Howdy folks! Phew, the snowstorm we had last nigh only dropped about an inch of the white stuff so school is in session! I (as well as my kids) was pretty sure it would be cancelled today, boy, they will be bummed when they wake up. So this week, with my thoughts on spring I made this cheerful jewelry display box to use at craft fairs to showcase my handmade rings:
I upcycled a Ferrero Rocher chocolate box and made the inserts with fun foam. Here is a quick video to show how I made it:
And here is a photo to show how I made it. Tip: Use a heat gun to remove the labels on the box and some goo-gone for any leftover adhesive under the labels.
The center label would not come off, it seemed to be painted on underneath so I cut a cloud from felt and used some stickers to spell “rings” and hot glued it over the label. Works for me!
I am thinking of trying to sell my wares at a spring craft fair, I think some product are better suited to spring such as elaborate jewelry and watercolors. This colorful display would be perfect for spring/summer I think! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
How is that for a title, eh? It’s Wednesday again and time to have a look-see at my desk and join the fun that is What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday (or WOYWW for short!) We are supposed to get 4-8 inches of snow tonight so I expect the kids might have a snow day tomorrow so I need to be extra nose-to-the-grindstoney today and get some stuff done. I’ll keep it shot and sweet! This is how my desk looks today:
I took my MIL out to lunch yesterday and afterward we went to BAM! (books-a-million) bookstore, I had never been there before. I found an amazing (yet ungodly expensive) magazine that I could not live without, it had jewelry made from wire, clay, quilling and lamp-working. It is one of the UK publications so I am going to see if I can subscribe in the states. I was recently able to subscribe to Cardmaking & Papercraft for $24 a year USD and I am very happy with that (because that too is $10 on newsstands) so I am hoping I can subscribe to this publication as well. Speaking of the UK my twins’ girl scout troop has picked England as their country for thinking day! They have been learning about scouting in England, prepared a skit and made swaps! I was tasked with coming up with a make and take for our booth and we are going to teach the other 100 girls who attend how to make rolled “English” roses. I’ll have a tutorial on that later, you can see some of the attempts scattered around my new craft loot. Oh and I almost forgot, check out the deal I got on the Gel sticks (they work, look and feel just like gelatos by the way, I can’t tell the difference!) You get 2 sticks for $5 at the craft store and I got a 12 pack for that price, score! If you live near a BAM! you might want to go grab some. It is funny how quickly my desk changes. I took this photo yesterday before shopping:
I wanted better access to my tools, I spent countless minutes searching for round nose pliers or tweezers and I decided enough was enough! I had another rack like I used for my water media and it was empty so I hot-glued it to the top of my iris card and loaded it up with my tools! I can see everything I have, no more random pails of junk! I did keep my altered soup can for my scissors though.
Underneath the rack it is hollow so I can store my long ring mandrel and my stampin-around wheel guide and other unruly items. I truly feel like I am sitting in the cockpit with all of my tools within reach. Why didn’t I think of this before?
That’s all for today, if you want to see what other crafters have out on their desks go to the Stamping ground to check it out! Til next time happy crafting!
Want some party decor that doubles as an icebreaker? Try crafting this photo prop centerpiece:
There are no flowers in it so it can be made months in advance (or 2 days in advance in my case LOL!) and it will keep if you want to use the elements over again! I made 6 of these for a friends 40th birthday party and the materials totaled $25 and the supplies came from Papermart! Best of all he spools of Tulle are so long and the bags of feathers so generous that I have loads leftover for future crafty fun! I also used black marbles for table scatter. Watch to see how I made this in real-time and high definition! {gosh, I’m getting fancy!}
I did a few things before hand such as cut out the masks/crown and score the rosettes. I recommend if you are doing a project like this to go assembly line style: Do all of the die cutting at once, then assemble all the vases, glitter all the tags, etc. It keeps the mess under control and is quicker than having to switch gears all the time. If you need templates for the masks, photo props and crown you can find them in printable templates as well as SVG cutting files in my shop:
Click here to download the “40 is Fabulous” printable labels I promised for free!
Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Do you hear that? Ahhh, quiet. February vacation is over, the kids are back at school and hubby is off to work. I am enjoying a nice cup of coffee, the dog is napping and all is peaceful. I will have to spend a little time peeling Nerf targets off the wall, deflating air mattresses and disassembling forts but all of that is easier to do without the kids running around and protesting. The kids were not the only ones to have fun over vacation. We (hubby & I) went to a friends 40th birthday party this weekend and here is the card I made her:
I made her centerpieces too, I’ll share those in a day or two. The stamps I used are from Hero Arts (background), Crafty Secrets (Happy Birthday & 40) and the dress form was a freebie that came in my new issue of Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine. The ribbon, tulle and rhinestones are all from Papermart. After making the centerpieces I had a 2″ wide scrap of the polka dot tulle laying on my counter and rather than throw it away like any sane person would I kept it and tucked it in my scrap ribbon jar. When I went to make the card it was perfect and it will match her party theme, bonus! I also like to make my envelopes match my cards so I placed a stencil (crafter’s workshop) over my envelope and sponged on the same color ink I used on the card.
I couple of years ago I picked up this stamp from Judikins, it is so cute to stamp on the flap of an envelope:
Well, I better keep it short and sweet today, I just realized I have some laundry to catch up on and it is bright and sunny today so I am noticing how filthy my house really is 🙂 time to bust out the pine-sol! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Howdy folks, the “Lindsay films in High Definition” adventure continues this week as I demonstrate how to make an adjustable knot for necklaces and bracelets. It is so easy and once you know how you will be using this technique all the time. See how in this 3 minute video:
Easy huh? So, does any notice better quality? Are the details easier to see? Or is it taking longer to load and play. Please let me know. I am experimenting here. You can watch the video full screen and in the HD setting for a super crisp picture if your internet connection allows. Well, anyway I hope you enjoyed it and til next time happy crafting!
