Cocktail: Toasted Almond

Last December Katie posted 2 recipes for Coffee Liqueur. I made some for gifts Christmas 2012 and I am going to again this year. It did the 3-day method last year and will again this year.  

Our ususual drink for coffee liqueur is a shot or 2 in an old fashioned glass with ice and milk. The first batch I made this year went to a new drink a Toasted Almond. 

1 or 2 shots coffee liqueur
1 shot amaretto almond liqueur
8 oz milk

2 tbsp chocolate syrup (optional)
ice

Mix all together. Serve in an old fashioned glass over ice.

Repurpose Christmas

If you're anything like me, by the time Christmas is over, you're ready to pack all of those space-sucking decorations away. And if one happens to be broken, or if you're sick of looking at it year after year, getting rid of it sounds wonderful!

Well, stop it. Heh. This year we're going to repurpose. We're going to save money, save the landfill, and be all sorts of crunchy. :)

Even your non-working string of lights can be repurposed! Think about the style of cute, junk jewelry that fills the store at the holidays. Christmas bulb earrings. Christmas bulb necklaces, broaches, bracelets, barrettes.

Old, tired ornaments can be prettied up with some satin and lace. Or jazzed up with sequins and glitter, if that's your style. Grab a hot glue gun and some scraps and design your new ornament with your old ornament as a base. Consider gluing broken ornaments into a beautiful mosaic piece.


Long before I buy new Christmas decorations and pay full price at the store, I walk the holiday aisle at the thrift stores and see what's there. Broken things that just need a spot of glue or a swipe of paint, old wreaths needing some sprucing up, or a whole box full of items that can be taken apart and made into a whole new thing.

Not only do I save a bunch of money, I get to have fun creating. Get the kids involved- what kid can resist paint, glue and sparklies? Not this one. ;-)

Last year I had a snowman Christmas wreath. It was cute enough- singing, animated snowmen and all- but it was beginning to fall apart, plus I felt I'd 'outgrown' the style. In fact, when I was packing up last year I *almost* tossed it.

When I got it out this year, I decided to repurpose. I took it apart, and with just a few cheap purchases at the craft store, I came out with not only a new wreath for the door, but with enough leftover supplies to make a few more decorations.

The only part of this that is original is the wreath itself. There are always piles upon piles of old, ugly wreaths at the thrift store. (hint hint) I like the clean, simple lines of this wreath, and as cheap as it was to throw together, next year I can do a completely different style if I want to and not feel like I've wasted a ton of money.


This is the pile of leftovers I had when I was done. It's a combination of stuff cut from the old wreath and supplies from making the new one. I tossed them all in a basket, threw it on the table and called it a centerpiece. :)



This literally took me about 60 seconds to make, using nothing but leftover supplies.



And those silly motion-activated, singing, dancing snowmen from the original wreath?



I placed them on a table in a high-traffic area just so I could listen to the groans of my cheerful teenagers. With each loudly crooned verse of "Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow" I was entertained with "Moooo-oooooom! That is SO annoying!" I do take pleasure in the strangest of things. ;)

So, as you're packing up this year, slide your box of thrift-store-bound decorations into the closet. Because while the idea of redecorating may not appeal to you right now, bogged down in holiday-overload as we are, by next year when you pull it all out and the Christmas spirit is just beginning to bubble, you might be surprised at how much fun it will be to recreate, repurpose and redecorate!

Some helpful links:

Thriftshop Romantic: Repurposing Christmas Decorations

Mom's Budget: Repurpose Your Christmas Decorations

Ways to repurpose broken Christmas decorations

This one gives ideas for how to use your Christmas decorations all year round:
After Christmas Decorating: Repurpose Your Christmas Tree and Ornament Collection

Handmade Gift: Gratitude Journal

I am all about little gifts brought together to be made into a package of goodies for people I love.  So I like making crafts that are small and easy. This is one of those projects. I made these a few years ago for packages.

I called them Gratitude Journals but I also did Wish, Ideas, and Dream Journals. The idea was to be able to just keep this tiny little book with you so you could capture moments of gratitude (wishes, ideas or dreams).

I used mini-mead journals that I got at the Dollar Tree in 3 packs.  They are 3 1/2 inches by 4 inches.  I also have used other little notebooks that I will show photos of plain notebooks at the end that can be used.

I just used scrapbook and collage elements to decorate the covers.
Items used:
Pages from old books
Paint chips picked up at Home Depot and Lowes
Words that I printed from using a Word Doc
Labels
Stickers
Rubberstamps
Mini-tags
Magazines - images and patterns cut out from magazines
Vintage Printables I found online (such as:
Punches (stars, hearts, circles, flowers, and puzzle pieces)
Old postage stamps
Scrapbook paper & other scrapbook embellishments - stars, brads, flowers, word rub-ons, chip-board embellishments

These other types of notebooks would work also.  The notebook with pen I got at Michael's Craft store for $1.  I also got the Matchbook Notepads there in a pack of 2 or 3 (can't remember how many for sure) but I have seen both of these items occasionally at The Dollar Tree too.  The 3"x5" Memo notepad usually comes in a 3 pack also at The Dollar Tree. I can't remember for sure on the 6"x4" Memo notepads but think they came in a 2 pack.  Any little notepad with a cardstock/cardboard cover will work for embellishing. Just make sure they are small enough to tuck into a purse or bag for people to carry with them or to tuck into a corner of a desk to be there but not take a lot of space up. 

Friday Favorites

Cookie Dough Fudge - someone in this house is obsessed with cookie dough so I thought of him when I saw this recipe. I suppose I should try to make it :)
Basil Banana Pepper Jelly & Banana, Walnut, Carrot Muffins - both of these recipes look so good. But I can't stop thinking about this jelly. I think it would make a great gift too.
Homemade Lotion Bars - I think these not only would be just great to have around the house but great gifts
100 Days of Homemade Christmas Gifts - there are some handmade gifts for kids on this link as well as adults
Kraft Food and Family Holiday Magazine - this is the digital version of the paid paper subscription
12 Days of Christmas Printables - Free Christmas Printables
20 Easy Christmas Decorating Ideas - Babble gather links to some DIY decorating ideas

Easy Tinsel Garland Wreath

Made this Wreath for Christmas 2010

I got this idea from Creature Comforts. Please check out her directions too as she has other options and some creative add-ons. This was such a simple and inexpensive wreath. I got all my supplies at the dollar store. Cost me I think $5 for everything and I had left over supplies. 

1.  Take embroidery hoops in various sizes, store-bought tinsel garland (a 6” embroidery hoop uses approximately 12’ of garland), and a pair of scissors. 


2. Begin by tucking one end of the garland under the metal latch at the top of your embroidery hoop.

3. Begin wrapping the tinsel garland around the embroidery hoop making sure to keep the garland taught as you go. Every  wrap around the hoop you will want to push the wrapped section up so that it fills in nice and full and does not look sparse. Continue wrapping and pushing it up to make it full until the entire embroidery hoop is covered and you've used the full length of garland. If you happen to run out of garland along the way you can easily just continue with another piece of garland and cut it off when your wreath is full.  Secure the loose end(s) by tucking between the embroider hoops (which can be tricky) or just pushing it under some already wrapped pieces so it stays tucked under and not falling down and loose. 

4. Add bow or a waxed paper flower.  Add some ribbon to hang and and enjoy the wreath!

My wreath in the photo - has a fairly large embroidery hoop and a small one. I laid the small one on top of the large one and then hung them together on the door.  It created a fuller look to the wreath. 

Little Handmade Gifts

These are some gifts that have been posted on Domestic Servitude that you can make to give during the holidays.

1. Bath Cookie - I made these in Lavendar and Lemongrass scents.  Make sure to mark them for bath only not eatable.

2. Bath Fizzes - I got the Citric Acid for these at natural/health food grocer.  It is something used often when canning but I didn't find it in regular grocery stores near canning supplies unfortunately.

3. Sweet & Spicy Bath Salts - all the ingredients in this recipe by katie, you most likely have on hand!  It would be good idea for all those little empty bottles of herbs/spices that I save wondering how can I reuse these.

4.  Clothes Pin Magnets - very inexpensive - 36 pack of clothes pins at Dollar Tree, 50 cent acrylic paints at  Michael's and then just cheap little stamps I have picked up at Michael and Dollar Tree. Make a great stocking stuffer.

Friday Favorites

150 Stocking Stuffer ideas  - of course all vanilla and some for kids too but I am sure the creative minds that come and read here can think of something with chocolate sprinkles to add  your adult stockings too.
101 Simple Handmade Gifts - a list of of links to handmade gifts
10 DIY Garlands - it shows these as DIY but some have a cost behind them but they are basically showing them because they can be handmade
2011 Ultimate DIY Gift Guide - links to tutorials and recipes that are good gifts
Everything in a Jar - Handmade Gifts - these are really like mini gift baskets - some cute ideas
50 Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Men - which I think often these lists are geared towards kids or women so one for men is nice

Stocking Stuffer

Want a quick, fun, easy stocking stuffer? Clothes Pin Magnets. I made these the last couple years and stuck them in almost every stocking and package last year.




