Happybird's Crafting Haven

How To Make A Beautiful, Shiny Metallic-Looking Heart Pendant

2012-02-09T11:20:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! This is the last tutorial in my “heart series.” These were so much fun and they were a snap to make. I really liked the end results! I’ve listed the materials you will need below and you can find all of them at Michael’s. Enjoy!

1. Wood Shapes (1 to 1.5 inches) (Such as “Lara Crafts” brand wood shapes)

2. Tinsel Glitter in gold or silver (I used Martha Stewart and Recollections brand)

3. Aileen’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue

4. Glossy Accents

5. Metallic Acrylic Paint in Silver and Gold

6. Glue-On Necklace Bail (Use E-6000 glue)

7. Key Charms and jump rings (optional)

8. Black Suede Necklace Cord (See tutorial link in video OR you can buy them premade at Michael’s. I believe they come 2 to a pack.

Here are the basic instructions for those of you who’ve requested that I write them out along with the posting the video:

1. Paint wood heart shapes with gold or silver metallic acrylic paint. Be sure to paint both sides and the edges. Allow to dry.

2. After the hearts are thoroughly dry, spread a generous amount of Aileen’s tacky glue on the TOP of the heart, paying careful attention to the edges. You’ll want to make sure the top of your heart is completely covered to the very edge.

3. Sprinkle a generous amount of gold or silver tinsel glitter on the glue, paying careful attention that glitter is spread to the very edges of the heart. Don’t worry if your edges appear “fuzzy” with the tinsel glitter…We’ll take care of that in a moment. Using your index finger, gently “pat down” the glitter on your heart and gently shake the excess glitter off your heart. Don’t skip this step! The heart will appear fuzzy around the edges, so you will gently tap the edges with your finger all around the sides of the heart. You’ll want the edges completely covered because this will make all the difference in how your heart will turn out. If you see edges that could be covered a little better, then take a tiny dab of Aileen’s Fast Grab glue on your finger and place it along the edge. Dip into the glitter again and repeat the process. Don’t forget to pat it down again. After this process is complete, allow the heart to dry completely.

4. After the heart is dry, take your Glossy Accents and apply a fairly thick layer on top of the heart. Be sure not to shake the bottle. You don’t want to create air bubbles. Allow the Glossy Accents to drain into the nozzle before applying. If you happen to see an air bubble or two, you can pop the bubble with a pin or piece of wire. Allow to dry a minimum of 12 hours. If you happen to see a piece of glitter or two float to the top of your heart, don’t panic. I promise you won’t be able to see it once it dries.

5. Your heart is complete! All you have to do is attach a glue-on bail to the back of your heart with E-6000 glue. Allow to dry and add a black suede necklace cord to your pendant. You can purchase the cords in packs of two at Michael’s for approximately $3.99 OR you can make your own by checking out my “Stunning Crystal Heart” necklace tutorial. I show how you can make your own in the video.

Optional: Attach a key charm with a jump ring.

How To Make A Gorgeous Ruby Heart Necklace Pendant

2012-01-29T10:03:00.000-08:00

This beautiful Ruby Heart would make a lovely gift for Valentine's day, a Sweet 16, Mother's day, or even a small gift for the bridesmaids. Believe it or not, I only used 3 things to make this pendant...A Woodsies heart, Martha Stewart glitter in the color Garnet and Glossy Accents. The heart sparkles and looks as if it is under glass. Just beautiful! Enjoy this tutorial!

Making Beautiful and Versatile Felt Flowers~Free Pattern!

2012-01-27T19:56:00.001-08:00

Click on the pattern above and it will bring you to the download page. Just click on the large blue rectangular button that says "Download Now." Enjoy!

How To Make BEAUTIFUL And Easy Egg Shell Pendants~Part 1

2012-01-15T14:17:00.001-08:00

I hope you enjoy this video! Please watch both parts. I had to make part 1 and part 2 because I don't have a video editing program on my computer. I had so much fun making these egg shell pendants and they are sooo easy to do!

Materials Needed:

Egg shells with membranes removed (See video) Woodsies in various shapes (I chose hearts), Package of 3 coordinating alcohol inks, Glossy Accents, Aileen's Fast Grab Tacky Glue, Black acrylic paint, Martha Stewart Ultra Fine Glitter (Optional!), E-6000 and "Glue on" bail

How To Make BEAUTIFUL And Easy Egg Shell Pendants~Part 2

2012-01-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

Here is part 2 of the egg shell pendant video. Please refer to part 1 for a list of materials needed. Enjoy!

