{scissor variations}

A Simple December: A Quick Gift ~ Lovely Magnets

 

I like having an inspiration board or two above my desk and around my work space. Beautiful magnets only seem to enhance the inspiration in my opinion.

 

These are so quick and so easy--perfect for a stocking stuffer, a teacher, or a hostess gift.

 

• Gather items that reflect the tastes of the intended recipient--in this case a lover of the color pink who works in the magazine industry
• strong magnets--I like using "earth magnets"
• strong adhesive, I used rubber cement

 

 

Glue magnets to chotchkes, allow to dry + package them up pretty!

 

 

Looking up and seeing beautiful images I’ve torn out of magazines, photos of family members, a piece of ribbon, a lovely business card…makes me happy.

 

 

{....sent my gift away before I took the completed photo}

 

 Above are some magnets I have made for myself: oversize button, charlotte doll, vintage rhinestones & a nest.

A Simple December: Re-visiting a Forgotten Craft Project

...or a forgotten craft decade

 

Styrofoam Balls + Sequins + Pins

 

 

Not exactly a quick craft project, but something soothing in the repetition makes this a good craft to accompany an evening of zoning out in front of the television.

 

It may take an hour or two to complete a handful of these shimmery balls, but there is something I find very satisfying about the process.

 

 

These were started a while back……and I have come to realize they remained in an unfinished state because of the frustration of adding the step of the pin, a tiny seed bead, then the sequin- was taking too long for my instant gratification crafting needs.

 

 

Solution: omit the seed bead

 

Although my tastes run to more organic colors and materials, I have always had a soft spot for a wee bit of shimmer to set something off.

 

 

 

A Simple December: Using What I Have

...to spruce things up for the holidays

 

 

• Vintage clip rack + cotton drawstring bags + rubberstamps + ink = Advent Calendar

• Mercury glass garlands + vintage canning jar = Holiday Sparkle & Shine

• Vintage Folding Ruler + Imagination = Star

• Tiny bottle brush trees = a petite winter forest

 

 

 

The first 12 days of the countdown I stamped on the front and the remaining 13-24 days are stamped on the reverse of the bags using Staz-On ink.

 

The rubberstamps are from Ma Vinci's Reliquary.

 

 

A Simple December: Bottle Brush Tree Display

...an easy 3 dimensional table runner

You will need:

 

Bottle Brush Trees—we like odd numbers best—all the same size or varying sizes for contrast

A length of 1 x 2—for your base—it can be longer it can be shorter depending on where you will be placing your display (windowsill, fireplace mantel, or shelf top ledge). You may also wish to consider a different shape—perhaps a vintage wooden lazy susan that you can paint.

Glue or extra strength glue dots

Acrylic Paint

Foam brush

Cupcake liners

 

 

Paint your piece of 1 x 2—this will be your base. Allow to dry.

 

  

Paint the base of your bottle brush trees, if desired.

To make painting the tree bases easier, make a little tree skirt out of a paper cupcake liner, so you do not get paint on the tree branches.

 

 

 

Allow all to dry.

 

Once your wood base and trees have dried you can begin positioning your trees.

You can space them equally or do random clusters along the wood base.

Adhere your trees into place & set aside to allow the glue (if using) to dry.

If using glue, consider that you will have to store the wood base and your trees upright on the base. If you choose the glue dots, it will allow you to remove the trees for storage—and leave visible marks for positioning the trees the next time it is displayed.

 

This looks great on a mantel, a window sill, or on a book shelf.

A Simple December: Sharing + Tasting

Our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe---these are baked year round in our house.

Simple in taste this non-traditional cookie combination has been in my recipe binder since my university days.

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

 

 

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking oats, uncooked

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup chocolate chips*

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a large bowl, cream butter; gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.

 

 

 

 

Drop dough onto lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*I most often use milk chocolate chips, but dark chocolate chunks marry very well with the pumpkin.

 

 

 

I collect vintage baking pans, usually to store my office supplies, but I love repurposing them as gift tins during the Holidays.

 

A few pinecones left over from our garland and you have a special Holiday treat to share.

 

 

 

A Simple December: Crafting a Pinecone Garland

You will need:

Pinecones (preferably found)

Small eye screws (we used 7/16”)

Ribbon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screw the eye hooks into the tops of the pinecones.

You may need to push gently and then start turning. If you find that once you have screwed in the eyehook it feels “loose”— remove the eyehook, brush a bit of craft glue around the screw portion and push back into the hole in the pinecone to secure.

 

 

 

 

The smaller the size of the eye hook- the more difficult they can be to grasp and screw in-persevere!

 

 

 

 

Thread your ribbon through the eye hooks...

 

 

 

& your garland is ready for hanging!