I bought a package of clothes pins at the dollar store (36 in a package). I painted them with a foam bush using the cheapest acrylic paint. They did dry very quickly because I didn't put the paint on thick - just almost a thin wash of it on the clothes pin. Once dry I took rubber stamps to stamp them with images. It didn't matter if the image fit on the clothes pin or not...having it run off the edge worked still. And then I glued a magnet to the back.

They would be cute too if you stamped names on them or to-do, urgent, read and so on them for an office or teacher. Michael's sells tiny alphabet stamps for $1 that work well on them.

Bath Fizzies

I found this recipe for bath fizzies in the book Martha Stewart Crafts.

I was going to order molds online such as something similar to the ones here. But then when in the Dollar Tree they had the silcone ice cube trays. I have seen them at various times of the year too in different shapes. And I think silicone would be easier to get the fizzies out.



1 3/4 cup Baking soda
2 cups Cornstarch
1 cup Citric acid
Spritzer bottles
Food coloring
Glass bowl
Essential oil
Baking molds

Sift 1 3/4 cup baking soda, 1 cup citric acid, and 2 cups cornstarch through a sieve to remove chunks. Fill small spritzer bottles with water and add about 6 drops of food coloring. If you want different tints, use multiple spritzer bottles with different food colorings.

Pour 1 cup of powdered mixture into a glass bowl. Lightly spritz, stirring after each spritz, until powder is desired color. Add spritz water slowly, so mixture does not fizz. If mixing two tints, alternate colors as you spritz. Check the consistency of powder with your fingers; when it can be tightly packed or shaped, stop spritzing (this may take a little while).

Select an essential oil. Add 5 drops if it's one of the stronger scents (peppermint, lavender), 6 if it's a weaker one (lemon, grapefruit). Mix well. Firmly pack mixture into small baking molds. Allow mixture to set for 2 hours, then pop out carefully. Repeat with different tints for remaining powder.

You will have to experiment how much is good for one bath. The silicon ice cube trays that I used - 2 were good for one bath. I packaged them in snack size ziplocks and did a cardboard topper on it that I stapled on the bag with directions on the back.

Print Friendly

Bath Cookies

2 cups finely ground sea salt
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 T light oil (almond or canola)
1 tsp vitamin E oil
2 eggs
5-6 drops essential oil of your choice

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Combine all the listed ingredients and form into a dough. Using a teaspoon or so of dough at a time, roll it gently in the palm of your hand until it forms a ball. Form all dough into one teaspoon balls, and gently place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Consider sprinkling the bath balls with herbs, flower petals, cloves, citrus zest and similar aromatic ingredients. Bake your bath cookies for ten minutes, until they are lightly browned. Do not over bake. Allow the bath cookies to cool completely. To use, drop 1 or 2 cookies into a warm bath and allow to dissolve.

NOTES:
* I wish I would have actually mixed some herbs in to the dough. The lavender bath cookies I did press lavender into the tops of them.

* Make sure they are labeled so that no one tries to eat them.

* I saw one recipe that replaced the eggs with 5 tablespoons ground flax seeds mixed with 6 tablespoons water.

* How they dissolve depends on many factors - how warm the water is, if it is soft or hard, how long they were cooked and so on. My Mom who has soft water said they dissolved quickly. But my sister who has hard water said they didn't dissolve quickly but she actually broke it up and that helped.

* Cookies stored in an airtight container will last for 6 to 8 weeks.

* I used snack and sandwich size ziplocks and then made toppers for the bag in photoshop, but they could be hand done too. On the back of the topper I put the directions and storage information.

Clothes Pin Magnets

Want a quick, fun, easy stocking stuffer? Clothes Pin Magnets. I made these last year and stuck them in almost every stocking and package last year.




I bought a package of clothes pins at the dollar store (36 in a package). I painted them with a foam bush using the cheapest acrylic paint. They did dry very quickly because I didn't put the pain on thick - just almost a thin wash of it on the clothes pin. Once dry I took rubber stamps to stamp them with images. It didn't matter if the image fit or not...them running off the edge worked still. And then I attached a magnet to the back.

They would be cute too if you stamped names on them or to-do, urgent, read and so on them for an office or teacher. Michael's sells tiny alphabet stamps for $1 that work well on them.

