My Other Pages

To make it easier to read about our trip to Ireland, I have made a page that is just for that. There is a tab above for Ireland Trip 2014 or click on the Home tab to read my other posts. I have also created a new page for My Weight Loss Journey if you are interested in that, click on the tab above.

Friday, December 29, 2017

Sour Cream Packets

Hello blog friends.
Today I'm going to show you the 'sour cream packets'
I made for the stockings at my family Christmas party.
I made 28 of these.
I started out with a piece of card stock measuring
5"x5.5"
I made a packet and figured out where I wanted the window,
cut it out and then took the packet apart to use as a template.
I traced the window onto the back of each piece of
card stock.
I then used a straight edge and blade to cut the window out.
I wanted it in the lower part of the center.
I then added tape.  Along the bottom and the right side
I have ATG tape.  Along the top I used "score tape"
You can use any kind of strong adhesive for this, but the top
should be something that has a backing, like score tape,
as you won't want that to be stuck together too soon.
I then put strong adhesive around the window cut out
and adhered a piece of acetate to cover the window.
Next I rolled the card stock from the left to the right
and adhered it together into a tube shape.
Once that is done, the bottom could be pressed together
so the window is in the front.
I used a bone folder to press the end together
and be sure it's stuck together securely.
Now i had the sour cream packet with the top open.
Now was the time to fill the packets.
I filled mine with candied peanuts.
After the treats are inside, I removed  the
release paper from score tape on 
 the other end and press it together in the
opposite way of the the bottom.
I was careful to press it securely.
To be honest, I wish I had used a stapler and stapled 
each end, just to be safe.
Even with the strong adhesive, I was a little worried that 
they wouldn't hold, especially since they would be in 
the stockings. With food inside, I didn't want it to fall out
or have the ends opened.
They did okay in the end, but some of them were
starting to open.
This is how they looked when they were finished.
I like that I put the window in, so the treat inside could be seen.
They hold just enough for a nice little snack.
These could be used for any number of treats.
In most incidents I wouldn't put unwrapped food into 
these packet.  Especially anything for a kids birthday
party or for class mates.  I'd put wrapped candies
or some kind of little gift into them.
But for what I was using them for, they worked great.

Thanks for stopping by today,
come again soon.
If you'd like to see a video on making 
sour cream packets
check out this post
Pootles
is one of my favorites.
Her packets are a little different in size
and don't have the window, 
and are also much more elegant.
It's a great video, so go check it out.
Until next time,
try something new and different!

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Christmas Table Gifts

Hi all!
I hope you had a lovely Christmas.
I had a wonderful Christmas with my family.
I had dinner at my home with just my kids and
their significant others, so there were
6 of us here.
I know I've posted before that when I have a holiday
meal of some sort, I like to have some kind of little
gift or favor for my guests, and today was no different.
But today was actually more special, because it was Christmas
and I really wanted something special for each person.
I decided to make little ornaments for them all, including 
my hubby and myself.
I made these glittered ornaments and put a different
'symbol' on each one.
I wrote up a little note telling them why I chose that particular
symbol, rolled it up and put it in the loop at the top of the ornament 
Dave set the table for me and I added the little ornaments
 to each persons place setting.
On the fronts of the ornaments I put the vinyl cut out
of the symbol I chose for them.
This is the one for Dave.
Some of the meanings may be obvious, some may not
be so obvious. Dave's has a Celtic symbol with a heart
for our love, it has no beginning and no end.
On the back sides I put the year.
This is the one I made for myself, it's hard to see
but it has the infinity sign, one side has 2 hearts in it
the other says 'family'
The mother and child is what I chose for my daughter,
Kelsie, for obvious reasons, 
but not only is she my daughter,
she is also one of my best friends.
This symbol that means loyal was what I chose for 
Jason, Kelsie's boyfriend.  I see him as a very loyal
person.
My son, Jaryd, received one with the intertwined hearts,
showing his love for his fiance and his family.
Sara, Jaryd's fiance, has a Celtic anchor on hers,
this symbolizes her love for the water and her Irish 
heritage.
I think they all liked their ornaments and the notes
explaining what they meant to me.
It was a little simple gift that conveyed my love for
each of them.
Thanks for stopping by today,
I hope you'll stop in again soon.
You never know what you'll find on
Kristie Kreates.





