25 crafts of christmas // love

On this last day of the 25 Crafts of Christmas, our craft material/supply/tool is the most important one you can use. Love. Is that a little cheesy? Sure. But it's the truth.

In the book of 1 Corinthians in the Bible, it says that if we don't love, we're nothing. No matter what you believe, I think we can all agree that love is vital to this world...this life...this everything.

A moment of honesty: Crafting is my job and I'm glad of it, but like any job, there are days that I'm just not feeling it and work only because it just needs to get done. But the reason I do it is love. Love for the work and fun things I make. Love for you and the people who enjoy it along with me. Love for God who gave this work to me and who loves every one of us so much. And hopefully that comes through.

My goal is to have love in everything I do. Will you join me in crafting with love at Christmas and every day?

Merry Christmas to you and the ones you love.

25 crafts of christmas // paper

Um...guys? It's Christmas Eve. I'm pretty sure that it's supposed to still be the beginning of December, and yet...the calendar tells me otherwise. By this point in December, the wrapping paper really needs to be in place around gifts, but often, this is when we are still finishing up the last-minute wrapping.

To that end, I chose paper for today's Craft of Christmas. I love all kinds of paper. For my printables, I try to use coated papers for the brightest colors possible (it's really worth spending an extra couple bucks when you want the prettiest prints!). And for wrapping, lightweight brown kraft is still my favorite (it's easier to wrap with when it's not too stiff!).

DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE WRAPPING PAPER.

If you've still got a few little gifts to wrap and the pretty papers are running low, I made some printable wrapping paper for you! There are two designs and each are in color or black and white. The colors are coordinated to go with my Kitschy Christmas Gift Tag Ornaments and the black and white option is great for printing onto kraft paper or colors!

To print on kraft paper, just cut it down to 8-1/2 x 11 inches, using a regular piece of paper as a guide. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to fit through your printer. If you find that it's curling a bit, a warm iron helps prep it for the printer. Also, do watch out for wet ink on the paper. Printed kraft can pick up stray ink drops, especially around the edges!

Only one more day left in the 25 Crafts of Christmas! I hope you have a moment to stop by tomorrow...it's the most important craft material you can have and use!

25 crafts of christmas // paint

If you ever craft with kids, you know that glitter and paint are the two dreaded supplies. Since we already talked briefly of glitter earlier in the 25 Crafts of Christmas, I figured...hey...two days before Christmas? Let's pull out the paint! But when you are using paint as a grown up, it doesn't need to be as scary. In fact, used simply, it can be easy and classy!

Grab some acrylic paint (craft paint or artist's paint...either will work!), wooden beads, and string, and you're all set to make a last-minute Christmas necklace!



It's a good idea to shake your paint a little, just to make sure it's all mixed. This is especially true for metallics. Then, just unscrew the cap and work with the paint that is inside the lid. We'll use a toothpick as our brush for this, but you could use a tiny paintbrush if you'd rather.




Slide a few beads onto a wooden skewer or a toothpick. This will make it easier to handle them and decorate all sides.

Use the toothpick to make dots on the beads. You can do polka dots all around, or find ways to make little patterns. Do them all the same or do them all different. Symmetry helps make these look nice, but there's no rule on how to make these. Also, if you're using a little brush, you can make squiggles and lines. Have fun with it!



Rest the skewer across a cup or bowl so the beads can dry. When they have had an hour or two to completely dry (you're not using much paint, so it doesn't take too long!), slide them onto a string or chain and proudly wear your new creation.



When I want my painted pieces to last longer or have a glossy finish, I use a sealer. I've had this bottle for a few years now it's still holding out. It's designed for polymer clay (I bought it for a project that used painted clay and wood together), but it works for me. There are lots of sealers available, and it's best to choose one that is designed for what you're making, but again...don't fret too much over this sort of thing. Unless of course you're attempting to make heirloom quality...fret a little over those. For everything else, just worry about enjoying it!

25 crafts of christmas // washi tape

Ah, washi tape! Has it lost its trend status yet? I'm not sure. But I do know that whether it's the hot thing to do or not, this pretty adhesive is pretty useful. I only have a small collection (from Target), and I rarely get especially creative with it, but I love sticking it on gifts or using it to actually hold things together!

For some very fun and festive uses for washi tapes (with lots of good wrapping ideas...because we don't have all our gifts wrapped yet, do we? I didn't think so), check out these posts I've favorited:

Simple Gift Tags (in Danish, but you'll figure it out)
Not-so-simple Gift Tags (This uses a Silhouette, but you cut by hand)
Washi Tape Chain Garland (see the missing pic here)
Toothpick Stars (in Danish, but again...you'll figure it out!)
Washi Tape Garland Gift Embellishment (The garland is a bonus gift!)
Even More Washi Gift Wrap Inspiration (The bow is my favorite!)

25 crafts of christmas // cookie cutters

Christmas is now just a few days away. Are you feeling as behind as I am? Just last night I finally mixed up some cookie dough and hopefully now it's more chill than I am. Which means I need to pull out our favorite cookie cutters! Folks around here get very particular about which tree we use for the frosted tree cookies...silly, I know!

But tasty treats aren't the only thing that cookie cutters are good for! I did a search on Pinterest for "Christmas cookie cutter crafts" and saw some really nice ideas for ornaments, wreaths, and what? Even some cookies!

A few years ago I shared a little project using a cookie cutter in one of my online classes. It was based on a cookie cutter idea that my mom had made years and years ago, and now I bring it to you here. This is a fun way to frame some freeform embroidery and it even stands up on its own for display!

