Ruby Rock-It Kinda Krafty Winner!

Posted on May 14, 2013 by dgehring

Alice Golden here with you to announce the lucky winner of the new Kinda Krafty Collection from Ruby Rock-It. This prize includes an assortment of their fun printed papers, as well as some terrific embellishments.

To be entered in the contest, all you had to do was leave a comment on my 5/7 blog post describing your ideal Mother’s Day celebration. From breakfast in bed, to time with family, to time locked away in your craft room, it sounds like you celebrated in style.

This lucky winner will be adding some style to her creative time with this fabulous and fun collection. The winner, as chosen by Random.org, is: Karen Ladd.

Karen told us that her ideal Mother’s Day celebration would be “sleeping in late and then getting my favorite dinner of crispy fried chicken and a strawberry custard cake for dessert!”

Congratulations, Karen! I will be contacting you by email for your mailing address.

Until next time, Happy Krafting!

Alice Golden from Golden Moments (www.alicegolden.typepad.com)

Welcome Friends Garden Sign

Posted on May 14, 2013 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

Look closely! Use an old chair seat to create this welcome sign, or any sign, for your garden!

Materials

Vintage chair seat or wooden plaque, 15” square
DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paints: Lamp Black, Cadmium Yellow, Warm White, Olive Green, Leaf Green, Salem Blue, Sapphire

Tools

Stencils: floral vine of choice; lowercase alphabet, 1-1/2” tall
DecoArt Americana Gel Stain: wood stain of choice
Royal & Langnickel Paintbrushes: Crafter’s Choice Stencil, Series 1⁄4”, 3⁄8”, 1⁄2”; Golden Taklon Liner, Series 595, #1
Drill and drill bits
Sisal rope

Basic Supplies

sandpaper, soft cloth, paintbrush, newspaper (to cover work surface)

Directions

STEP 1

If using vintage chair seat, remove old finish and sand. Apply stain to seat or plaque; wipe with soft cloth.

STEP 2

Stencil “welcome friends” with Lamp Black; shade top right side of letters Warm White. Let dry.

STEP 3

Stencil vines and flowers across top left and bottom right side of sign. Add additional vines and flowers as needed. Stencil leaves and vines Olive Green; shade undersides Warm White. Stencil flowers Salem Blue; shade centers Sapphire. Stencil dots in centers Cadmium Yellow. Use liner brush to paint Leaf Green vein through leaf centers. Let dry.

STEP 4

Drill two holes in top of sign. Insert two sisal rope lengths through holes and knot ends at top.

by Mary Ayres

Beaded Safety Pin Jean Charms

Posted on May 13, 2013 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

Kids can express their personality while adding a bit of flair to their wardrobe with these fun-and-easy safety pin charms.

Materials

Darice 2-1/4” safety pin: gold or silver
Gold or silver charm of choice
Large beads

Directions

(Note: Materials listed are for one charm.)

STEP 1

Open safety pin.

STEP 2

Add beads and charms as desired.

STEP 3

Attach charm onto belt loop.

by Chris Malone

Garden Flowers Towel

Posted on May 12, 2013 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

Invite your garden indoors with this dancing flower tea towel made from linen and homespun fabric.

Materials

Natural linen fabric, 20”x25”
Homespun fabric: green, 5-1⁄2”x19-1⁄2”; scraps (flowers), five prints/colors
Embroidery floss: green, colors to match flower fabric
Flat buttons to coordinate with flower fabric, five

Tools

Sewing machine and matching thread
Embroidery needle
Iron and pressing surface
Therm O Web HeatnBond Lite Iron-On Adhesive

Basic Supplies

scissors, pencil, ruler, transfer paper

Directions

STEP 1

Turn long sides and one short side of linen rectangle under 1⁄4”. Turn edges under 1⁄4” again. To hem, machine stitch close to edges.

STEP 2

With right sides facing, sew one long edge of green rectangle to raw edge of linen rectangle, 1⁄4” from edge. Turn remaining edges of green rectangle under 1⁄4”. Fold green rectangle so long turned edge is even with seam at bottom of linen rectangle. (Note: Right side of fabric should be facing outward.) Hand sew turned edges to bottom edge of towel.

STEP 3

Fuse 2” iron-on adhesive square to back of each flower fabric. Cut two 1-1⁄2”, and one 1-1⁄4”, 1-3⁄8”, and 1-3⁄4” circles from fused fabrics. Print and cut out pattern. (Note: The blue word “pattern” is a link. To access this pattern, select the link, then download and print pattern.) Remove backing from circles. Follow manufacturer’s instructions to fuse circles to towel front.

