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!

I'm a contributing artist!

My wonderful friend, Wendy Landis and her husband Bill have this company called the Leaky Shed Studio.  They create amazing bases for us crafters to embellish on.  They use all recycled materials and are firm believers in reduce, reuse, recycle.  They acquired this business over a year ago and are have finally completed their catalog.  Here it is:

I'm so excited for them, but it gets even better!  I am in the Catalog as a contributing artist! 

    

                                           

Leaky Shed supplies the books I do for the swim team. Not only do I get to create these items, they've also given me other items to make samples for other schools.  The thought is to have these materials available in school bookstores so those crafty individuals have access to wonderful bases on which to create lasting keepsakes. But this is just a small piece of the puzzle.  Leaky Shed also supplies scrapbook stores too.  So, if you don't have them in your local store yet, you better check them out online or have your favorite store contact them, the link is below.  The possiblities are endless with the things you can create.  Happy Scrapping!

leakyshedstudio.com

Care package

I love my Mama!  That goes without saying.  She's the one that got me started on crafts.  She started me on latch hook rugs.  Remember those!?  Then she showed me how to needlepoint.  Then I got away from crafts for a while.  It wasn't until I was married and had my first child that I revisited the desire to start crafting again.  I tried cross-stitch and then stamping.  That's when my love for paper arts really took off.  My mom's craft of choice was and still is plastic canvas.  When my husband and I first bought our house, that is how I was able to decorate it, with her handi-work.  She would look for reasons to make anything.  Alot of the Halloween decorations I have, are in plastic canvas.  Mom hasn't sent me anything in a long time.  The other day, I received small package in the mail.  It was from Mom.  I couldn't understand why I was getting one.  She usually gives me a heads up when she's sending something. 

She sent me some decorations.  The bigger pieces have magnets on them for the fridge.  The little ones are bookmarks.  They are so cute!  I wrote to thank her that it was great getting a little present in the mail because she hadn't sent me something like this in so long.  She said if I promised to be good, she would send some more.  I promise, Mama, I promise!  Yay!

Minor "surgery"

While unpacking all the halloween decorations, William found the skeleton that we bought last year.  He was looking a little worse for wear.  The desert heat is not nice to plastic when it's stored in the garage.  Our skeleton had lost a finger and a foot.  What to do?  Mommy and her glue gun to the rescue!  I didn't think the glue would hold.  The plastic I had to work with on the foot was pretty thin.  In the end, it worked out.  Will was a happy camper. 

Now, here's what's funny.  William had gotten these two bouncy balls that look like eyeballs and he takes them out and plays with them every year.  (We keep them packed with the Halloween stuff.)  While he was playing, he said, "hey, look, they fit in my skeleton pretty good.  Mom, do you think you could use the hot glue to glue them on?"  How could I resist!  So now, our skelton has eyeballs.

Doesn't he look like a happy guy?  Haha!  William wanted to hang it on his bedroom door.  Why, I don't know.  If I had this thing hanging on my door, I would freak out every time I passed it.  And, of course, that's what happened for the first few days, until we got used to him being there. 

Skully looks pretty happy with his new eyeballs and new home.  Haha!  Happy Hauntings!

Gearing up!

It's that holiday time of year again.  Ok, not everyone considers Halloween in that mix, but I do!  I love Halloween!  I geek out over the new paper that comes in at the store.  I love making decor items for my house and decorating.  I have a niece that was born on Halloween, for pete's sake!  Yes, I love all things Halloween.  So, of course, I had to make some items for the occasion. 

 You might have seen my previous post regarding the BOO sign that I made.  Well, that got my creative juices flowing.  I found some great paper mache' mask.  At first I didn't know what I was going to do with them.  I painted one black and one white, then I was like, ok, now what?   Decoupage!  I got out my patterened papers and set to work.  I used this new line by Authentique, which, sadly, I don't think is in business anymore.  I decorated a the white mask with feathers and glass bats.  It's my favorite.  The black one, I started by putting a diamond on it's eye with silver glitter.  I found a diamond patterened paper in my pack and used it for the other side of the mask.  It looks like a jester, but I like it.  I added glittered spiders to make it just a bit creepy.  Voila! 

The last thing I made was a pumpkin wall hanging.  I tried to mimic the BOO sign.  I used last year's Anna Griffin paper and cut out the design from the orange paper and overlayed it on the black.  I used cheesecloth and wax again because I wanted an excuse to use the wax again. 

And, lastly, I saw this idea on pinterest.  You take puff fabric paint and create a swirly bead design on a pumpkin.  I got the vinyl word from a gal I work with at Scrapbook Barn.  She cuts vinyl lettering and designs as a side business with her husband.  Anyway, I used a small pumpkin because I wanted my daughter to have something she could put in her dorm room.  She loved it, of course. 



Thanks for looking and happy hauntings to you!