New Year Printables

I'm never ready to take my Christmas decorations down. In fact, we leave ours up until the first week of January. But sometimes, you want something NEW to remind you that a new year is coming.

How about some FREE new years printables!

These would be great for a classroom, mantle, table decor, or anywhere else that you want to be festive.

Just download, print, and place in your favorite 5x7 frame.

The printables are available in THREE color ways: gold, teal, and green.

(The background of the printable once downloaded is pure white. These images are for viewing only)

Click Here for Green

Click Here for Gold

Click Here for Teal

Happy New Year everyone!

Sweater Ornaments Refashion

Do you ever look at your Christmas tree and think it needs something cozy?? I found an old sweater that was full of holes, and very ratty, but the sleeves were still good. Idea!! Christmas ornament.

Here's how to make a cozy sweater ornament in no time...

Materials:

Sewing Things

Old Sweater

Styrofoam balls

To begin, cut the sleeves off of your sweater and sew one end shut with the sleeve wrong side out. This will make a pocket for your styrofoam.

Turn the sleeve right side out, and stuff the ball inside. Hand stitch the opening on the sleeve closed.

Cut the remaining sleeve into fringe, or leave it whole. Tie a ribbon around the top and add an ornament hanger!

 How easy is that? And they look super cozy on my tree. 

Last Minute Gifts

Are you a last minute shopper??? Or do you know someone who has absolutely EVERYTHING?

I have a brilliant solution to your gift-giving dilemma...

 Craftsy Classes!!

 

I've told you about some of my favorites, but have you tried them yourself? These classes are easy to watch, fun to use, and the perfect gift for the person who has everything. 

We don't always have time to go to a craft store or community center to learn a new skill, but Craftsy has made it possible to learn in your own home.

Try some of these classes yourself, or gift them for an unforgettable Christmas present!

 

Surprise a loved one with the gift of a new skill this holiday season. They'll be impressed with the thought, and you'll be impressed with the results! 

(This post contains affiliate links)

Scrap Organization

This year has been the year of the scraps!! 

But in order to do anything awesome with scraps, you have to be able to SEE your scraps.

This was my former organization system. Yikes. 

It looked great on the bookshelf, because you couldn't actually see inside the bins. You saw three nicely placed bins in a row, looking neat.

LIES

Nothing was folded. Pieces were all weird shapes and sizes. Colors were mixed. It was a nightmare.

Something had to be done.

Sigh.....Ahhhhhh. Beautiful.

I dumped ALL of my large bins in my living room one night. I unfolded unwadded  each piece to look at it. Weird stringy pieces were cut off, tiny pieces were thrown out. Each large piece got refolded and placed neatly back into the large bins. The smaller pieces (fat quarter sizes and such) were then neatly folded very small, and placed in plastic bins.

I sorted them by color for function, and prettiness.

These scraps are absolutely perfect for very small projects, quilt blocks, and appliques.

Remember my Dollar Store Organization post from last year? These plastic shoeboxes were a dollar at our dollar store. They have lids and are stackable, perfect for fabric storage.

Don't let your scraps go to waste, and don't let them take over your craft room. Take back control!!

Handprint Ornaments DIY

Babies grow up all too fast don't they?? We want to preserve those little memories for as long as we can. In our house, we love decorating for Christmas. We have a collection of ornaments that are fun and sentimental that we use each and every year. To help preserve the tiny cuteness of our babies, I wanted to make some handprint ornaments this year. Here's how you can make them easily too!!

Materials:

Undecorated Glass Ornaments (from craft store)

Mod Podge or White Glue

Fine Glitter

Q-tip or small paintbrush

Paint a thin layer of glue onto your little one's hand.

Have them spread their fingers and place their hand on the ornament. For my little guy I told him to hold it like a ball, and hoped that he didn't smear it too badly.

Sprinkle fine glitter all over the handprint while it's still wet.

When it dries, brush or gently blow extra glitter off of the ornament, leaving just the pretty handprint!

