Cardboard Trees: Holiday DIY

Hello, sassy friends! Today's my last day of medical leave following my spinal surgery, so I've been trying to rally the energy to get some of my holiday projects wrapped up while still getting ready for my return to work. Here's a pic of our featured project:

These black & white trees are in the family room; one is painted and embellished with paper circle ornaments, and one is covered with wrapping paper. (See my "Let it Snow" free Pintetest printable art in the frame?) 

And for my living room, here's two red glittered ones:

I'll be adding some more trees of varying sizes, colors and patterns made from poster board over the next week or so. But here's what you'll need to make these easy & practically free cardboard trees:

Materials & Supplies:

- Multiple cardboard boxes

- Exacto knife 

- Marker

- Paint

- Glitter 

- Wrapping paper

- Glue gun

Directions:

1.  Free hand draw your tree shape on your cardboard. I drew serrated trees, as well as simple triangles. You can get as simple or fancy as you please, and make the trees as big or little as your cardboard allows. 

2. Using your Exacto knife, cut out your tree. Be careful where you cut this- razor blades will kill your unprotected table or floor! 

3. You'll need two identical pieces, so use the tree piece you just cut as your template for the second piece. 

4. Your first piece needs a slit cut in the center from the top of the tree to the center. The second piece should be slit from the bottom center to just below the middle. See pieces in picture below.      

5. Paint or cover your pieces as you choose. The serrated trees are much easier to paint than wrap, but you decide how much effort you want to put into this. (We had a highly unusual day today - 50 degrees in November rarely happens in Detroit-  so I took the pieces for my living room trees outside to spray paint. The black tree was painted with craft paint on the kitchen table during our last snow - like 2 days ago. That's how bipolar our weather is.) 

6. Optional: If you add glitter, I suggest adding a clear coat to keep your glitter shedding to a minimum. Allow to dry. 

7. Fit your two pieces together, and find the perfect nook to show off your festive tree(s)! And then a bit of show & tell so we all get a chance to "oooh" and "ahhhhh" over your trees!

Save your cardboard! I've got another project for you for tomorrow that looks a little something like this:

Until tomorrow, party people!

Stay sassy, 

- Anna

The Grinch + Other Printable Art (DIY Holiday)

Happy Black Friday, friends! Hope you scored some hot deals if shopping's your thing. I skipped the stores this year and grabbed my bargains online yesterday. 

Today was my day for hyper-drive Christmas prep. Now I'm SOOO crazy tired tonight!!!! It was a decorating spree all the day long, that seriously just ended about 5 minutes ago. But my last project of the night just might be my favorite of the season....take a peek and let me know if you agree!

Isn't this pure fun?!? Both the Grinch movie poster art and the Grinch subway art quote are free art downloads from Pinterest. To access these and hundreds of other amazing holiday art, visit my Christmas Printables board at http://www.pinterest.com/anaallen/christmas-printables. 

For this display, I used an old oversized frame that's been collecting dust in the garage, and I wrapped it with yarn and twine. It's a really simple project, but it is time consuming. It took a few hours, but it was totally worth the time. It turned out perfectly! If you want to replicate this look, you'll need: 

Materials: 

- Two 8 x 10 Grinch printables

- 1 Large frame ( I'm guessing it's at least  12 x 16) 

- Red yarn & green twine 

- Glue gun

- Scissors

- Chevron gift wrap 

- Scotch tape

Directions: 

1. Remove glass and backing from frame. Set glass aside. 

2. Wrap front facing portion of backing in chevron wrapping paper. Attach your Grinch art to the front of the chevron covered backing, using scotch tape. 

3. Wrap (and wrap and wrap and wrap...) straight portions of frame in red yarn, using hot glue to secure yarn ends to the back of the framing. 

4. Wrap corners of frame in x-shape using green twine, and hot glue to secure twine to back of framing. 

5. If the back of your frame is now too thick to reattach the glass securely (mine was!), use small dots of hot glue in non-visible areas to reattach the art and the glass to the frame. Now hang it up and applaud your patience in wrapping that frame, and in your clever decorating skills!

