tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62771175313585138572012-08-14T10:49:47.554-07:00unoriginal craftSarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-80090925430172071682012-05-18T09:52:00.001-07:002012-05-18T09:52:12.478-07:002012-05-18T09:52:12.478-07:00Letter Art<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-__Mnbup2Ll0/T7Z8hPW5kdI/AAAAAAAAA4o/JpTRHYMYdj8/s1600/001cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-__Mnbup2Ll0/T7Z8hPW5kdI/AAAAAAAAA4o/JpTRHYMYdj8/s320/001cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a>On pinterest I saw a link to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/collections/72157594587080023/">this wonderful flickr page</a> that has hundreds of photos of letters that you can use to make your very own letter art. After about an hour of downloading my favorites, they sat in my photo folder on my computer until I found the right inexpensive frame to put them in.<br />
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<b>For this project you'll need the following:</b><br />
digital photos of letters (see above link)<br />
photo paper<br />
frame<br />
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I had some matte photo paper that we inherited from my husband's family (it is ancient stuff from when ink jet printers first started being sold) that works well for black and white photos, so I went ahead and gray scaled my favorite choices and printed them out. If you wanted to print them in glossy color, it may be a more economical choice to have them sent to Costco or Walgreen's or whatever your favorite photo site is that does 10-15 cent 4 X 6 prints.<br />
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After they are printed, cut them out and arrange in your frame. Super simple. I found my frame at Wal-mart for 5 bucks. And since the paper was a hand-me down, I probably ended up spending about a quarter in ink on it. Of course the 5 dollar frame isn't the chic-est, and it had odd-sized openings in the matte, but it ended up working out and looks great above our coat hooks.<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-8009092543017207168?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-35415273514743610462012-04-24T10:11:00.001-07:002012-04-24T10:15:35.549-07:002012-04-24T10:15:35.549-07:00Burner Cover Magnet Board<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I saw <a href="http://go.tipjunkie.com/hm/524/madiganmade.blogspot.com/2011/01/magnetic-memo-boards-made-from-dollar.html">this project idea</a> for making a little magnet board out of dollar store burner covers on Pinterist. This one looked, cheap, easy, and cute...so I absolutely couldn't resist trying it out for myself. <br />
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<b>You will need the following:</b><br />
a metal burner cover<br />
spray paint (optional)<br />
nail and hammer or a drill for making a set of holes in the cover<br />
scrapbook paper<br />
Mod Podge and brush to apply<br />
a ribbon to hang<br />
fine grit sandpaper<br />
scissors<br />
pen or pencil<br />
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I started out by trying to drill holes into the lip of the burner cover, but either I had the wrong kind of drill bits or my drill is a weakling because it didn't work at all. So I switched to the method you see below of poking a hole in the metal with a large nail. The nail went through pretty easily, but it left the edge of the burner cover with pretty unsightly metal shards poking up. I did my best to sand these down with some sandpaper and even used the drill to go back through the hole to try to flatten the metal down--it sort of worked. Punching the holes was by far the most complicated part of this project though.<br />
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Next I put all of the covers (they come two to a pack for a dollar, so I bought two packs) into some cardboard boxes and spray painted the backs and edges of the cover to match my scrapbook paper that I had picked out.</div>
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After the paint has dried, flip the burner cover over and trace around it on a piece of scrapbook paper. Cut it out carefully and and glue it onto your burner with the Mod Podge. I bought that little 4 oz container when I started this craft blog and I'm just running out of it now. I bought a big jar from Wal-mart now that I know I'll actually use it. Once you're sure the edges are all glued securely. Let it dry.</div>
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After it's dried, take a look at the edges of the paper. If they over hang the burner or aren't exactly circular, you can correct that by sanding off the edges with some sand paper or an emery board. When your edges are all sanded perfectly, put on a couple of coats of Mod Podge over top to seal it. Pay special attention to those edges so they lay down flat.<br />
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When it's all dry you can string it up with ribbon. I just poked the ribbon through the holes and tied it into some double knots. It worked out great. I used a command hook to hang it on the cardboard backing of my desk--I'm sure a nail or little cup hook would look a lot better, but it wasn't an option on this particular material. It's nice to have a little magnet board on my desk to stick up little notes and the blue patterned paper gives it a nice pop of color on an otherwise dreary cardboard backer.</div>
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Cost for this project was pretty low--the burner covers were only 50 cents a piece. The biggest cost for this project came from buying some new spray paint, but there's plenty left for additional projects. I was able to use one 12 inch sheet of paper for a small burner cover and the 4 coasters from my terra cotta coaster project. I picked up some ribbon from Wal-mart for 49 cents a roll and only used 10-12 inch pieces, so there is lots left of that too. If you had paint or chose to go with the existing white edges, this project would come in at around $1. Pretty schnazzy for a buck!</div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-3541527351474361046?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-86370527142612903422012-04-13T16:40:00.011-07:002012-04-13T18:01:02.612-07:002012-04-13T18:01:02.612-07:00Linoleum Block Printing<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; ">I have done linoleum block printing before, but I was 13. I actually still have the print I made. I thought I had kept the block too, but who knows where that ended up at....now where did I put that...oh there it is:</span></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ec0DDdQUASU/T4jARj27bwI/AAAAAAAAA0g/p3Cx7gj_Ims/s320/006cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731041933744893698" /><div><div style="text-align: left;">It's a masterpiece, I know. 13 year old me was proud of this, so don't crush my spirit. :) Now that I've revealed my pack rat tendencies, on with the post. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was reminded of block printing when I saw <a href="http://www.lilblueboo.com/2010/10/swedish-dala-horse-block-print-tutorial.html">this project</a> on Pinterest. I thought, hey, I can totally still do that and it will be just as awesome as last time (I hadn't dug the old print out yet when I thought that last bit). So I looked at the craft store and was a little surprised be the prices to buy the tools to get started...but thankfully Amazon saved the day. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Speedball-Super-Value-Printing-Starter/dp/B000SKT0US/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1334362535&sr=8-6">A starter kit </a>costs about $15 bucks. Fortunately the linoleum is cheap, so I picked some extras up at the craft store. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>For this project you will need:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">A linoleum block (or you can make one with linoleum and a scrap piece of wood like I did)</div><div style="text-align: left;">a design</div><div style="text-align: left;">a carving tool</div><div style="text-align: left;">something to print on when you're finished </div><div style="text-align: left;">paint or printing ink</div><div style="text-align: left;">a brayer</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">You can save about a buck by making your own block. I knew I had a bunch of scrap pieces of wood at home, so I went ahead and bought the linoleum sans block. I had a little crafty plaque and I glued a small piece of linoleum onto the block with some E6000 glue. I put a weight on it as it dried to try to keep it as flat as possible.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-etGu9rscBM8/T4i9U8QK6tI/AAAAAAAAAzw/KK9BE6mxvlo/s320/030cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731038693297941202" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 320px; " /><div style="text-align: left;">The hardest part of the whole project was coming up with something to carve. I wanted to do something simple since it was my first try at this in nearly 20 years (gah, I'm getting old). So I chose a meeple. For those of you unfamiliar with meeples, they are wooden people-shaped playing pawns used in board games. They are most famously used in the game Carcassonne. (Ow, the geek scar...it burns!) If you have a specific design in mind, you can print out the design and trace it heavily in pencil. You could also make your own design in pencil (in reverse) to transfer onto the linoleum. Flip the piece of paper over and center it on your block. Rub the back of the design with your pencil like shown below:</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8XvtMOeLyyA/T4i-QCN9HYI/AAAAAAAAA0I/BrMd7Xx9ukQ/s320/044cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731039708511542658" /><br /></div><div>The thicker line on my block below is from the transfer, I then drew a ring around the meeple to add a little extra flare to the design. You can always draw directly onto the linoleum with a pencil or ballpoint pen if you want to be all free-form about it :).