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Saturday, December 21, 2019

Kid Friendly -Graham Cracker- Gingerbread Houses


Kid Friendly Gingerbread Houses


Welcome to my last post of 2019!  I'm going to take a break from blogging and (work related 😉) social media for the holidays, but all be back in early January to kick off the new year.  Until then, lets talk about these cute little 'gingerbread' houses, perfect for the kids to make.

Made with graham crackers instead of actual gingerbread, these are so easy to put together, check it out:

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Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links.  If a purchase is made through an affiliate link then (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a commision.  You can read more about affiliate links here.



Supplies Needed For Kid Friendly Gingerbread Houses
Supplies

For these houses you will want to gather graham crackers, premade icing, candies and sprinkles.  Bonus points if you pull out and use up the leftover Halloween candy like we did 😎



Step 1
Step 1

Spread a bit of icing on your surface (we used plastic plates) and press one full sized cracker on top.  The icing will act as a glue to hold it in place and keep it from shifting.  Next, pipe another bit of icing around the perimeter of the base cracker.

Note:  I like to put my icing into a freezer bag, cut off one corner and and use it as an icing bag. It makes the application of the icing soooo much neater and easier!



Step 2
Step 2

Using a couple more full length crackers, stick them to the sides of the base cracker to create the long walls.  Break another cracker in half to fill in the end gaps.



Icing Tip
Tip

I like to apply a bit more icing to the sides of my broken pieces before applying them.  
This helps them to stick to the long walls a bit better.



Step 3
Step 3

Pipe another round of icing on the top of your walls, then add a long cracker on top to serve as a roof support.  Apply yet another outline of icing to this and...


Step 4
Step 4

...use two more crackers resting diagonally on top to create the roof.  That extra layer of icing on the roof support will help hold them in place, but go ahead and add some to the peak of the roof as well.  It will hold better, looks better and provides a sticky place to add decorative candies.



Kid Friendly Graham Cracker Gingerbread Houses

Here is what the gingerbread house will look like before decorating.



Kid Friendly Graham Cracker Gingerbread Houses
Kid Friendly Graham Cracker Gingerbread Houses
House 1

For this one my daughter used gummy bears on the roof to look like Christmas lights, then fashioned a glob of icing to create an evergreen tree.  She used green sprinkles to color the branches and assorted sprinkles to add decorations.  A lollipop dipped in water, then sprinkles made for an adorable little lamp post 😍



Kid Friendly Graham Cracker Gingerbread Houses
Kid Friendly Graham Cracker Gingerbread Houses
House 2

My son made a lollipop lamp and christmas light bears as well, but look things a step further
with a Kit-Kat woodpile and snake in the front yard 😆

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I hope you enjoyed this gingerbread house post.  Happy holidays and thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Studio 27 by Jennifer Adams 2019

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Saturday, December 14, 2019

How to Make 3D Photo Ornaments

3D Snowy Picture Tree Ornaments

Hello everyone and happy holidays!  Today I'm sharing how you can make your own 3D photo ornaments just like the ones pictured here:

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Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links.  If a purchase is made through an affiliate link then (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a commision.  You can read more about affiliate links here.



Adding Paint to Your Photo Ornaments
Step 1 - Paint

Remove the top of the ornament and add a bit of acrylic paint, then roll slightly to create the effect that you want.  For the snow ornaments I wanted an even snowdrift line, but for the swimming set I created uneven waves.  The look you achieve all depends on how quickly you roll the ornament and how far you turn it over, so you may want to have a few extra on hand to experiment with.

I like to stock up on these acrylic ornaments at Dollar Tree, where they come 2 for $1.
You can click here to browse their online selection



How to Dry Your Photo Ornaments
Step 2 - Dry

I found it best to let the paint completely dry before moving on and did so by resting the ornaments within a couple of cups so that they would stay upright.  How long it takes to dry depends on the amount of paint added- I've had some dry in a day while others took a full week!



Adding Embellishments to Your 3D Photo Ornaments
Step 3 - Embellish

For the snowy ornaments I added a bit of glittery faux snow.  For the swimming set I went with a sprinkling of blue sequins.  Just add a bit of your embellishment into the ornament once the paint is dry, unless you don't want it to move around-in that case add it while the paint is still a bit wet.  I wanted my ornaments to have movement so I waited until they were fully dry.



