Craft Tuesday: Canvas Christmas Gift Bags

Every year we buy gift bags that end up getting wrinkled up, torn, and thrown away after a few years of use. How about this year we make something that is personal, and reusable for many, many, many years to come? Using the same technique of creating a freezer paper stencil, ironing it on, and painting that I used when I created the Halloween canvas bag, you can make adorable gift bags that people will cherish as much as the gift it contains (if not more!).

I painted four 5x6" bags to give people small gifts (candy, gift cards, ornaments, etc) because when a gift is so small, I try to make it as special as possible!

In case you don't remember how to do the stenciling, this DIY contains a brief refresher!

You will need:

• Canvas/cloth bag(s)
• Fabric paint (Soft paint if my preference)
• Freezer paper
• Iron
• Sponge brush
• Pencil
• Scissors

Start by cutting pieces of freezer paper to the size of your bags. Once you decide what you want your design to be, you can draw it and cut it out. Here are the designs I did and how I did them. Feel free to copy my ideas, or discard them completely!

Design #1: Snowflake

Draw a circle, or use a large circle cutter, and cut out a large circle from the piece of freezer paper you already cut to size. Fold this circle in half, then in half again, so you have a piece that resembles a slice of pie. Now cut it up just the way you did when you make coffee filter snow flakes in elementary school! I unfolded mine once or twice in the middle of cutting to see what I was doing, and how to improve it. I am not a very experienced snowflake maker, so I had to.

When you are all done, iron your stencil on, paint over your stencil. Your snowflake will be the color of your bag and the bag will be whatever color your choose. Then remove the stencil and let it dry. If you are doing a large bag, cut several (3 or 5) different size circles and make multiple snowflakes to use as stencils. Let dry according to the directions on the paint bottle before using as gift bag.

Design #2: Christmas Tree

Fold your cut freezer paper piece in half and then unfold it. Against the fold, draw half of a Christmas tree. Refold it and cut it out. Unfold and you have a perfectly symmetrical, perfectly centered tree! Hooray!

Iron stencil on, paint in the tree-shaped hole, and remove stencil. Let dry for about 30 minutes and then decorate your tree. I used a pencil eraser dipped in paint (and dabbed on a napkin to remove excess paint) to create the ornaments and "star" on top of the tree. Simple. Let dry according to the directions on the paint bottle before using as gift bag.


Design #3: Snowman

Draw a circle, or use a circle cutter, and cut out a large circle from the piece of freezer paper you already cut to size. This will be the shape of your snowman's head. Just like with the snowflake, you will be painting around the stencil, painting the background, leaving the snowman's head the color of the bag. Of course, if you are using a colored bag and want to paint the snowman's head white, then still cut out the circle, just iron on the piece of freezer paper with the hole in it. Iron on stencil, paint, peel off, and move on to the snowman's face. I used the non-cap end of a Crayola marker as my stamp for the snowman's eyes and mouth. Dip it in the paint and dab off the excess paint on a napkin before stamping it on. Use the tip of your foam brush to create the nose (you might want to practice before doing it on the bag itself). Let dry according to the directions on the paint bottle before using as gift bag.





Design #4: Ornament

Using the same piece of paper I used for the snowman stencil, I created the ornament. While I used the circle that I removed for the snowman head, I used the paper that the circle was removed from for the ornament shape. Iron on the sheet of freezer paper with a big hole in it, paint, remove the stencil, and let dry for 30 minutes before decorating your ornament. I used a small circle (marker cap) to create a ring of circles on the ornament and then free handed the ornament top. Let dry according to the directions on the paint bottle before using as gift bag.




In case you were wondering, here is the before and after decoration. A little bit really does go a long way!

Phew. That was fun! I can't wait to give them away filled with fun goodies!
Merry Christmas and happy crafting!

Inspiration Sunday: Let it Snowmen

I love decorating with snowmen. My mom loves them, and so do I. They are just such a friendly, seasonal thing. They embody the pure fun you have when playing in the snow. Honestly, who doesn't love a good snowman? Well, here are ten fun snowman themed crafts I found that you can do at home, no snow at all! This way you can admire snowmen whether it's 50 degrees, or 5!