</div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 307px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qjI1e3MJy24/T4i9_eXpSZI/AAAAAAAAAz8/LXyOwYZhfvc/s320/042cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731039424010602898" /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Once you've sketched out your plan and determined what would be cut away (won't print) and what will stay (will print), you can begin carving. The starter kit comes with a large scoop, medium v-cutter, and a fine detail cutter. I started with the fine tool. I went over all of the lines carefully and then began cutting away with the larger tools. Be careful and patient while your cutting. It's easy to make a minor mistake, and no way to undo it. However, there are ways to cover up and compensate for mistakes by carving over or adjusting designs.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MBRBtgwGEco/T4i-lNaXBcI/AAAAAAAAA0U/6MAjDzp_kFE/s320/047cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731040072293615042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 259px; " /><div><div style="text-align: left;">After the details are mostly cut, you can then take the largest tool after the parts of the block you know you want to get rid of. This scoop tool takes quite a bit of force to use on the regular linoleum, so be careful. I stabbed myself good in the finger and it bled for about an hour before it stopped. But, lesson learned--I was much more aware of where my hands were after that. You can also get <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Speedball-Bench-Inking-Plate-Printing/dp/B004BNEKYO/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1334363539&sr=1-1">bench hooks</a> that would help keep your hands out of the way by providing a ledge to wedge your block up against when carving.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><br /></span></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZZAz5e0s7I/T4i9IylafcI/AAAAAAAAAzk/ZjdaoWO7bHY/s1600/003cropped.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 274px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZZAz5e0s7I/T4i9IylafcI/AAAAAAAAAzk/ZjdaoWO7bHY/s320/003cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731038484544257474" /></a>Once I was finished with the major cutting, I went in for some detail. I made sure my background cuts were neat and straight in case they showed up in my printing and I added a rustic swirl design inside my meeple. Some very patient and practiced artists can make amazing clean lines and incredibly detailed art on these blocks, I am not even remotely close to that point. So I kept it a bit rustic looking so the mistakes would fit in. :)</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_FixNAo0Kmg/T4i9BeT-QlI/AAAAAAAAAzY/OCxLQcuQmQA/s1600/032cropped.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_FixNAo0Kmg/T4i9BeT-QlI/AAAAAAAAAzY/OCxLQcuQmQA/s320/032cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731038358843310674" /></a>When you're satisfied with your block, you can decide how and what you are going to print on to. I chose to use craft paint and some cheap blank white cards that were cut in the shapes of tags. I figured I could use them as gift tags or cards or cut the design out and use it for whatever I like. It worked out pretty well, but I learned that unlike the printing ink, which is thick and a bit sticky and goes on well with the brayer, using a foam brush to put the paint on the block gets much more even coverage with paint. I then used the brayer to apply the paper to the block. If you want to use your block as a stamp, you'll have better luck with the softer varieties like what was used in the inspiration link.</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GTy6D1fwHU0/T4i8wTG2uzI/AAAAAAAAAzM/2FgNcZVmis0/s1600/047cropped.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GTy6D1fwHU0/T4i8wTG2uzI/AAAAAAAAAzM/2FgNcZVmis0/s320/047cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731038063777725234" /></a>When it was all finished, I ended up with a rustic artsy meeple. The craft paint goes on thinner than the ink does, so it adds to that rustic flavor, I think (and is infinitely easier to clean up). If you are hoping for a very crisp print, use the printing ink. </div><div><br /></div><div>Not bad for my first stab (ow) at block cutting in quite some time. Not too much better than the 13 year old print though, I guess I have some more practicing to do. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FrKn9MvKL2Q/T4i8algv3cI/AAAAAAAAAzA/QHT_RZquvmk/s1600/053cropped.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 314px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FrKn9MvKL2Q/T4i8algv3cI/AAAAAAAAAzA/QHT_RZquvmk/s320/053cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731037690761043394" /></a></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-8637052714261290342?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-69868009724374821302012-04-12T14:42:00.011-07:002012-04-12T17:05:07.302-07:002012-04-12T17:05:07.302-07:00Terra Cotta Coasters<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wtT_sGg31e0/T4dk4iuGgjI/AAAAAAAAAyE/KNoiv-Lf1L0/s1600/026.JPG" style="text-align: left; "><span ><span style="font-size: 100%; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wtT_sGg31e0/T4dk4iuGgjI/AAAAAAAAAyE/KNoiv-Lf1L0/s320/026.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730659973407867442" /></span></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>I saw <a href="http://joyisathome.blogspot.com/2010/10/diy-coasters.html">this cute idea</a> for making coasters out of the saucers you put under terra cotta pots. I had most of the supplies to make them already, and I had just bought a big jar of Outdoor Mod Podge to use on coasters (as it's more water proof). So I made these coasters to match our patio set, thinking that they would be handy on hot days.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><b>You will need the following:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>4 terra cotta saucers </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>a sheet of scrapbook paper</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>pen or pencil</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>scissors</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>spray paint in a coordinating color</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Mod Podge and brush to apply</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>felt circles (if you don't have a sheet of the sticky kind, you'll also need fabric glue)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Start out by spray painting your saucers. I applied many coats as the terra cotta is porous and soaks up quite a bit of paint. </span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mu57iZMz3RM/T4dkkD9dbhI/AAAAAAAAAx4/YEQaODg-wec/s1600/008cropped.jpg"><span ><span style="font-size: 100%; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mu57iZMz3RM/T4dkkD9dbhI/AAAAAAAAAx4/YEQaODg-wec/s320/008cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730659621553401362" /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span ><br /></span></div></a>After the paint has dried, find some circular item that is the right size to trace around to fit inside your saucers. I found that a cardboard ribbon roll just happened to be the right size, so I traced around that on the back side of my paper. If you wanted to be careful about getting the pattern in the right places, use a pencil on the front side of the paper.</div><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r8bLQfyyfqw/T4dkZPMZohI/AAAAAAAAAxs/ATnyrjYHkf0/s1600/028cropped.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 198px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r8bLQfyyfqw/T4dkZPMZohI/AAAAAAAAAxs/ATnyrjYHkf0/s320/028cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730659435590296082" /></a></div><div>Carefully cut your circles out of the paper and then glue them to the saucers using the Mod Podge. Like I mentioned above, I had just picked up some <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Podge-CS11220-8-Ounce-Glue-Outdoor/dp/B001681ZA4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334274670&sr=8-1">Outdoor Mod Podge</a> at Michael's with a 40% off coupon with the specific purpose of using it to make more <a href="http://unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com/2012/02/ceramic-tile-coasters.html">tile coasters</a>, so I thought it would be perfect to try out on these coasters. A more water-resistant Mod Podge means I don't have to worry about whether to seal these with acrylic or not--one step. I haven't tested this out with a summer's worth of perspiring drinks yet, but I'll keep you posted. So after the circles are securely glued to the saucers and have dried, then you can apply a coating of the Mod Podge as a sealer. I applied about 3 coats to make sure it was good and resistant, and so that the edges of the paper stayed down. Outdoor Mod Podge is thicker than regular Mod Podge, and therefore, not quite as easy to apply, but for this project, it worked great.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r8bLQfyyfqw/T4dkZPMZohI/AAAAAAAAAxs/ATnyrjYHkf0/s1600/028cropped.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; "></a></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pMnhfNpfQw/T4di-9hcO6I/AAAAAAAAAxg/VRsK1qcGdAk/s1600/034cropped.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 191px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0pMnhfNpfQw/T4di-9hcO6I/AAAAAAAAAxg/VRsK1qcGdAk/s320/034cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730657884658482082" /></a><div>Once your coats of glue have dried, you can stick some felt to the bottom of the saucers so they don't scratch the tables or stick together when they are being stacked. I had some of the little cabinet door protector kind lying around, so I stuck them on the bottom. Gluing a little felt on the bottom would work just as well.