Mini Boxes

Well, Christmas was awesome for me this year!!!

And I'm glad for every moment and everyone. I hope your holiday was a special one, too.

I snuck in an extra post before this one, in case some of you clean up your holiday decorations right afterward. So I hope some of you have saved some Christmas cards, as I suggested then, because this project will be using them.

We will be making:  Mini Card Boxes 

You will need: 2 cards, tape or glue and scissors

First step is to take the front off the card. You can use the back of the card for the bottom of the box if you wish, or if it has too much writing on it, use another card front. The bottom of the box must be a little smaller than the cover, so cut 1/4" off one side and the top.

Working on the blank side of the card, you will take a straighedge (ruler, envelope, another card, whatever) and put it on the top left corner across to the bottom right corner and make a line in the middle. Do the same to the other corners to form an X. This will show you the exact middle of the card.

Then you will take the top edge, bring it to the X, and fold. Do the same with all four sides. See photo below.  Use a popsicle stick, or the handle of your scissors to flatten down the folds well.

Then make 4 cuts as shown (only on the fold lines).

Remember...if you mess up, don't worry, start again with another card, practice on a card 'back' first if you want to until you get the hang of it.

Then you will fold in the two sides, and fold up the end over these and glue or tape. Do the same with the other side. That's it!

I have used these little boxes for so many things. They are just so fun to make. Of course, the bigger paper you use, the bigger the box. You can even make gift boxes from card stock, old calendars, etc., any stiff paper will work. Remember to save any greeting cards you receive also for little gift boxes the rest of the year.

How about this year you make several of these, and put in your goals and predictions for next year, stow them away in your Christmas decorations, and bring them out in 2012, and have fun seeing how many came true.  Or put nice thoughts into them (like a fortune cookie), hang them on the tree (just add thread to the lid corner before you glue it shut) and when friends and family come over, they can pick one. Or use them for a 'treasure hunt' to find bigger gifts hidden around the house (put the recipients name on the bottom of the box). Lots of possibilities.

Tip of the day:

Are your winter sweaters looking a bit 'pilly', you know those little balls of yarn that stick out and make your knitted garments look shabby? Well, here's a couple of ideas to get rid of them, take an old razor and shave your sweater (old razor is better, not so sharp) or I saw this one on TV: use the 'sticky' part of velcro and pick up those pilly balls with it.  Or if your sweater is totally hopeless, and made of wool, you can felt it. Put it into your washing machine on HOT setting. Wash a few times, and it will shrink up tight. You can use this for lots of things, as it won't fray when you cut it. Perhaps another post on felted wool, or old sweaters next time! :) stay tuned!!

and a HEALTHY, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all !

That's all for this week...

:D

Sweet Christmas

Hi Hi Hi!
or should I say...
HO HO HO,
It's almost Christmas, the merriest time of the year. Time to craft, create and give!

Today's project is good for a
1. last minute gift
2. a project for kids to do
3. a hostess gift
4. the best White Elephant gift ever

It is a:

CANDY TREE

You will need:
a bag of wrapped candy
straight pins (the ones with round heads are the easiest to work with)
a chocolate lollipop with Santa on it
a foam cone (from the dollar store, Michaels, Joann's or Hobby Lobby)
You can add ribbons or tinsel if you wish

Starting at the bottom, pin the top of each candy onto the cone. Work your way around, then up to the top.
Stick the sucker into the very top.

tip of the day:
If you run out of ribbon, or have some little scraps of wrapping paper you can cut these into long strips, gently curl them with scissors and make a bow out of them. Stack them and staple in the middle and add to your package. Cute!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL~ and to all a good night...
that's all for this week, have a great holiday!!!
Dee

Christmas tips

Merry Christmas!
Just a quick blog before my usual Friday post...
Save all those Christmas cards.
1. tear off the covers for use later. We will make boxes, and future postcards, etc. from these.
2. save the insides for next year's Christmas card list. You will have the names of the people who sent you a card this year.