And here's a quick peek at my annual real tree, which coordinates so well with my new Grinch art:

And here's a close up of the topper, which I changed this year.... I also switched from red lights to green LED lights this year. (My red lights cast a pink glow that was throwing off my whole vibe....I'm really pleased with the green, though!) And you can see the snowflake window display previously featured,  pushed back to frame the tree. 

I also took a few ornament close-ups so you can see some of the prints I used as ornaments on the tree this year:

The " Merry" gift tags make amazing ornaments. 

These chalkboard gift tags are my new fave this year. They look perfect on my tree! (You're also getting an inadvertent sneak peek of some other home-made ornaments that will be featured in future episodes of Sass-N-Crafts.)

I've got so much more to show you, but no more energy left to make it happen. (That's why there's always tomorrow....) Hope this entry inspires you to create your own custom Christmas displays!

Stay sassy,

- Anna

 

Christmas Banners: DIY Holiday

Here's hoping everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving - that you ate yourself silly and spent quality time with the people you love! We went to my sister's gorgeous new house in Camden, Michigan and ate ourselves silly and spent quality time with the people we love. 😉

Given the holiday (and the fact that it's after 1:30a and I got very little sleep last night and I've got a busy weekend ahead) tonight's post will be brief, but totally worth your while. Here's one quick pic of just one of my festive holiday banners, that reads "Merry Christmas," compliments of free Pintetest art downloads. (I am so very thankful for Pinterest!) 

Lately, I've been going a little wild with the many hundreds of free Christmas printables available on Pinterest. It's a veritable gold mine of holiday cheer! If you want to feel like a kid in a candy store, but substitute art for candy, take a look at my Pinterest board dedicated to Christmas prints. 

http://www.pinterest.com/anaallen/christmas-printables/.  

****Disclaimer:None of the art I've used is mine - all credit is due the originating artist, which is why I'm sending you to my Pintetest board to visit the artists' sites directly. I downloaded all my selected art and converted all my art files as PDFs, and didn't necessarily retain their site locations. If you're my pal and you run into trouble with a piece of art you've seen me use, email me and I can send you a clean Adobe PDF file. 

At any rate, on my Pinterest board you'll find links to all of the art featured in today's post, plus tons more. Totally worth the trip! Here's another banner from Pinterest:

(It's a bit fuzzy due to poor lighting, but it says, "Be Merry!")

I'll be showing you more of the best of Pinterest holiday art over the next few days. It makes such great gifts, and great decor. But for tonight, here's yet another banner I assembled and put up tonight: 

This one is super cute...it's gray with snowflakes and says "Let it Snow." (It's just too dark to get sharp pics tonight.)

For today's banner projects, you'll need the following supplies:

- Free Pinterest banner art, printed on good card stock. ( I had all my black & white copies made by an online company who shall not be named due to some severe customer service and print quality issues, and did all my color copying at Office Max. Color copies are about 50 cents each self serve, and they let you use your own paper; you can also buy 110# paper, which is nice and sturdy, for only 8 cents per page.) 

- Scissors

- Ribbon, twine or yarn

- Single hole punch

One last pic of my family room banner before you start your own project... this one is black & white chalkboard, and also says, "Let it Snow." It's really well done, though I really can't whole-heartedly support the sentiment. I'm already fed up with Michigan snow. 😖

Back to the task at hand, already! Here's your.......

Completely Self-explanatory Directions: 

1. Cut your banner pieces

2. Use your single hole punch to cut holes in your banner pieces. (I did single holes in smaller pieces, like the Merry Christmas and smaller gray "Let it Snow" banner, but used two holes in the two larger fireplace banner pieces, "Be Merry" and the black & white chalkboard "Let it Snow.)

3. Assemble and secure your banner pieces along your ribbon, yarn, or twine. (I tied some, glued some, and used ornament hooks with some. You pick the method that works best for you.) 

4. Drape your banner across your fireplace mantle, along a bookcase or mirror, or as wall art. You can even use it as garland on your tree! 