</div></div><div><br /><span ><span style="font-size: 100%; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WOAfIA4MxA0/T4diw79vjyI/AAAAAAAAAxU/GHiDcTSrHOE/s1600/015cropped.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WOAfIA4MxA0/T4diw79vjyI/AAAAAAAAAxU/GHiDcTSrHOE/s320/015cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730657643722149666" /></a></span></span><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; "><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WOAfIA4MxA0/T4diw79vjyI/AAAAAAAAAxU/GHiDcTSrHOE/s1600/015cropped.jpg" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; "></a><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WOAfIA4MxA0/T4diw79vjyI/AAAAAAAAAxU/GHiDcTSrHOE/s1600/015cropped.jpg" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; "></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div></div></div><div></div><div>I look forward to using these outside this summer. The higher edges will be great for corralling the slipperiest of drinks. The most expensive part of this project was the saucers. They cost about 75 cents a piece so the set costs about $4.00 to make after figuring in paint, paper, felt, etc... They turned out great for the money spent! Now to go find a cold beverage!</div><div><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-naSyZ4LuiQo/T4dtFWsOoXI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/79yxwkLXseQ/s320/023cropped2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730668989610107250" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 320px; " /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-6986800972437482130?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-19656476660747983252012-04-05T13:12:00.012-07:002012-04-05T16:32:35.801-07:002012-04-05T16:32:35.801-07:00Spring Wreath<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VooaNh1R68A/T33-0eNVMFI/AAAAAAAAAuk/erD0MYvndaM/s320/015cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728014478500769874" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 320px; " /></div><div><div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; "><span style="text-align: left; "><span style="font-size: 16px; ">I wanted to make something to hang on the door after Easter and I have seen lots of </span></span><a href="http://steamykitchen.com/14280-make-yarn-wreaths.html" style="text-align: left; font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">yarn wreaths</a><span style="text-align: left; "><span style="font-size: 16px; "> and tutorials for making </span></span><a href="http://www.danielleburkleo.com/2010/10/diy-yarn-wreath-with-felt-flowers.html" style="text-align: left; font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">felt flowers</a><span style="text-align: left; "><span style="font-size: 16px; "> floating around the internet, so I thought I'd give one of those a try. I picked up a foam wreath form fro</span></span><span style="text-align: left; ">m the dollar store and gathered up my felt squares and got to work.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; "><span style="text-align: left; "><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify; "><span style="text-align: left; "><b>You'll need the following:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">a wreath form (I used a foam one, but I've seem these done on straw and wire forms as well)</div><div style="text-align: left;font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">yarn of your choosing (mine is Vanna's Choice--yeah Vanna White has yarn--in Seaspray Mist)</div><div style="text-align: left;font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">straight pins</div><div style="text-align: left;font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">a few squares of different colored felt</div><div style="text-align: left;font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">fabric glue</div><div style="text-align: left;font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">scissors</div><div style="text-align: left;font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; ">ribbon for hanging</div><div style="text-align: center;font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div></div><div style="text-align: left;">Start out by tying your yarn to your wreath form. I also pinned it to the foam form so that it wouldn't slip as I wound the yarn around the form.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 292px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rZD97GGeNl8/T33-yd4_TiI/AAAAAAAAAuA/IWSIQLKin-Y/s320/011cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728014444055711266" /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Just keep winding and pushing it tight to completely cover the wreath. This was by far the most time consuming part of the whole wreath project. Not difficult at all, but it took some time. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rX-vE4p_1ho/T33-y5A74HI/AAAAAAAAAuM/v-QsgtbiRhs/s320/013cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728014451336798322" /><span style="text-align: left; ">Once you've gotten it started, I recommend finishing it while watching </span><span style="text-align: left; ">TV--it makes the time go by much more quickly--the next thing you know, it'll be done. It will look a little something like the picture below. I noticed that the front side was near perfect and the back side (which is pictured below) was a bit more layered and rustic looking, since I hadn't been paying close attention to getting that side all lined up and straight. If you're particularly OCD, you may want to keep an eye on the back side of the wreath. :) This smaller wreath form used a little less than half the skein of yarn--so you could easily use some you had lying around the house.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; "><br /></span></div><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VWO1n2e4Y7Y/T33-zj0i6VI/AAAAAAAAAuY/p1HnCQAqQ0Y/s320/023cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728014462827555154" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 306px; " /><div style="text-align: left;">After I finished the wreath, I started making some felt flowers. There are lots of different kinds of felt flower patterns going around these days, but these are the simplest. You start out by cutting a circle out of a piece of felt. My wreath form was on the small side so I started out making circles that were about 4 inches in diameter. It doesn't need to be a perfect circle, actually, the more wonky your circle is, the more character your flower will have. For a smooth looking rose--like a buttercup, make a smooth circle.</div><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rzQOAqzt754/T34JI9DhMNI/AAAAAAAAAuw/uMZJTJmsbYk/s320/026cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728025825494773970" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 254px; " /><div style="text-align: left;">If you want more of a petaled rose, make a bumpy circle. Cut into the circle in a spiral as shown and leave a small circle in the middle to cover the bottom of the rose when you are done.</div><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div></div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i4EU__MthE0/T34M1O2jb-I/AAAAAAAAAvI/bQM8TVJdJG0/s320/034cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728029884721360866" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px; " /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Pick up the start of your spiral and tightly wrap it around itself to create the center of the blossom. When you pick up the spiral of felt, you'll notice that the inside of the cut is straighter than the outside, use that straighter side as the bottom of your flower.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EpnzTz6EcEw/T34N5tQlE4I/AAAAAAAAAvU/X9vWbyq26yU/s320/032cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728031061114688386" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 304px; " /><div></div><div style="text-align: center;">Keep wrapping the felt around the center creating your rose blossom.</div><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-icln25NZ_Gk/T34P37CkseI/AAAAAAAAAvg/HijHnwjPS2M/s320/042cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728033229477556706" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 318px; " /><div></div><div style="text-align: left;">When you get to the circle at the end/center of your felt, you may have to cut a little more to make the circle match the size of the bottom of the flower. When you're done wrapping, put some tacky glue on the bottom of the blossom and cap it off with the circle of felt.</div><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Z3OdnuCPaY/T34Qim6ivUI/AAAAAAAAAvs/xhUbuxPAxHU/s320/052cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728033962809539906" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 244px; " /><div></div><div style="text-align: left;">These roses are so simple that they are almost addicting. The first one I made looked exactly like the pictures I had seen, and it took about a minute to make. I look forward to trying out weird cutting patterns on all of my leftover scraps of felt to see what kind of flowers they will make. Once you've finished your roses, you can pin them or glue them to your wreath form. I pinned my roses to the wreath in a pattern around the largest rose (which was made from an approximately 5 inch piece of felt).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YG715_w29sU/T34TUajWDaI/AAAAAAAAAv4/4Tds4pRuRQ4/s320/058cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728037017507728802" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 253px; " /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Once I felt good about my rose design, I decided to add some little felt leaves in the crevices between roses. I free-form cut the leaves out of scraps of green felt and then pinned one end in between the roses so you couldn't see the pin.