Wednesday, June 15, 2016

BOOK PAGE ROSES & OTHER THINGS






how to make this flower
 pull out, 6 pages from a book, and cut the petals. you need six of each size, like below, going from small to big

 next you need to curl the edges, i found it best to roll the edges around a thin stick


then arrange then in piles by size, with the first piece roll in to a cone, and glue with glue gun, then keep adding the petals going around and around, dabbing the glue gun on each petal.

keep adding the petals in size order
after all the petals are added, you can then roll some of the petals over the stick again if you want to make it more curly, 
its so simple and takes no time, i used an old book i got free with a mag so this cost me nothing apart from the glue.
Here are some other homemade crafts

I handmade the heart

I made this by getting matchboxes and putting
them between two ceramic tiles.  



She was made when i was around 9-10 years old.

I had an idea one day by watching the show called Happy Feet
and you never know what idea i came up with.

I made him to cover the Febreze spray bottle. It hide that ugly bottles


Lace Doily Bowl


searching for doilies – not the paper kind, nice crochet and lace doilies – for a DIY project.  I finally found some online, so I ordered a bunch figuring I’d use them for something. Sure enough, inspiration struck soon after and I decided to make some into bowls! I had heard of covering balloons with them to make really pretty lanterns (similar to our “thought bubbles”), and it turns out you can make a doily into a bowl using a very similar technique.




Choose a bowl that will allow you to drape the doily over the bottom of to create a bowl shape.


doilies already and don’t want to purchase fabric stiffener, you can make your own! Just mix equal parts white glue and water.


1,2,3: Turn your bowl upside down, soak the doily in fabric stiffener, and drape the doily on the bottom of the bowl.

fingers to smooth the doily over the bowl, removing any wrinkles and pushing out excess fabric stiffener. Leave it on the bowl overnight to allow it to dry and 
harden.

Experiment with different shapes and sizes! In the morning, your lace bowls will be ready for use.

Here is what they look like after they are done

   VINTAGE DOILY PUMPKINS

Materials:
  • Vintage doilies in shades of white, cream, and ecru
  • Dried real gourds or craft store faux pumpkins and gourds
  • Mod Podge for Fabric
  • Paintbrush or foam brush
  • Spray paint in an off-white or ivory
  • Tin foil
  • Wax paper
Instructions:

The only prep work I did prior to painting was covering the gourd stem with tin foil.


  • A couple light coats of paint with drying time in between was adequate to give the pumpkins an even color.
     
  • I selected just the right doilies to fit each pumpkin. I cut some of them apart into smaller shapes that were easier to fit onto the pumpkin.  For the two small pumpkins, I just used one whole doily which I slipped over the stem to create a slightly different look.

  • I usually cover my work table with wax paper when I work with Mod Podge.  I followed the directions on the bottle when applying the Fabric Mod Podge to the doilies.

    vintage doily pumpkins


    After coating one side of the doilies, place them on the pumpkin and tap all the edges down with your fingers.  Once the pieces are adhered to the pumpkins, wait for two hours while the initial coat dries.  Then a topcoat of Mod Podge can be applied to the entire piece.



    A list of HOW TO








    Tuesday, June 14, 2016

    How to Make Corn Husk Dolls


    Wherever corn was grown as a crop, children, in both Native American and Colonial American families, used husks to fashion dolls. Follow these simple instructions and refer to the accompanying diagrams to create your own unique doll.
    Materials Needed:
    • string
    • scissors
    • a bucket of water
    • bags of cornhusks- most easily purchased (dried, cleaned and in uniform sizes), at a local craft store
    • cornhusk doll diagram page (print out)
    Directions:
    ****Before beginning, soak cornhusks in a bucket of water until they are soft and pliable.****
    1.gif (5979 bytes)Take four cornhusks and arrange them in as shown.
    2.gif (5997 bytes)Using a small piece of string, tie the straight ends together tightly.
    3.gif (5618 bytes)Trim and round the edges with scissors.
    4.gif (7677 bytes)Turn upside down and pull long ends of husks down over the trimmed edges.
    5.gif (4299 bytes)Tie with string to form the "head."
    6.gif (3390 bytes)Take another husk, flatten it, and roll into a tight cylinder.
    7.gif (2759 bytes)Tie each end with string. This forms the doll’s arms.
    8.gif (4063 bytes)Fit the arms inside of the long husks, just below the "neck."
    9.gif (4292 bytes)Tie with string, as shown, to form a "waist."
    10.gif (4768 bytes)Drape a husk around the arms and upper body in a criss-cross pattern to form "shoulders."
    11.gif (5864 bytes)Take four or five husks, straight edges together, and arrange around waist.
    These form a "skirt" for the doll.
    12.gif (6792 bytes)Tie with string.
    13.gif (6556 bytes)If desired, follow the diagram to form legs for the doll. Tie legs with small strips of husks as indicated. Finish off the doll by tying small strips of husk around the neck and waist to hide the string. Small scraps of cloth may be used to dress the doll.

    Felt and Wire Angel


    Cut out two of each piece.  Sew like pieces together using a running stitch, about 1/4” or slightly less from the edge, and contrasting embroidery thread.  Tie small knots for her eyes, hiding the ends of the thread inside her head.

    Felt and Wire Angel 1
    Fold the wire in half, then twist it a few times so you have a 1” loop.

    Felt and Wire Angel 2
    Slide the head onto the wire so it’s between two stitches at the top of the head and the ends are on either side of a stitch at the bottom of the head.  Push it all the way to the top, where the twist starts


    Felt and Wire Angel 3
    Slidthbody on the same way , pushing it up next 
    to the head.

    Felt and Wire Angel 4

    Using a pair of needle-nosed pliers, curl the feet up, using about an inch of wire at the bottom of each leg.

    Felt and Wire Angel 5
    Attach the wings using hot glue, making sure they are glued to both the head and body.



    Felt and Wire Angel 6
    I think these would make cute gift tags.  If you’re a talented embroideress, you could stitch the recipient’s name onto the dress!





    Felt and Wire Angel 7


    Pumpkin Seed Poinsettia



    pumpkin seeds
    cardboard
    glue
    gold cord
    coriander seeds or any round seed or bead
    red spray paint
    gold paint

    I love these! Even though we don’t get trick-or-treaters on Halloween where we live, my husband and I always carve a pumpkin. After he scoops out the seeds, I wash them off in a colander, spread them out on a cookie sheet and place them in a warm oven until they are dry. Once dry, you’ll see they have a thin skin on them, it takes a little effort to rub the skin off, but it's worth it once it comes to painting. Store your seeds in an air tight container until you are ready to use them.

    For the base of the poinsettia, cut a 1½ inch circle out of the cardboard. Starting from the outside edge of the cardboard, glue seeds overlapping the cardboard a quarter of an inch

    all the way around the circle. Glue another row inside the first and a third row inside the second for the center. After the glue is completely dry, paint with red spray paint. For the center of the flower glue three seeds, painted gold, or  beads to center of the flower. Glue the 7 inch piece of gold cord folded in half to the back. 

    These ornaments would also be nice painted white or made using different seeds such as sunflower for a different look.




    Handmade Christmas Ornaments




    Today we decided to make these citrus and cinnamon 
    Christmas Ornaments. Our home has this beautiful
    fragrance  wafting throughout , it is heavenly .



    Erin is busy with her ornament…



    We decided to hang them in our kitchen so we can enjoy them...





    To make:
    You need a few oranges,
    Cinnamon sticks,
    Golden thread, or thread of your choice,
    Thick wool needle,
    Pin hammer,
    Acorns etc…
    We dried out our orange slices in the oven on a low heat and added some ground cinnamon to the slices.
    Knock the wool needle through the cinnamon stick to make an opening and then thread the needle with your strand of golden thread and attach the orange slice to the stick. We also now added an acorn etc… to our ornament and tied them all together. Tie a little knot with your thread and your ornament is ready to hang up for everyone to see… Enjoy!


    Pom Pom Pumpkins

    Fall-crafts-pom-pom-pumpkins-Crafts-Unleashed-2

    Supplies needed to make your own fall crafts pom pom pumpkins:


    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 1

    Let’s get started!
    I chose to use a cardstock card as my base to wind the yarn around. This is a standard A2 card size.
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 2
    You can choose whatever you like to wind your yarn- even your own hand will work great!
    Begin winding your yarn.

    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 3
    Keep winding!
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 4
    I chose to wind around my card base about 100 times. Just keep going until you have a nice, thick pile.
    Trim the end of the yarn from the skein.
    Then cut off a section of yarn, about 12″ long.
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 5
    Carefully slide your yarn off of the card.
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 6
    Using your 12″ section, tie the yarn around the middle.
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 7
    Tie the yarn tight, but take care not to break the yarn. Tie a knot.
    Then, using scissors, begin cutting the yarn loops.
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 8
    continue to cut all the loops, until you have a finished pom pom!
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 9
    Your pom pom will most likely be uneven in areas. Just give it a little haircut to even it out.
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 10
    Keep in mind, you are making a pumpkin- so it does not need to be perfect.

