Crafty New Year!

New Year's Eve Swizzle Sticks

I'm still in holiday mode (as in, I'm still eating too much and waking up too late) so just one last quickie craft to end the year....

If you're hosting a party on the 31st, you'll want to make some of these cute swizzle sticks that look just a bit like fireworks.  (They're also great for marking your glass as yours at the party!)

Here's what you need:

Materials:
-paper
-skewers
-cutting mat
-straight edge
-scissors and sharp craft knife
-glue runner

I used this super cool holographic origami paper I picked up in Thailand but you can use anything you have on hand.

Steps:
1) Cut your paper into 2" strips.

2) If you're using short paper like I am, run some glue along the short edge of your cut pieces and connect together to make one long piece 12-18" long.

3) Fringe the long edge of your paper by cutting in about 1.5" every 1/4" or so.  If you're lucky enough to have those cool Martha Stewart fringing scissors then this would be a great time to pull them out~

4) Run your glue runner along the long uncut side of your paper on the wrong side.

5) And just start winding your paper around the end of your skewer.

6) Almost done...once your paper is secure use your scissors to bend the paper out like you do on ribbons on gifts.

The only thing left to do now is to fill up your glass, drop your stick in, and toast in the New Year in crafty style!

Thanks for a fun and awesome 2012 everyone!  Here's to an even better 2013!

Happy New Year!

Pretty Journals

Now that Christmas is over I can show you some of the gifts I made to give away this year, like these two pretty journals for two pretty ladies I know.

 The truth is I had to make these.  While I was out Christmas shopping I picked up a pad of gorgeous paper for myself from the bargain bin.  To pay penance I decided to use some of it to make a gift.

The pink one was given to my sister, who's had a very stressful year.  I added the bookmark just for her~

I love the papers on the other one too.  They almost look like fabric!

Each journal got lots of pretty tabs and pockets inside.

Did you pick up anything for yourself while you were out buying for others?  Or am I the only one who as a bad girl?  Leave a comment~

PS...Happy Boxing Day!

Merry Christmas!

Hor d'oeuvres Picks

I don't have much time these days for crafting but I did manage to get one more quickie project in that I needed for the big family Christmas Eve dinner I'm hosting:

Here's what you need if you really want to impress your dinner guests with the handmade touch:

Materials:
-polymer clay
-wooden tooth picks or skewers
-sharp craft knife
-optional: clay molds, clay cutters, etc.

Steps:
1) Condition your clay by rolling it between your hands.  It should be nice and soft.

2) Press your clay into your mold.  If you don't have any molds (they're super easy to make though), you can roll out your clay and cut it into shapes with a knife or small clay/cookie cutters.

3) I like to over fill my mold a bit and then cut off the excess with a knife.  That way I know the clay has gotten into the very edges of the shape.

4) You'll need two of the same shape for every pick.

This is actually a button mold that I made, but  I thought
for this project they looked a lot like snowflakes~

5) Make a sandwich with one clay piece facing out, a tooth pick or skewer, and then another clay piece also facing out.  Gently press the clay together, trying not to distort the shape.

6) Line a tray, place all of your pieces on it and get it ready to bake.  Don't worry about them touching the bottom of the tray, they shouldn't stick.

7) Follow the baking directions on the package of your clay.  Every brand and formula is different but I usually bake mine at around 175 degrees for 17 minutes.  Normally I would double bake them, but these will probably get thrown out after I use them so there's no need to go all out with them.

Once they're finished baking, just let them cool down and they're ready to use!

You can go all out and make each one special and use them as stir sticks for drinks so that everyone knows which glass is theirs!

Have fun and Happy Holidays!

Are you ready for Christmas yet?!?!?!  I'm still making gifts!  Yikes!

Christmas Card Round Up

Just one more look at ALL of the cards I made for Christmas this year:

Feel free to click through and pin~

Is it a blanket?? or a Jogging suit??

I spotted these fleece throws in the bargain aisle at the end of the summer season a couple of years ago for a whopping $3 each.  I knew instantly that I wanted two of them, but not for curling up in front of a campfire with...but to use as fabric!

And here's what I made with them:

I am fully aware that the navy one looks like zebra stripes and that I am setting the precedent as the weird auntie who makes the kids funny outfits for Christmas.  My only saving grace is that these are meant to be worn as layering pieces for when the kids play outside in the winter....do you buy it?  I hope they do!

The girls one turned out a bit tie dye looking but I like it!

The edges had a nice little blanket stitch all the way around so I used that on the bottom hem of the pants and the edge of the hood.

It's a good thing I finally got around to making these.  One more year and I won't be able to fit a whole boys outfit on 1.5 metres of fabric.  They're both growing so tall so fast!

                           

Whenever you see steals like this remember to think of it purely as fabric instead of whatever is on the label. You'll find all sort of deals this way.

What's the weirdest thing you've ever made for someone for Christmas?  Leave a comment below....come on...'fess up!

Triangle Tree Cards

OK, one last card for the season...because I need to stop making 'em and start SENDING 'em!

As usual, this is a very simple concept...making trees out of triangles of paper.

Just add some rhinestones, and voila!

The text is up on pop dots to give a little added oomph.

So, there you go, the parade of Christmas cards is officially over.  Watch for a round-up later this week~

Christmas Mantle

AHHHHH!  Christmas is only just over a week away.  And I am NOT ready.  I've been doing so much to try to get ready though that I don't have a Friday tutorial for you today.  So, instead I'll give you a peek at this year's Christmas mantle.

I usually keep my Christmas decorating the same every year but this year I thought I'd switch up the mantle on my (non-working) fireplace.  I went with an all white theme....ooooh, daring I know~

For the cute little banner I just used my Silhouette to cute out the letters from white cardstock and circles from wax paper.  I ironed the paper together, glued on the letters and the twine and called it a day.

I went through a bit of a pasta obsession last year so I have a major collection of mason jars that used to hold sauce in them.  I added some very simple decorations to a few of them, doilies, twine, punched craft paper, threw some tea lights inside and set them up top.

These cute paper trees are fun too!  I just used three pieces of white photocopier paper, cut out the outline of the funky tree, layered them on top of eachother and sewed down the middle.  Make three sizes and you have a whole forest!

Normally I fill these jars with flashy red Christmas ornaments but I continued with the natural them and threw in my super sized pine cones.

Once all the candle are lit up I think it should look very festive and pretty.

How about you?  Do you change things up every year or do you like to stick with tradition?  Leave a comment below~

You can see last year's mantle HERE and my tree, which looks the same every year, HERE.