Preparing the Photos for Your 3D Picture Ornaments
Step 4 - Photos

Select the photographs that you want to use and have them printed out small enough to fit within your ornament.  I printed mine at home and used printer paper so that they would be easy to manipulate through the small ornament opening.  The size of your printing is going to depend on the size of your ornament but for most standard bulbs I'd say go for about a square inch or smaller.



Preparing the Photos for Your 3D Picture Ornaments
Step 5 - Put Together

Once printed, trim your picture around the subject as closely as possible and tape the photo to a toothpick that you have cut in half.  Use a bit of hot glue to secure the toothpick to the top of the ornament.

Carefully fold back the photo (without creating crease marks) and slip it into the ornament until the top clicks back into place.  You'll want to go slowly and carefully so as not to bend the photo, disturb the tape or knock the hot glue out of place.



3D Summer Swimming Photo Tree Ornaments
Swimming

Snowy Winter 3D Photo Tree Ornaments
Snowy

And that's all there is too it, now you have personalized ornaments for your tree or to give as gifts!

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I hope you enjoyed this holiday ornament post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

at 9 comments:

Saturday, December 7, 2019

How to Make a Nintendo Controller Christmas Tree Ornament



How to Make a Nintendo Game Controller Christmas Tree Ornament

Hello everyone and welcome back after the Thanksgiving break!
Christmas is in full swing at our house including some new gamer inspired ornaments on our tree.
Read on to see how easy they are to make for yourself:

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Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links.  If a purchase is made through an affiliate link then (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a commision.  You can read more about affiliate links here.


Supplies Needed
Supplies

For this project you will need a gaming remote, glue gun, scissors, ribbon and rhinestone embellishments.

Don't have any extra remotes hanging around?  Pick some up from Amazon for around $10 each.



Cutting the Cord
Step 1

Cut the cord of the remote leaving about 4 inches of cord remaining.  
Of course you will make sure that the remote is not plugged in to any power source first 😉



Making a Hanger
Making a Hanger
Making a Hanger
Step 2

Fold over the length of cord and push the end into the same hole that the cord comes out of.  Add a bit of glue to the hole opening to keep the folded cord in place.  
This will now be your ornament hanger 😊



Making the Bow
Step 3

Using the ribbon of your choice, cut a length about 6 inches or so.  I settled on a satin red because I thought it would look nice with the buttons and wording, but you could certainly customize here.



Making the Bow
Step 4

Begin making your bow by loopin the ribbon loosely in half and secure with a dot of glue.  
This will create the bow's tails.



Making the Bow
Step 5

With another spot of glue, bring the back piece of ribbon forward and attach to the tails that you just made.  Congratulations, now you've got a simple bow!



Making the Bow
Step 6

Glue the newly made bow to the remote just in front of where the cord loop was made.



Embellish the Ornament
Step 7

Last but not least, dress up your bow with a rhinestone embellishment.  I kept my ornaments simple by making them all the same but the creative possibilities are endless!



Perfect Gift For Holiday Gamers


Now that you've got a few made you can hang them on the tree to enjoy, or give away as gifts to your favorite gamers.  But why stop there?  I would love to see similar ornaments with Super Nintendo or Wii remotes - If you make some send me your pics to:

Studio27byJenniferAdams@Gmail.com

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I hope you enjoyed this how-to ornament post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

at 4 comments:

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Studio 27 Holiday Season Link List - 2019



We've got less than a week to go until Thanksgiving and there's still so much to do!
I'm going to be taking the next week off from blogging but I won't leave you hanging - I rounded up a list of Thanksgiving and Christmas posts from holidays past that are sure to inspire.  Check it out and have a great holiday!

Thanksgiving:







Christmas:













I hope this list of holiday related posts was helpful.  
Have a great Thanksgiving and thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Studio 27 by Jennifer Adams 2019

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This post was added to the following weekly link parties:

Silver Penny Sundays
You're the Star

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Saturday, November 16, 2019

Photo Editing - A Few of my Tips & Tricks

Photo Shoot at The Top of a Snowy Hill

One of my favorite hobbies is photography, especially capturing memories of my kids! However it can be extremely difficult to get kids to pose or even slow down.  I manage to get great shots when I want to, but not without deleting at least 2/3 of the total shoot - that's no exaggeration!

 Part of good photography is having nice equipment (I use a Canon Rebel), another part is having some skill is posing, angles, etc.  But for me, a large part is good editing! 😁

That means that after I've gone through and tossed out at least half the batch, I use cropping and filters to really make my photos pop.  Check out these examples:



Snow Angels
Snow Angels in the Backyard

Here is a picture of my son straight from the camera.  Also known as a 'raw' image, this photo is cute, but the extra legs and fence are distracting.



