365project Week 48

I am not the person I was four or five years ago. I do not have the disposable income I had four or five years ago. I have discovered a love of crafting and upcycling. My Christmas shopping list this year hasn't been compiled from the great gift guides of our favourite retailers.I am on a thrifty mission. A mission to craft my way through Christmas. Yes, I will save some money but I will give what can't be measured. My time and love and thought.

And a lot of time and love and thought has gone into my week.

My Bagpuss mouse, unearthed at the school Christmas Fair, sings "We will find it. We will bind it. We will stick it with glue, glue, glue." This is my new mantra.
My paperback Christmas trees sold out at the fair.
Sometimes the greatest pleasure is free: watching the wee one squeal as he runs.
A cup of tea. Cheap as chips and oh so perfect.
Handcrafted (squished and squashed) salt dough Christmas decorations in production.
A fast paced walk to school burns as many calories as a custard cream biscuit (probably). Who needs a gym membership?
Crocheted snowflakes experiment turns out better than hoped.

I'm not a Bah Humbug kind of person, but the exuberance of Christmas is definitely looking a bit tacky this year.

Hope your Christmas preparations are coming on nicely x

I'm joining in with my fellow 365'ers who never let life get in the way of a good photo over at The Boy and Me.


My photos are in my album on the 365project site. I'd be so happy if you went to take a look.

How To Make Angels and Christmas Trees From A Paperback Book

It is a sad fact that even charity shops have to pulp books after their pages have curled on the shelves too long. Incredibly not everyone wanted to read Mills and Boon 'Christmas Nights' by Sally Wentworth. If I was Sally I would be gutted.

But I have found a craft so simple, so easy, even those missing the craft gene can do it. And in the process we save unloved books from a fate worse than landfill.

Turn unwanted and unloved paperbacks into Christmas Trees and Angels.

I should warn you though, there is one problem making these, especially for a book worm. The temptation to try to read as you fold the pages is IMMENSE and you may find yourself drawn into a fictional world unwittingly. If you resist, these decorations can take less than half and hour to make. If you are sucked in, more like 72 hours.

Here are examples of what you can do with that unwanted fiction...

Simple Christmas Tree made from The Yellow Pages:

Embellished with a little gold spray and a Star:

Blinged baby!

Here's how.

You want a paperback that is about 120-150 pages long (that is numbered pages, not leaves of the book). If you have one longer, just tear it in half. I know that this goes against all things literary but take a deep breath and rip. Now rip off the cover and bend that spine back. If anyone is hyperventilating at the thought of mutilating a book, have a paper bag on stand by.

For a simple Christmas tree.

Fold each page so that the top right hand corner folds down into the middle of the book.

Then fold the page again so that it meets the middle of the book.

Turn this folded page over and fold up the triangle that is sticking out at the bottom.

Tuck this in.

Carry on doing this for every page.

It will get a bit difficult towards the end as the folded pages increase the volume of paper at the spine but try to get each fold into the center of the book. When all the pages are folded it will stand up on its own in a tree shape.

To embellish it, paint with a little glue and add a dash of glitter.
Or lightly spray paint it.
Add a bauble star.
Make an origami star.
Add tinsel. Okay maybe that is a step to far.

To make an Angel:

Fold the first 20 leaves of the book as if you are making a Christmas tree. Then fold the next 5 or 6 leaves upwards, varying the amount of the second fold for each page to create a fan effect.

This is one of the angel's wings. Continue folding pages as you did for the tree until you are about 25 leaves from the end. Then repeat the upwards fold for 5 pages reversing the order of the fanning effect in order for your angel's wings to be symmetrical. Fold the remaining pages as you did for the tree.

To complete the angel glue a bauble on the top for a head or a polystyrene ball or ping pong ball. You can spray paint it or glue and glitter it to create your desired effect.

You don't have to use a book if you find you cannot bring yourself to do it. You could use a quality magazine (as long as it has a glued spine) or a catalogue.

These are seriously easy and hopefully I have inspired the bloggers who are making decorations in aid of The Society of St James, a charity for the Homeless. If you want to know how you can get involved to add a little Christmas cheer for the homeless of Southampton, then visit Mammasaurus blog to find out more.

Wish upon an Origami Star

Call me a cheapskate but if you can make a cute origami star in 5 minutes from a sheet of newspaper or wrapping paper or a magazine why wouldn't you?

These origami five point stars are really simple and after a couple of practice ones *cough* I can knock them out in minutes. I made a garland of them but I'm going to stick 2 or 3 together and make a couple of decorations for the tree too.

First cut yourself a pentagon template that is about 10cm in height to make a 5cm star. If you want bigger stars go for a bigger template but make sure it fits the paper you are using! You can buy templates from a craft shop but being a cheapskate I found an image online and traced it straight off my PC screen.

 

 

1. Cut a pentagon from the paper you want to use. Fold it in half across each of its 5 axis. You don't need to draw the lines but I have so it was easier for you to see.
2. Fold a straight edge of the pentagon upwards past the centre so that the corners meet the folds (lines) coming from the left and right points. Do the same fold for each straight edge. You will have created a small pentagon based 'basket' shape.
3. Pinch the five points together.
4. When all five points are pinched in, bring them into the center.
5. Start to flatten the corners of the small pentagon you have created, folding down towards the left.
6. Continue to work around the pentagon folding each point flatter as you go.
7. You will eventually completely flatten each point down.
8. You will create a mini pentagon in the center.
9. Turn the star over where there is another larger pentagon.
10. Fold up the corner of this pentagon towards the center creating a narrower point to the star.
11. Fold each point of the hexagon up working around in a circular way such that the last fold tucks underneath the first and holds itself in place. This forms the finished star.
12. It also looks good on the reverse!

Have fun making them and feel free to add links to your own origami stars in the comments x

Cheap as Chips Christmas

On a budget?
Feeling the pinch?
Or just plain old skint?

I am on the hunt for thrifty Christmas gifts, decorations and Christmas crafts having just spotted this present idea on City Girl at Heart. Her idea of framed Puffin Postcards is really lovely and I love that you can really match the Puffin postcard to the recipient showing how much thought went into your £1.53 gift!

I made this fabric cover for a notebook the other day for a friends birthday present and I am going to make a few more for more Christmas gifts. Tutorial here.

I may change the notebook for a diary or address book to mix things up a bit. Rebel aren't I?

And last Christmas I got creative with some magazines and catalogues and made Christmas trees with them.

I have also made stars and angels.

But I am on the hunt for more thrifty Christmas gift ideas, new or charity shop finds, recycled or re-purposed, homemade or bought. Have you been scouring the Internet for bargains, or traipsing through charity shops for vintage finds? Are you a crafter and busy making gifts? Have you set up a sweat shop to get the kids making decorations for Christmas?

Come and share your "Cheap as Chips Christmas" finds!

Please link up to this one time only Cheap as Chips Christmas bloghop and lets get Christmas in on budget!
Don't forget to add this badge to your post, old or new :-)

I can't wait to see your ideas *excited face*



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