On Vacation!

I'm on vacation this week, going off the grid, but check back for guest blog posts! See you all next week! -Taylor

Holiday Decorating: DIY Christmas Art Wall

Just wanted to share my art wall, holiday-style. The moose is always up, but it's been Rudolph-bombed :) I also included my snowman wreath, (click here for tutorial!), Katie's Christmas light art (tutorial), and a piece that I made with scrapbooking papers and pieces. 

I made this by piecing together blocks of red scrapbook papers onto a canvas, and then taking green strips and trimming the ends to look like ribbons. This was a super-fast project and could easily be translated onto holiday cards or gift tags. I think it's a pretty bold statement piece when combined with the other pieces on my art wall. All in all, I'm thrilled to have this display for Christmas!

Holiday Decorating: Photo Gift Tags

I just finished my gift tags for holiday gifts and I am so excited to share them with you all. I had been flipping through the Nov/DEC issue of Creating Keepsakes and saw a beautiful two-page photo of Christmas presents topped with photos. This totally inspired me to create gift tags that instead of the classic "to:, from:" are addressed to each person through a photo of me and them. For example, gifts for my dad have a picture of me with my dad. 

These pictures are also of my Christmas display. Having a kitten makes decorating difficult, so I'm super happy with my little bit of holiday magic that is generally cat-proof. Does anyone else have an alternative tree this year?

Christmas Light Art DIY

My sis Katie created this amazing mixed-media art canvas. I l-o-v-e the bright colors against a tone-on-tone white background. Below is an easy tutorial to make or gift one of your own! If you haven't already, throw some quick and festive art up on your walls for the holidays!

 Supplies: Patterned Paper, Scissors, Marker, Other Embellishments

 1. On the back of your patterned paper sketch out a Christmas light shape.

 2. Cut it out.

 3. From brown patterned paper, cut out a small rectangle and glue it to the top of the light.

 4. Cut as many as you like.

5. Glue them to a canvas, and embellish!

Last Minute Gift Idea- Color Blocked Tote Bags

Katie and I whipped up these amazing tote bags in just one afternoon. You can find blank tote bags at Michaels, JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, etc, and we used acrylic paint which works very well on fabric. Simply tape off a design and paint! We used washi tape as it peels off very easily. Also, be sure to place paper or cardboard inside the tote bag while painting so it doesn't bleed through. I love how they turned out!

What kind of last minute holiday gifts are you making?

-Taylor

Quick and Easy Mini Wreath

This wreath seriously takes 10 minutes to make and it's that quirky kind of cute. It uses an embroidery hoop, I think mine was around 8 inches, but you could use any size. You'll also need white tissue paper, black and orange felt, buttons, and ribbons. These supplies are easy to find and you probably already have them lying around. I could see so many cute variations on this-Santa, Reindeer, Gingerbread Man, etc! This wreath is also kid-friendly, (use a low-temp glue gun!) and would be a fun project for kiddos who are out of school for the holiday break. Anyway, enjoy the DIY!

1. Using strips of tissue paper, about 8-9 inches wide, wrap your embroidery hoop.

2. Cut from black felt a top hat, form orange felt a carrot nose, and choose two black buttons for eyes.

3. Tie a ribbon around the top of the hoop to hang the wreath from.

4. Glue the top hat over the top of the embroidery hoop where the ribbon is tied. 

5. On the side, place the eyes and nose.

6. Add a ribbon to the bottom!

Making things...

Today I could be cleaning my apartment, etc, but instead I'm making things. Christmas things. Stay tuned for pretties!