Chevron! It’s everywhere! Have you noticed? From DIY painted rugs to trays to clothes, the classic chevron print is back in a big way. And there are so many places to use it! Clothing, furniture, accessories, it’s crisp lines and classic style make it adaptable to so many applications, and because of its simplicity, it’s perfect for the DIY diva.

I love the color pop that this chevron coat hook brings to the wall.

Click photo for the Chevron Wall Hook Tutorial

And this chair cushion couldn’t be easier. This look is easily achieved by using the friendship bracelet knot technique.

Click photo for the Chevron Chair Cushion Tutorial

Check out more Chevron Style on our Craft Trends Pinboard. How would you use it?

I’ve wanted to do this Tea Lamp project for awhile now, ever since I saw this lamp at Anthropology but I didn’t want to drill through anything. Then I remembered seeing a no drill option in one of my magazines. So I went through my magazine drawer and sure enough I found it in the April 2009 issue of Country Living. It’s an easy three step process that uses clay instead of drilling. I had lots of fun making this lamp and I hope you guys try it. Please email me if you have any questions and send me pictures of your lamp if you do try it….Happy Crafting Everyone!

Total Cost: $21

Materials needed: Tea pot, tea cups, saucers, lamp kit, Amaco self-hardening clay, Super Glue Gel.

Step One: Gather the materials you would like to use.

Step Two: Arrange the tea cups and dishware in the way you would like your lamp to look. I suggest using a steady heavy bowl for your base.

Step Three: Fill the top tea cup with clay and set the already assembled lamp kit about an inch deep inside. Leave room so you are able to remove the harp if you want to. Let it set for 24 hours.

Step Four: Glue the remaining elements together with a thin line of Super Glue Gel. This glue is no joke so make sure you have the placement right before you set the dishware down. Let the glue dry for a minute before gluing on the next one.

Step Five: Glue on the top tea cup in 24 hour then wait a day for the lamp to set before adding a lamp shade….That’s it…Enjoy!

Ok, raise your hands if there is a table in your house that your can’t look at for another minute. Every time you pass by it sitting there is just stares at you and says, “I’m ugly, but you’re too afraid to get rid of me!” and then it says something else, “you don’t have the nerve to get rid of me because where would you pile up your junk mail!”. Well, it’s time to shut that annoying table up once and for all and give it a face lift. Trust me, it will make you happy and the only thing your table will say when you pass it by will be “thank you!” so go grab your glue gun!

YOU’LL NEED:

• 2 woven Chinese mats
• 1 roll of 3/8″ grosgrain ribbon that matches (I used olive green)
• Elmer’s wood glue
• 2″ wide soft bristle brush
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun and glue
• Minwax Polycrylic coating (best stuff on earth!)

HERE’S HOW:

STEP 1: GATHER YOUR SUPPLIES!

STEP 2: Measure your table top and cut out the same size from the woven mat.

STEP 5: When the entire table is covered in mat, take the hot glue gun and start applying the grosgrain ribbon around all of the edges. Take your time and make sure that you are covering the rough edges of the mat with the ribbon.

STEP 6:  Coat the entire table (even the ribbon!) with the Minwax Polycrylic coating and let dry.

One of the “in” and fun thing is to use a sketch to create your layouts.   They’re  helpful when you aren’t sure just where to begin or need a little inspiration for a page. This is a simple sketch and layout I created.  The one fun thing about using sketches is that your embellishments don’t have to match the ones on the sketch the butterflies here are 2 flowers and 1 butterfly on my layout.  You can turn the elements in any direction you’d like. Card makers use sketches, too! 

The following products can be found at CreateForLess:

• K & Co. Spring Blossom Paper Pad
• K & Co Abrianna Chipboard Chipbox
• Paper Accents Variety Pack Cardstock
• Fiskars Punch Everywhere Starter  Set
• Marvy Uchida Clever Lever Spring Flower Punch
• Paper Trimmer
• Green Brad
• Favorite Marker
• Favorite Taper Runner
• Click to Download Fun with Sketches PDF
  

  Fun with Sketches

Once  you have the paper and embellishments to create the layout,  you will want to print out the sketch and the pictures.  First trim the pictures according to the sizes listed on the Fun with Sketches PDF.   Next, trim the background  paper (yellow Paper Accents Cardstock) to be a little larger than the pictures.  Here I left those measurements up to you because you may have a piece of patterned paper that doesn’t have a large pattern  such as the tulips in the right corner.   My background papers measured 6 ½” x 4 ¼”  for the large photo and 1 ½” x 1 ½” for the smaller ones.  Adhere to photos and the background paper to the layout using your favorite tape runner.  Be sure to keep the sketch design in mind. 

