Lately I’ve been working with wire and wire mesh. First I made jewelry holders, then a jingle bell ornament, and now this decorative light fixture. I have two more wire projects planned, but not until later this year. Next week I’m switching back to paint.

When I tell you what it took to make this Snowball light, you’ll think I’m crazy. So I’m not going to tell you right away. Just know that its basic components are basket-style coffee filters, a sheet of hardware cloth, and a string of LED lights.

I call it the Snowball light because its size reminds me of those giant cartoon snowballs that terrorize characters such as Scrat, the acorn-obsessed saber-toothed squirrel in Ice Age. But if you look closer, the delicate ruffles of the coffee filters look like carnations. I thought it would be fun to dye the coffee filters or dip the tips in paint to mimic red-tipped carnations. Maybe silver paint? In the end, I kept it simple.

Tutorial and photos after the jump! Read more »

Remember when I told you three years ago that I was going to make an advent calendar the same way I made my hanging postcard collage? Well, I finally did it! Apologies for posting so late in the season. You probably already made or bought an advent calendar this year. But you can start saving Christmas cards to make one next year. The beauty of this design is that it rolls up and stores easily to be used year after year.

Slip a thin, wrapped piece of chocolate (Ghirardelli Squares work well) or note behind each card for a daily Christmas treat. I cut out a square from the inside of each card, including the signature, and pasted it on the back so I will always remember who gave that card to me. You could also decorate the cards with glitter, brads, eyelets, ribbon, etc. All you scrapbookers know what I’m talkin’ about.

Tutorial and photos after the jump! Read more »

I got a new toy. (Grin.) I can’t wait to open the box and try it! I’ve wanted a Silhouette electronic cutting tool for a while now, and I’m jazzed that I finally got the Cameo. This machine cuts paper, cardstock, vinyl, fabric and more — up to 12 inches wide and 10 feet long. I’ve got several projects planned using the Cameo. But until I get a chance to break it in, I wanted to share some exciting Silhouette Black Friday deals and a special discount code just for Crafty Nest readers! Read more »

X-Acto sent me a few of their latest craft knives, which I love. Especially the fat pink Designer Series #11 craft knife in the photo above. In exchange, they asked me to show you how I use X-Acto around my home. Considering that crafting is mostly what happens in my home, I decided to share three of my top craft uses for X-Acto knives.

1. Creating custom stencils

The first time I ever picked up an X-Acto knife was in junior high (grade 7). I took a stained glass class. We started out etching mirrors with our own drawings, which we made into stencils with Con-Tact paper and an X-Acto knife. I was hooked. I made more than a dozen etched mirrors. (I still have some of them. I’ll show you someday.)

Since then, I’ve made many more stencils. Jess Chamberlain and I made the stencil above to paint onto a roman shade for Sunset magazine. Read more »

I’m excited to share the news that I’m teaching my first craft workshops next spring at Sharon Art Studio in San Francisco! I’ll be teaching three classes in February/March: 1) Paper Lantern Making, 2) Duct Tape Wallets, Cases, and Bags, and 3) Fabric Flower Brooches. Click here for more information on the workshops. So, if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area and you want to learn these crafts, please sign up early. You can register for the classes here. By the way, craft classes make great Christmas gifts. I look forward to meeting some of you in person and making crafts together!

UPDATE 2/3: Unfortunately, these classes were canceled for health reasons. Not to worry, though. I will post my instructions to make the tissue paper lanterns (bottom three lanterns in the photo) and some of my duct tape crafts here on Crafty Nest.
See below for the rest of the tutorials:
Paper star lanterns (or you can buy gorgeous ones here)
Duct tape wallet
Wired ribbon flower pin (the pink one in the photo)
Felt dahlia corsage (the red one in the photo)
Melted fabric flowers (the white one in the photo)

Homemade ornaments are so much more fun, rewarding, and cheaper than buying them. Especially when they’re made of paper—in this case, sheet music. That’s why I included so many paper ornaments in my handmade holiday gift list. For this project, I made stars, but you can use nearly any symmetrical shape to make these ornaments (tree, wreath, heart, bell, angel, ball, snowflake, etc.). I made four patterns for you to download to make your own ornaments: star, bell, angel, and ball. Click here to download the patterns.

The song printed on the star is a little-known Christmas hymn titled “With Wondering Awe.” I chose it because it mentions the star more often than any other Christmas carol I found. Bell: “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Ball: “Silent Night.” Angel: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” As long as you have a sewing machine, these ornaments are super easy to make. Read more »

You missed it, didn’t you? Admit it. I didn’t expect everyone to actually read all 137 handmade Christmas gift ideas anyway. So I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss out on No. 124. Having experienced a death in the family this year, the thought occurred to me that one should not wait until a funeral to share one’s fondest memories of a certain someone. So I designed the “Top 10 Fondest Memories” certificate for you to download, print (on legal size paper), fill out, tie with a ribbon, and give to a loved one for Christmas.

Then I was having so much fun with the idea that I designed three more Top 10 certificates: “Top 10 Reasons I Love You,” “Top 10 Favorite Things About You,” and “Top 10 Gifts I’d Buy You If I Had a Million Dollars.” (Got the BNL song stuck in your head now?) Click the links to download the certificates, or get them all at the downloads page. If I think of another Top 10 idea, I’ll make a certificate. And if you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them. In the meantime, have fun strolling down memory lane.