DIY Mason Jar Photo Holder

It's not too late to craft some last minute gifts this Christmas. These Ball jar photo holders come together quick. Seriously, you make four of these in an hour or two. That, and they're cute and can be personalized with photos and gift cards. Win, win, win.

Supplies needed: 4oz mason jar, craft snow, small bottlebrush trees, wire (I used 18 gauge). You'll also need a small nail, hammer, wire cutter, pliers, and hot glue. It'll be helpful to find something round to wind your wire around to help it take shape - I used a thread spool.

(I found the 4oz Ball jars at Walmart and Kroger. They come in a 4-pack.)

Start by creating the photo holder in the lid of the mason jar. Using a small nail, hammer a hole in the center just large enough for the wire to slip through. Create two loops with the wire (twisting around a round object makes this easier). Create a long tail at the end of the wire loop. Thread this through the hole in the lid and then bend a 90-degree angle on the underside of the lid. Use hot glue or similar to secure the wire underneath.

Once your lid is finished, create your winter scene inside the mason jar. Use hot glue to adhere the bottle brush trees and then sprinkle in the craft snow. 

Screw the lid back on and add your photos or cards and you're done! Easy, cute, and personalized!

What last minute crafts are you making?

Happy holiday crafting, DIY'ers!

~julee~

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DIY Cork Wine Coaster and Bottle Tag

Is it a gift tag or a coaster?  It’s both!  These DIY cork coasters are a practical gift to give alongside a bottle of wine when attending holiday parties this season.  The upside?  You can make a whole batch of them in just a short amount of time. 

The most important thing you’ll need to make you own coasters is cork.  You can buy thin sheets or rolls of cork at the craft store.  (I purchased mine at Good Garbage.)  Then, you’ll cut circles out of your cork with a circle cutter or a circle template and scissors or exacto knife.  I made my coasters 4-inches.

Use paint or glitter to embellish your coasters.  Once you’re finished with  your design, use a standard hole punch to cut a hole for hanging and wrap it around the neck of your wine bottle.

Alternately, you can make a whole set of these to give as a gift on their own.

Happy handmade gift-giving, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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DIY Felt Christmas Tree

I saw some similar felt Christmas trees on Pinterest this week and immediately fell in love with their whimsical Dr. Suess-esque quality.  I thought they would be perfect to recreate for my coffee table which is sadly barren of any holiday decorations.  They fill the space quite nicely and were simple to put together.

To make your own felt trees, you’ll need:  Felt, bamboo skewers, pom-poms, wine cork.  Start by cutting a 1-inch circle from your felt, and then continue cutting gradually larger circles (approximately 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch larger).  I used 11 circles for the large tree, 8 circles for the medium tree, and 5 circles for the small tree.  But you can definitely add more if you would like a fuller look.  Once your circles are all cut, skewer them on to the bamboo stick through the center.  Space out the circles to your preferred look.    Add a pom pom on top, and use a cork cut horizontally as the base.  To make smaller trees, cut your bamboo stick to your preferred size.  That’s it! 

Happy holiday crafting, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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DIY Snow Globe Ornament

We had our first snow of the season and that inspired me to  hunker down in the cozy warmth of my home, sip hot cocoa, and create some new handmade ornaments for our tree.  First up, I made these adorable DIY snow globe ornaments.  (Although, to be honest, they should be called a faux-globe.)  They are easy to put together with just a few items that can be purchased at any craft store this time of year.  The result is a pretty, glistening, festive decoration for your tree.

Here’s how you can make your own DIY snow globe ornament:

You’ll need clear glass ornaments, small bottle brush trees, and snow flakes.  You’ll also need hot glue, wire cutters, tweezers, a funnel and ribbon.

Remove the top hanger off of the glass ornament.  If your bottle brush tree has a base that’s too large for the opening of the ornament, clip it off with wire cutters.  Place the nose of your hot glue gun into the opening of the ornament and squirt a decent amount of glue so that it falls to the bottom, as close to the center as you can get it.  Before the glue has time to dry, use tweezers to push your tree into the opening and place it into the dollop of hot glue.  Next, add your snow flakes.  I created a funnel out of paper to make this easier.  My flakes are iridescent flakes, but you can also use white flakes, glitter, or even white seed beads.  Finally, add the hanger back onto the ornament and tie a pretty ribbon to the top. 

