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Last-Minute Ornament Ideas

With Christmas just a few days away, I wanted to share some last-minute DIY ornament projects.  They appear in this week's issue of Parade Magazine, and I had so much fun making them -- hope you will too!

These colorful stars are made from striped cocktail napkins!  You won't believe how easy they are to whip up -- and they're a really fun way to use up stray, colorfully patterned napkins.  You can find the step-by-step instructions on Parade's website.

And these swirly ornaments may just blow your mind! They are actually made from marbleized balloons -- and take only a few minutes to create!  I have to admit -- I was pretty excited with how they turned out!

Check out the how-to's for these colorful ornaments here -- and if you're looking for a good source for the balloons, I found mine at Party City.  They're called "TIe Dyed" balloons, and I got a whole bag of 72 12" balloons for $7.99.  Here's on online source in case you can't find them at your local party store.

Wishing you a very happy, warm, and BRIGHT holiday!

 

Knuckle Tattoo Gloves

(photo via Country Living/Lara Robby/Studio D)

 Looking for a personalized gift idea?  Check out these embroidered gloves I made for the December issue of Country Living.  They're a riff on knuckle tattoos -- and the good news is, if you get tired of one "tattoo", you can just switch to another saying!  For instructions on how to make these, head over to Country Living's website.  And if you decide to tackle a pair, here are a few inside tricks:

- Print out your sayings on a piece of plain paper first, in a font you like, such as "Print Dashed". Your letters should be about 5/8" high. Next, cut out each individual letter and transfer it to the gloves.  (You can do this by covering the back of each letter with chalk using chalk pencils. Place the letter, chalk side down where you want it to go, so that the letter falls just below the knuckle (first joint) and above the second joint on each finger.  Place a few tongue depressors or cardboard strips inside the gloves, one finger at a time.  Trace over the outline of the letter using a sharp pencil.  Remove paper to reveal the transferred chalk outline. Repeat for each letter.)

- Embroider each letter using the stem stitch, and 6 strands of floss.  Place the tongue depressors or cardboard strips inside each finger as you go, to act as a barrier, and help you from sewing the front and back finger fabric together.  Knot each letter on the inside and trim any extra thread.

- This is a really good stem stitch tutorial in case you need an embroidery refresher.  

Borrow the sayings above, or personalize the gloves is countless ways with your own eight letter expressions.   

 

Country Living's Live Holiday Pinterest Party!

I'm really excited to be a part of a very cool event tonight hosted by Pinterest and Country Living.  The magazine has asked several New York City-based craft bloggers including Brett Bara from Manhattan Craft Room, Natalie Soud from A Dose of Delightful , Laura Fenton from Little House in the City,  Michelle Edgemont, and me to join them for their first ever Holiday Pinspiration Party.

Country Living's Pinterest followers voted on which projects each blogger will make and this is the final list:

Pinata ornaments
Jingle-bell wreath
My potato wheel wrapping paper
Pom-pom gift bows
Infused vodka

Tonight (December 4th), Country Living will be live-pinning the party from 5-8 pm ET on their Pinterest board, showing you step-by-step how each of us make our crafts. Then, they'll post all the projects on CountryLiving.com.

Make sure to check out the how-to photos, or feel free to pin one of your own DIY holiday projects to the magazine's Pinterest board. To get more details, check out Country Living's website.

P.s. If you make one of these projects, be sure to let me know, or Pin it and tag Country Living!

 

"Silk" Acorns

Before the ground is covered with snow, and your acorns are lost until Spring, gather up a few and make some colorful versions using pretty embroider floss.  

You'll need about one skein of thread per acorn.  I love the rainbow of hues embroidery thread comes in -- I usually get DMC Cotton Embroidery Floss, which they sell at Michael's and other craft stores for about 39 cents!  All you have to do is wind the thread into a ball, as if it were a tiny ball of yarn.

Now just pop off an acorn cap (use a craft knife, such as an X-acto knife, to separate the cap from the body if need be.)  Add a dab of hot glue to the ball at the thread's end, then attach the cap.  Squeeze the ball with your fingers to create an "acorn" shape.

These make cute present toppers and ornaments, or fill a small bowl with them to add a splash of color to a dresser or coffee table.

 

Horsey Draft Dodger

It's starting to get chilly, so this draft dodger pillow is just what you'll need to keep out the cold. It's inspired by a project in Dianna Rupp's super cute book, Embroider Everything Workshop.

(photo via Country Living/Burcu Avsar)

Dianna's book is filled with all sorts of adorable stitching projects, but I made this pillow sans embroidery for the November issue of Country Living.  The horses look like they've been silkscreened onto the linen fabric, but actually I just used iron-on transfers for DARK fabric. (Using transfers made especially for dark colored cloth is the key to creating these opaque designs.)  The complete how-to's can be found on Country Living's website along with several other projects that will keep you busy and warm.

No-Carve Pumpkins

I meant to get this post up a lot sooner...and certainly before Halloween!  But then the storm hit, and we lost power and internet (and ended up having Halloween in the dark.)  So, maybe this will spark an idea for next year or even for your Thanksgiving table!  A big thank you to Ladies' Home Journal for giving me the opportunity to whip up some funky "funkins" for their October issue.

I had so much fun coming up with these no-carve pumpkin ideas.  The image below is actually a "tattooed" pumpkin and is very easy to make.  (You know I love tattooing things...)

This chalkboard pumpkin is made using chalkboard spray paint and a skull image from one of my favorite sites, The Graphics Fairy.  

(images via Ladies' Home Journal/Jennifer Causey)

For instructions and supply information check out the full story on the Ladies' Home Journal website.  Halloween will be here again before you know it!

 

 

Farmers Market Inspiration

(Photos by Hannah Kahn)

We visited a great Farmers Market in Rhinebeck, NY this weekend.  Fall fruits, vegetables and other goodies were all on display!   The apples were especially crisp and delicious, and also the inspiration for this fun Fall project below:

You’ll just need two pieces of cardboard, notebook paper, an apple, and some paint to make your own Fall fruit notebook.  I sliced the apple in half to turn it into a “stamp” -- then used it to decorate one of the cardboard pieces.  I took everything to Staples and they put the whole thing together with the spiral for just a few dollars.  There are lots of fun food stamps (potatoes, sliced celery stalks, Brussels sprouts etc.) But of course an apple is very Fall, very Back-to-School, very Happy New Year!  

 

Straw Coasters

Several months ago I shared some photos of oddball supplies that were piling up around my house, including lots and lots of plastic drinking straws:

Well, I finally have the finished project to show you -- some colorful woven straw coasters that are feautured in the July issue of Country Living.

(photo via Country Living/Miki Duisterhof)

These were a lot of fun to make and would be a cute 4th of July project if you whipped them up in red, white, and blue!  You can get the full set of instructions for these and a bunch of other warm-weather crafts on Country Living's website. 

Now I just have to get my hands on that drink recipe...yum.

 

Summer Crafts in Dash Magazine

I wanted to share some fun and easy craft projects I did for Dash Magazine recently. This first project is a new twist on an old favorite:  Easy Alphabet Rocks!   What is it about this time honored kid's craft?  I could paint rocks all day long... 

(Image Via Dash Magazine/Luis Ernesto Santana)

I was really excited about how the raffia tree ornaments below came out, too.  To find out the "secret" to making these perfectly round, check out the online directions over at Dash's website. If you want, you can also turn these ornaments into outdoor lanterns. Just add a little battery powered or rechargeable LED candle--(I found mine at Home Depot.) 

(Image Via Dash Magazine/Luis Ernesto Santana)

And here's another way to light up your outdoor table -- Dipped Votive Holders! These are super fun and somehow really satisfying to make, and they are also very inexpensive.  (The glass votive holders cost about a dollar at Pier One!) They make great decorations, or whip up a whole set to give as a gift.

For complete instructions, and three more summer craft projects, check out the full post over at Dash. Summer will be here before you know it.

 

DIY Fabric Necklaces

I love this necklace idea from Sis Boom.  They're made from cording covered in beautiful Sis Boom Fabrics and miscellaneous charms found on Etsy.

(photo via Sis Boom)

I don't know which is going to be more fun -- making these necklaces or hunting for the charms!  Take a look at these cool trinkets I found from an Etsy store called Dime Store Emporium:

(Vintage Happy Birthday Charm)

(Arabian Style Medallions)

(Vintage Porcelain Cameo)

Can't wait to dig into this project!