For the Love of Beads!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

but they're now packed away and my mantel was bare...

       By the 12th day of Christmas, all decorations were boxed up and stored away leaving the house looking pretty bleak. Definitely needed to jazz it up a bit......  I love bead garlands and Valentine's Day is coming up so adding some simple "no hassle" tassels to a plain, red string of beads seemed like a good place to start... and this was quick'n EZ to do.

To make the ribbon tassels you'll need:

• Assortment of 1/4" ribbons (about 10" long)
• Red foam heart
• 2 White 3/8" beads for each tassel
• Red chenille stems
• Thin string
• Scissors
• Stylus, small knitting needle, or toothpick 

        I used about 10" of 5 different ribbons for each tassel. Gather the ribbon lengths together then fold in half. Use thin string to tie them together at the fold. Pull together as tightly as possible then knot to secure.  Push about 1/2" of one end of 1 1/2" of chenille stem under the knotted string at the top of the fold.

        Use the stylus, to poke a small in the bottom point of the heart. Thread one bead onto the chenille stem then push the stem into the bottom of the heart until the bead is firmly against it.  Make a hole in the top of the heart then insert the end of another piece of chenille stem. Thread the second bead onto the stem the bend the top of the stem into a 'U' shape. This will be the hook to hang the tassel onto the string of beads. That's it! 

        I already had some red yarn tassels, so using pieces of chenille, I added a white bead at the top of each one  to hook them onto the garland. 

        This "no hassle tassel" is really easy to make and with so many ribbons to choose from, it's the perfect decorative accent for all kinds of celebrations! Hope you enjoy them too.

Yours truly,

Julie 💝

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Ribbons used to make the tassels were provided by Gwen Studios and are available online at Michaels, JoAnn's and Walmart.

Look for more ribbon project inspiration on the DCC blog!

Dress It Up with Ribbon!

It's almost Valentine's Day and you're wondering what to get for a special friend... 

A box of chocolate is a good idea for any occasion, but let's dress it up with some ribbon and gift along with some fresh flowers. After all, presentation is everything!

You'll need:

Gwen Studios Single-faced 1.5" white satin ribbon 

Gwen Studios Double-faced 7/8" pink satin ribbon - 28"

Gwen Studios Double-faced 3/8" pink satin ribbon - 1 yd

Double sided adhesive tape

Lo-temp glue gun (optional)

12" ruler

Scissors

2 Small binder clips

1.  Wrap the white ribbon around the box, or just the lid if it's removable, about a third of the way down from the top. Secure at each end then add two lengths of the narrow pink ribbon over the top as shown below then add bow at the center.  You can make a simple bow by creating 4 loops as you pass the narrow ribbon back and forth then secure the loops where they cross at the center with a staple - EZPZ. Adhere to the center of the ribbon across the box.   

2. To make the ribbon rose for the center, wrap the 7/8" pink ribbon diagonally around a 12' ruler. Secure the ends with binder clips. 

3. Place a strip of double-sided adhesive tape across the edge of the wrapped ribbon then remove the binder clips and gently remove the ribbon from the ruler, removing the liner from the tape as you go.

4. Starting at one end, roll the ribbon along its sticky edge to form the rose. Note: roll tightly as you begin, then more loosely as you roll toward the end adjusting the loops as you wrap. 

5. Glue the rose to the center of the bow on the box to finish..

Whether your friends love chocolates or not, they'll certainly love their beribboned box! Enjoy!

Yours truly,

Julie 💝

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Ribbon was provided by Gwen Studios. It is available at your local Walmart stores and online at Walmart.com, Michaels.com and JoAnn's.com

Look for more inspiration for crafting with ribbon at 

Christmas Ornaments Upstyled with Ribbon!

 Just add ribbon to large, shatterproof ornaments and they'll go from boring to beautiful in minutes! 

