Tuesday To-Do

Hanging Doo-dad

I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with this, I might make a few for the tree, or just hang them from doorknobs around the apartment.

The idea was inspired by some store displays I saw at Ikea. They used much larger ones to display the holiday ornaments throughout the store. So another idea would be to hang small ornaments from them and suspend them over open doorways.

Supplies

Thin chipboard - e.g. from a cereal box or other packaging (great way to reuse recyclables!)
Ribbon in two widths
Buttons
Embroidery floss and needle

Instructions

Cut a strip of chipboard about 1" wide. I used a length about 14" long. You can vary the length depending on the size circle you want. Form into circle by stapling ends together

Stick end of wider ribbon to inside of circle over the staples

Wrap ribbon diagonally around circle until covered

Cut three pieces of ribbon about 6"-7" and staple to circle at regular intervals

Wrap second ribbon around ring

Bring ends of three ribbon strips together and stitch on a button to hold them together. I folded the ends together into a point.

To cover up the stitching at the back, stick on another button using a strong adhesive such as KI Gloo, Glossy Accents or a hot glue gun

Add floss and glitter (if desired) to three medium to large buttons

Stick on buttons to cover up where ribbon is stapled to circle

Voila!

I'd love to see your version of this, and how you use it! Once I get my decorating done I'll post a pic of what I used mine for.

I'd like to thank everyone who had joined me for the last two weeks of Holiday Crafts. I've had a blast putting these tutorials together. Plus it really helped me get my own crafting done. :)

I've started a group on here on flickr where everyone can share the creations made using the tutorials. Please do spread the word and let everyone know about the tutorials. Starting Tuesday December 2nd I will go back to my regular bi-monthly posting schedule.

Happy Crafting!

More Gift Tags

Here are two more gift tags you can make for those special gifts. I have attached a template of tag shapes that you can use if you don't have pre-made tags, or the right sized punch or die cut. Download Tag template

1. Star Tag

Supplies

Plain green tag - premade or cut from cardstock
Smaller patterned tag
Star sticker or die cut
Paper doily
Three red buttons
Red eyelet
Ribbon or twill with sentiment
Ribbon for hanging

Instructions

Fold paper doily in half and stick to tag

Add smaller tag on top

Then add star

Cut phrase from ribbon or twill and stick to bottom of tag (you can also use a phrase sticker, print out a phrase or use a Dymo label machine)

Add three buttons

Set eyelet and tie ribbon

2. Triangle Tag

Supplies

2 triangle tags and 1 small tag
Snowflake or star chipboard shape
Large green button
Patterned papers
red ink pad
Red paint
Red glitter
red embroidery floss
ribbon
small black letter stickers

Instructions

Step 1: Snowflake

Stick the chipboard shape to the back of a piece of red patterned paper

and use your craft knife to cut out the shape

back

front

Don't worry if it looks a bit rough, we'll be fixing that

Paint the front of the snowflake with red paint. At this point you can use the paint to cover up the bits of paper sticking out at the front and back. Sprinkle glitter on wet paint and set aside to dry.

Step 2: Tag base

Cut out two triangle tags from patterned paper.

Stick tags together patterned sides out. Ink edges with red ink

Cut out a smaller tag and use the letter stickers to write "For you"  Stick to front of large tag

Thread embroidery floss through button and stick on

Use patterned paper to cover up the blank piece of the tag sticking out at the back

Punch a piece of patterned paper and ink the edges. Use letter stickers to write "To" and "From" and stick to back of tag

Step 3 : Finish tag

Punch a hole in the center of the snowflake and stick to top of tag. Add ribbon for tying

Bird ornament

I was inspired by these ornaments from Ikea. Theirs are made of painted plywood, but when I saw them I thought "I can make these with chipboard and patterned paper!" And voila

Supplies

Template (attached to this post) Download Template
Chipboard
Patterned paper
Eyelet and setting tool
String or ribbon

Instructions

Print and cut out template and use to cut one (1) bird shape from chipboard, and two (2) bird shapes from patterned paper (one for each side of chipboard)

Stick paper to chipboard and use sandpaper or other method to sand and even edges (I use the BasicGrey Precision files which I LOVE)

Add eyelet and string to top

Cut another piece of patterned paper 5"x8"  and fold into an accordion, making each fold about 1" wide.