Punch 2 flowers using the Spring Flower Punch and the yellow cardstock and 1 flower from the green cardstock.  Layer the green and one yellow flower on top of the last yellow one and put the green brad through the center.  Attach the flower on the layout where you’d like it.  Remember the fun thing about using a sketch is it’s ok to put things in different places. 

Trim a piece of yellow cardstock for your “title” square that measures 2 ½” x 3″ and lay it aside.  Trim a piece of green cardstock that measures the same size.  Center it in the Fiskars Punch Everywhere as shown in the picture.

The punch is made to punch once to set the pins and then you will have to push down a second time a little harder to make the cut.

You will now have a piece that looks like this.

Place some adhesive on the back of the frame and attach it to the yellow cardstock you trimmed. 

Adhere it onto the layout and write in your message.  Notice on my layout, I turned my frame sideways.  That’s ok because I’ve still used the element of the sketch and made it my own.  Add the flower and butterfly to the layout where you’d like them and your layout is now finished. 

Be sure to use the sketch and create your own layouts!  For even more fun join the CreateForLessFacebook page and share with everyone what you have created. 

Q1. How do I create a vintage look on a layout or card?

A1. A good starting point to achieving a vintage look is by inking the edges of your projects in a brown or sepia ink. Another easy thing to do is to distress the edges of your paper. Once you have them distressed you can ink the distressed edges or leave them alone. If you are doing any stamping on the project you can stamp the image in the brown or sepia ink to give it an old look. Using tan, yellows or brown papers, too, is another great way to achieve a worn, vintage look.

 Q2. Do you have any organization tips?

A2. CreateForLess carries a large selection of organizational and storage items for all of your craft supplies. Some of them are created to fit into your craft space to store things like small tools, ink pads, embellishments and other things in. There are some storage pieces that are designed to help you store your paper especially those 12 x 12 sheets. Don’t forget that sometimes you will want to take your supplies with you so those made with handles and divided sections are good for on the go.

 Q3. What can I use to temporarily mount unmounted stamps?

A3. Tack ‘N Peel are reusable sheets that help your rubber stamps cling to the acrylic or wood block and are the perfect answer to using those unmounted stamps. The adhesive side creates a bond between the sheet and the block which helps keep the sheet from moving and when the stamp is applied you don’t have to worry about it falling off or moving while you stamp the image.

 Q4. How do I keep the intricate pieces from sticking in my dies?

A4. The answer to this is an easy one.  Blue Painter’s Tape.  Since it’s made not to permanently stick and won’t harm surfaces it’s a great choice to use on your dies.  Simply cover the intricate areas on your dies before placing the paper over the top.  Run it through your die cut machine and once you’re done pull the tape off.  Those little pieces pop right out!

Q5. I like to use my distress inks and spritz them with water to use on things, but my paper curls up.  What can I do about that?

A5. The first thing is to make sure that you are not oversaturating the paper.  Watercolor paper is good to use for this technique as it is made to hold water without becoming too wet.  It is made so that when water is placed on it the water sits on the surface and doesn’t bleed the color into the fibers making them less intense and since all the liquids aren’t absorbing into the paper it doesn’t have the chance to saturate and cause the paper to curl.

School is almost out and I wanted to make something special for my Kindergartener’s teacher to wear on the last week of school! It thought that the Lemon Flower Stack would be the perfect “happy, spring” stack for this project!

I created a special badge that says “Best Teacher Ever” for Mrs. M to wear. It shows just how we feel about her!! The top was cut out with a Tim Holtz Sizzix Die….layered patterned paper and chipboard to make it a little sturdy.

Then I layered ribbon that matched the stack to jazz it up a little bit. This ribbon is sooo pretty!!

