Mini Easter Egg

Posted on March 22, 2013 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

Stitch this ornament on perforated paper or fabric, and then finish as a plant poke, a padded ornament, or place in grass on your Easter table. It will make a wonderful addition to your Easter decorations or a cherished gift.

Materials

White 14-count Aida, 10” x 11”
DMC 6-Strand Embroidery Floss
Mill Hill Seed Beads: Heather Mauve, Citron

Tools

needle

Stitch Type

Backstitch: 1 strand
Cross-stitch: 2 strands
French Knot: 2 strands (wrapped two times)

Directions

Size/Stitch Count

Approximate finished size: 3-5/8”x5”; stitch count: 51 w x 70 h

Mini Easter Egg

1. Print cross-stitch chart and key. (Note: The blue words “chart” and “key” are links. To access these, select the link, then download and print items.)

2. Stitch design centered on fabric. (Note: Red line indicates egg shape; do not stitch.)

3. Stitch beads where indicated on chart.

4. Finish flat or create as stuffed ornament.

by Joan Elliott

Clay Bunny Ornament

Posted on March 18, 2013 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

This bunny has been up to no good – stealing carrots from the garden again! But he’ll help spread some love by decorating those Easter baskets!

Materials

Polyform Sculpey III Oven Bake Clay: 1 pkg. each: Tan, Sweet Potato, Leaf Green
Craft wire, 22-gauge, 1” length
Pink satin ribbon, 1/8” wide, 7” length

Tools

Delta Ceramcoat Acrylic Paints: White, Pretty Pink, Black, Moroccan Red
Polyform Sculpey Glaze, Satin
Paintbrushes: liner, flat, shader
Parchment-lined baking sheet and oven
Adhesives: Polyform Liquid Sculpey, one bottle; Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive

Basic Supplies

scissors, ruler, craft knife

Directions

STEP 1

Follow manufacturer’s instructions to condition clay. Roll Tan into balls as follows: one 1” (head), four 1/2” (ears and feet), and two 3/8” (paws), and one 3/16” (nose). Print and cut out patterns. Use patterns as guide to shape ears, paws, and feet. Shape head into 1-1/2”-long egg shape.

STEP 2

Roll carrot-shape from Sweet Potato; press against work surface to flatten. Use craft knife to score fingers on paws and toes on feet. Roll Forest Green into two 2”-long snakes for scarf.

STEP 3

For hanger, fold wire length in half making loop in center; twist ends together. Apply liquid clay to ends; insert into top of head. (Note: Liquid clay acts as adhesive.)

STEP 4

Apply liquid clay to all bunny sections to be adhered together. Press ears to head; head to top of carrot; scarf to carrot below head (wrap around carrot and twist ends together at side). Press paws and feet to carrot; nose to face, then remove. Follow manufacturer’s instructions to bake. Dip in water to cool.

STEP 5

Use liner and Black to paint face as shown in Fig. 1. Drybrush edges of feet, paws, and ears White and center of ears, heels, toes, and paws Pretty Pink. Paint nose Pretty Pink and hearts on carrot and mouth outline Moroccan Red. Use liner and Black to paint remaining details as shown. When dry, apply glaze to entire surface.

Figure 1

STEP 6

Adhere nose to face. Insert ribbon through loop on head; knot ends.

by Dimples

Easter Ornaments in Felt

Posted on February 15, 2013 by lhoman

At the recent CHA show in Anaheim, I renewed my acquaintance with the folks at the Kunin Group. This company makes felt fabrics but with a difference – they are made in the USA from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. It’s a product you can feel good about because it is helping keep plastic out of landfill and that’s a great idea.

There are all sorts of felt fabrics in the range but the one I particularly love is the one shown here – it is printed felt fabric with a floral pattern. It is colorful and cute and, if you love to do just a little bit of sewing, the shapes in the pattern make it fun and easy to embellish the ornament with as much or as little sewing as you like.

Materials

Printed felt
DMC #5 Pearl cotton, in assorted colors
Small buttons
Fiberfill stuffing
Scissors, pins, and needles

For this Easter Egg ornament project, I cut two pieces of patterned felt in an egg shape. On one side I sewed some small buttons and added just a touch of embroidery. I used DMC #5 Pearl Cotton – this is a twisted thread embroidery cotton of which you use the entire thickness so there is no need to separate it. It is lovely to work with and it has a beautiful luster which looks great on this project. I sewed some simple embroidery stitches following the printed shapes on the felt.

