BitsyPieces

Paper Roses - Repost

2012-08-29T10:53:00.002-07:00

I can't believe they're not roses.

These are amazing. They seem so real and are so versatile. I found the instructions for these beautiful flowers at http://www.ellinee.com/blog/paper-rose-bouquet/. This site is incredible and you must stop by to see all that she has to offer. What an amazing designer she is and how gracious to share her secrets.

As you can tell by the pictures above I made a few of these but I wanted greener leaves and more color variety. Instead of buying different colored paper, which gets expensive fast, I had quite a few cans of spray paint that my husband and mother-in-law (enablers to my crafting habit) have given me over the past year or so. I thought I would experiment and here is what I came up with. My mind is full of the possibilities with these. I am sure these will reappear in many upcoming crafts projects soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Turning Trash Into Treasure

2012-08-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Transformation is an amazing thing. As we start to devote our lives fully to God we become a new creation. The picture above is that of a cross made from trash, actually old toilet paper rolls, probably the worst kind of trash out there. You may think something in your life has left you unworthy of God's love, but there is absolutely nothing you can do to keep Him from loving you. No matter how trashy you feel, how trashy someone has told you that you are, God does not see you this way. He sees your potential. He knows your heart. He can take the trash of your soul and by grace change it to something beautiful.

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2 Corinthians 4:16

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer selfis wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day."

We see time and time again in the Bible where even the worst sinners were transformed by their Faith in Jesus. In Luke 7:37-50, "And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with ointment."

This woman's faults were pointed out to Jesus, her worth was questioned. However, Jesus knew right away what her true worth was. He was able to see past the trash, the sin and see her potential even though she was a sinner. Jesus said to those who questioned her, to those who felt she was worth nothing: "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

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Have faith in God! Give your life to Jesus. Surrender your sorrows, your worries, and your trash. He will take all of it and create something beautiful.

* YouTube Video by user http://www.youtube.com/user/mpw19962001

CAN---dy Corn and Mummies

2012-08-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

Fall is upon us. Halloween is coming. Use up your scraps and tin cans to make something fun.

These were quick and easy. My supply list included:

Tin Cans (Soup Cans)
Yarn and Tarn (T-shirt yarn)
Googly Eyes
Glue
Wire
Drill or Awl

Step 1: Peel the label off of your can, wash and dry it thoroughly.

Step 2: Use your 1/8 or 1/4 inch drill bit or awl to poke one hole on each side of your can if you want to put a wire handle on it.

Step 3: Start winding the yarn or tarn around the can. For the mummy it is okay to overlap it and in fact you want to end up with a raised "X" pattern in the front of the can. ' For the candy corn either one layer or multi layer the yarn.

Step4. Tuck the yarn under when you are finished. You can use a small amount of Elmer's glue if needed. I would not use hot glue with the yarn. It is a mess...we found out the hard way.

Step 5: Apply your googly eyes with tacky or Elmer's glue.

Step 6. Cut a desired length of wire, curl it around a pen or pencil and insert the ends into the can where you drilled the holes. Pull the curls apart a bit to give you the size handle you want.

Step 7: Fill your mummies or Can-dy corn cans with goodies and hand them out, or use them as vases, display items etc.

Thanks for stopping by. Have fun crafting this fall season.

Recycled 4th of July - Water Bottles and Cardboard Rolls

2012-07-02T10:07:00.002-07:00

Happy Independence Day!

Recycled Cardboard Rolls made into a festive garland.

Supplies:

Rope

Cardboard Rolls

Beads

Glue

Make the flowers according to the directions here.

Cut a small cardboard roll into 4 pieces to use as the chain between the flowers.

Super easy!

Supplies:

6 -16 oz plastic water bottles

1- 1/2 gallon plastic jug

Paint

Stapler

I am working on a tutorial and will post as soon as I can.

Hope you have a wonderful 4th of July!

30 Days of Flowers - Day 17 - Recycled Aluminum Can Outdoor Decor

2012-06-17T19:22:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess you could consider this a "rednecky" kind of craft. No offense to anyone out there, but our backyard pool area is covered with this cane fencing over the wood. Then my husband put up all his license plates he has collected over the years.
These cute little flowers fit nicely in between those and add to the charm. His favorite place in the world is a junkyard and this backyard oasis of sorts makes him feel right at home. I have to admit, it has grown on me too. Why not. It is cheap, green and shiny too : )

These are a piece of cake to make.

Supplies:

Aluminum cans
Scissors
Pencil
Gloves/Goggles (For safety, if you wish)

Step 1:
Carefully cut the top of the can off just below the ridge where it starts to straighten out.

