Japanese Craft Books = A Happy Birthday

"Card Wrapping Stationery" ISBN978-4-05-404387-9

This past week I celebrated my birthday with a trip to the Kinokuniya bookstore. I ended up finding this Japanese masking tape craft book at the store (picture above). I also picked up a stationery book and some mt tape which I'll share about later. In the mean time, here are a few pictures from the book, Card Wrapping Stationery.

Some cards made with tape. Check out those cute envelopes that the pigeon is holding. You might need to click on the picture for a better view.

Bucket decorated with tape pencils.

Decorated boxes

Umbrella handles wrapped with tape.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!

A Merry Thriftmas

1959 Holt-Howard Santa Pitcher - Christmas gift to myself

Here's one last idea if you're still on the search for a few more gifts, think vintage. The great thing about antique and thrift stores is you're not going to run into the crazy Christmas crowd. You can shop leisurely and find some great gifts. Is there someone you know who likes to have tea parties? An antique tea cup would be a perfect gift. Also, think about nostalgia, is there something from their childhood they loved? And who doesn't like jewelry? You can find some beautiful rhinestone pieces or some unique cuff links at these stores. It's all about getting creative.

Here's a cute Noritake sugar and creamer set I got at the thrift store. I'll be giving it to a friend this Christmas. She loves to host tea parties.

Will you be giving a cookie plate to friends or neighbors? Pick up unique plates at the thrift store for anywhere between $.25 to $3.00. It looks much better than a paper plate, it's green and they won't have to give you the dish back!

Merry Thriftmas everyone!

Easy Butter Mints

As promised, here's what we made for the Sunday school teachers, butter mints! The kids made most of the mints. They had a lot of fun picking out the mint shapes which was probably their favorite part. Well, that and eating the candy.

We used our old advent calendars as the candy molds.

We used Cindy's butter mint recipe on Skip To My Lou. I did have to double the powdered sugar to get it to a dough like consistency.

I found these adorable printable gift tags over at Orange You Lucky! by Helen Dardik. I erased the "to & from" part and added my own message. I also printed them on sticker paper to make it easier to attach the tags to the containers. And of course, I snuck in a little Japanese masking tape in the wrapping. I don't know why, but I can't get enough of that tape. Sometimes I wonder how I ever lived without it!

Craft: Glitter Star Crayons

We've been busy crafting around here so I thought I would share what we've been making, glitter star crayons. The children made and gave these to the kids in our bible study group. My kids had a lot of fun picking out what colors to to use for the crayons. My son came up with the idea of a red and green combination for the stars which I thought was perfect for Christmas.

I know this isn't a new idea but if you're looking for a last minute craft project or gift, this might be perfect for you. These crayons would be great for stocking stuffers as well. Simple directions below.

Supplies:
Crayons - peeled and broken into into pieces no larger than an inch in length
Baking pan - I used a star silicone pan I got at Michaels. Target often has fun shaped silicone pans in their dollar section.
Glitter

Glitter Star Crayon Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

2. Place crayons in baking pan, fill about half way. Sprinkle with glitter.

3. Place in oven for about six minutes. Check often, the crayons melt quickly.

4. Take pan out of oven. Mix the crayon mixture with a toothpick if the glitter clumps together. Let pan cool for about 10 minutes.

5. Place pan in freezer for another 10-15 minutes. Pop crayons out of pan. If you don't want to put the pan in the freezer your crayons will have to cool for about an hour before you can take them out of the pan. Done.

I recommend labeling the crayons so they're not mistaken for candy.

For packaging, I just placed the crayons in cellophane bags and added some Christmas buttons with basic twist ties.

Come back tomorrow to see what we made for the Sunday school teachers. It will be another easy project that you can make in a couple of hours.

Kid Craft: Fabric Scrap Ornaments

I've been storing this idea in my brain now since high school. I always knew one day I would get around to making it. I just didn't think it would take me fifteen years! The idea came from someone I used to babysit for. The mother had made a wreath out of a styrofoam wreath form and fabric. Of course, I asked her how she made the wreath and she was happy to share the details. I always thought the technique would make for a nice ornament.

This is an easy inexpensive craft for children 5 and up. Both my 5 and 7 year old made one of these ornaments and had no problems. Directions below.

Supplies:
One styrofoam ball - I used a ball that's 2" in diameter, any size will work

Fabric cut into one inch squares - If you're going to use a bigger ball, I recommend making the squares larger as well.

Embossing tool or tiny screw driver - You don't want to use anything pointy like a toothpick or knitting needle ( it will just poke a hole in the fabric). I speak from experience.

Yarn
Tapestry needle
Scissors
Knitting needle

1. Poke a hole all the way through the center of the styrofoam with the knitting needle. Thread both ends of yarn trough it. Tie yarn at bottom of ball. Cut loose ends. Refer to picture above.

With embossing tool, push the center of the fabric into the styrofoam.

Your ornament should look something like this now.

Repeat process until the entire ball is covered and no styrofoam is showing.

Done!

Linoleum Print Christmas Cards

This year I decided to deviate from the Christmas photo cards and make some old fashioned cards instead. I dug out my linoleum supplies and got to work. I carved out a very basic nativity scene. Next, I stamped it on "O Holy Night" sheet music (that's my favorite Christmas song). Last, I sprinkled a little glitter on the ink before it dried. It was nice to have a project like this. Usually, I just make one of something so this was kind of therapeutic for me.

I made 27 cards. Now that I'm done, I have a new respect and appreciation for block printers. For whatever reason I couldn't get the ink/pressure right. All of them came out a little faded or a little too blotchy for my taste. But I'm just going to say that ads charm, right?

What cards are you making this year?

One more question, what do you do with the photo cards after the holidays? Do you save them or throw them away? Promise I won't tell anyone.

Pretty Origami Paper

Furoshiki Print

I thought I was going to have a Christmas craft for you today but it just didn't work out as planned. The craft still needs a little more tweaking. So until then, I thought I would share this pretty origami paper I just picked up at Daiso. I've never seen these prints before and thought some of you might enjoy seeing them as well.

Kokeshi Dolls - I think this will be perfect for making a Girl's Day card


Mochi on a stick

Nigiri - also know as rice balls

P.S. Thank you to everyone who made a suggestion regarding the dollhouse tree skirt. Looks like I'll be making one.

A Dollhouse sized Aluminum Christmas Tree

Blog friend, Michelle had requested that I share some other decorations I was making for the dollhouse. So, here is the tree I briefly shared about about in the last post. It's my version of the popular vintage aluminum Christmas tree. I made it out of silver pipe cleaners and half of a styrofoam ball. For the ornaments I just used beads and wire. It's far from perfect but I think it's fun for the dollhouse. Plus, my daughter likes it so that's what really counts. I'm still debating if I should make a tree skirt for it. What do you guys think?

Deck The Dollhouse Halls

The other day I got the idea to decorate my daughter's dollhouse for the holidays. I thought it would be a fun project for both of us to do together. So far, we made a wreath for the doll house (there's also a tree in progress). I gave her the option of a sparkly wreath or a yarn wreath. Of course, she picked the sparkly wreath (she loves all things pink and sparkly). My inspiration came from the cover of the December Martha Stewart magazine (picture below). We used whatever we had around the house so it's not an exact replica but it's pretty close.

Supplies:
Silver pipe cleaner
Gold wire tinsel ribbon - a old pipe cleaner will work too
Pink, Gold, and Silver beads
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun

Bend pipe cleaner into a circle and twist ends to secure.

Attach gold wire with one of the silver pipe cleaner ends.

Wrap gold tinsel ribbon all the way around the wreath ( I let my daughter do this part). Make sure some of the silver still shows. Secure end of gold tinsel ribbon with the remaining silver pipe cleaner end.

Hot glue the beads onto the wreath. Hang the wreath up with some of the extra pipe cleaner.

Gift Card Holders Made with Japanese Masking Tape

A while back someone left a comment asking for craft ideas using Japanese masking tape. I've shared about ideas before here, here, and here. However, if you're still looking for new projects to make with the tape, try out these gift card holders. Directions below.

Supplies:
Strip of paper cut to 7" x 2 1/4"
Japanese masking tape
Scissors

*Click on pictures for a larger view.

Take your strip of paper and fold in half (refer to pictures).

Place the paper on top of half of the tape. Wrap the tape around the other side to seal one side.

Trim top and bottom edges. Repeat steps on opposite side.

Place a piece of tape down the center and have it fold over at the bottom and up the other side. Your card holder should look the same on both sides now.

Place a piece of tape on the card to make a tab to pull the card out of the holder. Make sure the tape doesn't cover up any bar codes.

Place card in holder. Done.

For a different look, I used newspaper with grey tape. I also wrapped the card holder in string and made a string tab for the card.

Recipe: Persimmon Bars

The last of our persimmons were over ripe so I knew I had to do something with them quick. Then I remembered I had a great recipe from a friend that I've been wanting to try. And as luck would have it, I had all the ingredients it required, even the dates! Love when that happens. So I whipped up a batch and they're just as good as when my friend makes them. Well, maybe hers are a little better. But, doesn't everything taste better when you don't have to make it yourself? Recipe below.

Persimmon Bars

Lemon Glaze: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 - 2 T lemon juice. Add a little juice at a time to get desired consistency. Add a little lemon extract also for taste.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup persimmon pulp
1tsp baking soda
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 cup chopped dates or raisins (or 1/2 cup of each)
4 T or rum or brandy
1 cup chopped nuts ( I used pecans)


1. Soak raisins and dates in rum and set aside.

2. Cream butter, beat in sugar. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each egg. Add persimmon pulp and lemon rind.

3. Mix flour, baking soda and spices in a separate bowl. Add to wet ingredients and mix.

4. Mix in raisins, dates and nuts. Include any brandy the raisins didn't soak up.

4. Spread onto a greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. May take less then 20 minutes depending on oven.

5. Let Cool. Drizzle with Glaze. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Dressing in Vintage for The Holidays

I don't know if I've ever mentioned that I really enjoy vintage clothing. The draw for me is unique pieces that are simply made better. I find the construction, fabric, and details are all superior to what I can find in any retail store for equal price. The key here is same price. Sure I can spend hundreds of dollars for a quality dress, but how about a price range of say, $36 - $80? It's not so easy. So if you haven't bought a dress yet or can't find what you're looking for you might want to try vintage.

I picked up this dress over the weekend at Hot Couture Vintage Fashion in Santa Rosa. I bought the dress above to wear specifically for the holidays. It's from the 1960's and was made by the label Carlye. The Carlye Dress Corporation was a junior label created in 1938 according to the Vintage Fashion Guild.

Here's a closeup of some of the dresses' details. I think my favorite part about the dress is how the velvet wraps around the back of the shoulders. The dress is wool and fully lined.

Here's another vintage dress I wore for a Christmas party held at the Dunsmuir mansion. The theme was Great Gatsby. The dress I'm wearing above was my Great Grandmother's engagement dress. As you can see, my husband didn't dress in 1920's attire much to my dismay.

Anyone else wearing vintage for the holidays? What's your favorite brand or era?