Saturday, December 8, 2012

Magic Reindeer Food Tutorial

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share a fun Christmas craft that I'm sure you've seen before. My friend Kris in Newport told me about this project last year, and since then, I've been dying to try it out!




For the poem and ingredients I turned to the internet. I found the poem from the DLTK site and the recipe Organized Christmas. I swapped out the regular sugar in the recipe for glitter and I also altered the recipe to make it even more kid-friendly. Instead of using cups, I used tablespoons and teaspoons, since they're easier on little hands plus it helps wee ones to practice counting. Then, I turned to one of my trusty Tim Holtz dies, a basic office supply, and festive baker's twine to decorate!

~What you'll need~

Reindeer Food ingredients (makes at least 8):

  • 6 cups of rolled oats
  • 1 container of red sugar crystals
  • 1 bottle of glitter - the cuter the container, the funner it is! (I used Donna Salazar's Fairy Dust glitter because of its amazing holographic shine and adorable shaker style top!) 
  • Silver mixing bowl, ramekins, tablespoon, and teaspoon
  • White piece of paper with the recipe written down, for kids to refer to

Packaging:

  • (8) plastic sandwich bags with zipper closures (snack size)
  • Tim Holtz mini reindeer die
  • (1) piece of kraft paper
  • (4) 5" wide x 3" tall index cards (they're usually referred to as "3 x 5")
  • (1) spool of red and white baker's twine
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Hole punch


~Directions~

Preparing the food:


1. Pour oats into the bowl and the red sugar crystals into ramekins.



2. For each bag of reindeer food, use 5 tablespoons of oats, 1 teaspoon of red crystals, and 1 - 2 shakes of glitter. Helpful hint:Write this recipe down on a piece of white paper so the kids have something to refer to!


3. Close bags then turn them vertically. Make sure mixture is at the bottom and set aside.

Creating the packaging:

1. Cut kraft paper so that you have (8) 2 1/4" wide x 3" tall pieces. 

2. For each piece of kraft paper, place it over your mini reindeer die and cut. Set aside the mini reindeer for another project; we'll use the stenciled part of the paper for this project. 

3. Take your hole punch and punch a hole in the upper left corner of each reindeer stencil. Don't have the reindeer die? You can also use a stamp or sticker. 


4. Locate your 5" wide x 3" tall index cards and cut them in half so that each card produces (2) 2 1/2" wide x 3" tall pieces. 


5. Take your hole punch and punch a hole in the upper left corner of each reindeer stencil.



6. With a pen, handwrite the Magic Reindeer Poem. 



7. Use a ruler and measure out 8" of baker's twine. Cut. Do this 7 more times.

8. Grab one of the baggies, ensure that it's sealed tight, then run a piece of baker's twine around the top.
Insert the poem through the twine, and then a reindeer stencil. Tie a bow and you're done!


Graphic 45 Place In Time Calendar Album Class 12/13

Hi there!

I just wanted to post some photos of my last class I'll be teaching for 2012! Most of you have probably seen Graphic 45's "Place In Time" collection. It's a comprehensive paper line consisting of 2 double-sided pattern papers per month, with an additional third sheet that you can use as a monthly 12" x 12" foundation.

Now, if you've ever taught a class before, you know that other than being creative, your project has to be somewhat "in budget"! Since I used more than twice the amount of paper that I normally do for my classes, I had to skimp on embellishments and just use as much of the paper as I could. A little Glossy Accents and Stickles here also helped!

What I made was a 12" x 12" calendar album that you can put two photos in per month. The mini month is always tucked away so that this album is more of a perennial calendar, but it can always be brought forward and filled in. :)


I apologize for February's blurriness ... 



Yesterday, my friend Lauren told me that the Graphic 45 blog is showcasing a different month everyday from their design team. So I checked it out last night and I had to chuckle when I saw April. I saw that one of their designers also fussy cut the ladies for their April page. We G45'ers think alike! 


May has these gorgeous butterfly stamps. I fussy cut two of the butterflies and placed them over two of the stamps. And yes ... those are definitely mini butterflies that I also fussy cut ... don't forget your detail scissors, my friends! ;)









When I made December, I'm pretty sure I had zero scraps leftover ... it's hard not to use every piece for this month! 


Well, there you have it, ladies and gents! I'm sorry to post this so late, as I'm afraid there are only 2 kits left at this time. But you can always call the store (425-427-8871) to confirm. 

Thank you for stopping by ~ have a lovely, crafty weekend, dear friends!