 

You'll need:

White Satin and Rhinestone Trim Set*

Satin Ribbon*

Narrow grosgrain ribbon*

4 Pack of large, shatterproof ornaments

Small pieces of Christmas greenery to embellish 

Double sided adhesive tape

Lo-temp glue gun

Scissors

Zip ties - colored

*Ribbon was provided by Gwen Studios

A wide selection of styles and colors of Gwen Studios ribbon can be found online at Walmart.com and Michaels.com so there will be ribbon to match your own personal decorating style. I chose ribbon colors that I had on hand to match red ornaments: Red, green and white satin ribbon and several, narrow grosgrain ribbons.

        I like sparkle when I'm decorating for Christmas, so I started by decorating each ornament with rhinestone trim which I added around the center using double sided adhesive tape. You can leave the trim as is, but the narrow, grosgrain ribbon is the perfect width to add over the center, making it easy to customize to match your color scheme.

 

I like bling however, so I added the narrow rhinestone trim over the center for added sparkle.

I also added a large, green satin bow to the top, made as follows:

        Cut a length* of ribbon. Lay on a flat surface then cross the ends over as shown below. Using your fingers, squish the ribbon together where it crosses then pull the center of the loop down and squish all together. Secure the "center" with a zip tie. (I used green to match the color of the ribbon.) 

*Length will be determined by how large/wide you'd like your ribbon to be.

 

        Thread a length of narrow ribbon thru the ornament cap to create a hanger. Attach the bow to the front with lo-temp glue, or simply place the end of the zip tie into the ornament cap. You can also add the bow by attaching it to the ornament cap with the zip tie, then thread a length of narrow ribbon thru the cap for a hanger.

 

        I embellished the center of this ornament with 2 rows of the wide, rhinestone trim.

The glitter ornament already had a lot of sparkle, so I added narrow grosgrain ribbon around the enter of this one and used a length of curly ribbon for a hanger.

 

Use a glue gun to add additional embellishments if desired then sit back and enjoy!

        I hope this gave you some ideas for quick'n EZ projects for your holiday decorating. Designer Crafts Connection members have also shared their holiday ribbon projects using Gwen Studios ribbon here:

Hope you all have a very happy and blessed Christmas season!

Yours truly,

Julie 💝

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Etched Jack O'Lantern Slate Coasters

         I love being able to customize holiday, or special event accents for the home. Everyone loved the smoked Jack O'Lantern glasses, so thought I'd use the same designs for a couple of slate coasters...  YES! You can etch slate with etchall® etching crème.  They're pretty cool looking, right.........

Here's what you'll need: 

• etchall® reusable etching crème
• Stencil cut pick knife, or pick tool
• Squeegee 
• Etchmask, stencil or vinyl for creating stencils
• Slate coasters  (I got mine from Plaid, but you can also order from Amazon)
• Jack O'Lantern patterns 
• scissors 

1. Drag the above patterns from here onto your desktop then upload into your cutting software*, or print onto printable vinyl and cut with a craft knife.  Each face is about 1.5-2" wide, but you can adjust the size to fit the size of your coaster.    *I used my Cricut Joy® machine to cut the stencils.

    

2. Using the pick tool, carefully weed (remove) the areas to be etched from the vinyl then press firmly in place at the center of the slate. Since this is a small and simple design, I didn't find it necessary to use transfer tape.  

3.  To prevent accidentally etching the uncovered areas of the slate, cover with scraps of vinyl.

4. Cover the open areas with etching crème and leave for 15-20 minutes. Refer to directions on the container. *NOTE: Etching crème is off white when you first open the container, but it will eventually darken over time. The color does not effect the effectiveness of the product.

5. After 15-20 minutes, use the squeegee to scrape the etchall back into the container! Don't forget, etchall etching crème is reusable.

6. Rinse away any remaining crème with water. DO NOT RINSE OVER A PORCELAIN SINK TO AVOID ACCIDENTALLY ETCHING YOUR SINK!! Use a plastic bowl if necessary. Discard the vinyl and dry the surface of your slate.

7. These will make a perfect gift together with a couple of matching, etched wine glasses and a bottle of wine!

Instructions for the wine glasses are here on my blog...

 

You've been boo'ed! Enjoy! 

Yours truly,

Julie 🎃

KEEP CALM ANC CARRY ON CRAFTING!