Multiple Vase Centerpiece - Tutorial

If there is one thing my soul is needing needing right now...it is sunshine! I want to Springtime to be here. NOW! We have been fortunate enough to have a mild winter here in Utah, but I am still craving the warmer days that allow us to ride bikes, take late night strolls through the neighborhood and above all, to see the beautiful colors that spring and summer gift us with! Since we are still a few months away from the warm and color filled days of spring, I decided to make something to help brighten up the inside of our home instead!  

A multi-vase centerpiece! 

Materials that you will need:

-various sizes and shapes of vases 

-a large plate 

-spray primer

-spray paint in desired color

-super glue (make sure the glue is specific to what your vases are made of: ceramic, glass, metal...)

I first went to my local thrift store and selected a variety of vases that I liked the shape and size of. I choose glass and plastic to work with, but I think tin or metal would work well, too! 

After I found my vases, I then selected a plate with a large enough flat surface to fit all the vases on. I had to try out a few as some of them had larger rims that wouldn't allow to vases to sit flat. 

This plate SCREAMS 1989! I so remember this decorating trend from my childhood!

When I was at the thrift store, I saw that the vases were priced anywhere from $3.00 - .50. I can see how this project would get pricey so make sure you select one's that won't break your pocketbook!

First, start by soaking your vases in warm water with dish soap. You will want to remove any film or buildup on your vases so that your primer has a clean surface to adhere to. I wasn't sure if I could put them in the dishwasher as some porcelains and glass won't stand up to the heat. Plus, you will find there is A LOT or crap inside of used vases that you will need to get at by hand! 

HINT: CLICK! Arrange your vases onto your plate to your approval, and then take a picture of it. This will allow you refer to the photo and place them back the way you like after the pieces have been painted and glued without any wonder or worry of how you had them set up previously!

Now apply your spray primer. It should only take 2 coats at the most. Remember that primer is NOT paint so it will go on thin and won't give it "color". It simply needs to create a bondable surface for your paint. Allow ample time for your primer to dry (refer to directions on can) and then apply your spray paint. It took 3 coats or paint for a few of my pieces, as they had darker images or color that needed to be covered up. 

You are now ready to apply the glue to the bottom of the vases and placed onto your plate. This is where your photo comes in handy! Let dry.

Once your glue has dried, use a cup to fill each vase with water and add your beautiful blooms! 

**Hope this project brings a little color and warmth into your home this winter!**

P.S. Wash by hand with a soft cloth and warm water when done using. Remember: Anything handmade is to be hand washed! 

Cost of materials:

Vases - $2.50

Plate - $.50

Primer - $4.50

Spray Paint - already had on hand ($0)

glue - already had on hand ($0)

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Total: $7.50

Loved your visit! Until next time...

New Year, New Ideas

So, who's ready to seize the new year?! Any big plans? Anything exciting coming your way in 2012? Do you have any DIY projects on your resolutions list? Any craft challenges you want to tackle? As for me, there is always a mile long list of projects that call my name, new skills to learn and ideas that need to be  transferred from head to hand. After going through some of my bookmarks and Pinterest (of course, Pinterest!) I found some ideas that I need to start right away!

I have never been a fan of creating resolutions or goals that are to be kept throughout the year, but rather place myself in events or circumstances that will still leave me with a sense of accomplishment. Things that I have longed to do for quite some time but have not yet pushed myself to do. That is why this idea from Delia Creates is right up my alley! We made a bucket list of things we wanted to experience over the past summer, and I can honestly say that it was the BEST 3 months (it's a short season in Utah!) in our family! We were active, spontaneous and always had something to do thanks to our little list. I like the idea of using the clothes pins for either seasonal ideas or for a year long wish list!

Making the memories is important, but remembering them is JUST as important! This gem of an idea comes from Brooke Reynolds of Inchmark. Brooke is the Senior Art Director for Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Kids. She says "I started writing down the funnier moments of the day. I keep a jar on my desk, and when the kids say something particularly worthy or recording, I grab and scrap of paper and I quickly jot it down." Such a great way to capture those opportune moments that we would otherwise soon forget! I think it would so fun to read them all out loud come the next New Year's day to reflect on the moments that made us smile throughout the past year! 

Caroline (pronounced: Caro-Leen) of Armelle Blog came up with a great way to reuse, repurpose and recycle your old calendar. She simply cut out the graphic from her old calendar by using a die cutter and glued it onto a new piece of paper and template that she printed out from her computer! I have the pleasure of knowing Caroline personally and can honestly say that she is a creative genius!  Be sure to follow her blog and check out her Etsy shop to see all her jewelry creations - you will not be disappointed! 

Happy New Year to all of you and as always, thanks for reading and keeping this blog alive and well! I sure do enjoy all that it is! 

Santa Silhouette - Tutorial

It's no secret that us crafters love making our own holiday decor, ornaments and gifts! What we don't like is a craft that costs us a lot of money and takes a lot of time to make! Ugh. No thank you! I want need my precious time for baking cookies, watching cheesy Hallmark movies and buying presents! Here is a VERY easy and inexpensive project that I whipped up this last week:

A Santa Silhouette!

Materials that you will need:

construction paper (color of your choice) 

frame - with backboard

background paper (I choose brown postal paper) 

Scissors and/or exacto knife

pencil

glue

Begin by measuring the backboard of your frame and cutting your background paper to size. Glue it down and let dry.

Next, find an image on the Internet by googling "Santa Silhouette" and select a Santa that you like. Print it off from your computer. I chose this copyright free image.

This part is a little tricky, but I know how crafty and talented you all are and I have faith that you can do it! You can either cut out your printed image and trace around it onto your paper, OR if you are like me and needed a larger image to fit into your frame, I had to free hand it! Which was fine, because I wanted to personalize it by adding more detail to his hair, hat trim and pom-pom. 

Hint: Trace or draw your image on the reverse side of your paper. That way you can flip your image over when you are done and you won't see pencil and eraser marks.

Next, start to cut out your image using your scissors or if you have hard to reach areas, you will need an exacto knife. 

Position your silhouette onto your background paper and glue down.

FYI: I painted my frame black. Burgundy isn't my thing! 

Easy peasy, right!

Cost of materials:

Postal paper - $Free (I had it left over from this craft)

Construction paper - $1.50 at Michael's by using a coupon from here. Just click on the "craft coupon" button on the top of the page
Frame: thrifted for $1.00

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Total cost: $2.50

Time to make it: 45 minutes

Loved your visit! Until next time...

Project Soft Book: COMPLETE!

A HUGE project that has been a long time in the making is now complete! A project that took presidence over any other craft for the past several months. Hooray it is finished...kind of! 

Several months ago, my DIY club decided to take on a major task. One that would go into the record books for our club and be talked about amongst ourselves well into our old age. We decided to make a soft book for our children! A 20 page soft book! My dear friend, Nicole, was the ringleader of the group and had it organized, scheduled and perfected. There are rules to this kind of thing, ya know! All 20 of us signed up to make a specific page that we would design and then hand produce 20 of that page. We had to sew each background, each decoration and each activity onto our page - no gluing! Nicole also figured out a good size ( 9X12) and what material (canvas) was best.  We also had to sign up on a list so stating what we were going to make so that 2 people didn't end up doing the same page. At the end, we would swap our pages and end up with 20 activity pages for an incredible soft book! We got together several times over the past few months to work on the pages and it seemed like the challenges and the work was never ending! From cutting the canvas, shopping for materials, hand cutting all pieces then sewing it all onto the 20 pages - I can say this definitely was a labor of love! 

Well, the end finally came on Tuesday night! We got together and swapped the pages, celebrated and rejoiced! I was so incredibly happy with the results and felt very lucky to be part of such a talented and amazing group of women! I just marvel at each of their pages and imagine them working so diligently on them - with care, precision and passion!

A HUGE thanks to all the crafty and amazing women in our group! Several of them have blogs too so feel free to stop on by their blogs and check out their talent yourselves!

Nicole with Elsa Bags

Caroline with Armelle the Blog

Susan with Freshly Picked

Eva, Stephanie and Kristin with Sycamore Street Press

Karisa with Pretty Handsome Paper

Dear Tia working so hard on getting the pages bound together!

Caroline is a multitasker! Shoot the breeze and sewing all at the same time!

Susan is a team player! She helped trim the canvas pages to size, removing fringe and dangling strings and made them easier to sew!

The gang is all here! 15 women, one house, one mission!

Karisa was a total trooper the whole way! She worked on her pages at 9 months pregnant, then showed up with new baby Harper by her side to get it all done!

The work!

Amy, Kristin and Eva taking a break with a few sips of Diet Coke and good conversation!

No party is complete without a table full of delicious treats to fill the bellies!

I am up to my ears in soft book pages and I could not be happier! Now I am off to the fabric store to buy some bias tape for the edges! 

Have any of you made soft books?

Do you belong to a craft club?

Have you ever gotten yourself into the middle of a project and realized you may be in over your head?

Published!

I never thought in my widest dreams that it would happen! But, it did! Someone took a liking to something that little ol' me created and they wanted to put it on the pages of a magazine! 

I was contacted by the kind people of Mollie Makes magazine out of the UK a few weeks ago and they asked if they could publish the tutorial for my Infinity Scarf. (It is the #3 search on Google for "Infinity Scarf tutorial", ya know!) The issue was doing a feature on tartan fabric and lucky for me, my scarf fit the needs and style of the magazine. I am so thrilled that they contacted me and even though I highly stressed about having to recreate the tutorial and all the photos in high resolution for printing purposes, it was well worth it! I could not be happier about this opportunity! A big thanks to all the people of Mollie Makes for "making" it happen! Dreams really do come true!

P.S. Be sure to check out Mollie Makes blog! It's right along the lines of spectacular! 

Pssssst! When I did this tutorial last year, I got a few emails from readers wanting to know where the plaid fabric was purchased. I got it at JoAnn's  and when I was there 2 weeks ago, I saw that they had it in again this year! Run and grab it before it sells out!

Loved your visit! Until next time...