zakka life

Valentine Cards with Heart Necklaces

2012-01-27T09:48:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I shared about the origami lucky hearts I was making. Well, my daughter and I liked them so much that we decided to make them into necklaces for Valentine's Day cards. While I was making them, I realized some of you may wonder why I even go through all this trouble. You may even be asking: Won't most of those go into the trash? Do the kids even appreciate them? Here are my thoughts. . .

First, I love creating and making things. I love the design process from beginning to end. I can tell you right now if this wasn't my passion, I would not do this. Instead, I would probably just buy the cards. Also, my kids like and appreciate the personalized cards.

The second reason I do this stems back to my own childhood. I absolutely adored Valentine's Day as a child. I can remember being so excited to empty my haul of cards onto my desk (those days we got to look at our cards at school). I would pull out each card an examine it thoroughly. In particular, if it was from a boy I liked, I paid extra attention to the words: did it say friend? valentine? were there any xoxo's on it? That was half the fun but what I liked most were the handmade cards. I was that child. I can remember one of the kids in my fifth grade class had an extra crafty mother. She always made fun cards. I can recall one that had a unique opening with jokes inside. I also remember a card of a heart eating heart. Now that I'm thinking about it, that's kind of strange. Nonetheless, I remembered, liked, and appreciated what she made. So, I can only believe that there is some child besides my own that will appreciate what I make. I'll probably never get as much as a thank you and I don't care. To me it's a small way of making the day fun and special.

Here are the templates for the valentine cards. The squares are designed to measure 3.3" x 3.5". To make your own, click on the template, right click, copy, paste and print.

Click here for heart folding video. To make the necklace just thread it with string.

To attach the necklaces to the cards, I punched two holes at the top and cut a slit from the edge of the card to the hole. This way I could just slide the string into the hole.

So the necklaces don't turn into a tangled mess, I taped them in the back. I used washi tape because it's low tack and will be easy for the kids to peel off.

At First Site: Mariela Dias

2012-01-26T09:54:00.000-08:00

I'm back again with my new series At First Site. Once a month I'll be sharing about sites/artists that inspire me. I hope in the process you'll discover something new and get inspired too.

Inspiring me this month is designer Mariela Dias who writes the blog Mariela Dias. Mariela designs, makes and sells felt accessories. Her bold colors and creative use with felt instantly attracted my attention. Usually when I think of felt crafts, I picture felt food and softies but Mariela is creating so much more with the medium.

Intrigued by Mariela's work, I decided to ask her a few questions. Here's what she had to say:

How and when did you start working with felt?

I studied Design at the University of Aveiro and during my training I did some work on design/crafts. From that moment, I understood that the design and craftsmanship could result in a perfect marriage. I started working with felt six years ago, first as a secondary activity. Four years ago it became a full time job.

My work aims to recreate the essence of Portuguese craftsmanship: based on floral and geometric motifs present in the pottery and embroidery ("lencos dos namorados") and in general, Portuguese traditional crafts and feminine details that coexist in harmony with today's trends.

Do you sew all your pieces?

It's all done by me. To make a bag, for example, I start by drawing and then the shape is all set. I make the bag template out of cardboard. Using scissors or a scalpel, I cut the felt in accordance with the drawing. Then I baste the pieces and finish the sewing bag.

What inspires your artwork?

I find inspiration in traditional Portuguese handicraft but also I do daily walks around town.

If you have a minute or two, stop by her site to see what she's creating . The photos above are just a small sample of her work.

Hello!Lucky Printable Valentine Cards

2012-01-24T20:57:00.000-08:00

Hello!Lucky is offering free printable valentine cards for their fans. There's a total of four designs to choose from which include a banana, cuckoo clock, monkey and owl. Stop by Hello!Lucky to download the cards. And if you have the time, check out their stationary. The letterpress cards are just delightful.

via Craft

Origami Lucky Hearts

2012-01-22T16:52:00.000-08:00

You've heard of lucky stars but have you heard of lucky hearts? They're constructed similar to lucky stars with only a few adjustments. They're also just as quick to make. Fill up a jar for a Valentine's Day gift or string one on thread to make a necklace. Click here for the video tutorial.

