Monday, November 5, 2012

Tutorials: Gratitude Garland

Greetings!  You have arrived at the blog of Andrea Ockey Parr and may I offer you a hearty welcome!  I'm a long-time crafter and an avid literary nerd, but I've only recently tried my hand at blogging.  So thanks for checking out my little corner of the online universe!  I'm also thrilled to be a member of the Scrapbook USA Expo Design Team and am thoroughly impressed with the skills of my teammates.

If you've stumbled onto this Blog Hop by accident, then it's your lucky day!  Here are the details: Between now (Monday, November 5th) and Wednesday (November 7th) at midnight, visit each of our blogs (listed below) and leave a comment. Each time you comment on one of our blogs you will be entered to win 2 of DCWV’s brand spankin’ new Christmas 4X5 pads!!

A chance at a crafty prize?  NICE!  And with Christmas just around the corner these would certainly come in handy!!  So using our math skills (warning!  Mine are minimal), that means that if you comment on each of our blogs, as well as the Scrapbook USA Expo blog, you will be entered eight times!!  Now I'm no statistics expert, but that sounds mighty better than zero entries!  Woo hoo!

Without further ado, here is my Blog Hop Project!

We are now fully entrenched in my favorite time of the year!  The highlights?  Being able to drink hot chocolate without looking like a weirdo (I down the stuff ALL YEAR, which draws some looks in mid-July), wearing power boots and snuggly sweaters, seeing the changing leaves, getting giddy about Santy Claus's impending visit, spending time with family and friends, eating yummy food (thanks, mom!) and reflecting on our many blessings.  What's not to love about Fall?

To get myself into thankful mode, I put together this Gratitude Garland:


Since the holiday season can get a tad busier than I'd like (we all know THAT feeling), I wanted to make something that was fast and easy, but still meaningful.  I decided to make paper leaves listing some of my greatest joys and blessings and I attached them to a store-bought garland.  And if you want to go even lower stress, just stamp words on store-bought leaves!  It doesn't get any more time-saving than that!


The paper I used to make these leaves is from the "Autumn Melody" collection by DCWV.  I cut out some leaf shapes using the Cricut "Accent Essentials" cartridge, then stamped something I was grateful for on each leaf using alphabet stamps.  I inked and distressed the edges of the leaves and crinkled them and folded them to give them some added dimension.  Then I glued them to the garland and put the pumpkin in the middle.


This project is low-stress and is a great visual reminder to slow down and cherish what's truly important.  It would also be fun to do as a family activity with each family member writing down some things they're grateful for on the leaves.



So whether you use this garland as a circular centerpiece, or weave it in between some Fall-colored candles, you can bet that it will not only look good, but it will also be a good reminder of all the things there are to be grateful for!

I hope that you enjoy my blog and that you love hoppin' on to these others, too: