Fabric Holiday Wreath

One of the holiday traditions is adding wreaths to our home decor. You can get the family involved, too. You could make this fabric holiday wreath for almost any occasion, or no occasion at all if you just want to use up fabric scraps or break into your secret, holiday-themed fabric stash. No worries, we all have them!

Start with one of those craft store wreaths that look like a bunch of straw bundled together. You want something you can easily poke holes in. Don't remove the clear wrap unless you don't mind those little pieces falling all over your floors.

These wreaths are available at most craft stores and big box stores with craft sections.

Cut fabric pieces into 2-inch squares with pinking shears. You could use all red fabrics or all holly green fabrics. I couldn't decide which one to use so I used both.

Pinking shear fabric edges give fabric squares an easy finish and add texture to the wreath.

Once you have pieces cut, have little hands punch holes literally into the wreath with a safe bamboo chopstick. If adults are helping, use closed scissors to poke a hole, then center a fabric square on the scissor point and insert into the hole.

Bamboo sticks make a safe tool for little hands to help making the wreath.

Once the wreath is full, add a wire and twist at the back so that you can easily hang it. You can add a wire before you start poking fabric in but it may be hard to find later.

Adding a loop of wire makes hanging the wreath easier.

I have my fabric holiday wreath hanging inside my front door so I can enjoy it. I'm also thinking it would make a nice addition to a fireplace mantel.

Almost forgot. Don't forget to add a bow!

Wired ribbons hold their shape better than plain ribbons but either one will work.

This fabric wreath is easy to make and will be a nice addition to your holiday decor for many years to come!

Charlotte

Making Mug Rugs

I saw several versions of "mug rugs" at Christmas parties this year and can't wait to come up with my own version. I'm thinking I could make a little pouch on the right where a favorite spoon could fit in!

One of the ladies who made this one said they were very popular this year at quilt guilds. She also said they are "very easy" to make so you still have time if you want to make some for Christmas gifts.

Mug rugs are quilted 8x10 inch miniature quilts so that a mug can be placed on one side and a muffin, or cookie, on the other.

This one was made out a printed Christmas fabric and finished with binding, just as you would a quilt.

 Machine quilting to make a little design can be seen on the back. This picture is a little out of focus but it still gives you the idea:

I also saw another version where a little 3x3 inch flat cotton envelope with cinammon was stitched inside on the mug side. Once heat hits the spice, the aroma is released.

If you make some, remember to add a little card to explain just what this is:

 Sweet little gift idea any day of the year!

Charlotte

Personalized Christmas cards

Last year, one of our artists tossed out a card with a gift check inside so I decided I needed to make my cards stand out this year.

I thought about making my own cards but time escaped me. I was going to make something inspired by our ribbon garden quilt, reminiscent of cards I remember making when I was a kid.

Seeing a ribbon on a handmade card a friend sent me, ribbons were still on my mind. I took some of our organza blue ribbon and added it to ready made Christmas cards.

Inside, I tucked the check into the ribbon so that it wouldn't be lost once the card was opened.

This card will be a little harder to loose, don't you think?

Charlotte

Paint Stick Snowmen Ornaments and Gift Tags

 

I saw this charming handmade snowman ornament at a local crafts fair. Who doesn’t love snowmen in their holiday home décor and have a pile of paint sticks gathering dust somewhere!

One of my friend’s husbands bought a Let It Snow Throw for her for Christmas so one of these little guys will be on her package as a gift tag. She can then add it to her Christmas tree later as an ornament and memento of this year's Christmas.

These snowmen were made out of the shaped tip of a paint stick with the hat brim cut out of the rest.

Painting is simple. The charm comes in the details including placement of the dots for the mouth and the little white highlights on the hat.

 These examples have a fancy metal wire hangar but something simple would work just as well.

Fun easy project to do with kids of all ages!

How to Dry Rose Buds

While you are shopping for your white ceramic pieces, pick up a basket with perforations around the sides and a solid bottom. It will come in handy when it's time to dry the gift rose buds.

I start by saving all those decadent bags in shoes in a jar so I can add those when I need to dry something. Once I have the basket, I add a paper towel, then the items I want to dry: rose buds, either from a florist or from my garden. I place the basket on top of my refrigerator, where the hot air from the back of the motor helps dry out the buds faster. It also keeps the flowers safe from admiring cat paws. I check once a week, until the buds are dried and ready to arrange in the white ceramic bowl.

If you just want to have the flowers still around, you can also dry them on stems with leaves. Just shape them the way you want them in the end so you don't break the brittle stems once they are dry.

Have you dried rose buds before?

Charlotte

Saving Rose Buds

We've all had them, lovely gift flowers that sooner, or later, start to loose their beauty. Instead of adding to the compost pile, cut off the buds, dry them, then display them where you can see them every day and relive the good memories they generate.

You don't need a fancy bowl, I made this one from two thrift store finds. And don't leave these in a living room corner where you see them as you go by, I have mine on my kitchen island where I can see them, and enjoy them, every day.

In the next few posts, I will show you how to dry the rose buds and make the container.

What have you used to dry your flowers?

Charlotte

How to Make Magnetic Book Marks

Handmade magnetic bookmarks are a nice way to combine a gift card with something practical such as a recipe book.

Magnetic bookmarks slip easily over a book page and help mark where a reader left off reading.

