The Impatient Crafter : July 2012

Craft Wars Inspired: Holiday Sweater Rose Wreath

True Craft Confession: I was pleased as wassail punch with my wreath from last week's episode of Craft Wars! My tree...well...had some obvious issues, but the wreath was something I'd happily hang in my home. Yes, there were a few glue strings and boogers, but I don't usually craft at the speed of light. Glue strings and boogers are fairly easy to avoid or remove when you have the luxury of time.

With the aforementioned luxury of time on my side, I present my prettier, lump, glue string and booger free, new and improved upcycled sweater wreath for your craftertainment!

Insert holiday trumpet flourish...here.

I love the idea of turning ugly old thrift store sweaters into a fabulous new wreath. I scored the grey and a black and white striped wool blend sweaters at my Goodwill for $.25 each! Cha-ching! I actually scored a third black and grey striped sweater, but my daughter snapped that puppy right up as a night shirt. Bonus!

Without further pomp and circumstance, here's how you can make your own upcycled Craft Wars Inspired Sweater Rose Wreath. Oh and check out the links at the end of my post to see what the other Craftacular Craft Wars Vets created inspired by last week's episode!

Instead of using sweater arms for the base like I did on the show, I wrapped off-white yarn around a round wreath form. I used a saw to cut the wreath in half which made it easier to wrap. To put it back together, some 16 gauge craft wire with Aleene's Foamtastic glue did the trick.

This red pom-pom yarn was recently on clearance at my local Michaels, and it gave a fun, whimsical, candy cane look that I'm totally digging! Just wrap it around the reassembled wreath working about 1" apart.

You can use the Clover pom-pom maker to make fuzzy yarn pom-pom accents. I made two, because I loves me some pom-poms, oh yes I do!

Use old sweaters, or get some at Goodwill like I did! Cut the sweaters into triangular strips and rolled into roses. Vary the lengths and widths. A 2' length is a good starting point.

Cut two contrasting leaves as accents. Hot glue the flowers and leaves into a solid shape and attach that to the lower left side of the wreath. (Note: If you are using a sweater that might fray, try Aleene's Stop Fraying around the edges.)

Attach the pom-poms on top and bottom of the roses with hot glue. Aleene's Super Thick Tacky Glue makes quick work of adding button and rhinestone accents. It dries clear without boogers or strings, huzzah!

Traci Remley turns some old sheet music and cupcake wrappers into a charming vintage inspired wreath.
Nikki McGonigal shows you how to make wine twice as fun with her all season cork wreath!
Lisa Fulmer makes an a dor a ble ornament inspired by the vibrant colors on my holiday tree from the show!
Cheryl Burchett shares a divine postage themed baby announcement for her latest creation, her son Joshua!
Pattye Duffner repurposes some baby blocks as festive ornaments!
Angela Daniels soothes her 'guilt' with a Thank You card wreath!
Andrea Currie turns a truly awful sweater into a truly lovely year round wreath!

Tune into TLC this Tuesday at 8pm EST for a new episode of Craft Wars! Join us on Twitter at #craftwars for live show tweets! After the show, Stephen Brown and Nikki McGonigal host a fun show wrap up on Spreecast!

Bringing the Sparkle

Make your own simply swingy fun necklace using Beadalon's QuickLinks for AC Moore, get the instructions here!

Of all of the creative things I do, I think writing is my favorite. I love opening up my brain and my heart and letting the words trip off of my fingertips on to a keyboard. Tap, tap, tap...tappity tap.

I process things through writing. It's a catharsis and it brings clarity. Some may scream it out or punch it out or paint it out...but for me it almost always comes down to writing it out.

I used to share my sad stories in my blog. But I don't anymore. We all have sad stories. It's part of being human. I do believe it is important to speak them and release them, I just don't know if the internet is where that has to happen. Sad stories mostly just make us sad. Angry words mostly just make us angry. Divisive thoughts mostly just divide.

I want to tell happy stories, that mostly just make me and you, gentle reader, happy.

The world needs a lot more sparkle and a lot less snark.

It is my new and improved mission to bring more sparkle and less snark.

Words are powerful. Choose them wisely.

I choose "joy."

I love this definition of "joy" from BraveHeart Women.