</div><div></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BdePY8SAdIM/T34UGsh8yyI/AAAAAAAAAwE/IRfK6phEhkE/s320/002cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728037881327176482" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 277px; " /><div style="text-align: left; ">After the leaves, all that was left was to find a ribbon to hang it from. I feel like it turned out pretty well for my first try. The variegated yarn looks more spring-grass-like in person than the washed out almost gray color it looks like in the pictures. Next I hope to do one with ivory colored yarn and some of the felt flowers that require a little sewing. :)</div><div style="text-align: left; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8K1W7W3FOuM/T34UeoPdSOI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/j2CtlKWRfu8/s320/022cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728038292492732642" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 300px; " /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-1965647666074798325?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-46380181928816226522012-03-29T17:46:00.006-07:002012-03-29T19:01:43.905-07:002012-03-29T19:01:43.905-07:00Glittered Easter Egg Spray<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ErEJxzXh3NE/T3UCz1s4sPI/AAAAAAAAArw/s58NU186rko/s320/Easter%2BSpray.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725485590883381490" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 224px; height: 320px; " /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So I was hoping to find a neat way to use up the last of my Easter ribbon from my <a href="http://unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com/2012/03/easter-wreath.html">Egg Wreath projec</a>t, when I came across this cute <a href="http://duncan-outoftheordinary.blogspot.com/2012/03/he-calls-it-being-independent.html">Egg Spray</a>. I didn't have too many plastic eggs left in my stash (I'll totally have to buy more when they are on sale after Easter now), so I wanted to do something special with the eggs. Glittering things seems to be the hot thing to do, so what the heck, I'll glitter up some eggs. I ran into some hitches with this project, but perhaps it will inspire you to do even cooler things. :)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>For this project you'll need:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">plastic Easter eggs</div><div style="text-align: left;">glitter in colors similar to your eggs</div><div style="text-align: left;">mod podge and brush for applying</div><div style="text-align: left;">paper plates or your favorite glitter receiving device</div><div style="text-align: left;">ribbon</div><div style="text-align: left;">hot glue gun and glue</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Start out by slathering your plastic egg with mod podge. Putting the first layer of glitter on was slippery and messy. Every time I tried to make it a little more neat and tidy, it didn't work....just slather the glue on and dump some glitter on there and hope you get an ok first layer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ueZ16qeEbkw/T3UEQ14Ec1I/AAAAAAAAAr8/dj8mZkFZ2Ko/s320/002GlueCropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725487188658123602" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 268px; " /><div><div style="text-align: left;">As you can see, you will end up with a thin first coat of glitter. It's ok if there are patches of egg showing. The second layer goes on much more easily.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o8DWq4f94Kw/T3UERdslmHI/AAAAAAAAAsI/tJtIsrBQyBk/s320/001cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725487199347382386" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 256px; " /><div><div style="text-align: left;">After the eggs have dried, you can put a second layer on. The first layer of glitter makes it much easier to hold on to the egg and spread glue on. For this layer, I spread glue on half of the egg at a time so that I'd have a dry half to hold on to. Below is a picture of an egg with it's second coating of glitter on the bottom half.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><u><br /></u></span></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2G4o2dczNMQ/T3UERnOHhWI/AAAAAAAAAsU/C7-THVG31CM/s320/009cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725487201903936866" /><div style="text-align: left;">As you dab the glue on, be sure to get it into all of the nooks and crannies of the glitter so that you can get good coverage with this coating. This photo shows applying the second half of the egg with glue.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Axtngt66YE/T3UESv9NnNI/AAAAAAAAAsg/dVe2sExfJBo/s320/016cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725487221428821202" /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Once your second layer of glitter has dried, you can put a coat of mod podge over the glitter to seal it and keep it from shedding glitter.</div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MLrI1mQ5nTU/T3UES8UL19I/AAAAAAAAAss/bu0fRemEf1E/s320/020cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725487224746399698" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Some things I learned from glittering plastic Easter eggs: finer glitter works a bit better than the larger stuff; the first coat will be messy, but once you have that layer of glitter to hold onto, the whole process goes a lot more smoothly; and they will come out a bit lumpy and imperfect--if that's not your thing--then you may want to opt for glittery or shimmery store bought eggs.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After my glitter eggs dried, I attached some ribbon with a hot glue gun. I then tied the ribbon together and attached it to my larger Easter bow. I used a safety pin on the back of the bow to hang it on the wreath hook. The next time I make a spray like this I will use thicker ribbon to hang the eggs or ornaments--<span style="font-size: 100%; ">the thin ribbon was hard to get hanging just right and at the right lengths.</span></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2G4o2dczNMQ/T3UERnOHhWI/AAAAAAAAAsU/C7-THVG31CM/s1600/009cropped.jpg" style="text-align: center; "><br /></a><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Aa2uE2J28G0/T3UGPNwfopI/AAAAAAAAAs4/sGNs4xpP1LI/s320/048adjusted.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725489359732318866" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o8DWq4f94Kw/T3UERdslmHI/AAAAAAAAAsI/tJtIsrBQyBk/s1600/001cropped.jpg" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><br /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-4638018192881622652?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-61946737900723051152012-03-24T16:32:00.013-07:002012-03-25T08:34:16.054-07:002012-03-25T08:34:16.054-07:00Easter Wreath<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6yjC69MA4ks/T26TKp4lUPI/AAAAAAAAArY/LYoHk4DaCJU/s1600/037cropped.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 247px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6yjC69MA4ks/T26TKp4lUPI/AAAAAAAAArY/LYoHk4DaCJU/s320/037cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723673987685634290" /></a><div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: left; "><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left; ">I took down my three St. Patrick's Day decorations (Hubby and I aren't Irish, so it's no big to-do </span>around here) and put up my Easter decorations this week. Most of my decorations were purchased during the short time that I worked at Wal-mart (between college and Grad School) <span><span>about 10 years ago. I have upgraded my Easter baskets since then, but I have a bunch of tired</span></span><span><span> plastic eggs and plastic grass that I was getting sick of unpacking each year, so when I saw this </span></span><a href="http://cindis.blogspot.com/2009/03/moms-do-some-grass-this-month.html">adorable idea</a><span><span>, I knew it was time </span>re-purpose<span> some of the old decor into something new and fabulous. The only new thing I had to buy for this project was some cute Easter ribbon (that was half off at JoAnn's for $1.99 for the roll, and I still have enough left to make another smaller bow).</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><b>For this project you will need:</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; ">two 12 inch rounds of cardboard (I used an old box) and something to cut them with</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; ">42-46 plastic Easter eggs</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; ">a bag of plastic grass</div><div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; ">hot glue gun and glue (be sure to have about 10 sticks on hand--I went through lots of glue)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; ">1 1/2" to 2" wired ribbon for the bow</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; ">wire or pipe cleaners (to attach the bow and make a hanger on the back of the wreath)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; ">scissors</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; ">pencil or chopstick (for poking the grass between the eggs)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div><span>Cut your circles out of cardboard and then cut a smaller circle out of the center to create a ring. I used a 12 inch pizza pan and a 9 inch cake pan to make my circles. If you don't have pans those sizes, you can use the push pin in the center of the cardboard with a 6 inch piece of string tied to a pencil...but that's a lot more work :). Once your rings are cut, laminate them together with your hot glue to create a sturdy base for your wreath.