Raggedy Ribbon Wreath

Make a super cute wreath in a jiffy with ribbons, some fabric and a coat hanger.

Odds and ends of fabric and ribbons I had in my stash inspired me to whip up this cute wreath.

Here's how you can do it...

Bend a wire coat hanger into a square or round it out if you prefer. Use plyers to bend the hook into a loop.  Take care to squeeze the points so you won't poke yourself.

For that raggedy look, rip (don't cut) fabric into strips 1-2" wide by about 8-10" long.  

Cut your ribbons about the same length.

Now start tying the strips on to the wire hanger.  A single tie will do.  For variety, tie some in bows. 

Vary the fabric strips with the ribbons and adjust as your wreath becomes full.  It is fun because as you work, you can slide the pieces apart to add different colors or textures until you find the combination you like.

Since my fabric is so much lighter on the wrong side, I cut my strips 2" then folded the strips in half lengthwise before tying.

Keep tying and adjusting until your wreath has the look you want.  

After my ties were the way I wanted them,  I still wanted a little more pink in my wreath.  So I added these sweet little wired rosebuds.  

Now... step back and admire than go hang it on your door!!!

Party Favor Boxes

Dress up your party favor boxes with Washi Tape!

Are you getting ready for a birthday party? A baby shower? A bridal shower? Use Washi Tape to dress up these 2" cube boxes.  Daisy Grey has so many colors and designs of Washi you will have a hard time choosing.

I love the way I dressed up my Christmas table with a little goodie box for each person.


Apply your Washi with the party box flat.  Use your imagination - one single row or layer different colors or patterns.  Assemble the box, fill with your favorite goodie and tie it all up with a pretty bow.

How about jelly beans for Easter with adorable chicks and bunnies on the Washi?

Daisy Grey is my favorite resource for Washi Tape.  She carries so many pretty designs, and her prices are so good you can splurge on several.   For outstanding customer service and the very BEST selection of Washi Tape as well as all sorts of "planner pretties" check out Daisy Grey's Etsy store.

You can get your party boxes delivered to your door from Amazon. Just click the link below.

   

Decorate a Jar with Washi Tape

Washi Tape may be my new favorite thing.  Since I discovered Daisy Grey sells just about the cutest patterns ever and at great prices, I'm hooked on Washi!

My grocery store carries Green Acres Fruits and they come in the most adorable six-sided jars.  But you can use any jar you find attractive.

Here is how you can make this...

Eat the peaches, peel off the label, wash the jar.

Paint the lid with nail polish.  I applied two coats. I found a clothes pin handy to hold it while I paint.

Decorate the glass with strips of Washi.  I used two different widths and patterns just around the bottom.  

Gather some fine gauge wire, sharp scissors and E6000 (or other strong adhesive) and some decorative bead(s), pom pom, button, etc. for the center.

This part is really FUN!!!!

1.  Cut a length of wire about 5" for each petal.

2.  Make a petal shaped loop.  I bent it around my pinky finger.  Then twist the bottom pieces together.

3.  Roll out your Washi with the sticky side up and lay your wire on the sticky.

4.  Fold the Washi over the top of the wire and trim.

5.  Trim the Washi just outside the wire frame - all the way around.

6.  Press between your fingers to be sure it is all stuck.

7.  Make a bunch more and twist them together.

For my jar, I made two clusters of six petals, bent each into a 'daisy' shape, them placed one on top of the other.  Here is where you will want to 'fiddle' with it a little bit to achieve the look you want.

Now trim the wire 'stem'.  You can cut it fairly close to the petals.  I gave it a few strikes with a hammer to flatten the wire.   Glue the first set to the top of the jar.  Do the same to the second set of petals and glue them on top of the first.

You can easily bend each petal to create the look you want and to cover any wire that may be showing.  Now glue your beads or other decoration to the center.  How cute!

For an adorable 'little something' gift, fill with small cookies or candies.  I plan to  keep mine in the kitchen to store cinnamon sugar in it.

Alternatives....

Make a bouquet.  Twist all the wire stems together and wrap around with Washi or floral tape.  Be creative... you can use green washi to make leaves and attach to your stem.  

Use a larger wire loop to make larger flowers.  You can layer the washi for even larger petals.

Check out Daisy Grey's huge supply of adorable washi patterns.

Mark Your Phone Charger with Washi Tape

Use Washi Tape to identify your chargers AND make them OH SO CUTE!!!  I think Washi is my new favorite craft supply.  My head is swimming with ideas.  So check back for more 'washi wonders' you can make.

It can really be frustrating when a bunch of people are all charging their devices at the same time.  You don't want to get stuck with someone else's slow or old charger.  Identify yours and decorate them in a jiffy with Washi tape.

Daisy Grey is my favorite resource for Washi Tape.  She carries so many pretty designs, you will want them all... well, may not ALL.  For great prices, outstanding customer service and the very BEST selection of Washi Tape as well as all sorts of "planner pretties" check out Daisy Grey's Etsy store.

Makeover with Looking Glass Paint

I’m not sure if it qualifies as ‘vintage’ but it is certainly vintage to me.  I’ve had this tape dispenser for a VERY long time and it has held up well.  It has a nice weight so it stays in place as you pull off a new piece of tape.  But really…..  it is looking pretty BAD.  I don’t even remember when brown was a color I would pick and look at all the pieces of tape stuck on it – but it still works well!   A makeover was in order. 

So…. I’ve been wanting to experiment with the Krylon Looking Glass Silver Paint and the Mercury Glass look.  






