Christmas in July Blog Hop

Welcome to the CHRISTMAS IN JULY blog hop, hosted by the Cookin' Up Creations Master Chef Challenge Team! The temperatures outside may say summer, but it's cool in here!! We hope our projects and craft ideas will help you get a head start on your holiday crafting. If you have been following the hop route, then you should have come from (person before you)'s blog. If not, and you would like to follow along the complete blog hop itinerary, please start at the Cookin' Up Creations Blog so you won't miss any of the fantastic projects and inspiration the "chefs" have cooked up for you.  And be sure to join us for the Christmas in July Crop this weekend for some awesome challenges and Christmassy (Is that a word??) inspiration!

Welcome everyone!  If you are following our little Blog Hop schedule, you should have come from Barb's Blog and then should continue onto Jan's Blog.  Just click their names!  Today, I have an amazingly cute little project to share with you that allows you to add some scrappy decor to your living area and use up those scraps!

Now, I started today's project by creating a Christmas layout.  I love this Echo Park Line (as I do most of their lines) and I scrapped last year's Christmas pictures of the kids putting the star on the tree.  Now we do this every year.  Both kids take turns putting on the topper and we take their pictures.  We no longer have to lift them up though.  They can do it all on their own.  So I started with an older Page Maps sketch and added some papers and embellishments from the Echo Park papers.  I did a little stitching and voila!

 Now of course, as with most layouts, I had some scraps left over and if you know me at all, you know that I love to use my scraps.  So I decided to create a quick little paper tree!

It was so easy to do!  First, to create this project, I needed 3 small spools, a small foam or paper mache cone, hot glue, twine, ribbon, and of course, scraps.  I also used my Cricut machine to cut the tags.  I used the "Preserves" star fruit tag.  I cut 11 - 2 inch tags of each color, 14 - 1 1/2 inch tags of each color, and 16 - 1 1/4 inch tags of each color.

First, I tied three spools together with some twine:

Then I hot glued the base of the cone to the spools.  Next I curled one end of each tag around a pencil.  I did several at a time. 

I started with the 2 inch and went about a third of the way up the spool hot gluing and slightly overlapping each tag.  Then I started with the 1 1/2 inch tags and did the same.  I finished with the small 1 1/4 inch tags.

Finally, I added a bow to the top!  These would be so cute on a mantel or in a window for Christmas decorations!

Now I would love to give you a chance to win a Christmas Prize!  If you aren't a follower here, then pretty please, become one.  Leave a comment and for every person that leaves a comment (even if you are already a follower), I will put your name in a drawing for a set of pretty Christmas Washi Tape.  I will announce the winner at the end of the Blog Hop.

 Thanks for joining us and don't forget to continue on to the next blog - Life in the Slow Lane to check out Jan's inspiration!