Christmas Craft Marathon Features 11/26

As you can tell, there's no rhyme or reason to when I feature projects from the 26-Day Christmas Craft Marathon Linky Party.  I'm just doing it on a whim!!

Even though I'm only featuring 4 projects today, I must say that I wish I could feature each and every project linked up so far!!  They're all sooo amazing!!

Here are today's features...

Got Gifts?

These gift tags are so neat!! Kim over at Too Much Time on My Hands punched them out and decorated each one!!  They're all so unique and each tag is just as adorable as the last!!  She's even made "holiday neutral" ones!!

Snowball Candleholders

I absolutely fell in love with Megan's Snowball Candleholders the moment I saw them!!  Megan is the creative genius behind Polish the Stars and she even has a neat tutorial for these too!!  They're super easy so check them out!!

Doily Book Page Ornament

Aimee from Twigg Studios has a great tutorial for these gorgeous Doily Book Page Ornaments!!  I think they're so pretty and feminine!!  We all know how much I love ephemera and lace so of course I adore this ornament too!!

I'm sure you love each of these projects as much as I do, so be sure to check out the project posts and the blogs too!!  

Thanks for reading!!  Until next time...

Tutorial: Pinecone Ornament

Is this really day 7 of the Marathon already?!?  I've been having so much fun that I didn't even realize a whole week had gone by!!

Today's tutorial is for an easy decorated Pinecone Ornament!  As always, it's very inexpensive to make!!  Let's get started!!

Step 1: GATHER SUPPLIES

- 1 Pinecone

- White gesso or acrylic craft paint

- Glitter glue

- Grey-board (cereal box cardboard)

- 9" length of 1/8" satin ribbon

- Fake flower
- Plastic gem

- 2 different 12" lengths of ribbon

- 15" length of 3/4"-1" organza ribbon

- 15" length of lace

- Button

- Glue

Step 2: ADD "SNOW" 

I used gesso for the snow, because it gives more texture; however, it can be very expensive so feel free to use a couple layers of acrylic craft paint instead!

Paint the white gesso or acrylic craft paint on every tip.

If using gesso, apply a very thick layer to each tip; if using paint, apply 2-3 coats.

Once dry, add a layer of white glitter glue to each tip.

Step 3: ADD RIBBON HANGER

Make the Hanger 

Cut out a 1" circle out of grey-board.

Poke a hole in the center.

Feed both ends of your ribbon through the hole.

Glue in place as shown above.

Note: If the top of your pinecone has a "nub" on it, you'll want to cut 1-2 triangles as I did in the photo above.  This will allow the grey-board to form a cone over the "nub".

Attach the Hanger

Glue the hanger to the very center of the top of the pinecone.

 Step 4: ADD FLOWER

Glue the flower to the base of the hanger.

Glue the gem in the center of the flower.

Step 5: ADD RIBBONS

Tie each of the 12" lengths of ribbon around the ribbon hanger, making sure the knots are tied tightly.

Step 6: ADD BOWS

Make the Bow

Tie the organza ribbon and the lace into separate bows.

Layer the smaller lace bow on top of the larger organza bow.

Sew the button in the center to make on big bow.

Attach the Bow

Glue the bow opposite the flower, attaching it to the base of the hanger and the ribbon knots.

FINISHED!!

 Thanks for reading!!  Until next time...

Grand Re-Launch {Black} Fact Friday

Did you shop the Black Friday sales?  I went to Michael's and bought about $75 worth of supplies for $20!!  The store wasn't even crowded!! How cool is that?!?

Here’s this week’s new information about the Grand Re-Launch & Giveaway

1. New Blog Feature: One of the new weekly scheduled posts coming in January is “What’s on Your Work-Desk Wednesdays” (WOYWW), which will show exactly what’s on my work area(s) each Wednesday.  Curious minds want to know these things, right?!?

2. Extra Entry Option: Put my button or text link on your blog (either in a post or on the sidebar) and then you'll need to use the super easy Rafflecopter gadget I post to claim your extra entry.  Soon I'll tell you how to gain another 5 entries for this giveaway!!

3. Prizes: The 1^st Prize will be a Large Flat-Rate Box (12"x12"x5.5") filled with various crafty goodies!  What exactly is inside?  I’ll tell you in a future post!

Next “Grand Re-Launch Fact Friday”

December 2nd is when the next bunch of information will be released so be sure to come back then to see the details!! Remember that you can see all currently released Grand Re-Launch & Giveaway details on the Grand Re-Launch page.

Thanks for reading!!  Until next time...

Tutorial: Burlap Flower Ornament

We've made it to the 6th day of the Christmas Craft Marathon and there are still 20 days to go!! Woo hoo!!  

I'm so sorry this post is so late today, but with Thanksgiving yesterday I got a bit behind!!  I had a wonderful holiday and I hope you did too!!  Gobble Gobble!!

Today's tutorial will show you how to make some cute little burlap and fabric flower ornaments!!  

Last month, I published a post about my version of Alisa's Burlap Flowers over at The Tidy Nest.  I think these flowers are so cute, especially since they use one of my recent favorite crafting materials... burlap!!

Alisa's Original Burlap Flowers

In October,I had no clue where to use the flowers, but I think I've discovered a good use for them now!!  

On to the the Burlap Flower Ornament Tutorial!!

Step 1: GATHER SUPPLIES

- 4"x4" Decorative fabric

- 4.5"x4.5" Solid fabric

- 5"x5" Burlap

- Old, ugly button

- Hemp/Jute Cord, thin

- Rubber-band

- Grey-board (cereal box cardboard)

- Decorative paper

- Glue

- Decorative scissors

Step 2: PREP FABRIC

Cut Flower Shapes

Follow Alisa's instructions [here] to cut each piece of fabric into the basic flower shape.

