E. Magee on Flickr


I haven't posted any crafts in a while, but I did make a new doll in time for Halloween. She's a little witch with purple hair. This is the first time that I've sewn doll clothes separately from the body, but I think she turned out cute.

Happy October!

At work we are having a Wreath decorating contest. Each department was given a wooden grape vine wreath to decorate and are allowed to choose either the Traditional or Tacky category. Our department figured that tacky would be more fun, so a co-worker and I came up with this yesterday. What do you think? Is it tacky enough to win? 



The pink and purple colors are truer in this photo, although the pinecones and snowflakes are more green then yellow like they are here.


We took pink and purple tinsel garland and wrapped it around the wreath in stripes and secured the garland with floral wire. The green glitter pinecones and snowflakes were attached with hot glue. What wreath would be complete without a nice big bow? We used a glittery lilac purple. It was a lot of fun to make. Wish us luck!

My mom is graduating from college with her Bachelor's degree next week. I'm so proud of her, because we were going to school at the same time and when I graduated last year, she felt a little left behind. Now she is finished and I wanted to celebrate her!
I haven't decided what to make as her gift yet, but I did make her a 3-D mortar board cap card.


When you open it up, there is space for a small gift. (The ring is just a prop.) It's perfect for a note, cash, or small trinket.


I thought that I would share the project in case anyone else has 2009 graduates to make a gift for.

For this craft you will need:

Scissors
Card stock or heavy paper (I used black, but you can match the color to your grad's school.)
Yarn for the tassel
1 metal brad
Hot glue gun
Glue stick

Although there are several steps to this tutorial, each one is simple and the craft can be completed very quickly.



1. Cut 5 pieces of yarn measuring about 3 inches. This will be the tassel fringe.

2. Cut out a longer piece of yarn. This will be the part of the tassel fastened to the hat.

3. Tie the long piece of yarn in a knot around the middle of the 5 small pieces.

4. Hold up the two long ends and pull the yarn for the fringe down so that it resembles a tassel.



5. Take another small piece of yarn and tie it about 1/4 down from the top of the tassel.

6. Pull the excess yarn from this knot down into the fringe and cut it to line up with the other pieces.

7. Now you have a completed tassel for the graduation cap.

8. Next you will need 1 metal brad in any color (these can be found in just about any craft store near the card-making and scrapbooking supplies). You will also need to cut out a square hat top from heavy paper. I used black card stock.



9. Push the brad through the center of the square.

10. Unfold the legs of the brad on the backside.

11. Tie a knot at the top of the tassel strings and slide the loop around the brad. Pull tight to secure.

12. Once you have finished the top of the hat, cut out a circle piece for the bottom and two long rectangles.



13. Take the glue stick and glue the ends of one of the long rectangles together to form a circle. Do this again to the other paper strip, making it slightly smaller so as to fit inside the other circle.

14. Place these circles onto the backsides of the square cap and circle pieces. You can trace around these to know where to put the hot glue, or you can just eyeball it. (I traced them with a pencil.)

15. Draw a circle of hot glue around the traced line and push the circle piece onto the hat. Do this for the other piece too. If necessary, you can keep hot gluing around the inside of the circles until they are secure. It makes a messy looking inside...

16. ...so glue a circular piece of paper inside to cover the messy hot glue.


Any grad will love this thoughtful handmade gift. Let the hot glue dry for a minute and you have a very cute graduation gift. I hope that this craft is quick, easy, and fun for you to make. The best part will be giving it away and having your graduate enjoy it too.

I was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and this is a big week for us. Tomorrow is the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby, so all week we've been celebrating the KY Derby Festival. In honor of that, and because one of my Aunt's Derby crafts inspired me, I made egg jockeys.
My Aunt makes clay pot jockeys and uses half of a plastic egg for the hat. I decided to expand on that, and make the jockeys completely out of eggs. They're going to be a big hit at the Derby party tomorrow!





I have posted a tutorial over here.

Hope you enjoy them. Thanks for looking.

Have you ever heard of Examiner.com? I recently started writing for the Louisville Examiner. I will be writing all about arts and crafts in the Louisville area. If you'd like to, please check out my page: http://www.examiner.com/x-8261-Louisville-Arts-and-Crafts-Examiner

Thank you! 

I love the felt Name Books that I've seen, especially Wren's by Craftster user kahlan.

