Christmas Cinnamon Stick Car Air Freshener/Ornament

The Holiday's are here and I have to say...it wouldn't be complete without the inspirational and fun "Craft Lightning" series hosted every year by Angie at Country Chic Cottage and Carolina at 30 minute Crafts!

For those few of you who may not have heard of it...Craft Lighting is a round-up of Crafts that take 15 minutes or less to make (minus drying time).

This year, for the Holiday edition Aunt Peaches joins in as a co-host with Angie and Carolina!

It gets a little tougher every year to come up with something "new" to make that hasn't been seen before...and I'm sure my project is not really new, but I have a hankering for recycle/upcycle projects using stuff I have collected (hoarded) over the years!

So I decided to make this scented Car Freshener Ornament:

I was trying to think of something different than just an everyday ornament and for some reason my car popped into my head as it's fairly new... yet has lost that "new car smell" that we all cherish so much!

So I thought how cool would that be to make a cute air freshener that could double as a Christmas Ornament!

There are other little touches you could add to this ornament to make it even better, but as I was trying to keep it at the 15 minute time frame, I didn't get too lavish!

One thing I thought of...was maybe adding a little pocket/pouch to the back of the ornament containing pot pourri or sachet scents as they are a bit stronger than just the cinnamon sticks alone.

You can also boil the cinnamon sticks to bring out more of the scent if they are older and have been sitting around awhile (like mine had been!).

When the sticks lose their scent, you can either add the sachet or a spray to it, or just use it as a pretty Christmas Ornament for your Holiday Tree!

Here is a video showing the steps taken on this project:

Here are the tools and supplies I used to make this project:

Supplies/Tools Used:

Mason Jar Lid (inside piece only)

Cinnamon Sticks, Holiday Time (Marketed By Walmart)

Small Beads, Wooden, 3 ea. (from excess stash on hand, brand unknown)

Drill, Black & Decker

Drill Bit, 1/8"

Hammer, Small, Ball Peen

Scissors

Scribe/Awl

Small Nail (for punching pilot hole for drilling)

Long Needle, (w/large eye for threading ribbon)

Toothpick (for applying glue to knots)

Ruler

Fabric Scrap (Mfr.Unknown, from Stash on-hand)

Felt, Red, Sparkle, Hobby Lobby

Embellishment, Holly Leaves, Plastic

Gold Cord

Ribbon, Dk. Red, Offray, 1/8"

Gold Leaf Pen, Krylon

Dress Marking Pencil, Lt. Blue

Sharpie Marker

Aleene's Tacky Glue

E6000 Glue

Mod Podge

Hope you enjoyed my post and be sure to visit Angie, Carolina and Aunt Peaches for more awesome Holiday Projects you can make in 15 minutes or less!

(Just click on the graphic below!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Duck Tape Soap Dispenser

I always look forward to another Craft Lightning round to inspire me and get the old wheels turning to come up with a cute crafty creation in 15 minutes or less (minus drying time of course!).

The Holiday version is my favorite but seems to challenge me the most as I struggle to find something I can whip up in a jiffy but yet still make it somewhat unique.

I don't know how unique this one is...I'm sure someone, somewhere has thought of it...but I love to upcycle/recycle household items so I decided to go with it anyway...

I used an old plastic soap dispenser and decorated it with Duck Tape and ribbon to spruce it up for the Holidays!

I suffered a lot of indecision in deciding what embellishment to use on the front and made a big mess trying to figure it out...

Fortunately my sweet Granddaughter B was with me when I was finishing this up and after snapping a few photos of possibilities and then showing them to her, she decided the Gingerbread Man looked best!

Collage of Steps to make this project:

Materials/Tools Used in this Project:

List:

Empty/Used  Plastic Soap Dispenser Bottle (Different Size/Shaped Bottle shown here from what I used in project)

Razor Blade

Duck Brand Duct Tape, Red

Scissors

E6000 Glue

Craft Ribbon, Big Lots, Poinsetta Print, Gold Edged, 7/8", 100% Polyester

Craft Ribbon, Michaels, Green Glitter Stripe, Celebrate It, Holiday, 5/8", 100% Nylon

Wooden Embellishment, Small, Gingerbread Man, Mfr. Unknown, from Stock-on-Hand

Notes and Tips:

Because this finished project is subject to getting wet, you'll want to use a permanent type glue such as the E6000 I used, but be careful when using thin ribbon like I did...I didn't realize that if I put it on thick it would seep through and show a bit on the front (you can see my craft "mini-fail" if you look closely at the pictures! Yikes!) After gluing down the first piece of ribbon I was more careful with the second piece and put smaller amounts.
You might be able to use a glue gun on this if you use it at low temp, but I wouldn't recommend using one unless it's your only choice. There is always the possibility of melting the plastic and the resulting smell could be toxic as well.
Another nifty use for this container would be filling it with sanitizer!

This project was super easy and quick but still makes for a sweet little accent in your bathroom or kitchen to spread some Christmas Cheer for the Holiday Guests to enjoy!

Be sure to click on the graphic below and check out all the other great Christmas and Holiday Ideas at The Country Chic Cottage and 30 Minute Crafts!

Thank-you and Happy Holidays!

                                         

Ribbon Fan Ornament

Making Christmas Ornaments has always been a great way to get in the Holiday Spirit for me and I was pretty excited to be participating in this Handmade Christmas Ornament Blog Hop, hosted by Diana over at "The Girl Creative".

Just look at all the cute and creative ornaments that the participants have come up with!

This year I wanted to make something simple and fast since I am on a time crunch because of my crazy schedule.

I still wanted the ornaments to look somewhat elegant though, because I always dream of having one of those fancy designer trees where all the ornaments coordinate!

Of course purchasing ornaments for these type trees can be a huge financial hit to your pocket book especially if your tree is big...and who has tons of free cash hangin' around during the holidays??!!
(Not me, that's for sure!)

I thought about what craft materials that I already have on hand and that I would have a lot of and the first thing that came to my mind was ribbon.

I am swimming in a sea of ribbon!

I started playing around with some of my really wide fabric Christmas ribbon and this is what I came up with...a fan ornament!

I decided to make a few different one's for experimentation since I have no clue what kind of "theme" tree I might decide to do...

These were so fast to make, you could make a whole slew of them for your themed tree in no time at all!

I was pretty happy with the outcome considering it was so fast and easy.

I have been collecting lots of jewelry pieces, beads, buttons and nick-nacks over the last couple of years from all the yard sales and thrift stores hubby and I visit and what a perfect way to compliment these ornaments than with some pretty embelishments!

For one of the ornaments I actually used some lace ribbon that was not stiff enough to hold the fan shape, so I added a coat of fabric stiffener to it and wah-lah! I was able to make it stand up and the lace perfectly complimented my Mardi-Gras themed ornament.

There are so many possibilities of what you can make and so many cute ways to embellish them.

Here is one where I used a button from my stash for accent:

Here is a collage of the steps in making these ornaments:

(NOTE: If you click on the photo collage, you can see a larger version of the picture for clarity)

Here are the supplies and tools I used to make this project:

List of Tools/Materials used:

Ribbon (I used 81/2" - 9" of each for the fan base)
Ribbon, Offray Ribbon Treasures, Cloth, 2-5/8" wide, Christmas Pattern
Ribbon, Gold Braid (Brand unknown, scrap piece from stock on-hand)
Ribbon, Lace, Black, Yellow/Gold, 3-1/2" wide, (Brand unknown, scrap piece from stock on-hand)
Ribbon, Sheer, White, Gold Trim, Wired Edged, Gold Patterned Swirl, 2-1/2" (scrap, stock on-hand)
Ribbon, Nylon/Lace, Old Gold, Scalloped, 5/8"
Ribbon Trim, Beaded, Red Cord/Gold Beads (Brand Unknown, scrap piece from stock on-hand)
Trim, Gold Cord
Decorative Trim, Bead, Gold, Plastic
Jewelry Piece, Old Earring, Holly w/Bell and Gold Bow
Jewelry Piece, Jester Face from Mardi Gras Costume Jewelry
Button, Faux Gold w/Pearl Inset (from stock on hand)
Scissors, Heavy Duty, Cutco
Scissors, Med. Size, Westcott (from WalMart)
Glue Gun, Multi-Temp, Ad Tech
Jewelry Tools, Cutting Dikes & Pliers
Rubber Finger-Tip Protectors
Paper Clips (to hold fan bottom while glue dries)
Paper Weights (to assist with some gluing tasks)
Glitter Glue Pen, Gold, (from set), Advantus Corp, (from Ross)
Glue, Fabric, E6000 Fabri-Fuse
Glue Sticks, Multi-Temp, Full Size, Ad Tech
Fabric Stiffener & Draping Liquid, Aleene's
Foam Brush
Plastic Container (for ease in applying fabric stiffener)
Ruler
Toothpicks (for help in precise gluing)

I hope you liked my project and are inspired to create some ornaments of your own!

Be sure to check out all of the other great Christmas Ornaments in this blog hop by clicking on the link-up below!

Thank-you for visiting my blog!
Hope you'll stop by again soon!

An InLinkz Link-up

Mason Jar Christmas Air Freshener

I have been wanting to experiment using containers to make cute gifts for special occasions and what better way than to start with a Mason Jar!

The timing was perfect as my bloggie friend Angie from The Country Chic Cottage is featuring a whole week of of Mason Jar Gifts this week and will post a round-up on November 1st!

I can't wait to check out all the creative ways to use these jars for gifts!

Since the Holidays are just around the corner and my budget will be extremely limited this year, I decided to make my gift jar something that I could give to a loved one for Christmas.

I love the inviting smell of a good potpourri and/or sachet and I decided that I wanted to center my idea around this ingredient.

Here is what I came up with:

There is nothing better than the aromatic smells of the Christmas Season!

I found this amazing scented sachet at Michael's called "Red Door Wreath" by Fresh Scents and it was perfect for this project.

To keep the contents of the jar from getting "messy" I enclosed the sachet material in a fabric pouch.
I have never made a cloth sachet before and I know that usually they are sewn together, but in order to make this project fast and easy, I decided to try and glue the fabric pieces together.

This actually worked well, though I found that one small sachet was not enough, or the fabric I used was too dense and did not allow for the aroma of the scented sachet to come through, so I made another cloth pocket from sheer nylon ribbon that would breathe better and release the scent (see last photo in collage below).

I enclosed some mini-glittered pine cones, mini faux poinsettias and ribbon inside the jar along with the scented packets. I replaced the regular top insert that came with the jar with a decorative slotted mason jar top insert that I purchased from Michaels, so that the awesome scent could escape!

Supplies/Tools Used for this project:

Ball Mason Jar, 16 oz.
Mason Jar Insert, Metal, Decorative, Slotted, Ashland Dist. by Michaels
Aleene's Fabric Fusion Glue
Elmer's Glue-All
Dupli-Color Engine Enamel, Ford Red
Patterned Fabric Christmas Ribbon,
Sheer Christmas Ribbon, Red w/Multi-Glitter, 2-1/2", Offray
Sheer Christmas Ribbon, Gold/Red, Glitter Edge, 2-1/2" (from Stock on hand, Brand unknown)
Mini-Poinsettia Faux Flowers, Ashland Christmas/Noel, Dist. by Michael's (Not Shown in pic above)
Mini Glittered Pinecones, Ashland, Christmas/Noel, Dist. by Michaels
Gift Tag & Jute Tie, Brown Cardstock, Autumn Bouquet, Michaels
Sachet, Red Door Wreath - By Fresh Scents
Rubber Stamp, "Merry Christmas", Stampin' Up (1995)
Dye Ink Pad, Black, Inkadinkado, EK Success
Dye Ink Pad, Red, StampCraft, Plaid Enterprises
Pigment Ink Pad, Gold, Color Box Cat's Eye
Scissors, Westcott
Marking Pencil, Blue, Water-Soluble
Paper Weights

Be sure to stop by Angie's Blog and see all the other great gift ideas to make using mason jars!

I'm sure you'll be inspired to get crafting!

Thank-you for stopping by for a visit!

Gourd Ornaments

Christmas is just around the corner and it sure snuck up on me fast this year!
I wanted to make some ornaments, but wanted to try something "new" so I decided to give gourd crafting a shot.

In October we took the Grandgirls to the Pumpkin Patch and I purchased some dried gourds and couldn't wait to make something with them, so when I realized the "No Ugly Ornament" series was coming up, I knew it would be a perfect time to "experiment" with my new craft materials!

I started out by cleaning the gourds, as the one's I purchased from the local farmer had been dried, but not cleaned. Some places sell cleaned gourds, but you will most likely pay more money for them and it's really pretty easy to clean them yourself if you have time.

I won't repeat the entire cleaning process here, but instead I will direct you to two of the sources I used to guide me, since this was my first time using gourds.

I watched this video on YouTube which was very informative and helpful:

I also visited this webpage on cleaning gourds: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-clean-a-hardshell-gourd/

Once the gourds were clean and dried it was time to get busy!

At first, I wasn't sure how I wanted to decorate them, but I knew most likely they would need to be "primed" in some way, so I painted them with some white acrylic paint (2-3 coats).

I decided to try a few different techniques since I had several gourds.

For this series I decided to make a Bejeweled "Blinged-Out" Ornament and a Hand Drawn Mosiac design ornament.

Here are the supplies I used for this project:

Materials/Tools List:

Sanding Pads (Coarse, Fine)

Delta Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint (White)

Paint Brush

Bic Mark-it Ultra-Fine Permanent Markers

Sharpie Ultra-Fine Permanent Markers

in Bloom by Bead Design, Faceted Faux Gems, Assorted 

One Button (from misc. stock on hand) - (for Hanger atop gourd)

Aleene's Tacky Glue

E6000 Adhesive

Krylon Workable Fixatif 1306

I used the fixative spray (not shown in photo) on the mosiac gourd, to keep the colors from smearing when the ornament is handled.

(This also helps if you are going to add lacquer, mod podge or other decorative coating to the surface, as some of these coatings will make the color from the ink pens run and a very light spray of fixative will help prevent this problem)

Be sure to stop by and visit all my crafty friends who are part of this great series hosted by my friend Erin at My Very Educated Mother.

I know you'll have fun and be inspired!

Cricut Wild Card Christmas Card

I know this is a bit late...since it's a "Christmas" themed post...but I was so darn busy during the Holidays, I found it almost impossible to get the photo editing and post ready to go before now...so here it is...a little bit of Christmas in January!

Recently a bloggie friend, Rhonda Greene ( mrsgreene.info ) posted a very heartfelt plea for cards that really touched my heart.

Her Grandmother has cancer and is not expected to see another Christmas, so she asked for cards to be sent to her this Christmas.

If you would like to read her story, click here.

I really wanted to make a "homemade" card for her, but wasn't sure if I could get it done in time to get it mailed off and to her by Christmas, so I said I would most certainly send a card, but wasn't sure if it would be homemade or not.

I pulled out my Cricut Expression, (which I haven't used in quite a long time) and went to work!

I knew that I had tons of Christmas stuff on various cartridges, so I figured that would be a great place to start.

Here is the card that I came up with...in somewhat of a hurry I might add:

It is not as neat as I would have liked it to be, but overall, I was pleased with how it turned out.

I liked that it was a "shape" card and the patterned paper added a nice touch to set-off the ornament!

The ornament shape and sentiment were cut from the Cricut "Wild Card" Cartridge using my Cricut Expression.

The ornament and "Merry Christmas" sentiment are found on page 74 of the Wild Card booklet.

I inked the edges of the ornament shape and the sentiment to make them stand out a bit.

I used a little sprite/sparkle stamp to make the decorations on the ornament, though they are very light and  a bit hard to see in the photo.

I also added a touch of glitter just to make the card "pop" a bit without being too gaudy.

For the inside of the card, I found a sentiment/poem from an old Christmas Card and typed it into Microsoft Word and then printed it out on light weight cardstock and trimmed it to fit inside the card.

For the finishing touch, I added my name to the back of the card using my customized Peel & Stick Stamp made by PSA Essentials.

I finished the card just in time to get it mailed off via Priority Mail to arrive in time for Christmas!

(UPDATE: I just checked Rhonda's blog and she has posted an update on the results of the Christmas Card Request...see it here.)

Here is a photo and a list of the tools and supplies used to create this card:

Supplies/Tools:

Cricut Expression
Cricut Wild Card Cartridge
Stampin' Up Patterns Pack II (#114325) 6x6
Red Cardstock
Green Cardstock
White Cardstock
Buff Cardstock (Lt. Wt.) - Best Occasions
Elmer's Classic Glitter Glue - Gold
Clear Acrylic Stamp - Sprite/Sparkle, (Purchased from Walmart, Unknown Brand)
Green Ink Pad - Memories Direct, Forest Green
Green Ink Pad - Oriental Trading
Gold Ink Pad - Oriental Trading
Black Ink Pad - Oriental Trading
Tsukineko Fantastix Coloring Tool
Scotch ATG Tape Gun
Xyron Mega Runner
Zig 2-way Glue Pen, Jumbo Tip
Zig 2-way Glue Pen, Squeeze & Roll, Fine Ball Pt.
Fiskars Mini Trimmer
Cricut Spatula & Pick Tool
PSA Essentials Peel & Stick Custom Stamp

Hope to be back soon with another post...my New Year's Resolution is...POST more to my blog this year!

Thank-you to all my loyal followers for sticking with me, even when I go awhile without posting.

You are AWESOME and I LOVE YOU!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

This project/post is linked to the following sites/link-up parties: