Archives for December 2010

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true friend gave to me…

…eleven gift tags so my gifts go under the right tree.

If you are just joining us, refer back to day one for all the details of our 12 Days of Christmas event!

Click the image to download Kristin’s printable for today’s gift:

I decorated these gift tags using paper yarn that I spun from a variety of different papers.

I cut tags out of heavyweight white paper, and lined the edges with two layers of home-spun paper yarn (tutorial below).  I also formed a decorative heart out of the yarn and glued it on each tag.

I punched a hole in the top of each tag and tied on matching yarn.

I used many colored tissue papers, newspaper, and even toilet paper (shhh!) to make my yarn.

Here’s how I did it!

Home-Spun Paper Yarn Tutorial:

For this example I’m using one sheet of red tissue paper.

Fold the sheet on it’s natural fold lines and cut width-wise into 1-2 inch strips.

 

Unfold the strips and twist the end of one. Insert it into the end of an electric drill, and tighten it down. Two people are needed for this next part, so I enlisted the help of my darling husband. He was happy to help because there were power tools involved.

 

One person runs the drill (any bets who that was?) and the other person holds the other end of the paper strip. Run the drill until almost all of the paper strip is twisted tight. Leave a section big enough to fold in another strip and then keep on twisting.

 

Keep folding in new strips and twisting them tight. Each sheet of tissue paper ends up making approx. 20 feet of yarn!

 

I made some out of newspaper and toilet paper too.  The toilet paper is easier because it’s already long and on a roll, so unwind it as far as you want, cut it to the width you want, and spin away! No need to fold in additional pieces.

 

Have fun spinning paper!

On the tenth day of Christmas my true friend gave to me…

…ten napkin rings so my guests can all stay neat.

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas Event! If you need any details on this event, click here to go to day one.

Download Kristin’s free printable by clicking on the image!

Whitney made our cute napkin rings today:

These napkin rings are festive and easy to make!  I bought the little balls at Michaels, along with the ribbon.  The only other thing you’ll need is a heavy duty needle with a large eye for the ribbon.
Take your ribbon and tie a knot at one end.  Thread your needle onto the string and then thread 2 balls onto the ribbon.  Space the little balls as far apart as you want them, cut the ribbon, and tie a knot at the other end.  Wrap the ties around a rolled up napkin and tuck the ribbon through itself so that it stays put. 
And there you go!  Fun, easy, and a great way to add a festive touch to your Christmas table!

-Whitney

Thanks Whitney!

Only two more days to go! This has been so much fun. Please give us some love with your comments. We absolutely adore hearing from you.

On the ninth day of Christmas my true friend gave to me…

…nine chocolate pretzels ‘cause by now I need a treat!

It’s Day Nine of our 12 Days of Christmas event! Click here to go to Day One if you’ve missed any of the details!

Here’s Kristin’s awesome printable for today! Click on the image to download it for free!

Whitney brings us our fabulous recipe today:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzels:

I am a self-proclaimed peanut butter connoisseur.  I LOVE it.  Everything is better with peanut butter smothered all over it.  But only certain kinds.  If it’s not the right kind of peanut butter, I won’t even eat it.
I’ve received a lot of chocolate covered pretzels as “neighbor gifts” at Christmastime over the years, and I’ve always loved them.  But when the idea popped in my head to make pretzel rods covered in peanut butter and THEN chocolate, nothing was stopping me.  I made a bee-line to the grocery store and bought some pretzel rods.  I experimented with a few different ways and finally got a delicious peanut butter chocolaty treat that any sweet tooth would die for.

 

Here’s how I did it:
Gather together some pretzel rods, some chocolate (I just used chocolate chips) of your choice… milk, semi-sweet, dark… whatever you like, and your favorite peanut butter.
Melt the peanut butter in the microwave so that it runs.  I melted about 3/4 cup in 30 seconds.  Dip your pretzel rod in the melted peanut butter and immediately put it in the freezer.  Continue dipping and freezing until you have all the pretzels that you want.  I like to freeze mine until they’re nice and hard, to ensure that the peanut butter doesn’t just slide right off when you dip it in the chocolate.  This should take 1-2 hours.
Next, melt your chocolate in the microwave in small increments (10-15 seconds) so that you don’t burn it.  Make sure you stir it well in between.  Once it’s nice and melted, take your pretzels out and dip them, fully covering the peanut butter, and put it back in the freezer quickly so that everything doesn’t melt off the stick.  Once you’ve dipped all the pretzels, let them freeze until they’ve set up, 15-30 minutes.
Take them out of the freezer and give them away or eat them up, they’re definitely hard to resist!

-Whitney

Don’t those look delicious? Thanks Whitney!

Guess what? WhipperBerry was chosen as a Top DIY Craft Blog by onlinedegrees.org. If you are looking for gifts on a budget, this is the list to check out!

Click on the link below to see the sweet things they said about us!

Only 3 days left of our 12 Days of Christmas Event, and then we can’t wait to see what you’ve got!  Start getting those projects ready to link up.

On the eighth day of Christmas my true friend gave to me…

…eight place cards so my guests will all know their seat.

If you are just joining our 12 Days of Christmas Event, go back to day one for all the yummy details!!!

Download Kristin’s printable for today by clicking on the image.

Everything about a pomegranate speaks Christmas to me. Its jolly red color, the sweet tangy fruit, and the fact that it’s December and I can still find these beauties falling off the tree. Why not turn them into beautiful place cards?

Supplies:

• Pomegranates
• Ornament hooks (from the dollar store)
• UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel)
• Embossing ink
• Embossing Gun Heat Tool
• Paintbrush
• Mod Podge
• Glitter or Dimaond Dust
• Hot Glue Gun

Paint the top half of the pomegranate with clear embossing ink. Pour UTEE over the ink to generously cover. Set with a heat tool. This gives the fruit a perpetually wet look, and makes the color pop!

Thin your Mod Podge with a few drops of water, and paint onto the lower half of the pomegranate. Sprinkle with glitter to give the pome a dipped-in-sugar appearance. I used Deco-Art’s Glamour Dust for this step because that’s what I had.

Secure an ornament hook to the top with hot glue. Now you are ready to attach your tag!

The best part about these treats? Your guests can still eat them! Nothing we did to them has harmed the inside in any way; all you need to do is slice open and serve.

And this whole project only cost me a buck (for the ornament hooks), everything else I had on hand. Love a thrifty project!