DIY: Christmas Tree from Repurposed Book

Welcome to our final Workshop Wednesday!

Wow! It is hard to believe this is our last Workshop Wednesday for our Christmas in July blog hop. The year is half way over but at least we have a jump start on our Christmas decorations, wrapping, and gift ideas and I hope you have been inspired to get an early start as well.

If you are visiting from The Scrap Shoppe welcome and thank you for stopping by my blog!

Today I want to share with you something I have wanted to make and finally completed - a repurposed book turned into a vintage Christmas tree. I will share the steps to make one for yourself or to give as a gift.

First you will need a book that you do not plan to read again or I purchased mine from Goodwill (it has approximately 300 pages). You need to remove both the front and back cover before you start folding your pages. Each page requires four different folds.

1.   Fold the top right corner to meet the inside binding of the book

2.   Starting at the top of the previous fold make a diagonal fold to meet the inside binding

3.   This fold is made on the back of the previous folds as you want to fold the bottom triangle to make a point for what will be the outside corner of the tree and a straight line across the bottom

4.   Once you have completed your fold in step 3 tuck the folded triangle into the fold so you have a straight bottom fold as this will allow the tree to sit flat

 

As you work closer to the end it will get harder to fold the pages into the binder which will make some pages stand out more than others will but I think it gives the tree depth. As you are folding you can use a large binder clip to hold the pages you have completed. Once all pages were folded, I glued the first and last page together to prevent them from separating and this is what your tree should look like.

Now you can get your CreativiT going as you decorate your tree. I think the book has a vintage feel to it so I decided to use lace to trim my tree. I applied glue to the lace in small sections and worked around the tree gluing it to the edges.

I had a hard time deciding how to top my tree as I wanted to add some color while keeping it vintage. I used a lace I had on hand and ran a burgundy ribbon through the holes in the lace and made a simple bow. Of course I wanted a vintage brooch to go in the center of the bow which I did not have on hand – time to get crafty so I made my own.

I gathered up some items I had on hand. I used a chipboard tag that I pressed into black ink to give it a “metal” look. I then used a metal charm frame and put rhinestones in the center. For the edges I used burgundy rhinestones in the four corners and lined the outside with pearls – voila what do you think?

Here is a close up of the top of the tree and I think it will compliment the angel my oldest son made from a book when he was in school - isn’t it adorable?

Let’s keep this blog hop going so make sure you head on over to see what Bev from Flamingo Toes has created for you today.

Thank you for joining us for our Workshop Wednesdays! I also want to thank the other ladies who let me be a part of this blog hop for all of their inspiring and creative ideas, so make sure you show them some blog love and hop on over to check out what creative ideas they are sharing today - Kara from Mine for the Making, Carol from The Answer is Chocolate,  and Michele from The Scrap Shoppe - and until December…Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas in July!

Tracey

Beach Getaway

Serenity – My Home Away from Home

Ahhh – sometimes it is nice to get away for a few days especially when you can have some quiet time with just the hubs (look how calm the ocean was this day)! We had an enjoyable time in Mexico Beach catching some rays, eating fresh seafood, and long walks along the shore. I was also able to collect some seashells for some project ideas I had while I was away, but first I have to get into my Santa workshop to finish my projects for Wednesday.

One of my passions in addition to crafting is taking photos and on our first day there was a nasty storm that passed by so it was time to get out the camera to try capturing some pictures of lightening.

While I had my camera set up to take these photos I was able to experience something I have been waiting to see for a very long time. I LOVE dolphins and have experienced them riding the surf when we were out on my brother-in-laws boat and I’ve seen them schooling down the coast, I’ve even been lucky enough to see a sea turtle laying eggs, but I have always wanted to see a dolphin leap from the water. While waiting for the next lightening strike I had the experience I have been waiting for – I finally saw a dolphin leap in the wild!!!

