Yarn Wrapped Cupcake Christmas Ornament (tutorial)

Christmas time is here! Finally I can start decorating the house and making crafty Christmas ornaments. Ok, the decorations have been up for a few weeks - but now I can openly talk about it. Today for I Love to Create I want to share a fun ornament I whipped up in about 5 minutes.

By now you have hopefully been to Walmart and gotten your hot little hands on a copy of Kids Crafts 1-2-3 the new magazine I am the editor for. I also happen to do a few of the crafts from time to time. You can see my handiwork on the cover with an ice cream cone Christmas ornament. The ornament is a yarn wrapped version of an ice cream cone ornament I did last year. I decided to roll with the sweet theme and go for a cupcake version!

SUPPLIES

Aleene's Tacky Glue

ornaments

Silicone cupcake liner

Scissors

Yarn

pom pom

The first thing you want to do is find ornaments that fit in your cupcake liners. Once you do that wrap your ornament in yarn. I went for a chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing look.

When your ornament is completely wrapped in yarn glue into your silicone cupcake liner. Feel free to add gem stone sprinkles or a pom pom cherry on top.

All that is left to do is hang from the tree. Now I need to figure out how to make a doughnut version of this ornament.

***I was compensated & given free supplies by both I Love to Create and Me on a Pumpkin. Mama has gotta pay the bills somehow and really who in their right mind would say no to free craft supplies***

Crafting and Playing with Food - A Few of my Favorites

Lately I have been thinking a lot about crafting and food. The two are not mutually exclusive ya know. Just yesterday I got crafty making Thanksgiving treats for my daughter's pre-school pot luck. You can craft food to look like something else, craft something to hold certain foods and even craft decorations for food. Today for I Love to Create I thought I would do a round-up a few of my faves I have created over the years.

Wondering what these fancy earrings are made from? Dyed Easter egg shells. I thought everyone recycled their egg shells into jewelry.

After making these scissor pretzels I've been trying to think of what shape I could make next. Candy canes perhaps?

Edible finger paint, yummy and fun. I made mine for an Easter Basket, but there is nothing that says you could not make a holiday version for stocking stuffers.

If your going to the trouble to make home made ice cream you can make your own custom ice cream container.

When I threw my kids a joint birthday party this spring we went with a lumberjack theme. You bet your bottom dollar even the food was in the shape of axes, bacon with eggs and acorns.

I've done not one, but two different tutorials on different ways to display your cake pops.

We grow up being told not to play with our food. I completely disagree. Try a bean collage.

I know food coloring is not the best thing for people, but it makes things like Yo Gabba Gabba shaped cakes so much more fun.

Painted pasta makes for one snazzy hair accessory. Check out the full tutorial here.

I'm a big fan of sensory bins. Most often I fill ours with rice, but once upon a time I saved up weeks worth of coffee grounds and we played pretend coffee shop in the backyard.

Did you happen to see the ice cream cone ornament I made on the cover of Kids Crafts 1-2-3? You have already raced out to Walmart and picked up a copy right? Anywhoo awhile back I made a different version. Check out the tutorial here.

Cupcake liners are good for a lot more than just baking cupcakes in. I think they look fabulous on wreaths.

Wondering what these fancy earrings are made from? Dyed Easter egg shells. I thought everyone recycled their egg shells into jewelry.

Rice Krispies can be molded into just about any shape you can think of, including nests for peeps.

Making pretend food is always fun. Grab a shoebox and let the kids pick 'veggies' all year long.

I love playing with vinyl records. I listen to them, silk screen them and convert them into cookie trays for Santa.

Dyed spaghetti not only looks really pretty it apparently also really fun to play with.

Make a coozie for your cupcakes using old cereal boxes.

Speaking of cupcakes I always loved these wearable cupcake toppers I made for my husband's band.

How do you play with your food?

***I was compensated & given free supplies by I Love to Create. Mama has gotta pay the bills somehow and really who in their right mind would say no to free craft supplies***

Yarn Handprint Turkey Tutorial

Have you heard the news that I am the Editor in Chief of a new kids crafts magazine for Walmart called Kids Crafts 1-2-3? It's true. Race out to Walmart and snag issue #2 with oodles of fall crafts, including a turkey 'painted' with yarn by Becky Joiner. You can see Thomas on the cover!

I thought today for I Love to Create it might be fun to reinterpret Thomas. Handprints and turkey crafts go together like sweet taters and marshmallows.

SUPPLIES

Yarn in fall colors

Black Tulip Slicks Paint

Small Canvas

Paper

Felt

Aleene's Tacky Glue

Scissors

Pen

I decided to trace everyone's hands on paper first. Tracing squirmy, sick, cranky kids hands can be tricky.

After I had everyone's hands cut out I used a glue stick to adhere them to the canvas. I did Chris' hand first, then mine, then Tallulah and lastly Baxter. In retrospect I wish I had used coordinating construction paper for each hand. That way there would be no white showing behind the yarn. Hindsight is always 20/20.

Next using Tacky Glue I started filling in each hand with yarn. Chris was green, I am orange, Tallulah is red and Baxter is yellow. I also filled in the back with brown yarn.

In the issue of Kids Crafts 1-2-3 we supply the template for you to trace to make Thomas. I kinda eyeballed his face and cut him out in felt.

I applied my felt pieces with Tacky Glue and using Scribbles paint in black I added a few features to his beak and eyes.

I'm super smitten on how he turned out! I'd love to hear if you try making your own. Yarn art is kinda addicting I see a Santa portrait in my near future.

P.S. Check out another fun Thanksgiving handprint tutorial with this cardigan project. Oh and someone might like a set of these gardening gloves for Christmas.

***I was compensated & given free supplies by I Love to Create. Mama has gotta pay the bills somehow and really who in their right mind would say no to free craft supplies***