Free After Christmas Craft - More Gift Tags Than Ever...

It's my annual time of making gift tags - all from received

 Christmas cards.  This year I discovered a way to get even more

 tags from my cards...

Step 1 -make a circle template from a 'not-nice' area of 1 of the cards 

(in other words - from ugly card stock - often the inside page).  

I traced a small kitchen dish for my circle - or a jar lid would work.

Step 2 - place template on cards and trace and cut where ever you'll have a nice graphic in the front of your circle.  Sometimes you can get 2 or 3 tags from a card.  Don't worry about the reverse side.

(Which is how we're getting more tags this year!)

Step 3 - for tags that do not have a plain back for writing (like the

 above left one has) but perhaps has handwriting on, etc... brush a

 thin layer of decoupage medium over the back of the circle tag.

  Immediately place a 'larger-than-the-circle' piece of book or

 dictionary page or sheet music onto the circle.  Press well all over

 and place under something heavy till dry (such as a can soup).

Step 4 - some cards will lend themselves to a different shape for a tag.  

So go for it!  Again - applying a book page section to the backs of 

those that aren't plain.  

And don't forget photo cards (which yields even more tags!)  

They often have a 'greeting' end that can be trimmed off to make a

 gift tag - such as the ones below.  And you'll still have the 

family photo, etc. to keep for your bulletin board

Step 5 - after all your tags that you've applied book pages to are dry - 

trim around the tag so that the pages are the exact size as your tag.

  You now have a back that you can write on with marker, etc. that

 covers up the ugly 'before'!  

Write your 'To:' and 'From:' right over the book pages.  

What a fun assortment!

Step 6 - Punch a hole in each tag and add string, yarn or twine.

I'm loving my finished tags this year.  The book pages below are

 the 'backs' of some - all ready for writing on next year...

And just cause this was my favorite card that I received this year -

 I have yet to cut it up... Isn't it pretty?

  

Of course - you can use whatever shape for the tags you like...

 circles are just quick and easy.

Happy 'after Christmas' crafting!  ~Joyce

Linking to Talk of the Town party
& the Home Sweet Home party.

A Christmas Dinner Table & A Napkin Fold...

If you build it - they will come right?  Guess we'll see...  

Table is partially set and ready for guests in a few hours...

What's great about this time of year is I can keep the centerpiece

 pretty much in tact through the season and just make minimal

 changes with each event...

My table needs to be a little bigger this time around - 

so I added some extra tea light holders.  One is stacked on vintage

 twill ribbon to help vary the heights.  I used ribbon because it was

 the only thing I could find that I already had on hand that was 
in the right scale and color.  I threw in some fresh greens too - 
cause they were just sitting there from something else so why not...

On a house tour this year - I was introduced to the 'tree' napkin fold.  

So a little research yielded a simple enough tutorial to duplicate it.
  Never mind that not all my napkins are the same fabric.  

Who wants to be all 'matchy, matchy' anyway?

Here's looking forward to a fun evening of fellowship with 

folks we've never hosted before.

And isn't that part of the joy of Christmas?  

Opening our hearts and homes to others.  

Enjoy your weekend readers.  

And if it includes friends - all the better!  ~Joyce

Budget Chair Cushion DIY with Easy Removeable Cover (No Zipper!)...

Someone gave me a white wicker chair (love!) - with no cushion.

Wicker cushions are not cheap.  And this one needed to be fairly large.   

But if you scout out thrift stores long enough - you can usually 

find what you need.  I think I looked just a couple of weeks.   

 Today - I covered it - in under an hour - for our updated family room.  

My fabric?  Why my thrifted shower curtain of course (right from my bathroom!)  

But it was just the right soft green and I had another 

shower curtain in my stash that could replace it - so no worries.

This other blogger's tutorial may be easier to follow - but here's what I did.  

(After I washed that shower curtain.)

1.  Measure that pillow - then add approx. 1 - 1 1/4" on each side.  

This will allow for the puffiness of the pillow if you make your seam allowance about 1/2".  

Cut one long strip the width you need (about 25" in my case) to

 wrap around that pillow to cover both sides plus 6-7" extra to overlap.  

This will allow an 'envelope style' so you can slip your pillow 

inside with no zipper or closure needed.

2.  Fold under a small seam on the short ends and stitch them 

(like a hem) so there are no loose or unstitched edges.

  

3.  Fold your fabric just how the finished case will be (right sides together) - 

making that overlap.  Carefully line everything up and pin the edges 

making sure you have it the same width all across. (It's all about the measuring!)

4.  Simply stitch the 2 sides closed.  

I rounded my corners a bit so the pillow won't have pointy corners. 

5.  Flip right side out and stuff that pillow inside. 

 (My pillow was large and pretty stiff - but I got it in there.)

Happiness is a 'new' chair that cost almost nothing. 
Have I convinced you to shop at thrift shops yet?  ~Joyce 

Linking to the Home Sweet Home party