The heat Sunday allowed for one more project before work today...

Project 13: Another Pearl Bracelet

This idea is a take on an idea that my sister, Jaclyn, pinned on pinterest.  I had to change some of the materials for cost reasons.  I also it up a little differently then the pin suggests.  I hope that you like what I made.  When you get the the Things I Learned section, you will see there are some other changes I would make next time too.

Materials:

• Pearl Beads
• Lace
• Cord of some type (Or a leather cord if you want to spend the money)
• Needle and Thread
• Safety Pin
• Scissors

Steps:

• Start with two lengths of cord the same size.
• Select the number of beads that you with to use.
• Thread the needle with a color that matched the cord.
• Pull the needle through one side of the cord and add a bead.
• Pull the tread through the other piece of cord.  
• Go back through the cord into the bead and then out the cord again.  
• Repeat these steps until all of the beads are attached between the 2 pieces of cord.
• Take the lace and attach the safety pin to one end.
• Weave the lace through the beads.
• Tie knots in the ends of the bracelet to secure everything
• Tie the two ends together when you want to wear it :)

Things I Learned:

• A thimble is used to push the needle through a thicker fabric or cord without hurting your finger. (Note to self: Get a thimble)
• I cut the place and the ends so that it was not the length of the black cord at the end.  I don't think I will do that next time and I will leave the lace longer.
• You can not force a needle through a bead some make sure you get it in the hole...
• Try to prevent the lace from twisting because it is harder to get it out then in

I really liked how this one turned out.  The original design called for the lace to be wrapped around the cord but I like it better this way.  The pearl behind the lace looks cool when you look at it close up.  Next time I will leave the strings a little longer as well.  All in all I think it was a success.  You should give it a try.

Craft on my friends... 

The heat continued so I continued Crafting

Project 12: Bead and Ribbon Bracelet

By now you have probably learned that I spend a lot of time on pinterest.  There are lots of good ideas on there so it is not like I am wasting too much time.  Without it this blog would not have have the projects that are up here.  This one happens to be another find from my pinterest surfing.  I really liked it the first time I saw it and finally got a chance to give it a shot.

Materials:

• More Ribbon... again I used a 5/8 inch one
• Pearl beads
• Thread or string of some sort
• Needle
• Scissors 

Steps:

• So I don't actually cut the ribbon of the spools until I am done so I know what length to make it in the end...
• Pull out the number of beads that you want to use.  I used 20 on this one.  The size of the bead will make a difference.
• I used a black thread on this project but any line or twine will work.  You just do not want to see it.
• To start make a small fold in the ribbon and pull the needle and thread through.  
• Add the first bead.
• Pull the ribbon around to make to cover the back side of the bead and make another small fold.
• Pull the needle and thread through again.
• Pull the thread tight so that the ribbon is around the bead. 
• Repeat these steps until you get to the end.
• Tie small knots in the end to help keep the beads and folds secure. 

Things I Learned:

• Needles are sharp and hurt when they stick you so be careful.
• Pulling the beads in a small dish makes them easier to grab.  It also prevents them from rolling away on a flat surface.
• I don't really have a good technique for you when it comes to folding the ribbon and holding the bead it is just about getting in a groove.

This took more time then I originally thought that it would.  It took me some time to get into a rhythm of getting the ribbon right and the pearl on.  Once it was done though I really like how it came out.  Give it a try and let me know if you come across a technique that makes it go a little quicker and easier.

Craft on my friends...

When it is 106 outside there is no reason to go out there...

Project 11: Industrial Necklace

So summer has hit the south hard this past weekend.  When it feels like it is 115 outside there is really no reason to leave inside.  Now I prefer winter to summer so I was not happy about the prospect of triple digit temps but this did allow for some much missed craft time.  Here is the first of my 3 projects this weekend... a necklace made of industrial materials (sort of).

