Review of 2012: Crafts, Techniques and Activities

I took the time to look back through my pictures and see what sort of projects I did during 2012.  There was quite a range from paper crafting to chain/jewelry work to parties to fabric crafts, and of course food.  I haven't posted on some of it because they were quick little project, but others I have the text done and I haven't put the pictures in.

January
Christmas Thank You Notes
Chain Bracelet and Earrings for Best Friend Liz, with Card
First Year Photo CD Paper Bag Holders

February
Hooded Towel
Little Caterpillar Party
Index Card Calendar not using it :(
Valentine Thank You for Grandma

March
Scrapbooking (not much)
Easter Hat and Basket
Felt Board
One Sheet Wonder Card Set

April
Busy Bags (a lot of posts)

May
Graduation Cards
Grandma's Brag Book
Mozzarella (okay, not a craft, but it was quite the activity)

June
Birthday Cards 
Bridal Shower Invitations

July
Bridal Shower Game Prizes and Decorations

August
Tile Coasters
Rotating Picture Frames
Family Paint Time
Car Documents Folder

September
Homemade Pizza with Melodi
Clip and Clothes Pin Magnets
Bulletin Board Picture Frame and Clothes Pin Thumb Tacks
Backpack and Lunchbag Name Tags
First Day of School Poster
Grandparents Day Cards
4 Month Photo Books
Purse Charm
SuperGirl Cape and Mask
Birthday Card

October
Blurry Background
Fall Cabinet Top Decoration
Painting on Glass
Pumpkin Pictures
Daddy's Birthday Cake
SuperGirl Tutu

November
Fall Mantel Decoration

December
Advent / Christmas Countdown Activities 
Chain Maille Ornaments
Picture Ornaments
Glowing Christmas Light Pictures

Erica's 4 Month Pics for Grandparents

((I did this project back in September and have finally got the photos in the draft post so I can publish it.  I have got to be better at getting my projects posted.))

Boy have we been busy with Melodi.  I finally have a project featuring Erica!  We had Erica's pictures taken last week and picked them up last night.  The grandmas have asked that we send more wallets because they're easier to carry to church, PEO, dinner with friends, whatever they have going on.  Not a problem, but with this set I decided that I wanted to do a little more than just slip them in an envelope and call it good.

Inspiration
When we were going through the pictures from my grandpa's house my mom found a 1980s(?) wallet photo booklet.  It had oval cut outs to slip pictures in behind, accordian folded, and had a ribbon to tie it together.  She handed it to me and said "here's an idea."  Unfortunately my crafting area is in disarray while we prepare for some house maintenance so I don't know where it is.  No pic for now, sorry.  (I FOUND IT!)

Mock Up
To start I took a piece of plain, old, white computer paper and made a test booklet.  Be sure you measure your pictures before you start planning.  If you are using 2.5x3.5 inch wallet size pictures (JCP, Target, and other Lifestyle studios print this size) then these directions will be good for you.

I ended up with a 4.25 x 10.5 inch piece of paper with score lines at 3.5 inches from each end.  There is also a little slit in the folds to slip a ribbon through.  I also did a little placement planning, with my text and pictures, and where I would need matting for sure.

  
Supplies
These are the basic supplies.  Add your own embellishments, because you know what you like working with and what's in your stash.  I love working from my stash!

Necessary
8.5x11 cardstock
Photos
Ribbon

Optional
Cardstock (matting)
Embellishments (stickers, flowers, jewels, buttons, etc)
Stamps
Pens (I would say required, considering you want to have a title)

Gotta run!  Need to get everyone ready to get out the door, it's time for a hectic afternoon (musical cars, oil change, football game, snack, and musical cars some more)

Process
Cut and score paper.  (cut to 10.5 x 4.25, with score lines at 3.5 from each end)
Fold sides in.  (as you fold each one look at which side folds under the other better)

Melodi is screaming for me.  Can't I get an hour on a Sunday?

Naptime.  Both girls are down!

Cut slits into folds using a box knife and quilting ruler.  (I chose to do 1/2 inch slits to use 3/8 inch ribbon in)
String ribbon through slits, adhering the inside section of desired.  (I used 13 inch lengths of ribbon and cut it using my imaginisce heated ribbon cutter to prevent fraying.)

Off to work on a different project.

Decide photo placement and matting options, blue are 2.75 x 3.75 inches (three quarters) and white are 2.875 x 3.875 inches (seven eighths).  (once again I discover that blues are a pain to work with, too gray, too green, or too purple, and the fall back of white doesn't work if the background in the pictures are "white")

Stick it all down!  (I will put five together, determine if I have enough photos to send to everyone who is supposed to get one and Erica's scrapbook, then put the sixth together if I get one for myself)

Of course as I start putting it all together I get through seven pictures and I run out of the adhesive I was using.  And I mean OUT, there is no more in the house.  My stash doesn't contain a good alternative for a project that will be taken in and out of a purse and handled by who knows how many people.  I think I hear Melodi moving upstairs, so I'm off to get her up for the afternoon and decorate for fall!  We'll make a trip out when Erica wakes up, or when hubby gets home I'll head out by myself.