Snow Angels
Cropped

A little bit of cropping and the photo looks much better.  I wanted it to seem that my son was in the middle of an expansive winter wonderland, rather than just outside the back door 😉

It's not done yet, though.  I like to play around with various filters to see how my pictures can be enhanced:



Snow Angels in the Back Yard
Filter Applied

I have Photoshop and Photoshop Express on my PC, as well as other various photo editing apps on my phone.  With this batch however, I ended up just using the 'Icarus' filter available from Microsoft, Windows 10.

Sometimes quick and easy is the way to go 😎



Sledding
Sledding With the Family

Here is another great example of what could be a stunning photo with just a little tweaking:



Sledding
Cropped

I removed the strangers and zoomed in on the Husby and kids, purposefully positioning them at the left of the photo.  The hill that we were at is quite large (For Central Illinois, anyway😂) and I wanted to capture the feeling of a vast expanse.  The fact that the sky was overcast played right in to this!



Hilltop Sledding
Filter Applied

And here is the final effect, a cold and snowy day at the top of the hill!
I love to use framed family photos as part of my seasonal decor, and these work great with my winter collection 💕

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I hope you enjoyed this photography editing post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Studio 27 by Jennifer Adams 2019

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This post was added to the following weekly link parties:

Silver Penny Sundays
You're The Star
Inspire me Tuesday
Tuesdays With a Twist
Tuesdays at Our Home
Wonderful Wednesday (Oh My Heartsie Girl)
Wonderful Wednesday (Penny's Passion)
Your Whims Wednesday
Thursday Favorite Things
Home & Garden Thursday
Creative Inspirations
Friday Favorites
Best of the Weekend
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Saturday, November 9, 2019

Switching Containers for Your Pre-Arranged Florals


Changing Vases for Flower Arrangements


A couple of months ago my Mother-in-Law (MIL) asked if I could take an artificial arrangement of hers from one vase and switch it to another.  I told her no problem as this is usually a pretty easy task to accomplish and I took pictures along the way to share with you.  Check it out:



Changing Vases for Flower Arrangements
Original Piece

Here is what the arrangement looked like to begin with - a much different container and it was designed in the 'round'.  That means that the flowers were positioned so that the piece was lovely to look at no matter what side you approached it from.  That's a great thing for vases that are used as centerpieces, but my MIL wanted this one to sit on a side table.  For that reason I ended up making it a one sided arrangement, with all of the flowers facing the 'front'.

I also removed the pheasant feathers at her request.



Milk Jug Style Vase in Tin
New container close-up.

Out with the old and in with the new, the flowers now call this milk jug style tin their new home.

I prepped the container by filling with new faux/ dried flower floral foam (you can't reuse foam, it falls apart).  I also used a bit of hot glue on the end of each stem for greater security.



Changing Vases for Floral Arrangements
Comparison of the old and new containers.

Though the vases are quite different in shape and style, the are nearly the same height with almost identical openings.  This meant that transfering flowers was easy as I was sure to have enough.

It also helped that my MIL wanted the arrangement to be slightly scaled down in size - I ended up with material left over.



Organizing Stems for Floral Arrangements
Remove all stems and group by type.

I like to organize my materials into like piles to help me move quickly and efficiently.  This way I can start by adding greens, then create focal points with the large blooms, fill in with smaller flowers and finally finish off any holes with more greenery:



Adding Greenery to a Floral Arrangement
Start by greening.



Adding Focal Point Flowers to a Floral Arrangement
Add the larger blooms.



Filling in a Floral Arrangement
Fill in with smaller stems.



Changing Vases of a Floral Arrangement
Finish off with greenery!

And there you have it, and easy to replicate process of transferring florals from one vase to another.  See an arrangement that's not quite right?  Have one that you want to update?  No problem, grab a new container, some new foam and a bit of glue, you are all set!

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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Studio 27 by Jennifer Adams 2019

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This post was added to the following weekly link parties:

Inspire me Tuesday
Tuesdays With a Twist
Tuesdays at our Home
All About Home
Wonderful Wednesday (Oh my Heartsie Girl)
Wonderful Wednesday (Penny's Passion)
Your Whims Wednesday
Thursday Favorite Things
Home & Garden Thursday
Creative Inspirations
Friday Favorites
Best of the Weekend
at 2 comments: