Tissue Box Stockings

I love the look of Christmas stockings…they add a warm festive touch to holiday decorations. As much as I love them, I have never cared for the way they look when they are full. They get all lumpy and lose their stocking shape. I came up with a solution to the warped stocking look. Anyone who is familiar with my designs knows about my love for reusing household items. I decided to use my empty tissue boxes to make fun stockings that can sit on a shelf or mantel and will still look pristine when filled with candy and gifts. Here I am showing them sitting on some candle sticks.

I cut top of the box in a rectangle shape and left a 1/2 inch border on the sides and 1-1/2 inch border in the front. I punched holes out in the wide part of the border so I can poke some candy canes through. I then painted the boxes with acrylic paint to match the color stocking I am going to attach.

I made a stocking shape that would fit nicely on my tissue boxes. The gold stocking is a brocade fabric that I stiffened with some sturdy iron on interfacing. I glued cord, a sequence strip and fringe to give the stocking fancy embellishments. The red one was very easy because I used glittery gold sparkly stiff felt and outlined the shape with glitter glue. I bought a furry border and bells and attached it the the stocking with glue.

Once the stockings are dry, just glue them to the front of the box on the side with the wider border and holes. Add some candy canes and put them on your mantle. This is a really easy and fun project that kids would love create. The nice thing about this design, is you really don't need much of anyone piece and can decorate however you want to make it special.

If you would like the pattern for stocking shape used here, just email me and I will send it to you. If you make this design, send me a picture, I would love to post it on my blog.

I love to find interesting and inexpensive ways to wrap gifts. There are so many items that can be found around the house to use to create unique gift wrap.  Reused paper towel, wrapping paper tubes and even toilet paper rolls can be used to make pillow boxes accented with items you have on-hand. Scraps of ribbon, buttons, newspaper and anything else you have laying around can create there fun little pillow boxes. Small gifts or candy can be placed in these adorable and easy to make treasures.

These can easily be created by cutting the size of the tube desired and press in the ends to create a pillow box. Use yarn, buttons, fabric and anything else of interest to wrap around the tube and glue. Just be creative and have fun. Insert the gift and use tape to seal each end to secure the gift inside. I have a lot of fun making these pillow boxes and it is a good time to start so they are ready for you when it is time to give a small gift.

Shopping Bag Wrap

This trendy design is inexpensive to create and the cinnamon gives the gift a nice holiday scent.

Now that Thanksgiving is over it’s time to start thinking about the holidays. While you are still feasting on your turkey leftovers, it's a good time to start gathering items to wrap your holiday gifts. I remember the days when I would spend $80 to $100 on decorative wrapping paper to make my gifts look unique and beautiful. Everyone would always say “Gina always wraps the best gifts!” I have come to realize that the most interesting gifts do not have to be created with fancy, pricey wrap and embellishments. Some of my favorite designs are wrapped with reused items and natural elements like this shopping bag wrap.

The sooner you start getting your supplies together the less money you will spend on gift wrap. You can even start making some of your gift bags and pre-wrapped boxes in advance. Over the next few weeks, I will be posting design ideas and tips on how to save money wrapping gifts this holiday season.

How to make the Shopping Bag Wrap