Typically I buy those store-bought packs of kid Valentines and attach a lollypop, but my daughter was asking for something a little more special for her besties.  I came up with this inexpensive paper treat box made from cardstock scrapbook paper and embellished it with washi tape.

They’ll be perfect for inserting a few sweet treats and a Valentine too.

To recreate, here’s what you’ll need:  11 x 11” cardstock scrapbook paper, scissors, double sided tape, measuring tape, pencil, washi or decorative tape, embellishments (optional).

First, fold your 11” x 11” scrapbook paper in half and cut into two 5½” x 11” strips.  With a measuring tape and pencil, mark the points 2”, 3”, 6 ½” and 7½” on the strip.

Cut out the 1” x 3” section then fold at the four horizontal marked points.  Next, cut the box tabs at the 6½” and 7½” folds and fold the vertical sections to form the shape of the box as seen below.

You can also refer to this diagram.

Download a copy here!

Once you’ve made the cuts and folds, your paper treat box will come together like this.

Use double sided tape on outside flap to secure sides of box.

Embellish with washi tape or other appliques.  (The washi tape adds a decorative element and helps keep the box together so nothing spills out).

That’s it!  How cute, right?

And who says these boxes are just for kids… make some more grown up versions for your adult friends or office mates.  These will be filled with chocolate and handed out to a few deserving mom friends of mine!

The same design works just as well for cute gift or favor boxes too – think baby or bridal showers, kids birthday parties, etc.  Inexpensive too, since most cardstock scrapbook paper is around a dollar or less.

Have fun creating some of your own!

xo,

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2011 has been quite a year, and I can honestly say, one of my favorites if not most favorite ever. The ability to create, build, and write about what I love is a dream come true for me, and the list of people to thank who have made it possible is a mile long so I shall save it for more personal correspondence. 

But I cannot say goodbye to 2011 without publicly thanking all of you who visit and subscribe, who link and comment, who tweet and share your projects and stories with me. It means more than you know when you connect with me the way you do, whether it’s on Facebook, through link parties or comments, or in private emails. I cannot get enough of a marvelous DIY project, great makeover, or stylish creation and witnessing all the amazingness that is out there among this talented DIY and home decorating community literally keeps me up at night. I look forward to continuing this crazy fun blogging journey in the new year with all of you and I can assure you it brings much excitement!  

So tonight let’s toast to all of the success, health, happiness, and harmony that 2012 will bring to us all.  To kick off the new year, I’m excited to be a part of this great series starting on Monday featuring some of your favorite bloggers.

The Blog Hop will begin on Monday at Nester’s place and the five of us mentioned will be sharing our insight through the week on topics from monetization to photography to finding balance. The series continues on Tuesday with Sarah, Wednesday with Jen, Thursday with Marian, and Friday with me, I know you’ll love it! 

Wishing you all very Happy New Year !!

xo,

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All of the images below were taken with the subject about 8 to 10 feet away from the twinkle lights with the lens mentioned above. I opened up the aperture as wide as it could go in the afternoon and evening and slightly less in the morning due to the brighter daylight, resulting in some pretty bokeh shots!  Camera settings below.

Morning:

F-stop: 2.8       Shutter Speed: 1/160      ISO: 800

Afternoon: 

F-Stop: 1.8     Shutter Speed 1/25      ISO 800

Evening:

F-stop  1.8    Shutter Speed 1/15      ISO 1600  

So so pretty, I love me some twinkle light bokeh!!!

Here are three more sources for tips on taking great holiday bokeh shots before your tree comes down:

I Heart Faces

My Three Boybarians

Kevin and Amanda

Wishing all of you the best day filled with all the merriment and magic of Christmas! 

xo,

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Cake circles and red striped fabric come together to form these charming and inexpensive peppermint striped placemats by Heather at Commonplace Beauty.

Glittery string snowballs made by Kelly hang from elegant branches in a rattan vase over at View Along The Way. 

These mini yarn wreaths by Smile Like You Mean It had me at hello, and would you guess they’re made of shower curtain rings?  For realz.  And totally genius.

Yummy Mummy created her own recipe labels for homemade scones in a jar, what a thoughtful gift idea and the scones look divine.

How pretty are these hand sketched tangerine chevron stripe ornaments from The Lucky Lass, hey Beth you were ahead of the 2012 Pantone Color of the Year! 

Craft a sweet little illuminated holiday house with scrapbook paper and a battery operated tea light with Indyspotting.

