DIY Leather & Metal Housewarming Gift

Hi lovelies!  I don't know what it is, but I am so motivated to get creative stuff done lately.  I feel like I have been in a perpetual rut for the past year, but, now it's finally lifting.  The clouds are parting, the skies are clearing... and all is well in the world.

I might be old fashioned, but I love giving housewarming gifts and hostess gifts.  I'm trying to do this thing where I celebrate even the smallest things in life.  Even if it's just someone moving into a new apartment or a friend having me over for dinner.  These are all the things that make life so amazing, so why not acknowledge the happy moments with a little gift?

This idea was inspired by my good friend, Sarah.  We stopped by Michaels during lunch one day and she saw these little test tubes with corks in the fun little bins by the registers and told me her idea.  I immediately asked if I could poach it and share it with you guys.  I came up with the leather wrap and metal tag, though.  The tag idea came about when Martha Stewart asked if I'd like to try out their new metal stamping kit and sheets of metal.  Of course, I said, "HECK YES".  

First I have to say that the sheets of metal in the pack are GORGEOUS.  There's a copper hue, gold hue, then a rubbed bronze kinda hue.  All absolutely stunning.

Secondly, although the idea of this metal stamping is pretty awesome, I felt it difficult to execute well.  I did not have the "rubber stamping mat" they instruct you to use the tool with, so I improvised and used a towel.  It worked... kinda.  I had to go over the letter with the end of tweezers to really get the detail to show.  I'm going to get the rubber mat eventually and see if the stamp works any better.

So now onto the little gift.  You need a bunch of spices, EVOO, one of those nifty little corked test tubes that you can get at Michaels, and a small bottle with a cork also from Michaels.  You will also need a piece of leather and some leather cording.  Again, both found at Michaels.

Layer and mix the spices into the test tube and then cork.  Fill the bottle with EVOO and set aside.

I found this pre-cut, pre-shaped piece of leather and cut slits in it as shown below. 

The slits on the short ends are what you will slide the test tube and the bottle.  The tiny slits on the long slides will be wear you lace the leather cording.

Below, you can see how the glass items slide into the slits in the leather.  Cut an extra long piece of leather cording to lace into the tiny holes and then wrap around the entire package and finally tying.  Take a smaller piece of leather cord and tie your tag on.

TA-DA!  A super adorable, minimal, rustic looking housewarming gift that will be just as delicious as it is cute!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising".

DIY Wood Burned Picture Frame

I've been wanting to try wood burning for the longest time. Every so often, I like to try new crafting methods to see what I can make, and this one was at the top of my to-do list. This month, Michael's challenged us to make a handmade gift for a friend or family member, so I took that as a sign that I needed a wood burner stat, so I picked up a wood picture frame and wood burner and sat down to make something (hopefully) awesome for my parents.

As someone who hasn't drawn anything more than a stick figure since high school, I was a little intimidated by the thought of permanently burning something into a piece of wood that my parents would have to look at forever (or at least when we visit and they have to dig it out of the closet.) After trying out a few simple designs on a piece of scrap wood though, I was hooked. It was way easier than I expected and the result was a really fun chevron-burned frame that I know my parents will love!



Moral of the story? If you're scared of wood burning, don't be. I can barely draw a stick figure, but I still managed to make this awesome frame without burning a finger - and that in itself is a Christmas miracle.

So let's make a wood burned frame!

SUPPLIES: a wood burning tool, unfinished wooden picture frame, photo, wood stain or paint (I used watered down acrylic paint by Martha Stewart), pencil, ruler, scrap wood -optional but highly recommended if you've never tried wood burning before, sealant.

If you've never tried wood burning, I recommend getting a piece of scrap wood and practicing first instead of jumping in and hoping for the best. You'll learn that different woods burn differently, and you can change the look and texture of the lines by bearing down on the wood burning pen differently. Practice until you're comfortable!

ONE: for a similar chevron design like I did, use your pencil and ruler to draw lines on your frame. I didn't make them symmetrical. I was going for a rough, sketchy look.

TWO: following the directions on your wood burning pen, heat it up and use a steady hand to trace over your drawn lines.
THREE: after your main lines are burned, draw chevron lines with your pencil and ruler

FOUR: trace over your remaining lines with your wood burning pen.

FIVE: stain with wood stain or, as I did, water down some paint and paint on with a paintbrush. Let dry.

SIX: after your paint has dried, seal with preferred sealant (I used a spray on matte sealant.)

After my frame was finished, I went to Target and had an 8x10 of my family printed up and put it in the frame. I can't get over Connor's face...the kid does NOT like having his picture taken! We actually had to have a pep talk about smiling for his school pictures this year, not that it helped any.

For the finishing touches, I picked up some bell ornaments, wood Christmas tags, and red twine from Michael's to wrap up my handmade gift.

