Craft Video: Heart-shaped treat pockets!

In case you missed it, here is the video from my visit to WDRB in the Morning last week. We got an early start on crafting for Valentine's Day. Show your Valentine a little handmade love with this cute treat pocket. Fill it with candy, stickers, or as Candyce says: Diamonds! Haha! For the full instructions, visit the Heart Pocket tutorial post. I will be on WDRB again on Wednesday, February 5. Catch me and DIY Louisville at 7:45 and 8:15AM EST.

Heart-shaped Candy Pocket for Valentine's Day

We are still enduring a cold and dreary Winter around here, so I was happy to pull out the colorful felt fabric for my next project for WDRB in the Morning. I think you will enjoy this craft tutorial for an easy heart-shaped treat pocket. This project is so quick to make and is a fun gift for Valentine's Day! Fill the hearts with candy, stickers, love notes, or other treats for your Valentine!

 For this project you will need:

Felt to cut 3 heart shapes
Scissors

Needle and thread

Begin by cutting out 3 heart shapes from the felt. 

Leave the first heart whole. Cut the second heart close to the top, keeping only the bottom half. Cut the third heart near the middle, keeping only the top half.

The first heart is the base layer. The second heart that was cut (looks like an upside down triangle) will form the inside pocket, so it will be sandwiched in between. The third heart that was cut (the heart top) will go on last to form the top part of the pocket.

Sew completely around the edges of the heart, sandwiching all 3 pieces together.

Now you have a heart-shaped pocket to fill with candies or other goodies for Valentine's Day! I love how quick this project is. You could make dozens of them in one sitting!

Use any felt colors that you have on hand. The more colorful the better, to chase away those Winter weather blues! These handmade gifts are sure to make your Valentine smile.

Be sure to catch Craft E Magee and D.I.Y. Louisville on WDRB in the Morning every other Wednesday at 7:45 and 8:15 AM EST! You can also check out our projects on YouTube.

D.I.Y. Organization Caddy

I am so excited to have been asked back to WDRB in the Morning for 2014! Every other Wednesday I will be on television making crafts with my good friend Julee of DIY Louisville. Last week we made projects to help us get organized for the New Year. Julee made a cool jewelry organizer and I created a simple by the door organizer! You only need a few supplies to make this easy organizer. It's great for holding keys, sunglasses, and mail, and keeping it by the door helps you get out fast. No scrambling for the things you need while you need to be on the go. Check out the full instructions and get organized for the New Year! 

Get organized for the New Year!

Happy New Year! There is a whole new year ahead of us, and it's a rare opportunity to start fresh! I'm not big on resolutions myself, but I do enjoy getting organized. My first craft project of 2014 was to create this D.I.Y. "by the door" organizer. 

This project is really simple and you get to use power tools! 

For this project you will need:
1 wood plaque from the craft store (or scrap wood you have on hand)
3 metal hooks
A length of elastic
All-purpose or wood glue

Power Drill with both 1 large and 1 small drill bit

Wood block pocket (or 4 pieces of wood to create pencil cup)
1 Sawtooth picture hook (optional: attach to back to hang on the wall)

The first step is to use a pencil to mark the spots for two screw holes near the top corners of the wooden board. Using a large drill bit, drill the two holes all the way through the board.

Take the length of elastic through the two holes on the wooden board, pulling the elastic until taut, and tie a knot in the back. Trim the edges of the elastic with scissors.

Make a pencil or mail cup on the organizer with a wooden block pocket (easy to make with 4 scrap pieces of wood, glued together, or find one in the wood section of the craft store as a base for a wood block calendar).

Use a pencil to mark the place for the wood cup on the organizer. Using wood or all-purpose white glue, attach the pencil cup to the organizer. Let dry.

As the pencil cup is drying, you can use a ruler to mark three spots for hooks on the left side of the organizer.

Use the small drill bit to start the three holes for the hooks. Do not go through the board, just enough to start the holes to make twisting the hooks in by hand easy.

Because of the starter holes, the hooks twist into the wood easily, and make the perfect spot for keys on your "by the door" organizer!

After the pencil cup has dried overnight and is fully attached, your "by the door" organizer is ready to use! Add pens, pencils, or a notepad in the cup. The elastic can hold sunglasses, mail, or important paperwork. The hooks can hold keys, scarves, or anything you need handy. This D.I.Y. organizer will help you keep all the important stuff in one place, and make it easy to get out the door without forgetting something!

I like the unfinished look of the wood on this D.I.Y. organizer, but you could just as easily paint it, add a monogram, add fabric, or decoupage it. Decorate it, make it unique, make it you! I hope that you enjoyed this easy to make project that can help you get organized for the New Year.

Christmas is here!

 

Christmas is here! I have been trying my best to cherish the Holiday by taking some time off work and doing the most important thing: spending time with my loved ones. More than anything else, to me Christmas is about family. Presents are nice, ornaments are pretty, cocoa is yummy, and music is fun, but family is the best part of the Holiday for me.

J and I spent one fun evening touring our neighborhood to look at Christmas lights, cocoa and coffee in hand. That was a fun drive, even when the rain came and fogged up our windows! My nephew played his last Fall basketball game and got a medal for his participation. He was so happy! I finished the last of my 3 segments for WDRB in the Morning and am able to relax my creative energies a bit until January!

We snuggled up under the tree to enjoy the pretty lights and admire the view. Today I am baking Oatmeal Fudge, a family tradition for the Holidays, and by far my favorite cookie! These will be the cookies we leave for Santa (if there are any left)!

Happy Holidays to you! Here's hoping you get to spend some time with the people you love. Be sure to hug them, kiss them, and tell them that they are the best part about this time of year. 

Videos: Christmas Crafts

I was pleased to be able to appear on WDRB in the Morning three times this month, making crafts for the Holidays. The first video I posted was for a handmade peanut reindeer ornament. Below are two more crafty videos for a Christmas cookie plate and confetti gift tags.




What are your favorite Holiday crafts or gifts to make? I always love hearing ideas from other people. Can you believe Christmas is less than a week away? I better get to crafting!

Cookies for Santa

Christmas is only one week away! It's hard to believe, but I almost feel ready after putting the finishing touches on my latest craft for the Holidays--a cookie plate for Santa (and one for the elves, too)!

Making a Christmas cookie plate is simple. All you need for this project is a blank plate, non-toxic or food safe paint, and a paint brush. I used a red plate to create Santa's belly. I found my plates at Target, but you could easily find them at other stores, too.

Using a wide paintbrush, I painted a black line under the center of the plate.

Once the black paint is dry, add a gold buckle with gold paint and a smaller brush. You can also add details on the plate with white paint and a fine brush. I painted "For Santa" at the top of my plate.

Add another coat of paint to the belt buckle and the text and allow plate to dry. Be sure to follow the paint bottle instructions for curing times. The paint I used needed to dry for several days.

As a fun bonus, I used a green plate to make a cookie plate for the elves!

Don't these plates make a cute matching set? This is a fun craft to make, and you have just enough time to create it by Christmas! 

All you have to do now is add cookies & milk! Santa will be pleased. We're partial to leaving chocolate chip cookies for Santa, but Oatmeal fudge is good too. What is your favorite cookie to leave for Santa?

I hope you enjoyed this project, another craft for WDRB in the Morning. Julee at D.I.Y. Louisville is also getting crafty this morning. Don't forget: even if you miss our television appearances you can always check out our videos online.