Each year, I try to do a little something for my colleagues at work and my friends to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I prefer “handmade” anything – and this year was no different. After thinking about it, and being a bit indecisive – the head of the work cafeteria mentioned how impressed he was with the origami star ornaments that I included last Christmas. I got to thinking and figured surely, there must be some type of Valentine I can do in Origami.
Thanks to the youtube tutorial at:
I was soon folding up heart shaped valentines with wings.
I made them in bi-colored paper – in many colors – which really showed off the wings and heart. They’re my favorite.
Then, I tried them in some waxed Origami paper that is striped but semi-transparent:
It ended up making the hearts look a bit “gingham” but I think the wings got a bit lost.
What was the solution? Outline the heart in black marker, and then write on them Happy Valentine’s Day.
Once stacked, I popped them into an envelope and began delivery. I think they were a hit!
Christmas just isn’t Christmas without holiday cards. I’ve always loved to get mail, and at the holidays, I find the beauty of Christmas cards from around the world make me smile in their color, sparkle, design, and different languages. Some are elegant, others sparkly, some are celebrating winter and snowflakes, while others show off all the traditions of the holidays. Every year, I carefully pick out or make my cards and try to get them out the first week of December. And then.. the waiting begins. I practically stand at the door every day (hurry up postman!) waiting for the colorful envelopes. After all, no other time of year does the mail from my friends and family come in droves – out weighing the bills. (Who likes bills?!?).
Once they arrive, I carefully open each one, basking in the joy of the card (it’s like a little gift in each one) and then put it on the mantle or tape it up to the walls in a lovely display. When Christmas is over, I save each card – and try to find unique creative things to do with them later. It’s a great way to Upcycle, be eco-friendly, and keep memories intact from year to year.
This year, I didn’t have much money for decorating my flat. I’d spent most of my savings on medical bills, and that meant that not only was I trying to do handmade items for Christmas (I had time – not money) for everyone, I had to find a unique way to decorate. This is what I came up with. A simple re-purposed series of Christmas cards that were a bit folksy, eco-friendly, and totally made me smile every time I saw them hanging across my mantle.
Here’s how I did it, so you can make your own Recycled Christmas Card Bunting.
Materials:
Old Christmas Cards
Round template – I used the top off of a Pringles Can
Oval Template – I used an old Scrapbooking shape
Scissors
Craft glue
Hole punch
Ribbon or String
Steps:
Step 1: Take your circle or template and move it around on the card until you find a place you’re happy with. Depending on the card, you may be able to get two circles or ovals per card.
Step 2: Trace around the template and then cut out the shape. Repeat for each of your cards. Try to get an even number of similar theme or similar looking cards. Don’t forget that you may be able to use the inside wording from the card or back of the card may have pictures too!
Step 3: For double sided cards, match similar cards together – eg. The two snowmen on the far left came from the same card and look nice front / back. Add glue to the reverse of one of the rounds, taking note of which way is “up”.
Step 4: Attach the round to the other selection, again, being careful that they are both in the correct direction when looked at on the front and back.
Step 5: Squeeze out excess glue, wipe it off, and then weight the round with a book for a while until the glue sets. Wait for the glue to dry.
Step 6: Once the glue is dry, punch 2 holes in the top of each card.
Step 7: Thread the ribbon through the card, making a center and trying to balance the size / shape / color on each side of the bunting.
Step 8: Hang up across your mantle, on your wall, or anywhere else where you want the display.
A few other things you can do with the same technique – just punch fewer holes –
Christmas Ornaments
Mobiles to hang from ceiling
Why not make a Rectangle from a card – and hang several different size rounds down from it like raindrops from a cloud
Add some mod-podge and make necklaces
Attach some flower wire and make centerpieces for the table
What else can you think of? Share your ideas and how this turned out for you – I’d love to see it!
The Internet is a wonderful place – filled with information and ways to keep in touch. You can buy, you can sell, you can connect.
Today’s a special day – International Internet safety day.
In honor of the day, I think we all should watch this instructional music video.
And while you’re watching the video and learning about dodgy 80’s music with random videography, I would also suggest that you review the following internet safety tips (from me – in my years of working in the internet industry) because well, it’s always good to remind yourself once in a while:
a) There’s no such thing as “private” on the Internet. If you post it, it can be read, seen, and found – even years later. Keep this in mind because it’s like a “permanent” record – and can be used for/against you for the rest of your life. Remember this when posting to chat boards, blogs, facebook and other social networking sites. (No kidding. It’s not like the so-called permanent record we had in school.. this really is permanent. Ever seen Google’s cached pages or even tried looking up old pages on http://www.archive.org/ using the “wayback machine”? There’s stuff on there going back well.. forever.) Follow the general rule of “would I feel bad if my mom read what I just posted?” and/or “would I want to be treated like this?”. Type, read, re-read, and then THINK BEFORE YOU POST. (People have been fired for posting things about their job, about how they’re not sick but taking a sick day, etc…)
b) Never share your password with anyone. I know this seems obvious, but really, passwords should be private and not written down/carried around. They should also be something hard to guess and numbers/letters mixed. Never Ever use “password” as your password. My suggestion is to use a combination of numbers/letters that look like something you’ll remember. For example, MyCatLovesMe could become MyC4tL0v3sM3 – and be a really great password. This is because “A” looks like 4, “o” looks like “0”, E looks like a reversed “3” and so on. Otherwise, be careful when using special characters in a password. They may work with some programs / sign ins but not with others – it depends on how the password database is coded.
c) Don’t download / open attachments without scanning them with Anti-virus software- and NEVER EVER from someone / somplace you don’t know. Either of these is just asking for trouble. You wouldn’t pour sugar in your car’s gas tank – it’d ruin your car. It’s the same concept with your computer downloads.
d) If it looks like a fishy, and it smells fishy, it’s probabally “phishy”. This is a great philosophy. If you open an email and it’s asking for your details – or go to a site and they’re asking you to give them your credit card data – and you’ve no reason for being asked this – most likely, it’s someone’s attempt to “fish” (or phish) your information to use it maliciously. If you suspect that it’s not “for real” – it’s probabally best to not fill it out. Scams, ID Theft, and money loss could occur – and we all know in these times – it’s better to be safe than sorry. Most legit websites won’t ask for this type of information without you actually “asking” for something. Eg. If you go to the bank and open an account, they will ask for your info. If “a bank” sends you an email out of the blue asking for your data – even if it looks like your bank, it’s probabally “phishing”.
e) Know everyone on your buddy list. If you don’t – and are chatting randomly – Don’t meet up with people you don’t already know. It’s just good sense. There are bad people out there. You have to look out for yourself – and it’s easier to lie in “text” than it is face to face because you have no body signals to give away the lies. Be safe out there.
Otherwise, here’s a few other suggestions from Google – that are worth reviewing.
