From Ugly to Uglier!

What's a gal to do when she has an ugly sweater party to attend, and doesn't want to wear the same sweater as last year?   

I love wearing costumes and ugly Christmas sweaters are no exception. This year we had two different "Ugly Sweater Parties" to attend. Not wanting to wear the same sweater to both parties, I decided to do a bit of a "make-uglier" to a thrift store find. The vest I found had good "bones," the wool fabric and  colors worked for Christmas and I thought I could carry through the eclectic button look with my design . Plus there was a lot of empty space to create on. 

Grabbing some embroidery floss, I went to work. I decided my theme would be "duck the halls" (bah-dum-dum-ching!) I started by adding the wording to the right side of the vest. 

I decided to embroider "free hand" because the houndstooth provided guidelines in a sense for me to follow. I simply counted checks to get my lettering right.

I then concentrated on the tree. I wanted my little duck friend to help decorate the tree. Cutting out three triangles of wool felt, I  layered them, appliquéing them with a simple basic stitch to hold in place. I then added the trimmings. For garland, I used an upholstery trim, I loved the gold and felt the loops on the trim gave it more of a "garland-y" feel. 

To continue on with the button theme, the sweater already had going for it, I grabbed some buttons from my vintage button jar, to add as ornaments. The star on top was a purchase from "Dress it up." To finish it off, I took apart, a blinking light necklace. Starting at one end I tacked it down towards the bottom, then looping around by the ducks mouth, I continued on over the tree, stitching it into place, to hide the battery pack, I cut a hole into the wool near the top of the tree, stitching it into place. To give the battery pack some extra support I used a safety pin. By pinning it vs. stitching the battery pack, it allows me easier "spinning"  to untwist the casing when it comes time to change the batteries. 

My sis-in-law, helped me put my hair up into a french twist that I then adorned with curly-q's of ribbon tied to bobby pins. (The up-do was more for the fact I was going to be serving food and didn't want my long hair to cause problems. I added the ribbon to make it more festive.) I finished off the look with a holly covered turtle neck. After all you want to "Duck the Halls" with "arms of holly" ;)  (I quack myself up sometimes! ) ...Merry Christmas!

Necessity is the mother of invention

So I went to use my trusty Marvy Echida heat embossing gun this morning. I innocently plugged it in and then it went "poof," sparked, caught on fire and melted the cord. Now I'm not an electrician, but I'm smart enough to know I probably shouldn't use that embossing gun again...

R.I.P. 1999-2015

 Yet I had hearts covered in embossing powder waiting to be heat set...then I remembered!!! Back in the days "BG" (before heat gun) now we are talking ohhh 16-17-18 years ago or so, we played with embossing powder  and melted it using the heat from the toaster. So off I trekked my powered covered hearts to the kitchen to see if I could get it to work.

I had to be careful not to burn my hand. I used a piece of scrap cardstock, but though one toaster cycle (on level two, or lightly browned toast) I was able to heat set all 9 of the hearts I made. I made sure to keep the cardstock about 2 -3 inches away from the toaster (It looks closer in the photo) I also made sure to check the back side occasionally for scorching.

But as you can see, it worked!!

 Now the only question remains...anyone have recommendations on a new heat gun??

*Author only used this method as she was in a bind. She does not endorse said method, and advises anyone reading this to try so at their own risk!

Craft Hoarder Purge

Are you in the Morris, IL are and looking to clean out your craft stash and want to help the #CrazyShoeboxCrew raise money for our Operation Christmas Child Project? Or are you looking for some crazy good deals and want to help the #CrazyShoeboxCrew.

If you are interested in selling check out the "Event Page" it's found in the menu bar above. 

Red Heart Yarn-Contest!

Do you remember the first "yarn craft" you made? I do! I was 4 years old and just read the book Charlotte's Web. I wanted to be like Charlotte and so I decided to make my own "web" in my bedroom. I found a skein of yarn (it was orange)  and started tying it to every imaginable surface. The idea was to make my "web" all over my bedroom and then be able to crawl on it. I worked hard on it, so imagine my disappointment when my mom came in and wasn't as pleased with me as I thought she would be. (Apparently it took almost 2 hours to cut down my "web".)

Image from "String Fling"

As I have grown, naturally  my yarn crafting abilities have grown too.  From the humble beginnings of web making, I progressed to "god's eyes," and finger weaving, to knitting. My skill level knitting wise is basic, but that doesn't stop me from appreciating the gorgeous creations of my mother-in-law and friends. I love seeing what they create and then learning about the creative process and what supplies they used. I then use those recommendations to guide my purchasing decisions.

Apparently I'm not alone what influences my purchasing decisions. In a 2012 Fleishmen Hillard Survey.  Women value the opinion of others very highly when it comes to making a purchasing decision, and half of all women consider it their role to help others make smart decisions when it comes to purchasing product.

 The "Women's Choice Award" has a goal of helping women make better purchasing decisions. This product seal is awarded to companies and products, that are most recommended in a poll of thousands of women across the united states. For 2015 that seal was awarded to Red Heart Yarn. It's important to know this isn't just the brand used by women, it signifies that women are are willing to recommend it to others. As Delia Passi  CEO and Founder of the Women's Choice Awards states:

“When a woman is willing to recommend a brand or service to others, it means that business has earned her loyalty. Those are the businesses we wish to recognize for their efforts and commitment to the No. 1consumer – women." 

To celebrate their achievement. Red Heart Yarn is sponsoring a giveaway right here! One lucky reader will win a $50 prize packages sent directly to them by Red Heart! The prize includes:

Approximate Retail Value $50 

3 Red Heart Sizzle

2 Red Heart Medley

2 Red Heart Boutique Swanky

2 Red Heart Boutique Sashay Boho

1 Red Heart Boutique Treasure

1 Red Heart Tote Bag

 

What do you have to do to win???
Leave ONE comment telling me how about what influences your purchasing decision.  How important are "friends' recommendations" to you when buying a product?  Do you solely listen to friends? Do you research and also get recommendations? What influences your purchasing decisions?

Comment by Midnight March 26th, 2015 CST. One winner will be chosen at random from all eligible commenters. As a special 'thank-you' to my followers I'm awarding all followers that comment an extra entry. (Indicate in your comment if you follow my blog.) This contest is open GLOBALLY...yes you red that correctly. Red Heart has generously agreed to ship the prize anywhere in the world.

A HUGE thank you to Red Heart for generosity in sponsoring this contest!

Be My Valentine!

Volunteering at the local youth center I get to work with some amazing teens! When I get to bring my love of crafting to the youth center....it's like the best of both worlds!

Yesterday, I brought colored cardstock, some Fiskars Squeeze punches, doilies, Hampton Art Washi Tape and markers and let the teens go to town creating Valentines cards for our local nursing home and the local homeless shelter. Twenty-four teens and nine adults had a blast creating cards and talking about their "Valentine's Days" when they were kids.

They did an amazing job! I'm sure the residents will love them!

Finger Knit Headband-the next generation!

This past Saturday, we celebrated Christmas with my husbands side of the family. In the midst of the family celebration there sat my daughter and niece working on knitting and crocheting projects. My 13 year old niece is an avid knitter/crocheter and even sells some of her creations to family and friends. My 13 year old daughter, while enjoying crafting in general, never mastered the skill of knitting and was getting pointers from my niece. It was exciting to see "the next generation" pick up needles and enjoy the satisfaction of handmade.

Never being one to pass up an opportunity to make something, I grabbed a couple of skeins of yarn they were not using and proceeded to create my "Fast Finger Knit Head Band" in between helping with dinner dishes and opening presents. My niece was fascinated with the technique and actually put down her piece to learn how to finger knit.

This project is a favorite because from start to finish it takes less than an hour and turns out cute, so perfect for a young teen to create while waiting patiently for the adults to finally say "it's present time" ;)  I typically use one skein of heavier weight yarn to create this project, but since that wasn't available, we used two skeins simultaneously to get the bulk/weight for the headband. I loved the way it turned out.

It did need a little something though. I wanted to create a flower for it, but didn't have my trusty Crochet Dude Flower Loom with me. They say necessity is the mother of invention, and so I got creative. Grabbing a corner of a gift box, I cut a square about 3" x 3". Then I notched the sides and cut a hole out of the middle, in essence creating my own loom. The notches were for making the petals, the hole in the center was for tying off the flower.

Starting at one corner I wrapped diagonally across the form, moving over one notch with each wrap. When I got back to my starting point, I started tying off the center through the hole I created in the cardboard. When I was finished tying off, I had to figure out how to get the flower off the loom. Since folding down the tabs and releasing the petals didn't work, I ended up having to cut/tear the cardboard away but I was quite pleased with the results.

I ended up giving the headband to my niece, we decided it needed a button in the center, and so she was going to take it home to finish it up.  Her headband turned out fabulous as well!

If you would like my pattern for the Fast Finger Knit Headband, you can find it in a free ebook published by "Fave Crafts" Best Blogger Crafts

CD Tops!

When people find out you are "crafty" there is no end to the things they ask if you want. Earlier this summer I was given two boxes of old CD's Not quite sure what I would do with them I held on to them until I figured out a project or two. When I came across a how to for creating tops out of CD's I knew I had found a winning project.

The directions called for "shooter sized" marbles,  or ping pong balls, but the thrifty queen in my balked at the price. I had literally hundreds of these tops that I could make and didn't really want to pay $5 for 2 dozen marbles of the correct size. I decided to look elsewhere. Looking at Oriental Trading Company, I found small rubber balls that were 3/4' in diameter, and in addition to being the perfect size for this project, happened to be $5 for 144, much more friendly on my budget! Besides the Cd's and marbles, I would need wrapping paper, mod podge, soda caps and a hot glue gun to complete this project.

Then it was time to call in the troops.

About 10 of us, traced the Cd's onto the wrapping paper, then cut out the circles. These circles were mod podged to the CD's and when dry, we glued the rubber ball inside the hole of the Cd and then glued a soda cap on top as a handle. The result were some adorable Cd tops that spun surprisingly well. In our morning of crafting we finished around 200 of these guys to put in shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child.

I will say that we had difficulty with the glue sticking when we used a lo-temp gluegun. We found we needed the high temperature glue or the handles would peel off. To find the original directions I based this project from visit: Mama's Little Muse 

CHA Mega Show 2014-Sights around the show!

While the reports from back home were telling me of the cold and snow, I enjoyed the 70 degree temperatures and sunshine, the palm trees swaying in the breeze.  Well at least on my way to the show! Other than that I was too busy to enjoy the view out of my balcony!

Every once in awhile you see something created at the show that defies your "limits" for a project. The largest thing I have ever created out yarn was a giant spider web stringing and knotting yarn through all the surfaces, handles and what not of my bedroom when I was four. For those wondering my inspiration, I wanted to be "Charlotte" from the book Charlotte's web and was creating her web.  You don't need to guess at the inspiration behind these yarn creations, Lion Brands used the "Wonders of the World" The Taj Mahal, Tower of Pisa, The Spinx, Stone Hendge and more all knitted or created out of yarn. The amazing thing to me was they were created out of yarn (well they used forms for shape.) 

The Taj Mahal  in yarn! (you can see the "Tower of Pisa" in the back)

The sphinx also in yarn (the Pyramid is in the background)

Several years ago I taught a class called "Duct Tape Art." I loved that class. Each week we would learn to create something out of Duct Tape. My Jr/Sr High school students, loved using the ordinary and turn it into something they have created.

Did you know there is a "Duct Tape bus"? 

I love flowers and bling which is why I could just gaze for hours at Prima Marketing's booth. To the point I have to set a time limit on how long I can look! All of the projects were my favorite. Each one more lovely than the next until I came back to the one before and it became lovelier ;)

A gorgeous project from Prima!

Some more Prima lovliness.

One bus I wouldn't mind being thrown under ;)

I love my Mod Podge. So stopping by for a quick "photo op" with Glossy their mascot while I was running between activities was a must.

Me and Glossy the Mod Podge mascot! 

Like the yarn sculptures out of yarn, sometimes you see something that gives you a "eureka" moment. My friend Angela Daniels aka "The Guilty Crafter" now works with Rit Dyes. She has been posting sneaks of elements from their booth. Including furniture and a baby grand piano all of which have been dyed using Rit Dyes. Takes their product to a whole new level for me.

I love how Rit used their dyes to decorate everything in their booth.

Button, button, "who's got the button?"Button's Galore sure did and their flowers were gorgeous in this display!

The adorable display at Buttons Galore and More!

During a press event at "Spellbinders" Stacey Caron said something about the redesign of their booth. "For crafters, crafting isn't just a hobby, it's a life style." They wanted to reflect that in everything displayed in the booth. So you didn't see actual dies and product on display in their booth. The entire booth was what was created with their dies and products! 

Stacey talking about the product used to create the booth!
Check out the light made from Mason Jars

The detail on this purse,
it used dies and letter press for the detail on the fabric

Loved the "people"

Even the chandelier 

They did have projects on display too, in their craft room!

Scrap Challenge the sequel

So when I made the shadow box canvas I had a piece of canvas left over from where I cut out the canvas to form the shadow box. I saved it because it was a nice piece of mod-podged canvas and knew I could figure out something to do with it. Today in the midst of my second round of using your scraps challenge I decided what to do with it. Since it was sturdy and covered in music, I figured it would be a good basis for a book mark for my violin playing girls.


 I pulled out my Fiskars Ultra Shape Express and my
 Journaling/Bracket template and cut out a couple of shapes and then used a smaller template to cut out tabs to hold the book mark in place. Some ribbon thread through the hole punched in the top and then a quick monogram with some velum stickers. To finish them off I added a music note I punched out of vinyl. 

My daughters being not just violin players but avid readers LOVED the combination of their two favorite hobbies!

Supplies used: Canvas scrap, photo copied music, "antiqued"(Tim Holtz distress Ink-Vintage photo), Mod Podge, Ribbon, Velum Stickers-font wordsworth, black vinyl, Fiskars- Ultra Shape Express Journaling and Bracket Template, music note punch, Crop-a-dial.

Blanket for Grandma

So ya know when you walk into Hobby Lobby needing one item for a project you are trying to finish and wind up getting something to do an entirely different project. That's how it was a couple of weeks ago. I went into pick up something and my daughter found music polar fleece. This wasn't just ANY polar fleece with random music notes no, this at the ALTO clef sign on it. (My mom plays viola, viola plays alto clef, the way she explains it is "ya know the notes in the white space between the treble clef and bass clef...that's what the viola plays, that's alto clef." Because it's such a rare symbol when we find things WITH that symbol we have to get them, only this time it involved an entirely new craft project.

So the girls and I set out to make a no-sew polar fleece blanket for grandma. These are a lot of fun to make and warm too. The girls couldn't resist getting a quick snuggle in under the blanket before wrapping it up for Grandma for Mother's day!

Shadow Box Canvas

While I have never considered myself an artist, I do consider myself a crafter. I reserve the title of "artist" for those whose pieces I think belong in a gallery or hanging in the art institute. The interest in "mixed media art" has me fascinated. I love the painting and different textures and little accents and touches. It boggles my mind at how they can take so many different mediums and turn out a piece that looks so "put together."

Last  summer the Craft and Hobby Association's trade show had a focus on "Mixed Media Art." It made sense being that so many crafters have their hands messy with more than one art form. This being the case many of the vendors at the show, demonstrated how their products could be used in mixed media. I sampled and dabbled and tried them all. I had so much fun playing that I finally decided to jump in and try something new.

The phrase "pieces of my heart" kept drifting through my mind.  I envisioned hands tenderly holding cherished pieces of my heart. I know that I can't draw to save my life so I wanted my piece to revolve around a photo. I didn't want to just stick the photo to the canvas so I had the idea to shadow box the photo within the canvas.

Since a blank white canvas can be intimidating I started with a messy base coat of a creamy metallic colored acrylic paint, I then topped it with some music I photo copied and then distressed and tore up. I used Mod Podge to not only adhere down but to give the background a bit of a glossy texture. When it dried, I used my USX as a stencil to add a window in the canvas. Instead of using the USX blade with the template I used my Fiskars retractable fingertip craft knife to cut out the window. I then added a double mat frame using the same template I made the window out of to give me an exact fit. I used a transparency as my window glass to seal in the photo.



For the heart I wanted a kind of free form heart that somehow fit together, yet didn't but still made up the heart. Painted puzzle pieces fit the bill perfectly. For a caption I played around with different fonts of chipboard letters, edging some in gold and glittering others. To finish it off I added a touch of coordinating ribbon just cause I thought it needed a bit of movement along the side.

While I'm not sure the finished piece could "technically" be considered "mixed media art" based on today's standards. I was really pleased with my finished piece. It was fun to figure out how everything would fit together and dig through not only my paints, but my inks, metallic rub-ons, and papers, and even tossed in some photography as well.



Supplies used: 11 x 17 canvas, black art board, sheet music, chipboard-My Minds Eye, Rusty Pickle, Lil' Davis, photograph, old puzzle, paint-Plaid folk art various colors, Krylon Glitter Blast (starry night), Ink-Color Box Q Stack(chocolate and blueberries), Ranger Distressed Ink (vintage photo, tea stain), Metallic Rubons-Craft T (Set #2), ribbon-Stampin' Up!, Crafts Etc.,  Fiskars USX Template (Rectangle), Fiskars Retractable Craft Knife,  Mod Podge, Xyron 900, Glue Gun, Glue Dots, Staples.

The perfect gift

Growing up was an adventure. Mom was a single parent raising two daughters on a modest income so we learned to not just improvise but create what we didn't have. Being a school teacher, mom made sure we were never short of crayons, and paper and pens. Having the initial desire to go into commercial art we were never short of art and craft supplies as well. 

My sister and I were constantly "making things." Doll houses out of boxes, paintings, finger weaving, I even recreated "Charlotte's Web" in my bedroom-granted it was connected to the dresser, and the bedpost, and the table, and the desk. My goal was to be able to crawl across it to get to things in my room. (It didn't work.) Mom helped us with school projects and making costumes and doll clothes. 

