December 31, 2011

Christmas signs

I didn't do a very good job of sharing the few Christmas projects I did complete.  My favorite project is the two new holiday signs I made:


Remember all those cabinet doors I bought?  I used two matching doors to make the signs.  I sanded them then painted them with spray paint (Rust-Oleum American accents Claret Wine).  It took about 5 coats to get the color I wanted and this is probably the first time I haven't painted the back of my project.  After the paint dried, I sanded the edges and added some stain to give it an aged look.  I purchased the vinyl sayings from JanDee Crafts on Etsy.  The hardware was leftover from my hutch makeover.  The hardware had been sitting in the garage for over a year, and I'm glad I saved it because the knobs were perfect for my signs.  I hung my signs on either side of the picture window in my living room.

Earlier this fall, I made another signs out of a piece of wood and a Cricut stencil:

I think I prefer the vinyl wording since it takes me forever to cut the stencil, get it to stick to the wood then paint it without messing the whole thing up.  

December 26, 2011

Christmas cards

I know it has been forever since I've blogged.  (Once again, one of my resolutions in the new year is to be a better blogger!)  I did manage to accomplish a few Christmas crafts, and I'll try to share them all.  Every year I make my own Christmas cards.  I love using a photo of my cute little son, and here is this year's card:

Every year I contemplate having photo card made, and every year I decide to make my own to save money.  (I always forget to factor in my time, but I do love making them myself.)  This year I was really frugal and used cardboard I rescued from the trash at work.  I did spray the cards with a light coat of gold spray paint to jazz them up a bit.  I had prints made at Walgreens (5 cents each) then cropped them to fit the card.  I saw the photo idea on Pinterest--the inspiration photo is here.  I stamped each photo with Staz On ink and a "joy" stamp (purchased several years ago for $1 at Michaels).  The corrugated cardstock was from my stash.  I added a printed tag with our names before I mailed them out.  I love the clean and simple look, and I think my recipients enjoyed the cards, too.