You will need: Cardboard, either new stock or re-use holiday and birthday cards. Magnet strips, available at most craft stores. You can also re-use magnet strips from other projects. Different-colored marking pens. Magazine cut-outs, copies of favorite photos, stickers. Paper glue. Paper scissors.

To make: Cut cardboard into 4x1.5 inch cardboard strips. You can make them bigger or smaller as long as it is a rectangle. Fold so one side is slightly smaller than the other. Decide whether to attach at the top of the page or to the right side. Decorate the smaller size with a photo or design. Decorate the larger side with a dedication and signature. Cut magnet strip into two pieces. Remove backing. Glue magnet inside the shorter size; glue the other magnet to the first piece, then fold cardboard to the second magnet so both magnet pieces match. Allow to dry for 15 minutes.

Apply to a book, or a gift book, as page markers or give all by themselves as handmade gifts.

Charlotte

How to Make Magnetic Book Marks

How to Make Magnetic Book Marks

Handmade magnetic bookmarks are a nice way to combine a gift card with something practical. Magnetic bookmarks slip easily over a book page and help mark where a reader left off reading without damaging the page corners. Nice addition to a gift book, such a set of Sesame Street books.

You will need

Cardboard, either new stock or re-use holiday and birthday cards. Magnet strips, available at most craft stores. You can also re-use magnet strips from other projects. Different-colored marking pens. Magazine cut-outs, copies of favorite photos, stickers. Paper glue. Paper scissors.

To make

Cut cardboard into 4x1.5 inch cardboard strips. You can make them bigger or smaller as long as it is a rectangle.

Fold so one side is slightly smaller than the other. Decide whether to attach at the top of the page or to the right side.

Decorate the smaller size with a photo or design.

Decorate the larger side with a dedication and signature.

Cut magnet strip into two pieces. Remove backing.

Glue magnet inside the shorter size; glue the other magnet to the first piece, then fold cardboard to the second magnet so both magnet pieces match.

Allow to dry for 15 minutes.

Apply to a book, or a gift book, as page markers or give all by themselves as handmade gifts.

Charlotte

Dry Hydrangeas for Custom Decor

If you like to make dried wildflower wreaths and dried flower gift tags, hydrangeas are easy to dry.

Cut off flower heads past their prime and hang from string tied to a rod in a cool dark place. We have them hanging from a rod hanging over the sink in the garage.

You can use hydrangeas as they are, which is what I do. They make a great filler in wreaths. If you need a little more color, use a spray. The dried flowers will hold the color nicely!

Charlotte

How to Mend Favorite Birdhouses

Friends have given me wonderful birdhouses over the years. As they wear down, I've found plant markers are handy to make repairs. 

I slip plant markers into broken bottoms, in open sides and to shore up roofs. The markers can withstand weather conditions and still keep birds dry, giving the birdhouses a few more years of use!

Charlotte

How to Draw Ladybugs

Ladybugs are a favorite garden friend and can easily be hand drawn, we add them to our cards and tags all the time.

1. Draw slightly oval red circles with a red marking pen. Start with a size you're comfortable with to practice, then make them smaller or larger, depending on how you want to use them. Regular marking pens are better than thin ones because they more quickly fill in the oval. Allow to dry.
2. Using a thin black marking pen, draw a small circle at one end for the head. Add a black semi-circle down the middle. If you want to draw different angled ladybugs, you can move the semi-circle closer to one side or the other to make the ladybug look like it's moving. Sprinkle with little dots, at least 3 per side. Finish by adding 3 legs on each side. Be careful if you leave the pen on the paper for too long or the leg will end up with a thick stroke.
3. Allow to dry for a few minutes before you slip these into envelopes; they'll need to dry or they'll smudge.

Charlotte

How to Make Homemade Photo Gift Card

Homemade photo gift cards are easy to make and a nice way to customize a gift.

Using a regular sheet of stock paper, print photo 3x5 inches on one side.

Cut the sheet in half; fold and add your salutation.

Add a date and your best wishes inside; photo cards also make great book marks to add to a favorite gift recipe book noting one of your all-time favorite recipes.

Charlotte

Embroider Stains Away

A friend of mine recently asked who was the designer of one of my favorite sweaters and pointed at flowers I had embroidered on it. Not that I don't appreciate good sweaters, but I had to chuckle - the reason I had the flowers on the sweater was to cover a stain!

So if you do any kind of embroidery, don't throw that favorite shirt or sweater out. Add embroidered flowers over the stain, then scatter a few more so that it looks like a deliberate pattern.

My favorite flower is the daisy. It's also one of the easiest embroidery stitches.You can embroider daisies plain, in the same color as the shirt, or make it more fancy by using different embroidery floss colors, adding french knot centers and green leaves out of the same simple daisy embroidery stitch.

As far as the "designer" sweater, I took a tip from a rose pin at the top of the sweater and added three small rosettes over the stain in a Brazilian embroidery style called "rococo."To make the rosette, pull needle half way around the center spot; wrap floss around the needle like a french knot 10-15 times, then pull gently so the thread is not too tight but is forming one of the rose edges. Secure with a stitch over the center of the long french knot. Keep adding rose edges until you have the stain covered. You can add a little green leaf, or group several rosettes in the same area. Use your own embroidery style; ribbon embroidery would work as well. Not only practical but apparently quite the fashion, too!

Do you salvage something creatively with your embroidery?

Charlotte