Turned birthday cards into home decor

I never like to throw out greeting cards. Given its March my birthday cards are already rolling in adding to my ever growing stash of Christmas and Valentines cards. Instead of leaving them to clutter my desk, I took some old leftover raffia and tied the cards into a little stack. The effect is cute and organized; the bow turns the clutter into a great decoration.

I love decorating my room with unique knick-knacks that reflect my personality and experiences, every item should tell a story. Why not have something that reminds you of all the friends that love you?  By tying the cards together they are also kept organized by year or holiday. So when I am tired of  the decor or get a new stack of cards, I can just toss the old ones into a drawer or decorative box and replace them with a new stack. You could even change them with the seasons for a more festive look!

made christmas ornaments that smell good

Great as a gift or to make your home ready for the holidays.

Materials:

Crochet hook, 5mm. Yarn in holiday colours, sparkle is good too. Scissors

potpourri (bought or homemade). Cotton balls or polyfill stuffing

Part 1: See my post on homemade Potpourri

Store in a tupperware until the balls are ready to be stuffed.

Part 2: The ball

**If you are new to crochet try a granny square first

Crochet Pattern: Sphere

Pattern taken from http://www.crochetspot.com/how-to-crochet-a-sphere/ and adapted.

Terminology: ch- chain, sc- single crochet, decrease- sc skipping over one stitch

**use sheet bend knots to switch to a new colour after every 2 rounds.

Round 1: ch 2, 6 sc in second ch from hook: Row should be a total of 6 sc
Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around: total 12 sc
Round 3: (2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc) around: 18 sc
Round 4: (2 sc in next sc, sc in next 2 sc) around: 24 sc
Round 5: (2 sc in next sc, sc in next 3 sc) around: 30 sc

Round 6: (2 sc in next sc, sc in next 4 sc) around: 36 sc

Note: to increase the size of the sphere, continue to increase this circle.

Round 7– 11: sc in each sc around: 36 sc
Note: rounds 7 – 11 make the body of the sphere. In general, the number of rounds to make the body should be the number of rounds completed thus far minus one. For example, there are five rounds before round 6 in this pattern. Therefore, there are four repetitions of the above line. The amount of repetitions for a different sized sphere also depends on a crocheter’s style. Some crochet tighter than others.

Round 12: (decrease, sc in next 4 sc) around: 30 sc,   aka sc 5 in a row then skip one and repeat.

Round 13: (decrease, sc in next 3 sc) around: 24 sc,   aka sc 4 in a row then skip one and repeat.
Round 14: (decrease, sc in next 2 sc) around: 18 sc
Round 15: (decrease, sc in next sc) around: 12 sc
Stuff sphere as full as possible with potpourri
Round 16: decrease around: 6 sc
Note: if you increased the size of the sphere you will also need to decrease the sphere as much as you increased it by.

Made potpourri

A super easy and cheap way to get into the holiday spirit!

Go to your grocery or bulk food store and get the following:

Whole all spice, whole cinnamon sticks, bayleaves, and whole cloves.

Try a cup of each all spice and cloves, and about 10 cinnamon sticks and 10 bay leaves.

Break the cinnamon sticks in half or thirds, try scoring a line where you want to break it then break with your hands, if not try using a saw or a hammer to break it up into smaller pieces.

Toss together and Store in a tupperware until ready to use, or put in a decorative bowl for immediate aromatherapy.

Try out different spices if you can find them, I can’t find the original website that I got the idea from but this one is close.

Whole nutmeg, star anise or whole cardamom pods would be good additions.