Cleaning Pine Cones

 Even though we're right in the midst of the "dog days of summer", my mind is always thinking ahead towards Fall and Winter crafts! This past week my husband and I went on vacation to South Dakota! The Black Hills are beautiful and I found lots of pine cones. Well, my hubby got them for me.. I was just in flip flops *giggle*

Anyway, we brought the cones home but I knew I needed to clean them. I didn't want any stray bugs in my house *eek* So, I took them to my back porch and grabbed a few things.

I put about a cup of white vinegar and about 1-2 teaspoons of dish soap in a bucket then filled it up with water. I put all the pinecones in and had to keep stirring to submerge them all. I set a timer for 30 minutes and let them soak. I did stir them occasionally.

After they soaked, I let them air-dry a bit just on the sidewalk. I then took them inside and placed them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. I put them in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes. I checked them a couple times. I hadn't ever done this before and didn't want to start a fire!

Now, once they're really wet, they close up all the way. They're not as pretty this way and I really hoped that I didn't ruin them. 

After baking for 30 minutes, I decided to keep them in the oven for another 30 minutes. After that, I took them out and just let them sit on the pan for a while. They hadn't started to open up yet and I was a little worried. They weren't completely dry yet either.

So, I let them sit there for a few hours and I could then see they were starting to open up. Phew! I tried to set them up on the bottoms as best I could. They weren't opening up as well on the side they were laying on. If the bottom wasn't flat enough, I leaned it up against the sides of the pan.

After a few more hours (and especially in to the next day) they were completely dry and had opened up. They're so cute and now they're ready for my Fall/Winter crafting. I've got a few things in mind for them. It'll be fun. I only wish we would've grabbed more!!

FREE Christmas Bookmarks and Instructions

Here is another Christmas in July FREEBIE for ya :)

Click on the "Christmas in July" tab up top. There you'll find a link to download a .PDF of the bookmarks. It is one page and there are 8 on the page. There's also instructions and measurements of how I made mine below.

3 new Christmas listings!

 

Here are 3 Christmas listings I just added to my Etsy shop just in time for “Christmas In July”. I know it’s early to think about Christmas but why not?! It’s better to get things made and ready early instead of stressing about it last minute! Links are below the pictures!

Christmas Photo Booth Props - https://mywhimsicalday.etsy.com/listing/1754208773/christmas-photo-props-christmas-photo

DIY Christmas Gift Book For Mom, Dad, Sister and Brother - https://mywhimsicalday.etsy.com/listing/1740461306/christmas-gift-book-gift-for-dad-gift

Christmas Card DIY Kit - https://mywhimsicalday.etsy.com/listing/1738578634/christmas-card-diy-kit-make-your-own

#christmasinjuly #christmasprintables #etsyprintables #papercrafts #papercrafting

Birthday/Christmas Gift Card Album Book

Click HERE to visit the Etsy listing!

 This is a super great gift card book printable using a Dollar Tree 4” x 6” photo album and this printable. There are 29 pages total of a wide variety of places you can purchase gift cards from and adhere to the corresponding pages. You can make it up for Christmas gifts or Birthday gifts.

There are two birthday covers and two Christmas covers to choose from. There’s also a To and From page that has plenty of room to write your greeting/nice note on.

Each page is created using high-resolution graphics and vivid colors. There is something for everyone! You choose what pages you want to use and just how many of each. Maybe you want two or more of the Amazon gift card page. Do it! Maybe you have no need for the pet grooming page, so just skip that one. It’s up to you!

They would also make great Birthday cards and/or Christmas cards if you just want to give one gift card to someone.

All you need to do is buy one of the 4” x 6” plastic photo albums from the Dollar tree and print off your pages. Cut out and slide into each of the page slots. Write your nice greeting, purchase the various gift cards and voila! You’ve got a great gift!! Some are more geared for “Gifts for Her” but most can be used for both him/her and/or families too!

Included in this 15 page .PDF file:

• 29 gift card pages ( places such as - eating out, soda, coffee, movie, pets, cash, Amazon cart, donut, new outfit, new shoes, self care, cookie, pizza, new book, gasoline, groceries and MORE)

• 2 Christmas covers to choose from

• 2 Birthday covers to choose from

• A Gift Card Poem page for inside front cover

• A To/From page with space for writing a greeting (in both Christmas and Birthday)

Paper Crafting DIY Tutorials I've Written

I love playing with paper! There are so many beautiful styles and the possibilities are endless. Paper-crafting for me, is therapeutic and relaxing. Maybe it is for you as well.

(This tutorial pictured above will be forthcoming)

I use others’ ideas and tutorials but I especially enjoy coming up with my own creations. Then I write a tutorial up to offer in my Etsy shop in hopes others will find them useful and enjoyable. Below are some of my most recent DIY paper crafting tutorials I’ve written. I do hope you will check them out.

DIY Chunky Scripture Advent Pocket Book

DIY Calendar and Mini Composition Cover/Folio

4.5” x 6.5” Album Folio With Lots of Pages/Pockets

4.5” x 7.5” Waterfall Page Photo Album/Brag Book

Skinny Notepad and Calendar Cover/Folio

Teacher Appreciation Sticky Notepad Cover

Sticky Note Calendar Easel Stand

Matchbook-Style Mini Photo Album

Christmas Ornaments Using Walmart Wood Tags

 It's not too early for Christmas, is it? ;) When you're a crafter, you just have to make things all year long to have enough inventory for craft fairs in the fall. I made two of these today and will be making more. I think they're so pretty and the possibilities are endless. I still haven't decided how to embellish them... something rustic, I'm sure!

I bought the unfinished wood tags at Walmart. They measure about 4.5" x 7" and the inner, raised part measures just shy of 4" x 6.5". I printed these rustic images on Mulberry paper. It really gives it a vintage feel, I think.

I then mod podged them on to the middle part (making sure to get right to the edges) and let them dry. 

Once they were dry, I lightly sanded the edges to get all the extra mulberry paper off. This is when you would normally put a top coat of mod podge on but I didn't want the shiny look of that so I opted to go without. I really like it this way. I then painted the edges black. I was going to stain them a dark brown and will probably do some like that in the future.

Once dry, I sanded the edges to make them look more worn because that is the look I like, but it is optional, of course. After that, I took my sharp exacto-knife and cut the paper out of the circle. I then put some macrame cord in and that's it so far!! I will put some greenery, vintage ribbon of some kind and some rusty bells on later!!