Snowman made out of stacked circles. A great new perspective from
Life Is What You Make It.

A "melted snowman" ornament made from Elmer's glue.
From Holiday Kids Crafts.

Make a snow man from undecorated wreaths!

This adorable primitive snowman is make from
wooden blocks and can be found on Etsy.com.

Talk about an easy snowman! Using a variety
of nuts and a single washer, you can make this adorable
snowman ornament.

A twine-ball snowman. Great for the craft room.
From Better Homes & Gardens.
Also, see my yarn snowman here DIY.

A popsicle snowman. Delightful!
From Kid's Activities.

Snowman from two stacked pots. Simple!
From All Kids.

Powdered doughnut snowmen. A yummy Christmas morning treat?
From Creative Gift & Party Ideas.

Ice cream snowman! How fun!

Craft Tuesday: Christmas Card Ornaments

Do you have old Christmas cards that you can't seem to part with, but you really have no idea WHY you are keeping them?  I know lots of people that do and THIS is the perfect craft for all of us. Ornaments for your tree (or for a friends) that are so simple to make! Instead of old cards, I used some of the Christmas card fronts that National Geographic sends to lure you into buying their beautiful cards. It worked so well! Completely free, and I was using something I would have normally thrown away.

This idea I found originally on Martha Stewart's website, so I can't claim too much credit for "discovering" this craft, but I can take credit for doing it, successfully, and slightly modifying it. Hooray!

You will need:

• Christmas cards (or just their fronts)
• Hot glue gun (or other quick drying adhesive)
• Yarn/thread
• Small circle to trace
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pen

Before beginning, let me tell you that the way I did this varies from Martha Stewart's "Holiday Card Ornments." I designed mine so that you can use 10 circles (1 card front) and not 20 circles. I did this just by cutting out the middle row of 10 circles. So if you want to make yours bigger, take a look at how she does it!

Pick your cards well. If you look at my selection of cards you'll see that I had some I did not end up using. They were fairly monochromatic- black and white, with a splash of red. Those pictures cut up wouldn't have looked as festive, so I skipped those and used the more colorful, detailed images.

Trace your stencil to create rows of circles on your card. I would suggest drawing the circles on the back of the picture so that you don't get pen marks on the pretty side. On each card I was able to fit 12  circles (3 rows of 4) and then choose my favorite 10 to use. Keep in mind what your picture looks like  and if there is one particular part of the picture you want to keep in tact. I made my circles about 2" big. If you have a circle cutter/punch then you can use that. Mine was not staying locked at 2" so I had to do it by hand with some good ol' Fiskars and it worked just as well, even though the edges weren't perfect.

After you cut out your circles, draw an equilateral triangle that fits inside your circles. Mine was about 1 1/2" on each side. It's easiest to make a triangle template out of paper or cardstock and then trace it onto each circle. These triangle lines will be the lines that you will fold on. If you have a scoring blade, score on these lines before folding them for a neater fold. Guess who doesn't have a scoring blade? Me! Still turned out fine, so don't worry about that. Once all of the triangles have been drawn/traced, fold towards the side of the card that you want to show (see picture above).

Now it's time to glue them together! I used my hot glue gun on a low heat setting and put a small dab on one flap of one circle, then stuck it to another circle, with 2 top points touching (think of the way pie or pizza slices meet in the middle). Create a rounded ring of 5 folded circles using this method then repeat. Once you have two pieces like this, use the hot glue to attach the available flaps to one another. Now your ornament in constructed! To really make your ornament polished looking, shellac it before moving on to the next step.

Next, use a small hole punch (like an eyelet hole punch) or a large needle to create a hole to thread pretty yarn or thick ribbon through. Tie it up and your ornament is complete.

Hang it on a tree, top a package, or give it to a friend! Hopefully you were as successful as I was, if not more so! I would love to see your completed ornaments or other Christmas card projects. Submit then for Let's Brag Thursdays and maybe you'll see them posted soon! :D Happy crafting!