I hope she likes it! Troy is so excited to give it to her

Kids are just like us, they have that one piece of clothing that they love, the only problem is they grow so fast, it doesn’t fit them anymore. I have several boxes of clothes to be saved for my daughter in hopes that one day she has a little girl, then she can share her faves with her tiny one. Let’s face it, for the most part, in 20 years are they still going to love Elmo? Probably not, there will be something or someone more popular. Most of these clothes will be out dated. Let’s make cute memory pieces now for our kids, so they can continue to love their favorite shirts.

The one shirt used today is a too small tee that my daughter picked out at one of our first shopping sprees.  A favorite of hers and a great memory of mine. The second shirt is one that has holes in the shoulders and a terrible stain on the back, plus yucky arm pits.  

This project uses the favorite print from the t-shirt to make adorable wall hangings.

Supplies:

Embroidery Hoop (large enough to fit your image)
White cardstock
Glue
Pen
Scissors

Optional:

Ribbon

To start, I traced the inside of the inside hoop onto the cardstock. I cut the circle out and put it aside for later.

Next, I laid the shirt out flat on the table. I slid the inside hoop into the bottom of the shirt and centered the image I wanted to frame, then I place the outside hoop down around the inside hoop, on the top of the tee, framing the image. For the case of the Pirate Ship, I used 2 hoops. The larger one I placed first, then to frame the Black Flag, I used a smaller hoop. I made the fabric taut by pulling the edges of the tee while the hoops were set but not tightened. Once both hoops were set, I tightened the screws.

I cut around the hoops leaving an edge that can be wrapped around the frame, a little more than a half inch, were I could. The section where the two hoops almost touched I cut down the center giving each hoop an equal amount.

Once the material is cut, place glue around the inside of the hoop on the back and fold the material around, press the cardstock into the back to cover up the ragged edge of the glued material. Let the glue dry.

If the hoop is to be hung, use the ribbon to make a bow or hanger. Or it can be hung just by the screw.

Additional Ideas:

The one t-shirt, I cross stitched my daughters name and then glittered it.

Before glueing the edges and the cardstock back on, the date coule be embroidered on.

This is a perfect way to let the great prints of baby and toddler clothes live on with new life.

I knew just the thing to work on this afternoon to get me out of my manic Monday…the Mango Frost Stack & Embellishments!  The colors in this stack are gorgeous…tangerine, yellows, melon pink, greens and blues. A super versatile line of stuff if you ask me!!!

I really love this line because of all of the fun embellishments that coordinate with it!! It’s like candy in my scrappy candy store

Used a 1 3/4 circle punch to punch out circles to fill my 12×12 page. I punched 2 circles from each pattern and got a total of 49 circles.

A great way to get the adhesive on all of these little circles, my Xyron Creatopia Machine! LOVE THIS THING!!! Had no idea all of the things it could do!!

This is how it came out of the machine, just peeled back the clear top and all had a perfect layer of adhesive.

It’s just too pretty, had a hard time covering any of it up!! This is definitely a “happy stack”

And here is the finished page! Just added 3 pictures and 2 embellishments. Love how different this layout feels because of the circles. It’s like making your own patterned paper!

There’s nothing more fun than to receive a flower on a special day and what better thing to have is a flower pot that you can keep.  This beautiful flower pot card was created using the new American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy Collection. This would be a great project for Mother’s Day, which is on the 13th.

Plus tomorrow for Free Stuff Friday enter to win a prize pack from the American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy Collection!

Products Used:

• Orange cardstock
• American Crafts Dear Lizzy Patterned Paper:  Hazy Horizons, Sweet Sundress and Warm Memories
• American Crafts Dear Lizzy Ribbon: Printed and Specialty
• Craft Stick
• Foam Sheets in Green
• Wet Glue
• Tape Runner
• Martha Stewart Scoring Board
• Martha Stewart Paper Trimmer
• Stylus
• Scissors
• Ruler and Pencil
• EK Retro Flower Punch
• EK Open Scallop Edger Punch

Begin by cutting a piece of orange cardstock to be 4 ½” x 12″ and score at the 2″ mark using the Martha Stewart Scoring Board.  Now move the 2″ score line over to the left so that it is at the zero mark on the scoring board and score at the 5″ mark.  This will give you 3 sections- one that is 2″ wide and two that are 5″ wide. 

Fold the last 5″ long section up over the other; leaving the 2″ section unfolded.  Measure 1 ¼” in from each side of the paper and make a mark. 