Also, my hubby came up with a great idea...
Any of those Christmas lights that don't work any more ~
if they have a plug at one end and a recepticle at the other... even though the lights don't work,
you can use it as a (lightweight) extension cord. Yank out the lights, if you are worried about stepping on them.

He even went as far as cutting off the lights, and sodering the ends of the cord together. IF you are so talented, that's great. But for me...I'll have the extra dangles there until I get to the store and purchase a 'real' extension cord.

Merry Christmas, and remember what the Wizard said to the tin man ...
You are not measured by how much YOU love, but how much you are loved by others.
So spread around the cheer! It's the best time of the year!!!
That's all for now...
Dee

Cookie Exchange

This past Thursday we had a cookie exchange with my neighbors.
It was a great success and great fun. Not only did we have an incredible selection of cookies to pick from and bring home, but we had made plenty to add to our local community Christmas Baskets.

Everyone made 5-6 dozen cookies. We tried to inform the bakers who was making what, so we would not duplicate too many. Even if you are not a baker, get one of those Pillsbury slice and bake packages. But if you have a special recipe, it's fun to copy it, and have those ready to hand out to the other bakers. Everyone loves a good recipe!

I set out all the cookies on my dining table. Then I assign who will be the 'fillers' and who will be the 'decorators'. I get the glue gun plugged into the kitchen counter outlet (away from the kids). This we use to attach the box top decorations.

I printed some cards on the computer, with a message on the inside. The children that were there helped color the blank fronts, in the living room, with crayons (on my coffee table, covered with a plastic tablecloth). That kept them busy (for a little while :), so we could sort and pack up the cookies. After the Christmas Baskets were taken care of (1 doz. for each elderly neighbor, and 2 doz. for every needy family) we then could pick OUR cookies to take home.

One of our friends scored some cake boxes to put the goodies in (donated from her friend). But in the past, we have used plastic containers with decorated lids, and these work as well.

We always try to add a festive touch. One crafty neighbor sprays gold paint on acorns that she has collected in the Fall, and we add these, with a glue gun and ribbon to the top of the boxes.

One year we wove beautiful gold ribbon around laundry baskets where the food and cookies were to be delivered by our local volunteer Fire Dept. You could also get some styrofoam 'take out' containers, and wrap the outside with colored celephane. Leave the ends long, tie ribbons close to the box, so it resembles a big piece of candy. What a treat that would be to receive.

Everyone brings their own ziploc bags, or containers to take THEIR share home. It's a lot of fun to get together and share recipes and be able to not only take goodies home with us, but to share with our neighbors who won't have such a bountiful Christmas. Do you have an elderly neighbor who needs some holiday love?
Some friends couldn't make the actual exchange, but brought their cookies a day or two early. We distribute those, and then fill up some ziploc bags for them. It's a good excuse to go 'a visitin' to deliver their goodies, or have them over another time, for a quiet cup of tea and to enjoy some sweets.

Why not have your own cookie exchange? Share a glass of Christmas cheer and spend some time with friends. Remember, it's all the experiences we have together that make our Christmas memories. Not the shopping, or running around in a frenzy being too busy to enjoy each other. So take a breath, call up some folks, and get the flour and sugar out!

That's all for this week.
Dee

Ribbons Galore



I made this snowflake 25 years ago. And I still use it.

 I love making new things from old stuff

 I finished decorating my house for Christmas. So of course that put me in the mood for wrapping all the gifts I have been buying and making and hiding all year. hee hee
I like using all the things in my ribbon box, or bits and pieces of this and that which I have saved up.
And I love to make special wrappings and bows and this is where today's project comes in...

Today's project is:
Lacy ribbon snowflakes

You will need:
lacy ribbon or velvet ribbon
Fabric Stiffener (buy it at Michaels or Joann's)
glue gun
scissors
wax paper
Optional: white pony beads or small decorations for the center of the piece (I used plastic holly)

You can also make this Poinsettia with the same pattern.
Instead of lacy cloth ribbon, I used velvet ribbon and added white pony beads.

