Making a Christmas Wreath

You can make a wreath with the trimmings from your Christmas tree.  It is much easier than you'd think, or at least than I thought.  All you need is a wire wreath frame, some floral tape and wire and your tree trimmings.

I got my wire wreath frame from JoAnn. I got a small one because I wanted it to hang from a small wreath stand, but you can get any size that you think will accommodate your trimmings.  By the way, they go a lot farther than you would think.

 

Use clippers to snip your trimmings into small, easy to work with pieces that you will attach to your wreath frame.  Try to snip them into symmetrical pieces that will blend nicely with others.  Place your trimmed branch onto the frame in the direction you want the branches to flow.  Wrap the floral wire around the bottom of the branch to affix it to the frame.

If you have a larger branch with a thicker stem, and it seems hard to get the stem to lay flat onto the wreath frame, wrap it with floral tape.  This will hold it tight and flat.  Continue to add branches all the way around until your wreath is complete.

That's it.  Add a bow with your favorite Christmas ribbon and you have a fresh pine wreath for your Christmas stash!

My Stash of Materials:

Wire wreath

Clippers

Christmas tree trimmings, or anything else

Floral wire

Floral tape

Christmas Card Display

I love getting Christmas cards.  During the entire month of December, I find myself racing to the mailbox to see what Christmas cards have come.  I love the pictures, the letters, the fancy cards and most of all, hearing from family and friends.  It's one of my favorite Christmas traditions.  Of course, I want to display my treasured cards, so I made a display. 

First, you need a frame.  I had a 20" x 24" frame I wasn't using, but honestly, it could be any size.  The bigger the frame, the more cards.  The smaller, the more the cards will be smashed together collage style. Mine are pretty smashed together, so if that isn't a look you like...go bigger.  Take note of where you'd like to hang it too.  I hung mine on our entry wall where our wedding picture usually hangs.  It barely fit in the space.  Another option is to lean it on a piece of furniture against a wall.  That would work perfect.

 

If your frame has the metal flaps that you bend over the backing to secure into place, you will need to bend them backwards, over the frame.  This way they won't catch anything.  I used a hammer to gently flatten mine.  

Next, you will need a staple gun and some jute.  Take a look at the frame and get an idea of how many strands of jute you'd like.  I did 4.  How they are spaced is entirely up to you.  You could space them so they fit each card perfectly.  If that is what you would like, then allow at least 7 1/2" of space.  This is the size of a standard Costco greeting card, which are usually the biggest.  If you prefer to have them all sort of blended together, just eyeball it.  Or you could always take the length of your frame opening, divide that by the number of jute lines you plan to use and then use a ruler to mark off where each jute line will be placed.  I chose the “eyeball it” plan. 

 

Tie a knot in the end of the jute and secure it to the frame with staple gun.  Place the staple on the jute so the knot is on the outside of the frame, then gently pull the jute so the knot butts up against the staple.  If necessary, tie a double knot so it can't pull through.

 

Pull your line across and staple the jute into place on the other side.  Pull it pretty tight.  When the weight of the cards is added, it will droop.  Now you clip the jute - with plenty to spare - and tie a knot as close to the staple as possible.

Repeat all the way down the frame.

 

Make sure you clip the ends of the jute so it doesn't hang off the sides when displayed.

 

Your Christmas Card Display is complete and ready to show off all the gems your family and friends send you.  At the end of the year, I like to punch a hole in all my cards and use a binder ring to make a little book.  I have every card I have ever been sent.  I keep them in a basket and bring it out every year.  It is fun to look back and the cards and see how families have changed.  Babies are born, kids get older, people get married, pets come into lives, even hair styles change!  I love adding Christmas cards to my Christmas stash.  

My Stash of Materials:

Frame of choice

Staple gun

Jute

Holiday Skirt

This holiday skirt is SO super simple to make and it's super fast, too. I have full plans to make one for every holiday.

Pick out your favorite holiday print. You will need about 1/2 yard. You will also need 1/2" braided elastic. You could use 1/4", or any other size, just adjust your waist band size as needed.

You're basically making a large rectangle. Measure your daughter’s waist and double it. This will give you the length of the rectangle. If you'd like the skirt to be extra scrunched up, add a little more to it. To get your length, measure down from your daughter’s waist to the point you'd like the skirt to hit. You will need to add to that to allow for seams. Add 1/2" for the bottom and 1" for the top. Using a dressmaker’s pencil, measure and mark your rectangle.

Next, you will want to press your seams into place. For the bottom, finger press a 1/4" fold across the fabric and then press. Roll the fold over itself creating another 1/4" seam and press. For the top, finger press a 1/4" fold then press. Fold a 3/4" seam and press into place. Fold your skirt in half, matching up the lengths to make sure they are even, if they're not, make adjustments to your seams now. If they don't match up now, they won't in your finished skirt either.

Pin both of your seams into place. Sew a straight line over the bottom. For the top you can use a zigzag or straight stitch, but make sure that you get it as close to the edge as possible.

Now you are ready to add your elastic. To get the right length, cut it 1 1/2" shorter than the length of the waist. To easily feed it through your waistband, use a safety pin. This will give you something to pull and work through the fabric.

Once you get it in and before you remove the safety pin, use a zigzag stitch to secure the elastic to the end of the opening of the waistband. Sew your stitch all the way to the edge.

Now pull the remaining end out and secure it the same.

Fold the skirt in half, right side in so that the skirt is inside out. Secure the hem using pins. It's important to do this, even if it looks like it would be easy and you don't need pins. The reason is because as you sew, the fabric will stretch and move slightly, and this will cause your ends to not match up, so do not skip this process. Once you have it secure, sew a 1/4" seam. Finish the seam off by running a zigzag stitch across the edge to prevent fraying.

Turn your skirt right side out and you have the perfect festive skirt for your daughter’s holiday stash. I made my son a matching bow tie - tutorial coming!

My Stash of Materials

Awesome Holiday Fabric
1/2" Braided Elastic
Thread

Burlap Silverware Pouch

These burlap silverware pouches are quick and easy, but make your tablescape look fabulous. Everyone raved about my table setting at Thanksgiving, if they only knew how easy it was!

I got my burlap from the clearance section at JoAnn. It has gold dots on it, which I could not pass up, but you can use plain, or any pattern you please.

Start by laying your silverware out on a piece of cardstock. You are going to create a pattern so that you make sure that your pouches are the correct size for your silverware. The measurements do not have to be perfect, I literally eyeballed it. When laying them out, the length will probably be perfect for the size of the paper, then use a ruler to draw a line making sure to leave enough room on both sides of the silverware to run a seam.

Next, use your ruler to make a second strip the same size. Hold that strip over the silverware and move it to the perfect place for the pocket to start. Mark that size and cut it. Use tape to attach it to the bottom of your long strip.

Next, use your pattern to trace onto the burlap the amount of pouches you need, then cut them out. I used a dressmakers marking pencil to trace my patterns.

Once you have your burlap pieces cut, iron them. Yes, you can iron burlap! It will be much easier to sew them, and they will look nicer.

Next, detach the small piece of the pattern you taped on. Use that as a guide to turn your burlap up and make a pocket. Sew a seam up both sides of the pocket. The perfect seam size is about 1/4 inch, but you can make it any size. I used gold thread in mine to go with my gold dots, but you could use a color that contrasts and matches the rest of your table décor.

Another option is to use tacky glue or hot glue. I ran out of gold thread and used tacky glue on the last two pouches. It worked perfect.

Your burlap silverware pouches are ready to be added to your tablescape stash!

