Crafty Weekend - Sept. 2011

My best friend, Brook, is a huge inspiration for my creativity.  I go to her regularly with craft-related questions, such as “What kind of project can I use this for?!”  And she always has an answer!

We try to spend 4-6 craft-filled days together each month and we call them our “Crafty Weekends”.  We’re always sure to take lots of pictures of what we make and of course I will be sharing them with you!

Since we’re hoping to get-together this upcoming weekend, I thought I’d post some photos of our projects from September’s “Crafty Weekend”.

Felt Hedgehog Appliqués

  

Brook's                                        Lisa's

These little guys are simply adorable!!  Brook had found the tutorial online and we just made our own patterns.  You can see that we each did ours a little differently.

Shrinky-Dink Buttons

  

                           Brook's                                    Lisa's
Yes, these are buttons made from children's Shrinky-Dink plastic!!  This project was a blast!!  I’ll definitely be posting a tutorial on how to make them in the future!

That big one in Brook’s photo is actually a pendant made from a plastic take-out container that was heated in the oven. How cool!!

Mini-Mushroom Pincushions

Brook's                                        Lisa's

These pincushions are only about 2” tall and have a loop on them so you could attach it to a necklace if need-be.  I’m hoping to have Brook guest post this tutorial sometime soon!

Hand-bound Books

  

                           Brook's                                    Lisa's

I’d never bound my book before and I’m ever so grateful to Brook for teaching me how to do it!!  I’ll be making MANY more books in the future!!

Altered Birdhouses

  

Brook's                                  Lisa's

This was by far my favorite project of the weekend!!  There are so many different ways you could “alter” these little $1 wooden birdhouses and I can’t wait to make more of them!  You can really see the variety of designs you can come up with just by looking at the two ways we decorated ours!

Hopefully Brook and I will be able to get together this weekend and then there will me more fun photos to show you next week!!

Thanks for reading!!  Until next time…

Project: Altered Frame "Beautiful Dreamer"

This is the first altered frame I've ever made and I love it!  I made this back in September, but figured I'd show it to you anyway.

I'm not going to write about all of the details I put into this piece, but I'll point out some of my favorites.

The Collage is made of antique ephemera with the exception of her crown and the lace at the bottom.

The Lace accents I used is very feminine and I just love lace to begin with.

The Frame was "washed" with a mixture of acrylic paint and water and then stamped with acrylics.

The Birds & Butterflies are all stamped images that I've hand-painted with acrylics.

The Dangling Frame is actually hangs freely from the frame and is not attached to the background!!

The Antique Brass charms and findings, including the adorable little bird and cage on top of the frame.

The Flower Adornments are are beading findings with metal scrapbooking flowers glued in the centers.

The Gems with their golden hue really make this piece pop and add some sparkle too.

The Locket is a great little accent with it's metal flower and gem inside

"Beautiful Dreamer" was the name of the dress in the magazine ad cut-out.  I just think she's dreaming of being a queen or princess.

.I hope you are able to use this project as inspiration for your own altered frame project.  I really hope to write a more detailed tutorial in the future!

Thanks for reading!!  Until next time...

Shopping Show & Tell

I LOVE craft supply shopping and I'm sure you do too!!  I also love showing others the goodies I bring home, especially if I got a good deal!!

"Shopping Show & Tell" is a new kind of post that I'll be adding whenever I purchase an item (or many) that I'm really excited about.  Now that you know what it is, here's my very first "Shopping Show & Tell":

What I bought: the Provo Craft YourStory Thermal Book Binder/Laminator Bundle
Why I'm excited: 
1. I've needed a laminating machine for quite some time and the fact that this is a thermal book binder too is a major bonus!
2. I got a great deal!!  I paid under $30 for the entire bundle when the machine alone has a retail value of $79.99!!
3. It's a bundle!!  I love kits and bundles of any kind!  I try to purchase products where I can get the necessary or desirable accessories included.
4. It comes with a new paper slicer!  I've had the worst luck when it comes to paper trimmers so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this one is really good.
Product details: Click HERE to visit the company's product page.
Where I bought it: the Home Shopping Network (HSN) website
Where you can get one: Overstock's YourStory Bundle
Extra information: The photo above is actually from Overstock.com because (1) HSN sold out of these bundles and (2) Overstock is actually selling the bundle for a few dollars less.

My YourStory isn't scheduled to arrive until tomorrow and I've never used one before.  If you have one or have used one, I'd love to hear about it!  Please comment below with any information, tips, etc. that you think I should know.

Thanks for reading!! Until next time...

