Congrats Pillowboxes

Nothing says CONGRATS better than a gift that says CONGRATS on it!

I made these for two cousins when they graduated from college.

Guess what fits in pillowboxes really well... gift cards!

This is a really easy 5-minute craft.

1. Start with a pillowbox - you can buy them bulk at OrientalTrading.com.
2. Measure the width of the box and cut out a piece of decorative scrapbooking paper that is longer than twice the width of the box and not quite as wide as the box.
3. Wrap the paper around the box and secure with double-stick tape.
4. Decorate!
5. Insert a small gift, like a gift card or money and fold over the ends.
6. Tie a decorative ribbon to secure it.

Easter Cards

Bunnies and eggs are for kids! I decided to stick with a spring floral theme for these Easter cards. Pastels and bright colors helped bring Spring to the cloudy gray rainy Sunday.



Cards are a great craft project for a crafting party! My friend Karen put the cupcake and chick designs together for her crafting party and then I got to make them and take them home. I love the little chick.



Little chick says "Cheep!"

Cupcakes with Heart

Everyone loves cupcakes!

But no one likes writing mushy valentines to everyone they know, right? So what's the solution? Make cupcakes instead! Even without words, they say Happy Valentine's Day to someone you care about and can be as romantic OR platonic as you want them to be.

For these cupcakes I bought the mix, wrappers and heart toothpicks from Target, and just... put them together. Ta da! ZERO creativity required.

If you have more time on your hands and want to get fancy you can always (1) make frosting and cake from scratch, and/or (2) buy some toothpicks and design your own paper toppers based on whatever special occasion you need the cupcakes for!

18th Annual Gingerbread Village Report

For many years the Gingerbread Village is on display at the Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Seattle.  It sits in the lobby while hundreds of people an hour walk past admiring their work.  Although it's free any donations collected go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

Swiss Family Robbinson come to mind?

Looks like a toy story theme

Elves loading up Santa's Sleigh

After this my boyfriend started pondering questions like, "are they safe to eat after sitting out so long?"  and "how long do these things last?"

Glowing Xbox Christmas Bells

So as you might have learned, both me and Ava work in the Tech industry.  I happen to work at Xbox . . . now you can take a moment and go "whoah" ka ka ka.  Sorry I'm being prideful.  Back to the story.  For our 'Holiday' party our invite came with a picture of bells that glowed the Xbox logo. COOL

Thus we start with some Bells purchased at our local dollar store.





Shove some green glow sticks inside
and turn off the lights. 



ka ka ka, loop them through a hair tie and Vola, instant hair accessory.

Our 'Holiday' party was at two downtown clubs that they rented out.  Walk around in a crowded dark room was a great way to show these off.

Don't they look awesome?

-SmallRiniLady

Materials:  Bells, GlowSticks, Hair Ties

Chocolate-Dipped Cookies

We have so many relatives that we see over the holidays it is just not reasonable to buy gifts for everyone! But it isn't too hard to mass-produce yummy treats! You could just buy some and wrap them in cute bags, but when you make them yourself and wrap them yourself it is a nicer touch that anyone will appreciate.

Every Christmas my mom makes chocolate-covered pretzels as gifts, so I made chocolate-dipped Oreos and graham crackers! And then added sprinkles.



Some turned out kind of ugly, but they were still TASTY!

If I did it again, I would just stick with Oreos; perhaps an assortment of Vanilla and Mint.



I found cute reindeer bags and added a tag, jinglebell and ribbon. To make the tags I just cut out the shapes from cardstock paper, punched a hole in the end for the ribbon, stuck a Christmas sticker on one side and addressed the other.

Make Your Own Christmas Decorations

'Tis the season for crafting decorations!

I decorated two Christmas wreaths for my home. This is a very simple craft project that you can easily customize to any decor style.

If you're hanging the wreath on a door, bells add a nice touch because they'll jingle whenever the door opens or closes.

Or you can just literally hang a bell on your door. That works too.

Sparkly silk flowers make a nice arrangement on the dining table. I added a coordinating purple bow.

While you're in the floral section, pick up some sprigs and flowers to accent a wreath too!