Here’s what I did:

1.  Used a razor blade to scrape off the wild pieces of tape.  (Didn’t want to wreck my manicure.)

2.  Mixed ½ water, ½ vinegar in a little spray bottle – with a very fine spray.

3.  Sprayed a very light first coat of the Looking Glass paint.  Then the water/vinegar mixture.  Dabbed it a little with a paper towel.  Repeated about 3-4 times.  DONE!

Looks fabulous! But I still wanted a little more pizazz.  I hopped over to Daisy Grey Planner Pretties for some Washi Tape!  I found this Mint Silver Striped Skinny Washi Tape.  PERFECT!

For the very BEST selection of Washi Tape and all sorts of "planner pretties" head on over to Daisy Grey.  She has great prices and outstanding customer  service.

Spraying Note:  I slipped a trash bag over a tray, placed a small bowl upside down inside the bag.  This provided a way to elevate the tape dispenser so I could spray the edges evenly.  Also, it made it easy to pick up the entire set-up to bring inside.  I didn't want any bugs getting stuck in my paint...

Fleece Hanger Covers

I have a hang up….   Hahaha….  I am talking about hanging up clothes!  I like to use the basic plastic hangers with a swivel top and notches for straps.  My ‘hang up’ is that some garments with wide necklines or slippery fabrics slip off the hanger and I end up with a mess.  Sometimes I have hangers with a thin foam cover.  This will hold the garment securely but that foam gets nasty very quickly and it doesn’t stay on very well either.

Fleece to the rescue!  With only 1 ^1/3 yd of fleece and some ribbon, I made 20 hanger covers in about 45 minutes!  I am DELIGHTED with the results!  This is an easy, practical and attractive solution.  

Here’s how.  Cut your fleece into rectangles about 6” x 24”.  If you use your Olfa Rotary Cutter, the job will go very quickly and you can enhance it with a scalloped edge.

Find the center of your rectangle by folding it lengthwise then widthwise.  At the resulting corner, cut a small square.

Now just slip the hanger through the small square you just cut.  Fold the fleece over the hanger and tie your ribbon where the hanger’s notches are with the bow on the underside.

Now go hang up your wide neck, slippery top and give it a test drive!

If you have some scraps of fleece ‘hanging’ around…. Give it a try.  If you want to do a bunch, I’ll do the math for you.

Typically, fleece is 58”-60” wide.  If you buy 1 ^1/3 yd (48”) cut it as shown in the chart.

You will need about 12”-15” ribbon for each tie, so 24”-30” for one hanger.  I like to use ¼” satin ribbon but you could also use embroidery floss, string, or even curling ribbon.  So you will need 13-17 yards ribbon.

If you prefer the tubular style hangers, the same method will work, just tie the ribbon tightly so it won’t slip.

Christmas Punch – A Family Game

Easy to make – fun to play!

What? Place small prizes in a punch cup, cover with tissue paper.

Then… Play trivia.

How? Get a correct answer, pick a random cup, punch through the lid to reveal your prize.

Why?  It is lots of fun for the whole family.

Supplies Needed:

Punch cups

Tray or box for display

Tissue Paper

White School Glue (like Elmers)

Scissors

Trivia Questions

Prizes – Use your imagination and select items that will appeal to your group.  
This is where you need to evaluate your ‘audience’ and your budget.  I want this to be just a fun game so I am using simple inexpensive prizes like candy, coins and small toys.  If you want to ‘up the ante’ you might use gift cards, $20 bills or more, maybe even jewelry.  Just keep in mind that the prizes will be drawn randomly so be sure every prize can go to any participant.

Larger Size Prize Alternative – if your prizes are larger than the cups, simply wrap the large prizes separately and label with a number.  Then write the corresponding number on a small piece of paper and put that into the cup instead of the small prize.

Here’s how:

1.  Cut tissue into 5” squares (one per cup). This will be used inside the cup to conceal the prize.

2.  Cut tissue into circles about ½” larger than the rim of your punch cups.

3.  Loosely wrap a ‘prize’ in the square tissue and place in a cup.

4.  Squeeze a very small ring of white glue along the rim of the cup.

5.  Take the tissue circle and place over the top of the cup so that it is taut.  Press the edges downward so it creates a ‘lid’.

Continue this for each cup/prize set

then get ready for the fun.

Prepare your game:

I like to make up my own trivia question and make them personal for my family with questions like “Who lived in the brick house on Oak Street?”  What happened to Grandpa Frank in 1921? What is Aunt Linda famous for?”  You can make up your own or pick from a Trivia Book like …..

Take turns around the group asking questions.  When the question is answered correctly, that person will select a ‘punch’ cup.  "Punch" through the tissue to reveal the prize. 

I think the fun is in the randomness of ‘quality’ of prizes.  It might be as simple as a piece of candy or more valuable like a dollar bill.  Just be sure you know your group and plan accordingly.  You really don’t want anyone in tears.  That is why I like to do it with simple prizes.

If your group is larger, you might want to create teams but you will need to be sure your prizes are appropriate. 

The Clean Up:
When the fun is finished, collect your cups and pull off the loose tissue.  If it doesn’t come off easily, soak in hot water a few minutes.  Run the cups through the dishwasher to completely remove any traces of the glue and they will be ready for the ‘liquid’ kind of punch and your next party.  (This is why you want to be sure to use white school glue.)

I hope you and you family have lots of family fun over the holidays and throughout the year.  Happy Crafting!