So, instead of a craft tutorial - which I still have more to share! - you get a sneak peek of a few nooks and crannies from my upcoming Christmas tour. I really, really love Christmas, as you'll see.
Welcome and come on in!
Stay sassy,
- Anna
Sneak-peek: Christmas home tour
It was my daughter's birthday this weekend, and she had a sleep-over. But I doubt anyone except my husband actually slept. I am dead-on-my feet exhausted. 😵
Living room tree
One of the two family room trees.
Master suite tree.
That's all you get for tonight! Hope you all had a great weekend!
A forest of decorative trees
Happy Saturday! Here's what a forest of DIY Christmas trees looks like:
I've already showed you how to make the red glittered trees out of cardboard. All the rest I made tonight from poster board and wrapping paper. So for just a few dollars and an hour or so of your time, you can create your own grove of Christmas magic!
Supplies to make all you see here:
- 4 poster boards
- Glue gun & glue stick
- An assortment of wrapping paper
- Scissors
So there are two ways you can make these: like a traditional cone or like a spiral cone.
For a traditional cone, draw and cut out a big circle that fills one whole piece of poster board, with 1/4 wedge (like a PAC man), like this:
Glue wrapping paper to the shape. Use scissors to fringe the paper all around the edges. Hot glue the fringe pieces all the way around. Flip over. It will look like so:
Now roll it up into a cone as tight or as loose as you like, and use hot glue to secure the edges.
Now it's all done!
I wanted some taller versions, so I used the other method. For the tallest version, use a full piece of poster board. (You can make 6 smaller versions of varying sizes with the two remaining poster boards and the bits left from your PAC man version.)
First, roll your poster board so that you have one end in a pointy cone, and the opposite end wider and open, like this:
Use hot glue to keep the cone secure. It'll look like this:
Trim the open edge so the tree can stand evenly. Next, wrap it in wrapping paper that makes you smile, using hot glue or double sided tape to attach to the cones. You're done, again! Wasn't that simple? And fun?
Here's a few close-ups of my trees from tonight:
Now go forth, and plant forests of your own! And don't forget to share your creations!
Stay sassy,
- Anna
Greetings! I'm picking an easy project to feature tonight because I'm all out of energy. This first week back to work really took it out of me, but it's good to hop back into "real" life again. And I'm trying to power through the fatigue as much as possible. So far, so good!
Here's tonight's finished project:
Though this one is incredibly easy, it may require a trip to a craft supply store, unless you happen to horde crafty stuff like I do. Here's what you'll need:
1) Paper mâché star ornaments. (I bought these gold ones years ago at a random dollar store, and I've held onto them for well over 10 years, waiting for a good use. I knew I'd find one! You can probably find unfinished stars at your fave craft store. You'll obviously need to paint them, though.) Here's what my stars looked like prior to embellishment:
2). Metal expressions embellishments in various finishes (silver, gold, copper, bronze.) You can find things like the ones I used in the scrap booking section of your local craft store. (Again, these have been part of my stash for a very long time, so I doubt you'll find the precise match. But I'm sure you can find a great approximation! These are actual heavy duty metal - not stickers that fake it ) Here's a pic of the package mine came in:
4. Rough twine.
5. Glue gun
These are so easy to make that it's probably self explanatory just by looking, but I'll give you quick directions just in case!
DIRECTIONS:
1. Use hot glue to attach the end of your working twine to an inconspicuous part of your star, and continue to wrap the twine around the star - as little or as much as you choose. (Be warned that wrapping the entire star in twine leaves the shape of the star all but completely obscured.)
2. Use hot glue to attach your metal expression embellishment.
That's it! You're already done! What will you do with your gorgeous primitive stars? What will you do with all this extra time you now have, since you thought this project might take much longer?
Well, whatever you choose to do next, may your days be Merry!
Stay sassy,
- Anna
Book Pages Wreath
It's Wednesday - halfway through the work week, and ticking my way through my holiday projects list. I made oodles of ornaments for various family members, a few strands of circle garland in cheery winter prints to adorn my kitchen window, and I've done some really fun holiday art arrangements....all of which I'll share in later installments this week.
Tonight, I want to show you my twist on the vintage book page wreath that I made this evening. This is another easy (aside from a slew of hot glue gun burns!) and practically free project. And look how gorgeous the final result:
(Just watch those fingers- seriously! I've incurred at least 5 blisters with this project. Ouch!!!!)
To make this wreath, you'll need:
1) A cardboard wreath form cut from a cardboard box. (Big circle with a smaller circle cut out of the center. My wreath form is about 18" diameter, but you can customize your own size.)
2. Book pages (that you're willing to sacrifice. I have thousands of books, and I've read every one. Not all are worth a second run through. )
3. Gray cardboard egg carton
4. Glue. (I used a hot glue gun, but it was painful. You could use a spray adhesive or another quick setting glue instead.)