So stroll through my Pinterest holiday art, and pick your own banner project. I'm so excited to see what you create, and how you use it in your own decorating scheme, or as a special gift for some lucky pal. But tell me about it tomorrow...this sassy chica has got to get to bed pronto. Tomorrow is the day we pick our real tree for the living room, and get that bad boy fully decorated. 🎄Cannot wait!!!!

Until then, stay sassy, my friend!

- Anna

DIY Ornaments

Hello, my sassy pals! Ready to put to use that cardboard circle left over from your Snowball wreath? Once you see the ornaments we'll make tonight, you'll want to cut out lots more cardboard circles! 

This is another super cheap project that seriously costs just pennies, and is easy enough to do with the kiddies. Here's what you need:

- Cardboard circle (any scrap cardboard will do! I made bigger circles, about 6" in diameter, but these are cute in any size!)

- tissue paper in your choice of colors, solid or print

- Scissors

- Glue stick or Elmer's glue (⚠️I suggest using this actual brand. I used an off-brand from the Dollar Tree on a previous project {my yarn wrapped "SNOW" letters, which now look pissed upon🙀}. Totally ruined, and just not worth saving 50 cents!) 

- Small bits of coordinating ribbon

- Glue gun for securing ribbon to back of ornament

Directions: 

Step 1. PREPARE YOUR TISSUE PAPER. There are soooo many ways you can do these ornaments. Here's a few suggestions:

A. Twisted. The first pic shows twisted tissue paper, which creates a great 3-D texture.  For this version, cut long strips of tissue paper, about 2.5" wide, and roll each strip in a single direction. Tight rolls look great, but looser rolls result in an interesting look, too. You could use multiple colors, or a single patterned paper like I used. For a rustic look, use brown paper bags or craft paper. Experiment & see what you like best! 

B. Rolled: Cut your tissue paper in random lengths, each about 2" wide. Use  a pencil or something similar to roll your paper. Use a dab of glue to hold your paper tubes shut. 

Here's a bad pic of the rolled style. I'll update this when I have better light! 

C. Fluffy: Go piñata style! Cut your tissue paper in small rectangular shapes; about 1.5" wide & 2" long. You can do this in multiple colors, like a piñata, or you could even use book pages for a more scholarly interpretation. Fringe the edges with scissors along the width if you like. Fold your pieces down the middle lengthwise, and gently twist the center of each piece. This will give you the fluffiness you're going for, and serve as a "base" to glue the pieces to the cardboard. (I did not have time to make a sample yet, but I will!! And I'll add a picture very soon!!!) 

D. Torn: If you want an abstract look, torn tissue paper is the choice for you! For this style, you'll need a skinny paintbrush and a bit of water. Parents, you may want to supervise this part, as little ones tend to be a bit too liberal with the water. A little bit goes a long way. Using your slightly wet paintbrush, freehand your tear-lines on your tissue paper. Wavy and irregular is better than straight and uniform! Let the water sit on the tissue paper for a minute or so, then gently tear your paper into strips. Use the same method to tear your pieces to best fit your cardboard square. You can create a rough design, like birch trees, or you can take a more Jackson Pollock approach and randomly layer colors. (Again, no pics, but I expect to get free child labor on this over the Thanksgiving break, so look for an update with pics soon!)

STEP 2: GLUE YOUR TISSUE PAPER. Liberally coat the "working section" of your cardboard circle with glue. Dab the back of each piece of tissue paper with a bit of glue, as well, and firmly attach to the cardboard circle. Keep your pieces snugly together to fully cover the cardboard! Let dry fully before flipping ornament over to cover the back side with tissue paper (optional, of course!) and before moving on to Step 3. 

STEP 3: PREPARE YOUR ORNAMENT FOR HANGING. Attach loop of ribbon to back of ornament with hot glue. Now deck those halls with your fabulous ornaments!!! This is a cheap and easy way to bring Christmas to every corner! Here's one picture of my ornaments, bringing Holiday cheer to my china cabinet:

I plan to make more so I have an ornament for each of my upper Kitchen cabinets. I'll be sure to add that pic, too, if we can ever keep the kitchen clean long enough! ☺️

Now that was easy, and even fun, wasn't it? Didn't I tell you?!?? This crafting stuff brings joy to the world! 👼 Let me know about the joy in your corner of the world, okay? I love to hear about and see how your projects turn out! 

