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.