Merry Christmas Bozo: A Holiday Heat Transfer Tale

I know today's project title sounds strange, but I promise the story about it is worth it!  I last minute made this heat transfer shirt for my 4yr old as a special surprise:

It's a direct quote from him about the character pictured with it.  Yes, he's wishing a squirrel Merry Christmas.  And yes, he's calling him a bozo.

Backstory: In October we had a bunch of pretty pumpkins out on our front porch as part of our festive decorations.  After a while we noticed a few small chunks taken out of one of the "fairy tale" varieties.  Days went by and more small chunks.  A week went by and it was looking pretty beat up.  We figured something about it must have been appealing to a bird or chipmunk so we tossed it out.  The rest were untouched so it must have just been something about that one, right?

The next day a couple had small bite marks and a large classic pumpkin had a giant hole in it.  The porch was also sprayed with pumpkin innards and seeds.  Like someone had blown it up with a stick of dynamite like in a cartoon.  I didn't think to take a photo at the time, but it was a MASSIVE mess.  About 15min later I spied this guy through the glass in the door (it looks like there are 3 of him, but it's the effect of the cuts in my door's glass):

Yep, it was a squirrel.  A giant, chubby, almost-as-big-as-a-cat squirrel.  Eating seeds out of a pumpkin.  In two decades of putting pumpkins out, we've never had any bitten into, let alone torn apart and chowed on!  Then I saw him in action :

It seemed crazy!  He was carving it by eating!  So my 4yr old pranced over and began dancing a little jig to a spontaneous song he made up for the squirrel, "Bozo, bozo, you are a bozo!" in a sort of school-yard nah-nah tone while peering at him through the glass.  Squirrel didn't care - he kept eating.  But as soon as he left we tossed all the remaining pumpkins out and washed the mess away, so I'm sure he was disappointed when he came back and his buffet was gone.

We haven't seen him since, but he came up in conversation last week.  Not missing a beat, my little guy commented in a disgruntled tone "Merry Christmas Bozo." and I knew I had to immortalize it into a shirt.

I found a free silhouette image of a squirrel and another of a Santa hat and combined them using iPiccy.  

I imported it into Cricut Design Space to make a cut file and adding the wording and cut them out.  The words with plain heat transfer vinyl and the squirrel in flocked.

I applied them with my heat press (more on the ones I use here and here).  Since I was using two different kinds, I did them in phases.  The flocked was first at 295 degrees for 30sec front/15sec back.

  Then I did the lettering on 330 degrees for the same time, carefully not overlapping the press on anything.  I peeled when cool and our inside joke Christmas shirt was born:

Everyone in the house is now in love with this shirt.  My teens are now requesting them.  Maybe next year it should become a family Christmas photo....;)

Burlap-style Deco Mesh Christmas Wreaths

I know I'm probably late to the party with this project, but I finally made some deco mesh style wreaths.  I'm so happy with how they turned out I had to share them!  We get some rough winters around here, so it seemed like it was time to make some really durable (and affordable) door wreaths for the holiday season.  Ones that won't easily blow off or get worn out.  I also had some pretty Christmas ribbons & themed mdf cutouts I'd gotten for my shop that I really wanted to use myself, so this seemed like the perfect project.

I made a pair for our double front doors:

I wanted the highlight the sweet Nativity design of the ribbon & wreath center wood cuts and at the same time have the bright blue of the starry ribbon to stand out against the neutrals of the gold & burlap. 

If you're short on time, but want to make a beautiful wreath, this is a quick & easy way to get results.

Materials:

- 20in metal wreath forms (I used these)

- 10yd rolls of 21in wide poly jute deco mesh (I used these)

- 3 different 2.5in wide wired ribbon (I used Nativity, Navy Gold Stars & Gold value roll from Hobby Lobby)

- chenille stems (aka pipe cleaners)

- hot glue gun

- MDF cutout shapes (Hope & Joy)

- Acrylic craft paint & brushes

- Fishing line & upholstery needle

To do the poof-style mesh wreath base, I used this fantastic tutorial from Dave's Wreaths and Things.  It's easy to follow and worked out exactly as he instructed, so I wasn't going to reinvent the wheel by trying to do any step-by-step photos.  I got the poly jute style because I wanted it to look like burlap but be more durable and not be too floppy to shape.  They turned out nice & full and I didn't have to fiddle around trying to shape them:  

I used a great tutorial from Michelle Smith Creations to strategically add in the ribbon embellishments and make a nice full bow.

