Christmas tags

Homemade Christmas tags

I like to make my own tags for my gifts each year.

These are the things that make it easier:

Craft punches make my job so much easier so I am not tracing and cutting out my shapes. I also have circles and square punches for other shapes. A glue stick comes in handy for this project as well as a hole punch. I like to use two different sizes of each shape so I can layer them. I have several stamps I can use but for tags and cards. I usually just stamp "to: from:" on the back of the tags and don't forget the ink for the stamps. I usually look for some cute stickers to use for these.

I made two cards and all these tags from two packages of stickers I found at Michaels for $2.00 each.

I stamped the inside of the cards with "Merry Christmas". I used the gift tags on my co-workers gifts as well as a few others.

They went really well on the snowman mugs filled with marshmallows and chocolate dipped spoons I gave out.

If you don't see what your looking for - just make it yourself.

Homemade butterfinger bars

Another Pinterest recipe is checked off my list.

I have been wanting to make these since I pinned them. I bought some candy corn on sale after Halloween and am just now getting to make these. In my defense, I have been busy with all of my other hobbies. The busiest time of year for me is October through December. I love to decorate for Halloween and Christmas as you probably know if you follow my blog.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. You can find it here.

This recipe uses three ingredients and there is no baking involved.

I like to have people taste these before I tell them the ingredients.

Most people are surprised that candy corn is an ingredient.

Here are some tips for making this recipe:
First of all, 1 lb equals two cups - I have a handy magnetic chart hanging on my refrigerator to help with that.
When you are combining the melted candy corn and peanut butter, there is a lot of stirring involved - I almost called in my husband to assist because my arm was tired.
Press the mixture evenly into your pan and let it sit for a while to cool.
I didn't have parchment paper so I just buttered my pan - it worked well but it was hard to get the whole square out of the pan at once. I wanted to cut these into little squares on a cutting board because it is easier to use a sharp knife for that and I didn't want to ruin my pan.
I dipped a few of these in the morning before work so I could pass them around and I made a big mistake in my rush.
Make sure you have waxed paper or parchment or something on the surface to make it non-stick while they are setting up. I put them straight on a metal pan and then had to use a spatula to scrape them off.
These are the ones I took to work - they are not quite as pretty:

When you melt your chocolate, make sure to add a little shortening to make the chocolate more smooth and a thinner consistency.
These worked better for me than anything I have ever dipped and I dip a lot of treats!

When dipping, make sure the pieces don't have a lot of crumbs on them or your chocolate will become lumpy.
My technique is to use a spoon to cover the piece and then use a fork to pick it up out of the bowl and shake the excess chocolate off on the side of the bowl.
Then the treat will just slide off the fork onto your waxed paper or you can use another fork to slide it off.
When they have dried - if you have some extra chocolate pooled at the bottom - you can just trim it off with a sharp knife.
We will be having ours at our Thanksgiving feast.
I hope these tips help you when you try your hand at them.

Fall wreath and other projects

I jumped back and forth between so many projects today I'm surprised I got anything done.

Here are some of my accomplishments:

I had this wreath on my door with just the sprigs with the apples on it and never was quite happy with it.

I added the colorful fall leaves to this and now I love it!

I also redecorated my plant shelf:

I wanted a little something next to the trunk on the right side that is visible from my entryway. I made a quick trip to Ross and found this vase for $4 and it's perfect.

I also completed a few necklaces:

And finally, I actually made something from one of my Pinterest boards:

Copycat Pizza Factory breadsticks.

I found the recipe here.

I wonder what I can get done next weekend - besides shopping for some great deals!

Paper pumpkins

I saw some of these cute paper pumpkins on display at one of our local craft stores and thought I can make those!

I punched out circles in two different sizes so I could have varying sizes for my display.

This is where circle punches come in very handy - I would not have wanted to cut these out with scissors.

After you have cut your circles, fold them in half.

Then, start to glue a flat side of each piece together until you have enough to make a complete circle. You can glue as many as you want together, it depends on how full you want to make your pumpkin.

Before you glue the last two pieces together and close your circle, cut out a small piece of paper for your stem and insert it between them. The leaves can be added on the outside when it is completed.

To get your pumpkin to stand up, either glue a small circle to the bottom so it will sit flat or cut a small section off the bottom of the circles before you glue your last two pieces together when you can still lay them flat together and cut them all at the same time so they are even.

This could be a fun kids craft with a little help from an adult.

Skeleton wreath makeover

I wanted to redo my skeleton wreath from last year. I was never quite happy with it.

I bought this bigger skeleton in the middle from Michaels and added the grey skeletons that I had in my Halloween supplies from last year. My remake only cost me $2.50 more and now I am happy with it.

This is my version from last year and the link to my post for the how to.

Halloween wiggle eyes picture frame

Halloween picture frame finished just in time!

This is what you need for this project:

I found my frames at Michaels and the wiggle eyes are from Wal-Mart and Michaels.

You will also need black or white paint to coordinate with the wiggle eyes or whatever color you want your background to be; sand paper and paint brushes. Pop out the cardboard center and keep for later to use as a template for your picture size.

Sand the rough edges of your frame and paint it whatever color you choose. Let dry completely.

Start to place your eyes on the frame to see what pattern you would like.

Once you are happy with your design, start gluing the eyes in place. I used Elmer's glue because it's easy to work with and dries clear.

If you are a perfectionist like me, this process will drive you nuts. It's hard to get the eyes perfect and it takes a lot longer than you would think it would.

Maybe that was my fault.

