7 Stress Free and Money Saving Holiday Shopping Tips for Christmas

Christmas is coming very soon!  Now is a great time to start gift shopping.  It is always good to be cautious when purchasing gifts.  The holiday season is a joyous time of year.  Sadly, I have seen people argue over Christmas gifts.  I have found some ways to avoid unnecessary Christmas gift drama.  

1.  Ask for Shopping Advice

If I don't know the person very well, I'll ask one of her close friends for her likes and dislikes.  Then I have all the information I need to purchase the perfect gift.

2.   Use Gift Cards Frequently

Let Gift Cards Save the Day!  We never go wrong with gift cards.  Find out what store she likes and give her a gift card from that establishment.  Gift cards take the pressure off everyone. 

3.   Think Really Hard Before You Buy 

    
Make sure the gifts are appropriate in office or work situations.  Try to remember company policy and office etiquette.  Pens, organizers, and planners make excellent gifts for the office environment. Consider something practical, like a fancy calendar for the next year. Who doesn't need a calender?

4.  Give Christmas Items

Christmas themed gifts are wonderful.  I still remember a co-worker once gave me a Santa Claus cookie jar.  I used that jar for many years.  The gift was one of the nicest things anyone ever gave me. Christmas items make awesome gifts!  

5.  Gift Receipts Save Face and Feelings

    
Include a gift receipt with your gift.  If a person just doesn't like the item, he or she can discreetly exchange the gift without anyone ever knowing.

6.  Consider Food and Candy 

Give away Food!  Christmas Candy, gourmet chocolate, cookies, cakes are tasty gifts!  One year, I received a nice meat and cheese basket and I really loved it!  If the person does not eat meat, then give him or her a fruit basket.  You just can't go wrong there.  Who doesn't love gourmet food? 

7.  Be Creative and Make Your Own Gifts

Make handmade items.  If you crochet, why not make your friend a scarf or a small throw? Handmade Paper bag cards make wonderful gifts!  If a person is into crafts, create a gift basket of scrapbook paper, paper roses, envelopes, ribbons, buttons, and other items.  
 

Buying Christmas Gifts need not be a stressful thing.  Enjoy the Holiday season!
Photo Courtesy of merrychristmasfestival

Read More

Rolled Paper Roses

Hi Everyone!

Here is my latest project.  I made a picture with my rolled paper roses.  For the background, I recycled part of a frozen pizza box and covered it with paper.  To make a frame for my picture, I used pages from an old novel.  Twine is being used to hang the picture on the wall.  Around the frame are tiny little paper roses I had in my stash.

Happy Crafting and God bless, Chan

Rolled Paper Roses are wonderful for home decor because they tend to stand out from a picture or item.  The best thing is if one comes off, you can just make another one and pop it right back on!  

Rolled Paper Rose Tips: 

I practiced using old catalogs until you get the hang of it.  I started with newspaper and it didn't work too well for me because my fingers got all dirty.  I used catalogs until I learned.  Now I can go back and use newspapers because I am a lot quicker at it and it doesn't dirty my fingers as much. 

To see a tutorial on how to make these roses, click the image below.

Read More

How to Make Rolled Paper Roses

Hi Everyone!  Here is a little video about how to make rolled paper roses.  This is my new favorite thing!  I have about three bins full of these roses and I will share them with you on an upcoming video.  Until them, keep on crafting!

God bless, Chan

Rolled Paper Roses in the color of pink.

Read More

Scrapbooking Trends for 2014

I have noticed some hot trends in the crafting industry.  There are thousands of videos posted on YouTube about the latest inventions in the craft world.  Luckily, these new trends are geared towards making crafting easier for the average person.  It is nice to see things being done to include more people.  I feel we all have a little artist inside all of us just waiting to create something wonderful.

First, Color Sprays are growing in popularity in 2014, and they come in just about any color one can imagine.  Color sprays add vibrant color to mixed media, paper flowers, greeting cards, and scrapbooks. The paints make things so much easier for us to be even more creative than before.   Anyone can paint now even if he or she has no painting experience.  Just get some color spray and color your world!

Gorjuss stamps are adorable and have been on the market for a few years now.  In 2014, Gorjuss is still more sought after than ever.  Many scrappers are using these stamps to add charm, sunshine, and fun into scrapbooks, greeting cards, and tags.  There are different styles available, and new stamps come out every year.  Easy to use, Gorjuss stamps are like coloring books for adults.  We just stamp and color in between the lines!

We R Memories Punch Boards are also exploding in popularity this year.  The first punch board was for envelope making.  Now We R Memories has punch boards for flowers, gift bags, gift boxes, pillow boxes, and candy boxes.  These boards are a real money saver because we no longer have to buy these items, but we can make them!  We also have more choice and options in that we can use any color or style of paper we choose.

StampinUp is the place for stamping needs, and the organization has grown tremendously over the years. StampinUp offers the crafter a wide variety and selection of stamps, punches, dies, and other crafting tools. I like StampinUp because this company offers the buyer a choice between clear-mount and rubber-mount stamps for many designs.  Many crafters are shopping with StampinUp this year, and this is why I have included this company in my hot trends list.

Last, is the Chalkboard trend which has been around for a while.  Personally, I love the chalkboard, and I love decorating this piece with lovely paper flowers.  I have also seen one crafter embellish a chalkboard with colorful, cheerful flag banners.  Craft retailers are even selling lovely chalkboard stamps with beautiful designs.  I believe the chalkboard is very popular this year because this item takes us back to our school days when life was not so complicated.

The 2014 is going away fast!  I wonder what new things next year will bring?



Related Articles:

Which Is Better?  Joann or Michael's?

Live Long, Laugh Hard, Love Much

Tree of Good Fruits

Read More

Which is Better Joann or Michael's?

Many crafters shop at both Joann and Michael's Crafts Stores. What is the different between the two stores, and how are the stores the same?  It is important for us crafters to know this information so we can save time and money while shopping for supplies.

Joann and Michael's are the same in that both stores carry crafting items like rubber stamps and scrapbook paper.  In addition, both stores also sell yarn and painting supplies.   When it comes to operating practices, both stores are open seven days a week with regular business hours.  I would also like to mention that prices seem to be similar between Joann and Michael's.  Save money by shopping only during sales, and this holds true no matter what craft store you choose.

Now that we know the similarities of the two establishments, let's examine the differences.   First, Joann is the place to go for fabric and sewing needs. In my area, about 50% of the store is devoted to fabric and other sewing supplies.  At Joann's, we can find patterns, sewing machines, and dress forms.  In addition, we can buy other sewing notions like interfacing, tape measures, elastic, needles, and velcro.

Michael's sells mostly the arts and crafts supplies.  In fact, that store is stocked with these items.  It is very easy to overspend at Michael's, and the shopping experience there is quite overwhelming.  I have even lost track of time while shopping there.  The Michael's store in my area also provides custom framing services and craft classes for the public.

So Which is better Joann or Micheal's?   Well, both stores are great.  Just remember Joann sells more fabric and sewing supplies while Michael's sells more arts and crafts supplies.

Hobby Lobby, AC Moore, and Ben Franklin are also good craft stores.   I do not have a Hobby Lobby in my area, but I have purchased rubber stamps online from this company.

How to Buy Craft Supplies Cheap

Read More

Crafts Made From Recycled Packaging Tape Roll Live Long, Laugh Hard, and Love Much

This is a picture I made from the bottom of an empty resume paper box.  I used yellow paper in the background to give the piece a bright and sunny feeling.  

The Bird nest is made from recycled cardboard from a roll of packaging tape.  I was going to throw it away but it was very sturdy and I felt like I could do something productive with it.  In the bird's nest I added a variety of pink paper roses.  They represent eggs in a nest.  The actual bird is on top of the nest.  I was going to put her inside the nest, but I like the bird better on top of the nest.

To made the nest stand out, I added clear acrylic beads to the outer edge of the bird nest.  The bird nest was actual painted white on the inside and covered with scrapbook paper on the outside.   Right under the nest, are my little flowers.  I used four carnation pink paper roses and placed them on some five petal flowers that I made from scratch to make a layer floral look.  The cream five petal flowers were stained with pink distress ink.  To dress the flowers up even more, I added some pink and white polka dot ribbon to each one.  

Last, I finished the edges of the piece with an assortment of pink paper roses in different shades.  To help with negative space on the sides of the bird nest, I added some pink ribbon to both sides of the bird nest.  I used polka dot ribbon here also to tie in the other polka dot ribbon that is featured on the four roses at the bottom.   

Inside of the bird nest, it says Live Long, Laugh Hard, and Love Much. I put this in there as a daily reminder to me to never forget to enjoy life for it is a magnificent trip indeed.

Click Here for More Crafts Made from Recycled Materials

Read More

Crafts Made From Recycled Materials Tree of Good Fruits

Hi Everyone!  

This is my latest project.  This is called "Tree of Good Fruits" and it is made up of all recycled materials.  I used cardboard panel for the background.  Then I used old typing paper that I had around the house to make the rolled paper roses.  I will do a tutorial on these roses very soon.  Each rose has a good fruit attached to it.  I have this hanging in my room to constantly remind me of what I want to bring forth each and every day in my life.  

Happy Crafting and God bless, Chan 

Read More