Canning Lid Ornaments

Happy weekend everyone.  To quickly update you on my ever-changing life:  I have a new job that is still in the field of social work but is Monday-Friday 8-5 (you know... a normal job!)  That being said, I am- for the first time since being married- really getting to enjoy my evenings and weekends with my husband and extended family.  This also means that I am going to start adding new blog posts on Saturdays, since it is a consistent day that I have off.  I also have an injured puppy right now (he tore the bottom layer of his paw pad off- ouch!) that is going stir crazy being stuck in the house with me.  I am hoping that this post makes sense, because my mind is on him right now.  So, if something sounds a little off, have mercy on me today.  Thanks!

Now, on to the post...

A few weeks ago I was invited to attend an Ornament Exchange Party.  I've never been to one before but I would totally recommend having one- it was so much fun!  My old college roommate (of 3 years) was hosting it.  The only requirement was to bring an ornament.  At the party, we played a sort of "white elephant" gift exchange so that everyone wound up with a different ornament than they came with.  Being a crafty person (you all understand) I couldn't just go buy one... I needed to make one.  Here is what I came up with:

If you've been here before, you might recall that I use mason jars for EVERYTHING.  Seriously, I have enough for a small army yet keep acquiring more.  I can't complain though, they are so useful! 


Making ornaments from canning lids is not an original idea, I do hope however that you can draw some inspiration from my three very different designs:  Classic Christmas, Pretty in Pink and Rustic Treasure.

{Classic Christmas}
Since I had no idea who these ornaments would be going to, I didn't want to make a set of rustic ornaments (my personal favorite style in about everything) and them be a die-hard classic Christmas person. So, I made both.

All I did was attach some blue paper to the flat part of the lid with glue.  The snowman is a sticker and the snow balls at the bottom are sticky "lumpy bumpys".  I finished off the design by hot gluing sparkly gems around the snowman.  Looking back, I would have used a finer point glue applicator because the hot glue made a mess!

Meanwhile, I painted the rim of the lid with white paint.  For that snowy affect, take a sponge brush and dab it onto the surface of the rim.  Don't worry if a little bit of the metal color shows through, that is what helps it achieve that look!

Once everything was dry, I stuck the flat part of the lid as far into the rim as I could, flipped it over and glued around the edges to keep it in place.  Sorry I don't have a picture of this.  I wrote "Ornament Exchange 2013" with a Sharpie on the lid but you can cover it with another piece of paper or leave it blank as well.  It's the back, so no one will see it when it is hanging.

Tie a piece of ribbon around the rim of the lid and allow room to make a loop so that it can hang on a tree.  All done!  Now you have a classic Christmas ornament.

{Pretty in Pink}
Since my friend Christine was hosting the party, I wanted to give her an ornament to help her remember her first ornament party. She loves pink, pearls and all things dainty and pretty. It's no wonder we are friends. I stuck with the canning lid theme but made hers a little more... girly!

 
This was basically made the same way as the last ornament with paper at the base.  However, here I added a chipboard flower (outlined in colored pencil) a "C" tag (for Christine) with a heart shaped brad and a piece of lace across it all.  Just as I have many mason jars left over from my wedding, that lace was a part of it as well- it was on our invitations! 

Please note: If you use a brad, attach it to the paper prior to gluing it to the lid.  It can be done afterwards, but it will be more difficult to puncture a hole in the metal.

The rim was pained the same way as the snowman ornament and it was finished off with a sparkly pink ribbon.  Perfect for my lovely friend.

{Rustic Treasure}
Now on to my favorite one. I love the rustic feel of this ornament and am thrilled to have been able to tie the "Christmas" theme into it!

 
Just like the others, it was started with a base paper and embellishments were added on top of it.  I LOVE paper that has words written all over it and this musical themed one fit perfectly into my idea of Christmas.  How many of you imagine singing classic Christmas songs from an old hymnal or from a yellowed piece of sheet music as a critical part of your Christmas celebrations?  I know I do.

After this, I added some thicker kraft paper and covered it with glitter.  I find this is easiest to do with spray adhesive and a sealant (after the glitter is on).  I thought the glitter would dress up the ornament a bit.

It was finished off with a "2" and a "5" (December 25... get it?) from the same punched letter set that I used for Christine's "C".  Lastly, I added some of my special wedding lace and the design was done.

