Hand painted ornaments

I know it’s the day after Christmas, but I didn’t want to ruin the surprise by posting these on the blog beforehand. I handed out these cute ornaments to my family during our Christmas celebration.

I’m really happy with these.

So I found these porcelain stocking ornaments at Michael’s. I hated the red string they came with so I cut that off.

 

 

I wanted to keep the trim at the top. So I used a small piece of masking tape to block it off.

I did a quick coat of my different paints. I used the Martha Stewart craft paints I have that are perfect for porcelain. The Satin ones coated the best. I used one kind of Metallic, but it got gummy and bubbly. Take the masking tape off while the paint is still wet. Otherwise, you’ll end up pulling off some of the paint.

I did the one side, let it dry for about an hour and then flipped it over and did the same on the other side. You can do a second coat if needed.

After letting them dry on both sides, I used my holiday stencils (also Martha Stewart) and put one symbol on top of each stocking.

 

Let them dry overnight. I wanted to make sure they were permanent and I didn’t have 21 days to let them cure. So I did bake them. Stick them in a cool oven on a baking sheet. Set the oven to 350 degrees. Once it hits 350 degrees, bake for half an hour and turn the oven off. I baked for 40 minutes total. Leave them in the oven as it cools down.

I then used my favorite fabric ribbon to restring them. Yay!

Something to pin and save for next year’s gifts!

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Handmade Christmas cards

I’m participating in my first Christmas card/craft exchange this year. It’s the first time I’m making a bunch of Christmas cards. I decided to go minimalist and simple.

I’m happy with how they turned out.

 

Supplies: card stock cut into card length, glue dots, three different types of Christmas scrapbook paper, a paper punch (I used a star)

Start by punching out a lot of shapes from the scrapbook paper.

 

Then come up with a pattern. I used three stars cut from each piece of scrapbook paper for a total of 9 stars.

 

Helpful tip: Prep your whole project by cutting out the cards and folding them. Then pull off the amount of glue dots you need for each card with the paper backing intact. Then stick your 9 star shapes onto the glue dots. Saves time from doing it one by one.

 

Then just apply the stars to your card in a pattern that makes you happy! Very simple and it’s a little something extra for your Christmas cards.

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Snowflake tealight holder

I was looking to make something that is both holiday appropriate and could still be kept around once the holidays are over. Something wintery seemed great. I had gotten a bunch of snowflake stencils recently and I had a few blank tealight holders left over from the glitter tealights I made before.

I’m really happy with how these came out, and just like snowflakes, neither one is the same.

 

Supplies: glass paint, tealight holders, stencils and foam brushes

I used four kinds of Martha Stewart craft paint: Wedding cake, wet cement, surf and sea lavendar, all in the satin finish. In hues of white, blue and gray. Totally winter right?

You only need a little bit of paint for this entire project. A little dollop of paint is all you need. I will say I didn’t use much of the wet cement paint. It looks like a nice gray when it’s on the plate there, but it sorta looked like a dingy and dirty snowflake.

I put the stencils all around the tealight holder. I let some hang off the holder so they would look like they were falling snowflakes.

Dab the paint onto the stencil. I went all the way around the tealight holder before pulling the stencils off. I didn’t want the paint to dry all the way, because I’ve experienced the paint pulling off the glass with the stencil when it’s too dry. If there are some larger gaps between the pattern, you can fill them in with other stencils. If you want to paint over the other snowflakes, let them dry at least an hour.

 

Love! Simple and pretty.

I’m going to follow the curing method that’s just leaving them out for 21 days. Otherwise you could bake them for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. You put the glasses into the cold oven, turn the oven on and let it hit 350 degrees. Then start the half an hour counter. Then turn the oven off and let them cool. Then they should be set. You need to wait 24 hours for them to dry before the baking method, btw.

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Glitter on the inside ornaments

I think one of the worst things about Christmas is the glitter. However, one of the best things about Christmas is the glitter. You can’t win! Well, you can at least minimize the terrible glitter hands that come with the sparkly and really pretty ornaments that you hang on your tree.

I present to your: Glitter on the inside ornaments!

They are super pretty and take no time to make. Finding the specific Pledge you need to make the inside of the glitter sticky was the most difficult part of this.

They’ll also make great gifts and you can even decorate the outside of the ornament, like putting the year and a family’s last name on it.

Supplies: an envelope, clear ornaments, glitter and Pledge Floor Care Tile & Vinyl Floor Finish

I had to go to four stores to find the right pledge, this one has the blue top and the Futura symbol. I eventually found it at Wal-Mart. Target one that was orange scented, I don’t know if I’d want orange smelling ornaments.

Tip: The Pledge is super sticky. If you use it, then store it for awhile, run the top under hot water. It will loosen the cap and the topper. Don’t struggle with it before running the water cause it’s a fruitless battle.

Also, I highly suggest using a superfine glitter. You can use whatever kind of glitter you want, but superfine covers the inside of the ornament amazingly, no empty spaces or gaps between the glitter.

Cut the corner off the envelope and then snip off the tip of that. That will be your funnel. Put it to the side for the glitter portion of this crafting excursion.

Take the metal top off the ornament.

Squirt a little bit of the Pledge in the ornament.

Start gently rolling the Pledge around in the ornament. Don’t shake it. You don’t want bubbles forming.

Open up the cap of the bottle and put the ornament into there upside down, in order to get rid of the excess liquid.

Take your funnel and put it into the ornament then pour in your glitter.

About two tablespoons worth I think.

Again, roll the glitter to get the best coverage.

Before you get to the top of the ornament, either get a paper towel or use your thumb to cover the opening. You don’t want to spill glitter everywhere and you want to make sure you get the last bits of the ornament covered in glitter. Pour out the excess glitter back into the glitter container.

Pop the metal topper back on and you’re all set!

Look! Pretty glitter ornaments, no glitter on your hands. If you look at the gold and pink ornaments, those are done with normal glitter (bought at the dollar store). You can see some of the gaps. But it’s really not noticeable unless you’re picky (like me!) or you look really close. Also, I love the purply black ornament in front and the champagne gold one in the back. Those were also made with superfine glitter (found at Hobby Lobby).

Have any fun ornaments you’ve made? I’d love to see them! Share links in the comments or head over to my Facebook page, Crafting and Cooking. Don’t forget to check out the Christmas ideas Pinterest board.

Wedding invitation ornament

If you’re like me, you have been getting invited to a lot of weddings lately. After the wedding is done, I feel bad just tossing out the invitation.

This feeling has grown since one of my best friends got married last year. I helped her put together all those invites (because I was the maid of honor), with the ribbon and the two charms that needed to be tied on and all the little pieces of tissue paper and on and on. It’s so labor intensive just to end up in the trash. I did end up re-using the invite she sent me by including it in a photobook I created with all the photos I took throughout the year of festivities.

I got this fabulous idea at from glitter to gumdrops. It’s an awesome way to provide the couple with a personalized gift. I think I might do this for all the invites I get in the future. Although, if the bride uses Pinterest, there’s a good chance she might have seen the original pin as one of my other friends did. She posted a photo on Facebook of her ornament.

Supplies: wedding invitation, clear glass ornament, a paper slicer, ribbon (the one I used for this ornament was tied around the invite) and a pencil

Start by slicing up the wedding invite into strips.

Use the pencil to curl up the invite strips. I did it at an angle so that it looked a tad bit fancier.

You’ll end up with a pile of curls. Some of them, you’ll need to trim and use as filler for spots in the ornament.

Twist the curls into the ornament.

I used the pencil to help arrange the curls so that the words would show among the other curls.

There you go. a really pretty ornament for the newlyweds. As I said in the supply list, the ribbon I used for this ornament was provided by the invite sender. If your invite didn’t give you a ribbon, try finding one that matches the wedding’s colors. If there’s a charm included with the invite, try tying that onto the outside. You can also write in Sharpie on the outside of the ornament their last name and the date of their wedding.

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Festive pom-pom ornament

When you’re at the craft store, try and avoid impulse buys. Although, this impulse buy totally worked out for me. Sparkly, holiday pom-poms make a great ornament filler.

Supplies: Glass ornaments and holiday pom-poms

What do you do? Just shove them in there. The really large pom-poms do take a little more pressure. Don’t try too hard though, you don’t want glass shards embedded in your hand if you accidentally break the ornament.

I mentioned how these sorta look like atoms or whatever to my science-loving boyfriend. He wanted to try and make some that were actual representations of said atoms or elements because the ones I made weren’t exact and he had no idea what they represented. haha.

I fancied up the ornaments with my favorite ribbon.

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Chocolate covered pretzels

Do chocolate covered pretzels make you think Christmas? It seems like it’s the only time that chocolate pretzels are readily available is Christmas time. I love the white chocolate ones that have sprinkles or have ribbons of chocolate laced across them. Then there’s the milk or dark chocolate ones with the toffee pieces. So good!

Well, I wanted to try making my own. This is part of the test batch I made.

 

Cute right?

 

Supplies: pretzels (I used mini-sized), a bag of white chocolate chips, a pan with parchment paper, sprinkles, a measuring cup with a spout, a fork and a spoon

Scroll to the bottom of this post to learn why I chose the white chocolate chips over candy chips too.

 

I poured half the bag of white chocolate chips into the measuring cup. Microwave it for 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat until the chocolate chips are smooth.

 

Ok, so, the way I did this was pour about a tablespoon of the chocolate onto each pretzel. Then I would stick the fork underneath the pretzel and raise it out of the chocolate. If you look at the photo above, there’s a second pretzel under that pile of chocolate.

