Wednesday, December 19, 2012

And she shall be called...

Baby Girl finally has a name!!!  We're so excited for her to be here!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Christmas Wrapping Paper DIY

I have always loved the plethora of options for beautiful wrapping paper at Christmas time!  I love choosing a color theme to use on my gifts, and love wrapping each one with anticipation of the joy that the recipient will feel when they unwrap it!  I actually bought a roll of double sided paper at Sam's 5 years ago when we first got married, and I STILL have it!!!

This year, after a few pinterest pins, I planned on keeping things simple.  I was going to use up some old yarn, and try a plain look...which I did...until I had an idea!!!!

My brown packages looked a little bare, so I thought I'd recruit a certain 2 year old to help me with my task!
So, here's what you'll need:
1. Brown packaging paper- I got mine at the Dollar Tree, which I totally love!
2. Paint- you can use craft paint, or I used Crayola washable since T Man was the one painting
3. Bright yarn or ribbon
4. Stickers
5. Gift tags
Once the package was wrapped, I let T go to town with the paint.  Since red and green are complimentary colors (meaning they are opposite on the color wheel...meaning if you mix them, they make brown :/ yuck), I had him start with green and white.

Immediately after the green and white paint (because he's 2 and has a short attention span :), he got to choose stickers and apply to the box.  We talked about who the gift was for, and what sticker he would like to put on their package.  This was his favorite part.  He LOVES stickers, and remembers who he picked them for!!!
Once the green and white paint was dry, we added pink and red.  He really likes using 2 colors at a time, and it really brightened the boxes!!!
When they were all finished, I added the yarn and the gift tag.  I love the adorable little tags that I found at Hobby Lobby!!! 
Having T help me with the wrapping has made each gift even more special.  I also love seeing his excitement over the finished package!!!  He showed Daddy his package with great joy when he got home from work, and Andy was pretty thrilled, too :D

Monday, December 10, 2012

Paper Trees Tutorial

This year I am making all of T Man's teacher's Christmas gifts!  He has such wonderful women in his life who are coming along side of us to mold and shape him into the man he will be, and I am SO thankful for all of the love they shower on him!  He LOVES going to school and Bible study, and is just a little sponge!!!

Ok, onto the project!!!  This year, I made Christmas hangers for his Bible study teachers to hang in their home!  The best part was, I already had all of my supplies!!!
Here's what you'll need:
1. 11x14 canvas or canvas board.  8x10 would also be a good size!
2. Scrap paper!  I used pages from old wall paper books that my mom has.
3. Fabric scraps...I liked that there was a change in texture on the tree.
4. Mod Podge
5. Staple gun
6. Ribbon
7. Sharpie or paint pen
First, cut your paper/fabric into different sized strips.  Next, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to your background paper, and attach it to your canvas.  Be sure to apply pressure all over for about a minute to work out any wrinkles or air bubbles that might occur.

Once your background is attached, lay our your fabric and paper scraps on top.  Your tree does not have to be a perfect triangle, or even go straight up!  The more you place your pieces a little "less perfect," the more whimsical it will look!!!  Once you like the placement, stick them on there with another layer of Mod Podge!  Don't forget to add your star at the top! :)

As a final touch, I added the family's name to the canvas to personalize it.  With or without this step makes these canvases a great holiday decoration!