Mom also filled the house with music. Having played the viola through college, mom loved classical music and wanting to rekindle that flame took the instrument up again when I was young.  For my sister and I this led to music lessons of our own. Piano, flute, and bells for me. Oboe, Bassoon, and Cello for my sister, plus both of us were in choir and enjoyed singing. 

Our faith was also a big part of our lives. Mom was active in our church serving as Sunday School director, a member of the alter guild and vestry. Because of mom's involvement, my sister and I were acolytes, worked in the nursery. I even led the Jr. High youth group when I was older. But my mom's faith was more than just being active in church. My mom believed that what she did with her talent was a gift back to the Lord. She one time shared with me that even her music was her prayer.

So much of whom I am is because of my mom naturally the news we received in November was earth shattering; the cancer had returned, in her spine. They gave her 4-6 months without treatment 6-8 with.  I walked around in a daze, I think we all did, just letting the news sink in. I know none of us are guaranteed our tomorrows but to be told someone you love is even closer to death is devastating. 

After I came to terms with that news, another realization hit me…this might be mom's last Christmas with us! What do you get a person that means the world to you when this might be the last present you ever give them?!?

So I started really thinking about who my mom is, what she has taught me, and what she means to me. I knew I had to make her something (she loves handmade gifts) I also knew I wanted it to revolve around her music and maybe her faith as well. 

I rejected one idea after another and then I found "IT" not just any it, but the most gorgeous violin paper. I was at a craft warehouse sale and found two sheets of Autumn Leaves paper from 2000. (11 year old paper in the paper world is probably itself considered vintage.) 
I knew this was to be the foundation of my mom's Christmas present. Looking around the sale I found some 12" x 12" tiles and I knew a decorative tile was in the making.

I wanted the emphasis to be on the violin and the quote I chose so I kept decorations down to a minimum; antiquing the edges of the paper with ink then adding a touch of gold here and there. Using Mod Podge I adhered the paper to the tile and then added the quote I cut out with my die cutting machine. Another layer of Mod Podge to seal everything in finished off the piece. 

To display the tile I found a gold book easel that coordinated with the gold accenting the violin. I loved the way it turned out. The project itself was simple to do but the results were very elegant. The end result was a gift for my mom that was totally "ME." Something handmade from the heart (which she loves) and something that celebrates not only her music but her faith.

Needless to say she loved her gift. She even cleared off a spot on the piano to display it. It has even become the focal point when she teaches viola. While trying to get her students to add more emotion to their music she says, "read that," (pointing to the tile,) "now pray with your music."  So the decorative tile I created for her even helps her to pass on her musical legacy as well.


Supplies used: Supplies used: 12 x 12 tile, Patterned paper Autumn Leaves, Ink, Ranger-Vintage Photo, Stampabilities-Gold, Cricut Cartridges- Jubilee, Plantain Schoolbook, Lyrical Letters, Base Camp, and Alphalicious. Mod Podge

Easter Jelly Beans

Easter is a time to CELEBRATE the resurrection of Jesus! This year with my children at church, I have tried to help them create reminders about the true meaning of Easter. While the eggs and candy are fun, Jesus is the real reason we celebrate! Yet who can avoid all the candy of the holiday? The result is telling the Easter story using the colors of jelly beans.

There are several version of the "Jelly Bean Prayer" floating around out there but our kids have learned the colors of the wordless book and I wanted the jelly beans in our lesson to match closer to that. The result is the poem "Easter Jelly Beans"

Easter Jelly Beans

Orange is for the sun He made,

to give us light and heat.

Green is for the grass He made,

soft beneath our feet.

Black is for the wrong we've done,

filling our hearts with sin.

Red is for His precious blood,

that cleanses us within.

Purple is for the time of sorrow,

He suffered for me and you.

White is for a precious life,

By His grace has been made new

Yellow tells of heaven,

and streets paved with gold.

Pink reminds us of the promise,

of the greatest story ever told.

This little bag of jelly beans,

is not just an Easter treat.

It is a picture of a promise,

of Jesus' work complete!

The kids enjoyed learning about the real meaning of Easter (while getting to much on a few jelly beans) We also wanted to share what we learned with friends and the members of our congregation. So the kids packed individual bags of jelly beans for all the members of the congregation, (tip; Brachs' jelly beans have all of the above colors) we then stapled a copy of our poem. The result was a fun (and tasty way) to share about Jesus this Easter.

Have a very blessed Easter!