Fruit Roll-Up Roses

Some time ago my Grandmother taught me how to make clay roses. It was an easy technique so I was able to perfect it as a child. To this day, I can't resist making a rose when I come across a lump of play-doh. Somewhere along the way I decided to apply the technique to fruit roll-ups. The edible roses are perfect for a child tea party or an unexpected treat in a lunch box. Simple directions below.

Supplies

Fruit Rolls - any brand should work as long as the fruit roll is not too thick. I chose the one above because everything else was either rainbow colored or had images printed on it.

Circle cookie cutter - you could also use cooking scissors to cut the circles out

Cut out five fruit roll circles.

Roll one circle into a cone shape, pinching the bottom, so it will stay closed. This will be the center of the rose.

Wrap a second circle around the cone. Bend the petal back so it fans out.

Add a third circle on the opposite side of where you placed the second circle. Continue to pinch the bottom of the rose so it stays together.

You will now see the rose start to form. Add another circle or two overlapping the other petals.

Done. Because the rose is an organic shape, it's very forgiving. Don't worry about making it look perfect.

Book Review: Home, Paper, Scissors

Home, Paper, Scissors: Decorative Paper Accessories for the Home
By Patricia Zapata

Recently I received a gratis copy of "home, paper, scissors" to review. When I saw the cover of the book, I knew I would like it simply for the cover project alone, a paper bowl (which is now on my craft to-do list). Like most of Patricia's artwork, she takes the humble medium of paper and turns it into something fresh, contemporary and sophisticated. For those not familiar with Patricia Zapata, she's the author of the popular blog A little Hut where she generously shares her paper crafts. And just like her blog, you will find the same distinct craft style in her book.

In "home, paper, scissors" you'll learn about the basics of paper craft which encompasses supplies, tools, and techniques. Along with the basics she shares 33 craft projects under the categories of decorating, entertaining, and gifting. Here's a sample of the projects, Fluttering mobile, Arizona Lamp, Mod Wall clock, Magazine bowl, and Fan wine charms just to name a few. Many of the projects come with patterns and appear to be easy to execute. Below are a couple pictures of my favorites.

Mosaic place Mats

Flower Favor Box - Pefect for a wedding, no?

Craft Project: Pixie Hollow in A Jar

Last week we spent our vacation at Disneyland. For my daughter, the highlight of the trip was meeting Tinkerbell in Pixie Hollow. She couldn't stop talking about her. She had grand plans of spending the night at Tinkerbell's house. Oh, to be a child again, such a gift of imagination, wonder and believing.

This craft project was inspired by Martha Stewart's vacation memory jars. But instead of filling a jar with vacation mementos, I decided to recreate a precious moment from our vacation. Here's how I did it.

First I gathered up some pictures for inspiration to recreate Pixie Hollow

Fairy Iridessa

Morgan talks with Tinkerbell

Supplies

I gathered up items I might find in Pixie Hollow: moss, ladybugs, flowers and grass.

Other supplies:
Hot glue
Elmers Glue
Photo printed on vellum paper
Green Paint
Styrofoam ball
Glass jar
Electric tea light
Gold glitter

Directions

1. Paint jar lid green. Cut styrofoam ball in half and paint green (make sure it fits in the opening of your jar). Let dry.
2. Print out a picture ( I printed it on vellum paper).

3. Hot glue some leaves inside the back of the jar.
4. Glue picture to green styrofoam ball. Glue to bottom of jar.
5. Drop in moss along the sides of the styrofoam. Next, cover all of the styrofoam with moss. I poked the moss into the styrofoam with a chopstick.
5. Glue embellishments on the moss such as flowers, ladybugs, mushrooms, etc.

Hot glue a tea light underneath lid. This tea light turns on and off by twisting it (purchased at the dollar store).

Sprinkle a little gold glitter in the inside for fairy dust. Attach lid on jar. Done.

And the winner is. . .

Congratulations to Jingle who is the winner of the giveaway! She will be receiving this adorable sticky memo book along with a Japanese paper ball and some Amy Karol gift labels.

I almost forgot, the font for the question mark was Book Antiqua Bold, if anyone was curious.

Thank you to everyone who participated. There were a lot of creative font names.

pictures by Japanistic

Surprise Giveaway

I thought it would be fun to have a surprise giveaway. It's just a little something but quite cute. To enter leave a comment saying what font you think this question mark is. You don't have to have the right answer to win. So if you have no idea, just make up a font name. I'll randomly choose one winner Monday August 24th. Please leave your email address in the comment form so I can contact you if you win. Contest is open to everyone. Good Luck!