 

Some other ideas:

• Every year when you send out a Christmas card, turn on of those cards into an ornament. On the string, attach a small piece of paper the says the year. This way you will have a collection of all your your Christmas cards too!
• Use these ornaments as jar/vase fillers, instead of the traditional glass ball ornaments.

Craft Tuesday: Winter Yarn Wreath

A couple of weeks ago my Inspiration Sunday was all about yarn. Well I finally bought some yarn that matches my holiday colors (my tree is decorated with blue, white, and silver ornaments) and some wreath supplies. I had so much fun making this wreath! It took me about 4-5 hours of total work time. Of course I did not do this all in one sitting.
So here is how to make this wonderful wreath! It's simple, but a little time consuming.


You will need:

• Wreath shape (I used 14" styrofoam)
• Yarn in various colors
• Cloth stem wire in dark brown
• Black buttons
• Snowflake "buttons"
• Styrofoam balls in various sizes (I used 3.5", 2.5", and 2")
• Hot glue gun & glue
• Craft knife (steak knife will work too)

Start by picking your design. I decided I wanted to stripe my blue and silver yarn and not section it off in any way. That made it easy so that I did not have to measure out and make marks where I needed to start and stop. Next, unravel a small bit of yarn and hot glue the end of the yarn string(s) to the top back of the wreath shape. Begin wrapping your yarn around the wreath, keeping it pulled taut. Every 2" I would suggest putting another dot of hot glue to save your yarn from coming unraveled. This took me quite a while, about 3 hours.

After you have finished wrapping, congratulate yourself and go have a glass of wine or a nap, or both, because you deserve it!

Next, you'll make your snow man. Begin by cutting off a bit off the top of the big ball, top and bottom of the middle ball, and bottom of the little ball. This will help the snowman pieces stack a little bit better and fit better into the wreath.

Now take your white yarn and hot glue the end of it onto a flat side of one of the balls. Wrap your yarn around the ball and hot glue on the same side when done. Repeat this for all of the snowman pieces.
Once your snowman is covered in yarn, hot glue the pieces together. Apply the glue and then hold the pieces firmly together for about 30 seconds while the glue dries. Once the whole snowman is put together, put it upright in a glass to let it dry fully.

Buttons!

While the snowman is set aside, pick your buttons for the snowman! I used 3 matte black buttons. Hot glue them on next.

Now it's time to make your snow man's arms. Cut two 3-4" pieces of stem wire and twist them together. One on side, pull the two wires apart to make the snowman's "hands." Stick them in the middle section of the snowman. If they are too long, remove them, trim them down and reinsert.
Now your snowman is complete!

If you'd like something extra, you could give him a scarf with some scrap fabric.

Now, lay for wreath and snowman down on a table and decide where you'd like your snowflakes and hot glue them on (if you'd like to include them at all). If you don't want to use snowflakes, I would suggest putting a bow on top of the wreath with some floral wire. Or do both!

Lastly, put a big dollop of hot glue on the bottom of your snowman and glue him onto the wreath. Let dry and you are finished! Hang your wreath up and enjoy all winter!

Foodie Friday: Three-Ingredient Pumpkin Bread

This is probably easiest pumpkin bread (or muffins if you prefer) you have ever made! I have seen this recipe in a couple of places and finally decided to try it! I added some spice (literally) and it turned out lovely. The bread has a very soft pumpkin flavor, which is a nice break from the super-potent pumpkin spice things everywhere these days. And since Halloween is a couple of days away, Thanksgiving season is pretty much here, so this will be a wonderful treat to make for family get-togethers, or cozy nights in! So here it goes. 

This recipe makes one(1) 5x9" loaf pan, not filled all the way up. You could definitely manage to use a smaller loaf pan. Or 1 dozen muffins, if not a little more.