OK, I want you to file this idea away for the next time you need a teacher appreciation gift or secretaries day gift. I love altering ordinary things. It’s more fun to sit at your desk and pay bills (or do homework) is your desk is cute, its everyday art! A couple of weeks ago I showed you how to make a cute desk caddy organizer using supplies from Papermart and today we are going to fill it!
You will need Jumbo paperclips, thumbtacks, paper scraps (use the ones left over from the desk caddy project!), hot glue gun, buttons, clear flat backed marbles, ribbon and a container to put it all in! We will use the divided wooden box we decorated in the desk caddy tutorial. Watch this video to see how it’s done!
Let’s take a look at the finished goodies:
The next time you are in the office supply store have a look at the supplies with an artist’s eye. You can color paper fasteners to make designer brads, binders and page protectors can become scrapbooks OR storage binders for stamps and dies. Cute clips can decorate your cards or scrapbook pages and don’t forget the storage aisle! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Today’s project combines two of my favorite mediums: Yarn and clay!
The buttons on this cowl (neck warmer) and the donut beads are made with polymer clay. I learned a trick to making buttons, donuts and cabochons so they turn out perfect every time and you have what you need right in your kitchen cupboard, watch the video to see how:
Here is a closer look at the buttons:
Not bad for a humble piece of plastic wrap eh? As I promised in the video here is the pattern (instructions) for the neckwarmer or cowl. A beginner knitting student of mine wanted to make one on her first class. She did not know how to knit or crochet so I gave the the option of either. I told her that crochet is faster and a but bulkier which would be good things for this project so we went with crochet. I used a size J hook and worsted weight yarn. You could also knit this, if you do work a 4″x4″ swatch and see what you need for stitches and rows to equal the size of the crochet peice and use a non rolling stitch pattern.
Chain 28 stitches. We are going to work this in double crochet (dc) so at the end of each row you need to chain 3 stitches to turn and insert your hook in the 4th chain from hook and dc (wrap yarn around hook, place hook through your work and draw up one loop. Wrap yarn around hook and draw through 2 loops. Wrap yarn again and draw through remaining two loops) in each chain to the end. Be sure to chain 3 to turn each time. Work in dc until you have made a rectangle that is 32″ long, cut the yarn leaving a 6″ tail and pull the tail through the loop on your hook to secure.
Oh no! What about the button holes!?! Relax, young grasshopper. I did not know where I wanted button holes when I made this so that is one of the reasons I picked dc as a stitch. The holes in the crochet will be ample to push a button through. Fold your crochet rectangle like this and sew your buttons on with yarn:
Put the buttons through the nearest hole and remove it. Use a yarn needle to overcast stitch all around the hole you made. Viola, perfect unplanned button hole! Do this for each button.
Use the yarn needle to weave in any loose ends (I know you know better than to cut them.) and you are done! Look how proud I am in my snazzy new cowl:
Note to self, orange is not my color, it looks way cuter on my daughter:
If you have any questions on the buttons or crochet pattern just leave a comment and I will get back you you! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Howdy folks and happy Wednesday! This week for What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday I thought I would do an updated studio tour and storage video! And (drumroll please) it is in high-definition (notice how I am not in front of the camera LOL!) Just promise me that you won’t report me to the TV show Hoarders!
So I walked into my craftroom the other day and thought “what the hell happened in here?!?” it was a mess, boxes of quilling and knitting mayhem not put away from classes I taught last week, beads everywhere and general crafty chaos…well, you saw last weeks WOYWW desk…just multiply that and add a few more piles, it was a freaking craft obstacle course! So Saturday night I cleaned up my mess (I am a wild woman, home organizing on a Saturday night) and here the photos:
Well there you have it, since my kids are on vacation this week it still looks this way too (will wonders ever cease?) But best of all I come in ready to create and not bummed out about the mess or injured because I tripped over a 25 pound box of glue sticks. If you have any questions about how I store my stash just leave a comment and I am happy to answer it. Thanks for visiting me in my studio today and til next time happy crafting!
Howdy all! here is a project that will stretch your options with your jewelry making supplies and make a great gift of craft fair item:
All you need is a key ring, flexible beading wire (like Tigertail or Accuflex) a large focal bead (I used a bobbin bead-see yesterday’s post for a how to), a charm and a coordinating bead and two #4 crimp tubes.
How to build the key chain:
Cut 12″ of wire. Slip a charm (or a bead) to the mid-point and fold the wire in half.
Slide the wire ends through the hole in the large focal bead (the first bead with keep the beads secure.)
Place on another bead then slip on 2 #4 crimp beads (both wires in both tubes.)
Put the ends of the wires through the key ring and then back through both crimp tubes.
Feed the ends of the wires back through the beads if there is room. Trim any wire sticking out past the focal bead.
Squeeze the crimp tubes closed using crimp plies if you have them (they will give you a nicer look and a more secure hold) or needle-nosed plies if you don’t.
Tie a scrap of ribbon around the crimp tubes. Done!
A pretty key chain can be used to hold your keys (of course) but it can also be clipped to a purse, luggage or a backpack for decoration or identification. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
The Frugal Crafter Blog 