Using a ruler and pencil draw the lines from the marks you just made to the top corners of the 5″ flap as shown in the picture. 

Place the paper in the trimmer matching the pencil line to the trimmer’s cutting track and cut on the pencil line. 

Repeat this step with the other side again lining the pencil line up with the track. 

Using the EK Open Scallop Edger Punch, punch a scalloped edge on the top of the 2″ flap.

Trace 2 of the flower pot shapes using one of the flaps as a template onto the Hazy Horizon sheet and cut them out.  Adhere one sheet with the wavy stripes out onto the front of the flower pot that will be the front of the card.  Lay the second sheet aside for now. 

This is what your card will look like at this point.  Run a piece of tape from your favorite tape runner along the inside edge near the fold.  Tie the ribbon around the flap and fold the flap down to secure. 

Now, punch 8 flowers using the EK Retro Flowers punch and the Sweet Sundress and Warm Memories Patterned Paper from the new American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy line.  Glue them together using your favorite wet adhesive glue.  Taking the stylus and 2 foam sheets stacked on top of one another gently emboss the center of the flowers going in circles until you reach the center.  This will give each petal a little curl to add a little dimension. 

Take one of the foam sheets and trim 4 long strips off to make the flower stems.  Next, fold each strip in half and then open up and add some glue onto one of the halves.  Fold down again and hold until secure.  This will create a stem that is sturdy enough to hold the flowers up right. 

Once the stems are dry, glue them to the flowers using the wet glue and allow them to dry.  After they are dry, run a piece of tape along the edge of your flower pot and place the stems over the tape making sure the flowers are at different heights.  Trim off any excess stems that are below the tape using a pair of scissors.  This will help remove some of the bulkiness when the patterned paper is placed over them. 

Take a craft stick and trace around it onto the Sweet Sundress Patterned Paper, cut it out and adhere it to the craft stick using the tape runner. 

Attach the pinwheel from the American Crafts Dear Lizzy line to the top and put it in the middle of the flowers on the flower pot making sure it is the tallest of all the pieces.

Take the second flower pot shaped paper that you traced earlier and making sure the green side is up; adhere it over the flower stems and the bottom of the pinwheel as shown in the picture. 

Find the four small flower shapes shown in the picture from the Serendipity Thickers and place it in the center of each flower. 

Use one of the cute stamps or fun stickers that are in the new Dear Lizzy line to add a special sentiment to the card and plant some smiles in a person’s day!

Washi tape….love it!! We are sure you have heard of this fabulous Japanese, decorative tape that has taken over the craft world! It comes in so many amazing patterns and colors…some is even glittered! There are so many ways that it can be used from cupcake flags, to cake buntings to making packages pretty!!

Have you used it, if so what have you done with it? We just ordered a bunch of it…can’t wait to start using it!

Washi Tape is made from Washi Paper. The word Washi literally means WA (Japanese) and SHI (paper), Japanese paper, and is used in many traditional Japanese arts, such as origami paper folding. Tougher than wood pulp paper, Washi is commonly made from the bark of the gampi tree, mitsumata shrub, or paper mulberry, but also can be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat. Washi was originally developed from the traditional Chinese paper-making process.

The New American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy Collection is so scrumptiously fun that my imagination went wild when I received it.  I am so excited to share some of the fun new things in the line with all of you!  I know once you see it you’ll have to have it.  I heard recently the colors of this line being described as candy coated and after hearing that I knew the perfect picture I had to use to create this layout. 

Many years ago, I went to school and became a Certified Chocolatier and had this picture of one of my chocolate pieces lying around waiting to be scrapped. After hearing the comment about the colors in this paper line I knew I wanted to use it to go with this picture.  Think of all of the fun pictures that you have waiting to scrap yet and you will soon find that many of them are just waiting for the new American Crafts Neapolitan line, too! 

