From the category archives:

holiday-inspired bake, craft & sew along

DIY tea towel tutorial {from little birdie secrets}

by @according2kelly on September 20, 2011

for the entire month of september will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season…

welcome to our holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along.” we will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season all month long. yep! yep! 30 days of projects. so dust off your sewing machine, & head on over to skip to my lou for some fabulous sewing projects. a southern fairytale is spotlighting lots of edible yummies & holiday-inspired recipes you definitely don’t want to miss. & to check out ALL of our crafty & creative projects go HERE.

today, our featured blogger is the totally awe-inspiring mandy, of little birdie secrets. mandy writes…

I’m Mandy from Little Birdie Secrets and I am so excited to be a part of the Holiday Craft Along again this year! I loooove the holidays and the these brilliant ladies are getting me to work on my Christmas crafts before December 15, which is huge for a procrastinator like me. I’m sure none of you out there have that problem.

But just in case, here’s a super quick and easy gift you can throw together for neighbors and friends for less than $1.50 each.

Christmas Tea Towel Tutorial {Citrisolv Fabric Transfer}

Supplies:
*Citrasolv Natural Cleaner & Degreaser and small bowl (find it at Whole Foods, some craft stores, or on Amazon.com)
*Fabric dish towels (I used flour sack dish towels.)
*Image copied on a copy that uses toner (inkjet printed copies will NOT work–go to your local copy shop where toner-based copies will run you around $.08-.10 each)
*Wide paint brush
*Spoon
*Stack of newspaper
*Scotch tape or sewing pins
*Iron
*Towel
*Embellishments (optional–I used buttons and ribbon, but you could also incorporate stencils and paint, beads, etc.)

I found these tea towels, or flour sack towels, in a 2-pack at WalMart. They used to sell them a 5-pack for $6, like when I was making a ton of these Christmas tea towels, but no more. The good news is the 2-pack is actually cheaper per towel–only $.98 each!

Choose a black and white image, or desaturate a color image in your photo editing software, and print it out in reverse if you have any text. (The image used here is from the fabulous Graphics Fairy. I went with a vintage graphic because then I didn’t have to worry about how well the transfer was made–if it wasn’t perfect it would just add to the vintage look!) Take your printed image copy store and make copies with their toner-based copier. Note: Inkjet home printers and color copies will not work. Be sure to use REVERSE image for anything with text, or it will come out backward! To reverse, open it in photo editing software and flip it horizontally before printing.

Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area. Lay your fabric out on top of a stack of newspaper. It’s good to have a little cushion to make the burnishing easier later. Put your copy image-side-down on your fabric and tape or pin in place (you don’t want it to move or you’ll have a blurry image). Pour a small amount of Citrosolv in a bowl and have your paint brush ready.

Dip your brush in the Citrisolv and wipe over the image until you can see it. Be careful not to use too much Citrisolv–if you soak it you may make your image blur! A little goes a long way.

This is the step that will make your image transfer to the fabric–burnishing. Rub the entire image with the back of a spoon, being careful not to miss any spots.

When you’re sure you’ve covered it all, carefully life the copy off the fabric. If you do it slowly and notice you missed a spot, you may be able to replace it and burnish it a little further, but this is a good way to blur your image, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

Now we need to heat set the image. Again, working in a well-ventilated area, place a towel over your ironing board (to protect it from smelling like Citrisolv!) and set your iron to the cotton or linen setting. Iron over the image to heat set it. And lastly, wash and dry it like normal to remove the Citrisolv completely from the fabric.

You may be completely done now, or you may choose to embellish your towel. I used a little ribbon (see our easy ribbon ruffle tutorial for a little fancier edge) and some ric rac. Then I sewed on a few vintage-looking buttons and voila! A beautiful gift for just over $1 each.

Wrap it up with some ribbon and a cute tag and you’re ready for gifting! Or included it with a home baked treat for an extra special gift.

I recently made up a few of these towels for Halloween and some french-inspired ones for thank yous and birthdays. They are such a quick project! I hope you’ll come see us over at Little Birdie Secrets for more holiday ideas. Happy crafting!

for more great ideas be sure to visit mandy at her blog little birdie secrets. & be sure to connect with her on facebook.

about little birdie secrets: Little Birdie Secrets was born from the crafting obsession of friends. It started with crafting playdates and blossomed into a place where we could share our ideas, knowledge, and finished projects with fellow crafters. Our mission is to share fun and creative crafting projects, tips, and tutorials to make crafting easier and more fun.

baking, crafting & sewing along at home? don’t forget to play show & tell… upload your photos to our flickr group HERE. follow along with all of our featured bakers, crafters & sewers on twitter HERE, & tweet about the holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along” using the hashtag #handmadeholiday.

{ 5 comments }

DIY holiday decor {from nightowl crafting}

by @according2kelly on September 19, 2011

for the entire month of september will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season…

welcome to our holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along.” we will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season all month long. yep! yep! 30 days of projects. so dust off your sewing machine, & head on over to skip to my lou for some fabulous sewing projects. a southern fairytale is spotlighting lots of edible yummies & holiday-inspired recipes you definitely don’t want to miss. & to check out ALL of our crafty & creative projects go HERE.

today, our featured blogger is a self-admitted craft addict leslie, of night owl crafting. leslie writes…

I am so delighted to be guest posting on Kelly’s blog today! My name is Leslie and I have a little piece of blogland over at Night Owl Crafting.

I have 3 children, 9, 2, and 5 months who keep me very busy!

I craft at night after my kiddos go to bed which explains the name of my blog! I have 2 link parties a week called Hoo are you? and Hoo’s got talent? I would love for you to come and check them out and link up to them. I also am a high school special education teacher, so I need fast crafts for the little time I have to spend on them. So that is what I am showing off today is a fast and easy holiday decoration.

I had several ideas running through my head for this post, but this is what I ended up with.

I am not even sure what to call it, so we will go with

holiday picture frame holder.

I wanted to create something with things I had laying around my house.

Here we go, the picture is pretty self explanatory but I am providing a tutorial just in case.

Supplies needed

picture frame

candlestick holder

bulbs

ribbon

spray paint

glue gun

step 1

spray paint the candle stick holder and frame

step 2

glue the frame to the candle stick holder

step 3

put ribbon on the bulbs and tie them to the frame

step 4

add a bow to cover the candle stick hole and and excess glue

step 5

add it to your Christmas decor

Really it is that simple and yet adds the perfect touch and height!

Sorry about the pictures being dark, that’s that what happens when

you are a night owl crafter!

Thanks Kelly for letting me be a participate in the holiday bake, sew, and craft along party this year!

for more great ideas be sure to visit leslie at her blog night owl crafting. & be sure to connect with her on facebook.

about leslie: She is a working mom, who teaches Special Education at the high school level who loves to craft! She has a huge little addiction to crafting! She can’t help it – she sees cute ideas and has to make them. She loves to sew, paint, and decorate! She gets excited to open a can of paint because she just LOVEs the smell of it – painting is her therapy along with all her other crating obsessions.

baking, crafting & sewing along at home? don’t forget to play show & tell… upload your photos to our flickr group HERE. follow along with all of our featured bakers, crafters & sewers on twitter HERE, & tweet about the holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along” using the hashtag #handmadeholiday.

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DIY christmas card holder {from katydid & kid}

by @according2kelly on September 18, 2011

for the entire month of september will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season…

welcome to our holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along.” we will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season all month long. yep! yep! 30 days of projects. so dust off your sewing machine, & head on over to skip to my lou for some fabulous sewing projects. a southern fairytale is spotlighting lots of edible yummies & holiday-inspired recipes you definitely don’t want to miss. & to check out ALL of our crafty & creative projects go HERE.

today, our featured blogger is the fabulous, always-crafty kathleen, of katydid and kid. kathleen writes…

Greetings everyone! I’m Kathleen from Katydid and Kid, a former art teacher turned mama of 2 boys. I’m so flattered to be participating in the Holiday Bake, Craft and Sew Along. I hope you like this easy-to-make craft and that it brings some cheer and organization to your home. I can’t wait to pull mine out again this year, and make another one to accommodate the growing number of holiday cards we seem to get.

Every December, I curse the fact that we don’t have a mantle. I’d love to display so many things on it, from photos and items from nature to Christmas cards. I’ve spent the last few years trying to figure out some place to display holiday cards, and was just plain worn out of them scattered all over the fridge.

While flipping through the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine, I saw a cute card holder wreath made of clothespins and an embroidery hoop–2 things which I always have on hand. I decided to fancy-up their version and make a cute and functional wreath for the many cards that fill our mailbox this holiday.

This wreath costs under 10 bucks, depending on what you have on hand. Here’s what you’ll need:

Holiday paper (scrapbooking or gift wrap)
12-16 clothespins
14″ embroidery hoop (or larger)
scissors
glue stick
hot glue gun
wide ribbon for hanging.

STEP ONE
Cut the paper to fit on top of the clothes pins, then put glue it to the clothes pin.

