Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts

December 3, 2010

Felt Flower Holiday Wreath Tutorial

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I absolutely loved this project.    I chose to do this in a deep red to be festive, but this would look great in all different colors to match the season or your decor.  Enjoy!






You'll need:
1/2 yard of 36"wide felt - cut into about 3"x 3"squares
Vine wreath
Hot Glue (lots and lots of it)

{Please excuse my ugly craft chair  :) }



Cut the felt into 3" by 3"squares.  A half yard will make about 60 or so squares.  






Start at the edge and cut a swirl pattern into each square.  





From the middle of the swirl, roll up the felt to create a flower shape.  The looser you roll it the larger it will be.  I chose to roll them rather tightly for a more "closed flower"look, but you can do this part however you'd like.  

Dab a little hot glue on the flower to close it, so it holds together and doesn't unravel.


Arrange the flowers and glue onto the wreath.  I wanted a bit of vine to show through, so I centered the two rows of flowers on the wreath so it wasn't completely covered.  

Once the flowers and glued on you can trim the sharp corners of the felt.  I chose not to to give it a little bit of a modern look.  


Voila!  So easy and adorable. 


Etsy Finds Friday

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Need some holiday gift ideas?   I bet you'll love these...







Have fun Christmas shopping.  

You only have 22 days left!



November 30, 2010

On My Christmas List This Year...

Pin It Now! It seems like just yesterday I created my Christmas List for last year.  Time really does fly when you're having fun!

After racking my brain, I honestly could only think of one thing that I actually *need*.  Of course, there's always things I want, but only this one thing I need. 

I've always had crazy hair.  Some of it's curly, some of it's straight, and it won't grow.  So, I have short hair that has a mind of it's own.  My favorite tool?  A flat iron!  And now it's time to step it up.  I've been using the cheapy drug store ones, but it's time to finally have the straight hair I covet. 

I found this little guy and I'm smitten! 



This is the ghd hair straightener.  Pretty, yes? 

Apparently there is quite a black market for these little guys.  {Who would have thought?}  But the original is MUCH better, and safer!, than the fakes.  Before you invest in a new best friend flat iron be sure to check the website for ghd.

As someone with wild locks I can tell you that I've spent many hours in the bathroom stressing over my hair.  {Well, not hours, but you know what I mean!}  I'm a perfectionist like that.  

I'm a pretty casual dresser most days, but I can guarantee you my blonde hair is always looking good.  :)


December 17, 2009

Last Minute DIY Gift Ideas

Pin It Now! I'll admit it.  I'm a Procrastinator with a capital "P".  I always wait until the last minute to do anything.  So if you're like me, here's some easy gift ideas for those of you, like me, who would prefer to give a handmade gift.



{ This is one of the gift baskets I made with all of these great ideas  }




Now get to it!  We only have 7 days left until Christmas!!  

DIY Hot Chocolate Packets

Pin It Now! Who doesn't love hot chocolate in the winter?  And these make adorable additions to any gift - and are really easy and fun to make!







Ingredients:


11 Cups Dry nonfat milk
1 Cup Non-dairy creamer
2 Cups Chocolate Drink Mix (Like Nesquik)
1/2 Cup of Cocoa
1 Bag Mini Marshmallows



Mix all ingredients, except marshmallows, in large bowl.  Scoop out 1/2 cup servings into little cello bags.  Top hot chocolate with mini marshmallows and tie with ribbon.  


Easy, cheap, fun! 



Thanks to Happy House for this great recipe!

DIY Lotion

Pin It Now! Everyone in my family loves lotion.  I decided to make some homemade lotion to add to some gift baskets and it turned out smelling so great I just have to share it.


Supplies:


Baby Lotion
Petroleum Jelly - I used creamy, but you can use traditional if that's what you have
Essential oil 
{ I was able to get all supplies at Dollar Tree - so this can be a very thrifty project! }


Squeeze entire bottle of baby lotion and petroleum jelly into bowl. (I cut the tops off the containers to be sure I got out every last drop!)  Mix with mixer until thoroughly combined.  Add 2 - 3 drops of essential oil and mix.  Add more oil, only 2 - 3 drops at a time, until you are happy with the scent.  Put in small containers or jars.  





Easy, huh?  This is one that I will use for many gift-giving occasions.  

DIY Tile Coasters

Pin It Now! These were really easy, and look amazing.  You can get really creative with these little coasters and your loved ones wil love them!


Supplies:


Tiles - I bought mine for $.32 each at Lowe's
Permanent Pigment Ink - Staz-On solvent ink pad
Sealer - I used Rust-Oleum Ultra-Cover Clear Gloss { Any sealer that specifies it's safe for ceramics will work }
Felt
Super Glue Gel
Rubber Stamp


Stamp each tile using the ink pad and rubber stamp.  Let each tile dry completely - about 20 minutes.  In a well-ventilated area, spray a VERY light coat of sealer on tiles.  Let dry about 20 minutes.  Spray an additional coat of sealer on tiles.  After about 20 - 30 minutes, check the tiles to be sure they are completely coated, spraying a third coat if needed.  Add felt to each corner of the back of the tiles using the super glue.  Allow glue to completely dry.  Stack tiles and tie with ribbon.  