***If you want to attract bees in your garden, leave the sappy goo inside the can***
I guarantee you when you hang these little flowers in your garden the bees will come.

Otherwise, now is a good time to rinse the can out completely.

Step 2:
Trim off any sharp edges

Step 3:
Begin to make strip cuts down towards the bottom of the can leaving approximately 3/4 of an inch.

Step 4: Use your pencil and curl each strip around it all the way to the end of each cut. Curl one forward and then one backwards.

Step 5. Once you have all the curls, push the forward facing curls into the middle of the can. You can also add extra curl strips in the middle if you like.

Then just hang them up. Here in AZ they catch the sun and shine so nicely, so I use them outside, but they could be painted and hung inside or used with a tea light on your counter top.

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave your comments and thoughts below. I would love to hear from you. Also, please consider following our blog via GFC, LinkyFollowers or Twitter.

Have a great day!

30 Days of Flowers - Day 16 - 5 Minute Thrift Store Makeovers

2012-06-16T17:04:00.000-07:00

5 Minute Thrift Store Fun

Goodwill had their 50% off sale today and I just could not resist. Of course, I had my 4 year old and my 12 year old with me. Most of the $16.00 I had to spend went to him, but I still found some fun crafty stuff. Keeping with the theme of Flowers, I bought up some old silk flowers and what looked like an unused sunflower swag. I had also purchased a few old embroidery hoops a couple of months back for $.50, so now was the perfect opportunity to use one of them.

Cost: $1.75

Cost $.50

I simply took the swag and wrapped it around the embroidery hoop. Then hung it on the wall. I could have added a bow or some other embellishments, but it looks nice natural, I think .

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With the other mauve/pink colored flowers I took them apart, spread them out a bit and applied them to an old peanut can. This would be pretty in your craft room for paintbrushes or on your vanity for makeup brushes.

That is it. These really only took 5 minutes. Keep your eyes open when visiting thrift stores, garage sales and flea markets. Even if you don't have an exact project in mind, it is a good idea to buy little bits and pieces. You never know when they might come in handy.

Have a wonderful weekend!

30 Days of Flowers - Day 15 - Crafting with Legos

2012-06-15T15:28:00.001-07:00

Legos are everywhere in our house. You will find them under and in the couch, lurking in the corner in the middle of the night when we get up to get a drink of water (ouch), in the garden?? in the pool?? everywhere. My 4 year old and even my 12 and 14 year olds...heck..even my husband...love these little blocks of joy.

So, we figured we would try to make some flowers with them to fill up one of our 30 Days of Flowers. Here is what we came up with. I would love to see your pictures too.


Make a planter

This would actually be a fun gift for Mother's Day, Grandparent's Day. You could possibly even do a variation for Father's Day and make it into a pen/pencil holder or photo holder if you put a stake in the middle of the planter.

Today was just a fun day. We used what Lego's we had and tried to come up with as many flower variations as we could. If you really want some inspiration click the link below for some amazing Lego Flower Ideas.

CLICK HERE

Thanks for stopping by. I hope this inspired you in some small way and at the very least it allowed you to spend some time playing. Rest is good every now and then.

I would love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below.

Have a great weekend.

30 Days of Flowers - Day 14 - Origami

2012-06-14T19:00:00.004-07:00

Today I am compiling a great list of 3 styles of origami flowers for you to try. Although this takes quite a bit of time, the end result is well worth it.

I have found that you can use old magazines (thank you Avon lady) and some heavier newspapers to also do origami, although the traditional paper is relatively cheap on sites like eBay

(If you are willing to wait for it to come from Asia.) I paid less than $2.00 for 1,000 sheets.

The following pictures and links belong to each individual site.

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Traditional Buttonhole Flower

source:
http://www.origami-resource-center.com/traditional-buttonhole-flower.html

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Kusudama Ball

source:

http://foldingtrees.com/2008/11/kusudama-tutorial-part-1/

Image is the property of Folding Trees.com

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Lotus Flowers

(source: Bloom4ever.com)

http://www.bloom4ever.com/flower-origami-lotus-simple/page-06.php

Once again, thanks for stopping by and joining in our 30 Days of Flowers. We will be back tomorrow with something new. Please join us.

30 Days of Flowers - Day 13 - Tin Can Flower LIghts

2012-06-13T17:35:00.003-07:00

Certainly some of you have the same problem as I do; what to do with those silly soup cans that have that mean ridge around the top.

You know the one that cuts you when you slip your hand inside of it? Well, I just couldn't bring myself to let go of these things. I was sure they would find favor in my crafty life someday somehow. Today they are the stars.