The New American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy Collection Used Here:

• American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy Patterned Paper- Lucky Laugh & Cheerful Notes
• American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy Large Tags
• Thickers:  Neapolitan Dear Lizzy- Splendid
• American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy Brads
• American Crafts Accent & Phrase Stickers Book
• American Crafts Ruffle Paper
• American Crafts Neapolitan Vellum Sheet:  Sparkling Smile
• Additional Craft Tools Used:
• EK Success 1″ Circle Cutter
• Martha Stewart Travel Trimmer
• Martha Stewart Scoring Board
• Favorite wet glue: I used Tombow Mono Aqua Glue
• Favorite Taper Runner

Often striped paper just isn’t the look we are wanting on a layout, but it could be and we just don’t think about it.  Turn the striped paper so the stripe runs horizontally.  This will always give your layouts a new and creative look because we often don’t think of turning a striped paper in a different direction.   The pastel stripes in the Neapolitan line make it fun to do that! 

I love the new Ruffle Paper in the line.  It can be used as a whole sheet for the background of a layout or trimmed down like I did here and used as an embellishment strip.  It is easy to use in a paper trimmer and can be trimmed as long or wide as you want it.  How fun is that? 

I used my Martha Stewart Scoring Board to score the Ruffle Paper every 1″ and then folded peaks and valleys so that it would stand up off the paper to create a raised dimensional look.  I added two strips of wet glue on 2 of the peaks and glued my picture which was adhered to the dotted paper from the Cheerful Notes sheet. 

I punched a circle from the Sparkling Smiles Vellum sheet and put one of the fun matching brads through it to create a layered look and to fill an empty spot on the layout.  I love that the paper punches so easily and the additional look that is added by using the brads in it! 

The stickers are fantastic!  There are so many different sayings and pictures to add just the right touch to any card or layout.  I had no trouble finding a saying that would work with my chocolate shoe picture.  In fact, I had trouble deciding what one to use so I included several and by adding one of the tags (you get 12 in the package) it allowed me to add more stickers.  

I can’t say how much I love the letters.  The whimsical cursive letters are perfect for titles or whatever you imagination dreams up!  The smaller foam ones add a sharp contrast to the cursive ones to make a statement.  It just doesn’t get any more fun than that! 

The new American Crafts Neapolitan Dear Lizzy line is so much fun all you will want to do is to create with it and not do anything else!

Around my home we always seem to have great opportunities to take pictures of wildlife.  Every year we have several different types of butterflies that enjoy these purple phlox I have planted.  Butterflies are one of my favorite things to take pictures of and make into layouts.  Often though, it is hard to see them in a picture.  Do you have pictures like that?  Where there is so much in the picture it’s hard to see the subject?  There’s a fun way to draw attention to them in your layouts…frame them!      

Supplies Used:

• Bo Bunny Gabrielle Flight 12 x 12 Paper
• Butterfly Embellishments from the Gabrielle Line
• Coredinations Black Magic Cardstock-Orange
• Coredinations Sanding Tool
• Dust Buddy Tack Cloth
• Lagoon Stickles
• EK Layering Heart Punch
• EK Large Butterfly Punch
• Light Yellow Cardstock
• Light Orange Cardstock
•  Orange Coredinations Hocus Pocus Cardstock
• Heritage Cricut Cart
• Cricut Die Cut Machine
• Favorite Adhesive and Tape Runner

     Start by attaching your photos to your layout using your favorite tape runner. 

Punch 1 heart per picture on your layout from the light yellow cardstock using the EK Layering Heart Punch set to the middle heart and lay aside the solid heart to use on another project.   Take the open heart pieces, which will be the frames for the subjects in your photos, and go around the top of the heart with the Lagoon Stickles.  Lay all of the pieces aside to dry.  

Using the EK large butterfly punch, punch 2 butterflies from the orange Coredinations cardstock and sand the wings  with the sanding tool inward leaving the body of the butterfly and antennae black.  Wipe off the pieces using the tack cloth to remove any leftover dust and then run a line of Lagoon Stickles down the center for the body and allow to dry. 

Next, you will use your cricut and the Heritage cart to cut the words “Butterfly Love”.  Set the size to cut to 1″ and cut the words, “Butterfly Love” using the font key on the keypad and the light yellow cardstock. Then, cut them again using the font key and the shadow key turned on together to cut the letters from the light orange cardstock.  Adhere the font letters onto the shadow cut letters using your favorite adhesive. 

Assemble all of the pieces on your layout using your favorite adhesive and tape runner.  Don’t forget to place your hearts around the subjects in your pictures that you love.  On this layout I placed the word “butterfly” unevenly to make it look like  it was floating like a butterfly would; which added extra interest to the title, too.  Have fun adding special features like this to your layouts, also! 

Next time you have the opportunity to capture great photos don’t hesitate to get them even if they are further away.  When you do your layout you can add a frame to bring attention to what you love about the photo! 

I have fun experimenting with different scrapbooking materials and one bad habit I have is to save the packaging from the embossing folders that I buy. One day, I came across them and decided to try making my own embellishments with the leftover packaging. I used my Cuttlebug Embossing Machine, a floral embossing folder, my favorite color of Stickles & viola

Supplies Used:

• K & Company Spring Blossom 12 x 12 Paper Pad
• Yellow and Blue Cardstock
• Stickles:  Glam Pink, True Blue, Firefly and Yellow
• Tombow Mono Liquid Glue
• Weathered Wood Distress Ink Pad
• Martha Stewart Monarch Butterfly Punch
• Fiskars Fingertip Craft Knife
• Self Healing Mat
• Cuttlebug
• Fancy Corners Embossing Folder Set
• Favorite Tape Runner
• Scissors
• Ruler

Remove the packaging from the embossing folders and cut a piece large enough to fit the folder with a pair of scissors.  Run the folder through the Cuttlebug using the “A” plate and 2 “B” plates.

This is what you will have after doing this step. 

On the reverse side, the debossed side, color in the pattern using the Glam Pink and Firefly Stickles.  Allow to it to completely dry.  If you have some areas that you missed you can go over them again to fill them in.  Use the Yellow Stickles to put a dot for the flower center on the embossed (top) side of the piece.

We often use a mat behind the photo, but I have a second way that I like to bring on the attention…by adding a frame around the picture.  Begin by measuring just the picture; not counting any border that you have left around the outside. The photos I used measured 2 7/8″ x 2 7/8″ so I cut a 3 ½” x 3″ piece of yellow cardstock.  Next, measure the photo from the edge to the side of the actual photo and then measure that on the all sides of the cardstock and connect the lines.  It will give you a frame that looks like this. 

Using the penciled in lines as your cutting guide, cut the inside of the square out using the Fiskars Fingertip Craft Knife and self healing mat.  Remove the center piece.

Adhere the photos using a tape runner and put the frames over the photos using either a dot of Tombow Mono Liquid Glue or a little tape from the tape runner on each corner.  Also, adhere the dried Stickled embellishment you created to the center of the layout using small dots of glue on the areas colored with the Stickles so it’s not seen. Let dry.   

Punch 8 butterflies using the Martha Stewart Butterfly punch and blue cardstock.  Ink the edges of 4 of them with the ink pad.  Layer the pieces to create 4 butterflies and add the True Blue Stickles to create the bodies.  Once these are dry, glue them to the corners of the frames using the Tombow Mono Liquid Glue. 

You know have a finished layout using recycled items. It’s a great way to create fun embellishments and to recycle the packaging from the tools you buy.

May 13^th is Mother’s Day, and moms love handmade gifts. Moms deserve more than one day a year to know how much they are loved. Make your mom something special this year with these quick and easy DIY Mother’s Day gift ideas.

Looking for something to do with all of your Instagram photos? Size down your favorite photos and make Tiny Polaroid Magnets for your lovely mom.

Tiny Polaroid Magnets

Is your mom a coffee drinker? Make these yummy flavored syrups and your mom will think of you while making her morning cup of Joe. Find the instructions for this tutorial here.

Make Your Own Coffee Syrup

If jewelry is something your fashionable mom likes, try these Easy Button Rings. This tutorial only has 3 steps. The hardest part is picking out which buttons to use.  

Easy Button Rings

How about a spring flower pin? This quick tutorial makes a nice silk flower that will add color to any outfit.

Make your own Silk Flower Brooches

My darling little son recently broke one of my bracelets! Great! Along with the one I broke last month, I was pretty bummed! I hated to toss what remained of the bracelet so I held onto it until today. I am always losing pens, so I decided to make a pen/pencil holder. I think this turned out much better than and cheesy pencil holder I could buy at the local retailers. Additionally, this would be really pretty to throw a tea light candle in it! Bam! It’s multi functional!

