Better Than Salt Dough Key Ornament

Hello!

I wanted to save a memory of our first apartment, and what better way than to make an ornament! 

Preheat oven to 175 degree F. 

what you need:

Ingredients for 1 ornament:

1/4 C baking soda

1/2 C cornstarch

1/2 C water

double recipe if needed

Place all ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir for several minutes until mixture thickens like smooth mashed potatoes. 

Place in a ball in a bowl with a damp cloth to cool. I only let it cool until it wasn't too hot to touch.

Place some cornstarch on a table and roll dough into a ball and place on counter. Use more cornstarch if it is sticky. I used my palm to flatten my dough to about 1/4 inch thick, feel free to use a rolling pin.

Once you have the shape you want, (I did a heart) place key into dough carefully. If your dough starts to crack or dry out, just add small amounts of water. I used my finger to spread water on the dough. I also did this to smooth out the dough before I placed it on my baking sheet. Use a toothpick to make a hole in the top of the ornament.

Place parchment paper on baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, flip half way through baking.

Once cooled, I wrote "Our first apartment 2014" and on the back I put our address. I then covered the ornament in Mod Podge to help seal it in.

A fun little way to remember your first place. It's not perfect, but it works. :)

Happy Holidays!

DIY Christmas Table Runner No Sew!

Another easy DIY Christmas project! No sew!

I saw this santa table runner at Pier 1 and thought it was awesome! However, it was way to long for my table so I decided to make my own. It was really simple to do, and alot less expensive.

What you need: fabric, an iron, iron on hem tape, ribbon 

For my table (which is a small round table) I used 2 yards of red velvet fabric I got at Joann Fabrics for about $10. I cut it once I got home to the width I wanted and used the remaining fabric for under my Christmas tree. (two birds with one stone)

You need 2 of the 2 yard rolls of fuzzy fabric trim (don't know technical term) unless you have a longer table then go by your measurements. I had a coupon for these and they ended up being around 3 dollars each.

I used iron on hem tape for this, but if you have a sewing machine feel free to sew everything on (might look better and will last longer) but for me since I don't have a sewing machine this is good enough.

My iron had to be up pretty high for the heat to melt the tape, but I used a towel to protect my fabric. Just hold it in one spot for about 30 seconds and move to the next spot.

Once that was finished I measured where I wanted to place the belt. I used black and silver ribbon, if you have a bigger piece of silver ribbon or fabric use that instead and cut a square in the middle it will look better, but I already had this ribbon from a previous project. Again, I used the hem tape to secure it.

I then decided to add more fur to the ends of my table runner.

 And the finished product. How festive! 

Hello!

As promised here is a really easy and fun DIY Christmas project! Sweater stockings! An easy way to get rid of some old holiday sweaters or even a fun trip to the thrift store with your sister-in-law! These are really easy to make and require very little skill. 

First find the sweater you like for the stockings. Both my sweaters cost me under $10 at my local thrift store. Depending on the type of sweater and how thick it is, you will need yarn or thread. I used a thick yarn needle.

Next, take some cardboard and trace out your stencil. It took a couple tries to get the right size and shape. Cut it out.

Make sure your sweater is turned inside out until all the sewing is done. I used the bottom of the sweater for the top of my stocking since it has the original sewing. I also made the top a little longer than my stencil so I could fold the top over when I was finished. I traced my stencil on the sweater using a permanent marker. 

If your sweater does not have buttons on it, lay the stencil so one edge of the stocking has the original sewing from the sweater, it makes life so much easier. (I did move mine to the left after I took this picture) :)

If your sweater has cute buttons like one of mine did, then you have to sew both sides. 

Once your all done sewing, turn the stocking right side out and you are finished! You can add fur on the top if you like, or just fold the tops over. Also, do not forget to add either yarn or fabric from the sweater to the top to hang it from! Here is the final product (we don't have a fireplace)

Happy DIY!