Although I’m not really sure Dr. Who is nerdy anymore now with the modern Doctors. Old school Dr. Who is still nerdy, but I never got into that – I must admit I just love the new stuff (I started watching with Eccleston, and adored Tennant, and now Smith is just too much fun!)

Renee says:

From I made her out of Paper Clay. Best stuff EVAR! The first time I used it in making Bianca for Dragon*Con it was really fun, but I didn’t quite understand the potential it had! Underneath the clay is a skeleton of Styrofoam and wire. And a rather silly M&M Mini’s tube in the middle to keep her strong on top of the tree. But hey, I’m recycling! Here are some other, closer shots of it.

Want more DIY ideas?

 and a few more links of crafty/DIY Dr. Who:

• Tardis cross-stitch iphone case
• An amazing Don’t Blink weeping angel costume
• Duct Tape Tardis Purse
• Dalek Advent Calendar
• Dalek Smash Cake 
• Beaded Dr. Who scarf necklace
• DIY Tardis Hoodie ( you know we love freezer paper stencils)

It’s a really neat technique that just uses acrylic gel medium from the art store– no toxic chemicals or anything like that.  The toner from the photocopy remains on the wood, so the white areas of your photo become wood colored, which is a really nice natural effect.   I’m planning on make a bunch using some wood veneer cards to use as keepsake gift tags for gifts this year.

For the tutorial I used one of my squid watercolors — in the example above I used a photocopy of a photo of The Boy, perfect for grandparent gifting! And it’s easy to do, though I will warn you it does take a little practice to get the timing exactly right, so plan on practicing on some scrap wood first.

I didn’t really go over how to use photos for the ornaments in the tutorial, and there’s a few things I’ve learned.  Pick a photo with a lot of contrast, and ideally use photoshop, or some other photo editing software, to turn it black and white and bump up the contrast.  In Photoshop, use play with the layer Levels to get a good effect.  Remember to reverse it, especially if you add text!  Make a bunch of copies on the same page (try different sizes). Then print it out, and photocopy.  For the ones shown here, I actually printed out the text separately, and put in on first, then put the photo on top of the text, so I get the ‘white’ background behind the text.

Wanna do it yourself? Go get the instructions…

(Past ornament tutorials: Resin Stars, Easy Gift Card Holder, Champagne Chairs, Sweater Photo Frames, Shrinky Dinky Santa)

Whether we like it or not, the colder months are officially upon us and the holidays are just around the corner.  Using items you already have around, transforming your home into a warm and welcoming place is easier than you ever imagined. These quick and simple tips for do-it-yourself decorations will have you sitting back and relaxing with a hot cup of cocoa in no time at all!

Snow Globe:

Not only is it super easy to create your own snow globe, it’s a really fun child-friendly activity. Grab an empty mason jar and fill it with water, some sparkles (white or silver if you’re going for a snowy effect) and a couple drops of glycerin. Glue a toy or mini-scene of your choice to the underside of the lid and screw right on, adding a little hot glue to keep things secure. If you’re feeling extra creative, check out this tutorial from TipJunkie on tinting mason jars. Your very own DIY snow globe is complete!  [ed-Pictured: from a great tutorial at Corner House]

Table runners:

I don’t know about you, but I tend to get at least a couple fancy placemat sets each year. We don’t really make use of these at home, but one of the ways I’ve upcycled them is by sewing them together to create a fun and festive table runner. No need to put too much time into this one either – simple attaching the patterns together will give you the look you’re going for. You can even place those festive filled vases on top to finish off the look!

Festive filled jars:

Candy canes, red bows and sparkly ornaments are a holiday staple. Another really quick way to spice up a room is to fill clear glass vases or bowls with items you’re not currently using.

These ones by Jen from Creative Design are wonderful!

Fancy candles:

Candles are one of the simplest ways to update a room and make things feel warm and cozy. Whether you’re stuck with a bunch of leftover stick candles from a party a long time ago, or are in the mood to go out and purchase a few news ones, there is no need to spend money on any particular design. Adding some stylish ribbon around the base or the body of your candy is a really quick way to create a whole new look. I suggest clumping three candles of different heights together to create and using big, embellished ribbon to really make a statement. If you need a little inspiration, Amanda over at Imperfectly Beautiful has a great tutorial. You can also add a little twinkle by covering your candles in mod podge and rolling them in chunky sparkles!