When you are done, cut a narrow strip of felt to use to hang the ornament. Sew around the edges of the two shapes (printed side out) with blanket stitch and catch the loop as you sew the edge. Before finishing, stuff gently with a little fiberfill.

by Helen Bradley (www.craftinggoodness.com)

Polar Bear Snowflake Ornament

Posted on December 24, 2012 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

Kids love Christmas but awaiting Santa’s arrival can be really difficult. Make the final hours until Santa arrives go by quickly with this fun family activity.

Materials

Polymer clay: white, black, assorted colors
Paper clip

Tools

Pink powdered blush
Toothpick
Clay-dedicated rolling pin or acrylic brayer
Craft knife
Oven and parchment-lined baking sheet

Basic Supplies

scissors, black marker, ruler, cotton swab

Directions

Size

4″ tall

Ornament

Adults, help kids when baking clay in oven.

1. On clean work surface, remove clay from packages. To condition, roll clay separately in hands until soft, bending and rolling until pliable. If clay cracks, keep conditioning.

2. Print and cut out pattern.

3. Roll 2” white clay ball. Flatten ball to 1/4” thickness. Use craft knife to cut snowflake from white clay.

4. For head, roll 1/2” white clay ball. For arms, roll two 1/2” clay balls. Press and shape head and arms on one point of snowflake.

5. For ears, roll two small white clay balls. Press ears on head. For nose, roll tiny black clay ball. Press nose on face. For eyes, roll two tiny black balls. Press eyes above nose.

6. For hat, roll 1/2” ball from colored clay of choice. Form ball into triangle shape. Press hat onto head. Roll skinny log and tiny ball from same-color clay. Press log along bottom edge and ball on top of hat.

7. Use toothpick to add paw lines and muzzle line. Add lines on hat. Use cotton swab to apply pink blush on cheeks.

8. For hanger, use scissors to cut paper clip in half. Insert cut ends into back of hat.

9. Position ornament on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake ornament in oven at 225º F for 25 minutes. Let cool.

10. Use black marker to write name, year, or other message on center of snowflake.

by Lori Allberry

Die-Cut Ticking Fabric Ornaments

Posted on December 21, 2012 by lhoman

Simple supplies such as red and green ticking fabric purchased at most fabric supply shops lend a charming, rustic feel to handmade ornaments such as these charming stuffed bird ornaments that were cut from a Sizzix BigShot die-cut machine and this beautiful bird die from Brenda Pinnick from Sizzix.

Simply die cut two layers of ticking fabric using the BigShot machine and ticking fabric for each bird ornament.

Fuse red wool felt to webbing and free hand heart shapes with scissors. Iron in place on front shape.

Use two strands of embroidery floss and cross-stitch edges in place.

For the wing shape, cut a 3” teardrop shape and use it to trace two shapes from natural burlap. Cut the shapes out with scissors.

Use alphabet stamps for a short and sweet sentiment like “joy, “peace” or “noel” and stamp on fused burlap. Cut out sentiment and fuse to one of the burlap wing shapes using an iron and pressing surface. I used tiny alphabet stamps for my sentiments but you can use whatever holiday-themed words you might have on hand.

Sew the muslin in place with black thread and a straight stitch. Place the wrong sides of the wings together and sew 1/4” from ends, leaving a tiny opening for stuffing. Stuff wings with Polyfil Fiberfill Stuffing by Fairfield and sew opening closed.

Repeat this process for the bird. Be careful not to overstuff the bird or it will be difficult to machine sew closed.

Finally adhere the wing to the bird using a fabric glue such as Fabri-Tac by Beacon Adhesives. Embellish bird as desired. I adhered a tiny pebble bead for the eye and added some felt die-cut flowers.

The possibilities are endless. These birds look sweet hanging from a mantle or even as a special package tag.

Melony Bradley (www.mel-designs.typepad.com)

Christmas Star Ornament

Posted on December 17, 2012 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

Give paper scraps star quality when you bring them together in this charming ornament.

Materials

Bazzill Basics Paper Papaya Puree Medium Cardstock
Karen Foster Design Christmas Collection Papers: Ornaments, Christmas Bells, Home for the Holidays Collage, Poinsettias
Metallic gold floss

Tools

Computer and printer
Scoring tool
Small star punch
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Pine Needles Ink Pad
Ranger Stickles Gold Glitter Glue
Therm O Web Adhesives: Zots Singles Small, 3D Foam Squares, SuperStik Glue Stick

Basic Supplies

paper trimmer, scissors, ruler, pencil, white printer paper

Directions

Size

7-3/4”

Ornament

1. Print pattern front and pattern back onto orange cardstock. Print second front pattern onto printer paper. Cut out patterns; set aside back pattern.