Gift Idea - Handmade Calendar

One year I made a calendar for some friends. This took a while but it could have been simplified by doing just a single image - such as stenciling a trio of leaves on a piece of tweed fabric, cutting them out and gluing them down on the card stock for November. Really this idea could be implemented in so many different ways - using photos, paints, rubber stamps, fabric, quotes, scrapbook supplies, the computer (such as photoshop) or whatever you have around your house. I used card stock as the base and then just let my imagination go. After I was done, I just used a binder clip to hold them together and it also can be hung on the wall by that.

Friday Favorites

Holiday Baking Essential List - must haves for baking during the holidays

DELISH: 8 Easy and Elegant Christmas Candle Ideas - just a quick do's and don't when decorating with candles

Simply Recipes Turkey Leftover Recipes, BHG Fresh Ideas for Leftover Turkey, and Food Network Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes - all sites with ideas for your Thanksgiving leftovers

Martha Stewart Handmade Cards - if you are mailing out cards...this is the time to finish up handmade cards or to buy some (photo from Martha Stewart)

5 dollar magazines - Amazon is having a special $5 for a year subscription to Real Simple, House Beautiful, Food and Wine, Southern Living and several others.

Friday Favorites

Tank Top Totes - Master doesn't see that I need many purses as I go almost every where with him. So I don't have very many purses. But when we travel I am or go out on jobs I carry a tote. And so these caught my eye. Inexpensive to make and so cute! Also eco-friendly as you are recycling by repurposing. In addition to those wonderful qualities, I think these would be great holiday presents. (Photo from Crafty Nest)

Slow Cooker Favorites by Cooking Light - During the holidays time is a premium so I use my slow cooker non-stop as it just saves me so much time. These recipes to me are different and look so good. I can't wait to try a few out.

Love to Know Crafts - Card Making - One gifts I gave years ago was handmade cards. I made different occasion cards - birthday, anniversary, get well, blank cards, congratulations, wedding and so on. I put them in groups of 12 to 24 cards with some stamps and stickers to my grandparents. And they loved it. Not only did it save them money since they are on a fixed income. But they were handmade and they loved the thought of giving someone a handmade card especially one made by their granddaughter. I also made thank you notes one year for Master as a gift for his business. I used his logo and info on the back so it those getting it would have that on hand.

Retail Me Not - This is a place for coupon codes and discounts. I have used it MANY times. Whenever I am ordering something I stop there first to see if I can find a discount - often I at least save on shipping which I like. It also has printable grocery coupons too.

Easy Handmade Bows from BHG - Some very lovely bows and some that I never new how to make. So excited to try out.

Repurpose Containers for Holiday Giving

BEFORE:




















AFTER:



We get the big tins of nuts at SAM's and so throughout the year I keep them to decorate and give Christmas cookies and candy in as gifts. The nuts are great for the holiday season to make chex mix or candy clusters.

The tins can be decorated in many ways. Cover it with scrapbook paper or decoupage it gift wrap or scrap paper. I painted them with gesso first. It is a primer that helps the paint stick. I then just sponge painted over the gesso with the inexpensive craft paint. A few I handpainted with Christmas trees.

For the lids - some of them I used gesso on some of the lids and sponge painted them too. And others I cut round template from paper and covered with paper. A few I rubber stamped like the on in the picture. Others I just covered with solid red or green paper and did a little note or tag on the top for the recipient. Others I hung the tags off the side like in the picture.

I didn't buy any tins or containers last year to give gifts. Everything I gave was in a repurposed container. I used oatmeal containers, glass jars, plastic tubs (cool whip, margarine or yogurt) and crystal light containers (that are a tall tube) covered with scrapbook paper or wrapping paper. Every jar or container I use I try to think of another way to repurpose it. They are easy to decorate and great for giving holiday treats.

(I will try to post a few more pictures of containers that I repurpose this year.)

Friday Favorites

Epicurious Thanksgiving - recipes, menus and videos

Kaboose Thanksgiving - recipes, decorations, crafts

Thanksgiving Crafts - BHG thanksgiving crafts - paper crafts, table top crafts and crafts to do with kids

Handmade Gift Guide - a huge list with links to handmade gifts to make for kids, grandparents, men, co-workers and so on.

