Colorful & Crafty Christmas

We have loved all of the photos we've received from some of our customers twine-embellished holidays! Thank you so much for sending them in to us!

{And if you're reading this...be sure to check out our Facebook page and Flickr Group to see some of the ideas & photos}

Kristy {a.k.a - The Purple Pug} had a colorful & crafty Christmas! We absolutely love the way she incorporated our baker's twine in the mix!

Just take a peek.....

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I had no idea how I was going to decorate for Christmas dinner. Two days before Christmas, my 2nd grader son brought home a beautiful tissue paper pinata he had made in school. I was immediately in love and knew instantly that this pinata would be the starting point for my entire Christmas decor. I had only two days, and the supplies I had on hand to create something sweet and meaningful for Christmas Day.

Craft pom poms, tissue paper, bright colors, ribbon, Twinery baker's twine and a little bling made for a colorful, crafty and adorable Christmas vibe.

You can read the full post here.

Some of the highlights:)

the pinata that started it all

craft pom pom branches

pom pom garlands made with
craft poms and BAKER'S TWINE:)

I hot glued pom poms onto pink & white
Twinery twine:)

I used a different colored twine at each place setting

Twinery twine RULES!

Easiest and most adorable way to
dress up a place setting for pops of color

red and white fine twine

teal and white twine

twine pom pom garlands on mini
Christmas trees

{Free Calendar} January 2011

Have you started that hopeful resolution list yet?

With only a few more days left in 2010, I'm sure it's on your to-do list (kinda like a to-do list for your to-do list, right?!)!!

We'll help you out with a few...
Resolution #1: Start off the new year with order & organization!

We'll be publishing a FREE monthly calendar for our customers & fans each month right here on our blog!

Just download, print and fill in your activities for the month...never miss an appointment, soccer game or PTA meeting again (right....RIGHT??!)

Here's the new January 2011 Calendar just for you!

January 2011 Calendar

ENJOY!


Just a few tips about printing the calendars: We suggest downloading them as a PDF file to your computer and then printing them out (nothing will get distorted or left off the calendars that way). For best quality, we also think it's best when printed on heavy white card stock.

Unexpected Holiday Goody Bag Creations

We love this post too much not to share it...and although Christmas has come and gone...we're thinking that this personalized gift idea will come in handy and will be something to treasure no matter what time of year it is! (And I don't know about you...I'm already thinking of fun gift bags to put together for my daughter's class for Valentine's Day)!

This fabulous idea comes from Kristy - owner of the Purple Pug! Kristy is not only an AMAZING party planner and designer, but she's one of the fabulous ladies on our design team...so you'll be seeing a lot of her creativity over the next few months here on our blog!

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Sometimes the perfect party ideas and inspirations come from totally unexpected places....

I created a sweet new item to my shop a few months ago-♥Heart Art♥ The basic idea is- your little sweetheart creates the art, I glitter embellish and use the completed masterpiece to create one-of-a-kind, meaningful and beautiful favor packaging. ♥

I was very excited to use the Heart Art for some kind of Holiday Packaging for my sons' holiday parties and gifts. Both of my little guys drew an adorable little snowdude. My younger son has a huge kindergarten class, so I create his Heart Art as personalized stickers tags and affixed them to cellophane bags. No problem-they looked adorable. My 2nd grader son has a very small class, and I decided I would take his snowdude art and create handmade tags to hang with ribbon on cellophane bags. I was excited to be able to make the tags with my own child's artwork.

I created the tags. I glitter accented the little snowmen in the colors my son had drew him in. I had the crystal clear cellophane bags..I had the patterned ribbon ready to go. Each child in my son's class was getting a Hot Wheels Car and a Color Coordinating Candy Cane in the cellophane bag, wrapped with the beautiful ribbon with hangtag. Each of his five amazing teachers were to get their gifts wrapped in the same beautiful way.

The plan...the presentation was beautiful...The night before the school party, I asked my son to help me assemble these bags for his friends & teachers and something important and unexpected happened. He wanted to put each child's name on the tag. I told him no way. I told him they were glittered and and textured paper and he could not write on the tags. He became very upset. He said he needed to put each child's name on the tag because he wanted to pick the special color Hot Wheels car he knew his friend would like. He wanted to make sure he gave each of his classmates something they would be so happy to get because he wants them to be happy. I paused, listened to my beautiful boy and I heard him. I understood. We got a black Sharpie and he tried so hard to write on the cellophane bags and they just smudged. Smudged and black ink all over. There was no time to go to any store, so I had to use what I had on hand. White handled bags were the only thing I had available that we could really use.