I used a 4 different colors, including blue. I tend to like bright colors rather than just the traditional green and red.

The fastest gluer in the world hard at work

STEP TWO

Once you’ve glued the paper onto the pins, arrange them how you’d like in a circle around your hoop.

You want to alternate them so that half of them have the pinching part (for lack of a better term) toward the center, and half are on the outside. This will give you more space for your cards, so they’re not all crowded together.

You may want to add your ribbon at this point, before gluing. I snuck mine between the hoops and then tightened it back up.

I also used it to hide the metal tightener of the hoop.

STEP THREE
Hot glue the clothespins to the hoop.

You just need a little bit, otherwise you’ll have glue dripping all over.

That’s it! Now just hang it and wait for all those cards to fill up your mailbox.

Cute, huh? And it took less than an hour to make.

I added a few little felt ornaments I picked up at the craft store for $1. You could certainly dress this up more, like adding a candy can ribbon effect by twisting a red ribbon around the hoop before hot gluing. However, I like the simplicity of this wreath without too much stuff on it.

I’m awfully tempted to make 2 more and hang them in a vertical row. We’ll see how many cards we get this year–we just might need the extra room!

for more great ideas be sure to visit kathleen at her blog katydid and kid. & be sure to connect with them on twitter & facebook.

about the letter 4: Prior to motherhood, she worked as an art teacher, museum educator, and fiber artist and could be found lurking in bookstores and sleeping in late. She still enjoys incorporating creativity into her life in any way that she can, whether it’s improvising a cloth diaper, knitting hats for her family, or cooking a scrumptious vegetarian meal.

baking, crafting & sewing along at home? don’t forget to play show & tell… upload your photos to our flickr group HERE. follow along with all of our featured bakers, crafters & sewers on twitter HERE, & tweet about the holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along” using the hashtag #handmadeholiday.

{ 5 comments }

DIY christmas ball ornaments {from the letter 4}

by @according2kelly on September 17, 2011

for the entire month of september will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season…

welcome to our holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along.” we will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season all month long. yep! yep! 31 days of projects. so dust off your sewing machine, & head on over to skip to my lou for some fabulous sewing projects. a southern fairytale is spotlighting lots of edible yummies & holiday-inspired recipes you definitely don’t want to miss. & to check out ALL of our crafty & creative projects go HERE.

today, our featured blogger is the very lovely jade, of the letter 4. jade writes…

Hi I’m Jade over at The Letter 4! We are so excited we get to be a part of this craft along and have been so inspired by the projects that have already been shared! Our blog is made of 4 crazy sisters all with a passion to create.

Sometimes, I just sit and look at my little girls and become overwhelmed at the thought, “Wow, they are growing up TOO fast and I’m am not going to remember all this!” Will I remember how my girly 3 year old loves princesses, yet she would watch the movieThe Nightmare Before Christmas all day if I let her, and she dances around the house screaming singing, “AND SINCE I AM DEAD, I CAN TAKE OFF MY HEAD!!!” Haha. It seems so vile, but I can’t explain it…it is so cute. I am madly in love with that little ball of fire. Oh, and then there is my too-sweet-for-words, 19 month old. I have to remember how it is to hear her talk and learn new words every day. And how it just melts me when she grabs her stuffed Pooh Bear, or when she sees the Heffalump movie and says, “Mama ! Poo Poo!” or “Mama! Lump!” These things are the extra special things in my life that make being a parent the absolute best job in the universe! Really, in no other job can you have this kind of totally random and completely spontaneous enjoyment out of one person! So, in my searching for a craft to make for a Christmas gift, my two beautiful girls have inspired me once again. I am going to show you how to make a Christmas Memory Ball. OR…these are so versatile, that they can be made for so many different things. (A list of ideas will be at the end of the post.)

Round up your supplies. First, you’ll cover the ball in paper, then decorate it, so your supplies will depend on how you want to decorate your own ball.

You’ll for sure need:

Christmas ball ornaments

Scrapbooking paper (thinner works best)

Mod podge and 1″ thick brush

scissors

Patience and practice (trying this on a practice ball with just a sheet of white computer paper would be a good idea as not to waste your scrapbooking paper)

You might need:

beads

hotglue

string

old books

bells

stickers

glitter

pictures

printables

more mod podge

ect.

1) Take the tops off your ornaments.

2) Measure your ball. Cut a paper that is the same height as the ball and wide enough to go all the way around the ball and overlap 1/8″. Paint a thin strip of mod podge down the center of the paper.

3) Roll your ball up in the paper. Make sure it is pointing straight.

4) Overlap the edges and hold for a few minutes.

