Mini Santa Mug Ornament

Over the last few years, I have made quite a few faux hot cocoa mugs for my Christmas decor. They are quick & easy  to make. Not to mention adorable!

Do I need more? NO! Do I have room for more? NO!

This should be a project that I retire. But, when I saw these miniature Santa mugs at Hobby Lobby, I couldn't resist. They're the perfect size for an ornament. And, there's always room on the tree for another Christmas ornament. 

To start this project, I first filled the mug with paper. 

Then I cut a circle out of cardboard & glued it into the top of the mug. I do this because I use spackle to make the "whipped cream" & it's best to have a base for it. 

For the faux whipped cream, I place a plastic sandwich bag over a glass & spoon the spackle into the bag. This makes it much easier than trying to hold the bag open while also spooning in the spackle.

I cut the corner of the bag & then pipe it in just like icing.

I made sure the spackle came over the edge of the mug to not only hide the cardboard, but also look more realistic.

I cut a paper straw to about 3 inches & inserted it into the spackle.

Then I inserted a bottlebrush tree, some faux candy, & an ornament hook. Make sure you keep reading to learn the problem with the hook... & the solution.

I added red seed beads to look like sprinkles.

Adorable!

I let the spackle cure overnight before hanging the ornament on my tree. After an hour or so, the ornament fell to the ground. I was afraid this might happen! The spackle acts like a glue when dry, but it wasn't enough to hold the wire hook in place.

So, what did I do? I went to Hobby Lobby & bought 4 more mugs. I was determined to make this work as an ornament. 

So, I started over. I filled the mugs with paper & cut cardboard circles for a base for the spackle. But this time, I used a nail to punch 2 holes in the cardboard. I put wire through the holes, & twisted it on both sides of the cardboard to secure it. 

I glued the cardboard into the mug using a combination of E6000 & super glue. I probably only needed the E6000, but better safe than sorry.

When I added the spackle, I made sure a tiny bit of the wire loop was still exposed so I could thread another ornament hook through it.

Once again, ADORABLE! 

Threading the wire through the cardboard worked. The ornament has hung on the tree for days with no issues. The other 3 will be cute gifts.

Linking To:

The Cottage Market,  Funky Junk Interiors, The Answer Is Chocolate, Flutter Buster, Our Hopeful Home, My Thrift Store Addiction,  Confessions Of A Plate Addict, My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia, Creatively Beth, County Road 407, Pieced Pastimes, Southern Sunflowers, The House On Silverado

Driftwood Santa

Recently, my daughter, Carrie was the maid of honor at her best friend, Callie's wedding. The wedding was at the beach and I offered to help with the centerpieces. Callie wanted driftwood and burlap and to keep it simple. Here's what I came up with...

I had lots of driftwood leftover and brought it home knowing I could do something with it.

When I looked at this piece, I saw Santa...

So, I started painting...

I think he turned out pretty cute!

He'll soon be flying off to be with Callie and her groom.

Now, what to do with the other pieces of driftwood!

Linking To:

Ginger Snap Crafts,  Creations By Kara,  Rae Gun Ramblings, Made In A Day, Chic On a Shoestring,  Simply Sweet Home, The Shabby Nest,  Somewhat Simple,   Live Laugh Rowe, Have A Daily Cup Of Mrs Olson, The Cottage Market,  Funky Junk Interiors, DIY Showoff, Craft-O-Maniac, Keeping It Simple, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, The Dedicated House,   Coastal Charm, Reasons To Skip The Housework, Sugar Bee Crafts,  Nifty Thrifty Things, Cherished Bliss, Mad In Crafts, Flour Me With Love, Not Just A Housewife,  Today's Creative Blog, Tip Junkie,  Homework,  I Gotta Create,   Domestically Speaking,  The Answer Is Chocolate, Skip To My Lou, The Thrifty Home,Cedar Hill Ranch, Flutter Buster, Nap Time Creations, Hope In Every Season, The Foley Fam, Our Home Away From Home,  Remodelaholic, Flamingo Toes,  Finding Silver Pennies, A Stroll Thru Life, French Country Cottage, The Scoop, Stone Gable, Knick Of Time, Lou Lou Girls, Our Hopeful Home, The Painted Hinge, Savvy Southern Style, Tattertots & Jello, Yesterday On Tuesday, Rachel Teodoro, Worthing Court, Confessions Of A Plate Addict, My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia, Dabbling And Decorating

Santa's Coming To Georgia

I change my mind a lot! So, some of the things I buy sit, and sit, and sit. I think it's been 2 years since I bought 3 of these wooden cutouts of Georgia...

I didn't intend to use them for a Christmas project, but there we go back to that "changing my mind" thing and I turned one of them into a countdown to Christmas.

I painted the wood, then wrote what I wanted the sign to say in chalk...

I painted over the chalk with red,  then drew a box that I painted to be a chalkboard.

I added black & white accents to the letters, and curly ques to the chalkboard box.

Time to start counting down the days until Santa comes to Georgia!

Linking To:

Coastal Charm, Pieced Pastimes,   Someday Crafts, Ginger Snap Crafts,  Creations By Kara,  Rae Gun Ramblings,  Seven Thirty Three,  The Shabby Creek Cottage, Seven Alive, Made In A Day, Chic On a Shoestring,  Simply Sweet Home, The Shabby Nest,  Somewhat Simple,   Live Laugh Rowe, Have A Daily Cup Of Mrs Olson, The Cottage Market,  Funky Junk Interiors,  Tatertots & Jello,   Blissful & Domestic, A Vision To Remember  DIY Showoff, Craft-O-Maniac, Keeping It Simple, Homemaker On A Dime, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, The Dedicated House,   Coastal Charm, Reasons To Skip The Housework, Sugar Bee Crafts,  Nifty Thrifty Things, Cherished Bliss, Mad In Crafts, Flour Me With Love, Not Just A Housewife,  Today's Creative Blog, Tip Junkie,  Homework,  I Gotta Create,  Thrifty 101,  Domestically Speaking,  The Answer Is Chocolate, Skip To My Lou, The Thrifty Home,Cedar Hill Ranch, Flutter Buster, Nap Time Creations, Hope In Every Season, The Foley Fam, Our Home Away From Home,  Remodelaholic, Flamingo Toes,  VMG206,  Finding Silver Pennies, A Stroll Thru Life, Bloom Designs,French Country Cottage, The Scoop, Stone Gable, Knick Of Time, Lou Lou Girls, DIY-Crush, Charm Bracelet Diva,