2013 Craft Goodies Ornament Exchange is HERE!!!

CG Ornament Exchange is BACK!!! Are you ready? I've had so many of you email me asking if it was going to happen again this year, how could I say no? In fact, I must say THANK YOU for helping me to see that it has become a part of more than just my holiday season, but yours too. That was my goal in the beginning, it makes my heart swell to know that that is what has happened. So, let's get this party started...  

Craft Goodies Christmas Ornament Exchange

sign ups are now OPEN...

Want to play along? Here's what you need to know:

Sign ups are open from today 11/12 through Saturday 11/23.

To officially "sign-up" send me an email with your mailing address and full name as well as the number of ornaments {1-10} that you want to exchange.

 

 

Ornaments can be hand made or store bought, which ever fits your style and schedule. If you would prefer to receive only handmade ornaments just leave me a little note when you email me your contact info.
You will receive* the same number of ornaments back that you send out. Please also include a card or note with your ornament to introduce yourself and pass along a little holiday cheer.
{It's kind of fun to include a small treat with your ornament but not necessary.}
 

*I cannot police this, I go purely on blind faith that you will get your ornaments to the people waiting for them. I can however send a lot of annoying reminder emails...
 

You will receive an email by 11/25 with the names and addresses of those that you send your ornaments to--one ornament per name.
The names will all be different so making the same ornament is totally okay!

 

MAIL DEADLINE IS  Wednesday, 12/4!!!
How you ship the ornaments is up to you, but please pack them as best you can so that they don't break! If you need packing ideas, give me a holler,  but please don't miss the deadline so that they arrive in time to hang them on the tree.

And last, I'd LOVE it if you'd email me a picture of your ornaments before you send them out. Last year I received so many notes back saying how cute the ornaments were and I had no idea what they looked like! So I'm just putting it out there...I WANT TO SEE ALL THE ORNAMENTS! And, I'm pretty sure everyone else does too...that way I can also share an exchange post high lighting all your awesome-ness.

**If you participated last year and still have pictures, I'd love you forever if you resent them. My computer crashed last December and ate almost all the pictures I had saved for future posts!

 

***check my archives from Nov 2010 or  Nov 2011 for ideas from the past
Ornament-A-Day series***

That's it! Super simple and tons of fun! I'd love to have you join me. You can email me at { wmgar@comcast.net } to get on the list.

Happy Crafting.

 

Exchange Show Offs!!!

This is SOOOO long overdue but very needed so your getting a little Christmas in February.

This past December I hosted another online ornament exchange and to say the least, it was FANTASTIC!

The ladies that participated did an incredible job, I LOVE every single ornament I received, I wanted several ornaments I didn't receive! They all need to be shared, so prepare your "Pin It" button, cause I know you're going to be using it...

"Button Balls" by Amy Thompson

Glitzy Holiday Lights by Amy Snell

Quilled Snowflake by Angie Stokes

Painted Cinnamon and Applesauce by Carley Mayo

Plastic Canvas Frames by Carrie Ovard

Sweet Little Snowmen by Chris Little

Snow Assortment by Christie Leber

Denim Owl by Melanie Couch

Pinecone Owls by Brandie Adams

Snowman Discs by Shontell Olson

Mini Blockhead by Wendy Gardiner

Legend of the Peacock by Kim Jeppsen

Rag Santa by Amy Jones

Quilted Mrs Claus by Shelly Kline

Paper Snowflake by Stacie Doxey

Painted Glass Snowman by Carissa Barrett

Hear Them Ring Pillow by Cindy Boyenga

Santa's Toy Sack by Kallee Twiner

Glittery Ball by Kristie White

                                              

Pretty fun, right?
Also a BIG thank you to Erika Douglas, Lori Story, Heidi Wendland, Kara Ramsey,
and Carrie Liljenquist for playing along! (I didn't have a picture to share)

Thank you again to all of you that participated for your time, your talents, and for making someone else smile this past holiday season. My heart just melts every time I think about it.
You ladies are amazing! Thank you for supporting my craziness...don't miss the next one!

Happy Crafting.

For the Love of PAPER--Quilled Paper Ornaments!!!

You may have noticed a few days of ornaments missing last week.

Well, there's a story behind that...

You see I have this adorable 4 year old that LOVES to take pictures, only problem, she doesn't have a camera. So what does a resourceful young lady do in such a situation?

 She borrows her mamas, of course!

So yeah, this mama still hasn't uncovered her secret picture taking local--hence no pictures.

As soon as I locate the camera I'll get the pictures up.

But all is well! I planned a week of paper ornaments this week and today's is another borrowed one. 

I found this a while ago and just thought it looked like a fun sit-and-watch-TV-make-an-ornament kind of project.

All paper! Such possibilities!

And the blog where I found it is really cool too, some seriously neat projects there.

You'll find the how to at

Paper, Plate and Plane

Enjoy your Monday and happy crafting.

Mini Block Head Ornaments {and a peek at my other exchange ornaments}!!!

A miracle has occured here at my house.

And if you know me, you'd know it's a pretty big one.

I actually have my exchange ornaments done--and it isn't the day before the mail deadline either!

Did you feel the earth shake? My hubster will most likely go into shock, better not tell him.

Want to see...

Look familiar? He should!

I decided I couldn't get a better representation of myself than to mini size one of my blockheads.

I used a 1x3 as the block and then finished him just like his big brother adding an eye screw at the top to hang him and a bow and bell at his neck to dress him up for the holidays.

So fun! I want to do the snowman and penguin next!

I also participated in another exchange hosted by Stefanee from It's All in my Head.

Remember the scrabble tile ornies I posted last week, well I couldn't get over them...

I snagged a few scrabble games over the weekend and went to work.

I used two different backgrounds, the ones above are wood glued onto cut lengths of (wait for it...)

5 gallon paint sticks!!!

And the ones below are on cut lengths of a yard stick...

I had fun playing around with the bows and embellishments--so much so I kept a few for myself!

Here is the one thing I learned, when you've used up all the letters you have and have a bunch of random u's and i's left over, grab a sharpie, flip those babies over and write your own!

I ended up being able to use ALL of the scrabble tiles this way which made my final costs just about 50 cents per ornament!

Not to shabby.

Enjoy your day, happy crafting.



Flowered Glass Ornament

I was having such a fantastically productive morning yesterday! I got the days ornament done plus two sets of exchange ornaments, a guest post project finished, my new shop kits done and photographed, a package of goodies packed to mail to my sister, and bought wrapped a birthday present--all before 10am.

I was so proud of me, I knew my post would go up late (I had to go to the birthday party) but I'd have it up by no later than 1. And then the afternoon hit and I didn't find myself at the computer until after my girls had gone to bed!

So the bad news, I missed a day, the good news...you're getting a two-fer today!

Yesterday's ornament was fun to figure out.

Pretty, huh?

And really easier than it might look. I saw this first in a boutique for a fantastic price and instantly my "I could make that for so much less" gene kicked in.

Here's the quick version of how I did it...

Start by stuffing a paper sized (8.5x11ish) piece of either fabric or tissue paper into the ornament.

Replace the cap and wrap the ornament tightly in a layer of tulle. Tie off the tulle at the top of the ornament and run a thick bead of hot glue around it to hold it tight.

Add the bows next. I did a wide ribbon, 3 loop bow, and a two-toned narrow ribbon 4 loop bow on each side. I added the little bell to cover up my glue spots.

Next, completely dissect a silk flower...

Starting with the big ones, snip the center hole so it will fit over the hanger on the ornament.

Add some glue to the ornament top and then slide the flower into place. Continue cutting and gluing until you've added all the petals.

After you've added the last petal, slip a thin ribbon through the wire loop and tie off to form a hanger.

Last, glue the flower's center back into place and you're done!

Not to bad, right? And seriously, so pretty.

I'll be back in a bit with today's ornament and also have my new December kits to share with you, a fun little announcement, and a quick reminder...

Happy Crafting.



Fabulous Glass Ornaments!!!

I knew I'd be pretty much useless today due to the festivities of yesterday and the fun of shopping today so I went on the hunt for a goodie from someone else's mind. And I'm pretty excited with what I found...

Isn't that beautiful!

And really, super easy to make. You can find the full tutorial at

The Sew*er, the Caker, the Copycat Maker

Here's a few more ideas to get you going...

Enjoy your day, happy crafting.



Kids Meal Toy Ornaments!!!

Today's ornament is a quickie cause well, I have some cooking {and eating}to do!

This is one of those things that I seriously can't believe I had to stumble across to even think of. But in my world it is brilliant!

I can't tell you the amount of money I have spent on ornaments for my girls that look so very similar to these, had I only known.

 The supply list is minimal.

You really only need a kids meal toy that your kiddo can't live without and a screw-in eye hook. Pliers and a candle make it easier and the ribbon just makes it pretty.  

That's it! Just think how many ornament possibilities are in your toy box right now.

Use the pliers to hold the end of the eye hook over the candle flame to warm it up, then press the hot end into the plastic toy to make your drilling point. Squeeze those pliers tight and start turning.

Once the eye hook has cooled you can finish twisting it in with your fingers.

Your little friend will look like this:

From there just add your ribbon to make a hanger and your in ornament heaven!

Your kiddos will think you're A-mazing, and they will have a ton of non-breakable ornaments that you won't care if they take off the tree and play with. It's a total win-win!

(They would also make a fun way to personalize a present. Just tie on a favorite character to the package your giving and again, you're super cool cause they just got a little bonus present!)

And hey, if you have issues like I do, you'll end up with a full series of "collector" ornaments in a matter of just a few lunches!

Enjoy your day. Enjoy your families. And make something great-

happy crafting.