Chris✞mas in July - Card Keeper

Are you a card keeper?- this is a repost of an earlier post (12/17/11), thought you might enjoy and thus be able to plan ahead. Yvonne at Stone Gable is having a Christmas in July week - I thought I'd play along some.

What do you do with your Chris✞mas cards?

You could use them from which to cut next year's tags.

You could frame your favorites.

Or you could create a sweet "album" for the cards.

My dear friend Stacy designed both of these books.

The hold the cards for the year. 

And anything else that happened that holiday season.

The inside cover is a wonderful place to adhere the labels and addresses

from "new friends"

or friends.. (each album is different)

One ends with family labels (I didn't keep a lot of them that year)

I also bind in a card that we sent out that year, this is one I made.

It's great to add pockets for photos...

or pockets for newsy letters...

I like adding stamps to the dividers, too. On the left you can see how a photo was adhered to a strip of cardstock so that when it's bound the picture isn't disfigured.

I even save a section for our anniversary cards (it's at the end of the month).

So where do you put your cards? 

In a box?

In the trash?

Do you recycle and make something fun from them?

 

First Advent

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, a time of anticipation and preparation for the birth of Jesus. One of the visual aspects of the passing of time is with an advent wreath where one candle is lit the first Sunday of Advent, the second Sunday the first candle and another are lit and so on until December 25th. Another visual and tactile way to count down the days is with an Advent calendar. I have several of these - oops I think it's now another collection.


2008 Advent Calendar swap- round cookie tin painted beige with gold highlights and lots of fun rub-ons to decorate the tin when the calendar pieces are not there yet. I ran some small faux greenery around the outer edge just to give it a more wreath-like appearance.


Our hotel key Advent calendar filled with great pictures of Christmases past and family. More pictures HERE.


Michael's Advent calendar made solely of QuicKutz dies and lots of embellishments.


Advent calendar swap 2009 - I just fell in love with the snowman ornament found at Michael's in 2009. My friend Stacy did a beautiful job with the bow!


This is a talking story of Christmas Advent calendar. Each day that is opened, another nativity figure gets placed on the magnetic background and a portion of the Christmas story is revealed.


Here is the Advent Calendar finished. This was purchased in 2008 at The Shop, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.


This musical Santa Advent calendar, also purchased in Santa Fe at the The Shop plays music when a switch is turned on. Grandkids love this one!


I found this Lego calendar in Chicago. Or was it Huntsville, AL? I don't remember. What I do remember is lugging it back home! It's one that gets used year after year. the kids can build the little Lego characters. Very entertaining, even for the 29 yr old.

I am linking to Tablescaper's blog for Seasonal Sunday.. be sure to jump over and get some great decorating and seasonal inspiration.
I am linking to Holiday Haven's Christmas Blog party.. check this blog out for some great ideas!

Chicken wire isn't just for chickens!

English Ivy is such a delightful little plant. I've had this little plant for quite some time. It lives quite content in the kitchen or in the hallway. Never asking for much except regular feedings and a regular dose of fertilizer. So much easier than husbands and children!

Notice the wire mesh? That our tutorial for today. A chicken wire cloche!












Gather these supplies:
Chicken wire
Wire cutters
Pliers
One Cloche the size you want your chicken wire cloche
One Base









Wrap the chicken wire around the cloche. Use the wire cutters to cut the chicken wire about 1.5 inches longer than needed.












It will be wider on top than you need. For the sample, I also cut the chicken wire about 2 inches longer.
Tip: Keep the edge of the chicken wire along the bottom edge of the cloche. It makes for a neat edge!










Wrap the ends of the cut chicken wire around one another to secure.














On short ends, wrap the ends of the wire in opposing directions as shown.













For this top, I simply wrapped wire around the top at the desired height and let the top of the chicken wire fan out. Another option is to form the chicken wire on top into a ball.
Better still visit here to see what this talented creator did with hers!









Wouldn't this be cute to house some chicken salt and pepper shakers?
I think if that is what I wanted to do, would probably find the smaller spaced chicken wire.

















These are charming Fitz and Floyd salt and peppers. Run to Tuesday Morning, they might still have a set with your name on them!












My cloche was destined for the English ivy so that its runners could meander mindlessly in and out of the wire.












Won't this be charming when the ivy is a wee bit more mature and the runners have worked their magic to create a lush green cloche?


















Thanks for stopping by. I love it when you come visit. Leave a comment so I know you've been here. I love your comments!!

I've linked to the fabulous Susan at Between Naps on the Porch so that you can see some more before and afters..

Put a little light in your life

As you can clearly see, this darling shade was originally $30.00. Would I ever have spent that much on it? I mean it is really elegant.


How about $1.00? Certainly. On sale in Santa Fe. I purchased two of them.



And two of this hardware. I've looked on line to see if I could find a resource for you to no avail. But fear not.
I found a site that has a a votive converter for a candlestick. Click here. As long as the upper opening on the shade isn't wider than the opening in the votive cup this could work as well. Or follow along for another cute option.


I first made a paper pattern by tracing the original shade onto some plain white paper, which I cut out. Then I traced the pattern onto the decorator paper that I planned to use on the new shade. This is one of Basic Grey's lace cardstocks. Isn't it yummy?

Then the hard choice of choosing trims began. I finally settled on something more malleable so that it would lie flat when glue-sticked to the curve. Glue sticked isn't a word? Really, to a crafter it is! I used a Mokuba flower trim for the wider, lower edge of the lampshade and a mini, rayon rickrack for the upper edge.


Apply a 1/4" wide strip of Terrifically Tacky tape along the back straight edge. Press firmly to adhere. Release the orange cover. Press the other edge over the tape. Press to secure.


I also made another simple shade out of a patterned vellum. Once again, trace the pattern onto the letter sized vellum. Isn't it nice that it fits? Once it's cut out, use a Gold Leaf pen available at most craft stores, to edge both the upper and lower edge of the shade. Adhere the back closed with more Terrifically Tacky tape.


Place the hardware onto your candle holder. I chose my antique English Barley Twist candlestick.
See how cute this is? Today I've got a 'real' votive candle in the holder. However, with kids and company, I resort to battery operated candles. Makes me responsible and saves a disaster.


I love how the light shines through the opening in the paper.


I can see this appearing on a buffet table or on a side table in a room. How about the bathroom? It needs a bit of sprucing up don't you think?


No hardware? Find your favorite wine glass. Don't have one? The Dollar Tree has plenty. I like the chunky ones with interesting stems the best.


These would also be cute at a wedding reception, birthday party, individual candles on a dinner table, or even in a kitchen window. What ideas did you dream up?


And here is the simple one. Of course, the flaw is front and center. Oh well, I'm not perfect either.

Alternative shade ideas: paper piercing on vellum, die cuts on vellum (ooh so cute for halloween), your favorite Christmas paper. Can you think of more?

Have fun with this project. It's easy and will add a bit of light to your life for sure.