Toilet Paper Tube Snowmen

Last year, after I made my Fabric Christmas Lights, I wanted a project to use up my scraps.  I was also hoping to find something to replace the Thanksgiving Toilet Paper Tube friends I had been using as decorations at work. I was happy to find the tutorial for these darling Toilet Paper Tube snowmen at Crafts by Amanda and set out to re-create them.

You'll need paper, pens or colored pencils (black, orange, and pink), small pom poms, pipe cleaners, scissors, fabric scraps, buttons, and a hot glue gun. For the buttons, I was lucky to have a large collection to choose from. My mom has an antique tin full of buttons collected over the last 40+ years, mostly from outfits that came with a spare. Digging through the collection was like visiting a fashion museum!

My 5 year old cousin T. loved playing with these snowmen over Christmas. I'm planning to make her pink and purple snow friends, per her request, for a mail surprise this month. If you have kids in your life, consider making them a snowman the next time you throw out an empty toilet paper roll!

Thanksgiving Toilet Paper Tube Friends

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and I was excited to spend part of this past weekend going through some of my decorations, and trying to decide what to put up to make these dreary, November days more festive. Last year, I found adorable toilet paper tube Thanksgiving friends and this colorful toilet paper tube turkey while perusing Pinterest, and couldn't resist making them to entertain the kids in our waiting room at work. They got so many laughs and smiles that I can't wait to put them out again this year.

The turkey came with a tutorial, but the others did not, and I'm not sure of the original source. I used construction paper, markers, and colored pencils to create my own versions. Parts of my Uncle Sam template could be modified for pieces of the pilgrims' outfits.

I'm working on some Thanksgiving goodie boxes for my cousins who live out of state. Towards the end of the month I'll be posting my Thanksgiving wrapping paper, and tutorials for the turkey-themed crafts I'll be sending them.

Wishing you a Happy November!

Birthday Greetings

I adore any opportunity to send or receive any kind of snail mail, especially birthday mail. My mother is the Martha Stewart of remembering and recognizing birthdays, and I'm trying to follow closely in her footsteps. I've been getting tired of the birthday card options at my favorite card stores, and wanted to do something different. My good friend Kelsey celebrated her birthday at the end of July, and I decided to mail her this cheery birthday sign, again inspired by The Paper Mama.

I started with an array of patterned paper, and punched 2 inch circles for my sign.

I used stick-on scrapbook letters to speed up the process.

Recently I ordered a 5 lb package of multicolored pom-poms and have been trying to find ways to utilize them. I've seen a variety of these adorable ice cream cones on Pinterest, and thought they would dress up my sign.

I started with one of my favorite craft supplies -- a toilet paper tube. I unrolled it, and punched a 2 inch circle from it.

I cut the circle into uneven quarters, and rolled and hot glued them to make the cones.

Next, I hot-glued my pom-poms onto the cone to make a double scoop. I used the ice cream cones as spacers between the words. I punched each circle at the top, and threaded the sign with blue baker's twine. I folded the sign into an accordion, put it in a small box, and mailed it off to hopefully, brighten her day!

Uncle Sam wants you...to have a Happy Fourth of July

I love Independence Day, not only for all that it represents, but also because it has always been my first official taste of summer. As a kid, there was no better feeling than running happily through the back yard, smelling the burgers sizzling on the grill, playing with my friends, and begging for the box of sparklers to finally be opened. In preparing for my own Fourth of July festivities, I was inspired to make this Uncle Sam decoration out of one of my favorite craft supplies---a simple toilet paper roll.

You can access the template for everything you need to make your own Uncle Sam here.

Supplies:

-Toilet paper tube or paper towel tube

-Paper (Red, Blue, White & Pink)

-Scissors or a paper cutter

-Hot glue gun or tape

-Markers

-3 small pom poms or cotton balls

-Small star punch or stencil

I started with Uncle Sam's hat. There are four components -- the hat top, hat brim, hat body, and star trim. The hat top and brim can easily be traced onto your paper of choice. For the hat body, you can trace the template shape onto red or white paper. Cut out and attach small strips of the opposite color making a striped pattern. I used an adhesive paper for my strips, and it made assembly really easy. For the star trim, I used a star punch on white adhesive paper to make my own star stickers, and applied them to the royal blue paper.

I first secured the hat body, using my glue gun, about 1/4 inch from the top of the tube to help with proportions. Then I pulled the hat brim over the paper tube. It should stay on the tube by itself without any glue or tape. Next, I attached the star trim just above the hat brim with my glue gun. Finally, I attached the top. All you need is patience and a lot of tape. Another set of hands helps, too.

Next, I sketched the eyes and smile on my pink adhesive paper. My punch for the stars included a crescent moon shape. I trimmed down two of the moon punches to make Uncle Sam's eyebrows. I secured the face with my hot glue gun, and then attached the pom poms directly to the paper tube.

After the face was complete, I cut out two squares of white paper, and added small slices to give texture. You can fold alternating pieces of the strips, or curl them with scissors like grosgrain ribbon to give him more personality. Secure the hair just below the hat brim.

Next I assembled his shirt. I started with a square of blue paper, and secured it with my glue gun just below the face. I traced the bow-tie in red paper, and attached it just below the beard. To make the lapels, I made two rectangles of red and white striped pieces, trimmed them into triangles, and added a curve at the top. There is lots of liberty with paper color and lapel shape in this step. I also attached the lapels with my glue gun.

Finally, I used a large piece of red paper, and smaller strips of white adhesive paper to make the pants. I secured them just below the blue shirt, and they extended about an inch below the edge of the tube.

Uncle Sam and I wish you the happiest Fourth of July!!!