September 1, 2010GilliancloseAuthor: GillianName: Gillian Grimm Site:http://driedfigsandwoodenspools.blogspot.com/ About: Gillian Grimm lives in Charlottesville, Virginia where she balances writing, cooking and crafts with eight chickens, two kids, a dog, a cat and a husband. As the daughter of a Journalist, she grew up all over the United States, switching schools, towns and newspapers every few years and loved every minute of it! She now works as a freelance writer, primarily in the craft industry but with a few forays into travel writing, narrative non-fiction and educational matters. Gillian was recently published in the literary journal the “The Northville Review”. You can find more of Gillian’s work at “Dried Figs and Wooden Spools”.See Authors Posts (75)Crafts, Floral Crafts, Green Crafting, Holidays & Seasons, Home Decor, ProjectsNo Comments
In the last few weeks, my summer flowers have begun to fade and the mums are starting to make a showing in my garden. Fall is on the way. From one of the windows of our house we have been watching tiny, bright yellow birds feast of the shriveling heads from our row of sunflowers. It’s been so much fun watching them flit and fly around the plants that I decided to spread the wealth around the house so that we had a view form every window with these sunflower head feeders.
If you don’t have sunflowers growing in your yard, you can sometimes find them through crafts stores, florists or even your local farmers market.
1. Use the wire cutters to trim the stalk of the flowers back as far as you can.
2. Cut a 12 inch piece of wire and thread it through the back of one of the flowers. If the wire is bending, use the needle to make a hole in the flower before you push the wire through. Use your pliers to pull it out the front side of the flower and then thread it back through to the back about 1/4 of an inch over from where the first hole is.
3. Using the same wire, repeat the process with the other head so that the two flowers lie back to back.
4. Pull the wired tightly and twist together to secure. Trim ends.
5. Thread the ribbon between the two heads below where the wire connects them. Bring the two ends of the ribbon up over the top of the flowers and tie a knot just at the edge of the flower heads. Tie another knot in the ribbon about 8 inches up, leaving a loop in between knots.
6. Hang from a tree near a window and watch the birds flock!
August 25, 2010Mable CraftsalotcloseAuthor: Mable CraftsalotName: Mable Craftsalot Site:http://www.Facebook.com/CreateForLess About: The name says it all! Mable Crafts-alot is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills. Mable has never met a craft she didn’t like! Mable spends her free time attending craft classes at local community centers, and even teaches a few. When she is not crafting she enjoys cooking, reading, photography and gardening. Mable loves to connect with other crafters to share project ideas, discuss craft trends and chat about favorite crafting tools and techniques. To learn more about Mable, become her friend on Facebook!See Authors Posts (18)Crafts, Holidays & Seasons, Jewelry Making, Projects1 Comment
By Crafts-a lot Contributor, Mable who is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills.
So I bet you’ve probably have been to one or thrown a bridal shower. My best friend is getting married later this month and I wanted to send her into matrimony with the best shower ever! The other bridesmaids and I were brainstorming ideas to add a little something something to the party to make it fun. That’s when it came – themed bachelorette party. More specifically a Kentucky Derby themed bridal shower party!
The most important part of the Kentucky derby (while besides the races I guess!) is the fashion. And the HATS! I started with a fun, big, bright red floppy hat. I choose some ribbon, feathers and flowers that matched my red hat.
I wrapped a 1 ½” ribbon around the base of the hat. I choose this red and white polka-dotted ribbon because it’s obviously very cute.
Next I added a sheer white ribbonto the side; I looped and glued it 4 times to add some shape.
I arranged the flowers a few different ways before gluing to see what looked best. I glued on 2 silk hibiscus flowers after cutting off the wire stems. I liked the large hibiscus in the center, and the yellow forsythia and other branches around it. When gluing down the flowers stems, remember the glue gun is your friend!
Once you have finished gluing everything down, pat yourself on the back because you are ready for the Kentucky Derby! (The Kentucky Derby is usually the end of April beginning of May)
Check back later to see how I made a Bridal Sombrero for the “Margaritas and Senoritas” bachelorette party!
August 8, 2010Mable CraftsalotcloseAuthor: Mable CraftsalotName: Mable Craftsalot Site:http://www.Facebook.com/CreateForLess About: The name says it all! Mable Crafts-alot is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills. Mable has never met a craft she didn’t like! Mable spends her free time attending craft classes at local community centers, and even teaches a few. When she is not crafting she enjoys cooking, reading, photography and gardening. Mable loves to connect with other crafters to share project ideas, discuss craft trends and chat about favorite crafting tools and techniques. To learn more about Mable, become her friend on Facebook!See Authors Posts (18)Crafts, Holidays & Seasons, Needlearts, Paper Crafts, ProjectsNo Comments
By Crafts-a lot Contributor, Mable who is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills.
I love Birthdays! My birthday was a few weeks ago, and I received the cutest gift bag from my crafty friend Kim. She made a felted cake with candles, and glued to the front of my card. I loved the idea so much I stole it and used it to make a birthday gift bag.
To create this cupcake felt appliqué, start with a square piece of felt. The first layer of felt will be the cupcake holder. I cut the bottom piece of felt in the shape of a cupcake. Lay the felt on your foam block, and take pieces of a different color roving felt and make long “snakes” by rubbing them in your palms. Attach the roving felt snakes to the bottom felt with your felting needle. To do this, push the needle through the roving felt into the bottom felt. Repeat this around the edges of each stripe on the cupcake holder.
For the cupcake top, I took yellow roving felt and formed a circle. I laid it on the round part of my cupcake bottom felt piece and secured the yellow roving felt with my felting needle. My cupcake was completely shaped with three small circles.
I decorated my cupcake with a flower also made from roving felt. To make the flower I made another “snake” from red roving felt. I attached one end to the cupcake, made a loop, and attached the other end to make each bloom. There were five loops to make my flower.
After my flower was done, it was ready to be glued onto the gift bag. I had decorated the gift bag by gluing 2 different patterned birthday scrapbook sheets down to make the backdrop. Next I just needed to glue down my felt cupcake with the hot glue gun.
July 22, 2010GilliancloseAuthor: GillianName: Gillian Grimm Site:http://driedfigsandwoodenspools.blogspot.com/ About: Gillian Grimm lives in Charlottesville, Virginia where she balances writing, cooking and crafts with eight chickens, two kids, a dog, a cat and a husband. As the daughter of a Journalist, she grew up all over the United States, switching schools, towns and newspapers every few years and loved every minute of it! She now works as a freelance writer, primarily in the craft industry but with a few forays into travel writing, narrative non-fiction and educational matters. Gillian was recently published in the literary journal the “The Northville Review”. You can find more of Gillian’s work at “Dried Figs and Wooden Spools”.See Authors Posts (75)Crafts, Holidays & Seasons, Kid's Crafts, Projects1 Comment
Whether you’re sending the kids off to camp this summer or just dropping them at your parents for the weekend, it’s always nice to get a note from them so you can see what they are up to. Send them off on their adventure with a set of cards made by their own hands (and don’t forget the pre-addressed and stamped envelopes!) to help ensure you get a few scribbled lines from them while they are away having fun!
1. Brush paint in a pattern over the bubbles, try stripes or paint each dot a different hue, let them go a little crazy with the paint. You’ll want to work fairly quickly so that the paint doesn’t dry before you make your print, but even if some of the dots don’t print, you’ll still get a fun look!
2. Center your paper over the painted bubbles and smooth so that every bubble comes in contact with the paper.
3. Peel the paper back carefully and lay flat to dry.
4. Fold into cards and pack them up with the envelopes in their bags and they are ready to go!
By Sparkle Crafts Contributor, Sparkle E. Glitter from the blog “Sparkle Studio”.
If you have a scrap wood bin, this project is made for you. If you don’t, head over to the store and pick up a bag of scrap wood. The pieces do not need to match, or even be cut straight. The more differences your pieces have, the more charming your project will be.
Choose a word or a name that you would like to display. This project can be adapted to holidays: Noel, Love, Thanks. Or make the blocks with your family name. What a nice gift this is for anyone on any occasion.
Basecoat wood pieces black. Let dry. Paint the edges of the blocks turquoise, lime and hot pink. Let dry.
Using Big & Glitzy, print a letter on each block, with a frame around it in a different color. Add stripes, dots, squares or whatever fits your project.
This is your chance to be creative with color and design. Make this reflect you!
July 8, 2010GilliancloseAuthor: GillianName: Gillian Grimm Site:http://driedfigsandwoodenspools.blogspot.com/ About: Gillian Grimm lives in Charlottesville, Virginia where she balances writing, cooking and crafts with eight chickens, two kids, a dog, a cat and a husband. As the daughter of a Journalist, she grew up all over the United States, switching schools, towns and newspapers every few years and loved every minute of it! She now works as a freelance writer, primarily in the craft industry but with a few forays into travel writing, narrative non-fiction and educational matters. Gillian was recently published in the literary journal the “The Northville Review”. You can find more of Gillian’s work at “Dried Figs and Wooden Spools”.See Authors Posts (75)Crafts, Holidays & Seasons, Kid's Crafts, Projects1 Comment
This past weekend we celebrated our daughter’s fourth birthday with a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. On top of the cake and the “Eat Me!” cookies and the croquet and the teapots, one of the things I knew we had to have to make it a very Wonderlandy party was, of course, hats! But how to make hats for a heard of three and four year olds? The answer came form one of my Aunties, who used to be an art teacher and is also the mother of a dress up loving girl. Wrapping paper hats! But don’t just think of these as party hats, this simple project is the perfect rainy day, or too hot and sunny day activities to keep the “I’m Bored’s” away.
You’ll need:
Wrapping paper cut into two foot lengths – any paper works here and a mixture of patterns makes it more fun, so this is a great opportunity to use of the last of the rolls you have tucked away in a closet somewhere Masking tape Ribbons, flowers,streamers, stickers – get creative here and raid your craft cupboard
Stack two or three sheets of wrapping paper so they are not quite aligned. Center them on top of your child’s head and shape it gently around the crown of their head. If you have an extra pair of hands available (older kids are great helpers here) have them hold the paper in place while you wrap the tape around the base of the crown.
Once the hat is formed, let the kids go crazy with decorating it. Roll up the edges of the brim, wrap ribbon around the crown, add bows or flowers or glitter or whatever they want to make the hats their own.
July 4, 2010Mable CraftsalotcloseAuthor: Mable CraftsalotName: Mable Craftsalot Site:http://www.Facebook.com/CreateForLess About: The name says it all! Mable Crafts-alot is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills. Mable has never met a craft she didn’t like! Mable spends her free time attending craft classes at local community centers, and even teaches a few. When she is not crafting she enjoys cooking, reading, photography and gardening. Mable loves to connect with other crafters to share project ideas, discuss craft trends and chat about favorite crafting tools and techniques. To learn more about Mable, become her friend on Facebook!See Authors Posts (18)Crafts, Holidays & Seasons, Home Decor, ProjectsNo Comments
By Crafts-a lot Contributor, Mable who is an avid reader of craft blogs & magazines and has aspirations to improve her crafting skills.
I love the 4th of July, it’s one of my favorite holidays and for sure my favorite day of the summer! Every year I bring a patriotic themed decoration or centerpiece to my friend’s BBQ (centerpieces are kind of my thing!) Since we’ve been friends many years, I needed some new red, white and blue craft ideas.
To get some visual ideas, I went to the Mecca of videos: YouTube. Whenever I’m in need of an idea, I’ll see if someone has made a video on their projects. And 9 out of 10 times, I can get inspired by someone! After I watched a few videos I knew what I was going to make. Below is the video I watched and I thought had the most ideas for your 4th of July party décor. And it’s all stuff you probably were going to use at your party anyways!
For any future need, here are my favorite YouTube channels:
