Embellishing with fabric "roses"

I had this plain photo album that I really wanted to embellish for a friend and was contemplating what to do with it. Hmmmm....  Then it hit me! 

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I am already thinking about all the cutesy red, pink, and pastel decorations I want to make for my house, so I guess I also had roses on my brain!  Here I will show you how to make simple fabric roses and use them to embellish whatever you choose!

I happened to have a large scrap of silky red fabric.  If you don't have extra fabric...or ANY fabric, you can use plain silky ribbon instead.  I cut a bunch of strips of varying widths/lengths on the diagonal so it won't fray.  The number of pieces you'll need just depends on the size of your project, but I like to overestimate.  That way I don't catch myself  "rationing" out the fabric.  It is better to have too much to work with than too little!

So, to make a rose:  Glue one end of your fabric strip to your album or whatever you're embellishing.  I used a glue gun for this part.  Seems like the only way to go, really. Unless you enjoy touching scorching hot glue, you'll probably want to use a popsicle stick or a wooden skewer to press the fabric onto the glue.  Twirl your fabric strip and wrap it around the middle of the flower just a bit and glue it again.  Keep repeating this until you've glued your entire strip down.

It should look something like this when you're finished.  If you've never done this before, maybe you want to practice with some scraps on a piece of cardboard first.  Then when you feel comfortable move on to your real project!

You can arrange the roses however you choose. I personally wanted to make a huge heart.  So several hours later, (due to some interruptions from a 7 month old who doesn't care about crafting with momma!) this is what I completed!  I love how it came out!

If I can find the time before Valentine's Day, I would love to try to make a wreath using this technique!  I would love to see what all of you out there create -- feel free to post your creations on our facebook page or comment on the blog and let us know how YOU used this technique!

Happy Crafting and happy V-Day to you and your sweeties!

~D.

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Make Your Own Dry Erase Board!

Hello, crafty friends!  Man, do I have a good idea for you this week (if I do say so myself)!!!  This is one of my favorite posts I've done because I really had a lot of fun making it, and as a bonus, it was a piece of cake!  I hope you enjoy this one, too.

Say goodbye to your old trusty EXPO dry erase board that's been sitting in your kitchen since '95.  Well, don't really pitch it if you do have one.  You can still use it.  :)  Feel like making a new one to use somewhere else in your home?  If you're anything like me (and I'm truly sorry if you are... haha!), you like to write down each and every little thing that comes to mind.  I find that instead of leaving sticky notes all around or tiny pieces of paper that can become rather annoying very quickly, I prefer to use dry erase boards or even chalkboards.  That way, I can keep track of how many ounces my baby is drinking... or when she took her last nap... or how many days until my husband's ship pulls in... etc., etc., etc., all jotted down in a neat area for me to erase and rewrite at leisure.  :)

... But of course, an ordinary dry erase board just couldn't be good enough when I'm constantly thinking of ways to be more "craftastic," right?

All that is required for this project is a picture frame, your choice of paper to use as the background, and any embellishments you may want to include.  That's it!  Well, of course you'll need a nice set of dry erase makers and an eraser if you don't already have those things.  But the rest is all up to you!  (Optional- You can use Command Strips to stick this to the wall, or otherwise just mount it however you always hang your frames!)

I picked up my frame at the dollar store, and it worked great!!  Be sure to get one with a glass pane, though.  Plastic is iffy when it comes to using over and over again.  Different types can also be porous, so those wouldn't work.  Glass is best.  Also, be sure there aren't any scratches on the surface.  Really, you can use any old frame you have laying around, but if you're looking to buy one and plan on embellishing it yourself, dollar stores have a great CHEAP selection!  :)

This project is so versatile, and that's why I like it so much!  You can do whatever your heart desires.  If you have scraps of paper just lying around, maybe this is your opportunity to put them to good use.  I know I did.  All you really have to do is cut everything to the size of your frame, tape, glue, whatever!!  I kept mine pretty simple on the inside so it didn't completely clash with the decor of my living room.  I just sorted through my stash of craft supplies, took out what I wanted, and went to town.

For my frame, I cut the stem off of a fake flower (on sale now at Michael's for $1.00... Hurry!  Sale ends Saturday!  haha), and I hot glued it on to the corner of the frame.  I actually went ahead and painted some white polka dots on my frame, too.  I also found some small paper flowers that I used on the top and glued a button to the center of those.  Aaaand finally, I sorted out some Scrabble tiles I purchased a while back for some crafts, then spelled out my last name and glued those on, too.  You can go as crazy as you want with this... 

If I can make a suggestion, though.  Sometimes I get carried away when I'm scrapping things together, and when I take a step back and look at the final product, I think, "Holy cow!  Too much!  Waaaay too much!"  Don't do "too much" on the inside of your frame.  Keep in mind that the whole point of this is to be able to write things on the surface of the glass.  Ask yourself, "Will I be able to clearly see what I've written down?"  If you think, Ehhh probably! then simplify cause the answer is really "probably not!"  Best to stick with very light colors.

Also, if you really want to keep this simple, you can print a blank calendar from your computer to stick in the frame, or print out a "chore chart" for your husban.... ahem, I mean, children.

I have a ton of ideas going through my head right now, so maybe soon I'll post some pictures of my ideas on our Facebook page.  But I have an even better idea- If you make this project (or any of the previous crafts), why don't YOU share with US your photos on our Facebook page, too?  Believe me, we'd LOOOOOVE to see what you've come up with.

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:: Light up the lampshade! ::

Well, I've been a bit of a slacker with the posts lately, but the other two craftastic sisters have picked up the slack (no pun intended!) with some really great ideas, which we hope you enjoyed and put to use over the holidays - or stored on your to-do list for next year.  Just because Christmas is over doesn't mean you can't make holiday crafts ... think preparation for next year.  ;) 

Today's idea comes courtesy of an ugly and boring lampshade from a cheap lamp purchased years ago, and maybe a couple inspirational ideas I've seen online that I adapted to make my own.  


What you will need:
* a lampshade that needs some TLC
* ribbon or yarn or both (fabric would even work for this)
* a glue gun and hot glue sticks
* the ability not to burn off your fingerprints

I chose to use a small lampshade, probably because it was basically the only one in the house.  We really don't own lamps, other than those tall floor lamps, one of which is still hiding out in the basement where it landed before a recent carpet cleaning.  Surprisingly, I had yarn.  I don't knit or crochet, so the reason why I had yarn is really a coincidence!

Start by applying a strip of hot glue around the top of the lampshade (don't go the whole way around with the glue all at once because it could harden before you can wrap the yarn or ribbon).  Wrap the ribbon or yarn around, following the glue line, and continue for a few rows -- or you could cover the entire lampshade that way if you are patient enough, which I was not!  

This is where you can get creative.  I chose to take ribbon and cut it down the middle to give it a ragged edge, then twist and wrap to make a ball.  I then took each ribbon ball and glued it onto the lampshade randomly... mainly because the middle looked so bare.  See how much better it looks with a little bit of texture?  :)

Lots of possibilities with this project, so see what you can come up with!  So before you toss an old lampshade, think about how you can give it new life.  You probably already have everything you need, so use up what's left of that skein of yarn, finish off the ribbon and get creative!  

~S.

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