What you will need:

• Mason Jar
• Hot Glue Gun
• 2-3 Glue Sticks
• Decorating supplies (I used a broken bracelet, but other ideas are broken jewelry, broken ceramic, beads, gems, buttons, etc…)

Directions:

Using a hot glue gun decorate your mason jar. Be sure to get an idea of what you want it to look like before gluing your décor into place.

I used mine as a pen holder, but I think this would be beautiful with a tea light candle in it as well!

This would be a really great gift idea too!

Pop up cards are fun to make, and to using a sketch to put the embellishments on, adds a whole new level of fun.  They are 2 of my favorite things and I know after creating this one they will be on your lists of favorites, too. 

Supplies Used:

• Blue Cardstock
• Yellow Cardstock
• White Cardstock
• Hippity Dance in the Rain by Imaginisce
• Hippity Honey Bunny by Imaginisce
• Ink Pad
• Acrylic Block
• Martha Stewart Craft Knife
• Martha Stewart Scoring Board
•  3-d Adhesive Squares
• Garden Life Stamp By Inkadinkado
• ½” Circle Punch
• Paper Trimmer
• Favorite Tape Runner
• Favorite Markers
• April Showers bring May Flowers Sketch (Click to Download)

First, print out the sketch and then move onto cutting the blue cardstock to be 6″ x 6″.  Also, cut the Hippity Dance in the Rain sheet in half to give you two 6″ x 6″ sheets.  Adhere a piece of the patterned paper to one side of the cardstock for the outside of the card.  Turn cardstock to the other side and tape the other piece of patterned paper to it making sure that the patterns on each side are different and that they are not upside down.  Fold the card in half after scoring the center with the scoring board.

Measure 2 3/8″ from each side of the card and make a mark.  From the center fold, measure ¾” above the fold and ¾” below the fold and make a mark at both points.  Place the card on the scoring board and score  the horizontal lines as shown in the picture.  Cut  vertically through all of the layers from the top score line to the bottom score line on each end as shown in the picture. Fold the center of the piece so that it “pops” out towards you.  Lay it aside. 

Stamp your image onto white cardstock and color with your favorite markers.  Cut around the image to make a 4 ¼” x 4 ¼” square.  Cut a piece of yellow cardstock that measure 4 ½” x 4 ½” and adhere the stamped image to it using your favorite tape runner.  Adhere it to the bottom of the pop up stand that you cut in the step above. 

Now using the sketch, add the embellishments to the inside and outside of the card.  Remember in using a sketch the embellishments do not have to be the same as what is shown, but should in some way resemble it.  Here I used the sketch and changed the clouds to umbrellas that I hand cut from the Hippity Honey Bunny Sheet.  I, also, use it to cut the sentiments out and adhered them to the card using the 3-d adhesive.  I used a ½” circle punch to punch the 3 birds out  which take the place of the flowers on the sketch.  

 Now it’s your turn!  Go have some fun and create this card so you can add it to your favorite things to create list, too!   

I was obsessed with shrinky dinks as a kid, OBSESSED. They were magical and fun and the only bad thing about them was that I could use up a whole pack in about twenty minutes. So the idea of full sheets of shrink plastic, the DIY possibilities for grown up projects  has me absolutely giddy with excitement. Check out some of these amazing ideas for what used to be just for kids.

Custom buttons! I can think of so many projects where these would be the finishing touch!

 Rings? Who knew? How cool!

And this beautiful necklace – it’s hard to believe that’s just markers and shrink plastic, right? Incredible!

The kids can still have fun with it too. I love this idea of making play money with the kids out of shrink plastic. Fantastic.

Check out these and more at our craft trends board and let us know what you would do set loose with a few sheets of shrink plastic!

 photos via: scissorpaperwok.com, curbly.com, lillybeanmarket.blogspot.com

If you’re like me, it’s tough to toss jars when you’re creative because you know they will come in handy for something! Last year I wrote an article for Hamptons Magazine and thought I’d share with you the project I made especially for them.

YOU’LL NEED:

• Jars in different sizes
• Yarn
• Masking tape
• White Krylon spray paint
• Fabric cut on the bias 1 1/2″ wide by 10″ per jar
• Tea lights

HERE’S HOW:

1. After your jars are sparkly clean, tightly wrap them with yarn in a crisscross pattern and tape the ends on the underside or the inside so they stay in place. Don’t place the tape on the outside of the jar where you will be painting.

