Sparta Savings

MOPS Worker's Gifts

2011-12-22T09:28:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share with you the gift that we made during one of our MOPS meetings for our Moppets workers for Christmas. We wanted to give them something to show we appreciated, but of course, we were on a limited budget for the year.

The Sparta MOPS right now has three round tables that we sit at for our meetings, so we divided making the bags into three different chores. One table made the cocoa and bagged it up, one table made the card on the front, and the other table assembled and bagged everything up. I wasn't sure how this would work out for us, but it went really smoothly and we had a great time working together, too!

So, the inside of the bag had hot cocoa, a bag of mini marshmallows, a candy cane, peppermint stirring sticks, Hershey's kisses and Andes mints.

We had a cute poem that I found on the internet, but now I can't find it. I am so sorry to whomever I stole it at this point. I had it earmarked and for the life of me, I can't find it again! Here's what it says:

Was told you've been real good this year,

Always glad to hear it.

With freezing weather drawing near,

You'll need to warm the spirit.

So here's a little Snowman Soup,

Complete with stirring stick.

Just add hot water, sip it slow,

It's sure to do the trick!

We asked if there were people in our group if they wanted to contribute ingredients to make these, and we got donations for everything, except the bags! We made enough so that each Mom in the group could take one home, plus six extras for our Moppets workers for around $4! Not bad for Christmas gifts!

Check out those blogs I love to link up to. Have a very blessed and Merry Christmas!

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000-06:00

I'm sure most of you have been busy getting ready for the Christmas season, as I have also! I've been so busy with getting my gifts made and some other major life changes, which I can't go into quite yet, that I haven't been posting as much as I'd like to. I'm going to share one of the gifts I've been making for my daughter. She asked for a large purse, so when I saw this pattern at I am Mama Hear Me Roar for a Tohoku bag, I knew that I had found a great purse for her. I hope that she likes it, because I am very excited about it!It has a pleat in the front and I did the droopy bow.

I added a pocket with a larger section and a cell phone section.

The material was from some that I had on hand. The black, red, and white is a wool material and the top section is from a skirt that was gorgeous, but didn't look right on me. It has a very fine pin stripe in it. The inside of the purse is lined with the skirt lining - a satin.

I made the handle out of the skirt belt. I think that it turned out great and cost me nothing!

Make sure you check out all those wonderful blogs I love to hook up to in the right column!

Jesse Tree Update

2011-12-03T10:23:00.001-06:00

I thought I would share an update of what we did for our Jesse Tree. I put up our biggest fake tree in the middle island between the kitchen and living room with just lights on it, and then each day, we'll update it with the new ornaments. I actually made three copies of the ornaments, so that we can use two, and then I'll save a hard copy for next year, if I want.

Oh, my daughter made the wreath at MOPS last week, so that had to be added to the Jesse Tree! Cute, huh?

Here's a closer look at the ornament. It's really simple and cheap to make. I just used some leftover scrapbook paper, cut into a 3"x3" square and then used a Corner Rounder to make the corners pretty.

If you missed that link, here's the post for the Free Jesse Tree Printable! Don't forget to check out those blogs that I love to link up to on the right column.

Free Jesse Tree Printables

2011-11-29T21:57:00.001-06:00

I don't have a picture for this project, because I am going to do it for the very first time starting December 1st, but I wanted to share it with you also, so you can use it too. The best thing is that it is free to do with your kids.

I don't know if you know what a Jesse Tree is, but the printable actually describes it for you. Basically, you can read a scripture story to your young children, while they color a corresponding ornament. You cut them out and attach it to a 3"x3" card stock or scrapbook paper and hang them from a tree. I think it's a great way to focus your kid's perception of Christmas onto the actual story of Christ.

Here's the link: Jesse Tree Ornaments

Really Great Deals for You!

2011-11-27T06:38:00.001-06:00

Sorry that this is late, but probably like a lot of you, I have been busy getting all of the Black Friday deals and then recovering! Please consider ordering from my website HERE! If you haven't taken a look at Creative Memories for a long time - you will be pleasantly surprised at the changes!

Dori Stowell
Your Independent Creative Memories Consultant
My Website Link
doristowell@yahoo.com

Shabby Birdie

2011-11-21T23:00:00.001-06:00

I just wanted to share with you a little shabby birdie that I included with an order for someone on Etsy. It is going with four of my Chenille Stockings - so I made it all white to go with them. I am trying to just go the extra mile with my orders for my Etsy shop, so thought it would be exciting to get a Christmas ornament that I wasn't expecting.

