CREATIVE CRAFTING

Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category

Christmas Card Class and Tote Tutorial

Every year the same question: What do I do with these Christmas Cards? I have always hated throwing them away, so what did I do with them? Here are some of the ideas I have come up with over the years.

Jigsaw Puzzles

For those of us living in the winter climate of the north, we know that children become “antsy” (only word I could think of), and on our nerves during the times they cannot go outside. So years ago when faced with three very active boys, I started making jigsaw puzzles for them out of the cards. My daughter often helped as she was older and it kept her from murdering her brothers, so it was a win-win.

We would cut up several of the leftover cards, lay them on a flat surface, usually a floor and let the boys try and figure out how to put them back together. It kept them occupied for a little while and gave me a little peace. When they became bored we stored them in a shoebox until the next “antsy” time.

Tree Ornaments:

There are many ideas on the internet for making Christmas tree ornaments out of used Christmas cards. This one I found several years ago.

Wrap a small bundle, I use about 4 sticks, of cinnamon sticks with a bow. The with a small dab of glue attach your Christmas card cutout. Sometimes I attach it right to the loop on the ribbon other times to the sticks themselves. It depends on the size of the cutout.

Christmas ornament and tree traditions, according to some historians, began somewhere in the 7th or 8th century by St. Boniface, a monk who is known as the Apostle of the German people. It is said that St. Boniface brought a fir tree for his congregation to decorate during the Christmas holidays, he believed the triangular shape of the fir tree represent the Holy Trinity. The Germans embraced the Christmas tree and began to decorate it with basic, white colored candles. In the 15th century decorations started to be introduced into the German Christmas decorations. Around 1510, in Latavia a fir tree was trimmed with roses which symbolized the Virgin Mary, so began the tradition of decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments.

But wait, there is more. In 1605 a town along the Rhine close the German border called Strasbourg was where the first tree was brought indoors and decorated with paper roses, white candles, nuts, sweets, and some kind of wafer. This is the first time it is recorded that a Christmas tree was brought inside and then decorated which began what we do today. Of course, over time the decorative ornaments grew more elaborate and imaginative as each family used what they had on hand to decorate their trees. Decorations were made of painted eggshells (still done today in many countries) cookies, and of course the candle. Tinsel for the tree came into existence around 1610 and was originally made with pure silver.

Nothing says “Merry Christmas” than something given from the heart. I know most of the crafters are thinking decorations and gifts, but for those of us who have embraced Digital Scrapbooking start with your Christmas Card.

I feel Christmas cards have gone a little out of style what with the cost of the cards to start with, then the postage it can get quite expensive.  So save some of the expense by using your digital scrapbook papers, embellishments and pictures and make your own cards.

Here is an example of one I just made, don’t know if I will use this particular one or not, but it is a start and I think it came out quite nicely.

 I just love the free kits at My Memories Suite.  If you like Digital Scrapbooking try them out they have both free and paid kits.  This card was made with all free material.

I have been very busy with my scrapbooking as you can see.   I have a lot more pictures but unfortunately I cannot post them all here..sorry Cindi.

Getting busy now making some scrapbook recipe cards for family and friends, incorporating some polymer clay ornaments to give as gifts.  Making Christmas cards is another holiday plan, so I will be busy.

I hope you have enjoyed my few endeavors with my pages.

I have been putting some thought into what I want to give family and friends for Christmas.  Since we are retired and money is not something I have a lot of  they can forget about the electronic toys they want!

So how can I combine my love for crafting (digital scrapbooking by far my favorite) and cooking?  I have an idea to make recipe cards using as a background pictures of family, favorite vacation spots and whatever I can find that would make a nice background for the card, print some of my favorite recipes, then put them in a box that would be decorated by me again with family photos or favorite pictures.

Not only would this be a inexpensive gift but one that is truly given from the heart.  Below is an example of what I am talking about.  See if you can come up with some ideas of your own using digital scrapbooking, favorite recipes and a plain cardboard box purchased at your favorite craft store.

Here is one simple idea I came up with…it will be printed on 4×6 cardstock..remember this is just an idea of what you can do with digital scrapbooking.

Happy Holidays

Making mini designs for the dollhouse for any holiday is fun for the whole family, and with a little imagination you will come up with a wide variety of craft ideas for these miniatures The following paragraphs will talk about methods to create 3 mini Halloween dollhouse decorations created by using polymer clay.

Pumpkins are a vital dollhouse mini decor for Halloween, plus they are very easily made from polymer clay plus a knife. You’ll need orange clay and green clay. Basically begin by creating a rounded ball from orange clay. Crunch the ball a little bit to create an dimple on opposite sides of the ball. Now create a little tube of green polymer clay for the mini dollhouse Halloween decor.

Include depth on your dollhouse miniature Halloween design by developing portions within the pumpkin. Work with a knife and begin near the top of the pumpkin and rotate the knife straight down the side of your pumpkin and continue around the pumpkin. Repeat this many times to make segments in the pumpkin and crunch again. Use the green tube as the stalk and push the stalk into the pumpkin using the knife. You can decorate this pumpkin the same way you would a real pumpkin using paint. This one of a kind mini dollhouse Halloween design is fun for the whole family to make.

Gift jars are gifts that are not only fun to make but fun to give. They are inexpensive to make but given with a lot of love and care.

So to start the holiday season off right I am offering a free giveaway. All you have to do is click on the link below and download ideas for different gift jars. Over the coming weeks I will be looking for other gift ideas for you to make this holiday season and will be sure to pass them on.

Happy Holidays!

****Holiday Gift Jars****

The Penguins are ready for the holidays. Are you? I have started making small Christmas Ornaments for friends, neighbors, and anyone who happens to be passing by the house. This is a very easy project to make and takes very little time.

The individual penguins are made up of one black ball approximately 1″ in diameter with a white ball sitting on top that is about 3/4″ in diameter. The eyes are no more than a 1/8 inch ball of white clay with a black dot painted on after baking. As for the hats…make a cone out of any color you want and fit it to the heads. And don’t forget the beak…orange 1/8″ ball worked for me.

I used blue metallic for the base and made it so that both penguins could sit on it comfortably. The tree was made with a 1/2 ball of green clay shaped into a cone and textured to resemble branches..then I rolled the tree in different color small glass beads.

The sign can be a little more advanced for the beginner, but still easy to do. Get some liquid Sculpey. On transfer paper print the greeting you want the penguins hold up. Take your liquid Sculpey and put an even coat on the transfer, place it up side down on a tile and bake. Once cooled remove the paper backing and place the greeting on a very thing sheet of clay…color of your choosing. Use a small amount of liquid Sculpey to the transfer to have it adhere to the little sign. Sometimes this will take some practice and you might have to do it a couple of times if you have never done it. Be patient as Liquid Sculpey is going to become your next best friend.