Since I’m going to so many holiday gatherings (hopefully), and wine is the go-to hostess gift, I decided to make some wine bottle hang tags to differentiate my wine bottles from the ones from other guests. The first one I made uses Eileen Hull’s Teacup die. First I cut a 3 1/2″ wide by 9″ long piece of card stock from DCWV, and then made one of the teacups using a coordinating DCWV paper. 

Then I printed out the words “It doesn’t count when you drink it from a teacup” and cut it out using a Sizzix magnetic ornamental die, and distressed the edges with one of Eileen Hull’s ColorBox Blends from Clearsnap. 

To make the hang tag portion, I folded the long strip of card stock at the 3-inch mark and punched a hole in it with a Fishers 1 1/2″ circle punch.

Next I glued all the elements together with some Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue (in the “always ready” inverted bottle.

Put some cellophane in the teacup, and voila!

I made another hang tag using Eileen Hull’s Bow/Create-a-Flower die and more papers and a tag from the DCWV pack.

And another hang tag using more DCWV papers and Eileen Hull’s Vase die, which I made into a cone shape to resemble a Christmas tree. 

Some tinsel garland at the bottom adds a nice touch of bling to the tree, although now I can’t decide if it looks more like a tree or a party hat. Oh well, both work.

Okay, after making all of these I hope somebody actually invites me over for the holidays now.

Disclosure: I received Sizzix dies and DCWV paper to complete this post, but all opinions are mine.

The foundation for the basket is a little three-inch wide tumbler filled with foam. I used floral foam, cutting a column of it and stuffing it in the tumbler. Instead of a tumbler, you can also use a tall, skinny box. You just need something that’s big enough to hold foam and that can then be surrounded by boxes of candy.

Line up four boxes of candy around the tumbler, holding them in place with two rubber bands. These candy boxes, like you’d find at a movie theatre, are perfect for making the “basket.”

Next, buy a variety of candy bars and packages in different shapes, and tape a wood skewer to the back with wide packing tape. The skewers will act like “stems” to be inserted into the foam.

Cut a piece of cellophane that’s about 10 inches by 10 inches, and poke the skewer through the center of the cellophane.

Insert the skewer into the foam, and the cellophane bunches at the bottom. It adds a nice decorative touch while hiding the foam.

Fill the basket with more candy, repeating the step with the cellophane for all the candy. Arrange them so the candy flares out and the basket looks more full.

Finally, wrap a ribbon around the candy basket to hide the rubber bands. Hmm, maybe we should include a tube of toothpaste in this basket, too.

What you’ll need:

School supplies

Tub of disinfecting wipes (105-ct)

Pencils, 9 boxes (12-ct)

Crayons, 8 boxes (24-ct)

Glue (5 bottles)

Glue sticks (10 sticks)

Pencil cup

Colored pencils

Other materials

12-inch to 14-inch round piece of cardboard

Roll of glue dots

Rubber bands

Ribbon

Note: Of course, you can vary the type of supplies you use based on the student’s grade level.

1. Position the tub of Clorox disinfecting wipes in the middle of a cardboard round. (You can cover the cardboard first with wrapping paper, if you wish.) Place glue dots on the bottom of the tub so it won’t move around.

2. Line the Ticonderoga pencil boxes around the tub of wipes, keeping them in place with a rubber band. They happen to be the exact height of the disinfecting wipes.

3. Wrap the crayon boxes around the pencil boxes, using another rubber band to keep them in place.

4. Arrange the glue sticks horizontally end to end around the crayon boxes. Secure them with glue dots to keep them from rolling off the cardboard base.

5. Wrap the glue bottles around the pencil cup with a rubber band, then place them on top of the tub of disinfecting wipes, securing with glue dots. Fill the pencil cup with colored pencils for the cake topper.

6. Tie a ribbon around each tier of the cake to hide the rubber bands. I found this cute chalkboard ribbon at Michael’s. I then layered it with plain yellow ribbon on the top tiers to help it stand out a little more.

When it comes to teacher appreciation gifts, this takes the cake!

Creating your own floral arrangement from supermarket flowers can save you a lot of money. The flowers for the arrangement in this project, which I bought at Trader Joe’s, cost only about $20, and the glass vase from Michael’s was less than $3. Yet the finished arrangement could easily retail for $80 to $100 — or even more — at a florist.

If the thought of putting together your own floral arrangement scares you, don’t worry, it’s pretty easy. I learned by sticking my fingers into arrangements florists delivered to the office where I used to work, to analyze how they were assembled. I’ve also had the privilege of working with several top-notch florists in Los Angeles, who have shared their tricks of the trade with me. They swore me to secrecy, so, naturally, I’m passing these tips on to you.

