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Today was one of those days when creativity just isn't easy. It didn't matter what I touched as this day began - nothing seemed to work the way I wanted, or needed, it to. And, since today is only the second day into my promised 'idea-a-day-until-Christmas' I was a little panicky. Actually, I was alot panicky. But then, someone mentioned candle decorating, and we sat down with some blank candles, Stockmar wax sheets and beads, brads and scissors to see what we could do.

Everything turned around from that moment on.

Candle decorating turned out to be a lot more fun than I was expecting. It also turned out to be a really fun thing to do with friends  - a good idea for a pre-Christmas get together! (In fact, as I was working alongside my studio-mates, I was thinking that this would make a very fun workshop - let me know if you are interested.)

The idea here is very simple:  for Christmas gift idea #2, personalize candles for gifts to share with coworkers or neighbours - or gather your children and have them decorate candles for teachers! We used Stockmar wax sheets - and this made decorating the candles super easy. Stockmar wax sheets are thin wax sheets that come in alot of colours. Easy to cut in whatever shape you want with scissors or cookie cutters, you warm the wax in your hands and stick it to the candles as you wish - and voila! Presto decorated candles!!!

There are other ideas for candle decorating though if you don't want to use the wax sheets. Acrylic paint works beautifully on wax candles - use a fine brush to paint on the candle of your choice. Or you could use an engraving knife to carve a relief carving on your candle. Or if you think that the candle will be used more for display than for burning,  you could use push pins, brads and beads to add a little bling.

Wrap your finished candle in some clear cellophane with a ribbon, and you have a very beautiful, and very personal gift!

This is an easy idea for all skill levels, all ages, and can be tailored to your time needs. Is candle decorating something you would try?

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Okay, so I took a glance at the calendar and there are exactly 2 months less one day to Christmas. I know it is hard to believe – but it is time to start thinking Christmas. And I believe that giving handmade – from the heart and hands – is a really great way to celebrate with family and friends this year. Not only is making more practical in a tough economy, but handmade and homemade is a way to give a very personalized gift to each of your loved ones.

So – in order to (hopefully) inspire you, I am going to share a new idea for gifts every day until Dec. 25th. Some of these ideas will be quick and easy, and some will be more involved, but I hope that maybe, just maybe, you will give something a try.

To start off this epic (can we call it epic?) gift giving idea extravaganza (okay, so I don’t think that it can be called an extravaganza either, but what am I going to call it?), I want to revisit the Rose Throw Cushion from last week. As you may recall, it needed some changes before I was going to be happy with it, so I made a few changes, and I am over-the-moon pleased with it! (The before picture is on the left).

This, then, is my first Christmas gift idea of 2009: the Appliquéd Throw Cushion.

And, in case you were scared off by the whole inspirational journey of the rose, and are thinking that a throw cushion is a big commitment of time and energy, I beg you to reconsider. In fact, to prove that this isn't the case, I took 2 hours to turn some vintage patchwork quilt squares into 2 very lovely pillows.

I left the quilted squares just as they were, but added some hearts that I cut out of the trimmings from the square. These hearts were edged with a zig zag stitch, hand stitched in place, then a ribbon was added. The pillows are backed with white broadcloth to match the size of the quilt square. Beautiful. And not nearly as complicated as the rose pillow was.

I guess the real story is that if you like a lot of handwork and want to spend a lot of time on a pillow, it will look great. But, if you want to try something a little less involved, an easier pillow project will look great to. Have I convinced you to try it yet?

I don't want to belabor the whole miracle glue thing, but as I wandered the aisles of Michael's this morning, I was astounded at the amount of Halloween decorations out already (this whole season always comes well before I am ready).

And as I walked down aisle after aisle (I have to go down every aisle even if I only run in for one thing - I think that it is the curse of the creative mind, but I digress...) and got past my shock at how fast the seasons are changing, I actually got into the spirit of the whole thing.

...but then it hit me...

What a more perfect way to decorate for a fleeting holiday like Halloween than using the impermanent/permanent homemade glue? (if you missed the recipe, I posted it here on Wednesday's blog post - if you are really liking the sound of this glue, but don't want to go through the trouble of making it yourself, Daylilies will have their own version of this recipe all bottled and ready to send to you available on website by the end of September.)

Just bear with me one more moment - yesterday I was so caught up with the possibilities that this glue and some basic paper would have with my Thanksgiving dinner table that I did not give any time to think about how easy it would be to put up and take down decorations on windows.

Yes, windows.

The reality of this situation is that warm water dissolves the glue, so anything you glue (paper only, of course) to the window can easily be taken down with a sponge and some warm water.

