With only a few days left before Christmas, my list of projects that I can realistically complete in time is dwindling down. Luckily, the ever talented and generous Amy, of Eat. Drink. Chic., has created some very charming DIY crafts just in time. These projects are easy enough to make with the limited time left and yet you’ll look like you spent loads of cash and time with these beauties. Be sure to click over to Eat.Drink.Chic. and download each of these projects for yourself.

From top: Jumbo Gift Tag , Holiday Mail Stripes Tag, Holiday Treat Bag

I wanted to wrap up Five Days of Felt with another one of my D.I.Y projects. These stiched ornaments are easy, fun to make, and if I don’t say so myself, look pretty charming!

All you need to do is cut out ornaments shapes (you can create your own or download my shapes here) from the felt then stitch patterns to your hearts content! I used a sewing machine but I think using embroidery thread and stitching by hand would look just as good. In addition to ornaments, these would be nice gift toppers too! The sky’s the limit as to what you can do, so have fun and happy crafting!

Maddy over at Inspired Bride has been making custom holiday cards for he favorite bloggers, and after checking my email last night I was thrilled to have made the cut! It’s completely adorable, much too cute to keep all to myself so I’m passing it along to all of you dear readers! Just download, print onto 4″x6″ card stock and enjoy!

Thanks so much Maddy, happy holidays to you too! xoxo

As much as Twig & Thistle is for all of you it’s also a journal of sorts for myself. It’s a place that I can collect all the things I spot and don’t ever want to forget. This project in particular is just that. I saw this over on Design Sponge last week and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.

Inspired by Adam & Halli’s circus themed wedding (also a MUST see!) Emily and team from Once Wed created this fantastically charming circus inspired christmas decor. Truth be told, I have been putting off decorating my own tree in hopes that they’ll share the instructions for that beautiful yellow tree topper! Everything from the whimsical ornaments to the genius use of straws – it’s all just so over-the-top cute! See all the pictures here and download the ornaments and poster as well!

Stay tuned, I have an exclusive holiday card by Maddy of The Inspired Bride to share later today….

Good morning and happy Monday everyone! As I mentioned Friday, I have a very special and exciting giveaway to announce today. The lovely ladies at Hello!Lucky have recently launched their new custom holiday cards and would like to offer one lucky Twig & Thistle reader 50 custom holiday photo cards with plain coordinating envelopes!!! These beauties are digitally printed on 100% recycled paper and there are over 20 designs to choose from!

These photo cards are not only perfect for sending an ubber chic holiday card but they could also be used as wedding announcements for all you newlyweds. I am beyond jealous of whomever wins this one. You can’t help but be a huge fan of Hello!Lucky. Their work is the perfect mixture of whimsy and sophistication.

To enter and send your own bit of whimsey: check out the Hello!Lucky Holiday Photo Card Collection and leave a comment with your favorite design. Please be sure to include your first name and last initial.

*Giveaway ends Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 12 pm PST and the winner will be announced Friday, December 4th, 2009. Good luck! **Contest is now closed.

Also just a friendly reminder, if you enter the code “GIVECHICKS” at checkout, Hello!Lucky will donate 20 chicks to family in need through Heifer International. Check out their blog post for more details!

Myself as a Parrot Piñata. This bad boy even had a trap door that opened to let candy fall out and won me best costume!

The hubby as a giant Sushi Roll. Yummm!

My friend Katie and I as Mustard and Ketchup.

I can’t believe that Halloween is this weekend already! I adore the holiday and all the fun associated with it, but I have to admit, I am completely behind on all my plans for this season. Dressing up is by far my favorite part and my husband and I have managed to put together some fun costumes over the years so I’ve pulled out these images to try to inspire me. I know there are only a few days left but these were all pulled together with only hours to spare so there is still hope. If anyone has some fun ideas I’d love for you to share.

Yesterday’s post got me hooked on carveless pumpkins so I did some searching and found some more amazing examples. The sky really is the limit for what you can do! I also like the idea of decorating with plain pumpkins, they just so perfectly evoke the spirit of the season. I’m definitlly going to have to make some time next week to do some pumpkin inspired projects of my own!

From top, left to right: Country Living: Black & White Painted Pumpkins by Liz Demos, Ladies Home Journal: Stenciled Pumpkins, Rick Rac Pumpkins by Eddie Ross, Decorate for Fall with White Pumpkins, Martha Stewart: Homespun Pumpkin, Country Living: Autumn Harvest, Better Homes and Gardens: Black & White Painted Pumpkins

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a project with all of you and the coming holiday seemed like the perfect opportunity to get crafty. Hopefully this set will make your 4th of July just a bit more festive! This downloadable PDF includes sparkler cards, matchbook wrappers and straw tags. Simply print, cut, tape and voila – instant party!

What You’ll Need:

8.5 x 11″ 80lb white card stock (like this from Paper-Source)
8.5 x 11″ 80lb white text paper (like this from Paper-Source)
Color Printer
Paper Cutter
Double Sided Tape
Ruler
Standard Hole Punch
Sparklers
Straws
Matchbooks (found at my local grocery store)

Instructions:

1. Download the Matchbook and Straw Tags Template and print onto white text paper. Download the Sparkler Card Template and print onto white card stock. Print using the highest quality settings on your color printer to ensure that the patterns and text are clear.

2. Trim out all the shapes using scissors or a sharp blade and making sure to trim off all the black edges. Use a standard hole punch and punch where indicated to allow the straws to be thread through. Carefully trim out the small rectangles in the Sparkler Holders to weave the sparklers through.

3. Secure the wrap around the matchbooks with double sided tape, making sure not to cover up the striker strip. Crease the edges with your fingers or using a bone folder so that they are crisp. Thread the straw through the holes and position towards the top of the straw. Thread the sparklers through the slots.

I hope you all have a fantastic and joyful holiday! Cheers!

*For personal use only (non-commercial use). Thank you.

Be sure to also check out our DIY Easter Bunny!

One of my favorite things about the Easter holiday is all the candy! I have a huge sweet tooth so naturally Easter is right up my alley. This year I decided to try my hand at an old time favorite and make homemade marshmallow peeps!

What You’ll Need:

Corn Syrup, Gelatin, Sugar, Cold Water, Salt, Vanilla Extract, Corn Starch, Powdered Sugar, Food Coloring and Sanding Sugar

Instructions:

1. Begin with a basic marshmallow recipe, this one from Alton Brown works well. At the end of the recipe when you are adding the vanilla extract also add your food coloring. I ended up making three batches, one for each color, needless to say I have a LOT of peeps now. If you don’t need  that many, think about sticking with one or two colors.

2. Once you’ve poured the mixture into the prepared pan, smoothed it out with a spatula and dusted it; place plastic wrap over the pan and flatten smooth the surface with a rolling pin. Remove the plastic wrap and let set for at least 4 hours.

3. Once the marshmallows are ready, cut them out with a lightly oiled cookie cutter. I used this set from amazon, but feel free to use whatever you like.

4. To get the sanding sugar to stick, I ended up lightly blotting the tops and bottoms of the marshmallows with a damp paper towel before rolling in the sugar.

5. For the “eyes” I put a dab of corn syrup on the back of a black candy button to get them to stick (found at a local cake store). NOTE: Man hands in the photo belong to my husband, not me.

6. For a sweet little present, line the bottom of a clear gift box with parchment paper, I added a little scalloped edge to finish off the look.

This was a fun afternoon project and even more fun to eat! Enjoy!

Here is another freebie just in time for Valentine’s Day. This graphic can be printed directly onto a paper bag for a quick gift or onto sticker paper and pasted to a box. However this is applied I’m sure the recipient will enjoy the treat inside! Instructions after the break!

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