arise and shine forth!

the 2012 theme for our LDS young women :)

This is a super cute, easy little craft tutorial you can use for gifts... or whatever!

I made these to use as our birthday gifts for all our young women this year -

they seem to really like them... so read on if you'd like to learn how to make them!

 First I used a 4x4 stretched canvas...

used Tulip dimensional slick paint to "write" the word SHINE!...

and glued a small wooden sun to the canvas (you could easily freehand a sun also)

*note: I tried using puffy paint also, and the slick version was much easier

 After doing the same thing to multiple canvases,

I chose several pastel colors and painted over each canvas.

(and yes, we eat a lot of garbanzo and black beans, thank you very much)

 I used two coats of paint on each canvas and let dry fully...

Then I painted each canvas with a coat of glossy Mod Podge.

*Note: glossy acrylic spray instead of Mod Podge would also work

"Arise and Shine Forth!"

Our Young Women's Birthday Basket :)

You girls do indeed SHINE! And we love you :)

hope springs eternal

My latest little craft is a variation of my Chick Magnets.

I created these "hope" pins for a special program at church, 

honoring all of our talented Young Women at church.

Using the same procedure as my Chick Magnets -

Here are the materials I used:

1. forty 1" glass globes

2. forty bottle caps

3. cute scrap book paper

4. a 1" hole punch

5. Diamond Glaze (clear glue)

6. E-6000 heavy duty glue

7. forty pin backs (like for brooches) 

Many of my supplies came from an awesome Etsy store:

Sun and Moon Craft Kits

I would recommend them to anyone.

You can see the products in the photo above (except for the pins)

The process goes like this:

1. decide the word/letter/saying and what font you'll use

2. decide which paper looks good but won't overpower the word

3. type multiple words on the paper, print out

4. use the hole punch to punch out your word or letter

5. attach the paper to the back (flat side) of the glass globe -

use the diamond glaze - squeeze out any bubbles - let dry

6. line the sides of the bottle caps with the E-6000 glue -

make sure you go all the way around the circle

7. gently set the glass globe into the bottle cap -

it may not go down to the bottom -

so make sure the globe is balanced, not crooked - let dry

 8. (optional) I recommend using a dremel tool or emery board

to sand the back of the bottle cap where the pin will be attached.

This allows the pin and glue to grip the bottle cap better.

9. glue the pin back to the back of the bottle cap -

use the E-6000 glue - let dry

10. (optional) use dremel tool to clean off any glue on globe

Lovely little pins for jean jackets, vests, back packs, etc.

By adding a bail (a metal loop that glues on the back)

and a chain, cord, or ribbon...

these cute pins could instead become necklaces :) 

craft therapy

Day 2 of my Apartment Therapy catch-up: CRAFTINESS! Oh how I love a good craft, and I know you do too. Not a cheesy one; a downright, classy one! Well, this post could keep you busy for days on end, so get comfortable. Actually, this post could be responsible for a search party being sent out to look for you. Better include treats.

I seem to really enjoy posts written by Sarah Coffey of the AP Chicago team. You know what they say: great minds think alike :) Anyway, she's done herself proud putting this list of crafty blogs together. Many of them are already well known - their reputations precede them. They include ALL kinds of crafts and ALL types of levels, so no stone (or hammer... or glue stick) has been left unturned. And like just about any blog out there, they have their so-so posts and their rip-roaring, out-of-control amazing posts. Overall, they are a treasure trove of creative smarts in one place. You can thank Sarah for that. You can thank me for re-posting it here. You're welcome :) 

  

So without further ado, click --------> HERE <-------- for Apartment Therapy's 10 all time favorite craft blogs :)

Special Note: make sure you scroll down to read the comment section as well -  many readers chime right in with their own personal crafty favorites. Get ready for some serious bookmarking! And most importantly, have fun!

(image: the purl bee)

tray chic

It's been a while since I've posted a fun craft/tutorial on my blog, so today is the day! I recently decorated the slick plain surfaces of these 2 red trays as a gift for a friend. This project has a sweet bit of recycled sentiment attached. It was not only fun to do but hopefully my friend will enjoy the spirit in which it was made just for her.   

I began by sanding only the bottom of the trays. You can see the difference of before and after. Without sanding to rough up the plastic, the paper and Mod Podge would not be able to adhere to the tray. Then make sure you clean off all plastic particles (it gets surprisingly messy!) before you begin the rest of the project.

Lay out your main design in several configurations until you are pleased with how everything looks. This is where my little bit of sentiment comes in. A year ago for Christmas, my friend gave me an adorable wall calendar about friendship. It was all done in black & white, and along with sweet statements about friendship, it had darling hand drawn, doll-like figures representing friends. I really loved it and could not bear to throw it away when the year was over. So I decided to repurpose and give back to her what had meant so much to me. 

Lay out your background paper, especially since you are working with rounded edges which can be tricky. Don't worry if things look a little wonky! Mine did! Just make sure you get the bottom of the tray covered and the edges look nice and clean. For those of you that recognize this paper, you get a star on your foreheads! It's from THIS!

Ah, Mod Podge, how I love you. I even love the smell of you. But not as much as the smell of spray paint. Or permanent marker. Or spray acrylic. But I digress. If duct tape holds the world together, then Mod Podge holds the craft world together. You can quote me on that, Amy :) Amy is the Queen of all things Mod Podge and I hold her responsible for my love of it. She is the Pied Piper that has led countless unsuspecting bloggers down this road via her blog Mod Podge Rocks. But I digress yet again.

Make sure you use a generous amount of Mod Podge on the entire surface of the tray bottom as you are laying down your background paper. Add another nice, even coat on top of your paper. Place your main decorations on top of your paper, making sure they adhere well and coat them with Mod Podge blending it into the coat on your paper layer. When that coat is dry, put one final coat over the entire surface of the tray, making sure everything is covered evenly. Carefully wipe away any Mod Podge that gets on the sides of your tray with a damp cloth.

I waited a few days and then sprayed 3 coats of acrylic glaze as a top coat. If this were a project that was not going to be around liquid, there would not be a need for an acrylic top coat. But since trays frequently come into contact with liquid, a few coats of an acrylic glaze is a good idea. I learned this from Amy when I did THIS! The acrylic dries to a hard shell and is wipeable when spilled liquid gets on your tray. Whatever kind you get just be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions. I shielded the sides of the tray with paper as I was spraying. No, I did not suggest you smell acrylic. I only admitted I like to smell it in an unventilated area the smell of it. A lot. 

So this is what it will look like when those first few coats of Mod Podge are done - pretty cute :)

Below are close-ups and a few more pics of the finished version.

LET'S HEAR IT FOR FRIENDS!!!

sneak peek!

So this year I decided to decorate my front porch with something a just little different than the norm for Halloween and fall decor. I really like white pumpkins but I've never used them before. They're such a blank canvas - I don't know why I've never had some fun with them!
Well I'm sure having some fun now! I bought one real pumpkin - the cute, little one - and two fakies on clearance, figuring it will be fun to use them again next year. I had some ideas of what I could do to embellish them, so without further ado, here is your little sneak peek:
Tee hee! That's all you get to see right now... but the whole porch should be done tomorrow and you'll be the first to see how everything turned out! I'm very excited to put it all together. So don't touch that dial - c'mon back! Same bat time - same bat channel!