The top should be center pointing out of the paper.

5) After its dry, cut 1/8″ strips on the top and bottom of the ball. If you cut smaller than 1/8″ strips, it is going to be very hard to handle and the strips start getting tangled. And if you cut them any bigger, it will not lay as smooth. Also, use small scissors, and cut down as far as you possibly can.

It then should look like so.

6) These next few steps are KEY to getting a smooth ball. So this is where you are going to pull out your practice and patience. SPREAD THE STRIPS OUT LIKE THIS. THEY NEED TO BE OUT OF THE WAY COMPLETELY.

7) Work with ONLY ONE STRIP AT A TIME. Don’t try getting fancy and doing two or three. You will only get frustrated. Here’s where we get messy. Dip your finger in the mod podge and paint a strip up the ball at the seam of the paper.

Start with the bottom flap of paper and tug gently at the base, closest to the ball so there is no bubble, then smooth the strip up the ball with you finger that is dipped in mod modge.

9) Repeat with all strips, dipping your finger as needed. The center can get kind of bulky so you can trim the paper slightly as you go, just be sure to not cut too much off or your ball with show through.

It should now look like this.

10) Now do the top strips being sure to start at the seam.

When you are done, there may be some papers that are longer than the top of the ball.

11) Just cut those off level and put the topper back on the ball carefully.

Let the ball dry completely, and then go back and put a coat of mod podge all over it or at least in the middle where it didn’t get covered so the whole ball has the same finish. If you try to paint it all when its still wet, you are going to have a slippery hard time. :)

And from here, you are going to be as creative as you can be. The sky is the limit with this, and that’s why I love it. *There are countless ideas that people could come up with on how to decorate your ornaments, and here are some that I used:

*Cut words out of a book to give character to the year. (I got some books at the used book store for $1.00)

*Cut shapes in your paper to let the color of the bulb shine through. (I used a cricut machine to cut a shape first, then measure your paper around the shape so its center.)

*Add some glittery letters, or even top with a light layer of glitter before the mod podge dries.

*Use two different papers and create a beautiful two-sided ball, or print out a picture or a printable and mod podge it to the front.

*Write the names and years, and hang fun things from the bottom such as bells, pictures, and beads. (I used a bead spacer, beading string, and hot glue to attach trinkets to the bottom)

*Cut words from books to write a love quote on the back of a newly wed or an anniversary ball.

*Personalize with words that describe the person. Use paper with a favorite character.

Create something unique taken from something you love. It doesn’t get much better than that. Then it will be around this Christmas as a reminder to all that it really is a wonderful life! :)

Do more with your ornament gift:

- Make it your “Thank You” note

- Give them as an invitation to a Christmas ball or party

- Make them as place setting gifts

- Set several in a vase or for a center decor piece

- Simply hang on your tree fresh new themed tree

- Hang mistletoe from the bottom and put “kiss me” on the ball

- Give them to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s with a loving message

- A newly wed/anniversary ball, or a “will you marry me” with rings hanging from the bottom

- Hot glue balls together to make a wreath, candy-cane, or tree. (see our egg wreath) coming soon!

- Make a “mini themed tree” (see our tree) coming soon!

“Happiness fuels success, not the other way around.” -Raising Happiness

for more great ideas be sure to visit jade & her sisters julianna, jamie, and janae at their blog the letter 4. & be sure to connect with them on twitter & facebook.

about the letter 4: We are 4 sisters from a small town in Idaho that grew up like normal sisters. Stealing each others clothes, hogging the bathroom, bickering over this and that. One thing always did bring us together though. Our mom always had something crafty up her sleeve that we would all enjoy. Now we all live in different parts of the country, and to be honest…we miss it! So we started The Letter 4 blog as a way to share and do projects together. But why stop there? We might as well share all of them with you too! We all have different talents, different tastes, so in our blog there is going to be something for everybody! Julianna is the writer and reader of the bunch, Jade is the recipe guru, Jamie is the printables gal, and Janae is the talented photographer.

baking, crafting & sewing along at home? don’t forget to play show & tell… upload your photos to our flickr group HERE. follow along with all of our featured bakers, crafters & sewers on twitter HERE, & tweet about the holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along” using the hashtag #handmadeholiday.

