It’s Snowing!!! Let’s Make an Advent Calender!

We woke up to 4 inches of sticky white snow this morning! The kids got dressed and played in it until it was time to get on the bus for school. What a great way to start the day (Although I don’t envy the school-teachers that have to deal with all of that giddy excitement!) Then I went out and walked the dog and seeing all of that beautiful snow put me in the Christmas spirit! Here is the Advent Calendar I made last year. I had to wait to post it because it was featured in The Decorative Painter Magazine last December.

I cut a large Take-out box from #300 watercolor paper using my Box Bonanza Template kit and then I transferred the poinsettia digistamps from my Nature’s Christmas kit on the sides. I transferred the flower a couple more times and cut it out and glued it over the design so it would be 3-D, the 300 pound paper almost feels like balsa wood! I also sketched on some holly and ribbons. I scored the box with a ruler and stylus so it would be easier to fold later and painted it with watercolors.

When the paint was dry I added detail with Prismacolor colored pencils and flicked on some watercolor paint for texture.

I made paper fortune cookies to go inside. I inserted little strips of paper with holiday ideas on them like “bake cookies”, “watch a Christmas movie”, do Christmas crafts etc. so the kids could pick a cookie and do an activity. You could number the cookies as well if you need certain events to fall on certain days in December   Here is an old video showing how I make the cookies…please don’t mind the low-techness, it was one of my first videos:)

You could also use this idea to make a “Thankful” box and put things you are thankful for on the paper strips for thanksgiving. Enjoy your day and til next time happy crafting!

WOYWW: Cardboard Jewelry Video Tutorial!

Heidi-ho there neighbor! It is election night here in the states and I LOVE it! Before I decided to “chuck it all and become an artist” I was a broadcaster and I worked in a newsroom for a brief stint during an election, there is nothing like the excitement in a newsroom on election night, it is electrifying! Working in a newsroom, other than election night, wasn’t for me though, I was much better suited to be a wacky DJ…now I am married to one LOL!

Anyway…It is nearly Wednesday and time to check in with Julia at the Stamping Ground for What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday. I have been playing with my old Sizzix original dies, matboard scraps, stamps, ink, embossing powder and beautiful 91 cents a bag rhinestones from Papermart!

I made Wine glass ID charms, earrings, pins and necklaces and all for pennies a piece. My desk is covered with the supplies, I still have many yet to decorate:

I downloaded a Netflix app for my Kindle so I can watch TV whilst I glue, you can see it propped up on my shelf:

These cardboard creations are so much fun to make and wear and they will be great for gifts this holiday season. Here is a video showing you how I did it…oh and for all of you who said they missed my chit-chat on yesterdays silent video there is all kinds of jibber-jabber…All I can say is you asked for it 😀

Easy, right? Here are a few close up shots of the finished jewelry:

Thanks for stopping by and if you want to see some fabulous crafty spaces check out Julia’s blog. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Glitter Glass Tutorial!

Now that I have all of these sawed-off wine bottles I decided it was high time I thought of something to make with them. I decided I would like some chic new holiday decorations (because nothing say’s “chic” like recycled wine bottles!) I think they look pretty good and they were super simple using Future Floor Wax and 99 cent Glitter from Papermart.

Recently I was reminded of trying out for my school’s mime troupe when I was in 6th grade (yes, we had a mime troop…in rural Maine, what are the odds?) and I DID NOT make the cut. Can you believe it, I mean, I had the “Glass box”  schtick down pat…maybe I was just too much of a chatterbox…nah…it was more likely that I was too chunky for the black jumpsuits you had to wear…

…anyway, I decided to do a silent video, to see if I still possessed any of my mime talent/training…actually the furnace, water pump and washer/dryer were going so you were not going to be able to hear me anyway so I decided to try something new. .. whaddya think?

Ya know, if I WAS talking that would have been a 20 minute video 😀 I don’t think I’ll make too many silent videos, my idle chit-chat is delightful, don’t ya think? Ha ha!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

tutorial: How to Cut a Wine Bottle (It’s AWESOME!)

OK, tell me you haven’t dreamed of the day you could turn all of those fancy wine bottles into vases, glasses and other home decor projects.

 

I remember seeing Carol Duval (I think) cut a bottle on TV years ago and ever since I wanted a glass bottle cutter. Well, last Christmas my husband bought me one. I couldn’t wait to try it out…an hour and a sink full of glass shards later I was frustrated and disappointed and the poor little glass cutter was on its way to cabinet where I put all the other gadgets I had to have but couldn’t figure out how to use, move over Ron Popiel Pasta Maker, you have company.

I did not completely give up hope though, I was watching a science video on you tube and a guy had the same G2 Glass Cutter that I had but instead of doing what the directions said (holding it upright and spinning the cutter) he laid the cutter on the table and spun the bottle, brilliant! Way less awkward! I was so excited after this worked that I made a quick video to show you all the steps in cutting a wine bottle, have a look:

OK, so you might have noticed that I changed my hair color, I was in such a glass cutting frenzy yesterday that I did not “fix” it so here is a photo of my new red hair:

 

Just like a deciduous tree I like to change my colors in the fall!

I can’t wait to play with some more bottles! I have friends saving me wine bottles now! I have a feeling I will be choosing my wine by the color of the bottle more than the contents for a while! Now…if I could only figure out how to use that pasta maker… Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

PS the G2 Glass cutter I used in the video can be purchased on Amazon for $20 😀

Beginner Sewing Tutorial: Simple Drawstring Bag

Are you looking for a fun & easy craft to make this weekend?  This simple bag takes minutes on a sewing machine and it is simple enough for a child to make. Set aside about a half an hour for this project for a new sewer. This was the first time my daughter used my sewing machine (and an iron!) and there was a lot of explaining to do along the way. You will want to stand right behind your child as they sew to help guide fabric, tell them when to press the pedal (and stop) and to press the back-stitch lever. Both of my girls made these simple drawstring bags for their recorders. Here’s how to do it!

You will need: A sewing machine, fabric, iron, a safety-pin, scissors

Before you begin determine the size of your bag and cut the fabric allowing 2″ larger.

Step 1: Iron the fabric. Always iron, do not skip this step! Parents, supervise!

Step 2: Fold down 1/4″ of fabric from the top and press. This is on the drawstring end, this will keep the fabric from fraying.

Step 3: Fold down 1″ of fabric (this is for the drawstring to go in) and press.  Sew along the edge of the folded fabric.

Step 4: Fold the fabric right-sides together (and press) keeping the drawstring seam together and starting from the bottom sew the end and side seam stopping after you go just past the drawstring seam (see next photo.) Make sure you back-stitch the beginning and end of this seam to lock the threads!

For the drawstring fold the fabric right sided together and press, sew along 2 sides and turn right side out (use a pencil to help you push the fabric right side out), press and turn the raw end inside and stitch along that end.

Step 5: Use a safety-pin attached to the end of the drawstring to feed the drawstring through the drawstring seam.

Step 6: Turn the bag right side out and you are done!

My girls now have cute new bags to keep their recorders clean and identifiable and best of all they made it themselves! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

 

Video Tutorial: How to Organize Beads & Stuff

Got beads? How about stuff? I’m sure you do. As crafter we tend to pick up little shiny trinkets here and there and file them away. This week I tackled my bins of beads and organized and consolidated the collection to this:

 

Not bad considering how it looked when I started. I had the above containers as well as another tool box, locker bin, and a bunch of small clamshell boxes. It was madness I tell you! I did not get rid of any of my jewelery supplies, instead I stored them smarter. Look how much stuff fits in these containers:

 

Instead of explain how I sorted everything I made a 5 minute video. The best feature about this system is that I can fit it in a 18 gallon tote (albeit a heavy one!) so I can cart all of my supplies to a class or upstairs to bead in front of the TV rather than in my unheated studio (I suffer for my art LOL!) Take a look:

If you have any question just leave a comment and I will get back to you. You might have different storage need but I think that keeping like items together is your best bet.

Update on the coffee pot situation, I officially threw the old pot away and went to Target and bought the cheapest one I could find. It is a cute little 5 cupper and I think it looks adorable next to my espresso machine:

Yay! I have proper coffee again! My loved ones are so relieved. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Tutorial: Elegant & Easy Placecards for Wedding and Holiday!

Because nothing screams “Elegant!” like Lindsay the Frugal Crafter…am I right? Here is an easy 2 minute place card I made with the new Mini Silhouettes and Monograms stamp set from Pink Persimmon.

 

You don’t need calligraphy experience just a 2.00mm felt tip calligraphy pen (I used one by Marvy Uchida) and a 4″x4″ peice of cardstock. If you have a scoring board that is handy but if not you can score it with a ruler and bone folder (or the smooth edge of a butter knife), Also you will need an old-fashioned circle cutter like Colluzle or Creative Memories (or trace around a quarter and use a craft knife. Well, enough jibber-jabber! Watch the video to see how it’s done.

Easy peasy right? You can mix up the cardstock, ink and pen colors to be as bold or elegant as you like! And you too can be a “classy broad” just like me! 😀 Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!