Grand Re-Launch Update

Each Friday between November 11^th and December 30^th, will now be a “Grand Re-Launch Fact Friday”!!  This is when I will share a little more information about the re-launch coming in January.

Under “Navigation” you should see a new “GrandRe-Launch” link.  This page is your go-to place for information about January’s re-launch.  After I share the new details with you on each “Grand Re-Launch Fact Friday”, I will update that page so it contains to the newly released information.

Although today isn’t a “Fact Friday”, I have some new details to share you!

1. The contest will open for entries at 12:00AM (midnight) on January 1^st.

2. Winner(s) will be announced at 11:00AM on January 31^st.

3. There will be a total of 3 winners chosen (using Random.org).

4. There’s an exciting new post schedule coming January 1^st.

The first “Grand Re-Launch Fact Friday” will be November 11^th so be sure to come back that evening for more details!

Thanks for reading.  Until next time….

Supplies: Amazing Lace Supplier

During October, I was browsing ArtFire with no intentions of purchasing anything, but was having fun looking at various craft supply assortments.  I eventually came across 2 fabulous mix bags of lace at the Crystal's Lace and More shop.  These are the 2 assortments I couldn't pass up and ended up buying within minutes:

1/2LB Bag of Mixed Vintage Lace & Trim ($15 + S&H)
I received a total of 60-75yd (probably more) of gorgeous 3-5yd lengths of lace in my choice of colors!!  

1/2LB Bag of Mixed Lace Remnants ($10 + S&H)
This was a separate assortment of 1/2-3yd lace remnants of lace in my choice of colors that probably totaled more than the advertised 50-60yd.

These pictures do not convey the large quantity or great quality of the lace I received.  For a grand total of $32.50 (including S&H) I received about 140yd of lace that more than filled a standard size grocery bag!


If you think you'll ever use lace in any craft or sewing project, I highly recommend checking out Crystal's shop(s).  Here are links so you can learn more, see what she has available, and of course order some lace!!

Facebook Page

Etsy Shop

ArtFire Shop

Website

Thanks for reading!! Until next time...

Craft Room Organization Update - Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of my Craft Room Organization Update!  The following photos go around the room, from right to left.  This will be a little long, but I really want to share exactly how I've managed to organize my massive amount of supplies in a relatively small space.

The shelving unit in this picture holds all of my beading, polymer clay, and leather supplies as well as my greeting cards, paper punches, stamps & stamp pads, and a few other bins of miscellaneous supplies.  Each shelf can hold 12 plastic shoe bins with room to spare!!

On the wall, I've worked out a way to keep all of my most used supplies at my fingertips.  The bookshelf will eventually hold my organizational binders, art journals, Keri Smith books, a container of gesso, and a sewing kit.  The  "Bygel rails" from Ikea are actually sold for kitchen organization, but when I saw them, I HAD to have them for my craft room!  The "Bygel wire basket" on the right bar stores my various glues and jewelry pliers and the 3 "Bygel containers" will hold my many scissors, pens, pencils, paint brushes, and markers.  I stretched the hooks on "Dignitet curtain rings with clips" so I could hang zip lock bags containing rubber bands, craft sticks, glue dots, baggies, plastic gems, and my spare clip hooks.

The sewing desk is able to open up so I'm able to pull my chair right up and under the desk.  It has some shelves inside to store supplies and has a shelf underneath in the back to hold my sewing machine when it's not in use.

This shelving unit holds most of my paper-crafting supplies.  I could fit up to 10 plastic scrapbook containers on a single shelf, but I've just intermixed my shoe bins and my scrapbook containers.

All of my 12"x12" scrapbook paper is in the containers on the lower shelf in this picture and on the shelf above that is my new & vintage ephemera, stickers, small papers, fabric paint, and some other miscellaneous supplies.

In this picture and the one above, you can see parts of the closet, which was originally full of household storage and some of my hubby's belongings.  There's still some non-crafty things on the top shelf, but at least I have the rest of the space for supplies.

The shelving unit on the right side of the closet has my craft books, specialty paper, sewing supplies, buttons, ribbon, lace, household paints, and other miscellaneous supplies.

On the left-hand shelving unit, I have most of my mixed-media/"altering" supplies.  This includes cigar boxes, books & journals, puzzles, picture frames, unfinished wood items, artificial flowers/moss/gourds, paper mache items, etc as well as my acrylic paints, paint brushes, and stamp carving supplies.

Between the two shelving units, I've piled my gift wrapping supplies such as bags, paper, and curling ribbon.  To the left of the beige shelves are my art canvases and larger pieces of cut wood.