I used a scrap of the Chenille to make the bird body and then a scrap of a floral cotton for the wing.

I little stuffing makes this little birdie seem more real.

I especially love the clear antique button, with it's original threads still in the holes. Love it!

Let me know what you think and check out the blogs I love to link up to on the right column. Oh, and if you are inclined, please check out my Etsy Shop. I've been listing a lot of things for Christmas gifts.

Ruffles and Burlap

2011-11-08T23:00:00.000-06:00

As you know, I have been getting busy for a craft show with some friends this last weekend. One of the things that I really wanted to make, but just didn't get to was a burlap table runner. So one hour before set up, I set out to make a burlap table runner with ruffles. This turned out to be my absolute favorite item that I made, and of course it sold! I thought I would share this beauty!It was 17 inches X 55 inches long. It went the whole length of my table and had some hanging over.

I put ruffles on each end of the runner. The burlap was from a coffee sack and the ruffle from the edge of the material I used to back a quilt a few years back. It was already cut and folded in half, so it was perfect for this project.

I measured it out to have this stripe down the middle of the runner. It was down the middle of the sack.

I love the fact that it even had some markings from use. Give sit more character.

I am going to have to make some more of these for sure...what do you think? Make sure to check out some of the blogs in the right column that I love to link up to.

Sparta Craft Show

2011-11-04T22:22:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to invite everyone in the Sparta area to the craft show at the Sparta High School tomorrow from 9am-4pm. I have been crafting like crazy trying to add to a friends booth and make a little money. I just wanted to share with you what the booth looks like. We have a lot of stuff!

The book wreath, burlap table runner, green table runner, and 06 birdhouse are mine.

The lathe star and the book paper garland are mine.

I made the pumpkin and the book chalkboard easels

More of my lathe stars

Seasonal Blocks and white set of pumpkins

Snowman Books and a peek at my Joy blocks

Three of my paper trees

Snowman and my snow blocks

Noel blocks and my Chenille pillow

My orange pumpkins (actually the top orange one is made by my 7yo!)

31 Days: Day 31 - Reusable Snack Bag

2011-10-31T23:28:00.001-05:00

It's really hard to believe that today is the last day! It is sort of bittersweet - it will be nice to take a day off, but it was very exciting to come up with new ideas each day. It has been a big challenge to keep up and yet this has really challenged me to find my creativity. I feel much more comfortable with my creating!

Today's should be something huge, but hey - I'm all about keeping gifts real and simple. This one in fact, is very practical, but I think that any Mommy or young one will love to have these cute little snack bags that are reusable.

Last Friday, a new cereal box was opened (OK, this happens about every other day here.) but I asked my son to wash out the bag inside the box out. I went to grab it today, and Mr. Right thought that it was garbage over the weekend and pitched it! Well, I did what any other craft crazy Mom would do - I opened a brand new box and emptied it into a Tupperware, so I could have that bag!

I also took out some much coveted Packers material I've been hoarding in my material stash.

I cut out a piece of the material and the plastic in a 12"x6" piece.

Fold each piece in half, matching up the short ends, and sew down the two sides. The plastic is a little slippery. I found if I started from the fold side, it stayed together a little better.

Press the material with the right side - but not the plastic! This will be the last time you can press it, because you don't want to melt the plastic.

Then you need to clip the edges of the plastic down to 1/8" away from the seam. Put the material inside the plastic bag, lining up the seams and right sides together. Sew around the top edge, leaving a couple of inches open to turn the bag inside out.

Flip the bag inside out and finger press - not with the iron! Pin a 4 1/2" piece of Velcro near the top edge of the bag on the inside. Sew close to the edge all the way around the bag, closing the opening and attaching the Velcro at the same time. Sew another seam all the way around the bottom of the Velcro.

Here's what the inside looks like - all water proof and food safe, because Cheerios come in this bag!

Of course the outside, showing off it's Packer spirit! Won't a little boy love this for Christmas!

I hope that you truly enjoyed this series and have gotten started on your Christmas presents. May your holiday season be handmade, too!

31 Days: Day 30 - Felt Food

2011-10-30T22:09:00.000-05:00

Today's gift is for a young child - I would say little girl, but to be honest my son gets just as much joy out playing with the kitchen and pretend food. I did an easy one today, because I want to see if I could figure this one out for doing for our MOPS group this year. I think that it would be fun to make some pasta for our toddlers. I found this wonderful site that has a list of free tutorials, so find the food you'd like to make for your little one here.

