New Paper Quilt

It's been a long time since I've posted here.  I'm going to pass over the excuses and just talk about my latest paper quilt.  This paper collage was loosely inspired by the amazing quilts of Melody Johnson.  I was inspired by some of her mini quilts which feature a small cabin-like building in the center of them.  These buildings some times have an image inside them that seems symbolic. 

I used a similar idea to make this collage.  I was trying to go for a color palette like the cool tones that Melody often uses, but my colors kind of moved away from that.

In my excitement for create this paper quilt, I forgot to take any process photos, but you can see a tutorial for one of my previous quilt-inspired collages here. 

My next step is to frame this collage.  I have a simple way of framing most of my artwork and I'm excited for this finishing step.  Check out my easy framing tutorial on my blog.

Easy Handmade Christmas Card Tutorials

I like playing around with scrapbook paper to make collages and cards, but I don't do enough of it (yet) to invest in a die cut or other special equipment that a lot of scrapbook tutorials require.  So this year when I decided to make my own Christmas cards, I thought up some easy designs that I could make with just a pair of scissors and some glue sticks.

I created four different designs, each with multiple variations.  So far, I've made 16 cards.  If you're interested in seeing more, I have photos and links to the tutorials below.  Each tutorial includes any templates or stencils that you might need to make your own cards.

First, my Reindeer with holiday branches and berries card.

Next, one of my favorites - my Poinsettia card.  I made a bunch of these cards by changing up the colors that I used for the flower.

My Patchwork Dove card - this is made with strips of scrapbook paper and washi tape.

And my Quilt-Inspired Christmas Tree.  I hope these cards inspired you to try making your own cards this year!

Easy Journal Makeover Project

Hi all!  I know I've not been posting for a while, but honestly - I didn't have much to share.  But this is a quick, easy project that I thought might be of some interest.

I've done journal transformations before, but for this book I wanted to do something quick and super easy.  My mom found this unused notebook/journal (above) at a book sale and asked if I wanted it.  I didn't love the cover, but the book was in good shape and seemed like an empty canvas.  I decided to do a simple acrylic paint design of transform the cover (Unfortunately, I picked a rainy day to do it.  So my photos are a little dark).

1.  The first thing I did was put a piece of wax paper between the front cover and the pages of the notebook.  This would keep the pages clean if I spilt any paint.

2.  Next, I used a broad brush to paint the front cover a light blue that was similar to the actual cover.  I used acrylic paint for this.

3.  Once my paint was dried, I divided the cover into 9 equal squares.  My cover is not exactly square, so each box is slightly rectangular, but I didn't care.

4.  Then I painted the interior of each square with a light cream color.

5.  When my cream paint was dry, I used a thin brush and a dark blue-purple paint color to sketch a circle into each box.  These circles were not perfect and each was slightly different.

6.  Next, I switched to a slightly wider brush and added more color to each circle.  I built up the color using purple, green, and blue with loose brush strokes to create a different painterly circle in each box.  I worked quickly so in some places, my colors were able to blend together before the paint dried.

7.  Then I started to add some lighter, brighter colors to each circle.

8.  When I was happy with the overall look of my circles, I let my paint dry completely.

9.  As a last step, I added a few sweeps of metallic gold paint to each circle.  The metallic gold is hard to photograph but I like how it lightens up my design.

I'm excited to fill my new journal with some new project ideas!

Holiday Project: Cute Cat with Wreath Christmas Ornament

I can't believe that the holiday season is upon us, but I'm getting ready for Christmas with a new round of holiday projects.  My latest is this Cute Cat with Wreath Ornament!  I've made this for my knitting group's annual ornament exchange.  To keep with our group's theme, I've added a little green ball of yarn to my kitty's accessories and knitted the wreath around his neck.  However, this ornament is easy to personalize with other details and accessories.  And I've included a template for a fabric wreath if you don't want to knit your own.

All the directions with more photos are on my Hubpages site.  I'm posting the template for the cat's body pieces here for easy access.  The template below is one image so the pieces should be sized to fit together.  You should be able to click on the image below, then right click on it to save it.  Once it is saved, you can resize it as you wish, and print it out for making your ornament.

I hope you have fun making this ornament for your holiday decorating.  He's a cutie!

A Great Jewelry Resource and A New Tutorial ~ My Stained Glass Polymer Clay Pendant

I have a few new polymer clay jewelry tutorials to share with you this week.  First, my stained glass inspired necklace pendant.  This easy technique can be used to make many decorative things, not just jewelry.  You can use these steps to make a brooch, Christmas decorations, or even drink coasters.

This project takes about a 1/4 of a block of polymer clay, a stamp or some interesting buttons to make a design, and some colored pencils.  You can find all the directions, with photos, on my Hubpages!

I liked my finished necklace so much that I used the same technique with a different stamp to make another pendant.  Check out my full tutorial!

If you are looking for more jewelry tutorials and ideas, head over to AllFreeJewelryMaking.com.  This site is loaded with great jewelry projects, tutorials, videos and information.  They even have a free newsletter you can sign up for.  This site is a wonderful resource for jewelry makers of all types and experience levels.  I love this peyote stitch bracelet!

Christmas Tutorial: An Easier Way to Make an Ornament Wreath for the Holidays!

I love bright ornament wreaths for decorating for the Christmas season.  But from personal experience, I know they can be a hassle to make.  Fitting all those ornaments together can be like working a jigsaw puzzle, and these wreaths can require A LOT of ornaments to look full and colorful. 

So I came up with a tutorial that creates an ornament wreath from a plain grapevine form that is easy to construct and needs a lot less ornaments. The resulting wreath is a festive and fun decoration for your holiday home.  I have all the directions with photos on my Hubpages!

I really love how my finished wreath came out.

I also wanted to reuse the artificial pine wreaths that I usually hang on my front windows.  So I found a way to decorate these smaller wreaths to match my larger ornament wreath.  There are directions for decorating these pine wreaths on my Hubpages too!  Enjoy!

Christmas Craft Project: Turn a Gift Box into a Holiday Floral Arrangement

I took a looong break from  crafting and blogging over the summer, but the upcoming holiday season has reinvigorated me and inspired some new projects.

I bought this cute Santa wine bottle gift box a few years ago at an after Christmas sale.  I loved the image on it, but didn't really have any plans for what to do with it.  Then I realized that I could repurpose and show off this festive container by using it as a vessel for a holiday floral arrangement.  In fact, you can use any medium or large size gift box to make a similar arrangement.

So I bought some floral foam and some fake greenery and berries to make an arrangement to use as a decoration for my holiday table or mantle.  I don't have any experience arranging flowers, but I've posted hints and suggestions, along with the full directions for this project, on my Hubpages.

I've also come up with a fun holiday project to use the box lid.  Check out my Hubpages for the full tutorial!