Let's Craft A DIY 'Christmas In A Mug'

Add a cute festive touch to your decor with 'Christmas In A Mug'. 

This project is very easy to create.

I chose white and green as my colours, but you can choose whatever colour way you like.

Let those festive Christmas vibes flow.

What I have created is a guide for you.

This project takes half an hour to DIY.

You Will Need:

A plain white coffee mug

Polystyrene (or dry florist foam)

An assortment of Christmas picks - pine, pinecones and berries.

A small ornament for the focal point

2 green and white striped pipe cleaners

Wire cutters

Hot glue gun

To Make:

Cut your polystyrene to fit the inside of the mug.

It should sit just below the lip of the mug.

Start at the back of the mug and poke the first

 Christmas pick in place.

Continue placing the pine picks as shown.

                               Add some pinecones.

I used wired bunches that I could pull apart and cut the wires with wire cutters to the length required.

This is what it should look like at this stage.

Next, add a focal ornament.

And a striped pipe cleaner around the cup.

Shape the second pipe cleaner into a heart shape.

Cut the extra length off and bend the end to make a hook.

Hook it over the pipe cleaner around the mug, and bend the heart to sit nicely.

I added a small pearl to the top of the Christmas tree ornament to hide the wire hanging loop, and a small crystal ball to the top of the tallest pine pick.

I used hot glue to do this.

Place in your Christmas decor.

Here in New Zealand, it is Summer and very hot during the festive season.

But it's on my bucket list to experience a Northern Hemisphere snowy Christmas. 

:)

You'll find more Christmas crafts, DIY, free printables and recipes HERE.

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#christmascrafts #diychristmas #christmasdecorideas

 #homemade

Cherry White Chocolate Blondie

Cherry White Chocolate Blondie is 'Christmas in a MOUTHFUL'!

The flavours induce childhood memories of my mother's Christmas cake.

 Using brown sugar in the mix adds to the deliciousness.

 

It's super easy to whip up.

Cherry White Chocolate Blondie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of pitted canned cherries (with juice drained)

2 Tablespoons of brandy

3/4 cup soft butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs 

1/2 cup almond meal

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup white chocolate (chopped)

Powdered icing sugar to dust

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 Celcius (356 farenheit)

Line a rectangle brownie pan (32 x 18cm/ 12.5 x 7 inch) with baking parchment paper.

In a non-metallic bowl place the drained cherries with the brandy.

Set it aside.

Using electric beaters, mix in a bowl, the butter, brown sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy.

Add the eggs and beat well.

Add the flour and almond meal.

Beat again.

Reserve six cherries to decorate the top of the blondie once baked.

Fold the rest of the cherries and chocolate through the mixture.

Spread into the prepared pan.

Bake 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out with a few crumbs but not wet.

Cool in the pan.

Lift out of pan and when cold, plate, dust the Blondie with powdered icing sugar, and group the cherries in threes on top.

Note: you can omit the brandy if preferred.

 After it's baked and cooled - 
use a Christmas template (sourced from the internet, printed onto paper).

Using scissors, cut the template out.

Place the template in position on the top.

 Sprinkle sieved powdered icing sugar over the top of the Blondie.

 Carefully remove the template.

It is such an easy way to decorate a cake, slice, brownie or blondie... 

Repeat so you have two images on the blondie. 

Position the cherries, cut
and serve with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream.

You will find the printable recipe HERE.

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#cherry #baking #blondie #christmas #christmasbaking

'Of The Sea' DIY Framed Paper Collage

 Inspired by the sea and abstract Japanese art, the 'Of The Sea' collage is a beautiful coloured or patterned card artistic creation.

It is medium level to make.

These DIY art pieces make great creatively homemade gifts to give.

You can change the colours of the card to your own taste.

If you want to modify my design, you could also add cutouts of fish, starfish, seahorses, plankton, seaweed, and coral.

You will need:

Two pieces of card, plain or patterned for the base.

 The template shapes in complementary colours cut from heavy paper card

Glue

A black Sharpie pen

11 x 14 inch (to fit an 8 x 10 inch collage) frame with an internal mat

Copy the templates to your computer, print A4 size directly onto the coloured paper card of your choice.

Or print on white card, cut them out and draw around them on the patterned card, then cut out.

Otherwise, use a pencil and draw your own freeform shapes on the coloured paper card, and then cut them out.

Cut a base colour card the size of the frame photo insert.

Cut a second background layer slightly shorter to create a horizon and glue the two together.

Arrange your prepared shapes on a card that fits the internal photo size for the frame.

You can outline in black sharpie some of the shapes for more definition.

When you are happy with the positioning, glue each piece in place.

Use the wave shape as a guide to get the positioning right.

Glue the wave on last.

Then pop in the frame.

The 'Of The Sea' Framed Paper Collage is ready to hang, place on a shelf, or wrap and gift.

Pattern Templates:

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#diyart #artprojects #collage #homemadegiftideas #kidsart

#papercraft #paperart