In a future post, I will give step-by-step instructions on how to organize and store your craft supplies as I have in my craft room.

Craft Room Organization Update - Part 1

Back in February, I posted my New Year's Resolutions and one of them was to complete my craft room.  Although I haven't finished it, I've made a lot of progress and wanted to share what's been done so far.  Since I will show photos of the transformation as well as explaining exactly how I've managed to organize my massive amount of supplies in a relatively small space, I'm going to split this into two posts.  

February 2011

In this picture you'll notice that I had sort of started on getting organized, but still had a looooonngg way to go!!  I'd purchased and set up the big industrial plastic shelving units from Lowe's.  Even though it's buried you can sort of make out my sewing desk.  Also, I'd developed the beginning of my primary storage method: plastic shoe bins.

March 2011

Just before this photo was taken, a good friend of mine helped me during a one week organizing spree and here's what the room looked like after that week.  Here you can see that I'd put more of my supplies into containers and have them on the shelves.  My sewing desk is actually visible in this picture!!  Even though you can't see it, there is a bed 100% covered in craft supplies that is opposite that wall and to the left of this photo is an unorganized closet filled with my hubby's stuff.

November 2011

Even though there are still some boxes left to go through, this is a huge improvement compared to when I started.  My primary method of organizing is using plastic containers, especially plastic shoe bins from Dollar Tree.  To sort the stuff inside the bins, I use 2"x2", 3"x3", and 4"x4" zip lock baggies from PaperMart as well as your standard sandwich, quart, and gallon zip lock bags.  I also like organizational binders and my nifty "Bygel rails" from Ikea that are on the wall above my sewing desk.

In tomorrow's Part 2, I'll go from one side of the room to the other and go into much more detail about how I have organized and stored all my supplies.

Version: Burlap Flowers

With the popularity of burlap right now, I had to buy a couple yards during my last JoAnn's excursion.  Since I'm still reorganizing my craft room, I couldn't take on a large project so I found this great tutorial at The Tidy Nest blog.  Alisa's Burlap Flowers are super easy and you can make them a matter of minutes.

As always, I try to make things with supplies I have on hand so I had to improvise on some of the steps.  Here's what I did for my flowers:

• Cut: Following Alisa's instructions, I cut my burlap and cotton fabrics.  A couple pieces of my cotton fabric pieces were scraps so I had to make smaller "ice cream cone" shapes.  
• Glue: I used my Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue to dab a thin line about 1/4" from the edge of my burlap in order to keep it from fraying beyond that point.  I glued the fabric and the burlap together and attached an ugly 1/2" button to the back where Alisa attached her 3-D dot and "gem".
• Wrap: Since I didn't have any of the small rubberbands that Alisa recommends, I just cut a regular rubberband in half, wrapped one half around the fabric covered button and tied the ends in a double knot.  Since I didn't have much space to work in, I didn't want to break out my hot glue gun, so I just wrapped and glued down the jute and hemp cording with the tacky glue.  As you'll see in the picture below, I only wrapped around the edges and didn't cover the top of the button; that was just personal preference.
• Flatten: I flattened out the flower, but it wouldn't stay, so I glued a quarter-sized circle of grey board (cereal box cardboard) to the back behind the button.

Here are the four flowers I made today and a close up of my favorite one:

Now I just need to figure out what to put them on!  I'd love to incorporate them into a home decor project if possible.  If you have any ideas, please tell me in a comment!

Don't forget to visit Alisa's blog!!

REMINDER: Keep checking back here for more info about January's "Grand Re-Launch" and "Grand Re-Launch Giveaway"!!

Version: Fleur de Lis Wall Hanging Tutorial

Ellie, author of the blog The Lavender Tub, posted a wonderful tutorial for this Fall Fleur de Lis project.

When my husband saw her tutorial, he asked me to make a couple for our home so that's exactly what I did!  I wanted to use materials I had on hand, so my version of Ellie's project turned out much different.  Since it's so different, I'm going to post instructions on how I created my version of her piece.

Step 1: GATHER SUPPLIES

- Small (7"x9") flat canvas

- Fabric

- Satin ribbon (3/4" and 1/4" widths)

- Glue

- Image printed on Cardstock paper

- Acrylic paint & small paint brush

- X-acto Knife

- Felt

- Scissors

Step 2: PREP MATERIALS

Cut Fabric: Place your canvas (or other sturdy material) on the back side of your fabric.  Cut around your canvas making sure that there is at least 3/4"-1" of extra fabric.  If your canvas is thicker than 1/8", be sure to increase the amount of extra fabric so the fabric will not only cover the front and sides, but also have extra to attach to the back.

