Easy holiday gift that they will actually use. This tutorial or recipe is for a Peppermint scented Bath Scrub. This tutorial comes with a free printable too. Check it out here.… Read More...
Who says you need a computer to learn code? I love this simple idea from Left Brain Craft Brain to use binary code and red and white pony beads to make coded candy canes.
This easy project uses materials … Read More...
This toilet roll Santa is a cute DIY Christmas ornament idea for kids. Kids will love this Santa craft so much that they will want to make so many of them to hang on their Christmas trees. You can also … Read More...
This Dark Hot Chocolate Float is filled with rich dark hot chocolate, a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream, & topped with 3 sauces! What isn’t there to love about this recipe? Perfect for a little self love and self … Read More...
Whether your tree is already decked or you’re still looking for a few special ornaments or decorations for your holiday home, you’ll want to check out these pretty cross stitch snowflake ornaments from Made to Treasure.
These remind me of … Read More...
I have a friend who did some holiday photos with her sweetie and they are both wearing plaid earflap hats. It might have been the thing to push me over the edge of thinking that earflap hats are actually cute, … Read More...
While the iron in my laundry room gets zero use, the one in my sewing room gets used almost every day. All that use can create build-up and gunk on the bottom! There are lots of ways you can clean … Read More...
OK, now this is an over-the-top fun and festive Ugly Christmas Sweater! You could take even just one of these elements and go crazy with your sweater project. Pop on over to the blog The Mommy Promotion for the tutorial … Read More...
This handmade craft tutorial is for a festive Christmas candle. This DIY candle project is made using Cinnamon, Oarange and clove essential oils. I haven’t tried this candle recipe yet, but I can already tell it will smell amazing and … Read More...
I came across this article by Hautestock.co on how to create cohesive graphics and wanted to share it with you. It not only has a written guide but there are loads of video tutorials to help you as well. I … Read More...
Brandy from Gluesticks shows how you can sew a pair of pajama pants without using a pattern. Instead of a paper pattern, you can use a pair of pants that fit your child as a guide. This method eliminates some … Read More...
Stamp up and die cut some fun gift tags for your holiday presents this year. Nina-Marie has 5 amazing gift tags ideas many with great interactive elements like a shaker tag, one with a door that opens, a pocket tag … Read More...
There’s always so much to do and keep track of during the Holidays. Get organized and don’t miss a thing with this DIY Christmas planner. Eileen covered a small journal with pattern papers, a frame with photo and embellishments to … Read More...
I was looking for ideas for my kids class to make for gifts and I decided it’ll be holders – cell phone holders, ring dishes… that sort of thing. Here’s one straight forward tutorial(English translation) of sorts … Read More...
12 months, 12 squares, and lots of fun tapestry designs. The 2018 Tapestry Square Afghan Project is going to be a fun way to try out the technique and make a fun blanket by December.
Colder temperatures means warm beverages … Read More...
Sew a cute little Christmas gnome to sit on a shelf or mantel! This guy is so cute with his tall gnome hat and long gnome beard – and that funny little pom pom nose! Caroline from Sew Can She … Read More...
I love the intense inked backgrounds with snow and the glittering hill and trees on these lovely scene cards from Angelica. Using the same design but changing the sentiments and background from blue to pink has added a whole other … Read More...
Who doesn’t love a good love holiday movie? In addition to the old classics each year Hallmark returns with new Christmas movies, fun, romantic and yes, maybe a bit cheesy but these movies bring all the feels and so many … Read More...
A turban headband is easy to sew from knit fabric. Sew It’s Made has a tutorial showing how, and includes cutting directions to make them in sizes Newborn to Adult. It’s a great way to use scraps of knit fabric … Read More...
A forest of mini Christmas trees in different sizes can make a great mantel or shelf decoration. These little trees hold a lot of potential. They can also be used in gift decorations, card making or as an ornament for … Read More...
This DIY candle is made using beeswax. You could create this candle by using soy wax or paraffin. The detail is in the embellishments to make it look like a snowman candle. These DIY candles are perfect for Christmas gift … Read More...
