Saran Wrap Christmas Tree

ok, just admit it - you wish you had thought of this! And yes, it is Jan 23 and I'm just now taking down my tree. It is the most tedious job for me - hate it. So one of my B.R.I.L.L.I.A.N.T ideas (props to Blair from Facts of Life) was to saran wrap it! That way I can just move it into my garage as is; and don't have to worry about dust collecting on it. As you can see, I ran out of saran wrap and thought tin foil might do the job. Didn't quite work out as hoped. Ended up putting saran wrap over the tin foil and I was back in business. Granted I had to put up with roomates laughing at me as I was doing this but I was so proud of my job. PLUS, not only will I not have to put my tree back up but the lights are already on so next year it is a "plug and go" kind of tree. Come on, admit you love it!

Framing Magazine pages

I saw these frames at Ross and loved their blue color. I didn't have a pic to put in them so I went thru my magazines and found two pages that sent me to my happy place. These frames are right by the door so when someone enters they immediately see what makes me tick. Never really considered myself a pink kind of girl...but apparently I'm just that.

Stacie's Recipe Box

Now look at THIS! Isn't this fantastic? This is a recipe box that my friend Stacie's mom made for her on her b'day. I just LOVE it. I've tried to include a bunch of pics so that you have a good idea of what it looks like and how to do it. The very first card in the box I took out and photographed because it was just too presh...just look at Baby Stacie.

There were different dividers of the family recipes: appetizers, soups, salads, breads, sauces, casseroles, main courses & desserts. Every base was covered; and in with the recipes were random pics from childhood. She even had the forethought to leave blank decorated index cards in the back so that Stacie can add her own recipes to it (being the fantastic cook that she is...). It makes me want to go make one for myself.

mmmm...clean dog

Just gave my dog a bath...look at this pitiful face! When she was a pup I would run the bath water and she would immediately go hide under the bed - today I ran the bath water and she jumped straight in the tub and was ready to go. Love that! Nothing quite like the smell of wet dog, though...whew...

Debbie is... Album

I wanted to do this for my sisters birthday but didn't seem to get it done in time so I added 6 mo's to my deadline and it became a fantastic Christmas present. I wanted something for her to be able to look at at any time and know what her family REALLY thinks about her. She is so good to the rest of us that it was a joy to give this to her. The cover says "Debbie is..." and with each page is a word used to describe her. Behind each photo is a tag the family member could write in and share their heart with her.

Debbie is...Album (cont.)

Here are the last couple pages of Deb's book. When I asked my brother what one word he thought of when I said Deb's name his answer was immediately "warranty". I looked at him funny and he said, "whenever I get Deb something I know I have to get the warranty b'c within months it will be broken". That's our Deb!

Game book

This is a necessity in every house! I just love having a game book because every time we whip out a card game we have it recorded as to who the victor is (yes, I am THAT competitive). But it's fun to look back on who was at the house and the fun you had on that night.

Went to Ross and got a $.99 journal and covered it in paper and then...added some ribbon (have you noticed my obsession with ribbon?). Now go make one...you'll thank me.

Breakfast Tray

I've had this breakfast tray for the longest time and I liked the look of it but had never used it. So I put some fun paper at the bottom of it and used it as a frame for a pic of my roomate and I. We hung it in our kitchen and it adds a nice spurt of color to our green walls in there.

We Love You! pic

This might be my favorite pic of all. I gave one to each sibling and mom/dad. I took signs of each one holding

"we"

"love"

"you" signs, framed it, and of course added ribbon. So now in each ones home is all their family letting them know how they feel about them! I loved the idea so much that I made one for myself too.

Europe Album

Last Thanksgiving my best friend and I took a small tour of Europe. We spent a couple days in Rome, Venice & Paris. When I got back I wanted to create an album that when someone asked about my trip, I could show it to them and it would capture the beauty that we saw and experienced.

Making the Album: I took two pieces of chipboard and covered them - and there was both my front and back cover. The pages inside I did accordian style - no rhyme or reason, I just find accordian style to be easy to do. Most of the pictures I used as pockets so that I could journal behind them and be able to share (and for later years - remember) my favorite memories.

Europe Album cont.

Here are a couple other pages from my Europe album. These aren't all of them but I think there are enough here for you to have a taste of what the album looks like. My favorite page of all though is the last one of our Favorite Quotes. Each quote for one reason or another made us laugh out loud. This is why my trip was so fun...not that we got to see exotic places or anything we got to sight see, but because I got to spend time with Katherine and just laugh to our hearts content.

Ornament

This year with the gifts, I attached an ornament to it. I found these great chipboard letters at Hobby Lobby. Deco-podged paper on the letter, put a hole at the top for the string - added a pic for 2007 and of course a ribbon. Here is the one I did myself that is hanging on my tree. Took about 10 minutes for each one and it's something that will be fun to look at each year as we all get older.

Fun Clipboards

So every year for Cmas my nieces and nephews know that Aunt Leslie is going to give them something home-made (they also know that I'm cheap). I like to do something that is somewhat school related because I remember as a girl being so excited to have something to take to school that was fun. So this year I took a pic of myself and London and held up a sign that said "Aunt Leslie LOVES You!". Chose the paper that fit their personality and had fun with my deco-podge. The kids seemed to all love it and now some of their friends are asking me to make one for them too!

It's very easy and I think this is something that would be fun to do with kids. You can also get a Composition notebook and get coordinating paper for it and just cover it, add some ribbon and you have a matching set.

I like making crafty stuff but I tend to give it all away. Thought I'd start this blog so I'd have some proof of all my projects. Enjoy!