Altered Wall Clock: FCCB Challenge #31--"On The Wall"!

This week's challenge at FCCB is called "On The Wall": create something to hang on the wall!  I have been needing a clock for the Noise Maker's bedroom and I've had this clock sitting around in a closet for a while, so I figured I'd do-it-up "Cricut style", using the Boys Will Be Boys cartridge.  Can I just tell you how much I LOVE this cartridge????  Sooooo fun for little guys!

I cut circles for each number, and added the numbers for 12, 3, 6, 9 (you know because I can barely tell time as it is, much less without ANY numbers to reference!).  Then I just chose images from the cartridge and cut them out with layers in coordinating colors and slapped them on the circle of patterned paper I cut to fit the clock face.

Now taking the hands off and putting them back on was a little tricky.  Took me a while to figure out.  But it's back together now and I think it turned out pretty cute.  Be sure to head over to Fantabulous Cricut and enter your own handmade wall decoration for your chance to win this week's prize!

Happy Crafting!!!  :)

FCCB #6: Faux Carved Wood Plaque

This week's Fantabulous Cricut Challenge is called "Winged":  Create a project using something that flies (butterfly, bird, dragon, etc.).  When I saw the word "winged" I immediately thought of butterflies so that's the subject of my project.

I recently saw an episode of Paint, Paper & Crafts on TV and saw a wooden photo frame being customized by using chipboard die cuts adhered to the frame and then painted over.  It gave it the look of hand-carved wood!  I decided to try this technique using a simple wooden plaque...and it worked!

I used my Cricut Home Accents cartridge to cut both butterfly cuts and their shadows (using the deep cut blade and the "Multi Cut" feature.  I adhered each die-cut to its shadow and then used Modge Podge to adhere them to the wood.  Once dry, I applied one more coat of Modge Podge and then one coat of white paint.  When that was dry I applied my taupe paint.  To "age" it, I mixed antiquing medium with one drop of Chocolate (CTMH) re-inker and brushed over liberally, then wiped off the excess.  Once dry, I sanded the edges and over the top, including gently sanding the die cuts.  I then inked the sides with Timber Brown Staz-On ink to give it some definition.  I cut the word "dream" out of brown vinyl from the Home Accents cartridge and applied it to the bottom corner.

The finished plaque has a very "aged" look...kind of looks like it's been sitting around in a shed for a while (I LOVE that look) waiting to be rediscovered!  I love that it looks like it was actually hand-carved, and not just created with cereal boxes...HAH!  Not sure where I'm going to put it, but I'm sure I'll find the perfect spot!

Head over to FCCB and link up your "winged" project!  And be sure to check out all the fabulous DT projects while you're there!

Thanks for looking and have a creative day!  :)

Live-Laugh-Love Wall Hanging

The front of my fridge is not magnetic (why?  I have NO idea!)...so I wanted to make something to put on the front that would attach with a suction cup.  And this is what I came up with...a three-framed wall hanging showcasing one of my most favorite sayings:  "Live, Laugh, Love".

I found these square chipboard frames at Michaels in the paper mache and craft aisle.  I inked the edges and covered them with patterned paper that coordinates with my kitchen color scheme.  I hooked them together with some CTMH metal hinges and matted the openings with taupe cardstock.

I used the Cricut Home Accents cartridge to cut the words "live", "love" and "laugh" using the shadow feature for dimension.  I adhered them onto the taupe mats and then stamped a flourish in the open space.

The flowers are an idea by Marta Gladden, who posted her original flower designs on the Cricut messageboard.  She was kind enough to email the instructions to me and I got to work creating some of my own!

I used the following cartridges to create my flowers:  Walk In My Garden, Plantin Schoolbook, Accent Essentials and Storybook.  I cut several layers in various sizes, embossed them with my Cuttlebug, inked the edges and raised embossed designs and then curled the edges of the petals.  Then I attached the layers of each flower together with a brad.  The result is a very dimensional and beautiful paper flower!

To finish, I adhered a ribbon on the top, hot glued it to a suction cup and covered the top with another paper flower.  That's it!  Now I FINALLY have a fridge decoration!  :)

Thanks for looking and have a creative day!!!

Photo Cube & Photo Stand Combo (Boom-Di-Ada)

When I saw the My Creations Cube by CTMH I wanted to come up with something to do to it to "alter" it a bit...to make it more than just a photo cube.  So I decided it'd be super-fun and super-cute to make a photo stand out of it!  This cube ships flat and then you just tie up the corners to make it into the 3D cube. 

