Update: Rustic Metal Star Christmas Decoration

Before the holidays, I posted a tutorial on adding handmade touches to store-bought Christmas ornaments.  In my post, I mentioned that I thought I should find another frame for my rustic metal star decoration.

Well, over the holidays, I had to buy a cheap frame to use to replace the glass in picture frame which had broken.  Since I was buying this frame simply for the glass, I chose a simple wooden frame that I knew I could transform to work with my rustic star.

I painted my cheap wooden frame with acrylic paint in a blue/green teal color.  But while my paint was drying, I dipped my brush in some clean water and gently brushed it over the surface of my frame in long strokes.  This thinned my paint in places and let the original brown surface come through a little, giving my frame a slightly worn or aged surface.  It was exactly what I wanted.

Then I attached my rustic star to the frame and stuck my cardboard backing back in place.

We've been having rainy weather, so the colors are a bit off in my photos.  But I love how this rustic metal star looks on my holiday mantle.  Hope you had a wonderful holiday season!  Best wishes for a bright new year!

{Craft Tutorial} Adding Special Touches to Store-Bought Christmas Ornaments

I bought this plain galvanized metal star at Michael's as an impulse buy (sorry, I didn't take a photo of just the plain star I bought).  I think it was $2.99 and I had a coupon.  I didn't have any plan for what to do with it, but I liked it and I knew it could be made into something special.

Then dumb luck and some inspiration hit:

1.  When we were hanging our wreath over our mantle, my husband had to trim a little piece of branch off of our fake pine wreath.  I knew I could use this pine piece to add a little color and holiday cheer to my metal star.

2.  I also knew I had a rusty brown bell somewhere in my craft supplies.  I dug out the bell, ran some wire through it, wrapped it around my pine pieces, and strung it through a hole in the galvanized star.

3.  Then I looked through my bits and pieces of artificial flowers and found some red berries that had fallen off something or other.  I nestled those in among my pine pieces and hot glued them in place.

Total time for this endeavor: about 7 minutes.

So then I had a pretty, dressed up ornament, but didn't really know what to do with it (since we don't have a Christmas tree).  But I decorate our mantle with framed Christmas stuff, so I thought of hanging this ornament in a frame.

I grabbed the closest frame, which was this shiny fake silver frame.  I took out the glass and backing stuff so I had just the rectangular frame.  Then I wired my ornament so that it was hanging in the center of this frame.  This worked really well, but when I put it on my mantle, it got kind of lost.

So Plan B - I left my star still in the center of my frame, but put the backing material back in it, including the corrugated cardboard filler.  This turned out to be the perfect backing for my little ornament.  I think the cardboard perfectly compliments the rustic look of this galvanized metal star.

I probably need to look through my other frames and see if I have a wooden frame that would look better with my star, but for now, I like it.  I'm glad I bought this little beauty!

Easy No-Sew Christmas Pillow Cover Tutorial

Every year, I like to add a few new elements to my Christmas decorating, and I try to make things using materials I have on hand.

This year, I made this festive no-sew pillow from two pieces of scrap fabric, some paint, some glitter glue, and a few more embellishments.  You can find all the materials and directions on my Hubpages.

The pillow pieces are held together with fringe ties.  Then you can decorate each side as you choose.

On one side, I created a winter wonderland with a snowman using some acrylic paint and a pencil eraser.  On the other side, I added a reindeer head outlined in glitter glue.  Then I used some buttons and plastic snowflakes for extra decoration.  Check out the full tutorial on my Hubpages!

Decorating Ideas: Refresh the Look of Your Fall Wreath!

So, this used to be our fall wreath for our front door.  I bought it at Homegoods about 3 years ago and I still love it.  But with sun and weather, the bright falls colors had faded from the leaf accents on the wreath and it looked a little sad and worn.

I happened to find a super cheap bag of fake leaves at the dollar store.  They were a little cheap looking, but I liked the colors of the leaves and I realized I could use them to pump some cheer back into my wreath.

I figured the easiest way to add these leaves was to hot glue them around the center of the wreath.  The brightness of the new leaves would blend with the existing accents and give the whole wreath a fresh look.

I may decide to add more leaves in spots around the outer edge of my wreath, but for right now, these additional leaves adds the boost of fall color I needed (particularly when viewed from the street).  This was an easy and inexpensive way to extend the life of my wreath.  I'll definitely get one more year of use out of it next fall. 

My Recycled Christmas Ornaments Are Featured on Redbook.com!

I was excited to learn that my tutorial on making Christmas Ornaments from Recycled Greeting Cards was included in a holiday craft feature on Redbook.com!  Just in time for the Christmas season.

