{scissor variations}

holidays past

 

house box make-overs

 

 

 

tin shadow box ornaments

 

 

holiday curio

 

...a few of my favorites

mini garland for a mini tree

always save your paper scraps.

no matter how small.

 

 

this is my version of the basic garland that you see everywhere. nothing new. just fun to sit down and create.

 

i think the photos are self explanatory, but a brief description:

 

i made a small triangle template out of chipboard and traced this onto any paper scraps where it would fit. then i got tired of tracing and just free-hand cut around the chipboard template while holding it over top of the chosen paper scraps.

 

i then glued all of the paper triangles onto chipboard and cut them out.

 

my chipboard template also had 2 small holes that i used as a template for punching the holes into my triangles after i had cut them out--these of course, became the stringing holes.

 

i used a silver thread for stringing. the thread had a lot of toothiness to it so i did not need to do any knotting in between.

 

(mini tree is from IKEA)

updated: a few folks have asked about the FEJKA tree. they couldn't find it in the seasonal section at Ikea. it is actually located in the plant pots/twiggy greenery etc section--usually close to the framing section in most of their stores. it was approx. $15-i love mine!

 

mini disco ball garland

 

 

Last year during the holidays I filled a large glass bowl with some of these miniature "disco" ball ornaments I found at the local bargain shop. They reflected the tree lights nicely especially in the evenings. So this year I thought I would make some into a garland.

 

 

Gather together:

 

miniature mirrored ball ornaments (mine were $1.00 for 8 pcs)

screw eye hooks

craft glue

paint brush or tooth pick (for glue application)

metallic cord, fishing line or ribbon (for stringing)

 

 

1.

Cut off any hanging loops from the mirrored ball ornaments.

 

(the first ball has the 1/2" x 1/2" screw eye hook. my garland used the middle size hook)

2.

The mirrored ball ornaments that I found had a styrofoam base, so they are light weight. The downside is that when you stick your screw eye hooks in they do not have anything solid or toothy to grab onto. Before inserting your eye hook, brush a bit of glue onto the screw portion of the hook and then insert into the mirrored ball. Allow to dry.

 

3.

****Thread your mirrored balls onto your chosen hanging cord and knot at the top of each ball to avoid the ornaments from sliding together. I left about 3 1/2" - 4" between each mirrored ball.

 

....................a few further tips...........................

 

Putting a bit of glue on your eye screw hook is essential when the base of the mini disco balls is styrofoam as the screws will slip out--especially when you are tying them onto your ribbon or string.

 

****You can tie the screw eye hooks onto the fishing line/ string/ ribbon first and THEN insert the hooks into the mini disco balls. This makes easier work then trying to wield the disco balls that are already tied onto the ribbon, and making knots and flipping the ribbon and the balls around. This is a tip worth trying--trust me.

 

I found that tiny 1/2" x 1/2" screw eye hooks while they may look the best they can be the priciest (over $2 for 6!). If you don't mind going up a size look for picture hanging kits at the bargain shop--quite often they contain the screw eyes and for a fraction of the cost ($1 for the kits which usually includes 15-20 screw eye hooks) you can make a full length tree garland using a couple of these kits. You will often find these in a silver OR gold finish.

 

I first made a garland using a light weight ribbon for stringing, but liked the nylon fishing line a bit better--- for a tree the nylon fishing line would disappear into the greenery + the focus would be on the reflective disco balls.

 

Given that these mirrored balls are so cost effective I could see doing quite a lengthy garland that could wrap around a fairly large tree--white lights + a mirrored ball garland,who needs ornaments?

 

(here is another seasonal garland that uses eye hooks + pine cones)

cyber MONDAY sale

 

 

CYBER MONDAY SAVINGS

of 40%**

at Papier Valise

Coupon Code: turkey

 

1 day ONLY

(sales ends at midnight tonight!)

 

**Most items qualify for the discount, but there are some exceptions. IF an item does not reduce in price when the coupon code is applied it does NOT qualify for the discount.

Regular shipping&Handling fees apply.

 

 

 

 

black friday sale (sshh...it starts today)

 

Papier Valise

 

BLACK FRIDAY

SALE

 

STARTS TODAY!

 

AMAZING Savings of 40%*

 

Coupon Code:  turkey

(code MUST be used at check out!)

Valid: Wednesday, November 21st----until----Sunday, November 25th

 

www.papiervalise.com

 

*Most items qualify for the discount. If an item is added to the shopping cart and does not reduce in price once the coupon code is applied then it does NOT qualify for the sale discount. If an item is not able to be added to your shopping cart, then it is SOLD OUT.

