Archives for November 2012

50+ Things to Make From Drop Cloth

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Drop cloth painters tarp is a great material for home decor and crafts. It has that natural color and canvas texture, is inexpensive, and easy to paint, sew, stencil and swirl into a host of beautiful creations. I find it to be as appealing in decor as burlap, but much easier to do things to, which is why I lean towards it. Today I will showcase some of my favorites, followed by the complete list of over 50 drop cloth projects to make.

Lucy from Craftberry Bush knows how to drop cloth her way to beautiful white pumpkin decor. Super easy project, with a clean, crisp fall feel.

At Attempting Aloha, see how genius DIY momma Charlie created scrabble tile wall art with drop cloth. I love scrabble as a game, and scrabble tiles as jewelry waiting to happen. I am also a fan of using what you have on hand and the creativity that comes from that necessity. Charlie was determined not to purchase new supplies for this, so she made do, and then some! Her tutorial reminds me that I must try freezer paper transfer. She makes it look super easy.

If only I could afford to fly Donna from Funky Junk Interiors to my home for some renovation. She takes the fact that she doesn’t sew, and turns it into gorgeous, no sew DIY drop cloth curtains. Again, making do leading to amazing design.

One of the first projects that came to mind when starting this round-up was Beckie at Infarrantly Creative’s glittery Christmas ornament pillow DIY. Simply beautiful.

Relax in style with this DIY drop cloth hammock from My Magic Mom. Basic sewing machine skills and the desire to take a nap are needed.

Run to the hardware store for some canvas painters tarp, or order 9×12 feet of drop cloth on Amazon for $20. That is a lot of fabric. Here is what to do with it…

Make a Paper Poinsettia Wreath

by Johnnie Collier

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It doesn’t get much more Christmas than poinsettias, right? My grandmother has loved this flower since she was a young girl. She gets sad when they die, so I thought a paper poinsettia wreath would be just the Christmas gift for her this year. I made this in about 2.5 hours using the Sizzix Originals poinsettia die. You could go for the Sizzix Tim Holtz Poinsettia Die if you prefer layers over individual petals (guess what I just ordered). You could also use a different die cut machine, or heaven forbid, cut the leaves out by hand from a free poinsettia petal template like this one, used to create the flower below. The look is beautiful. No die machine necessary!

I love the red and green vellum!

However you get your petals, see how to assemble and shape them, then finish the wreath with me. This will bring classic beauty to your holiday decor.

You can use any paper you want, but I prefer Kraft Core by Coordinations. This stuff is by far my favorite flower paper. You can fold, wrinkle, crease, sand and beat it down, and it comes through beautifully. I like to ink the edges of my flowers with Kraft Core by Coordinations and the blending tool.

TUTORIAL

For the center of the flower, I used yellow seed beads, super duper tiny ones. To glue them in place, I put a few dots of Mod Podge Jewel Glue. I love this because it dries clear, grabs fast, and comes in a container that has a twisty lid and doesn’t clog. This is key. If you are using another glue that clogs, like… all of the time, and you squeeze impatiently over the center of your flower, the entire glossy bottle contents may just ooze out all over your precious paper masterpiece. Ask me how I know #CanYouFindTheGlossyPoinsettia. This is another testament to Kraft Core. I literally washed – under the faucet, with soap – my paper flower, determined to save it. Once I got off as much of the glossy accident that I could, I took my heat tool to my soggy poinsetta, reshaped it, and it is good to go. Amazing.

Make Aluminum Sheet Containers

by Johnnie Collier

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Raise your hand if you could use more storage containers. I know I could. This decorative aluminum sheet container tutorial from Sugar and Cloth is one way to organize with style. You could even color the aluminum with alcohol inks or metal paint to coordinate with you color scheme. Head over for the simple, quick instructions and get started on your very own.

Upcycled Sweater Cowl DIY

by Johnnie Collier

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Winter weather is here, and it is time to start thinking about cowls. Over at Stuff Steph Does, learn how to upcycle your old sweaters into this cozy neck warmer. What a perfect project for a Christmas gift. Grab that pile of sweaters and get going.

Martha Stewart Holiday; Turn Glasses to Trees

by Johnnie Collier

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I had the fantastic opportunity to try out Plaid’s line of Martha Stewart paint and stencils to create a holiday project. It wouldn’t be very me if I didn’t come up with an upcycle of some sort. While out junkin’ with my girls, I spied some thrift store fluted champagne glasses for $0.50 each, and I saw whimsical Christmas trees. See how Martha Stewart glass paint, stencils and supplies helped me in the transformation, and how to create your own holiday vignette.

SUPPLIES:

Martha Stewart Glass Paint; Holly Berry Red, Silver, Frost

Paint Daubers

Martha Stewart Adhesive Stencils Holiday Icons II

Rubbing alcohol and lint free cloth

Hack Saw or Acetone/Yarn

Ice

Hot water

Martha Stewart Crystal Ice

Sandpaper

Safety Glasses

TUTORIAL:

Clean the glasses and cut with either hacksaw, or using the acetone/yarn technique I showed you in this video.

