Homemade and Handcrafted No. 49

Every Wednesday  - Sunday 

Last week left me wishing everyone with wonderful Thanksgiving wishes. I traveled north into the Adirondacks where I'm from to enjoy how grateful I am with family. I trust that you had a thankful holiday as well. 

Welcome to the Homemade and Handcrafted party!

Feel free to link up your posts (new or old ones). We love seeing what you've been up to! Share your crafts, recipes, DIY, and inspirations! We love to visit other parties and enter giveaways; so you can link those up too!

Let's check out the top viewed from last week! 

Repurposed Window

by Pillar Box Blue

Mason Jar Lid Ornaments

by Sadie Seasongoods

DIY Basket Light

by Small Home Soul

Nordic Wood Slice Ornaments

by Kreati K

Days of Christmas

by My DIY OL

Thank you for sharing your creations! 

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Thank you so much for taking the time to share your creations and ideas!

An InLinkz Link-up

Farmhouse Pulley and Bucket Planter

Summer annuals and outdoor herbs are pretty much finished for the winter months. So, I had these two galvanized buckets to put away. But, I was lucky to get this wonderful pulley from my husband and I just had to put it to use right away! 

Attaching the buckets could make an all season planter. 

All that is needed is the pulley, two buckets, and a rope to hang them. That's it! It's easy DIY and cute farmhouse style decor at the front entrance. 

The scrap rope I had was too light to look as aged as the rest of my materials. I dyed it in a black walnut bath that I reserved from my walnut shell project that you can see here. 

After staining the rope, I hung it to dry so I could handle it without staining my hands. 

Then, ran the rope through the pulley to attach the buckets to each side. 

Double knotting the rope to the bucket handles secured them onto the pulley. 

For the holiday season, I added some seasonal sprigs to add color to the front entrance.

What's great about this new fixture is how it can be decorated for every season. 

 I can already envision flowing buckets of flowers in the spring and summer. 

For now, I'll keep it decorated for Christmas. After that, maybe some twigs and pine cones for the rest of the winter months. 

This was so fast and easy to put together. 

I love how it's a warm welcome at our entry area.  Maybe another pulley gift is in the future. Adding one at the garden shed would be nice! 

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Featured at

Adirondack Girl @ Heart -Vintage Charm #60
Funky Junk Interiors - DIY Salvaged Junk Projects 357

The Holiday Legging Craze

Have you caught on to the legging fad yet? I did. By accident. 

It's not my main fashion plate, being a down to earth jeans and flannel shirt woman. I do enjoy wearing leggings at home during the cold months of the year. They are comfortable to work in around the workshop or to do some house cleaning. Having several old pairs (oh, maybe 10 to 25 years old) that are now spotted with paints, stains, varnishes and bleach blotches, I'm due for some new ones. 

As I was out shopping at a big box store, my eyes happened to spot a very attractive pair of leggings in a red and black plaid "down to earth" tribal kind of print. 

Whoa. Only $5.88 ... well now, that's like a... thrift shop price! Sold!

I grabbed them, and another pair in a thinner fabric for only $3.88; then called it a day. 

Sporting a new pair that very night, my husband liked them too and complimented my cheap thrill. I didn't plan on shopping for more right away, but the thought of getting a couple of them has crossed my mind a few times. I thought I should, before Valentine's starts shelving the stores at the end of December. Perhaps, I'll watch for new prints over the next couple of weeks to see if any come in. If not, maybe next year.

In the meantime, I'll just cut up all of my old ones for shop rags because that's what they currently look like anyway. 

Then a coincidence. A blogging friend was having a social media "legging party" online. Happy to do a favor and get a pair, I opted in.  When the sale started, the photos for leggings were posted and people had to be the first to  "claim" the legging they liked to buy.  I truly had no idea what was going on. Apparently, there was one pair of each limited print for this particular "lot". The prices were fair, because this type of party is very much like having other "home" parties whereas, you invite people, drum up some bookings, recruit, and earn cash. It's a typical financial pyramid. Well, I missed out on the only print I liked at this party, because in this game, your online fingers need to be fast. And, you should have some buying experience for this new social media shopping.

That's okay. So I watched for other parties offered by several "hostesses or consultants". There were many of them. Per day. I watched a few of the live sales and looked into lots posted as photo album shops. These leggings, and tops to go with them, were flying off the computer screen! Some buyers were showing their greedy shopping tactics and reminded me of the day I was crushed for trying to get a Cabbage Patch Doll back in the 80's!!!  Whaaaat???? 

Every once in awhile, I'd pop into these "shops" and learned more about the operation. I also discovered a few prints that I adored. Then, I saw one print I just had to have because they were Christmas, and matched my style. Aren't they cute? 

I couldn't land this legging in any of the parties if they even appeared at all. Not even in fair games the hosts play, where there is "first right to buy". That means each legging that each participant/buyer likes may post "sold" on it. Then there are individual "drawings" for each legging, the person drawn has first option  to buy the legging or top, dress, whatever the item is in the clothing line. Of course, I failed to get lucky and gave up while lacking the experience. 

That's when I turned to online auctions and looked up these leggings everyone is so cray-cray about. I discovered the legging I sought after were available, not just in green but in black too. And. LOTS of them! Hmmm, why aren't they this common where they should be? 

Now the regular price that hostesses and consultants are selling these are $25 each,  plus a small shipping fee. That's if they even have them to offer in their shops. 

Guess how much at auction? Check it out. 

How about this, originally $25.00 a pair? 

What the what??????????

$500.00??? 

Have we gone mad? 

Obviously, my fair market bid, based on current shops of $25, is not going to win there either. I was, however, lucky to land LAST year's holiday reindeer. At least I can wear them whenever I want to, and not just during Christmas time. I didn't pay $25 and I certainly didn't pay over $100 either. 

I also discovered these "wolf or malamute" printed leggings at the online auction, strangely, long before I saw them in any of the hostesses' social media shops. And I scored a pair before the hype went hyper. 

I had to get them; for this reason. 

They remind me of my old Danny boy. 

My final pair, which aren't part of the "hype" brand or in buying wars, are made in the USA, and didn't break the bank. 

This fad had me wondering just what is really happening? The manufacturer knows: supply and demand. Limited supplies bait shoppers into buying wars. Especially during the holiday season. Smart business. 

Then, I thought about getting into the financial gain game. If this is such a hot off the shelf business, why not get a little cha-ching myself?  But... what is concerning is the limited lots sold to the hostesses. They are stuck with their unsold "less desired" designs. And, it's not a small investment. I could buy a good used car for what the initial start up costs. And why are there so many of the sought after pieces available at auctions instead of the consultant shops? There has been some speculation of unfair sales that some buyers are lucky to get the party price and then turn the product over to bidding. Yet, how can that be when they are too limited at host parties? Many social media comments have also suggested consultants are preselecting these pieces. Strange as it is, the demand is evident. But, for how long?

Landing on this buying impulse during the peak holiday shopping season makes me wonder, does this legging thing happen all year long? 

I couldn't believe I got caught up in this addiction, but I didn't go nuts and shell out a paycheck. With two pair of the "cray cray fighting over" brand and three pair of others, I realized what was developing and thought... "stop it". I fulfilled my needs. I'm happy and I'm done.

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Homemade and Handcrafted No. 48

Every Wednesday  - Sunday 

It's here! The week of Thanksgiving. I'm so excited! It's my favorite family gathering day. I'm looking forward to the wonderful feast and being thankful for so much. 

May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, enjoying it with friends and family.

Now, on with the Homemade and Handcrafted party!

Feel free to link up your posts (new or old ones). We love seeing what you've been up to! Share your crafts, recipes, DIY, and inspirations! We love to visit other parties and enter giveaways; so you can link those up too!

Let's check out the top viewed posts that were shared last week! 

 Sweater Upcycled Christmas Ornaments

by Pillar Box Blue

Repurposed Antique Cauldron for Christmas

by The Boondocks Blog

Vintage Letterpress Blocks

by Small Home Soul

 Hungarian Kifli Cookies 

by The Red Painted Cottage

Cheese Dome Ice Skating Pond

by Sadie Seasongoods

Thank you so much for sharing your creations! 

Featured Badge

Facebook - Pinterest - Twitter - Instagram - Hometalk

Party Button  to be shared ONLY if desired.
"Pinning" is encouraged! 

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your creations and ideas!

 Happy Thanksgiving!

An InLinkz Link-up

No Tie Laces

Ooooh, look at what I discovered! No-Tie elastic laces!!! 

(This post contains affiliate links.This blog may earn a small commission on purchases at no cost to you. All opinions of the products and how I used them are my own. You can read my disclosure here.)

My son is participating in sports and his sneaker laces are always coming untied. It can be concerning when he's doing his best moves and has loose laces. We've tried several tricks to keep them tight. BUT, when I saw these HICKIES, I was all over them. They are the responsive lacing system designed for the active lifestyle.

HICKIES responsive lacing system is made from a memory-fit elastomer that moves with your feet while providing the comfort and stability to keep you one step ahead. Whether you want to streamline your sneakers or give your workout an extra boost, HICKIES lacing system offers an unbeatable combination of fit, function, and fashion.

It's the perfect solution for, not just sports, but for regular walking shoes and even boots!  

Sometimes, sneakers don't become untied, you know, just slip off the sneakers and when you go to put them on again, you have to untie them to put them on. Well, these stretch and allow the feet to slide out, and slip the sneakers back on again. 

• One size fits all, in the kids' selection or the adults' sizes. 
• Variety of colors. (mix them for fun or get the mixed color package)
• Various lacing instructions (to adjust the fit or to be creative)
• Comes in a package of 14 units.
• Works with any footwear with eyelets.

I wish I had these when my sons were toddlers for their forever frozen snow boot laces. They would have loved the camo, because they were little "soldiers" at play. 

Great colors to choose from!

Hickies make great gifts and makes life easier...no need to ever tie your shoelaces again! They are a big hit with fitness enthusiasts, kids, elderly, and anyone who doesn't love tying laces. 

As an affiliate, I'm offering a special code for a 20% discount. 

Get 20% off your Hickies order by using SHAREHICKIES coupon code at checkout! Feel free to share this with family and friends. They are going to make great stocking stuffers! Plus, there's a  BUY 3, GET 1 FREE offer right now! Check out Hickies Here.

That's not all, subscribe for the latest HICKIES news and share how you wear yours with #LifeWithoutLaces on your social media using your personal link. You'll earn $5 when someone buys HICKIES! 

I've noticed since we got ours, new colors and combinations have become available. I'm kicking myself for not getting the silver and gold metallics last month. I hope they become available again. You can bet we'll be watching and buying more!  

We took advantage of the buy 3 get 1, and there's enough for 5 pairs of our sneakers! 😊 

What colors would you get?