It’s Christmas Time: The Crocheted Snow People Family

December 19, 2013ontheupcyclemom 4 Comments

For those who know me, it will be of no surprise that I consider myself a very sentimental person. My husband and I have collected a lot of snowmen through the years for sentimental reasons. When we started living together, a shelf decorated with most of the decorations we owned toppled to the ground. Nothing on the shelf survived and everything lay on the floor in a broken mess. I was feeling emotional having been through a rough patch in my life and this just sent me over the edge. My boyfriend at the time (my wonderful husband now) told me not to worry he would work on rebuilding the collection. Most of the items were from a previous life before we began our lives together and he wanted to turn something bad that happened into something good. He calmed me down and started a new Christmas tradition that day forward. Every year he would gift me a new Christmas decoration and has kept his word every holiday since then. That night we went to Hallmark near our apartment at that time, and he bought me a ceramic snowman, I still treasure to this day.

For that reason I have a particular fondness for snowmen. My husband and I always loved the snow people couples and after our daughter was born the snow people families. You can imagine my surprise when a friend, and an amazing crochet artist handed me the red and white Santa bag and I pulled this out!

It was us! It was our family! I love it so much, I squealed and when I wasn’t squealing, I was smiling. As someone who crafts and loves to create things, I simply adore handmade gifts. I love the idea of someone giving the most precious thing in life to someone else: The gift of their time! Not to mention as I stated earlier, I am beyond sentimental, and this little snow people family proves those crocheted together are meant to stay together!

I have always loved crochet art, but don’t crochet or knit myself, and I am hoping one day my friend might be able to teach me. It’s been years since I have tried, back then I just couldn’t seem to figure it out, but I am thinking I should give it another try.

What are some of your family holiday traditions?

I got a fever for Pringles Can Crafts!

December 16, 2013ontheupcyclemom Leave a comment

I saw on Pinterest recently many uses for all those left over Pringles Chips cans. Through the magic of decoupage, these cans can be transformed from downright ugly to lovely! They can be used to store various items and are a great way to gift Christmas cookies for the holidays.

Like these cookie containers from Cheap Crafting.Com

Today, I share with you a Pringle can kid’s craft. My daughter loves to listen to music, but loves to make music even more! I love to get her involved in the process and creating music together has been a wonderful Mother and Daughter bonding experience. I cleaned out the can first. You can fill the cans with dry pasta or dried beans. I would fill the can up about half way. To secure the lid, use a hot glue gun to adhere the lid permanently to the can. Once the lid is secure, you can use either scrapbook paper or fabric and decoupage the outside of the can. (This is necessary only if you want it to look “pretty”) Apply the Mod Podge with a foam craft brush and wrap the fabric or scrapbook paper around the outside of the can. This is also a great way to get use out of those old pieces of scrap fabric, that may be a bit small for other projects. My daughter loves “shaking” her new percussion instruments. These “instruments” are a great way to encourage sensory development while at the same time encouraging fun!

Kids instrument made from the smaller Pringles can.

Deck The Halls: The Joyfully Tacky and Downright Different.

December 15, 2013ontheupcyclemom 3 Comments

Wow! I have not blogged in 5 days! “Sigh” It has been such a busy time for your truly as I prepare for the Christmas Holiday. You certainly wouldn’t know it looking at my extreme blogging inactivity, but some things must remain a secret until after Christmas. On this day, I will be making my favorite holiday cookies and I am hoping to get my daughter involved in the fun. Stay tuned!

For now, I want to have a little fun “On The Upcycle” and share with you some of our most “interesting” and in some cases downright strange family Christmas decorations. My husband and I have been known to embrace the different, retro, and at times downright tacky, as long as it is in the name of good fun.

1. Bichon Blitz!

My husband got this for me about 10 years ago after we adopted our Bichon Frise Casper. The tree is made by the Danbury Mint, (you know those collectable order forms you receive in the mail especially around the holidays?) Even though this looks like a Christmas animal horde nightmare, I love it!

2. Is Santa sleeping?

I admit, this one always creeped me out, but at the same time who doesn’t love a Santa Claus tissue box cover! I think if you didn’t have to extract a tissue from Santa’s abdomen, coupled with the fact that Santa looks like he is either in deep sleep or deceased, this decoration would not disturb me so much.

