Etched Cookie Jar

I wanted to personalize a Christmas gift for someone special this year. I found a great glass canister and thought it would make a terrific personalized cookie jar.

So here is what I started with.

 

Here is a sample cut before I cut the adhesive paper.

Again, I used my etching cream, and $1 adhesive vinyl shelf paper for the stencil.  Apply the etching cream on designated spots and leave for 10 minutes.  Rinse off, or as a reader mentioned in my previous post, you can scrape it off save it and use it again.  Good tip!

After the initial etching I etched a few little flower touches here and there.

I filled the jar with a variety of delicious individually wrapped Italian Biscotti.

Now since Angela reads my blog every day, she will surely see her Christmas Present early.

Merry Christmas Ang, I couldn’t ask for a better co-worker!

On a side note, I am very pleased to announce that Online Degrees has compiled a list of the Top 50 DIY Craft Blogs for University and College students looking for ideas for gifts on a budget.

I am proud to be included in the top 50.

Check out the site, there are 49 other sites worthy of a look!

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Etched Wine Bottle Candle Holders

I’ve been saving up some wine bottles for some time. I’ve also been wanting to do some glass etching for some time.

So here are my decorated etched wine bottles.

Here is what I started with. I had brown, green and clear. For this project I chose three clear ones.  Remove labels, and thoroughly wash bottles inside and out. (You might want to do this a few days ahead of time, as mine took 3 days to completely dry inside.)

I bought etching cream (which was.. uhh..slightly expensive) so to compensate for that, instead of buying vinyl, I bought cheap dollar store adhesive vinyl shelf paper and used that for my stencil.

  Attach the shelf paper with backing to the Cricut Cutting Mat and cut your letters.

Peel off backing and apply to your bottle, leaving no air gaps or bubbles around your letters.  Make sure your vinyl  is sealed. Apply etching cream over the cut outs, ensuring that none of the cream gets anywhere else on the bottle.. etching is permanent.  Leave it for  5-8 minutes. Keep your eye on it so that it doesn’t drip or run.  Oh, and don’t  get any on your arm, it burns. (yes, I know that first hand.)

  

Wash off the etching cream with cold running water.

My Christmas bottles will be decorated with the words

EAT      DRINK     & BE  MERRY

I’m telling you this now, because 96 pictures later I still couldn’t get a good picture of the etching.  In person, they look beautiful, but the pictures don’t seem to show it off.

Decorate with beautiful Christmas scrapbooking paper and some ribbon.   I found some paper that had some Christmas labels and sayings. I cut those out and applied them over the patterned paper.  All paper was applied with Modge Podge .

Add candles. Pour wine.  Admire.

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Christmas Letter Blocks

Last year I did some wood block letters for Christmas and I had a request to do some more this year.

You need some 2”x4”s, a sanding block, some scrapbooking paper, spray paint, modge podge, your choice of letters, yada yada yada…. and presto.
Recycled and beautiful.

You can use scrapbook paper, Christmas paper, left over Christmas Cards.. whatever you have.
Cut the 2 x 4's to about 6 inches tall and sand them down really well.  Don't want any splinters!  Paint them up with your colour choice, modge podge some paper on the side and add letters.

I got these little wooden letters from Michael's Craft Store.  The were hot glued to the dried  modge podge.

 

   

Thanks for stopping by!

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Paper Cone Favor Place Cards

This project started out as place cards for our office Christmas Party.  Place cards that were filled with goodies! I liked the project so much I used it for a birthday party for my mother on the weekend.  So many possibilities.

Here is a quick peek at the Christmas Cones.

My friend and co-worker Angela and I did these up on several lunch hours.

Here is a simple step by step.

Start out with some great scrapbooking paper, a template (which you can download here), some ribbon, a few embellishments, and some clear cellophane treat bags (not shown).  A glue stick or this handy dandy 2-sided tape dispenser thingy is needed as well.

Use your template to cut out the cones, then roll them up. We chose all different papers.

Oh, I should introduce you to Angela.  This is Angela’s thumb. Angela was not happy that her nail polish was in no condition for a photo shoot. (The next day she came to work completely manicured…haha!)

The snowflakes were cut on the Cricut machine to use behind the name tags.

If you decide to add the crepe paper to look like this, you might want to add it before rolling up your cones.  You don’t need it, but I think it adds some flair.

Place the treat bags inside the cone and fill with whatever goodies you like.  Tie up with ribbon.

Here is a finished cone (along with Angela’s newly manicured fingers.)

We mixed and matched all kinds of papers.  They’re really fun to look at.

Below is the birthday version of the favors.  These ones I filled with yogurt covered craisins, chocolate covered almonds and chocolate covered pretzels.

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Days til Christmas

These Christmas count down blocks are officially my first project with my NEW CRICUT! Yes no longer will you hear me complain about tracing letters from my computer screen.  I have finally joined the 21st century.

Now on to business.

This project started out with a pile of this…

Pretty much everything from Michaels except the little dollar store fence.

I sprayed everything with a burgundy spray paint.  The KILZ comes in a little later.

I added some pretty scrapbook paper with modge podge and distressed the edges a little when completely dry.

I aged the dried blocks with some Valspar Antique glaze.

The numbers and letters on the sign were cut with the Cricut.  The KILZ was used to add a little snow to the fence.

I think it turned out quite lovely !

Thanks for dropping by

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