Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’

Handmade Christmas 2012

December 21st, 2012
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Like most years, I like to make as many Christmas gifts as possible. This year was much better than last. It’s been quite a bit less stressful this year than last (we were still settling into our last digs), but I tried to keep things as simple as possible.

For the kiddos, I adopted Gabrielle’s philosophy on gift giving. I didn’t make anything for them this year.

On my side of the family, we were in charge of giving to my younger sister and her husband. They’ll be heading up here from Tuscan to celebrate Christmas and pick up their new puppy. So I thought I would make something appropriate for that. I lettered their names in frames (they can easily swap those out for photos), cut out an ampersand and made a leather collar for the new dog, Reese. I made a little tag with her name on it, but couldn’t get it to attach to the buckle (hands too raw). Hopefully they can do that.

The ampersand is really hard to photograph, it’s clear 1/4 inch acrylic, but I love it. I actually made two so I can keep one and give the other away. (selfish much?)

On Chris’s side, I’m in charge of giving to my brother-in-law Steven and Chris was in charge of giving to my sister-in-law Rebecca. Steven just got his wallet stolen and absolutely loves bow ties so I made him a leather wallet (it’s really thin!) and a leather bow tie out of the same leather I used for the wallet. I tried to tie the bow tie and didn’t have much luck making it look good, but I’m terrible at tying fabric ones, I’m hoping he can get this one to look good. That was a bit of a gamble. He has also played a lot of guitar lately, so I got him Chris’s favorite guitar tuner.

Rebecca is a great sewer. She’s made some really beautiful quilts and clothes. Chris is a bit clueless in this arena so I took care of the present for him. This was fun. I made her an acrylic ruler and got her an etsy gift card.

What would I have done for the holidays without access to a laser cutter?! I want one all my own so badly.

How are your holidays wrapping up? What things have you made? Are you surprising anyone this year with something big? I hope all of you have a fantastic Christmas!

Printable: Painted Gift Tag

December 17th, 2012
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I designed these printable gift tags for Emma Mag last month (see page 59!). I’ve been meaning to share these with you, but I haven’t wrapped a single Christmas gift until today!!

The design is really basic, I hand lettered to and from on the front with a bunch of holly leaves on the back. Print it on any color paper and paint or keep it plain if you want! They’re a really easy craft (and fantastic for wee ones looking to get crafty, too).

The lovely ladies from The Girls With Glasses featured my tag on their most recent video. You can see how they styled their tags here.

Download the printable below.

This tutorial or freebie is free for personal use and should not be distributed/republished without the express consent of Melissa Esplin. I love getting shout outs from around the web, but please, link with love. You may publish 1 photo along with credit back to the original post. Never link directly to the download. If you would like to use this tutorial or freebie for commercial purposes, please email me. Thanks!

2012 Christmas Candy Box

December 5th, 2012
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It’s that time of year. I can’t believe this is the 6th one I’ve done!! (2007|2008|2009|2010|2011) I was hoping to start on the design much earlier than yesterday, but alas life happens and things inevitably get pushed into the month of December.  I’m pretty excited about this box. This year’s design can be cut out quickly and printed black and white – perfect for saving time and a little bit of cash (buy yourself some mean chocolates with those savings, perhaps?).

I sort of stumbled upon the idea for the constellation motif and I feel like it perfectly conveys a tone of the real meaning of Christmas, without claiming that specifically. The printable includes a Happy Holidays tag that could be used to decorate the box, as a tag or not used at all for year-round gift-giving.

You can also print this on any kind of paper. I cut down some ikea wrapping paper and used that! I love the natural feel it gives. I would’ve used paper grocery bags, but I didn’t have any on hand. I would recommend you print on a medium weight text stock so you can bend and pinch the paper with ease (28-80lb text stock – your local print shop will know what I mean).

Decorate your boxes with glitter ribbon, fancy brads, markers, paints, crayons or anything. This would be great for a family activity for neighbor gifts.

I do hope you get around to making a few of these this Christmas season! Read more for the download and step by step instructions for assembly.

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Thrifty & Chic: Christmas Details

December 21st, 2011
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It’s been some time since I’ve done a Thrifty & Chic feature, no? As you know, I’m not a big Christmas (or any holiday) decorator. Next year will be so different, I tell myself. I’m going to go all out.

Like I’ve mentioned before, It’s so hard to invest in Christmas decorations when you don’t know where you’ll be in the next year or you have little room for storage. Despite that, I found this adorable Martha Stewart table cloth at the thrift store a couple years ago for something like $2. I like that it’s not your typical red & green decor and it seems to go with the other two Christmas decorations we own, too.

Also, I just had to mention that I planted the above succulent arrangement a few months ago & never got around to posting about it. I had the base on hand for some time & got all of the succulents from Ikea. I LOVE IKEA. My mom would be so proud that this thing has survived not only four months, but four months & a move. Chris boxed up all of our plants a week before our actual move and a few of our plants haven’t quite recovered.

How are the holidays done around your house? Have you scored any vintage/thrifted Christmas details for your home? Share links in the comments! I’d love to see!

2011 Christmas Candy Box Freebie

December 15th, 2011
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I am so excited to share with you this year’s candy box!! This is the FIFTH year I’ve done the candy box download, which basically means it’s a real tradition now. I love traditions.

I’ve been thinking about what to do for this box since sometime in September, but haven’t nailed any design/style ideas until a couple weeks ago. I recently bought Folding Techniques for Designers a book all about taking paper into 3 dimensions. I’m loving it & learning a TON from it. Between that book & tribal pattern inspiration, I give to you this year’s box:

I’m not sure what it is entirely, but it definitely has a very scandinavian feel. This box is a BREEZE to cut out & fold (I say this about a million times in the video, it’s embarrassing) you’ll be able to make one for every one of your neighbors. This box measures about 2″x4″x2″. If you’d like it bigger, take it to your local printer & have them blow it up on 11×17 paper. If you can, print them on an inkjet printer, you’ll get better folds this way. Also, you’ll want to print on a mid-weight paper. Thick card stock is a bit much, unless you’re going for a bigger box.

I’ve yet to make caramels this year, but I’m sure I’ll get around to it. If not, I might just do a stack of chocolate-dipped cookies in here. It’s really the perfect size for macarons. I also plan on using Pugly Pixel’s glitter tape tutorial for sealing the box.

Enjoy! Click the button below to download & be sure to watch the video tutorial explaining how to fold it up! For previous year’s boxes: 2010 Christmas candy box • 2009 Christmas candy box • 2008 Christmas candy box • 2007 Christmas candy box.

This tutorial/freebie is free for personal use and should not be distributed/republished without my consent. Altering the file NOT ALLOWED. If you would like to use this printable for commercial purposes, please email me. Thanks!

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