Photos courtesy of uccellocurioso
Ever want to tell your sweetie just how much you love him or her, but can’t find the right words? Consider a different approach with these hand-painted cards that will be sure to get your point across! If you’ve ever gone weak at the knees for the perfect avocado or fish tacos, you know what we’re talking about. We suggest pairing these cute and appetizing cards with their favorite food, for best results.
Photo and instructions courtesy of Design Sponge
It’s not yet Spring but this project sure gets us excited! We’ve recently fallen head over heels for these gorgeous headpieces, brought to you by the madly creative team at Design*Sponge! Also known as fascinators, these are detailed, handmade accessories that clip or tie to your head and can truly hypnotize anyone who catches a glimpse! They are all simple enough for even the most clumsy of craftsters to make, and range from understated to show-stopping. Many incorporate live plants, and are sure to give your hairdo that wow factor by bringing a piece of nature into your everyday attire. Here are two of our favorites!
The Headband is the easiest to master, but one of the most lovely, in our opinion. You could wear it with nearly any outfit to any occasion, and it will make you smell like you’ve just rolled in a field of flowers!
And we can’t forget the pièce de résistance: the Nest! The little details like the robin and egg make this fascinator hard to ignore. The best part is, you can tailor every detail to fit your aesthetic and make completely unique versions!
hand stitch the comb to the back of the nest and feathers and glue on your details, like newly hatched babies, little feathers and a proud mama to top it off. The comb holds the whole family perfectly, so place it in your hair at a jaunty angle and wait for the compliments (and questions) to start flying.
We can’t wait to see all of the creative artists and DIY crafts ideas today at Fort Mason for the Renegade Craft Show, SF. Hope to see you, we will be there with bells on (and curly toed shoes)!
“Over 200 artists are traveling from all over the country and abroad to participate and sell their handmade goods at Renegade Craft Fair – San Francisco. From clothing and accessories, to stationary and concert posters, with everything from bath products and ceramics in between – there’s surely something for everyone! Be sure to check out our artist page to start working on your wish list.”
This is another in a series of guest blog posts about do it yourself and handmade gifts by Scott Ringo.
Country Soup in a Jar
Recipe = 1 Quart Jar
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup barley
1/2 Cup dried split peas
1/2 Cup uncooked white rice
1/2 Cup dry lentils
1 Cup Twist macaroni
1/2 cup Bowtie Pasta
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a wide mouth 1 quart jar, layer the barley, peas, rice and lentils. Then layer around the edges the onion, parsley, salt, lemon pepper, bouillon and the alphabet pasta. Fill the rest of the jar with the twist macaroni.
2. Seal and attach a gift card. The gift card should read: Add contents of jar to 3 quarts of water, 2 stalks of chopped celery, 2 sliced carrots, 1 cup of shredded cabbage (optional) and 2 cups diced tomatoes. Over medium low heat, cover and simmer about 1 hour, or until vegetables are tender.
3. Place in a brown paper lunch bag and tie up with string for an easy homemade packaging look.
This is our very first post from a series of posts about Handmade Gifts. We are featuring the brilliant and passionate work of Scott Michael Ringo in this series. If you like this handmade gift idea, make sure you keep reading. At the end of the post, I am going to tell you a few things about Scott that you won’t believe!
Hard Candy in decorative jars and tins
Everyone loves edible gifts, and hard candy is a sure winner from the responses we received from family and friends last Christmas. This gift can be put together in multiples in just an hour. It’s perfect for coworkers, friends, family or even to take with you to holiday gatherings.
What you need:
Jars or tins for packaging
Cloth or paper for topper (template here)
Cooking ingredients (see recipe below)
String to tie on jar topper
Project cost per jar $3
Hard Candy Recipe
Yields: 4 pint jars (varies depending on size of pieces)
Use flavorings from the a Wine and Cake store. Do not use extracts, only oils! www.lorannoils.com is a good source.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups white sugar
2/3 cups light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
1 dram (1 tsp) Gourmet Flavoring
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon food coloring, if desired
DIRECTIONS:
Sift a thin layer of confectioner’s sugar onto large cookie sheet (preferably with edges). In a large saucepan, mix together sugar, corn syrup, and water. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to a boil without stirring. When syrup temperature reaches 260 degrees F, add food coloring. Do not stir, action will incorporate color into syrup. Remove from heat at 300 degrees F or when drops of syrup form hard, brittle threads in cold water. After boiling ceases, add flavoring and stir. Use caution when adding flavoring to avoid rising steam. Pour syrup onto cookie sheet dust with powdered sugar, and score to mark squares. (Can also pour into greased molds.) When cool, break into pieces. Store in airtight container. Print jar topper if you are using jars and tie on with string.
* Be very careful as this candy when hot can cause serious injuries if you get it on yourself!
This is first in a series of guest posts by Scott Ringo, homemade gift maker extraordinaire, and passionate Elfster elf!
This year just like every year for the last 12 years our family is in the middle of making our Christmas gifts that we will give to our family and friends for Christmas.
It is a special time of the year for us, one for us that celebrates the birth of Jesus, and also warm, cozy and personal times with family and friends. “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…” already at our home, much like it would for the elves at the North Pole.
Making our gifts each year is a highlight of our year because not only is it fun to give family and friends gifts that we have made, but it is also fantastic family time we are able to spend together while making the gifts. We have found that family and friends also remember what we made and gave previous years which keeps them hoping for “Another Homemade Christmas from Virginia.”
Throughout the years we have become more and more sophisticated with our gift making and create a new “theme” and packaging for each set of 6 or more gifts we make from scratch each year. However, gifts can be simple and packaging easy if you would like to start your own tradition of making lasting memories and gifts with more meaning. Our family has found that through a little creativity and some family time we avoid the holiday shopping stress, save money so we are able to give gifts to more people on our list, and we get to give gifts that have special meaning to us and those we give to.
We thought we could share several entry level “made from scratch” gift that will be great to give in office exchanges or as a part of your families Christmas. We will follow up with a few gifts you can put together speedily, are mostly homemade and carry a festive, personal touch.
Elfster users are a creative bunch. Not only are we full of great gift ideas, about things to *buy* and give. Many have the skill and passion to do it ourselves, making hand made gifts! Now I must admit, I don’t have the skill, at least not yet! But I’d love to learn, wouldn’t you? And heck, in these uncertain times why not trade some hard work to lighten the load on the pocketbook?
To help us find that inner elf, craftsman in all of us we have solicited the help of a super helpful and talented Elf, craftsman extraordinaire, Scott Ringo. Scott’s been making hand made gifts for his family and friends for years, truly amazing stuff! A passionate Elfster user, Scott has some very helpful tips and tricks based on surprising and delighting his family with great success.
Take a look at this!
Would you love to make something like this for your friends? So would I! So keep an eye out for more about Scott and Elfster’s Do It Yourself (DIY) handmade gift tips on Elfing it, the Elfster blog. Your friends are going to love you for it!
