My Wreath Obsession

So, I told you that I'm on Pinterest.  Who isn't these days?  One of my favorite things to pin (once I got past all the Christmas stuff, haha) is wreaths.  I LOVE all the different wreaths out there that people make.  I take the ideas and give them my spin and I just love making them.  They are easy and fun.  The more wreath ideas I see the more it gets my creative juices flowing.  Unfortunately, with all the supplies one needs to make these wreaths, I tend to run out of room in my little craft corner quickly.  Here are some examples of the wreaths I have made. 

So, because I had made one that was fall themed, I needed to expand it to a winter theme. I made one for my friend for her birthday and one for my daughter. This way it didn't tie in with a holiday, just a season and could be displayed longer.

The latest one is, by far, my favorite. It's made with eyelash yarn and is so fuzzy and soft. The original was pinned on Pinterest and the directions were in an Asian language, be it Japanese, Chinese, Korean, I don't know, I do not speak any of those languages and wouldn't be able to tell you which one is which. The wonderful thing is that the poster took awesome step by step pictures. Hers also had a little pennant on it that read "Bare feet welcome". I have yet to incorporate this. I put a chick and some eggs on there for Easter because it's so springy and pretty. 

I'm sure my obsession is not over with.  I have found more and will continue to make and share as I go.  Thanks for looking!

Crayon Art

I know alot of my friends are on Pinterest.  This is the latest craze sweeping the land by way of sharing ideas among other things.  While planning Christmas presents, since we love to make hand made gifts, my daughter wanted to try the crayon art.  This is where you melt the crayons to the canvas and create a picture with the melted wax.  She wanted to make one for her boyfriend but started by using herself as a guinne pig because in case it didn't turn out she could move on to plan B.

Ashley used my embossing heat tool for the job because it gets hotter than a hair dryer. She really had to learn how to apply the air. If she got too close to start with, it just blew the crayons right off her canvas. It was a learning process but she was pretty happy with the result. If you try this, use a craft mat under your work to catch the eventual drips of crayon from the canvas.

She finished off her work by adding a picture and some scrabble tiles. Ashley is majoring in nursing in college so that is what her canvas is about; her love of that profession and the attributes that describe that profession. She sealed it with a matte modge podge to protect the finished product. Turned out pretty good! We'll be making more of these, I'm sure.

Thanks for looking!

Wow, it's been a LOONNNGGG time!  Too long, according to my mom!  "Why haven't you posted anything?  I keep checking and there isn't anything new."  There is a bunch of new stuff but I just haven't had the chance to blog it. 

I don't blog over the holidays because I make homemade gifts and then everyone will see what they're getting before the gift actually arrives.  Do other crafters experience this dilemma?  I have made Christmas ornaments, experiemented with metal, been making wreaths and other home decor, and my latest thing is making bracelets (just listed on etsy.com/cherishedeffects).  In between all of this, I've been working on my daughter's senior year album ( she graduated last May and is a freshman in college ) and making samples for Leaky Shed Studios. 

So, long story short, I'm not complaining but I've made a resolution (yes, starting in April, better late than never!) to work on my blog more consistently.  I enjoy it, it just takes time and as with anything you do, you have to schedule time for it.  I'm working on compiling a list of things I'd like to post.  My goal is to post at least once a week or more.  So stay tuned.  I've got some cool stuff to show you.  Thanks for looking and I'll see you soon!