STEP 4

Use two strands of coordinating-color floss to blanket stitch around flowers. Transfer stems and leaves. Use two strands green to embroider stem stitch on stems and leaves and to sew buttons to flower centers.

by Mary Ayres

Straw Flowers

Posted on May 11, 2013 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

Kids, surprise Mom this Mother’s Day with a special garden of flowers to let her know how much you care!

Materials

2-1⁄2” clay pot
2” plastic-foam ball
Crazy straw in choice of color
3-1⁄4” pre-cut craft foam flower and flower center in choice of color
Green felt, scrap
1⁄2 cup of deer moss

Tools

Thick craft glue
Acrylic Paint in color of choice (optional)

Basic Supplies

scissors, pencil, ruler

Directions

(Note: Materials listed are for one flower.)

1. Press plastic-foam ball into bottom of pot, securing firmly in place. Adhere deer moss to top of foam ball. Let dry.

2. Adhere flower center to flower. Adhere 1” of top end of straw to back of assembled flower.

3. Freehand cut leaves from green felt and adhere to each side of straw as desired.

4. Insert bottom of straw into center of moss and foam ball.

Tip

For extra pizazz, paint flower pots in bright colors!

by Julie Streapy

Great Finds Friday: Zoom Mess-Free Glitter

Posted on May 10, 2013 by lhoman

Welcome to Great Finds Friday! Today, I want to introduce you to an incredibly sparkly, absolutely mess-free glitter option from Zoom Creative Products called Coloring Glitter. Available in a gorgeous palette of 16 colors, each Coloring Glitter kit includes one 3-1/4”x8-1/4” sheet of GlitterFast glitter and one 3-1/4”x8-1/4” sheet of DoubleStick double-sided tape. Here are three cards I created recently using Coloring Glitter. Normally, I wouldn’t shoot photos in bright, overhead sunlight, but I wanted you to be able to really see the sparkle!

For the Happiness Always Card at top left, I die cut double-sided adhesive using one of the new Thinlits Damask & Scallop Borders dies from Sizzix. I also die cut the butterfly from the Sizzix Originals Butterflies & Rings die from double-sided adhesive. I applied the border to cream cardstock and the butterfly directly to the card, removed the top liner, and then simply pressed Desert Sand Coloring Glitter over the adhesive. Burnish firmly with your fingers, then slowly peel away the glitter sheet to reveal the sparkling, detailed design. This glitter will never come off on your fingers or other surfaces, which is fantastic! Here’s a close-up shot:

I must mention that I didn’t use the included double-sided adhesive; I used something else I had on-hand, and the results weren’t as precise as they would have been with Zoom’s adhesive. Zoom’s DoubleStick adhesive sheets can be die cut, punched, or hand-cut. I recommend you use the tape sheet in the kit, but other types of adhesive will work, too. You’ll just need to experiment like I did for the Embrace Life Card shown at top right in the main photo. I applied a line of Aleene’s Tacky Tape Runner down the left side of the card, and then pressed the Cinnamon Coloring Glitter sheet over the adhesive. Next, I applied a line of Aleene’s Tacky Line Roll adhesive on each side of the Cinnamon strip, and then pressed Victorian Pink Coloring Glitter over them. Here’s a close-up shot:

For the Hi Card, I applied adhesive letter stickers to my card, and then pressed Fantastic Fuchsia Coloring Glitter over them. Have you ever seen anything sparkle so much? Wait until you try it for yourself! Here’s a close-up shot:

I used four of the Coloring Glitter kits for my cards — Desert Sand, Fantastic Fuchsia, Victorian Pink, and Cinnamon —but you can see from this photo that I only used a small portion of the glittering sheets. Every little bit of glitter can be pressed from the sheet onto adhesive on all kinds of creative projects. No mess, no waste, no drying time, no worries!

WIN your own Coloring Glitter Kit! Zoom Creative Products has generously offered a complete set of the made-in-the-USA Coloring Glitter kits to be split among four lucky winners! Each winner will receive four individual kits to try. Each kit retails for $3.99. Products can be purchased online at www.zoomcreativeproducts.com or www.joann.com. To win, please leave a comment on this blog post telling me why you love glitter! Winners will be announced in the next Great Finds Friday post on May 24th.

WIN more glitter! In addition, Zoom Creative Products has also offered four StickPiction Magical Glitter Craft Kits for kids to four additional winners. Here’s a photo of the Space is the Place kit. Other kits feature jungle animals, transportation, and sea creatures; each kit retails for $9.99. Leave a comment on this blog post to be entered to win.

SAVE, too! Zoom Creative Products is offering Crafts ‘n things readers an exclusive 50% discount on any order purchased with them through June 30th! When you place your order at www.zoomcreativeproducts.com, enter coupon code cnt and hit “apply” to get the discount. I’ll be ordering a few of the Island Blue kits, shown here, for my summertime cards and scrap layouts. Sparkling waves, indeed!

Finally, a quick announcement! As chosen by Random.org, here are the winners of the three new craft books reviewed in my last Good Finds Friday post on April 26th:

Linda Basile won Adventures in PomPom Land: 25 Cute Projects Made from Handmade Pompoms by Myko Diann Bocek, Lark Crafts (www.larkcrafts.com), ISBN: 978-1-4547-0386-0

Marianne S. won Doodle Stitching: Embroidery & Beyond by Aimee Ray, Lark Crafts (www.larkcrafts.com), ISBN: 978-1-4547-0363-1.

Carla Hundley won Crochet One-Skein Wonders: 101 Projects from Crocheters Around the World edited by Judith Durant & Edie Eckman, Storey Publishing (www.storey.com), ISBN: 978-1-61212-042-3.

Linda, Marianne, and Carla, I will contact you with prize information.

Happy Crafting! And Happy Mother’s Day to all the crafty moms out there!

Dawn Gehring, Crafts ‘n things Editorial Staff

Mosaic Flower Key Holder

Posted on May 10, 2013 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

Forget grout and breaking tiles as in traditional mosaics! This key holder is easy enough for even a beginner. Mom will surely be amazed at your gift this Mother’s Day!

Materials

Wood frame (with glass), 8″x10″ opening
Sheet glass, 8″x10″
Diamond Tech Jennifer’s Mosaic Stained Glass Chips: green, blue, yellow, white
Blue ribbon, 7/8”, 25” length
Metal hinges, 3-1/2”, two
White porcelain doorknob, 1″
Gold cup hooks, 1″, three
Screw eyes, 1″, two

Tools

Acrylic paints: light blue, white
Glass nippers or hammer
Screwdriver
Aleene’s Glass & Bead Adhesive

Basic Supplies

ruler, paintbrush, newspaper (to cover work surface)

Directions

STEP 1

Remove glass from frame. Basecoat frame mixture of light blue and white and hinges blue. Print pattern. (Note: The blue word “pattern” is a link. To access this pattern, select the link, then download and print pattern.)

STEP 2

Use nippers or hammer to carefully break glass chips into assorted sizes. Position pattern underneath glass. Adhere chips to areas as follows, leaving small space between each: blue flower; green leaves; yellow center of flower; white background. Accent background with blue and green chips as desired.

STEP 3

Use hammer to attach hinges to frame, leaving 2″ between. Screw doorknob, hooks, and screw eyes into frame. Refer to photo for placement.

STEP 4

Place sheet glass over mosaic design; place glass in frame. (Note: Sheet glass is needed to ensure safety from glass chips.)

STEP 5

For hanger, thread ribbon through screw eyes; tie bow.

by Frances Lopez for Duncan Enterprises

Mother’s Day Butterfly Card

Posted on May 9, 2013 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

Butterflies are a symbol of good things to come, so make sure this one lands in Mom’s mailbox this Mother’s Day.

Materials

Cardstock: cream, pink, light blue
Crystal adhesive gem

Tools

PSA Essentials Peel & Stick Stamp Sets: Cupcake, Topiary
PSA Essentials Stamper Body and Black Ink Cartridge
Die-cutting system and Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circles SM Dies
Brown ink pad
Markers: pink, green, light blue
Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents
Adhesives: paper adhesive, foam dots

Basic Supplies

paper trimmer, ruler, pencil, sponge dauber

Directions

STEP 1

Make 3-1/2”x5” light blue side-fold card; sponge edges with brown ink.

STEP 2

Cut smaller cream cardstock panel, sponge edges with brown ink, and adhere to card.

STEP 3

Stamp butterfly and dot circle image from Cupcake set onto cream cardstock. Color image with markers and die cut into small circle. Die cut larger pink cardstock circle. Sponge edges of both circles with brown ink; adhere circles together. Adhere butterfly motif to card with foam dots.

STEP 4

Stamp black sentiment in center of card as shown; adhere gem as shown.

STEP 5

Carefully coat butterfly image with Glossy Accents; let dry.

Tip

For a little more sparkle, highlight the butterfly’s wings with glitter glue instead of Glossy Accents.

by Vera Winters Yates for PSA Essentials (www.psastampcamp.blogspot.com)

Iris Vase

Posted on May 8, 2013 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

At first glance, you might think this is a rusted-metal vase, but it’s actually made from flexible polymer clay! The technique is easy and you’ll love the results. With Mother’s Day less than a week away, this would make a great last-minute gift for Mom.