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DIY paperwhite bulb kit {from under the table & dreaming}

by @according2kelly on September 16, 2011

for the entire month of september will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season…

welcome to our holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along.” we will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season all month long. yep! yep! 31 days of projects. so dust off your sewing machine, & head on over to skip to my lou for some fabulous sewing projects. a southern fairytale is spotlighting lots of edible yummies & holiday-inspired recipes you definitely don’t want to miss. & to check out ALL of our crafty & creative projects go HERE.

today, our featured blogger is the always fabulous stephanie lynn, of under the table & dreaming. stephanie lynn writes…

I am super thrilled to be back visiting for this years Holiday Bake, Craft & Sew Along – Thanks so much Kelly for having me! I’m Stephanie Lynn from Under the Table & Dreaming. During the holiday season I love to give little tokens of appreciation to just about everyone I know – so I am always looking for simple handmade gifts that I can put together quite quickly – especially gifts I can make in bulk and have on hand {for hostess gifts or that very special person I just so happen to forget to add to my list..oops!}

Paperwhites are a staple in holiday plant offerings and forcing them to bloom is a fun seasonal tradition for many. This simple kit is incredibly easy to put together and since many of the materials used can be purchased in bulk – it’s an economical way to say thank you to those who may not always make your gift list.

Materials Needed:

Terra Cotta Pot & Saucer

Potting Soil

Paperwhite Bulbs {narcissus}

Plastic Baggie

Ribbon

Optional Materials:

Spray Paint

Filler

Begin with a terra cotta pot and saucer that is size appropriately. {you want to be sure the saucer fits well when place on top of the pot} I used a 5 inch pot, which fits approximately 3-4 bulbs, though any size can really be used. The post and saucer can be decorated as you like and if you have little ones this is a great project to pass along to them to make the gift even a little more special. I simply sprayed mine with some champagne spray paint.

Scoop some potting soil into a plastic baggie and seal. Bag toppers can be found {here}. Just print out, cut, fold over the top of the bag and staple to hold into place.

The paperwhite bulbs can be found at your local garden center {or even Walmart where I found this bag of 7 for just under $5}. This time of year is the perfect time to pick them up as they sell out fairly quickly once the holidays arrive.

Tuck everything into the pot and add filler {optional} for presentation purposes only. I have included an instruction sheet {here} that can be printed off and tucked in with the kit so the recipient knows just what to do.

Place the saucer on top of the pot and tie with ribbon. Super easy and ready to give!

Forcing paperwhites indoors is extremely easy and requires no gardening experience what so ever. They are quick to bloom, pretty, fragrant and can produce blooms indoors from November through March, if properly planted.

Some more quick and simple handmade gifts to have on hand can be found in the project gallery.

Thanks so much Kelly for having me. Hope everyone has a joyous holiday season ~ Enjoy!

for more great ideas be sure to visit stephanie lynn at her blog under the table & dreaming, & be sure to connect with her on twitter & facebook.

about stephanie lynn: She is the blessed Mommy to one precious little boy and is married to a handsome guy {who also happens to be her best friend}. She recently moved into ‘Our Dream House’ and have been working hard at making it ‘Our Home’.

baking, crafting & sewing along at home? don’t forget to play show & tell… upload your photos to our flickr group HERE. follow along with all of our featured bakers, crafters & sewers on twitter HERE, & tweet about the holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along” using the hashtag #handmadeholiday.

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DIY flower belt {from your homebased mom}

by @according2kelly on September 15, 2011

for the entire month of september will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season…

welcome to our holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along.” we will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season all month long. yep! yep! 31 days of projects. so dust off your sewing machine, & head on over to skip to my lou for some fabulous sewing projects. a southern fairytale is spotlighting lots of edible yummies & holiday-inspired recipes you definitely don’t want to miss. & to check out ALL of our crafty & creative projects go HERE.

today, our featured blogger is the person i aspire to be – leigh anne , of your homebased mom. leigh anne writes…

Hi! I am Leigh Anne and I am honored and so excited to be a part of Kelly’s Holiday Craft Along! I love sharing my journey to finding the pretty and delicious in life over at Your Homebased Mom. My blog is all about everything I love. I love a lot of things and that includes gift giving. I love creating handmade and heartfelt gifts for those I love as well as saving money so I am excited to share with you one of the gifts I will be making this holiday season.

With two teenage daughters (alright, one is now in her early 20′s) there are always a lot of girlfriends on the Christmas gift list. That can get a little expensive.

Several years ago we decided if they were going to give gifts to so many of their friends it needed to be inexpensive, handmade and something they can help make. Over the years, we have done some fun things. Last year we made everyone cute little felt flower pins and the year before it was decorative clothes pins.

Recently, my daughters and I did a fun mother/daughter photo shoot. In trying to coordinate our outfits we decided we needed Tessa to have some type of green belt to tie in with the green in everyone else’s outfit. We decided it was almost as easy to make one as to run out to the store and try to find one, and a lot cheaper too.

