Birthday Banners

.........Birthday Banners.........

A fun way to brighten up birthdays

I've been writing guest blogs for DCWV (http://dcwvinc.blogspot.com/) and thought you all might be interested in those posts too. Here are some of the projects I've been featuring there, with a little more instruction so you can make the crafts too. Enjoy!

For my friends at work I make birthday cards for everyone in the office to sign but I can't stop there. Everyone needs something to make them feel extra special on their birthday, so I've been making mini-banners to drape across their computer screen or the back of their chair. It is a fun little touch that makes the day feel like a celebration. The mini-banners are really cute on cakes too. (To put the banner on a cake, I tie the ends of the banner to two decorative drinking straws or two dowels and stick them into the cake top.)

You can also tie the mini-banners to a card to mail to a far away friend. I bet getting a handmade card with cute little banners would make anyone's day.

The banners are easy to make even if you don't have a template handy. Here is how you make your own:

1) Cut basic shapes from folded scratch paper to create templates of any shape and size.

2) Punch a hole in the top corner of the folded paper to make evenly spaced holes.

3) Use the templates to cut the individual flags from scrap paper. (I used the Chalk Art Paper Stack here. This paper is available at Hobby Lobby Craft Stores.)

4.) String the flags together on twine, floss, or ribbon and embellish with flowers cut from the paper or with buttons.

P.S. The chalk paper easily erases with a damp cloth. It is very forgiving and reusable too. I used chalk markers to decorate this larger banner with the intent that the name, age, and occasion could quickly be changed for the next celebration. It is very handy to have a reusable custom banner ready at a moment’s notice. (This banner is made from The Chalkboard Paper Stack by DCWV. It is available at Michael's Craft Store and JoAnn's Craft Store.)

I've made a printable version of the mini-banner's instructions for your craft library. I don't know about you, but I like to keep an inspiration library on hand for when I'm drawing a blank in the creativity department. 

Do something happy today!

Stomping around

...Stomping around...

A Playful Dinosaur Card

This week I got to guest blog at DCWV where I’ve worked for years. I shared a tiny bit about me and some crafting techniques. You can visit DCWV’s blog here: http://dcwvinc.blogspot.com/2014/01/behind-scenes-at-dcwv.html.

Cards are my favorite thing to make so naturally that is what I choose to feature. Because cards are small scale they are fast to make and a whole lot less intimidating than staring at a huge blank scrapbook page wondering what in the world to do. Cards are just cute and fun. I especially enjoyed playing around with ribbon scraps on the dinosaur card I made for the blog feature. Here are the instructions to make the dinosaur card:

Have a wonderful day!

All that Glitters Party

.......All that Glitters.......

A Gold Sparkly Birthday Party

Photo by Kathy Dobson

Anything glittery gold catches my eye. So when I found that a new co-worker loved gold things I set out to make something special for her birthday. Sparkly gold details in gilded foil and glitter make this little party pretty much perfect.

Photo by Kathy Dobson

Diana Bales made the beautiful cupcakes dusted in gold powder and glittery stars. They were just as delicious as they look. She said the trick is to add soda pop or sparkling water to the cake batter.

Photo by Kathy Dobson

A mini banner strung across the card and a monogram medallion make the birthday wishes extra special. These are the pieces used to make the card.  

Photo by Kathy Dobson

Photo by Kathy Dobson

The medallion begins as a rectangle scored horizontally across the center and vertically every ¼”. Then the corners of the left side are adhered together and the same on the right side creating a circle. The medallion is attached to a banner shape on the card. Layers of circles and a monogram complete the medallion.

Photo by Kathy Dobson

The flag shapes are strung together on glossy embroidery floss and attached to the card. Sticker letters spell a gilded “happy birthday.” Gold thread accents woven into rickrack finish the card.

Photo by Kathy Dobson

A helpful trick is to turn the paper punch upside down to see exactly where it will cut.

Photo by Kathy Dobson

The circles were originally intended to hang from gold balloons tied to the office chair. Once the letters were printed and attached to the double sided glittery circles the balloons were too weighed down. Strung together the circles would make a great banner draped across the chair or screen. These circles ended up decorating the desk like giant confetti.

I hope you enjoy the photos of this little glitzy gold party. I had fun making it and sharing it with all of you. Have a dazzling day!

A New Year Party Banner & a New Adventure

.........A New Year.........