I am going to show you bow-tie pasta. Cut a 1 1/2" strip of felt of your choice. I am making whole wheat pasta today. The green kind looked really cute in the tutorial I used. The tutorial said to cut the strip first and then use the pinking shears to make the edge, but I used the pinking shears to cut it and saved myself a step.

Then use a regular scissors to cut 1 inch wide strips.

I first tried to sew the bow-ties together, but found it hard to hide the knots. I went to fabric glue and had a moment of brilliance! I used clothes pins to hold it in place! You want to fold the bow-tie into a W shape.

Here's my new invention for a tool! lol!

Here's what it looks like when it's done. This is the sewn one - the rest are drying as of this post.

Hope you enjoyed this idea. Tomorrow is the final post in this 31 Days series. I am hoping that you will find it helpful with plenty of time to get them done before the end of the holiday season.

Please visit the blogs at the right that I love to link up to. Also, don't forget that I am offering free shipping in my Etsy shop until the end of tomorrow to my readers if you use this code: 31DAYS.

31 Days: Day 29 - Barrette or Pin

2011-10-29T21:49:00.002-05:00

Today's gift, I won't bore you with a tutorial, because if you've been anywhere on the blogs, you've seen dozens of tutorials for this. Although everyone seems to be making barrettes and pins, it seems there are never enough, though. Everyone could use a pin or barrette to match every outfit. My challenge to you is to make a new type for a friend that would love a new hair piece or pin for their lapel. Here are a few that you may enjoy:

Young or old alike, everyone loves a little bit of prettiness to add to their outfit!

Be sure to check out at the right the blogs I love to link up to.

31 Days: Day 28 - Christmas Cards

2011-10-28T22:12:00.000-05:00

One of the most important gifts at Christmas, and yet most forgotten is the Christmas Card or Christmas letter! I know that many in their effort to simplify their lives have stopped this tradition, but I urge you to either continue or resurrect this thoughtful process. If you are looking to simplify, scrutinize who you send cards to, but don't stop altogether. This is truly a way to stay in touch with those that you may not hear from, but once a year. My soap box is over now, and I'm going to share with you a neat idea for making a card this year! Beware - it involves a snowman!

I cut a piece of card stock in tan a little smaller than the 3x5 card that I decided to use. I also found 3 buttons that are in 3 different sizes and glued them onto the card stock. The smallest button needs to have 4 holes and glue it on as a diamond shape with the holes. Then use some DMC floss to make eyes. What I did was make a French not out of black through the two holes for eyes and then down the other two buttons as you like to make buttons.

To make a French knot, bring your thread up through the top, tie a knot (I usually run the know through 2-3 times to make it bigger), then run your thread back through the bottom, but keeping your knot on the top. You will also make a French knot with orange floss through the bottom of the diamond for the nose.

Here's what the back of the card will look like when you tie it all off not really pretty, but it works.

Using the Tape Runner, adhere the snowman card stock to the card.

I used a 1/4" wide piece of ribbon to tie a knot and glue it on the neck. I used the Snow Maker to cut out some snowflakes to decorate the card.

On the inside of the card, I used a scrap of the tan card stock to stamp Merry Christmas and also decorated with another snowflake.

This really isn't that difficult to make and is really cute. What better way to show someone you are thinking of them at the holidays, and it adds a nice touch to make it yourself!

31 Days: Day 27 - Snowman

2011-10-27T23:19:00.001-05:00

If you haven't already guessed it, I love snowmen! I think that everyone needs snowmen! They are so flexible because you can put them up as soon as it snows and keep it up until the snow leaves. (OK - sometimes I take them down early, hoping the snow will get a hint and leave!) Anyway, I'm going to share with you how I made this snowman, from some more of that Chenille bedspread.

First, cut a piece of chenille or corduroy into a 16"x22" rectangle. I was able to use a part of the finished edge, so I used this for the top of the neck of the snowman.

Fold this piece in half, with right sides together, matching up the short sides. Stitch a half inch seam across two sides, leaving one end open.

Turn it right side out.

Fill a Ziploc back with beans, kitty litter, or gravel 1/2 full. It's pictured with less than I needed, but you get the idea. Seal the bag and put it in the bottom of the snowman body for some weight in the bottom.

Use your plastic Walmart bags to stuff the snowman body.

Cut a small slit on each side of the body and put a stick through it for the arms. Also, shove just a little bit of fiberfill through the hole around the stick, to make it look like the snowman is bursting with the stuffing.

Use a rubber band to close the body. Move the gathers so they look nice.

Here's the snowman so far.

I used my Creative Memories Custom Cutting System to cut a 4 1/2 inch circle from card stock for a pattern. I used the pattern to cut two pieces of the chenille for the head

Also, I cut a triangle out of orange felt that measured 1 1/2 inches on each side.

Fold the triangle in half and stitch it shut with DMC floss. Stuff the nose and stitch it to the face. Also, using black DMC, sew two 1 inch buttons for the eyes and stitch a smiley face under the nose. Using the black floss, stitch loosely, leaving a small opening to fill the head with fiberfill. Close it up. Pull little bits of the fiberfill through the top of the head for hair.

I cut little triangles out of burlap scraps and printed SNOW on them with rubber stamps and ink. I hot glued the head on the top and hot glued the triangles on a piece of twine for a pennant. Tie a plaid scarf around the snowman's neck and the banner on his hands. Also, attach buttons down the front, tying the knots on the front of the button.

He's so cute! make sure that you check out those blogs at the right that I love to link up to.

31 Days: Day 26 - Pillow

2011-10-27T00:15:00.000-05:00

Today's idea is not really an original, but it can be a nice touch for someone special. You could use something that has a special value to it like a t-shirt, or bag, or you can use some vintage material, like my chenille bedspread that I have gotten a lot of use out of for gifts. Hope you aren't getting sick of it, but I really love the look of this bedspread.

The first thing that I did was cut two sections of the edging of the spread 15 inches wide. I don't know the width of this, but I went about 1 1/2 inch beyond the trim, so I could show the edge of the trim outside the pillow, rather than hidden in the seam. Also, I cut two 14x14 inch pieces for the front and back of the pillow.

I hemmed the edge of the trim by 1/2 inch. I would normally turn it over twice, but because of the bulk, I only turned it once.

Pin the right side of the trim pieces to the two sides of one of the 14x14 pieces - right side up. Stitch with 1/4 inch seam - you don't need to back stitch, this would really be a basting, but if you do it 1/4 inch, it won't be seen when you do the regular seams at 1/2 inch.

Now put the other 14x14 inch outside piece of the pillow face to face with the trim and pillow panel. Sew only the two edges that have the trim on them straight across. Really, I do have a reason for my madness - I want the trim piece to hang loose and not go in the seam of the pillow.

Pin the corners of the trim pieces in, so that they are out of the way of the side seams. Stitch on complete side, being careful not to catch the trim piece. Then sew the other side, leaving an opening in the middle for stuffing. I checked each corner to be sure it turned out right before moving to another side.

This is what you pillow will look like at this stage. You will turn it right side out now and stuff with fill.

I'm already excited about how cute this will be. Stuff away and then handstitch the hole shut.

Voila! A cute pillow with a vintage look to it. It will go with just about any decor!

Check out those blogs to the right that I love to link up to.

31 Days: Day 25 - Root Beer

2011-10-25T23:04:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine made this for a gift for her family a couple of years ago for Christmas, and I've been wanting to make it ever since. I don't know why I've been waiting so long to make Root Beer, but really, it wasn't more than 10 minutes for us to be drinking it.

I found that our Walmart is carrying Watkins brand of flavoring, and have always felt that their brand is better than most - so I thought I would use their. The other item that you need besides sugar and water, is club soda or sparkling water. I thought the club soda would be better to use, but in hindsight, the water may not have as much of a taste to it.

Before you give this to others, I highly suggest doing a trial run and making sure you like the taste. The Watkins cost about $3.50 and the club soda was $.97. Not an expensive endeavor for sure and you will have more than half of the Root Beer Concentrate left.

Here's what you need (from the back of the package):

1 3/4 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons Watkins Root Beer Concentrate
Club soda or sparkling water

Combine sugar and water in medium saucepan; heat and stir until mixture starts to boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. (OK, we couldn't wait too long for that, so we used ice in our drinks!)

Add Root Beer Concentrate and mix thoroughly. To serve, add 1/2 to 1/3 cup root beer syrup to 5 fl. oz club soda or sparkling water.

Makes 3 cups root beer syrup.

This is what the syrup looks like. It filled two of these pint jars. When I give this to someone, I plan to give them a jar of this with one bottle of the club soda and the directions. I will also make a new batch just before giving it away and keep it refrigerated. I think that a family with young kids would enjoy this or a root beer enthusiast!

