How to make quick Christmas gift tags and tree ornaments

Here I am again with another of my favourite recycle and repurposes. You know I hate waste and this post helps to deal with that. I know it's only in a small way, not on any grand scale whatsoever but I believe every little bit adds up to a big bit! So there's my philosophy for the day! Very indepth I know!

I've been doing some shopping looking at prices for Christmas cards decorations etc. and though it looks inexpensive I started adding up the prices of those little bits and pieces and it was more than I thought. My brain was on overdrive so I looked through my stash of recycled  odds and ends and decided to start with Christmas gift tags and Christmas tree ornaments. Here is a list of what I used:

. Old cards
. Cardboard from grocery boxes
. Scraps of fabric and felt
. Old bits of jewellery
. Ribbon
. Twine
. Tin can and bottle lids
. Buttons
. Hole puncher
. Glue (I used cement glue) or a hot glue gun


They were so simple to make and you can have your kids or grandkids help. It makes a great crafting morning.

Firstly I cut out a card from the cardboard and used it as a basic template. I changed a few details, cutting the edges diagonally but that was it. After I'd cut out all of my gift tags it was time to start decorating. I used my hole puncher to cut out a circle for the ribbon to go through. Then I added the decorations, and that was fun! I could have made more, it was so addictive!
For the tree decorations I used a lid from a tin can and a lid from a glass jar. I covered these in felt by tracing around the lid onto the felt then covering it front and back with glue. I used an old earring on the red and white ornament because I always lose one of my earrings and end up with one, so that little red earring was perfect! I'm so glad I decided to keep the odd ones and not throw them out. I think it added a glamorous touch to it. 

The green, red and white one above is covered in green felt and a piece cut from an old gift bag with a pearl sitting in the middle.


I thought these would be great for my granddaughter and grandson. I used buttons and scrap felt.

I had so much fun making these, my granddaughter wants to make them as well so we are setting up a date for school holidays next week. If you have cardboard boxes,which you can find in the pantry, tea, cereal etc, some bits of ribbon or twine, you can make them too. You can draw or paint designs, use stamps made from a cut potato or celery, old wrapping paper, old buttons, bits of broken jewellery, you're only limited by your imagination! 

Have a great week everyone, I have some more ideas brewing for my next post so till then stay safe and happy     

DIY easy felt bag to make

Today I'm going to show you how to make a toy bag out of a piece of felt measuring 23" x 18". I have a grandson who is mad about cars, he's such a boy!  He has a lot of small cars that he likes to take with him wherever he goes. As I'm sure you know travelling for an inquisitive, active 4 year old is not easy so when his family is on an outing in the car he plays with them. I'm sure most parents can relate to this. Much better than a bored child who is constantly whingeing. I'm sure those of us who have children or grandchildren can relate! You could use this bag for so many things, dolls clothes, any toys, colouring in books and pencils, the list is endless.
As Christmas is coming up I thought this would make the perfect gift. Here are the list of supplies you will need:

Finished bag

. Piece of felt
. Piece of cotton fabric or calico
. Fabric Glue (if used)
. Cotton or embroidery floss
. Needle
. Buttons
. Hessian Burlap) for handles

The first thing I did was fold the felt in half lengthways. You now have 2 sides to glue or sew or both if you want to make it extra strong. You'll be sewing one side and the bottom of the bag.

Piece of felt

Felt sewn 2 sides

This is where you would use fabric glue to bring the two sides together if you choose to use it and sew them together.

The next step is to turn the fabric in the right way. This is where I sewed a 5" x 5" piece of calico onto the felt and glued the buttons of the first initial of my grandson's first name onto it.

I meant to take a picture before I put the buttons on but it appears that I didn't take one but I'm sure you get the idea. Next I attached the handles which are from a roll of hessian (burlap) edging. I knew it would make a sturdy handle and that is what you want for children, sturdy! I glued and sewed the handles on to be on the safe side.

And that my friends is it! Very quick and very easy! Next I'm making one for one of my grandaughters, I have 8 grandchildren so there might be more requests coming up! I'm not really a sewer but if you can thread a needle and do a very basic running stitch then you can make one too!

Have a great week everyone, let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Napkin Rings from Toilet Rolls

Good morning everyone. It's a beautiful day here in sunny Queensland.  Today I wanted to share with you my napkin rings  that I made.   I have a few birthday dinners coming up which started me thinking about table decor. I went to a few of my favourite shops to check out prices for napkin rings. There were a couple I loved but when I started to add up all of the items I would need for the table it was going to cost more than I wanted to spend. As you know I hate throwing anything out and I love to recycle and upcycle so I started looking through my supplies trying to come up with some diy ideas.  One thing I have plenty of and I'm quite sure I'm not alone in this is toilet paper tubes! I had the idea to cut these up to make the basis of my napkin rings. Because the birthdays were for different ages I ended up making 3 different styles of napkin rings.

The first thing I did was cut the cardboard tubes into 1 inch rings. 

I had on hand some burlap which was exactly the right width for my first napkin ring. I measured how much I would need and glued it onto the cardboard tube with cement glue. This stuff sticks to anything!

To give it a bit of pizzazz I added pearls around the middle of the tube. It comes in a small roll and was really easy to glue onto the burlap.   

Pink felt and pink stone

Beach style napkin rings

Burlap & Pearl napkin holder




I like the simplicity of this napkin holder, I'm not really a frills and lace type of girl. I know not everyone agrees, so I've made the next napkin ring slightly more feminine.

This napkin ring I covered in pink felt and yes, a piece of jewellery from earings that I owned.  I'm always losing one earing, so I have kept the ones I have left to use in DIY crafts such as this.

I also wanted to make napkin rings that are more casual in style and what could be more casual than the beach! I have a grandson who likes to surf so I thought these would be just the thing. I made this one using card stock which is thicker than paper and more sturdy. I then glued on a shell from my collection and voila! Beach style napkin holders. We are all beach lovers in my family so I know I will get a lot of use from them.

If you have toilet paper rolls give this a try, it's super cheap and super easy and we're doing our little bit to recycle instead of throwing them out. Have a great weekend everyone, till next time