I have been wanting to make can lights for some time and since I am on the flower theme this month, this is what we ended up with this afternoon.

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Supply List:

6 Soup cans
1 mushroom can
22 gauge wire
Hammer
Small Philips screwdriver
Large Flat head screwdriver
String of lights.
Misc. embellishments
Tacky Glue

My husband took his drill with him today, so I used the good old fashioned method of tapping a hole in each side of my cans with a small Phillips screwdriver and hammer.

After each can has a hole in it, string them together with your wire and tie and twist it off in the last can. *Use caution, the tin cans are very sharp when cut*

Now you will need to tap a hole in the bottom of your cans to place the lights into. I did this by first tapping with the smaller screwdriver (Phillips) and then going back over it with a large Flathead screwdriver and twisting it. It gave me a nice circular space to put the lights into.

I pushed the excess wiring into the middle space of the cans and then used heavy duty tape to hold them in place on the bottom of the can.

Now use your can opener to remove the other side of the smaller can (mushroom can) so that both side are open. Place this can in the middle of the other cans pushing the excess wiring into it, to help balance our the flower shape.

I then used tacky glue to help all the cans stick together better. Also, I placed clips during the drying process on each can.

Also, I had some metallic ribbon that I glued around the cans on the outside to hide the wire and for some color, I did not want to use paper or cloth because of the heat from the lights. Although, they are low heat, there is always a chance of fire, so the metallic ribbon worked nicely. I used small pieces of the same ribbon scrunched up in the cans to add color on top fo the lights as well.
To top off the middle of the flower, where there was no risk of the lights touching anything, I placed one of the paper roses I made on Day 1 of 30 Days of Flowers.

There you have it. Cheap recycled lighting with a little class.

That is it for Day 13. Until tomorrow....

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30 Days of Flowers - Day 12 - T-shirt Flowers

2012-06-12T15:21:00.002-07:00

This was one of my first blogs last year. I made these T-shirt goodie bags and made "flowers" out of contrasting material for each one.

I used the scraps which were each about 12 - 16 inches long. I rolled them into a rough circle and sewed them together. Then I took an even smaller strip approximately 4 -6 inches long, rolled it up tightly and placed it in the middle of each flower. We then sewed them to each bag.

While I did not photo document my method that day, I have found a couple of really great tutorials that I would like to share with you.

The following are not my photos or my tutorials.

They belong to the site you are being re-directed to.

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Emily's Little World

Delightfully Noted

No Sew T Shirt Flowers

Thanks for stopping by. We are almost half way through 30 Days of Flowers. I would love to have you guest blog or submit your links and photos. I may run out of ideas....never.... Please leave your comments below.

30 Days of Flowers - Day 11 - Get Patriotic With TP Rolls

2012-06-11T16:31:00.006-07:00

Cardboard - TP- Rolls - Recycled Into Patriotic Flowers

Who doesn't have a few extra cardboard rolls leftover from their TP or paper towels? Rather than tossing them, make something nice.
My pictures didn't come out as well as I had hoped but at least maybe you get the idea and it will inspire you.

For those of you who have never worked with these the supply list is pretty basic:

Cardboard rolls ( clean off any paper remnants)
Scissors
Tacky Glue
Beads or misc. embellishments
Spray Paint (use a mask to be safe)
Imagination

Step 1:

One standard size TP roll should give you 6 nice even cuts to make a flower. Pinch the roll just slightly to get your cuts straighter

Step 2:

Once you have your cuts, slightly pinch each end so they come to a nice point and begin to glue them together. Use as few or as many as you want to make the desired flower shape.

Step 3:

Paint. I use Krylon spray paint, either flat or glossy, but depending on which one you choose make sure you wait for it to completely dry or the glue and paint will clump up as you connect them together.

Step 4:

Glue the flowers together to form a circle if you want to make a wreath, add the beads and then glue the next layer. You will have to stagger them a bit and adjust them so they connect properly, otherwise it will fall apart. Tacky glue is the best I have found for this. Elmer's glue eventually comes loose and hot glue is a pain in the behind dealing with all the strings.

I am sure many of you have worked with these before. I first tried them last year for the Holidays. They are super easy and with a little paint and glitter it is almost impossible to tell what they are made from.

I made a version of these for Christmas last year and sold them at my craft show. I also used them as gift tags.

As always, thank you for stopping by. Please leave your comments, links and ideas below. I would love to hear from you. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and via GFC or Linky Followers.

