Christmas Gift Toppers!

I had the luxury of a girls' weekend away for crafting and scrapbooking.  It was WOND-R-FUL!  We had three days of girl chat, good food, good drink and tons of time for letting the creativity flow.  In addition to 36 pages for my kids' scrapbooks, I worked on gift toppers for Christmas.  Here they are:

There are 23 in total, ranging in size from 2 inches to 4-1/2 inches.  They are super easy to make! I've included instructions at the bottom of this post. All of the backgrounds are a cream color...not this yellow...

This is more accurate for background color:

Here's how to make them-


Supplies:
Two coordinating pieces of scrapbook paper
Paper cutter
Scor-pal, bone folder, or some other method of scoring the paper
Adhesive dots
Embellishment/sticker

Tip: Complete steps 1 and 2 for multiple medallions ahead of time and then complete steps 3 and 4 while listening to the kids read, or watching t.v.

1. The larger medallions are 4-1/2 inches in diameter.  For this size, cut strips of 12x12 patterned paper into 2-1/2 inch strips. Two strips are connected and-to-end for the larger size. You need a scalloped circle for the center of the medallion (3" in diameter). You also need a second scalloped circle to cover the back (1-1/2" in diameter).  I used a friend's Cricut to cut multiples - that was slick!
2. After cutting your strips, use a border punch along one long edge. This step is not required, but adds some additional dimension to the edge.  I used a scalloped punch to get the rounded edge.
3. (This step is the most time-consuming part.)  Score the strip in between the scallops. I used a scor-pal www.scor-pal.com, but Martha Stewart also makes a similar tool.  
4. Once you have both strips scored, fan fold them along the score lines.
5. Take the two strips, right side up and connect them together at one end and then together at the other end, creating a circle.
6. From the back side, pull the center of the circle in and adhere it with an adhesive dot or two and the cover the center with the smaller scalloped circle.
7. Turn it over, front side up, and use adhesive dots to adhere the larger scalloped circle to the center of the medallion.
8. Add a message to the scalloped circle, or embellish it with an epoxy sticker or seasonal "doo-dad" (as a serious crafter, I'm sure you are familiar with this technical term).

For a smaller medallion, use 2-1/2" strips of paper. You only need one strip, and will need to make your scalloped circles smaller (2-1/2" and 1-1/2").

I think these will be cute on Christmas packages around the tree, on napkin rings at the table, or tied around a wine bottle and given to my favorite holiday hostess. A friend suggested adding a ribbon and hanging them on the tree.

My Christmas colors this year will be red, white and burlap.  I'm thinking of wrapping my packages in kraft paper with red ribbons and then adding these toppers.  What do you think?

Go create something!

-TracyP

A Little of This and a Little of That

I had the itch to work on a project, but not a ton of time (story of my life!), so I gathered up a few things I had in the garage:

• an MDF board that my DH had routered for me
• some leftover white paint and a little glaze and top coat from my Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations kit (more on that in another post!)
• AND some old door knobs I picked up at Second Use.

I painted the board with two coats of white paint and let it dry thoroughly.  Using an orbital sander, I distressed the board and then used the glaze to "age" it.  Once I had it looking the way I wanted, I let that dry and then put on two layers of top coat.  My hubby drilled the holes and attached the knobs for me. Here's what I ended up with:

Well, what do you think?

It's hanging in my kitchen.  I'm on the hunt for some vintage aprons - or great fabric to make my own.

I hope you're having a great day!

Go create something!
-TracyP

Cord Control - They've run amok!

Does anyone else struggle with power cords plugged in all over the place? The constant clutter on our kitchen counter was not part of my decor plan.  (Ok, the oak trim isn't either, but I'm working on that soon...)

So... I came up with a solution! A "charger drawer"...

This is a sofa table that sits along the wall, just inside our front door.  I ran a power strip up through the back of the drawer and used Thermoweb dots to attach it. Those pop dots come in handy for all kinds of "fix-its" around the house!  After thepower strip was in place, I plugged in the charger cords.  Like the countertop before it, the drawer was a mess in no time. So, I cleaned up the cords by coiling them up and putting rubberbands around them.  Aaaahhh....so much better! 

Day 1 - Create It/Shoot It/Post It/Share It

I've had so much fun searching blogs, meeting bloggers, going to the Farm Chicks Show (highlight!!!) and working on projects, that I thought I'd try my hand at posting projects.  Stay tuned...