Christmas Decorations: A Handmade Holiday

My sister and I are obsessed with Christmas. It’s pretty ridiculous, actually. But, neither of us had a lot of money this year, so we devised a plan to decorate our apartment for cheap! We spent less than $30 on new decorations/supplies. Everything else we had on-hand. Here are some photos:

These are two wreaths I made using vintage milk bottle caps, some flowers/leaves from Prima and some gems (oh, and a heckulva lot of hot glue).

Here’s our Christmas tree. It’s an artificial one because Em had it already and we didn’t want to spend money on a real one this year. A third of our ornaments are handmade. Some are vintage (we got to raid Grandpa’s stash) and some are new. We used bead strands instead of garland. The countdown to Santa was a Secret Santa gift I got last year. It’s adorable. Next year, I need to buy or make an Advent calendar (after all, Jesus is the reason for the season). Then, at the foot of our tree next to the presents is a wine bottle light. I got it at a craft fair last year, but it would be super easy to make one yourself – it’s an empty wine bottle (I have plenty laying around here), put a short strand of Christmas lights in the bottle and decorate the neck of the bottle with ribbon, wraffia, and other little trinkets. Next year, I’m making a bunch of them!

I also wanted to make a Christmas banner. I’ve just recently started making banners and They are ohhhh-so-fun. I mostly use items from some Kenner Road kits, but also included some of my scrappy stash and vintage treasures. Here are some close-ups:

Let’s not forget about paper chains. Who says they’re just for kids? I used cardstock and papers from Cosmo Cricket and a fabulous transparency from Hambly. I included three li’l “ornaments” that fell from the swoops of the chain. Each one is circular and has a vintage milk bottle cap, a button, a felt shape and a gem.

There were plenty of other decorations, but I don’t have pictures of it all. Hope you had a fabulous Christmas. Happy New Year!

Fashion Forward Wall Hanging

I am the August Guest Designer for Vintage Plum, an online scrapbooking kit club. Here’s one of my projects with the Fashion Forward kit, along with the blog post I made for them.

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When I received the Fashion Forward Kit in the mail last week, I KNEW I wanted to make some type of wall hanging with it. I just love vintage and the colors match my living room/entryway.

I wasn’t sure what kind of base I wanted to use, so I stopped at Michael’s. I found this little wooden mosaic holder for less than $2 and knew right away what I would do with it! I painted it white, then used some crackle paint glaze and topped it off with black paint. The result? An awesome, distressed home for a collage!

The crackle paint technique gave it a wonderful, shabby feel.

I used some of the Graphic 45 papers and die cuts for background papers, along with part of the Luxe rubons. Don’t be afraid to cut up those border rubons! You’ll get more use out of them that way!!!

Then, I cut out a dress form from the Vintage Plum paper, layered it with foam tape and inked edged cardstock. I layered this on top of one of the Hambly frames to make it look like the dressform was in front of a mirror.

I cut out one of the ladies from the Graphic 45 paper, and along with a couple of flowers and added a star Jenni Bowlin sticker from the alphas sheet.

To create a way to hang it up, I used a tiny drill bit to make a hole, then used some thin floral wire along with some ribbon to finish it off.

Sneak Peek: August’s Vintage Plum Kit

Thank you all for helping me be chosen as Vintage Plum’s August Guest Designer. I am so excited and can’t wait to share all my projects with you.

There’s a great sneak peek up on the blog, so make sure you check it out! Vintage Plum’s kits are just $26.99 and include only 100% USA made products. YAY !

Vintage Plum: All Buttoned Up Necklace

I was selected as a finalist for Vintage Plum’s August Guest Designer contest… for my “Style is what you make it” layout.

The challenge for the finalists was to create some jewelry. Here’s what I did:

To see how I made it or to vote for my necklace so I can be the August Guest Designer, please visit Vintage Plum! Thank you!!!

Getting Framed

Here are a few pictures of a frame I made last week. It’s full of vintage goodies. Most of the items are from Kenner Road. Products used are from Pink Paislee, Maya Road, Tim Holtz, Jenni Bowlin and Prima.

I’ve been scrapbooking

It has been ages since I did some good ol’ fashioned traditional scrapbooking. This weekend, I decided to give it a try again… and it was so much fun!

Journaling:
All I wanted to do was give you a bath. I knew you didn’t like water and should have made sure all the dishes were away from the kitchen sink. You freaked out and knocked some dishes into the bathwater. A steak knife fell to the bottom of the sink and you stepped on it, slicing the webbing all the way to the pad of your little foot. You yelped and I got worried. It wouldn’t stop bleeding. I couldn’t stop crying, but you were so brave. We had to take you to the doggie emergency room and you underwent surgery. You were such a brave boy, my little Gizzy. To this day, I will not forget the look you gave me — one that said “Mommy, what did you do to me?” I will never forgive myself for not protecting you from harm. Thank you for still loving me with your sweet, precious hugs and teeny, tiny kisses.

Credits: Kenner Road Kit Club, Sassafras Lass, Pink Paislee, October Afternoon, Crate Paper

credits:
Kenner Road Kit Club, Sassafras Lass, October Afternoon, Crate Paper

credits:
Kenner Road Kit Club, Pink Paislee, October Afternoon, Crate Paper, Sassafras Lass, My Mind’s Eye

Mother’s Day Card

I know Mother’s Day has come and gone, but I just realized I never shared a picture (or two) of the Mother’s Day card I made this year. I’ve been so busy working on different projects, I often forget to take pictures of them. Shame on me. I need to be better at that!

The card says, “Mom you are in a class of your own.”

Credits:
Kenner Road Kit Club, Making Memories, Pink Paislee, Prima, Maya Road

Eco-Friendly Coffee Cozies

Lately, while I’ve been watching TV or relaxing, I’ve been doing some knitting. I have created a couple of knitting patterns for coffee cozies/sleeves. They’re perfect for to-go cups, so you don’t need to use the cardboard sleeves they give you at starbucks. Plus, they’re pretty darn cute.

I’ve added a few to my Artfire and Etsy shops. Check them out!

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Eco-Friendly Knitted Coffee Cozy/Sleeve

My loyal readers reader probably know(s) that I’m a bit crafty and also passionate about going green. Now I’ve combined the two with my Starbucks addiction!

I knitted this coffee cozy over the weekend. Isn’t it cute? It fits any Starbucks to-go cup perfectly and is reusable.

So, I won’t have to use the cardboard sleeves anymore!

I’m hoping to get a few more done this week and then I’ll be posting them in my Artfire and Etsy shops! I’m also working on a couple variations on this pattern…

I’ve been crafty

I’ve been a little crafty lately and have been VERY lax in updating my blog. Lots going on in my personal and professional lives but that is no excuse!

Here are some sneak peeks at some goodies I’ve made recently:

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