Sometimes I’m a little bit of a Grinch around Christmas time. It’s just all those decorations (gasp!). It’s not that I have anything against the decorations parsay. In fact, I LOVE Christmas decorations and have a TON of them (just ask my husband. he’s had to move them cross country about 5 times and is never very happy about it 
). It’s more that I hate putting them up and then having to take them right back down. You see, I refuse to decorate before Thanksgiving and for the last 6 or so years we’ve always gone to stay with family for the week of Christmas. Which means I put everything up, get to look at it for about 14 days, go on vacation and look at other people’s decor, then come home and take mine all right back down. It just seems like a lot of work for 14 days worth of enjoyment, is all I’m saying.
But this year is a little different. I realized I didn’t need to get out EVERYTHING. I could just get out a very few of my favorites (ie – the tree and family ornaments, our stockings and the reindeer my mom painted). It was so liberating to have everything out and looking fantastic in under an hour!
Then I realized something. It looked so…plain. But I didn’t want to go out to the garage and get everything else out. So what did I do? I opened up my fabric stash to see what I had on hand. And this simple holiday bow bunting is what I came up with.
First, let me list the simple supplies for you:
Die cutting tool (I’m using my Lifestyle Crafts Evolution)
Knotty Pop Up Bow Cutting Dies
Felt
Scissors, Needle and Thread
Hot Glue Gun
(If you don’t have a die cutting tool you can use a pattern for a bow like this one from Oliver +S.)
First you roll, or cut out your bow pieces. I had a piece of 72″ red felt that was about 8 inches wide and that gave me about 24 bows.
Next just assemble the bow with the hot glue and let the glue set for a bit. Then you’ll have a little pile of the cutest bows you ever did see
Now all you have to do is string them together. It is so easy. Really, just thread your needle with a looong piece of thread then just sort of chain stitch them together. But remember to leave a space between the bows (if you want, of course). I also stitched a little knot on the back of each bow so gravity wouldn’t take over and move their position on the strand.
I used some red thread since that is what I had on hand, but now I wish I had used something with a little more width and stability because the bows like to turn and flip so the pretty “face” of the bow is rarely facing forward. Maybe a wire ribbon with a little more width would have been better. I’ll have to fix it for next year.
Once that’s done just go ahead and hang it up wherever you’d like! I tried it on both my tree and on the TV surround.
But now for what you’ve all been waiting for right? The giveaway! Well, We R Memory Keepers would like to gift to one of you lucky readers their North Pole Album Made Easy kit.
I can’t wait to try my hand at these Albums Made Easy starting with the new year. I’ve tried a few different scrapbooking styles throughout the years but I’ve never really stuck with it. This way, though, seems like something I could jive with. All I have to do is print the picture and stick it in a pocket with some cute little cards and it will still look fantastic? Sign me up!
This giveaway includes:
1 Album
North Pole Journaling cards- includes 100 double sided journaling cards
Sheet Protectors- Includes 10 sheets
It’s so easy to win and there are options (cuz who doesn’t like options?) or do all 3 for more chances to win!
1 – Like We R Memory Keepers on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know.
2 - Like MissyDear on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know.
3 – Tweet about the giveaway and comment with a link to the tweet. Here’s a sample tweet you can use:
Awesome Album Made Easy giveaway from @weronthenet on MissyDear this week! Perfect gift for those scrappers out there http://missy-dear.com/?p=1317
The giveaway will be open until Dec. 12, 2013 at 9 pm central time and the winner will be announced on the 14th. So enter soon and let all your friends know to enter too!
If you’d rather just purchase the We R Albums Made Easy and not try your luck (the Lifestyle Crafts Knotty die kit, or any other Lifestyle Crafts/WeRMemory Keepers products for that matter you can use the code MISSYDEAR and get 20% off your purchase anytime (that’s great if you’ve got any crafty people on your Christmas list this year ).
Disclosure: I am a studio member for LifeStyle Crafts/We R Memory Keepers. I receive products of my choosing in exchange for tutorials and projects shared on MissyDear.