Diane at In My Own Style fashioned some simple yet colorful ornament trees with using a knitting needle to hold them all up, so smart!

Jody at Homey Home Design crafted this felt wreath pillow, inspired by a version from Pottery Barn. 

I love these simplistic hymnal trees from Plum Doodles, they make me want to break out into a rendition of ‘O Tannenbaum’… 

Want to know how to make this whimsical and delicate music sheet star ornament?  Krista Sew Inspired shows you how.

Charm your gift recipient with this secret sliding door gift card holder, treats included too!  What a cute idea brought to you by Positively Splendid. 

Vintage postcards grouped together form this Santa tree over at Confessions of a Plate Addict, and I love how they’re embellished with glitter. 

I was completely charmed by this mitten advent calendar garland by Ms. Layla at The Lettered Cottage, that girl’s got skills! 

I also adore this photo garland with the burned edges swaged across Sharyl’s mantel at The Little Brown House.

Jenna from SAS Interiors stitched up some simple Christmas stockings with drop cloths and embellished with snowflakes and ornaments, so pretty!

Another gorgeous stocking alert, this one brought to you by Handmade & Homegrown.  Don’t miss this lovely trio of stockings made with linen, burlap, and ticking with gold accents. 

Donna crafted a twig garland which adds a wonderful natural element to her already amazing staircase.

Two of my favorite decorative accessories combine to form this pinecone map ornament by Turtles and Tails, very clever indeed. 

I also love these damask and burlap bird ornaments by Harbour Breeze especially the varying textures and natural colors.

Scented bay leaf trees deck the hall table over at Sand & Sisal.

Here’s a fun idea… use coins to embellish letters and give them dimension and detail, just like Dacia from Lemon Drop Life. 

Love love loving the glitter and variation on these handmade Christmas letters by Ashley at The Handmade Home, seeing them really does brings me joy.  :)

Jen from Tatertots & Jello is so smart, she built this beautiful advent calendar ladder which is also great for suspending holiday cards too! 

Red and white Holiday cheer and Christmas subway art brought to you by Balancing Home makes it easy to add festive sayings to your frames during the season.

Finally, a little trick with cardstock and a craft punch allows you create your own custom (heart) shaped holiday bokeh thanks to Lil Mama Stuart, so whimsical and fun!

So cool right?  Hey there are over 750 more craft-astic links at the Holiday Craft Link Party for the next time you get the itch to create something homemade for the holiday season… whether it’s tomorrow, or Christmas in July, or next year, because before you know it, it will be here.  To see them all, just click the button below!  

A HUGE thank you to all of you who linked up your creations to the party … the collection grows larger every year, and it’s the one link party I look forward to most.  I applaud all of you for taking the time to create and beautify your spaces for this most wonderful time of the year.

Cheers and happy crafting! 

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I’m officially done with all the decorating, welcome to our home this Christmas season! 

see our mantel here …

more Christmas tree pictures here . . .

and our front porch here . . .

Linking up to Nester’s Tour of Homes… don’t miss it, there are so many lovely homes decorated for the season.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and happy holiday season!!

xo,

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Supplies: styrofoam cone, craft glue, mini circle mirrors (from Michaels), metallic spray paint, large toothpicks or small skewers, decorative ribbon, hot glue (not shown).

1) Cut styrofoam cone with a serrated knife to form cylinder shape, 2) trim 1/3” circles and set aside. 3) Dip tips of skewers into craft glue and 4) wedge symmetrically into the styrofoam. 5) Spray paint both sides of ornaments with two coats of metallic spray paint, then 6) hot glue ribbon and mini mirrors to both sides of foam.

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I also created this sweet little bark ornament with a more organic look. 

To recreate, you’ll need styrofoam balls, jute twine, decorative forest bark for indoor plants (from a garden or home improvement store), and hot glue. Knot the jute twine and secure it with hot glue to the styrofoam, then randomly attach decorative bark with more glue. Embellish with berries and ribbons for more color. 

I love the natural appeal of this ornament, and can see them in a garland or even hanging in a series on tree paired with pinecones and woodland creatures. 

What about you?  Created a new wreath, ornament, tree skirt, or other holiday craft this season?  Link up your creations, I can’t wait to see!  Holiday themed crafts only ~ the party will be live through Wednesday December 14th. Please visit two other links to share the love!

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These are so inexpensive to create, and you can make them any height you want, tall ones from poster board and smaller ones with cardstock.