Insert into slit in bird's body and fan out to form wings

Here's another version I made using corrugated cardboard, paint, trim and sheet music

Trim and Button Ornament

This is an amalgamation of various ideas that have been steeping in my subconscious lately. It's easy and quick!

Supplies

Styrofoam egg shape
Cotton or other trim
Double sided tape
Buttons
Straight pin
Pearl headed pins
Ribbon

Instructions

Place some strips of double sided tape over egg

(my egg looks beaten up because a certain kitty cat got hold of it!)

Use a straight pin to pin end of trim to top of egg

Wrap trim around egg, sticking it to tape as you go

(Note: I only used the skewer to make it easier for me to take the photos one handed. When wrapping the trim I was holding the egg directly)

With pearl headed pins add buttons in a random fashion all over egg

Cut a piece of ribbon and add to top of egg. First overlap the ends

Then secure with a button and pins

And there you have a cute and simple ornament!

Easy Christmas/Winter Decor

Here's my holiday version of a framed collage

Supplies:

Picture frame - either raw or already painted
Gesso and acrylic paint if using a raw frame
Assorted patterned papers
Snowflake punch or die
Letter stickers
Textured cardstock or watercolour paper

Instructions

If using a raw wood frame prime with gesso and then paint in colour of your choice.

Punch or cut 9 to 12 snowflakes. The number you use will depend of the size of your frame and punch. Because of the size of my punch I used three rows of three, but you may want to do 3 rows of 4.

Cut a piece of cardstock or watercolour paper to fit your frame . Use letter stickers to write Noel. Add snowflakes in columns below word.

Assemble frame and collage

Voila!

Variations

You can easily change this to suit the seasons.For example, use the word "Spring" with flower shapes, or "Love" with heart shapes.

Please let me know if you made a holiday collage. I love to look at people's interpretations!

Fold-out Christmas Card

This is one of the designs I'll be using for my Christmas cards this year. Pretty simple and quick to make!

Supplies

Cardstock
Patterned papers
Die cuts and other embellishments
Journaling tag, sticker, stamp or rub on

Instructions

Cut a 4"x12" piece of cardstock for card base (you can get three bases from one 12x12 sheet)

Fold in half

Then fold the top part in half towards left fold of card

Cut a piece of patterned paper 4" x 6" and add to inside of card

Cut a coordinated piece of patterned paper 3"x 4" and add to front of fold

Decorate front with die cuts, sentiment and embellishment. Let a portion of them hang over the folded edge

On inside add journaling spot and additional embellishment hidden under front fold

Handstitched felt ornaments

We're taking a break from paper today for an easy sewing project!



Supplies

Template (attached to this post)
Felt
Ribbon
Embroidery needle and floss
Batting or other stuffing material
Fabric scissors
Button and other embellishments

Instructions (for heart shape)

Print out and cut out pattern. Pin to a double layer of felt



and cut out



Thread needle with floss (I used all six strands) and start stitching pieces together. Start the stitch in between the two layers to hide knotted end of thread on the inside



Stitch all the way around heart using a quick overcast stitch, leaving an opening at the top.



Stuff heart with batting



Cut a piece of ribbon to use as the loop, fold and stitch into heart while stitching up the opening



Stitch on button to top of heart. This helps to cover up the spot where the ribbon was stitched in



and voila!



To make the star follow the same instructions, using the star pattern.

 

I added a felt star instead of a button n this one. The sky is the limit! You can use the basic instructions and adapt your ornaments to your hearts desire.

Download template.pdf

Gift Tag

This is an older project from last year, but it's timeless. I plan to make variations of this tag for all my gift giving this year.

Supplies
Large patterned paper tag - this one is from the BasicGrey Dasher Die Cut Sheet but you can use patterned paper to cut your own
7 Gypsies "A Gift for you" or similar journaling tag
Prima Poinsettia flower and 2 leaves
Red cardstock
Red glitter
small to medium leaf stamp
Glue stamp pad
Rhinestone brad
Holiday ribbon
Spray fixative (optional)

Instructions

Step 1: Glitter poinsettia flower

Stamp leaf stamp seven times on red cardstock using glue pad. Heat to make glue tacky and cover with glitter. Tap off excess. If desired use spray fixative and let dry, then cut shapes out with scissors leaving a small border

You may also use a leaf punch or die cut machine to cut leaf shapes out, then cover with glitter.

