Homemade Christmas – Buying Idea: Homemade Cards

When I first presented this 10 week challenge, I told you I would be giving you project ideas and instructions to help make your homemade gift giving easier. I also told you that I would give you some ideas to buy some gifts that were homemade.

I introduce to you the cutest, highest quality homemade cards that I’ve had the pleasure of sending and receiving. Walnut Street Weddings, previously known as Walnut Street Cards, has been in business for many years fulfilling a passion to make and provide homemade cards at a great price.

Gift sets (6 cards and envelopes) are packaged in clear boxes and tied with raffia ribbon – hey no gift wrapping needed. You can purchase a set of 6 – 3 Happy Birthday and 3 Thank You for $15. This price includes shipping and handling.

These would be great gift for a teacher, postman, neighbor, pastor, or co-worker!. Add this to a basket filled with Chai Tea or Cocoa Mix in an Etched Jar and some homemade cookies. Tie with a beautiful ribbon and you’re on your way to a very happy recipient.

Contact Billi Lou at billilou@walnutstreetweddings.com to place your order. All orders must be received by December 1 to ensure delivery by Christmas. As you can see, there are countless designs. Each gift set include a random assortment of cards.

Homemade Christmas – Project: Origami Boxes

I originally learned how to make these cute little boxes out of Christmas cards when I was in elementary school. They crept back into my head when I was creating my advent calendars and became the perfect container for a little treat.

1. Start with a square piece of paper. I started with a 4” square, which results in a box that is approximately 1 ⅜”.

2. Using a ruler and a pencil, draw lines from corner to corner so that you have an “X”.

3. Fold each of the four points to the center mark. Make sure you crease very well; this will help the box hold its shape later.

4. Now that you have folded each of the points to the middle, you have created new crease marks. I have marked them in red on this picture. Fold each of the points to the opposite crease mark.




5. Unfold square.

6. Fold one of the points to the middle.

7. While holding this down firmly, fold this point along the newest created crease, I have marked this in green.

8. Repeat on the opposite side.



9. Flip the paper over and fold the remaining points to the closest crease.



10. Repeat on opposite side.

11. Flip paper over.

12. Bring two sides up to look like this.



13. While holding one of the newly formed sides, you’ll notice that the side is a rectangle and directly to the left and the right there is a square. You’ll see below that the rectangle is outlined in red and the squares are outlined in black. There is a diagonal line that I’ve drawn inside each of the squares. Fold the paper inward along this line.



14. Repeat on opposite side.

15. Fold flap into box.

16. Repeat steps 13, 14 and 15 to create the remaining side of box.



You now have the top of a box. Create a bottom by following these instructions on a piece of paper that is slightly smaller. I use a square that is 3 ¾” for the box bottoms.



If the flaps of the box don't stay tight within the box, your creases may not be strong enough. Try unfolding and recreasing.

As always, just ask if you have any questions.

Homemade Christmas – Project: Cookie Sheet Advent Calendar

Remember these?



They can turn into these...



Yep…those old, ugly, beat up cookie sheets and tv trays can turn into these absolutely adorable reusable advent calendars. These are perfect for an early Christmas present to be mailed or given at Thanksgiving.

1. Start with old or new cookie sheet or tv tray. I found mine at a resale shop for $0.25 each. I was thrilled!!!

2. Drill two holes at the top of the sheet to hang later.

3. Paint your cookie sheet (wash and sand first if you have a used one) with spray paint that will work on metal.

4. Use coordinating scrapbook papers, construction paper or wrapping paper to decorate the cookie sheet.

5. Add a title of your choice using stickers or cut out your own letters.

6. Go crazy with embellishments. This is the fun part. On the blue and burgundy advent calendars, I made tiny envelopes. These are going to the grandparents and will be filled with tiny black and white pictures of Bug and Doodle for them to remove each day. I’ll collect the pictures on Christmas Day and use them to create a border for a color picture of the girls together…(Grandmas – if you’re reading this, please act surprised.)

On the red advent calendar I made origami boxes. These are the perfect size to hold a couple of Hershey’s kisses or a few M&Ms. I’ll post the instructions for making the origami boxes tomorrow. They’re very easy.

And yet another idea is to decorate small bead storage containers or tins like I’ve done here. Still have to add more detail to this one.



