Decorate with Ribbon Scraps

Hi Everyone!

It's less than a month until Christmas and time to decorate, send greetings and wrap some gifts!

It's a good time to use up some of my leftover ribbon scraps from the projects that I created this year, too! I can never throw them away. I put them in a baggie and save them for projects like this. 

 I started with some simple shapes that I cut from felt. This is stiff felt (Friendly Felt from Kunin), but you can use regular felt, too. Shapes like a stocking, a tree, an ornament or a gift are simple to cut out and decorate. If you need more shapes, use cookie cutters.

Besides felt shapes, you'll need:

Thick tacky glue or hot glue and glue gun

Ribbon scraps (Gwen Studios)

Tags, bags or blank cards

Backing fabric or paper

Glue the ribbon scraps onto the felt.  Use binder clips or clothespins to hold while they dry if using tacky glue.  Glue to your surface. or create a fun garland by tying them onto more ribbon.

Here's a gift bag that I created with a green square of felt, ribbon scraps, a chipboard word and a rectangle of cardstock.

Ribbon Scraps Gift Bag

Here's a card with felt trees, sparkly Gwen Studios trim, cardstock and a chipboard word. I cut strips from the wide trim at the bottom of the Gwen Studios trim and glued it on the trees.

Trim Scraps Card

It's easy to make ornaments or gift tags.  Here's a circle with three rows of ribbons across the red felt circle.  For this tag, I used double-sided tape, pressed on the silver ribbon and then the red/silver ribbon.  Press the ends down on the back and add a loop for hanging.  Cover the ends with another circle of felt.

Ribbon Scraps Tag

Don't have ribbon scraps? Look for Gwen Studios ribbon at your favorite craft retailer:  Joann's, Walmart, Michaels or Amazon.

Looking for more holiday ribbon ideas?  Go to the Designer Crafts Connection blog.

Happy Holidays!

Breaking News!!  Gwen Studios now has Buttons!

Gwen Studios Round Plastic Sewing Buttons Value Pack, Assorted Sizes, 1 LB, Solid Christmas Colors - Walmart.com

I can't wait to design some projects with these!  Of course, you can add them to any of the designs above.  As a member of the design team for Gwen Studios, I'll be receiving some soon.

Christmas Bells

Merry Christmas!

I know a lot of you already have your trees up and your house is fully decorated! Well, I'm working on it!

One of the things I like to do every year is make some small gifts for friends.  This year, I found some nice bell ornaments at Oriental Trading.  (You may not be able to find the specific bells I used, but they have quite an assortment.)

These are great, but they needed a little something.

So, I gathered some supplies: Artificial greenery and berries and a variety of Gwen Studios ribbon

Warm up your glue gun. Cut some small sections from the greenery and berries and make a bow from one of the beautiful ribbons. I used three pieces of the greenery on each side.

Glue the greenery on each side of the hanger, then the berries.  Glue the bow at center front.  

Much better!

Repeat!  Some for friends, some for family, some for you! 

Not only decorate new ornaments, refresh the old bows on ornaments and wreaths that have become a little tired.

(I receive Gwen Studios ribbon as a member of the Design Team.)

You can find these beautiful, high-quality ribbons at Walmart, Michaels, Joann's and Amazon. Here's a few links:

Michaels

 Red and white grosgrain ribbon

Walmart

Sweet Shop ribbon

Joann's

Metallic ribbon

Amazon

Christmas ribbon

Look for more ribbon decorating ideas and last minute gifts and ornaments at the Designer Crafts Connection!

Designer Crafts Connection - Handmade Holiday Decorations

Hi folks!

It's the first Monday of the month of December and the designers on the DCC are bringing you some extra-crafty decorations for the holidays!

Here's a few of my holiday ideas to inspire your creativity!

Create a snowman ornament using etched beads:

Etched Snowman

 Or, etch a dome with snowflakes and snow and put your favorite ornaments underneath it:

Etched Snow Dome

 Or, create some country-style decor with burlap, fabric and buttons:

Country Style Christmas Set

 
And, here's an ornament for the kids to make:

Beaded Star Ornament

These ornaments are up-cycled from plastic lids.  To make them, trace a star on a large plastic lid (coffee can size).  I used a star cookie cutter for the pattern.  Punch holes in the points, mid-center at the star junctions and an inch toward center.  Then, thread craft wire through the points, twist the wire together, add beads and curl the ends.  In the center, pass the wire through the holes and add beads to make a star.  Twist the wire around itself at the back.  These are inexpensive and fun to make.  You can also use thread or cord instead of wire, or use other shapes instead of stars.

I can't wait to get my tree now and start decorating!  I hope you were inspired to begin yours with something new!  Take a look at all the other great ideas from my fellow craft designers here on the blog.

Happy Holidays!

Terry

Tag Ornament

Hi Everyone!
It's pretty close to the last minute for gifts for Christmas!  I'm still shopping, card-making and prepping myself, so I thought I'd send out a quick and easy Tag Ornament.  This ornament is made using a small, arched Tag Lace-Up from Eye Connect Crafts.  This little tag has so many possibilities!

I recycled some Christmas card images for this tag, which is also made from recycled tagboard.

Lace-Up Tag and image

I painted the tag with acrylic paint from DecoArt in Antique Gold and added Worn Penny around the holes. 

I decoupaged the image to the tag.  I did the same thing on the other side.  If you wanted to use it as a gift tag, write a message on the back instead.

Then, lace up the ornament with trim or ribbon leaving an end at the top.  Tie the ends and you're done!

 

It's ready to hang on your tree or give as a gift!

Best Wishes for a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year!

Terry

 

French Knit Ornaments

Hi Crafty Friends!

Here are some quick and easy ornaments to make.  And, who doesn't need quick and easy this time of year!  They are made on the French Knitter and were featured in the weekly online magazine from Crafts 'n things earlier this month.  You can find the instructions on their website.  Here's the photo from their website showing them on a tree.

This is a great project for kids of all ages and, of course, can be made with any color or type of yarn you happen to have on hand.  Another plus!

Happy crafting, decorating, baking and shopping!

Terry

Here's a larger photo that I took so that you can see them more easily!

French Knit Christmas Ornaments
by Terry Ricioli

Cameo and Filigree Ornament

Hi Friends!

This month is jam-packed with holiday crafting! Here's an ornament I created for the Smoothfoam blog. 

Cameo and Filigree Ornament

My design is one of twelve different ornaments created with Smoothfoam balls, so stop by the blog often to see all the easy ornament ideas! 

Happy Decorating!

Terry

Farewell to Summer

Hi All!
Time keeps slipping away and tomorrow will be the first day of fall.  I really enjoy the harvest of colors in the leaves and ripe fruits and vegetables of fall.  But, before the last day of summer is gone, I thought I'd share a couple of projects from earlier in the year. 

When time permits, I like to mix my media and create something with materials I don't use on a daily basis.  Here are a couple of small chipboard ornaments that I created using Jacquard Lumiere Dimensional Paint and Adhesive(TM).  Jacquard generously sent me some free paint samples to try in my work.  Their dimensional paint is unique in that it is also an adhesive, but I found that there was more to the paint than that.  Although it is a dimensional paint and can create 3-D lines and shapes, I found I could also thin it down and paint it with a brush. 

Here's an ornament I created using a chipboard base.  I brushed on the paint and adhered scrapbook paper to both sides.  I cut a smaller shipboard oval and adhered amate paper to that.  In both cases, I worked with a coodinating paint so no glue was needed.  I added more paint to the edges of the chipboard.  Then, I made clouds using Pearl paint. I swirled a little Turquoise paint in the clouds with a toothpick.  I brushed the Turquoise paint onto two metal bird shapes to add a patina.  Then, while the clouds were still wet, I pressed the large bird shape into the clouds.  I punched holes in the shape and added ribbon and a dangle.

The second ornament uses the dimensional paint to hold filigree flowers onto the base, add dimensional leaves and lines, and as an adhesive.  I also thinned the paint and used it as a wash on the wood butterfly shape.  

It's definitely a multi-faceted paint and I look forward to using it in more projects.  Thanks, Jacquard!

Happy Crafting!

Terry