Heart Necklace

If you want the hearts to be sturdier, cover them in a coat of decoupage glaze. Besides making them sturdier, the decoupage will give them a nice shine.

Featured in Disney FamilyFun Magazine

2012-01-19T13:39:00.001-08:00

A while back FamilyFun Magazine requested to use my Superhero Lollipop Valentine idea. It has been a long wait but the February issue is finally out featuring the project. Also featured in the magazine are some cute ideas from bloggers Design Mom and Dollhouse Bake Shoppe. If you get a chance, check out the magazine. It's filled with lots of cute ideas for Valentine crafts. I particularly have my eye on the chocolate kiss ring project.

Photo of Superhero Valentine in FamilyFun Magazine

Minifigure Valentines

2012-01-15T20:41:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I began the process of designing and assembling the kids valentine cards. From past experience, I've realized it's never too early to start. The last thing you want to find yourself doing is constructing 50+ valentine cards in the wee hours of the night while watching reality TV. Been there, done that, don't want to do it again.

This year I decided to go with a Lego theme since that's my son's current obsession. The Lego guys are supposed to be a minifigure version of my son.

My design was inspired by the MUJI Lego kits. I always loved the concept of combining Legos and paper. It's only now that I got a chance to play with the combination. To make the paper minifigures stand, they are wedged between two Lego blocks. I purchased the blocks at the Lego store where you can pick and choose which blocks you want. If anyone is curious, I purchased the small container which you can fill for $7.99. Sixty red blocks filled up half the container which allowed us to get some fun extras to play with.

Sorry guys, I will not be sharing a template for this project. But if you wanted to make something similar, I think it might be fun to use an actual photo. Another idea would be to place a standard valentine card between the blocks.

Kid Craft: Doll Napkins & Placemats

2012-01-12T21:11:00.001-08:00

Ever since my daughter received a Madame Alexander doll for her birthday, there have been many tea parties around here. But I realized the place setting was missing something, napkins. We couldn't have that, what would Emily Post say?! So I got out some leftover party napkins and made a mini set with them. I love that the doll now has miniature napkins just like my daughter's. It makes me want to design a doll themed birthday party. I can picture it now one table for the girls and another for the dolls. . . Oh yes, the wheels are turning.

Since this craft is for kids, I made the napkins and placemats with paper. You could easily covert this into a simple sewing craft as well.

Mini Napkin Instructions

1. Take one cocktail napkin and unfold.

2. Cut into four squares along folds.

3. Refold each square into quarters. Trim down if necessary.

Mini Placemat Instructions

1. Cut a piece of scrapbook paper into a 4" x 6" rectangle.

2. Trim with decorative edged scissors. Done!

Have a tea party.

Cute Cookies & Packaging

2012-01-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do when I'm at the Mitsuwa market is check out the cookie/candy aisle. Its true I have a sweet tooth but I'm even more interested in the packaging. It seems with every visit I stumble across something new. This time I found these adorable Moomin shaped cookies. For those not familiar with the Moomins, they are characters from a series of books and comic strips written by Tove Jansson.

This box also caught my eye for the cookie pictured on the box. I liked how the cookie looked three-dimensional. I know cookies are already three-dimensional but this looked different. Usually a cookie is decorated with a print or frosting, not more cookie. So I had to see what they really looked like and bought a box.

To my delight, they were even cuter in person. I fear I may never be able to go back to my basic animal crackers after seeing these.

Craft: Pinata Piggy Bank

2012-01-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, technically this isn't a pinata piggy bank but more of a pinata cupcake bank. But, pinata cupcake bank just sounded too strange/confusing for a title.

This craft was inspired by the Pearhead wooden piggy banks. Now where the pinata part came into the mix, I'm not quite sure. I'm guessing my train of thought was this > piggy bank > smash piggy bank to open> smash pinata to open > smash pinata piggy bank to open.

This is a fun craft to use up all those shirt boxes and tissue you have lying around from the holidays. Even though this craft is easy to do, it does take up a good amount of time. I recommend spreading out the steps into three days: 1st day - construct box, 2nd day - paper mache, 3rd day- cover with tissue. You can make your bank into any shape you want, get creative!

Supplies:
Cardboard - I used one large shirt box top
Colored Tissue
Glue stick
Masking Tape
Newspaper
Paper mache paste
White paint - optional
To make the cupcake bank, make two identical cupcake shaped pieces out of the cardboard. I recommend making a template with paper first. Next, cut 2 inch wide strips that could wrap around the entire sides of the cupcakes to form a box. It's important that your bank can stand on its own so your base needs to be proportional to the size of your bank.

Construct bank with cardboard and tape. Don't worry if it looks messy, this will all be covered up anyway. Cut a hole on top of the box to place money in.

Paper mache box to make it sturdy. You don't want it breaking open on its own. When dry, paint box white so newspaper print does not show through tissue (optional).

Fold a strip of tissue in half and cut to make fringe (refer to picture). Do not cut all the way up to the fold.

Starting at the bottom, layer tissue to cover entire box. Do this for all sides. You want to start from the bottom so only the fringe shows. If you start from the top, the folded part of the tissue will show instead of the fringe.

*When working with different colors, sometimes it's easier to draw out the pattern on your box.

Your pinata bank should look something like this when finished.

Sorry, I have to say this, just in case.
*Do not hang pinata bank. Do not hang pinata bank to open.

At First Site: Cookieboy

2012-01-05T20:54:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Cookieboy

For 2012 I've decided to introduce a new series called At First Site. I'll be sharing sites around the web that inspire me. Hopefully you'll find them inspiring too.

I'm kicking off the series with the blog cookieboy. Please don't judge the site by the banner. I promise the rest of the blog is not filled with cookies hanging off a half naked man. Instead, this blog showcases the work of cookie artist Yamatake Natsu Hilo. What made me choose this site was his unconventional approach to the basic sugar cookie and how he's pushing the envelope with his baking. I'll leave it at that and let the pictures do the talking. This site is in Japanese but can easily be translated with Google Translate.

cookies from a cookie workshop

Jewelry displayed on cookies!

Cookie Cafe Display - I would love to see Amy Atlas do something like this with her dessert tables.

P.S. A craft tutorial is coming soon, promise. If all goes well, it should be up Monday *fingers crossed*.

Printables: Blog Organizer Inserts

2012-01-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: My Girl Thursday

These blog organizer printables designed by draw! pilgrim have been around for a while but I thought some of you might be interested in them. They're great for organizing and setting goals for your blog. Even if you don't have an organizer, they still can come in handy. You can keep them on a bulletin board or your desk instead as a daily reminder.

Just out of curiosity, do you like to keep an actual organizer or do you use your computer/smart phone? I personally like to use an actual organizer to hold all my appointments and notes. However, I've been trying to keep more of it on the computer (ex. google calendar). This might sound strange but I feel like I can access/see it better when it's written down on paper. Anyone else like this?

Trying New Things

2012-01-01T20:32:00.000-08:00

Every year our family gathers together for a traditional Japanese New Year's Day meal. Usually my husband's grandmother prepares the food but this year we all contributed. I volunteered to make the Ozoni soup. It was my first attempt at making the dish. I think it came out pretty good and everyone seemed to like it.

If anyone is interested, I used the recipe from this YouTube video: How to Make Ozoni Soup.

Don't laugh, I also tried a new hair-do for 2012, the Messy Bun. I'm officially declaring 2012 the year of the messy bun (for me that is, you can have any hair-do you want). I've decided this is going to replace that sad pony tale I've been rocking all these years.

Front view of messy bun.

Those are my diva sunglasses by the way. They're ridiculously huge but I wear them anyway.

Have any plans for trying/learning something new in 2012? It doesn't have to be anything big; it could just be a recipe or a hair-do.

Craft: Oversized Sequins Decoration

2011-12-30T17:27:00.000-08:00

When I think of New Year's Eve, images of glitter, disco balls, and sparkly dresses come to mind. Playing on that theme, I decided to make some oversized sequins to hang from the ceiling. I also made a few smaller ones to decorate the table. If you're still looking for some last minute ideas, these might be fun to make. They're pretty quick and easy to create too.

Supplies:
Metallic cardstock - I got mine at Paper Source. You could also use wrapping paper. If possible look for double sided metallic paper.
Scissors
Scoring tool - bone folder, popsicle stick, etc.
Ruler
Exacto knife

Cut out a circle (any size you want). If your paper isn't double sided, cut out two circles and glue wrong sides together. Let dry.

Find center of circle and cut a small hole in it using your exacto knife.

Place ruler in the center of the circle, crossing the hole you just made. With scoring tool, make two lines, one at the top and one at the bottom (refer to picture below). Turn ruler to a 60 degree angle from first line and make two more lines. Do this until there are six scoring lines on your circle (refer to picture).

Using the ruler as a guide, score the purple lines in the center of the circle to make a hexagon.

Now you will make creases on all the lines you just scored. Start with all the lines on the outer edge of the circle. Next fold each section up until the circle looks like a sequin. This might take a little finessing to get it just right. Your sequins should look something like the one in the picture above.

Here are some smaller sequins I made to decorate the table.

*Raising my glass*

Here's to the bright New Year
And a fond farewell to the old;

Here's to the things that are yet to come

And to the memories that we hold.

Cheers,

Jessica

Printable Camera Calendar

2011-12-27T15:42:00.001-08:00

Need a new calendar for the New Year? Here's one of my favorites online, a camera calendar by Cannon Creative Park. The calendar folds down into a flat image of a camera. When the calendar is open, it folds into a square with four different 3D landscapes. It takes about three hours to make. My only complaint with it is that the open/close latches are difficult to use. Here are few pictures of the calendar I made.

Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags

2011-12-20T20:17:00.001-08:00

Image Credit: Natascha Rosenberg

Have you noticed how many free holiday gift tags are available online lately? I feel like every time I turn the internet corner, BAM, there's another one. And the best part about it is that they're all lovely designs. Here's a list with links to a few of my favorites ( in no particular order).

Little Red Riding Hood (pictured above) - Natascha's Blog

Typographic Gift Tags - Eat Drink Chic

Forrest Themed Gift Tags - Studio Morran

Whimsical Illustrated Gift Tags - Orange You Lucky!

Vintage Christmas Book Illustration Tags - My Girl Thursday

Doodle Holiday Tags - Craftzine

Kawaii Gift Tags - Wild Olive

Feather Gift Tags - Love vs. Design

* Tag tip - print your tags on sticker paper to just peel and attach to packages quickly!

The Mitsuwa Marketplace

2011-12-18T16:23:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend we made a trip out to the Mitsuwa Marketplace for some Japanese groceries. While we were there, we picked up a few last minute gifts for Christmas. Below are a few pictures of what we purchased along with our food adventures.

Currently at most Asian markets you can find specialty wrapped sweets for the holidays. Usually the food is just as pretty as the packaging. If you're looking for a special hostess gift, try out one of these boxes (pictured above). They're pre-wrapped and ready to go. Perfect for your favorite foodie!

We picked up this cute Mameshiba book at the Kinokuniya bookstore. We have another Mameshiba book and it's my daughter's absolute favorite. I also was able to get a couple bean-dog plushies when my kids weren't looking, he he.

Another great find was this children's book by the famous artist, Yoshitomo Nara. I really like it but I have to warn you that some people find Yoshitomo's work creepy. If you think you would like to get this book, check out the artists illustrations first.

Spaghetti Bread

At the shopping center there's a Japanese bakery called Clover Bakery & Cafe. They offer all kinds of unique breads and pastries including, spaghetti bread, unagi (eel) pan, and yakisoba pan just to name a few. My husband tried the yakisoba pan and said it tasted kind of like a Japanese version of a piroshki. I had the melon pan which was delicious. It had just the right crunch on the outside and was perfectly soft and fluffy inside.

Chestnuts roasting on an open chestnut roaster?

I have a confession to make, I've never tried fresh roasted chestnuts up until now. The chestnut booth was outside the store so I decided to give it a try. It just seemed like the Christmasy thing to do. So glad I did too, both my daughter and I enjoyed them on our ride home.

Now I'm curious, what unique places do you like to shop at for the holidays?

How to Make an Upcycled Craft Kit

2011-12-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

Can you keep a secret?

You can? Good.

I like to collect trash for my kids to play with!

