diy: washi tape gift tags

I know there are a zillion washi tape projects out there and amongst them there are probably a lot of gift tag diys too but here's what I made for this holiday season to go with my silver and gold gift wrap (which I still need to get to, wrapping, that is).

 

 

Gather up yer washi tape, don't worry about using all of the same color or making sure it matches. The more colors the merrier. Grab a sheet of card stock and get ready to layer.

I have a nifty tag-shaped paper punch so I layered my tape pieces in all sorts of direction for more variety when punching out. If you do not have a punch, don't worry, you can cut out your own shapes or use an online template. Layer your washi pieces in a manner that pleases you. Have scissors handy if you want clean cuts.

 

When I got to the awkward part of my paper, I flipped it over and trimmed off all the excess tape and used that to fill in the white space.

 

Punch or cut out your shapes using as much of the paper as possible. I begin on the far left of one side and punch all the way around. Next, I use scissors to trim the funky bits left-over and punch around again repeating until all of the paper is used up.

 

 

Use a hole punch to punch a hole for lacing. I have misplaced my regular hole punch and so pulled out this tiny punch and was not happy with the results. I then went off in search of another only to find a vintage three-hole punch in the mama-a-go-go's room and so made do with that.

Aren't they pretty? I think they would look great tied to craft paper packages and boxes.   I have two sets of gift wrap to use. One is a store bought black paper with vibrantly colored snowflakes and the other is plain white paper I have drawn designs on with metallic markers. I think the color of these tags will work with both. Make a bunch and gift them to friends to use throughout the year. I can't wait to finish (ahem..begin) wrapping!

diy dillydilly: cheater potholders

Years ago when I ran the five things group we had a potholder swap. I worked my gifted arse off stitching up five chicken potholders, wrestling with the thick insulated padding and breaking needles on bias tape that did not like me one bit. The pay off would be five awesome handmade potholders from five crafty internet friends only the person hosting the swap never mailed them out and that was that. Since then I have wanted to make potholders but have dreaded the idea of all that wrestling. When I decided to make the recipe boards I knew I wanted a stitched potholder but how would I do it? The answer came to me at a very random moment (I think I was at school)...make slipcovers fro dollar store potholders (or other, older potholders you already have). So here is my cheater diy...

Select a pale or plain potholder from the dollar store, thrift store, or your own stash of potholders. Measure the top and one side of your potholder and create a pattern from newspaper with a 1/2" seam allowance on three sides and a 1" allowance on one side. Make sure your pattern is on the fold of the newspaper with your longest sides running perpendicular to the fold.

 

Iron your fabric if you need to, pin pattern and cut. I used a light-weight mock denim that I am quite in love with (I want to buy a bolt). Fold fabric in half with right-side facing in, pin to hold and stitch along three sides (include the fold) leaving the end opposite the fold open.

Turn right-side out and poke those corners out as much as possible. Fold in the open edge as evenly as you can and press with a hot iron.

Slide your potholder inside, adjust folded opening, pin if you need to and stitch closed. Go around the entire holder with a zig-zag stitch for fun, use a contrasting thread if you like and snip all visible threads. Mister said I should have used chalk to mark my lines but I like it wonky, if you prefer a nice even stitch, use a ruler and chalk to mark your lines.

 

To add decoration, thread up an embroidery needle with all six skeins of your embroidery thread color of choice and stitch away. Leave all knots on one side of your holder or not...they can add to the design element. Tie off and snip threads and you now have a swanky potholder/trivet!

**if you do not have any potholders and do not wish to purchase any, three or four layers of wool from a felted sweater should do the trick. If you have only two layers, whip up a trivet or coaster set instead and go felt crazy!

diy dillydilly: recipe board

This year I really wanted to make a few holiday gifts for my co-teachers. They are such an amazing team I just wanted to spoil them silly. After much hemming and hawing on what to make I settled on this nifty project found via pinterest and sprinkled a bit of scrumdilly dust on top. I decided on this nifty board for purely selfish reasons. Most of my recipes nowadays come from the internet and rather than scribbling it all down on scrap paper or relaying back and forth between the laptop and the kitchen, I thought that this board would be a neat way to use the internet for recipes, just write it down and wipe away...and it could be used to leave notes for family about dinner plans, errand running, etc.

 

The boards were purchased from Michael's as was the clear chalkboard paint (clear chalkboard paint!) and the rest was what I had on hand...paint, sandpaper, twine...

 

I followed the instructions from Sugar & Cloth with a little help from the mister on the order of painting...note...paint a clear coat first, allow to dry then add your tape and paint a clear coat just at the point where the tape meets the wood. The clear coat will seep under the tape but you won't be able to see it thus protecting your clean line of color once you had you paint color. Otherwise your paint color will seep and your clean line will be a little less clean. Also, priming the board with chalk left it a wee bit scratchy which I like to refer to as rustic....oh and the boards are not as flat as they could be and they do warp a bit when paint is added...

 

I added a homemade potholder/trivet (diy coming soon) and a nifty bamboo utensil and the gifts were ready to roll!

Now I just need to make one for myself. Clear Chalkboard Paint!

holiday diy: twelve days of christmas advent part 2

Here is another nifty way to dress up twelve cups of Christmas cheer.

I used a mini embroidery hoop and twelve mini clothespins. Adhere the pins to the hoop with a super sticky glue (my glue gun in the pics did not hold up. I would use E-6000 for the next round). When you arrange the pins, think of a clock so that they are fairly evenly spaced.

 Add your teas and hang within reach!

 

holiday diy: twelve days of christmas advent part 1

 I love an advent calendar. LOVE them. I always plan on making one just for fun but then well...time runs away from me. Here is a simple advent you can make as a holiday gift for a friend that still has the element of an advent without having to rush through the last of week in November to get it done. It's a Twelve Days of Christmas Tea Advent. Okay, really it is an interpretation of the twelve days as the Twelve Days of Christmas begin on December 25 while this advent would kick of a twelve day countdown to Christmas. Confused? Me too, but lookie, it's cute!

Years ago a lovely internet friend sent me a tea advent calendar. The variety of teas coupled with the happy colors of the wrappers made for a delightful morning cuppa. A few week's ago I asked if anyone wanted to swap tea and had two takers so I whipped up these mini twelve day advent calendars that can be used to count down to Christmas or New Year's. One calendar presented two ways. Here is way one.

Most boxes of tea will have 15-20 bags inside. Pick up three boxes with one of them being a variety pack and you could create a dozen or so gifts for your tea drinking friends. Now, good tea can be spendy but your average supermarket tea can be very tasty as well as long as you know how to brew it. Good Earth makes a fantastic Vanilla Chai tea, Tazo has the coolest wrappers and you could pick by color as all of their teas are really delicate yet full of flavor, and my favorite market tea is Mighty Leaf's Orange Dulce. Whichever tea you choose, make sure each bag is wrapped to ensure the integrity of the flavor.

Gather up your teas and get to wrapping them. I used two brown lunch bags cut into bands, washi tape, and a permanent marker.

 

Use a hole punch or a needle and thread to attach each bag to a length of twine or yarn and tie to pretty hanger either store bought or homemade. Think outside the box and wrap a metal hanger with fabric or yarn, turn a tree branch into a hanger, or use a cedar hanger that is a gift itself.

A simple, easy diy that can be dressed up in any number of ways no matter the color or seasonal trends!

an early gift