Friday, September 30, 2011

Handmade Craft Paper Envelopes

Have you ever had the urge to make something more complicated than it needs to be?  Yeah, that's me like every single day.  I can't just send a letter in a plain envelope.  I NEED to make my own.  They're super easy to make!  Check it out.  Here's what I made.


Pretty envelopes that say, "I care about you." 

Here's what you will need to do:



Get an envelope and take it apart.  You will trace it onto your pretty paper and then cut the paper. 


Here are all the cutouts I made. 



Fold the tabs over some stiff cardboard to create sharp edges.



Using a glue stick, you will glue the side tabs.  Don't glue to top tab until you put something in the envelope.  Did I really need to say that? 




I'm using mine to start a Dave Ramsey cash envelope system.  


Nydia 8)

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Halloween Chalkboard Painted Rock Display



Is it too early for Halloween decorations?  Nah!!! October is right around the corner, literally.  Here's a quick, easy, and cheap project you can do in your spare time.  What's that?  I saw this first in a Pottery Barn catalog, then a few bloggers tried it with a slightly different spin.  Mine has an even bigger spin in that I used a "bloody" candle. 
Sorry about the quality of my pictures but I don't know how the heck to use a camera.  




 Here's how it's done:


Step 1- Get some river rocks out of your garden or your local mall.  (Just kidding that would be stealing.)  Wash them and allow them to dry.  Then paint them with chalkboard paint.  Use chalk to write spooky words.  (You can also just use black paint and white markers.  I won't tell.)




This is a glass container that I got for $3 at Goodwill.  My Goodwill is expensive.  You can get these for a buck elsewhere.  



Step 2- Find a candle to bloody.  Use a lit red candle to drip wax onto your white candle.  This will give the look of blood drops.  


Step 3- Once this dries, place it in the middle of the glass container and arrange your rocks around it.  

Step 4- You're done.  Yep done.  Go save the world or something because you are officially a hero. 

PS. The candle on the pedestal was made Halloweeny by gluing skulls onto it.  All of this cost $3! 

Nydia 8)

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Polymer Clay Braided Bracelets

I haven't used polymer clay in a long time, but I saw this really cool bangle bracelet idea here and I felt I was ready to love again.  The bracelets had me foaming at the mouth thinking about the possibilities.  I thought of different color combinations, thicknesses, braid styles, etc.  Since I'm well stocked in craft supplies, understatement, I had plenty of polymer clay on hand but only in two colors.  This was fine with me because the colors suited the project just fine.  These bangles are super easy to make.

Mine are pearly white and granite gray.  



So without further ado here is the tutorial:


First you will break off 3 sections of clay and roll these into thin ropes.

There should be three long ones like this.

Next, you will braid these clay ropes, taking care to carefully attach the ends so they look continuous.  Smooth it out so it looks seamless. (Sorry about the picture quality, but I was too lazy to retake it.)

Finally, you will bake the pieces at 275 degrees for 20 minutes or whatever your brand of polymer clay asks for.
Wait until they cool, then wear them proudly and when someone gives you a compliment say, "oh these old things?"

Nydia 8)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

A Small Fall Burlap Table Runner

Well, it's technically not long enough to be a table runner but I didn't know what the heck to call it; OK?!
I made this thing for two reasons.  One, because I was inspired by some of the gorgeosity (could be a real word) found in the pages of the Ballard Designs catalogs I've recently received.  You know what I'm talking about, all those pretty home things I want but can't justify spending major cheese on.  The second reason was a more pressing one, in that if I don't start using up some of my crafting supplies, my family is going to stage a hoarder's intervention.  I swear I have so much stuff, I could supply a village for like a year!
This is the little table cloth runner thingy.






 So here's how I made it:

I cut a piece of burlap (love me some burlap can you tell by the cagillion mentions throughout my blog?).  I washed this burlap and ironed it.

Then I unraveled the end edges and sewed up the sides.  


Example of sewn edges. 

When I had enough unraveled I knotted groups of eight threads and thus created tassels.


Using a fabric marker and my best cursive, I copied a fall themed poem.  ( I gave credit to the original poet so don't get your pantaloons in a bunch.)

To add a little detail, I traced a leaf from my yard and painted it in with puffy fabric paints.

The cost of this project was nil, nada, goose egg. Best of all I used up some of my supplies.  Now I have just a billion supplies left.  Thanks, John Muir for writing a fall poem.

Nydia 8)

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