Book Review: Uncommon Cards

Uncommon Cards by Jeanne Williamson

With the holidays over, I'm left with a plethora of paper, ribbon, and packaging.  So, I thought this would be the opportune time to review Uncommon Cards since it's all about making cards with recycled objects.  The book features 52 projects to make stationary using found materials combined with sewn designs.

I decided to test out one of the projects with a leftover nutcracker promotion brochure.  For the green paper, I used a piece of cardstock that comes with the book. The directions were straight forward and the card was easy to make. 

This was the project I modeled my card after.  The projects in the book are versatile allowing one to add their own style to the cards.

One important thing I should point out is that all the cards require machine sewing.  The photo above is a good example.  Even though it is possible to hand stitch the cards, I wouldn't recommend it.  

One of my favorite parts about the book is all the rich textures created from combining different materials and sewing stitches.  Honestly, has a garlic bag ever looked so sophisticated?

To learn more about the Uncommon Cards, click here.

Crafting with Acrylic Scraps

Do friends and family ever give you random things to make stuff with?  Every so often someone will offer me something they found in their attic or that they plan on recycling.  I've been offered everything from incense holders to lab supplies.  Recently my brother gave me a box of acrylic scraps from the sign shop he works at.  It was a bunch of random shapes that were mainly the pieces cut out from the inside of letters such as "O" and "D".  I decided to use the scraps to make some decorative art (pictured above).  They're just the right size to display on a shelf or use as a paperweight. 

Here's how I made them:

Above are few acrylic pieces that my brother gave me.  Most of the acrylic is clear but it also comes in other colors.  If you happen to have a local sign shop, see if they have any acrylic scraps they can give you.  Otherwise, you can buy acrylic sheets for crafting.  You will probably have to cut it yourself.

Supplies:

Clear acrylic plastic
Black Elmer's painters pen
Gold metallic paint
Foam brush
Felt
Scissors
Glue
Rubber stamps - *optional
StazOn ink pad - *optional

All the paint is applied to the back of the plastic.  Because of this, all words have to be written backwards. 

With a painter's pen, draw out your choice of word or image backwards on the acrylic.  

Once the black paint is completely dry, paint three layers of gold paint over it.  Let the paint dry between each layer.

Cut out a piece of felt and glue it to the back of the gold.  Let dry.

When you flip over your piece, it should look like the picture above.  I also experimented with rubber stamps for this project.  For the bottom piece, I stamped it instead of using the painter's pen.  The rest of the steps were all the same.

Kid Craft: Packing Peanut Igloo

This week I'm sharing another craft made from packing supplies. This time I'm making an igloo out of packing peanuts.  The secret to this project is that the packing peanuts are biodegradable so no glue is required.  All you need are three things: cardboard, water, and water soluble packing peanuts.

To make the base for your igloo, trace a 5.5 inch circle on cardboard.  Add a rectangle to the circle according to the measurements above. Cut out your base.

Dip the packing peanuts in water and adhere them to the base as pictured above.  The water will make the peanuts sticky.  Only get the side of the peanut wet that's going to stick to something, just like you would with glue.

*I like to soak a folded paper towel in water and place it on a plate.  Then I pat the packing peanuts on the paper towel to get them moist.  Just make sure not to get them too wet or they will start to disintegrate.

For the opening of the igloo, stack three peanuts on each side directly on top of each other.  Then add two peanuts in the center to make an arch shape.  Refer to the pictures above.

Now add three more layers directly on top of each other around the circle.  In the picture there's only three layers but there should be four.

Now you're going to make the top of the igloo arch.  For the next layer line the circle as before but have the peanuts closer to the inside of the circle.  Do this with two more layers.  For the top, add as many peanuts as you need to fill the hole.  From the picture above, you can see that I used three.

You can also cut the peanuts with scissors if you need them to be smaller.

It's hard to see in the photo but I added a little glitter to the igloo for some extra sparkle.  The polar bear came from a piece of junk mail. 

Craft: Upcycled T-Shirt Ornament

I'm always searching for new ideas on how to re-use t-shirts.  With two growing children, it seems there's always an endless source of t-shirts piling up in my craft room.  Which has me asking, do I make something or do I donate the shirts?  Usually donate wins.  But this time around I decided to make something, upcycled t-shirt ornaments. These star ornaments are fun, bright, and simple to make.  So simple in fact that a child could make them (age 7 and up). 

Supplies:
T-shirts in 2 different colors
Embroidery thread in a complimenting color
Polyfill
Sewing Needle
Scissors

Download the star template here and cut out.  I'm trying something new and using Google Documents.  Please let me know if you prefer this over having to copy and paste the image.  I think it will be easier for everyone.