    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 11
    Then, look for a nice spot to add your stem.
    Trim a cinnamon stick to your desired length.
    I tried trimming the cinnamon stick with pliers- I had better luck just snapping it with my hands.
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 12
    Apply a generous amount of hot glue to the tip of the cinnamon stick.
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 13
    Press and hold the cinnamon stick in place until the hot glue dries.
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 14
    Tie the top of the cinnamon stick stem with green felt ric rac.
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 15
    Cut apart flowers from the felt flower trim, and add a button to the center.
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 16
    Hot glue the flower to the center of the tied green felt trim.
    Fall Crafts: DIY Pom Pom Pumpkins 17
    The last little finishing touch I added to these adorable fall crafts was a mini kraft tag that says “Happy Fall.”
    You could personalize your pom pom pumpkin any way you like!
    Experiment with different weights and colors of yarn!
    Fall-crafts-pom-pom-pumpkins-Crafts-Unleashed
    A whimsical (and warm!) welcome to Fall.

    No-Sew Bandana Pumpkin

     It only takes about 10 minutes
    Pumpkin-DIY-Decorating-Ideas-No-Sew-Bandana-Crafts-Unleashed

    Supplies needed to make your own no-sew bandana pumpkin DIY:

    Find the center of your bandana, and cinch it up by about a 1-inch radius.  These extra pleats will help your pumpkin to hold a rounder shape.  I used a rubber band for this, but you could easily tie a piece of twine on tightly instead.
    Pumpkin-Decorating-Ideas-No-Sew-Bandana-Crafts-Unleashed-2
    Carefully add your bean bag fill, and bring the sides up, gathering them at the top.  Wrapping a rubber band around the top to secure it will make your work easier.  I added a pair of rubber bands to mark where I planned to cut my “stump.”
    Separate out one of the long corners.  Take a sharp pair of craft scissors and trim off all the excess fabric except this one corner.  This will be your pumpkin “leaf.”
    Pumpkin-Decorating-Ideas-No-Sew-Bandana-Crafts-Unleashed-3
    Tie one end of your hemp twine around the base of your pumpkin stump.  Take the leaf/fabric corner, and cover over the raw edge of the stump.  Now, wrap the stump (including the leaf fabric) tightly with your hemp twine.  Wrap upward until you have covered the whole stump.  Once you reach the top, wrap downward.  When you reach the base of the stump, cut off your excess twine and tie the two ends together.  Your leaf should cover this knot.
    Pumpkin-Decorating-Ideas-No-Sew-Bandana-Crafts-Unleashed-4
    Now you have an easy and fun pumpkin DIY craft perfect for the fall season!  What colors would you use this year?
    Pumpkin-Decorating-Ideas-No-Sew-Bandana-Crafts-Unleashed-5                                
                                                                                   Angel


    MATERIALS:
    About 2(to be safe) yards of unbleached muslin
    Raffia
    Styrofoam ball (about 8 or 9 inches around)
    Christmasy embellishments, i.e. holly, poinsettia, ribbons, etc.
    Glue gun

    HOW TO DO IT:

    1. Rip strips of muslin roughly 45 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. These will be looped over the Styrofoam ball to make the head and body, so periodically check your strips against the head to gauge whether or not you have enough strips.
    2. Start looping the strips tightly over the ball(it should rest in the "middle" of the strips) to cover the head and make a smooth "face".

    3. Using a scrap of muslin, tie the strips together tightly under the head to form a "neck".
    4. Next are the arms. Rip strips of muslin about 25 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Line them up together neatly and fold so that each end meets in the middle. The ends should overlap about an inch or so. With a thin scrap strip, tie the strips together in the middle.
    5. Holding the body, separate the hanging strips equally into 2 bunches and place the arms between the 2, up close against the neck.
    6. Now tie strips together below the arms with a scrap strip and voila! There's your waist and arms. The body is complete.
    7. Decorate your angel by using your glue gun to make a holly wreath for her head, a poinsettia belt at her waist, or whatever else you like.
    8. Make a large bow with long pieces of raffia and hot glue to the back of your angel.

    9. Tie a strip of muslin to the back of your angel in a loop to be used for hanging.