Add Glue to Burlap

Stipple a line of glue about 1/4"-1/2" from the edges to prevent fraying beyond the point you want it to fray.

Fray Fabric

Rub the edges of the fabric flower shapes to slightly fray the edges.

Follow my instructions for fraying the edges of the burlap as shown in Step 2 of this post.

Step 3: PREP FLOWER

Layer Fabric

With the burlap on the bottom, layer your fabric with the smallest one on top.

Attach Button

Flip your layered fabrics over.

Glue an ugly 1/2" button to the center of the back of the burlap.

Step 4: MAKE FLOWER

Wrap Rubber-band

Gather the layered fabrics around the button and wrap (or tie) a small rubber band beneath the button inside.

Note: I didn't have any small rubber-bands, so I cut a regular one in half and just tied it around the fabric; it worked fine!

Wrap Hemp/Jute

Wrap hemp/jute cording around the rubber-band until it's covered.

Tie and glue in place.

Step 5: FLATTEN BACK

Cut or punch a 1.5" circle of grey-board.

Open the fabric up and flatten.

Glue the grey-board circle to the back of the burlap.

Press firmly as it dries to make sure it actually flattens.

Step 6: MAKE BACK

Glue a 4.5" circle of decorative paper to a 4.5" circle of grey-board.

Once dry, use decorative scissors to trim the edges.

Step 7: ADD HANGER & BACK

Thread the ends of the hemp/jute cording through holes in the burlap (going from the front towards the back) as shown above.

Glue ends to the cardboard backing of the grey-board circle.

FINISHED!!

Thanks for reading!! Until next time...

Tutorial: Wooden Slat Tree Ornament

This tutorial will show how to make this mini "plank" tree ornament!!  This was so much fun to make and there are sooo many ways you can decorate this little tree!!

I actually attempted the Elmer's Glue crackle technique multiple times on this poor tree, but didn't have any success. I hope to figure it out and include it in a future tutorial though!! 

Inspiration

My inspiration for this project was this Planked, Rustic Christmas Tree over at Every Creative Endeavor.  I loved the rough  appearance of this tree and wanted to make an ornament version of it!!

Step 1: Gather Supplies

- Bass wood slats in various widths and thicknesses

- Wooden star

- Glue

- Acrylic craft paint

- 1/8" Satin ribbon

- Craft knife

Step 2: MAKE TREE BASE

Using your craft knife, cut a 4"-5" piece of bass wood for the trunk of the tree.

Cut a 1"-2" section of wood for the base.

Glue the star to the top and the base to the bottom of your "trunk".

Step 3: MAKE TREE

Plan Tree

Lay out various sizes of bass wood slats on top of your "trunk" as shown above.

Mark where you want to cut each piece using a pencil.

Cut Slats

Using your craft knife, cut each slat where you had marked.

Add "Branches"

Glue your wooden slats in place in order to make the branches of the tree.

Step 4: PAINT TREE

Paint Base Coat

Paint dark shades of the colors you eventually want your tree to be.

Paint Top Coat

Add a thin layer of lighter paint so the base coat peeks through.

Distress Paint

Using your preferred method, distress your tree.

Note: I just rubbed some Java Walnut Ink on mine.

Step 5: ADD RIBBON HANGER

Make a loop with your ribbon.

Glue ends to the back of your star.

FINISHED!!

Thanks for reading!!  Until next time...

My 1st Blog Award!!

Oh my goodness!!  I'm beyond excited to have actually received a blog award and I'm oh so grateful to Angi for giving it to me!!  In case you don't know, Angi is the amazingly talented designer, crafter, and blogger behind AKM designs & delights!!  Please be so kind as to check out her blog and all of her incredible projects and tutorials!!

Thank you Angi!!

I'm happy to follow the rules that go along with accepting this award and they are:

After accepting the Versatile Blogger Award, the blogger must: 

1. Thank the person who gave the award and link back to them in your post. 

2. Share seven things about yourself 

3. Pass this award along to 10 recently discovered blogs

So, seven things about me, this should be super easy!!

(1) I'm disabled.  I have a few genetic medical conditions that cause chronic pain and a bunch of strange symptoms that have forced me to stop working and many other things. It may even prevent me from blogging on some days, but I'll always come back!!

(2) I'm a proud Navy wife! My hubby is a Navy Chief and I couldn't be more proud of him!!  He's what keeps me going day-to-day.  I love you sweetie!!

(3) I have a 16-year-old cat. That means he's over 80 in kitty years!!  His kidneys are starting to fail, but he's still a very happy kitty!!

(4) My favorite craft supplies are ephemera, beads, and burlap.  I know, those are very different and random, but they're my current faves!!

(5) Beading brought me back to crafts. I went quite some time without crafting regularly, but when I discovered the joy of making beaded supplies and accessories, I was back!!

(6) I really enjoy blogging!! I enjoy the creative aspect of making crafts, writing posts, and editing photos. However, I also love the strict side of having a blogging schedule and using html code!!

(7) I love interacting with YOU!! One of the highlights of each day is getting your comments on my posts and e-mailing back and forth with you!!  Since I spend most of days alone with my cat, communicating with you makes me feel connected to "the outside world".  Thank you to everyone who has ever commented or e-mailed me in the past!!

Now to pass this award onto 10 blogs!!  How fun!! But it's also super difficult because I've found so many great blogs recently!!  Okay, here they are, in no particular order...

                    

           

                   

MegaCrafty

I just want to say thanks again to Angi at AKM designs & delights!!  This award really made my day!!

Thanks for reading!!  Until next time...