Handmade Christmas Gifts - Kitchen Chalkboards

For my handmade gifts this year, I made my peeps kitchen chalkboards from upcycled cutting boards. I made myself a prototype earlier this fall. I also burned myself making it but I was extra careful making these.

I visited 11 thrift stores to find enough cutting boards. I can tell you where every Goodwill, Salvation Army and Savers is in the Rochester Area.

Tina's chalkboard (lower right) is actually a pizza peel which works out because she loves pizza.

Each board has the shape outlined with the wood burning tool and then the chalkboard paint inside the lines. I included a stick of chalk rolled up in craft paper with each chalkboard. This one was photographed in my friend, Paulette's, kitchen. I hope all my friends enjoy them!

Test Tube Advent Calendar

We are doing an advent countdown again this holiday and using the test tube advent calendar that Aaron made last year. I refreshed it with new Christmas paper. Plaid paper this year. I like to shake things up.

Summer beach garland: Embossing like a boss

I needed a summer garland so I decided to make one. Aaron just got me some nautical rubber stamps and an embosssing kit so I started with those.

I cut out simple card circles with my circle cutter and embossed a different shape onto each card before running a string through punched out holes. PS - I just spent way too long trying to photoshop a smudge off this picture which turned out to be on my screen.

How have I not discovered embossing before this?! It works like magic. Stamp paper with a special ink, sprinkle on colored powder, tap off the excess, then heat the glitter with the embosser tool.

I used gold powder on the cards. Look how it puffs up! Amazing! EMBOSS EVERYTHING!

This handmade beach garland is just the thing keep to keep that summer feeling going.

Beach t-shirts printed with Yudu

We should be packing for the beach but instead we are printing t-shirts for the family.

We used my Yudu to do the printing.

This is a mish-mash saying that Aaron and I like to say when we go on vacation. I created the design and printed one t-shirt for each of us. I can't wait to wear our matchy-matchy shirts at OBX!

UPDATE: Here is a pic of us at the beach with our t-shirts!

Star garland for July Fourth

I couldn't find a garland that was just right for my Fourth of July mantelscape, so I decided to make one. Some red, white and blue felt, a star template and string was all I needed.

Simple, but just right!

Measuring spoon plant markers

I had an idea for an incomplete set of measuring spoons I came across. They make cute little plant markers. Plus they are a lot easier to stamp versus silverware!

I love how they go with my kitchen herbs! Now I'm on the hunt for more mismatched measuring spoons to upcycle.

Feather Eggs

It was going to be hard to beat last year's Easter eggs. I thought about trying the necktie method or fingernail polish method. Instead we dyed them and then decoupaged feathers onto the eggs with Mod Podge.

I think they turned out pretty cool.

Of course we blew out the insides of the eggs so we could keep them.

Adopt me ties for rescue dogs

I wanted to make something really special for my friend Liz's birthday. What do you make someone who is an awesome rescue pet photographer? Adopt Me ties!

I have a large collection of ties I've been saving for an as of yet unknown but very cool project and this is it. Oscar and Hugo were very nervous about modeling them. They wanted to be sure I made note that * THESE PUGS ARE NOT UP FOR ADOPTION.

Cork dates

You know I'm starting to feel better when I'm crafting again. Used my woodburner to burn dates into the corks for our test tube advent calendar.

Happy Valentine's Day from the Pug Bears

The pug bears would like to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day. There are polar bears, panda bears, grizzly bears and koala bears. These are pug bears.

Eat your heart out, Sugar.

Soak it in, Sweetie.

The temperature was dropping even in more in Rochester so I decided to make the pugs neck warmers. I used roving instead of yarn and crocheted a simple tube to slide over their noggins. Because it's funny to put ears on something that already has ears I watched this YouTube video on how to crochet bear ears and added those too. These were quick and easy to make.

I think it's pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Ridiculous.

Valentine's leather cable holders

My Christmas crafting has me on a bit of a leatherworking kick. For Valentine's Day I decided to make my peeps leather cable holders. They are perfect for wrangling iPhone power cords and earbuds. I don't know about you but I throw all my cables into my bag and they become a tangled mess. These tidy them up and are cute to boot.

