Christmas

Nutcracker Party Shirt

January 10, 2019 by Jessica 2 Comments

This Christmas was such a fun one! My girls had a blast really being able to enjoy time with so much family. I wanted to do some special things and one thing I did was create this nutcracker party shirt for all the littles on my husband’s side. We are starting to do a Christmas movie theme each year and went with The Nutcracker since the new movie had just come out. Time didn’t allow us to actually go see the movie, but it’s on our list. I created this design using the design feature for my Cricut Explore. It was really easy to create and now they have a one of a kind shirt just for them.

It had been a while since I had created a shirt using iron on vinyl. I didn’t realize some of the new products that are now more easily available. I gave the Siser Easywood HTV in green a try (I found it at Michael’s). It was my best experience with heat transfer vinyl yet! It went on so easy and smooth. I was impressed. I guess I’m a little behind on the new and amazing things as usual hahaha. If you want to make your own and have a Cricut cutting machine, you can find the graphic I made here. You will need to log into your account to see it. Just resize according to your needs.

My two girls are already talking about what next year’s theme might be… I’m thinking maybe a Rudolph one…. Although I might have to persuade miss J into doing this again as she’s hitting an age where she’s not necessarily into wearing matching shirts with her cousins 🙂 lol

Paper Ball Ornament DIY

December 17, 2018 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Last Christmas I made a whole bunch of these paper ball ornaments to add some cheerful color to the trees in our church foyer. We didn’t have much to decorate the trees with, so I wanted to make something and this is what I came up with. It cost hardly anything since I had most of the cardstock already and they really make such a fun impact. I also saved time by using my Cricut cutting machine, but it’s totally doable without one.

The paper ball ornaments also hold up well for being made of cardstock. I saved a handful of these to take pictures of and they have been in a moving box inside a storage unit that was not air conditioned for six months. They were still fantastic! So if you store them loosely in a box I bet they can last a few years. Also, a tip for anyone looking for some large scale decor… I noticed all of these present boxes and those large snowflakes at a local clothing store (Gap). I asked the store managers if they saved these or threw them away and that if they just got rid of them I would happily take them and reuse them. They called me at the end of the season and said I could come get it all. How awesome is that? They were so excited it would be used again and we used them for quite a few years.

To make your own paper ball ornament you will need:

Cardstock (I used an 8.5″ x 11″ piece per ball and made extra smaller circles with the extra for garland)
Ornament Hangers or String
Scissors or Cutting Machine (you can find the 8.5″ x 11″ template I made for my Cricut here)
Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks

Start by cutting out four circles that are 4″ in size. You can increase or decrease the size depending on your preference. If you don’t have a cutting machine, you can use a round cup for a template to trace on the paper.

Then you will need to fold each one in half.

Run a bead of hot glue done the center of one of the folded pieces.

Place another folded circle on the glue and hold in place until it is cooled down.

Then put glue on one of the other folded circles and place on the seam of the two already glued together. Hold in place until cooled.

Turn the three glued ones over and add glue to the last folded circle to go on the other side (See picture above on how it should look all glued together).

You can then add your choice of hanging option and then fluff out the circles so it looks full. Above is a picture of using an ornament hanger. You can straighten out one end of an ornament hook and glue it down one of the seams.

Or you can use string, fishing line, or yarn to hang it. For those options I suggest glueing one end on one seam and then the other end in the opposite seam so it hangs evenly.

If you happen to have 12″ x 12″ pieces of cardstock, you can get quite a lot of circles out of it. I used the extra space on the paper to make smaller circles which I sewed together to make a garland.

It was a great addition to this backdrop I made and allowed it to fit in perfectly with the trees.

Make sure to share if you create any. I would love to see 🙂

Jess

Craft, Snack, and Be Merry Workshop

December 16, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Craft, Snack, and Be Merry Workshop | happy together
Last weekend I hosted my Craft, Snack, and Be Merry Workshop. It was so much fun and to add to the fun it actually snowed the morning of this workshop! It never snows here in Southwest Louisiana so it was quite a surprise. The locals told me the last time it actually snowed like this was twenty something years ago. It was also the first time my two daughters were able to experience snow and that was a whole magical thing to watch in and of itself. So with snow on the ground (but not the roads thankfully), I prepared for my guests and we even made them gumbo and hot chocolate (from scratch!) to enjoy during the craft night.

