DIY crafts

November 22, 2011 3 Comments

Thanksgiving placecard ideas

I love placecards at Thanksgiving dinner. Mostly because that way I can make sure I’m the closest person to my mom’s cornbread dressing! {wink} Here are a few simple and lovely ideas for your adult Thanksgiving table:

Rustic branch & glitter placecards from Tatortots & Jello
Leaf placecards from Martha Stewart
Corn inspired placecards from Censational Girl
Touch of wheat placecard from DIY and FYI with free printable

And the kiddos have to have some fun too!

Mayflower placecard on Parents
Turkey crayon holder from Pottery Barn Kids
Pom pom turkeys from The Celebration Shoppe; Yep, mine from two years ago
Turkey leg from Fiskars

I hope your planning is going well and as always, I hope you’re inspired to craft, bake and create!

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DIY punch design gift bags

Yesterday I mentioned that I teamed up with All You magazine on a holiday savings article and that we were giving away FREE printable gift tags and recipe cards.

Today I’m sharing my craft for the article. I wanted to share an idea that would be adorable, easy and of course, inexpensive. I personally like to give little “happy” gifts to my sons’ teachers, our neighbors, and a number of others who make an impact in our lives throughout the year, but it can get pricey. So I bake! This year I’m going to make our favorite, no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies (so yummy when warm) and I’ve added a peppermint twist.

For the packaging we’ve designed recipe cards and holiday tags (both can be personalized right in the document before printing) and I got a bit crafty too! I embellished white lunch bags and inserted a gusseted cello to keep my goodies fresh and to keep the bag crisp.

You’ll need white lunch bags (picked mine up at Target), gusseted cello bags (picked mine up at Target), a hole punch (this one is a Martha Stewart punch that I picked up for 40% off at JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores, it has three hole sizes to choose from!) and ribbon or twine (this twine is from the Martha Stewart collection too).

Here’s how:

Fold the bottom of your bag down on both sides so that you don’t punch through it
Punch a simple design (Christmas lights, snowflakes, ornaments, Christmas tree) on a self-healing mat if you have one (if not, grab a piece of wood or other hard surface you don’t mind scarring) ~ I recommend placing it near the bottom of the bag if your treats are short
Bag your treats and insert them into the lunch bag
Download our free tags and recipe cards
Personalize them with your name and your recipe, print, cut and give!

And here are a few other punch ideas: Tall ornament (like the one on our design) and

a Christmas tree.

And the best part, this adorable Christmas packaging will cost you less than $.40 per gift! Check out this issue of All You magazine for more wonderful savings ideas this holiday season!

As always, I hope you’re inspired to craft, bake and create!

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DIY jingle bell bracelet

I love jingle bells at Christmas! When I was in grade school I actually got in trouble for putting them on my shoestrings. Not that I was a fidgety child or anything! {wink} So when I saw these beautiful red jingle bells at JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores I had to pick up a bag and make myself a bracelet.

Of course little ones ran off with it after I jingled them into giggles. They eventually gave it back and I plan on wearing it on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. (It’s a great way to make them think Santa’s on the roof! His reindeer always have bells on their reins, right!)

I thought it also a great idea for kiddos to make as Christmas gifts for moms or moms to make as gifts for their little girls. Here’s how!

You’ll need a few supplies: jingle bells, thin elastic and ribbon.

Measure or estimate wrist size and then thread your bells. I alternated large, medium and small.

Next cut equal lengths of various coordinating ribbon and tie them on to fill in the spaces. It’s that easy!

As always, I hope you’re inspired to craft, bake and create!

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DIY circus crayon favors

Today I’ve asked the talented Bird’s Party to share her super cute and fabulously DIY circus crayon favors with us.

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Homemade crayons make fun and economical party favors for any age, and it’s a great use for all those broken crayons lying around the house! I made these for my kid’s Big Top Circus birthday party!

What you’ll need:

Wax crayons
Craft knife
Clean, empty and dry can
Chocolate molds (mine is a Wilton’s)
Cello bags
Favor bag topper

And here are the easy steps:

If your crayons have paper labels, take them off with a craft knife. Simply score down the length of each crayons and the paper comes off easily (NOT a job for kids!)
Break up the crayons into equal pieces so they melt evenly, and place them into the can. You can use similar shades of one color or mix crayon colors for a groovy effect!
Place the can in the oven on how heat (about 100 degrees) until melted.
Pour the melted wax carefully into the molds until level and let it set in the fridge. (NOTE: Molds cannot be reused for edible items!)
Once cooled, remove the crayons carefully from the mold, place them into a cello bag and add a topper.

Cute, right?

Thanks you so much Kim for having me!

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You can visit Bird at Bird’s Party blog for more circus party ideas! And as always, I hope you’re inspired!

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DIY monster pedestal jars

I shared our new Trick or Treat Halloween party collection weeks ago (blog post, collection in the shoppe) and I mentioned that my monster pedestal candy jars were my favorite craft project. And this morning I’m going to tell you how I made them. It’s super easy!

You’ll need glass glue, sharp scissors (these are Martha Stewart brand), black vinyl (I picked mine up at Hobby Lobby),

candle stick holders from the dollar store and you may even get lucky and find your glass jars there. I picked all of mine up at a nearby Dollar Tree with the exception of the Jack-o-Lantern bowl. It’s a bit larger and I picked it up at Target. And last but not least, you’ll need lots of candy! You may recognize my orange gumballs, green and white sixlets and mini marshmallows from my DIY monster cello bag treats in Monday’s post. They were left overs. {grin}