"We are the music makers, we are the dreamers of the dream." from Ode by Arthur O'Shaughnessy

Sparkle on,
Madge

iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Tres Chic Cupcake Toppers

Avalon and I decided to throw an intimate soiree for #TeamPotter on last night's Craft Wars episode. Friends and family all live far away, so we just made our own little party with Avalon's best friend and the three of us. Av had a project due today for iLoveToCreate and I've been playing with my logo and we decided that cupcakes and decorations were in order. So we made these super cute, super simple cupcake toppers. You can make your own using permission free fashion images or photos or anything you like! Aleene's dry adhesives made it easy and fun and we love how these turned out. I think I may have to make some jewelry out of these! Tune in next Monday and I'll share how I made the cupcake stand topper with the ruffled lace technique and talk about quick and easy ways to personalize your parties.

Materials
Toile/Damask scrapbook papers in coordinating prints
Black and white fashion image printed to fit in a 2" punch
Large wooden or plastic party picks
Flat back plastic rhinestones
Aleene's Tacky Tape Runner
Aleene's Tacky Dot Roll 1/2"

Tools
Fiskars shape cutter and circle templates (2/5" circle)
Fiskars 2" circle punch

Craft Wars Inspired: "Three, it's a magic number" Keepsake Album

Last week the Craft Wars contestants were asked to make a Keepsake Box using keys and locks. I don't have any locks handy...but I do have some lovely vintage skeleton keys and I got this nifty keepsake album from Faber Castell at CHA. You could use any scrapbook or photo album you have handy. Just start by covering it with off white scrapbook paper and either stamping or writing text to add some interest to your background. You may even be able to find some paper that works. I'd adhere it with an acid free glue and let it dry. Using dry adhesives might cause the paper to bubble up when adding paints and water.

I took out some Claudine Hellmuth paints, a Faber Castell watercolor marker, a variety of stamps and brushes and a piece of bubble wrap and made a mixed media background. (Tip: Add water to a paper towel to swipe the dots, wait until they've mostly dried so that you get that strong shape with some bleed. You can also use a small mister or add water to the paints to thin and give a watercolor appearance.)

I took a favorite photograph of my lovely family into Photoshop, played with some filters and turned it into grey scale, sized, printed and cut into a heart shape with my fabulous Fiskars cutting tools.

I cut some coordinating scrapbook and vintage book pages for a frame using the Fiskars circle cutters, added some plastic rhinestones, a few key printed words, the skeleton key and some Washi tape edges and attached it all to the album with foam stickers, tape runner and acid free Tacky Glue and that...was all she wrote. I love this so much, I want to make some similar canvases for our living room wall.

When I make art, I like to just dive in and do it. I don't think too much about what might happen or where I'm going. I let the muse take my hand and guide me. Don't get me wrong, I usually have some kind of a plan and a vision, but it's an organic, flexible one. If something gets 'screwed up', I roll with it. I am not afraid of color or layers or textures or not being perfectly perfect. My biggest challenge is knowing when to stop. Because it's often that last thing you add at the last minute that...well...is one thing too many. And you know what, it really doesn't matter what happens, because the point of making art isn't the thing you make, it's the making of the thing. If it turns out fabulous, even better, but even if it doesn't, as long as you enjoyed the journey that truly is all that matters!

Rules are for math equations and science experiments, art is about letting go of the intellectual, ordered, structured mind and letting the playful, emotional, non-judgmental side come out and have a party! As soon as we tell ourselves we aren't artists, well, we aren't. So make yourself an "I am an artist" pin and wear it proudly!

Don't forget to tune into Craft Wars at the new time for our episode, 8pm EST on TLC! And check out what the other Craft Wars Vets made inspired by last week's episode!

Pattye Duffner made a lovely wishing tree.
Cheryl Burchett made a clever blue jean bouquet.
Esther Hall guest posted for Nikki McGonigal sharing her divine candlestick lamps!
Angela Daniels made an awesome Krafty Coco t-shirt for Coco the Chicken!
Lisa Fulmer made a stunning keepsake box.
Andrea Currie whipped up a sparkly trophy.

Cheers,
Madge

iLoveToCreate Tori Spelling Inspired Pin This Necklace

iLoveToCreate Tori Spelling Inspired ‘Pin This’ Necklace

Margot Potter

“These are your grandmother’s crafts...ya gotta problem with that?”

My design process is a very intuitive one. I see things, they spark ideas and off I go to figure out how to turn the ideas into reality. Not everything works out the way it is in my mind, but that’s part of the fun of design. These vintage wooden clothespins were part of an Estate Sale haul from several years back. I knew there was a design in these, but what, I didn’t know. Watching Craft Wars, I’ve been utterly charmed by Tori Spelling’s large scale whimsical necklaces. This week I was going to make a Pop Craft Challenge inspired Dog Toy box, but honestly I was running out of time and feeling stressed until I stumbled on these clothespins, pictured Tori’s jewelry and it all came together. My vintage craft magazines are filled with found object jewelry like this and I find it all such fun. I am seriously smitten with this design. I can not wait to wear it to the big Craft and Hobby Association show I’m attending this week. You could do something similar using clip style clothespins or golf tees would make a smaller scale but equally delightful design.

Materials

11 ½”x4” vintage wooden clothespins

8 10mm crystal SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS rounds

2 sterling or silver plated dapped French ear wires

2 sterling or silver plated EZ Crimp ends

2 silver tone or black size 2 crimp tubes or beads

.018 49 Strand Beadalon wire

2 metal loop topped craft screws

10.5” segment gun metal textured cable chain

Gun metal lobster clasp

Crafty Chica Paints: red, black, white

Tulip sponge brush

Aleene’s Spray Acrylic Sealer matte finish

Aleene’s Turbo Tacky Glue

Tools

2 pairs chain nose pliers

Mighty crimp tool

Flush cutters

Electric drill with 1/16” bit

Marker

Mark and drill holes in clothespins. There is a hole in the center top of each (these are drilled side to side so the pin leg opening will hang forward on the wire.) The second side to side drill hole is at the sides just above the top of the pin leg opening. Repeat for 9 of your clothespins.

Make a small hole in the center top of two clothespins; these will be threaded with the loop top screws to create the earrings.

Paint all clothespins. There top drilled pins are red. Make three more red, three black and three white. This will take several coats drying in between. You can also sand in between coats. Use a foam brush to paint and a small detail brush to reach inside of the pin legs. Paint all sides.

Once pins are completely painted and dried, seal with spray sealer and allow to dry.

Cut a 10” segment of beading wire. Thread an EZ Crimp end on one side, secure with Mighty Crimp tool. We have a video that shows you how to do this here.

Thread 9 clothespins on the wire alternating colors. Thread wire into a second EZ Crimp end. Use chain nose pliers to grasp and pull wire through end pulling the clothespins taught, but not too stiff. Use Mighty Crimp tool to secure wire, use flush cutters to cut off excess wire tail. Thread a second wire into the lower hole opening on the outermost clothespin. Thread on one of your crimp tubes, use chain nose pliers to compress tightly.

Slide a bead on the wire, thread into the next pin and repeat this process until you reach the final bead. Thread the wire into the 9^th clothespin, add a crimp tube, tighten wire to remove any slack and compress tube with chain nose pliers to secure. Cut off excess wire with flush cutters.

Attach a jump ring to one of the EZ Crimp ends. Repeat on the other side, adding the chain. Finish by attaching a jump ring to the open end of your chain and add the clasp before securing closed.

To make earrings, thread a loop top screw into the pre-drilled opening. Dab a little bit of Tacky Glue on the screw before inserting. Use chain nose pliers to push and turn loop into opening until it is completely embedded. Use chain nose pliers to attach ear wires loop tops by opening the loop on the earrings, sliding them into the loop and securing closed.

Crystal in Bloom Jewellery Set by Margot Potter for BeadsDirect UK

Crystal in Bloom Jewelry Set

Margot Potter for BeadsDirectUK

Lovely Lucite flowers in a panoply of pastels dance and swing around the neck, wrists and ears while prisms of light refract from faceted SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS in this decidedly feminine, flirty and (retro)fabulous design. Inspired by the chain and charm costume jewelry necklaces popular in the 1930s, Author and Designer Margot Potter adds a new twist with copper wire and findings to a lovely effect. All of the components to make this simply stunning jewelry set can be found at BeadsDirectUK.