I put glue on the back of each eye and then placed them on the frame but after a while I considered putting glue on an area of the frame and sticking eyes on randomly but I kept going with my original plan.

When I finally finished this project, I decided it was worth it. The great thing about the wiggle eyes is that no matter which way you turn the frame, the black centers move with it so you are not stuck with one direction.

This frame goes perfect with my black and white decorations in my entry way.

 I don't know that I'll finish the second frame anytime soon though. Maybe next year.....

Heavenly Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

These are heavenly! In fact, when I exclaimed that they were heavenly after my first bite, my husband came running from the other room because he thought something was wrong. I laughed and then gave him a bite and he was glad he came running because he agreed.

This recipe came from Pinterest. Yes, I actually made one of the many recipes that I have pinned and it was soooo worth it.

I found the recipe here from the blogger The Girl Who Ate Everything - I love her blog name BTW. After I made these heavenly bars I searched her blog for more yummy recipes and pinned a bunch more - hopefully I actually make some of them.

Then I got worried that I might eat the whole pan and really wanted to share this wonderful find so I took some to work and all my co-workers agreed that these were delicious!

So, when these are gone - which won't be long, I think I'll try another pinned recipe or one from my 60+ cookbooks.

Hopefully it will be just as delicious!

So, my advice is to try some of those recipes that you have pinned over time. You might just find a winner like I did!

Happy Father's Day cards

Sorry, I haven't posted in a while.

I've been making a lot of jewelry, and I'm not sure how to do a how to post on that or where to begin.

Yesterday, I decided to make some Father's Day cards. I usually like to make my own cards and gift tags because I have all the stuff and I might as well use it. And, it's kind of fun.

It's also cheaper and I don't have to run to the store.

I know your wondering, how many Father's Day cards does one person need?

Well, Casey's dad, my dad, and my step-dad. I even made one more that can be used as a birthday card or for next year's Father's Day.

Here is a close up of each one:

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I had everything to make these already which made this project quick and simple. I cut some white 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock in half and attached some cute stickers to them along with some blue cardstock and they were done. I also stamped Happy Father's Day inside them and threw them in an envelope.

Done and done!

To  all the dad's out there, Happy Father's Day!

Valentine frames

Michaels had these frames for $1.00 so I bought a few so I could make some Valentine frames. I cut a piece of scrapbook paper to the size of the frame and then attached it with mod podge. I then used an x-acto knife to cut around the edge of the heart. Then I decided to attach the heart piece of paper to the background so that I do not need to cut my photo in a heart shape and can paste a regular shaped photo on top. I then cut a heart out of some red cardstock and painted a wood heart brown to match the paper.

I also made a couple of cards with the leftover paper. I know what you are thinking.....Valentines has already come and gone this year.........this way I am ready for next year.

I also made a framed heart picture with buttons.

Here are the materials that I used for this project:

I painted the frame with black paint. Then I cut a red heart to fit behind the buttons out of cardstock. You want the same color of background as your buttons because you will have blank space between your buttons no matter how hard you try not to - believe me. This is not a fun project for a perfectionist like myself. I spent a half hour just laying out the buttons to get them to fit how I wanted. Then when you have your pattern, start gluing the buttons in place. I used Elmer's glue but you can use whatever glue you have - I did try a glue stick and it was not strong enough to hold the buttons in place. I then picked three buttons to attach to the frame. I am happy with the results. I have more supplies to make more but I think I'll wait a while. It was just too much fun for this perfectionist!

Valentine Decor

I had bought some styrofoam ball forms so I could make my own decorative ball assortment for the holidays. There are so many different things you can glue onto the styrofoam balls to match whatever decor you want. I saw some cute pink pom poms when I was in Michaels and thought they would be perfect to match my Valentine decor that I already had out.

I grabbed my hot glue gun and got to work.

I took this picture when I ran out of pom poms and had to run back to the store so I could finish these.

I also bought a roll of pink streamers so I could make a different style of ball to go with them.

Here's my supplies for that one:

I had to attach a lot of squares for this project and I almost gave up at the halfway point.

I think I made the project longer for myself than it should have been because I attached more squares than I actually needed - especially in the middle. If I make another one of these, it should go a little quicker.

Finally finished. I love how these all turned out and I only burned myself a couple of times with the hot glue. I might have to make some of these for other holidays too!

Valentine Decorations

I usually decorate my kitchen table for each holiday. My husband and I always eat our meals at the bar so that leaves the kitchen table for decorating - I don't have a mantle to decorate and my entryway table usually has everyday decor on it (of course at Halloween and Christmas time, the whole main living area gets decorated, but we won't get into that - I'm still recovering).

I didn't have a Valentine garland so I threw this together using some heart doilies I bought in a package of 12 from Wal-Mart. I tied them together with some twine and it was the perfect length for my window.

I painted this Valentine tree last year and made the paper heart ornaments from scrapbook paper and ribbon. I pulled out some glass heart ornaments from my Christmas decorations so I could add them to this tree. I love the mix of ornaments.

I made these LOVE blocks a few years ago with some co-workers. We cut down a 2x4 and stained the blocks. Then we chose some cute scrapbook paper and crinkled it up and then mod podged it onto the blocks. We stained the wood letters that we picked up in the craft store and glued those onto the blocks. It was a fairly simple craft, but so much fun with friends.

That's my Valentine decor for this year.

Unless I decide to get crafty and then I will share it with you.

I just bought these at Krumpet's to add to my decor so I had to add them to this post. They were half off and I had a gift card from Christmas so I couldn't pass them up.
I might be making a Valentine wreath so we'll see if I get it done.