My Homemade Christmas

I mentioned in my previous post that I decided to make most of my Christmas gift this year. I spent quite a bit of time putting all of these things together so I'd like to show them off, in all of their gloriousness.


For some friends I made a variety of picture frames:

I never new that Popsicle sticks and tongue depressors could be so useful. Lacee and I worked as a team to put these frames together. The directions we found online were for really small pictures so we decided to take those directions and adapt them. It was a little difficult at first but eventually we were successful!

This one was our first. We didn't intend to write "Buddies"
but things didn't go as planned so we had to adapt.

These ones were for our little friends (Justin's-from the Mow Crew-kids)

I made this one for Carly, a fellow teacher at LRA.




Lacee and I decided to get really crazy and make a photo collage for Andrew and Russell.
Then we used tongue depressors to frame it. Pretty darn awesome!

For my nephews I decided to make snow globes:

These creations took loads of Epoxy. I had never met Epoxy before this project but we became very well acquainted. The most frustrating thing is that my practice snow globe turned out better than any of the ones I gave away.

These are the bases of the snow globes.
I gave the Epoxy plenty of time to dry; but when Quinn and Elliott
opened their snow globes their letters we're floating around.
Bummer...

The finished snow globes before they were unwrapped.
I had issues with Taylor's and Braxton's snow globes so they didn't get to be a part of this picture.
Theirs turned out pretty good but only after lots of soaking in rubbing alcohol
to help dissolve all of the dried Epoxy.

My nieces got pull toys:

I was very nervous about attempting this pull toy project. I found the idea on Martha Stewart's (ick) website. They looked incredible and I just wasn't sure I had the talent or ability for that. But then I remembered that I firmly believe in "Go big or go home" so I went big. It started rather simply with a paper pattern that you trace onto cardboard, cut out, and glue together.

My traced, cutted, and glued cardboard.

Step 2-1,000 (or however many steps it takes to reach your desired level of thickness) is applying paper mache to the cardboard.

My first layer. I was feeling a little overwhelmed at this point.




The completed paper mache squirrel.
(for some reason I didn't take a picture of the elephant)

While the paper mache was drying I painted my bases, wheels, and wheel caps.

Post paper macheing, I coated the animals with Creative Paper Clay.
(another item I met and became acquainted with)


This clay stuff takes a long time to dry. So I worked on my bases. Luckily Justin (mow crew) was willing to help me saw to the desired dimensions and drill the necessary holes.




My completed bases, all ready for completed animals.




I painted my elephant gray and my squirrel brown.




I decided to add some spots, eyes, and eye lashes.


After some assistance with drilling more holes (thanks, Dad!) I was able to attach my hardened animals to their respective bases. I also attached strings so that they could officially be pull toys and not just animals on boards.




The finished product.

Cassie received a storage suitcase:

A few years ago I received a free subscription to Good Housekeeping. I remember seeing this idea. You take an old suitcase and put legs on it. It becomes a convenient looking storage case! I had to spend quite a bit of time on Good Housekeeping's website in order to find the directions; but I found them and-VOILA!

The legs I attached (well, really my dad attached them-I stood around and helped a little bit),
painted, and sanded.




The closed case. The opened case.




And the finished product on display!

Lucky for me, all this work wasn't in vain. I was super-duper excited to give my gifts and my gifts were well received. Three weeks before Christmas just isn't quite enough time to do all of these things. So I think I'll start researching projects a little earlier in the year for I do believe that a homemade Christmas is the way to go.