JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!

As usual…I am finishing up my Christmas projects at the last minute and a few will just not get done.  Like the garland that was to be made of cork, wire, seed pods and beads.  I discovered that it was going to take more effort than simply threading a needle with twine and piercing the used corks and seed pods.  They need to be drilled! Anyway, I thought that I would show you some of my projects and explain how they were made. (Even though it is only two days before Christmas…maybe the techniques could be used for other holidays.)

MY CHRISTMAS CARDS:

Materials used:  140 lb. watercolor paper, rubber cement, watercolor paints and white Signo Uniball pen (for snowflakes).

• Optional - Tape the watercolor paper to a board if you desire a white border around the edge of the card.  I made them both ways and prefer the look of a border.
• Drip the rubber cement onto the watercolor paper in a pattern resembling a tree.  
• Allow the rubber cement to dry thoroughly.
• Once dry, paint the tree, background, star, ground etc. with watercolor paints.  I like to splash water and add salt to obtain a splotchy look. This needs to be done when the watercolor is still wet.
• When the watercolor is dry, rub the rubber cement off the paper to reveal the white negative space.  I sometimes blot the card with a white tissue to make sure that there aren't any hidden wet areas. These will smear over the white area and ruin your card if you are not careful.

WOODEN ORNAMENTS:

I have always been intrigued by the laser cut wooden ornaments but I didn't like the look of painting them with acrylic paint so I decided to doodle instead with a black Uni-ball Vision or Micron pen.  No need to seal first unless the slight feathering bothers you.  It doesn't matter to me!

And how about stringing snowflakes?  My string is 5.5 ft. long!

A CHRISTMAS JOURNAL:

Last year I made a Christmas Journal from an Einstein Bagel paper coffee cup. This year it's Starbucks with pages made from Trader Joe's Holiday grocery bags!  

• First, you need a Starbuck's paper cup with a cozy.  Mine is the medium size.

• Next, flatten the rim of the cup to get an idea where you would like the opening to be…then cut the lip and bottom off.  Cut the opening on the right hand side and with the cup folded in half, even up the two halves so that they match.

Now, you are ready to make the pages.  Like I mentioned previously, I used a Holiday paper bag from Trader Joe's.  I first cut the bottom off and slit the side in order for the bag to lay flat. (Of course, you could use any paper of choice.  Pretty scrapbook paper, lined note book paper, or watercolor paper are other options.)

• To make the pages, use the opened cup as a template and trace onto the paper bag.  Cut out the pages.  I wasn't worried where the seams of the bag were located as I knew that ironing them afterward would crisp them back up.  Also, I concentrated on the layout of the designs on the bag instead of where the seams lined up on the page.

• Stack the pages and stitch them to the cover using a pamphlet stitch. There are lots of tutorials on line to show you how to stitch them together so I won't go into it here.  I used DMC #5 cotton embroidery thread which I first waxed with beeswax.  These can be found in the notion's department of JoAnn's Fabrics.

• For the closure, I made a loop with elastic cord and glued it to the back cover with E-6000 glue.  I then covered it with part of the cup cozy.  I will eventually stitch around the edge of the cozy by machine but haven't gotten around to that.  Whew boy!  Time got away from me!  

• I found the perfect rustic looking button, made a heart shape with the remainder of the cup cozy and hand stitched both in place (covering the Starbuck's logo).  In case you are wondering…I did glue the heart in place and added reinforcement on the inside cover to prevent the button from pulling off through use.  

There you have it!  A Christmas Journal ready to decorate and write about your favorite Holiday memories of 2016!

Here are just a few of the decorated pages….

Now..time to make my Pizzelle cookies.  I already ate a dozen or so and need to make another batch.  The recipe above is for the regular cookies using sugar and wheat flour but I make a killer gluten free and Stevia Pizzelle.  I swear...I did not gain a pound pigging out on cookies!  Thanks to Stevia!  Yay!

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Holiday Season and a year of hope and good health in the coming year…2017!  

Until next time….

Hugs,

Ginny