Materials:

• Satin Ribbon of any color
• Various sized washers (though little metal rings you get at the hardware stores)
• Safety Pins
• Scissors for cutting the ribbon

Steps:

• Travel to your local hardware store for washers.  Finding them in Home Depot was the hardest part of this project.
• Pick the size and quantity on the washers you would like. (See things I learned below for notes). I used various sizes on this necklace.
• Pick out a ribbon that you would like to use with this project.  I used a 5/8in black satin one. (I still have not measured any length of ribbon yet, one day)
• String on the washers like we did for the pop top bracelets
• I set the design out and started at one end and then strung them all together.  
• Take the end of the ribbon and attach the safety pin.  This will make it easier to get the ribbon through the holes.
• To start pull the ribbon through the hole of the first one.
• Lay the second washer over that so that the holes over lap.  Pull the ribbon though the 2 over lapped holes.
• Then pull the ribbon up through the hole of the second washer.  Repeat theses steps as you add more washers.  See the post on the pop top bracelets more detail.
• When you are done decide how long you want the ribbon and the ends to be and cut.  
• Tie the necklace together with a bow and you are done :)

Things I learned:

• On first inspections washers seem to weigh next to nothing... when you string a bunch together not so much.  Keep that in mind when you make a design plan.
• It is easier to get ribbons through washers with larger holes...
• There are codes that are imprinted on the washers, make sure they all face the back (oops).

There are a few other ideas for some projects with these industrial pieces.  It will be a little bit before I do another one though.  When the guy in Home Depot asked me what project I was doing with washer and I told him crafting he looked at me like I was nuts.  He clearly needs to follow my blog to understand better.  More ideas to come. 

Craft on my Friends... 

Nothing makes your neighbors more envious then Festive Holiday Signage

Project 10: Festive Holiday Signage

This project started out on a whim.  There was not much back thought or planning in the start.   But then that led to the elaborate Easter sign that I just completed this afternoon.  I need to give a shout out to my Mom and Howie here because without them this project never would have happened.  (Power tools... I don't like to use them.)

Materials:

• Wood and a lot of it depending on how much you are making
• Paints
• Paint Brushes (You would be surprised how many people forget to get them)
• Decorations (Glitter is back!)
• White Glue (You know the stuff found in a bottle with the orange top...)
• Polyurethane 
• Metal Stakes 

Steps:

• First determine what shape you are going to need and create a pattern.  As you see in the pictures I have done eggs, clovers (3 and 4 leaf) and heart.  
• Trace the pattern on to the wood you are using.
• Drill a hole into the wood for the stake.
• Cut out the wood using various power tools.  (Thanks Mom and Howie)
• Sand any rough edges and the surface (a little).  (This I was able to do since the tools used to sand are not so scary.)
• Paint and decorate as desired.  I used paint, glitter and paper on the various projects.  I secured the paper with white glue.  That same glue was used for glitter and other decorations as well.  This is up to you so got nuts! :)
• Once everything has dried, probably best to leave it over night at least to make sure, apply a healthy coat of polyurethane.
• Flip over and apply poly to the other side. Let dry for 24 hours.
• Insert stakes.  These can be glued in as well if you would like.
• Place in front yard for all to see! :)

Things I Learned:

• It is easier to drill a hole for a stake in a square then it is a clover or heart. You are far less likely to drill through the shape too when it is a square.
• Glitter pens take longer to dry then loose glitter and glue...
• Those fancy paper cutting machines are a great tool!
• White glue drys clear and flat where glue guns do not... but it takes longer to dry.
• Power tools are useful, fast and scary.  BE CAREFUL!! (Or you will be needing those boo boo bunnies, see previous post)
• Use pencil when tracing your patters because you can erase that if you make a mistake.

As you can see from the picture I have states for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and now Easter.  I am sure by the end of the year I will add Halloween, Christmas, New Year's and 4th of July.  When that happens I will be sure to post and update for all to see.  If you come up with any ideas for stake share them in the comments for everyone!

