Archive for Christmas Crafts
I Heart Vermont
Posted by: | CommentsOver the long weekend, I was lucky enough to join a group of a friends on their winter ski vacation to Stowe, Vermont. For those of you that have never been, Stowe is absolutely beautiful. The skiing was pretty good, although the snow definitely could have been better – apparently DC hogged all the snow. We had an amazing time. We ate at a few really good restaurants, found some incredible antiques at Sir Richard’s antique store and went to Ben and Jerry’s. Our friend Alison took a snowboarding lesson from a man who also owned a dairy – Mt. Mansfield Creamery – and made Vermont’s only Havarti! She brought us some of us cheese, which soooooo delicious. (I mean, really, his life consists of making cheese and teaching snowboarding. Seriously? I’ve never been so jealous of anyone before.)
But the best part of the trip was hanging out with our friends in the amazing house they rented. It overlooked the mountains, had an enormous kitchen and huge, comfy couches on which enjoyed hot toddies after skiing! The house was decorated so cute – but of course – two things stuck out more than the others to me, and I wanted to share them with you. While I doubt the home owners made either of these things, they are two things I hope to be able to make one day:
A Chair made out of skis!
The Cranberries – Not Just a One-Hit Wonder From Ireland!
Posted by: | CommentsBrought to us by Kathy, Scranton Correspondent
Today’s recipe is brought to us by our Scranton correspondent, Kathy. She’s been making her homemade cranberry sauce (so much better than the jelly version that takes the shape of the can!) for years at Thanksgiving and Christmas. But why limit such a delicious dish to the holidays? Its bright red hue and sweet flavor make it the perfect winter pick-me-up to spice up a pork roast or turkey breast. Or, put it in an old-fashioned jar, tie it with a pretty Grosgrain bow, and you have an adorable present for a neighbor, teacher or friend – for Christmas or Valentine’s Day. You can find a whole slew of heart-themed ribbons at your local craft shop.
It’s easy to make, but the end result looks and tastes very special – like you stood over the stove for hours.
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- That’s me, serving the cranberry sauce!
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- Kathy, with all of her ingredients out
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- Kathy, zesting the orange!
Kathy’s Deliciously Delightful Cranberry Spectacular Ingredients: Read More→
Recycle Your Childhood Ice Skates… On Your Wreath!
Posted by: | CommentsMy Aunt Mary Ellen always has the best decorations for the outside of her home. She is able to pull together things that I would never imagine – for any holiday. I have to say, with her latest creation, a winter theme, she has really outdone herself. And luckily, she’s going to be nice enough to share her secret for pulling this look together. For those of you searching for the perfect in-between Christmas and spring door wreath/ outdoor decoration ideas, look no further!
The wreath!
Last year, when Mel was looking to decorate for Christmas, she stumbled across a wreath with a similar theme at a local florist. The wreaths (because the idea was genius!) flew off the shelves before she could purchase one for her home. This year she decided to recreate the idea herself. Here’s how she did it and how you can to:
- I purchased wreath locally at Keene’s Outlet. (You can likely find something similar at K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Michael’s, AC Moore, etc.) A real wreath could be used also.
- The skates, hat, scarf and mittens can be found in a sporting store (such as Dicks, or try TJ Maxx or Wal-Mart).
- I tied the skates on to the foundation and/or center wire of the wreath w/ the shoe laces.
- The hat, scarf, mittens, & socks I attached to the wreath using wooden clothes pin holders (any kind of small clips that could easily be hidden). I just attached them to various wreath branches. Remember you could also use small green decorating wire, (very popular!). You would string it through the clothes and then attach it to the wreath branches. Both are durable enough to stand up against the winter weather elements.
Here’s how it looks on her house – Beautiful!
A New Holiday Party Tradition…
Posted by: | CommentsI meant to post this before the holidays, but procrastination and last minute shopping got the best of me. This year, for our apartment’s before-mentioned holiday party, we tried something a bit different: we asked all of our guests to bring a toy for Toys for Tots. We collected the toys under the tree and donated them the next day at the Marine base. I wanted to share some photos, so our readers could keep this in mind for their parties next year! I can’t take credit for coming up with the idea all on my own, a co-worker was hosting a Toys for Tots party, which gave me the idea to incorporate it into ours. It was a huge sucess, and our guests seemed really excited to purchase toys for the organization. Do you ever incorporate charities into your parties? If so, do share your ideas! Some photos:
Look at all those toys!
Last Minute decorating idea!
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re looking for last-minute Christmas decorations before the holiday guests arrive, we love this easy – and darling! – Christmas Tree made from a magazine that we found on Martha Stewart. Michelle made one to spruce up our apartment before our annual holiday party this year.
Martha used gold spray paint and glitter on her finished product to make it more festive. We didn’t have spray paint or glitter, so Michelle wanted to keep it the way it was. It looks like its covered with snow! I just love it on our bookshelf.
Michelle's Adorable Tree!
“Quill” Out
Posted by: | CommentsGuest Post by Alicia Wells…
This past weekend, I wanted to make some quirky paper ornaments as a finishing touch for my family’s Christmas gifts. I’ve never done any sort of paper twirling, or “quilling” as I’ve heard it called, but I decided to give it a go and see what happened. I found these instructions and ideas on the Craftzine.com blog, which were taken from a book called “Twirled Paper.” I loved the expressions on the octopus and angelfish — and once I got the hang of it, they were really easy to make.
You’ll need:
- Cardstock. (Craftzine says you can use regular paper, but I think cardstock holds its shape better.)
- Poster board, as the bodies are made from 24″ long strips
- X-acto knife
- Hot glue gun
- Googly eyes
- String to hang ornaments
The step-by-step instructions at Craftzine are easy to follow and make for a perfect snowy afternoon activity. Older kids should find this project especially fun, too. I’m thinking of buying the “Twirled Paper” book as well, so stay tuned for future quill outs!
When she is not writing about crafting for Yay! DIY, you can find Alicia writing on her own blog, PRiscope.
Michael’s Coupon – 15% off Entire Purchase
Posted by: | CommentsDue to the bad weather across much of the Northeast that kept shoppers from the store last Sunday, Michael’s is offering a 15 percent off your entire purchase today – including sale items! Download the coupon here. In addition, it’s selling all Christmas items up to 70 percent off. The sale is good from 1 p.m. – 11 p.m., so plan your afternoon accordingly!
Holiday Party Gift Bags
Posted by: | CommentsLast week, my roommates and I hosted our annual holiday party. Not to brag, but our parties are infamous for their tasty eats and homemade egg nog. (Almost as much as for the late night Mariah Carey/ Kelly Clarkson sing-a-longs. I mean, who doesn’t love a little “Merry Christmas, Baby, or “My Life Would Suck Without You?” as a nightcap?)
When planning our menu this year, we came across a post on Goop (a very cool site, if you’ve never checked it out) about Flannery Klette Kolton and Lauren Gerrie, the owners of bigLITTLE Get Together, a chef service in New York City. In this post, they shared a few of their favorite holiday recipes, including one for a very special popcorn that is flavored with sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg – all at once! The recipe looked easy and tasty. We thought it would make the cutest goodie bags for our guests! While we used this one for a holiday party, we thought it would be a great favor for New Years parties as well.
Look at the colors of that popcorn!
First, we followed the recipe (you can get it here.) It was AMAZING. I’m not normally into popcorn, but the combination of cinnamon-y/sweet/salty in alternating bites was fabulous.
Our gift bags with cute tags, designed by Wendy, my roommate
Then, Wendy used her fabulous graphic design skills to make cute little labels for each bag. She used a design program, but you could make something cute in word, even as simple as “Merry Christmas” or “Happy New Year” in a playful font.
Our gift bags waiting for their guests
We filled each bag about half way with popcorn. We then folded the tops of the bag over to close them. Then using a hole punch, we punched a hole in the corner of the folded bag as well as the corner of our tag. Using some colorful ribbon, we tied a tag onto each bag. Check out how cute the finished product was!
Have you made any cute goodie bags for a holiday party? Share your ideas with us!
Poppin’ Around the Christmas Tree…
Posted by: | CommentsAfter moving from our sixth floor walk-up apartment to a much more manageable first floor apartment this year, my roommates and I decided it was appropriate to get a Christmas tree. I’ve lived in New York City for eight years now, and we’ve never gotten a tree before (re: said sixth floor walk up), so this was a VERY exciting year for me.
My roommate Michelle and I hit up the nearby makeshift Christmas tree bodega and borrowed some lights from my BF. Michelle had trekked back from Thanksgiving in Tennessee with a box full of family ornaments, and my mother sent me some in the mail, too.
But we still thought we were missing a little something a little extra. I decided that it would look great if we strung popcorn. I absolutely love the end result – the popcorn gives the tree the bit of color and texture it needed, and a little bit of a vintage feel as well. However, it was a lengthy process – much more time intensive than I expected. That being said, if you have two or three people, a few bottles of wine and some good Thursday night TV, it is a fun and totally doable DIY project! And, most importantly, it’s adorable when finished!
The finished popcorn strands on the tree!
Michelle was really the brains once this project got moving. She did some research on the internet, and combined what she read until she got the perfect combo for our supplies/skills.
You’ll need:
- Regular, old-school popcorn – not microwaveable or flavored.
- Nylon thread. We like “Invisible” thread. It almost feels like fishing wire, but is clear. They should sell this at any store that sells fabric.
- Sewing Needle
- Scissors.
- Good eyes. Wear your glasses. Invisible thread is tough to see!
The Winedeer: The Cutest Darn Ornament Ever
Posted by: | Comments
Your finished friend. Isn't he just the cutest?
Years ago I found a photo of a reindeer made out of wine corks while searching for creative crafts on the internet. Ever since, every Christmas I make a round of them for friends and family. I never remember exactly how I do it, so each year they turn out a bit different. Some have bells, some are missing a tail, etc. I love to bring them to tree trimming parties, or use them instead of bows on Christmas gifts. And, since I love to indulge in wine, oh so often, collecting wine corks is never an issue.
One day, when we learn how to sell things on YAYDIY! I’ll offer to sell you a Winedeer. Until then, you can make them yourselves!
Christmas Cards on the Chic
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the biggest reasons I never send out holiday cards is because I simply don’t have $60 to spend on cards I always thought I could make better at home. And that’s not even including postage!
So this year, with a glass of wine in hand (okay – three) and Love, Actually playing on the television, I settled down to do just that – making two different types below.
- Christmas Tree card, left, and Snowman card, right
Here’s how you can do the same!
