2014 has been an exciting year for me on this blog. I’ve grown, gained more followers, posted more frequently, and enjoyed it much more too! It’s not like I’ve ever disliked blogging – if I did I would quit. BUT, for a while there it seemed like it was a bit of a struggle to do any craft posts and well, that is where my roots lie. I started out as a craft blogger and I feel like 2014 helped me to get back to those roots a bit. This list of your top 10 favourite blog posts proves that!
1. Coffee cup sleeve – I think the popularity of this stems from several things. It’s very inexpensive, very very quick and easy to make, and it’s very cute! Whenever you see some holiday socks (or even any cute non-holiday socks for that matter) go on sale or at your local dollar store, just grab up a few pairs. It takes almost no work to turn them into adorable coffee cup sleeves. And if you start collecting them now as each holiday comes up, you could make some for every holiday and give a full year’s set of them to someone for Christmas next year!
2. Ghosts under glass – Once again, this is quick, easy, and inexpensive but it added such a unique touch to my Halloween mantel. I plan on adding to this next year – putting some more touches on this one and then making an additional jar with a skeleton inside. Again, be on the lookout for appropriate jars that you can save and recycle, collect from others (this one came from a restaurant), or purchase at a super cheap sale/clearance price. If you plan the projects properly, you could make a holiday under glass item for each holiday this year and just swap the interiors out while using the same jar over and over.
3. Wedding crafts using Deco Art chalky paints – This is a Google Hangout video and includes the vintage look picture frame above, a different take on a ring bearer’s pillow using an embroidery hoop, and beautiful painted mason jar with a faux milk glass look. These are in keeping with the low-cost, quick and easy craft theme – the mason jar was recycled, the frame was from the dollar section at Michaels, and the embroidery hoop was from a box of vintage items a friend was getting rid of (but still very affordable if you have to buy new). These were all items used for my daughter’s wedding and/or her bridal shower – another happy memory of 2014.
4. Dr. Seuss Thing One and Thing Two frames – Ok ok, I get the hint. You all especially love the fast, easy, and inexpensive crafts. Noted. Adding more of these to my 2015 plans. Again, these used simple items like paint, duct tape, and Michaels dollar section frames to create something adorable and perfect for displaying photos of my twin grand nephews. Stay tuned for another adorable Seuss-themed craft in 2015.
5. Candy Santa Sleds – I’ve been making these for years. I used to make them with the tiny chocolate bars and mini candy canes (more economical) for all of the kids I taught when I was a classroom teacher and inevitably I’d have other teachers ask me to make some for their students too. Most years this resulted in at least 150 of the little sleds being created! They’re great for large groups like that, to make with Scout groups, and to use as table favours for holiday celebrations.
6. Fire Breathing Dragon – Every time I taught my folk and fairy tales unit to my students, we made these fire breathing dragons and they were always their favourite craft of the year! They’re easy to make (and economical for a large group) and so much fun to play with. Little ones might need some help with it so when I taught Kindergarten we always did this as a buddy activity with our Grade 6 buddy class.
7. Mason Jar Sewing Kit – These kits are based on some my mom and grandmothers used to make put of coffee cans at their local “homemakers’ club” back in Dayton, Kentucky. We even used to make these as a first sewing project when teaching kids to sew for the first time! You can sew or glue them together in under half an hour. They’re really handy to keep near the sewing machine and make a great gift.
8. An Apple for the Teacher Gift – As a former teacher myself, this was the type of gift I loved best. Fill up a jar with sweet sentiments from students (and parents too if you want) and it makes for a lovely reminder of just how valued they are on a bad day. Great gift for a retiring teacher too!
9. Three Quick and Easy Holiday Gifts – These were so simple and so fast to put together! The main element are customizable labels from OnlineLabels.com (and I’m THRILLED to announce that I am a 2015 Online Labels ambassador so you’ll be seeing lots more projects using labels!). You can get free printables for my labels on my blog post. Add a few ingredients and a jar or bottle and you’re good to go with a lovely gift!
10. Carrot Easter Bunting – So this came about as the result of me sitting there and staring at some foam cones for a while, wondering what I could do with them that was different and unique. The more I stared at them, the more they looked like carrots to me and thus, this bunting came about. It looked really cute hanging from my spring mantel. Place a bunny or two on the mantel and you’ve got the perfect decoration for spring/Easter!
Well, did your favourite Creative Cynchronicity blog post make it on the list?
Leave a Reply