Luckily I had my camera set so I was not looking through the lens so I was able to see it with my own two eyes and lucky for me. You always hear fisherman talk about the one that got away well I want to share with you the photo that got away. You see some nice people had decided to feed the seagulls during this time and one decided he needed me to take his picture instead of the leaping dolphin, below you will see the camera hog (seagull) and then the splash from the dolphin leaping.

At least I have some proof that I did actually see this but it was an experience I will not forget and luckily I was able to see them a few other times as they were schooling down the shoreline.

Where is your favorite place to get reenergized?

Tracey

Sweet Treats Gift Idea

Welcome to our third Workshop Wednesday!

If you are visiting from The Scrap Shoppe welcome and thank you for stopping by my blog!

Everyone has been sharing some great ideas during our Christmas in July blog hop and I hope you are having as much fun as I am following the other ladies so make sure you check out the other blogs today.

I have to say working on Christmas projects when it is extremely hot outside has a little different feel but the good news is we will have a head start this year. Make sure you join in on the fun and post a link to any Christmas projects you might be working on and if you do not have a blog for us to link to send me an email with the details (make sure to include pictures) and I will share your projects on my blog.

Part of my gift giving last year included a sweet treat – Kisses in a bottle - for everyone to enjoy but this idea can be used for any occasion just change the decorations and use candy to match the season. To start you will need empty frappuccino bottles, since this is one of our favorite treats we had fun just getting the bottles empty. After removing the labels you will notice there is still adhesive from the labels on the bottle, I first tried removing this but quickly learned it would take too long to remove it from each of the bottles. I decided to leave the extra adhesive on the bottles since it would be covered with paper and would help hold the paper in place.

To decorate the bottle I cut several strips of paper that were 3” tall by 8 ½” long to wrap around the bottle. I then selected my accent paper and cut several strips that were 1 ½“ tall by 8 ½“ long. The paper I used for this project was from the O Christmas Tree collection by My Mind’s Eye. I found it was easier to center and glue the accent paper to the main strip of paper, then you only have to worry about keeping one strip of paper straight on the bottle. For the label on the bottle I used a tag from my Silhouette library (sorry I do not remember the image number) that was 2” by 2”and then used Brilliance Moonlight White ink to stamp the “Have a Holly Jolly Holiday” message.

For the lid I used a Quickutz Christmas tree die cut that I adhered to a ¾“ scalloped circle. The glitter around the edge of the lid was done by using PK Glitz ¼ “ Sticky Tape – I overlapped the tape to ensure it was secure around the edge and to have continuous glitter. I then removed the top protective layer and sprinkled with glitter. If I was to make these again I would probably not put glitter around the edge but instead use ribbon unless you want to catch someone who keeps getting your treats. It was funny walking around seeing everyone with glitter on their face after opening their treats. I finished this project by filling the bottles with Hershey Kisses but you can use any candy of your choice.

I hope you enjoy this sweet treat and make sure you head on over to see what Bev from FlamingoToes has created for you today.

Merry Christmas in July!

Tracey

Summer Welcome Wreath

After completing my outside projects I wanted to create a bright summer wreath for my front door using some of the colors I used outside. While walking around Jo-Ann’s one day (yes, I will admit I can stay in that store for hours) I came across some really cute yarn – it is called Wave in turquoise lime and made by Sensations. The colors in the yarn were perfect to create the bright wreath for my door.

Instead of purchasing a foam wreath (I found these are very messy when using yarn) I used a straw wreath and did not remove the plastic – plus it was cheaper than the foam wreath. For the first part of this project you can kick back and watch TV while you wrap the wreath with yarn until it is completely covered. I used about 1 and half skeins to make my wreath.

The wood “welcome” sign came from Michaels and I painted it using the same colors I used for my outside projects including smaller polka dots. The smallest pouncer in the Martha Stewart set was too large so I used the eraser on a pencil to make my polka dots for the sign. Once the sign was dry I positioned it so it fit firmly into the center and then add glue to the ends to hold it in place.

I love the design of the flowers I made for this wreath using turquoise and white felt. The center of the flowers have a coordinating green or orange fabric covered button. You can link to the tutorial on how to make these flowers from my Pinterest site here from The Fickle Pickle. I finished off the flowers by making two fringe felt flowers, arranged all the flowers, and then glued them to the wreath.

Now I have a nice bright wreath on my door that compliments the projects I have outside.

Happy Crafting!

Tracey

Decorative Christmas Trees

Welcome to our second Workshop Wednesday!

If you are visiting from The Scrap Shoppe welcome and thank you for stopping by my blog!

I hope you are enjoying our Christmas in July blog hop and getting some creative ideas or even a jumpstart on your handmade gifts or decorations for this year. Everyone had some creative ideas last week and I cannot wait to see what the other ladies have for us today so make sure you check them out.

Last year at Christmas I purchased three styrofoam cones in hopes to get them finished but unfortunately they have been sitting on my craft table waiting to be decorated, so I thought they would be the perfect decorating idea to share with you today.

I purchased three different sizes from Hobby Lobby and I used different fabric and trims. I will walk you through each of mine but you can really get creative with these to make them your own.

I started by wrapping each of my trees with fabric. Before wrapping the fabric completely around the tree I folded the fabric over the top of the tree to hide the extra fabric. For the bottom I pleated the fabric around the circle and glued the remaining fabric to the bottom of the tree. I then cut a circle smaller than the bottom but large enough to give the bottom of the tree a clean finish. Now comes the fun part…

I decided to use plaid fabric to cover the largest tree and added gold trim. I trimmed the bottom of the tree (this helps to cover any fabric that was not pulled tightly underneath) and made three additional circles up the tree. I then made a bow using a sheer gold wire ribbon, curled the ends, and used two straight pins to hold the bow in place. One tree down two to go…

I think my second tree is so fun and it was very simple. I ran one row of feather trim along the bottom and the top was a snap. I purchased a feather hair clip, stuck a straight pin in the top of my tree and clipped the feathers on – easy peasy!

The last tree was made using a shiny green fabric and red cord trim. I ran the trim around the bottom of the tree and then circled the trim around to the top. For the top I made a fabric flower using the same fabric that covers the tree and finished it off with a red rhinestone in the center.

 

Now that the trees are decorated it is time to talk about the base of my trees. I purchased these wood candlesticks from Goodwill and the most expensive one was only $0.99. I started by using Martha Stewart Multipurpose paint in Wedding Cake. After the paint was completely dry I used sandpaper and my BasicGrey file kit (I love this set) to distress my candlesticks.

Once they were distressed I found the center point on the bottom of my tree, applied glue to the top of the candlestick and held the tree in place until the glue dried. Now I have three finished trees I can use this year at Christmas.

I hope you enjoyed today’s project. Remember we would love for you to join in on the fun so post a link to your project so you can be included in our link party!

Merry Christmas in July!

Tracey

Monogram Ornament & Gift Box

If you are visiting from The Scrap Shoppe thank you for stopping by my blog for Workshop Wednesdays. Today I will be sharing a great gift idea that can be personalized for those special people in your lives. They will think you spent hours making this gift but once you get an assembly line going you can make these fairly quickly.  

For this project you will need:

Clear Glass Ornaments – size 2 5/8”
Pledge Floor Care – Tile and Vinyl Floor Finish
Fine glitter – I found Martha Stewart glitter works best
Coffee Filters
PK Glitz Wonderfilm or any strong double-sided adhesive paper
Coordinating ribbon

Start by coating the inside of a glass ornament with the Pledge floor care adding enough to coat the inside then turn the ornament upside down on top of the bottle to allow the liquid to drain. This will also ensure the neck of the ornament is coated.

