A Crafted Holiday {Hand Stamped Wrapping}

If there is anything I love more than crafting, it's the holidays. And, when you put the two together, I'm in heaven! Because of this, I'm having a ball with the "A Crafted Holiday" series. Today's entry is all about what you put under the tree. After all, half the fun of gift giving is getting to wrap in beautiful ways. I wanted to make my own wrapping paper this year to add a personal touch, but I needed it to be time efficient. If you are as busy as I am during the holiday season, this party is key! Instead of decorating each box, I opted for a hand stamped roll. This way I can roll it out whenever it's needed and get the same affect with less time. Top it off with a bow and personalized tag for the ultimate gift under the tree.

:: Supplies ::
Large Pattern Stamp
Red Acrylic Paint
Kraft Wrapping Paper
Sponge Brush

:: Directions ::
1. Brush the stamp with red paint and apply to paper. Repeat until roll is covered.
2. Let dry and wrap.

Party DIY {Polka Dot Menu Cards}

This weekend I discovered the most amazing blog ever, House of Earnest. If you haven't checked it out before, I suggest you do. Immediately. The site is full of amazing DIY's and great tips for crafting your way to an amazing party. After spending hours on Erin's website, I felt rejuvenated and the urge to begin creating for you all again. So, my promise to you is to give you more fun, cute things to craft the perfect soiree.

To start off, I took a dive into my craft box to see what I could concoct. After a little digging (my box is a little disorganized), I found a craft paper card, some neon string, paint and white card stock. With a little bit of thought, I cam up with the cutest handmade menu card! Take a look below at how I made it happen...

1. Ruler

2. 4x6 Craft Paper Card

3. 8.5x11 White Card Stock

4. Neon String

5. Single Hole Punch

6. Scissors

7. Light Blue Paint

8. Fine Point Sharpie

9. Pencil

10. Paint Brush

Step 1: Begin by tracing the card on the white card stock two times with the pencil. Cut them out.
Step 2: On one of the pieces of card stock, trace lines 1/4 inch apart forming a grid. (See above.)
Step 3: Place a "X" in the bottom row, first box. Continue to place a "X", skipping one box between each. Skip the row about it, and place a "X" in alternating boxes than the row below. (See image below.)

Step 4: Take the single hole punch and punch out the "X"'s.
Step 5: Place the card stock full of whole over the front of the card and paint each hole blue.
Step 6: Insert the other piece of card stock into the card and punch two holes at the crease.

Step 7: Loop the string through the holes 4 times and tie at the front. 

Step 8: With your Sharpie, pen the word "enjoy", or "menu" if you like. You can really choose what you what here. I also like the idea of "bon appetite" 

All Wrapped Up

Saturday morning I woke up, had an energizing cup of coffee, made a list, and headed out on one big adventure to get all of my Christmas shopping done. I was determined this year not to be one of those people in hitting the mall on Christmas Eve as I was last year. Minus a couple gifts I have to wait to get when I head home next week, it all got done! But, after all the shopping, those gifts weren't going to wrap themselves. So I embarked on my next journey...wrapping. I've always liked to use the same wrapping, but this year I took it to the next level, mixing patterns and matching the paper to my tree. I loved the idea of finding all the same color paper and mixing two patterns to add a little visual interest. I topped each gift off with a wrapping of silver cord as opposed to the traditional bow to tie in the silver on my tree. 

My absolute favorite part though is how my wrapping and tree match! Thank you Target for providing such fun wrapping and then having ornaments that match two aisles over. That makes this girl very happy! 

How are you wrapping this year? My mom is going with kraft paper and rubber stamps. Another one of my favorites!