Ideas For Gifts
These gift tags aren’t just about recycling, they’re about showing your friends how hip and anthropologie-like you can be. Plus you’ll be handcrafting your gifts this year anyway, right? If you’re planning on making your own wrapping paper why not make some gift tags for your pals’ presents too?
Read my piece at Phoenix New Times Jackalope Ranch blog: Thrifty Tags for Holiday Gifts to learn a few tips on making crafty tags.
xoxo Lovley Lula and Happy Crafting!
While helping an elderly neighbor of mine to unpack all of her Christmas things I came across a vintage ornament printed with a recipe for Campbell’s tomato soup cake. She shared with me that this was a popular thing to do bake in the day when you were trying to be thrifty and change up flavors. It was also from the hay day of adding cream soups to everything. Those days have died out somewhat, but for a thrifty Christmas throwback I thought I would give it a shot. I didn’t follow their recipe because they just used a boxed cake mix and I am more interested in the “from scratch” approach. I added a contemporary spin by making the recipe into cupcakes instead of a cake. They are actually pretty good.
Learn how to make Tomato Soup Spice Cupcakes via my post over at Phoenix New Times Chow Bella blog: Tomato Soup Spice Cupcakes
Have you been invited to yet another cookie exchange this holiday season? Racking your brain on which recipes to make? What if you could make just one batch of dough and then add in different things to make variations off of the basic recipe? Guess what? You can!
Read my post at Phoenix New Times Chow Bella: Basic Dough Makes Cookies 15 Ways.
Some variations I recommend:
1. Make shaped sugar cookies
2. Mini tart shells
3. Add 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to make chocolate cookies
4. Add a few drops food coloring to make colored cookies such as green wreaths or red candy canes
5. Add 2 tablespoons of instant espresso powder or instant coffee to make coffee flavored cookies
6. Add 1 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice to make spice cookies
7. Add essential oils such as 2 tablespoons of mint to make pepper mint flavored cookies
8. Add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup to make maple flavored cookies
9. Add ½ cup nuts to make nutty cookies
10. Add ½ cup dried cranberries or other dried fruit to make cranberry, date or fig cookies
11. Add ½ cup fruit jam to make a fresher fruit cookie (can dollop into the center)
12. Add 2 tablespoons of liquor to make an alcohol infused cookie
13. Add ½ cup peanut butter to make peanut butter cookies
14. Add ¼ cup marshmallows and ¼ cup chocolate chips to make a s’mores style cookie
15. 14. Add ½ cup of shredded, toasted coconut to make toasted coconut cookies
This girly girl gift idea is one that you will not want to wrap. It is made using Bazzill Basics paper and the Forever Young Cricut cartridge. I cut the girly silhouette on the Cricut in different sized layers and backed it with chipboard, added some bling and sprayed on some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist. I have the silhouette resting on a simple wooden easel that I covered with a hot pink lace.
Then I used a scrabble tile, covered it in red Bazzill Basics paper and cut out a matching girly silhouette out of pink paper and glued those to the tile, I screwed in an eyelet and then added a silver plumbers chain. Gift complete! Now I have to go run and hide it so it will be a surprise for Christmas!
For the complete Tutorial Click Here: Silhouette Necklace Happy Crafting xoxo LL
Phoenix – This weekend is our weekend to shop local, buy handmade gifts and and make crafts to give as gifts.
Friday night is CRAFETERIA at Frances Vintage – 6-10 pm, 10 w. Camelback Road, Phoenix. Look for 40 local artists selling their handmade crafts. I will be there all bedazzled in pink-ness! Yummy!
Then on Saturday from 2 pm-midnight is the first ever Phoenix Craft Rave! At Bragg’s Pie Factory, 1301 W. Grand Avenue, Just $5 at the door and then you can choose from more than a dozen $5 – $15 craft projects to make. Local artists will have tables to provide you with the supplies and instructions. They’ll also have their work for sale too! There are free project tables, free treats and free beverages. Come get crafty – we’ll help you make for everyone on your list.
Come join us this weekend, support local artists and crafters and celebrate all the creativity your community has to offer.