Contest Now Closed

Kid Craft: Chopstick Holders

Let me introduce you to Rachael from the blog La Fuji Mama. On her site she shares her love of food with some of the most amazing recipes. One of my favorites is the carrot sesame salad, yum. Besides recipes she shares about her life sprinkled with a few craft projects.

Today Rachel from La Fuji Mama will be sharing how she makes Chopstick holders.



When Jessica asked me if I would be willing to guest post here on Zakka Life, I couldn't help but say yes as I'm a long time reader and huge fan of Jessica's! We currently have family visiting, which makes my oldest daughter Squirrel very happy because that means that one of her favorite playmates (my nephew) is here to get into trouble with her. They've been doing lots of running around, building architectural miracles with blocks, and of course, LOTS of coloring.

Although I try to display Squirrel's artwork as much as possible, inevitably I end up with stacks of extra pictures. The mom in me cannot just throw them in the recycling bin, so I try to find ways of repurposing her art.

One way that this can be done is using them at the dinner table. You can always laminate a picture and use it as a placemat, but how about a more unexpected use? One 8.5x11-inch piece of artwork can easily be turned into 2 paper chopsticks holders.

A stack of art can give you a whole party's worth. Plus, they're easy and quick to make and you don't need any special tools or materials. Here's how you do it:

Click on images for a larger view.

1. Grab the art that you want to use.
2. Turn each sheet horizontally and cut down the middle so you now have 2 sheets that measure 8.5x5.5-inches.

3. Grab one of the sheets and place it in a vertical position in front of you. Decide which end you want to be the top and which end you want to be the bottom.
4. Flip the sheet over and then fold it into thirds lengthwise.
5. Fold the top corners down to meet the 2 center folds.

6. Fold the left side over (using the existing crease line you created in step 4) and press.
7. Fold the right side over the left side (using the existing crease line you created in step 4) and press.

8. Flip it over and then fold the bottom end up approximately 1-inch and crease.

9. Optional: use a piece of tape or a sticker to hold the bottom flap in place.

10. Optional: use stickers/markers/other art supplies to further decorate the front of the holder.

Slide your chopsticks in, create more, and then set the table!

Bon Voyage

I'm off on a well needed vacation. I'll be back next week. In the mean time, I have a guest post set up for Wednesday. It's a craft project that you won't want to miss. Friday, I have a giveaway planned so make sure to check in for that as well. See you all soon.

Tooth Fairy Pillow

Ever since I saw this tooth fairy pillow on mmmcrafts I just knew I had to make one. Well, I finally found the time to make two of them! I'm just thrilled with the results; it's really a lovely pattern. The smiling mouth is actually a pocket to hold the tooth. Clever, no? If you would like to make a tooth fairy pillow, you can find the pattern here.

*Craft Tip - Always make two of any craft if possible, even if you only need one. I find it's so much easier to make two of something when you have all the supplies out. There have been too many times that I made just one and discovered 3 months later that I needed to make another one. Then I need to search for the supplies, find patterns, set-up, etc.

Craft Project: Cupcake Pedestal

S'more Cupcake on Small Pedestal

The idea occurred to me that I've never seen a cupcake pedestal. Sure I've seen dessert pedestals in various sizes but never one scaled for a cupcake. I was curious if any product existed. After a quick search, I discovered that their were in fact cupcake pedestals. But the ones I found were tall and made of plastic. I wanted something a little more formal and so the cupcake pedestal was created (picture above). It took just a few minutes to make and the supplies cost under $2 minus the glue. These would make lovely eco-friendly wedding favors. Simple directions below.

Supplies:
One small plate
Glass candle holder or shot glass
E6000 Glue

I purchased this small plate and candle holder at the thrift store. You'll want the plate to be smaller than an average size teacup plate. The plate I found happened to be a child size teacup plate measuring about 2 3/4" inches in diameter. If you decide to purchase your items at the thrift store, test out your plate on the selection of small candle holders. I turned the candle holders upside down and began placing the plate on the candle holders to find the perfect base. When searching for both items keep in mind the proportions of cake pedestal since you're trying to create a mini version of it.

Turn the candle holder upside down, and place the glue on the top of it. Center the bottom of the plate on top of it. Let the pedestal set up overnight. Done.