Supply list : white paper cupcake liners (I used 50 jumbo liners from Safeway for $1.50), white 12 x 12” cardstock or poster board, clear packaging tape (not shown), hot glue gun, and mini ornaments (I used a $1 gold grape flourish and pulled it apart).

Here’s the easy step-by-step: 

1.  Roll your cardstock or poster board into a cone shape and secure with packaging tape (if you’d like to insert an ornament on the top leave a big enough hole).  2) Fold the cupcake liners into quarters, then snip the edges to separate the layers into frills.  3)  Begin at the base to hot glue to your cone.  $) Once you’re finished gluing the layers, embellish with mini ornaments secured with hot glue.

These do take some time (my 14” version took 30 minutes to hot glue) so a forest would take awhile, but it goes by fast if you’re watching TV or a movie.  They’re mighty cute in a wintery vignette! 

I have two more ornament projects to share, one rustic, one glam, and I simply cannot wait to see what you all have crafted this season too!  Here’s a handy button to add to your post for tomorrow’s par-tay! 

Holiday Craft Party posts at 8 a.m. EST on Monday, see you there! 

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Hello all, thanks for the kind comments on this morning’s post on better home photography!  I have a great guest today, one I’ve had the pleasure to work with and observe create magic in front of and behind the lens.

Please welcome back Matthew Mead, the incredible stylist, writer, author, and photographer behind Holiday Magazine.  I invited him to share a few of his best tips for improving your photography, especially those detailed close ups he’s so brilliant at, and that desirable bokeh backdrop created with twinkle lights that we all love so much during the holidays. 

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”When it comes to taking beautiful images with your camera it truly is a “practice makes perfect” proposition.  But there certainly are some tricks of the trade that I have found repeatedly useful in photographing food and still life imagery.

I own a Canon Rebel XTI camera which is truly my right arm when it comes to my work.  I have several different lens which I use for things like room shots and up close imagery like miniature items or tight details but the magic for me resides in the 50 mm 1.4 lens.  This lens allows me to select a sharp focal point with everything else in the frame falling off softly in a very palatable “out of focus” style.  I use multiple F-stops between 1.4 and 3.0 in order to achieve the desired degree of focus depending on the subject.

To begin, set your camera to manual. This will give you the most control over the image and allow you to manipulate the light to the best possible outcome.  I am a huge fan of auto focus and find it most helpful when shooting food to allow me to work quickly and select multiple focal points in just a few minutes.  The benefit of a manual shot also allows you to shoot RAW files which are the largest format file that you can create and will allow you the ability to manipulate your image in many different types of photo programs.

I shoot all daylight imagery so make sure you set yourself up in a situation that allows for plenty of light.  A shear curtain or “scrim” is useful in cutting the light if it’s too bright or harsh.  Remember that subjects that are light or white are best on the opposite side of the light source as they will become over lit or “blow out” in too much light.

For under lit spots in your image, I use fill cards, reflectors, even a wall mirror to fill in those spots from the front of the image and add a bit more sparkle.

A mix of professional and novice items are included in my arsenal… including reflectors, a wall mirror and foam core covered with aluminum foil ~ all of them offer different degrees of fill light.

SELECTIVE FOCUS AND CLOSE UPS

For me, selective focus truly allows me to pinpoint and showcase my subject, be it food or a DIY project. I think the softness that can be created in the background elevates not only the subject but also the environment around the object. For food subjects it truly allows me to showcase a portion of the food which in some cases can look busy and messy without a clear focal point.

Here is an image with a sharp focus throughout and the greatest depth of field with and F-stop of 16 and shutter speed of 2.0.  The light source is on the right and the subject can be clearly seen front to back with the same degree of sharpness due to the higher F-stop.  I selected the very front of the strawberries as the focal point.

 

The exposure of the same subject and focal point is manipulated by a change in camera settings. The light source and positioning are the same but focus begins to fall off past the strawberries and the softness beyond allows the eye to be drawn into the most focused part of the image when the aperture or F-stop is changed.  Dialing down the F-stop to 4.5 begins to blur the background to allow greater focus on the strawberries in front as a focal point.  I like the way the light illuminates the subject with a subtle glow and makes the subject and its environment so desirable.

