50 Days of Crafts: Felt Cup Warmers

I have seen this coffee cup cozy idea floating around Pinterest for a while and it seemed easy enough to create.  In fact, this Mickey Cup Cozy craft has been on my Pinterest "to do list" for a while.  Since I love all things MOUSE related, I thought I'd try it out myself.

My finished project was a little too small (I did not use their template) and I used velcro & the sewing machine instead of elastic thread and a hot glue gun.  TIP: If you happen to have an empty cup sitting around from your last coffee run, use your sleeve as a pattern for your cup cozy.
  
For my version of the project you need: felt (scraps will do!), two buttons, thread (black and white), needle (for button sewing), scissors (straight and pinking shears), and velcro.  I also put a thin piece of batting in the middle for extra protection!

Not just for coffee cups!  I LOVE how it dresses it up my pen holder (aka Tin Can) on my desk.  Wrap one of these around a can filled with chocolate or candy canes and you have a sweet gift!

I have another one of these in the works, but the reveal will have to wait until after Christmas.

Fabulous finds: kids Christmas crafting

Headed out with my two girls to pick out a Christmas present for my nephew. We ended up at Walmart as it was the nearest big box retailer to the craft store. I know that you think I'm going to tell you about all the great crafts I found at Joann's.  I'm not.  Instead, we found some cool stuff at the Walmart which is just perfect for my kids.  

First up, plastic ornaments.  It has been hard for me to find plastic - not glass - to use with the kids. They love to paint these and our regular painting time will extend to an hour if they have these to paint. I bought two for myself to try a few techniques on also!  These plastic ornaments were only 88 cents a piece, far cheaper than the craft store, and are easy for kids under four to paint with acrylic paint.  I found them on an end cap in crafting.  Don't go looking for them in the Christmas section!

Next, these awesome wood shapes! For less than $2 a piece I got these Christmas theme wood shapes on stands.  The possibilities are endless!  For the kids: paint, stickers, markers, glitter, collage!  For adults, these are screaming out for some mod podge!  I'm excited to use up leftover Christmas scrapbook supplies on three sweet trees.  I know the kids will love painting these wooden shapes too!

Christmas Rag Garland

This sweet rag tie garland requires no sewing and no hot glue gun.  In fact, you only need a few items and about half a football game's worth of time to finish it!

I love the way this looks on our mantle and it really finishes off the festive feeling of Christmas.

You just need a few supplies.  For this approximately 6' garland, I used one yard each of two coordinating fabrics.  I cut the strips approximately 1.5" wide by 6", but, honestly, I mostly guessed and just eyeballed it.  Don't make yourself crazy measuring!

TIP: Alternate fabrics in a 1:1 ratio to give this a more cohesive look.  I had originally started by alternating three strips of each color, but it did not look right at all.  This way looks perfect!

Measure your length, remembering to take into account any scallops and adding a few extra inches for hanging. 

Find yourself a comfy seat and get to it!  Tie your strips on your twine until you run out of fabric!  Enjoy your fluffy garland!