How To Make A Sweet and Inexpensive Little Hot Cocoa Box For Gift Giving

2011-12-31T07:26:00.000-08:00

Make this sweet little hot cocoa box from nothing more than a few simple things...a box, acrylic paint, grosgrain ribbon, felt and scrapbooking stickers! I bought the cardboard box at Michael's and just left the lid off. If you are patient, you can purchase these boxes on sale (off and on) throughout the year for about a dollar...otherwise, they are around $2.99. See my tutorial above for details as well as the photo below of my finished box. This would make a wonderful and thoughtful little gift at Christmas and you can make the boxes over the Summer. The various ways to decorate the cocoa boxes are endless, however, I would suggest thinking of the person you will be giving the box to as a gift. What is the person's favorite color? Do they fancy a certain animal, such as birds or kittens? Do they have a hobby, such as collecting seashells or have a certain theme in their kitchen? Is the person diabetic or on a restricted diet? If so, be sure to give sugar-free cocoa. To give as a gift, I would recommend placing the hot cocoa box in a clear cellophane bag and attaching a large bow. Enjoy this project!

How To Attach A Crimp Bead Using Your Crimping Pliers

2011-12-29T10:51:00.000-08:00

This tutorial will show you how to attach a crimp bead to your beading wire. I know beginning jewelry makers are often intimidated by this, so hopefully this will help!

How To Make A Beautiful Snow Bangle Bracelet~Great Craft for the Kids!

2011-12-20T21:50:00.001-08:00

These little snow bangle bracelets would be great for the kids to make for Grandma OR wear them yourself during the Christmas season just for fun! It's just a simple braid with beads.Very easy and inexpensive! Enjoy! Materials Needed: White Chenille Pipe Cleaners 8mm Round, Faceted Acrylic Beads Grosgrain Ribbon in Coordinating Color

Pretty Little Ring Or Lipstick Holder

2011-12-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

This project would make a lovely "Thinking of You" Christmas gift. It's very inexpensive to make and surprisingly EASY! It's a ring OR lipstick holder...you decide!
You can buy the glass votive holder at Walmart or Michael's for about a .50 cents. I then wrapped "Terrifically Tacky Tape" around the top and bottom rim of the glass. See how the glitter shows right through the glass? Next, I rolled the rim into some of Martha Stewart's ultra fine glitter in the color "sterling." Love that glitter! I tapped the glass and then rolled it again to make sure I thoroughly covered the entire jar. Allow the glitter to cure on the tape for at least a day. Then, you can take a soft paint brush or Kleenex and gently "clean up the glass."
I chose some scrapbooking stickers I found at Michael's. If you are making the holders into gifts, take into consideration the colors the person likes. This will help to really personalize it.
Below is another holder I made. I used some rub-ons of little chickadees they had at Michael's. They have some really cute designs for only .99 cents per package. Around the rim, I used Martha Stewart's ultra fine glitter in "Verdelite."

Scrap Some Cute Little Hershey Nuggets For ANY Occasion or Season!!

2011-12-10T10:18:00.001-08:00

Scrap these cute little Hershey's Nuggets ANY time of the year! Simply use any ribbon according to the occasion or season! This makes a great little party favor!

Materials Needed: 3/4 inch wide ribbon that has been cut into 3 inch long strips, Low Temp. hot glue gun, and Hershey's Nuggets OR Nestle Treasures candy.

For The Kid In All Of Us!~Full 1952 Chip 'N' Dale Christmas Cartoon

2011-12-08T19:09:00.000-08:00

Grab the kids and click on the big arrow in the middle of the screen to play. Enjoy!

Easy, Yummy and Inexpensive Gift Idea!

2011-12-04T21:05:00.001-08:00

Easy, yummy and inexpensive gift idea! Click on the arrow in the middle of the screen to play. Enjoy!

How to Make This Fun and Colorful Garland With Your Kids!

2011-12-04T20:37:00.001-08:00

Make this fun and colorful garland with your kids for a wonderful homemade Christmas!

You will need:
Various colors of tinsel stem, cut into 6 inch pieces (16mm)
Wire Cutter

Make A Cake/Pastry Stand Gift OR Chip 'N' Dip Plate For Pennies! Well....ALMOST!