 

Next, I stretched the capacity of the 50mm lens to an even wider aperture, setting the F-stop lower at 1.4 to create the shallowest depth of field.  Again, the same perspective and light situation but the background now has a more “blown out” quality and the brightness and color intensity of the subject really pops.  The foreground of the wire basket is much softer looking and the details of the strawberries are most defined. To me the image has become more painterly looking with softness and highlights and strong but select focal perspective.

 

 

THE BOKEH EFFECT

Bokeh is the use of a shallow depth of field that allows the background to take on a magical “out of focus” look ~ it’s a purposeful technique that creates ultra soft dream like backgrounds and in our examples create spherical light shapes.  I used a 50 mm lens set at a 1.4 F-stop to gain focus in the foreground of the image while the colored lights hung behind have an “out of focus” glow.

 

For each snowflake bokeh image below, I also employed the use of a wall mirror to add light on the front of the image, but a small and well directed flashlight could also be used to illuminate the focal point.  In these two snowflake examples the light source was from the left.

The mini lights were hung at least three feet behind the foreground subject and we shot several exposures to get the desired effect, this is a 1/60 shutter speed.  The background colors are changed by altering the temperature and saturation with photo editing software (Photoshop in this case).

 

An easy Bokeh effect for the novice who just wants to capture the light circles and not a centrally focused still life is to select the 1.4 F-stop and place the camera on a manual focus setting. Find the shutter speed (1/60 for this image) which gives you the desired effect and then shoot all kinds of holiday lights. This is the Christmas tree in the center square of my town.

A colorful bokeh image like this one below could be turned into an invitation or label for a wine bottle. You could also manipulate the color of the entire image by opening in a photo program and adjusting the hue and saturation.

Use this next image to create a fun gift tag for a gift of your homemade French macaroons or to identify your offerings at a cookie swap.

 

In this image we have lit the snowman from the front with a mirror. We were actually able to use the warm light from the mini Christmas lights to reflect back on the snowman giving him a more vintage, holiday appeal.

 

I hope these tips from my process help you to achieve the desired effects that you are looking to capture this holiday season. As I have said, “practice makes perfect” in the field of photography and likewise, there really are no “mistakes” if you are able to achieve the look you are looking for.

For more of my work check out my blog and be sure to pick up a copy of my magazine HOLIDAY WITH MATTHEW MEAD  ~ order by December 12, 2011 for delivery before Christmas.

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Thank you so much Matthew for sharing your experience and insight with us today, I’m so inspired by your ability to create real magic with your camera! 

Don’t miss even more of Matthew’s talents inside the pages of Holiday Magazine.

On sale now, buy it here! 

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Most of my holiday decorations are a mixture of white, gold, and silver, and every year I just pick a color to layer on top.  This year I’m loving crimson again. I’m infatuated with white ceramic things, you’ll spy a new snowfall tree from Z Gallerie and two white reindeer I picked up in an after Christmas sale last year ~ they’re both my favorites right now so they got the prominent placement on the wintery mantel.  

And how about that gorgeous mirror?  It’s the Bellasol from Ballard looking lovely in the living room but it’s really just visiting ~ it’s destined for the powder room in January.  I found it on sale at Ballard with free shipping two weeks ago, the sale couldn’t have been better timed since I’ve had my eye on it for a year now for the bathroom.  I’m loving the way it bounces images around the room. 

Those are the same stockings from last year, just embellished with red yarn and pom poms. The iron fireplace screen was an antique faire find last spring, a steal at $40.

Yes, I have a giant 9 foot moss covered branch in my living room and yes I love it. The story behind it is here.  I’m obsessed with this branch, it’s like it fell off the tree because it wanted to live in my house. 

The new club chairs with nailhead trim were acquired from Joss & Main (I saved up enough credit over there to only have to pay cash for half of one) and if you love them too they’ll be available at my sale next week.  The white furry pillow is actually a reformed bath mat (read about it here) and the lamb’s wool “throw” is just the cover to the West Elm mongolian lamb’s wool pillow I’ve had for awhile (seen here).  Red velvet pillow from World Market, red sparkle pillow from Crate + Barrel.   

I’ve had these little red cardinals for years, and they look so cute posed on the branch.

The sweet little tin I found at a thrift shop last week, one dolla. Red glitter tree from Tar-jay (last year), little red disco ball from Pier One (also bought last year). That glossy curvy white cocktail table it sits on was a Joss & Main find from this past summer.

You’ve seen the Z Gallerie candlesticks before, they reappear here constantly. 