We came up with this cute flower belt.

It is just about as cute in the back as it is in the front.

This last minute little creation will also be the girlfriend gift for this year!

I also came up with a few other inexpensive options that are a little quicker and easier to make although this flower belt goes together super fast and easy. And there is no sewing involved! All you need is a hot glue gun.

I used a combination of three to four different fabrics. All the same color but different textures. Satins, silks, lace and tulle all work great but you can also use cottons. You will also need a coordinating ribbon – satin or grosgrain.

I cut the fabric into about 4 inch squares. They are not perfectly measured by any means and I used my rotary cutter. To help prevent the fabric from raveling as much I used a wavy blade on my cutter.

The next step is to layer the fabric pieces on top of one another. I stagger them so they don’t line up perfectly.

Then using your hot glue gun (make sure it is a well used one like mine!) just squeeze a dab or two of hot glue between each layer of fabric.

Add one more squeeze on top and then carefully (remember it is HOT glue) squeeze it together to form a flower. Please excuse my dirty hand. I have been busy spray painting in the garage!!

Then use a clothespin to keep the flower together and allow it to dry. Saves on the burned fingers too!

I made five little flower buds for the one main flower.

Use a piece of felt to adhere the flower buds to.

Place four of the buds with their bottoms facing into the center of the felt piece. Glue to the felt. Then add your fifth flower bud right into the middle of the flower, using another squeeze of glue. Again excuse the spray paint covered fingers!

Then squeeze the whole thing together to make sure everything stays stuck! Trim away the felt on the backside so none of it shows from the front.

Next, just glue it to your ribbon. I used about 2 yards because I like to tie a bow in the back and have the ends hang down.

If you’d like a little easier version just pick up some embellishments from the craft store. These are actually meant to be scrapbook embellishments but they worked perfect for our belts too! Use 50% off coupon and they are a great deal.

All I had to do was glue it to some felt to give it a little more support and then glued it onto the ribbon.

Flowers from the craft store or Dollar Store work great too.

Just hot glue them right onto the ribbon.

For some of the belts I decided I didn’t want to have to tie the ribbon in the back so I added a D ring. This does require just a tiny bit of machine sewing but is totally optional!

Just attach both D rings to one end of the ribbon. It is easiest to use your zipper foot so you can get nice and close.

Then I just hot glued the flower close to the D ring.

Aren’t they cute! What teenage girl or any girl wouldn’t love receiving a fun flower belt as a gift!

The best part is they go together quick and easy and each cost less than five dollars.

Here are the pretties all in a row!

And because I thought you might ask – I picked up that cute little shirt dress this week at Target.

The hard part is going to be not keeping all the belts for ourselves!

for more great ideas be sure to visit leigh anne at her blog your homebased mom, & be sure to connect with her on facebook.

about leigh anne: Leigh Anne is the mother of four young adults and lives in the Pacific Northwest. She and her husband of 30 years, Jim, officially became empty nesters this fall when their baby went off to college. Learning to cook for her reduced size family is a bit of challenge but her neighbors enjoy the leftovers. Leigh Anne loves sharing all of her favorite things on her blog including cooking, entertaining, gardening, crafting, good reads, fashion and the city where she lives – Portland!

baking, crafting & sewing along at home? don’t forget to play show & tell… upload your photos to our flickr group HERE. follow along with all of our featured bakers, crafters & sewers on twitter HERE, & tweet about the holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along” using the hashtag #handmadeholiday.

{ 26 comments }

DIY hair clips

by @according2kelly on September 14, 2011

for the entire month of september will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season…

welcome to our holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along.” we will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season all month long. yep! yep! 31 days of projects. so dust off your sewing machine, & head on over to skip to my lou for some fabulous sewing projects. a southern fairytale is spotlighting lots of edible yummies & holiday-inspired recipes you definitely don’t want to miss. & to check out ALL of our crafty & creative projects go HERE.

today, our featured blogger is the craftiest engineer i know – sara, of craft snob. sara writes…

Hi there. I’m Sara from Craft Snob. I’m a mama to two, soon to be three, and the wife to my first love. I am a Native Texan living in London while crafting along the way.

Thanks so much to Kelly for having me. Here’s to happy handmade holidays 2011!

Materials:

Embroidery thread
Hair clip
Hot glue and gun
Scissors

Cut a length of embroidery thread about 3 feet long. Better to be too long than too short. Start wrapping the thread down one side of the clip and then up the other side.

Tie the two ends of the thread in a knot on the underside of the clip. Cut the excess thread.

To create the “bun” on the end just twist a bunch of embroidery thread around and hot glue in place.

These hair clips make for great stocking stuffers. Make them in all colors! Look here for flower options to add to your clips. Don’t fancy embroidery thread? Try this ribbon barrette tutorial instead.

Go and be pretty – Sara

for more great ideas be sure to visit sara at her blog craft snob, & check out her fabulous how-to series sewing 101, knitting 101 & crochet 101.

about sara: Hey there. My name is Sara and am currently living in London. I run on three rotating addictions: frappuccinos, chocolate and purple skittles. Kevin, my husband, is my favorite person ever. He makes the world a better place. We have two little ones, a two and a half year old boy and a twelve month old girl. Baby #3 is due November 8, 2011. Having five or six kids sounds fairytale-ish to us, depending on what day it is of course.

baking, crafting & sewing along at home? don’t forget to play show & tell… upload your photos to our flickr group HERE. follow along with all of our featured bakers, crafters & sewers on twitter HERE, & tweet about the holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along” using the hashtag #handmadeholiday.

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DIY nativity scene for children {from the crafting chicks}

by @according2kelly on September 13, 2011

for the entire month of september will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season…

welcome to our holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along.” we will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season all month long. yep! yep! 31 days of projects. so dust off your sewing machine, & head on over to skip to my lou for some fabulous sewing projects. a southern fairytale is spotlighting lots of edible yummies & holiday-inspired recipes you definitely don’t want to miss. & to check out ALL of our crafty & creative projects go HERE.

today, our featured blogger is definitely one crafty chick – nikkala, of the crafting chicks. nikkala writes…
Hi everyone! I’m Nikkala, one of the 5 Crafting Chicks. I’m mom to 2 rambunctious boys and love to give gifts! I can spend hours, even weeks thinking about the perfect gift for a friend or family member–it has to be something practical (cause I’m like that) and something that they will absolutely love!

Today, I’m sharing a simple project that is perfect for pre-schoolers. It seems that 2-4 year olds love to play with nativity scenes and to move the animals and Baby Jesus around. Often nativity scenes are very breakable and off limits to little hands (or is that just at my house?) So I made a very touchable, very playable, very magnetic nativity scene for them to play with!
Supplies you’ll need:

Nativity Clipart
Printable Magnetic Paper
Inkjet Printer
Scissors

I used the Color Me Nativity from PC Crafter and picked up the magnetic paper at Michael’s.

Simply print the nativity on the magnetic paper and cut out.

There you go! A nativity scene of their very own! I packaged it up in a paper mache box, but don’t you think a decorated Altoids tin would be adorable too!

For another simple and unbreakable gift idea, check out Jamie’s Sassy Juice Top Photo Ornaments!

for more great ideas be sure to visit nikkala at her blog the crafting chicks, & follow her every move on twitter & facebook.

about nikkala: Nikkala loves to plan parties, research future purchases, read books and magazines, figure out class schedules and untie knots! She avoids Wal-Mart at all costs and thinks an hour drive to Target is so worth it. She graduated from Utah State University with a degree in horticulture and is now mom to two adorable and hilarious little boys who keep her laughing. She’s married to a geek who doesn’t understand crafting, but supports it none the less. Nikkala grew up in southern Idaho, but now lives in northern Utah.

baking, crafting & sewing along at home? don’t forget to play show & tell… upload your photos to our flickr group HERE. follow along with all of our featured bakers, crafters & sewers on twitter HERE, & tweet about the holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along” using the hashtag #handmadeholiday.

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DIY silhouettes {from funky vintage lovely}

by @according2kelly on September 12, 2011

for the entire month of september will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season…

welcome to our holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along.” we will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season all month long. yep! yep! 31 days of projects. so dust off your sewing machine, & head on over to skip to my lou for some fabulous sewing projects. a southern fairytale is spotlighting lots of edible yummies & holiday-inspired recipes you definitely don’t want to miss. & to check out ALL of our crafty & creative projects go HERE.

today, our featured blogger is one of the cutest, happiest, most darling people i have ever met – april, of funky vintage lovely. april writes…

Hi! My name is April and I blog over at Funky Vintage Lovely. I was thrilled when Kelly asked me if I would like to share a handmade project perfect for gift giving this upcoming holiday season! I’m working on not being such a procrastinator….so this is perfect. We can never start too early on handmade gifts.

DIY silhouettes

I only like to craft things that are quick. I need instant gratification when sitting down to do a project. I came up with an easy tutorial for family silhouettes….and who wouldn’t love a silhouette of their children or grandchildren as handmade gift? It just takes 5 easy steps!

1. Start with taking a profile picture of your child. Print on cardstock (it doesn’t roll when painting like photo paper does).

2. Carefully cut out profile. I sometimes extend the eyelashes just a tad for the finished profile picture. Both of my children have very long eyelashes so if the picture doesn’t capture it, I still do!

3. Paint over pictures with craft paint in black.

4. Once paint is dry, turn over and spray with adhesive to mount to white cardstock.
5. For a second mat, mount them to pretty scrapbook paper and frame!

DIY silhouettes

These are hung in our family room above our TV. I love knowing that I have a keepsake that will last forever of when my children were 13 and 8 years old! I think any mother or grandmother would love the same gift!

about april: She likes being a wife and mother, likes sharing her heart, likes social media, likes jeggings, likes color, likes decorating, likes shopping, likes beach vacations, likes creating, likes sewing, likes thinking that God trusted her to be a special mother to a very special little boy. It helps her get through the day!

baking, crafting & sewing along at home? don’t forget to play show & tell… upload your photos to our flickr group HERE. follow along with all of our featured bakers, crafters & sewers on twitter HERE, & tweet about the holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along” using the hashtag #handmadeholiday.

{ 12 comments }

DIY styrofoam christmas trees {from create-celebrate-explore}

by @according2kelly on September 11, 2011

for the entire month of september will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season…

welcome to our holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along.” we will be baking, sewing & crafting up a storm, preparing handmade gifts for this holiday season all month long. yep! yep! 31 days of projects. so dust off your sewing machine, & head on over to skip to my lou for some fabulous sewing projects. a southern fairytale is spotlighting lots of edible yummies & holiday-inspired recipes you definitely don’t want to miss. & to check out ALL of our crafty & creative projects go HERE.

today, our featured blogger is party-planning, craft-a-holic tonya, of create-celebrate-explore. tonya writes…

Hello everyone, I’m Tonya from Create-Celebrate-Explore. I’m so happy to be here sharing a fun holiday project with you. Thank you to Kelly, Rachel and Cindy for hosting this fun Holiday Bake, Craft & Sew along.

Most of my crafting is with, or for my children, so I wanted to share a fun snow day (or rainy day) project with you that the kids can help with leading up to the holiday season.

Styrofoam cones make fabulous decorations for the holiday season and there are endless possibilities on what you can use on them.

Here are just a few.

1st Tree:

Using Red Heart boutique Doodle Yarn in Aqua and Lime attach an end to the styrofoam cone with a small sequin pin and then wrap tightly around, securing the end with a sequin pin too. Repeat for the next color.

2nd Tree:

Attach an assortment of buttons to the styrofoam cone with pins.

3rd Tree:

Choose an assortment of yarn colors, as many or as few as you like and wind them very tightly around the tree securing the ends of each color with pins. For this tree I used Impeccable Loops & Thread yarn in True Gray, Rouge, Aqua, and Grass.

4th Tree:

Feathers, feathers, and more feathers. Packets of plain feathers at Michael’s craft stores are $1.99 a pack. It took two packets to fill this cone. Secure feathers using pins.

It doesn’t get more sparkly than sequins and glitter.

5th Tree:

Secure an assortment of sequins in different sizes and colors with sequin pins.

6th Tree:

Using a brush and Elmer’s school glue, brush glue over the styrofoam cone in sections and pour glitter over the top. Once dry spray on a sealant.

Kids will have a great time coming up with ideas on how to decorate their styrofoam cone. Here are a couple more ideas:

Attach paper leaves.
Attach beautiful scrapbook paper using mod podge.
Pom Poms – try using green with the occasional red one
Tinsel – wrap it around similar to the Doodle Yarn
Scrunched tissue paper
Felt – either cut out felt leaves, or wrap a sheet of felt around the cone and attach felt balls

Tip: Put your finished trees on top of candle sticks or small pots.

Looking for some handmade gift ideas, check out tonya’s handmade gift guide.

about tonya: Tonya is a mother of 3 (twin 5 year olds and a teenager) living in San Diego and married to the military, but was born and raised in Australia. When she’s not crafting, experimenting in the kitchen, taking photographs, or entertaining guests, her family is often hiking or taking the kids somewhere they haven’t been before.

baking, crafting & sewing along at home? don’t forget to play show & tell… upload your photos to our flickr group HERE. follow along with all of our featured bakers, crafters & sewers on twitter HERE, & tweet about the holiday-inspired “bake, craft & sew along” using the hashtag #handmadeholiday.

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