My Stash of Materials:

Burlap
Thread
Tacky Glue

Vampire Bites

When I was a kid, mom's would bring in incredible homemade creations for class parties and I always had it in my head that I would do the same. I had heard talk through friends with older kids that you could no longer bring food into the class for your kid’s birthday. What I didn't realize, until my daughter started school, is that you cannot bring homemade food at all. At first I was horrified! It was the death of the bake sale. I couldn't imagine someone thinking that packaged processed food would be better than a homemade wholesome creation. I called my girlfriend to tell her about this appalling travesty happening in the schools. She said, “Well, think of it like this: did the person making these homemade treats wash their hands? Use fresh ingredients? Were they sick? Did they lick their fingers, or the spoon?” GAG!

Touché, my friend. I am now a supporter of prepackaged food in the classroom. I will have to find something else to do with all those clever holiday treat ideas I pinned. But for our class's upcoming Halloween party, I wanted to think of a way to bring homemade into the mix. I made these Vampire Bites to share with the class instead of cookies. It was very simple and I am sharing my PDF for the labels with you.

You can pick up vampire teeth at the 99 Cent Store, Target or any place that sells Halloween stuff. The small treat bags are available at JoAnn. I used Wilton treat bags, but any bag the right size will do.

Print out my Vampire Bites PDF, and make sure you print it onto cardstock. Regular paper would be too flimsy for this. If you wanted to, you could use colored paper. I used white because I love all things black and white.

Vampire Bites PDF

Cut the labels out. There are three labels per sheet. Cut a line across the bottom leaving the same size white margin that is printed along the top. Then make two cuts down the columns directly in the center of each column. This should leave you with three rectangle-shaped labels containing two dotted-edged boxes. You will then fold the card in half, creating a tent. Only one dotted box should show on each side. Place the vampire teeth in the baggy and slide the baggy between the tent. Staple it shut, twice.

Now you have Vampire Bites for your classroom party stash! They're also good for getting "Boo'd."

My stash of materials:

Cardstock

Wilton Treat Bags

Halloween Sugar Skull Masks

Recently we went on a camping trip with friends. I took to Pinterest in search of Halloween themed crafts for the kids and found the perfect thing from Yucca Flats, NM. They have an amazing Sugar Skull coloring page you can download here. The kids colored their masks, cut them out and then we added elastic. It kept the kids busy for a long time and they enjoyed wearing their masks for the rest of the trip!

It's the perfect Halloween craft for your holiday stash.

Halloween Trick or Treat Bags

Halloween is SO MUCH MORE FUN with kids. I love it. It’s my new favorite holiday- type of love. I never truly appreciated fall for all its warmth and magic, but I have seen the light. I love the costume creations, the pumpkins, the crafts, the feeling, the food, the decorations - it's all so magical! Have you discovered Pandora Halloween Party Radio? It is a blast. My kids and I listen to it for hours on end and never stop dancing. It will rock your socks off with fun creepy songs. I especially love when they play the theme song from Disney's haunted house. In fact, it's playing right now and I can't help but feel giddy!

Last year I made the kids their own personalized trick-or-treat bags. I wanted to share a tutorial on how to make your own. I don't have many action shots, but you will get the gist.

I purchased two black canvas totes from Jo-Ann. You can use any tote. I made letter appliqués to put their names on them. You can see a tutorial here on how to do that. I used the exact same technique to make the ghosts too. I just sketched a ghost for this, but you could always Google some Halloween clip-art to get a stencil to use. You're looking for very basic shaped images that will transfer into an appliqué easily - nothing with intricate detail.

For the trim, I pinned the pompom fringe in place and ran a zigzag stitch over it with the sewing machine. The problem here is that the thread that matches the fringe can be seen from the inside, and when you are sewing over a bumpy trim, it doesn't always look pretty. So, to cover this up, I just got black cross-grain ribbon and found fusible web tape (double sided) that was the same size (or a little smaller) than the ribbon. I ironed it on over the stitch the same way as I apply the appliqués. However, you will want to use a thin cloth between the iron and the ribbon to keep the ribbon from melting.

To create a clean edge where the ribbon meets, turn the ribbon under and make a fold, then match the other end to that. Place the fusible tape under the folded under side to secure it. You could also just cut the ends to match perfectly and run a lighter quickly over the cut ends to melt and prevent fraying. This should create a clean, secure cover that blends with the color of the bag.

