Guests will go dotty for confetti decorated with their own smiling faces. Use a photo-editing program to give digital pictures of family and friends a sepia tint; print onto matte photo paper. Use 1/2-inch to 1-inch circle punches to cut out faces, as well as extra circles from colored paper and vellum. Package the confetti in envelopes, and hand them out to guests for a celebratory toss at midnight.
Clothespins can be used to organize and hang papers, photos, and cards when they're turned into refrigerator magnets. To make them, remove the springs from wooden clothespins, and lightly sand wood with sandpaper. Coat with acrylic paint; let dry. Reattach springs, and affix a small magnet to 1 side of each pin with multipurpose cement.
Sources
Mighty round magnets; $12.99 for 16; Container Store; containerstore.com.
Staying with friends this summer? Show your gratitude by sending them a photo CD of your trip. Save digital images to a disc, and then personalize it further by adhering a print to the top. It's easy with specialized CD/DVD labels (officedepot.com).
Direct guests to their seats with name cards topped by leaves that look like they just blew in. To make each card, fold a piece of brown cover-weight card stock in half. Write guest's name with a white gel pen. Cut 1 or 2 notches (about 1 inch wide) in card, at an angle. Slide fallen leaves -- fresh or dried and pressed -- into each notch.
This Valentine's Day, offer loved ones homemade treats wrapped in paper that echoes your heartfelt sentiments. All you need to transform plain waxed paper into lovely gift wrap is some tissue paper, a heart-shaped craft punch, and an iron. Use the paper to wrap cakes, stacks of cookies, and other goodies. Then finish each package with some waxed twine and a colorful gift tag.
A New Year's Eve celebration wouldn't be complete without a glass of Champagne, so bubbly is a perfect theme for end-of-the-year festivities. Ball-shaped ornaments displayed in glass flutes mimic the rising bubbles. (We mixed vintage balls with clear ones.) Gather flutes in varying styles, and cluster them on a cake stand to craft a truly effervescent centerpiece.