Materials

Glass vase, 6” tall
Kato Polyclay Oven-bake Polymer Clay, 3 oz. blocks: Blue, Green, Copper
Iris stencil or stencil of choice

Tools

Craf-T Products, Inc. Metallic Rub-On Color Kit #1, Blue
Clay accessories: slicing blade, six-sided ruler, craft knife, clay-dedicated pasta machine
3M Scoth-Brite Multi-Purpose Scour Pad

Basic Supplies

parchment-lined baking sheet or ceramic tile, oven

Directions

STEP 1

Mix together two 10mm sections each of Blue, Green, and Copper, following manufacturer’s instructions to measure and condition. Condition six 10mm sections of Copper.

STEP 2

Roll mixture and copper into separate logs. Roll and twist logs together, roll into a ball, then roll into log again. Twist log and roll into ball again. Flatten ball and run through pasta machine on thickest setting. Run clay through pasta machine on #2 setting. Gently stretch sheet so it is the same width as rollers on machine. Run through machine several times, beginning with highest setting (#1) and reducing until #6 setting is reached.

STEP 3

With more attractive side facing out, fold clay in half and run through machine several times until desired color mixture is achieved. Cut one end of sheet even. Cover vase; trim excess at overlaps. Smooth seam. Trim excess clay.

STEP 4

Position stencil on vase, aligning bottom stencil edge with bottom edge of vase. Use craft knife to cut out clay; carefully remove cut-out sections. Remove stencil and reposition so top edges are aligned. Cut out and remove clay in same way. Repeat to create one additional iris between first two.

STEP 5

Press scour pad onto clay for texture. Follow manufacturer’s instructions to randomly apply rub-on cream to vase. Bake on parchment-lined baking sheet or ceramic tile at 275° for 30 minutes; let cool in oven.

by Gail Ritchey

DIY Mother’s Day Vase and Kinda Krafty Giveaway

Posted on May 7, 2013 by lhoman

Hi there, I’m back today with another project and giveaway from the Australian company, Ruby Rock-it. Their brand new Kinda Krafty collection was the perfect choice to create a Mother’s Day card to go with my hand-painted vase. The papers in this collection all have a neutral, kraft-colored base, which makes them easy to mix in with any color you choose.

Ruby Rock-It will be giving one lucky Crafts ‘n things blog reader their new Kinda Krafty collection. This includes an assortment of their fun printed papers, as well as some terrific embellishments.

Is your idea of a perfect Mother’s Day sleeping in and having breakfast in bed? Taking your own mother or mother-in-law out for brunch? Getting up early and running a 5K? Or maybe spending the day locked away in your craft room? To be entered in the giveaway, leave a comment on this post by Monday, May 13, 2013, describing your ideal Mother’s Day. Winners will be announced on the blog on May 14th.

(Don’t tell my mom, husband, or kids… but one of my favorite Mother’s Days happened last year when I met up with my college roommates for a long weekend in the Hamptons – no husbands, kids, pets, parents, or in-laws… just us hanging out like old times!)

No matter how or where you celebrate Mother’s Day, one thing is for certain – moms love to receive handmade gifts. This project is very economical and eco-friendly since the foundation for the vase is a recycled glass jar. You will also need a few different coordinating colors of craft paint.

Begin by pouring the paints in along the top edge of the jar.

Tilt the jar to help the paint spread and use a wooden skewer to further mix the colors and to help ensure the entire surface is covered. Use a small foam brush to paint around the rim and to touch up any spots you may have missed. It’s helpful to hold the jar up to the light to check.

Pour out the excess paint and turn upside down. The paint I used was quite thick and I wound up having to move the jar several times in order to let all the excess drip out. Once the remaining paint is gone, you can turn the jar right side up. Be forewarned – this takes a long time to dry. Overnight at a minimum, but several days would be better. (Martha Stewart Crafts states that their brand of craft paint will be fully air cured after 21 days.)

Once dry, embellish with a strip of adhesive-backed pearls and rhinestones and add a tag.

Create a matching card using cardstock in a color that coordinates with the paint you chose.

Every mom should be treated like a queen on Mother’s Day!

Supplies

Ruby Rock-It Kinda Krafty patterned paper and chipboard elements

Ruby Rock-It Bella! Bling – Pearl and rhinestone accents, ribbon

Therm O Web Permanent Tape Runner, 1/4″ Foam Squares, Medium Zots Singles

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper Turquoise, Papertrey Ink Kraft

Die-cutting system and dies: Papertrey Ink Tremendous Tags, My Favorite Things Accent It: Labels & Tags

Flourishes Spring Bouquet stamp set

Tsukineko VersaFine Onyx Black Ink Pad

Thanks so much for visiting the Crafts ‘n things blog today. Happy Crafting!

Alice Golden from Golden Moments (www.alicegolden.com)