sweet. heart. topper.

Tiny things are always cute.  Cupcakes are delicious.  The invention of tiny cupcakes was genius!

my paper wreath

I love paper.  This is not an exaggeration.  Among many things about paper, I love its endless possibilities, it can be a place to doodle, or a lovely decoration.  Hence, my paper wreath.  There are many paper wreaths and such on the world wide web.  My paper wreath is a little different, but it turned out to be a perfectly subtle statement.

Here are the details...

 {supplies} foam wreath, circle punch, pins, distress ink, oldish book, glue, ribbon, spray paint (optional)

 {cut out a BILLION circles} {stack them and distress the edges}    

 {glue circles all around the wreath (I used glue instead of pins for this part because I had more control around the edges)} {fold a circle twice, push the pin through, fold a circle in half and stack it on the same pin (repeat for extra puffiness), push the pin into the wreath, do it again, and again , and again, AND AGAIN.}

 There are about 100 pins in my 12 inch wreath.  Paper, paper, paper...

I am also thinking this would look cool done with maps or other colored papers.

candy cane reindeer

We had a grand time making these.  I found that Lifesavers makes candy canes and they are awesome.

{Supplies}  pipe cleaner, google eyes, red nose, candy cane, scissors, glue

{First}  clip two 2 inch sections from the the pipe cleaner.

{Second}  wrap one short piece on each end of the long pipe cleaner to make the antlers.

{Third} wrap the antlers around the candy cane.

{Fourth} add nose and eyes.

truckin'

Isn't it cute?!  He's just a little truck made from Lorna Doone cookies.

Each truck takes 16 Lorna Doone's, 4 round cookies, frosting, and anything else you like.  Start with one cookie for the front, then four along each side.  Put four Lorna Doone's inside to line the "cab" and support the hood and top sections.  Put the wheels in place, and then decorate to your hearts desire.

This same idea can be converted into a train by just leaving off the front section and adding box cars to the back.   

Make sure your frosting is good and strong, here's one simple recipe:

3 egg whites, room temp.
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

-Combine all ingredients and mix for 7-10 minutes.

Toot.  toot.  c'ya.

untied bow headband

I have always found it challenging to tie a perfect bow.  It's almost impossible to get an even loop and have the tails go in the back...until now!

I will give the measurements that I used but you can eyeball it yourself, or make it larger or smaller depending on how you like it.

1.  Cut a 2 inch piece, a 6 inch piece, and a 10 inch piece of ribbon

 

2.  Take the 10 inch piece and fold it to the middle, glue

 3.  Fold the other side over and overlap them about a 1/2 inch, glue

4.  Attach the 6 inch piece to the bottom.

 

5.  Pinch the middle a little and glue the 2 inch piece to the middle of the bow.

6.  Glue the bow onto headband, or clip and wrap the middle piece around and glue in the back.

Tada!  All done.

simple and quick button jewlry

If you have a few spare seconds and a few spare supplies, you can whip these little darlings out in no time!  I had so much fun doing these I am definitely going to make more.  Here are the simple and quick instructions so you can make some too!

{GATHER SUPPLIES} glue gun (or whatever adhesive you have around like super glue, or E4000 would work fine too), earring or ring blanks, cute buttons, and a button shank remover (I don't have a shank remover, so I just used the wire cutter from my jewelry making kit and it worked).

 {REMOVE THE SHANK} The button shank is the little ring on the back where you would normally sew it, but we don't need that part so clip it!

Now you just have the top of the button with a flat back...like this.

{WARM UP THAT GLUE GUN}  Now the fun begins.  Just put a dab of whatever glue you are using on to the earring or ring blank.  Next, stick the button to it.

{FINISHED}   I told you it was fast.  I tried to take a picture of me wearing that ring, but then I realized that my hands were made more for crafting and less for modeling.

So, what color will you make?