Craft on my friends...

Bunnies Make Everything Better

Project 9: Boo-Boo Bunnies

This was a craft that I helped my mom with for a craft fair a few months back.  I figured that I would share it with you all.  My Aunt Laura had found the idea for them and suggested them to my mom.  They are really simple to make and a really cute gift for people that have small children.  I hope you enjoy making your own bunnies.

Materials:

• Standard Washcloths
• Rubber Bands
• Googly Eyes
• Small White Pom Poms
• Extra Small Pink Pom Poms
• Ribbon
• Decorations
• Reusable Ice Cubes
• Glue Gun

Steps:

• Take the washcloth and lay it out flat on a diagonal.  
• Roll opposing corners to the center. (Photo 1 and 2)
• Fold the rolled washcloth in half and pinch off a loop. (Photos 3 and 4)
• Fold the ends up towards the loop and place a rubber band around the end bump you made.
• Pull up the ends to form the ears.
• Tie a ribbon around the head of the bunny to cover the rubber band.
• Using your glue gun attack the eyes and the pink pom pom to the front as the eyes and nose.
• Attach the white pom pom to the back for the fluffy bunny tail.
• Use decorations to add flair to your bunny. (As you see in the pictures I have used small flowers)
• Insert reusable ice cubes in the back and heal boo boo.  

Things I Learned:

• As always glue guns are hot so use caution or you will be needing that boo boo bunny sooner then you think.
• Thicker rubber bands are harder to use. Find your typical rubber band and you should be good.
• Move the rubber band a round to change the size of the ears.  It won't be drastic but you can some times make them a little bigger.
• Make sure you use enough glue to keep the decorations on but not too much that the bunnies head is covered in glue.
• Measure your reusable ice cubes in the back of the bunny before you decorate in case you need to adjust.  

I thought that these were the cutest things that I had seen in a while.  You are able to ice a boo boo with out ice melting all over the place.  And what little kid does not love bunnies with googly eyes.  There a many adults that love them just as much too :)

Craft on my friends... 

 Photo 1

 Photo 2

 Photo 3

Photo 4

Finished Bunnies!

Creative way to use the tabs off all those canned beverages you drank...

Project 8: Pop Top Bracelet 

Yes, this is another find on Pinerest.  In fact it was one of the first things I ever pinned.  The only reason it took me so long to make it was the lack of supplies.  I don't drink a lot of canned beverages anymore (where was this when I was in college...)  Thanks to my Aunt I was able to collect all of the tabs that I needed.  She is a soda drinker so don't think there needs to be an intervention or something like that...

Materials:

• 15-18 tabs of soda cans (or any other canned beverage)
• 2 safety pins
• Ribbon that is 3/8 inch
• Scissors 

Steps:

• Drink several canned beverages and remove tabs
• Wipe them down so that they are no longer sticky.  
• Cut a length of ribbon.  The longer you cut it the better.  You will need to fold it in half so I guess about two feet.
• Fold the ribbon in half... :)
• Connect the safety pins to either end.
• Take the first tab and string the ribbon through the two loops in the tab.  One end of the ribbon through one of the loops and then the other. Make sure that you pull the ribbon so that it is up over the top.
• Stop it before you get to the end so that a small loop is formed.  You will use this to close the bracelet later. (Photo 1)
• Take the next tab and lay it over the first so that the holes line halfway up. (Photo 2)
• Pull the ribbon though the 2 holes of the over lapped tabs.
• Take the ribbon and feed it back up through the other side of the single tab on top.
• Repeat this layering until all of the tabs are on.
• When you get to the last tab make sure that the ribbon is on the bottom side.
• Tie a knot in the ribbon right next to the last tab. 
• Pull one of the strings though the loop at the other end and tie a bow to any size you wish.  
• Cut off any extra ribbon.
• Slide on to wrist and Rock it like a Model :)

Things I Learned:

• It is a good idea to check to make sure that the tabs are not sharp before you put them on the ribbon.
• It is almost impossible to complete this without the safety pins.
• The length of the ribbon will determine the bow at the end. (Longer is better)
• Make sure the ribbon is not twisted before you put the next tab on. 
• Some people paint the tabs with nail polish and things but I considered that too much work.