Shake up the flakes a bit, hang it on your tree and enjoy the merriment of the season!

Happy holiday crafting, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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D.I.Y. Louisville Annual Handmade Ornament Swap

D.I.Y. Louisville’s 4th Annual Holiday Party and Handmade Ornament Swap!

Saturday, December 14, 2013
3pm – 6pm
Good Garbage Center for Creative Reuse
2020 Duncan Street, 40203

Our 4th annual handmade ornament swap!

Entry Cost: One Handmade Ornament

Make one handmade ornament, wrap it pretty, and bring it to our swap party. Your ornament will be swapped with another handmade ornament from a D.I.Y. Louisville member.

We’re also doing a mini-version of a cookie swap! If you’d like to bring a plate of cookies or holiday treats, we’ll share them during the party. All goodies not eaten at the end of the party will be distributed for our guests to take home. If you’d like to provide your recipe, Julee will be sharing her favorite desserts (with recipes) on the D.I.Y. Louisville blog!

The first 20 attendees will receive swag bags!

A special thanks to our sponsors:  Pinot’s Palette, Good Garbage, Fly Away Fox, and My Ordinary Fairy Tale. 

If you or your business would like to sponsor this event, email julee @ diylouisville@gmail.com for more details.

RSVP HERE

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Party: Monkeys On Ice

I can never resist an opportunity to help a friend plan a sweet birthday party.  This party originally began with a tropical monkey theme, but when the birthday girl wanted to take her friends ice skating, it was only fitting that our swimming monkey turned ice skater instead.  December birthdays typically get lumped into a Christmas theme, but we tried hard to give this party more of a winter wonderland vibe.  You know, a winter wonderland where monkeys are zooming by performing triple axels and other marvelous feats on ice skates. 

We didn’t see the cake before the day of the party, but Lady A Cakes was very enthusiastic about creating an ice skating monkey.  We trusted her, and she absolutely did not disappoint! 

The cupcakes were also made by Lady A Cakes.  The pink and blue snowflakes, hats, and mittens were the perfect adornments to tie the ice skating party theme together. 

We found the perfect ice skating monkey clipart from JW Illustrations on etsy and used the downloadable images throughout the party room.  Here, we’ve used the images on popcorn bags so the girls could have a snack as they took breaks from skating.

We also had a hot cocoa station, and I created the sign using the ice skating monkey clipart.

The  ice skating monkey images and snowflake ornaments were used to create this pennant with the birthday girl’s name.

DIY fleece scarves and gloves were given to each girl to keep warm while ice skating and also for take-home gifts.

I loved this sweet party theme so much!

Happy partying, DIY’ers!

~julee~

 

A special note for my local Louisville readers: This party was held at Alpine Ice Arena, and we can’t say enough good things about the hospitality that we were shown during our time there. Plus, they said we had the best looking party they’ve ever seen, so brownie points and all that.

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Last Minute Wrapping

If you find that you’re down to the last minute and have run out of a few gift wrapping essentials, don’t fret; You probably have a few items on hand that you can use in a pinch.



Paper bags make the perfect gift wrap and they pretty much give you a blank canvas to create any look you want.  Plus, recycling is just a cool thing to do.  Cut your bag open, flip any logos to the inside (if you want), and now you have the perfect wrapping paper base for drawing, doodling, stamping, painting, and creating your own custom look.  Of course, leaving the brown paper  au naturale is pretty, too. 

Creating snowflakes from white paper or coffee filters is as easy as a few snips from your scissors, and they look pretty atop any package. (Tutorial coming soon!)



You can create the look of ribbon from thin strips of wrapping paper or any colored paper.  Cool maps or magazine photos can be cut and used for adornments or gift tags.  If you prefer more traditional gift tags, you can print them right from your computer.  These free printable gift tags from D.I.Y. Louisville member Patty of All’s Fair in cookies and crafts are super adorable.


Do you have any favorite last minute or recycled gift wrap ideas?  I'd love to hear your ideas and I’m always looking for new inspiration, so please feel free to share in the comments.