Bottoms up! It was great, but different from the purchased kind. It has a darker taste. We found that we mixed on the lighter side - the 1/3 cup to our taste. It ended up being the club soda bottle (just over a quart) with 2 cups of the syrup. It's not an exact measure, but it would be easy to give in this size. Have fun with your little experiment! It sort of looks like moonshine, doesn't it?

Don't forget to check out those blogs I love to link up over on the right.

31 Days: Day 24 - Crayon Roll

2011-10-25T14:35:00.000-05:00

First of all, I would like to apologize for not getting this one up yesterday. I tried desperately to get something done, and didn't succeed because the baby was sick and just wanted to be held. What is a mother supposed to do? I'm not going to bore you with the how-to today, since I used a Wonderful Tutorial over at Chocolate on my Cranium. Isn't that just a wonderful name for a blog?

Here are the three different materials I used. It always takes me longer to decide what material to use to make things, than it does to make it! I have so much indecision, sometimes.

Here's what the roll looks like on the inside. The only thing that I would consider changing is to make it longer for more crayons. This only takes 15-16 crayons, but I have 24 crayon boxes. Bothers me to have a few extra...

All rolled up and tied with a bow! The only thing Chocolate on my Cranium didn't mention was to either burn the edges of the ribbon or use fray check on it.

Here's what the open end looks like with all the crayons taking a nap in there!

The bottom side of the roll.

I just think this is a great gift for youngster, boy or girl for Christmas! Can't wait to see if they like it! Also, check out my Etsy Shop for one of these, if you don't want to make it yourself. I'm offering free shipping to my readers of this series for this month only if you use this code: 31DAYS. Don't delay! Oh - and I will be making an effort to catch up here, soon, so watch for the extra post!

Check out those blogs on the right that I love to link up to!

31 Days: Day 23 - Scrappy Cards

2011-10-23T22:42:00.000-05:00

Today's gift idea should be a quick and easy way to use up those paper scraps that anyone who does cards or scrapbooking would have around. I don't always give enough credit to a scrappy, quickly made card - I often think I need to spend all kinds of energy coming up with some beautiful, many layered card, but the truth of the matter is, most people would be thankful to recieve a personalized, simple card.

I had a few of these blank cards cut using the Border Maker System because I was showing people this great new tool. (I am an Independent Creative Memories Consultant, so I do make a portion from the purchase made from the link.)

I used my Cricut and the Zoo Day Cartridge to cut out five J's for the person's first name that I want to give it to. Then, I just used all scraps from the same fall paper pack that I knew would all coordinate. Nothing complicated - just put them together.

For this card I wanted to show off the edge, so I put a strip of paper behind, on the inside of the card. Note to self - when you put Tape Runner Tape on the paper, that same side is what will show through! I put it on the wrong side first! No worries - it's a scrappy card!

Just a chunk of paper under the J.

I used the Tearing Tool to make the edges on these papers.

Another swatch of paper...

Another Tearing Tool edge. Sorry for the bad photo - the next one is clearer.

Tie them up in a bundle with a ribbon or raffia or twine - and give it to someone special. It is sure to please!

31 Days: Day 22 - Lath Star

2011-10-22T19:34:00.001-05:00

Today's Christmas Gift may seem like it's not very easy, but it is truly extremely simple to make. I think it would make a great impression when you give it as a Christmas gift, too. You will need:

5 pieces of Lath - We were able buy it already cut down to the right size - 24 inches long. I would have bought the longer because it was cheaper, but the longer kind looked awful and was falling apart - so we took the shorter, but better looking stuff and saved a little time cutting it up.
Bolts or screws and nuts
Drill with bit
Ivory Spray paint
Brown Acrylic Paint or stain
Paint brush
Polyurethane

Here's how we got the lath. You could use scrap wood or the longer kind and cut it down to 24 inches. Drill a hole in both ends about an inch from the end and in the center. (This doesn't have to be measured, but try to put them in the same place.)

Next, order up a beautiful day like today, and spray a light coat of Ivory spray paint. I used Krylon. You want to cover it, but it doesn't have to be a thick coat. I was able to only use some of one can for three stars. I took a piece of sand paper at this point and sanded all the edges lightly. It gave a base for the paint to soak into, and it took off quite a few of the little slivers on the edges, too.