I wrapped it simply in kraft paper, and tied the twine around it with the ornaments attached. For a special touch, I decided to also wood burn the tag. The pack came with 12, so I'm excited to make more for the other gifts I'm wrapping.



PS, wood burning curves is not easy :)

And that's it! A beautiful handmade gift that I know will get a LOT of use at my parents' house, especially as the grand kids grow over the years.

I hope you enjoyed my handmade gift and wrapping! Check out the other amazing handmade gifts from the Michael's Makers below to get you inspired for the holidays.

An InLinkz Link-up

10 Creative Gift Wrapping Ideas

 

With Christmas a mere 12 days away (aaah!) it's time to wrap up those presents and get them under the tree. If you've managed to get all of your gifts wrapped already, you deserve an award (and you also need to come over to my house and wrap mine for me, kthanks.) For the rest of us, I've rounded up 10 pretty and creative ways to wrap your gifts!

Mittens Ribbon via Flamingo Toes

"Shake It" Confetti via Minieco

Salt Dough Cookie Gift Tags by Tried and True via Mod Podge Rocks

 

Interactive Gift Wrap for Kids via Lines Across

Stamped Reindeer and Pom Poms via The Proper Pinwheel

Ribbon Gift Bow via LRstitched

Rustic Gift Wrapping via The Elli Blog

Sweater Gift Wrap via Boxwood Clippings

Washi Tape Gift Wrap via The Sweetest Occasion

Woven Ribbon by Oh Joy! via Good Housekeeping

9 Handmade Holiday Hostess Gifts

I'm kind of old school... traditional and I believe that when one is a guest at someone's house for a party or a holiday gathering that one should bring a gift for the hostess.  Let's be real here.  We are all 150% aware of the time, effort and sacrifice that goes into throwing even the smallest of dinner parties.  I love showing my gratitude for all that hardwork by giving little gifts.  It may seem small and meaningless to you or someone else, but to that person that slaved away cleaning and cooking and decorating to entertain you... that small gestures of thanks means the world.  

I've rounded up 9 absolutely adorable handmade holiday hostess gift ideas for you.  Some of them take no time at all, but will make such a huge impact!  I really do encourage you this holiday season to show your appreciation for those opening their homes to you.  It's so easy... and so rewarding, too.

Hand Stamped Cloth Napkins via A Beautiful Mess

Customizable and Repurposed Beer 6-Pack via Evite

DIY Kindling Packs via Painted Home Designs

DIY Sisal Trivets via Hi Sugarplum!

DIY Sharpie Mugs via The Sweetest Occasion

Fall Leaves Coasters via The Purl Bee

DIY Stenciled Hand Towels via Coordinately Yours by Julie Blanner

DIY Rope Handle Wine Bag via A Fabulous Fete

DIY Cocktail Stirrers via A Fabulous Fete

   

Check out our link party page to see where we link up each week!

Color Your Own Skirt

Halloween is over, and I'm already starting to think about Christmas. I like to get a head start on things when I can so that the holidays don't sneak up on me like they always do. I would love to be that person who gives all handmade gifts for the holidays, but I just can't bring myself to be chained to my sewing machine for weeks on end while I hydrate with coffee and crank out toys and clothes. That said, I still like to be able to make a few handmade things that I can give, especially when I know the recipient will absolutely love it.

Hayley at Welcome to The Mouse House recently posted pics of a coloring book dress she made for her daughter using the Tidny fabric from Ikea. I almost died of cuteness overload, then went out that next weekend and bought some of the Tidny fabric myself (sadly, they don't sell it online) and whipped up a few skirts for my daughter and niece.

I mean, look at all the adorable pictures to color! It's a little artist's dream. The fabric is entirely black and white, and has a great variety of pictures on it for both boys and girls. I used the girlier portions to make the skirts for my daughter and niece, but I'm definitely planning on making a few pairs of shorts for Connor when it warms up again.

I picked up a 24 pack of permanent markers at Walmart (you could also use fabric markers or paint pens), and packaged it up for my little niece for Christmas. I know she's going to have a ton of fun coloring her skirt!

Haley went to Ikea with me, so she had already seen the fabric and claimed it as hers. She actually laid the whole yard and a half of fabric on her lap like a blanket all the way home and repeatedly begged me to make her something with it. After all that I knew I wouldn't be able to wait to give her her skirt, so I gave it to her and let her go to town with the markers (PS, make sure you put newspaper inside the skirt when you color! The fabric is thicker, but the markers still bleed.)

It took her a couple of days (and some help from me), but she had a great time coloring all the different pictures, especially the castles. Most used color? Pink, of course. 

If you have a little artist in your family, I'm sure they'd love to have their own skirt to color too. I just measured my daughter's waist and multiplied by 2 to get the width I needed, then made a foldover casing with elastic at the top. The bottom is serged (yay, I finally got a serger! More on that later :) One gift down, countless to go!

Check out our Link Party Page to see where we link up each week!