These ornaments look like they’ve got pretty floral designs painted on the outside, but they’re actually motifs fussy cut from floral fabric. Bev from Flamingo Toes has a tutorial showing how to make them. You can use any kind of … Read More...
Such an easy Christmas craft that you can knock up in an hour. The key to making this Christmas craft stand out, is the frame. Find a vintage frame at a thrift store or Nanna’s house. You can see the … Read More...
Penguin images are great for Christmas and Holiday cards but you can get even more use out of them by adding them to winter season birthdays, anniversaries and more. How much fun are these cards from Yana? She’s sharing 3 … Read More...
This post is sponsored by Plaid Enterprises.
The holiday season is getting closer and closer, so we’re all about coming up with the very best DIY gifts for all our friends and family. Some people can be especially tricky to shop or even craft for, so today we’re putting a handmade spin on a classic gift: framed photos!
Adding these handpainted details onto your photos really couldn’t be easier! We opted for this adorable pet photos, but you can absolutely deck out any photo you like: family photos, landscapes, whatever! For this technique, we used Folk Art’s Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Paint on the inside of the glass itself versus painting directly onto the photos. By applying the paint this way, we found that the patterns had a sharper and cleaner look with no visible texture or brushstrokes. To see the full tutorial, as well as a few helpful tips & tricks, keep reading!
Step 1
Start by tracing the outline of your main focus (in our case, the pets) in pencil on the back of the photo. It helps if you can hold the photo up to a window or light source when doing this.
Alternately, if you don’t want such an outlined pattern, you can skip this step and go with a more freestyle approach.
Step 2
Open up the back of your picture frame, removing the back panel and glass. Place the photo into the empty frame and put the glass on top so that you can see the back of the photo through, as shown above. Pick out a paint color and begin applying your pattern in the area outside the lines. For this one we made small brushstrokes, but you can do any pattern you like: polka dots, stars, stripes, you name it. Once the entire outside area is covered in the pattern, let dry completely. Depending on your pattern, you might want to apply a second coat to make it even bolder.
These are the other two patterns we made – polka dots in pink and white, and more blue brushstrokes.
Step 3
Once dry, remove the glass the glass and photo from the frame and replace the glass making sure that the painted side is facing the back, not the front, of the frame. Then put the photo on top of the glass as you normally would, and close the back of the frame up.
And your handpainted frames are ready to display!
Happy crafting!!
If you’ve got some hand drawings or doodles you’ve done yourself or maybe someone has done for you Mandee will show you how you can turn them into die cut files. You can use them on scrapbook pages, greeting cards … Read More...
These adorable Nutter Butter Reindeer are fun to make with the kids and oh so cute! Since you start with a Nutter Butter cookie, half the work is already done. So easy to make and a great Christmas time treat … Read More...
This DIY should be featured because it focuses on a different jewelry technique (recycling). My jewelry technique shows people how to take used denim and turn it into wearable jewelry (neck choker).
No melting, pouring or measuring is required to make this soap . This is the easiest DIY kids soap to make! Hide a small toy inside for this fun snowball surprise soap! What a fun little project for kids of … Read More...
As a coffee drinker, I think a cup of coffee always makes a nice gift. Staci from Crafty Staci has a tutorial for making a cute Santa belt coffee cozy that would make a great Christmas gift for friends or … Read More...
This is a great keepsake and tradition to do every year with every Christmas Tree. When you go to pick out your Christmas tree just ask that they cut a slice of the stump off… put your child’s handprint and … Read More...
This Hazelnut Caramel Hot Chocolate is the perfect hot drink recipe to warm you up this fall & holiday season!
This is how hot chocolate should be enjoyed! The perfect indulgent treat for yourself. No seriously, don’t share with anyone.… Read More...
Japanese Creations is a Japanese arts and crafts experience creator offering unique
Japanese crafts and courses. With all materials hand-selected in Japan to assure
authenticity, Japanese Creations shares traditional Japanese heritage through
treasured crafts.
Chigiri-e is a Japanese-style paper collage … Read More...