Materials

15 large multi-color pastel Lucite flowers

63 small multi-color pastel Lucite flowers

63 4mm SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystal rounds or bicones in various coordinating pastel shades

Double link copper tone double loops link chain (cut a 16” length, 7” length, 2 4 double link lengths)

Copper toggle clasp

2 copper earwires

63 copper headpins

35 copper jump rings

Tools

Round nose pliers

2 pairs chain nose pliers

Flush cutters

1. Each large Lucite flower has a headpin threaded into the center with a smaller flower and a 5mm crystal. The colors are arranged as you wish; this is meant to be an intuitive process. Create a coiled and looped dangle at the back of the flower.

2. Grasp wire tail with round nose pliers. Bend to a 90 degree angle. Wrap headpin over pliers until it can’t move further. Bend pliers ½ turn and finish loop. Bend pliers another half turn. Grasp wire tail with chain nose pliers, wrapping tightly around bottom of loop to top of bead, be gentle as you can break the flowers or crystals if you rush. Cut off excess wire and gently tuck tail into bottom of coil with chain nose pliers.

3. Gently press coiled loop flush to back of bead, this will allow the flower to hang flat facing forward when the necklace is worn. Repeat this for all of your large flowers. There are six on the bracelet, seven on the necklace and two matching flowers for earrings.

4. Make coiled top dangles with your small flowers. Thread a crystal on a head pin into the center of your bead. Make a coiled and looped dangle leaving the coil straight up and down so the flower will hang straight down from the chain. These are hung in groups of three. There are three on the earrings, eighteen on the bracelet and twenty four on the necklace.

5. To put it all together, attach a toggle clasp to the necklace ends, bar on one end and toggle on the other using jump rings opened and closed with two chain nose pliers. (Watch the Crafty Quickies Jump Ring video to learn how to properly open and close jump rings with tension, no one likes to lose their dangles.)

6. The dangles are attached every fourth link (three open links between each dangle.) For the necklace, begin from the center. Attach a large flower on the center link using a jump ring. Attach a group of three small flowers on jump rings on both sides of the flower skipping three links. Repeat alternating between large flowers and groups of small flowers until you have seven large flowers and eight groups of three small beads. (When attaching dangles to chains, be sure all dangles are falling from the bottom of each link group. Keep the necklace flat while working to ensure this.)

7. For the bracelet, skip the first four links and add three flower dangles, skip three and add a large flower and repeat alternating between large flowers and small flowers until you reach the sixth large flower.

8. Attach a toggle clasp to the bracelet ends as with the necklace before using jump rings.

9. To make the earrings, hang the smallest chain segments on a jump ring attached to the bottom of each ear wire, thread three beaded small flowers on each jump ring before securing closed. Attach a large flower to the bottom of each small chain segment using a jump ring.

10. Check back through the pieces to be sure all jump rings are properly closed. Toss on a pretty sundress, a cardigan, some espadrilles and head off into the world feeling like the fabulous flower you are, Buttercup.

iLoveToCreate: Craft Wars Inspired Ocean Dreams Birdhouse

Craft Wars Inspired (Junk Drawer) Ocean Dreams Birdhouse
Avalon Potter for iLoveToCreate
"Teen crafted, Mom approved."

My mom is going to be on an upcoming episode of TLCs new show Craft Wars and she's making projects every week with other contestants from the show inspired by the theme of the week before. Last week's Pop Craft challenge was to make a junk drawer themed birdhouse. We had two of these old birdhouses sitting in our yard, so we decided to both decorate one. I used her paint scraping technique in colors that fit my style and added some things from our 'junk drawer', some sea shells from our last trip to the beach, old buttons and a seahorse metal charm. Layers of mixed acrylic paint colors from Crafty Chica, Scribbles and Tulip are all sealed under Aleene's Spray Sealer so this can go outside. I can't wait for a bird to move in!

Materials
Old wooden birdhouse
Seashells
Old buttons in colors to match
Seahorse or ocean themed metal accent
Number tape (7 gypsies)
Blue, black, copper, white and brown paints (Crafty Chica, Tulip and Scribbles brands)
Aleene's Turbo Tacky Glue
Aleene's Spray Acrylic Sealer (matte)

Tools
Scissors
Butter knife or palette knife

If you are using an old birdhouse, clean off any debris and lightly sand. If a new birdhouse, sand lightly.