Get the right proportions

 One secret very few people know is there’s an ideal proportion between your vase size and the amount of flowers you should use. I usually work with a 1:4 vase-to-flower ratio, meaning the diameter of the flowers should be approximately four times the diameter of the vase. For example, I wanted the flowers in my arrangement to be about 12 inches across, so I selected a vase that is a little more than three inches in diameter. This ratio makes your arrangement look full. If you use a larger vase with the same volume of flowers, the arrangement can appear skimpy.

Create a support grid

If you’ve ever arranged flowers in water, you know it can be a challenge to keep the stems from moving out of place. One way to solve this problem is to support the stems with a grid of tape along the top of the vase. Florists use floral tape, but I use duct tape cut into ¼-inch strips, spaced about an inch apart. The taped grid on the vase will keep the stems upright. It can also help you map out where to place the different flowers. Instead of a tape grid, I’ve sometimes placed a folded piece of chicken wire in the vase to help support the stems.

Go monochromatic

Another challenge many floral novices face is selecting a color scheme. What colors go together? And how many colors should go in the mix? The best advice I’ve ever gotten about color came from one of my favorite florists: Go monochromatic. I now do almost exclusively monochromatic arrangements, whether for gifts or event centerpieces. This makes shopping for flowers easier, because I only have to look for one color. And, in my opinion, monochromatic arrangements have a more modern and upscale feel. The only other color I introduce in my arrangements is green — in the form of leaves or hydrangeas — because green goes with everything, and it actually accentuates the color of the other flowers.

Even if you’re going with a monochromatic color scheme, select three or four different types of flowers to incorporate various textures. To make my example here, I bought three small bunches of flowers at Trader Joe’s that ranged from $3.99 to $5.99 each — including roses, calla lilies and chrysanthemums. Each of their petals are distinct from the others, so even though they’re the same color, the texture variations provide visual contrast.

Prepare the stems

To create a dome-shaped arrangement, cut the stems of the flowers so that the ones positioned at the edge of the vase are shorter than the ones in the center. Cut the stems at a 45-degree angle, which allows for more surface area on the stems to absorb water. Then remove any leaves on the stems that will be submerged. I know it seems like a shame to pick the leaves off and discard them, but any plant material left in the water will contribute to bacteria growth. (Leaves above the water line are fine.)

Separate flowers by type

Another trick I use when arranging flowers is to not mix the different types of flowers. Like the child at mealtime who won’t let his potatoes touch the peas, I keep each of the different flowers in its own section in the vase. This makes floral arranging so much easier, because it takes the guesswork out of how to combine the arrangement. And again, I find this type of arrangement also looks more modern and high-end.

Fill in gaps with greenery

After you’ve filled the vase with flowers, you might still see a few empty spots here or there. Fill these gaps with greenery, using leaves or succulents from your garden. (Just be sure that only the stems are submerged in water.) Bushy blooms like hydrangeas also make great fillers.

Hide the stems

If your vase is transparent, you will see the stems in the water, and seeing submerged stems is a no-no in professional arrangements. They need to be covered up. One florist friend calls this “hiding the underwear.” Many florists cover the stems by lining the inside of the vase with large leaves. It’s a great look, but the leaves will contribute to bacteria growth. The simplest solution is to wrap a ribbon around the outside of the vase, adhering it in place with double-sided tape. Of course, if your vase is opaque, you don’t need to hide your stems. Still, wrapping a ribbon around the vase can add a nice finishing touch.

And here’s a one-minute video I put together on making them.

I can’t help it, I have been obsessed with Star Wars ever since the first trilogy. When Revenge of the Jedi came out, I waited in line on Hollywood Boulevard from 9 PM to 6 AM to catch a showing on opening morning. So to be able to merge Star Wars with crafting is just like mixing chocolate with peanut butter. Yes, I’ll have some of that!

To do this, I printed an image of the Millennium Falcon (and the Star Wars logo) on my trusty Craft Attitude film and then applied the image on the pendant with a glue stick. Instant Millennium Falcon Christmas ornament.

I still have more pieces from the Chandelier Pendant series, so who knows what I’ll come up with next. And May the Force Be With You this holiday season. 

Well, when I first heard the term Tzedakah box, I thought I heard Sedaka, as in Neil Sedaka. (According to Wikipedia, his last name actually is a variant of tzedakah.) So you know me and puns – I had to make a Sedaka/Tzedakah Box.

