Washi Tape Christmas Countdown Chain

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time for Christmas decorating!  This makes me extremely happy.

I was lying in bed the other morning thinking about those old-school Christmas chains I used to make out of construction paper as a kid, and it occurred to me that a little washi tape could totally make one of those chains feel all grown up.  Washi tape can do that for just about anything, don't you think?

When I put my idea into action, I also realized that the washi tape makes the chains even easier to make than the construction-paper-only chains from my childhood because you can use the edges of the tape as a guide for cutting straight lines.

Another bonus is that this project only took about 15 minutes!

To make one of these washi tape chains, you'll need the following:
1.  Red and green construction paper (one piece of each color)
2.  A roll of washi tape with red accents and a roll with green accents.  I used striped tape because it reminds me of candy canes.
3.  Scissors

Here are the instructions:

1.  Place 13 strips of reddish washi tape across the width of a piece of red construction paper and 12 strips of greenish washi tape across the width of a piece of green construction paper. As you do this, leave an inch-long tail of washi tape hanging off of the edge of the construction paper.

2.  Cut out the strips of washi taped construction paper, using the edges of the washi tape as a guide.  You should now have a total of 25 red and green strips.

3.  Turn your first strip into a loop and use the washi tape tail to secure it.

4.  It will look extra-professional if you make the pattern on the washi tape tail match up with the pattern on the tape that you're taping over.  See how the diagonal stripes all match up with each other in the 4th picture?

5.  Now add the rest of the chain links one at a time by repeating steps 3 and 4 with each strip, making sure that you loop each new strip around the previous loop before you tape it closed.

6.  Once you've added all 25 links to you're chain, hang it up, you're finished!

I hung my chain in our cabin, and I think it compliments our porthole picture very nicely.

I'm looking forward to December 1st so I can start ripping off one of the loops every day until Christmas!

How are you counting down to Christmas this year?

xoxo
Laura

Knit Skate Ornament

I recently found the most adorable crochet ice skate ornament at Suzie's Stuff and I loved it so much that I decided to make a knitting pattern for it.

First I tried making the skate out of a single layer of stockinette stitch, but it wanted to curl up when I hung it on the christmas tree. I made the ornament lay flat by knitting a mirror image of the first layer and seaming the two layers together. Suddenly the skate became 3 dimensional and had much more bulk to it so it fit in better with the other ornaments on the tree.

Materials:

• White, sparkly worstred weight yarn
• US Size 5 needles
• Jumbo paper clips
• Scissors
• Tapestry needle

Terms used in this pattern:

PSSO: This stands for Pass Slipped Stitch Over, and it is a left-slanting decrease. To do it, insert the left needle into the front of the slipped stitch on the right needle, then pass the slipped stitch over the last knit stitch and slip it off the right needle. (It is basically like binding off one stitch.)

Skate Side 1:

Cast on 11 stitches

Row 1: knit

Row 2: purl

Row 3: knit

Row 4: purl

Row 5: slip 1, knit 1, PSSO, knit 9

Row 6: purl

Row 7: bind off 4, knit 6

Row 8: purl

Row 9: knit

Row 10: purl

Rows 11: knit

Row 12: purl

Bind off, leaving a big loop when you bind off the last stitch. That loop is what you'll use to hang the skate on the Christmas tree.

Skate Side 2 (Mirror Image):

Cast on 11 stitches

Row 1: purl

Row 2: knit

Row 3: purl

Row 4: knit

Row 5: slip 1, purl 1, PSSO, purl 9

Row 6: knit

Row 7: bind off 4 purl-wise, purl 6

Row 8: knit

Row 9: purl

Row 10: knit

Row 11: purl

Row 12: knit

Bind off purl-wise

Finishing Touches:

• Weave in the ends.
• Place the two sides of the skate flat on a table (right side up) with the bottom edges of the skates touching each other. Line the stitches up with each other and seam those two edges together using mattress stitch.
• Slide the jumbo paper clip onto your work right where you just seamed it. You should now be able to fold the two sides of the skate up like a sandwich, and the paper clip will be at the bottom of the skate where the skate's blade would be.
• Sew the rest of the edges of the skate together using mattress stitch.

This little skate looks good on a Christmas tree, but it's small enough that it also works well for fancy gift wrapping, see?

I hope you have a great time knitting this little guy!  As you know, ice skates are near and dear to my heart.

xoxo

Laura

DIY Advent Calendar

There's no time like December 5th to make an advent Calendar, right? Isn't that kind of like December 1st?

Anyway, regardless of the date, I felt like making an advent calendar that was a little bit different this year. Instead of filling it with chocolates like the ones at the grocery store, I decided to fill mine with little love notes for my boyfriend. That way december will be a month of love!

This is a magnetic calendar, so it's perfect to hang on the refrigerator. The walls are all magnetic where we live (weird but true) so I just stuck mine up on the wall.

To make this project, you'll need 25 clothes pins, construction paper, scissors, a pen, washi tape, magnetic strips, and glue.