 

This offer is not valid on previously placed orders.

Regular shipping & handling fees apply.

 

Please allow 4-5 days processing time BEFORE your order ships.

 

 

thrift store sourcing for holiday 'helpers'

 

wool sweaters

last winter my sister and i gathered wool sweaters at our favorite thrift stores. we then felted them all in a single afternoon. once they were dry, we cut them up and we each had a basket full of pieces to use for this year's hand stitched ornaments + other craft projects. the felting took little time. waiting a full year to use the felt for some specific projects took a little more patience.

 

this is an excellent guideline for felting especially if you have little or no experience-the instructions are very clear + easy to follow.

what i did was cut + paste the wool types she listed + made a little wallet card for myself + that way if i decided to pop into the thrift store i was armed with the information card + could hunt + gather suitable sweaters (i stuck to 100% wool+ lambswool). obviously you could just put this information in your phone as well for easy access. following her tips we had 100% success with the felting process.

 

 

food + product tins

whenever i am at my local thrift store i quickly scan over the tin section every time. always. there are lots of "duds", but every once in a while you will spy a gem.  

for this year's gift giving i have found a vintage tin with my husband's name on it as well as a couple of tins depicting photos of some famous cities in Europe--where a family member will soon be visiting. the small honey tin will be used for a plant for a friend who used to live in the city where the honey was made.

 

i love using tins for presenting food gifts, and they make great gift "boxes" for non-edibles as well. be sure and clean them in very hot, soapy water. i also run them through the dishwasher to further sanitize them (wash + dry them throughly once the dishwasher has run its cycle).

 

 

linens

i found this gorgeous linen poinsettia tea towel in subtle holiday hues that i thought i might frame and either use as a pin board (i might not be able to bring myself to make pin holes in it). or i may just frame it under glass as artwork or a dry-erase message board for the holidays. i am sure this tea towel had never seen the light of day until it landed at the thrift store as it is in pristine condition and has that new unlaundered stiffness to it. i just need to get those crisp creases out.

 

as i have mentioned many times i find it hard to resist a hankie. even from a place i have never visited. however, i know this travel souvenir will hold court in a family member's home, as soon as i launder, press and frame it for them. if you find a linen piece that may have a stain on it think about how you might be able to cover the stain by adding a few embroidery stitches to it, or the recipient's name or year that you are giving it to them--or if it is a souvenir fabric piece you can embroider a special date on it that means something to the recipient.

 

 

 

recycling + replenishing

...it was time to replenish my origami paper stack.

 

i like to use anthropologie catalogues for origami folding because of the weight of the paper.

catalogue paper is also great for practicing origami before using your special paper as it is not so "dear"---you will have a better success rate than practice folding on say, text weight paper (too heavy) or newspaper (too light).

 

the november anthro catalogue recently arrived and the images are quite lovely.

it will live among the inspiration books for the time being. safe from the paper cutter.

 

(other Anthropologie goodness: the desk of one of their visual directors)

weekend "ings"

bunting

 

walking

 

assembling

 

thrifting

 

faking styling

 

1. the tiniest garland. i am constantly dipping into this jar for quick little projects
2. sweater weather is here!
3. bright little number piles
4. love the ship on the lid of this vintage tin.
5. surprised by how much i kind of like IKEA's fake table top tree

new girl in town

 our older new girl

+ Piper our younger girl (foreground) 

 

(we've adopted a senior dog through a rescue, with the hopes of giving her a quality life for her last few years-she has really settled in and we're enjoying twice the affection, loyalty + cuddliness that weimaraners are known for)

5 of my favorite books for inspiration

 

like many of you i love perusing books for craft + art inspiration. often i turn to my bookshelf when i am looking for a particular technique or specific "how-to" + sometimes i pull down a book for pure inspiration without a project in mind.

 

if a book has a place in the craft/DIY/ inspiration section of my bookshelf it is because of the following:

 

• it contains interesting, yet simple projects

• there is beautiful photography where the projects take center stage (+ not just the props)
• i find a new-to-me technique that appears do-able (without needing a lot of new tools) 

and perhaps most importantly:

• a few of the book projects must immediately make me think "oh, this gives me another idea". that, to me, is the trademark of an especially great project in that it leads my imagination to other ideas that i want to explore.

 

why these 5 books inspire me: