Christmas Coasters {Homemade Christmas Gifts}

Our next guest blogger during Homemade Christmas Gifts week is one of the sweetest crafters I know. And she has an equally sweet gift idea for you to make! 
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Hey there Scrap Shoppe readers! I am so excited to be here today to share a DIY holiday decoration with you all! Thanks so much for having me, Michele!

First, a little about me...

My name is Kara and I am a wife to my best friend and a mommy to a sassy and sweet 3 year old. I am also the blogger behind Mine for the Making where I share crafts, tutorials, recipes, home improvement projects, mommy adventures, printables, frugal decorating, organizational tips, and ideas for teaching. I also make lovely handmade jewelry and hair accessories to sell in my shop. I am a former teacher recently turned stay-at-home-mom and am totally loving it, but am constantly looking for ways to keep busy! Thank goodness for blogland and Pinterest, right? : )

I am so excited to share an awesome and fairly inexpensive DIY holiday gift idea!

Christmas Coasters

{Supplies}

-4in x 4in white tiles (I bought 8 from Home Depot for $0.13 a piece. I plan to make 2 sets of them.)

-Vinyl (I had black vinyl on hand)
-Transfer paper (optional)

-Vinyl cutter (I used my Silhouette)

-Mod Podge

-Sponge brush

-Heavy duty glue (I used E6000)

-Felt pads (12 in a pack at the dollar store)


{How To}
1. Using the Silhouette design studio, I designed what I wanted each of my coasters to look like.

{I apologize for this photo...my camera does not like taking pictures of my computer screen.}

2. I wiped down the tiles and added felt pads to the bottom four corners of each tile, adhering with E6000.

3. After your designs are cut in the vinyl, transfer the vinyl to the tiles and smooth.


4. Using your sponge brush, put several coats of Mod Podge over the top of your tiles, making sure each coat dries before applying another.

5. Tie a ribbon around your coaster stack and call it a gift!

Happy Holiday Crafting, friends!
Meet up with me on my blog, Facebook, or Pinterest.

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Such a cute gift idea! Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Kara!

Guest Post at Design Dazzle!

Today you can find me at Design Dazzle!

I'm sharing a fun game the whole family will love!

See you there!

Sundance Two Part Harmony Bracelet Knock Off {Homemade Christmas Gifts}

I'm very excited to have one of my favorite bloggy friends share a fabulous tutorial with us today! She doesn't require much introduction, and you've probably seen her spectacular knock offs all over the blogosphere! 

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Hello Scrap Shoppe Readers!!

My name is Bev and I blog at Flamingo Toes.

I am so excited to be here today as part of Michele's Homemade Christmas series!!

I love doing homemade gifts - I just wish I started a little earlier!! I am definitely going to be making gifts like mad over the next few weeks. :)

I also really love doing jewelry knockoffs - they make great gifts! It's so fun to give a designer version of something that I made myself - and saved a ton of money on too!

I was browsing Pinterest last week and came across a great bracelet that led me to a shop I'd never heard of, Sundance.

They have some fabulous jewelry! I fell in love with a little gem and knew that it would make a great homemade gift.

It's quick, easy, and you can customize it with any color you want!

Sundance calls it the Two Part Harmony Bracelet - it's a great blend of beads and leather.

Here's my version:

And here's the Sundance version:

Here's what you'll need to make your own:

Assortment of pearls and beads

(mine are seed beads and small pearls, as well as a large bead for the center and a silver charm for the back)

Leather - about 14"

cording

crimp beads

1 head pin

jump rings

toggle closure

Cut a 12" strand of cording. Thread 1 1/4" of seed beads onto the cording. Thread a crimp bead on one end.

Thread the other end of the cording through the jump ring, going the other direction. Pull until the beads have formed a circle.

Flatten the crimp bead with flat nosed pliers.

Begin threading beads and pearls onto the two strands.

Add beads until the strands each measure almost 3". Add one more seed bead to one strand of cording. Feed the other strand of cording through this bead as well, so they both bass through.

Add a crimp bead after this and loop both strands around a jump ring. Loop both strands back through the cording and crimp the bead flat with your pliers.

Feed the cording strands back through several of the beads, then trim the ends.

Cut another piece of cording, about 3" long.

Thread 1 1/4" of seed beads onto the center. Add a crimp bead to one side. Thread the other side through the loop you made on the original strand.

Make a loop through the crimp bead with these beads like you did before.

Flatten the crimp bead and weave the ends of the cording back through a few beads. Trim the ends.

Cut a 14" piece of leather cording. This is more than we need, but it's easier to make the knots if you have a little extra length to work with.

Loop the leather through the bead circle you just made. Tie a knot in the cording just below the loop.

Loop both the cut ends of the leather through a jump ring. Knot the leather on the other side of the jump ring. The length of leather should be about 3".

(Check the length or your bracelet at this point and lengthen or shorten the leather if you need to)

Trim the ends of the leather.

Add a bead or little charm to a jump ring. Add the jump ring to one of the loops in the leather knot.

Add the toggle pieces to each end of the bracelet.

Add a larger bead to a head pin. Make a loop above the head pin. Add this loop to one of the seed bead circles in the center of the bracelet.

That finishes your bracelet!!

Fun right? And - you saved money - the designer version of this is $95!!

I hope you like it! :)

I'd love for you to stop by Flamingo Toes! You can check out my other Tutorials here - there are more jewelry ideas and some other fun things - maybe you'll find more gift ideas!