To make this photo stand, I inked the edges of each side and then used CTMH's Boom-Di-Ada paper collection to decorate the sides and top.  I added photos and embellishments (CTMH, craft supply) to each side and the top.  Then I used my Soft Set Eyelet Tool (CTMH) to set two small eyelets (accented with inked flowers) into the top panel of the cube (see photo below). 

Before tying the top corners together (with string from Hobby Lobby), I hot glued a piece of styrofoam into the bottom of the cube.  Then I took some 14 gauge wire (Home Depot) and manipulated two pieces of it into swirls (to hold additional photos) and stuck the ends through the eyelets and down into the foam.  Ta-da!  Photo cube/photo holder combo accomplished!!!

Then I just added some flowers and coordinating My Stickease stickers to the stems of the photo holders and that's it!  Here is a view of the other two sides of the cube:

Thanks for looking and have a creative day!!!  :)

WINNER!!! (Of My Blog Candy) & Reader Inspiration!

I had some AWESOME entries for my blog candy giveaway and I want to announce the winner of the CTMH Stamp Set.......(drum roll, please)......it's PinkDalmations for her SUPER-cute "Family" word book!!!

Inside view (last page):

Isn't that adorable???  Congratulations PinkDalmations!!!  Be sure to email me your mailing address and I'll send your stamp set to you! 

Here are the other super-awesome entries I received and I wanted to highlight their beautiful work...thank you to everyone that entered and submitted a project!  You've inspired me and I'm ready to go create!!!  :)

Here's a beautiful painted canvas by Emily:

Here are two awesome painted/altered wall canvases by Laura:

And here is a nifty cookbook rack by PinkDalmations (her other entry) that folds up under the cabinet when not in use:

*Note:  Entries that did not link to a specific project were not considered for the giveaway, as they did not meet the specific requirements of the contest. 

Thanks again ladies, for the AWESOME and inspirations projects!!! :)

***UPDATE: Since it has been over a month and I have not heard back from my winner (after two attempts at contacting her) I will now choose a NEW WINNER!!!  Drum roll, please...EMILY!!!  Congratulations Emily!  This stamp set is sooooo fun and is just waiting for you to come up with something beautiful to use it on!  Thanks again for entering!!!

Teapot Tea Gift Box

I saw a gift box made from a chipboard apple by Amy Scheffer at Pickled Paper Designs and thought, wouldn't it be cute to do a teapot and put some tea bags in it for a friend???  :)  I, too, got my chipboard shape (teapot) out of the Dollar Spot at Michael's.  It's a five-page chipboard album but I just took two pages off and used those.

I covered both the back and the front of each piece by tracing the teapot onto the cardstock and cutting it out.  I also inked ech piece.

For the box (between the two teapot pieces) I followed Amy's tutorial, modifying the size a bit...mine is 5 1/4 x 7 and is scored at 2" on each side.  This size fits better between the teapots and is a better size for holding tea bags.

The 3D flowers were cut with George at 1 1/2".  I used three blooms for each flower (nine total).  I cut two petals off of one flower and overlapped two petals to make the inner part of the flower.  Then I cut one petal off of another flower and layered two petals over each other to make the middle layer of the flower.  I snipped the point of each of these pieces and then layered them with a whole flower.  Each flower was inked and then all three pieces were put together with a brad.  To finish, I curled the edges of the petals with my fingers.  I added some leafy ribbon to the top of the teapot and attached the flowers.

The tag was cut with Tags Bags Boxes and More at 1 1/2".  I stamped the sentiment (CTMH) and attached with a foam dot.

Thanks for looking and have a creative day!  :)

Valentine Mail Boxes

These plain white mailboxes are from the dollar bins at Target...aren't they fun?  I bought one for the Mess Maker and one for the Noise Maker for Valentine's Day to put some treats in.  Now that I think about it, what kind of "treats" can a 9-month-old really have???  Hmmm...

I covered the body of the mailboxes with this cute paper from Three Bugs in a Rug.  I used my Cricut for everything else.  The frog, turtle and "xoxo" are from the Paisley cartridge, and the names are from Plantin Schoolbook.  I added some white swirls (hard to see in the photo) to the pink part of each animal with a white opaque pen.  To finish, I tied a red ribbon on the flag.

Thanks for looking!  :)

Just Buggin Challenge #17: Altered Mini Calendar

This week's Just Buggin Challenge #17 is called Inky Fingers:  use ink to alter your die cuts!

