Posted on Sunday, December 7, 2014

12 Days DIY Christmas 2014: Day 7

I like going to any Dollar Stores, Ollie’s or Big Lots to check on their $1 deals on home decor stuff 🙂 Most of the time I got some stuff from there.

Today’s project is decorating $1 stockings. Very simple! Add some gems or sequins on them. For our stockings, I added some gems for each of initial.

Supplies you need:

Plain stockings
Gems
Glue gun
glue sticks
Letters for tracing (or you can just arrange them simply like I did).

While the glue gun heating up, I arranges gems on the stocking to get the idea where to glue them later. For easy way doing it, you can trace each letter on your stocking using fabric pencil or pen.

Here’s the important thing to remember, BEFORE you glue, INSERT a piece of cardstock inside the stocking so the glue won’t glue your both sides stocking together. I learned that in a hard way. I had to pull apart the inside very gently, the good thing that I remembered that before I did all of them. Phew! Otherwise, it would be crazy day pulling these things apart or worse case I had to buy new stockings.

They cool down instantly after you add the gems. That’s I like working with glue gun 😀 Here’s what they look when they are done.

I was thinking to add some else, but I like simple and traditional stockings hanging down at our fire place. My oldest girl helped me hanging them in the order.

Now, the question from her… “What will you put inside my stocking, Mama?” LOL! She loves presents, so does her little sister.

Thanks for visiting today! And have a merry December!

Posted on Saturday, December 6, 2014

12 Days DIY Christmas 2014: Day 6

Day 6. Half way… Still have some on my list to make for this Christmas 🙂 Today is project I wanna share is Felt Poinsettia. Having a toddler at home is a reason for not having living plant sitting around on end tables or anywhere where she can reach. Not to mention… she is a climber! She can find a way to get to something she wants to touch, including up side down laundry basket!

So, making fabric or felt flowers is an option. I go with felt. I still have a lot in stash because I love felt!

This felt poinsettia is very easy. I drew 3 sizes of leaf shape on a piece of photo copy paper. If it is hard to freehand drawing, here another trick to make leaf shape. First, draw rectangles in 3 sizes:

1″x2″
1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″
2″ x 3″

Then cut them curvy from center bottom to center top of the rectangles. There you will have 3 sizes of petals.

Use fabric pencil or regular ballpoint, trace them on red felts for the petals and green felts for the leaves:

12 pieces 3″ petals
12 pieces 2 1/2″ petals
6 pieces 2″ petals

But depend on how many layers you want for your poinsettia flowers. Also cut extra circles that you will need to make the flowers. I used 3″ circles for these flowers.

Then using scissors, cut the felt while the glue gun heating up.

I added a dap of glue at every bottom of the petal and pinched it for couple seconds.

Then on the piece of circle, start glue each petals start from the leaves (I used 3 leaves) and then the biggest petals, medium and smallest. Overlap them on top each other.

Add some extra gems on top of it if you want. I have a big box of gems assortment I got from Hobby Lobby, so I glued the biggest ones in the center of each flower for extra bling 🙂

I hope these steps are easy to follow when you want to make some.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fun merry crafty day!

Posted on Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Get Crafty In Between…

Almost a month ago we went to a new member training to serve with Wycliffe Associates at their headquarter office in Orlando, FL.

They had 3 full day training for us plus orientation about the organization. We got to meet the President, Vice President, Program Director, HR staff, Training Department staff and many other volunteers who came to the office while we were there.

We were sent home with a lot of information and excitement to start the ministry with them from home.

I have been working from home with the people in SEA* and also translating some training materials from English into the national language.

Super excited but also it is a big challenge for me to manage my time as a wife and a mom who has a daughter going to Kindergarten and a toddler girl stays home with me.

For that, my time to craft is got shorten. I don’t mind since Family and Ministry are priority. Crafting, making card and scrapbooking are hobbies I enjoy doing in between, when I can.

My husband had a request, he asked if I could make him a phone sleeve out of felt for his new iPhone 6 just like his old iPhone 5 felt sleeve. He showed me the old case and I thought I could probably could do it. So, last night I had a chance to sit to finish it and did couple phone sleeves for me and my hubby.

These are finished ones after many trials and errors I did in the last couple days. Fortunately, I have TONS of felt in stash, so no worries 🙂

What you need to make this sleeve are:
– Felt
– needle and thread (sewing machine, optional)
– Ruler
– Rotary cutter
– Thin Double-sided quilting adhesive tape (if you want to double the felt like I did)
– Pinking shears

First, cut the felt in 11.5″ x 3.25″ using rotary cutter. I found cutting felt and fabric with rotary cutter is so much easier than using scissors. But always remember to have pad underneath.

I double-layered the felts for sturdiness. So, stack together both felts using the quilt thin double-sided adhesive tape. But if you have thicker felt, then you don’t have to.

After they are secured with the tape, fold it into half to make the sleeve. And start backhand-stitch them or you can use your sewing machine.

Feel free to add any embellishment on the front of the sleeve if you want to.

All done. And they are pretty good just for handmade 🙂