Happy gift wrapping, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Handmade Ornament Swap Recap

The D.I.Y. Louisville handmade ornament swap is my favorite group event of the year.  Ornaments are just so fun to make and so fun to receive. 

The D.I.Y. Louisville glitter ornaments were made by Angie, and it seems fitting that my daughter selected them from the group of wrapped offerings.  They are the perfect addition to our tree.  Indeed, I’m seeing a tradition here as Kim made me a D.I.Y. Louisville ornament last year.

I love to see the creativity of our group and how each ornament is unique.  I have plans to make a wine cork wreath for myself.  To the right is a glass ornament with melted crayon shavings inside.  The effect looks like painted glass.  So pretty!

This little tree was made from a recycled cardboard base and kraft paper.  Simply adorable! 

We had a wonderful night making new friends, noshing on delicious baked goods, and drawing for door prizes.  Thanks to everyone for coming out, and for all of our group members who really pulled together to help me get everything organized.

A big thanks to our generous sponsors for donating some fantastic prizes and goodies:

Golden Heart Massage

The Hanger

Good Garbage Center for Creative Reuse

All’s Fair in cookies and crafts

Em Dash Designs

Mia Bella Photography

Craft E Magee

I’ll be sharing more of our pictures on our Facebook page if you’d like to check them out.  Have you ever participated in an ornament swap?  What was your experience?

Happy Holidays, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Make It: Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

Yesterday I had an amazing opportunity to be on a local morning TV show, WDRB in the Morning, with my super talented crafting buddy Craft E Magee.   We demonstrated glitter glass ornaments and also cinnamon applesauce ornaments.  Here is our video for the cinnamon ornaments:



Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

To make the dough you’ll need:  1 cup ground cinnamon, 1/4 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup glue.  Mix it all together until a dough forms.  You may need to use your hands to get it mixed up, as the dough will be slightly dry.  Let sit for 1 hour.

Flatten the dough and use a rolling pin until the dough is 1/4 inch thick.

Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.

Poke a hole for hanging in the top of each shape with a straw.

Bake in the oven at 200-degrees for 1-2 hours, turning halfway through.  Keep in until the dough has dried completely.  Alternately, you can leave out on a cooling rack overnight to dry.

Once the shapes have cooled, use glue to adhere glitter.

Place a ribbon or hook through the hole and hang on your tree.


Do not eat these, and do not make fun of me for stammering at the end of the video.  Have you ever made these before?  They are so fun for kids to make and I hope you'll try them this holiday.

~julee~

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Make It: Glitter Santa Ornament

I posted the full tutorial on how to make the glitter glass ornaments HERE.  In just a few easy steps, you can turn a red glitter ornament into a cute Santa belly.

1.  You’ll need a red glitter ornament, black ribbon long enough to wrap around the ornament, and a yellow square of felt or cardstock.  2.  Hot glue the ribbon to the glass ornament.  3.  Cut a buckle shape from your felt or cardstock.  4.  Glue on your buckle piece.  5.  Admire the cuteness.

What else can you make with glitter ornaments?  Head on over to Craft E Magee to see how to make a glittery snowman.

Happy holidays, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Make It: Glitter Glass Ornaments

A friend of mine told me the secret to making perfect glitter ornaments:  Use Pledge Floor Care Finish as the adhesive.  What?  Who thinks of this?  Of course I got excited and went all craft geek, rounded up Craft E Magee for a day of crafting, and had to try it out.  It’s true folks.  It works better than any adhesive I’ve ever tried for making glitter ornaments.  The best part is that the glitter stays inside the ball and you’re not stuck cleaning glitter out of every crevice in your home.  Want to try it yourself?



1.  You need Pledge Floor Care Finish, a clear glass ornament, and glitter.  I love the fine Martha Stewart glitters.  2.  Remove the metal hanger from the ornament and pour in enough Pledge to get a nice coating all around the inside of the ornament.  3.  Swirl (don’t shake) it around, making sure you get the entire surface and pour out any excess.  4.  Pour in a generous amount of glitter.  5.  Swirl around the glitter until you get a nice coating.   6.  You may have to give it a little shake at this point to cover all the surface.  Add more glitter if you need it, or pour out any excess if you’ve added too  much.  Kids love to shake it, but put a cloth over the opening first.  7.  Reattach the hanger and hang on your tree.  Admire the sparkly glittery-ness and go make more!

Have you ever tried this method?  I’m in love!

Happy ornament making, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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DIY Home: Vintage Advent Calendar

This vintage advent calendar was handmade by my grandma and has been used by my family every holiday for almost 40 years.  Taking turns with my brothers each day to dig out the little sweet and place the new day’s little beaded felt ornament on the tree is one my favorite Christmas memories.

My mom sent me this calendar so that I can attempt to make an exact replica from it.  Two years ago.  It it my firm intention to finish this project and send my mom back the original by next Christmas.  Until then, my daughter has been enjoying stumbling down each morning to find the little treats left behind in the night and counting down until Santa arrives. 

The greatest joy of parenting is sharing your joys with your child.

Do you have an advent calendar tradition?  What other traditions do you enjoy each holiday?

Happy tradition making, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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D.I.Y. Louisville 2nd Annual Ornament Sew-Along

 What do you get when you cross a group of crafty ladies with a stack of felt?

 

A whole family of snowpeople. 

 

And just who are the lovely ladies behind this adorableness?

 

Emily – Em Dash Designs

Karen, Katie, Amanda  – Independent Crafty Ladies

Molly – MoMo’s Creations

Robin – A Sterling Reputation

Patty – All’s Fair in cookies and crafts

Liz – Craft E Magee

Lynn – Good Garbage

Carrie – My Ordinary Fairytale

 

Click on the links to check out what these amazing ladies are doing when they’re not spending the evening with me at the D.I.Y. Louisville meet-ups.  I am so fortunate to be a part of this wonderful group!
 

Have a great weekend DIY’ers!

 

~julee~

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Crafting with Hearts and Crafts Boutique

I’ve been turning to fellow bloggers for crafty inspiration until I have time to work on my own Christmas projects.  A big thanks today to Hearts and Crafts Boutique for letting me share these awesome Christmas projects with you today.

I love Christmas decorating with natural materials, and this jute snowman and Christmas tree are great!  All you need is a few simple materials to make these yourself.  You can find the full tutorial from Hearts and Crafts Boutique HERE.

Another great project from Hearts and Crafts Boutique is the Noel bunting made from old book pages.  I love the look of this strung along an old window.  You can find the complete tutorial HERE.

How are your Christmas projects coming along?  Are you making any fun stuff?  Leave a link in the comments – I’d love to check out what you’re up to!

~julee~

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Freezer Paper Stenciled Pillows: Tutorial

Amidst all of my holiday gift making, I made a little something for myself, too.  I thought the new sled I purchased at the thrift needed a little accessorizing, so I whipped up these pillow covers to give my porch a little festive uplift.

I made the words using freezer paper stencils, and a decorative stitch on my sewing machine for the edges.  I used a hand-me-down curtain for the fabric.  I love them times a million!

I first learned about the brilliant use of freezer paper to make stencils a few years ago.  If you’re a blog or Pinterest fanatic like me, you’ve probably seen this technique, too.  But just in case you haven’t, I snapped some pictures of the process to show you how it’s done.

Freezer Paper Stencil Tutorial

First, you need supplies: Freezer Paper, an image that you want to stencil (I made my words simply using a font in Word), fabric you want to stencil on, an exacto knife, paint, and a paintbrush or sponge.

With the shiny side DOWN, trace and cut your image on the freezer paper to make your stencil. 

 

Position your stencil on your fabric where you want it, and iron.  I use the cotton heat setting without steam, but vary this depending on your fabric.  Like magic, the freezer paper will adhere to your fabric.  Really cool.  Now, brush on your paint.

 

Let the paint dry for a bit.  I don’t know how long “a bit” is, technically, but 20-30 minutes or so.  Maybe less if you’re impatient like me.  After you’ve decided the paint has dried long enough, peel away the freezer paper.  Ooh and aah over what you’ve just created because it is so, so cool.

 

Happy stenciling, D.I.Y.’ers!

~julee~

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