Being crafty :: Sharpie decorated mugs.

I told you I did a lot of holiday crafting over last weekend.  Since last year, I've gotten to love hand-crafting gifts.  I typically do this for family and for a few reasons.  1) Family can sometimes be the hardest to buy for; 2) Hard work and being handmade means a little more and; 3) It's just plain fun!  I know lots of people have seen these oven baked mugs around Pinterest.  I took this idea and ran with it!

This tutorial is nothing too special, since the entire process is pretty easy.  I don't like to back out on promises of DIY tutorials though!

A few tutorials, such as this one, utilize Porcelaine pens.  I went for the oil-based paint Sharpies.  I read that regular Sharpies didn't hold up with washing, so I went with the oil-based method.  My mugs were picked up at the dollar store for $1/each.

Since I am not very artistic, I really felt the need to sketch my designs prior to going at it with the Sharpie.  I did find that big Sharpie mistakes could easily be scratched off.  Obviously the pencil didn't write great on the ceramic, but it gave me more confidence with my Sharpie tracing than free-hand.  You could also use transfer paper to get designs going, but I wanted to save the money.

This took a LONG time.  It was a meticulous design, but I actually got the inspiration from this Anthropologie mug.  For the second mug, I printed a sketch blog "R" on card stock.  I cut out the letter and traced it onto the mug.  Definitely not as involved as the first.  Also, beware where you hold the mug while drawing.  My fingers wiped off some of the Sharpie a few times before I realized it.  I do love how the design possibilities are endless!

That's it!  I did let the mugs sit overnight before immediately putting them in the oven; however I'm not sure that was necessary.  I totally dropped a mug while getting it out!  It fell on the coils (but didn't break) and left a darker silver line through my "R."  I just touched it up with Sharpie and baked it for another 10 minutes.  Voila!

To be fair, I don't know how these will hold up through washing.  Since they're gifts, I don't want to risk washing and having to completely re-do them.  The mugs alone recommend hand washing, so I think they'll be fine with gentle hand washes.  The Sharpie definitely stays to the touch after baking though.

I also added a sweet little touch to the mugs too :)

Being crafty :: Lit doorway garland.

Back when I showed you my glitter clothespins, I had an ultimate project in mind.  It's finally time for the reveal!

This was my muse.  When I saw it, I knew I had to try it!  For the doorway garland, it's ridiculously easy!

You'll need:

• Pre-lit garland (or regular garland plus lights) - I got mine from Target for just $13
• Command hooks (I only used three)
• Twine
• Glitter clothespins
• Glitter letters (see below)

First - Arrange your hooks on the wall.  I used one in the middle, a bit above the door frame.  The others went on the top corners (on the wall though, not on the actual frame itself) of the frame.  Obviously I'm not a stickler for perfection, so I didn't measure.  Just eye-ball it.

Second - Hang that beautiful garland!

Third - Measure out the amount of twine you'll need.  Tie one side of the twine to your Command hook.  String on your glitter letters.  This is where the centering got tricky.  Next year I plan to get the centering a bit better.  I tied knots between each letter so they wouldn't move, but I don't think it was completely necessary.  Once the letters are on, tie the other side to the opposite hook.   

[I twisted the hanging twine around the garland]

Fourth - Don with your glitter clothespins & use them to display your holiday cards!

For the specifics on the glitter letters...

 [Draw your letters on the cardstock.  I drew them on different pieces but side-by-side to ensure they were pretty close to the same size]

 [Cut out those letters!]

 [Go ahead and punch your holes before you glitter up]

 [One-by-one, I used Mod Podge to wet one side of the letter then sprinkled glitter over the letters.  I dumped excess glitter over extra card stock so I didn't waste too much glitter.  I let the letters dry over night on a plate.]

[My letters didn't stay flat after drying.  While it isn't noticeable in full pictures, it's obvious close-up.  In the future, I may use cardboard (from an old box) which will stay better and the color would go well with the glitter & twine.]

What DIY crafts are you attempting this holiday season?

Being crafty.

