Week #10 Gift Wrapping Techniques

This week we’re going to be teaching you creative ways to wrap gifts, make bows, and create super cute gift tags!!! The best part is we’ll be using newspaper, brown packing paper, magazines and other random things like toilet paper roles and cereal boxes and only 3 pieces of tape to create BEAUTIFULLY wrapped gifts!!!

The list is easy this week. We have extra paper, ribbons, embellishments, some extra boxes, twine, stickers and all that good stuff, if you don’t have it at home.

Supplies

• Small to Medium size Boxes (any kind of box cereal box, macaroni box, whatever you have laying around will do)
• Toilet paper roll (if you happen to have any lying around, bring them)
• News Paper or old magazine
• Old Christmas Cards
• Accessories (if you have them, bring them): Paint, Ribbon, Twine, Scrap of Fabric, Burlap, Stamps, Stickers, Buttons, Feathers, Glitter….whatever your heart desires J

Tools

• Scissors
• Clear tape
• Glue Gun
• Ruler (not necessary, but might be helpful)

Here are some examples for inspiration!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! There is so much to be thankful for and often it’s easy to overlook how much God has done in our lives, families, and community. It’s so easy to focus on the things we lack and forget to see the things we have… most often I forget about the many ways in which God has provided for us, blessed us, and done for us. It’s good to have days like Thanksgiving, to help remind us how important it is to be Thankful.

 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” Phil 4:6

I’m so thankful for you ladies and can’t wait to see you tonight!!!

God bless,

Jo

Week #9 - Cake Pops and Cupcake Toppers

'Tis the season for baking and decorating! This week we will be making Holiday themed Cake Pops and Cupcake Toppers. You'll be surprised how easy and fun these are to make. These beautiful little treats will undoubtedly be the "Dessert Star" at all your Christmas Parties!

Cake Pops

If you look on Pinterest you'll find a ton of cute Cake Pop Inspiration! For those who want to make these at home, check out these blogs for tutorials and a list of Cake Pop Ingredients:


Peppermint Vanilla Cake Pop Tutorial: http://blog.candiquik.com/?p=2707
Christmas Cake Pops Tutorial: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/27602/christmas+cake+pops

Cupcake Toppers

Cupcake toppers are a great way to use up your left of scraps of Scrapbook Paper. You can use them for ALL occasions Christmas, Birthdays, Weddings, and any other event you want to celebrate with a beautifully yummy cupcake!

Check out this site for 5 different crafty cupcake topper tutorials and supply list! http://cakejournal.com/cake-lounge/top-5-crafty-cupcake-topper-tutorials/

Our lovely Hannah made so BEAUTIFUL samples to use as inspiration!

Supplies

For those who are coming to class on Monday, here is the list of supplies you will want to bring:You won’t need to bring much this week. The most important supplies will be:

• A large bowl (for mixing)
• A plate (to take home your goodies)

If you have the following supplies bring them, but if not, no worrie’s we’ll have extras:

• Scrapbook Paper
• Cake Pop (or Lollipop) sticks
• Frosting Bag
• Plastic/Metal Frosting Tips
• Spatula
• Ribbon
• Sitckers
• Scrapbook Emblishments
• Jewels

As far as Tools, you’ll want to bring:

• Scissors
• Spoon
• Glue Gun

Be sure to check out the pictures below for inspiration! I’m so excited to do this project with you. It’s pretty messy but so worth it! See you Monday at 7 in room 109!

God bless you ladies! Jo

Cake Pop & Cupcake Topper Inspiration!

Week #7 - Wooden Signs

Happy week my fellow Pinterest addicts! 

I am a busy lady being pulled in a million directions by children, adults, pets, work, you name it! I would like to think that my morning quiet time and moments of prayer throughout the day keep my attention on the Lord, but in reality, I need a lot of reminding! I like to be surrounded by verses and inspirational words wherever I turn. 

At my desk it may take the form of sticky notes and daily verses sent via email, my little daily devotional calendar, but at home the reminders are all over my walls! Rather than purchasing signs that others have made I like to make my own, and because of the wonderful world of Pinterest, I have found a tutorial to easily make my own wooden signs!

My children have an amazing CD of verses that span the alphabet, they are short, catchy and very easy to remember. I often hear them walking around the house singing. Track 8 for H is one of their favorites, it says, “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Psalm 144:15”. 

I loved that memory and that verse so much that I decided it would be my first wooden sign! 

The inspiration for this project comes from a pin bringing me to a wonderful website called Homespun Happenings: http://homespunhappenings-tammy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/i-made-sign.html?m=1.

How to Make a Wooden Sign

I started by painting a board slightly unevenly with white paint.

Then I printed the verse to fit the dimensions of the board.  I just printed one or two words per paper and then cut them out.  I forgot to take pictures of the next couple stages so I am going to use the ones from Homespun Happenings! I then covered the back of the printed words with pencil and then taped them (pencil colored side down) onto the wood and tape them into place. 

Once it is taped in place, I traced the words with a pen and the pencil lead transferred onto the wood providing the outline of the words.

Here is mine:

After you have the outline, you can choose to color in the words with either paint or Sharpie marker.  I just used a Sharpie and I loved how easy it was!

As a finishing touch, you can use sand paper to rough up the lettering to make it look more vintage. Here is my finished product! (Sorry for not cropping my feet out of the picture!)

Here's the finished product!!!!

If you want to transfer your lettering to a black or colorful painted board, you can use the same technique using chalk rather than pencil.

Here are some other fun wooden signs that I have seen on Pinterest! I am excited to recreate a few of these especially with the holidays quickly approaching!

Supplies!!!

• Wood Board – scrap or new
• Printed Word, Phrase, or Scripture – Bring printed copy with font in “actual” size
• Paint (if you are planning to paint you board)
• Sharpie (it works best if it’s new)
• Pencil (and sharpener)
• Tape
• Scissors

Go ahead, fill your home with your favorite words and remind yourself what matters most to you!

 -Hannah

Week #6 - Upcycled Jewelry!!!

My mom is the primary inspiration for my love of all things creative and crafty! As long as I can remember, she was always working on some sort of creative and unique project.

But the most inspiring thing about her art is her unique point of view. She never looks at something just as it is; she sees it for what it has the potential to be. She’ll incorporate some of the oddest objects into her projects, but somehow they always turn out beautiful. She has made jewelry boxes out of eggshells, doll heads out of dried apple cores, earrings out of old jean rivets, a wedding dress from sheets and curtains, and wall art from bits of wood and rusty pieces of metal.

My mom and I frequently walk together. On most occasions, by the time we get home her pockets are full or random rocks, pop can tabs, sticks, a few nuts and bolts, rusty scrap metal, a smashed bottle lid or two along with a variety of other random items she’s picked up off the ground. To most people, her findings would be nothing more than a pile of trash. But to her, they are unique treasures, each having the potential to be transformed into a beautiful work of art. And she’s always right…

So this week’s project is a bit of a tribute to my Mom, the person who taught me to see the potential for beauty in ordinary objects.

The “ordinary” objects we’ll be incorporating into this week’s beautiful Jewelry Pieces are:

Spare Change, A Softball, Salt, Flour, An old belt, A page from a book, A small lid & a button.

Sounds exciting huh?! Well after looking at the pictures below you’ll start to see the benefits of having my mom’s unique point of view. An ordinary object is only ordinary because the viewer has chosen only to see the object only for what it is, not for what it can become….

Glass Pendant

Below was my first attempt at a glass pendant...turned out okay!

I made this using a left over piece for scrap book paper, a broken leave charm, glass and  clear puff paint.

Leather Cuffs

These are all manly cuffs that I have made as gifts for different fellows over the last year!

I made this cuff for my husband as a gift. I used a scrap piece of leather, hemp (left over from the friendship bracelet days in Junior High), dominoes (without dots), and a metal coin.

This is a cuff I made for my brother. Same technique as above, but I glued a feather charm to one of the dominoes and used a button from some old jeans to secure the bracelet on (see pic below)

Snaps are another great way to secure the cuff on!

I added a small picture to one of the dominoes using mod podge to secure it on and mod podge dimensional magic to add a gloss coating to it.

Here are examples of more feminine style leather cuffs that I've also made as gifts for my lovely friends over the year. These were made with scrap leather and embellishments like buttons, feathers, & lace.

Softball Skin Cuffs
I made these both using the skin from a Softball and lined them with beaded trim. The black one was painted with acrylic paint and both were embellished with a flower.

Salt Dough Charms
These are made from salt, all purpose flour and water! I did not make the below charms, but they are super cute examples so I wanted to share them with you! For recipe and Instructions click here: http://www.homeheartcraft.com/blog/salt-dough-recipe-create-jewelry-more

This one is another Salt Dough charm that has a finger print from each family member embedded and stamped with the date. It's painted with Silver Leafing (found in the paint section of most craft stores) to give it a metallic look.

This one is another Salt Dough charm that has a finger print of a husband and wife. It's painted with Silver Leafing (found in the paint section of most craft stores) to give it a metallic look.

This one is another Salt Dough charm stamped and painted with Silver Leafing !

Resin Coin Charms
I didn't make these either, and truth be told these are not all done using a coin, BUT they are examples of charms you can make USING a coin, and image, and Mod Podge Dimensional Magic to give it that clear dome look!

These were actually done on real pennies! So cute!

SUPPLIES!!!

I have listed ALL the supplies needed for the projects, but for those coming to class – several of these items will be provided, so you only need to bring the items in red this week!

LEATHER CUFFS:

• Leather:  You can use an old belt or you can pick up a piece of scrap leather from JoAnn’s or Michaels. If you’re ambitious, you can also swing by Goodwill and find an old leather vest or jacket and slice that puppy up.
• Embellishments: You can do as little or as much as you want. For a woman’s cuff you could use things like lace, buttons, beads, charms, and brads (yep, the same ones used for scrap). For men’s cuffs, you could use chunky metallic beads, dominoes (pre-drilled), you could even use nuts and bolts from the garage….again, be as creative as you want with these!
• Embroidery or Upholstery Needle: There will be a bit of stitching involved in this one so you’re going to need to use a large needle.
• Embroidery Floss or Hemp
• Snaps (and tool for attaching snaps): I’ve found snaps are the best way to secure these cuffs (I usually use two – four depending on the width)

SOFTBALL SKIN CUFFS:

• Used Softball or Baseball: (one that can be torn up – you can usually get these at Goodwill or just ask around…someone’s bound to have a few laying around)
• Large Button or Bead: (This will be used to keep the cuff closed around your wrist)
• Felt: This will line the inside of the cuff (adhere with a fabric glue)
• Embellishments: You can add these where you want!
• Embroidery or Upholstery Needle: There will be a bit of stitching involved in this one so you’re going to need to bring a large needle
• Embroidery Floss or Hemp: Use for stitching around the edge
• Other Embellishment Options: Beaded Trim, Large Hook & Clasp, or Acrylic Paint (for painting the cuff)
• Fabric Glue: For attaching the felt to the inside of the cuff

RESIN COIN CHARMS

• Coins: Pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters…these or any other coin you want to use will be fine
• Necklace Chain:  For your charms to hang from
• Fancy Paper, Printed Image, Page from a book or Dictionary or Photo: You will be cutting this to the size of your coin (so if you are using an image or photo, make sure it’s small). It will be the focal image for your charm.
• Embellishments: Beads or additional charms you would like to add to your necklace
• Mod Podge Dimensional Magic: (this is the resin like base we will use to create the clear dome on coin after the image has been glued in place)
• Mod Podge Clear Acrylic Sealer: Once the coin has dried (usually takes 24 hours) spray with acrylic sealer

GLASS PENDANTS

• Glass (any shape): You can get these at most craft stores. The best brand I’ve found is Simply Swank. They come in the following sizes:
• 1 set of 1" x 3/4" Rectangle Glass
• 1 set of 1.25" x 3" Rectangle Glass
• 1 set of 1.25" Square Glass
• 1 set of 1.5" Circle Glass
• 1 set of 3/4" Trapezoid Glass
• 1 set of 1.25" x 3/4" Oval Glass
• Fancy Paper, Printed Image, Page from a book or Dictionary or Photo: You will be cutting this to the size of your glass piece (so if you are using an image or photo, make sure it’s small). It will be the focal image for your Pendant.
• Necklace Chain or Chord:  For your pendant to hang on
• Simply Swank Silver Foil Tape: This is used to secure the front and back panel of glass together (with the image pressed between them).

SALT DOUGH CHARMS - For those coming to class, I will bring some pre-made charms for your to decorate along with dough for you to make your own from scratch

• Cookie Cutter or Small Plastic Lid: If you have any small cookie cutters, you can use this to cut out different shapes for your charms. You can also use small caps or lids as a “make shift” cookie cutter for circular pendants. 
• Acrylic Paint & Metallic Leafing: If you want to paint these charms you can do so with regular acrylic paint. If you want the charm to have the illusion of being made of metal, you can use Gold, Copper, or Silver Leafing (also found in the paint section of most craft stores). 
• Necklace Chain or Chord:  For your pendant to hang on
• Rubber Stamps: Any stamp or even a textured surface will work to add a design to your stamp. Any design work should be done
• Mod Podge Clear Acrylic Sealer: Once the coin has dried (usually takes 24 hours) spray with acrylic sealer

TOOLS and ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES needed for all of these projects!

Glue Gun, Scissors, Paper Towels, Foam Brush, Empty Garbage bag (we’re using these to put under your frame to keep things clean), Washcloth or Rag (for wiping up paint drips)

I hope you have an amazing time using your creative influence to transform these and other ordinary objects into beautiful works of art!

God bless you all!

Jo