I was surprised by how much I liked the end product. It was interesting to me the first time that I saw it so that is why I tried it not because I thought I would wear it.  Now I am planning on rocking mine next week when I go see Elton John in concert.  I am sure it will look amazing too.  Helps that you can't tell that they are canned beverage tabs :)

Craft on my friends... 

 Photo 1

Photo 2

 Finished Product 1

Finished Product 2

No one is going to paint a room Burnin' Love

Project 7: Egg Garland

Another Pintrest find from my new favorite website.  Though I spend too much time on Pintrest it has given me lots of recipes to try and crafts to create.  And as well all know I love to craft (and then blog about it.)  So continuing on with my Easter crafts I present to you Egg Garland...

Materials:

• Paint sample cards 
• Scissors 
• Ribbon or String
• Razor Blade
• Egg Pattern
• Small Safety Pin

Steps:

• Visit your local large hardware store for various paint sample cards.  Various colors will add more zest to your garland.  
• Google egg pattern since drawing an egg shape over and over might become difficult.
• Print out egg pattern and start tracing.  
• Once you are done tracing time to move on to cutting.
• Cut to small slits the size of your ribbon.  I used a razor blade to do this and a block of wood as to not mark the table.  (My mom was happy about this)
• Connect the small safety pin to the ribbon so that it is easier to get the ribbon through the slits.
• Cut the ribbon once all the eggs are strung.  Tie loops on either end and you are done.

Things I Learned:

• Using different shaped eggs makes your garland more interesting but also can become cumbersome when when cutting and stringing. 
• Print the egg patterns on card stock because regular paper starts to curl at the end when traced a lot. (You eggs will start to look all wonky) 
• Using a razor blade can be dangerous.  Just like glue guns are hot.  So be aware of what you are doing or your Easter eggs might be less festive with blood.
• Make sure that you slide the eggs on the string so that they are all on the same side of the ribbon.  If not your eggs will go in all different directions and the backs of those cards are not as festive.

I really like how this came out.  I have some smaller sized eggs that I did not use since they were just too small.  I used a small ribbon to hang them but wire or fishing line could work too.  I also mulled over the idea of using a glue gun (my favorite tool) and a wider ribbon but I am happy with the way things worked out.  Maybe I will use that wider and the smaller eggs for another projects... Only time will tell... 

Craft on my Friends...

Nothing Says Easter like a Feather Boa

Project 6: Easter Wreath

My new favorite website is Pintrest.com.  I have gotten a lot of great ideas off here so far.  Most of them have been food related but not all.  This is one that I saw on there.  When I went back to find it I could not so I had to improvise when I went to the store.

Materials:

• 8inch wreath (this one happens to be made of sticks)
• 6ft green feather boa
• Decorations
• Hot Glue Gun

Steps:

• Start wrapping the boa around the wreath. I originally started just to make sure I had a long enough boa and never too it off.
• I tied the two ends together at the top.  There were little string loops there so they made a natural hook too.
• Little blob of hot glue just to keep it all in place.
• I then used the hot glue to put all the decorations on.  And that is it.  

Things I learned:

• Don't use too much glue or it will make the feathers look flat.
• Lay your design out twice and glue once
• If your glue gun gets too hot it can melt things.

I think this came out super cute.  My bows need some help though.  It is a skill I am still trying to work on. The original picture I saw online looked like yarn instead of boa but I think you would need a lot.  I am going to try to do a few others in the near future so I will post pictures when I do.   

Craft on my Friends...

