THAT LOVING HEART: 15 free darling heart designs to embellish just about anything. Enlarge them: to create a wall-decal/ furniture print stencil or bleach-dye them on t-shirts (gifts or keep). Keep ‘m small: to print in red and adorn that Valentine Card; to create loving embroidery patterns; or make into stamps. Or make a darling tag for your Valentine gifts. Or…

Get Your Set of Hearts

Click here for the download.

Type in the password ‘sherykdesigns.com’ to download.

With love, from me to you.

source: sherykdesigns-blog.com

More Stencils, Stickers & Stick-ons

Heart Stencils
Heart Decals
Heart Quilting Stencils

Copyright , Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved. Amazing/Eco Home Decorating & Craft ideas and tutorials, for you.

Well-illustrated Tutorial
To Make Rag Heart Wreaths
as Valentines Gifts or Decoration

By guest writer Lilana

“Hello, Fine Art Craft Guild readers! I’m the “Lilly” in LOVD, Lilly Of the Valley Designs. I’m a hardly-at-home-stay-at-home wife and mom, retired rocket scientist,  jewelry-maker, project seeker, and optimist do-gooder, and daily blogger at FeelLOVDeveryday.

I can’t tell you how over-the-top thrilled I am to have been asked to share a craft project with you, let alone a Valentine’s Day craft project.

Here’s how your end result will look. Like it?

‘Craft’ Materials Needed

The best part about this project: it will cost next to nothing but will yield spectacular results. You probably already have all the items you’ll need just sitting in your closet:

- Dry cleaners wire hanger

- Old t-shirt, color of choice

- Scissors (not shown)

- Wire cutters

- Starch (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

♥  STEP 1: MAKING THE WREATH FRAME.

The hardest part of this project is bending of the wire hanger. Carefully unwind the wire hanger at the hook area and shape the hanger into a heart. You’ll have the hook portion at the heart’s center. Wrap the two wires into one. Take wire cutters and cut off the excess wire. You may need stronger wire cutters than those pictured. Be sure not to cut too closely to where the wires come together as you don’t want to break the connection. I actually cut the excess wire off after I tied each rag strip.

♥  STEP 2: CREATING THE HOOK.

Take the old t-shirt and cut the bottom right above the sew line. This strip will act as your hanging strip. The sewed seam will help this strip’s role from unraveling while it hangs your Rag Heart Wreath.

♥  STEP 3: CUTTING RAG STRIPS. 

Begin cutting strips starting at the bottom of the t-shirt. I made my strips between a half an inch to an inch in width and between four to five inches in length. It’s not an exact science and the variation adds character to the final result. This width and length worked so well when I tied the knot that I did not need to use the starch to force the rags to lay outwardly.

♥  STEP 4:  KNOTTING YOUR WREATH. 

Begin knotting each strip to the wire and follow along until the entire wire is covered. It is not a double knot, just a simple basic tie.

TIP:

When you get to the center of the heart where there are two wires coming together, take a rag strip and knot both wires together. Continue along until the entire wire is covered. Push each knotted strip together tightly.

This photo shows the heart’s center and knotting both wires together.

♥ STEP 5: FINISHING YOUR WREATH

Remember that rag strip you cut from the bottom of the t-shirt?

Go ahead and figure out what length you need based on where you’re going to hang your Rag Heart Wreath. Tie each end to the Rag Heart Wreath around the area where the heart begins to curve upwards.

Try to make that knot blend in with the rest of the knots already tied on to the wire by positioning it between the knotted rag strips already there.

HEART RAG WREATH

All done!

Go hang your swoonie Rag Heart Wreath and be proud; a Valentine’s Day craft that cost nothing, nada, zilch! Good for you and Happy Valentine’s Day, you savvy crafter, you!

I hope you enjoyed this simple craft. I’d love for you to visit me at my blog, Feel L.O.V.D.  Everyday, for uplifting conversation & beautiful inspiration.”

: ♥ :

And, if you enjoyed Lilly’s bubbly voice in this tutorial here, go visit her on her blog for more!  She is clearly a delightful spirit!

Thank you Lilly for this fun,

eco-friendly project!

Happy Valentines Everyone!

: ♥ :

Enjoy free shipping on orders over $25 (conditions apply).

Copyright , Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved. Amazing/Eco Home Decorating & Craft ideas and tutorials, for you.

Pin It

so humbled every time I am at a craft and home decoration link party.

In awe of many pretty submissions, last week, to our first show-and-tell link party of “whatever you have made that is beautiful”. I’m glad to be back partying with you today. Hope you feel the same.

I Pin Link Party Submissions

As bonus publicity benefit, I pinned each submitter, with 1-3 separate projects, to my Pinterest boards. I have a followers group of active re-pinners, and I can gleefully share that your projects have already been re-pinned by others. And they will be re-pinned again, etc. 

These pins are linking back directly to your site,  for free extra publicity.   It took a bit of time to pin all projects, but hey, I thought it would be a nice ‘party favor’ to give out to everyone.

And now….

Time for a New Party

What to Link Up

The most beautiful projects ever, made by you are what we all like to see in this party of beautiful home decorating, eco-friendly design, and creative craft ideas.

Tutorials are preferred, but gorgeous inspiration posts are welcome too.

How to Link Back

Here is the badge, just for you, to post on your blog. It will link back to our home page, from where people can find the latest link party.  Thank you so much for putting it up.  We appreciate you being part of the community.

<a href="http://www.finecraftguild.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.finecraftguild.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/finecraftguild_logo.jpg" alt="Fine Craft Guild"></a> Click text in box. Ctrl + A = select all Ctrl + C = copy go to your blog, and click Ctrl + V = paste.

Upcoming

In a week or so I’ll do a feature ‘BEST OF THE PARTY’, so be sure to be included.

Pin It

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They all beg for them: crochet flowers, crochet roses & crochet hearts all want a couple of leaves to come along with them.

Forgo the standard option of making them in green. Try a lovely cream-colored leaf to accompany your peach or pink flower, rose or heart.

Crochet Materials

Yarn: I used the softest of the softest yarn ever, i.e. 100% organic cotton.

(note: if follow this link & you choose to buy from fabric.com, you may receive FREE SHIPPING in the US  on order of $35.)

Crochet needle: Recommended Knit Needle Size: US 9 (5.5 mm), however I used 4.5 mm for this leaf.

This is the very yarn I used:

Crochet Leaf Pattern 1

In essence, when making a crochet leaf, one works around a central chain. This is how all leaves are made.

For this particular leaf, make a loop and chain 10 more stitches.

Then vary the width of the leaf, like so:

Row 1: skip 1 st, 2 sc,3 dc, 2 sc, and 1 sl st.

in the first st, 3 sl st

and now start working on the other side of the chain, in reverse order of row 1, like so

Row 2: sl st, 2 sc, 3 dc, 2 sc. Now the leaf should be complete.

Now, create a tiny stem:

Chain 2,

Make 2 sl st along the chain, going back down to the leaf.

cast off. Weave in ends.

Crochet Leaf Pattern 2

cast on, ch 9

in second stitch: sl st, 2 sc, hdc, dc, tc,dc,

in the last stitch: sc, sl st, sc

now on the other side: go in the reverse order: dc, tc,dc, hdc, 2sc, and finish up with a sl st.

cast off. Weave in ends.

Time Required

Takes approximately 2 minutes to crochet a leaf.

Choice of Yarn

Tip 1: Use variate yarn, i.e. yarn which has lots of different colors is ideally suited for crochet leaf, as it closely resembles the variation in nature.

The 100% organic cotton yarn I mention above, and as you can see here, has variate colors as well as full colors. Check out either of these two color combinations shown. When you click on the images, there will be other color combi’s to consider.

Tip 2: if you want to resemble nature a tat further, make one side of the leaf a tiny bit different than the other side.  Eg.exchange the 3 dc for 1 dc and 2 tc.  Experiment … and before you know it, you can do freeform crochet!

Crochet Patterns

We feature many crochet patterns here at Fine Craft Guild, including:
Kaleidoscope Crochet Scarf
Coffee Cup Crochet Pattern
Crochet Bike Fashion
eBook with Crochet & Knitting Patterns
Market Bag
Crochet Beach Bag with Flowers
Kids Crochet Hat (summer)
Free Crochet Patterns – an Overview page
Free Crochet Pillow Pattern
Gorgeous Scarlet Red Scarf Crochet Lace Pattern with Oversized Flowers
Craft Storage Tips
Fluffly Heart Crochet Pillow
Crochet Monsters
Crochet Flowers
Crochet Water Bottle – beginners tutorial
Crochet Briefcase / iPad case
and more crochet patterns

Copyright , Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved. Amazing/Eco Home Decorating & Craft ideas and tutorials, for you.

We all must learn to grow vegetables. Whether we live in a small apartment without a balcony, a unit with just a small patio, or a luxury house with lots of land. Don’t you think? Growing veggies is easy & fun, once you know how, particularly with the ingenious plastic bottle vertical gardening system I’m showing you today. You can buy seedlings (which are easiest) but I prefer to start with organic heirloom seeds.

Vertical vegetables gardens don’t take up space and will help you save loads on groceries. Not to mention, you’ll eat more organics, and oh … the delight you’ll feel every time you pick your own goodies!!! 

First Things First: Get Seeds

Start an indoor vertical container garden now, and learn just how much fun gardening is.

Get your set of organic edible flowers, vegetable and herb heirloom seeds out from under the kitchen sink or your garden shed, or order high-quality, organic heirloom seeds now online, because…

…I have 2 videos on how to make a vertical vegetable garden using recycled plastic bottles and they will inspire you!

   ***  Pick Pansies ***

Perennial pansies are hardy

and thrive in shady areas or

with partial sunlight.

Tip: don’t forget to order organic potting mix.

Vertical Container Gardening Howto

Essentially, you stack the bottles upside down and use a drip-irrigation system. Let me show you the details ~ They are a little bit different for the indoor and outdoor gardens.

Indoor Vegetable Container Garden for Apartment Dwellers

Indoor Kitchen Garden

Video: If you don’t see the video above, click this link

For this system, you’ll need to cut a large circle on either side of the bottle to allow your plants to grow thru them.

This video discusses a bit of the details, and what’s important for indoor gardens. The next video is a lot more detailed and I think is even of use for those who want/need to make a garden indoor. In particular, its details on irrigation are interesting. So, read on…

Recycled Bottle Stacks for Vertical Outdoor Kitchen Gardening

Ideal for Patios & Small Outdoor Spaces.

The video below gives you the exact details how to set up your own vertical vegetable garden completely fitted with the most efficient irrigation system.

video: http://youtu.be/-uDbjZ9roEQ

Embellish & Add Bling!

Of course, if you are a regular follower of this blog, then I expect you to not leave the ugly labels they show in the video onto the bottles.

I hope that instead you embellish the bottles with cute labels, tags, plastic flowers, butterflies, etc.

Remember these darling aluminum butterflies, made from recycled tin foil plates? They would be perfect for this gardening project.

Grow Edible Flowers

Besides growing the vegetables you love to eat of course,   pick a couple of fresh herbs that offer beautiful flowers too.

I’m thinking of adding a few rows of easy to grow Nasturtium (Tropaeolum Majus). This entirely edible plant makes great flowers that cheer up any salad, herb vinegar or garnish. They like full sun and a warm climate, which impart a wonderful peppery flavor to the plant.  Perfect in the Roman sun. Ahhh…

Other Plant & Garden Projects

Have a look at some of our other plant and garden projects:

• How to Make a Topiary
• How to Make Succulent Wreaths
• How to Make a Rustic Garden Bench
• How to Landscape with Grasses (even in Pots)
• Cool DIY Fence from Recycled Corregated Iron
• Succulent Garden in Recycled Small Kid Shoe
• DIY Cool Outdoor Shower
• Free Sewing Pattern for a Quilted Gardeners Tote Bag
• How to Make Your Own Tire Swing

Copyright , Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved. Amazing/Eco Home Decorating & Craft ideas and tutorials, for you.

Something nifty today:
Curly grosgrain ribbons!
So cute!

I happen to fancy doing this today. Besides making darling wreaths with them, curled grosgrain ribbons are ideal to embellish a bunch of creative projects I’m working on. You need them too?

How to Curl Grosgrain Ribbons

The traditional recipe of baking curls has been around for ages:

• wrap ribbon around long pin & secure,
• soak in water,
• sprits starch
• bake in oven for 1/3 hr. 

and VOILA: a mountain of curly grosgrain ribbons.

Doesn’t that look tidy?

Ode to Nikki !!

Nikki, In Stitches, explains how to make curly grosgrain ribbons in some more details on her blog, Nikki in Stitches, and then shows how to make your ribbons into whimsical Valentines Day Wreaths.

In one word: adorable.

Image credit: Nikki’s.

Enjoy free shipping on orders over $25 (conditions apply).

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Oh, and the things you can do … with beads. And I’m referring to those beads that are iron-able and shape-able into pretty much any thing you fancy, called perler beads.

Creations Made with Perle Beads

After you’ve made Zhu zhu pet food from beads, and a beaded jewelry set with necklace & bracelet for Barbie or Bratz, and you & the kids still haven’t ran out of steam, .. then here are some more Perler beading ideas for you:

• Funky Bead Coasters for your kitchen or to cheer you up at your desk
• Bead Frame (s) to match the coasters, also for your desk
• Beads Ornaments, balls or stars, for the Christmas Tree of Year-round
• Doll Rug for Barbie’s house ( I like that … very creative)

Perler Beads

These colorful shapes are lovely, aren’t they? These perler beads make for a lovely no-mess afternoon crafting, and I highly recommend them.  They are inexpensive and you can order online. You’ll need to buy 3 things: Perler beads, pin board shapes, and iron-on sheets.

For more info on how to iron them together, read the tutorial to make play food for zhu zhu pets.

Copyright , Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved. Amazing/Eco Home Decorating & Craft ideas and tutorials, for you.

Want to be sweet to your loved one for breakfast on Valentines Day? How about whisking up easy love gateaux, aka instant breakfast bars ? Love it.

Serve up a sophisticated slice sprinkled with some icing sugar or candied hearts for breakfast and cut up a few take-away bars for mid-morning coffee.

Filled with goodies & sweetness, this Valentines Day treat is oh-so-yummy.

Here’s the recipe to start the day of right on February 14:

Valentines Day Recipe for Breakfast Bars

Ingredients:

• 4 cups quick-cooking oats

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups chopped almonds (or hazelnuts or walnuts)
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup soft butter
• 3/4 cup orange marmalade
• Optional: add chocolate bits

Step – by – Step Instructions:

Mix oats, sugar and salt.

One by one, stir in other ingredients.

Press into a greased 10″ x 15″ (x 1″ high) baking pan.

Bake at 425° for 15-17 minutes or till done.

Cool off on counter, then place in fridge for one hour before serving.

Serving Suggestion:

Sprinkle the surface of the bars with icing sugar or better still, heart-shaped cookie confetti for that Valentine splash.

Recommended: store bars in the fridge.

Choice of Cereal

I recommend you use healthy cereal for this recipe. However, of course, you can choose any kind of flavorful cereal.

Tip: make a few mini-versions this weekend, and experiment with different types of cereal, nuts, and chocolate till you get the sweetness, richness, flavor and texture that you like best. Then, on February 13, you know just what to make for the next morning.

Copyright , Fine Craft Guild .com. All Rights Reserved. Amazing/Eco Home Decorating & Craft ideas and tutorials, for you.