I used acrylic craft paints to paint my unfinished Joy & Hope signs.  To get the color just right to match my ribbon, I layered a few shades of royal & navy blue with some broad brushstrokes: 

Then I painted the little Nativity scenes in each one with some metallic gold acrylic and a layer of gold glitter to add a little sparkle to go with the sparkle of my other ribbons.

The center signage being cutout letters, rather than a big circle or rectangle, meant using her technique of attaching a central sign to the wreath wouldn't really work for me, so I got out an upholstery needle and some fishing line and attached it to the back of the wreath form and then looped it around the edges of the outer letters to really anchor it on, but not be super obvious to the eye.

I didn't have time this year to get really spectacular with the rest of our porch decorations (I also need to keep room free for my giant bin of outgoing stuff), but I think they look nice with our potted trees.  Next year I might make more goodies to team with my wreath theme, but for now, it's making Christmas brighter at our front door:)

Making Snow Globe Mason Jars

This easy DIY makes a sweet gift handmade item that is sure to delight!  Fill the jars with cocoa or cookie mix, candies, nuts or potpourri.  They make a lovely gift or sweet little decoration that can be enjoyed year after year.  The Nativity looks so heavenly nestled in the snow:

  I fell in love with this project idea last year when I discovered a tutorial for making them to gift hot cocoa mix in over at Dream A Little Bigger.  Unfortunately I ran out of time to make any so it had to wait until now.  Several of the suggested products used there are no longer available, so I found some ideal substitutes to make them work and am sharing my findings so you can too:)

To make them I used a mix of some winter mini decorations, as well as some Nativity-themed flat backs & buttons from my shop and some pretty trims from my friend Jennifer's shop: Sugar Pink Boutique.

Materials:

- Mason jars (I used standard 8oz)

- Plastic Mason jar lids* 

- Plastic 2pc 70mm globe ornaments

- Christmas Flatbacks & Buttons, mini resin figures

- 1/2in wide ribbon, baby pom pom ribbon, decorative satin trims

- Buffalo snow, optional: mini bottle brush trees

- Hot glue gun

- Ruler, rotary cutter, wire cutters

* It's a lot easier to start with solid white lids, but if you only have access to the metal ring kind, glue the seal to the ring and then paint white before starting.

Begin by hot gluing the central flat backs or buttons onto the jar lid at the center.  I used A Child Is Born & Three Wise Men Flat Backs from my shop for these.  Make sure items chosen will all fit under the dome (no taller than 1 1/8in).  I had to trim down my tree a bit at the base.

Carefully use the wire cutters to clip off the hanging circle of one of the ornament halves.  It's ok if it's not perfect - the ribbon will cover this up.

Put just under a tablespoon's worth of the artificial snow in the globe half:

Carefully put the jar lid over the globe and firmly hold together.  Run a thin line of hot glue around the edges to adhere them together.  I smoothed it as I went with a silicone finger protector (but a silicone hot pad or spatula edge would work too).  Check the edge to make sure there are no gaps (add a little more glue if needed).

Use ribbon & trim to dress things up and cover the seam edge just made.  An easy way is to use a wide trim with a decorative edge, like this 1.5in wide velvet center crochet ribbon.  Just hot glue it around the lid edge and overlap the ends at the back.

The crochet edge makes a pretty little fence around the scene.  I added a topper 3/8in wide trim of metallic silver velvet to add a little extra bling that doesn't shed:

For a different finish, I used 1/2in wide grosgrain ribbon, baby pom pom and some metallic satin tree trim on my Three Wise Men version:

Glue on the 1/2in wide ribbon first, making sure the top edge overs the seam of the snow globe, then glue the pom pom trim over the lower edge (which will camouflage any of the lid that was showing).

Then add the satin trim just above the top of the pom pom:

After making a few, it starts to go pretty fast and it's a lot of fun to make a variety of versions by using different figures and trims.

Add your favorite fillings: holiday mixes, candies, potpourri, etc. and they're ready to gift.  Enjoy seeing your recipients faces lit up when they receive them!  

