Easy Personalized Holiday Cards

Who is sending holiday cards this year?  It's a tradition I have loved ever since I got married and if you share that tradition then let's make personalized holiday cards today!

TIP #1: Start now and you'll have more time for gift making later!

I'm working with Minted to create this year's holiday card.  Minted is a design marketplace of independent artists from around the globe and they offer a bazillion design options!  It feels great knowing I'm supporting the independent artist community.

Let's start:

Step One: Sign in to minted.com to create an account.  You'll want an account to save all your options and keep your uploaded photos for easy access.  Once signed in then select the category for your card  - I've selected Holiday: Christmas Cards.

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Getting Ready For The Holiday Rush Everyone In The Family Helps Out

The holidays are just around the corner and I
am doing my best to stay ahead of the game! 

Ive been busy ordering last minute jewelry 
supplies and packaging, and getting everyone 
in the house to help out in some way. Im also 
waiting for word from my publisher that my 
two new jewelry instruction videos have been

released. It should be any day now! Yay!

My daughter Erica puts labels on jewelry boxes while kitty Sara keeps a close eye on quality control.

Having family members (namely your kids!) help out
with small tasks for your business or Etsy shop 
is a great way to bond while doing something that benefits
everyone in the family. When my girls help out with making 
packaging, or a similar task, we always have a good time talking
 and laughing, and they are learning about small parts of business, 
and also what it means to be a family and to help each other. 
Plus they love being a part of everything!

If you have your own business or Etsy shop, how does your
family help out? 

Check out my new DIY jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

   

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!


My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

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Changing Screen with Mirrors

It's Friday and time for another Handbuilt Holiday project!  Today Ana White and I are sharing a gift you can build that's truly useful and beautiful at the same time, a changing screen with mirrors.

The changing screen is the second build for this year's Handbuilt Holiday series, last week we shared the stuffed animal zoo project here:

And surprise!

This changing screen has mirrors on the backside, a bonus feature than anyone is sure to love!

 

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DIY Door Stop with Handle

Today Im over at Pretty Handy Girl with Brittany sharing how to make this super simple wood door stop.  Just a 4x4 wood scrap and a leather belt scrap for a handle.

To get the details and step by step instructions click here.

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My New Book Soldered Alchemy Now Available!

Im excited to announce that my new book,

Soldered Alchemy: 25 Jewelry Projects Using New 

Soft-Solder Techniques

is now available on Amazon.com for pre-order!

Inside this book, I take soldering in a completely new direction, and I am SO EXCITED 

to share these brand new techniques, designs, and creative projects with you! 

Each project is explained in detail from start to finish alongside of beautiful 

images to guide you through the projects every step of the way! There are projects 

from beginner to advanced, and I organized them with skill-building in mind, so

whether you are new to soft-soldering, or are an experienced solder artist, this book

has something for everyone and is sure to get your creative juices flowing!

Inside I share all of my techniques & secrets for creating unique soft-soldered 

jewelry, including  all of my soldering techniques, so that you can become a 

soldering pro too! 

Click here to check it out!

What do you think?

Check out my new DIY jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

   

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!


My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

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Creativity Is Contagious Pass It On

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DIY Bucket Shelving

Hello buildy friends!  Things are getting serious now that we're past Thanksgiving and the countdown is really on.  Ana White and I have teamed up to bring you gift plans every Friday until Christmas as part of our Handbuilt Holiday series and today we have a fabulous bucket shelving system.

So far for this year's series we've shared 8 awesome gift builds with free plans and today is another gift idea that's sure to please.

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10 Holiday Gift Ideas for The DIYer

Here it is, my ultimate holiday gift guide for the DIY'er.  If you have a DIY'er on your gift list I guarantee any one of these tools will be greatly appreciated.  These are my top 10 must have tools, I have every single one of them (except the heated jacket (wink, wink)) and I use them on a regular basis.

 

Gorilla wood glue works like a charm and fits in a stocking too!  And The Home Depot travel mug, almost everyone needs coffee and most importantly this mug has a lid!  Any DIY'er will tell you drinking coffee with a thin layer of sawdust is not fun.

This candle!!!!  Technically I don't use this candle in my workshop but I do use it at my desk and the smell is amazing.  I highly recommend this candle and be sure to check out everything in their shop!

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Easy Homemade Holiday Thin Mint Cookies

These easy no-bake cookies are perfect for the holidays and are a homemade replica

of Girl Scout Thin Mints cookies! All you need are Ritz crackers, bittersweet chocolate
(or semi-sweet), peppermint extract (make sure you use peppermint extract and not 

peppermint oil), and vegetable oil. 

Ingredients

Ritz crackers 20-25

Bittersweet chocolate 6oz

Peppermint extract (not oil) 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon (per 6 oz of chocolate) 

1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil

Holiday cookie sprinkles (optional)

Other Supplies Needed

cookie sheet with lip on edge (such as jelly roll pan)

wax paper or parchment paper

double boiler

two forks

Directions

1. Line cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper.

2. Melt chocolate in double boiler, stirring until smooth.

3. Stir in vegetable oil and peppermint extract.

4. Place a Ritz cracker into the chocolate and use a fork to flip the cracker, coating it on 

both sides and on the edges with chocolate. This is easiest to do with two forks. 

5. Use a fork to lift the cookie out of the chocolate and while holding it above the chocolate, 

allow excess chocolate to drip from the cookie and back into the double boiler.

6. Carefully slide the cookie from the fork onto the wax paper covered pan.

7. Sprinkle with holiday cookie sprinkles (optional).

8. Place in refrigerator to set. 

Note: if you do not have a double boiler you can melt your chocolate in a microwave in a 

microwave safe bowl. Place chocolate in bowl and microwave for 20 seconds and then stop 

and stir. Repeat until chocolate is melted. Be careful not to overcook.

Pin this post!

Enjoy your day!

Love, 

Laura

Check out my new DIY jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

   

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!


My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Read More..

Handbuilt Holiday Series 2015 Giveaway

Are you ready to get your build on for the holidays? 

Ana White and I are back for our third annual Handbuilt Holiday series starting this Friday, October 2nd!  Hang on to your hats folks because this year we have some really fun, useful and DIY friendly builds that you are going to love building and giving!

Whos in?  Lets hashtag this series up too! 

#handbuiltholiday2015 

Add the hashtag to your social media pictures so we can see all the handbuilt gifts youre making.  

Weve got 12 weeks to go, thats 12 awesome free gift plans for you to make just in time for the holiday season.  Each week we will post a new gift plan on Friday, every Friday starting 10/2 until Christmas.

To entice you to get building for this holiday season we have an awesome giveaway.

One lucky reader will win:

1 - autographed copy of Anas book The Handbuilt Home

1 - $50 gift card to The Home Depot

1 - Kreg Tools Kreg Jig K4

1 - Ana-s new t-shirt: Woodworking is my cardio (see it here)

Enter the giveaway here.

*Giveaway is only open to US residents 18 and older.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For a quick refresher below are the past two years Handbuilt Holiday gift build plans:

(Click on the photo for links to plans.) 

2014:

2013:

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DIY Fishing Game

Today is the last gift plan for this year's Handbuilt Holiday series with Ana White and we have a super simple and easy to make diy fishing game for you.  I hope you've enjoyed seeing all the gift ideas over the past 12 weeks, it's been a joy to build each and every one and today's plan is no exception.

We still have 6 good building days left and I guarantee this fishing game will only take a few hours to complete.  Make a long box and cut out a few fish then you're good to go!

The box stores all the pieces because we know toys work best when everything is contained and stored together.  (How many times have your kids received a toy with a bazillion pieces and no storage container?!  Makes you want to pull your hair out.)  I also made a lid for the box using 1/4" plywood and applied adhesive backed velcro to keep the lid in place.

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DIY Gas Pump Bookshelf

It's week 4 of the Handbuilt Holiday series and it just keeps getting better!  Ana White and I work super hard to bring you new gift plans that are fun and purposeful and today is no exception.  We are sharing this gas pump bookshelf with tons of storage both inside and out! 

The gas pump bookshelf is super functional, sturdy and provides vertical storage sized just right for kids:

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DIY Sliding Mirror

Friends Im over at Pretty Handy Girl sharing how to build and install a sliding mirror.

This mirror solves my problem with NO wall space and NO back of the door option in a small walk in closet so the solution is a sliding mirror!  Check out all the details on Brittanys blog here.

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