Mix up paints to make several shades of blue, grey and tan. Use a butter knife to add paint to house door, roof and sides in layers, starting with the darker colors and continuing until you're happy with how it looks. try not to smash the colors together, layer them on top of each other instead.

Use Tacky Glue to glue shells around your door frame.

Glue buttons around opening using more Tacky Glue.

Glue Seahorse to Door with more Tacky Glue. Yay, Tacky Glue!

Run tape along edge of roof on front and sides. Cut to fit.

Spray with sealer, apply several coats allow them to dry in between each layer.

Craft Wars Inspired Junque Drawer Birdhouse!

Last week on TLC's new crafting competition show Craft Wars, contestants were asked to create a birdhouse that was functional and attractive using items from the Michael's craft closet and things one might find in a junk drawer. They only had one hour to get the job done, which is cra-zee. I, on the other hand, have the luxury of time and being a Monday morning quarterback, along with my other Craft Wars Vets. (Soon I too shall be risking craft fail on national TV and everyone else can second guess what they'd do if they were me!) I tried to stick with the theme, practical junk drawer birdhouse, using stuff you would find in my junk drawers, like bottle caps, dominoes and buttons combined with items you could easily find at a craft or hardware store. I had a blast turning a drabby ancient birdhouse into a fabby new home any Smoky Mountain bird might enjoy inhabiting.

If it were crafty...and slightly eccentric...that is.

I didn't put a bird on it, but I hope to put a bird in it!

Wah, wah.

So here's how I made my house and come back Wednesday to see the AWESOME house my daughter made for iLoveToCreate. Is this a craft fail or a crafty delight? Well, my fine friend, that's totally your call. Visit the links from some of the other Craft Wars Vets below!

Ingredients
One crappy old wood birdhouse
Dominoes
7-Up Bottle Caps (edges hammered flat with a rubber mallet)
Metal house numbers (I used Tim Holtz idealogy numerals)
Copper chain (cut three lengths to fit sides of house and edge of roof)
Old buttons
20 Gauge copper Artistic wire
Letter beads (to spell "put a bird in it")
Acrylic paints (bright green, teal blue, sage green, metallic copper-I used Ranger and Liquitex)
Alcohol inks and metallic mixative (lettuce, bottle, stream and pesto and copper mixative)
Large detailed stencil
Sealant (do not use spray sealer on alcohol inks...or you shall be sad...instead use a brush on sealant to protect from the elements)
Glue sticks

Utensils
Palette knife or butter knife
Stencil brush
Flush cutters
Round nose pliers
Chasing hammer
Bench block
Bench block pad
Hot glue gun
Ink applicator and felt pads

These old birdhouses required some brushing down to remove dirt and debris, now they're ready for a new lease on life! NOTE: No birds were relocated for the making of this project.

I used a butter knife like an artist's palette knife to scrape on chunky layers of paint. Starting with the darkest paint and moving to the lightest. Using the knife prevented them from mixing together like they would with a brush. I am now madly in love with this technique and looking for other things in our house to ~~attack~~ ~~disfigure~~ improve.

I used Ranger alcohol inks dabbed in the corners of a felt pad on their applicator to put layers of color on the front and sides of enough dominoes to cover the roof of my house.

I repeated the ink and paint process with some bottle caps, adding texture using blue metallic paint. I liked how that looked, so I added that to the drying dominoes.

Use a large detailed stencil, stencil brush and copper paint to add another layer to the house. Don't worry about being perfect, this is meant to be really organic and shabby in appeal. Or if being perfect is your thing, rock on with your bad self!

Use hot glue to attach the dominoes across roof of house. Try not to burn ~~the crap out of~~ your fingers whilst doing this...as I did. Because I always do. Yay, hot glue! Oh and remember the judges on Craft Wars HATE glue strings. I, however, overlook them because life is too short to worry about a few glue strings.

Use ink to add some color the the house numbers like you did with the dominoes and bottle caps, then attach them along with the chains and buttons to the front of the house.