Thanks sooo much Michele for including me in this great series!

***

Thank you, Bev! I don't think I'll ever get tired of your amazing jewelry finds and the great tutorials you provide so we can duplicate them at a fraction of the cost. :)

Anthro Tea & Crumpets Knock Off Apron {Homemade Christmas Gifts}

Our first guest to kick off the Homemade Christmas Gifts week is really going to knock your socks off! And she's one to keep your eye on for sure. I recently discovered her blog and was blown away by her talent! Please welcome Sierra!

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Hello lovely Scrap Shoppe readers! :) I am Sierra from The Blue Robin Cottage! I am so honored and thrilled Michele invited me to share a homemade Christmas gift with you during her fabulous Homemade Christmas event!

Its safe to say that Santa and I are on a first name basis and he may have let it slip that he's bringing my little gal a play kitchen for Christmas. When I saw this at my very favorite store on earth, I thought it might make the perfect addition to a little kitchen:

Feast your eyes on this adorable mini Anthropologie Tea and Crumpets apron. Instead of buying one, I decided to make my own version!

To make a little apron you'll need some fabric, pins and some scissors.

1. First cut out your pieces. My measurements were for my 2 year old daughter so they may differ for your child. I cut out a 7 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches wide square for the top apron piece. The waist piece was 2 1/2 by 10 inches and the bottom apron piece was 11 1/2 by 12 1/2 inches.

2. Take your top apron piece and hem on both sides as well as the top, leaving the bottom raw edge alone.


3. Cut 3 strips of fabric. Hem the sides of the strips and the top for a clean edge.


4.  Ruffle your strips of fabric by pushing the strips through your sewing machine faster than it can sew to create nice pleats.


5. Place, pin and sew your ruffles onto your top apron piece.

6. To make your pipping, cut 2, 1 inch strips. The strips need to be a little longer than your waist piece. Fold in half and press


7. Pin your pipping piece onto the bottom of your top apron piece.


8. Hem your waist piece- I hemmed mine about a 1/2 inch on each side.

9. Pin your waist piece to your pipping and sew across the top.


10. Attach your second piece of pipping to the bottom half of the waist strip.


11. Pleat the top of your bottom apron piece.


12. Sew the bottom apron piece onto the waist piece.


13. Cut 2, 3 inch strips of fabric for your neck straps, fold in half and press.


14. Sew down the edge, creating a tube and turn inside out. Press.

15. Pin and sew onto both sides of the top part of the apron.

16. Make your own ruffle or use store bought trim and pin onto the bottom of your apron and sew. Make sure your raw edges match up.


17. Sew a top stitch along the bottom edge to create a nice finished look.


18. For the waist ties, follow the same steps you did on the neck ties but make them longer and as wide as your waist piece. Sew them onto the waist piece and...

You're finished! Phew! 

You can add a little pocket and embellish it any way you want! :)

Thank you so much for having me today! If you have any questions or you'd like to stop by and say hi, come visit me at The Blue Robin Cottage. See you soon!

***
What little girl wouldn't absolutely adore this apron? Thank you so much for sharing this fabulous tutorial, Sierra!

Homemade Christmas Gifts Link Party & Cutting Edge Stencils {GIVEAWAY! - CLOSED}

It time to kick off our first link party of the Homemade Christmas celebration! 

Today we're linking up Homemade Gift Ideas! 

And I have a fun giveaway which you could use to make a few homemade gifts of your very own! 

First up, 

PARTY RULES

1. Link to your specific post and not the main page of your blog.

2. You may link up to 3 homemade gift ideas. 

If you're linking up, I would love for you to grab a party button for your sidebar!

<a href="http://mmscrapshoppe.blogspot.com"><img src="http://www.mmscrapshoppe.com/blog/HomemadeChristmas2011.jpg"></a>

The party will be open until Christmas, 

but features from this week's party will be Saturday, December 3rd!

{GIVEAWAY!}

I have a great giveaway for you today sponsored by Cutting Edge Stencils!

Cutting Edge Stencils specializes in designer stencils to help you decorate your walls, furniture, pillows, lampshades, and more. Let your imagination go wild!

Here are just a few of their great designs.

Scallop allover stencil

Rachel's Garden allover stencil

Harlequin allover stencil

Craft Size stencils

Going to Seed wall stencil

Not only does Cutting Edge Stencils create these fabulous designs, but they also want to be sure you know how to use these stencils to the best of your advantage. As well as selling a multitude of supplies to perfect your technique, but they also have great video tutorials to show you how to get a great result every time.

Here's a sneak peek at a project I am working on with one of the craft stencils!

Today, Cutting Edge Stencils is offering one lucky reader the stencil of their choice (up to $50 value) plus free shipping!

TO ENTER

Mandatory: Visit Cutting Edge Stencils and tell me your favorite stencil in the comments.

Bonus Entries:

1. "Like" Cutting Edge Stencils on Facebook.

2. Be a follower of The Scrap Shoppe via Google Friend Connect or RSS.

3. Link up at least 1 project to the link party!

Leave a separate comment for each entry!

The winner will be announced next Saturday, December 3rd!

Be sure you leave contact information with your comments!

Okay, let's get this party started! 

Show me what you've got!

And be sure to come back all week for some great Christmas gift ideas 

from some great guest bloggers!