But thanks to an old kit from Williams Sonoma, I am able to make gingerbread houses… from scratch! And with it’s planned out design, all I have to do is make, roll out and cut the dough. Let it bake and then decorate to my heart’s content!
My mom says they will be the centerpiece for Christmas dinner. I don’t know if they are worthy of a centerpiece, but Liz and I sure had a fun time making them!
And can we talk about these 3D tree cookies?!
Zipper Headbands –
The moment I saw a headband like this in a store, I instantly thought that I could make it at a fraction of the retail cost. And I did!
With a gold zipper, a skinning black headband, a square of black felt and a sewing kit, I was able to pull this off.
And it cost me less than $4.
I do warn that it is not the easiest of crafts. And I had to be very patient at times, but your work pays off. Give yourself about an hour to make it.
You’re going to be working with one side of the zipper. And basically, it’s a spiraling effect.
As you wrap the zipper around, sew in and out of the outer layer and the next layer in. To make it easier, you can cut some of the fabric attached to the zipper but make sure to leave at least an 1/4 inch.
When I was finished with the zipper, I used a hot glue gun to attach it to the headband, using a piece of black fabric as a backing. (I chose to use a thin, black headband.) And then as a finishing touch, I used black felt around the edges to cover everything but the zipper.
My zipper was a gift for Kathleen (pictured above). The small circles I maded looked good with her haircut, but for me (with longer hair), I would probably have made them larger.
I am a big fan of block letters. I have made them multiple times as personalized birthday gifts, and for Christmas, I thought it would be a simple (yet wonderful) decoration. I bought the cardboard block letters from a craft store (I love JoAnn’s and Hobby Lobby the best), and with a yard of fabric, it was easy to create this.
As you can see, I’m a big fan of plaid. And note, it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to make each letter.
(1) Use the letter as a stencil when cutting out the fabric. Cut with a margin of 1/2 inch around each letter. (2) Use Modpodge to glue the fabric to the letter. Glue the margins down to the sides of the letter, creating a smooth, clean edge. (3) Do this on either side of the letter. (4) Cut a long strip of fabric, again with 1/2 margins on either side. (For instance, these letters had a width of 1 inch, so I cut strips with a 2-inch width). (4) Fold the margins in to create the exact width of the letter and glue down with Modpodee. (5) With Modpodge, glue the strip along the sides of each letter.
It’s that easy! As an extra touch, you could add quilt backing underneath the fabric. The backing adds an extra expense, because you have to buy it in a roll, but it’s a detail that makes it look like it came from Anthropology (always a winning situation.)
I brought the letters home and found the perfect spot for them in the living room downstairs.
And since I thought the room lacked on holiday decorations (compared to upstairs, at least), I added a simple paper garland.
It too was super easy to make. I simply used a 1-inch circle cutter and a 1/8 inch hole punch. I used double-sided paper, and once I punched out the circles and the holes, I strung them on basic white thread. Quick and easy!
For the Love of Felt 