I used Eileen Hull’s Sizzix XL block/cube die, along with the Movers & Shapers Money Slot die to make the box. Then I printed images of Neil Sedaka albums onto a sheet of Craft Attitude printable film. I was able to put all six images for the six sides of the cube onto one sheet of Craft Attitude. (Remember to print in reverse.) Then I cut them up into six individual pieces of Craft Attitude and applied each image on the sides with some spray adhesive. I use Scotch Super 77. I did have to trim the Craft Attitude film that was over the coin slot. That was easy.

This is what the two pieces looked like before I assembled the box. I used Therm-o-Web iCraft adhesive sheets on the tabs to stick them together. I left one of the flaps unsealed, so you can still open the box and and take out the money for charity. And that, my friends, is the Neil Tzedaka box. It makes me verklempt!

While I love paper, cards and stationery, my main purpose in going to the show was seeing if there were any unique items in the gift aisles – and I don’t mean the Korean bulgogi/hot dog mash-up concession stand next to the gifts. Again, not much stood out, and when vendors saw that I was a designer instead of a buyer, they either ignored me or glared mighty daggers of death at me.

But one product stood out and really got me excited – Prank Packs, from a company called 30 Watt. Plus, the guys in the booth were nice to me. Probably because they’re from Minnesota.

Prank Packs are fake gift boxes, so when people unwrap their gifts, they see a fake gift for something ridiculous like the Crib Dribbler feeding system. If you’ve ever had to sit through a baby shower where they open gifts and everyone says “how cute” after each gift, you will appreciate these Prank Packs. I can’t wait to give the Crib Dribbler box to someone and see how they react. Of course these are just gift boxes, so the real gift would be inside. But I have a feeling that people will like the box more than the actual gift. (One time at a baby shower I was assigned the task of writing down every gift giver’s name and what they gave. I just wrote “crap,” “crap,” “crap,” and “crap.”  Well, that’s what it looked like to me.)

Here are just a few of the fake boxes:

Particularly hilarious is the text on the boxes. As a former advertising copywriter, I really appreciated the absolutely preposterous body copy that was written with such conviction. For example, the Crib Dribbler is perfect for stew and cocoa! Stew! I love it.

Right now, they are available at Amazon and on their website, and they sell for about $7-$8.

I can’t wait for my next white elephant gift exchange. That gives me an idea: maybe they should sell a fake gift box of a White Elephant – a rare pygmy live white elephant inside each box!  Ahh, pranks for the memories.

MAKING PHOTO RIBBON: Measure the width of your ribbon. Mine was 1.5 inches. Then size your photos so they are 1.5″ high, and put a bunch of them in a row. I used Photoshop for this, and I fit in 5 rows onto one document, and then printed it out on a sheet of Craft Attitude. Cut it into strips.

Leaving the backing paper on, apply spray adhesive (I use Scotch Super 77) to the ink side of the film. Place the strip face down on the ribbon, rub it with your fingers, and remove the backing paper. Personalized ribbon, people! 

Of course, the Craft Attitude works best on a lighter colored background. The ribbon I used was a light green, which was a cool background to put my dogs against. Aren’t they cute dressed up like Santa and an elf? Now, one sheet of Craft Attitude can make a ribbon that’s about 52″ long. You’ll see from the photo that it’s really flexible, and once it’s on the ribbon, you can still tie it into a bow. 

PERSONALIZING WRAPPING PAPER: This is just so easy, I don’t know why I don’t do it all the time. I have a 3″ hole punch, so I sized photos of Gershwin to 3″, and printed out the photos on a sheet of Craft Attitude film. I could fit 6 pictures on one sheet. Then I used the hole punch to create 6 circles of Gershwin’s face. Keeping the backing paper on, I applied spray adhesive to the ink side, placed the circle face down on the wrapping paper, burnished with my fingers, and peeled off the backing. 

I love how the film is relatively transparent, so the design on the wrapping paper shows through. This makes the image look printed on the paper, rather than looking like a sticker. 

PERSONALIZING A GIFT BAG: This too is crazy easy, but such a fun way to customize a gift bag. I bought a gift bag at Joann with some candy canes on it and printed out a photo of Gershwin on a sheet of Craft Attitude. 

Leaving the backing paper on (I sound like a broken record), apply some spray adhesive to the ink side of the Craft Attitude and place it face down on the gift bag. Burnish it with your fingers, and peel off the backing. Instant photo gift bag. Amazing or what?

Just like with the wrapping paper, I love how the design of the paper shows through, so it looks like the photo was printed on the bag. 

That’s a wrap, folks!