3. Every Girls Crazy bout a sharp dressed Santa!

What is better than Santa Claus Rocking out in sunglasses and a guitar? (Ok don’t answer but….) This decoration reminds me of what the members of ZZ Top would look like dressed as Chris Kringle. If the sled is rockin don’t come knockin!

4. Kitchen Santa: pass me the Twinkies, man

This little light up, plastic Santa has either had too much eggnog or has been hanging out with Cheech and Chong for too long. Whoever painted his face, looks like they were modeling him after the late and great Jerry Garcia! I have to admit I love this jolly old elf on the shelf even if he looks a little too “jolly”!

5. There’s a Snowman in your shower

Some would consider this snowman shower curtain as a “bit much” but compared to some bathroom Christmas decorations I have seen this pattern is mild, and forces the loo to have a bit of holiday spirit.

See the above photo found on Ebay and I rest my case. Poor Santa.

6. Deck the halls with Gene Simmons?

It is no secret that the hubby and I are Rock and Rollers. My husband has quite a collection of off beat Christmas ornaments. What could be more rock and roll than a decked out Gene Simmons Kiss ornament dangling from your tree?

7. Better left unsaid

I save the best for last. I will allow you as the reader to come up with your own reasons as to why this Santa Clause candle decoration takes the cake. It lights up, it is retro, and it is oddly shaped. Enough said!

Don’t worry, I will attempt to redeem my holiday decorating reputation in a future post. It’s not all fun and games, but it is eclectic, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

What are some of your most interesting Christmas decorations? Do you display yours proudly?

Inexpensive Gift Ideas: Miniature Desk Radio Decoupage

December 10, 2013ontheupcyclemom 1 Comment

I have seen many radios and stereos in my day. Everything from The Giant Boom Boxes of the 1980’s, to little mp3 players that fit in the palm of your hand, music has been delivered via many forms. I am a bit of a collector when it comes to music and pretty much anywhere I set up shop, I need to have a radio nearby. That includes my desk at work although it is rare I turn it on, listening to music does help with work related stress at times. I also enjoy listening to the afternoon baseball games in the summertime.

Many stores carry these small desk top radios. The one below was purchased at one of my favorite stores Christmas Tree Shops. These also make great gifts for the music, sports lover in your life. This particular radio takes three AA batteries making it easy to take with you while on the go.

To personalize the radio and add a little flair, I decoupaged some fabric on to the outer case. Since the radio has a “retro” feel I chose a colorful Mod fabric. I simply applied Mod Podge to the outer case with a smaller paint brush, measured and cut the fabric, and applied it to the case. Once dry I applied a few coats of Mod Podge over the top.

These make great gifts, and choice of fabric can be tailored around ones own individual tastes such as with character fabrics, and various designs featured at such stores as Joann Fabrics.

This little radio now has a retro feel that I love!

Hope your holiday season so far is merry and bright!!

Simple Fabric Decoupage Snowman Hand Soap Dispenser

December 8, 2013ontheupcyclemom 2 Comments

As much as I love the holiday season, It has been a hectic few weeks decorating, attempting to make Christmas gifts and getting caught up in the everyday hustle and bustle of life. Today, I experienced disappointment, after a mistake by yours truly turned into an epic craft fail. I now have to rethink an idea for an intended Christmas gift. Not to mention most of the items I make between now and December 25th, I cannot share yet as it would ruin the surprise for those intended recipients.

I did manage to complete a simple craft today, I have been wanting to do for the upcoming Christmas holiday. We like to decorate every room in our home including our bathroom. I had an ordinary plastic soap dispenser that cost $.99 that is easily refilled. I decided to decoupage some scrap snowman fabric left over from a previous project .

I used outdoor Mod Podge previously used for a few summer projects. The finish is a bit more durable when used in watery conditions. I carefully removed the label and I applied the Mod Podge with a foam craft brush to the outside if the bottle. I wrapped the fabric around it, and smoothed out any wrinkles. I trimmed any excess fabric and applied more Mod Podge over the fabric. I allowed it to dry for a few hours. Once dry, it was ready to take its place along side the other decorative items and function as an inexpensive alternative to a fancy store-bought holiday soap dispenser.

This idea can also be applied to hand lotion, and other gift basket items to add a holiday flare and personalize. Choose a fabric suited to your holiday decor at Joann Fabrics. Everything is better with decoupage!

How to make adorable, needle-felted snowman ornaments

December 6, 2013ontheupcyclemom Leave a comment

I was in the midst of crafting some top secret holiday gifts when I decided to take a break and log on to check out Word Press. I came across these really cute needle- felted snowman ornaments compliments of Sharon over at Crafts and Coffee. Be sure and check out her great blog. She is on an amazing crafting journey and shares many wonderful ideas. Tis the season!

Stay Calm, Stay Thrifty and Craft On!

December 3, 2013ontheupcyclemom 5 Comments

I recently took a trip to A.C. Moore to stock up on some much-needed crafting supplies. It is very difficult, especially around the holidays, to purchase these supplies as they can be quite expensive. I am planning on making some gifts for the holiday this year, and still want to continue with various projects so the purchase was a necessary evil. I had to think outside the box as it is becoming more and more difficult to raise the additional funds needed. I thought I would share with you the items I purchased, with a total out-of-pocket cost of about $3.62!

So, How did I do it? Let me explain:

COUPONS!

A.C. Moore is the only craft store in the area that sells Mod Podge by the gallon. I know others make their own versions of Mod Podge, as seen here and that is a much more frugal way, but I am always afraid if I measure the ingredients incorrectly something could go terribly wrong, and to me it is not worth the risk of ruining a project. A gallon of Mod Podge is about $36.99 with tax. Ouch! That is where the A.C. Moore coupon comes in. They often feature a coupon for 50% off one regular priced item. This holiday, I was able to score a printable 55% off one regular priced item coupon online. Before going shopping always check for printable coupons or for those more electronically savvy use your smart phone to check for deals! This coupon saved me over $18.00 on the Mod Podge. I went through the line and purchased the Mod Podge with the coupon, to obtain the maximum savings. I then took it outside to the car came back in and continued to shop. If you send the hubby through the line or don’t mind going through the line again, you can use another coupon to save even more! On this day I forgot to do this, so in hindsight I could have saved more money!

Bank Incentive Programs-Shop Around

I currently use a local bank in the area The Beneficial Bank that sponsors a points rewards program called Bank Thanks. The program encourages you to use your debit card as a credit card to make purchases and pay bills. This saves the bank money and in return the bank issues rewards points to the card holder. Once I reach $6,000 points I can exchange those points for various gifts on their rewards website. One of these gifts is a $50.00 gift card of my choosing, including a general Visa gift card you can use practically anywhere! Many banks have eliminated their various rewards programs, so be sure and research your bank very carefully. This allowed me to purchase my supplies without guilt, and a few smaller craft items and a coloring book for my daughter! Can you say “free money?” Everything pictured cost about $53.62, minus the $50.00 gift card a difference of $3.62!

Stay Calm, Stay Thrifty and Craft On!

Free Amazon Download starts TODAY! The Green Crafts Lifestyle: Christmas Edition!

November 30, 2013ontheupcyclemom 2 Comments

The Green Crafts Lifestyle – Christmas Edition – Make Christmas Decor, Cards and Gifts!

I have had the pleasure once again to be a part of the second installment of “The Green Craft Lifestyle”. The new Christmas Edition is jam packed with green Christmas crafts from around the world. The very talented Mahe Zehra Husain (MZ) is giving away free copies for download from the 30th of November to the 4th of December you can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GXE82S4 and http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GXE82S4. On Facebook? Join the free event here. Don’t have a Kindle? Download Kindle Cloud Reader for your Laptop!

I’ll be trying to tackle holiday decorating today…Thanks Mahe for the freebie!

Happy Crafting Holidays!

I am “Thankful” For My Readers: Decoupage Wooden Tray Giveaway: WINNER!

November 29, 2013ontheupcyclemom 4 Comments

I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving day with their family and friends.

Thanksgiving “On The Upcycle” Style

Now that the hubby, daughter and I are recovered from eating all the great food we were very blessed to have on our table yesterday, I wanted to take the time once again to thank you all for your continued readership. This year to celebrate our readers, “On The Upcycle” is giving away a Victorian art inspired wooden decoupage tray to one lucky reader who commented and liked “On The Upcycle on facebook” That winner is:

Patricia from DanielaJoe’s blog Congratulations! Please e-mail me your full name and address to ontheupcycle@gmail.com and I will ship your prize out to you!

Thanks to all of those who entered the giveaway:

Please be sure and stop by these amazing blogs. You will be very “thankful” that you did!