Crafty Recycling: Vitamin Container to Gift Box

I've been keeping some of these empty vitamin containers, knowing that I wanted to use them as little gift boxes, so I converted the first one as a gift box for a beaded bookmark I made:

This is how it started off, a plastic container with a snap-on lid - I just had to remove the sticker label:

I tore up white mulberry paper into small pieces and decoupaged them all around the container:

 

I painted the top white plastic at the top, just to give it that extra hand-made look (instead of having a piece of bare plastic):

To decorate the lid, I used a little decorative circle design plate with my Cuttlebug, cut it out with scalloped scissors and glued it on top of the lid:

Then I just tied a white ribbon around the top and added a beaded dangly to decorate the gift box - the beads that I used for this decorative dangly matches the beads that I used for the bookmark that I'm gifting inside (except for the angel goodie - I just added that for the Xmas touch.)  :)

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Welcome Door Sign

I thought I'd make a welcome door sign for my gran for Xmas.  I think it turned out quite cute, but it looks a little "girly"...I dunno if she'll like it, but we'll give it a try. :)

No it's not spelled wrong...my gran's Afrikaans. :)

I painted the background with a metallic mink paint, and the letter with pink paint, obviously.
I used some "touch 'n glow" copper coloured product to the letters, you use this to add some accent to things, and then I spray painted it with varnish and added some glitter while it was still wet, then varnished the letters again to seal on the glitter:

I added a cute little 3D flower pot with mini roses, as well as a cute little bee:

I thought this is a cute "centre piece" goodie

I had to do *something* around the edges of the board because it looked bland, so I added more of the "touch 'n glow" copper product all around the edge, but it still looked kind of bland, SO then I painted the edge with gold paint as well - I think it looks alright now:

After hot-glueing the wooden letters on, I spray varnished the whole thing to help seal it.  Then I just hot-glued everything else on, including some pretty paper flowers and plastic leaves (they're actually more maroon in real life, but they look red here) -

Now I just have to drill 2 holes at the top so that I can add a jute hanging thingie so we can hang it on the front door.


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Xmas Tree Decorations

This year I decided, for fun, that I'd only decorate my tree with ornaments that I've made. :D  Ok, so it's not as sparkly as it always used to be, but at least I can look at it and say I made it all, which is much more fun, eh? :)

Here's my tree....somehow December sneaked up on me this year, so I haven't fnished making all the ornaments yet (I'm still busy making some), so I'll post my updated tree as soon as I've finished my other ornaments. :)

The big star hanging above the tree I got from Birgit's Daily Bytes, and it's so easy to make.  I had a hook in the ceiling so I just hung it up from there and placed the tree underneath, hehe.

I also suddenly realized that I didn't have a topper for my tree, and it looked quite odd without one, so I made a little angel to put on top.  Not my best work, but desperate times call for desperate measures:

I used a small styrofoam ball to make the head, and glued one different lengths of gold "string" to make the hair.  I folded a piece of ordinary white paper into a cone for the body / dress.  I stuck a toothpick in the head and inserted it into the top of the cone, then cellotaped and glued the toothpick to the inside of the cone to secure the lot.  I drew on some designs with a glue pen and sprinkled on gold glitter, then finally wrapped some gold ribbon around neck.  Well, it'll do for this Xmas. :)  This was far to finicky to make, so I won't be doing that again!

And then here are some of the ornaments I made last year and thought out this year:

My glittered wooden star ornaments.  I made them HERE.

I made these ornaments from old Xmas and b'day cards...I made them HERE.

These beaded loops with the bells I made HERE.

I collected a whole bagfull of pinecones at our family farm last year Oct.  I spray painted some of them gold last year for decorating the table for Xmas lunch, but this year I just placed them in the tree to add some more colour.

I made some beautiful snowflakes too, and you can find the link to the pattern in my post HERE.

I made some more beaded loops for the tree, but replaced the bells with angels this time.  I made the little angels as well by using little wings, a lovely filigree bead as the body and a cracked glass bead for the head.  Easy peasy. :)  I also used earring hoops this time instead of memory wire as with my other beaded loops above - I find using these earring hoops MUCH easier that the memory wire - it costs a bit more, but oh well, it's worth it. :)

And I made these recycled little prezzies for the tree HERE.

And finally I made these crystal danglies.  I haven't made a post about them previously.  I just used tigertail wire and threaded on a filigree bead and clear acrylic beads, and secured them with crimp beads.  I made a loop at the end of the danly with the tigertail and attached another dangly to the bottom - for the dangly I added 2 sizes of acrylic bicones onto a head pin.  Lastly I used some irridescent "string" to make a little bow with.

And that's my tree so far!  Now I have some more Xmas gifts to wrap and then I need to get on with the rest of my ornaments! :D

All these ornaments were made with my Totally Handmade Xmas Tree Decorations Pledge - if you wanna join in this year or next year, grab my badge here (just scroll to the bottom) and remember to let me know if you made any of your own Xmas tree decorations! :)

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