Handmade Holiday Gift Idea

Do you ever have a craft idea and when it all comes together you are just giddy? Well, this plastic cloche ornament was one of those moments for me. I was searching and searching to find some tiny glass bell jars or cloches to make ornaments. Of course I am a little on the cheap side and didn’t want to pay very much, plus I wanted my kids to be able to use them to make ornaments and not feel like they cost to much to let them glue Legos or pipe cleaners inside. Then I was wandering the aisles of Dollar Tree and duh, it hit me.

I spied some plastic wine glasses with removable bottoms and presto this fantastic ornament idea was born. I am certain I am not the first crafter to have this idea and I am not sure why I never thought of it before. But if you are as excited as I am, then run, don’t walk to Dollar Tree and pick up a 6 pack of these plastic wine glasses and some of the plastic snowflakes I glued to the bottom.

(The Santa ornament above has the removable wine glass base glued onto the bottom of the ornament. Genius! You can use all the pieces! That makes it stand up on it own. Don’t add the ornament hanger and you can just display it on a mantle.)

I do want to warn that E•6000 glue is smelly and you will need to help your child with the gluing part. I let my kids pick out all the pieces and show me how they wanted them assembled, then I glued for them. Only my eight year old was able to do it herself.

Supplies:

• Plastic Wine Glasses (mine are from Dollar Tree in the party supply section)
• Plastic Snowflakes or (use the removable bottom from the wine glasses)
• E•6000 Glue
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Assorted items to put inside (birds, Santa, bottle brush trees)

How To:

1. 

   Using either a plastic snowflake for the ornament base or the removable bottom from the wine glass, glue down the pieces you are using to form a scene inside your ornament.

2. If you are using the base of the glass, you can either put it right side up or upside down. Either way will work.

3. 

   Complete gluing on all items that will sit inside the ornament. Let dry.

4. 

   Place glue around edge of glass and stick down to base of ornament.

5. 

   Add glue to the stem of glass and tie ribbon around glue to create an ornament hanger. Let dry. Then tie ribbon into a loop.

    

6. Glue on additional embellishments to the outside of ornament. I got my rhinestone mesh to create the pretty blue bling around the bottom of my bird ornament from HERE.

The post Handmade Holidays | Plastic Wine Glass Ornament appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

It’s Foam for the Holidays Friday again! This project doesn’t actually use foam… but, do you love giving wine as a house warming gift or to the hostess of a holiday party? You can stitch up this burlap wine gift bag in no time and get that bottle of wine all decorated for gift giving!

You can also find more project ideas using FloraCraft® products at MakeItFunCrafts and at the CraftsandCoffee blog!

Supplies:

• Burlap Garland Design It:® Simple Style® By FloraCraft®
• Embroidery Floss
• Sewing Needle
• Ribbon
• Candy Cane or other decoration
• Scissors

How To:

1. Wrap the burlap garland up around the bag and cut off the needed length to cover  your bottle.

2. 

   Fold burlap piece in half. Tie a knot in the floss and start stitching down one side.

3. 

   Continue stitching down the first long side. Then stitch across the center of the bottom and the up the other long side. Knot thread and trim.

4. Slide wine bottle into bag and tie ribbon around top. Add a candy cane or other holiday decoration to the ribbon.

The post Handmade Holidays | Foam for the Holidays Burlap Wine Gift Bag appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Are you in the holiday spirit yet? We had a great time decorating the tree over the weekend. Everyone is old enough now that they can help hang the ornaments. It’s a special and magical year for us and I love that all of my kids are so into the Christmas spirit. This week I helped my 4 year old make his handmade gift. He stamped these spice bags to give as gifts to his brother and sisters. This is really easy to do, but will keep a 4 year old busy for a chunk of time.

My son was so excited to finish stamping the bags and then fill them with CANDY! I bought some Brach’s classic candy mix, somehow it just tastes like Christmas and Grandma’s house!

Supplies:

• Spice Bags
• Stamping Ink Pads
• Stamps
• Candy

How To:

1. Lay bag flat.
2. Choose stamp and ink it up.
3. Stamp onto bag. Continue to add stamps to build a cute scene!
4. Fill with candy or treats.

The post Handmade Holidays | Stamped Spice Bags with Candy appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

My 7 year old son made these drinking glasses to give as gifts to his siblings for Christmas. This is a really great kid craft! This year we are working on a new tradition. I am helping each child make a handmade gift for everyone in our family. Making special gifts makes my kids feel so excited and proud and since he loves to draw this was a natural fit. So you’ve seen what he made, don’t spill the beans to the rest of the family! Want to help your child make glasses like these? Read on to find out how simple they were to make!

I wanted to tell you a little more about my son’s choices of drawings. He drew a bunny for his older sister who loves bunnies, ninja’s for his brother, a crown for his little sister, a deer for Dad and an Astronaut for himself. There was one more glass for me, but he wrapped it so I couldn’t see it! I am so excited for him to give these to everyone! Plus now we will know whose cup is whose and I won’t have to keep washing them because we don’t know who drank out of what cup!

Supplies:

• Glass Markers – found at Michaels or Jo-Anns
• Glasses
• Drawings of what you want to draw
• Tape

How To:

1. Wash and dry glass.

2. 

   Measure your glass and cut a piece of paper so it will fit inside your glass. Use that paper to draw your picture on. Slide paper with picture into glass and use a piece of tape to secure picture temporarily to glass.

3. 

   The easiest way we found to draw on the glass is to lay it on a paper towel in your lap. Once glass is lying flat, draw your picture by following the lines of your paper sketch you see through the glass.

4. Let dry according to marker instructions. Hand wash.

The post Handmade Holidays | Painted Drinking Glasses appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

It’s the second week of Handmade Holidays on The Craft Nest. Today I have a free pattern for you! You can create this lovely hand-sewn bird ornament to give as a gift or to keep for your own tree. This is also a very easy craft for a beginning sewer or child sewer to sew by themselves.  A free pattern is included in this tutorial.

There is quite a variety of colors and decorations you can use to create and decorate this lovely bird and make it your own. I am picturing Baltimore Orioles, Cardinals and Finches. All would be so pretty dangling from a Christmas or Spring tree! Let’s get started.

Supplies:

• Craft Felt or Felted Wool
• Thread
• Needle
• Stuffing
• Bit and Baubles
• Glue
• Scissors
• Pattern – Felt Bird Ornament Pattern Download

How To:

1. Use pattern to cut out pieces from felt. You need two bird bodies and one belly. Download FREE pattern here: Felt Bird Ornament Pattern Download

2. 

   Thread needle with matching thread. Using a whip stitch, start sewing right under the birds tail. Sew all the way around the bird until you reach just under the chin.

3. 

   Lay the belly piece on the outside top of the bird body. Use a whip stitch to continue sewing one edge of the belly to the bottom edge of the bird body.

4. 

   After one side of the belly piece is sewn to the body piece, FLIP the belly piece over and sew the remaining belly edge to the remaining body edge. If there are any gaps where all three pieces come together use a whip stitch and close them up. Leave a small opening to add stuffing.

5. 

   Add stuffing into your bird ornament. I often use a chopstick or pencil to help me push stuffing into all the small areas. Sew closed using whip stitch.

6. Decorate your bird by gluing on bits and baubles. On the dove pictured at top I used false eyelashes and trimmed them to glue on for the eyes. I ordered tiny crown charms that already had a loop and stitched them onto the bird’s head.
7. Sew on an ornament hanger on the back of the neck so your bird can beautifully decorate your tree.

The post Handmade Holidays | Felt Bird Ornament Pattern appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and I am sure you are searching for a perfect handmade gift for mom. Am I right? What about a small gift for Grandma? These tiny little windowsill planters made using recycled lids or a domed vending machine container are just the perfect project for Mother’s Day. You may already have the plants you need in your yard.

I recently attended SNAP! (a blogging conference) and my roommate Cynthia taught a class on making a DIY terrarium necklace with succulent plants. She has an amazing tutorial you can find here, you will want to look at her tutorial before making this little windowsill planter. Her class and knowledge inspired me to make these windowsill planters to give as gifts for Mother’s Day.

Supplies:

• Floral Adhesive (I bought it from my local flower shop)
• Assorted Succulents (You may have enough in your own yard or visit Lowe’s)
• Dried Moss (Michaels)
• Toothpick or Bamboo Skewer
• Paper Plate
• Assorted Sizes Lids from Recycling Bin (Baby food lids are the perfect size)
• Scissors

How To:

1. Gather succulents you want to use. I purchased mine from Lowe’s. You may already have some in your yard, succulents like Hen and Chicks work perfectly for this project.

2. Using a scissors, clip off a small piece from each of the succulents you want to use.

3. Squirt a small spot of floral adhesive onto a paper plate.

4. Use a toothpick or bamboo skewer to pick up some adhesive and spread it around the inside of your lid. Floral adhesive does not harm the plant tissue.

5. Adhere moss to the adhesive. The moss will provide a place for your succulents to grow new roots.

6. Use your toothpick to pick up adhesive and dab the adhesive on the ends of the succulent cuttings. Glue the succulents into the moss. Above I layered two different size lids to make a unique mini-planter.

7. Be sure to read Cynthia’s maintenance tips for caring for your succulents in her post here. The basics are that you will need to mist your plants with water about once a week and be careful not to over water.

The post How To | Mother’s Day Recycled Windowsill Mini-Planter appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Have you ever thought about how many thank you cards a teacher has to send home with students at Christmas? What if all of her Thank You cards were already handmade for her? I decided to make handmade Thank You cards for my son’s teacher. Do you think she will be delighted? You can easily whip up some of these for a favorite teacher too. All you need are blank cards, washi tape, a stamp, ink and envelopes.

Supplies:

• Washi Tape or Crafting Tape (I found mine at Michaels, Recollections brand)
• Thank you stamp
• Ink Pad
• Blank Cards
• Envelopes
• Scissor

How To:

1. Use crafting tape and scissors to create patterns on cards.
2. Use stamp and ink to stamp Thank You onto card.
3. Tie a ribbon around your card and envelope bundle and gift to your favorite teacher.

The post Handmade Holidays | Washi Tape Cards appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Can you believe that November is passing so quickly? I can’t! Thanksgiving is already this week. For my Handmade Holiday Gift Idea this week I wanted to show you how to make a dinosaur or dragon tail for a standard 18″ doll or a Bamboletta. It is a super easy thing to sew and the best part is you can also make a matching tail for your son or daughter! This a free tutorial for you to use for personal use.

Doll Animal Dinosaur Hat:

To make the hat shown on the doll you can download my free Doll Fleece Animal Hat Pattern . Follow the instructions on the post, but also add these few extra steps.

1. For the hat above I used snuggle flannel instead of fleece.
2. To create the spikes, buy a piece of craft felt. Craft felt is 9″ x 12″. Cut out a strip of spikes that measure 12″ long x 2″ high.
3. Before sewing the two outer layers together, place the felt spike strip in between the two right sides of the fabric and sew the spikes in as you sew the outside of the hat.
4. Follow the rest of the instructions as posted.

Doll Dinosaur or Dragon Tail:

Isn’t this little dinosaur tail super cute? The tail is actually a mini-version of the dragon tail pattern designed by Jessica at Running With Scissors. Below you will find a list of the materials and sizes of the pieces you need to cut, then I will link you to Jessica’s detailed tutorial for creating the finished tail. Her pattern is for the full-size tail, but the sewing process for this miniature tail is the same.

Supplies:

• 3/4″ x 5″ Velcro
• Craft Felt 9″x12″
• Snuggle Flannel or Fleece 20″ x 10″
• Stuffing

How To:

1. Click on the pattern template below to view it larger. Cut out pieces as shown on my template.
2. I had two places where I varied from her pattern:

• When sewing the straps fold right sides together (instead of having two separate pieces) and sew along one bottom end and up along the long side. Turn straps right side out.
• I cut my spikes out of one piece of felt instead of regular fabric. That let me skip a couple steps since my spikes where ready to be sewn in and didn’t need finished edges.

* VISIT Jessica’s site at Running With Scissors to find the full instructions for completing the tail. You will probably want to make a matching tail for your child!

The post Handmade Holidays | Doll Dinosaur Tail appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

It is super cold here today, just like winter actually. The weather is giving me a little push to get the holiday plans laid out for my blog. So, I wanted to let all of you know that I have a lot of exciting things planned for my blog for this upcoming holiday season! A giveaway! Yes you heard correct, a giveaway for a lovely item handmade by me. I will also be continuing my Handmade Holiday series this year and it will feature a couple different sewing patterns that will be available for purchase and one or two free pattern ideas. I will also have some free printable downloads available as Christmas gets closer.

If you are a follower of my blog you may have seen my Advent Activities lists. To check out my previous year’s list of activities you can click these links:

• Advent Activities for 2010 list
• Advent Activities for 2011 list

I would also love it if you would follow me on Facebook, just click the “Like” button over there in the sidebar! There are lots of fun things coming up this November and December and you won’t want to miss any of them.

Also, I will be starting a new sponsor/advertising program for my sidebar area. If you have an interest in advertising on my site just shoot me an email! I would love to have you!

The post Just Getting Warmed Up! appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

I’ve had this idea for using a handprint to make a bird kickin’ around in my head for awhile. I finally pulled out all the supplies to make this project with the kids yesterday. The kids love getting their hand painted and seeing their freshly made print on a piece of paper. Even Calista sort of cooperated, it’s hard to hold her little fingers together to make a good print.

We are giving our cards to Grandma for Mother’s Day. On the inside I am thinking of writing something like this:

I love you,

You love me,

I’ll always be your little chickadee.

Happy Mother’s Day

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Supplies:

• Paper
• Acrylic Paint (Bird Color and Yellow for Beak)
• Paint Brush
• Paper Plate
• Googly Eye
• Glue
• Paper Lunch Bag
• Scissors
• Diaper Wipes

How To:

1. Have your card all ready and lay it off to the side. Squirt some paint on a paper plate. Use your paintbrush to paint your child’s hand with acrylic paint. Hold their hand and press it in place on the front of the card. Slowly remove their hand. Use a diaper wipe if you have a small child and need to get the paint off their hand quickly!
2. Paint your child’s pointer finger with yellow paint and have them make a finger print for the beak. Let the card dry.
3. Use a paper lunch bag and cut out small strips of paper for the nest. My kids used a deckle edge craft scissors to cut out their nest pieces.
4. Use school glue and glue on your paper nest pieces. Let dry.
5. Use glue to add a googly eye to your bird.
6. Write a sweet message inside.

The post How To | Mother’s Day Handprint Bird Card appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.