I used some upcycled leather my mom thrifted for me to make the cable holders. Besides that, all I needed were snaps and the rivet setter tools. I cut each piece of leather to 2 inches by 4 and a quarter inches. I used a paper slicer for nice straight edges. The corners are rounded with a pair of scissors. Then I added the snaps with the rivet tool. To add personalization and the little heart for Valentine's Day, I branded the leather with my wood burning tool. One of my easiest gift projects and I think everyone like them. Cute AND useful!

Handmade Christmas Gifts 2014

It's close enough to Christmas that I think I can show the handmade gifts for this year. My mom gave me a large piece of upcycled leather and we used it to make keychains for office mates, friends and family. Aaron cut the leather, dyed the inside, while I branded and riveted them together. I thought they were cute little gifts and was blown away by how much people loved them.

When my sister told me she wanted a Thankful Jar like I made and posted on my blog, I realized they might make nice gifts. I hope to see these full of good things for my friends and family by next year.

I made two custom gifts too. Our friend Charlie just got a Miata and we made him a diaorama featuring one. It's harder to find a toy Miata than you would think.

I also made my friend Liz a diorama featuring a black lab that looks like hers. It is also harder than you would think to find a small toy black lab! They both turned out really cute though.

Secret Santa dog biscut wreath - nailed it

What do you do when you draw the Secret Santa name of a guy that has two dogs and loves to hike? You make a dog biscuit wreath...

And find the most perfect book to go with it! Surpreme Secret Santa Success this year.

UPDATE: Secret Santa Success!

Verona Street Animal Services Holiday Craft Sale & Janda Made Wreaths

On the 12th I'll have Janda Made goodies at a Verona Street Animal Services craft sale that benefits the Rochester Animal Services shelter. Tina will be there with her Sweet & Cute sweets too.

I spent Thanksgiving working on wreaths for the craft sale. I call this one Golden Berries.

This is called Holly.

And there is a matching wreath called Jolly.

This is an extra large wreath. It is 20 inches across. This one is called Heavy Metal.

I'm hoping to make a few more before the show.

Test tube advent calendar

A couple years ago I made us a simple advent calendar with envelopes. I wanted to do it again, but wanted something special. I spent a good bit of time looking at advent calendars on pinterest.

I was cleaning the craft room when I happened upon a bag of test tubes I was saving for Halloween but had a different idea instead. I turned them into an advent calendar!

Each tube has a bit of washi tape and ribbon for decoration. Then I cut out the numbers 1 to 25 on vinyl adhesive with my cricut. Each tube has a slip of patterned paper with the treat for the day written inside.

I think they turned out really cute, but I wasn't happy with my display. I tried putting them in all sorts of containers like this fishbowl but wasn't quite right.

Then Aaron surprised me with this! He made a wood holder for our test tube advent calendar! It's perfect!

Thankful Jar

I saw a really great idea on Facebook for making a Thankful Jar. The idea is to start the year with an empty jar and fill it with a slip of paper when good things happen. Then on New Years you empty the jar and read all the things you have to be thankful for. I figured it could be a New Years tradition or Thanksgiving. I was pretty excited about starting our own so I made the jar now.

I found some more Thankful Jar ideas on Pinterest. The pins for these jars are: I am thankful for | Be thankful | Always be thankful | Start each day with a thankful heart | Give thanks | Give thanks

Glitter wishbones

I saved the wishbones from the last two Thanksgivings with the intention of doing something crafty with them. I painted them metallic and added some glitter. It was pretty clear they needed more glitter.

I don't think "enough glitter" is a thing but I think these will do for now.

Makers gonna make

Today was Rochester Mini Maker Faire. I was excited right off the bat to get my MAKER badge.

Here is the Janda Made table set up with wares ready to go.

Tina was next to me with her Sweet & Cute goodies.

And Aprille was on the other side of us demonstrating her Storychick Papercrafts.

She was working right in her booth. A lot of people stopped by to watch her working and ask questions. I especially enjoyed watching her pop balloons.

As an extra I was making free* "I love to make... " pins at the Janda Made table. (*while supplies last) Guests could fill in what they love to make and I turned it into a button right there.

There were some really great buttons! I got a kick out of seeing what people wrote.