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eI7LsJH0rhQ/T25jYf3NyqI/AAAAAAAAArM/o_J-IprxIvk/s320/003cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723621448955579042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 282px; " /></div><div style="text-align: center; "><div style="text-align: left;">Then you can begin gluing the eggs with their smaller top ends facing outward. I chose a recurring pattern of colors to follow so I wouldn't end up with the same colors next to each other. I glued the egg to the cardboard and to the egg next to it. Try to glue the base of the egg to the cardboard so that you still have room to glue your inner circle of eggs. Mine were cutting it a bit close.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--BlBQ0FNyKI/T25i9_MF8WI/AAAAAAAAArA/thRan41nsIQ/s320/008cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723620993508176226" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 274px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;">Once you have good string of eggs on the outside, you can start working on the inner ring. Glue the egg to the cardboard and the surrounding eggs. I used the same recurring color pattern, but since you use so many fewer eggs, the colors ended up getting very close together, a random pattern may work better for the inner ring of eggs. Leave a gap at the top of your wreath where you plan to place your ribbon so you can save a little on eggs.</span></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; "><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; text-align: center; "><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0kt0AIKb4aQ/T25ijBpUl5I/AAAAAAAAAq0/RqEovv4q4IA/s320/013cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723620530311174034" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 299px; " /></div><div style="text-align: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">Once you've finished with the outer and inner rings, you can place the last group of eggs vertically on top and between the two rows. I alternated the direction of the eggs and tried to angle them to fill in the gaps and make it look a little more random.</div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l--TIhLxh9Q/T25iR09S-JI/AAAAAAAAAqo/suPzT_5QvAA/s320/017cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723620234847516818" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 271px; " /><span></span></div><div>Next, I made a hanger out of a pipe cleaner that I tied knots in the end of to stick to the hot glue. I also added a little hot glue along the edge of the inner circle of eggs since it was hanging over the cardboard a bit more than the outer ring, and I wanted to make sure they'd stay put.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BQGbcwKmMHQ/T25h_9cWPtI/AAAAAAAAAqc/1MH5JKFPPHs/s320/019cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723619927887593170" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 283px; " /><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; ">Now to hide all of the gaps and the cardboard rings with plastic Easter grass. I used some old purple grass that had been in the bottom of a plastic Easter basket for years. It worked great--glad I didn't throw it out. :) Shoot a little glue into each of the cracks between eggs and shove a little clump of grass into it with a pencil or chopstick. The wreath will look like a hairy mess while in process. I went around the outside, then the inside, and then filled in the bottom gaps to cover the cardboard. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-75LOUjX7Dtg/T25hlMpUhFI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/AqZx4gQlUxI/s320/021%2Bcropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723619468112069714" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 234px; " /></div><div>When you're finished filling all of the gaps with grass, pull off any excess and begin trimming all of the long pieces away. Trim away until you think it looks good. It will create quite the mess.</div><div><br /></div></div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_cwkxDz5Xzw/T25g3yazdQI/AAAAAAAAAqE/PTtDbnLw590/s320/033cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723618687977747714" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 311px; " /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">After it's all trimmed up, you can attach your bow. I used a pipe cleaner to attach the bow, so it would be very easy to switch the bow out if you get sick of it, or if it begins to look a bit crushed. I'm so pleased with how my new Easter wreath turned out. I'm also really glad I got to make it from mostly old decorations that I had lying around.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; font-weight: normal; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8zHgjlp-WNk/T25gmm3RZEI/AAAAAAAAAp4/v8TY8rF-TJE/s320/041cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723618392818148418" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 320px; " /></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-6194673790072305115?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-10344187624547284812012-03-09T14:40:00.009-08:002012-03-09T15:39:49.928-08:002012-03-09T15:39:49.928-08:00Scrabble Tile Necklace<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><span style="font-size: 16px; ">There's a wealth of crafting ideas out there that use scrabble tiles. I just happen to have an incomplete set of scrabble tiles that came from my husband's house...so I thought I'd give one of those </span></span><a href="http://www.makeandtakes.com/links/scrabble-tile-pendant-tutorial" style="text-align: left; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; ">ideas</a><span style="text-align: left; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><span style="font-size: 16px; "> a try.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><b>You will need the following:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">Scrabble tiles</div><div style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">pictures, clip art, or scrapbook paper</div><div style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">your favorite paper glue (I used rubber cement but mod podge would work well too)</div><div style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">an emery board or fine sandpaper</div><div style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">Paper Glaze or Dimensional Magic Glue</div><div style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">flat-backed bales (available at most craft stores)</div><div style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">glue for the bales (I used E6000 but super glue would also work well)</div><div style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">cording or a chain for the pendant</div><div style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;font-size: 16px; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">Start out by finding some good pictures or art that you want to put onto a pendant. I stole some art off the internet, but a more ethical choice would be to scan in some or your children's artwork or some photos of your family or pet. At any rate, print out whatever you want to put on your pendant. I used Word (the newest version has this handy tool that tells you how large the photos are--it's slick) to print the images out. You could also use pictures or designs from magazines or scrapbook paper.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H2ei94aKWrk/T1qNJEwFP6I/AAAAAAAAAoE/omnI50_esfM/s1600/032.JPG"><br /></a></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H2ei94aKWrk/T1qNJEwFP6I/AAAAAAAAAoE/omnI50_esfM/s320/032.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718037863934017442" /><div style="text-align: left;">Cut out your paper and glue it on to the tile using rubber cement or mod podge. Once the paper has dried. Use a piece of fine sandpaper or an emery board to smooth off your edges.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l1HtIX7eOG4/T1qNeBJWdAI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/B9TU30p6JZ4/s320/061.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718038223743513602" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div>Next, apply a layer of paper glaze or dimensional magic to your scrabble tiles covered in paper. The paper glaze will go on cloudy and turn clear as it dries.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xkuohsN7zRk/T1qPX-Gq-UI/AAAAAAAAAoo/OtPmDkyYXIY/s320/cropped%2Bclose%2Bup.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718040318871009602" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px; " /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">When it's all dry, there will be a clear coat of glue that's almost like a shellac. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div></div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LNH7K6Z5y50/T1qNt4XamkI/AAAAAAAAAoc/DNJ-AySuMPU/s320/017.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718038496264493634" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Then you can apply the bale with some E6000 or super glue. I used the E 6000 because it allows you to wiggle the bale around and make sure it's on centered. It takes 5-10 minutes to dry, where the super glue would be ready in just a few seconds.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PBnsrBpOCIA/T1qP1JEUZZI/AAAAAAAAAo0/X2hi-Z1kNCk/s320/crop%2Bfinish.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718040820030137746" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 320px; " /></div><div>When the glue dried, I strung up my Eiffel Tower pendant with suede cording. You could easily swap out the cording for a chain or ribbon--whatever you have on hand. </div><div><br /></div><div>The most expensive part of this craft is the bales. I haven't been able to find them for less than about 50 cents a piece. I'll have to use the weekly Michael's coupon on my next bag of bales :). If you know of a good place to get them for less (without buying a ton of them), let me know in the comments!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-1034418762454728481?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-27413979276962498602012-02-23T09:16:00.008-08:002012-02-23T10:04:55.043-08:002012-02-23T10:04:55.043-08:00Custom Binder Clips<div style="text-align: left"><span style="text-align: left; "><span style="font-size: 100%;">As a teacher, one of my most used office supplies is the binder clip. So when I saw </span></span><a href="http://craftinomicon.blogspot.com/2012/02/candy-colored-binder-clips.html" style="text-align: left; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; ">these</a><span style="text-align: left; "><span style="font-size: 100%;"> on Pinterest, it seemed like the perfect project.</span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>I started off by choosing a few slightly dinged up binder clips from my stash of office supplies.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><b>For this project you'll need:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Binder Clips</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Scrapbook Paper</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>A scissors or paper cutter</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Mod Podge and brush</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Optional: A post-it note</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HifhSciJMrg/T0Z2b2-sBtI/AAAAAAAAAmw/PzcyXTKUhxQ/s320/007.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712383398353045202" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>I started off by making a pattern of the binder clip with a post-it note. You could use any size binder clip you want, but the one's I used ended up being 1 1/4" wide. When I wrapped the post it note around it and trimmed along the top on the opposite side, I ended up with a piece of paper that was 1 7/8" long and 1 1/4" wide. I took my post-it to my paper cutter and cut a 1 1/4" wide strip off of a 12" piece of scrapbook paper. I then used a scissors to make the short cut (a lot easier to make that cut straight). You could just as easily stick the post it note to your scrapbook paper and cut around it--which would come in handy if you had a pattern you wanted to center on the clip.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><u><br /></u></span></div><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JWefjc_8wRg/T0Z3bvhIJkI/AAAAAAAAAm8/hvOixNz6zg4/s320/014.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712384495861638722" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div>I chose a black and white pattern so that it would match the edges of the binder clip. Any pattern that would look good with black would do. It would be pretty easy to pop the silver parts of the clips off and spray paint the base if you were hoping to use a paper that didn't go well with black. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ca1yJ5KSXVo/T0Z3pSfmp0I/AAAAAAAAAnI/npLos4c-YFc/s320/020.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712384728588789570" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">I was working with a pretty thick scrapbook paper, so I pre-folded the paper before gluing it onto the binder clip. If you were working with a thinner paper, you could probably skip this step. Next I spread the Mod Podge onto the paper and smoothed the paper onto the clip, being sure the edges were glued down well and the paper was smooth on the bottom (which can be a bit curved) of the clip.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><div></div></div><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IxtqG9eY8Hg/T0Z37hiJsiI/AAAAAAAAAnU/K7MWlPPpjtw/s320/023.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712385041863651874" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">After the paper is securely glued and left to dry, you can come back and spread on a protective coat of the Mod Podge. I was pretty liberal with last coat since I know the finished product will do it's fair bit of stretching and bending when being used.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NoAX3zch0k0/T0Z4IATnCcI/AAAAAAAAAng/IsG82842mao/s320/033cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712385256282589634" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px; " /></div><div>Cute custom binder clips! I can't wait to make more.</div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-2741397927696249860?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-6925200597173737442012-02-18T20:38:00.001-08:002012-02-18T21:15:20.192-08:002012-02-18T21:15:20.192-08:00Washer Necklaces<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; "><span style="font-size: 100%;">I knew I had to try </span></span><a href="http://www.generationcedar.com/main/2010/04/homemade-gifts-save-money-washer-necklace.html" style="text-align: left; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; ">these</a><span style="text-align: left; "><span style="font-size: 100%;"> as soon as I saw them. It turned out to be a great quick and easy project.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal; "><b>Here's what you'll need:</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Washers (a bag of 1/2" washers costs 79 cents at Menards)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">scrapbook paper</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Mod Podge (and a brush for application)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">a craft knife and cutting surface</div><div><span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">fine sandpaper or </span>emery<span style="font-size: 100%;"> board</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Dimensional Magic or Paper Glaze or other similar glue</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">leather cording or ribbon</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">After you've chosen your scrapbook paper, use the washer as a guide to trace around with a craft knife.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wys6C8YzHKg/T0B_p1ArB4I/AAAAAAAAAl4/wO_bKxPbnbg/s320/024.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710704684087052162" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><div><div style="text-align: left;">Next, apply Mod Podge to the fronts of the washers and carefully place the paper rings onto the washers. Make sure the edges are glued securely by running your glue brush along the edge of the washer after the paper is securely placed.</div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hjJsmQJF_Ao/T0B_a8rvMII/AAAAAAAAAls/gMDftPeowYk/s320/028.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710704428448690306" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">After the glue has dried, use sandpaper or an emery board to smooth out any not-so-perfect edges or any paper that hangs slightly over the edge. I wrapped the sandpaper around the handle of the craft knife to smooth out the center of the washers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0kx7BjPyymI/T0B_HSTwY8I/AAAAAAAAAlg/mtgjfukgq0U/s320/030.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710704090656302018" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><div><div style="text-align: left;">Next up is the finishing touch on the washers. Put a coat of clear glue like Paper Glaze or Dimensional Magic on over the top of the paper to give it a varnished almost resin-like finish.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i08RZErMsBM/T0B-1WUc_iI/AAAAAAAAAlU/gT34wrWNXrE/s320/043.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710703782495321634" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">For the large washers I went around the surface of the washer twice to fully coat the surface. The picture below shows the washers with one ring of glue.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5mw89FYY8Jg/T0B-oYYIZ9I/AAAAAAAAAlI/zBQVUKq5QMQ/s320/050.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710703559709321170" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div>When you've applied enough glue, then use the tip of the glue applicator or a toothpick to smooth out the glue and to work out any bubbles.</div><div><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XqtguA8X5Bk/T0B-Tlb92mI/AAAAAAAAAk8/UzFKiAQ3UqY/s320/055.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710703202437814882" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">The glue takes over night to dry to a clear finish. Then you can use ribbons or leather cording to create your necklace.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HSPqERkgU3o/T0B-FgxLumI/AAAAAAAAAkw/tENqR0foDOY/s320/028.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710702960666458722" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " />I purchased $4.00 of cording and $1.60 worth of washers for this project--but I have lots left of both for future projects, so the cost of making 4 necklaces was probably only a couple of dollars.</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-692520059717373744?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-19375323470704202922012-02-16T19:47:00.000-08:002012-02-16T20:19:45.652-08:002012-02-16T20:19:45.652-08:00Milk Jug Light Diffuser<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px; "> </span><span style="font-size: 16px; ">I first saw</span><span style="font-size: 16px; "> </span><a href="http://www.epbot.com/2011/08/milk-jug-photo-studio.html" style="text-align: left; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; ">this quick project</a><span style="text-align: left; "><span style="font-size: 100%;"> for creating a milk jug diffuser on </span></span><a href="http://www.epbot.com/" style="text-align: left; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; ">EPBOT</a><span style="text-align: left; "><span style="font-size: 100%;"> (which is essentially the creative blog of </span></span><a href="http://www.cakewrecks.com/" style="text-align: left; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; ">Cake Wrecks</a><span style="text-align: left; "><span style="font-size: 100%;"> creator Jen Yates). Since I hope to be taking more photos of craft projects, I figured trying out a simple way to make the pictures a bit better would be a no brainer.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--ep-Hk75MYs/Tz3QOK4XOMI/AAAAAAAAAkM/qPwrGpKn27k/s320/007.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709948844433160386" /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">All you need for this project is an empty milk jug. Clean it out and peel off the label. Cut the bottom and the spout off of the milk jug. That's it. Simply put the jug over whatever it is that you are photographing and take your photo through the opening at the top. The picture below was taken on an overcast day, indoors, with no flash or overhead lighting. Not too shabby.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></div><span><span style="font-size: 100%; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vuE7W_dXLa0/Tz3SjxHwtMI/AAAAAAAAAkY/S_Wq17dJvI0/s320/005.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709951414498800834" /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Then just crop the photo down to get rid of the unsightly milk jug. :)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This key chain was in a Valentine's Day care package my sister sent me. I thought it would make a great test subject for the milk jug--and the bonus is that I get to show off her handy work. Well done sis!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CrKLAWrNluA/Tz3TTdpHbeI/AAAAAAAAAkk/xDLDYP38h-4/s320/005%2Bcropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709952233903713762" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 310px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-1937532347070420292?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-42974295414472082532012-02-07T15:12:00.000-08:002012-02-18T21:16:29.927-08:002012-02-18T21:16:29.927-08:00More Glass Gem Magnets<div style="text-align: left;">After making the glitter magnets, I felt the need to try out some of the other designs <a href="http://dandelionsdragonflies.blogspot.com/2011/08/glass-stone-magnet-tutorial.html">out there</a> for using glass gems. Using scrapbook paper to make magnets seemed like the next logical project.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is a crazy simple project. Grab your glass gems from Michael's or the dollar store (be sure to look for ones that are smooth without cracks or lines). Find some scrapbook paper or magazine photo. Cut the paper to the size of the bead and glue it on the back. Since the gems are not perfectly circular and each are different, I just held the gem to the paper and cut around it.</div><div><br /></div><div>The only tricky part about this project, is that I have seen tutorials using all kinds of different glue. I had no idea what would work out the best, so I started by using Mod Podge. Mod Podge worked very well except it dried just a bit cloudy and didn't work well with the shimmery paper I picked out for my first attempt. After that had dried, I saw an article about how someone had used hot glue. Great--I've got tons of hot glue--it's super cheap and dries clear. So I gave it a whirl.</div><div><div><br /></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r0kDmRo0DPo/TyMx6qOukSI/AAAAAAAAAgA/e5moypeGSU4/s1600/018.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r0kDmRo0DPo/TyMx6qOukSI/AAAAAAAAAgA/e5moypeGSU4/s320/018.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702456437019414818" /></a>The high temp hot glue nearly burned my fingers off as I tried to adjust the paper and smoosh out the excess glue so that there were no bubbles or ridges. So I tried the low temp gun and it cooled too quickly to get it smoothed out at all. It ended up being a lumpy mess. So aside from maybe using it to glue the magnets on, I'm nixing hot glue completely from the recommended glues for this project.<div><br /></div><div>I tried E6000 glue next. And it worked pretty perfectly aside from being just a bit sticky. It dries clear--not cloudy. The gem on the right above, was done using <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-E6000-Multi-purpose-Adhesive-2-Ounces/dp/B002OJX1GU/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1328661503&sr=1-1-catcorr" style="text-align: center; ">E6000</a><span style="text-align: center; "> glue. And it works great for gluing on the magnets when everything is dry.</span></div><div><span style="text-align: center; "><br /></span></div><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tb4kyQBGPJg/TyMwctxzVZI/AAAAAAAAAf0/dYCHjrYP1aw/s1600/030.JPG"><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tb4kyQBGPJg/TyMwctxzVZI/AAAAAAAAAf0/dYCHjrYP1aw/s320/030.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702454823064130962" /></div></a><b>You will need the following:</b></div></div><div>clear glass gems (regular or large as long as they are smooth on the back)</div><div>scrapbook paper or magazine photos</div><div>Mod Podge (and a brush) and/or E6000 glue</div><div>magnets</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>You'll also need a good small scissors and a surface to work on that can get glue on it. I like paper plates or sheets of parchment paper--but whatever works for you.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AJEQt7M9tmQ/TzHE0zM6sII/AAAAAAAAAi4/Gw2Q3kbqB5c/s320/011.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706558614231756930" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Notes: I recently saw a tutorial using silicon adhesive, I'll have to try that out next. I did try Aleene's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Aleenes-Paper-Glaze/dp/B00178MOSA">Paper Glaze</a> (similar to<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mod-Podge-Dimensional-Magic-2oz/dp/B003JFXFZU"> Dimensional Magic</a>) glue and it worked very similarly to Mod Podge, so if you have that around and don't have the other glues, it should work just fine. Also, the craft magnets you can buy at Michael's are just strong enough to stick the gem to the fridge and maybe hold a single thin sheet of paper--if you're looking for more than decorative magnets--buy the neodymium magnets--they are much stronger.</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-4297429541447208253?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-14706005660595737322012-02-03T19:34:00.000-08:002012-02-18T21:17:47.266-08:002012-02-18T21:17:47.266-08:00Ceramic Tile Coasters<div style="text-align: left;">When I saw <a href="http://gritsandgiggles.blogspot.com/2011/09/scrapbook-coasters-tutorial.html">this project</a> on line, I knew I had to try it. Super easy and inexpensive and they end up looking like classy expensive coasters. So I went through the stack of scrap book paper that I had acquired (I buy it when it goes on sale, so I rarely spend more than 33 cents per sheet). I chose a muted swirly design that I thought would work well with lots of different decor and whacked it to pieces with my trusty paper cutter. (What, you don't have a paper cutter? Well you must not be a crafty teacher then. :) It is a worthwhile investment if you do projects with paper regularly, but I'm sure a ruler and a scissors or a rotary cutter would work just fine.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pbfp2vSFcJs/Tyyn4uOWR0I/AAAAAAAAAhw/SCPvbi1VQUU/s320/017.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705119420894299970" /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>You'll need the following:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">4- 4 1/4" ceramic coasters (These were on sale for $0.11 a piece at Menards recently)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1- 12" piece of scrapbook paper of your choosing</div><div style="text-align: left;">Mod Podge and a foam brush for application</div><div style="text-align: left;">1- Square of felt or scraps of fleece if you have them on hand instead</div><div style="text-align: left;">Fabric glue</div><div style="text-align: left;">Supplies for cutting paper and fabric (I used a paper cutter and a rotary cutter)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My total cost for a set of 4 coasters (minus glue) was around $1. I never buy anything full price though, so $2 may be a more realistic total.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I cut my squares 4 1/8" by 4 1/8" so there would be a tiny little border around the edge of the tile. The tiles angle just slightly at the edge, so having a little border makes it easier to get the edges to lay down flat--but your tiles might be slightly different.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Next, apply the Mod Podge to the top surface of the tiles with a foam brush. Apply any excess on the edges of your paper before you lay it down. If you want a little more wiggle room once you've laid the paper down, put on a little more glue--it will allow you to slide the paper around more. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7NHWI0M2yCk/TyypY0doCuI/AAAAAAAAAh8/GAMXRY-oaF8/s1600/020.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7NHWI0M2yCk/TyypY0doCuI/AAAAAAAAAh8/GAMXRY-oaF8/s320/020.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705121071836433122" /></a>After the glue has dried, use the foam brush again to apply a layer of Mod Podge over the paper to seal it. I allowed that coat to dry and put on a second coat. If you're worried about drippy drinks, you may want to coat the coaster with some acrylic sealer once you're finished, but the Mod Podge finish should be fine for light use.<div><br /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQw-Thgz9PQ/TyypxtvugLI/AAAAAAAAAiI/g9i89uSR_P8/s320/021.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705121499530035378" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7NHWI0M2yCk/TyypY0doCuI/AAAAAAAAAh8/GAMXRY-oaF8/s1600/020.JPG"><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center; "></div></a><div>Once your coasters are dry, you can then finish off the rough underside of the tile with a piece of felt or fleece. I had some felt squares lying around ($0.20 at Walmart), so I used the tile itself as a template to cut the felt with a rotary cutter and a cutting board. In order to keep the felt from being larger than the tile, I slid the bottom and right edge of the tile just slightly over the edge of the felt and then used a the rotary cutter to very quickly cut the material. Using a pen to mark the felt this way and then cut with a scissors should work just fine too.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7NHWI0M2yCk/TyypY0doCuI/AAAAAAAAAh8/GAMXRY-oaF8/s1600/020.JPG"><br /><br /></a></div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3hwucNsY1Z4/TyyqoISBymI/AAAAAAAAAiU/i4Hp2x2gnVA/s320/033.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705122434366163554" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center; "></div><div>Glue the felt squares to the bottom of your tile using a fabric glue like Tacky Glue.</div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><br /></u></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7NHWI0M2yCk/TyypY0doCuI/AAAAAAAAAh8/GAMXRY-oaF8/s1600/020.JPG"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7NHWI0M2yCk/TyypY0doCuI/AAAAAAAAAh8/GAMXRY-oaF8/s1600/020.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OK6kjea04r4/Tyyq9JBstMI/AAAAAAAAAig/7jsGOzqZf0c/s320/041.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705122795343361218" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">When I was done, I ended up with a classy looking set of tile coasters. I was pleased with my project, and when I showed them to hubby he said, "They cost how much to make? You could totally sell those!" This is high praise from the man who puts up with my piles of in progress projects. :) I'm not sure I want to start churning out tons of coasters, but they would certainly make great gifts.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7NHWI0M2yCk/TyypY0doCuI/AAAAAAAAAh8/GAMXRY-oaF8/s1600/020.JPG"><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center; "><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TLNJPQ-uIAQ/TyyrN9sx4TI/AAAAAAAAAis/m6SpYj795eQ/s320/057.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705123084360606002" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div></a><div><div><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-1470600566059573732?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-89480631309547396652012-02-02T10:02:00.001-08:002012-02-02T10:11:49.324-08:002012-02-02T10:11:49.324-08:00Crafting in Process: Loom Scarf<div style="text-align: left;">I was able to pick up some round hoop loom and long loom sets from Tuesday Morning. Each set had four looms for $7.99. I thought it was a steal! (They are just like this one below that sells for $16-25 on Amazon.)</div><div><br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61eTYvguFBL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></div><div>So now I have to teach myself how to use them. Since I have zero knitting skill and I was taught how to do the basic crochet stitch about 10 years ago and have forgotten it all...I'm a real novice when it comes to doing this kind of stuff. My husband bought me a book...and I watched some videos on youtube...and then I started making a scarf using the most basic stitch pattern and a variegated yarn. This is what I have so far--I'll update you when it's done. Perhaps I'll do a tutorial if I get to the point where I feel like I have a clue at what I'm doing. :)<div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D0OvQZ6skbA/TyrP3NcEkPI/AAAAAAAAAhk/6nAgc1l11S8/s1600/014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D0OvQZ6skbA/TyrP3NcEkPI/AAAAAAAAAhk/6nAgc1l11S8/s320/014.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704600425425309938" /></a>Happy Crafting!</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-8948063130954739665?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-56508472506506929802012-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:002012-02-18T21:18:49.291-08:002012-02-18T21:18:49.291-08:00Glitter Magnets<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; ">I've seen posts all over the web about making magnets out of glass gems that you can buy at the craft or dollar store. So I thought I'd give </span><a href="http://www.tuscanydesign.net/craftbook/2011/06/glitter-glass-magnets-and-pins/" style="text-align: left; ">one of them</a><span style="text-align: left; "> a try: Glitter Magnets.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>You'll need the following:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol><li>Clear Glass Gems</li><li>Mod Podge and Foam Brush for Application</li><li>Glitter</li><li>Craft Magnets and Glue of Choice for Attaching</li></ol><div>Lay out your glass gems flat side up on a piece of paper or a paper plate to catch the glitter, and paint a layer of Mod Podge onto the gem. Dust the gem liberally with your favorite glitter and let dry. The finer the glitter is, the better it will work for this project. The glitter will catch the light the most if it's left in a pile on the back of the bead and not pressed down, so it's really a very easy project. Just dump and leave it alone.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><u><br /></u></span></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qQ5wPT51nGo/TtcEywURT-I/AAAAAAAAAeU/HYlw_geLPTQ/s320/015.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681014724961062882" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Once your glitter and glue has dried, dump off excess and paint another layer of Mod Podge over the glitter and dust with a second layer of glitter. Once dry, dump off excess glitter and stick on a magnet with E-6000 glue or a glue gun. The finished product is a cute addition to any fridge.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yDc4yRt5mVc/TyTJ6_6BjVI/AAAAAAAAAhY/GgLq46y5E0E/s320/024.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702905043582291282" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-5650847250650692980?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277117531358513857.post-38768107637796752942012-01-27T15:37:00.001-08:002012-03-08T16:21:50.137-08:002012-03-08T16:21:50.137-08:00Fleece Rope Bones<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left; ">I love my dog, and I'm always on the lookout for crafty projects I can do for my dog. It nicely combines two of my favorite things. After scouring the internet, I found </span><a href="http://www.hgtv.com/handmade/how-to-weave-a-fleece-rope-dog-toy/index.html" style="text-align: left; ">this project</a><span style="text-align: left; ">. To make rope bones out of leftover fleece.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So I dug out my handy cutting board and ruler and sliced up some folded fleece. You don't need to get the fabric super straight--this project is very forgiving. Using the rotary cutter was by far the fastest way to do this project, but it would work just fine with a scissors. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>You'll need:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Fleece (a scrap that's about 24" by 6" will make one rope bone)</div><div style="text-align: left;">something to cut the fleece with</div><div style="text-align: left;">and something to anchor your rope</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I cut some of the fleece 1 1/2 inches thick for my sister's dog (who's about 10 pounds) and some 2 inches thick for my dog and my parent's dog (who are between 15 and 30 lbs). You can cut the fleece thicker for larger dogs.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tsnStOGPZrs/TyM1xf_-GRI/AAAAAAAAAgM/08DMC4E6ozU/s320/079.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702460677700851986" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">After the pieces have been sliced up, you can choose how long you want your rope bones--they end up about 2/3 the length after they've been braided. Once you've cut three pieces the same length, tie a knot in one end and attach it to something so it doesn't move. You could use a clothes pin or even a clipboard, but I decided to go with the good old tried and true friendship bracelet making method of safety pinning it to my awesome yoga pants. Hey, it may not be pretty, but it worked.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oXc1bLt7ZMc/TyM3VOdDq5I/AAAAAAAAAgw/GyS3xyHvR-U/s1600/093.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hnsnvepuae8/TyM2D7Hm_zI/AAAAAAAAAgY/gIWKSMDskgc/s320/090.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702460994218295090" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "></div></a><div style="text-align: left;">Then braid away. There is usually one side of the fleece that wants to be braided first based on how the knot has made them fall--just go with it and it should lay flat. The only tricky part of this project was tying the knot at the end. It took a little practice to figure out just how much space I needed to leave myself to be able to tie the knot (note: it was more that I thought). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oXc1bLt7ZMc/TyM3VOdDq5I/AAAAAAAAAgw/GyS3xyHvR-U/s1600/093.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oXc1bLt7ZMc/TyM3VOdDq5I/AAAAAAAAAgw/GyS3xyHvR-U/s320/093.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702462390977932178" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oXc1bLt7ZMc/TyM3VOdDq5I/AAAAAAAAAgw/GyS3xyHvR-U/s1600/093.JPG"></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">After you've tied your knot, trim the excess and slice it into smaller pieces to create a tassel as shown in the picture above. Then you've got yourself a washable dog toy that won't shed strings, not to mention it being completely customizeable to your dog, easy, and cheap since it can be made with scraps. Molly loves these rope bones!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8d-oobEb1DM/TyRb2pMCz7I/AAAAAAAAAhI/n1syTLXKUxw/s320/001.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702784022485323698" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6277117531358513857-3876810763779675294?l=unoriginalcraft.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Sarah Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09030073709435376851noreply@blogger.com0