diy ideas: Holiday Gift Tags

It's easy, with all the hustle & bustle going on around us, to forget about the little details of the holiday. Things like gift tags! You wrap a gift, make it as pretty as possible and then remember that you don't have a gift tag to attach! Here are 6 simple gift tags that you can probably make with just the random craft items sitting on your desk right now! 

I'm doing a natural/gold/silver decor this year for Christmas and I made my gift tags to match. I'm also forgoing the traditional wrapping paper in favor of recycle-friendly newspaper! But I think I will make a set of these in bright reds & pinks though. (I bet they would even photograph better than these too!)

gift tags DIY

* use a paper punch to punch out a snowflake on a gift tag, glue scrapbook paper onto the back of the tag (I used a glitter paper)

* hand sew a glittered floral stem (they have lots to choose from in craft stores right now!)

* sew a punched snowflake onto a gift tag

* sew leftover chipboard letters, the first letter of each persons name onto a tag

* cut out 3 circles from felt, sew them from large up to small for a quick snowman tag

* sew pieces of fabric starting with longer pieces on the bottom up to smaller pieces on top for a fabric tree

{{DIY ideas is going to be a little mini-series this month. I have a few more post ideas that are Holiday theme-ish. Hope you enjoy them! xo ~ Tara}}

sweet november: old (tutorial)

Today's word was old. How old? Well that was up to you, but when I think of old I think vintage. Of course. This project was one that I meant to post way back in Spring and for whatever reason I never made it happen. So, I thought old as in old jewelry and a tutorial - what a great combination! We're going to make pretty Fall inspired magnets to hang up little kid artwork, schedules or just to-do lists. These magnets will make anything hanging on your fridge look infinitely better and with only a few materials you can whip them up in no time! 

First, you'll need to collect some older jewelry, preferably vintage clip on earrings - the type that your Grandma most likely had. I don't recommend using Grandmas heirloom jewelry collection though, instead check your local thrift stores! They're usually really inexpensive to purchase at thrift stores! After you've collected a few pairs, you'll also need a pair of small pliers, E6000 glue and small magnets. (I love using Rare-Earth magnets.)

Start by removing all of the backs from the earrings. Use the pliers to gently snap off the clip on parts. Add a small dot of the E6000 glue to the back of each earring back. (E6000 glue has a history of oozing out and making a mess, so I like to work quickly with it and get the lid back on asap.) Once the glue has been added, place a small magnet into the glue.

E6000 glue is also really smelly, make sure the area you're working in is well ventilated. Take each magnet separately and move them to a place to allow the glue to set. I suggest out in the garage. Just remember to keep them separated with enough space in between each magnet. The rare earth magnets are incredibly strong and they will attract to each other making a mess of the glue. It's possible I know this from experience. :) 

Let them dry at least a full 24 hours before you use them. I love how they look on the fridge, vintage jewel magnets that sparkly in the light - what's not to love! I'm also thinking they would make lovely little hostess gifts this season, displayed in a pretty box all wrapped up!

Thanks for stopping in tonight and happy crafting! 

xo ~ Tara

Dinner Place Settings: tutorial

This was one of those tutorials that I really wanted to post during the Sweet November week, but I ran out of time and so here it is- a week later. I think I have narrowed down the menu for Thanksgiving and with the place settings and centerpiece figured out, I have a feel days to relax and get other stuff done... like cleaning the house from top to bottom. :) 

Jessica and I talked all week about the different ways we could use an old book and various other things around the house to make our place settings. I like the idea of using whatever I have on hand, 1. it's good to reuse and recycle and 2. with the price of gas, I don't want to be driving all over town if I don't have it! Here's a quick idea for using book pages 3 different ways when it comes to your dinner place settings!

Ruffled Napkin Rings

materials:

paper towel roll

glue

scissors

book pages

sewing machine

paper trimmer

ribbon & leaf (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut the paper towel roll into 1 1/2 inch sections 

2. take the book pages and cut into strips about 1/4 to a 1/2 inch wider than your paper towel roll. We'll have them overlap the paper roll so that it's completely covered!