You can find my tutorial here.  See all the holiday ornaments featured on Redbbok.com here.

{Switching Seasons} Paper Plate Angels: A Great Holiday Craft Project!

I know, we just got past Halloween and it's not even Thanksgiving yet.  I know I'm rushing the seasons a bit, but it's been raining here for what seems like forever, so I just keep making stuff!

And I love the idea of these easy angels (though I can't get any decent photos of them in this dark and dreary weather we're having).  These charming angels are made with a simple paper plate, a lacy doily, and some basic art supplies.  A great project for any age or group, these angels can be used to decorate a mantle, hang on your Christmas tree, or as a tree topper!  You can find all the directions on my Hubpages!

{Fall Decorating} - Putting the Final Touches on My Fall Mantle

I keep thinking I'm done decorating my fall mantle, then I turn around and add a few more details.

The latest are these brown paper leaves I made and painted.  I think they really tie the mantle display and the fall banner together.  I posted the full directions on making these paper leaves on Hometalk.

I might be done decorating for fall.  Or I might have one more craft project in the works.  Stay tuned :)

{Craft Tutorial} Falling for Fall: No Sew Fall Welcome Banner

This year, for some reason, I keep doing more and more fall crafting and decorating.  After dressing up my mantle with my Scrap Fabric Fall Leaves decoration and then building some Stacked Pumpkin Topiaries, I thought my fireplace still needed some autumn cheer.  So over this past (very) rainy weekend, I made this easy No Sew Fall Welcome Banner to hang from my mantle.  I love the festive color it adds to our dark (so far) unused fireplace.

This truly is an easy project that can be done over a weekend.  All you need is some fabric, a bunch of artificial leaves, and some glue!  You can find all the directions on my Hubpages!

I'm Pinning Fall Ideas to Hometalk's Pinterest Board!

I was thrilled to be chosen to be one of the bloggers pinning ideas to Hometalk's Fall Inspiration board!  Hometalk.com is a FREE home, garden, and crafts community website.  It is chuck full of great ideas for your home and yard.  Members post and share the most amazing projects.  I just love visiting this site every day!

If you're looking for some creative decorating or craft ideas for fall and Halloween, check out Hometalk's Fall Inspiration Pinterest board.  I'm having a blast adding new projects and ideas I find on the web.  Check it out!!

Saying "Hello!" to Fall ~ Easy Autumn Pumpkin Decorations

Looking for some easy Halloween or fall decorating projects?  Stacked pumpkin topiaries are easy to make and provide festive color and just the right amount of autumn cheer.

I made a few of these stacked pumpkin decorations last weekend to decorate my porch and my mantle, and to use as a table centerpiece.

They're a lot of fun and easy to make.  Check out my full tutorial on my Hubpages!

How to Fold a Fancy Napkin When You Don't Know How to Fold a Napkin

A few people have asked how I folded my linen napkin in the photos for my Scrap Fabric Leaves and Napkin Ring tutorial, so I decided to post some step-by-step photos here.  I like this folding method because it's easy and gives a nice casual look, but still feels special.  You could create a more formal look by pressing each fold in place.

Step 1:  Start with freshly washed and pressed napkins.  If your napkins are made of a light weight fabric, you may also want to give them a light starch.  My napkins are mid-weight, so I did not starch them before folding.  (They look creased in these photos, because I was unfolding my fancy fold).

Step 2:  Place your pressed napkin face down on your folding surface with one of your four corners pointed toward the 12 o'clock position.  Then take your bottom corner and fold it up toward your top corner but place it about an inch to an inch and a half below your top corner (see photo above).  You may want to press the fold you just created.  I didn't so that my folded napkin had a more casual look.

Step 3:  Fold the bottom section up so that you create a 2 to 3 inch band at the bottom (see photo above).  Again, you may choose to iron this fold.

Step 4:  Now turn your napkin over so that the right side is facing up (see photo above).

Step 5:  Take the right side of your long bottom band and fold it toward the left side.  Place it so it is about 1 inch short of meeting the left edge (see photo above).

Step 6:  Continue to fold your napkin toward the left side, creating a center section of your napkin that is about 3 inches wide and an even point at the top of your napkin (see photo).

Step 7:  Continue to fold your napkin to the left.

Step 8:  Fold the last remaining tab of your napkin over. 

Step 9:  Fold in half lengthwise to slip through a napkin ring if you choose and fan out the top of your napkin to show off your interesting folds.

Step 10:  Then check out my tutorial on how to create your own fall-inspired napkin rings!

