DIY: Paper Bag wrapping for Christmas

Hello friends! 

Photo source for picture attached:  hot cocoa

I was so inspired by Fox on the Run's Tumblr photo that I decided to make some of my own to share with my friends and family.  I also wanted to share the project with you.  I love this project because it allows you to tailor your gift wrapping specifically to the person you are giving the gift to.  In this DIY you will see that you can select a photo of your choice to put onto the paper bag with a wooden clothespin to make it look so festive.

So first we will start off as always with the materials you would need for this project.  

Materials:

-          Paper bags, with or without straps

-          Scissors

-          Photos (either printed from the computer or any other photos you choose to use)

-          Wooden Clothespins

-          Tissue paper

      Step one: 

      Find a photo you like on the computer.  I used Weheartit.com because I am always so inspired by the photos that users post.  I saw a bunch that I liked.  When doing it this way I recommend choosing a bunch and printing them out then make a decision because there are so many good photos on there you might get overwhelmed! (Like I did).  Then print out the photos you choose and cut them out.  I left a little white border around my photos so they looked framed.

 Photos are from weheartit.com: Links to these individual photos are:  Snowy cat, hot cocoa, candles, snowy street, cat with ornament.

 Collect your paper bag and clothespin

 Gift tags are optional, I bought these from a craft fair a couple years ago.  They look homemade and add to the charm of the brown paper bag.

Collect some tissue paper to wrap your gift 

Step two: 

Use your clothespins to secure the photo onto the paper bag.

 

 Add tissue paper and the gift inside and the gift tag on the other side so it doesn't block the photo.

 Then you have your Christmas gift wrapped in a unique way that will charm your friends and family.  Below are how the other photos I collected would look attached to the brown bag.

Source for photo: cat with ornament.    

Source for photo:  candles

Source for photo:  Snowy cat

 I also bought some Christmas tins from Value Village one day and wanted to share them with you.  I put some tissue paper inside to protect the gifts and I will tie a red ribbon around them and add gift tags before presenting them.

Thank you for visiting and I hope you come back soon! Happy Holidays! 

DIY: Tree Branch Reindeer

Hello Friends!

We had a really windy night here in Toronto on Sunday night which blew down some branches in my front yard.  We have a birch tree that had some branches knocked down by the wind and I decided to make a birch tree Reindeer out of the branch.  I am getting pretty inspired by fallen twigs and branches this winter!
Below I've posted the materials and steps needed in order to make your very own Twig Reindeer.  It's so simple and I had a lot of fun seeing the reindeer come together.  It is truly amazing that you can make these things on your own instead of going to the store and spending a lot of money on Christmas decor and you also have the satisfaction of knowing you made it!

So first as always, you will need certain materials to make this DIY!

Materials:
- tree branch (for the body), and twigs (for the antlers)
- tree twigs
- hot glue gun
- festive ribbon
- scissors

Steps:  

1 and 2. Collect a tree branch from your tree outside a fallen branch is best instead of tearing one off.  I used a Birch tree branch for mine.
3. Break the branch into pieces to use for your reindeer.  I broke the branches using my hands but if your pieces are too thick you can cut them as well with scissors then try snapping them.  The size is up to you based on how large you would like your reindeer to be. You will need one large, thick piece to be the body, four shorter pieces to be the legs, another three even shorter pieces to use for the tail, neck and head.  Also you will need two pieces of twigs for the antlers.

      4. Glue the four smaller branches onto the body of the reindeer.  I glued the back legs on the end of either side of the branch of the body and the front legs under the branch of the body.

    5. Then glue on the neck and tie a bow with the ribbon around the neck part of the reindeer between the body branch and neck branch.  Glue a piece at the end to be the reindeer’s tail.                                    
    6. Then glue two twigs onto the head piece to become the antlers.

Then you are finished your reindeer, congratulations!

Thank you for visiting and hopefully you want to make your own reindeer using this DIY Tutorial.  For other tutorials on Needles and Wool, Please click the page at the top of the blog titled “DIY Tutorials” and for more Christmas Tutorials click “Christmas Tutorials” Thank you!

DIY: Tissue Paper Christmas Trees

Hello friends,

 COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 38 DAYS!

How is your day going?  thank you for visiting my blog!

Last night my friend Leeanna and I made these tissue paper Christmas trees out of Styrofoam cones and white tissue paper.  Leeanna found the DIY tutorial from AliLily's blog called Tissue paper tree tutorial.  It was easy to follow! It was such a simple craft and such an enjoyable activity to do while catching up and chatting at the same time. 

The materials for the DIY are:

-          -Styrofoam cones

-          -Tissue paper of any color you favor

-         - Scissors

-          -Hot glue gun and glue sticks

-          -Pencil or pen

First you cut out the tissue paper into squares and then dab a bit of glue onto the Styrofoam cone starting from the bottom, then you pull the square piece over the end of the pencil on the eraser side and twist the piece as you dab the pencil into the glue dab.  Continue to do this until you fill up the entire cone with tissue paper. 