Tisket a Tasket... I Didn't Make a Basket

Project 5: Keepsake Boxes

So I wanted to think of something to make for my friend's daughters that would be a nice little keepsake.  I thought back to my own childhood and remembered how much I like the little decorative boxes on my dressers. Of course they held important things like stickers and erasers shaped like animals back then.  I loved having a little box for my treasures so that was my inspiration for this project.

Materials:

• Small pine boxes
• craft paint
• fabric
• decorations (no glitter this time)
• Hot Glue Gun
• Polyurethane (not a surprise I am sure)

Steps:

• As you will see in the pictures I painted both boxes.  I did a base coat of white on both before I added the color. 
• I also took all the hardware off so that I did not get paint on it and so it was painted under the latch.
• Once the paint dries I did one coat of poly.  This way the paint won't scratch and it can be easily cleaned off.
• Again you need to make sure that it is super dry before you move on.  I reattached the hardware and then began decorating.  Decorations are entirely up to you.  I used little flowers and lace.  I also used paint pens to write their names on the top of the boxes.
• Though the inside is painted I wanted to line it with something nice.  The fabric is in there using hot glue. Quick and easy to fix if need be.

Things I learned:

• Card stock is an easy way to measure and attach fabric inside a box.
• Tin foil makes nice little pouches to keep the hardware safe when you take it off.  Those are some seriously little screws that you don't want to be looking for.
• The nice thing about writing on a painted surface is that you can paint over it if you make a mistake.
• Make sure you cut extra ribbon or lace in this case because you will need it when you mess up the angles.

Craft on my Friends... 

Use a Tree to Decorate Your Tree

Project 4: Ornaments

As mention in the Project 3 post, there were several branches that were around. And as much as I love candle holders I wanted to come up with another fun project.  This time I opted for some ornaments out of the branch slices.  They actually came out better then I had excepted. :)

Materials:

• Branch disks (again this requires some power tools)
• Wood burning tool
• Polyurethane
• Wire
• Decorations

Steps:

• Once you have your desired disks it is really a quick process.  Sand each side to give yourself a nice smooth working surface.
• I drew an outline of what I was going to do on each disk while I waited for the tool to heat up.
• The tool gets seriously hot so use caution.  You don't want to burn your table, skin or start a fire, all of which are possible.  So follow your pattern lines and burn the design on.  Your tool will determine how you do this.
• Drill a small hole through the top for the wire which will become the hook.  You want to make sure the hole is just big enough for the wire and not too close to the top. 
• As usual I coated everything in poly again.  This time it brought out the colors and grain in the wood and the design.  It also protects and preserves. :)
• I then wired them all up and added some decoration.  This time it happened to be some glittery bows.  You know just a little pop of color.

What I learned:

• Wood burning tools can leave a marks on the table.  I used a stone tile to lean the tool on.
• The longer you leave the tool the hotter it will get and the easier it will be to use.
• Letters and curved lines are hard to do.  Practice. Practice. Practice.  Once you burn in you can't erase.
• It was easier to dip these in poly then it was to spray them.  Let them hang to drip dry.
• Spacing with the tool will be wider then spacing with a pencil so plan ahead. 

I really liked how these came out.  Again, I created more then I am showing here.  These just happen to be the ones that I like the most.  I did burn my fingers a little but I was careful.  So you should be too when you are working with a wood burning tool. :)

Craft on my Friends... 

Hurricanes are bad but can supply some materials...

Project 3: Candle Holders from Nature

A lot of people were effected by Hurricane Irene.  And in its wake there were a lot of down trees.  As part of the clean up I re-purposed some tree branches into some holiday festiveness.  This project requires the use of some power tools which I am not that into.  The drill press is one thing, the table saw something else.  I happen to like all of my fingers and would like to keep them.  So I have to thank Howie for helping me here.