Japanese Creations is a Japanese arts and crafts experience creator offering unique
Japanese crafts and courses. With all materials hand-selected in Japan to assure
authenticity, Japanese Creations shares traditional Japanese heritage through
treasured crafts.
Chirimen is the Japanese name for … Read More...
This Embroidery tutorial is for Lazy Daisy Hydrangeas. The tutorial comes with a video to guide you as you learn Embroidery stitches. The tutorial also has written stitching instructions as well as access to an Embroidery kit. The full tutorial … Read More...
If you don’t have a candle burning then is it really Christmas eve? This tutorial is for a floating festive Christmas candle. The Cranberries really bring out the holiday feel. Check out the full tutorial here.… Read More...
This is a good way to repurpose a silver plate tray and turn it into Christmas décor that you can use year after year. This has to be one of the most elegant countdown calendars I have ever seen. If … Read More...
If a sweater gets much wear, eventually it’s gonna get a hole. You get a snag, and that gets pulled and eventually you’ve got a hole. Heather from Heather Handmade shows how you can mend a hole in a sweater. … Read More...
How cute is this Mama Bear die cut? It would be great to make a shirt, car decal or card to give to a great mom. It’s FREE to download from Free Pretty Things for You.
Click here (scroll all … Read More...
This post is sponsored by Mixbook.
Now that the holiday season is upon us, you know what that means: Christmas cards! Getting happy mail is the best any time of year, but it’s especially fun around the holidays. We love finding simple but beautiful ways to display cards from our friends & family, so today we’re sharing how to make Christmas card displays.
Funnily enough, we realized all three ways all start with the letter P: pegboard, Putz houses, and pajaki! Depending on what space you’re using to display your Christmas cards, each of these three projects has a different benefit. The pegboard is great if you have a larger spot to fill right on the wall, or cut it smaller and set it on a shelf ledge. The mini Putz houses can be arranged all together on a windowsill as a group, or spread out on multiple surfaces around the house. And the pajaki is great if you’re looking for a statement piece to hang over a table, or anywhere really.
We’ve teamed up with Mixbook to share a look at their brand new holiday cards this year! Completely customizable, designing your family’s cards has never been easier. Take a look for yourself at Mixbook’s Christmas card designs. We had so much fun browsing their selection and it really gets you in the holiday spirit!
Keep reading for the instructions for each of the holiday card displays below.
Step 1
Begin by setting the outer hoops from both embroidery hoops aside – you won’t need them for this project – so that you’re just working with the smooth inner hoops. Cut two pieces of embroidery thread each about 24” long. Tie each of the four ends to the larger hoop at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions.
Take another piece of thread (length depending on where you’ll be hanging your pajaki) and tie one end of it around the point where the other two threads cross. If you keep this knot a little loose, then you’ll be able to easily adjust the hoop and strings so that everything hangs nice and straight.
Note: We ended up doing this step using pom pom garland for an even more festive look – see below for instructions on how to make this.
Step 2
On another piece of embroidery thread, use a needle to pierce through pom poms, forming a sort of garland. We used a mix of red and pink ones for a festive look, but you can use whatever colors you like. This pom pom garland will be used to connect the smaller hoop to the larger one, so you’ll need about 40” total which you can cut into four 10” pieces.
Step 3
Tie the end of one pom pom garland to the smaller hoop. Do the same with the other three pieces, again tying to the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions.
Step 4
Tie the other ends of each of the four pom pom garlands to the larger hoop, lining them up with the existing threads on it. If you’re having trouble keeping everything even at this step, we recommend hanging the pajaki so that you can work with it off the table. You can also use tape to temporarily attach the garlands and adjust everything to make it as even as possible before tying.
Step 5
Once everything is tied, it’s time to glue on the mini clothespins. We used 8 in total for our pajaki – on the larger hoop, we placed them evenly between each of the knots, and then on the smaller hoop we hot glued them right onto the knots. This way, the cards will be staggered when you attach them.
Step 6
Time to decorate! We used a glue gun to attach this silver tinsel trim along the outside of each hoop. You can get creative with this and use more pom poms, tassels, jingle bells, or whatever you like, to dress up the hoops.
