brown glass for the fins and eye.

Here it is framed and ready to hang on the wall.

There is something quite special about a piece of art that can be made from free beach treasure.


Lots of Love

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Art, Beachy, Crafts Project, How to, How to's, teenager, Tutorials, wall art

DIY Good Luck Gift

Dear Chicago House,
Exam season is in full force and I have to say I am so glad my exam taking days are over! Miss Chicago teen seems to have had a whole year of tests from the ACT and SAT and more recently completed a whole batch of AP exams. She now just has a couple of school finals left before those lazy days of summer are on her.
Last year I made THIS little good luck gift and this year stepped it up a bit.

Meet  Mr Good Luck Mouse and his teddy!

My major inspiration was this pin - leads to a pattern you can buy but I just bodged it.

To make it yourself here is what you need

• Altoid tin
• Felt peices
• a scrap piece of cotton fabric for the pillow
• embroidery thread
• sewing machine

Hopefully you can work out how to construct it by looking at the photos...it is a very easy sewing project! You could embroider anything you like on the blanket, a name, Happy Birthday, Well Done!, Congrats..the list is endless. I thought it would also be a good little gift for any kids going off to camp this summer.

Now lets hope Mr good luck Mouse and his teddy did their job!

Love from

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Craft Projects, Crafts Project, Gifts, How to, How to's, Sewing, teenager, Tutorials

DIY Decorated Easter Eggs

Dear Chicago House,

You know by now how much I like color and spotting the first colorful peep of a daffodil in the garden this morning was something to celebrate...is Spring finally on it's way?

Just in case the daffodil is a big Spring false alarm here is something colorful you can make for your Easter table.

Painted Easter Eggs

I made these with sharpie markers and they took me all of five minutes, you can't really go wrong, a few squiggles here and blobs of color there and hey-pretso a pretty egg.

Now Miss Chicago teen took a little longer on her egg and used watercolor paints...but take a look at this beautiful Rose Egg

Happy Easter!

Love from

Creative in Chicago

XX

P.S. For more Easter Egg decorating ideas check out these posts

Polymer Clay Decorated Easter Eggs

Pattern Dyed Easter Eggs

Categories: Craft Projects, Crafts Project, decorative accents, DIY, Pretty, teenager, Tutorials

Breaking out the Paints

Dear Chicago House,

I have had so much work recently that it has been hard to find time for any extra curricular creative fun....but as a self employed web and graphic designer the last thing I want to do is complain!

I used to paint quite a bit but really haven't picked up my paint brushes for quite a while...which is a shame because I love the peace painting a picture can bring.

But I did break them out one weekend and had a real desire to paint something green. Lets face it it, here in snowy Chicago we really can't guarantee seeing anything green outside until mid April. Even as the snow melts this week what we are left with is brown sludge everywhere. Yuk!

This oil painting of a succulent might not be a masterpiece...but it is green and will have to tide me over

Miss Chicago teen has just finished a painting class at school and this is one of her oils where is had to incorporate a pattern into her painting. She also painted a set of hands which were amazing but she has not had them back yet so I can't share...apparently they are on display at school!

Enjoy

Love from

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Art, Arty Farty Friday, teenager

Pink Panther Birthday Cake

Dear Chicago House,

So, Miss Chicago teen had a birthday yesterday and in a throw away comment last week, she said she wanted a Pink Panther cake for her birthday.

Now I am not one to pass up on a challenge.

I made a simple sponge base and iced it with a tasty lemon icing. Then I got crafty with a box of white fondant, making quite a mess of my hands as I tinted it with food coloring.

She was nicely surprised when she got home from school and I got a big hug!

Lots of love

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: cake, Food, teenager

Christmas Cookie Designs

Dear Chicago House,

When it comes to holiday baking Miss Chicago teen is in her element and when it comes to icing her sumptuous treats the more intricate the better.

She baked a huge batch of buttery sugary cookies this past weekend and we sat down for a family "ice off. It became apparent very quickly that me and Mr Chicago house didn't stand a chance. Our creations were so rubbish they are not worthy of a place on this blog.

Miss Chicago teen was the winner!

 

Love from

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Christmas, Food, Holiday Projects, teenager

Fun Decorated Cookies

Dear Chicago House,

Miss Chicao and a friend decided to bake cookies over the weekend.

They were edible works of art!

Yum!

Love from

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Food, teenager

A Garden Party

Dear Chicago House,

Chicago teen threw a fun garden party yesterday and despite a rainy start to the day we had a lovely sunny afternoon.

As usual she put together the menu and with a little help from me, we whipped it all together.
The menu was kept light, nobody wants to stuff themselves stupid on a hot summer afternoon and the main event of the party was an ice cream tasting so she wanted eager bellies for that too.

We had a selection of elegant finger foods including

Fancy sausage on a stick

Quite possibly the worlds daintiest sandwiches

Cucumber canapes

 Tasty pin wheels

Some artistic melon and strawberries 

Cherry Pies on sticks

and last but not least a selection of home made ice creams for a taste test. She made four flavors, vanilla, coffee, mint choc chip and strawberry lemonade. They were all so yummy.

All the party supplies were generously donated by Party Pail

Love from

Creative in Chicago

XX

Categories: Food, Garden, teenager