Recycled Card Art:

After years of collecting Christmas cards and never knowing what to do with them, I finally found a way to put them to good use. I frame collages of cards in cheap dollar store frames and place them on my mantles, bathroom vanities and kitchen counter tops. Again, I stick to the rule of three, usually combining a few for a more prominent look.

Holiday themed wreath:

A wreath, either for outside or in, is a really nice way to embrace the season. Using a collection of twigs or tree trimmings, bundle them around to form a circle tying every few inches with twine or wire. Next, take advantage of nature by adorning the circle with pinecones, leaves, and greenery. Add some festive spirit by using the the glue gun to attach bows, ornaments or other holiday themed items to your increasingly beautiful wreath to complete the look.

Brush Mat:

As the cooler air approaches, I usually head out to my nearest home hardware store to pick up a new brush mat after retiring last year’s when summer came along. In my opinion, nothing gets dirty boots cleaner but they’re also nearly impossible to clean. Instead of paying extra for the ones with design, just grab a plain one and head home for a little fun with spray paint. Using home-made or store-bought stencils and fall colored spray-paint, get crafty with your new mat and create a brand new personalized boot cleaner.

Hi my name is Jessica, I’m a passionate do-it-yourselfer and recently started expressing my creativity and sharing my many ideas through blogging. I have the pleasure of working for online DIY resource for homeowners and retailer of Maytag appliance parts, PartSelect.com.  If you’re looking for repair help or simply wondering what we do, pop by for a visit!

Start planning ahead now… many cookie recipes can be made ahead and frozen, which makes things easier when the season gets more hectic. Plus, that leftover halloween candy you’ve been trying to get rid of is great for replacing chocolate chips in your fave chocolate chip cookie recipe!

• 12 Days of Ass Friendly Christmas Cookies from The Novice Chef… Some really tasty looking treats, and under 100 calories… I love the Chocolate Hazelnut Pinwheels– They can double as an edible ornament! (though I think I’ll make some with Jam inside instead)
• From Tip Junkie: Semi-homemade food gifts – from peppermint bark, to ‘ready to make’ rice krispy treats.
• Also from Tip Junkie: A roundup of peppermint treat ideas… lots of good ones.
• Chocolate-Hazelnut Spritz Cookies at La Mia Vita Dolce
• Norwegian Sand Cookies at Pam’s wonderful site: Gingerbread Snowflakes
• Candy Cane Cake pops at Hostess with the Mostess (and check out these Rock Candy Trees!)
• Gingerbread houses and More at Crafting in a Green World – and here’s some great ideas for a Gingerbread house party from Chica & Jo
• Chewiest Molasses Cookies at Can You Stay For Dinner – I LOVE molasses cookies.
• Almond Joy Truffles at Duhlicious. These are so pretty.
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies at Little Brown Pen. Easy and Pretty!
• Salted Toffee Chocolate Squares at Pink of Perfection
• Super Easy Last Minute treats – Holiday Pretzel Kisses at Little Birdie Secrets
• Cookie Tree ideas at the Kitchn (Dabbled’s own Cookie Trees are at Foodwhirl — pictured above!)

• 12 Days of Ass Friendly Christmas Cookies from The Novice Chef… Some really tasty looking treats, and under 100 calories… I love the Chocolate Hazelnut Pinwheels– They can double as an edible ornament! (though I think I’ll make some with Jam inside instead)
• From Tip Junkie: Semi-homemade food gifts – from peppermint bark, to ‘ready to make’ rice krispy treats.
• Also from Tip Junkie:  A roundup of peppermint treat ideas… lots of good ones.
• Chocolate-Hazelnut Spritz Cookies at La Mia Vita Dolce
• Norwegian Sand Cookies at Pam’s wonderful site: Gingerbread Snowflakes
• Candy Cane Cake pops at Hostess with the Mostess  (and check out these Rock Candy Trees!)
• Gingerbread houses and More at Crafting in a Green World – and here’s some great ideas for a Gingerbread house party from Chica & Jo
• Chewiest Molasses Cookies at Can You Stay For Dinner – I LOVE molasses cookies.
• Almond Joy Truffles at Duhlicious.  These are so pretty.
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies at Little Brown Pen.  Easy and Pretty!
• Salted Toffee Chocolate Squares at Pink of Perfection
• Super Easy Last Minute treats – Holiday Pretzel Kisses at Little Birdie Secrets
• Cookie Tree ideas at the Kitchn (Dabbled’s own Cookie Trees are pictured above – I just recently reposted the recipe at Foodwhirl!)

Make a TreeSkirt from a Tablecloth

(keep an eye out for a good one at the after Christmas Sales this year!)

Make  Resin Christmas Star ornaments

with this great tutorial from Kerry.

Haven’t you been wanting to try
making something out of Resin?

Lindsey shows us how to make your own terrarium…

a perfect gift for that hard to shop for person on your list!

Another cute handmade gift idea

perfect for the little kids on your list:

Felt M&M cookies from Melissa

Want more?

Here are some other holiday posts from Dabbled…

• Christmas Ornament Tutorials – a Roundup of several good ones.
• A Bunch more Christmas Ornaments, with Tutorials
• Tutorial roundup of Handmade Christmas Gifts
• How to have a Hassle free handmade holiday, from Rachel
• 2008 christmas Roundup
• Recycled Shrinky Dink Christmas Ornament How To and Template
• Environmentally Friendly “Green” Crafting for the Holidays

Hope you have a great holiday season!

xxoo

Dot

So this was my quickie project for today…

Since my space for my tree is squared off, I made this one a square, but if you tree is in a more open area, you could easily make it octagonal with just one additional step.

Steps:

Procure tablecloth.  Mine was rectangular and 60 inches wide (and 109″ long), which seems a nice size.  1/2 of the width of the cloth will be the distance your skirt will extend from the tree, so plan accordingly, depending on your tree size/space.

It was also regularly $14.99, but marked down to 75% off in the days after Christmas!

So, you’ll need to trim the cloth so it’s 60″ (in this case) square.  You can measure if you want, but my quick method is to fold the tablecloth from one corner into a triangle shape, and trim the excess. Leave a 1/2 inch or so extra since you’ll be hemming the cut side (so your “square is 60″ x 60.5” in reality)

Next, fold in quarters to determine the center.  Mark with a pin.  Cut out according to the instructions below, then hem your rough edges…!  Easy Peasy.  This is a great novice project, because most of your sewing won’t be seen very closely, by the way…

(Click the image to see larger)

I stopped here, but you could always add trim at this point, or embellish in other ways…

Also, your excess cut from the tablecloth would make a lovely set of placemats or a table runner!

(excuse the photo – taken by my phone!)

Want to make it yourself?  Here’s the recipe!

Nanny’s Sour Cream Pound Cake

From Estelle Cotten (1992)

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• ½ tsp lemon extract (I was out of lemon, so i increased the vanilla and added a touch of almond extract)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups cake flour, sifted
• ¼ tsp. soda (sift in with flour)
• 1 small carton sour cream  (1 cup)

Instructions:

Line bottom of tube pan with parchment paper.  Spray sides and tube with non-stick spray and flour lightly.  Oven temperature 275 – 300.

(I used a bundt pan for this because it was all I could find, so I just greased and floured the whole thing)

Cream butter with sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time.

Add flavorings.  Add flour (with soda) alternately with sour cream (Flour first, then ½ the sour cream, flour, rest of the sour cream, flour) using low speed of mixer.

Pour batter into prepared tube pan.  Bake at 275-300 about 1 ½ hours.  (Use toothpick test–done when toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean)

Let cool, then remove from pan.

To Download as PDF: Gifttags-2009-Dabbledorg
To get from Flickr: Go to Flickr, then choose All Sizes

Like these?

You can download all the images to make your own little Game Box, a cute homemade stocking stuffer!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Tutorial: Make a Bracelet from an old Record

Kelly from Tresijas shows us how to make a fun and easy bracelet! A great present that you can do yourself…

Christmas Tag Downloadable

Fanie from Art vs Craft.net made a cute cat Christmas gift tag for you!

A cute stocking stuffer: The Little Game Box

And my own holiday gift to you, Download everything you need to make this little game… with bunches of cards with illustrations by yours truly!

More Holiday Tutorials and Links!

A few more things for inspiration from around the web…

• Christmas Projects for Kids at One Pretty Thing
• Adorable Advent Calendar cards every day this month at Sketched Out!
• Christmas Cane Cookies at Filth Wizardry
• Appliqued Onesies at Ready Set Craft!
• Recycled Wrapping Paper Ideas at Mega-Crafty
• Check out all the wreath ideas at Dollar Store Crafts (and all the Dollar Store Gifts tutorials)