{Craft Tutorial} Matryoshka-Inspired Polymer Clay Doll

I've always loved Matryoshka dolls (sometimes known as Russian nesting dolls).  I also love using recycled items in my craft projects.  So I couldn't resist using a pull tab from a recycled can to create a polymer clay Matryoshka-inspired doll to use as a jewelry charm.

These doll charms are easily to make and a lot of fun to decorate with colorful flowers and details.  I've posted a full tutorial on my Hubpages.

Once you have a few dolls made, you can use them to make a necklace, charm bracelet, brooch or key chain.  Check out more photos and directions here.

Showing Off My Handmade Clay Bird Necklace

So I'm super excited to share this clay bird necklace I just completed.  I've been thinking about and planning for this necklace project for a while and I'm really happy with how this finished necklace came out.

I love the necklaces on ElvaFields.com and her use of unexpected accents in her jewelry to make each piece special and unique.  I have a couple of her necklaces and really love them, but I think a lot of her pieces are a little too dressy for my definitely-not-dressy lifestyle.  So I got to thinking about how I could make my own unique-but-maybe-more-casual version.

First I bought a bunch of beads and jewelry findings at my craft store.  Then I found this bird-shaped bezel on etsy.

I needed a bezel that had connectors on the top and the bottom so I could use it for a necklace, and I needed two connection points on each side so I could make my necklace in a double-stranded design.  This bird bezel was perfect.

Next step was to string my beads and connect them to my necklace clasp and my bird connector.  I mixed in a few other beads among the ones I had bought to add a little more color and interest.  I didn't want all my beads to match.  Then I started thinking about how I wanted to fill the bezel on my bird connector.

My original plan was to fill the bezel with a grouping of vintage buttons.  But when I laid out a few designs, it seemed a little too busy for my necklace.  So I went to Plan B.  I filled the bird bezel with Sculpey polymer clay.  Then I took a couple of my favorite vintage buttons and used them as stamps to create a design on my bird shape.  When I was happy with the way it looked, I *very carefully* lifted my clay design out of the bezel and baked it according the the clay directions.  (Had I known I was going to use polymer clay to decorate my bezel from the get-go, I would have done this part first, before putting my necklace together, and baked the polymer piece in my actually bezel before stringing and connecting my beads).

After my clay bird had cooled, I carefully placed it back into my bezel and glued it in place.  Again, this would have all been a little easier had I done the clay bit first, but it all worked out fine.  And I really enjoy wearing my finished necklace. 

{Craft Tutorial} Ready for Fall ~ Scrap Fabric Table Decorations and Napkin Rings

As we turn the calendar to September, I can't help thinking about cooler temperatures and Fall colors.  Autumn is definitely my favorite time of the year, and I particularly enjoy decorating my home for the Fall season.

My first decorating project is these easy-to-sew scrap fabric leaves.  These leaves are fun to make and decorate using whatever fabric and notions you have on hand.  I've posted the full tutorial on my Hubpages.  

Once you have a small bunch of leaves made, there's many ways to use these scrap fabric leaves to make a table centerpiece or a smaller decoration for your home.  I've included a number of ideas in my tutorial on Hubpages.

And to complete your Autumn-inspired table, I've included directions on using this same tutorial to make scrap fabric napkin rings.  Here, I've decorated my ring with a cute little acorn, but you can use a number of leaf or other shapes as decoration.  Check it out :)

Free Jewelry-Making Tutorials: A Collection of Pins, Bracelets, Necklaces & More

I've been very diligent recently and pulled together all my favorite free jewelry craft tutorials in one place.  On my Hubpages, I've put photos, links, and descriptions to some of my favorite tutorials for pins, brooches, bracelets, necklaces and even some jewelry display projects.  These tutorials use a variety of materials - beads, buttons, scrap fabric, polymer clay, and more - and are great for a variety of skill levels. 

Check it out and share it with your friends!

"Charm-ing" Recycled Jewelry Charms: A Tutorial

I've been on a bit of a bird kick lately.  I love collecting bird images and bird crafts on one of my Pinterest boards and I think I've gone a little bird crazy.

So, when my Mom offered me some old pet ID tags, I couldn't resist using them to create a bird-inspired charm bracelet.

I made a bunch of these charms, with different images on them.  I've posted directions on the entire process on my Hubpages.  I also used these handmade charms to create a few different items, like a necklace and a beaded bracelet.

These jewelry pieces are easy and a lot of fun to make.  I used just a bunch of paper and things I had around the house to create my charms.   And I'm having a lot of fun wearing them, too.  I hope you try making your own charms!