30 Days of Flowers - Day 10 - Aluminum Can Leaf Designs

2012-06-10T17:49:00.002-07:00

Recycle Aluminum Cans Into Flower or Leaf Designs

Since I am all about using what you have around the house, I decided to use up some aluminum cans that were headed for the recycling center. My husband usually brings them home from work crushed up, but I begged him to leave them whole for me so I could try this out.

My Supply List:

Aluminum Cans
Scissors
Gloves/Goggles (if you want to be really safe)
Ballpoint Pen
Cardboard
Spray Paint
Glue (Tacky or Hot glue)

Step 1:

Find a petal or leaf shape that you like and make a cardboard template out of it.

Step 2:

Cut the top and bottom off of your cans and then cut down the middle to open the sheet of aluminum flat. (use weights to help hold it open)

Step 3:

Cut the leaves out or leave them all on the strip. I found that leaving them all together made it easier to paint them.

Step 4:

Emboss your leaves with the ballpoint pen. First draw your lines on the front side. Then, flip the leaf over and retrace the lines you just engraved/embossed with your pen so they pop out the front. (If you left all the leaves on a strip now you will paint)

Step 5:

Paint your leaves/petals and let them dry. If you are impatient, your leaves will be tacky and not be easy to work with. I used an aluminum finish Krylon spray paint.

Step 6:

Put your leaves/petals together with tacky or hot glue by layering them on top of one another. I used one leaf rolled up in the middle of mine to finish it off.

Thanks for stopping by. I love comments and ideas. Please let me know you were here by saying hello and don't forget to follow the blog and also follow on Twitter. Have a great Sunday.

30 Days of Flowers – Day 9 – Recycled Tile Designs

2012-06-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

Recycle Old Ceramic Tiles with Odds and Ends

My awesome hard working husband always brings home extra goodies from his construction/handyman jobs. We tend to hold on to all of it. He might use it, I might use it, and we are equally bad at letting go of things. Well, I have been looking at this box of Italian Ceramic Tile leftovers for almost a year now - maybe longer.
Today I used some of them.

My first idea was to use flowered lace over the tile to get a nice design. I taped the lace to the back of the tile then used a light color (Robin Egg Blue) at first to paint over the lace. It was way too light and only gave a rippled look to the tile. Then, I used a dark color and it produced the effect I was looking for. I think the next time I will use a solid light color underneath and then paint over the lace with the darker color.

Of course, once I started looking around I found all kinds of other goodies I could use to make designs on the tile. I really tried hard to stick to flowery designs, but my mind wandered. Of course, there is no end to my crafting madness once I get started. I am sure you know what I mean.

A bucket of old washers made a great design and I love the orange on the beige tile.

Nails

An old metal butterfly. I painted a light color first then painted over the top with the darker color. It ended up with almost a tie-dyed effect.

A Paper Doily

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Beads

The possibilities are endless. A few hints: If you plan on using these as coasters or to hang on the wall you may want to use Kilz as your first layer and then clear coat over the dried end result.Also, whatever you are using to paint over, make sure it is weighted down somehow so it doesn't slide when you paint.
Thanks for stopping by. I love comments. Please let me know you were here by saying hello and don't forget to follow the blog and on Twitter. Have a great Saturday.

30 Days of Flowers - Day 8 - Anthropologie Inspired Recycled Flower Chandelier

2012-06-08T16:32:00.001-07:00

While checking out the Anthropologie website I found this awesome chandelier. While I obviously couldn't spend this kind of money (over $2,000) I realized I had some of these things around the house and could try to make something close. I didn't make this one with lights, but now that I figured out what I did and what I should have done and how I can make it better, I will try to wire the next one with low voltage or battery operated lights to hang in my garden. The first one is always my favorite, but not always the best. : )

I used:

· 1 -2 Liter Soda Bottle and cap
· 20 -25 (16 oz plastic water bottles)
· 22 Gauge Wire
· Sturdy String
· Spray Paint
· Bottle caps from the water bottles
· Straws
· Scissors
· Needle
· Tacky Glue
· Old Hawaiian Lei
· Old Beads from the Goodwill

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I grabbed a bunch of misc. stuff not knowing for sure how I was going to put this thing together, so some of it went unused, but will show up on some other project in the future, I am sure.

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I cut the water bottle tops off then made even cuts all the way around to make a flower form. Spread them out and push them down to get the full effect. My teenage daughter had fun helping spray paint (carefully) the water bottles and caps.

I cut the two liter bottle exactly the same way, but made smaller cuts in between the larger cuts.

I then poked a hole in the cap with my needle and threaded the strings through. These will be the strings that attach to the bottom and to which I thread all the “goodies” on to.