There are so many unique packaging items that make perfect crafting supplies. We use them all the time in our projects. In fact, we use them so much that I have a special box to keep them in. This got me thinking. . . .what if I made an upcycled craft kit?

These kits would be fun to make as a gifts for play groups. They're also good for rainy days or winter break. Below I share how I put my kit together. There's no wrong or right way to do this, make them however you want and get creative!

Supplies:
Plastic milk jug
Hole punch
Button
Rubber band
Wire
X-ACTO knife

You can skip these steps if you have a container with a large lid.

The first thing you will need to do is make an opening to fit the craft supplies in. With an exacto knife cut plastic jug (refer to blue dots in picture).

Punch two holes above the jug's flap and attach a button with wire. I placed a piece of tape over the back of the wire (in inside of jug) to prevent little hands from getting scratched.

Next, punch two holes at top of flap. Cut rubber band into one string. Thread through both holes to make a loop. Tie knots on back of flap. Now you have a larger closure for your container. All you need to do now is fill it with craft supplies!

Above are few things I put into the remake kit: squeeze bottle cap (makes a great hinge), fruit pouch caps (good for wheels), pizza table, plastic spool, mesh bag, and sock packaging.

Along with the recyclable items, I recommend adding some tools and supplies for embellishments. Here's a list of a few ideas.

Tools
Scissors
White Glue
Glue Dots
Markers
Paint Pens

Craft Supplies
Googly eyes
Pom Poms
Rhinestones
Popsicle sticks
Pipe cleaners

Rubber bands
Buttons

Stickers

And if you want, here's a label you can put on your kit. Just click on it, right click, copy, paste and print.

When your kit gets low, just add more trash to it.

Peppermint Candy Shaped Cookies

2011-12-14T11:51:00.000-08:00

These peppermint candy shaped cookies were inspired by the popular lollipop cookies. I actually had the idea of making these cookies for over a year now but just recently was able to test it out. I'm not sure why it took me so long but here they are, peppermint candy shaped cookies! Below you'll find the recipe, instructions and tips to make your own.

Why this recipe? Can't you use any sugar cookie recipe? Well after experimenting with different recipes my answer is no. I found some recipes will not hold the shape of the cookie. They usually just flattened out and didn't give the definition that makes these cookies unique. I'm sure other recipes will work but I found this one works the best.

*Cookies are not peppermint flavored.

Cookie Dough Recipe
via allrecipes
makes 2 dozen

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened
3 oz of cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
red food coloring

1. In a bowl cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and blend until smooth.

2. In another bowl add flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until dough forms.

4. Separate into two balls. Add food coloring to one dough ball. If you can, use a high grade food coloring that will give you a rich color. Adding too much coloring can make your dough bitter.

5. Refrigerate dough for two hours.

Take about a two teaspoons of the white dough and two teaspoons of the red dough and form into logs. Twist both pieces together.

Roll and twist dough until it measures 12 inches along. Roll into cookie shape. Optional - sprinkle with sanding sugar. Place cookies 3 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 35o for about 7 to 8 minutes.

* I've found that a nonstick aluminum rim cookie sheet holds the shape of the cookies better but the bottom will brown quicker.

*With an insulated tray, cookies will flatten out a little more but will brown less on the bottom and cook evenly.

Your cookies should look something like this when done. I baked these cookies on an insulated tray.

Wrap them in cellophane to make them look like giant peppermint candies. Use them for favors, tree decorations, or whatever else you can think of.

Free Printable: Christmas Cootie Catcher

2011-12-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas Cootie Catcher, say that three times fast!

Remembering my own appreciation for these paper toys, I decided to make a Christmas version. I actually can remember my first cootie catcher. In elementary school, someone brought one to school and of course I just had to have one. I remember telling my mom about it and she said she recalled making them. I can remember her trying to figure it out with a piece of paper. I even remember feeling impatient with her that she wasn't making it quick enough. Finally, she figured it out and I had my first cootie catcher. Curiously, I don't remember what was written on it... numbers? colors? jokes? That part is all a blur.

This cootie catcher has already been child tested and approved. When I woke up this morning, I found my children playing with the prototype. It didn't have the jokes printed in it yet but they were still having fun.