Print Image: Find a high quality black and white image that you'd like to use for your project.  I used the last two images HERE from the Graphics Fairy, but feel free to use any image that suits your style.  Since I used a 7"x9" canvas, I wanted my image to be approximately 5.5" wide.  I re-sized the image and printed it on a light beige sheet of cardstock using the highest quality print setting on my printer.

Step 3: COVER CANVAS

Front: Cover the front of your canvas with a thin layer of glue.  I prefer to use Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue when doing any form of multi-media art projects, but feel free to use whichever glue works best for you.  Center your fabric on the glue covered canvas and pull the edges nice and tight to flatten your fabric.  Press down to make sure the fabric is attached well.

Back: Put a thin layer of glue on one corner that is about 3/4"x3/4" square.  Fold the fabric in from the corner at a 45 degree angle and and tighten it to remove any "slack" on the corner.  Go to the opposite corner and repeat, then do the same for the last 2 corners.  For the sides, you'll want to put a 3/4" wide strip of glue (thin layer) along one edge.  Fold the fabric over and tighten it to remove the "slack".  Go to the opposite side and repeat, then do the same for the other 2 sides.

Step 3: CUT & EDGE IMAGE

CUT: Place your printed image on a surface such as a cutting mat or other material that you can cut into safely; I used an old notebook that I didn't mind destroying.  Using an X-acto knife, carefully cut around your image.

PAINT: Since I chose a dark color fabric, I wanted the black image to stand out.  Using a small paint brush, carefully paint a thin edge all the way around your image.  I decided to use gold acrylic paint because not only was the gold lighter than the red fabric, but I knew that it would catch the light and really make it stand out.

Step 4: ATTACH IMAGE & BORDER

IMAGE: Cover the back of your image with an even, thin layer of glue.  Center it on your background and gently press down.

BORDER: Since the Fleur de Lis has approximately the same height and width and my canvas is taller than it is wide, I needed something to fill in the top and bottom a little more.  I chose to use some 3/4" dark brown satin ribbon.  Cut two lengths of ribbon that are about 2" longer than the width of your canvas.  Put a thin layer of glue that is the same width as your background in the center of your ribbon.  Attach both pieces of ribbon to your background, making sure each one is evenly centered between your image and the edge of your canvas.  Flip your canvas over and glue down the ends of the ribbon by pulling them flat and removing any "slack".

Step 5: ATTACH RIBBON HANGER

Cut a length of 1/4" satin ribbon.  I chose to use a longer piece of ribbon because I wanted a more dramatic loop to hang the canvas by, but if you don't want that, just use a shorter piece of ribbon.  Make sure your ribbon is facing the right way and isn't twisted, then glue the two ends to the back of your canvas.  As you can see in the image above, I made sure to glue down a sufficient amount of ribbon to make sure it holds.  Also note in the picture that as I was gluing down the ends, I pulled the ribbon so that the ends angle straight from where the piece will be hung.

Step 6: ATTACH BACKING

Cut a piece of coordinating felt so that it's just slightly smaller than your canvas and attach it to the back with a thin layer of glue.

FINISHED!!

REMINDER: Keep checking back here for more info about January's "Grand Re-Launch" and "Grand Re-Launch Giveaway"!!

Preparing for a Fresh Start

I'm sure you've noticed that I haven't been posting as regularly as I'd like and in fact, it's been just over 5 months since my last blog entry.  Rather than beat myself up over this, I'm going to go forward and start preparing for the exciting year to come!

I'm in the process of putting together a wonderful plan for this blog and I'm going to let you in on some of the details right now!

1. I will be posting entries sporadically for the rest of the year.  I'll share with you a few more tutorials before the year end and I'll also continue to share more and more information about what's going to happen here in 2012!

2. Between now and January, this blog will hopefully undergo a major transformation!  I plan on redesigning it's appearance and incorporating exciting new content!  Please pardon the "dust" during this time.

3. In January, I will be celebrating this blog's "Grand Re-Launch" and I sincerely hope you and your crafty friends will join me!

4. The BIG news:  In January, there will be a "Grand Re-Launch Giveaway" where I will give away one or more prizes including craft supplies from my craft room, gift cards to national retailers and maybe other goodies too!

Check back often for new tutorials and more information about the "Grand Re-Launch" and the giveaway!

Tree of Life Ornament Versions

I just wanted to take a moment to share a couple versions of my Tree of Life Ornament from Cut Out + Keep members. They each used my tutorial on Cut Out + Keep to make their versions.