After the paint is dry, take a small amount of the brown acrylic paint on a plate, and take just a tiny bit on a dry brush, so that it barely shows up. When you dry brush on the edges and a little of the face of each board, it will age it and make it look antiqued a little. Spray the polyurethane to coat both the back and front of the pieces of lath. This way, you can hang it indoors or outdoors.

Now, you need a really smart teenager to take the nuts and bolts and fasten the ends together to form a star with the 5 pieces of lath. Really, it's just like you draw a star - but Mr. Right couldn't figure it out like my 15 year old could!

Hang or put a ribbon on it to give as a gift!

A closer look at the dry brushing and the screw we used.

Check out the blogs I love to link up to in the right column. Also, don't forget that you can get free shipping in my Etsy Shop here by using the code: 31 Days at checkout.

31 Days: Day 21 - Ornament

2011-10-21T23:20:00.000-05:00

Well, you will have to forgive the pictures today. I've been working really hard on making professional looking pictures and clear backgrounds, and well, I give! My kitchen table has been a mess for 21 days and today, it's in the background! Please tell me there are other crafters out there that make such a horrible mess like I do? I look at all these great blogs that have a beautiful and clean craft room, and mine is getting worse, so bad, in fact, I have moved to the kitchen table! Oh, Mr. Right is wonderfully tolerant!

So for Christmas every year, I like to make an ornament for everyone so I thought I would Mod Podge book pages onto the outside of an ornament. I found this box of clear ornaments at Menard's of all places for $1.99, so thought it would work out perfectly. You will also need:

Paint brush
Glitter
Mod Podge
Ornaments (hey - use some of those old ugly ones that you don't like anymore!)
Book Pages
Tearing Tool

First I tore up a book page - this was a picture from an old book inside cover. Just make little strips. I think future ones, I'll use the word pages - but I thought this picture would be cute, because it has the greens in it.

Mod Podge the outside of the ornament. Take off the top if you can, so it doesn't get full of Mod Podge. Stick the strips around it. Really, it's that simple, but very messy!

Once the entire ornament is covered and dried. Put another coat of Mod Podge on the top. It will dry clear. While it is still wet, sprinkle glitter on the Mod Podge.

I also took a little scrap of the paper and stamped NOEL on it. Glued it to a thin ribbon and tied it on.

Well, what do you think? Check out the blogs that I love to link up to in the right column.

31 Days: Day 20 - Ruffled Burlap Wreath

2011-10-20T23:25:00.000-05:00

Only 11 more days to go! I can't believe that I've actually stuck to this! I have a confession to make, though, my house is a disaster! I am crafting all the time! First for this blog, and then for a craft show in a couple of weeks! I didn't know about the craft show when I decided to do this, but when I was asked, I decided why not? Well, fortunately - Mr. Right is very tolerant and even plays along a little! (Meaning, when I want to make something, he helps me out!)

So - today's idea for a Christmas gift is a wreath. You could make any kind of wreath that you like - maybe you'd like to try the book page one like this one. There are tons of different ideas on the Internet that you could try - I am going to show you today is made from this burlap sack and a metal clothes hanger.

I got the sack from a rummage sale for $2! I got several of them at the same sale.

I cut about a 4 inch strip from the sack. When I cut down the side of the sack, it opened up to be pretty long. I ended up using 3 sections of the sack.

I opened the hanger up and just strung the burlap through the hanger back and forth. Then fluff up the burlap and turn it, and it starts to look ruffled! It was seriously, less than a 30 minute project in all.

I used the twine sewn seam that I cut off to open up the sack for a bow and a hanger on the top. I think that I am going to go back into it and put a spot of hot glue here and there to hold the burlap in place. Also, put the opening of the hanger on the side, because the burlap slides downwards. I think the hot glue would prevent that.

Hope you enjoy this idea - please let me know what you think of the wreath! Check out the blogs I love to link up to in the right column.

31 Days: Day 19 - Table Runner

2011-10-19T21:41:00.000-05:00

Today's gift, I actually made to match the Coasters I made yesterday. I think that Table runners are so easy to make and people love them too. I know, for myself, I rarely think to buy them for myself.

For this project, you will need:

Cotton material in the size that you want to make (I made a large one that started out as 16"X70")
1/2 yard Contrasting material for ruffles
Sewing Machine & notions for sewing project

1. Cut out the material to the size that you'd like, adding 1 inch to all sides to account for the hem.

2. Press all edges 1/4", and then press it up another 1/4" all the way around. (This makes the raw edge hidden inside.)

3. Unfold the pressed edges at the corners and clip the corners at a diagonal, making the corners less bulky.

4. Sew a straight stitch all the way around, lining the edge of the presser foot up to the edge of the runner.

5. You could end your project here, but I like to add a little ruffle on the end.

6. I'm going to make my own ruffle, but you could use a purchased one, or even use lace or whatever you have on hand. For the ruffle, cut two strips about twices as long as the end of the runner by 4 inches.

7. Press the strips in half. (You could sew together the wrong sides and make a tube. Then turn it rightside out, to get a finished edged ruffle.) I like the rough edge on it to give it a little primitive look.

8. Sew a basting stitch down the rough side of the ruffle, to make it gather.

9. It may start to gather on it's own, or you can pull one of the threads to make it gather.

10. Pin it in an even gather along each of the short ends. I pined the edge of the strip around the back of the runner to finish it off.

11. Put it on your table, or wrap it up with your coasters from yesterday and give it to someone you love for Christmas!

I love the finished edge, yet a little bit homespun, too!

Please check out all the blogs I love to link up to and all the other projects I have done in the 31 Days of Handmade Christmas Gifts.

31 Days of Handmade Christmas Gifts: Day 18 - Coasters

2011-10-18T21:15:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make - today's Handmade Christmas Gift is taken from Martha Stewart's website for an idea, BUT I didn't agree with her directions too much. So I am going to give you a tutorial on what I think is the best way to do this today. On top of that, Martha didn't have pictures for the steps to making these.

To make a set of four coasters you will need:

8 pieces of 4 1/2" X 4 1/2" material
4 pieces of 4" X 4" batting
Thread
Sewing Machine
ScissorsAfter cutting the pieces, stack two pieces of material with the right sides together and a piece of the batting on one side (on the wrong side of the material.) Pin it in the center to hold the batting in place.

Sew around three sides of the coaster 1/4" away from the edge. You will catch most of the batting, but don't worry if you don't catch all edges. You just want the batting to stay put and not have too much on the edges, or it will add bulk to the coasters.

Clip all the corners.

Turn the coasters to the right sides out. Push out the corners with a chopstick to make the corners square. Also, turn the open edge in 1/4", putting one side over the batting. Press.

Sew, starting with the open edge, less than a 1/4" away from the edge, around all four sides. Be sure to sew a straight line and back stitch when you start. When you get to the corner, stop with the needle down and turn the piece to make a sharp corner stitch.

Before you get to the end of the final side, stop 1/4" away from next side stitching. Turn the corner and sew around the square lining up the edge of the stitching to the edge of the sewing maching foot. (This is usually 1/4" away).

Keep going around and around until you get to the center.

Hopefully you can see this on the picture, but it starts to look quilted.

When you get to the center, back stitch to end your stitching.

Here's the set - cute, huh?

Tie with a ribbon or a piece of twine to present as a gift. These would make a wonderful hostess gift!

Check out the blogs I love to link up to in the right column. Also, please consider supporting my Etsy shop in the right. Don't forget to use the code: 31DAYS in my Etsy shop to get free shipping just for my readers!

31 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 17 - Tassels

2011-10-17T23:07:00.000-05:00

Again, another late entry, but one of my children had surgery today, so I think it's warranted! Today's is no new project on bloggerland, and in fact, many of you are already in the tassel-making trend. I personally have never made one, and don't know anyone that has made one, so I thought I might start a local trend by starting! I'm sure yours are all more beautiful, but maybe you know someone that would enjoy this fun little addition to their home.

This bunch of trim, I found at a rummage sale last Saturday for a quarter for the entire bag. Someone had meticulously removed this trim from something and kept it for a project. I was excited to get my hands on it for a quarter!

I found this little salt shaker (also came with a pepper shaker) at the Family Dollar for $1 - which breaks down to just $.50 each! The great thing about using a salt or pepper shaker, is that there is a hole all the way through it to string the ribbon through! While I was there, I also found a snowman set, too.

So, I strung a piece of ribbon through a thread spool, I've been saving for this purpose, then through the shaker, and through a button on both ends. This button prevents the ribbon from going up through the spool.

Then I glued the trim around and around and around the spool from the bottom, up to the top. I topped the last round with a piece of decorative ribbon.

Here it is hanging from my doorknob. I think it's very cute! I'm hoping to sell this at a craft show in a couple of weeks. It's great that this really only cost me less than $.75 to make! What price do you think this could go for?