My sweet little boy took his time and wrote each of his classmates' name on a bag. He sorted through the Hot Wheels cars and picked out the perfect one for each child. I attached each tag to the bag with colorful baker's twine. The completed goody bags were not what I had envisioned-they far exceeded anything I could ever envision, design or create. My son is an extraordinary little boy with a heart so thoughful and loving. If you know me, you know my son and will know why this is so meaningful to me on so many levels. These are simply the most beautiful gift bags I have ever seen.

Heart Art tags by Griffin

tied on with fine twine by The Twinery

Tied on with Baker's Twine from The Twinery:)

Chocolate Bark Stacks

We have just a few more holiday inspired crafts to share with you...and although Christmas might have come and gone, we know these ideas can be used all throughout the year (I'm thinking that these Chocolate Bar Stacks would be great for Valentine's Day too)!!

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'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a spatula was stirring, except for the one making chocolate bark for Christmas Day!

I have one more project for you this month using my favorite Maraschino and Peapod baker's twine from The Twinery. This is the first time I've ever made chocolate bark. Not only was it easy, it was a lot of fun! I made supreme dark chocolate bark and white chocolate bark with pistachios, walnuts and Craisins. Mmm... I'm not a super baker or cook but no one's ever complained. Teehee. I thought these little squares of bark would make fabulous last-minute Christmas gifts.

I decorated the outside of my (coffee) bag with images from Countdown to Christmas and Just Be You. Then I stamped some frames (also from Unity) to create little trays for each layer of bark. They kept wanting to topple over so that's why you see chocolate all over the edges. Just don't look too closely! I tied up the stacks with The Twinery's beautiful twine and they both fit perfectly inside the bag. Roll it closed and you are done.

I hope you all have an incredibly wonderful Christmas with your family and friends. I will have more new and exciting project ideas for you in the New Year!

Sources: Farmer's Market coffee bag; GinaK 120lb pure luxury White cardstock; Unity+Jillibean Soup Countdown to Christmas; Unity December 2010 Kit of the Month - Just Be You; Unity frame; SU Cherry Cobbler & Garden Green ink; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Hero Hues Snow Chalk ink; The Twinery baker's twine in Maraschino and Peapod

Happy Holidays Everyone!

We know that everyone is busily preparing for the holidays this week...we are too! It's such a wonderful time of the year and we wanted to be sure to send an extra HAPPY HOLIDAY WISH to each & every one of you during this time!

We've said it before and we'll say it over and over and over again...we know that we have the best fans & customers on the planet! We couldn't do what we do without you! Thank you all so much for a wonderful year and we are looking forward to what 2011 has in store!

Some things to expect from The Twinery in 2011:

NEW colors...lots of 'em!
NEW website & blog redesign
NEW products (no hints now...but we'll share more with you soon)
More AMAZING ideas and blog posts from our Design Team members
FABULOUS giveaways
EASIER wholesale forms and processing
and
FUN collaborations with other amazing companies!

We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas & a very Happy New Year!

Just a few reminders...


*All orders placed before December 24 will ship out before the holiday.

Thank you so much for your patience with us during this time...we will be taking some time off to spend with our family & friends for a few days over the holidays!

More Fabulous Card Ideas

We have more fabulous & easy-peasy card designs for you...created by Emily of our design team.

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Thank you for loving my first December project for The Twinery! I wanted to create another one to show you how even a teeny amount of twine can make your cards stand out. This time I made a set of thank you cards because we'll all be needing those after Christmas!

Once again, my layout is very clean and simple. I stamped the jar with flowers from the Melody Ross set Domestic Bliss and paired it with a sentiment from Happy Everything. Then I added Black Diamond Stickles to random blossoms and let them all dry.

I took my paper piercer and put two holes at the tops of the jars and threaded a different colour of twine on to each card. I simply looped the twine (no knots) and added a small dab of crystal effects to hold them in place.