Martha Stewart Christmas - Christmas crafts, cards, decorations, cookies, gift wrapping ideas, gift ideas

(Photo from BHG link - easy table decorations)

Book Review: The Art of Giving

The Art of Giving: Gift Ideas to Delight the Senses by by Liezel Norval-Kruger


This is from description from publishers:

Gift giving is a universal custom, but in today's harried world many of us have moved away from the more considered and creative aspects of what should be a very personal act. It should be a gesture of love, friendship, celebration, acknowledgment, and thanks. The Art of Giving is filled with inspirational ideas and practical information for the discerning gift giver on how to achieve beautiful, artful, and thoughtful gifts.

Taste, smell, and touch are the pivotal chapters. They draw on our capacity to indulge ourselves and those we love through each particular sense. Each chapter is filled with ideas and tantalizing images, as well as practical information on how to create and present wonderful gifts. Another chapter, on wrapping, will show you how to achieve expert finishing touches and inspired solutions to the most awkward of gift shapes. From handcrafted soaps and homemade potpourri to beautifully wrapped candies and an entire picnic for two, the endless variety of ideas in this book offer something for everyone. Turn to the back of the book for recipes, templates, diagrams, labels, and other do-it-yourself essentials to tell you how to do it all. For anyone who wants to create and give gifts that are more expressive, meaningful, and heartfelt than something grabbed off the shelf or ordered over the phone, The Art of Giving offers a wealth of inspiration and practical advice.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the photos and the style of the gifts and ideas. The Art of Giving is filled with lots of DIY gift ideas that are inexpensive, attractive and simple to make. Also this is a great book to find ideas for those on your gift list that are impossible to shop for people. The book I previously reviewed about green giving...was good but this book has better ideas that could be implemented with green options. Such as it has tubes covered with paper, photos or postcards. Or gifts wrapped in news paper and then tied pretty ribbon that don't look cheap but look like it was wrapped professionally because the folds are so crisp. Or wrapped with felt and embroidery thread to do simple stitches to close it. All their examples were lovely and I can't wait to try some of them out this year for holiday giving.

The book includes recipes, craft templates and instructions and label templates in the back of the book also.

Some crafts and recipes I want to try and give....
Milk & Honey Bread
Infused Brandy
Fresh Feet Bath
Shoe Bags
Sewing Kits (that would be good for men or women)
Beaded Coasters
Hot Chocolate Cream

Plus MANY MANY more ideas.

If you can't get to the book before the holidays, here are a few links to help inspire and create.....

Felt Sewing Kit by Martha Stewart

Altoid Tin Sewing Kit - I don't think this one is done as well as it could be but it does provide inspiration

Mending on the Go Kit

Cocktail Times - Pear Infused Vodka - look at the related links too - they have herbal infused vodka, cranberry spiced infused vodka and a couple others.

Married with Dinner - Pear Brandy - I like the tag she did on the bottle too

Amateur's Guide to Drinking - Infuse This - Pear and Vanilla Infused Sake & Strawberry and Cherry Infused Brandy

Betz White Shoe Bag Tutorial

Craft Ideas - Shoe Bag Instructions

Beaded Coasters by Martha Stewart

Book Review: Simply Green

I am going to do these reviews together since they are very similar books by the same author. These are books I wouldn't necessarily buy but check out from the library. Both give some really creative green alternatives.


Simply Green Parties: Simple and resourceful ideas for throwing the perfect celebration, event, or get-together by Danny Seo

I really enjoyed the photos/styling of this book. I enjoyed many of the ideas. Seo brings the concept to reduce, recycle and reuse upfront in party planning. Very nice ideas about reusing household items or getting items at thrift stores to repurpose for party decor. Many of the ideas are very chic and can be adapted to fit your needs.

Okay so the bad things....There were some things I didn't get why he felt they were green. I mean there shouldn't be a lot of trash after a green party. And he suggested using bamboo paper plates. Now that is more eco-friendly then the plastic disposable plates or regular paper plates...but what would be even more eco-friendly is using real everyday plates. Getting a plain white porcelain plate - and you can plan any party around that. Or picking up odd sets at thrift stores and mixing and matching is always to me a better choice then paper. He also did bottled water. Plastic bottles water bottles....I loved what he did with them making flavor waters but why not pitchers of filtered tap water with fruit in them instead of plastic water bottles.


Simply Green Giving: Create Beautiful and Organic Wrappings, Tags, and Gifts from Everyday Materials by Danny Seo

I liked this book better then the party book. Again I really enjoyed the photos/styling of this book. He really hits the concept to reduce, recycle and reuse over and over. Some nice ideas about reusing household items or getting items at thrift stores to repurpose to wrap your gifts, make handmade gifts and gift tags.