Here’s what you’ll need:
Cookie cutter - at least 4 inches and a simple shape
Cotton fabric - larger than cookie cutter
Water-soluble marking pen
Embroidery floss
Fiber fill - just a teeny bit
Recycled cardboard (like a cereal box)
Hot glue

Note: The star that I worked with for this was a bit tricky, so you may want to work with something with less corners/points for your first try.



Trace your cookie cutter shape onto the fabric.



Embroider a freeform design within the traced shape, or trace your favorite pattern. You can stay inside the lines by about 1/4 inch or go all the way outside if you want the edges of your embroidery to extend into the cookie cutter. When you've finished stitching, rinse away the markings.



Trace your cookie cutter shape onto the cardboard. If the cardboard feels too flexible, you may want to double it.



Place a bit of fiber fill onto the back of your embroidered design, then lay your cardboard piece on top of that. Try to line up the shape as well as you can.



Push the fabric/cardboard shape through from the back of your cookie cutter to check that it will fit. Remove.



Trim down the fabric a bit and attach the edges to the back of the cardboard. Push the piece back into the cookie cutter, and attach with some hot glue around the edges. Watch out! The metal will be hot from the glue! (Ignore those markings on mine...it's better to rinse those away as stated earlier!)



If you want to add a back, cut a matching piece of cardboard and wrap it in fabric. Glue onto the back.

Now you can display your freshly baked embroidery!

25 crafts of christmas // elastic

Around the holidays, some may think that they best use of elastic is in the waistband of their pants. While that may be true, I thought we might make something fun with some of this stretchy supply!

The colorful fold-over elastic that you see above gets used most often these days for making those super popular hair ties...a great stocking stuffer! And that red elastic? It's the same kind I used to make this gift topper last year! But that super skinny stuff is what I grabbed to make today's project.



When we entertain, or even sometimes when it's just the family, we tend to pull out the matching coffee/hot chocolate/hot cider/tea mugs. And then we can't remember which person belongs to which mug. So I made some stretchy little charms to add charm and identification!

You will need:

Felt in a variety of colors
Skinny Elastic
Embroidery floss in a variety of colors
Scissors
Pinking shears
Needle



Cut some pieces of felt that are about 3/4 x 2-1/2 inches. If you don't want to you different colors of felt, you can use the embroidery floss as your identifier.



Fold a piece of felt in half and use a large needle to make two holes in the fold. You could also use a Crop-A-Dile to make these holes, but wiggling the needle a bit will work just as well.




Cut a piece of elastic that is about 4-1/2 inches long. Thread the ends through the holes in the felt, then tie the ends with a tight overhand knot.



Fold the felt in half (with the knot on the inside) and cut the end with pinking shears. This is optional, but it's kinda cute, right?



Use embroidery floss to stitch around the edges and hold it all closed.




To use these, simply loop them around the handles of your mugs! Just be sure to remove them before washing. They'd make it through a washing, I'm sure, but they won't stay as pretty.

And here's another idea to enhance these! If you want, you could add a little embroidery to the tab before you stitch it closed. Consider adding initials of your guests, numbers, or simple shapes like hearts, stars, etc.

25 crafts of christmas // embroidery

25 Crafts of Christmas has been rolling along in no particular order of importance, except that this one should have been first. Or last, if we were counting down. I enjoy trying all kinds of different types of craft and working with new and interesting supplies and tools, but embroidery will always be the one I hold closest to my heart. Yes, that's terribly sappy, but it's how I feel.

When people ask me why I love embroidery, here's what I tell them: It's inexpensive and easy to get started, it's super portable, and you can do SO MUCH with just a few simple stitches. If you haven't tried it before, let 2014 be the year you start stitching. (My Embroidery Basics series is a great place to start!)

DOWNLOAD THE BABY JESUS EMBROIDERY PATTERN.

Even closer to my heart than embroidery is this baby. This baby who isn't a baby anymore.

I've looked at the 25 Crafts of Christmas as an advent calendar of sorts. Advent means coming. Christmas is coming! But traditionally in the church calendar, Advent is a time to focus not only on a day of celebration, but how Jesus is coming again. At Christmas and every day, I look forward to that day. It's the hope that I hold onto.

I place my hope in the baby who grew up, died to pay for the wrong things we do and then lived again, who lives forever and is coming again. The baby who isn't a baby anymore, and who loves you more than anything. Think about that. Ponder it in your heart. And if you ever want to talk about it, email me, tweet at me, comment...whatever works for you.

Amidst all the Christmas crafting, may we never set aside the beautiful gift of God's son.

25 crafts of christmas // ribbons

Do you love ribbons and trims as much as I do? Do you have as difficult a time finding good projects for them as I do? Seriously, I look at them more than I use them.



My friends Susi and Jamie made me the most wonderful advent calendar filled with pretty gifts, and these ribbons are some of them. But will I be able to use them? I'm not sure...they're like treasure to me!

So I thought I'd write up a post sharing some links to Christmas projects using ribbons. And do you know what? I was sort of disappointed with what I found. So many things were starting to look the same to me. At least I found a few that really excited me, either for their originality or pure ease. Check them out and dig in to your ribbon stash!

Christmas Ribbon Bunting
Ribbon Star Wall Art
Mini Ribbon Wreaths
Holiday Garland (with Lights!)
Scrap Ribbon Tree Ornaments

Also, don't freak out, but Christmas is a week from today. Okay...yikes...I'm totally freaking out.