I did not paint the rim because I thought it fit the look better without it.  Attach it the same way as the others and finish this one off with some thin jute twine.



{That's it!}
Ornaments are not one of my craft specialties but I had a blast making these! I had even more fun attending the party and getting to spend that time with some people that mean the world to me.

I took my mom along...

...and got to catch up with one of my best friends in the world...

I couldn't have asked for more!

{Your Turn!}
Which design is your favorite? Do you have any tips or tricks for those of us just dabbling into ornament making? For those of you who can create amazing ornaments without a second thought, I am in awe of you. I think I lucked out this time!

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann 

Baked Clay {Easter} Place Card Holders

I have said it before and I will say it again:  I love Easter.  I love it for its true meaning and I love it for all the sweetness that comes from the pastels, the bunnies and the colored eggs.  I love going to the Sunrise Service at church and seeing little girls in their Easter dresses.  It all seems so quaint and (at least for myself), it makes the world slow down a little bit.  It gives us a chance to look at what is important, what is real and what is good.  In the spirit of Easter, I have decided to make a little something that is quaint and fun at the same time...

"Peeps" are those famous marshmallow bunnies, chicks (and now about any other holiday shape) covered in brightly colored sugar.  You know the ones.  You either love them or you hate them.  I got burnt out on them after years of gorging myself, but deep down I still love those adorable little sugar bunnies!

I think the idea of using place card holders at home is so quaint in and of itself.  We often see them in restaurants or at weddings, but rarely are they found at small gatherings with friends in our own homes.  I believe this to be another one of those "lost treasures" like written correspondence or reading the newspaper.

{We had a little accident with his eye- oops!  Nothing a little drop of paint wont fix!)

{Easy to Make}
The instructions are simple. Get yourself a block of baked clay (I use Sculpey Brand "Bake Shop") and mold to your desired shape. Don't forget to make a "slice" in the back of your shape for the place cards to fit (this must be done before baking). Four bunnies take less than 3/4 of the block to make. Follow the baking instructions listed on the packaging. Once your shapes are done baking, let cool and then color with acrylic paint.

That's it! Set up and enjoy!

{Your Turn}
I was going to make some realistic looking bunnies as well but then realized that I have zero sculpting abilities (one of those artistic talents that I never quite grasped!) What do you think of the "Peeps" theme? Have I inspired you to make your own place card holders? If you do- I would love to see pictures, so link up your posts!

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read All About It!

I love newspaper.  I love the feel of newspaper, I love the look of newspaper, I even love the smell of newspaper.  The same goes for old books (e-books may be convenient but if they can't have that musky old smell and crisp feel of a real book then half the worth in reading is lost to me)  Call me crazy, but that is what I think.  Now you all may love your e-books and newspaper websites, but I bet that you still appreciate that typed newspaper look.  Am I right?  If so, then come see what I made for Easter decorations:

This is yet another quick and easy craft (who doesn't like that?!) 

{1} First, cut strips of newspaper.  I found it was easiest to just cut down each side of a column and then shorten that strip up as needed.  I actually prefer the longer strips of paper because they required more smooshing, folding and creasing to shape around the egg (which created that crinkled look).  I then used shorter pieces to fill in bare spots.

{2} To color the paper, lightly paint over the strips of newspaper.  If you find that the color is too dark, take an empty sponge brush over the top to get some of the paint off.  Using pastels works best (especially for Easter colors) but even the darker purple worked fine for me.

{3} To apply, cover the back of the newspaper with Mod Podge and stick to one of those plastic eggs from the store (the ones you can put candy inside)  A whole package of these costs about a dollar. 

It dries quickly and looks really neat when it is all done!  I put mine in the vase that sits on our dining room table.  This vase always gets filled for the holidays, but has been sitting empty since we took Christmas down (well, except for a short stint of door knobs- which were kind of neat!)

I loooooove the newspaper print- so darling!  I could seriously decorate with this stuff all day.

Although my husband usually stays out of the decorating scene all together, I think he is not-so cracked up about this project.  When I was saying how much I loved that crinkled look, I could see the need to smooth it out in his eyes! Isn't that funny?  I crinkle, he smooths... it's what we do.

{Your Turn}
Are you on team Tyler or team Kelsie in the battle of smooth vs. crinkled?  How do you get your house ready for Easter?  I know it's a ways away but I just love this holiday so much, I couldn't hold back!  I would love to hear what you have to say, so please let me know what you are thinking.

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann
 

How to Create Treat Bags from Ordinary, Every Day Supplies (no fancy cutting machines or expensive tools required!)

Be Warned: I am feeling chatty this morning, so please excuse my wordy post!  Some of what I say is important though, so please read through it!

I know I have said this in my last several posts, but can you believe how close it is to Christmas?  Wow, it really snuck up on me this year.  I can't wait to just relax and enjoy time with my family.

But first, I wanted to show you a little something that I made for some of my husband's students at school.  For his helpers and kids that are in his work out group after school, he wanted to have a little treat to celebrate Christmas break.  He said it was perfectly fine to simply throw the puppy chow into a ziplock bag and be on his way... come on crafters, you know this is not how it went at all!  I decided to make a nice little top piece for the bag to give it just a little extra something that a clear plastic bag cannot offer.

The only problem was that I decided to do this later in the evening, away from mom's Silhouette machine (which I am always borrowing!), away from most of my scrapbook papers, fancy scissors, anything!  But after I started working on this, I thought it might be important to share how projects like this CAN be done without all those fancy scrapbooking and crafting supplies.  Many times, blogs will share their projects that are done with tools that a beginning crafter may not have (I know that I do) and that might be discouraging.  Today, I am here to show you all that no matter what level of crafter you are, you can create some really cute projects!

{But First: A few important things I need to tell you}

{1} I will NOT be posting at all next week.  That means that Monday (Dec. 24) and Thursday (Dec. 27) there will be no new updates on this blog.  I hate doing that for fear that some of you may get out of routine and forget about me, but this time is about family and I plan to use any time off as time for them.  My next post then will be on Tuesday, January 1.

{2} You might have just noticed that I said my next post would be Tuesday, January 1 and not Monday (my normal posting day).  That is because I will be participating in a BLOG HOP with Every Day is an Occasion, Ribbons & Glue, The Hunny Pot, A Mermaid's Crafts, A Piece of Life's Pie, Quick Chick Designs, Court's Craft Corner and My Paper Love!  It is going to be an awesome start to the new year with so many talented people. PLEASE stop by to not only visit me but to visit these other blogs as well.  We are each making a craft with something new we got for Christmas.  The variety is endless, so you are bound to find something that you love!

{Now onto the real reason you are here}
Sorry to take care of business first, but it had to be done. 

These treat bags are easy to make, even with the simplest of crafting tools. All I used was:

-Paper
-Regular Scissors
-Baker's Twine
-Hole Punch
-Glue
-Pen or Marker

First, cut the background paper into rectangles large enough to fold in half over the top of the ziplock bag.  Next, find a contrasting paper to use for the round piece.  Using items around your house, find a circle shape that will fit nicely on your rectangle (I traced the bottom of a toothpick holder!)

To get the designed edges on my circle, I simply drew it out on the back of the paper then {very carefully} cut it out.

    
Write your message on the small paper and glue the paper pieces together.  Then, align the paper over the bag so that it is positioned where you want it to be.  Punch 2 holes into the folded paper and the plastic bag.  I could not even find a regular hole punch so I used our 3-hole punch (hey, it worked!).

Finish it off by running some baker's twine through the holes from the back to front of the bag.  I like this look better than stapling, but it is up to you.

  {Your Turn}
What a simple way to turn a nice gesture into something extra special.  The best part is, this can be done with ordinary, every day items.  I love that because it really does mean that anyone can be creative (something I truly believe) without having to go out and buy all new supplies.

Wishing you all the best for the Christmas (or whatever you celebrate) season and the upcoming New Year.  Enjoy this time with your family and friends and I will see you again soon!

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

LINK LOVE! Linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion

Christmas Bandana for Our Furry Friends

I finally got around to making our Christmas cards.  Okay, I finally got around to taking a picture and ordering one of those cards from online that you upload your picture to.  It is less crafty than I intended but they are really cute!  Either way, I had to get our dog Ernie (remember his debut on my treat container post?  If not, go check out the big sweetie!) ready for the occasion as well.  That is why I made him a *drumroll please*....... Christmas Bandana!

I couldn't resist having him "say" that.  This bandana looks really nice going down his backside too, but for the sake of family pictures, we moved it up front.  Even though it looks kind of long on the front, I really like it (is it more "formal" that way?).  Plus, the top can be folded down to position at whatever height you desire.

Did you notice the bells at the bottom?  My favorite part about this whole project is how he sounds like Santa's sleigh as he trots around the house.  I absolutely love it!

All you need to do is:
1. Find a fabric that you like,
2. Cut it into a rectangle (make sure the long side will fit around your dogs neck!
3. Fold into a triangle.  I kept my fabric doubled over so that the bandana is extra sturdy.
4. You can sew this together quickly, or if you are trying to get this done as you are taking pictures (I know, I know, don't judge me), use some Heat n Bond along the top and middle edges.
5. Quickly sew on some bells along the bottom "V" of the bandana.  Don't go all the way up because that will just rub against your pet's neck.

That's it, you're done!

{My handsome husband and my adorable doggie}

Once the bandana was finished we were ready for our family "photo shoot"!  We took lots of pictures and had a ball listening to Ernie trot around the house with his jingle bells.

{Your Turn}

Which of your furry friends would like a Christmas bandana of their own?  Or, tell me a story of some of the fun (or wacky) things your pets have worn for the sake of a good picture.  I love all of our furry friends, so please share your stories with me!

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

LINK LOVE! Linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion

A Christmas Greeting Printable

Can you believe it is December 10th already?  DECEMBER TENTH!!! That means I have 15 days to get all the Christmas shopping done and wrapped, all the treats made and delivered to the neighbors and all the Christmas cards put together and sent out.  Worst thing is, I haven't really begun any of these *panic setting in*.  Oh well, for now I will just drink my coffee and take a break with you fine folks.

I would love to give you all a sneak peek of our Christmas Card that we are sending out but I am running a shade behind on it's production.  In lieu of that I will give you a Christmas "card" online!  I will even include a link to the image so that you can use it for your own season's greetings, for wrapping paper (think tiled images) or even just to print and put into a frame for some last minute decor or gift giving.  You can use it for whatever your heart desires- my gift to you!

I love when words literally take shape!  As I was thinking of what to write in here, I just kept thinking "mittens on kittens" which is what my husband says when referring to the "My Favorite Things" song.  Isn't that funny?  I guess that is one of those personal jokes that only we think is funny... so I left it out.

Interested in having this?  HERE is the link to print or save it!

{Your Turn}
I hope that you all are farther on your Christmas to-do list than I am and have enjoyed today's post. I should probably get myself around and get working on that other Christmas card... you know, the one I actually need to send out in 2 days! See you on Thursday!

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

Burlap and Berry Christmas Wreath

'Tis the season for Christmas villages, decorated cookies, beautiful lights and festive Christmas decorations.  Well, up until yesterday you would never have guessed it was Christmastime around my house.  Let's just say we are running a little behind on all things Christmas this year.  Nonetheless, we finally have some decorations up (yay)!  One of my favorite new additions is this wreath that I just threw together.  It is really easy to make and only takes TWO materials.  Want to see it?

It is rustic and festive, it is a win-win!  I had bought the red and green stems a few months back from the floral section at Hobby Lobby.  I was not sure how many it took to make a wreath so I just bought six of them.  When I put it together however it looked a little... bare.  So, I figured why not add one of my favorite materials- burlap?!  I love how this turned out and I am so glad that I didn't "get enough" of the stems in the first place.

{How to Make it}
Gather your materials.  All you need is some burlap and roughly six floral stems of your choice.


{Burlap}
For the burlap, you will need to cut strips wide enough to show underneath the berry stems.  This is really all personal preference and depends on your stem size, but if you want to know how wide mine are, I cut them roughly 4 1/2 inches wide.

Just make sure that you do not pull the thread all the way out or the burlap will lie flat again.  I find it best to pull from both sides and let the extra thread hang.

Easy peasy! Now onto the stems...


{Floral Stems}
Like I said before, I bought six of these but depending on the size and fullness of the stems you chose, you may have to get more or less.  All you need to do for this step is to attach (I used tape) the stems together to form a circle.

 
I love those red and green "berries", so pretty!

{Attaching the Burlap}
Now that you have the pieces ready, it is time to attach the burlap.  Simply lay the burlap where it belongs around the wreath.  Here is the best part: to attach the burlap you can tie a loop around the stems using spare burlap threads!  This is a craft that supplies it's own materials- how neat is that?  You wont need a needle or anything, just stretch out a "waffle hole" big enough to slide the thread through.  When you are done, knot it together on the backside & cut the extra thread away.