Click on image, right click, copy, paste, print. The printed images should be about 7" x 7". You might need to scale the image to make it bigger as well. Click here for directions on how to fold a cootie catcher.

Start playing!

Tell a joke.

Elmer's Look for Less Giveaway

2011-12-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Elmer's Looks for Less Guide

Yesterday I participated in the Elmer's look for less challenge where I made a faux bronze wall art piece. Today I'm hosting a giveaway with products to help you make your own look for less. Here's what you could win (two winners)!

Black 20 x 30 Foam Board

White 20 x 30 Foam Board

CraftBond All Purpose Glue Stick

CraftBond Repositionable Glue Stick

CraftBond Extra Strength Glue Stick

X-ACTO Designer Series Gripster Knife

Painters Assorted Colors Set (colors may vary from photo)

*Picture frames not included in giveaway.

How to enter: Leave a comment guessing which frame above is the look for less (#1 or #2). Guessing the correct frame will not increase your odds of winning. One entry per household. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. The last day to enter the contest is Saturday, December 17 2011. I'll announce the winners Sunday, December 18 2011 on this post. If I do not hear back from the winner after two weeks, I will choose a new winner. Open to US residents only.

Once you make your guess check out the Elmer's Looks for Less Guide (project 6) to find out what the correct answer is. There are a lot of other great projects made with foam board in the guide. If you have a chance, check out the projects. I think you'll be surprised with some of the projects the Elmer's team came up with.

Contest Closed

For those who were curious the look for less was frame #1 !

Craft: Faux Bronze Wall Art

2011-12-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

I was recently asked to participate in the Elmer's Look for Less Challenge. If you know me, you know I love a good craft challenge so without hesitation I said yes. The challenge was to make a copy of something you would find at the store for a fraction of the price. The other stipulation was that I had to use the Elmer's Foam board.

Photo credit: Pottery Barn

I really wanted to see how I could manipulate the foam board and decided on recreating this PB bronze Noel wall art. This piece sells for $149 (currently sold out). My art piece only cost $19 (Foam board - $7, Spray paint - $8, Copper painter's pen - $4). Here's how I did it.

Supplies:
Elmer's Black 20x30 Foam Board
X-Acto Scissors
X-Acto Gripster Knife
X-Acto Cutting Self Healing Mat
Elmer's Painters Copper Leafing Pen
Nail file - you can use fine grain sand paper too
Bronze oil rubbed - spray paint
Pencil

Print out letters N, O, E, L in Bell MT font (size 100o pt). Cut out and tape together. Attach to foam board with low tack tape. Trace letters with pencil onto the foam board.

Cut out letters with x-acto knife. Don't worry if you're letters are not perfect because you're making a rustic art piece . Cut away any stray strips. Gently file edges to make them smoother.

To get the hammered look, I pressed a supper ball into the foam board with a layer of fabric in between. The fabric prevents the foam board from cracking or wrinkling. I recommend testing the process out on your scraps first to figure out the best pressure. Do this all over the entire piece of wall art. Apply less pressure around the edges as this is where it will most likely wrinkle/crack.

To get that metal finish, apply two coats of bronze oil rubbed spray paint. Let dry for 30 minutes. Dab some of the copper paint onto a paper plate. Dab paper towel into paint. Lightly rub the paint in a circular motion over the entire sign. Avoid getting the paint into the dents of your sign. Do this until it's completely covered. You should still be able to see the bronze paint a little. Make sure to apply copper paint to all edges as well. Apply one more coat of the spray paint but only mist it this time so the copper paint still shows through.

Your final piece should looks something like this.

So I'm sure you all have the same question, does it really look like metal? The answer: yes it really does! I asked my husband too for an unbiased opinion. If you have it in a bright sunny room it may look questionable. But, I'm confident it will fool most people. I would suggest displaying it on a high shelf.

I'll be hosting a giveaway tomorrow for some of the Elmer's products. Please come back Thursday to enter!

Owlways Christmas Printables

2011-12-06T15:12:00.000-08:00

Jinjerup and My Owl Barn have teamed up again to bring you these cute Owlways Christmas Printables for free. The set features gift wrap, gift tags, note cards, and envelopes! I think the note cards would be perfect for writing a letter to Santa.