Before we call it a night, be sure to save that leftover cardboard for another great project, coming your way soon!

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends! So thankful for all of you!

Stay sassy, 

-Anna

Snowball Wreath: DIY Holiday

Greetings, sassy friends! Tonight, I'm sharing a project that I've had halfway done for a few weeks, but finally got what I needed to finish - and it's about time!

You'll think it's worth the wait, though, 'cuz look how cute....  

Here's what you'll need to make your own Snowball Wreath: 

- Large skien of white yarn

- cardboard cut in wreath shape (any ole' cardboard box will do...)

- plastic grocery bags

- masking tape

- iridescent ribbon

- irridescent snowflakes of varying sizes

- hot glue gun 

- scissors

 

Directions: 

Step 1: Create wreath Form

A.  Using exacto knife, cut a piece of cardboard in a circle of your size. (You could use a large mixing bowl to trace) Cut a smaller circle from the center of your circle to create a wreath form; a slightly smaller bowl might do if you don't have a handy-dandy circle cutting tool like the one I used - Martha Stewart makes it. (Save the smaller circle cut out for tomorrow's project!) 

B. Next, grab your plastic bags and masking tape to add some depth to your wreath form. Take a slightly scrunched up plastic grocery bag and secure it to your wreath form with masking tape, working your way around the wreath form. Wrap it up like a mummy. When you're done, it will look like this:                                                   

Now set your wreath form aside for quite some time, because you've got a snowstorm's worth of snowballs to make!

Step 2: Make Yarn Pom-Poms  "Snowballs"

A.  Take your yarn and wrap it around your fingers, (I alternated between 3 fingers and 4 fingers in order to have variable sizes...) covering the width of all fingers and doubling back for at least a second layer of yarn. The more yarn you use, the fluffier your poms. But don't wrap too tight! You've got to slip this off your fingers for the next step!

B. Snip the end of your working yarn to roughly align with the end of your fingers, and snip another smaller piece to tie off your Pom in the next steps. 

C. Carefully slide the bundle of yarn off your fingers and onto a solid surface. (Don't let it unravel!) 

D. Wrap your small length of yarn (for tying your bundle) around the entire center of the short side of your yarn bundle. (You'll know it's the short side if the loops from your endless winding are NOT tied off, but are unimpeded on either side of your tie-off.) Tie it really tightly in a knot in both directions. 

E. Take your scissors and snip open your loops. Fluff it up, and give a slight trim if needed. (Don't worry too much, though, because you won't notice asymmetrical poms once glued to the wreath form.)

F. Repeat incessantly. Once you think you have enough, make about 40 more. Seriously. It takes ALOT of these bad boys to fill a wreath. 

Step 3: Assemble the Wreath

A. Grab that hot glue gun and go to town gluing on your yarn poms. Arrange the poms to obscure the wreath form. 

B. Once all your poms are on, add your sparkly snowflakes and ribbon. I curled lengths of irridescent ribbon and added to the bottom only, using larger snowflakes in place of a bow -mostly because I ran out of poms & I ran out of white yarn, and I was pretty darn determined to finally finish this project. (It's a housewarming gift for my sister, who I'll see on Thanksgiving, so time was definitely up!!!)

C. Attach a bit of ribbon or twine with hot glue to the back of the wreath to make hanging easier.  And, voila! You're now the proud owner of a snowball wreath! 

Now don't forget to save that smaller cardboard circle from the center of your wreath form....we'll be using that tomorrow for another fun & easy craft that will cost you mere pennies, but look amazing. Stay tuned! And stay sassy!

- Anna

Rustic Stars: DIY Holiday

Hi, there, you sassy sasparilla! Are you up for another great Christmas craft? Thought you might be! Today we'll be making these really cute and simple stars. 