I added a hanger in before I sealed the cap shut. I wove it in between the strings and doubled it up. It isn’t as pretty as the Anthro hanger, but it is functional.

After my plastic water bottles were dry, I began to place them on the string alternating colors until I had a small circle. I tied off the circle then placed it over the top of the two liter bottle so that the cap with the strings was hanging down. I then placed another purple water bottle without the cap over the top of this and glued it all together with tacky glue. I placed it upside down to dry.

It is hard to see in the picture, but if you look closely you can see the strings coming up over the top. I placed it in a bowl to help it stand up. I cut up the old lei and used the flowers here and there for more cover.

Once the glue was dry, I hung it up and started threading my painted bottle caps, pieces of straw and flowers from the lei on each string. Once I had all the strings completed I knotted them off in the last flower and wrapped them around the bottom ring of plastic water bottle flowers which was about 2 times the size of the top circle. Then I looped my beads around the bottom ring and wrapped them around the top ring so they hung loosely. I wish I would have had more beads. I guess it is time to hit the Goodwill to restock.

Anyway, at the end, I simply trimmed off all my loose ends and filled in any gaps with the extra lei flowers.

Here are a couple of different views. It would be a nice outdoor decoration over a patio table, great for a Hawaiian themed party, or in a garden or pool area

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave your ideas and comments below and don't forget to follow our blog.

30 Days of Flowers - Day 7 - Shopping Bag Flowers

2012-06-07T17:24:00.001-07:00

This is a repost from last year - Will be back on Day 8 with something exciting

I saw a tutorial to make poms on Martha Stewart and thought I would alter it a bit with what I had on hand. I did try the tissue paper at first, but it ripped easily and could have quickly got expensive. So, as I looked around I saw an endless supply of plastic shopping bags waiting patiently for the garage sale I will probably never have and thought I would try it out. This is what we ended up with. I love them and now we are looking for shopping bags, especially colorful ones, everywhere we go. As we work with them some more I am sure we will find an even better method. Let me know what you think.
**UPDATE**Click here for the tutorial.

My 3 year old brought me home a lonely bouquet of fake roses from the dollar store after a trip to Grandmas house. So, I added the target flower, some Diet Coke Aluminum can frills, and my daughter added in the plastic water bottle flare.

Here is another we created. We had an old peanut butter jar sitting around and stuffed the flower in there. I added a straw to make a stem. I should have added something in the taller vase for the pic, but you get the idea. : )

Here is another variation. I made a pineapple cream cheese carrot cake for a party on Sunday and added in some yellow shopping bag flowers.

Another variation with blue tissue paper and brown shopping bags. More on the tray later. : )

30 Days of Flowers - Day 6 - Recycled Bottle Cap Art

2012-06-06T10:17:00.002-07:00

30 Days of Flowers- Day 6 - Recycled Bottle Cap Art

Trying to come up with a new flower every day is stretching my creative mind, so as I was going to try and make some basic bottle cap flowers, I started cutting them into pieces (carefully) and this began to form.

I always save my:

Plastic Water Bottle Caps
Milk Bottle Caps
Gatorade Caps

And I always save old jewelery or pick up old costume jewelry at yard sales when it is cheap. So, I tried putting the two together and this is what I came up with.

I have used these little water bottle caps for other projects in the past.

Other Bottle Cap Projects

I haven't been able to use the Gatorade caps because when you paint them the little squiggly line shows through, but when you cut them they work well to help form these "flower" shapes.

Let me know what you think or if you have a project idea for the 30 Days of Flowers and would like to guest blog or contribute, please contact me.

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Thanks for stopping by!

30 Days of Flowers - Day 5 - FlowerBursts

2012-06-05T14:54:00.001-07:00

Patriotic Paper Strip Flower Burst Decoration

Last year I made some newspaper wreaths and thought about using colored paper instead to do something similar. Since I needed a flower for today and Independence Day is coming soon, I thought I would try this.

I used a plastic plate and varying widths of paper strips the same way I cut the newspaper for the wreath. Then I added them to my paper plate in layers and this is what I came up with. It needs to be tweaked a bit, but it will be a nice centerpiece or “wreath” to hang on the door.

While completing this project I discovered by accident that if you cut with the fold intact instead of the way I have shown above you end up with a unique little flower as well. I am going to save that one for another one of my days this month.

If you want to try this here is what you need:

Supplies:

· Plastic Plate

· Scissors

· ScrapBook Size Paper / Cardstock okay

· White Standard Printer Paper

· Hot Glue Gun

Fold your paper in half and then in half again, if using standard size scrapbook papers. You will cut towards the fold but not through it. Leave about 1/4 inch.

