Upcycled Pringles for Kids Advent Calendar

Last Christmas marked the last time for my son to have and to open an advent calendar.  He is now 11 years old and he understands that we will not be preparing a kiddie advent calendar for him.  He is sad but at the same time he feels like a real big boy.  Oh yeah, he still want to have a box of chocolate advent calendar one can buy in groceries but the problem would be is that he wants one pack a day which in turn serves as his advent calendar.  I don't think I will approve of that request - too much sweet for him =)

Anyway, last Christmas 2013 I gathered all the empty pringles canisters which I have been saving for 1 whole year.  Obviously we love Pringles hehehehehe.  I chose some funky and bright Christmas lightweight cardstock and wrap each canister then accentuated with heart and round doilies, using gliittered gold wrapper I punched gingerbread border using EK Success then numbered clips =)   He enjoyed opening each one everyday for 24 days and loved the items found inside, too =)  The upcycled canisters served as decors at our kitchen window =)

Simple, easy, and sparkly!

 Thanks for dropping by!

Easy Peasy Ornament for Kids

Need a simple DIY Christmas ornament?

Have a bunch of empty tissue rolls?

Your kid or kids would like to help decorate the tree and thus would love to create their own ornaments?

Well, here's a very simple idea my son created last year for our Christmas tree to complement the Angel-like ornaments I did which by the way you may find it here =)

All you need are empty tissue roll, wrapping paper or perhaps Christmas theme cardstock or aluminum tape like what my son used for this project.  He knows I collect empty tissue rolls and since he saw that I have excess embossed aluminum tape - left overs from the other ornaments I did, he kindly asked me if I can cut each empty tissue roll into 3 parts like what I did for the Easter Baskets years ago =)

Once all has been cut, cover each with your choice as I have mentioned above.

Add mosaic glass on every wrapped roll.

Glitter glue is perfect to add on top and bottom of each wrapped roll.

Don't forget to add whatever strings you have in hand for hanging purposes =)

Hang!

 

Easy, right?

until then.....


 

Tip: How to Add More Sparkle for your Christmas Tree

Christmas is just around the corner we all know that and I am pretty sure that in some countries as early as September plays Christmas songs in malls or stores .... some I bet started decorating their homes and even the front and backyard BUT not here in Sweden .... not yet.  Normally the bang starts December 01 and as for me I normally start setting up decorations by the last few days of November since my husband birthday falls on 1st of December.  I also wanted to start feeling officially the Christmas season on his birthday.

In every house the Christmas tree is the center of all decors and that's were my tip comes in for me to share with you all.  When I was a kid I saw my mom decorating our tree with love, patience, and joy.  She would create simple things to hang in our tree then gets busy with her sewing machine for all the curtains in our house.

Anyway, one of the tips she taught me when it comes to decorating a Christmas tree is to first add the lights and/or small mirrors at the body stem of the tree.  It will triple the effect of sparkles one would want to achieve.  For many years I have been using lights but few years ago I was so thrilled to find a pack of mirror inchies or mosaic glass and yes I had one thing in my mind - for our Christmas tree!!!

Oh don't think that we have a Christmas tree as early as now because this was taken last 2013 =)  Yes, I will still be using the glass mosaics year after year =)

just adhere each glass on a band back to back =)

Hang each starnd at the inner part of the tree =)

Ooooooohhhhhh it sure made a big difference!  This shot was taken without flash and the whole room glowed with gladness =)

I do hope one of you will try this tip =)

Thanks for reading!

 

Turning Empty Tissue Rolls Into Angel-like Ornaments

Life for me for the past years have been very very busy that I just have no time to update my blog which is a shame ... I know :(  Most of the time if I can I just create things during my free time then time passes so quickly that I have to do other chores or busy at work that I had no energy anymore to sit and dwell in my craft site.  What I will be posting is one of the Christmas ornament set that I created way back 2013.  It has been a habit of mine to collect empty tissue rolls because I know that I will be able to upcycle it to something cute or useful plus my son normal uses few when he is creating something.  This project i would say is not easy due to details but I'm proud to say I did get the flow so everything went smoothly =)

MATERALS:

Aluminum Tape
various Embossing Folders
Mirrors in 1 inch
Empty Tissue Rolls
Christmas Theme Cardstock
Eyelash yarns
various bands
Black Acrylic Paint
Sizzix (Angel Wings) Die

PROCEDURE:

1. Aluminum Tape comes in a roll at about 2 inches in width.  Cut strips and emboss for the body of the empty tissue roll =)  Then spread some acrylic paint and let dry =)

2.  Wrap each empty tissue roll with your choice of Christmas theme cardstock.

3.   Wrap the embossed aluminum tape and decorate according to your liking.  I added the mirror inchies to add sparkle when hit by the Christmas lights =)

4.  As for the wings :  Adhere strips of aluminum tape on any cardstock preferably A5 in size then emboss each cardstock then use the Sizzix Angel Wings die.  Adhere wings at the back part of each decorated empty tissue roll.  Hang and enjoy the sparkle =)

Honestly, I have no idea what I will be making for our Christmas tree this year.  My whole family is looking forward to my decorations coz they that every Christmas I have a theme =)  I know time goes so fast and I definitely have to come up with a theme this week =)

Thanks for viewing =)

Colorful Christmas Owls (Upcycle)

Finally I found my camera charger and it will take an hour to be fully charged then I can show you on of Becky Higgins Core kit.  While waiting let me show you one of the Christmas ornaments I did for Christmas 2012.  I love owls and that's a secret no more.  I collect owls that I find really really really cute and my collection is slowly growing.  Normally I buy one whenever we go to other countries coz it's more expensive here in Sweden.  Being a fan of owls, I made few pieces for our Christmas tree.  Isay only few coz I made use of well-pap soft boards when I get a package.  Sometimes, inside the package the items are wrapped with well-papp and I save those.