Punch a circle out of red cardstock to use as a base for building the flower. Adhere the petals until you get a flower shape

Now stick the leaves on

And then the Prima flower with rhinestone brad center

Step 2: Tag base

Use corner rounder to round the two bottom corners of tag
Using your craft knife cut around the two petals on the left of the flower motif on the tag. It should look like this

Stick 7 Gypsies tag under the petals, and stick petals on top

Use tag as a template to trace another tag from red cardstock. Cut out and adhere to back to cover up the cut out parts.

Step 3: Complete tag

Stick poinsettia flower to front of tag

Attach holiday ribbon to top. Use your favourite journaling stamp to create an area to add your holiday wishes at the back. This step is optional, you may also simply just write on the back

Here's a look at the completed tag

Gift Card Set

Here's a simple way to personalise store bought cards to give as a gift. These would be great as stocking stuffers or a teacher gift.

Supplies

Premade cards with a graphic pattern- the set I used is from Ikea
Patterned paper scraps
Sentiment stamps
Stamping Ink
Pen
Vellum or tracing paper
Tag and string for wrapping

Instructions

This is the original card I used

(1) Use vellum or tracing paper to trace the main shapes on the card

(2) Cut out and use as templates to cut shapes from patterned paper. Once cut out, ink the edges of the shapes, and use a pen to outline the border

(3) Add pieces to card

(4) Stamp and cut out sentiment, ink and outline, and add to card

I made a set of five different cards to give as a gift. I used the same patterned papers, but alternated which piece I cut from each paper.

Tie your cards together with the envelopes and add a tag

Possible variations

1. You can make all the cards the same, with the same sentiment or five different sentiments
2. Make more than five sentiments and don't attach them to cards. That way the recipient can choose whichever she likes when sending a card out
3. If you can't find a pre-made card you like, and you are handy with Photoshop or another editor you can make your own card bases from scratch or by using a digital scrapbook kit.

Cone Advent Calendar Banner

I was going through one of my mother-in-law's old magazines and saw a photo of a banner made from cones. Since I was looking for Christmas ideas a light went off, and I thought: Advent Calendar! This is a great project for using up your stash. I didn't purchase a thing to be able to make this!

Supplies
Template (the PDF file is attached to this post)
24 pieces of patterned paper (I used seasonal and non seasonal)
24 pieces ribbon and/or trim
Assorted flowers, brads, sequins and other embellishments
Numbers 1-24 (I used stickers, but you can also use stamps and rub-ons)
1&1/2" circle punch
Ink
Hole punch
String, twine or ribbon

Instructions

(1)Print out the template and cut out. Use to cut 24 pieces from patterned paper. To so this, place template as shown on the back of patterned paper, trace and cut out

(2) Form cone by rolling cut out shape and gluing together as shown

It may take a few tries to get this right and form a nice pointy cone, so I advise trying this with some scrap paper until you get the hang of it. I also found that it was more difficult to get a nice cone shape with cardstock weight papers. Regular weight papers worked extremely well however! Once you get the hang of it then you just need to make 24 of the suckers! :)

(3) Decorate rim of cone by adding ribbon or trim (I just used my regular adhesive for this, but you can also use fabric or ribbon glue)

Now add a flower, or two, plus a brad or sequin if you like! I added my flowers over the spot where the ribbon ends meet.

Note: I didn't spend a lot of time finding embellishments that matched because I really wanted the project to have a homespun feel. Here's a pic of some of my decorated cones

(4) Punch 24 circles from patterned paper, ink the edges and number them 1 to 24

Then add to front of cones below flower. Once again, not a lot of matching going on

(5) Now put it all together!!! Cut three peices of string or ribbon each 2 yards long. Punch a hole in back of cones and tie eight cones onto each piece at regular intervals. I did mine in random order, but you may want to do it in sequential order.

Now you can fill with treats and/or activities for the month of December and hang in your home!

A couple more photos

Download cone_template.pdf