What could be more perfect?

Black cats, jack-o-lanterns, bats, spider webs, witches hats....

I am headed back to the studio - I am right in the middle of designing a family fun pack for preschoolers and their families for Daylilies, but I really wanted to share my creative thought for the day. But don't just take my word on it... mix up some glue and give it a try yourself. And don't just limit this idea to Halloween! Christmas is coming, then New Year's, and Valentines... or how about pink flamingos for someone's birthday...? I can't wait to see your pictures (send to debra at dayliliescreative.com).

I had so much to say yesterday that I literally ran out of space. The reason that I was so excited about the permanent-til-wet quality of the miracle glue is because whatever I do can be undone. And so, I tested out the theory with the vase. I had bigger plans and I wanted to make sure that my suspicions were right; that this glue would indeed unglue itself with warm water.

After decorating the vase, it took less than 5 minutes under warm water to bring it back to its original clear glass. (This is when I did a little dance of joy.)

You see, it really is only a couple weeks before Thanksgiving. I don't have a lot of time, but I do like a beautiful Thanksgiving table.

Enter the miracle glue.

This year, I can use that glue to make my plain old glass plates just a little more festive. And then, when the holiday dinner is over, my plain glass plates can once again be my plain glass plates.

This is easy. This is quick. This is inexpensive. And this is fun (if not sticky) to do.

Here are my project pics (2 plates and a beer glass):

So what exactly did I do? Well, I turned on my computer and powered up Word so that I could print 'Thankful' in a nice font that would fit where I wanted it to go.

Then, I printed the page with my words on it - onto a piece of lightweight vellum. You could use whatever paper you wanted... I chose the vellum because I wanted the whole frosted effect, but if you would rather have a bright orange background, then use orange paper - this project should definitely be done your own way.

With paper in hand, I trimmed it to the size I wanted and then put glue on the plate (or glass) first before I stuck the paper down, making sure that there were no air bubbles under the paper. You can glue the paper first, but I found that this glue tended to make the lightweight paper curl and stick together before I could get it in place.

Finally, I did a quick sweep of glue over the paper just to seal and protect the paper from ripping.

Done.

The plate with the leaves was done much the same way, except I traced some clipart onto some scraps of the kite paper I had leftover from a previous project (still) and then glued them down as I did with the vellum and the words.

An easy project that will make any Thanksgiving (or Christmas, or Easter, or Halloween, or...) table/party much more festive. If you (or your kids) take on this project, will you send me pictures of your festive table? Email me at daylilies@dayliliescreative.com.

I decided yesterday that I really like working with the kite paper. The colours are fantastic and it is easy to work with,  but  the reason that I decided I like this paper most of all is because it is translucent. Which means that I only need a couple of colours of paper to mix and match in order to have even more colours to play with.

In any case, when I was working on the sandwich wrappers, I couldn't help but make plans for future products.... I liked working with this paper that much. So, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise when I say that I found myself trying out new things with the paper during my studio time today. 

I created a collaged greeting card, and learned a few things along the way...

I learned that although it is translucent, it really doesn't look good on black (although this may only be because of the colours I was using. Maybe if I had been using orange or something hallowe'en-y, things might have been different).

I learned that pencil marks are almost impossible to erase, so either love them where they are in the finished product, or don't use pencil lines in the first place. (I learned to love them.)

I learned that smaller scissors are a MUST if you want to use this paper to cut small shapes or fine details - but the kite paper really does well with fine details because it is so lightweight.

I learned that a little paper really does go a long way. And just when I think that I have figured a way to use all my little leftover pieces, I realize that I still have pieces left when the project is done.

I learned that the possibilities are endless. I worked on the card today, but what about frames? placemats? (oh... and Thanksgiving is coming up...Thanksgiving placemats out of this stuff would be perfect!) book covers? artwork? refinishing a really ugly old table?...or a whole wall? Christmas ornaments? Halloween masks? Jewellery?

Needless to say, I just can't seem to find an end to all of the options. My ultimately favourite idea, though has to be when I held one of my finished sandwich wrappers up to the window yesterday and realized that this kite paper would make a truly awesome window covering for a kids room - especially if your child likes to change things in their room alot because it would be fun for your child to help with and easy to change.

So really, all things considered, what I really learned is that I really enjoy creating things when I have lots of opportunity to be flexible with the craft product I am using. And since I still have leftover scraps piled on my studio table, I wonder what I will tomorrow will bring? Do you have any ideas? I would love to hear them.... comment here or send me an email.... it is always great to hear from you! (I am so inspired by all the creative things you do!)