Easy peasy, yet dramatic! Wouldn't these make great last-minute gifts? :)

Sources: GinaK pure luxury Kraft cardstock; Unity+Melody Ross Domestic Bliss; Unity Happy Everything; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Ranger Stickles in Black Diamond; SU paper piercer; cross stitch needle; The Twinery baker's twine in Maraschino, Mandarin, Lemondrop, Peapod, Lilac, Cappuccino, Caribbean & Pink Sorbet; SU Crystal Effects

Keeping Track

Do you collect stories or keep a diary or gratitude journal? Do you lose your pen just when you need it the most? No worries, The Twinery will come to your rescue!

Hi there, I'm Monika Wright and this year, I'm keeping a journal about our family traditions and activities this holiday season in a little notebook, using some Peapod twine from my Sampler Pack to attach my pen.

If you'd like to make one for yourself, gather your supplies: a notebook, your pen, a wooden bead and that gorgeous twine!

After embellishing my notepad, to add the pen, I just tied a double knot around the pen on one end of the twine and then at the other end, I made several knots in the twine, then slipped the red wooden bead onto the knotted twine and added a dab of my kids' Elmer's Glue to keep it in place. It's a small little detail, but it makes me smile!

Be sure to make your twine long enough to reach inside the notepad and give yourself room to write...now you'll never lose your pen again! Just think, you could make a mini-journal for each month of the year and use a different color twine for 8 months without using the same color twice..and I hear that new colors are in production at this very moment!

Visit with me on my blog or my Etsy shop for other fun projects and crafts!

Tagless Gift Wrapping

Hi! It's Tifany from InkBlots by TRD and I wanted to share a little Twine Tip with you today.


Are you wrapping your packages in brown paper and tying them with twine this year?
I am!

But what happens if you don't have tags {and don't have the time...or maybe desire...to make them}?
The Twinery to the rescue!

I found this beautiful paper at the World Market {I can't resist paisley} and I will be wrapping our presents in it.
I am using twine to distinguish the presents from each other - especially the ones with a similar shape, like these:

I have wrapped each gift in a separate color of twine from The Twinery - each family member has their own color. So when we are opening presents I can see easily that it will be going to my husband because it is wrapped in Peapod twine.
If it is in Pink Sorbet twine it will be for my daughter.
If it is in Cappuccino twine it will be for my oldest son.
Mine will have Lilac twine...and for my youngest son I still haven't decided...maybe I'll go with some bright & cheery Lemondrop!

Give it a try!

Holiday Treat Bags - Free Printable

Okay...so I have to admit. This is a teeny-tiny bit last minute...but free is free, right?

My daughter's class is having a holiday party at the end of this week and I've been commissioned to bring in little treat bags. Just a few things though...

Problem one: No candy allowed
Problem two: I have NO extra time of my hands to whip up some handmade goodies this year

So I took to my computer and created away...I figured if the contents inside the goody bags couldn't be handmade & fabulous...well, at least the bags can be!

So...I wanted to share them with you too!

{And because you are so amazing in sharing The Twinery with your friends and family too...side note: our Facebook page has grown to over 1400 fans in just a few short months!! Amazing.}

I created four different treat bag designs for a fun & festive variety!
To create these little treat bags, all you'll need to have on hand is:

Printer (or local print shop) to print them
Scissors
Bone Folder (or a scoring tool)
Adhesive (some sort of craft or double sided tape will work best)

Printable Holiday Treat Bag Freebie - The Twinery

Just click on the "Download" link above and create away (downloading the file as a PDF to your own computer and then printing it from there works best)!

I'm putting little package of hot cocoa with some marshmallows in each bag for my daughter's classmates!

If you use these little treat bags - I'd love to see pictures! Post photos on our Facebook Page or in our Flickr Group!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

Twine Shelf Storage (Deena)

You have your twine spools...now what?

