diy caffeinated christmas gift {and a giveaway!}

 Have you been enjoying our holiday projects and fun? I hope so! I actually had planned to post a DIY on an alternative stocking (that is a way to package up stocking stuffers not in a stocking, not an emo themed stocking) but that project still needs some pretty pictures so instead I will be sharing a nifty way to present a coffee card to those coffee lovers in yer life.

I recently had a Secret Santa gift exchange for job-o number one. Our limit was $10 and my person is quite fond of coffee so it made sense to go with a gift card (who doesn't enjoy a gift card?) but it needed to be dressed up a smidge. Lucky for me I have boxes and suitcases and tins full of fabric and bits so it was really easy to create this wee gift package without going over the limit. This is a great way to use up yer tiny fabric scraps (I know you have a baggie or box or tin stashed away somewhere) so plug in your iron, clear a work space and grab two pairs of scissors; one for fabric cutting and one for burlap cutting (never use your good scissors on burlap).

Materials

*paper coffee cup (w lid) from local shop

*1/3 cup whole coffee beans

*loaded gift card

*coffee sleeve (for pattern)

*two scraps of burlap 3"sq

*assorted fabric scraps

*sewing machine

*2 pairs of scissors (one good, one not so)

*tissue for wrapping

*scrap happy gift tag (optional)

*ribbon or yarn for tying

The first thing I did was hit up the local (one of many) Starbuckeroos. I do live in a town full of exceptional coffee shops but for the sake of easy access I went with a bigger name store. I picked up a gift card and coffee sleeve and instead of the box they like to give, I asked for a tall paper cup. I told the gal that I was going to add a scoop of coffee beans into the cup and nestle the green bit of happy plastic inside and she whipped out a silver scoop and gave me a dash of the sweet smelling beans at no extra charge. Whoo-hoo!  She arranged the card just so inside and then grabbed her black pen and wrote out the recipient's name and type of bean inside just like they do when you place your order. She also graciously gave me a small handle bag and oodles of tissue before she sent me off on my merry way.

The first thing I made was the coffee sleeve (that DIY will be posted in a few days) but then I broke out a small scrap of burlap and a handful of even smaller scrappy scraps and got to work on a coffee bean sachet. The burlap has an open weave so the sweetness can shine, plus it looks mighty hip and pretty all at the same time.

 Cut out two squares of burlap about 3". Wonky is fine, it is burlap after all. Do not use yer good scissors!Find some happy scraps and trim if you need to. Arrange scraps atop one of the pieces of burlap.

Beginning with the bottom scrap, stitch to burlap using your sewing machine. Keep stitching until all scraps are in place. Play with stitch length and style. Raw edges are just dandy, we're going for a rustic look here.Once pieces are stitched on. Sandwich your two burlap pieces together and stitch all the way around leaving one side open. Leave about a quarter of an inch allowance at the edge. We're gonna jazz it up a smidge in a moment.

Tuck about a tablespoon or so of coffee beans into the open end of the sachet. Bring back to machine and stitch closed. Trim all edges so they appear more even than not and then pull out excess burlap strands. The open weave makes for easy unraveling and any strands not anchored into your stitching is fair game.

Ta-da! Happy shabby fringe!

Which makes for one happy little coffee bean sachet! Your recipient can keep this in her car or on her desk for a refresher. It can also be used as a pin cushion or light paper weight. See? Multi-functional!

Never one to not go a wee bit overboard, I also make a stitched paper garland which I wrapped around the gift card and anchored with a wee clothespin.

Tuck the card, garland and sachet into the cup and pop the lid back on.

Nestle the sleeve onto the cup and you now have an original take on a gift that is difficult to fool people.

I wrapped up the whole bit of pretty in the tissue from the shop, tied it with a brown ribbon and added a scrap happy tag (DIY also to be posted soon) to finish it all off. I hope the receiver enjoys this bit of fun! I know I would!

Leave a comment here at scrumdillydilly on this post here or this post for a chance to win a dilly-made coffee bean sachet, sleeve, paper garland and gift-tag pack (gift card not included). To make it more interesting, I would love to hear/read what your favorite project from the four of us was. I know it's kinda hard to choose (at least I think so, mine not included) but I would love to know what you think. I'll announce a winner Tuesday morning. Winner will have until Monday, December 19th to contact me otherwise a new winner will be selected (I want to mail out the gift pack asap). Happy Holidays from little old me and as always, be kind!

it's time for a holiday {blog} sock hop!

 Happy weekend folks! Let's pause a moment to get comfy, shall we? This is a party after all. Unwind that happy scarf, grab a cup of egg nog (or if you are like me, add a shot of egg nog to your cup of coffee), put on some holiday tunes and join me and three other lurvely ladies for a holiday blog sock hop stuffed silly with all sorts of handmade, tutorials, inspiration and dare I say it....g i v e a w a y s !!

If you are anything like any of us, you love the holiday hustle and bustle, are itching to create something festive, and have a smaller than small budget to work with. Sure, the days are passing by faster than it takes to bake a fruit cake and your to-do list is longer than Santa's but there is a happy pile of fabric over there, in the corner and you just picked up a doily or two during a recent thrift run. You are itching to break in that new felting needle and have a basket full of lovely roving and all those river rocks you collected over vacation really would look quite cute paired up with that tea-cup full of googly eyes. Not to mention, you have a zillion secret Santa parties with $10 limits and have run out of ideas for packaging up yet another coffee gift card. Join us today for a little blog hop full of inspiration, we've got oodles of fun and our recent posts should be enough to give you an extra kick of holiday spirit. I promise I won't break out any mistletoe and I will only allow itunes to play two versions of jingle bells. Cross my heart.

Later today I will be posting a nifty DIY for wrapping up a coffee gift card. Until then, enjoy the craftiness of some super crafty ladies and pay attention to the details, there are prizes to be won!

Tara Anderson of the pink couch

Megan Andersen of radmegan

Jennifer of The Felt Mouse

jek of scrumdillydilly 

(hey, that's me!)

Seriously folks, these talented ladies are oozing with T A L E N T . They are more than an Egg Nog latte topped with whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg. More than a happy batch of homemade fudge. More than the fresh piney scent of a gorgeous green Christmas tree and they are giving their goodness away! So get to clicking, visit those blogs and don't forget to come back to little old me for a diy on coffee card presentation and a tutorial for making a wee coffee bean sachet. 

Leave a comment here at scrumdillydilly on this post here or this post for a chance to win a dilly-made coffee bean sachet, sleeve, paper garland and gift-tag pack (gift card not included). To make it more interesting, I would love to hear/read what your favorite project from the four of us was. I know it's kinda hard to choose (at least I think so, mine not included) but I would love to know what you think. I'll post the winner Tuesday morning!  Winner will have until Monday, December 19th to contact me otherwise a new winner will be selected (I want to mail out the gift pack asap) Happy Holidays from little old me and as always, be kind! 

the two lucky ladies are....

icedteaforme & digital misfit!

take a looksie at the following pic and let me know which band you would like...first contact gets first dibs! and note that the green is a biggie for those of you with pouffee hair and or really gifted noggins...

holiday countdown: a quick(ish) gift that is (almost) too pretty to share and a giveaway!

My new motto is have sweaters will make something...I may have mentioned this before but I am not a knitter. I knit as well as I use chop sticks and let's just say you might not wanna sit with me when I am attempting to slurp up pho (i once threw a pair of chopsticks clear across an eatery, on purpose. I was frustrated). So, to assuage my lack of yarn art capabilities I have been looking to wool sweaters to see what I can come up with. Earlier this week I was in Anthropologie and saw these gorgeous crocheted headbands (I can't find them on the website, sorry) complete with flowers and I thought, hey...I can hack this and so I did.

What you need:
*wool sweaters that have been felted
*needle & thread (or machine)
*tape measure or ruler if you need specifics
*scissors

You can use one sweater or many depending on whether or not you want a monochromatic look or something a wee bit more colorful. Me? I went with color. Either way, you are gonna end up with four parts. Mix and match, you choose. Firstly, you will need a long strip at least 20" long and 4" wide. This will be your band. Sweaters stretch so make sure you cut it a wee bit smaller than you need. This is where the tape measure comes in handy.Now, you will need two smallish squarish pieces, these will be the bulk of your flower. Cut them into flower shapes, one smaller than the other. Set aside.
For the center of the flower you will need a thin strip of sweater at least six inches long and one inch wide. Pop it onto your machine and do a long running along the length of one long end. Hold one end of thread and tug a little to get your strip to curl up and ruffle a bit. It will look a little like a rosebud. Shape it to your liking and with a needle and thread tack it in shape and then stitch to the remaining to flower pieces that have been stacked with the smaller piece on top. You can wait to do this part and do it all at once as you stitch the flower to the band. Your choice.Fold your band in half, right (preferred) side facing in. Stitch the ends closed either by hand using a wip stitch or by machine using a zig-zag. Turn it right side out and decided where you want your flower to be in relation to the seam. I placed my flowers about 8" away. Depending on how you wear the band your flower may be worn up above one ear or down below the other. Versatile! Handstitch your flower to your band, put on some happy lipstick and dazzle your do with your headband and have a great day! Oh...or you can make up a bunch and give them as gifts this holiday season. I'm kinda having a hard time deciding. You probably wouldn't wear one if I gave it to you anyway, would you? Would you? Leave a comment telling me how you would wear your happy headband and I'll pick two delightful persons to receive one of their own. Thanks for stopping by!I'll pick the winners on Saturday and mail yer goodies out to ya on Monday...stay tuned!

whine whine whine aka vote for me?

i entered another contest over on greenwala. won't you vote for me? only of course if you like it...okay, back to this purge...someday it will be finished and then what will i do?

WINNER(S)!

But first, lookie my fabulous yellow shoes! Okee dokee with One Thousand Four Hundred and Nine pieces of candy in the jar...1409...that makes gypsy the winner! Whoo-hoo! gypsy, I could not get to your profile/main page so please email me your addie, okie doke? And I decided to add a lil somethin' somethin' for the two runners up and they are...mrsmonkeys and jane! I will also need your addies! You can flickr mail or gmail me...jek in the box...happy Saturday folks!

Contest Time!

Guess how many sweets are in the jar and win a Valentine Themed giftpack from jek in the box! Add your guesses to the comments section and whomever is closest without going over wins! You have until Friday to guess. Saturday I will announce the winner! Click on the picture to go to my flickr page to see larger shots. There's a whole lotta candy in that jar! Filled to the brim, the sweets include:

*1 pound of m&ms
*2 small bags of jelly bellys
*4 snack packs of HOT TAMALES
*1 bag of Brachs Conversation Hearts
*1 bag of kissables

and a few other odds and ends...the sweets will be for the Family A-Go-Go so don't worry, you won't have to eat it all!