5. Silver glitter glue.
6. Scissors.
7. A bit of twine or ribbon to attach to the back of the wreath for hanging.
Directions:
1. Tear out your book pages. The more raggedy your edges, the more interesting the final look. It doesn't matter what size book you use....I used a standard paperback that's about 8.5"x 5." I wanted varied sizes for my wreath, and I had a 9-year old daughter who wanted to help. Win!!! I had her tear some pages in halves, and some in quarters. Here's my pile o' papers:
2. Roll one page piece into a triangular tube, narrow at one end and open at the other, and secure the narrow end with a dab of glue (to keep the curl from unfurling). Your rolls should look something like this:
(Yes, you'll be a glittery mess, too, when this is all said & done...)
3. Glue each rolled page to your wreath form, working from the inside center out to the edges, being careful to cover all the cardboard. I chose to do two layers of papers for more depth and texture, nesting one layer inside the other. Most projects Iy've seen use a single layer only, so take that route if you want this to go a bit more quickly or just prefer it that way. Keep going until you've completely filled your wreath form.
4. Next, we're going to make the gorgeous shabby rosettes framing the center of the wreath. Grab your cardboard egg crate. (I know lots of eggs come in styrofoam cartons - that's not what you need.) This is what I'm referring to:
Tear off one egg cup, then use your scissors to cut a rough spiral, like so:
Twist your spiral into a rough rosette, and use a dab of glue to hold the base of your rosette secure. Douse liberally with silver glitter glue (you could use another color, but silver looks really amazing on this material - the pics just don't do it justice) and glue to the center of your wreath. Add as many or as few as you like!
A few rosette tips: If you want tight rosettes, tear off the extra cardboard appendages. Otherwise, these pieces look like unfurling petals, which is pretty, too! I mixed the two.
5. Attach a bit of twine or ribbon to the back of the wreath for hanging, and voila! A wreath to stir the soul of your favorite bibliophile!
I think this makes a great gift...what do you think?
Well, it's off to meetings first thing in the morning, so I better get my beauty rest! (Really. It's a favor to others.)
Stay sassy,
- Anna
Merry & Bright: Scrapbook Paper- Covered Cardboard Letters (DIY Holiday)
Hello, and happy December to you! This is the only month of winter that I like...you can keep whatever's left after New Years. But December keeps me too busy to remember that I'm slowly freezing to death.
Today was especially busy, because it was my first day back to work after an 8-week post-operative leave. It was so great to see everyone and I really appreciated the warm welcome, but I'm still a bit drowsy these days. I should be shaking that off soon!
Yesterday, I showed you a sneak peek of today's project. Here's the finished pic in case you missed it:
This is a really inexpensive and relatively simple project. Here's what you'll need to make your own:
- Cardboard
- Marker to either draw or trace your letters (stencils are optional)
- Exacto knife
- A selection of coordinating scrapbook papers.
- Glue stick or spray adhesive
- Ribbon, string or twine to hang each letter
Directions:
1. Choose your Christmas phrase. I used "Merry + Bright," but you can use a line from your favorite song or hymn, from your favorite Christmas movie, or just a standard "Merry Christmas."
2. Draw or trace each letter of your phrase on your cardboard. (I drew my letters by hand onto free broken down cardboard boxes from a local store; I'm sure you can find a good source, too, if your garage or basement happen to be miraculously box free!) Be sure to avoid bends or breaks in the cardboard; otherwise, you'll need to add an extra step and reinforce the letters with masking tape.
3. Using a sharp Exacto knife, cut out your letters. (Straight lines are easy, curves are a bit tricky. You'll get the hang of it with a bit of practice!) ⚠️ Remember to cut on surfaces that won't be marred by razor cuts!!!
4. Once all your letters are cut, determine your paper layout. For example, I alternated red and green, and a total of 4 seperate patterns. Do a broad trim of your papers for each letter, leaving at least 1 1/2 allowance all around the letter.
5. Have your sorted and matched papers face down beside the accompanying letter. Glue your letter face down on the paper.
6. Using your Exacto knife, make diagonal cuts in the paper at every angle and curve of the letter, and make an "x" shape within every circle. I was bad and didn't take pics of this, so here's a hand drawn example, using a purple "x" and red circles to represent most of the cutting lines.
7. With the cuts made, you can easily wrap the paper snugly around the edges and secure with glue. Use your Exacto knife or scissors to trim any remaining overlapping paper.
8. Attach ribbon to the back of each letter, hang up, and sing your favorite Christmas tune!! ❄️
Be sure to tell me about your project!
And before I sign off for the night, I want to show you my awesome vintage gift from a generous freecycler today:
I'm loving this star, which found a perfect home behind my new nativity set - a Thanksgiving gift from my parents. I'm really thankful to all of ya'll!!!
What gifts are you incorporating in your decor this year? Any special vintage finds? Do tell!!!
Off to sleep I go....
Stay sassy,
- Anna
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