2. Cover an area in newspaper and give the jars 3 light coats of white Krylon spray paint (waiting 5-10 minutes in between coats) and let dry.

3. Remove the yarn and wrap the tops with the bias fabric securing them with a knot. You could also use ribbon for the tops, it’s up to you.

4. Add your tea lights and set your table.

I have a confession. I’m dreaming of writing a craft book. As much as I enjoy making finished products, I’m happiest when sitting at my craft table, dreaming up new projects. It must be the scientist in me but I just love experimenting. So I’m thinking of writing a book. Which means I am putting lots of extra time into craft experiments and tutorials. With that in mind, here is another one of my crafty experiments. Enjoy.

As you may know, I love playing with shrinky dink. I had so much fun dreaming up the woven shrinky dink bracelet. This time, I took it to the next level and incorporated another childhood favorite, Perler beads. To start, draw out the shape of an artist’s palette on white shrinky dink. You can freehand it if you feel confident, otherwise just print and trace.

Cut it out and then cut out the thumb hole. I used a hole punch and then scissors to enlarge the whole a bit. I also punched a whole to hang it from but later realized this was irrelevant; it melted away.

Bake your shrinky dink at 325 degrees F to shrink it.  Now take it out of the oven and crank the temperature up to 375 degrees F.  Arrange your Perler beads around the palette; these will be your paint blobs.

Okay. Now put it all back in the oven and be careful not to knock the Perler beads over. It took about 20min for my beads to melt into blobs. During this time, you will notice that your shrinky dink starts to melt around the edges. That’s fine. Shrinky dink can be cooked at a temperature of 450 degrees F to fuse the pieces together and that typically involves a little melting. [Note- I baked mine on parchment paper, but you may want to use a glass baking dish. According to the directions, shrinky dink needs to be fused on a glass dish. I noticed that my parchment paper baked into a nice tan color at 375 so I probably will try glass next time.]

Once melted, remove from oven and let cool. See what I mean about the small hole I punched melting away? That’s fine though because you can use your thumb hole to attach a chain with a jump ring.

That’s it!  All done.  Now put on your necklace and take some awkward modeling shots of yourself where your head is cut off.  Perfect.

After a while we tend to start giving our layouts the same look or have the same sized pictures so they start looking like the ones we’ve done before. The same numbers of embellishments are on each one, everything is smooth on it or has only one layer to it and they become boring.  How do we change this? 

 I started thinking about the things I’ve learned and used it to create this layout.  One of the first things I was taught is it is more pleasing to the eye to have 6 to 7 items in a grouping.  If you notice in nature flowers most often have 5 or 6 of petals on them and that’s what makes them pleasing to the eye.  For the layout, I grouped 7 flowers using the Que Sera Sera Cardstock and Acetate Die Cuts by K & Co. together.  One thing to note is most packages of embellishments contain an even number of items so it is always best to buy 2 packages so you have that odd number in case you want it. 

Another way to give your layout its own personality, is to give it texture even if it’s on the paper you are using.  Here I was able to match the dots of the Watercolor Bouquet Paper Pad to the Wild Raspberry Flowers and Butterflies patterned paper (the backside of the paper is the one I used) for my layout.  I also added more texture by running my letters through the Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots Embossing Folder which helped take away the smooth, plainness of the paper.  The background paper is already smooth so by creating a texture on the letters it will help tie it all together. 

Layering items and adding items of different sizes including pictures layered on other pieces of paper will add more of a visual effect to the layouts.  Something sticking up off the page always draws attention. A photo lifted off the paper or chipboard pieces such as the butterfly from the Abrianna Chipboard Chipbox by K & Co. are great things to use to add dimension.    

One of the most important elements to creating a scrapbook layout is color.  If the colors are inviting to the eye the more time that is spent looking it over and enjoying it.  Too many colors that don’t flow together can be too overwhelming.  A good rule to go by is to pull the colors from the photos.  There doesn’t need to be a lot of different colors in the photo, but even 2 colors that are utilized are a good starting point.  Remember that you can also choose just a couple of colors and do various hues of those colors to add interest like I did with this layout. 

Remembering these 4 simple things will help you in giving your layouts a personality of their own.