I found this mini calendar in the dollar bins at Target...I really liked the background pattern but I thought it'd be fun to add a personal touch to it.  :)

I cut a 3" flower and its shadow from George.  Using "Sorbet" CTMH ink, I inked the edges of each flower and lightly sponged the tops.  Using the CTMH Playful Petals stamp set, I added petal-shaped patterns and sentiments onto each petal.  This stamp set is perfect for this flower die cut!  I layered the two die cuts, a silk flower and a brad on top. 

Then I used the CTMH The Works Alphabet stamp set to stamp "2010" onto a strip of cs, also inked on the edges and lightly sponged with ink.  I used a small flourish from Playful Petals to add detail on each end of the date.  The flower and the date strip were adhered to the front cover of the calendar and reinserted into the plastic sleeve.

Thanks for looking!  :)

Glitter Photo Ornaments

There are a TON of great tutorials out there on this project using the clear, round ornaments and I just had to try it on these cool square ones...which I originally bought to place these photos on and just fill with shredded paper!  This was one of the easiest, most fun and MESSIEST projects I've done!

Here's what you'll need:
1.  Pledge with Future Shine (it's a liquid floor wax that comes in a bottle from Wal-Mart, around $5)
2.  Plain, clear glass ornaments (I used these super-fun square ones from Hobby Lobby)
3.  Glitter in the color of your choice (I used the super-fine glitter)
4.  Embellishments for the outside (photo, photo frame) and ribbon

Take the silver top off the ornament.  Carefully pour a small amount of Pledge into the ornament, using enough to swish around and coat the enitre inside surface of the ornament.  Better to use too much than not enough!  Covering the opening of the ornament with a paper towel, swish the liquid around really well, making sure the entire inside surface of the ornament is wet.  Dump extra liquid back into bottle.  Make sure to get as much extra liquid out of the ornament as possible.

Next, take the glitter and pour it into the ornament (this is where I made my mess!!!...use a funnel!).  Covering the opening, shake the ornament around until the entire inside surface is completely covered with glitter.  You shouldn't be able to see through the ornament at all.  Dump the excess back into the glitter container.

Replace the top of the ornament and tie a bow.  Then embellish the outside of the ornament as deisred.  I cut the frame for my photo using Accent Essentials.  I cut it from white glitter paper, then added dimensional glaze to give it depth and shine (and to keep the glitter paper from making a big mess!).  Then I just used some more dimensional glaze to attach the frame and photo to the ornament.  That's it!

Thanks for looking!  :)

Altered Paper Mache Gifts

I found these neat unfinished paper mache gifts with silver "bows" already attached at Hobby Lobby and they happened to be on sale at the time.  I inked and then covered them with this cute Christmas paper from Cloud 9 Design and then embossed some green cardstock strips for the "ribbon".  I Modge Podged everything for durability.

To complete the gifts, I cut two tags from TBBM and added a flourish and sentiment from Home Accents and Home Decor (Cricut).  I attached the tags to the gifts and put them on my coffee table as a centerpiece.

Thanks for looking!  :)

Christmas "Lantern" Garland Out Of Plastic Cups!

I typically have a hard time falling asleep at night and it's usually because I've got "craft stuff" on my mind! I'm always thinking about projects and ideas for new creations. Ummm, I think I have an addiction! :)

Last night I thought of how I could "jazz up" the Christmas garland on my front door...it needed color and pop. I got to thinking that I have a bunch of those little clear, plastic punch cups left over from a party and figured I could cut a hole in the bottom of them to push onto the lights to make lanterns! So I got to work...

I took 12 cups and used my craft knife to slice an "x" in the bottom of each. Then I used my BFF, the Cricut, and cut snowflakes out of vinyl (Contact Paper!) at 1 1/2" and 2" using Accent Essentials and adhered them to the outside of each cup. Then I added 1/2" circles from George into the open spaces. To finish them up, I punched holes around the rim of each cup using my Crop-A-Dile and threaded red ribbon through and tied bows.

Then I just popped them randomly onto the string of lights already on the garland and ta-da!

Can't wait to see what these look like tonight...I'll post pics when I get them!

UPDATE:  Here is the night photo I just took....ooooooooh, ahhhhhhhhhh....  hehehe!

Thanks for looking!!! :)

Decorated Grapevine Pumpkins

I saw this idea in the Simply Handmade Oct/Nov. issue...and I've been looking for these pumpkins ever since!  Then the other day I was browsing the Target dollar bins and guess what???  THERE THEY WERE!  So I obviously stocked up, thinking to myself that I would probably never be able to find them ever again!