I made names and years using vinyl with my Silhouette, but you could use permanent markers or paint as well.

Place the personalization on the opposite side of the ornament from  your handprint.

Tie a ribbon on top and place it on your Christmas Tree!

These would make beautiful and personal gifts for grandparents and other family members who want to remember the sweetness of little hands too!

It's Giveaway Day!! (closed)

The giveaway is now closed. The winner has been contacted! Please see the bottom of this post for a valuable coupon!

It's Giveaway day over at Sew Mama Sew which means you have LOTS of opportunities to win lots of great sewing and crafting supplies and handmade goods.

Grits & Giggles loves to participate and this year we are giving away 5 patterns of your choice from the SHOP

Here's how you enter:

Leave me a comment on this post telling me who you love to sew for!!

*Extra Entry: LIKE Grits & Giggles on Facebook

*Extra Entry: Visit our Pattern Shop and tell me your favorite pattern!


You can check out our FREE patterns HERE

I will choose a winner on Friday, December 12th and will announce it here. Make sure you include your e-mail address in your comment if it isn't linked to your profile!

*Can't wait for the giveaway?? Use code SEWMAMASEW to get 30% off of your pattern purchase today!

Good luck and happy sewing!!

Paper Wheels with Graham and Brown

I was fortunate to get to work with Graham & Brown again with their wonderful wallpapers. They have the most beautiful selection of modern, bold and sleek styles for any room or decor.

I worked with the Darcy Pearl/Silver pattern for some of my Christmas decor this year.

I always do a pretty elaborate Christmas tree, filled with large objects and ornaments, so I wanted to use their papers to add even more drama to my already full tree.

I made some paper wheels to fill it up! Here's how....

Materials:

Graham & Brown Wallpaper

Stapler or Glue

Scissors

I cut my paper into 10" squares. You need two squares for each wheel.

Accordion fold your paper with creases about every 3/4" to 1" apart.

 

Fold your creased paper in half down the middle, creasing well at the center.

Unfold your paper carefully, pulling two sides of the paper together. Staple the edges together, giving you a fan shape.

Your paper will look like this when stapled.

Repeat with the other piece, then staple both fan shapes together on the edges.

I added a little cut disk of paper in the middle of my wheels, but you can leave them plain too! Add string for hanging, or just place them neatly in your tree for a bold statement!

I love large flowers and decorations in my tree, so these wheels add some definite drama.

Simply gorgeous and making quite a statement.

This is a quick, but very useful decorating craft! Even the kids could help with this one if they can fold paper.

Don't just stop at Christmas trees...these would be perfect for shower or party decorations too!

Make sure you check out the selection of beautiful papers at Graham & Brown to find the perfect paper for your holiday and home crafting.

Shop Spotlight

As an Etsy Shop Owner, I know the importance of word of mouth (or internet) advertising. There are thousands of shops to browse through to find your perfect item, and it can be overwhelming to find the shop that you want to work with. So I'm going to be spotlighting some of my favorite shops, for their content and for their service.

Today I want you to check out Lovelace Designs

Tabby is the owner and crafty lady behind the ADORABLE crocheted items of Lovelace Designs. Can you even handle the cuteness of these babies in their newborn outfits?

From photo props to simple and beautiful beanies, she creates lovely and soft items for your tiniest treasure.

Best of all, her shipping is fast, and her prices are reasonable. We know babies outgrow things so fast, but you can make sure you have that perfect outfit, photo prop, or accessory for just the right price.

Click HERE to go shopping now!!

Silent Night Printable

Printables are a fun and easy way to decorate for any holiday. Just print them out, place them in a pretty frame, and display them with your other decor!

This FREE Christmas printable is simply stated. The words to one of my favorite Christmas songs, "Silent Night" shaped into an iconic Christmas Tree. 

(The printable version has a white background. This image is for viewing only)

 

Click HERE to download the 5x7 PDF file

for FREE!!