1.  Place template on t-shirt and cut out three stars.  I recommend taping the star down opposed to tracing or pinning.  Do what is easier for you.

2.  Layer your three stars directly on top of each other (orange, pink, orange).

3. With embroider thread, sew through all three layers using a running stitch.  Leave a small opening.  Stuff with a little polyfill between the two bottom layers.  Make sure not to over stuff or your top layer will not lay flat when finished.

4.  Finish stitching all the way around and knot closed.  Add a loop of embroidery thread for hanging.

5.  Carefully pull up the center of your top layer and make a small cut in it.  Make sure not to cut any of the other layers.  Now cut a star shape out of the top layer from the cut you just made (refer to picture on right).

You could make these ornaments in any shape you want such as hearts or birds.   I recommend keeping the shapes simple for best results.  Have fun!

Kid Craft: Mini Surfboards

Here's a fun kid craft for the summer months ahead, mini surfboards. These surfboards can float on water making them perfect for the bath or pool.  Plus, they are made out of items you probably already have at home.  Here's the how-to.

Supplies:
Styrofoam meat or vegetable tray packaging - make sure to wash well if it was used for meat
Scrapbook Rub-on Transfers
Scissors
Pencil

Draw surfboard shapes on back of styrofoam.  Drawing on the back will disguise any mistakes. 

Cut surfboards out with standard scissors.  I was able to get three surfboards from one tray.

Position transfers on your surfboard and rub on.  If you don't have rub-ons transfers, try using crayons.  I don't recommend using marker since it can bleed into the water.

 

We made our surfboards 5 inches long by one and a half inches wide.  You can make them any size you want, there's no wrong or right way.

We tested out the surfboards in the water and they were able to hold two Lego minifigures on one board.  The rub-ons stay on well too.  I wasn't sure if they would be waterproof but so far so good.

Mother's Day Embroidery Brooch

If you've been following this blog, then these brooches might look familiar to you.  They were inspired by this post I wrote a while back. Only this time I decided to skip a step making them easy to whip up for a last minute Mother's Day Gift.  Instead of creating the embroidery myself, I salvaged pieces from worn out tea towels.  So really, all you're doing is sewing a tiny pillow.  Here's the how-to:

Supplies:
Tea towel already embroidered - look for these at the thrift store.  Since you'll be cutting it up, it doesn't matter if it's stained.  You should pay no more than a couple dollars for the piece.

Matching Embroidery Thread

Sewing Needle

Scissors

Pollyfill

Pin Back that you can sew on

1.  Cut out embroidery piece.  Place on another piece of solid fabric from your tea towel.  Pin together and cut out in the shape you choose.  Make sure to leave extra room for stitching.  You can always trim back the edges after.

2.  Using a back stitch, sew all around the image leaving about a one inch opening.

3.  Lightly stuff with pollyfill and continue to stitch all the way around the embroidered piece.  Knot and sew in loose threads.  Trim edges if necessary.  If you're concerned your fabric will fray, add the tiniest amount of glue to the edges.

4.  Sew on your pin back.  Test out the pin back to make sure it works well.  Usually these kind of pins come in packs of 50 and I've found there are always a couple duds in the pack.

Experiment with different shapes.  The heart in the back came from the corner of a hankie.  There was no one image to outline so I cut it into a heart shape.  I also used a running stitch for the heart.

  Get creative with your pins.  Use them to decorate bags, hats, sweaters, hair ties, or even presents. 

Upcycle Craft: Miniature Toy Cloche Dome

These miniature food cloches are so easy to make that I can barely call them a craft. But, there was a little glue involved so a craft it is.

You will need one toy capsule shaped like the one pictured above. This toy capsule is pretty standard so it should be easy to find. And if your house is anything like ours, you probably have a couple lying around. But if you don't, just stop by a place that has these toy machines. Chances are a few of these capsules will be lying around. At our ice cream parlor they have a little trash can by the machines and it's filled with these capsules. And yes, I just take them out of the trash; I have no shame.

Once you have your capsule, glue a bead to the top of it with a strong adhesive. I recommend E6000. You could also punch a hole through the top and add a brad for the handle.

Find yourself some toy food and place it on the lid. Cover it with your dome and you're done.

When I make something for my children, I'm not always sure if they will like it. For this project I can confidently say it gets their stamp of approval. I overheard my daughter say, "These are awesome!" followed by, "Dinner is Served" in a British accent.