Printable Holiday List

2011-12-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

Making a List? Checking it twice? Then head over to Allsorts to print out these adorable "A Jolly Holiday List" for free. These would be perfect for kids to use for their holiday wish lists. Find the free printable list here.

And while you're there, check out Jenny's virtual Gingerbread house. This has been on her site for a couple years now. It's my daughters absolute favorite thing to play on the computer. You just drag and drop candy to decorate the gingerbread house. It's perfect for preschool age. Find this gingerbread house on the right hand side bar of her site.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

Does this look familiar?

Last weekend I decorated the house for Christmas. Every year I let the kids decorate the tree first with their ornaments. The end result is always something like the picture above. All the ornaments end up in a giant clump and there are always a couple ornaments pulling down the tree branches. Sometimes the ornaments even touch the floor because they were hung to far out on the branches. It's pretty comical. Later on, I go back in and add some ornaments and spread them out a little.

Besides decorating, we're already in Christmas party mode. We have our first party to attend this weekend. Can you believe it? I tried to find another cute vintage dress to wear but had no luck. So I had to go with plan B, the mall. After going blind from all the sequins and glitter in the stores, I finally settled on this dress (found it at a department store for $50). Oh, how I love a deal!

Do any of you have your holiday decorations up yet? Are you in full swing of the holidays?

Craft: Washi Tape Ornaments

2011-11-30T21:52:00.000-08:00

You know what I love about washi tape? You can transform the most basic item with just a little bit of it. Have plain white paper? Add a little tape and it's stationary! Have some old glass ornaments lying around, now they're fresh and contemporary! Try it out and see, your household items may never be the same again. Or in this case, your Christmas ornaments may never be the same again.

Supplies:
Glass ornaments ( old scratched ornaments are great for this project)
Washi Tape

Cut or rip the tape and apply it to the ornaments anyway you wish. One of the wonderful qualities of washi tape is that it's semi translucent which creates a wonderful overlapping effect. You can kind of see what I'm talking about with the Christmas tree ornament. I experimented with shapes, monograms and just random ripped squares. If you don't like what you make the first time, just peel the tape off and start again. Washi tape is low tack so it won't leave a sticky residue.

Warning, these are really addictive to make!

Pom-Pom Monster Salon Giveaway

2011-11-27T14:17:00.000-08:00

Klutz recently sent us the Pom Pom Monster Salon to test out. The book/kit comes with directions on how to make 13 different monsters, a pom pom maker, styling comb, glue, accessories for the monsters and yarn. The only other thing you will need to make the monsters are scissors.

The kit is for ages 8 and up but I had both my children (ages 6 & 8) make the pom poms. They were able to measure the yarn (book comes with a built in ruler) and wrap the yarn around the pom pom maker. I ended up cutting the yarn for them because the pom pom maker can come apart while cutting. My 8 year old probably could do it completely on his own but since we were all just learning how to make them, I helped out.

The book shows techniques on how to incorporate different colors into the pom poms. In the picture above we made a green monster with an orange mohawk out of one pom pom.

Out of all the craft kits we've tried out, this is the one kit my kids have been the most excited about so far. Everyday they're asking me if they can make more pom pom monsters.

*One important thing to note is that the kit provides only enough yarn for about 5 monsters. I recommend having an extra ball of yarn on hand in case you want to make more monsters. You can make the monsters with acrylic yarn which is reasonably priced ($3 a ball).

Arts, Crafts, & Laughs! KLUTZ books are the Perfect Holiday Gift for any Child! With Pom-Pom Monster Salon, anyone can make pom-poms and turn them into stylish monsters. Use our exclusive pom-pom maker and follow our cutting and styling instructions to create perfectly coifed mop tops, afros, pigtails, and mohawks to name a few. Add tiny hair bows, punch out feet, and foam horns and teeth for the final touches.

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Get 20% off your entire order - Shop Klutz.com and use coupon code KLUTZ4U
Promo can not be combined with any other offer. Offer expires 12/31/11

On to the Giveaway. . . two lucky readers will win a Pom-Pom Monster Salon. To enter, please share your best pom-pom monster name. One entry per household. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. The last day to enter the contest is Saturday, December 3 2011. I'll announce the winner Sunday, December 4 2011 on this post. If I do not hear back from the winner after two weeks, I will choose a new winner. Open to US residents only.