You will need:

• 1 Classic Butter Recipe cake mix
• 1 can of Libby's condensed pumpkin
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tbsp butter (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Mix together your cake mix, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice
3. Grease your pan and scrape all of your dough in, patting the pan and using a spoon to level the dough out
4. Bake about 35 minutes for a loaf, or 20-25 minutes for muffins
5. Immediately after removing the pumpkin bread, melt the butter and spread it on top of the loaf using a basting brush or spoon
6. Let loaf cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan
7. After removed from pan, sprinkle on some powdered sugar for a sweet topping
8. Cut and enjoy

 Looks delicious, doesn't it? Well don't take my word for it! Try it for yourself! It's so simple, and no one will ever guess it took you less than five minutes of actual prep time!

Another idea:
Use a mini-muffin pan, no muffin cups (just non-stick spray), and afterwards lightly coat them in melted butter, then dip them in a cinnamon-sugar mixture and you have "Pumpkin Poppers," a two-bite size treat that will be sure to please!

Craft Tuesday: DIY Halloween Canvas Bag

 Halloween is less than two weeks away, and whether you celebrate by taking kids trick-or-treating or dressing up and partying, we can all enjoy a simple Halloween craft! You can keep this cute, personalized bag for yourself or gift it to someone! It would make a TERRIFIC trick-or-treating bag for your son/daughter, niece/nephew, etc. etc.

The project itself is not expensive either, which is great news considering Halloween costumes can get pricey. The paint is $5 a tube, the bag is about $3, and the freezer paper is $5 a box (150 sq.ft.). When you consider that so little of the paint and paper is used on this one project, then THIS bag itself cost you less than $4!

There are so many options and your bag design is limited only by how creative you want to get. I wanted something quick and easy, so I did a simple pumpkin design!

You will need:

• 1 canvas bag (I used a 13x13x4")
• Soft* fabric paint (I used matte black and crimson, and metallic silver)
• Freezer paper
• Iron
• Pencil
• Pen
• Sponge brush
• Small paint brush
• Scissors

*I would highly suggest using the Soft fabric paint because it is more flexible. The bag keeps its soft texture and the paint is less likely to crack.

Start by ironing your bag. Then decide on what you want your design to be and how you want it to appear on your bag. I chose a pumpkin and decided I wanted the area around the pumpkin to be painted, but not the pumpkin itself. So I sketched the pumpkin in pencil on the paper side of the freezer paper. I then cut out the pumpkin (picture 1, below) and the parts of the pumpkin I wanted to be painted (the jack-o-lantern's eyes, mouth, and shadows).

Next I decided on how big of a painted area I wanted around the pumpkin. Using a ruler and some scissors I cut out a frame of about 10x10" (picture 2, below). This created the frame for my block of paint which the pumpkin went in. I then placed the freezer paper where I wanted the design on my bag, with the plastic side of the paper facing the bag, and ironed it down (picture 3, below). After I got as much ironed down as I could I began to apply paint. I squirted some of my paint into a separate bowl or plate and used a sponge brush to apply (picture 4, above). Be careful not to layer it on too thick or it will not dry smoothly.

Once your paint has been applied, peel off the freezer paper making the frame, then the inner design (picture 5, below). If you notice in my pictures that the corners are a little messed up, it's because my bag was not completely wrinkle-free. So, when I ironed the freezer paper on, it didn't stick in those corners and the paint bled under the paper a little. It's not a big deal, but it's something that is easily avoidable.

Now, you can embellish it however you like! I used the end of a ballpoint pen (the end you chew on, not the end you write with) and dipped it in the crimson red paint to make the red dotted border (pictures 6 and 7, above). I started with the corners, and then made dots halfway, then halfway between those, then between those, etc, so they were evenly spaced. Then I used the handle end of a small paintbrush and dipped it in the silver paint and dotted inside the black square, to give it a starry, sparkly look (picture 8, above). Lastly, after the paint dried (they say to let it dry for 4 hours, but it only took mine about one and a half hours) I added a little raffia bow, and voila!

What a wonderfully easy craft with unlimited possibilities! I think I will try using the freezer paper again on another bag. I can't wait to share the next thing I make with you, and I am even more excited to see what you make with this method! Don't forget to submit your creations! :)