Tag: hot glue gun

DIY candy cane ornaments

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DIY candy cane ornaments by Bubblegum SassFINALLY!! A tutorial. They’ve been so lacking on this blog, my sincere apologies. I always have the best intentions of trying to put them together to share with you, and then they get stuck at the needing-to-photograph-each-step stage or the needing-to-edit-things stage. But finally, here is one done & ready to share! A simple project to whip up, just in time for Christmas too! These DIY Candy Cane Ornaments were inspired by some yarn wrapped candy canes from Family Chic. I’ve added my own twist to them, of course, by adding an adorable button hanger! So let’s get crafting.

Supplies to make candy cane ornaments by Bubblegum Sass
Here’s what you need:

  • balls of yarn (I used two different colours per candy cane, a creamy white & either red or green)
  • box of edible, full-sized candy canes
  • hot glue gun & glue
  • scissors
  • twine
  • buttons (need to use buttons with four holes)

Cutting plastic from candy cane
First step, cut the extra bit of plastic wrap from both ends of the candy cane. I left the candy cane wrapped in plastic.

Choose colours of yarn for candy cane
Next, select the two colours of yarn and unwind a bit of each.

Begin attaching yarn to candy cane
Place a dab of hot glue on the very end of the candy cane & a dab on the side. Then, carefully press the ends of your two yarn strands into the glue. I started wrapping my candy canes from the hook end.

Glue yarn to candy cane
With the two strands of yarn side by side, continue to apply a small dab of glue to the candy cane & wrap the yarn around.

Continue to apply glue to candy cane
Keep applying small dabs of hot glue along the length of the candy cane, wrapping the two yarn strands around as you go. The yarn might become a little twisted near the balls of yarn, but just maintain a length of untwisted yarn to work with, and you will be able to achieve the stripe.

Finish attaching yarn to candy cane
Finish wrapping the yarn around the length of the candy cane. Once you reach the end, place a dab of hot glue on the very tip of the candy cane. Carefully press the two yarn strand into the glue. Place a tiny dab of glue along the side of the candy cane, & again, carefully press yarn into glue. Then snip the remaining unattached yarn.

Yarn wrapped candy cane
Ta-da! All done the first part. Now for the hanger. (Don't stress out if the first candy cane you wrap isn't quite as neat or if the stripe is a little wonky. You'll get better after making a couple more...The first one I made didn't look super great!)

Button hanger step one
Cut a length of twine anywhere between 9-11 inches (depending on how long of a loop you want). Fold the twine in half. Thread a button onto the twine, moving the button down toward the loop end (half-way point) of the twine, keeping both ends of the twine even. Leave about a 3/4 inch loop (just enough to wrap around the top of the candy cane).

Button hanger step two
Now, place the button along the front of the candy cane, in centre of the hook. Fold the little twine loop around & toward the back of the candy cane. Slip the two loose ends of twine through the loop.

Button hanger step three
Tighten the twine around the candy cane, pulling the loose ends of twine all the way through the loop. The button should sit fairly flat against the candy cane. If you find that the button seems loose, you made need to undo the twine & make the loop (near the half-way point of the twine) smaller.

Button hanger step four
Lastly, tie the two loose ends of twine into a simple knot. And DONE!

DIY candy cane ornaments by Bubblegum Sass, end view
DIY candy cane ornaments by Bubblegum Sass, detail view
DIY candy cane ornaments by Bubblegum Sass, group
I made a bunch of these to attach to our gift bags for friends & family this year. You could also attach them to the outside of wrapped gifts, instead of using a bow. I’m thinking that next year, I might need to make some into a pretty garland to hang from our fireplace mantel. Lots of possibilities!

Happy last-minute Christmas crafting!

Fabric blossoms

Sarah Leave a comment

Fabric Flowers with ButtonsI really shouldn’t be left alone with a hot glue gun or a sewing machine or buttons. Craziness always ensues. Craziness that turns into pretty things, so that’s okay, right?

I’ve had this project in the wings for over a year; floral hair accessories made from scrap fabrics. I made one to wear to my brother’s wedding last May and loved it. Ended up making a second one and wear them both all the time. They look super cute in my short hair too. Did I ever mention that I got my haircut? More than 6 inches off! Anyway, I finally sat down and got a bunch more made up. I like them on the hair combs, but I’m also trying them on clips and barrettes. Plus, I want to play around with some more complex headpieces. Fun, fun, fun!

Happy crafting!

Trick or treat goodness (part 2)

Sarah Leave a comment

Halloween spider wreath

This post could be alternately titled “Fun with plastic spiders & a hot glue gun”. There were a couple more decorations that I made up last Halloween that I’d like to share with you. My absolute favourite decoration was by far our wreath. It was super simple to make and also fairly inexpensive. You will need a black wreath (which I picked up on sale at Michaels), a bag of plastic Halloween rings (most dollar stores have them), a small pair of wire cutters, hot glue gun, and some wide Halloween wired ribbon. Here’s all you need to do to make a creepy, fun wreath:

Plastic rings, wire cutters, hot glue gunCutting plastic spider ring

1. Sort your plastic rings (I only used the spiders and mainly used the orange ones)
2. Using small wire cutters, snip off the band of each ring
3. Apply a small amount of hot glue on the back of the spider
4. Squeeze the spider onto the wreath (be careful not to burn yourself on the glue)
5. Repeat until you have covered your wreath in as many spiders as you like
6. Using the wired ribbon make a pretty bow (I’m really not very good at this, so any instructions Gluing plastic spiderPlastic spider ribbonyou can find online about making a bow, will be better than anything I can tell you)
7. Once you’re satisfied with your bow, glue some spiders on it
8. Attach the bow on the bottom of your wreath either by hot gluing it or tying it on with thread (depends on how big or what style of bow you make)

While you have the glue gun warmed up and those plastic rings handy, you can also make up some simple clothespin decorations, which I found inspiration for on Martha’s site:

1. Last year I ran out of time (I started making these about an hour before guests began arriving at our Halloween party), but I would suggest either painting or spray painting the clothespins black before you start and let dry
2. Take some plastic rings and snip the band off of each, as done above with the wreath project
3. Apply a dab of hot glue to the back of each ring
4. Squeeze onto the “front” of the clothespin (again be cautious of getting hot glue on your fingers when you do this)

Now you have some creepy decorations to clip onto the edge of bowls or where ever you can think to clip them. I like they way they dress up the treat table at a party and you can’t beat how simple they are to make.

Clothespins and plastic ringsHalloween clothespin decorationHalloween clothespin decoration