Brenda Baker Productions

Today, I've left it all to the last minute: the wrapping, the groceries, the baking. This is when it gets real, people. Maybe you have a few things to wrap today, too? If so, here's a little wrapping inspiration from DJ Wrapper BB (with a little OCD). First of all, you don't need to amass a lot of gift wrap. Storing too many rolls takes space (we're short on space so that's always a challenge) and then you run the risk of mucking them up. I like my gift wrap to be pristine. Just choose a few favorites. Oh, and by the way, I prefer to actually wrap gifts in boxes. I rarely use gift bags unless the item is a really weird shape or if I'm in a pinch. Second--and perhaps most importantly--beautiful ribbon is a must. I tend to have lots of ribbon on hand in a variety of colors for year-round wrapping. I love Paper Source satin ribbon. Have fun with your wrapping. Even though I always leave it to the last minute, I like the wrapping better than the shoppi...

We're not counting on a white Christmas so I decided to make my own. You can, too, with a little help from a die-cutting tool and a sewing machine. I love my Slice machine. Although the Slice isn't manufactured any longer, there are far more elaborate die-cutting tools on the market such as the Silhouette or Cricut. I'm a simple girl so I will stick with my little Slice as long as it keeps ticking. I cut a variety of snowflakes in all different sizes out of plain white cardstock; I used the Fa La La and Mistletoe discs. When I had a good pile of snow, I pulled the sewing machine out of the closet and stitched them together on white thread. I sewed mine a little close together but you can exercise more patience and leave more wiggle room. (I've got stuff to do. Can't be sitting around waiting for extra stitches right now!) Hang it on a bold wall to make it really pop. String it from the ceiling lights. Drape it across the window and let the light shine th...

My December 21 calendar quote reads, "Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas." If I'm on your gift list, please give me TIME! I think the Monday before Christmas always elicits panic for people who are normally in control but I really need to step it up today. And that's why today's post brings an easy (aka "cop out" project) centerpiece idea that is simple and charming, and the beauty of it is that it can be changed up for every season. On Friday, I stopped by Bartell's to grab some candy canes on the way to school and found a screamin' deal on a glass dome and wooden base. It had to have been at least 75% off, and it was Bartell's so, yeah, it was cheap. The sticker on the glass said "Mouth Blown in Europe" which made us all laugh because it sounded both impressive and awkward at the same time. That's how we roll in the Baker household. The only thing that didn't excite ...

It's so hard to throw away good design. In this age of all things online, I still appreciate many of the paper catalogs and magazines I get in the mail--especially those with exceptional photography and art. Some brands do them SO well. Rather than toss these in the recycling bin, get a little more life out of them. All you need is a little assortment of envelope templates. I have had mine for years but you can still probably find these at Impress or you can make your own with cardstock. For this tutorial, I used a beautiful holiday Anthropologie catalog, my envelope templates, a scoring tool, my favorite Tombow Mono Glue, pencil, scissors, and a little ruler. I started with my largest template that will fit a 4.25x5.5" handmade card. Although this is the size of card I typically make, I decided that I probably wanted smaller gift enclosure envelopes since I'll be doing a lot of gift wrapping this week. Here's the largest one I made in this session. Catalog ...

"Art allows us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." -Thomas Merton What happened, 2015? Not enough art. So...I'm ringing in 2016 with a little personal challenge to get me jump started. During my winter vacation, my goal is to create something every day and post it to the blog. Why now in the last two (and busiest) weeks of the year? It all started with a recent mid-year admission process (day job). As the student's mother and I worked closely together, we found we had some things in common. Turns out she had looked at my bio on the school website (written five years ago) and saw that I described myself as a papercrafter and blogger. Truth be told, I have not been able to make a lot of time for my art in the past year, and I haven't blogged since January, for goodness sake! It was sad to admit that I haven't made time for these things I love. I'm going to turn that around. I have some time off over Winter Break and will do my ver...