Christmas is over, which means my frantic rush to get all crafts done and out of my house is over as well.  My sisters received the gifts for my nieces and everyone was fond of the decoupage boxes and the knotted blankets (I have borrowed Sophie's knotted blanket several times already!).

The lids of the paper mache boxes were the most fun of all the Christmas crafts I put together.  Decoupaging is so much easier now than it ever has been in the past because there are so many stickers available thanks to all the scrappers and card makers out there (nearly no tiny detail cutting necessary).  In the photo here, I have two different sets of stickers shown, but I did use three different sets of stickers (all purchased at Michael's, a local craft store).  The vintage looking cards shown were cut from wrapping paper found at Hobby Lobby, another local craft store. 

Each lid made was different, but only slightly.  They all had the same ribbon around the edges and the same music paper, but the placement of the stickers and the cards are really the only differences.

Paper mache has not been appealing to me since I was a child, mainly because of the mess.  Thankfully, my local craft store carries a nice selection of already made paper mache boxes in various shapes and sizes.  I had a difficult time selecting the boxes for this particular Christmas project, but I think the boxes I picked will be perfect.

The purpose these boxes have is to serve as a decorative place for my nieces and my daughter to store the Christmas ornaments I make for them each year.  I know this isn't a gift that will excite three children under the age of two too much this year, but I hope someday they will appreciate it.  Of all my holiday crafts this year, this is by far my favorite.  I'm honestly pretty impressed I remembered how to decoupage since it's been years... and years.

Because these boxes needed to be shipped to a land far, far away, I didn't want them to be terribly enormous.  I also wanted them to fit under the Christmas tree if the girls decided they wanted to leave them out (years down the road when they're on their own, that is).  Because of their purpose, the boxes couldn't be too small, either.  I plan to make lots of ornaments through the years.

Firstly, I must warn all of my readers that decoupage is no laughing matter.  Quite plainly, the goopy white stuff is about as messy as it gets.  Various forms of glue may be messier, but decoupage is really just another type of glue with a fancy name to make it sound important.  Knowing this, I put newspaper on my work surface before doing any decoupaging (I was pretty certain my husband would frown on me decoupaging the dining room table, although given the right supplies, that could actually look pretty cool).  I made sure all my supplies were close at hand, and started measuring at cutting to get ready for the pasting.

A bit about the supplies.  I found two very beautiful Christmas wrapping papers at Hobby Lobby, along with the three paper mache boxes.  One of the papers was a line from a well known Christmas carol printed with the melody.  The other paper was a collection of vintage Christmas cards.  I am currently banned from buying more Christmas paper (we have one of the larger Rubbermaid tubs nearly filled with paper), but this paper had a purpose and was allowed without comment (thankfully - I adore the music paper!),  I also picked up the Mod Podge (decoupaging medium) while at Hobby Lobby.  Other items were purchased at a later time.

After laying out the newspaper, the first order of business was to cut enough of the music paper to fit around the bottoms of the boxes.   I tried decoupaging three different ways.  For the first box, using a tiny piece of tape, I secured the paper to the box, then glued the paper down using a thin line of Sobo craft glue.  I later decoupaged the entire outside of the box, but really only used the decoupage medium and not the actual technique of decoupaging.

The second box was decoupaged in the true sense of the word, but came out with many wrinkles I simply couldn't remove.  I really didn't like the way it turned out so for the third box I decided to paste down the paper with a little bit of the Mod Podge on the starter edge and then not use the paste again until the opposite edge.  Once secured, I then decoupaged over the box and it pretty much turned out the same as the first box.

I selected round boxes for this project, and round is not conducive to wrapping without a little creativity.  The paper I picked up has these marvelous grids on the back that made it extremely easy to do the majority of this project.  I took my little Scotch paper cutter (seriously, this is one of my favorite wrapping tools in the history of convenient tools) and cut strips about an inch wide all the way around the box, top and bottom (click the photo to enlarge).  I then decoupaged each individual strip (two at a time) and pasted them to the box.  On the bottom of the box, they overlapped a bit to create a circle.  After I had these strips pasted down is when I decoupaged the bottom of the box.

Once all three of the bottoms were done, I started on the tops.  I had to find a circle in my house large enough to act as a template.  I found a Christmas platter that was a bit too large, but better than anything else I found.  All of my pots and pans (even the big stock pots) were just a smidgen too small.  Once the circles were traced, I spread the Mod Podge all over the top surface of the box lid.  I flipped it carefully to place it roughly in the center of the paper I had laid out.  I had to fight the curling (it's possible to see a bit of the curling in the photo, especially once the strips are cut), which made the process a bit of a challenge. 

The grid guidelines were the most helpful when doing the bottom of the box, but I was still able to use them a bit for this portion of the cutting.  I cut the paper into fourths around the edge and then split each of those fourths in half, and so on, until I had fairly even strips (all eyeballed, no measuring for something like this) all the way around.  Going back and forth between sections instead of trying to go around in a circle is pretty much what kept my strips close to even.  Since the platter was just a bit too large for the template, I trimmed the excess from the lid prior to decoupaging with my trusty little Exacto knife after folding the strips into place.  I spread the Mod Podge on two strips at a time, folding each strip carefully over the edge of the box as I went along.  It took a while, but the end result was worth it.  Of course, it wound up being hidden mostly by one of the finishing touches I added later.

Because baking, cleaning, and sleep are all calling my name quite loudly, I must stop here for the night.  Please, stay tuned for the continuation of the decoupaged paper mache boxes.   All three have been completed and all three are slightly different.  There will be plenty of pictures to share.  Also, don't forget to check back for pictures of the finished ornaments as well as the finished no-sew knotted fleece blankets.

I am currently unable to share images but will be posting pictures as soon as this is resolved. 

My holiday crafts are coming right along.  The Christmas ornaments for the girls are completed.  I have one blanket finished and two left to knot.  The paper mache  boxes were started last night and are looking good.  I have to work on the tops today.  Sophie and I picked up some supplies at our local craft store yesterday to add to the tops of the boxes and I can't wait to get them finished. 

In the rest of my Christmas world, the baking is well under way.  I haven't started the cards yet.  I am waiting on one package before sending off my box of gifts (as well as finishing up a blanket and two boxes).  Things are starting to come together but my house is starting to fall apart!  I am leaving B in charge of gifts for his father and brother, so I don't have to worry about that, at least.

Because I am not with my family this Christmas and everyone will be at my parents' house on Christmas Eve, I called the local florist to have a fresh flower arrangement sent to my mother.  I know Linda (she's been our florist for years - my mother used to babysit her daughter, and I tutored her daughter... all years and years ago) will do an excellent job with the arrangement.

Once Christmas is over, I'll be able to work on my knitting and hopefully finish up the baby blanket I started... in January of last year (yes, I feel shame).  It's probably about half done, but if I'm not careful, my niece will be graduated by the time she receives it!  I would like to knit Sophie another scarf since I wound up giving hers away by accident.  I don't remember the pattern I used (I made it up) but I still have the yarn I used (Misty Alpaca, if I recall correctly - very soft and cozy) so I should be able to come up with something.  I might make a hat to match.  I think I'm ready to knit another purse and felt it.  Perhaps I can make a bag big enough to be a diaper bag.  I might even take the time to try my hand at crochet again.  I really just need to master my tension.  However, the baby blanket must be finished first!!

Pictures will be forthcoming as soon as I am able to upload again.  I can't wait to show off the decoupaged paper mache boxes!  For now, back to baking and blanket knotting!!

I am so glad B comes home tomorrow from his training in New York. I am hoping to get a lot more done with him home, although I'm not entirely certain that will be the case. At least I can take a blanket with me to the airport to knot in the car on the way home.

Speaking of B coming home, instead of working on any Christmas crafts tonight, I worked on cleaning up the house a little and spent a rather lengthy time talking to him on the phone. He talked to the baby on the phone as well and amazingly, she actually rambled on and on. Usually she clams up on the phone, but tonight the child was just out of control. She's so cute right now with all of her new words, and it was very obvious she was excited to talk to her daddy.

B will be frustrated to see many of my craft supplies are sitting in boxes in the guest room, but I don't want to put them in the closet just yet. I really would like to get some sort of storage system going in the closet other than huge boxes, but that will have to wait for a bit. Perhaps after the new year I'll make a trip to the Container Store and get my supplies organized again. I'll probably put the boxes in the closet sometime this weekend, though. I think I am going to try to use the boxes as a gift wrapping surface, but I'm not sure that will work. It's certainly worth a shot.

I worked on the ornaments last night. The blankets are still staring at me, sitting in a pile on my sofa waiting to be knotted. I took advantage of Sophie being asleep last night and sewed up all of the ornaments so they're ready to be stuffed. Out of all the crafts I have ever done, holiday crafts are always my favorite, and out of the holiday crafts, ornaments rank at the top (I seriously wish I had pictures of all the ornaments I've made throughout the years - I should ask my sisters for pictures of all the ornaments I've made for them). That's probably how they managed to get worked on before the paper mache boxes and the blankets, although I don't have sealer for the decoupage yet, so that can wait another day or two.

I sewed three sets of three ornaments each. I'll take pictures of all the ornaments oncethey're finished, but for now I focused on the Christmas tree. These are some of the easiest ornaments I've ever made (usually I use the blanket stitch around the edges or some other hand-sewn detail), and the first ornaments I've ever made with the sewing machine. I wish I'd made them a wee bit larger but I don't think they'd look good on the tree if they were too big. As it is, this ornament was probably my smallest at roughly 1"x3".

I'm not terribly fond of the rickrack I used for the Christmas tree hanger, but what's done is done. Since this is the first time I'd ever sewn anything like this and I wasn't using any sort of pattern, it took me a few minutes to figure out how to get the rickrack so it was facing the right direction to work as a hanger when I was done. I took the time to pin down the rickrack and then pin the two fabric pieces together (the green is felt, the Christmas tree is simply cut from some Christmas fabric I purchased at a local craft store). I ran into an issue while sewing with the pins in place and wound up having to remove the pesky ones that were in the way of the presser foot, but that wasn't too often.

I have to admit, while I like sewing with the machine, I don't really care for sewing small items such as this. Not only is it frustrating because of all the stop and go, but the size made the ornaments difficult to turn out once they were all sewn up. I do like, however, the fact that it cut my sewing time by elevntyhundred hours. Had I thought about what I was going to do for my nieces for Christmas earlier in the year, I would have gotten a jump start on the ornaments and probably would have done them all by hand. Oh, who am I kidding. I would have planned it and probably would never have gotten around to it and would have skipped the whole thing altogether had it not been for the sewing machine.

I did remember to leave a bit of a gap so I could turn the ornament, which for me is a small miracle. I was surprised I managed to get all nine ornaments sewn on the machine without mucking up any of them. Of course, I still have a small bit of hand-sewing to do, which leaves plenty of room for mucking about, but the gaps are small, so it shouldn't be too difficult. Once I finished sewing the ornaments, I trimmed off excess material and clipped the corners. I made sure to leave a little extra fabric on the side that needed to be sewn up so I had a little more fabric for playing (or mucking, as the case may be). When turning the ornament, I used my scissors (the deadly-cut-you-so-you-bleed scissors) to poke out the corners, and that's only because I managed to misplace the seam ripper that I used to own years ago. I know this was a bad idea, but thankfully it had no bad results. I told B a seam ripper would make a great stocking stuffer, so hopefully I won't be turning corners with my scissors too much longer.

Once turned, I stuffed the ornaments with a little bit of Polyfil (very little bit) and made sure it was tucked into the corners as well (again with the scissors of death). I then folded the fabric at the gap down into the ornament to be flush with the seam already there and pinned it shut so I would have an easier time sewing the hidden seam. I still have a few ornaments left to stuff and pin and then I will work on the seams after all that is done.

I'm not looking forward to the hand-sewing, mostly because I have a "boo-boo" on my favorite needle pushing finger (middle finger, right hand). It currently qualifies as a boo-boo and not a sore, wound, or crack (or anything else it could be called) since it is wrapped up in a Care Bears bandage as well as a Hello Kitty bandage. it has certainly caught Sophie's attention!

These ornaments should be done by tomorrow night or Sunday at the latest. I will probably take a blanket (or perhaps all three?) with us to B's parents house on Sunday if we go over there to watch the football game. I'm not sure when I'm going to get the decoupage done. I do have a few more gifts coming in the mail that need to be sent to the Great White North in time for Christmas Eve, so I have a little time. I have a feeling I'll have to do an overnight shipping or something with this package, though. I was the one asking around about Christmas gifts and trying to figure out what to get Sophie well before Thanksgiving, and I'm still rushed to get everything done. One of these years I will get organized and be done by Thanksgiving (yeah, right!). Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

The fleece for the three no-sew blankets is all trimmed and pinned and ready to be fringed for knotting. It took me a little longer to do it than I expected, but that's okay. The fringe part should be fairly quick, and the knotting is very mindless. I can do the knotting while playing with Sophie if I work it just right. The fringe I'll probably do tomorrow night after I get Sophie to bed. Once the fringe is cut, I think I'll work on decoupaging paper mache boxes. That shouldn't take too long, once I have all the paper cut and placed. I'm not sure if I want any other embellishments on there or not. I might possibly put a little ribbon or raffia or maybe some buttons on there, but we'll see. I just might have time to work on the nativity ornaments for the girls if I'm lucky.

 

The blankets are going to be a serious pain if the weather stays cold and the house is dry. There was much static cling tonight, so bad I had to grab the can of Static Guard. Even after I sprayed (and I can't stand the smell, either), the fleece was still full of static, but I didn't spray again unil later.

 

Pictures will be forthcoming. I took one tonight, but it was just of the fleece put together on the floor and was not terribly exciting.