Once all excess liquid has drained fill the ornament with the glitter of your choice. Roll the glitter around the inside of the ornament to ensure it is completely coated and dump excess glitter into a coffee filter. I used a different filter for each color of glitter I was working with – they make cleanup so much easier. I do recommend a fine glitter as I experimented with larger glitter and even Martha Stewart microbeads but they had a tendency to clump up.

Now that your ornaments are filled with glitter you can set the Pledge aside and get your creativiT ready. Now it is time to personalize your ornaments. I used PK Glitz Wonderfilm to make my monograms. I used my Silhouette to cut the letters using the Silhouette rhinestone setting as my media and my letters are 2” Lucida Handwriting font but you can use whatever cutter you have available.

With each of your monograms cut you will want to remove the back from the adhesive and place it on your ornament. To help keep your ornament from rolling away I used a candleholder to hold my ornament while I was decorating them.

After placing the monogram on your ornament remove the top protective sheet to expose your adhesive and cover with coordinating glitter. You can also follow these steps to add designs to the ornament as well – each of my ornaments have a monogram on one side and a design such as candy canes, snowflakes, Christmas trees, etc. on the opposite side. Use a small amount of clear glue to hold the top on the ornament and use coordinating ribbon to finish off your ornament design. Here are a few of the ornaments I made.

Now you have created a personalized gift! But wait – why not create a gift box for your ornament.

To make your gift box you will need:

-       8x8 square from Kraft paper to make the lid

-       Score the square at 2” and 6 1/8” – turn it 90 degrees and score at 2” and 6” making sure your scored lines cross.

-       I then used ornament stamps for the top design and an ornament boarder to go around the lid

-       Fold your scored lines and cut the scored lines to each corner to make a flap for your lid (see below)

-       For the box use 12x12 Kraft paper

-       Score the square at 4” and 8” – turn it 90 degrees and score it at 4” and 8” making sure the lines cross

-       Fold the scored lines and cut the corners to make flaps for your box

You now have a great gift box for the personalized ornament you created.

Thanks again for stopping by my blog. Make sure you dash on over to see what Bev from FlamingoToes has created for you today for our Workshop Wednesday blog hop. 

Tracey

Christmas in July

Merry Christmas from the Blog Pole where a few of us crafters are busy in our craft workshops preparing for the big day that is only five months away. Would you like to get a jumpstart on your gifts for this year or get some great decorating ideas then join us for Workshop Wednesdays. We will be sharing ideas such as how to get organized for the holidays, how to make personalized ornaments, and some great gift ideas.

Turn on some Christmas music and dust off your Santa hat to join us as we dash through blog world by visiting these creative blogs as we make a new project for you each Wednesday.

Bev from Flamingo Toes, Kara from Mine for the Making, Carol from The Answer is Chocolate, and Michele from The Scrap Shoppe.

Would you like to join in on the fun? At the end of the month we will have a link party to share your creative gifts, decorations, and Christmas ideas. So post your link so we can see what you have been making.

We will see you tomorrow with our first Workshop Wednesday.

We hope you have a holly, jolly, crafting good time!

Tracey

Gourd Birdhouse and Feeder

In my last post I mentioned I had one more outside project to share with everyone. I purchased two different types of gourds at our county fair last year and it was finally time to prepare them for my birds. With a little help from my Dad with his handy tools, I used the larger gourd to make a birdhouse and I wanted to create a birdfeeder with the smaller gourd so I drew out the design and had my Dad cut out the slots for the birds to get their food. We also drilled four small holes in the bottom of both so water could drain and for the birdhouse we drilled two holes in the top so I could run wire to hang it from the tree.

Then it was time to paint and decorate my gourds. I wanted to keep the theme of my birdbath and stackable pots so I used the same paint colors and polka dots. Then I finished them off by spraying my Valspar exterior sealer. This was a fun and easy project so I will be buying more gourds when it is fair time this year.

Happy Crafting!

Tracey