2011-11-29T15:16:00.000-08:00

You can make some very pretty and original cookie stands as well as chip "n" dip bowls, armed only with E-6000 glue! See the above video tutorial for the cookie stand and check out my version of a chip 'n' dip bowl below. Find a ceramic plate with a matching bowl. I found mine at Walmart near the Corelle dishes, however, keep your eyes open at thrift stores and garage sales. I picked up a dinner plate with a Fall fruit design for approx. $2.86 and a matching bowl for $1.76.
I turned the bowl upside down and used a generous amount of silicone glue (Such as E-6000 or some other brand of silicone glue) to glue the plate onto the bottom of the bowl. I've also seen this done with the cheap glass plates and glass candle pedestals that you can buy for a dollar a piece at Christmas.
Remember you can make yours for MUCH less than I paid for the dishes at Walmart, if you keep your eyes open. When you are at a garage sale or thrift store, you can always find stray plates and bowls that were originally part of a set. Imagine the beautiful cake stands OR chip 'n' dip sets you can create for far less than $5.00 per gift!

Here is a "before" picture of the plate and bowl I bought at Walmart:

Below is a picture of a finished cake stand. See how I turned the bowl upside down and glued it onto the plate?
Below is another example of the same type plate, only I glued the bowl into the center of the plate to make a chip 'n' dip bowl:

Now tell me who WOULDN'T love a gift like this at Christmas? Especially if it was filled with your favorite homemade Christmas cookies! :o)

Cute Party Favor Ideas Using The Plastic Shot Glasses From Dollar Tree

2011-11-28T19:37:00.001-08:00

Click on the arrow in the middle of the screen to play. I thought you'd enjoy a couple of very simple party favor ideas using the Dollar Tree plastic shot glasses. Enjoy!

Mary, Did You Know? Sung By Donny Osmond

2011-11-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

To play, click on the big arrow in the middle of the screen.

Pretty Samples of Wired Ribbon Pockets I Made for Gift Cards!

2011-11-18T22:36:00.000-08:00

Here are some samples of more wired ribbon pockets I made for gift cards. See my wired ribbon tutorial by clicking on the link provided in this video. Enjoy!

Beautiful Wired Ribbon Christmas Pocket Favors~Fun and Versatile Craft!

2011-11-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

Click on the big arrow in the middle of the screen to play.

Make beautiful Christmas pockets from wired ribbon! This is such an easy craft and so versatile! Use different ribbon to match the various holidays and you can have a lot of fun! Here are some ideas to fill the pockets: Chocolate mints, tea bag, peppermints, money, gift card, small jewelry items, such as earrings, ring, or necklace, Ghirardelli chocolate square, eyeglass cleaning cloth, etc.!

You Will Need:

2.5 to 3 inch wide wired ribbon with the WIDE ribbed edge
Low temp. hot glue gun
Trims or embellishments of your choice
Scissors

How To Make Store-Bought Scrapbook Jams and Jellies!~Great Christmas Gift Idea!

2011-11-14T20:50:00.000-08:00

Click on the arrow in the middle of the screen to play.

Enjoy making these scrapbook book jams and jellies for neighbors and friends! Materials needed below:

1. Jars of Jam or Jelly
2. Artificial Poinsettia
3. Tags
4. Scrapbook Paper
5. 3-D Christmas Stickers
6. Ribbon (Optional)

2011 Christmas TV Specials-Dates and Channels!

2011-11-11T06:03:00.000-08:00

Click on the link below or copy and paste into your tool bar to see the 2011 TV specials for Christmas! When the page opens, scroll downwards just a tad. It's quite a list! Make your favorite specials a family night event with a big bowl of popcorn and hot cocoa. Enjoy!

http://www.chiff.com/home_life/holiday/christmas/whats-on-tv.htm

Delicious Cinnamon-Honey Butter!~1 Pound of Butter Makes 4 Gifts!

2011-11-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a wonderful recipe for Cinnamon-Honey Butter, shared by Ina Garten. Normally, you wouldn't think of butter as being economical, however, in this case one pound of unsalted butter will make 4 GIFTS for Christmas! You can buy the unsalted butter at Walmart for under $3.00 per pound. I would suggest using the 1/2 cup plastic GLAD containers with the screw-on lids, to store the Cinnamon-Honey Butter in. Right now, the stores have quite a few containers with red lids because of Christmas and you can pick up a set of 4 for $2.00. If you plan on using this recipe for Valentine's day or next Christmas, it may be a good idea to stock up on the containers now. Once you fill the containers with the Cinnamon-Honey Butter, place the container in a cellophane bag and tie with a ribbon threaded with two bells or a pretty artificial poinsettia. The butter should be refrigerated until ready to serve, at which time it can be served softened. Serve with toast, pancakes, or biscuits. The Cinnamon-Honey Butter will last in the refrigerator as long as your regular butter, so it will last well beyond New Years Day.

1/4 Pound (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, Softened at Room Temperature
3 Tablespoons Honey
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

Whip all ingredients together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Fill containers with Cinnamon-Honey Butter. Click on the link below to download a cute set of Christmas Themed "Cinnamon-Honey Butter" tags in Adobe PDF format and attach to your butter gifts:
http://www.4shared.com/file/Ze-Oi_UJ/Cinnamon_Honey_Butter_Tag_A.html

Enjoy!

FREE Printable 4.25 oz. Symphony Candy Bar Wrappers

2011-10-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

I made a couple of candy bar wrappers to fit the large size 4.25 oz. Hershey Symphony candy bars. The wrappers seem to change so much in size from year to year that I can hardly keep up with them. For best printing results, I would highly recommend that you print the wrappers on glossy brochure paper. You can
purchase it by the sheet at Kinkos for just a few cents each and it will make all the difference in the world as far as clarity and richness of color. Click on the link below to download both wrappers in Adobe PDF format:
http://www.4shared.com/file/Ib32aiYZ/425_Ounce_Hershey_Sympony_Snow.html
Please go the very bottom of my blog for easy step-by-step download instructions.
Enjoy!

1x8 Zip Lock Baggie Toppers Generously Made And Shared By Annie B.

2011-10-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

These cute toppers were generously made and shared by Annie B. ~ Annie asked me to post them so she could share them with all the ladies on the Craftsayings craft forum at http://www.voy.com/100606/ ~This forum is owned and moderated by KrafteeKaren. Click on the links provided below to download your copy of the 1x8 inch Zip Lock baggie toppers. If you need easy step-by-step instructions on how to download them, scroll to the very bottom of this blog.

Link to Holly Jolly Topper:
http://www.4shared.com/file/Pn9wKnZm/holjoltop.html

Link to Santa Topper:
http://www.4shared.com/file/OyB2dfRe/smartietopsheet.html

How To Make Embellished Kitchen Towels~Nice Christmas Gift!

2011-10-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

Another inexpensive, but thoughtful gift idea for Christmas. Enjoy!
Click on the arrow to play video.

Materials Needed:

Plain Kitchen Towels
Buttons
White Upholstery Thread
Sewing Needle
Scissors
A Good Quick Bread Recipe

Warm And Delicious Apple Cinnamon Bread~ Yummm!

2011-10-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

Who DOESN'T like homemade apple-cinnamon bread? Yum! Yesterday, I went apple picking with my grandson in Julian. The town of Julian is in the mountains and it's famous for it's apples. As I started looking at the apples over flowing in my kitchen, I realized we may have been a little over zealous in our picking and will be eating a LOT of apples for the next few weeks. Sooo, since I had today off work, I decided to make some apple-cinnamon bread with my grandson. I have to tell you that the kitchen smelled WONDERFUL! The bread was absolutely delicious! I found the recipe on http://divascancook.com/ . It's a great blog full of fantastic recipes! I'm going to post the whole apple bread recipe below because there was an issue with some not being able to find the instructions to go along with the recipe. Enjoy!

*APPLE BREAD
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups apples, diced

* CRUMB TOPPING
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of cloves
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2-3 Tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven top 325 °. Pour cool melted butter in mixing bowl Add buttermilk and brown sugar. Stir in the beaten egg and vanilla. Stir well then set aside in another separate bowl. Add flour, baking soda, and salt and stir it together.
Then make a little well in the flour mixture and add the liquid mixture. Stir well. Add chopped apples and mix. Batter is pretty thick. Pour into buttered loaf pan. For the crumb topping, in a separate bowl, add flour, cinnamon, spices, and brown sugar. Cut in butter or blend with fork until crumbly.Top the loaf pan of batter with the crumb mixture. Bake at 325° for 1 hour & 20 minutes. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Baking times will vary so check it often after 1 hour.