Plantable Cards

Not too long ago I discovered this site called Botanical Paperworks. They produce all kinds of paper products that can be later planted to grow wild flowers. How clever! The card above is just one example of their line of products. Thought I would share.

Make an Easy Wine Bottle Scarf

Here's an easy way to decorate a wine bottle for a gift.

Cut a piece of felt to 12" by 3/8". Cut fringe at each end. Fold around neck and decide where the scarf will cross. Cut a slit where the scarf crosses. Wrap around neck bottle and pull scarf through slit(refer to picture below). This will set you back about 20 cents and takes about two minutes to make.

How To Make a Mizuhiki Heart Knot

It is said that Mizuhiki connects the hearts of the giver to the receiver. With Valentine's Day approaching I thought this would make a lovely gift/keepsake. Mizuhiki knots are also great to use for cards, wrapping gifts, embellishments, or even a valentine swap. Directions Below.

Supplies
Mizuhiki Cord ( I recommend looking on line for it)
Scissors

Directions

Take 5 or 7 Mizuhiki Cords and twist them together. Then make a loop like the picture above.

With one four inch cord tie a knot at the top of your loop to secure it, then trim. Refer to picture.

Bend the left side down to the bottom of loop and hold down with your finger.

Now bend the right loop down to form the heart.

With a four inch mizuhiki cord tie the loop with the other two sides you were holding in place. Trim the cord you tied the knot with. Trim the bottom of heart as well. Done.

You Make My Day

I received this "You Make My Day Award" by two different blog friends. Small blog world.

Thanks Alex!
and
Thanks Michelle!

What's funny is I was going to pass this on to Michelle since she's always leaving such encouraging comments on my site. And just when I'm about to pass on the award she beats me to it!

Make a Valentine Candy Maze

Here's a fun Valentine to make and give. The candies are enclosed in the heart so the only way to get them out is to push them through the maze. Well okay, that's not completely true, you could rip the whole thing open, but where's the fun in that! Directions below.

Supplies
Large clear zip lock bags
colored paper (something with give like washi paper, card stock doesn't work well)
Candy
thread (color of your choice)
scissors

Directions

1. Using the colored paper, cut out a heart. I recommend nothing smaller that 5" by 5".
2. Cut out a piece of the zip lock bag that will cover the heart and over lap some.
3. Machine sew the paper and zip lock together around the edge of the heart leaving a space to put the candy in. Trim the zip lock so its the same shape as the paper heart after sewing.
4. Place the candy in the bottom of heart.
5. Machine sew two separate lines to form the maze (refer to the picture).

*Make sure the maze is wide so the candy can be pushed through.

Done

Here's some other ideas I came up with using doilies and zip lock bags for Valentines.

Combating Creative block

"Penny Plains" and "Two-pence Coloulred:" English Theatrical Portraits 1799-1847 in the William Appleton Collection

This image is from The New York Digital Library . I have found the digital library to be a great source for inspiration, education, and reference for crafts and art among other things. They have thousands of digital pictures you can access.

This is one of my favorite sites for inspiration. I'd love to hear from all of you what sites inspire you. Please share with all of us your favorite sites in the comments section and leave a link if possible.

Kool-aid Dyed Yarn

Here's a picture from "Adventures of a Lady in Training". She dyed the yarn above with kool-aid. Who would have thought you could get such lovely colors from Kool-aid? Thought I would share.

What I've been Knitting

I knit up this hood for a birthday present the other day. Does it look familiar? It's the hood worn by Lyra in "The Golden Compass". I got the pattern from Lion Brand's site here via Craftzine. I altered their pattern with smaller stitches. The Lion Brand pattern's gauge is 4 stitches = 4 in. So, you can imagine it knits up really quick. This pattern is super easy.

Sumo Wrestler Doorstop

Think this is a doorstop? Nope, it's a stress ball or in this case a stress sumo. I like to play this game where I think up new uses for everyday items. That is how the stress ball doorstop was born. You can use just about any kind of stress ball(sponge kind) for a doorstop. The sumo wrestler came from the dollar section of Target.

Mini Valentine Chocolate Boxes

Here's a cute idea for Valentines Day, mini chocolate boxes. Fun for kids (or kids at heart) to make or receive. I've been sitting on this idea for awhile, patiently waiting to unveil it for Valentine's Day. Well, we're close enough to the holiday, plus you need time to make them, right? Directions below.

"Red M & M's"


Directions

Supplies:
Martha Stewart Corn Flower Craft Punch ( or one that looks similar)
Card stock - any color
Small box
tiny candy, m&m's, mini marshmallows, honey balls, etc....

craft punch
punch out flower using card stock
*make sure you don't use a paper that will react with the candy
bend petals up to form candy holder

Success tips * If candy cups are loose in the box, glue them down to stay in place. Or you can stuff them in so they don't move around.

* With deeper boxes create a second layer of candy. Place a piece of card stock in between layers.

Have Fun!

Mizuhiki Knot Giveaway

I thought it would be fun to play in this pay it forward game. The rules are simple, if you decide to receive an item you then must bless three other people with something. I'm receiving a darling cloud stamp from mushroomeadows so now it's my turn to give away something. I will send one of these mizuhiki knots to the first three people who respond with a comment saying they would like one. I made the knots with mizuhiki cords and sealed the backs to keep the knot's shape.

Doll Accessories

My daughter recently received a doll house from her Great Grandmother for Christmas. I decided to make a few accessories for the dolls. Above is an apron and a handbag I made. As you can see the dolls are pretty basic so I made the accessories basic to. I also plan on making a blanket, pillows, pillowcases, the possibilities are endless. I know this isn't a new concept, but I thought I would still share.

Cute Book - The Octonauts

I thought all of you might enjoy the illustrations of Meomi. The book above is a sequel to the first book "The Octonauts and The Only Lonely Monster". I was working on getting a book for a contest only to later discover my email was not working. By the time I figured it out, it was too late to get a book, sigh. Any how, I think Meomi's work is lovely and worth checking out. The characters are adorable as you can see.

How to Make Photo Bookmarks

Here's a new idea I came up with, photo bookmarks. That's my husband, Jason who reluctantly posed for the picture. The conversation went something like this. Me, "Jason come over here, I need to take your picture". Jason, "What's this for anyways". Me, "Don't worry, it's just for the blog". Jason,"That's what I was afraid of". But there he is, in all his bookmark glory.

This craft only takes about 10-15 minutes to make. It would look great to make the person climbing into the book as well. I would have taken a picture of this but I didn't want to push my luck. Directions below.

Supplies
medium weight card stock
clear contact paper or laminate paper
scissors
exacto knife

Take a picture of someone doing this pose. Print on medium weight card stock. Cut out the body. Laminate with contact paper or laminate paper. Cut out of laminate paper.

Should now look like this

With the exacto knife, cut where the yellow lines are.
Done!