A Christmas Card Display Rack

I always look forward to Christmas cards in my mailbox. They are a sure way to spread the holiday spirit!

I love to put them on display so I made this Christmas Card Display Rack with odds and ends that I found at home.

Things like a wire hanger, clothespins, battery-operated lights, and tape...I'll turn them from blah to TADA!

Shape the wire hanger into a circle.

Wind the lights around the wire hanger.

Put in some fresh batteries and attach the battery pack on the wire hanger with tape.

Clip on the clothespins (I painted them white to match the wire hanger) in alternating fashion, some facing outside and some pointed inside the wreath.

Then attach the Christmas cards to the clothespins and turn on the lights...TADA!

I added a bow  made from wired ribbon for color and to cover the battery pack.

Hang it on a door or a blank wall so that you'll have decorations in every room of the house.

But when the holidays are over, save the display rack!

Use it to display birthday cards and other pretty notes you receive throughout the year.

A Christmas Card display rack. A wreath for greeting cards. Whatever you want to call it, it's a simple way to turn the days of the year from blah to TADA!

Santa-inspired Gift Wrapping

I know that you're in the thick of holiday preparations yet you still stopped by. Awww...thank you so much for your visit!

Let's talk about gift wrapping, shall we?

I saw this at a store and I love how a plain jar can be turned from blah to TADA! It's a Santa Claus costume made from felt, a buckle, and buttons. The jar can be filled with hot chocolate, coffee, and other homemade goods like cookies, spiced nuts, granola or chocolate.

Here's another idea to dress up a jar. It still says holiday but in a more hipster way! If you like to knit or crochet, you can make a small beanie and use stickers to make the face. But the best part of all is being able to reuse glass jars..TADA!

If you'd like to look back to my blog archives:

This is a gift box made from an empty tissue container decorated with felt, cardboard, and glitter. You can find the tutorial here. 

And finally, another gift wrapping D.I.Y that's inspired by the jolly man in a red suit: 

I turned a red paper bag from blah to TADA!

It only takes a few materials: black card stock, a red paper bag, glitter paper, scissors, and glue.  

Using the glitter paper, cut out circles for the buttons and make a buckle. Cut the black paper to fit through the buckle.  

Attach everything to the paper bag with glue. Add your gift, fold the flap, and seal with tape. TADA!

I really hope you enjoyed these ideas. See you next week!

Happy Thanksgiving

I am so grateful for family, friends, food, and Thanksgiving traditions. I wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful

Autumn is an ideal time to craft. All warm and cozy indoors with the leaves outside the window as an inspiring color palette.

Shops also carry seasonal crafting materials like these rubber stamps. 

This is my favorite stamp of the lot.

I glued it to a leaf that I collected from a walk in the park. I pressed it between two books to keep it flat.

Then I glued the leaf to a blank greeting card...TADA!

Thankful this season. Thankful throughout the year.

Here's another set of stamps.

I chose the apple to make my own stickers (I used round adhesive labels).

Then turned it into an envelope seal...TADA!

I'm Thankful that you always stop by to visit me here!

Autumn-Themed Rubber Stamps

Hi there! I love rubber stamps and use them a lot for crafting. 

I got these ones last year from the Dollar Spot at Target. They're inexpensive but I waited until they were half-off so I paid only $3.00 for these...TADA!

These have gotten me excited to make some autumn crafts. Let me show you a few:

I stamped this repeatedly on a strip of card stock. 

I cut them to size and wrapped them around some table napkins. I use these napkins all year round but with these custom napkin rings, they're autumn ready...TADA!

Using the same stamp, I did another repeating pattern on bigger pieces of card stock.

I cut them into squares, wrote my guests' names and TADA! -- instant seating cards.

I can use them to label the food on my buffet table, too.

 

These are "gratitude cards" that I can use daily to count my blessings. Or I can give them out on Thanksgiving night for everyone to remember what they are grateful for this year. 

 Another repeating pattern using a "Hello Fall" rubber stamp.

 

I attached them to toothpicks and used them to decorate some pumpkin muffins and apple muffins...TADA!

 They're pretty to serve.

And can be given away inside treat bags...TADA!

Here's how I made the seal:

I stamped them on round adhesive labels. Quick and easy stickers...TADA!

These crafts can be used for a fall-inspired birthday party or wedding, or you can use the ideas using other seasonal stamps like Spring, Easter, or Halloween.

Thank you for your visit!

Shopping in my Closet : A Fall Outfit

Hello and thanks for your visit!

Just this summer, I introduced a new section in my blog called "Shopping in My Closet." This exercise helps us take stock of what we have and bring new life to clothes, shoes, and accessories we haven't worn in a while.

Today, I've assembled an outfit fit for Autumn.

Let's start with a plaid shirt. I bought this on sale but it was hidden underneath a stack of shirts that I forgot that I even had it.  

Wearing it with jeans is an easy match.

Then I'll layer on with a tan jacket that I've owned for about two decades now (talk about a classic closet staple)!   

Add warm socks and a cute pair of shoes...TADA! 

I'm ready for fall ya'll!

Have you shopped in your closet recently? Tell me what nice things you found!

A Clever Way to Store Ribbon

I stumbled upon a memorable quote: "I am a crafter therefore I hoard."

It's so true! If I were to pack all my craft materials and tools, I'd easily fill up three large suitcases. That's because I keep a lot of scrap which I love to turn from blah to TADA!

One of the things I hoard, er, keep, is ribbon. I used to leave them in their spools and stuffed these in clear zip-top bags. But this method, I realized, took up a lot of space.

Here's how I consolidated my stash:

I wrapped them around cardboard! TADA!

And the cardboard is recycled -- empty gift boxes, tissue containers, and food cartons. Double TADA!

I grouped like and like together: twine, lace, wire-edged, cord, and plain ribbon segregated by color and thickness.

Oh the sense of satisfaction I feel! That deserves another TADA!