Cards

These are some cards I made for a card exchange with some friends. Each month we do a different "theme". It has been a lot of fun. These were cut out with my cricut machine.

Tie Skirts...

So, this skirt ended being a bit hippie and quite heavy if it were to have been a longer length. At any rate, it's super cheap and fun and funky! If that's what you're looking for, of course.
Basically, get as many ties as you think you need to wrap around your waist side by side.
Pick as crazy of colors as you can find. And, I recommend an extra crazy color to go horizontally around your waist and act as the waist band. I got all mine at DI/Salvation army and they were like 50 cents a pop. So, whole skirt was about $10. Then, get out your sewing machine and your stitch picker. Cut the ties off so the thicker part is toward the top and the "V" is at the bottom and sew them together side by side. If some are a bit thinner, you can use your stitch picker to open up the back of the tie and get a bit more width out of the material. However, at times they will pucker if you do this too often. Just beware. Anyway, sew them all together with the chunky "x" stitch and then sew your waistbelt tie across the top of them all and sew a button onto it. That about completes the project.

Treasure box...

- Unfinished trunk - $20 to $100 bucks depending on the size or shape you want. I got mine from a DI/salvation army and then sanded off the finish to make it "raw".
- Favorite pieces of scrapbook paper that go together - $1 or less/sheet. Each side took about two sheets of three different designs. (each side was a different pattern)
- Favorite family pictures (I chose to do black and white and sepia) printed out
- EnviroTex Lite Pour-On High Gloss Finish (to pour over top...see previous post about the magnet board for tips in using)
- Modge Podge adhesive (matte finish) and a sponge brush - $12

I simply tore off pieces of scrapbook paper and randomly glued them all over the sides, adhering them with modge podge on the back of each. Once the whole side of the trunk was covered in paper, I then applied a few thicker coats of modge podge all over the top of it so that it would stick together and be smooth. The top then (of the trunk, so you see it whenever you open it) I put family pictures all over and then poured the pour-on finish all over to make the thick plastic coating. You could just modge podge over the pictures if you like (it dries clear), but I wanted to have a finish that was thicker to protect the pictures so I could use it for both storage (in the trunk) and as a coffee table (put drinks on). There it is.

Make a Vase your own...

-Simple vase in the shape I wanted from Michael's - $12 (make sure it is bake-able because you do have to bake it when all done).
- Fimo clay (again, it's all-purpose) -$2 bucks or so a pack if you can get on sale
That's it!
For flowers, or the pieces like I made with a few layers of colors, you simply roll long strips of each color you want and build from the inside out. So mine was a roll of yellow, wrapped in rolled out red, wrapped in a layer of yellow. Then, when you cut it into flat discs, you get the appearance of the cross-section. Once you have all your clay pieces you want, simply push them onto the glass and press to meld them and not have cracks between (unless you want that effect). Then, simply bake according to the fimo packaging instructions!

Slightly different take on the magnet board

So, most of the time pictures are put around the outside to "frame" the magnet board. However, you are able to paint the outside of the frame and paste pictures on the inside and then pour liquid plastic over the top. Magnets still work.
- magnet board (plain thick wood frame around it) - $15 at Robert's Crafts
- acrylic paint - various amounts from super cheap to more expensive depending on type
- black and white pictures - used iphoto to make all the pics black and white and then printed out
- EnviroTex Lite Pour-On High Gloss Finish found at Robert's crafts (website has it, just copy name to see the box it comes in when looking for it) - $22 for 16oz. - it's super easy to mix and then you just pour it over the pictures to make the thick epoxy finish as is found on coffee tables, etc. However, take note that it takes a few days to dry, so you need a place for it to drip off the edges of what you're coating (lay down cardboard) but not get dust on it for a few days.
Oh, and I used masking tape to tape the board as I made my "checkerboard" lines on the frame.
Turned out really awesome, and like I said, magnets still work on it. And, I bought sticky letters from Robert's to spell out "He never said it would be easy, he only said it would be worth it" across the painting on the frame. An extra sentimental quote can be added if you'd like.

Random Christmas Crafts

First off, a funky christmas vase....
Huge vase from Michael's Craft store - $22
Random assorted large ornaments - $30
Large candy cane ribbon - $2
Pretty simple and lame, but I loved the look. Basically, just dropped all the ornaments into the vase cut the ribbon to splay out the top and voila...my Christmas vase.

Secondly, the small funky Christmas tree...
Fimo - the clay you can bake, found at any craft store in red, white and green. About 4 packs of green and 1-2 of red and white. More clay if you want to make the tree larger, of course.
Runs about $3 a pack of clay. All you do is sculpt your tree...branches first, rolled out and then made into a rough pyramid shape by flattening one side at a time...next, ornaments. Red or white rolled into balls and tiny dots of opposing color pressed onto them. Bake in the oven according to the instructions on the fimo package. There you have it. Oh, and some of the ornaments are just red and white all rolled together to make a mixed ornament.

Idea Blog

The general idea of this blog is to share ideas and crafts that you have accomplished with others. Whether it be refurbishing something, a simple floral arrangement, or even just a "borrowed" idea from the Internet, here's the medium to save AND SHARE your ideas with everyone. The only rules are:
1. It's always fun to have a BEFORE picture, when applicable.
2. A Materials List or HOW TO to help us all accomplish the same craft if we desire. It helps to have in between or mid-project photos too!
3. General Cost Associated with making the item
4. an AFTER picture
5. Give credit where due and whenever necessary

A Post, For instance/reference:

This is one of my favorite creations I actually got from a YW activity. I went out and bought a nice matted 8x10 frame to match my living room decor at ShopKo for about $12. I printed two pages of family pictures in thumbnail scale (just on my cheap 8x10 photo paper) and glued them in random order directly on the matting. I cut a distribution center PROCLAMATION down to 8x10 size and put the frame back together (trimming the edges of photos and making sure no matting was showing, of course). Here's the result:
I LOVE how personal and fun it turned out! I'm thinking of taking all of our family's temple wedding photos and doing the same thing as a present for my mother-in-law for Christmas!

END POST

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