DIY: Christmas Tree ( or any other design!) Napkin Rings using Silhouette

 

I had a different post planned for today, but then realized how fun this one would be:)  Plus, the weekly challenge on the Silhouette blog this week is a holiday item, so I needed to squeeze this in before they pick a winner on Friday!  For Thanksgiving I made a bunch of those pumpkin and leaf napkin rings (bottom of this picture) and loved how they turned out!  But I couldn't find any Christmas designs, so I decided to make my own!  To make this, I used the 3d moose and fir trees that were on sale a few weeks ago (but I'm pretty sure you could use any Christmas tree shape...or any other shape, for that matter!)

Open up the file.

 

Since you won't be using the moose and the other part of the tree, you can ungroup and delete them.

Using the knife, draw a line down the center of the tree (there is already a dotted line so you can use that as a guideline).

Pull the two sides of the tree apart.

 

Draw a rectangle (for the two sizes of napkin rings that I made, my rectangles were 1.5x5 and 1x3.75).  The size of your tree should not matter to the structure.  It just depends on how you want it to look.

Place the Christmas tree pieces on either side of the rectangle (I suggest using the grid to make sure that they are even).

Highlight all of the shapes and select "merge".  This will only work if the trees line up perfectly on the edges of the rectangle.

You now have your napkin ring!  Last thing you need to do is add slits.

Using the knife, cut a line from one corner of the rectangle to about 2/3 down and the other corner to about 2/3 up.

Now send to silhouette and cut!  This project is super simple, but easily impresses guests;)

Like I said earlier, I made two different sizes.  The smaller one works for regular cotton napkins, and the bigger one for thicker cloth napkins.

 

 I think this design is perfect for a rustic inspired Christmas!

I would love to see pictures if you make these!

~Kelsey

DIY: Quick Felt Coffee Cozies

Do you ever see a picture online *cough cough Pinterest* that just jumps at you?  I mean, there's always really cool stuff going by on Pinterest.  But sometimes certain pictures just seem to pop.  I don't know if it's the color or the project, or just the photography in general, but this was one pic that immediately caught my eye.

Ok, so I love felt, I love ombre, I love coffee, and I love projects that take 30 minutes tops.  And I also love the fact that this project is from a mostly crocheting blog.  Dontcha just love it when people step outside of their crafty boundaries and try something new?  (Along those lines, I might be learning crocheting soon so that I can try some of the projects on this site:)

Yesterday I posted this picture on IG (find me @fancythatnotion) as a sneak peek of what would be up today!

So here is my version of these super easy coffee cozies.  I made nine out of three different colored felts for the ombre look, and they took me less than 30 minutes total.  Like it says on the tutorial, an assembly line process is the best way to go.  And thanks to some Black Friday deals, this cost me less than $2 and I still have extra felt (Shhhhh, don't tell anyone!!!)  Don't you think this would make the perfect stocking stuffer?  I might be including these in some small Christmas packages for friends this year (so if you get one, act surprised;)

 

Are you making any homemade gifts for Christmas this year?  I would love to hear about them!

~Kelsey

 

 

A Few Favorites: "Alternative" Christmas Trees

The other day my sisters were talking about Christmas trees.  Our house has a vaulted ceiling, so we always end up with a pretty large tree.  Like, 16 feet large.  For some of us, this is just tradition that we expect every year.  We know for a fact that we will always push the Christmas tree over to our open, second-story loft to decorate the top.  For others, this is a nightmare (cue said 16 foot tree [ornaments, lights, water, and all] crashing on the floor above us in the middle of the night.  Yep, nightmare).  One of my sisters stated that she is going to have a nice 6-footer every year when she has her own house.  To everyone's shock, I said that "I'm not going to have a Christmas tree."  Then I clarified by saying, "I'm going to have like 30 of them!!!"  I love this trend of "alternative" Christmas trees.  If you want to change it up and make your tree out of a ladder instead of having to slog through the mud to cut one down in the pouring rain (hint hint, Washingtonians), you can go right ahead.  Or if you're like me and just want Christmas trees everywhere, there are so many different options!  And since we only have 24 more days until Christmas (eek!), I thought I'd share 24 Christmas tree ideas with you!

// bead board // beads // book shelves // books // chalk board //

cardboard // framed ornaments // distressed wood // double-sided ladder // driftwood and perler beads

// driftwood and ornaments // geometric // washi // lights and balls //

metallic mobile // driftwood and poms // ladder // ornament mobile // pallets

// paper and washi // sequins // sticks and cotton // wood and clothespins // wool and washi

 

Have you made any alternative Christmas trees?  I saw one on Pinterest that I really want to make, made of white cupcake liners.  Hmm.......couldn't find the link.  But you can find the picture on my Christmas Tree board.

 

~Kelsey

 

Brown paper packages tied up with strings...

these are a few of my favorite things! A cozy crochet scarf with some simple wrapping.  {A friend at church has been whipping up these scarves for me to give to teachers, sisters, etc.  Definitely a great go-to present!  Tutorial here}

~Kelsey

Chocolate truffles

Just some yummy bites that Lara and a friend made. Simple enough: crushed Oreos, cream cheese, peppermint extract. Mix until you get the desired consistency and enjoy by the hundreds!;) well maybe not quite. But I'll warn you, you'll eat a lot!