7. Add numbers and more embellishments.

8. Attach magnets. You can use hot glue for round ones or you can use magnetic tape that has a removable sticky back.

9. Tie with ribbon for hanging and you’re finished…I’ve been so busy decorating these sheets that I almost forgot this step – Oops!

The possibilities for this advent calendar are endless and they’re so darn cute you’ll need to get busy right away so that you have time to make one for yourself and for someone else.

Homemade Christmas Challenge Update…I mentioned when I started this challenge that I would be sharing ideas on where to buy homemade Christmas gifts. Please contact me at selfreliant101student@gmail.com if you’re interested in placing an order for your very own advent calendar.

Homemade Christmas - Recipe: Hot Cocoa Mix

The temperature is falling and I've noticed that Mr. is hitting the hot chocolate at night. Those little packets of instant hot cocoa are acceptable, but this mix is so much better.

Ingredients:
2 cups dry milk powder
¾ cup sugar
½ cup cocoa
½ cup powdered creamer

To make cocoa: Add two heaping tablespoons (more or less to taste) to a mug of hot water.

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container. Even better…put in a beautifully Etched Jar and attach a tag with instructions to give as a gift.

Homemade Christmas – Project: Etching Glass

Wait, Wait, Wait! Don’t leave yet. It’s not nearly as difficult as it sounds. In fact, the hardest part is creating your stencil and you can buy those pre-made.

Here’s What You Need:

• Glass Dish (You can buy brand new, but I’ve found some great deals at local consignment and thrift shops.)
• Contact Paper
• Xacto Knife
• Etching Cream (I use Armour Etch – it’s kind of pricey, but even the smallest bottle will complete many projects.)
• Small Paint Brush

1. Type your word or words into your favorite word processing program on your computer. I recommend a font that is basic unless you want to torture yourself with cutting out the intricate details.
2. Print.
3. Trace your letters onto contact paper. Here’s where it could get tricky…you just have to pay attention. If you’re going to etch onto the side of a glass container you’ll want to make sure that you trace the letters as you’ll see them onto the sticker side of the contact paper. If you’re going to etch onto the bottom of a dish like the plate, trace them backward onto the paper side of the contact paper, so that they look correct when the dish is flipped over.
4. Clean your glass very well. I use rubbing alcohol and then air dry or if you’re impatient like I am, dry with a paper towel.
5. Center your stencil over your item, remove backing and adhere to glass.
6. Using an Xacto knife, cut out the letters.

7. When you’re finished removing all of the spaces that you’ll etch, you can start with the etching cream. Use a small paint brush to apply a liberal amount of etching cream to every open space.
8. Let sit to allow etching cream to do its job. My bottle says to wait 5 minutes, but I didn’t go through this much work for it not to work so the shortest amount of time I’ve ever let it sit is 10 minutes. I find 20 minutes will give a crisper image.



9. Wash with warm water to remove all etching cream. I’ll warn you that when you start to wash off the cream, it looks like nothing has happened.



10. Remove stencil to reveal finished product. If you’re very careful, you may be able to reuse the stencil you’ve created. As the glass dries the etching gets lighter, making it more visible.



I’ve shown this on the outside of a glass container, and on the bottom of a plate, but this is also great for the bottom of a glass casserole dish. Sure takes the guess work out of who the dish belongs to after a potluck dinner. Don’t forget to etch a jar for your Chai Tea Mix before giving it away.

Homemade Christmas - Project: What Are Those?

What are those old, ugly, beat up things and how could they possibly play a part in your homemade gift giving this year?

They are old, ugly, beat up, metal tv trays and cookie sheets. And just wait until you see what we're going to do with them. They turn out so cute!!! So go digging around in your cabinets for your old metal cookie sheets, you're gonna need them.

Homemade Christmas – Recipe: Chai Tea Mix

This recipe for Chai Tea mix tastes like warm pumpkin pie in a mug. Yummmm!

Ingredients:
1 cup dry milk powder
2 cups powdered creamer
2 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups unsweetened instant tea
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cardamom

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Blend 1 cup at a time in a food processor or blender until mixture is the consistency of a fine powder.

Put mix in a jar or container of your choosing and add the following tag:

To serve: Stir 2 heaping Tablespoons Chai Tea Mix into a mug of hot water. Serving suggestion – add a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon. Enjoy!!