Once you have all your cuts made, roll the paper around a pencil or straw. If you are making flowers, glue the end together so you have a nice round flower. If you are using this color as your strip to put on your plate. You will fan fold it instead and then glue them in layers to your plate.

Plastic works better than paper. The more layers you have the heavier your plate will become and the paper plates just don't hold up.

Okay, there you have it. Day 5 of 30 Days of Flowers. Let me know what you think .
Thanks for stopping by!! Feel free to leave a comment and don't forget to follow our blog.

30 Days of Flowers - Day 4 - Wax Dipped Flowers

2012-06-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

30 Days of Flowers

Day 4:

Wax Dipped Flowers

While reading an old McCalls magazine from the 60’s I saw these wax dipped flowers. Their instructions were pretty complex and didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. So, as I often do, I winged it.

My Supplies:

· Crepe Paper

· Scissors

· Clear Candle Wax

· Floral Tape

· Hot Glue

· Double Boiler

· Stove Top or other heat source

· Tweezers or Tongs

· Wax Paper

I used various lengths of crepe paper based on how large I wanted the flower to be. For one type, I cut a wide scallop pattern onto one side of the strip. Then I wound it tightly together for the middle and pinched it around the finish it off. My pinches were looser as I got to the end. You may want to add a dab of glue here and there to keep it together.

For the other type I used about 1 ½ feet strip and cut 1/8 inch cuts all along one side about ¾ of the way up, then rolled this onto a straw, secured the bottom with floral tape then slid it off of the straw and stretched out the petals to get the dandelion? effect.

Secure the flower at the bottom with floral tape.

Once you have all of your flowers made fill your bottom pot of the double boiler with water about ½ full. Place your candle wax in the top pot. Wait for the wax to be completely transparent. DO NOT RUSH this step. If you do, you will have a thick waxy residue on the flowers.

Once the wax is transparent, grab your flower by the bottom with your tongs and dip into the wax completely submerging it. Lift it up quickly and let it drain for a moment. Place it on wax paper up right.

For the dandelion or carnation type flowers, you may want to have a fork handy. As you bring the flower up out of the wax, use the fork to separate the petals, otherwise they may stick together.

I will be adding a separate tutorial for this with more pictures in the next week or so.

These are pretty flowers that have such a beautiful texture and shine to them after they are waxed.

Thanks for stopping by. I love feedback!! Please leave

your comments below and don’t forget to visit my links page to check out other great blogs.

30 Days of Flowers - Day 3 - Newspaper Flowers

2012-06-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

30 Days of Flowers

Day 3:

Newspaper Flowers

Save your newspaper!!

These are not only easy to make, they cost very little. If you don’t subscribe to the newspaper or don’t want to purchase one, there are always freebies in your community that end of going to waste.

With a scallop punch and a brad, you end up with a pretty little flower.

You can either leave them as plain newspaper, or paint them as I did above.

The “funny” flowers are great for scrapbook projects such as birthday cards and journals.

I used my 50% off coupon for my Fiskars Punch at Michael’s. It has been such a great investment. It works wonderfully for these particular flowers and I have used it for many other projects as well. You could cut these out by hand, but they take a very long time. I thought I would save a few bucks and not buy the punch at first. Big mistake, they did not turn out as crisp and took FORever to complete.

I purchase my brads from Oriental Trading. They always have clearance items and I usually get a super great deal.

I use five punched flower pieces for each flower.

Put the five together, one on top of another then place the brad through the middle.

Once they all have the brad in securely, take each layer, starting with the top and pinch together with your thumb and pointer finger on each hand. Continue to do this until all the layers have been pinched. You will now have a nice fluffy flower.

These flowers have adorned many of the gifts I have given over the past year. My daughter made these into hair clips to give away at her birthday party.

The scallop flowers aren’t all you can do with newspaper. As many of you know, when you start crafting you get sidetracked. We made a couple of “loopy” type flowers and even some rolled up flowers. We only had a pencil so the loops are nearly as tight as they would be with a quilling tool, but it was a start and we will continue to experiment.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please let me know you were here by leaving a comment and don’t forget to follow our blog. Also, if you would like to contribute to “30 Days of Flowers” please contact me via email. Have a great Sunday.

Kathi

30 Days of Flowers - Day 2 - Zip Tie Flowers

2012-06-02T23:22:00.001-07:00

30 Days of Flowers

Day 2:

Super Simple Saturday Craft

“Crafting with Zip Ties”

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Well, it is almost midnight here in Arizona, but I still have time for day #2. It has been a long day and I am finally home after spending that last few hours in the ER with my daughter who just returned from Summer Camp with Pneumonia. She will be okay, at least that is what matters most.