3. Sew the strips of paper by gently folding the paper and sewing over the top very slowly so that the paper doesn't.

4. To make each napkin ring, you'll use 2 strips of paper. Once you sewn the first strip of paper and reached the end, fold another strip of paper under and sew onto the first strip. Keep folding and sewing slowly! Once you have 2 strips of paper ruffled and sewn, back stitch a few stitches and then cut the sewing thread.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have enough ruffled paper to make the desired amount of napkin rings.

6. Take one strip of ruffled paper and add a bit of glue to the napkin ring. Wrap the paper around the ring and when you've reached the end of the paper, you should have enough paper trim to overlap. Add another bit of glue and glue the end of the paper in place. Hold for a few seconds to allow the glue to hold. 

 7. Use a another strip of paper, and coil into a round tube, slip inside the napkin ring and let the paper uncoil so that it fits perfectly inside and glue into place. (Now no one will know you've used a paper toll roll to make your napkin rings!) 

8. To finish, we're just embellishing the napkin rings. You could leave them as is, but I chose to use a shimmery orange leaf and some vintage seam binding to tie around each napkin ring!

I think these ruffled napkin rings look great with crisp white cloth napkins! 

From the same paper used to make the napkin rings, I took a sheet, trimmed it in half and wrapped it around a large jar filled with greens instead of flowers. (I actually love the way green leaves and branches look on a table, so clean and fresh!) Use a little seam binding, lace or ribbon to hold the book page onto the jar. Set the jar on top of a few vintage books, add a couple of tall candle sticks, scatter some leaves (die-cuts using the same book pages) and it's super quick and simple way to create a centerpiece for your table this Fall! 

I've also typed out some little cards to put at each setting. I have an idea for making a very little mini book full of these cards! 

Since Thanksgiving is getting ever so close, have you been playing with dishes and place settings yet? I'm thinking of going with these burnt pumpkin floral and grey dishes. - I've kind of fallen in love with that color combination this season! 

Have a wonder start to the weekend! ~ T

Sweet November: Tie Necklace Tutorial

Well hello! Today's tutorial is one that I had originally planned to post last year but for whatever reason it never made it to the blog. Now that it is cooling off (it was only 86 here today!) and Fall is on it's way, eventually, I thought this tutorial would be a good fit for our Sweet November week! 

Getting started, you'll need to find a tie. Instead of going through my husbands tie collection, Chase and I went to a Goodwill store where there were way  more to choose from than what Peter had hanging on his side of the closet. That's where I found this great Italian silk tie! When looking for your own tie, just be sure to find one where the material isn't too thick, it should be easy to fold.

Here's what you'll need to get started! 

Materials

sewing machine 

tie

2 pieces of lace (mine measured about 10 inches each)

straight pins

large button (optional)

vintage pin

sewing needle and thread

Directions

1. Start but laying you tie flat on your work space. Take the bottom of the tie and fold it back towards the middle of the tie. You want to make about 5 pleats or folds, so my first fold measured 4 inches. Each fold, will get a little shorter in length as you go.  

Once you've folded your first pleat, use a straight pin, on the inside of your tie, to secure your pleat. Continue folding and pinning until you have 5 or 6 pleats. *You'll notice that as you're folding the tie it will start to curve inward, almost like the shape of a necklace!*

Once you've finished pinning, now it's time to start sewing. Slowly sew along the inside edge of your tie. As you sew remove the straight pins and set side - we'll use them again for the lace. 

When you reach the last pleat, backstich a few stitches and then cut the sewing thread. After this step, your tie should look like this. If your pleats aren't laying flat use an iron to press them.

Now time for some lace. I'm using a black lace that's gathered on one side. Take the gathered side and following your existing sewing line, pin the lace to the tie. I pinned a small amount of lac to the back of my tie to start.

Just like sewing the tie previously, carefully sew the lace to the tie, removing the straight pins as you sew.

I'm adding one more piece of lace, I found this stretchy lingerie lace that was too cute and dainty plus I loved how ruffly it was! Follow the previous steps for securing and sewing the lace.

Almost done! Now you'll need to measure your tie and decide how long and where on your neck you'd like it to fall. Once you've decided, trim off the extra length of the tie. Fold over the material on the end of the tie and sew close. 

We're all done with the sewing machine now! There are a couple of ways for securing the tie to wear as a necklace. I used a vintage metal pin to to pin the ends together. You could also sew in a metal snap to the back of the tie.

For the top of the tie, I went ahead a sewed a large gold button on for an added embellishment. I like the way it looked, but you could also use a flower or even another small pin. 

Hopefully I took enough photos of the process! It's another one of those lazy weekend projects, plus it's always fun to have a reason to go thrifting!  

Jessica has a Pretty Place setting posted today on her blog that you don't want to miss! I have her idea for napkin rings filed into my 'must make list!'

Sweet November: Autumn Wreath

It's time for an Autumn inspired wreath.... just a little something pretty to hang on the wall. I really wanted to make a wreath for our sweet November week, the challenge was deciding on what type and style I was after. After a trip to Target and seeing their (now discounted) Fall collection, the one with the vintage horse awards and lots of florals mixed with plaids, I had a good idea of the style I wanted. Something casual with dressy elements!

  This wreath was a joy to create, particularly because I was able to use things that I already had available at home. Some vintage wool, remnant pieces of lace, a handmade flower & leaves and even my Grandmothers rhinestone pin, look around your home and see what you can find to work with before heading the craft store!  

I'll walk you through my process of creating this wreath. Remember though, that everything can be substituted for something that you're comfortable working with. (like a sewing machine, hand stitching would work just fine as well!)

Materials

For the wreath itself, I used:

- a foam wreath 

- fabric, in this case a thick wool plaid

- scissors 

- a measuring tape 

- straight pins

- sewing machine

Directions

1. Start by measuring your wreath and then add 1 inch (my wreath form measured 7 inches so I want to cut the fabric at 8 inches.)

2. Lay fabric out and cut the measured amount. Because I wanted to gather or bunch the fabric on my wreath form, I cut out a piece of fabric the was 8 inches wide by 5 ft. long. (If you're using a shorter length piece of fabric, you can also sew 2 smaller pieces together to make one long piece.)

3. Once you've cut your fabric it should look similar to a long scarf.

4. Fold fabric in half (printed sides together or right sides together.) I'll be honest and tell you with this fabric I couldn't tell what was the right side and which was the wrong side, so I gave up and just started pinning the fabric together.

5. Fold over and pin the entire length of the fabric, making sure to leave about 8 inches at the end, so that you'll have room to turn the fabric 'right side out' (These sewing terms make me feel a bit like my mom :)

6. Sew down the length of the fabric, stopping at the 8 inch mark at the end. Remove pins once the fabric has been sewn.

7. Once the sewing has been complete, slowly (and patiently) turn the fabric right side out, by pulling the end of the fabric through that 8 inch opening at the opposite end. This is where I started to doubt whether using a thick wool was such a good idea, but after 5 minutes and some grumbling, I had finally turned the fabric the right way! 

 8. Finish sewing up the opening on the end of the fabric, either by hand of with a sewing machine.

9. I used a serrated knife to cut through my wreath, but with a little arm strength you can easily break the wreath from where the seam is. (I've accomplished this particular feat with last years wreath!)

10. Start to shimmy your fabric onto the wreath form.

 11. Once all of your fabric is covering the wreath, overlap the end pieces. 

So that's all there is to the actual wreath! It probably looks more complicated than it really is, I tried to break down the photos into the steps I thought would be useful. Next you get to decorate your wreath! 

I looked around for embellishments that were similar in colors: white - peach - grey - gold

My original idea was to use a craft glue to adhere everything into place, but then I discovered straight sewing pins do a marvelous job at securing light weight embellishments!

Start with pinning any lace or fabric down to your wreath first. Just like scrapbooking, we're working on building layers. Next add the larger elements like flowers, I was able to push a straight pin directly through the inside of the flowers and ruffled them a bit so the pin disappeared from sight.

For the leaves, I tucked and pinned them under the flowers on both side! 

Depending on how many lovely embellishments you're able to find, keep repeating the layering and pinning process until your wreath is nothing short of perfection!

Hope you enjoyed my Wreath creating process! I promise it really is an easy project that should take right around an hour or so - a perfect Fall weekend project! I have another tutorial to share tomorrow, something sweet to wear this holiday season! 

See you then!