Sunday, December 24, 2017

Merry Christmas!

I'd just like to wish everyone
the Merriest of Christmas'
and a wonderful 
2018.
Today I'll be attending the
 Backstrom Family Christmas Party.
I always love this get together,
as I see some of my family that I don't 
see often.  This year, I have some games planned,
not only for the kids, but one for the adults too.
I think it will be a fabulous time for everyone.
Tomorrow will be a little different for us.
This is the first year that Dave and I will wake up 
alone at home. No children in the house this year.
But they will be over for dinner and presents.
This year we will have  
Kelsie and Jason, Jaryd and Sara
and Dave and Me here.
A nice quiet happy Christmas.
I hope you are having a wonderful and joyous
Christmas season.

Monday, December 18, 2017

Multiple Gift Card Holders

Tis the season!
Hello everyone, how are your holiday preparations going?
Mine are coming along and today I'm showing you a couple
gift card holders that I made.
A couple weeks ago I was visiting a friend and we
went to a demo where Peggy showed us how to make
these cute gift card holders.
I took it a step farther and embellished it more than she did
but it's the same pattern as we learned at the demo.
They hold multiple gift cards, or you can put other things
like lottery tickets or cash in them.
I don't know if I'll be using this one or if it will be going
into my stash for future use.
Once it's untied and opened there is an embellished area
inside the one flap.
Open it a little farther and you have 3 panels
One more step and you reveal the little pockets that hold
the gift cards.
This is the one that I made for my Aunt Marilyn.
Every year we give her a bunch of gift cards for restaurants
that she can go to for a bite to eat.
I stamped, heat embossed and fussy cut the tree for the front,
I used Nuvo drops for the ornaments.
I created this little bird to mimic the birds on the paper.
All the snowflakes were heat embossed with silver,
then fussy cut.
Open it all the way and there are the pockets with the gift cards.
The Santa is on an Action Wobble.
Hopefully this video will work so you can see how 
cute he is when he wobbles.
I can hear Aunt Marilyn giggling right now when he
wiggles and wobbles.

Thanks for stopping in today,
I hope you are well on your way to being ready 
for Christmas or whatever holiday you 
celebrate.
Until next time, 
happy crafting!

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Muffin Pizza

Hello everyone!
I've said it before and I'll say it again....
You never know what you'll find on Kristie Kreates!
Today I'm going to show you a quick and easy little lunch
or snack, depending on how much you eat.
Y'all know that I had weight loss surgery this
past June, so I can't eat much at one time.
Well, I was looking for something to eat for lunch
and since we'd just had our first snow of the season
and I was being a wimp about going out in the cold,
I had to eat something I had.  One of the things I needed
to do in that cold was go grocery shopping.
I decided that a little pizza was in order.
All I had was some English Muffins, so I made up some
Muffin Pizza.
I split the muffin open and put it onto some parchment paper.
Then I took a bit of spaghetti sauce, yes, it's from a jar.
I don't know how to make sauce, some day I'll learn.
Then I added some mozzarella cheese and pepperoni
and put in onto a baking sheet and into the oven.
I baked it until the cheese was melted and the muffin 
was crispy around the edges.
I'm guessing it was about 15 min. at 350*
Boy was it tasty!
And, yes, that is a Star Wars plate.
My kids are grown, but I still have the Star Wars plates
and I use them all the time for lunch or snacks.
I'm not a dietitian or anything, but here's a little break
down of the calories and protein
English Muffin 130 calories 4g of protein
Sauce is 90 Calories for 1/2 cup, so barely any for this amount, 
I only used about a tablespoon
Cheese 1/4 cup 90 calories 7g protein I'm guessing I used less than
1/8 cup
pepperoni 15 slices is 130 calories and 6g protein. so 
52 calories and about 2.5 g protein.
That means less than 250 calories and 10g of protein.
Now I don't know if that's how to really figure it out,
but it doesn't sound too bad to me. 

Thanks for stopping in today,
have you ever happened upon a tasty 
treat because
necessity was the mother of invention
like this?
I'm glad I did, I'll be making these again.

Monday, December 11, 2017

Snap Bags

Christmas is getting close all you crafty people!
Welcome!  
Today I'm going to show you a gift that
I made for an exchange.
I have a group of crafty friends online and a few of us 
decided to have a gift exchange for Christmas.
My sister in law told me how to make these cute 
"snap bags" She has made a lot of them for her church 
as part of Christmas gifts that they give out.
The size she does and the one I'm going to tell you 
how to make is the size for a glasses case.
The first thing is to purchase double sided quilted fabric
Our Joann's doesn't have a lot of variety, but I found
this one that I really loved.
I had a great coupon, so I bought a yard of this fabric
so I could make several if I liked how the first one turned
out.
Cut a square measuring 10" x 10"
On one side, fold over about 1/2"
Now fold that same side over about 1" and pin in place.
Fold the piece in half with the right side out.
Measure 2 lengths of ribbon about 3" long.
Measure the width of the bag and find the middle, keep
in mind that you will be sewing a seam at the side of the
bag, so adjust for that.
  Fold the ribbon in half and put the raw ends under the
folded down top edge and pin in place.
Repeat this on the other side.  
To be sure they are even, you can push a pin through from
one side to the other and see if the pin comes through
the ribbon.
Once you have the ribbons in place, unfold the bag and 
sew along the edge of the folded over top.
Cut approximately 4" pieces of a tape measure.
I bought mine at the Dollar Store, so they weren't a very
heavy metal, so I cut 4 pieces.  If you have a heavier 
tape measure, you can use 2 pieces.
I used a pair of heavy duty kitchen scissors for cutting,
if you have a pair of tin snips you can also use them.
Now round the ends of each piece of the tape measure.
Be careful this can be very sharp and small pieces can 
go flying.  My sister in law holds hers inside a box to cut,
this way the small sharp pieces don't go flying.
Stepping on one of these with bare feet wouldn't be very 
pleasant.
Now you have rounded ends and no squared corners.
If you are using the light weight metal, put 2 pieces together
on top of one another.
I used electrical tape, my sister in law used duct tape,
to tape around the ends. This will keep the sharp edges
from tearing through the fabric and possible cutting 
the person using the bag.
Be sure to use a heavy duty type of tape.
Now slide the tape measure pieces into the "pocket" at 
the top of the bag. One from each side of the bag and
push to the center of the bag where it will be folded.
Be sure the tape measure pieces are curved the right way.
You want them to bump out to the outside of the bag,
as shown in this picture.
Fold the bag in half again, right sides together,
and sew a seam close to the edge of the fabric.
I sewed mine with the edge of the fabric right along
the edge of the presser foot, only about 1/8" seam allowance.
Be sure your tape measure is pushed in far enough
that you won't be hitting it.
Sew down the side and across the bottom of
the bag.  
Turn right side out and you have your 
snap bag.
Perfect for sunglasses.
Here is a quick little demo of how the snap bag works.
It's easy to pull open with the little ribbons and snaps
closed on it's own.
Not only is this great for sunglasses, but for any number
of other things.  Make up, a pad and pen, maybe some
feminine products for your purse, even craft supplies..

You can make them in whatever size you choose.
These are 3 I made for my friend for our exchange.
All different sizes.  They have already been sent out 
and received. She opened them and has thanked me for
them already, she loves them and has a lot of ideas
what she can use them for.
These are easy to make and anyone can use something
like this.  I know my brother asked my sister in law to make
one for him for his glasses, she is planning to put a small pocket 
on the outside of it for extra hearing aid batteries.
I believe he's going to use his in his golf bag.
So many uses for them!
I'm guessing you could use another kind of fabric,
but it would have to be something with some
"substance" It needs a bit of thickness and/or stiffness to it.

I'm glad you stopped in today, I hope you are too.
I also hope you have been inspired in some way
and maybe will give these bags a try.
They really are quite easy to make and 
come together quickly. 
They make lovely little gifts for anyone.
See you again soon,
until then, happy creating!