A Party Banner & A New Adventure

I find myself too comfortable in the way I’ve always done things. I like routines, schedules, and familiar places. I like to know what I am getting into before I commit. I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions because I make little changes as I go rather than one big push for something new all at once.

This year I’m trying something different. I don’t have a specific resolution, just a challenge. I want to push myself to try new things. Jump into new projects and see what happens. Change is hard but how else do you grow?

I’ll start to step out of my comfort zone by learning something new. There are so many things I want to learn, photography, design on the computer, home improvement, business, painting, repairs, publishing…lots of stuff. If I get a chance, I’d like to share what I learn with all of you throughout the next year.

I’d like to challenge you to try this little adventure too by doing something outside of your comfort zone. Maybe we can try something new and learn together. What do you want to try?

P.S. Here is some inspiration for a New Years Party. Enjoy!

Have a Happy New Year!

A Merry Christmas to All

..........A Merry Christmas to All..........
Wishing you and yours a Merry & Bright Holiday!

A Simple Snowflake Card

....A Simple Snowflake ....
Last Minute Christmas Card Idea

Sometimes simple is better. This is especially true when Christmas is just around the corner. If you need a quick card idea, this simple card is for you. You can make it like this:

A Merry Little Christmas Hot Cocoa Gift

..A Merry Little Christmas..
Easy to Make Hot Cocoa Neighbor Gift

I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays.  I’m trying to make all my Christmas preparations a bit simpler so I don’t stress out so much. A sweet little Christmas with my family sounds much better than an exhausted mom missing out on the family time. This year I just want a merry little Christmas with cozy comforts like hot cocoa and fuzzy socks. What a fun thing to share with the people I care about! 

This is an easy to make hot cocoa gift if you want to share the warm cozy feeling with your neighbors too. I used the Home for Christmas Paper Stack from DCWV to decorate the can of hot cocoa. 
Have yourself a very Merry Christmas!

A Warm Welcome Yarn Wreath

........A Warm Welcome........
A Yarn-Wrapped Christmas Wreath 

Welcome to winter! It has arrived in a furious winter snow storm but inside is warm and wonderful. My family all snuggled together to watch our favorite shows. There is nothing like cozy evenings with the family all around.

With the weather so cold outside I thought a cozy wreath welcoming guests would warm us all up. The colors remind me of peppermint candy canes with hot chocolate...yummy.

Here are the directions for you to make one too:

Bless You Tissues

..God Bless You Tissues..
A Practical & Cute Neighbor Gift

There are so many sweets passed around at Christmas I think something practical may be a fun change. This is a little package of tissues that you could give to a co-worker or a friend at school. You could use the same idea for neighbor gifts with full size tissue boxes. This is how you make them:

May God bless you with peace, love, and joy this holiday season and always!

Remember the Reason Scripture Booklet

..Remember the Reason..
A Scripture a Day Booklet

This next craft is really simple and easy to make but takes some thought to find which scriptures to include. The craft is a cute little booklet of scriptures for each day leading up to Christmas. It doesn't necessarily have to start on December first. It could be just for the last week or two. Each page opens up to reveal a scripture about what Christmas is about, the story of Christ's birth, or something Jesus taught.

One of Christ's teachings that I thought was perfect for the season was "Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" [Matthew 25:40]. This is a great opportunity to talk about when we give gifts to each other and do nice things for each other, it is like a birthday presents for Jesus. This is one of my favorites but you could use any scriptures that are meaningful to you.

Here are the instructions if you would like to make this craft for your family, a close friend, or a missionary:

I have another Christmas craft to share with you soon. Until then have a wonderful day!

The Reason for the Season Christmas Card

...........The Reason for the Season............
Christmas Crafts Celebrating Christ's Birthday

This holiday season is the perfect time to remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas...not the presents or the fun get-togethers, but that Christ was born. I certainly don't want to get rid of the wonderful traditions we all enjoy, but maybe we could fit more of Christ back into Christmas.

When my children were very young it was so easy to teach them why we have Christmas. I would tell them that Christmas was to celebrate how excited we are that Christ was born. It represents his birthday. They insisted we must have balloons and cake for Jesus. So we did. Now that they are older we don't talk about it so much. I think we may just have to have cake and balloons again this Christmas. I should have made it a tradition a long time ago.

Christmas Swivel Card

This swivel card is a great handmade reminder of the reason for the season. 

Here is how you make it:

I have a few more Christmas crafts celebrating the reason for this wonderful season. I want to share them with you soon. So come back to visit again.

Celebrate all Month Advent Calendar

...Celebrate all Month....
Mitten Advent Calendar

Holidays are meant for celebrating. Why not celebrate all month long? This advent calendar is made with simple mitten shapes strung on yarn that already comes with mini pompoms sewn into it. The numbers are cut straight out of the paper stack making it super simple to create. {I used the Christmas Creations Paper Stack by DCWV.} You can write a fun activity on the back of each mitten or glue two mittens back to back to make a pocket for a special treat.

If you run a bit late with all the holiday projects on your list, you can make a mitten a day to add to the garland until you have them all. Then they will be ready to use again next year. Your advent calendar will make every day something to celebrate.

I've made the mitten template below for you. Scale it to whatever size you like best. 
Happy holiday crafting!

November to Remember Keepsake Necklace

...A November to Remember...

Copper Keepsake Necklace

Keepsake Necklace modeled by my friend Shilo Hill

Photo by Kathy Dobson

Photo by Melissa Snyder

Time is going by so fast. I cannot believe November has come and almost gone. Today I’m thinking about holding on to memories that make me happy.

Most of my happiest memories revolve around family. My kind mom is one of my happy thoughts. She always makes everything homemade. She tells me it saves money, but the time and thought she puts into her homemade things express how much she cares. It makes me happy to remember my great grandaunt, who made me feel that everything I made was a work of art, even if it was just a handful of weeds in a vase. Thinking about my always-happy-to-help dad, my crazy-fun brothers and sisters, and my own sweet family are very happy thoughts. Life really is so good.

I made this necklace thinking it would be a fun way to hold on to some of these happy memories. It has a little keepsake locket to tuck a photo of someone special into. The necklace makes a great handmade gift too. This is how you can make it:

Thanksgiving Gratitude Box

...Thanksgiving...
A Gratitude Box

Today I am especially grateful for my sweet family and friends. They are coming to visit for the Thanksgiving holiday. I’m so excited to see them!

Photo by Melissa Snyder

This is a gratitude box I made for occasions just like this where you have so much gratitude in your heart that it feels like it will spill over.  

For a fun decoration, take a few of the leaves and string them together with ribbon to make a simple garland. I used the Sweet Blossom Paper Stack by DCWV to cover a paper mache box and make the leaves. 

I hope you all enjoy all the good things in life, the people, the fun times, great conversation, and all the little things too.  Don’t forget to tell the people you care about how much they mean to you. 

Have the happiest Thanksgiving!

Good Looking Cooking Recipe File

...Good Looking Cooking...
Autumn Recipe File

Photo by Melissa Snyder            

My great great grandfather owned a restaurant where he was known for making the most delicious pies. The problem is none of the family thought to get his recipes. All the recipes are just plain lost.  

So I was thinking it would be fun to start a family recipe file. Each family member could bring copies of our favorite recipes to share at the Thanksgiving-get-together. Everyone would go home with a little taste of the other family member's lives.

You know me, I like to make everything look pretty. So I took an old photo display and made it into a cute recipe file. The photo display makes it easy to flip through the recipes and conveniently holds it open to the recipe while you cook. How perfect is that?

Here is how I made it:

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Falling Leaves Wreath

....Falling Leaves....

Leaf Wreath You'll "Fall" For

Doesn’t the sound of crunching leaves under your feet just make you happy? My husband laughs at me on our walks because I go out of my way to step on all the crispy leaves. Sometimes the leaves are just too pretty to smash. The beautifully colored leaves end up on my kitchen table as inspiration for my crafts. This is a paper wreath inspired by the fallen leaves.

Happy Fall Y'all Hostess Gift

...Happy Fall Y'all...

Tile Coaster Hostess Gifts

Happy fall to y’all! No I’m not from the south, but “y’all” is just so fun to say that I couldn't resist. The best part about this lovely fall season is that it has so many reasons to gather friends and family together. Between the holidays and birthdays, we are always going over to someone’s home or someone is coming to ours.

With all this hospitality, I think a simple hostess gift is in order. If you don’t cook, but want to bring a little handmade bit of gratitude to your next gathering, I have the perfect little gift idea. At my friends craft-get-together, we made these tile coasters. They are the perfect little hostess gifts or even fun neighbor gifts for Christmas. I made this set for my sweet sister-in-law, Tara. Y’all should try making some too.

Thanks for visiting.

Come again!