Deena - one of our amazing design team members - is breaking out some simple supplies & tools to share a creative and gorgeous and useful way to display your Twinery twine spools!

so if you missed my post a couple weeks back.. i'm on the twinery design team.. how fun is that? when i received my first packet of lovely twine, i wanted to design something to display the twine that is simple and functional.. and here is my idea.

a vintage shelf of twine.

the vintage spools store and unravel twine as you need it.. and it's also beautiful to look at!
I'll share below how I built it. very simple...you'll just need a couple things you may have around your house.


here it is: the vintage shelf of beautiful twine.



you'll need:
twinery twine (of course)
scrap old piece of wood.. 20 inches
vintage spools (ebay is a good resource for these)
wood pegs (you can find these at most craft stores)
small bar picture hanging system.. (home depot 10$)
wood glue
power drill
ruler & pencil

ok. lets get started. first wind your twine..



grab your wood.. measure and decide how far apart you want your spools, this would depend on how many colors you are going to display.. etc.. mine are 2 inches apart..


drill your holes..


attach your picture hanging system to the back of the board.. follow directions on the package


sand and glue pegs onto board.. allow to dry


attach to wall.. and enjoy.


now how simple is that?
I have mine hanging over my sewing/craft table..and I'm loving it.

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Thank you Deena! Isn't that just an amazingly fun & colorful way to dress up your sewing or crafting room wall?

LOVE!

Holiday Cheer

Hello! This is Tifany here and I wanted to share my holiday cards with you today.

I am not always great at making holiday cards...but this year I decided to get in there and do it.

I created two versions:


{This version will go to our family and friends who celebrate Christmas.}


{And this version will be sent to some of those in our family who might appreciate a "winter" themed card instead.}

And inside will be this picture of our family {taken by Alisha of Alisha Hurt Photography}:


The final versions that I am actually mailing out will look a little bit different, but still show off some of that lovely Twinery twine!

Have you made holiday cards this year?
If so I'd love to see them!

Please leave a link to your creations as a comment so I can stop by and take a look!

Tis The Season Card Supplies:
Cardstock: (Lunch Bag Kraft ) Kraft Outlet;
Stamps…clear: (Tree, Christmas Tree set) Martha Stewart Crafts; (Tis The Season, Christmas Tree set) Martha Stewart Crafts;
Ink…pigment: (Black) Rubber Stampede;
Color media…mist: (Marshmallow/Glimmer Mist) Tattered Angels;
Accent: (White Opal/Liquid Pearls) Ranger; (Emerald Green/Liquid Pearls) Ranger;
Fibers: (Peapod, twine) The Twinery;
Tool: (Trimmer) Fiskars; (Scissors) Fiskars;

Winter Joy Card Supplies:
Cardstock: (Lunch Bag Kraft ) Kraft Outlet;
Stamps…clear: (Joy, Christmas Tree set) Martha Stewart Crafts; (Circles, Domestic) Claudine Hellmuth Creative Layers;
Stamps…rubber: (Paisley Snowman) Stampendous;
Stamps...foam: (Circles, Domestic) Claudine Hellmuth Creative Layers;Ink…pigment: (Black) Rubber Stampede; (White) Sudio G; (Lavender) Studio G;
Color media…mist: (Marshmallow/Glimmer Mist) Tattered Angels;
Accent: (Lavender/Stickles) Ranger;
Fibers: (Lilac, twine) The Twinery;
Tool: (Trimmer) Fiskars; (Scissors) Fiskars;

Decorating with Twine (burlap+blue)

Twine + Home Decor = a winning combination!

Check out these fabulous holiday ideas from one of our design team members - Linda, from burlap+blue!

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I previously shared this (re)post on how I gussied up my dining room chairs for the holidays. This year, I wanted to add a little something to take them up a notch...

A little bit of twine, and a couple of paper mache bell ornaments, and voila-chair decor taken up a notch (or several).

And while I had my twine out, I decided to hang one of my favorite Winter signs from my china cabinet.

Do you all know about The Twinery? They are an amazing shop, with an inspiring story and lots and lots of pretty twine. I'm thrilled to announce that I have been selected to be a part of their I Design with Twine 2011 team! What does this mean for you? Lots of twine-related tutorials, discounts and giveaways. Be sure to check out the link above to meet the rest of this fabulous team--they have been putting together some amazing projects and tutorials!

Now it's your turn...do you currently create with twine? I would love to hear about your favorite applications and thinking-outside-the-box crafts using twine. Part of my reason for being so excited about being on this Design Team is the chance to showcase twine in new and creative ways (especially in home decor). Can't wait to be inspired by your ideas!