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: Antique Book Pumpkins

 

 

Well hello there!  Today I have my second of three Thanksgiving posts.  On Saturday I gave you some ideas for name cards, and today I have the perfect centerpiece for your table!

This idea came from a lady in California who passed it on to my sister, who passed it on to me, and now I'm passing it on to you!:)

 

You already know how much I love thrifting, right? What do they say, "Name brands at Walmart prices?"  I'm all for it.  But this thrifting shopping trip with my sister was all for the sake of crafting.  First we picked out some books for our pumpkins.  (I had to go with some vintage ones to get those awesome covers).  We ended up with some old fiction, a German dictionary, books on the Alps, dog attractions in California, and how to groom your poodle......random right?  (Oh, and of course I had to pick up that Sense and Sensibility...who could resist?  But don't worry, we didn't cut it up for a pumpkin.)

And this belt-turned-boho-headband.  (Super simple.  Just pulled a few stitches to remove the buckle and re-glued the leather to cover up the braid).  All for a whopping 99 cents.

 Alrighty.  Enough about my love for thrifting.  On to the pumpkins.  To begin with, remove the cover from your book.  It is easiest with paperbacks, because you can just slowly rip it off.  Just make sure to not break the binding.  Next, draw half of a "pumpkin shape" on the first page of the book.  Cut through a few pages with your scissors.

 

Once you have cut the first layer, trace that outline onto the next page and cut a few pages.  Continue doing this until you have gotten through the whole book!

As you are cutting, try to make sure that your pages are not getting bigger or smaller.

It will be hard to cut close to the seam of the book, but don't worry.  You can cut all of that off at the end.

As you can see, you'll be cutting through a lot of paper!!!  When you have cut through your whole book, hot glue gun the front and back cover of the book together.  (Cover the entire page with glue so that it will stick really well).  When that glue has dried, glue a short stick into the hole on top of the pumpkin (see pictures below).  And now you have an adorable little pumpkin!

 

For this centerpiece, Lara spray painted some big fall leaves gold and sprinkled nuts and pinecones around.

Don't you just love how a little gold spray paint can add some sparkle to any project?

Do you have a Thanksgiving centerpiece made up yet?

~Kelsey

 

Linking up:

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Our Delightful Home

Pumpkin Gala

 

While fall-time has been a very busy season for us thus far, we did manage to plan and host a pumpkin-inspired gala with a small group of girlfriends.

 

 

First stop- Gary's Farm to choose the perfect pumpkin!

 

 

Leaves and pinecones Lara gathered along a sidewalk.

 

Each person received an envelope containing the recipes we used for the gala.

 

Pages were torn from an old dictionary and scattered along the table, making a fun backdrop for the centerpiece we created out of items gathered in nature and small bird figurines.

 



Before dinner, we split into groups of two and worked on pumpkin-inspired treats.

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! 

Pupmkin butter for each guest to take home.

Pumpkin Chocolate Bark with Almonds and dried Cranberries

 

 

After dinner, we brought out our chosen pumpkins for a craft time. 

Mod Podge and paper napkins is all it takes!

 

A collage of pumpkins!

 

We're already thinking of next year... perhaps a hazelnut-inspired gala!