I'm really happy with how these guys turned out.  Sorry for the crappy picture!  These are my tiles as they are drying.  I will make an additional set for myself, I loved them so much!  


Thanks to Edie for this great idea!

DIY Candied Almonds

Pin It Now! These are yum-O!  I'm adding these tasty little treats to the gift baskets I'm giving out this year.  







Ingredients:


Almonds - I bought a big canister at Target 
2 Egg whites
2 tsp water
1 cup sugar - I used brown, but you can use white sugar also
1 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites and water until frothy.  Dump in almonds and toss to coat.  In a seperate bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon and salt.  And dry mixture to bowl of almonds and mix well.  Place coated almonds on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake for 1 hour, flipping almonds every 15 minutes.  


{ Thanks to My Happy House for this great idea! }

December 10, 2009

Christmas Memories

Pin It Now! Christmas was always a big celebration growing up.  We decorated every inch of the house with big gold bows and garland.  Purchasing our Christmas tree was always exciting.  We'd head over to our local Target and pick a tree out of the garden center.  Okay, not so exciting I admit, but there aren't many forests in Southern California.  


We baked Christmas cookies and wrapped them in cellophane on decorative Christmas plates for all our neighbors.  My sister and I would walk to all the neighbors and give them their freshly baked, decorated cookies.  On Christmas Eve we would cook a huge dinner and invite the entire family over.  After our Christmas Eve dinner the adults would sit and sip their coffee while trying to ignore all of us kids begging to open gifts. 


One of our favorite gifts would be the snuggly pajamas my mom would wrap for us.  She lovingly picked them out, knowing we would snuggle into bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads.  As soon as our company left we'd dash upstairs and put on our new jammies and tuck into bed, looking forward to Santa's visit.  


The dinner was always good, we enjoyed the family and appreciated the gifts.  But my favorite memory of Christmas was always the snuggly warm pajamas we'd nestle into bed wearing.  Husband and I have decided to continue the tradition with giving each other pajamas to wear Christmas Eve.  When we have children I will lovingly pick them out a pair of warm snuggly pj's and place them under the tree, so they can await Santa's arrival cozily in bed.  


What's your favorite Christmas memory?  Link it to The Chick Momma's link party!  


Be sure to enter my Oprah Magazine giveaway!!  

Etsy Finds Thursday!

Pin It Now! Here's some last minute gift ideas for your procrastinators out there...  only 15 days left!  
































December 9, 2009

DIY Christmas Cards

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I can't believe there's only 15 days until Christmas!  Where, oh where did the time go?  If you're like me, I really like making handmade cards and gifts for family.  All of the family members I send gifts to have everything, so they really appreciate the time and thought that went into the gifts and cards they receive.  

This year I decided to go with a snowflake "theme" for my cards.  I love red and light blue, and I could incorporate those colors on this cute little card.  These cards turned out so great, and are super easy to make.  Your family and friends will appreciate a handmade card from you this year!


Supplies Needed:


Patterned paper - I picked a colorful snowflake scrapbooking paper
Note cards
Eyelets
Scalloped scissors
Mini Pop Dots
Die-cut snowflakes - I don't have a die cutter, but my local Craft Warehouse has a die        cutting machine that is free to use when you purchase paper







I started with blank notecards from Craft Warehouse.  I used some white notecards, and some red.  I definitely prefer the red.  





From the patterned paper, I cut out a little rectangle about 1/4" to 1/2" smaller than the front of the note card.  For this I used scalloped scissors.  




I attached the rectangle to the front of the card with eyelets.  I chose to alternate between light blue, green and red for the different cards.  You can also use brads or glue.  { If you've never used eyelets, I highly recommend them!  They add a classy touch to any project and come in tons of shapes and colors. }




Attach the die-cut snowflake to the center of the front of the card.  For this I used mini pop dots and attached them to each "leg" of the snowflake to give it a 3-d effect.  I also attached a rhinestone to the center of the snowflake.



December 8, 2009

Coming Soon...

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Tomorrow I will post some great DIY holiday gift ideas

Stop by to see my ideas for DIY easy, but beautiful Christmas/Holiday cards and DIY gift baskets.  

Until then, have a great evening and stay warm.  It's freezing out there!







December 7, 2009

Merry SITSmas!

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The blogging community is filled with so many wonderful ladies that love nothing more than to support each other.  I belong to a group of these such ladies called The SITS girls.  They are amazing bloggers and awesome blogland friends. 


I can't wait to check out all the blogs this SITSmas - and look forward to your wonderful comments!  


Have a great day!




December 4, 2009

All I Want For Christmas...

Pin It Now! Santa I've been good this year.  I promise.


And Husband, if you're reading you may want to take notes...  



{ Amazon }






( Target }






{ Amazon }

{ Amazon }




{ Amazon }




{ IKEA }






{ IKEA }












A girl can dream, right? 

December 3, 2009

Etsy Finds Thursday!

Pin It Now! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!   Only 21 shopping days left...