Fold & Stitch Wreath Tutorial

Make a gorgeous fabric wreath for the holidays to celebrate the season!  This versatile project is simple to sew and can be used in two ways.  As a hanging wreath: 

Or a stunning table centerpiece:

The folds of the fabric squares create a stunning dimensional effect:

Despite looking intricate and complicated to make, it has a surprisingly simple construction.  This wreath is made up of stabilized squares of fabric stitched together.  If you can sew basic squares, you can make it!  It's the ideal project for showcasing a number of fabrics, but doesn't uses much yardage.  

My version was inspired by a wreath image of the original Fold'n Stitch Wreath Pattern by Poorhouse Quilt Designs (which includes templates, extra tips & tricks, plus hanging sleeve option, available here).  Mine is done slightly differently, with a smaller center, and uses fusible fleece/batting to stabilize it.  I'm sharing how I made it right here! 

Materials:

- 3/4yd cotton backing fabric (I used Oh Holy Night Manger Green)

- 3/4yd cotton front fabric (I used Oh Holy Night Words Linen)

- 1/2yd cotton topper fabric (I used Oh Holy Night Nativity Mulberry)

- 1/2 yd fusible fleece

- 1/2 yd paper backed fusible

Optional: 1/2 yd of cut-apart trim or 12 beads or buttons for detailing.  I used this Metallic Gold Cutout Star Trim

- Rotary cutter/shears, ruler/yard stick, iron, zipper foot, pins, clips, disappearing marker, hand sewing needle

If you're using non-directional fabric prints, you can use your ruler to measure the width & lengths across the fabrics easily to cut squares quickly.  If you're using directional prints like ours, they'll need to be cut as diamonds so the designs will face outward around the entire wreath.  We find making card stock squares in each of the square sizes first makes this much easier since precision is key. 

  

Cut the following fabric squares:

- (12) 7 inch squares from backing fabric 

- (12) 7 inch squares from front fabric

- (12) 5 inch squares from topper fabric 

- (12) 6 inch squares from fusible fleece or batting

Center the fusible fleece on the wrong side of each backing fabric square and fuse with iron:

Take front fabric squares and, using a ruler and rotary cutter, cut a 2 inch "X" at the center of each square.

With right sides facing (and print directions matching), stitch front and backing fabrics together, using a 1/2 inch seam allowance so that the stitching borders the fusible fleece:

Trim down seam allowance and clip corners and then pull right side out through the X opening on the fronts, making sure all corners are nicely pointed and press flat.

Lay paper backed fusible paper side down on ironing surface.  Place topper fabric squares on top, right side up.  Lay a piece of parchment paper on top and iron according to product directions to adhere the fusible to the wrong sides of the topper squares.  When cool, peel the paper backing off and cut out topper squares 

Center each topper square right side up over each front side of fabric square, matching directions of fabric prints, and fuse together with iron, using a press cloth between fabrics and iron:

Stitch around topper edge with a decorative stitch, like a wide zig-zag, that goes off the edge of the topper fabric: 

Repeat with all twelve squares:

From the top point of each square, measure 1 inch over to the right and mark.  From the right side point measure down 3 inches and mark.  Place ruler along marking points and draw a line.  This will be the stitch line to attach them all together in a moment:

Take two squares and place them together with back sides facing, matching print directions and clip on right side as shown.  Stitch down along the marked line of the top square.  Open so both attached squares are facing up and repeat this step with the 2nd of the attached squares now being the top one and adding a new one underneath it (back sides facing) and repeating stitching along the marked line of the top one.  

Repeat this square-by-square and you will see the wreath start to form.  Stitch the last square to the first to close the wreath.

Bring the side points of each individual square together and hand stitch to create the dimensional shape:

The next step is optional, but adds a beautiful detail.  Attach beads, buttons or trim on top of each point around the wreath by hand sewing - or - do what we did and use something like this metallic gold cut out star trim and cut 12 individual shapes apart:

Then hot glue each one to the wreath:

How to display it is up to you.  Add a votive or single taper candle to create a beautiful centerpiece or sew on a metal sawtooth hanger or ribbon loop or other mounting method to hang it as a lovely wreath.