Craft, Snack, and Be Merry Workshop | happy together
I kept the decor simple since our home was already decorated for Christmas. I made a simple sign with some card stock using my Cricut machine and used paper decorations that I have picked up over the years when I see them on sale. I highly recommend doing that if you host lots of parties. Then you have a stash you can always grab from. I laid out each space with the sign they would be painting, their supplies, and fabric covered plastic candy canes with their names on it.

Craft, Snack, and Be Merry Workshop | happy together
Once everyone arrived, we snacked some and then got to work. There were three projects: a Christmas countdown sign, oyster shell ornaments, and water color gift tags with pom poms. While the sign and ornaments were a “do it just like me” kind of project, the water color tags allowed them to be creative and make them however they wanted. I loved seeing everyone’s creativity and I enjoyed sharing with them skills they hadn’t learned before.

Craft, Snack, and Be Merry Workshop | happy together
I’m so thankful for these ladies that support and encourage me in my crafting endeavors. They make these type of events so worth it! -jess

Craft, Snack, and Be Merry Craft Workshop

November 10, 2017 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Craft, Snack, and Be Merry Craft Workshop | happy together
Christmas is just around the corner! If you live in the Southwest Louisiana area, I am hosting a ladies night out Christmas craft workshop “Craft, Snack, and Be Merry” that you are invited to attend. It will be held on Friday, December 8, 2017, at 6:30 pm in Sulphur, LA. The address of where it will take place will be sent once your ticket is purchased. Each participant will create three projects: a hand painted Christmas countdown sign, a gilded oyster shell ornament, and water color gift tags with mini pom-poms. All supplies are provided and there will be snacks too. The cost is $35 + processing fees and you can register here. There are limited tickets available, so make sure to get yours today if you plan on attending. I look forward to doing some Christmas crafting with y’all. -jess

6 Tips for Great Holiday Pictures and Cards

November 30, 2015 by Jessica Leave a Comment

This post is sponsored by Minted, but all opinions are my own. See further down for full disclosure.

I am not a “professional” photographer, but I have taken quite a few pictures over the years and have learned some tips for holiday photos that I wanted to share that may help out.

1. Get the BEST light! Nothing compares to that glorious hour before sunset light (the golden hour) in my opinion. You can make it work in other lighting and times of day, but for natural light photos try to take them during that hour before sunset. It makes pictures magical.

But what if the weather is bad or a time cannot work during the day? Get creative! You can always create a festive photo with some Christmas lights added your photo.

2. Use props that accent your photo (if you like). Some people love props, some don’t. Just find ones that flow together and go with where you are taking pictures.

Even a simple blanket can add warmth and coziness to pictures.

3. If there are children in your pictures bring along a helper to help keep an eye on them and to stand behind the photographer that can jump around and be silly to help get their focus in the camera’s direction and hopefully help create some natural smiles. When you are in the picture with them, it helps you focus on just looking poised nice in the pictures instead of trying to look at them and get them to do what you want. I always tell the parents, just look at me (for the posed ones). The kids will smile if they want, but if not, they are being them and nothing wrong with that 😉

4. Take sample pictures of yourself in your outfit before your official pictures. I have had so many women so upset with their outfit choice when they get their pictures back. Even though they look great, they weren’t happy with how the clothing hung or was clingy. We can’t always see all of our angles when looking in a mirror, so a picture helps you get more of a view of what the camera will see, which is a flattened version of 3d life.

5. DO NOT STRESS!!!! Almost everyone does it, but the less stressed you are the better the picture will turn out. I promise! And it makes for a more fun experience. So what if kids are not being the most cooperative. The more they feel your stress the worse experience it will be.

6. Last but not least, choose a good quality printing company to have those holiday cards printed. Minted does such a great job! I have had many a picture printed from all kinds of printing services and Minted truly provides a great quality product, hence why I work with them. Plus, they have a ton of great designs to choose from, like the ones below. Check out their holiday photo card collection.

And guess what? They are having an amazing deal on this cyber Monday! You can get 20% off all holiday cards and 25% off everything else. If you like the holiday cards but don’t have a photo ready for them yet, you can do the buy now, personalize later option. Go check out Minted and get your cyber Monday deal 🙂

I parterned with Minted for this post and received compensation for doing so. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting businesses that support Happy Together.