I know, I know... I couldn't resist my white Luna posing with the white pumpkins :)

Crusty Old Windows

Hmmm... now what do you suppose I would be doing with 3 crusty, old windows? I have had these windows for years. They've quietly waited in the garage, outside in the dirt, and are currently loitering on the side of the house. For all the potential they have, I'm afraid I haven't been very kind to them. But their time is coming...
Very chippy, as you can see. Quite a bit of that paint is going to have to go... I think it's actually begging to be gone... but I'm going to keep as much as possible. All 3 windows still have their glass panes, though 1 pane has a crack.
Three different windows... three different possibilities. What could my deviously creative mind possibly be cooking up? Oh don't worry. Just eat your Ruffles and drink your diet Coke and stay tuned. I've got these covered :)

Chick Magnets

A few days ago, I was finally able to sit down and enjoy crafting something I had been wanting to try for quite some time. What a fun day! 
I got my diet Coke (of course), I set up my fave girl songs on my iTunes, set up all my supplies, and away I went. I want to mention that I got all of the supplies from Etsy seller Sun and Moon Craft Kits - they were awesome to work with and had every single thing I needed for this craft. They even supply ready-made kits if you wanted to do projects like this for birthday parties or whatnot.
I have never worked with Japanese craft paper before, so this was a first for me. It's not my usual style, but you all know how much I adore anything colorful, so I enjoyed it very much. And I had never worked with paper punches before either (I have obviously led a very sheltered life). They were very fun to use!
I used 1" glass discs and 2" glass discs for my magnets - I purchased a lot of both.
I also purchased a lot of new bottle caps to hold the 1" glass discs - I think they make really adorable magnets. And speaking of magnets, I also purchased their super tiny but super strong magnets. Amazingly strong - even the large, heavy 2" glass discs only needed one!
Here are some paper discs already punched and waiting to be glued onto the back of the glass discs. You can see the paper punches toward the back. The Diamond Glaze glue is great because it's perfectly clear. Just make sure the entire surface of the disc is covered so the paper adheres to the glass well. I like to move the paper around a bit at first to ensure the glue is evenly distributed. Then working from the middle out to the edges, push any air bubbles out and wipe any excess glue off. The glass discs have tiny bubbles in them, but you don't want any bubbles between the paper and the disc or your paper will not look as vibrant.
Magnets are glued to the back with the E-6000 glue. I also used the E-6000 glue to secure the finished 1" glass discs into the bottle caps when I was making those types of magnets. It's a real strong glue.

So pretty!

Magnet Board Tutorial

Remember me telling you I would have a tutorial this week? Well here it is - it's WAY cute and it's right in time for holiday gift giving! These are simple-to-make magnet boards.
Here are your materials, all of which can be found at craft type stores. 

• 12x12 metal sheets with holes in the top approx. 2" in and 1" down. 
• However many decorative magnets you like. 
• About 12" of ribbon (I'd say no wider than 1") 
• 2 decorative brads to secure ribbon through holes. (you can omit brads and tie a simple knot if you'd rather) 
• Mod Podge glue and sponges to apply it.  
• Decorative paper, vintage wall paper, fabric - the choices are many - to cover the magnet board. At least a 13x13 piece. I chose a tea towel I had because I wanted the crocheted ends to hang off the bottom edge of each board. 

Test your magnets with whatever material you choose to make sure the material is not too thick.
The rest of the directions are pretty self-explanatory. Cut your paper/fabric to size making sure at least an inch will wrap around the back. Cover your metal sheet with a good amount of Mod Podge.
Center your paper/fabric to make sure it is centered and comes out even. This took me a few tries since I was using fabric and it needed to be stretched a bit. Then make sure you work from the center out, securing the paper/fabric to the metal sheet, and getting out all air bubbles or wrinkles.  
Wrap your material around the back and secure it with Mod Podge on the borders of the metal sheet. Since I was using fabric and there was some stretching involved, I secured the edges with clips (and used the weight of my paint bottles) until the Mod Podge had dried.

Now you're ready to thread your ribbon through the holes from the back. You will need a screw driver or an awl to pierce the material. Roll the ribbon and pull it through. Decide how much ribbon you want at the top, and how much you want it to hang down the sides. 
Cut ribbon, secure with the decorative brads (or tie your knot) and hang them! How totally CUTE are they!?!?! And of course, I must give all credit to my friend Rochelle (who's dipped rice crispie treats will be our next tutorial) for this adorable craft. She's The Queen of all things crafty and/or yummy and I bow down to her frequently :)