These are some photos from when I was making mine (photos courtesy of Leeanna T):

The squares of tissue paper, we cut the squares 

Starting to glue the tissue pieces to the top of the cone

working my way down gluing the pieces onto the cone

Almost done... just a little more needed at the bottom

Then they are all finished !

I hope you give it a try! We had lots of fun making them !

Take care,

DIY: Winter Tree Branch Display

Hello friends!

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 46 DAYS!

Hello everyone, I have worked on this DIY for the past couple days.  It is the simplest DIY I have ever done! One day I arrived home from work and saw a branch in my drive way that had fallen from a tree on our front lawn so I picked it up and thought I could do something creative with it.  Of course after looking on Pinterest I got inspired to make a winter tree branch display using the branch.  I made the paper ornaments using a tuturial on the blog How about Orange called "DIY paper teardrop ornaments".  Check out her blog if you are interested in making some yourself! they are light which make them perfect for the tree branches more delicate branches and they are easy to make and beautiful.

I loved making this craft and it turned out beautifully, I hope you give it a try and have fun!  

The Materials needed for this DIY are:

- tree branch

- acrylic white paint

- sponge brush or any type of brush you have

- vase

- optional pinecones for the vase or any other decorative materials.

Tree branch

Acrylic Paint

Sponge brush

Clear vase

 Step one: 

After taking the leaves off of the branch, you can begin painting the branch white.  The paint goes on smoothly.  I started from the tips of the branch then finished at the thickest part of the branch I found it easier this way.  Once the branch is fully painted you can let it air dry on a newspaper.

 Step two:

Place the dried tree branch in a vase and add some pinecones to the bottom of the vase.  I arranged the pinecones until I was happy with the way the branch was standing.  Sometimes the pinecones pushed the branch over so just keep adjusting until you are happy with how the branch stands.

Step Three:

Once you are done adjusting how you want your branch to sit, you can add some light ornaments.  I made my own paper ornaments using a tuturial from a blog: How about Orange called "DIY paper teardrop ornaments" if you want to also make these ornaments.

Then you are done! I hope you enjoyed looking at this DIY.  For more DIY Tuturials done by me, please click on the link above that says " DIY Tuturials".  Thank you!

DIY: Push pin frame decor

 

Hello everyone!  I found a DIY idea on google images from the Modgepodge blog (click here to visit!) and I decided to make my own.  It was such a cheap idea for a DIY so I was very interested in trying out something similar.  I had bought some fabric covered push pins from the dollar store awhile back and I knew I had some frames tucked away so I thought why not?  I will begin with a list of the materials you would need to get started then I will included step by step instructions :) hope you enjoy!

Materials:

1. Scrap booking paper color of your choice

2. push pins 

3. frame 

4. glue gun 

Time:

10 minutes 

Gather up your materials and you are ready to get started! make sure you have a clear space to work from.

push pins colors of your choice

photo frame of your choice 

 STEP ONE:

Decide where you want to put your push pins on the paper.  Add some glue onto the back of your push pin after bending the back of the push pin back with pliers.

OR: put glue onto paper first, then stick push pin onto the paper.

Finish gluing all of your push pins where you want them to be to complete your design.  I decided to use two patterns so it is simple.  I chose the white and black to match the frame I chose and red and white to match the red from the paper.  

 STEP TWO:

Slip your design into a frame and voila! you have your new piece of decor that took no time to make at all and very inexpensive.

DIY: Dreamcatcher complete!

Hello Friends!

This morning I completed the dreamcatcher!  I had purchased a dream catcher kit from Michaels to make this dream catcher using real leather.  I enjoyed making it, now that I have the basic skills on how to make one I might get a little creative the next time by using different color sinew and feathers or charms.  It was fun! so below I posted some instructions on how I made the dreamcatcher.

Materials:

Ring

Feathers

Sinew

Suede lace



Beads





Step One: Wrap the lace around the ring until the entire ring is covered.  Then apply glue every now and then so the lace stays on the ring.

Step two: tie the sinew onto the ring that is now covered with lace.  Then tie every inch so there are tied sinews around the entire ring. 

Step three:  continue tying each layer using a half hitch know until you arrive at the center then tie a know and cut it off.

Sinew is completed.

Step four:  then once the sinew is tied all around, cut a 8" cord and a 12" cord and use the Lark's head knot to tie the cord to the ring.  The 12" piece will be used to hang the dreamcatcher and the 8" strand will be to hang feathers and beads.

Step five: put beads onto the lace and then stick the feathers under the white beads, tie a knot.

 

Then you are done!  enjoy!
Come again soon!

Lisa :)