Tile Coasters (25 Days of Christmas No. 11)

I got the idea for these from TheFrugalGirls.com (you can find their directions here). However, instead of using photos, I used scrapbook paper! It's so hard for me to find photos of everyone in my family, so I thought scrapbook paper would also be pretty:)

You will need:

• Four 4.25 x 4.25 in.white ceramic tiles (Matt got mine for 16 cents each at Home Depot!)
• Scrapbook paper
• Mod Podge
• Paint
• 2 Foam brushes
• Wax Paper
• Sand paper, a nail file, emery board, etc.
• Spray acrylic or lacquer (not pictured)
• Cork, felt, or fleece scraps for backing (not pictured)
• X-acto knife or a razor blade
• Hot glue gun (not pictured)

Paint all the edges with your choice of paint (I only had red handy).

Do two coats on all four sides letting the paint dry between applications.

Apply Mod Podge to the tile.

 Press the tile firmly down on the paper.

Securely smooth the paper down with something (I used a pen).

Remove the excess paper like I did for the picture frame tutorial (you can find the directions on how to do that here).

Apply 3-4 coats of Mod Podge to the top of the paper (being sure to cover all areas-- even sides and corners), letting each coat dry between applications.

Let everything dry completely before you do any more steps! And don't forget to admire your (almost finished) coasters;)

Measure and cut your backing a little smaller than your tiles.

I cut my backing 4 x 4 in because my tiles measured at 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 in.

Attach the backing with hot glue.

Spray your tiles with lacquer or acrylic 3-4 times, letting it dry enough between applications.

Please read and follow all directions on the can of lacquer or acrylic!

And there ya go! A beautiful gift that is very heart-felt and thoughtful. I may try it with the photos next time (Matt did get me 30 tiles!). I'll be sure to post the results if I do.

Until next time, toodles!

P.S. When you cut your cork, do it on something thick. Don't do this:

 

:'( RIP Christmas tablecloth.

Crayola Model Magic Ornaments (25 Days of Christmas No. 10)

So, my friend Alison invited us over to make "clay ornaments" yesterday. Well, let me tell you, it wasn't clay. It was Crayola Model Magic! This light-weight stuff is perfect for making ornaments as it won't weigh your tree down. Great idea, Alison!:)

What she did was she used cookie cutters to cut out shapes and a straw to poke the hole for the ribbon. Then she found different things in her home to use as "stamps," if you will, to spruce up the shapes (like a garlic press to pretty-up a flower). Once the shapes were dry the kids used glitter glue to paint the ornaments. Genius, I know! Riley made two dinosaurs, I will post pictures once we go get them from Alison. I may pick some of this stuff up next time I'm at a craft store and try to make an actual tutorial out of it!

Thanks for the great idea, Alison!:)

Until next time, toodles!

Fabric Rosette Magnets (25 Days of Christmas No. 9)

 These would also make great gifts for the gals on your list. And what's great is this project is very versatile- you don't just have to make them magnets, you could make them into clips, pins, or glue them to a headband!

 You will need:

• Strips of fabric 1 in. thick
• Hot glue gun
• Magnets (or clips, or pins, or a headband)

Fold and glue your fabric in half .

Roll it a few times and glue it.

Then start twisting and gluing

 Keep going around, and around, and around until you have a flower!

Tip: You can do your flower loose or tight depending on how much you twist it!

 

Glue the end of the fabric to the back of the flower.

Then glue on your magnet (or clip, pin, headband, etc)!

As you can see, I used mine to hold up our Christmas card:) Have fun making cute accessories for every girl on your list (or yourself)!

Until next time, toodles!

Holiday Gift Tags (25 Days of Christmas No. 8)

Here's a very easy (and adorable!) way to make Christmas/holiday gift tags. And you can use them to tag all the picture frames, coasters, and rosette magnets you made as gifts!;)

You will need:

• A 1 1/2 in. circle punch
• A shape punch (I used a snowflake)
• 2 different colors of card stock (I used a light and darker brown)
• a single hole punch
• Ribbon, string, or something else to tie it on with.

Punch out a bunch of circles in both colors.

Punch out the snow flakes on the darker color.

Punch a single hole in each one and thread your ribbon, string, etc through the hole. Write who it's to on the lighter circle, and there ya go! Cute, easy, crafty gift tags.

Until next time, toodles!

Scrabble Tile Coasters (25 Days of Christmas No. 7)

These would make great presents for a person who loves the game Scrabble and/or vintage items. And plus, they're so easy to make! I actually had all this stuff handy.

You will need:

• Cork board
• Scrabble tiles
• Hot glue gun
• Spray lacquer
• Razor blade

Arrange the tiles on the cork. Mark and cut the board with a razor blade (on something safe, of course). Hot glue the tiles on with the edge of the cork board a little further in than the tiles (so you don't see it). 

Spray 2-4 coats of lacquer on the tiles letting each coat dry between applications. Please follow the directions on the lacquer!   

Let them dry enough and there ya go! Easy and cute:)

Until next time, toodles!

Wire Ornaments/Gift Tags (25 Days of Christmas No. 6)

I saw this idea on a website or something, but now I can't find where I saw it! So, I just kinda went with it and did my own thing. And here's what happened!

You will need:

• Pen and paper
• Wire cutters
• Needle nose pliers
• 20 gauge craft wire (the colors I used were silver, copper, and red)
• Buttons (optional)

Write out your letter or saying.

And bend your wire to match! It's that easy! I added a gold button to this letter "A". For words with the letter "o" in them, I used buttons for the "o."

Very easy and quick to make! You can use them as gift tags/wrapping decor (tie them to the ribbon instead of using a bow), or as crafty ornaments to give!

Until next time, toodles!

Felt Rosette Wreath (25 Days of Christmas No. 5)

I know, I know: I didn't post all weekend. Shame on me! This weekend was so hectic. I didn't finish this project until midnight on Friday! Then we did our Christmas pictures early Saturday morning.

And Saturday evening was my Grandmother's birthday dinner. So by Sunday I was basically exhausted. I know I owe you 4 tutorials. My plan is to do two today and two tomorrow:)

In searching for a simply awesome wreath to make for my front door I came across this:

Adorable Ruffly Felt Rosette Wreath from Domestifluff

However, I decided to do something a little different. Instead I decided to make the felt rosettes like the ones I did for the Felt Rosette Ball Ornament. (You will find how to make the rosettes there).

For this Felt Rosette Wreath, you will need:

• About 1 1/2-2 yards of white felt, or about 70 rosettes
• 12 in white foam wreath 
• Your 6 in circle template from the previous tutorial
• A pen, or something else to draw the circles with
• Hot glue gun
• Strait pins
• Your choice of ribbon

 Trace your circles and cut them out. I did about 20 at a time so I didn't over do it and waste any felt.

 Make your rosettes and start gluing them on. I started on the very inside ring first.

I used strait pins to hold the rosettes to the wreath while the glue dried (which didn't take very long because it was hot glue).

Keep gluing the rosettes on working in rings and going around until you get to the very outside.

Add your choice of ribbon.

And hang it on the front door!:)

This wreath is so easy to make, and very versatile (would be really cute in pastels for Easter!), it's just very time consuming. So make sure you have plenty of time (or days) to make it!

Until next time, toodles!

Linking to The Chic and Crafty Party at TheFrugalGirls.com