Following are some great ideas for eco-friendly gifts you can start making now, and by Christmas you’ll be good to go.

Reusable Garden Tote: Perfect for the gardener in your life, or mix it up, choose a non-garden design and make a tote or two for anyone.

DIY play kitchens that actually look amazing and professional but at half the cost of a store bought play kitchen. Best of all you can make most of them with recycled goods and non-toxic finishes.

This homemade sugar body scrub is so amazing, if you package it in a nice jar with a computer made label, your best friend will never guess that you made it at home. Lemon Bath Cookies are a good bet too.

Easy as pie Canning Jar Gifts – layer them carefully for a professional look and use organic goods.

Cinnamon Marshmallow Stars – not vegan! Cute though and would look amazing in hot cocoa.

For a great stocking stuffer try homemade chunky crayons made with recycled old crayon bits.

An amazing list of 50 edible holiday gifts you can make – some are super fancy. Make sure you use organics.

NOTE: If you want to make a homemade gift, and aren’t sure where to start, take an hour and browse Etsy. Etsy is all things handmade that you can buy, but it’s also an excellent place to gain some amazing inspiration for projects you could pull off yourself. If you need more tips listen to NPR’s broadcast about eco-friendly homemade gifts.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Homemade Eco-Gifts for the Holidays

I have been crafting for some years now and I’d like to share some of the things that I’ve made over the years. I love to give home made gifts to people at Christmas, but my crafting projects are great all year. If you’re interested in taking some unique ideas and turning them into a finished craft like me, follow me on this blog. I will have a new and exciting project every week for you to try. Please leave comments before and after you try you hand at my crafty ideas. If you have a better way of completing a project you see here, please share!

The first project I will share with you is a candy cake. It’s not a conventional cake, it’s made with mini Hershey bars. Here is a four tier candy cake that I have made.

Image: Kathy Zengolewicz

You will need:

• Approximately 90 mini-Hershey bars. You can buy a big bag at Costco’s or Sam’s Club.
  • 12 bars for the 4 inch disc
  • 19 bars for the 6 inch disc
  • 25 bars for the 8 inch disc
  • 31 bars for the 10 inch disc
• A large bag of Hershey kisses
• Four styrofoam discs – from any craft store
  • One-4 inch disc
  • One 6 inch disc
  • One 8 inch disc, and
  • One 10 inch disc
• A glue gun
• Double sided tape – if you are personalizing the candy bars, to tape the wrappers to the bars.
• Wooden skewers – available at any craft store
• Spool type spacers – also available at any craft store
• A graphics program if you want to personalized the candy bars, which I did.
• Heavy medium sized rubber bands
• Cardboard cake rounds

The first step that I take is to cover the discs with pretty paper. Just get scraps of paper, place the discs on the paper and trace and cut out. Next, glue the paper to the discs and let dry. If you are going to personalize the candy bars, you will need to print and cut that paper to fit your bars. If you don’t have an application to print the candy wrappers, don’t worry they looks just as nice with just the Hershey paper showing. Okay, here goes.

Take your candy bars and start gluing them around the sides of the 4 inch disc. If you want, you can place the bars around the disc and hold them in place with a large rubber band and glue them one at a time. That’s the way I do it. Make sure that the candy bars are tightly together. Repeat this step with the other discs and let them dry completely.

Once the candy is secure take a spool and glue it to the center of each disc except the 4 inch disc. In turn, glue the 8 inch disc, with candy, to the spool on the 10 inch disc. Then glue the 6 inch disc to the 8 inch disc, and lastly the 4 inch disc to the 6 inch disc. When you have the four tiers assembled, be careful it is fragile, take your skewers and run them through the four tiers to stabilize the cake. Place the skewers toward the middle of the cake. Glue the cake onto a 10 or 12 inch cardboard cake round.

There will be a slight space between the tiers, just enough room to put some kisses in there. Decorate the top with a bow and you’re all set. You have a candy cake to give as a gift or to enjoy yourself.

Kathy Zengolewicz is an author, ghostwriter, editor and proofreader. To learn more about Kathy and her services, visit her website at kathyzengolewicz.com.

Post from: Blisstree

How to Make a Candy Cake

Kayte Terry shows us what to do!

What about you? What are your tips to spice up your home decor through crafty projects?

Post from: Blisstree

Craft Tutorial: Creating Embellished Frames

If you’re like me, you probably have a bunch of different types and shades. I tend to buy some every year and then hesitate in throwing out the old stuff.

For this project, take all your old Easter grass and stuff it in the vase. It doesn’t matter if the colors or textures of grass are different. Throw a bag of jelly beans on top of the vase, and you’ve got an instant decoration! (Your guests will even be able to eat it!)

Images from sxc.hu and Cherie Burbach.

Post from: Blisstree

Easter Grass Vases

The Arts Bloggers provide ideas and inspiration for our crafty projects.  It’s fun to be part of this group.  I hope you find something that fun to do or learn about.

Boo-tacular Halloween crafts
Chloe at Tangled Thread has put together a list of her favorite free patterns for Halloween crafts – for all ages.

Layers Upon Layers
Making art with recycled bottles and jars…that’s Alyice Edrich’s thing! 

More Spring Ideas
Some great spring activities

Service with a Smile
Eileen responds to a customer’s question about one of her most popular original patterns: a panadiere or fabric bread basket. These bread baskets make lovely hostess or holiday gifts.
The Thread Project
The Thread Project is profoundly stirring. Founder, Terry Helwig has created an international gathering of thousands of threads, woven into banners of hope, healing, creativity and reconciliation. It’s pure joy.
The Toymaker
Experience a DIY paper toy wonderland.

Tottie Tomato has her own blog!
Tottie Tomato is a delightful doll and sweet character that Noreen Crone-Findlay created. And now, Tottie Tomato has her own blog, where she and Noreen will be sharing all kinds of tutorials and stories about the crafts they love! 
13 Tips for Quilting Inspiration & Design
Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork provides some ideas to give you inspiration for your quilting and fabric art.

ENJOY!

(Amazon image)

Post from: Blisstree

Arts Bloggers Provide More Inspiration for Quilters

 The Arts Bloggers have struck again!  Here are a number of fun posts with crafty projects and information.  

 Investigate a Crocheted Comfort Bear designed by Noreen Crone-Findlay at Hankering for Yarn.  It’s complete with 
uploaded pattern.

* At Layers Upon Layers, Cyndi Lavin advises you to use a lot of texture when you create a geometric collage, and it will never be boring!

*Look at Eileen’s New Toy at The Artful Crafter!  She  discovers the Scor-it Board to make professional quality hinge folds by hand in all kinds of papercraft projects. 

*Quilting With a St. Patrick’s Day Influence seems perfect for today, March 17, as I encourage visitors to Quilting and Patchwork to discover the many quilt and fabric art patterns with a connection to St. Patrick’s Day and the Irish.

Chloe Findlay-Harder at Tangled Thread is creating one-of-a-kind printed fabric using bleach gel pens.

Heather Goldsmith at A Creative Journal, invites you to experience some Visual Delights.  She says, “If you don’t keep a visual journal you will want to once you’ve seen this website.”

The Purple Haired Puppet Lady shows us how to make embroidered flower brooches  at The Creative Bride, using thread, beads & netting.

Are there other types of projects you’d like to see?  Is there something you’d like to learn from any of these bloggers? 

What are you doing in the arts and crafts area right now? 

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Post from: Blisstree

The Arts Bloggers Have Struck Again!