Your pajaki is all ready to hang!
Step 1
Begin by warming the FIMO clay in your hands and rolling it out on your work surface. We like to work on the shiny side of freezer paper for this to reduce dust, but you could also work on a ceramic tile or similar. Roll the clay so that it’s about ¼” thick and cut out two of each of the gingerbread house shapes. One package of FIMO clay should be enough for two complete houses, so cut out as many as you like.
Step 2
To adapt this gingerbread house into a card holder, you’ll need to cut a slit into the two roof panels as shown.
Put all your clay shapes onto a foil-lined pan and following the directions on the package, bake the shapes in the oven until done. Let cool completely.
Step 3
Once cool, assemble the bottoms of the houses using E6000 glue. Make sure to do this in a well-ventilated area, again following all directions on the glue’s package.
Note: Regular hot glue, white glue, or similar don’t work well with FIMO clay, especially for structural pieces like these but E6000 or a similar super glue are a good bet.
Step 4
In the same way that you assembled the base of each house, assemble the roofs as well – we mixed and matched the colors. When gluing these in place, make sure that the slot on the top lines up nicely. Let glue dry.
Step 5
If you’d like to add snow onto the roofs, we brushed on a coat of Mod Podge making sure to get top and sides of the roof.
Step 6
Press the roof into the fake snow or jumbo glitter so that all sides of the roof are covered. Let dry.
Arrange your miniature Putz houses into a little neighborhood and place a card into each one.
Step 1
Squeeze some paint onto a paper plate and apply onto the front side of the pegboard. Make sure to cover your work surface because the paint may leak through the pegboard holes. Use a small brush to get the inside of the holes if you like, or simply to prevent drips from forming blocking the holes. Let dry.
Step 2
Use a hole punch to make holes in the corner of each card. The simplest way to do this is to simply punch a hole on one side and let the card hang that way. If you’d like a more tidy and square look, as shown in the photos, punch the first hole in one corner and then hold the card up to the pegboard. With a pencil (or your finger) mark the spot where the second hole should be so that it matches the pegboard holes. Punch the hole and repeat on the remaining cards.
Arrange the pegs into the board and hang your cards!
Which of these three methods is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below! Don’t forget to check out the beautiful holiday card designs Mixbook has to offer this holiday season.
Happy crafting!
If you’re a homebody like me you enjoy just staying at home, hanging out and relaxing. Sheree designed a great scrapbook page sharing the joy of just staying at home.
Visit the Kerri Bradford blog for a closer look.
-Heather… Read More...
This fun mini poinsettia wreath tutorial works with all sorts of holiday decor – change up your picks or embellishments accordingly – as Jessa of the Sparkle Living blog commented. She also remarked to be careful to use the same … Read More...
With our kids grown up and moved out, I don’t want to put up a big Christmas tree but I don’t want to be a Grinch either. So I made this Christmas tree shelf that can be hung on the … Read More...
What better way to get in the Christmas spirit than with this free Christmas colouring page? It features hand-drawn illustrations of mittens, Christmas stockings, winter foliage, and phrases.… Read More...
Simple fudge recipe with a fun way to decorate it to look like your favorite emojis! You might recall my daughter had an Emoji party last year (you can see the blog post here) I wish I had … Read More...
These mini embroidery hoop designs make the cutest ornaments to hang on your tree! The design is by Bev from Flamingo Toes, and she’s got a free pattern for you on her blog. They’re made from bits of felt and … Read More...
Florals are really popular right now for Christmas cards. You can use flowers that bloom this time of year or simply use traditional holiday colors on regular floral stamps.
I love the bold pop of red flowers on this card … Read More...
Bea wanted to keep track of all the fun things she wanted to get done this Fall. So she made a wonderful journal page including a bucket list of things to do. And to keep track of the things in … Read More...
This paw pillow makes a cute bedding accent for kids and tweens! It’s fun to make and the pillows are adorable! Sew Cute Patterns has a tutorial showing how to make one. Made from fleece, they’re soft to snuggle and … Read More...