To dress them up, I cut various sized leaves from Doodlecharms (Cricut) from patterned paper.  Then I cut several 1/2 inch strips of double-sided CTMH paper and wrapped each one around a pencil to make spirals.  I used my hot glue gun to attach the leaves and spirals to the top of the pumpkin.  Then I added some CTMH paper blooms with a chocolate brad in the center to hide the glue glob. 

That's it....quick, easy and CHEAP!!!  :)

Live, Laugh, Love Paper Mache Balls

I made these decorative paper mache balls for a little centerpiece for my scraproom...in the black and white color scheme.  I used three styrofoam balls (Hobby Lobby) and coated them with Modge Podge.  I tore up several pieces of black and white patterned paper and sprayed them with water from a spray bottle.  When they were somewhat pliable, I layered them onto the balls and pressed with my hands until they were somewhat smooth.  When dry, I covered each with another coat of Modge Podge.

To embellish, I wrapped each ball with a coordinating ribbon.  Then I cut three scallop tags from the Home Accents cartridge in blackout.  I also cut the words "Live", "Laugh" and "Love" from the same cartridge.  I set a Soft Set Eyelet (CTMH) through each tag, and attached the tags with ribbon...

Thanks for looking!!!

My First Etched Glass Project

I decided to try my hand at glass etching...using my Cricut of course!  :)  Here is my result:

Below, I placed a piece of black cardstock inside the glass because it showed the etching better in the photo:

I cut a leaf at 3" from Accent Essentials out of plain contact paper. I lifted the inside pieces of the die cut up with a piece of scotch tape to keep them evenly spaced. I applied the negative image of my die cut to the glass, then taped the inner pieces down, adhered the contact paper to the glass, then lifted the tape...perfectly spaced pieces! This was my stencil.

Then I applied etching cream with a foam brush, waited five minutes, and washed/wiped the etching cream off of the glass, rinsed it and dried it.  Here is the result...there is a little spot where it didn't "etch evenly", even after I went back and applied more to that area.  Not sure what went wrong...but I suppose for my first try it's okay!

Thanks for looking!!!  :)

Another Jumbo Clothespin/Recipe Card Holder: "Time 2 Cook"

This one's for me!  My kitchen has earth tones in it:  taupe, khaki, black, brown, beige.  My granite counters are a speckled pattern with all of those colors.  And then I accent here and there with a subtle, muted orange color.  This matches perfectly, although you really can't tell from the picture...natural light made it look too yellow, the flash made it look like "Halloween Orange".

I covered it with a white paper that had a black flourish pattern.  Since I don't have white in my kitchen, I used a soft creamy brown chalk ink and rubbed it over the entire piece, which turned it into a soft, muted brown.  I added a strip of black cardstock and then cut "time" and "cook" from the FMK cartridge.  I modge-podged over all of the paper portion of the project.  Finally, I added a clock face matted with two orange flowers and then used the Street Sign cartridge to cut arrows for the clock hands.  I glued the hands in the 2 o'clock position....Time "2" Cook!!!  TFL!  :)

Jumbo Clothespin/Recipe Card Holder (Chicken)

Grandparents Day was yesterday and because I was sick all week, I wasn't able to get done what I needed to get done and sent to the Mess Maker's and Noise Maker's grandparents...if I'm being totally honest, I didn't have the energy to even make them, but I had the idea!  So, they have something coming a little late this year. 

I have been wanting to make one of the altered jumbo clothespins (for the purpose of holding recipe cards), and since I just bought the "From My Kitchen" cartridge this week (on sale at Michael's...woo hoo!...don't tell the CFO!), I decided this was a perfect gift for grandma (grandpa's getting his own gift).

My mom's kitchen is decorated in chickens...LOTS and LOTS of chickens.  So I decided in keeping with that theme and her color scheme (mainly sage green with a little yellow and red thrown in), this chicken die cut from the FMK cartridge was perfect!

To make the recipe card holder, I covered the front and back of the clothespin with patterned paper (inked on edges and top to mute it a little).  I cut out the chicken with different colored layers and inked those as well.  After piecing the chicken together, I rubbed chalk ink over the whole thing to make it look a little "worn" (can I tell you how much I LOVE chalk ink???).  Then I Modge-Podged both the clip (front and back) and the front of the chicken, so that if something were to splash on it, it wouldn't soak into the paper and ruin it.  Then I tied a ribbon around the chicken's tail b/c I just can't hardly make ANYTHING without ribbon!  Finally, I attached the chicken with glue dots.  TFL!!!

P.S.  Mom, if you see this sometime in the next few days (before it arrives in the mail)...SURPRISE!  Hope you like it...the Mess Maker and the Noise Maker made it all by themselves!!!