As usual, check out my Etsy shop and get FREE shipping if you use the code 31DAYS at checkout! Also, I love to hook up to a lot of blogs, so show them the love over there in the right hand column.

31 Days of Handmade Gifts: Day 16 - Leg Warmers

2011-10-16T22:05:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry this one is so late. Do you ever have those days that nothing seems to go right? Well, this project literally took me all day to do because of one interruption or another. This is a project that I've done before, but I wanted to share a step-by-step tutorial, so you can make your own leg warmers for babies and little girls. This truly is a simple sewing project, as long as you pay close attention (hint - that was one of my problems - I sewed the wrong sides together and then couldn't get them apart to redo it! lol)

To make baby or child leg warmers, you will need:

Adult knee highs from the store (I wait for them to go on clearance)
Pinking shears or scissors
Matching Thread
Sewing Machine

Here are some cute knee highs that I found on clearance for $.67! They are purple and pink, if you can't tell from the picture.

First, cut a straight line off at the ankle with the pinking sheers. I like to use the pinking shears, because it keeps the socks from unraveling too much.

Then cut off the heel altogether. Make it straight with the toe. By the way, I'm not sure who thought that putting green toes and heels on purple and pink socks were cute, but these were just not meant to be together anyway!

Also, cut off the toe in a straight line, parallel with the other cut. You will now have four pieces: the toe, the heel, the arch, and the top section. The toe and heel will be thrown away (or if you can figure out a way to use this, I'd love to hear it!)

Take the arch section and fold it in half with the wrong sides together. This will be the cuff of the cut end of the sock.

Pin the cuff to the outside of the sock - you will put it against the right side of the sock. (This is where I messed up and put it on the wrong side - what a mess! If you're not sure. Pin it together, and then turn it like you would when you are done to be sure, before you sew!)

Stretch the sock around the small end of the machine. Most machines have an arm that pops off to make it smaller for this purpose. You could also sew carefully around the edge without doing this, but be sure not to catch the wrong side. You will be using a zig zag stitch or a stretch stitch. On occasion, I will miss a little section of the cuff, so you can just go back over it and sew a second seam over it.

Put them on some cute legs, or wrap them up for a little one. These can be used pulled up to keep legs warm like this - which is nice in the winter instead of tights, so that little ones don't have to pull down the whole tights to go to the bathroom, or it makes for easy diaper changes. You can also slouch them like the 80's leg warmers, if you like.

Hope you enjoy this project - we are now over half way through the Christmas gifts! Stay tuned for more tomorrow! Also, be sure to check my shop - I have a pair of these there with cute penguins on them! I also love to link up to many blogs, which I keep in my right bar over there.

31 Days of Handmade Christmas Gifts: Day 15 - Oh Christmas Tree

2011-10-14T22:59:00.000-05:00

What would Handmade Christmas Gifts be without a handmade Christmas tree? Today's gift combines both the tree and the book page idea together.

You will need:

Book to rip up
Glue gun and hot glue sticks
12 X 15 cardboard
Twine

Again, I had to go to the store to find a book to rip up. Dollar General had Webster's Dictionary for only $1.25. This project only uses about a third of it, so stay tuned for more gifts using the book pages!

You could use a foam cone, but I'm too cheap to do that, so I decided to roll my own from the cardboard insert from my 12x15 Scrapbook pages. FREE is always good! I glued it together really good with the glue gun and then cut that bottom triangle off to make it stand up straight. This took me a couple of tries to get it straight.

I then took the cover off the book and used chocolate brown chalk to chalk up the edges of the pages.

Rip off one page at a time, roll it into a tube and glue it shut. then glue it to the bottom of the cone.

Keep going around the cone until that bottom of the cardboard doesn't show anymore. I even folded some of the pages in half and stuck them up from the bottom to get full coverage. At this point, my daughter said it looked like a pretty skirt!

Move up with your row and fill in the next layer. Then another row until you reach the top.

Oh, somewhere in there, I decided that I needed to use that corner that I cut off to fill in the gap in the cone. It seemed a little unstable and rocking a little, so I just glued it in the gap.

Here's a picture of the bottom so you can see what that looks like.

It kinds of looks like a raggedy tree, so I just tied a bow at the top with a piece of thick twine. I put a dot of glue on that to hold it in place. What a cute gift to give, don't you think?

Check out those blogs on the right that I follow. Also, watch my Etsy shop on the left for things that I've made here, if you don't want to make your own!