I enjoyed seeing him make bows from the scented perfume cards in magazines. He tore them out very carefully. And then opened up the scented edge. He cut 1/2-inch strips across the sheet, starting at the scented edge and stopping an inch from the end. Then you fold it up accordion style - neatly stacking the strips on top of each other. With a pair of sharp scissors take each strip and curl by pulling it over the blade. The quicker you pull it over the blade the curlier it will get. And then attach to gift. The colors and images on the bow turn into a bouquet of colorful ribbon.

He also used the same concept of curling ribbon by pulling VHS tape out of the plastic tape cassette. And he wrapped a wine bottle in newspaper leaving 5 inches extra on top and cut that into strips and curled also.

Some things I didn't feel looked great. He took an old string of christmas lights to tie around a package but I just didn't think it looked good. I believe it probably could have but I just don't feel it was styled right in the book. Something else I wasn't sure about was that he used the inside of silver foil part of potato chip bags to wrap gifts. He washed them of course and then wrapped so the silver was showing out. But I just wonder how someone would feel opening a gift wrapped in a potato chip bag? I guess if they knew you were going green maybe they would accept it but would they think you were weird? Does it matter to save the environment? I don't know. But I thought it was odd. It looked pretty in the book - just wasn't sure how someone would feel opening a gift wrapped in it.

Overall the book did give me ideas for wrapping and decorating gifts more eco-friendly. I think often people forget repurposing is a green option. I will be posting a few things I did last year to wrap gifts by repurposing containers - nut containers, frosting and even a grated Parmesan cheese container.

Meanwhile check out these links for gift wrapping and especially green gift wrapping...

Gaiam Life - 10 Green Gift Wrapping Ideas

Passionate Homemaking - Frugal and Green Gift Wrapping

Green Package Wrap Ideas

Earth Easy - Gift Wrapping Alternatives

Also I posted these links before but are good ones at the holidays...
Paper bow making - Recycling magazines, old books and scrapbooking paper

There is also a great article on gift wrapping in Simply Service Holiday 2008 issue by marg_it.

Book Review: Lotta Prints

Lotta Prints: How to Print with Anything, from Potatoes to Linoleum by Lotta Jansdotter

I keep going back and forth on if I would give this book 3 or 4 stars. The style of the prints, the photos, the set up of the book - inspiring. Just lovely. The actual instructions to techniques used - lacking. Most of it is basic printing information that is found online or in other books - with better instructions. So it didn't give me any new ideas as far as techniques but as far as inspiration - yes it did! Really easy designs that would leave anything you print on looking so pretty. One such inspiration I can't wait to try is the wall hangings. They were ceiling to floor simple cloth wall hangings with a simple print on them. Very pretty - giving a room a splash of color with a minimalistic approach. Another plus to this book - many of the print designs could go for either male or female. They are very unisex friendly. Often prints books I have seen are very hearts, flowers and sunshine type designs but this book often has geometric designs put together in a very pleasing way that would work for any gender. I don't know if it is a book I need to own but I do think it would provide me inspiration on print design if I had it on my shelf but wouldn't teach me anything new about print techniques.

HANDMADE GIFT IDEA: Take plain tea towels, ties or totes and do potato printing on them. Here are a few links with how to's and also inspiration: Craftzine Tater Stamping, Creative Kismet Potato Printing and Creative Kismet Lotta Inspiration

Halloween Wreath

While searching for Halloween ideas I came across this DIY Halloween wreath. I figured I would give it a go, and see how cheaply I could do it.

First Stop: The Dollar Store

One wreath hoop, two strings of leaves, two Halloween ribbons, two bunches of orange flowers.



One strings of skeletons, one bag of skulls, one bag of plastic creepies, one black raven (the raven is hardly noticeable. In a do-over, I'd skip it).


Next Step: Spray paint the wreath and foliage a flat black. (I left one of the flower bunches orange so I could keep the orange/black Halloween color theme)



Next Step: Assembly. Wrap foliage around wreath. Randomly hot glue on skeletons, skulls, spiders, ribbons.



Last Step: Hang on the door and be praised by your husband and kids about how "cool" you are. :-)



Assuming you already have a hot glue gun and wreath door hanger, total price adds up this way:

Spray paint- $3.00
Wreath 'ingredients' - $11.00

Total price- $14.00

But!

I have enough paint, flowers, skeletons, skulls and ribbon to make at least one more wreath. With another $3.00 investment from the dollar store, I'm going to make another one and send it to my mom for a Halloween present.

And it was FUN. You all should totally do this!