Holly Jolly January

Sorry about the little hiatus we've been on. I haven't been too motivated recently, but here are some gift ideas under $10...three weeks after Christmas. My family hasn't gotten their gifts from me yet, so it still counts. You should probably get started on your list for this Christmas now anyway. Remember how stressed you were a few of weeks ago?

Personalized Wreaths

My mom's Christmas list included three things that were supposed to suffice for three daughters and our dad. The gifts were bought before I even saw the list, so I was left with no ideas. This is usually how it goes. And she wonders why her husband got her a flat screen tv one year...

 

Merry Christmas, Mom!

She loves the American antique style, so I thought up this personalized wreath. I got everything from Hobby Lobby and with sales and coupons, it only cost $6 to make!

Wreath  $2.99 after a 40% off coupon
Letter $1.39 after a 30% off sale
1/4 yard of fabric $1.22 after a 30% off sale

The picture pretty much speaks for itself, but I'll explain how I completed the wreath. I decided to make my grandma one too, so I'll show you the process for hers.

Letter

I painted the letter with a tan base coat so that when I did the distressing, there would be color underneath. I propped the 'F' up on an old bowl, which made painting the sides a lot easier. Unbeknownst to me, this was my husband's "favorite cereal bowl!" Okay...sorry, it was ugly.

Next I painted on the red. After that dried, I started the distressing and realized I didn't have any sandpaper. I tried using a Brillo pad for a while, but that didn't really work. Then my husband suggested an emery board...what a good idea! It worked and was way easier to maneuver. I also used a flathead screwdriver to nick up the surface a little. Ruining something you just worked on for an hour is fun yet terrifying...

Bow

I folded the 1/4 yard of fabric in half lengthwise and then cut down the fold to make two pieces. Then I pinned one short end to the other and sewed them together to form one long piece. Bear helped, as usual. Ugh.

I folded the now long piece in half lengthwise, right sides together, and pinned the raw edges. You can also use nature's pins...cat paws! 
Then I sewed the edges together and turned the tube right side out...the most annoying part.

To form the bow, I tied one regular bow and was left with two long tails. I tied another bow with those to create a double bow.

I then folded the tails' raw edges under to sew the openings closed...but I didn't want to take the bow apart, so I just used hot glue...shhhh.

Done!

If the antique look isn't your thing, I also tried a more modern style for my mother-in-law.

Merry Christmas, Annette!

Beer Cutezies

Why??

Phew! Much better.

I don't know how beer koozies turned into the tackiest thing ever, but we don't have to stand for it anymore! No one needs a koozie that says "Old Fart's Beer" and when you're spending the night drinking PBR you definitely need some added class to cool your brew. 

These could potentially be free if you have any koozies lying around and a small fabric scrap. We, surprisingly, did not have any koozies, so I bought these for $1. Here's how they're done...

Cut out a 5" x 12" piece of fabric. (Thanks for my new fancy scissors, Margie and Erin!)

Next, fold down 1/2" from the top and bottom raw edges. I made a little template out of a greeting card that was 4" wide and used an iron so that I could get a clean and straight edge. Pin the edges down.

Sew along the pinned edges. Choose one of the short raw edges to pin and sew down too as it will be visible on the koozie.

 

 

 

 Using hot glue, glue down the raw edge onto the koozie. Place the glue along the folded edges so that any globs aren't as noticable. Then glue the finished edge over the raw edge.

(I forgot to show this step for the plaid one. Oh well, you get to see another koozie begging for a shirt).

Scholary beer koozie. 
Super classy. And smart.

I also made a personalized koozie. I cut a stencil out of paper and filled it in with paint (very surprisingly it didn't bleed).

Hands off my drink!

Fabric Bead Necklaces

The only thing I had to buy for these was wooden balls. The original tutorial I saw used wooden beads, but I couldn't find any at Hobby Lobby. These were $2.99, but 30% off, so the bag came to about $2.09. I can make five necklaces with two bags, so one necklace only costs me 83 cents.

First, cut out a 4.5" x 40" piece of fabric, fold the right sides together lengthwise, pin, and sew along the raw edges.

Turn the fabric rightside out...the most annoying part again. Now you have a tube.

Make a knot at one end, leaving a small opening for the ribbon.

After the first knot, drop in a ball or bead, and then tie another knot. Repeat this until you have just a small piece left on the other side. I usually use about eight balls. I made this necklace with upholstery fabric so the knots turned out a little thicker than I wanted. I prefer the look of the black and white one because I used a thin fabric.

Next you'll have to mess around with the length and see how long you'd like your necklace. I cut my two pieces of ribbon 21" each. You need them long enough to tie a bow. Turn the raw edges under and insert the ribbon. Pin the opening closed and sew everything together. And you're done! I made a couple for my sisters for Christmas...in time for Christmas. They're fun to make because they are easily personalized...and cheap!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season!
Bear and I are looking forward to many new crafting adventures in 2012!