Here's how you make it:

1.  Cover one side of each clothes pin with washi tape, trimming the tape to fit.

2.  Flip the clothes pins over and glue a magnetic strip onto the back side.  Do the next 3 steps while the glue dries.

3.  Cut 25 1.5" x 1.5" squares out of construction paper.

4.  Decorate one side of the squares with washi tape.

5. Flip the squares over and write a love note on the back side of each one.

6.  Slip one paper square into each clothes pin, with the washi tape decorations facing out. Then they're ready to be hung up.

To make a Christmas tree-shaped triangle, I put 7 clothes pins on the bottom row, then 6 on the next, then 5, then 4, then 2, then 1.

I hope you're having a love-filled December!
xoxo
Laura

Creative Wreaths

It's finally December, and that means it's Christmas decorating time! I think that's why I woke up this morning with wreaths on my mind. I love a good, traditional, green, pine-needly wreath as much as the next girl, but I was wondering what else wreaths could be made out of to shake things up a bit. That's when I did a little Etsy browsing and realized that people make wreaths out of every type of material imaginable. Seriously. Here are my 5 favorite wreaths available for purchase right now:

1. I love this yarn wreath from Cozy Made.  You would think I'd get sick of yarn, but I never ever do.

2. I like the rustic feel of this burlap wreath from Get the Door, don't you?

3. This red berry wreath from Elegant Holidays would be so bright and cheery on a snowy day.

4. I think this wreath made out of pink ornaments by Judy Blank adds a spunky twist to the traditional Christmas color scheme.

5. And this tulle wreath from Ducky Duck Diaper Cakes is also different in all the best ways.

All five of those lovely photos are courtesy of their respective Etsy shop owners.

Do you have a non-traditional wreath at home?  What is it made out of?

Happy decorating!

xoxo

Laura

Thanksgiving on Etsy

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, and if you don't have the time to make your own decorations and accessories this year, there are tons of great ones for sale on Etsy.  (I know because I may or may not be developing an Etsy browsing addiction; there are just so many great handmade things on there!)  Here are my five favorites this Thanksgiving.

1.  I would absolutely love to whip up a turkey wearing this Ruffled Retro Apron from Creative Chics, wouldn't you?

2.  Or you could dress your little boy in this adorable Thanksgiving Bow-Tie from The Director's Cabin.

3. Welcome your guests in style by hanging this Autumn Crochet Wreath from Alice Remembers on your door.

4. I also love this tablecloth from Danielle's Corner.

5.  And wouldn't these clay pumpkins from Skye Art look super cute sitting on your mantle?

All of the photos in this post are courtesy of their Etsy shop owners.  Aren't they pretty?

However you choose to celebrate, I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving!
xoxo
Laura

The Pumpkins of Etsy

I was browsing the Halloween section of Etsy last night and I was blown away by the diversity of handmade pumpkins (or handmade anything, for that matter) that a person can buy these days, thanks to the good ol' internet.  With Halloween only 2 weeks away, here are my 5 favorite pumpkins available for purchase, with all photos courtesy of the sellers on Etsy:

1.  Knit cotton napkin rings from Home and Garden Zen:

2.  Paper maché pumpkins from Chesapeake Pointe:

3. Handmade wood buttons by Wild Plums:

4.  Felted wool pumpkins by House of Moss:

5.  Knit pumpkin baby hat and cocoon by Mimi La Creations:

If you're not planning to make your own decorations for Halloween this year, I highly recommend checking out Etsy.  You'll be supporting the handmade crafting community and buying something that's different from all the other decorations on your block.

Happy decorating!
xoxo
Laura

Mason Jar Jack-O'-Lanterns

Halloween is almost upon us again so it's time to start decorating.  This summer, I spray painted bottles to make vases, and this week I thought it might be fun to use a similar technique on mason jars to make Jack-O'-Lanterns.  I'm so glad I gave it a try because they turned out to be something I can't wait to put out on the front porch!

Here's what you'll need to make these:

1.  Mason jars that have at least one smooth side for the Jack-O'-Lantern faces to go on.
2.  Masking tape
3.  Scissors
4.  "Frosted Glass" spray paint

Here's how you do it:

1.  Cut shapes out of masking tape and arrange them on the mason jars to make cute/scary/funny faces on the jars.

2.  Spray paint the jars (outside in the fresh air, and on top of something disposable like the paper bag I used). It's best to do several thin coats so that the paint doesn't form drips on the jar. If drips do form, however, don't sweat it.  I accidentally had some drips on my scary-faced jar and I ended up loving them because they made the face look even scarier.

3.  Let the paint dry.

4.  Peel off the tape faces and drop tea light candles inside the jars.  I used large jars, so 3 tea lights fit into each of my jars.  You're going to need a fire starter or a very long match to light the candles inside the jars.

5.  If you have the kind of jars that have lids with removable centers, remove that center and screw the lid back on the jar after you light the candles.  If you have solid lids, you'll need to poke holes in them so the candles have an oxygen source once they're lit and the lid is on. The hole-poking method will also provide a little more fire safety, so I recommend it even though it's a little more work.

Let me know if you try this out, I'd love to see a picture!
xoxo
Laura