{That's it!}
Finish attaching the burlap around the wreath and you are all done!  I love how easy this wreath is and how cute it turned out.  I have a feeling this wreath will be a new staple in our Christmas decor.

 
{Your Turn!}
What do you think about using burlap in Christmas decor?  Do you love the rustic look or do you think it looks like it belongs on a barn (get my joke? The pictures above were taken on a barn door!)  Okay, I am laughing at my own jokes now, I should probably stop while I am ahead.  I hope everyone enjoyed this post and is excited to make your very own Christmas wreath.  Hey- there are still people out there like me who aren't finished decorating, right?

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

LINK LOVE!  Linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion and Chick-n-Scrap

Glitter Jars for the Holidays

Hello friends.  I cannot express how happy I am to be here sharing this post with you today; not because of the post itself (although I think you're going to like it) but because I am finally over this terrible flu that I had.  Unless I could have crafted and typed curled up in the fetal position it wasn't going to happen.  Anyways, enough of that- onto the good stuff: today's craft.

Whether hosting a holiday party (this works for Christmas, New Years, anything) or giving gifts to the neighbors (a first for us this year), this craft will surely fit your schedule, budget and plans:

All you do to make these is cover a mason jar in paint (I used white) and then cover in glitter, tapping off the excess.  That's it!  If your glitter is still really loose, cover it with a sealer so that it does not get everywhere (and boy, does glitter get EVERYWHERE).

As you can see from the picture on the left, this would make a totally cute holiday drinking cup; just add a festive straw and you are good to go!

As for the picture on the right, fill the jar with baked goodies like candy, chocolate covered pretzels or cookies, add a lid, gift tag and bow (love that contrasting red) and head on over to your friend or neighbor's house for a gift they wont be forgetting.

{Your Turn}
Do you have any other uses for these glittered jars? What colors would you make them in?

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

LINK LOVE!  Linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion and Chick-n-Scrap

Set of Reindeer Ornaments

I have said it before and I will say it again:  I love Christmastime.  I love all the classic Christmas movies, all the classic Christmas songs and my goodness how I love Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  Today I want to share with you all a fun little Christmas craft that is sure to please any Rudolph fan out there... or just anyone who loves the season as much as I do.

It is a set of NINE ornaments.  Eight have regular little deer on them (aren't they precious when they still look young?) and one is Rudolph.  What a fun game it could be to place these all on the tree and then have others try to find Rudolph!

All you need are 9 blank ceramic ornaments, some blue paint and vinyl cutouts!  Just let the paint dry and attach the vinyl- simple as that.

For the reindeer shape I used "patterned baby deer" from the Silhouette store made by Alaa' K.  I love this shape.  If you want to see it being used on a pair of winter gloves, check out this post.  For the red nose, I just punched a circle out of red vinyl.

{Your Turn}
Do you think you would make these ornaments? Any other design that you would rather have on them? Share your thoughts & comments... I would love to hear them!


Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann 

LINK LOVE!  Linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion and Chick-n-Scrap

Easy DIY Sign

Hello!  I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We went to my husband's side of the family yesterday and today we are heading to mine.  That being said, I will make the chit-chat brief!  I made this sign to hang up during the holidays.  Right now it is sitting on a stand, but as soon as I figure out where to hang it, I will drill two holes in the top and attach a cute Christmas ribbon.

It's easy to do and can be completed in less than 20 minutes (including drying time!)

{Materials}

You only need a few things. 
{1} An unfinished wood sign.  These can be found at most any craft store or online.
{2} The vinyl design on your choice.  The kissing couple in the middle is from the Silhouette store.  The man in the picture is kissing her on the forehead.  I just found this so sweet that I had to have it!
{3} Paint

{How to Make it}
{1} Paint the wood, let it dry.
{2} Cut on design in vinyl, attach to wood.

(optional) {3} Apply Mod Podge to the edges and sprinkle with Diamond Dust. (This WAS done on mine. I think it looks really pretty but it's up to you.)
(optional) {4} Cut holes in the top and string some ribbon through it to hang.

{Your Turn!}
Isn't that easy? You can make these for any occasion or design. I just LOVE that red color (it's called "Santa Red"- perfect huh?) and the sweet mistletoe message. Perfect for my Christmas decor!

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann  

LINK LOVE! Linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion and Chick-n-Scrap