Now you have personalized trick-or-treat bags for your Halloween stash!

My Stash of Materials:

Canvas Tote

Felt

Pompom Fringe

Cross Grain Ribbon

Double Sided Fusible Web Tape

Letter Appliqué's

My daughter started Kindergarten this year. It is so exciting and she is loving this new adventure. I have taken on the official title of Room Mom, which of course leads to tons of projects that I love to do. My first order of business as Room Mom was to create a travel bag for the class mascot, Busy, the Brown Bear. Busy is a stuffed bear and he gets to go home with a new student each week. The teacher purchased a cute burlap bag from Trader Joes that fit the little guy perfectly. My job was to cover the Trader Joes logo and make it feel like a home for a bear.

Incidentally, some of the other Room Moms directed me to Pinterest to obtain a fabulous teacher survey created by Life Sweet Life, which every Room Mom needs. It's a cute little survey that asks for the teachers’ favorites, making gift giving ultra easy. Plus, I shared it with the families in the classroom in case anyone was looking to be teacher's pet. I wanted to share it with you and you can download it here.

Going back to Busy's bag, I basically covered the Trader Joe's logo with fabric and made a design on top of that. I used felt for the design and hand sketched a tree I then used for a stencil. I used iron-on adhesive to adhere the felt pieces to the fabric. I attached the fabric to the bag using tacky glue.

But now I needed to add Busy's moniker to the bag. I did this by making custom letter appliqués. Using Microsoft Word you can create your own stencil. It is very easy and only a few steps.

Step 1 - Choose your font. You will want to use block letters for the best result. When choosing a font, think about what it would be like to cut out. If you are looking at a font that uses a thin line anywhere in the letter, it won't work. Some great block letter fonts available in word are:

Arial Black
Britanic Bold
Franklin Gothic Heavy
Gills Sans Ultra Bold
Playbill
Rockwell Extra Bold

For this project I used Arial Black, which is my go to font. You could also download a font. My favorite place to get fonts is dafont.com.

Step 2 - Choose your size. Make sure it's big enough to get your scissors around. To get a good idea of size, print a test piece and hold it up to the item you will be attaching the letters to.

Step 3 - Highlight your text and select the font dropdown menu. It's located at the top menu bar directly to the right of the word "font" found in the blue bar. It is a little box with an arrow pointing down to the right. Click that.

Step 4 - Once the font box opens, select "outline" located in the center under "effects."

Step 5 - Print. I like to print stencils onto cardstock as it's much easier to trace. Paper tends to bunch and move.

Step 6 - Cut out letters.

Now you have your stencils ready to go. Note, there is no need to cut out more than one of a particular letter. You can just reuse the stencil.

Once you have your stencils, you can prep your material or felt. Follow the directions on your iron-on adhesive to attach one side to your material or felt. If you are using material, it is best to iron it first so that a crease doesn't end up making a fold in your fabric.

I used Heat n Bond for this project and it worked great, although I did have to apply extra heat time. This is because I was using felt, which is thick and harder for the heat to pass through. I used "lite" and probably would have got better results from something heavier; however, it did work and I had it on hand.

Now you should have a paper backing on your material that you can trace your stencils onto. Make sure you turn your letters upside down. If you trace them right side up, when you cut them out and turn them over, they will be upside down.

Once you cut out your letters, you can place them where you want them and follow the directions of the iron-on adhesive to attach them. Something to note is that if you create felt letters you MUST use a cloth between the felt and the iron.

Once your letters have cooled, they will be permanently attached. Depending on the project and the look I am going for, sometimes I run the sewing machine over the edges with a zigzag stitch. This is particularly good for clothing items that will be washed. It helps to keep the edge of the material from raveling, and as time goes on, the adhesive could wear, and it will keep the letters right where they are supposed to be.

Now you have letter appliqués to add to your stash!

My Stash of Materials:

Felt Pieces or Fabric

Iron - On Adhesive