If you go the hacksaw route, you will just score the glasses all the way around at the level you want the cut, then submerge in alternating hot and ice water until break occurs (as shown in the acetone glass cutting video)

*I found the adhesive stencils to be super easy to use and to get a clean, crisp image with the paint daubers and glass paint. If you are going to use the same stencil repeatedly, make sure to clean and dry the stencil between each use to avoid stray paint marks.

*The Crystal Ice Spray… awesome. It is temporary, so you can spray it on windows for an icy look. It is quite simple to use. Sprays on clear, then starts to crystalize. I ripped masking tape for a jagged edge, then sprayed over the masking tape stripes. After about 5 minutes, I removed the masking tape and watched the crystals form. This could be addictive.

Join me in following Plaid Crafts on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for tons of inspiration and crafty tidbits! See what my creative cohorts have done with their Martha Stewart products:

DISCLOSURE: I received product and payment via The Blueprint Social (www.theblueprintsocial.com) for this post, however, opinions are 100% my own.

Top 50+ Recycled Gifts to Make

by Johnnie Collier

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Save the planet, while marking loved ones off of your Christmas gift list with over 50 eco-friendly handmade gift ideas at Totally Green Crafts! You will find everything from jewelry to home decor made from recycled materials that will benefit the Earth, and your bank account. If you consider yourself a green craft jedi master, you will want to make sure you enter your holiday eco friendly creation in the holiday edition of the Totally Green Contest, with over $600 in prizes available for the taking!

Make Pearl & Ribbon Bracelets

by Johnnie Collier

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What lady wouldn’t love to get this beautiful DIY handmade ribbon & pearl bracelet in her Christmas stocking? It is simply lovely. Twinkle and Twine walks you through the simple process with a great photo step by step tutorial. There are endless color combination possibilities to fit every woman’s taste.

While you are at it, grab some jump rings and turn those pearls into stylish chain maille pearl bracelets:

For even more fantastic bracelets to make, don’t forget about our 50+ bracelet roundup with the best DIY bracelet tutorials on the web, in one spot!

Make White Vinyl Flashing Stars

by Johnnie Collier

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One of my favorite things is to wander the aisles of the hardware store, thinking of creative ways to use the various supplies. This vinyl flashing decorative star project from Lowe’s Creative Ideas is a perfect example of that kind of thinking outside of the box. The 3D stars are simply beautiful. I have seen them made from paper before. Using vinyl flashing instead of paper means these little guys are studier, and don’t need to be sealed. You can adorn your outdoor space with them, no problem. According to the tutorial (linked above), you can make 30 of them for $26. White Christmas lights and these stars… an inviting Christmas porch!

Make Little Polaroid Magnets

by Johnnie Collier

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One of the most meaningful gifts to give are photo creations. With the abundance of user friendly photo editors out there, you don’t have to be a Photoshop pro to create cool effects on your images these days. Make theme into a keychain, put them on a mug, or create these see mini polaroid magnets with Ambrosia Girl’s DIY. I would love to open a gift and find these little guys inside, full of the people and memories I hold dear.

Make Wood Pallet Wall Art

by Johnnie Collier

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Do you love the wood shipping pallet signs infiltrating home decor lately? Learn how to make your very own aged pallet art. The quote from Moulin Rouge is provided for you to use in your die cut machine, or as a tracing template. You will also see how to age your sign with Cece Caldwell wax! This project is easy and can be completed in an afternoon.

Supplies:

WOOD PALLETS

KRYLON DUAL – WHITE FLAT

STENCIL TEMPLATE – for mine, just click thumbnail below and save full res version that appears

DIE CUT MACHINE – to create stencil from vinyl or contact paper

-OR-

TRANSFER PAPER – to outline letters onto pallet

CECE CALDWELL CLEAR WAX

CECE CALDWELL AGING CREAM DARK

STENCIL BRUSH

WAX BRUSH

DRY BRUSH

TUTORIAL:

That is it! I love my new sign. It is proudly displayed in our guest room, which is quickly becoming my favorite room in the house.

Check out our Wood Pallet 50+ Roundup for more inspiration:

Archives for November 2012

50+ Things to Make From Drop Cloth

Run to the hardware store for some canvas painters tarp, or order 9×12 feet of drop cloth on Amazon for $20. That is a lot of fabric. Here is what to do with it…

Make a Paper Poinsettia Wreath

TUTORIAL

Make Aluminum Sheet Containers

Upcycled Sweater Cowl DIY

Martha Stewart Holiday; Turn Glasses to Trees

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Top 50+ Recycled Gifts to Make

Make Pearl & Ribbon Bracelets

Make White Vinyl Flashing Stars

Make Little Polaroid Magnets

Make Wood Pallet Wall Art

Supplies:

TUTORIAL:

Meet Johnnie

Categories

Recent Printables

50+ Roundups

Archives for November 2012

Run to the hardware store for some canvas painters tarp, or order 9×12 feet of drop cloth on Amazon for $20. That is a lot of fabric. Here is what to do with it…

TUTORIAL

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Supplies:

TUTORIAL:

Meet Johnnie

Categories

SBLC Topics