All you need is:
1 plain wreath
1 small roll of fancy wired ribbon
5 or more flourishes of holly or flowers
1 wreath hanger
Ornaments or bells

Step 1: get a plain wreath and fluff out all of the branches to make it look fuller. Bonus Points: wrap a strand of battery-operated holiday lights around the wreath and secure the battery pack to the back of the wreath.
Step 2: Wrap the ribbon around the wreath, being careful not to twist the ribbon as you do so. You will probably use the whole roll, so make sure the ends are even in length, then tie a pretty bow at the bottom (or at the top if you prefer).
Step 3: Add "garnishes" - sprigs of holly or silk flowers, ornaments, bells.
Step 4: Hang it on a door and enjoy!

Green Christmas Tree

This tree is made from paper that I grabbed from the recycling bin.

1) Make a lot of cones (out of paper) with a similar size
2) Create one large Cone (out of paper) to use as the trunk of the tree
3) Begin attaching (via glue, tape, or staples) the cones to the trunk working your way up. Use the larger cones for the bottom and the smaller cones at the top
4) use any additional paper to make decorations such as stars, hanging balls, or streamers.

-Rini
Material: Paper, tape (because that was what i had on hand)

Star Wars Paper Snowflakes

I saw Wil Wheaton's tweet about Star Wars Paper Snowflakes and knew I had to pick up a pair of scissors. I just happened to have some scratch paper nearby...

This was a fast and fun craft project, I totally recommend it!

Pillowboxes for Any Occasion

This is one of those craft projects that can get addicting, and I have a box of 200 blank white pillowboxes ready to be decorated!

I decided to make a bunch of pillowboxes that could be used for almost any occasion, like a birthday or Mother's Day. It is nice to have these on hand when you need to come up with a gift on short notice. Have I mentioned how well these hold gift cards? They are just the right size!

There is no end to the way these can be decorated to fit the occasion, whether with paper and ribbon or perhaps fabric and twine or even a felt wrap with a button closure.

As of the time I am posting this, I have already used every single one of these boxes as gifts already. MUST MAKE MORE!!!

Pillowboxes!

Err... what's a pillowbox?

They are boxes... which kinda look like pillows once you pinch the sides and pop them into shape.

They make great wrapping for any occasion, such as wedding favors, baby or bridal shower favors, or other small gifts like candy or gift cards. You can purchase plain white pillowboxes in bulk at a craft store or OrientalTrading.com.

One piece of 12x12" scrapbook paper was more than enough to decorate two boxes and I used some of the scraps to create coordinating gift tags. Ivory satin and organza ribbon leftover from my wedding added the finishing touch.

Materials (for 2 boxes):

- 2 Blank white pillowbox

- 1 sheet of 12x12 scrapbook paper

- Satin ribbon about 1" wide

- Thin organza ribbon or string (to attach the gift tag)

- Scissors and ruler or a paper cutter

- Double-stick tape

- Standard hole punch

Instructions:

1. Measure the length and width of the pillowbox. Cut a piece of scrapbook paper so that the width is about 1 cm less than the length of the pillowbox and the length of the paper is 1 to 3 cm greater than twice the width of the pillowbox. Measurements do not need to be exact, just close. From the leftover paper, cut a second piece the same size for your second box and hang on to the leftover scraps until step three (3).

2. Wrap the decorative paper around the pillowbox lining up one edge with the edge of the box. The box should be completely wrapped, plus a little extra. Crease the paper in two places where the pillowbox is creased, then secure the paper in place with double-stick tape. The extra lenth on one end should be taped underneath the opposite edge which is aligned with the pillowbox edge. Repeat this for your second box.

3. From the paper remnants cut two pieces of paper which are about 1.5" x 3". Fold each in half and punch a hole in one of the corners near the fold.

4. Thread a piece of thin organza ribbon through the hole in the gift tag and tie a knot to join the ends in a loop. Repeat on the second gift tag.

5. Pinch the pillowboxes into shape and fold down the curved edges. Insert gift card or candy (or other surprise!).

6. Tie a wide satin ribbon around the pillowbox to secure the ends. First tie an overhand knot, then slip the looped ribbon on the gift card over one end of the satin ribbon. Finish tying the satin ribbon in a bow or double-knot. Repeat for the second pillowbox.