Got the decorations up with Melodi's help, and I got to head out by myself after dinner while hubby did Melodi's bath.  Didn't find the refills I needed so I got a different brand, I'm guessing a black line through the shelf tag means they don't carry it anymore.  Girls are both in bed so I get to craft!

Embellish the cover as desired.  (When I was planning this project, way up there when I was talking about supplies I happened to look up and "out of place" because it doesn't have a home with the other flowers/buttons was a jar of blue Recollections floral embellishments.  So I dumped out the jar and there were small flowers instead of glittery flowers, SCORE!  The small ones fit so much better than the "normal" size ones, there was a reason I got the little tiny pearls instead of the crazy messed up medium package.)   

Sign the back, and send!

Advent 2012: More Prep & Day #1

So I didn't have everything ready to go on December first like I had hoped.  I still had to wrap all the books.  Luckily Melodi slept in for a while (we had had a very busy Friday with friends).  My timing was so behind that I had to run out for one more book, of course the one we read today.  Once I finished wrapping I went to put them on the mantle and Melodi just had to help, so she handed me books that were sitting on the floor.  Here are all our books ready to go for the month.  They're wrapped and have a label on the back with which book it is, so I really need to think about adding something to the front so I don't have to dig for the correct book each day.

Day 1
Book: Christmas Parade by Sandra Boynton
Activity: Attend Festival of Lights Parade

 
We were a little off in our day 2 planning so look for that later this week.

Preparing for Advent

I obviously haven't been keeping up with the blogging plan.  Oops.  There are so many more important things in my life to do than write on my blog.  Maybe someday I'll have the time.  And of course I started this way back on the 9th, but the girls woke up and I never got around to just taking the picture.  Then once I got the picture it wasn't behaving when I tried to add it.  But here it is.

We've been busy lately, and this is a project that I HAVE to get ready sooner than later.  I have seen so many "to do in December" lists on Pinterest lately, and just as many "Advent" calendars (some more Christ-centered, some more of a countdown).  Melodi loves reading and I've seen a couple people have a stack of 24 wrapped books and they read one each day.  I love connecting books with activities and had seen a couple of those ideas, along with the straight activity list.  Links to most of my inspiration can be found at the end of this post.

Over the last couple months I've been creating a list of books to get because I had activity ideas to go with them, probably not the best way to go about it.  I must have been talking with someone about this project and thought about the second hand store.  Well, one of the local ones (it has an amazing book selection) got raided this week.  It's right next to Melodi's school so it made for a nice trip after I dropped her off.  You should see the haul I made.

I got 25 books for $49.68 (they're not all Christmas, and not all Christmas ones will get used this year).  That's $2 per book!  Some of the books don't have an original price on them, but of the 11 Christmas books that had original prices on them I saved $74.23.  Talk about an amazing deal, I saved more on 11 books than I spent on 25.

Today, while the girls are napping, I'm getting a chance to look at the books and read through some of them.  One of the hardest parts about Christmas is keeping the focus where it belongs: on Jesus.  I'm so happy that I came away with some good Christ-centered books, and a few of them are REALLY good.  Also, that more of my books are not about Santa and are either about Christ, or about something Christmas or winter.  Sure we'll read the classic "The Night Before Christmas," I got a Lift-The-Flap version, but not every book is going to be Santa.

Fall Mantel

Once again not having pictures ready got me.  I wrote this a long, long time ago, think maybe October sometime.  Anyways, here it is with pictures included.

I've spent the last several weeks doing little projects, one at a time, to decorate my mantel for fall.  My mantel has always been a set spot, and I would really rather it be a beautifully decorated part of my home.  It was a hodge podge of random stuff.  Our unity candles, other random candles, a blue teapot that was home to some ivy as a wedding centerpiece, and stuff that just got set there (Christmas cards, headbands, lighters, you name it).

I had seen this, by Home Stories A to Z, and it was really the launch point for my project.  Actually I think I saw someone else use it and added some stuff onto the sketched image.  It gives a basic formula for how to decorate a mantel.

We had just finished a bottle of wine and I saved the bottle thinking that I would use it for something.  It's been popping up everywhere so I'm not sure who started the fashion, but I wrapped my bottle with some thick jute twine, using hot glue.  On a quick trip into the grocery store I found pumpkins on sticks, and picked up the brown balls too.  Once I got those into the finished wine bottle I decided I needed something more linear with some height and on my next trip to the store I decided to get the green cattails.

The bottle was up, and I was planning on wrapping a vase with thinner jute (leftover from a wedding shower project) and finding something to put in it.  While Melodi and I were decorating the kitchen cabinets for fall I found that I had an extra bunch of flowers so put those in the vase, and the vase on the mantel as a place holder.  I'm trying to decide if we are going to do a full wrap, or a half wrap (top or bottom).

After we finished up decorating the cabinets I went in search of some other things to put on the mantel.  I have an growing stash of decorative candles, vases, and other fun items, but a lot of it has sat hidden for five years.  There was a fish bowl vase on the counter, from after Erica was born, which I filled with a bag of rocks, that I just had to have on a trip to IKEA.

Now to find ideas for a Christmas/winter mantel.  I'm thinking about some quilling, another printable, and maybe some trees that runneth over from the cabinets.