Cut Out + Keep member, Ashendove, made this 2" Tree of Life pendant using brass wire and amber colored beads. I love how she combined the larger chips with the smaller beads. The color is great too!

Rae, another member of Cut Out + Keep, made this 2" Tree of Life pendant using copper wire. I think she did a great job creating a natural-looking tree with the wire.

If you've made a Tree of Life using my tutorial from my blog, or any other projects I've posted here, send me a picture and I'll feature it in a future update!

Tutorial: Zakka Owl

My best friend, Brook, originally sent me the tutorial that this is based on probably over a year ago. I've made well over 10 owls since then and will be making many,

many more!

I want to thank Christina from Italy for posting the original tutorial on CO&K. I've used some of her sketches in the tutorial of my version below. I must say that her original pattern for the owls was the best available online!

NOTE: Be sure to read through the entire tutorial before beginning. This will help you understand how the owl is put together and finished.

IN ORDER TO MAKE A ZAKKA OWL, YOU WILL NEED THE PATTERN.

PRINT THIS PATTERN AT 100%.

Step 1: Gather supplies.

You will need the following materials:

• Two (2) square pieces of coordinating cotton fabric measuring about 13cm each (for the Owl’s Body and Belly)
• 3x7cm of white felt (for the Eye Whites)
• 6x12cm of felt in a color that matches the 2 cotton fabrics (for the Owl Bottom and Eye Patches)
• 2x2cm of orange felt (for the beak)
• Two (2) small black buttons that measure 7mm or less.
• Embroidery floss (or thread) in black, white, orange, and a color that goes with the fabrics and other felt color
• Poly-Fil or some kind of stuffing

Step 2: Cut fabrics and felt.

Trace and cut the Owl Body out of the simpler fabric and the Owl Belly out of the more decorative fabric. Trace and cut out two (2) Eye Whites, two (2) Eye Patches, and one (1) Owl Bottom.

Step 3: Begin sewing the body.

With the wrong sides of the fabric facing each other, sew the edge of the Owl Belly (B) to the

right edge of the Owl Body (A) starting at the bottom corner (see image to the right). Tie a knot when you reach the upper point of the Owl Belly (B) and cut your string. I like to use 3 of the 6 threads in embroidery floss and I use a backstitch for this step, but you’re welcome to use a sewing machine instead.

Step 4: Continue sewing the body.

Repeat Step 3 on the left side of the Owl Body (A), just as you did on the right side, but do not tie a knot or cut your string. Fold your fabric down the center as in the "fold/sew" image and continue sewing up to the top of the Owl Body (A). Tie a knot and cut your string. When finished with this step, unfold your piece and it should look similar to the second image to the right.

Step 5: Creating the owl’s head.

Turn fabric right side out. Fold near the red line and stitch the top point (red dot) to the owl’s belly. When sewing the point to the belly, make sure it is centered, left-to-right, otherwise your owl will have a crooked beak!

Step 6: Sewing on the eyes.

• Prior to sewing on the eye patches, pin them in place so they will be level and equally apart. When sewing on the felt eye patches, I prefer to use 3 or more of the 6 threads of embroidery floss to do a blanket stitch around them. This gives the owl a really wide-eyed look as shown in the picture to the right.
• Place the whites of the eyes close to the inside edge of the eye patches, but don’t cover your nifty blanket stitch. When sewing them on, I just use a really rough running stitch around the edges with white thread.
• Depending on the look you’re going for, you can sew the black buttons in the center of the eye whites (for a wide-eyed look), towards the inside (for a bit of a cross-eyed or confused look), or even out to the sides (for a crazy look).

Step 7: The beak.

If you like the way your owl’s face looks without a felt beak, leave it just the way it is! If you prefer to have a traditional beak, you can sew on a felt one. The easiest way I’ve found to get the perfect beak shape, is to take the corner of a piece of orange-colored felt and cut the corner as

shown in the image to the right. Once you have your triangle cut out, place it on your owl and trim any excess felt.

Sewing the beak on is super easy! Just put a single stitch in each of the three corners going from the point towards the center of the triangle.

Step 8: The bottom.

• Sew a running stitch around the base of the owl, about 4mm away from the bottom edge. Pull the thread in order to create a hole that's only about 10mm across. Tie a knot, but don’t cut the thread.
• Using a rough running stitch, sew the Owl Bottom to the base of the owl making sure to cover the cinched stitches (see the photo to the right).

ALL FINISHED!!

Enjoy your owl!!