I can't really explain it, but I love all things stars. Barn stars, rustic stars, glitter stars....I'm just a sucker for stars. My 9-year old daughter, Makenna, and I made these stars in mere minutes. So cute, so easy! Here's what you'll need to make your own rustic star ornaments:

- 5 wide Popsicle sticks for each star 

(We got our sticks at the Dollar Tree, already colored red/ green.)

- Hot glue gun

- Twine or ribbon 

- Paint, stain and/or glitter (optional- if you get unfinished Popsicle sticks, you may want to glam them up a bit, but totally your choice....)

1. Lay your five sticks out to create a star shape. (It's easiest to make the letter "A" first and build from there...) 

2.  Use your hot glue gun to secure each stick within the star shape. 

3. Wrap your twine or ribbon around the angle that you'd like to hang the star from, using a dab of hot glue to secure the twine to the star. (I used green twine on the red stars...my daughter used brown twine to completely wrap her stars. She gave up before she finished that, so I don't have a pic - but it's cute!)

4. Paint or embellish your star any way you want it. 

 5. Hang it up and pat yourself on the back...you are pure Christmas magic!🌟

So how did you do your stars? Wood stain? Metallic? Glittery? Tell me all about it - you always inspire me with your fabulous ideas! Until tomorrow....

Stay sassy, 

- Anna 

Christmas Rosettes - DIY Holiday

It's been one of those weeks, my sassy friends. I've managed to finish a few projects, but I've got a lot more in-progress. I'll try to make up for lost time soon! 

In the meantime, here's a project that I know you're going to love.  I'll give you a quick peek at the finished product:

These are so colorful and fun! They make terrific mantle decorations, and even work really great as large ornaments. I also made some in more muted tones for my sister-in-law (early Christmas present, as promised!). Your final product is limited only by your imagination - and your paper selection. (Speaking of paper, Michael's is having a sale on 12x12 scrap book paper right this very minute: 7 pieces for $1. Go stock up...that's crazy cheap!)

Here's what you'll need to make the paper rosettes:

- 2 pieces of 12x12 scrapbook paper (matching or coordinated - your choice. I'll show you samples of both). 

👀  USE DOUBLE SIDED PAPER if you'll be hanging the rosette so both front and back will be visible. 

- Scissors

- Hot glue gun

- Embellishments for center of rosette

- Sturdy card stock 

- Hole punch (single)

- Ribbon, twine, or yarn for hanging

- Boning knife, ruler, or homemade straight edged tool for creating uniform accordion folds (I used a thin strip from a manilla folder; really rather optional- you can manage without) 

Directions:

1.  Cut each of your 12x12 pages in half. You'll have four total pieces that look like this:

2.  Accordion fold each of the four pieces, like so: 

3. Once you've folded all four pieces, hot glue each piece to the other four pieces, as shown below: 

4.  When you've got all four pieces glued together end to end, it will look like this:

5.  Push the center of the circle down with both hands to gently flatten the circle against your working surface. It will look like a rosette while your holding it down. 

(Please ignore surrounding cluttered mess...I'm a super sloppy crafter.)

6. Hot glue your card stock or other sturdy embellishment to secure the rosette. Folks often use a circle punched piece of coordinating card stock. (I happened to use some doily snowflakes that are perfectly adorable, but too flimsy to make the rosette stay flat. To compensate, I used a piece of political junk mail printed on card stock to secure my rosette from the back, which won't show the way I'm hanging it. See pic below for my little cheat:)  

I also used little wooden snowflakes on some of the rosettes, which were actually hearty enough to keep the rosette in line. This one also shows a rosette made from two different but coordinated papers (antiqued music score & and antiqued script) 

7.  Use single hole punch to allow for hanging. Add ribbon, twine or yarn; now hang up your lovely creations, sit back and admire your awesomeness. 😏

Here's a few pics of my creations, for your inspiration:

How fun and colorful are these?!?!

And here's my more subtle, but equally as adorbs: 

Well, sassy ones- I've shown you mine, now you show me yours! (Don't be nasty, please. Santa's watching you!) What kind of rosettes will you whip up this Christmas?

Stay sassy,

-Anna