So, this is a quick simple craft that I whipped up just to fill the gap for day 2. I promise day 3 will be posted a little earlier.

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Did you know zip ties are cheap and easy to craft with?

These are available at the Dollar Tree.

Make a few loops connect them with tacky or hot glue then just throw on some bottle caps, buttons, paper etc. and you have an easy flower.

These could be used as:

· Garden or Plant stakes

· Hung from the ceiling as a decoration

· Connected together to make a mobile

· Christmas ornaments

· Paste a picture of the grand kids on the front and slap a magnet on the back.

· Scrapbook Embellishments

· Flip Flop Decor

Not just flowers either. These are a few other things we made with the zip ties.

Butterflies, Angels and Dragonflies?? : )

The process is easy and they come in assorted sizes.

There you have it: Day 2.

Now to get some rest and watch over my daughter.

Thanks for stopping by.

Please leave your comments below and don't forget to grab our button and follow our blog.

30 Days of Flowers - Day 1 - Paper Roses

2012-06-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

Day One:

I can't believe they're not roses.

( For June I am going to attempt 30 days of flowers. I hope you will join me.)

There are so many ways to create flower. I have seen paper, plastic, cloth and aluminum. I will be featuring some of these in the days to come and attempting many of them as well.

If you would like to guest blog on crafted flowers for one of the 30 days of Flowers in June, please contact me. ( I initially titled this 31 days of flowers. Phew...now I only need to come up with 30...oops )

Please leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow our blog.

Easter Bunny ( A little late )

2012-05-30T16:18:00.003-07:00

Clay Pot Easter Bunny Candy Dish

Since I am trying to catch up on all my blogging, I thought I would throw this little guy/gal in here. We had fun making this. It is pretty self-explanatory. Next time I will use a bigger dish. I love to embellish so we through on the pom pom fringe at the very last minute to finish it off.

Thanks for stopping by!

Plarn - I love this stuff - Recyled Plastic Bags

2012-05-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

I have so many plastic bags. The harder I try to get away from using them, the more they seem to appear. So, I was determined to put them to better use. In the past I have made flowers from the bags, but I have been wanting to try plarn for a really long time. I like to crochet, I am not great at it, but once I start it is fun to see what I end up with.

There are a lot of great videos on youtube showing you how to make plarn in one long strip. I didn't want to have to try and connect a million pieces so this was a much nicer way to crochet. I have no idea what possessed me to make a pair of slippers out of this stuff, but actually they are quite comfortable. I wouldn't suggest wearing them in the water, because even though they float, when they are submerged they hold water.

Plarn seems to work with just about any crochet pattern out there. If you look closely you can see the small white flower in front of the purse. I made that with tightly twisted plarn and a very small crochet hook.

If you have any ideas or comments I would love to hear from you. Thanks for stopping by.

Outdoor Lighting With Tuna Cans??

2012-05-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I have blogged. Of course, I have never stopped crafting, just had tons of family work that needed to be done.

I hope all of you are having a super summer so far! It is hot here in Arizona already and since we spend a great deal of time outside, especially at night, by the pool I wanted to make something "fancy" to look at. Not to mention that our pool light isn't working anymore, so we needed a little more than the moon light we seldom get.

Somewhere on the web I found a creative project with a tuna can made into a light. I just had to try it. I believe she used hurricane glass and simply painted her tuna can and they looked wonderful, but I am always about the fancy stuff, so I just had adorn mine with all kinds of shiny stuff to glam it up.

Here is my supply list:

I made 3 of these all the same so they would line up nicely along my pool fence line.

3 Tuna Cans
3 Wood Screws
3 Wooden Dowels
3 Globes
Drill with appropriate Drill Bit
Awl (to help tap the hole in the can prior to screwing)
Copper Colored Spray Paint
Glass Tiles
Misc String Beads
Aleene's Craft Glue
Patience

Start out by cleaning any labels and excess glue off of your tuna cans. Since I was covering mine instead of just painting them I wasn't too worried about a few spots here and there. However, if you are going to prime and paint them without adhering any "bling" make sure they are nice and smooth.

Use the awl to poke a hole in the center of each tuna can. Since this is the bottom of the can no one should be able to see any scratches or imperfections.

If you would like to paint your cans do that now, also paint your wooden dowels. (I didn't do this first but I believe it would have been much easier.)

Once dry, screw your can to your dowel. Be careful here that you are using a screw that will not split your wood. I did apply a dab of E600 glue to the bottom of each can prior to drilling just to give it a bit more stability.

Make sure your screw is flush with the can.

Now start decorating it. When I went to Home Depot to buy my dowels, I stumbled across this sheet of clearance glass tile and fell in love with it. Oh the possibilities!!! I will use this over and over again. I measured around the can and cut a strip of tiles to fit. Since I had some gaps I found some scrap pearl like beads that I had on a string and added those in between. I suppose you could even go so far as to grout these, but it would make your cans quite a bit heavier.

I also found these great amber colored light globes from a discarded ceiling fan at my local Deseret Industries Thrift store and just knew they would work perfectly in the tuna cans and the colored tile.

I had to use clothespins to get the strips of tile to stay in place while they were drying. The tacky glue worked great. It was dry by morning and we started this project late in the evening.

Actually, it looks okay even without the globe. Just pop in a tea light and let it shine. I like the globe on mine though just for the extra fancy factor, plus it helps the candle light shine a bit more.

I suppose you could make something similar to this for indoors as well. Who knows that may be my next project. Let me know what you think, or if you have made something similar post a link to your project below.

Thanks for stopping by.

My Beautiful Birdie - Gift Exchange 2011

2011-12-05T14:50:00.001-07:00

This was the first year I participated in the Craftaholics Anonymous Christmas Gift Exchange. My exchange partner was Kimberley Sminkey. She has an absolutely wonderful blog, is an amazing artist, mom and my new friend. I am absolutely tickled "pink" with my gift.

Visit her blog at : Tiaras and Bowties - Think Smink

She knew I loved black and pink, but didn't know I had just recently started collecting birds. How weird is that? About two months ago, I found a couple of pretty little tile bird plaques at a thrift store. All of the sudden, I was in love with birds. I have found a couple of other items since then and now I have this beauty to add to the collection.

In my rush and excitement to send out her gift, I forgot to take a picture, so I am borrowing Kim's pic. Thanks Kim!

For her gift, she told me that she loved bling and animal prints, both Cheetah and Zebra. I wasn't sure what to make. I thought about a fancy wreath and actually started on it, but as I looked around my craft room I had a last minute idea.

I took a black shadow box purchased from Michaels, covered the inside backing with silky cheetah print material. Then I cut out a circle from gold glittered scrapbook paper from Joann's. Then with the clock parts, I painted the hands gold and used the already painted gold numbers that came with the kit and applied them to the gold paper. I cut a hole in the back of the shadow box frame and inserted the clock. Then I added some gold fringe to the top and bottom of the clock. It was great fun to make it for her and I had so much fun just anticipating both giving and receiving these exchange gifts. A big thanks to Linda at craftaholicsanonymous.

I would encouarage you to sign up for one of these gift exchange programs if you have the chance. It was great fun.

Happy Holidays!

BitsyPieces

Paper Roses - Repost

Turning Trash Into Treasure

CAN---dy Corn and Mummies

Recycled 4th of July - Water Bottles and Cardboard Rolls

30 Days of Flowers - Day 17 - Recycled Aluminum Can Outdoor Decor

30 Days of Flowers - Day 16 - 5 Minute Thrift Store Makeovers

5 Minute Thrift Store Fun

30 Days of Flowers - Day 15 - Crafting with Legos

30 Days of Flowers - Day 14 - Origami

Traditional Buttonhole Flower

Kusudama Ball

30 Days of Flowers - Day 13 - Tin Can Flower LIghts

30 Days of Flowers - Day 12 - T-shirt Flowers

***The following are not my photos or my tutorials. ***

***They belong to the site you are being re-directed to.***

30 Days of Flowers - Day 11 - Get Patriotic With TP Rolls

30 Days of Flowers - Day 10 - Aluminum Can Leaf Designs

30 Days of Flowers – Day 9 – Recycled Tile Designs

30 Days of Flowers - Day 8 - Anthropologie Inspired Recycled Flower Chandelier

30 Days of Flowers - Day 7 - Shopping Bag Flowers

30 Days of Flowers - Day 6 - Recycled Bottle Cap Art

30 Days of Flowers - Day 5 - FlowerBursts

30 Days of Flowers - Day 4 - Wax Dipped Flowers

30 Days of Flowers - Day 3 - Newspaper Flowers

30 Days of Flowers - Day 2 - Zip Tie Flowers

30 Days of Flowers - Day 1 - Paper Roses

Easter Bunny ( A little late )

Plarn - I love this stuff - Recyled Plastic Bags

Outdoor Lighting With Tuna Cans??

My Beautiful Birdie - Gift Exchange 2011

The following are not my photos or my tutorials.

They belong to the site you are being re-directed to.