2. Using straight edge, scoring tool, and pattern as guide, score orange cardstock front piece along dashed lines. Gently fold “mountain” peaks on star points to center; folds will come toward you. Gently fold “valley” peaks from center to opposite edge; folds will point away from you.

3. Do not score printer paper star. Align it with orange cardstock star, rotating shape for best fit. Once stars are aligned, number corresponding sections on both stars from one to 10.

4. Cut numbered sections from printer paper star; use sections as templates to cut pieces from assorted patterned papers. Ink edges of each piece with Pine Needles ink; adhere to corresponding section on orange star using glue stick.

5. Stack and apply four foam squares to center of back star; apply foam square in middle of each point. Apply small adhesive dot at tip of each point.

6. Cut gold floss length for hanging loop; knot ends and press to adhesive at top point. Adhere front and back orange stars together.

7. Punch small star from orange cardstock and adhere to ornament center; coat star with glitter glue and let dry.

Tip

Using a glue stick to adhere individual pieces of paper gives you a bit more drying time to get them in position, compared with using other types of adhesive.

by Alice Golden (www.alicegolden.typepad.com)

Mambi Prize Package Winner

Posted on December 12, 2012 by lhoman

It is time to announce the winner of the Mambi prize package from Me & My BIG Ideas offered in my Tabletop Christmas Tree blog post on November 28!

The winner is Macy.

Macy, I will be contacting you by email for your mailing address. Thank you for all your nice comments.

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

Wooden Nativity Ornament

Posted on December 12, 2012 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

A simple Nativity is the perfect ornament gift to help reflect on the true meaning of Christmas!

Materials

Flat wooden items: small circle; three medium circles; two large circles; large oval; two XXL ovals; XXL triangle; XL star; two mini craft sticks; two craft sticks; five jumbo craft sticks
DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paints: Lemon Yellow, Lamp Black, Sable Brown, Milk Chocolate, Mocha, Orchid, Olive Green, Baby Blue, True Red, White Wash
DecoArt Dazzing Metallic Emperor’s Gold Paint
Hemp cord, 10” length
Raffia, small amount

Tools

Permanent markers: black dual-tip (fine and bullet); brown fine-tip
Thick craft glue
Drill with 3/32” bit

Basic Supplies

scissors, ruler, paintbrush, small stencil brush, paper plate (for palette)

Directions

(Note: Adult supervision is needed when using a drill.)

1. Drill hole in one point of star. For stable, adhere jumbo craft sticks together side-by-side with ends even; adhere regular craft sticks to back at an angle for support. Let dry. Paint star Lemon Yellow, stable Milk Chocolate, triangle (stable top) Sable Brown, mini craft sticks (roof) Lamp Black, small and two medium circles (faces) Mocha, large oval (blanket) Baby Blue, one XXL oval (Mary’s robe) Orchid, remaining XXL oval (Joseph’s robe) Olive Green, remaining medium circle and large circles (halos) Emperor’s Gold. See photo. Drybrush cheeks on each face True Red; add White Wash highlight dots. (Note: To drybrush, dip stencil brush into paint, stroke on paper towel until almost dry, and brush surface in a circular motion.)

2. Refer to photo to add accent lines. Use bullet tip of black marker to dot eyes and brown marker to draw hair. (Note: Draw longer hair on sides of face for Mary.) Use fine tip of black marker to outline star, stable top, stable, halos, blankets, and robes; draw star rays, halo rays, blanket, and robe lines as shown.

3. To assemble the ornament, refer to photo. For Jesus, adhere small face to one end of blanket and medium halo to back. Adhere medium faces to front of one end of Orchid robe (Mary) and Olive Green robe (Joseph); adhere halos to back. Adhere Mary and Joseph to stable, 3/4” from bottom and 1/4” apart. Adhere Jesus to Mary as shown. Adhere stable top to stable, roof pieces to top and at each side of stable top, and star to center top of roof. (Note: Drilled hole of star should be at center top.)

4. Cut several strands of raffia into 1” lengths; adhere to bottom of stable. For hanger, thread hemp cord through star hole and knot ends together.

by Mary Ayres

Clay Snow Angel Ornament

Posted on December 9, 2012 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

Sitting atop an ice cube, this little snow angel is trying to keep its cool! This ornament would make the perfect gift for that someone special!

Materials

Clear acrylic cube, 1” square
Oven-bake polymer clay: white, orange
Ultra-fine iridescent glitter
Black seed beads, two
Ribbon: gold, 1⁄4” wide, 6” length; iridescent, 3⁄4” wide, 8” length
Gold craft wire, 20-gauge, 4” length

Tools

Textured snow paint
Spray matte sealer
Pink chalk or powdered blush
Clay-dedicated pasta machine or rolling pin
Oven and parchment-lined baking sheet
Clay needle tool or toothpick
Eclectic Products E6000 Industrial-Strength Adhesive

Basic Supplies

masking tape, newspaper (to cover work surface)

Directions

STEP 1

Follow manufacturer’s instructions to condition clay.

STEP 2

For body, roll a 1” ball from White; press into pear shape and press onto cube.

STEP 3

For legs, roll two 1-1⁄2”-long, 11⁄16”-diameter tapered logs from White. Shape wide ends into feet and press narrow ends against body at base so feet rest at sides of cube. Use toothpick or clay needle tool to press snowflake design in bottom of each foot.

STEP 4

For arms, roll two 9⁄16” White tapered logs. Gently flatten wide ends to 1⁄4” thickness. Pinch and pull gently on one side of each to shape thumbs. Press narrow ends against body at shoulders; arrange hands on cube.

STEP 5

For head, roll 7⁄8” White ball; press to body. Use clay needle tool or toothpick to position beads sideways into face for eyes. Draw, and gently press, smile below eyes, pinching slightly at center for open mouth; indent smile ends. Roll 1⁄8” orange ball for nose; press to face. Apply chalk or blush to cheeks.

STEP 6

For halo, twist wire to form small loop at end. Bend loop forward and insert halo into head. Follow manufacturer’s instructions to bake snow angel; let cool.

STEP 7

Cover cube with masking tape. Spray snow angel with sealer. While still wet, sprinkle with glitter; remove tape. Apply snow paint to halo. Tie gold ribbon into bow around neck. Tie remaining ribbon into bow and glue to back for wings.

by Shelly Comiskey

Holiday Sock Ornaments

Posted on December 5, 2012 by lhoman

Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

Wrap foam balls with holiday socks or tights to create ornaments with cozy appeal.

Materials

Dow STYROFOAM Brand Foam Balls, 3”
Holiday socks, one per ornament
White cording
Satin ribbon, 3/8” wide
Felt scraps
Assorted embellishments: pearl-head pins, sequins, tiny pom-poms, etc.

Tools

Wooden chopstick or skewer
Straight pins
White craft glue

Basic Supplies

scissors, ruler

Directions

Size

3″ tall

Ornaments

(Note: Omit straight pins and dimensional embellishments from ornaments if small children will have access to ornaments.)

1. Use chopstick to hollow out large hole at center top and bottom of foam ball. Rotate chopstick outward so holes are slightly wider at surface of ball.

2. Cut toe from sock. Insert ball into toeless sock so 1/2” of fabric extends beyond bottom of ball. (Note: Easiest way to do this is to hold ball in hand and pull sock up over hand and arm until ball is covered; slide hand from sock.)

3. Apply glue into hole in bottom of ball. Push cut edges of sock firmly into hole using pointed end of chopstick. Pin fabric in place until glue dries; remove pins.

4. Pull sock up over ball so fabric is tight and smooth up to top. Cut away sock’s ankle so 1/2” of fabric extends above top of ball. Repeat Step 3 for top of ball.

5. If desired, cut felt embellishments to complement sock designs, such as penguin’s scarf; glue to ornaments. Let dry.

6. Apply glue to ends of pearl-head pins; insert into ornament. Add sequins to some pins before inserting into ornaments. Let dry.

7. Cut 8” cord length for hanger; knot ends. Apply glue to end of straight pin and insert through knot into ornament. Tie small ribbon bow; adhere to top of ornament over pin. Let dry.

Tip:

Try this technique with non-holiday socks, too; it’s a great way to get rid of all those lone socks sitting atop the dryer.

by Kathleen George for The Dow Chemical Co. (www.styrofoamcrafts.com); (www.CraftsnCoffee.com)