The velvet ribbon is pretty thick and stiff already, you do NOT need to use the fabric stiffener on it.
In fact, it would mess up the soft velvet.
These can be bows on the packages, or ornaments or both!



First you will cut strips, about 5-6" long and taper the ends as the picture below shows. For larger snowflakes, make the lengths longer, but cut only 5 or 6. For smaller snowflakes, keep the length down to 4-5" and make more of them, perhaps 7 or 8.
If you are using the lace and wish to hang these up on the Christmas tree for decorations, you will need to stiffen the fabric. If you are using them for package toppers, you really don't need to do this step.

To stiffen fabric, you pour some Fabric Stiffener in a bowl (line it with foil, if you wish, for easy clean up)

Then take each strip and dip it, then run it through your fingers to get the excess off. Fold it so the ends meet at a point. Place on wax paper to dry (several hours, or overnight). The stiffener will hold the ends together til they dry. You will have to glue them afterward.

this is messy, so use a big piece of wax paper to catch drips

After the strips are dried, then you can place them, one at a time, and glue the ends. Then hot glue them next to each other, one at a time. When you use hot glue with lace, be careful not to get your fingers in the way. Use popsicle sticks to press edges together. You will form a snowflake or poinsettia when you place the last piece in place.  Poke a hole in the velvet ribbon to hang for an ornament. With the lacy snowflake, just put the thread through one of the holes.

Hot glue beads or embellishment in the center, if you wish.  I put these on my packages, and tell the recipients that after they open their gifts, they can use the "bows" for ornaments on their trees. They love it!
Remember reusing is better than throwing away.


tip of the day:
If you run out of boxes to wrap your gifts, remember that the Post Office has flat rate boxes that are free. They are usually in their lobby, and come in 4 sizes.

That's all for this week!
:D

Dish it up!

I love to make new things from old stuff!



Well, it looks like Santa's workshop at my house. Trying to get as many gifts finished early so I can enjoy the holidays instead of feeling rushed and crazed! Half the fun of Christmas for me, is designing gifts that will be special for each person. I love themes too, and try to have one for every person to keep a common thread running through their presents. Today's project can have a theme, or not. That is up to you, this one is for my friend who likes wine. And the nice thing about it is that it is functional as well as pretty.

Today's project is:

a Decoupage Plate

You will need:

a clear (smooth)  plate or bowl (this can be a recycled one from your own cupboard)

ModPodge (decoupage goop)

a paper napkin (you only need one, see if your friends have any fun designs left over from a party)

1" brush

First you need to separate the napkin from its second layer. Gently pry apart at the corner and pull the white underside off of the design side. Then you have to decide whether to cut apart the parts printed on the napkin or use it whole. If you have a cocktail napkin, you may have a bit of trouble covering the whole plate. So finding a napkin with a design that is suitable for cutting apart and rearranging onto the plate may work best.

Once you have the pieces cut out and arranged to your liking, take the ModPodge and spread it onto the UNDER side of the plate or bowl. Gently lay the pieces down with their 'good' side facing down and smooth gently with your fingers or paintbrush. Be careful not to pull too hard, for the napkin will rip. If the napkin gets a bit wrinkly, that's okay, it adds to that Old World antique look.



Then you will cover all the pieces, GENTLY  brushing on the ModPodge over the entire back surface.

When it is dry you can turn it over and rub the edges with your fingers to get off any excess decoupage paste.

shown with a white paper behind plate to better see design

I like to add a decorative edge with a gold pen (available at the hardware store). Also sprinkle a bit of baby powder and work it around a bit, then brush or blow it off. This helps keep the ModPodge from sticking to anything.  This of course, is HAND WASH.

tip of the day:

When you are grocery shopping (especially in the winter and your hands are dry) I find it almost impossible to open those plastic bags to put my vegetables in. So what I do is tap my fingers on a celery wrapper or carrot package that has been 'sprayed' with the overhead water. Then it's a snap to open the bags with my moistened fingers.

That's all for today!

:D