Dash & Albert rug borrowed from the dining room, I always take the dining room rug out for our holiday party buffet otherwise it ends up covered in food ~ it looks great in here for the season.

Of course if you were actually sitting in those chairs, you’d see the piles of Christmas stuff all over the sofa on the opposite wall, but that’s another tour for another day.

Thanks so much Rhoda for hosting such a great party, hop on over to Rhoda’s to take a look at all the merry mantels! 

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I asked my friend Jen, the the super momma blogger behind I Heart Organizing to offer up some advice for those of us who get that anxious feeling during these busy times ~ Jen has so many great ideas for everyday storage solutions around the home, I thought she’d be the perfect guest to offer some encouraging suggestions for staying organized through the holidays and beyond.

Please welcome Jen and her advice for staying organized during this season! 

“Hi everyone! Jen from IHeart Organizing here today to share a couple of my favorite holiday organizing tips and tricks!  Let’s face it, the holidays can be an extremely chaotic and busy time!  From activities to decorating to entertaining, it seems as though there is always something going on. I am a big believer that with a little organization; you can make it through all of the craziness with a smile on your face.

Have your gotten your first holiday card in the mail yet? They are sure to start coming in daily, so now is the time to start thinking up fun ways to keep them on display to enjoy them throughout the entire course of the season.

images: 1/2/3/4

A few festive ideas are to clip the cards to decorative ribbon, pin them to a pretty memo board, string them from twinkling strands of lights or create a Christmas tree collage right on your favorite focal wall.  When the holidays wind down, whether you choose to hold onto the cards or recycle them is always a personal choice, however, a great way to preserve all of those family photos you received is to create a dedicated holiday album that can be added to year after year.

Once the cards are all sent off in the mail, it’s time to start the gift purchasing and wrapping process. To dress up those pretty packages, we tend to use all sorts of supplies, from ribbons and tags to wrapping paper and bags. The best way to keep your sanity through it all is to create a wrapping “station”, in which all of your supplies are right within easy reach and corralled all together.

images: 1/2/3/4

There are endless ways to store your wrapping supplies, even using things you may already have lying around your home. For example, simple tension rods make amazing ribbon and wrapping paper holders and stacking or decorative baskets are great for stashing away bows and tags. If storage space is at a premium in your abode, consider using the backside of a closet door to keep it all organized. And to really save your pennies on all of those pretty papers, think about only purchasing wrapping paper that is relevant for any occasion and then store single sheets or even entire rolls in mailing tubes to keep them looking great year after year. 

Once the gifts are wrapped, it’s time to party!

images: 1/2

Entertaining over the holidays often requires special linens and serving pieces. A great way to keep your table cloths, runners and placemats looking great is to hang them in a pantry or linen closet from skirt/pant hangers vs. storing them in boxes or bins. And if you are receiving help in the kitchen to prepare dinner for all of your guests, toss simple labels near each serving dish so that your helpers know which pieces go with the foods that are being served.

Once the holiday season comes to an end, the not so fun part of packing it all up comes with it. However, there are some things that will make it easier to pack and unpack year after year.

images: 1/2/3

Start out by taking inventory of your holiday belongings and décor and weeding out the items that are no longer in good shape or being used, to avoid packing away pieces that will take up valuable storage real estate. And don’t forget that once the holidays are over it is the best time to replace those items thanks to all of the great post holiday sales!

Specialty holiday storage items can get really expensive, so don’t be afraid to get creative when packing up your decor. Save your egg cartons, wine boxes, paper cups, tomato packages and shoe boxes and pair them with a stack of tissue paper and you will have storage that will take care of those fragile items for the long haul.

When packing it all up into bins and boxes, think about the order in which you will use those decorations the following year and place the items you use first, into the bins last so they are right on top when you begin the decorating process again. And of course, it is best to store your items in plastic bins if they are going to be in moist or damp locations and label, label, label for easy identification.

To kick start your holiday organizing, I whipped up a couple of freebie printables for you to choose from, which can help you track your gift purchases and budget year after year!

download here

download here 

A huge virtual hug and thank you to Kate for having me today! I hope you all have a happy and organized holiday!”

Thank YOU Jen for sharing your best tips with us today!  I love the idea of repurposing everyday items like shoeboxes or plastic fruit containers as holiday ornament storage, and those gift trackers will surely come in handy, one master list to keep in the purse!

What about you, how do you keep it all together in December between the everyday necessities and the added responsibilities of the holiday season?  Got any tips you’d like to share?

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