 

As you can see, there’s a pile of chocolate building up. Before it cools too much, scoop it up and put more pretzels down. Don’t waste the chocolate! It may be better to use a second sheet pan and parchment paper for the already covered pretzels otherwise you’re dragging little ribbons of chocolate over the other pretzels. That’s fine if you want a pattern on them.

 

While they are still wet, sprinkle the sprinkles on top. In order to set the chocolate, I put them in the freezer for 10 minutes.

 

Let the pretzels come back to room temp before handling them. Otherwise the condensation will allow the sprinkle colors to run when you touch them.

They would make great gifts and aren’t that expensive. But it can be a bit time consuming. I didn’t do too many since it was a test run to figure out how to best coat these kinds of pretzels.

I did start the test run using vanilla candy coating. But I ended up with this:

 

Candy coating would be good for stick pretzels if you’re not coating the entire pretzel. You’re just going to dip them. The coating is super thick otherwise. And I did burn the first batch when I was melted it in the microwave.

If you have a better method let me know! Share on my Facebook page or leave a comment here. Remember to check out the Christmas ideas board on Pinterest.

Santa pants terra cotta pot

Seriously, I feel like this project can be used so many ways. I saw it originally on this blog. I did it slightly different, using pant instead of electrical tape for the belt.

Supplies: One terra cotta pot, Martha Stewart craft paint in Satin – Habanero and High Gloss – Beetle Black, a permanent glue like E-6000 and one washer that fits the lip of the pot

Start by painting the bottom part of the pot in the Habanero paint.

Paint the lip of the pot in the Beetle Black. Also paint the inside lip because there’s a chance you’ll be able to see that from the outside. Give the pot two coats and let it dry. Take the washer and put it onto the lip of the pot with the permanent glue. Let it dry for several hours.

Then you can fill the pot:

You can try filled it with a mini-Christmas tree. Or how about a poinsettia plant? You could fill it with treats for the kids. Maybe line it with parchment paper and make it a popcorn bowl at your holiday gathering. If you have a mantle, try making two and putting it at either end and fill with ornaments or something. See! So many options.

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Cookie and treat stand

Making your own treat/cookie/cake stand is a pretty popular thing on Pinterest. I find all the holiday ones very alluring. But before choosing to do this craft, I had to come to grips with the fact that I don’t have enough cabinet space to store treat stands for every season. I also wanted a glass or porcelain stand, not one made with a melamine or plastic plate.

I’m happy with what I made. I chose a plate with a plain green rim. It’s perfect for Christmas and any other season. And I’m pretty stoked with the price: less than $4 to make this! I had the glue from a previous craft, so if you don’t have the glue that’ll add to your stand’s cost, but it should still be less than $10.

Supplies: a plate, a candle holder (from Dollar Tree) and a permanent craft glue like E-6000.

Flip your plate over and figure out where the center of it is.

Line the rim of the candlestick holder with your glue.

Place your candlestick into that middle spot and press down firmly. If the glue seeps out a bit, don’t worry. It dries pretty much clear.

Put pressure on the drying candlestick holder. I used a couple of heavy cookbooks that I had handy. I let the stand dry for several hours like this. Just forget about it.

Once your stand is dry wash it and it’s ready to use! I would only hand wash it from now on too. I sort of like the glass base as is, but I still might paint it white so it blends in with the plate better.

This would make a great gift for someone, even a host/hostess gift, too. Put some cookies or a pie on top, wrap it up nice with some cellophane and leave it for your party host or a loved one.

You can always add more layers to this too, make a cupcake stand or a stand for multiple cookie varieties. You can add a second plate to the bottom for two layers. Add another candlestick holder and plate to the top for three.

If you make a stand of your own please share in the comments or on the Crafting and Cooking Facebook page. And you can find plenty of Christmas crafts on the idea board on Pinterest.

Ribbon tree

Stores start trotting out all sorts of little decorative trees. Well… I thought “I could do that.” And I’m really loving my ribbon tree.

 

Supplies: a bunch of ribbon spools, a styrofoam cone (mine is 8″), a bunch of straight pins with the little colored tops

 

I used about five spools of ribbon for this project, but I also used a thinner ribbon. If you use something wider, it’ll be less. I’m just in love with this ribbon pattern. I got it from Michael’s, if you want to know. I’ve used it as a decorative tie for all my homemade ornaments. Love.

 

Fold the ribbon in half and stick a pin through it. Then stick it into the bottom of the cone. You need to decide how much you want the ribbon to pool at the bottom.

I let my ribbon touch the table and bell out slightly. Keep going all the way around the cone with this layer.

 

After finishing the first layer, I started the next layer up about an inch higher than the first layer.

 

I didn’t want a star at the top of my tree or any sort of decoration. So before I got to the topmost layers of my ribbon tree, I covered the flat top of the cone with some ribbon. Then I lined up the last layer with the top of the cone to finish it off.

 

Yay. Pretty.

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