It's very easy to make coz you cut the width to your liking then roll and secure.  Afterwards you just decorate it.  I mainly used what I have in my stash like the eyelash yarn, 3D eyes, did cut randomly beaks using leftover yellow cardstock and halfmoon in black cardstock that serves as eyebrows then added stickles.  I made use of the different feathers I have and I found some plastic hats, too =)  So easy indeed!

 A close-up look:

Aren't they cute? 

 As for the back, I punched round scallops to cover the messiness of the feathers and punched and adhered 2 small circles before securing the ribbon to hang.  yes, I did use well-papp to make it stable.

A sample of one of the owls hanged in our Christmas tree.

Thanks for viewing =)

Have a great week-end and happy crafting!

A Simple Christmas Wreath Assembled by My Son

One thing I'm so happy about .... proud actually is that my son has creative juices in his brain.  Since he was 2 years old I noticed he is good in doodling ... drawing ... creating anything he can find at home or sometimes uses my left-over scraps.  There are moments when he is lazy to create hinself he would sit by my side and tell me what he wants to creat BUT the hitch is that he tells me then I execute it.

Last year, after staring at all the snowflakes I cut using Winter Lace Cricut Cartridge, he whispered in my ear that he wanted to make a Christmas wreath. And so he did!

Here's what he made - a very simple one but for an 8 year old I think it's awesome!

 I wonder if my son has any idea for our wreath this Christmas.  As for me, NO IDEA yet but it will come I know =)

Ginger Bread Cookies? Nope!

Nope, these are not gingerbread cookies because these are gingerbread couples for my son's teachers which we gave away last Christmas.  Just a Christmas decoration for them to hang in their homes.

When I saw the wooden jumbo (nearly 12 inches each) gingerbread man and woman at Panduro last year, I simply adored it and bought a lot of it but played with only a few.  I simply painted it with glittered gold acrylic paint then stamped with the Gingerbread cookie recipe, also from Panduro.  I embossed the stamped image with embossing powder then decorated it with different embellishments.

 Here are the details of each couples:

Here's the stamped image of the recipe:

Here's the bare wooden gingerbread man and woman:

 I think I will be making more this year ... to sell =)

Thanks for viewing!

Happy crafting :)

Winter Lace: Snowflakes (Review)

Ever wondered what snowflakes you can cut using Winter Lace Cricut Cartridge?  I was and that's why last year I spent few hours cutting all the snowflakes in the said cartridge.  Due to intricacies of most of the snowflakes, I suggest you cut each at least 3 inches.  Otherwise, you will be frustrated cutting it in smaller sizes like what I've experienced.  Hhhhmmmm or maybe my cutting blade was not too sharp anymore so check and change the blade.

All in all I would say it's a must to have Winter Lace cartridge because the snowflakes are too darn cute!  Besides, Sweden has a winter season and oftentimes around January, we have a snowstorm so it's kind'a cute to have snowflakes around the house or on your decorations during Christmas season ... or winter season I should say.

Here are some of my favorites among the cuts =)

 Showing you 2 cuts I've made smaller than 3 inches:

Thanks for reading my review =)

Christmas Tags (Ornaments)

Have you guys visited The Graphics Fairy?  I'm sure you did and maybe an avid follower =)  To date, the blog has over 3,000 graphics free for everyone. I admire all her graphics and sometimes I grab and that's what I did last year.  I grab all the birds I find so cute and I just can't resist.

At first, I don't know what to do with the birds but then after making and hanging all the 3D birds I've made for our Christmas tree last year, I decided to use the graphics as our added ornaments.  Although I've made 60 3D birds it wasn't enough BUT after adding the tag ornaments, it made our tree a beautiful and happy one.

I cut all tags using Tags, Bags, Boxes and More Cricut cartridge.  Sprayed some home-made glimmer mist using Distress inkers with a dash of Perfect Pearls.  Oh yeah, stamping is essential and I mostly used Kaiser Kraft clear stamps among others.  After adhering all the birds from Graphics Fairy, I applied silver stickles around the image. To hang the tags, I first made a mini Christmas wreaths inspired by Tim Holtz and used a silver star bunting as the loop to hang the tags.

I will definitely keep these tags as long as I live and pass it on to my son someday when he has his own family.

All the tag ornaments I made =)

 A sample of the tag hanged on our tree =)

Hanged tag ornaments but without the 3D birds yet =)

There's the tree with balls, 3D birds and of course the Tags =)

3D Birds Christmas Ornaments

I love, love, love Christmas!  I just love the smell anywhere I go but most especially at home because aside from carfting I'm totally busy cooking =)  It's the month wherein I'm deprived of sleep due to creating lots and lots of items.  As for my son, trimming the tree is one thing he looks forward to every Christmas time.  He is always curious as to what I will be making year after year for our tree plus he is too excited what the whole house inside and out would look like.  I actually don't repeat decors .... maybe 1 or 2 items only but the rest everything is newly handmade.

Honestly, I don't have any idea yet as to what I will be making this Christmas for our tree .... for our home but I would like to show you what I made last year :  Christmas ornament #1.

After making these cute pearlescent and glimmering birds, it made my son smile and was too excited to trim our tree =)  I made 60 birds all in all while watching horror films at the living room!  Yeah, I like horror films anytime of the year =)

Materials Used:

Sizzix Die - Bird
Swiss Dot Embossing Folder for the wings
Musical Note Embossing Folder
Pearl Maker for the eyes
Snowflakes - sequins
Deco Art Glamour Dust Ultra Fine Glitter Paint - Limelight, Sizzling Red, and Turquoise Sparkle
Twine to hang each bird

Thank you so much for dropping by!