I usually have grand ideas about homemade Christmas gifts.  Then I end up lazy/out of time/poor (because let’s face it, it can be pretty expensive to buy craft supplies depending on what you’re doing).  This year, I am ahead of the game.  There are some people that are just hard to buy for.  It’s not because they’re picky, but because I just am not sure they type of gifts they really enjoy.  I love to surprise people with Christmas gifts, and often asking them what they want ruins the surprise (note: everyone should create an Amazon wishlist so you can be surprised AND get what you want).  Instead of racking my brain over what to buy these people, I knew they would appreciate homemade goods. As far as pricing, Michael’s always has amazing coupons so I figured I could manage.   I know none of my family reads this blog, so I don’t think I’ll ruin any surprises. 

Crocheted scarves.

I re-taught myself how to crochet last summer.  D will tell you better than anyone that I am notorious for taking up a hobby and then dropping it a month later (ahem…gardening).  I did the same with crocheting.  I hate that about myself, and I’m realizing I really need goals to work towards to keep myself at things (running is a prime example).  Anyhow, I picked up crocheting again in October.  Once I started figuring out where I was making big mistakes, I gained more confidence.  Since my sisters still live in Georgia, I wanted to give them something extra special on top of their purchased gifts. 

 [Scarf for MPK]

It actually hasn’t taken all that long to do this scarf.  I can’t necessarily work on it while watching TV because it takes a decent amount of attention and I have to count stitches still.  MPK's favorite color is purple, so I hope she'll enjoy the multicolored scarf.  I used the shimmery pink for MGK to match the gift I bought her. 

These projects have been so fun, and I hope in the long run my sisters appreciate the work and effort put into a homemade gift. 

Homemade soy candles.

After seeing this idea a few times on Pinterest, I decided to try it.  I always figured candle making would be a pricey endeavor with all the materials needed.  It turns out to not be too bad (especially with a Michael’s coupon).  I bought a 4 pound box of soy wax flakes for $22 but had a 50% off coupon!  $11 total!  Michael’s was out of pitchers, but I scored the wicks and lavender scent for $7.  I hit up one thrift store and got some mugs, tea cups, and even a small mason jar for $8.  

[Melting the wax down]   

While the process of making the candles takes a bit, it's actually really easy.  I ended up buying a large can of pineapple juice and utilizing the can as my pouring pitcher.  I started by using the tutorial on Ruffled blog for making candles.  This gave me a basic idea of what to do.  For more detailed, step-by-step instructions, I used this website.  The wax melts down a lot, even after filling the can completely.  The most time consuming part is heating and cooling the wax to the correct temperatures.  Since the can of wax only filled a few cups/mugs at a time, I had to heat up a decent amount of wax.

  [Approximately two pounds of wax filled all the mugs pictured...not the jar] 

[Lavender scented soy candle]

I decided not to dye the wax since I was putting it in mugs, so I only made scented candles.  I'm going to try my hand at filling Terrapin Beer barrel glasses (essentially mason jar glasses) with green candles for gifts today.

Pumpkin Butter.

I wanted people to have something a little more than a candle that will get stuck on a table and forgotten about two days after Christmas.  I was so happy to find a recipe via Pinterest for Skinny Crockpot Pumpkin Butter!  What?!  I can throw all ingredients in the crockpot on the weekend and then jar them?  That’s a gift!  And it’s healthy! The most expensive ingredient is the maple syrup, but I think a double batch should make a good portion of pumpkin butter.  Since the website recommends eating the pumpkin butter within two to three weeks, I'm not going to make it until next weekend before we head back to Athens.  I'll update with the results.

Are you crafting any gifts this year to save some money?

Best of: Christmas ornaments.

I'm obsessed with Christmas ornaments.  Don't even get me started on our lame Christmas tree situation this year.  Great...now that I got started, I have to explain.  When D and I first moved in together, back in 2007, we bought a little fake tree on our limited budget.  It was supposed to be a 6 foot tree.  It ended up looking like this:

[Yeah, that's little 5'2" me.  I'm crouched a bit, but it is almost the same height as me!]

At the time, we only had one cat and were afraid of how he would be with the tree.  We bought a lot of plastic red and silver balls.  Back to the tree...we kept that scrawny little thing for the following two Christmases.

  [2007...first go round]

 [2008...still looking like the same skinny tree]

 [2009...still going strong with my Bailey as the main character in this pic]

When we got ready to get out the ole standby tree this year, it was no where to be found.  Then we got to thinking....we didn't bring it from Athens!  I very vaguely remember saying to just leave it behind, and we could buy a new one.  Little did I know we'd be on the tight budget with buying a house and all (oh how things change in a year).  We still wanted a fake tree just for convenience and with the pets.  We weren't willing to dish out the money for a pre-lit GOOD fake tree.  We opted for a 4'5" footer (which is maybe three feet in reality) that I can put in my classroom next year.  Here we come after Christmas sales!

Over the following two Christmases, we've only accumulated a couple more ornaments.  We sort of started a tradition of buying a new ornament on sale every year after Christmas to add to our collection.  There are currently some ornaments I'm lusting over right now though!

[Holy crap!  How cute is this guy??  You know all about my owl obsession.  He can be found at terrain for only $8]

[Also from terrain is this ADORABLE little guy for $12]

[Obviously my tree will be full of animals.  Cutie giraffe from my fav for $16]

[So I don't completely overwhelm you with animals & one of my dreams is to ride in a hot air balloon.  From anthropologie for $18]

[Because we totally need a mushroom on our tree.  Anthro again $12]

And I couldn't get the picture, but I also want one of these Hello Kitty ornaments!  We all know where I'll be doing online shopping after Christmas!

Ps.  I'm so proud of myself for a real, functional post!

Neglect.

Remember all those wonderful posts I had lined up and was telling you about?  As you can see, they did not even happen :(  The holidays kill me from any type of productivity (that does not include putting up Christmas decorations).  Speaking of Christmas decor...

[Sorry for poor iphone quality...but LIGHTS!]

This is how D and I spent our Saturday following Thanksgiving.  And trust...I have been listening to 24/7  Christmas music (minus commercial time and boring chatter in the am...ugh HATE regular radio).  Since we're new homeowners, we don't own a tall ladder and such yet.  Next year, I'm considering rope lights along the top of the house or at least the top of the front porch.  We also have this mini fence down by the road that I'd like to light up.  Not sure if I'm into finding an extension cord that long though.

In a quick update to get my mind off stress (yes...middle schoolers are still making me a basketcase), I bought my first groupon a couple of weeks ago.  They had a $25 groupon to American Apparel for $50 worth of merchandise online!  Yay!  I couldn't say no.  Unfortunately they didn't allow the coupon to be used with lots of wonderful items like shoes and their California Select Vintage selection.  They had some shoes that I was really eying :(  Although it didn't note this on the coupon, apparently it was not eligible towards nail polishes either.  Bummer!  Here's what I ended up purchasing...

 [I've only been waiting forever to profess my political views via t-shirt!]

I got the asphalt color.  It was also buy 1 get 1 free where they send you a second surprise item.  I haven't gotten it yet, so I'm SUPER excited.  It felt like I was sort of getting this all for free :)

 

 [The Unisex Circle Scarf, $28]

 

I've seriously had my eye on this for a couple of years.  I got the coral colored (which I guess they have sold out of since it is no longer listed).  I opted for coral in an effort to dress up my gray, black, and brown winter wardrobe.  When I received the scarf (which was back ordered and somehow arrived before my shirts?!), I found that the coral just does not pair well with most pieces I have.  Maybe I am just in a wardrobe funk (which I am a little since I have not bought any un-thrifted clothing in forever), but HELP!  Would you even wear coral in the winter??  I did pair it with a navy summer dress (paired with tights and a jacket).  One of my students said I looked tacky.  It was a lot of prints and colors going on...  I'm going out to dinner with D and thinking of just pairing it with a simple white button down and black jeans (my go to outfit).

 

 [Polish in Hunter, $6]

 

I rounded out my order with a nice dark nail polish.  I'm flush on summer springy colors, so I am super excited to have a dark winter polish!  Yay for a couple new things!