Christmas on a dollar

The holidays are upon us and the scramble is on for those gifts for friends and loved ones. I am always stunned by how fast my money goes around Christmas, even if I try and be thrifty. This started me thinking about how we all need those extra little gifts for teachers, neighbors, co-workers, hair dresser or a hostess gift.

So this year I have decided to take a different approach to gift giving and challenge myself to embellish and create small gifts out of dollar finds.

Andy is always teasing me that I have an entire scrap store in my craft room, so I plan on only using what I have on hand to embellish my budget friendly finds.

Project #1 The Christmas votive

Cost: $1

My first project is a 3 ½” x 3” glass votive I found at the Dollar Tree.

The Dollar Tree is one of my favorite places to browse, and I just can't resist asking the check out lady “hey, how much is this?”, every time I go in there. I love it when they roll their eyes at me and say “a dollar”. LOL!

I used Ten Second Studio metal to create my poinsettia, but paper will work just as well.

You will need the following materials: Votive, Ten Second Studio metal: barn red/poison ivy, three different Cuttlebug embossing folders, Basic Grey flower layer #6 die cut, 3mm bling, tacky tape, sheet music, a sanding block, and pinking shears or decorative scissors.

*After die cutting your metal, emboss it using a texture folder.

*Die cut your metal using the BG #6 flower die in your Cuttlebug or Bigshot. After die cutting your metal and embossing it, lightly sand the top of the metal with your sanding block.

*Cut music paper into 1” strips

My sheet of music was only 5 1/2” wide, so I had to glue two 1” strips together in order to get one long enough to fit around my votive.

*After you have created one long piece, you can then trim it with your pinking shears or decorative scissors. Wrap your music strip around the votive using glossy accents to adhere it to the glass.

*Tacky tape the back of your flower pieces. Peel your tacky tape off of the two smaller flowers and start layering them on top of each other. Remember to bend your petals and leaves to give it some added dimension. Adhere the Poinsettia to the votive and tweak.

*Glue your 3mm bling to the center of your flower using glossy accents. And now you have a unique little gift that was quick and only cost a dollar.

Last weeks test tube winners are: Laurie, NikiLynn, and Bonnie Belk! Ladies email me your addresses at Trishliciousandco@hotmail.com

Be sure to leave a comment so you can win some fabulous prizes!

Next project was found at home depot and cost .98!

We will be getting not one but five gifts out of it so check back this weekend for details.