Contest Closed

Congratulations to Michelle L. and Tina Reynolds who are the winners of the Pom-Pom monster salon kits!

Thank you to everyone who entered.

Black Tie Friday

2011-11-26T10:24:00.001-08:00

I did something a little unconventional for Black Friday this year and attended a Black Tie Wedding. It was held at Casa Real at the Ruby Hill Winery, the perfect setting for a wedding. We enjoyed the night with good food, wine, conversation and some dancing.

This is the dress I wore to last night's wedding. This picture is actually from a wedding we attended at the Old Mint in San Francisco on new years eve. We basically looked the same, just maybe a little older now.

Normally I like to spend Black Friday decorating the house for Christmas. For whatever reason, I've never got into going shopping on that day. How about you? Do you like to go shopping for the deals? Anyone go shopping at midnight or stand in line for a day? Please share your stories in the comments.

What I've Been Knitting

2011-11-22T20:44:00.000-08:00

For the longest time now I've been wanting a pair of hand warmers. The only thing holding me back was that I thought I was too old for them. I know this might sound strange but for some reason I associate handwarmers with teenagers. I really have no explanation for this. Maybe it's because I've never seen an adult wearing them. Come to think of it, I've never seen anyone wearing them. I'm sure our California weather has something to do with that. Anyways, I decided to get over the whole age appropriate dilemma and knit a pair. Let me just say, I'm so happy I did! They are cozy and warm and will be perfect for when I walk the kids to school. I even find myself wanting to wear them in the house.

There are so many patterns out there for hand warmers, fingerless gloves, fingerless mittens or any other name they go by. I found the pattern for these on the Purl Bee. I made mine two inches shorter than the pattern called for. The pattern is very easy to follow. If anyone is curious, I used Debbie Bliss aran tweed 100% wool to knit them.

While searching for patterns, I stumbled across a pattern on CRAFT for the handwarmers Alice wore in New Moon. Since The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn just recently came out, I thought these might be fun to knit for a Twilight fan. Might make a nice Christmas present too. Just thought I would share.

Photo credits go to my six year old daughter. I had her take the pictures since I obviously couldn't use my hands. I had to do some editing but I think they came out quite nice. Plus, she had fun using mommy's camera.

For The Kids Table

2011-11-21T09:43:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Fiskars

Lately I've been seeing a lot of great kid ideas for Thanksgiving. If you need some last minute inspiration, here are a few of my favorites. The directions for making the table setting above can be found on the Fiskars site.

One Charming Party shows you how to make this adorable faux pumpkin pie filled with small toys. Too clever!

Printable Paper Crafts is offering up this Thanksgiving printable set to download for free. Stop by their site to see what else it includes.

Find the how-to for these finger puppets on the Martha Stewart site.

Have any crafty ideas up your sleeves for Thanksgiving? Please share.

Book Review: Make and Takes for Kids

2011-11-18T11:31:00.001-08:00

Make and Takes for Kids by Marie LeBaron

I'm so excited to be sharing with you today Make and Takes for Kids by Marie LeBaron. For those not familiar with Marie, she owns the craft blog Make and Takes. I've been visiting her site for years now so I was pretty excited to find out she published a kids craft book.

Make and Takes for Kids includes fifty projects to make crafts and food with kids. The crafts and recipes are tailored for each month of the year. The crafts are easy enough for preschoolers but also engaging enough for a 9 year old. What I like about the book is that most of the projects can be created out of things you already have in your house. I could probably make at least half of the projects now without having to run to the store.

Below are a few of our favorite projects from the book. Photo credit: Nicole Gerulat

Spring Banner made with egg shells.

When you want to have a camp fire inside.

Mini Umbrella - I asked my 6 year old daughter which projects she liked best and this was one of them.

This is a fan my daughter made from the book. She made it on her own except for me tying the ribbon on it. It came out a little different than the book's fan because I let her do it on her own. I try not to be too controlling when it comes to kid crafts. It is art after all.