Monthly Archives: January 2014

Valentine’s Day simple decor…

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Several years ago I had Valentine’s Day “saying” hearts candies that were old and probably stale.  I decided to give them a second chance at life.  I added them to a glass hurricane vase with a candle.  What a cute display for Valentine’s Day…

Do your kids love to make Valentine’s crafts?  Mine do!!!  The challenge that I face is finding a place for ALL of them.  I like to use a stretcher rod, here in an opening between the kitchen and family room, to hang their creativity from.  I get the pleasure of looking at their handy work and they have the delight of having it on display to show guests.  I punch holes in each piece of art and open a large paper clip to hang with.  Very simple and quick to do…

Happy decorating…

“Wonder what I will come up with next…”

Pack, Wrap, Ship…

Posted in Gift Wrapping by

Now that I have made my stance on pretty bows on packages, you may be asking yourself, “What does she do with a present she is shipping?”  Obviously, a pretty bow would get smashed during transport.  I take a little different approach on these types of packages.  I still don’t use a gift bag, though.  Ha-Ha-Ha.  In all seriousness, I DO use gift bags on occasion, but it is rare.  So getting back to a shipped package, I treat this package more like a scrapbook page.  I use ribbon and stickers to decorate the top of the package.

The present is still impressive even without a bow.  Now you are ready to cover the package in “brown packaging paper”, which comes in a roll like wrapping paper.  I frequently purchase this at the Dollar Tree.  Be sure to tape with packaging tape.  Address and ship.  Your recipient will be pleased with your presentation!

Happy shipping…

Just say "NO" to gift bags…

Posted in Gift Wrapping by

Ok, so I know that gift bags are easy to use.  Just throw your gift in, add a few pieces of tissue paper and you are done.  Yes, I get it!  BUT, is the presentation the same as when you wrap a gift and put a pretty bow on top?  Absolutely not!  Yes, you will need a few more items, but it is worth the time.  AND, gift bags aren’t cheap, unless you only get them at the Dollar Tree or 99 cent store.  Today I will show you a simple package using curling ribbon, solid wrapping paper (which I have become a BIG fan of), and stickers.  Quick, simple, and something to be proud of handing to your recipient.

Decide what colors you want to use based on the stickers you have chosen.  For this birthday boy, I chose to have a carnival theme package.  I used curling ribbon in the colors on the stickers.

Be generous with the amount of ribbon you use.  After you have curled it with an open pair of scissors, bunch it in your hand.  Prior to this step, be sure to have a piece of ribbon already tied onto your package.

Tie your handful of ribbon onto the package.  Curl the tie pieces.

Run your fingers through the ribbon and cut any “loops” that are in your bunch.  As you cut the loops, be sure to mix the colors around.

Now apply the stickers…

Ok, so maybe it took 10 minutes to assemble versus 2 minutes with a gift bag, but it is worth the extra 8 minutes.  Wrapping like this makes your recipient feel extra special.  As a side note, I never put a card on top of the gift unless it compliments the decoration.  Tape the card on the bottom.

Happy wrapping…

Bead easy…

Posted in Gift ideas by

Do you ever say to yourself, “What am I going to give to her for a gift?”  Oh, and by the way…I need it NOW!  We have all been in that situation.  I like to keep a few generic gifts on hand exactly for those situations.  If you like making gifts, I have made these beaded key chains for several people.  They are very simple to make, and QUICK.  All you need are 3″ headpins, beads of your choice, key rings, and round nose crafting pliers.  Each key chain take about 30 seconds to make…no joke!  Happy beading…

Storing rolls of wired ribbon…

Posted in Organization by

Happy Monday, January 13, 2014.  Can you believe that January is already half gone?  WOW!  My mind is buzzing with all of the things that I want to share on this blog…now finding the time will be the trick!

Here are my thoughts for the day.  Have you ever wondered how to store all of your spools of wired ribbon so that you can easily see what you have as well as access the one you want with out making an ENORMOUS mess?  I used to have stacks of ribbon, and of course, the one I wanted was on the bottom of the stack.  Or I would forget what I had.  Here is my solution…

An empty dresser drawer will hold many spools that you can see and access with ease.  Happy wrapping…

Storing strands of Christmas lights…

Posted in Christmas by

January 6th, 2014

So, I finally gave in and started “de-Christmasing” my house…what a project!  As I was putting away my lights, I thought, “I wonder how many people just throw their lights in a bin and detangle them next year.”  A helpful tip to make next years decorating easier…put each strand of lights in a plastic bag.  I use the very inexpensive twist tie top gallon bags you can buy at any grocery store.  I don’t even close the top.  Just shove the strand in the bag and put it in a bin to store.  What a breeze when I start decorating this year!  AND…you can easily see how many strands of lights you have.  Happy de-decorating…

WHAT!?!?! I’m starting a blog!?!?!?

Posted in Christmas by

Cheers!  It’s January 2nd, 2014 and I have decided to start a blog about creativity and crafting.  OMG!  Am I really going to take this on?  Yes, I am!  I’m convinced this is the next chapter in my life.  I’m wasting my talents by not sharing them, so here I go…

Who else is still on a “Holiday High”?  I am!  I don’t want to take down my Christmas decorations yet because I will miss all of the pretty white lights that light up my house and scream…Christmas is here!  The trees are looking bare underneath as the gifts are delivered, not to mention the tree skirts are disheveled from our frisky fur ball.  But still, I hold out, until who knows when.  I won’t lie…it is a daunting thought…the idea of the after Christmas “take down”.  Who’s crazy idea was it to put up 11 trees, all decorated in beautiful theme décor, any way?  Oh wait…THAT WAS ME!  Yep, I’m the “Crazy Christmas Lady” and my house during the holidays is known as “Weezy’s Winter Wonderland”.  Man I love the holidays!  I look forward to them every year!  I never complain about all of the hustle and bustle, the crowds, the gifts, the wrapping, the parties, etc.  If you are feeling “bah humbug” all you need to do is enter my house and you will be instantly in the spirit.  How do I survive, and TRULY enjoy the holidays?  It’s in my blood!  I was born this way!  But there is a method to my madness.  First of all, I start thinking about the holidays in August.  I start shopping in September and try to be finished by Thanksgiving.  I take at least a week of vacation after Thanksgiving to decorate and wrap gifts.  Then, I get to sit back and play “Santa” for the rest of the month.  It really is that simple!  For those of you that start your shopping on December 20th…STOP!  LOOK!  LISTEN!  For those of you that max out your credit cards in a frantic frenzy to get all of your gifts purchased…STOP!  LOOK!  LISTEN!  For those of you that dread December like the plague…STOP!  LOOK!  LISTEN!  It doesn’t have to be that way.  It really is possible to look forward to and enjoy the holidays.  It might take some practice, organizing, and patience on your part, but it is possible to change your ways.  Hey, maybe that can be a New Year’s Resolution.  It is January 2nd, afterall…