Crafts: A Pinspired Christmas

Happy Saturday! Hope you're enjoying the weekend. I don't know about you, but I love Christmastime! It's my most favorite time of the year. From the holiday movies and twinkling lights, to the crisp winter air and handmade Christmas decorations! Everything about this season brings me great joy, and being able to experience all of this with my loved ones is truly a blessing.

When it comes to adding a holiday touch to our home, I try to include as many handmade DIY projects as possible. Don't get me wrong, I love buying store-bought stuff! Our home has them too. But nothing beats a handmade creation for your family to enjoy for years to come....

With the internet at our fingertips, it's never hard to find ideas and inspiration for ways to personalize your holiday home. And today I'm giving you glimpse into our home to see some of the fun projects I've made to decorate it... each one inspired by Pinterest!

ACTIVITY ADVENT CALENDAR

Pinspired Christmas: Activity Advent Calendar

This is a handmade activity advent calendar that I created for my 4-year-old daughter. You can find my DIY here. It's our second year doing it, and although the calendar stays the same, the activities and the cards you write them on can be changed and customized year after year.

WORD ART

Pinspired Christmas: Christmas Subway Art

A simple and inexpensive way to decorate your home is by switching out some of your photos with fun Christmas art prints. There are so many different designs and styles available [free] on the internet, that you can change them out each year. Here is the Christmas Rules subway art print I used. Mine is displayed in a large black 8x10 frame.

25-BOOKS-IN-DECEMBER

Pinspired Christmas: 25-Books-in-December

Here is another fun project that we continued from last year! I think it's my little one's favorite :) If you have a child that shares a love for reading, it's definitely something to add to your family's list of traditions! You can find all of the details about my 25-Books-in-December here.

CHRISTMAS CARD HOLDER

Pinspired Christmas: Handmade Card Holder

This is one of my favorite handmade Christmas projects! Besides it being super simple to create, I loved using supplies from my stash to customize it to fit our holiday theme. I'll be sharing my DIY next week, so stay tuned to see how I made it!

SANTA'S KEY

Pinspired Christmas: Santa's Key

I think this is the most special handmade Christmas decoration. When I saw it on Pinterest last year, I knew I had to recreate it for our family. It only took a few supplies to make, but the message speaks plenty. I love it!

The hardest thing about this project was finding "the key". I snagged this big glittery gold key ornament from Target. Isn't it perfect? Next, I cut a large tag from Kraft cardstock and printed up a card with the following text:

"Dear Santa,

This magic key works just for you,

Please open the door and come on through.

Thank you for coming to our house tonight.

We are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Thank you Santa for the gifts you bring,

Thank you Lord for everything."

I added the card to the Kraft tag, and tied on some pretty ribbon to complete it. This piece hangs on the doorknob of our front door for everyone to see.

CHRISTMAS PRINTS

Pinspired Christmas: Christmas Art Printables

This is another freebie that I displayed in one of our silver frames. You can download the "Believe" print here. There are so many beautiful designs online that it's so hard to choose just a few! But I have to say, it really is a simple and frugal way to decorate. With the endless Christmas prints on Pinterest, you can easily change up your displays year after year!

I hope you enjoyed today's post and leave here feeling inspired to create something beautiful this holiday season! If you're looking for more crafty Christmas decor inspiration, check out my "Holidays" pinboard on Pinterest! I also have more fun free holiday printables on my "December Daily" pinboard! Feel free to pin away!

You can stay updated on my recent posts, projects, and photos by following me on instagram or by "liking" my fan page on Facebook. So why not head over there now and show some love....

Were you inspired by Pinterest this season? Tried any of these projects? Any thoughts, questions, or comments about this post? I'd love to hear it! Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thrifty Finds: Apothecary Jars

Hello everyone! I hope you're enjoying your week. It's been a while since I've done a post about "organization," so today I thought I'd share one of my favorite storage solutions to grace my crafty space. And I have to say, not only are they functional, but they're also very pretty to look at.

I'm always searching for new and fun ways to organize my life. Any chance I get to make that choice a "frugal" one, I jump on it. For me, getting organized doesn't have to be expensive. I'm all for repurposing something that was destined for the recycle bin. But when I came across these jars while shopping one day, I had to have them!