Coming soon, I’ll be showing you how to decorate your jar to make your gift recipient feel extra special.

Homemade Christmas – Project: Paper Ball Ornament

This homemade ornament is both simple to make and very pretty.


What You Need:
20 – 2 inch Circles
Glue Stick or Glue Dots
Ribbon
Bead (Optional)

1. Cut out 20 – 2 inch circles. You can use card stock, pictures or old Christmas cards. You can cut the triangles out with scissors, but a 2 inch paper punch sold at craft stores will speed up this project tremendously.
   
   
2. Mark an equilateral triangle on the back of each circle.
   
   a. For a 2 inch circle, each of the three sides will be 1 ¾ inches long.
   
   b. I made my triangle in Word by clicking on insert/shape. I chose the triangle and then drew the triangle while holding the shift key. Holding the shift key will give you an equilateral triangle.
   
   c. After you have a triangle on your page, right click. Click on "Format AutoShape." On the "Size" tab select “Lock Aspect Ratio” (toward the bottom) and then change your width to 1.75 inches. Click "Ok." You can now print and cut out your triangle.
   
   d. I traced my triangle onto an old milk jug and cut it out so that I would have a stiff pattern to fold against and not have to trace onto each circle.
   
   
   e. Questions??? Just ask me in the comments.
   
   
3. Fold each circle along the triangle. Warning: If you choose to use pictures, make sure you fold half of the circles with the point at the top of the picture and half with the point facing down. If you don’t, half of your pictures will be upside down.
   
   
4. Begin with the first five circles, attaching the folded circles together at the flap. When you finish, you will have the dome that will create the top or bottom.
   
   
5. Repeat step 4.
   
   
   
   
6. You now have 10 circles remaining. Attach these the same way as in steps 4 and 5 except you are now creating a tube instead of a dome. To do this, take the first circle and make sure that its triangle point is facing up. Attach to the next circle with the triangle point facing down. Continue to attach the circles in this alternating pattern until you have used all remaining circles and the tube is closed. It will look like this.
   
   
7. Attach top dome to flaps of center tube.
   
   



8. Tie bead to end of ribbon and tie a loop at the other end of the ribbon to be able to hang. Feed the loop end through bottom dome up through the top dome.
   
   



9. Attach the bottom dome to flaps of center tube.

Ta da. You’re finished.

More Ideas:
1. Cut circles out of pictures.
2. Cut circles and then have your children color on them. What Grandma/Grandpa wouldn’t love that?
3. Use cardstock that coordinates with your Christmas tree or home decor.
4. Create several ornaments of different sizes to use as a mobile in a child’s room.
5. Print birth information on 5/10 center tube triangles and give to new parents.
6. Attach mistletoe to ribbon prior to stringing through and hang in the doorway.
7. Use in place of bow on top of a package.

Have more ideas or need some help? Please let me know in the comments below.

Homemade Christmas – 10 Week Challenge

Can you believe it? Only 10 weeks (70 days) until Christmas. I knew it was coming, but I hadn’t given it much thought until a couple of days ago when I was reading my friend Christina’s blog where she brings up the subject of Christmas shopping.

Unlike Christina, I have already started shopping. My yearly goal is to be finished with shopping by Thanksgiving and be able to spend the month of December baking and just enjoying the time of year. Besides, it never fails, I forget something or someone else forgets something and this way I’ve built in a huge window of error.


Since I was a little kid, some of my Christmas gifts have been homemade. I know some people feel that this is cheap, but I believe that time is the most precious gift you can give someone. And making something for someone takes time.

My challenge to you this Christmas season: Give one more homemade gift this year than you did last year. If you bought every single gift last year, you have it easy – one. Just one gift should be homemade or at the very least, buy something that someone else made.


During my 10 week challenge I will be posting frequently on the topic and be giving you step-by-step project instructions, recipes, practical ideas and timelines to keep your homemade Christmas gifts on target for the big guy’s arrival.


Your first step is to create a list of your gift recipients. Be detailed. What do they like/dislike? What advantage do you have over this person? Are you a stay at home Mom with plenty of time on your hands, but your oldest sister is a mover and shaker corporate type with not a moment to spare? Your advantage over her is your time. Is your Mom a far superior cook than you, but can’t bake if her life depended on it? Write it down.

"The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value."

- Charles Dudley Warner