Materials:

• Tree branch cut in half and then candle size hold drilled in (power tools needed)
• Polyurethane
• Hot Glue Gun 
• Decorations
• Felt
• Candles

Steps:

• The tree branches need to be cut in half or in to disk.  I created candle holders out of both.  
• Then drill a hole to the desired with of the candle.
• Polyurethane the entire thing.  All sides, holes what have you.  Again you want to avoid the creepy crawlies that  might still live in there.  It also helps to protect and preserve.  These I did 4-5 coats of poly to be safe.
• Once you are sure that they are dry it is time to decorate.  I used everything from silk flowers and left over nuts from my napkin rings (see previous post) to disassembled Christmas picks.  And glitter of course! :)
• I cut out felt to fit the bottom and glued it on so that no surfaces would be scratched
• Insert candles and you are done. 

Things I learned:

• The candles are more stable if you melt some wax in the hole and then put the candle in.
• It is easier to measure and attach felt to the bottom of something before it is decorated.
• It is almost impossible to find a drill bit to give you the perfect candle hole so do test pieces so you can get the closest one to what you want.
• Wax makes a better adhesive for handles then hot glue.  The glue just melts it and it does not stick.

I made several of these but I am only including my favorite ones.  Mine were all Christmas themed but that does not mean that you can't do these for other reasons.  The candles look crooked in the pictures because I had not melted wax in the holes yet.  They looked better once I did. :)

Craft on my Friends...

Thanksgiving Needs Some Bling

Project 2: Thanksgiving Napkin Rings

This one all started when I was in a home store (I will leave out the name but it is a popular one) and I saw a napkin ring that I really liked.  They were more money then my already over stretched budget could handle so I only brought one to recreate it! Photos are at the bottom of this post.

Materials:

• Jewelry Rings (I can't remember the size of the top off my head but they look to be at least an inch)
• Fabric leaves
• small pine cones
• nuts
• glitter
• paint pens
• Spray Polyurethane 
• Hot Glue Gun (and glue of course)
• White Glue
• Floral Wire
• Aquanet (I will explain)

Steps:

• My favorite new thing is spray polyurethane. Makes everything shiny.  I applied a generous coat of this to all the leaves, pine cones and nuts.  Make sure everything is super dry before you move on.  Everything will be tacky and sticky until it is dry. 
• The leaves were fabric so I used it to make them a little stiffer.  No one likes wilty leaves.
• The pine cones came from nature so I wanted to make sure no little buggies were going to crawl out during Thanksgiving dinner.  Also see the Pine Cone Christmas tree post to see about poison ivy related pine cones.
• I sprayed the nuts to be safe.  Pretty sure they are not going to go bad but since they are real nuts and not made of plastic better to be safe then sorry.
• I added a little color.  I used a gold paint pen to paint all the nuts.  Not that I don't like the natural color of them I was just going for a more flashy look.  Again make sure they dry before you attach them.
• Ok... so everything is dry now... time to assemble.  For my design I used 3 leaves of different colors and sizes for each one.  I used the hot glue gun to attach them together.  I then added a pine cone or a nut in the center.  Again using the hot glue gun, which is a magical tool.
• Now it is time to glitter!  I love glitter.  I use it when I can.  I used the white glue to outline the leaves and then sprinkled it on and knocked of the extra.  On the pine cones I added little drops of glue on it and then did the same thing as the leaves.  
• I did not have a lot of the glitter I started with which is why I only did the glitter on the visible part of the leaves.  You could always outline before you attach them together.  Up to you...
• I used the floral wire to attach them to the rings.  Wire around the stems on to the rings.  I would not say no to a drop of hot glue to hold everything in place either.
• Aquanet... best hair spray I have ever used.  Hold everything in place for hours.  Well it also works wonders on glitter.  I gave everything two coats to make sure that glitter did not end up on the Turkey.

Things I learned:

• Hot glue is forever and always hot... be careful
• Aquanet dries faster then polyurethane but also flammable... avoid candles 
• Paint pens are a fast drying option to regular paint
• Toothpicks make it easier to get just the right amount of glue around a leaf

In the end I think the napkin rings look fantastic.  The photo shows the 3 different types that I made.  Glitter did not get all over the table either and that made everyone happy. 

Craft on my Friends...

Pine cones, chicken wire and glitter makes one nice tree...

Project 1: Pine Cone Christmas Tree


Materials:

• Pine Cones - a lot... depends on the size
• Tomato cage - size will determine your tree size
• Chicken Wire or some sort of metal mesh
• Floral Wire
• White Christmas Tree Lights
• Decorations - I used glitter and silk flowers as you see
• Optional base - mine is made of press board

Steps:

• Attach the chicken wire to the tomato cage.  I needed to use a heavier wire then just floral wire to get this done.  Also watch your hands because once you cut the wire it gets a little sharp.
• There are 2 ways you can start.  You can start by stringing the lights through the wire now and then add pine cones or the other way around.  I started with the pine cones and when I do this again I would start with the lights.  Trial and error...
• Attaching the pine cones is an interesting affair.  I live in North Carolina so the pine cones down here have a little bit of bit so gloves of some sort help.  I attached them 2 different ways. I can't say that one was more effective over the other.  
• Cut a piece wire that allows you to twist it around the cone with  tails on either side.  Then twist the tails around the chicken wire.
• The other was is to cut a large piece of wire and attach one side to the chicken wire then wrap that wire around each pine cone as you go.
• I started at the bottom and worked my way up.  The top was hard to do since my arms were not long enough to reach all the way up.  I might consider starting from the top down next time.  Trial and error...
• Once all the cones are connected I used spray polyurethane all over.  I did too generous coats and let it dry for a day before I moved on.  Remember to do this in a well ventilated area!
• Now it is time to string the light if you have not already.  Just push the wires into the little open spaces that naturally occur.  I used the end of a butter knife to help this along.
• Attach to the base if you want to.  Mine is made of press board and is attached using some heavy wire.
• Now the fun part starts... DECORATE
• I used red glitter, silk flowers and holly and there is a glittery red bird at the top.  You can decorate to fit you own design.
• A hot glue gun is great tool here.  Quick and easy to attach what you want.

Things that I learned...

• I am in fact allergic to poison ivy... Make sure you look where you are collecting pine cones and wearing gloves is a good idea.  Also copious hand washing is never a bad plan...
• Between the pine cones, the wire and the poison ivy my hands took a beating so heavy duty gloves or some kind are good thing to have.
• It is easier to attach the chicken wire with another set of hands.  Chickens must be some seriously strong birds because the chicken wire is some serious wire.  There was not way that I could bend the wire in to place, hold it and wire it all by myself.  I am not strong enough nor do I have enough arms.  (Thanks Mom for the help)
• Hot Glue burns... be careful.
• It was so much easier to move the tree once there was something to grab that did not bit back.

My tree ended up being over 4 feet tall!  That includes the base but it was still a massive tree in the end.  The tomato cage is what will determine how big it is so I say start small and work your way up.  It looked great when it was done but my next one will be smaller....

Craft on my friends...

Where it all started

I could give you the very long story that started most of my crafting but I will spare you.  It is rather depressing and will take away from happiness and color that I am going for.  The short side is that funds were on the limited side for Christmas this year so I was looking for a cost effective way to give the people I love something from the heart.  Once before I had given knitting a try so why the thought of hand knitted sweaters crossed my mind, in true Mrs. Weasley fashion, it did not go well.  It was miserable to epic proportion,if I am to be truthful.  So I needed to come up with some other projects. In the end I did and the following blogs will chronicle their creation.  


Since them I have been working on some additional projects that I will also add here.  My plan is to post the materials, steps and pictures of the projects I am crafting.  The blog allows for people that might have questions to leave them.  Or if you have an easier way to do something or a better idea you can leave it here too.  I am not claiming that any of the crafts I am posting are my original thoughts at all.  Some others showed me, some I got from other sites.  Feel free to share any links to crafts that you have tried that worked out.