I've always been a bargain shopper... and not just for "new" things. I frequent our local thrift stores, and you'd be amazed at the wonderful things I find. I especially love scouring the shelves for books, household goods, home decor, craft & office supplies, woodwork, and dishes/glassware. That last section happens to be the aisle where I found these lovely, lidded vessels. It's always the first area of the store I hit!

These little gems have become quite popular and are pretty hard to come by. So if you spot one (or two), don't pass them up! Because I guarantee you, they won't be there if you decide come back for 'em later. Lucky for me, over the last year I've collected more than a half dozen of these glass storage jars for less than a dollar a piece. Definitely worth every penny!

My collection of apothecary jars consists of various styles. From a classic bell shape to a fun mushroom design. I love mixing them up and placing them out in groups of three around our home.  My favorite stuff to fill them with are little bits from my crafty, scrappy stash. Instead of having those tiny items tucked away in a box somewhere, I can display them in these clear glass jars. This way, I know exactly what I have. And I love looking at all of the pretty goodies!

Apothecary Jars to Hold Tiny Bits & Pieces from Your Scrappy Stash

Here I'm using them to store bits and pieces in my creative space. One jar holds felt flowers and embellishments, another has decorative paper clips, tiny clothespins, and cute little erasers. My most favorite  jar holds all of my flair! Half the fun of having these types of jars is finding stuff to fill them with. 

They are incredibly spacious and can be used for just about anything. That's why you won't only find them in my craft room. They hold yummy candies and new tea light candles in our kitchen, and Q-tips, cotton balls, and bath salts in our bathroom. With your imagination, the possibilities are endless!

You have to admit they look perfect in my craft room, don't they? Especially next to my Crafty Storage Containers! I wasn't kidding when I told you I was all for repurposing items meant for the trash bins. Those pretty, paper-covered, storage containers hold more of my crafty, scrappy supplies. It's another fun and "frugal" solution that satisfies my storage needs. Be sure to click on the link for my DIY!

Wanna stay updated on my recent posts and projects? Be sure to "like" my new fan page on Facebook! Looking for more storage solutions? Check out my "Organize It" pinboard on Pinterest. You'll find links to inexpensive DIYs, clever ideas, and tons of inspiration to get your life in order. Feeling crafty too? Take a peek at my "Crafty Mama" pinboard or my other crafty boards on Pinterest. Feel free to browse my blog as well :) I have lots of great DIYs!

I hope you enjoyed today's post! Are you a thrifty shopper? Find anything fabulous? Any thoughts, questions, or comments about this post? Please let me know. Your feedback is always welcome and much appreciated!

Thank you for stopping by!

DIY: Jewelry Organizer

I love jewelry, anything handmade, and a good DIY project. I didn't realize they could all go hand in hand! This first started out as what I thought was going to be a quick search, both in-store and online, to find a cute holder for my necklaces. Let me tell you... the search wasn't quick (I scoured so many stores and websites), and sturdy jewelry hangers are outrageously priced! I just couldn't see myself paying a ridiculous amount for something so simple. So, my internet search then went to finding inspiration for a handmade piece to hold my costume jewelry.

The internet wielded some great ideas. But I decided to try and create something spending as little money as possible, and at the same time make it look better than all of the expensive jewelry organizers I saw online and in department stores. Believe it or not, this project didn't cost me a thing. It was done using scraps and supplies I already had on hand.

Most of my DIYs are chock full of photos. I apologize that I don't have pictures of the step-by-step process for this project. I actually made these last winter [before I had a blog], and I didn't even think to take pictures while I worked. But it shouldn't be a problem for you. The directions are pretty straight forward.... and I'm here if you need help :)

HANDMADE JEWELRY ORGANIZER

TOOLS & SUPPLIES:

• Board(s) of Wood : Cut to the dimensions you want. Lucky for me, I have a hubby who is a craftsman that works in a woodshop. The pieces I used are top-quality, sturdy hardwood blocks that were actually scraps from one of his projects at work. He cut them to size for me.
• A Power Drill: For drilling pilot holes to screw in your cup hooks. My handy husband did this for me at work in his woodshop.
• Fabric: Scraps work great here, if you have pieces that are large enough. You need just enough to cover the "front" and partially over the 4 sides. Remember, it doesn't need to cover the sides completely, that is what the next item is for...
• Ribbon: It should be wide enough to cover the "edge" of the wood and long enough to completely wrap around all four sides. (Be sure to singe the ends to prevent the ribbon from fraying.) The fat ribbon I had on hand for this project, was the perfect fit to the scrap wood my hubby gave me.
• Mod Podge: To bind the fabric to the wood.
• Cup Hooks: They come in a variety of sizes and finishes, and can be found in the tool and hardware aisle of your local Walmart.
• Sawtooth Picture Mounts: Gives you the ability to hang your organizer on the wall. They come in a variety of sizes and made to hold different weights. Be sure you choose accordingly. I had to purchase heavy-duty ones since I used hardwood which is pretty darn heavy. You can find these in the same aisle you found the cup hooks.
• Picture Hooks/Hangers: Consisting of a "hook-like" piece to be used in conjunction with the accompanied tiny head nails. They also come in a variety of sizes and made to hold different weights. Choose accordingly. You will find these in the same tool and hardware aisle of your local Walmart.
• Xacto Knife
• Hammer
• Sandpaper
• Tape Measure
• Pencil
• Paintbrush
• Scissors

DIRECTIONS:

1. The first thing you need to do, if you haven't already, is cut your piece(s) of wood to the desired size. You may also want to smooth out the rough, raw edges with sandpaper.
2. Decide how many hooks you want on your organizer. Using your tape measure and pencil, find the center (from top to bottom), then line up, measure out, and place evenly spaced "marks" on the piece(s) of wood.
3. With your "marks" as a guide, use your power drill to make pilot holes for your cup hooks. This will make screwing the hooks in so much easier, especially if you're using a hardwood like I did. It's also handy to have these holes once your fabric is adhered to the front of the wood.
4. Using your paintbrush, coat the "front" (the area with the holes you just made) of your wood with a layer of Mod Podge. Lay your fabric print-side down, and place your piece of wood (glue side down)  in the center of your fabric. Once the wood is in the right place, press down on it for a few seconds to give it a good bond.
5. Carefully flip the wood and fabric over to the correct side. Rub the front of the wood to make sure the fabric is nice and smooth removing any air bubbles along the way. Let that part dry before moving on.
6. This next step is best done in sections. Use Mod Podge to adhere the excess fabric to all four sides of the piece(s) of wood. You may need to snip the corners a little with your scissors to get the fabric to lay nice and flat. It's okay to overlap the fabric a bit at the corners.
7. This step is also best done in sections. Once your fabric is dry, use Mod Podge to adhere your long strip of ribbon to the "sides" of the wood, wrapping it from corner to corner. Smooth out the ribbon and be sure it is straight and flush with the back edge of the wood. Allow each side to dry before moving onto the next. (I let it dry with the wet side down on a flat surface, using the weight of the wood as the pressure needed to give it a good bond, as well as keeping the ribbon flat.) At the end of this step, the only wood you should be able to see is on the back.
8. Next, you will add your sawtooth picture mounts to the back of your organizer, one on each end. (I didn't place mine directly at the top. I went down about half an inch so my picture hangers aren't completely visible when my organizer is up on the wall.) Your tape measure will come in handy, along with a pencil. Once you know where your mounts will go, mark the holes of the mounts for easy reference. Use your hammer to nail them to the wood.
9. Flip the holder over to the pretty side. Feel around the fabric for the holes you drilled in Step 3. Once you locate them, use the Xacto knife to poke a hole in the fabric directly over each pilot hole. 
10. Now you should be able to easily screw in your cup hooks without ruining the fabric. The only thing left to do is attach your picture hooks to the wall so you can hang your organizer. And of course, add your jewelry. That's it...you are done! 

I do have to say that the best thing about this jewelry holder is that I made it myself... and for next to nothing! Being able to use my own fabric and ribbon, really customizing it to what I like, makes it that much better than buying something in a store or online. I also know that no one else has it, and what they do have, they spent way too much on something they could have easily made themselves.

As you can see, I made two of them. They look fabulous flanking our cabinet! I just love them and I'm so happy I didn't cave in and purchase something I wasn't completely in love with, especially at those prices!

Wanna stay updated on my recent posts and projects? Be sure to "like" my new fan page on Facebook!

I hope you like this project as much as I loved making it! I also hope to inspire you to take that risk to make something yourself (rather than going out and purchasing it), because in the end, you never know... what you made may be 100 times better, cuter, and cheaper than what you can find in a store.