For my nephew's second birthday, I decided that this would be the perfect gift. I chose to do three words per letter because he already has a large vocabulary. I tried to pick a mix of things that he likes (car, balloon, bear) and things that he doesn't know the words for yet (cactus, lollipop, button).

I tried to get naturally lit photos, but some may not be very good. His birthday isn't until summer so I'll have to wait until then for his reaction. However, he did see all of the felt on the dining room table and gasped. (It's his new favorite way to show he likes something.)

Anyway, let me know what you think! 



I'm going to put a picture of the B-day boy in this little train frame closer to his B-day.




















Whew, lots of photos, but I hope that you enjoy the project.

I saw the Kate bags here on Craftster and was so in love with them that I had to make my own. ModernGirl's Lovely bags are here.
She did not have any tutorial, I just guessed at what it looked like and started cutting & sewing.




I made the straps very long because I like to have purses fit comfortably on my shoulder and not be squeezing my armpit. Know what I mean? 



I normally wouldn't use the color combination of gray with pinks and oranges, but I love it in this bag.

I hope this imitation is seen as flattery! 

A box full of "candy"

Scroll down for finished project.
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My guy hates candy, but I love the idea of giving him little gifts in a candy box. I already have an empty candy box that I've been saving.

Here's a picture of the box I will be using.



I was hoping that you craftsters could help me think of small objects to put inside. There are 12 small spots, so I need 12 little items.
I thought of:
A mini book
mini card
small keychain
sticker
picture of us

Any better ideas?  Thanks!

*********************************

I've finished my gift, and wanted to share. Thanks to everyone for the ideas. I was actually surprised that some things didn't fit very well... like a matchbox, for instance. You really have to think small!

A box full of "candy"


Top row left to right: Love coupon (left blank), "wish anklet", peppermint
2nd row l to r: Memory card for his digital camera, Resident Evil keychain, sculpey cheese
3rd row: I am Loved pin, felt cat, heart painted bottlecap magnet
Bottom row: Felt fortune cookie, "I love..." origami book, puka shell necklace

to see larger click here.

Close-up

Love coupon left blank, Felt cat, crocheted anklet ("wish" anklet), heart bottlecap magnet, "I love..." origami book, and a maroon felt fortune cookie.

The little book just says I love....
...your big, brown eyes.
...your laugh.
...your silky hair.
...your kindness.
...you!

I hope that he likes it!

I posted this on my blog, but I thought it would be neat if other people could add to it. Can you think of free dates for you and your partner? This can be for Valentine's Day in particular, or anytime.

1. Have a picnic. This is great indoors or out. Pack a basket with sandwiches, cheese, grapes, and wine. Spread a blanket on the floor or the ground and spend time focusing on each other.

2. Make s'mores. Roast marshmallows over the burner on a stove or by candlelight. Put the toasted mallows on some chocolate and graham cracker and enjoy the gooey goodness with your partner.

3. Gather some pencils and paper and sketch each other--at the same time. The artwork can be silly or serious, but it should be fun!

4. Play any number of card games or board games. Unos and Charades are good too. The possibilities are endless.

5. Do a craft together.

6. Do a puzzle. Better yet, blow up a picture of you and your partner, glue it to cardboard, cut into puzzle pieces, and then do the puzzle together.

7. Take pictures together. Go to a park, play in the snow, take a walk, or whatever. Just take some photos together! Younger people probably aren't too camera shy. I used to take my camera everywhere. It's fun to make memories, but it's even better to have a picture together to back it up. If you're really into it, have a photoshoot!

8. Read to each other. Whether it's poetry or spooky stories, it can be fun.

9. Fold origami. Cut paper into squares, google or youtube search for some directions, and have at it. I like the paper crane myself.

10. Volunteer your time together. It isn't what you'd think of for a typical date, but it's a good bonding experience. I have volunteered at soup kitchens, the hospital, city events, cancer & AIDS walks, family centers, and more. Each experience was different, but I always felt uplifted afterward.

11. Fold a piece of paper in half and mark two lines in the center. You draw a person from torso up and don't show your partner. They draw a person from torso down and don't show you. Open up the piece of paper and observe. It's funny to see the results!

12. Bake together. Make brownies, or make cookies and decorate them. Or rig up a double boiler to have fondue. It can be a chocolate fondue with strawberries for dipping or a cheese fondue with bread for dipping.

13. Make a collage together. It's a good oppurtunity to have downtime together and relx. It's also a way to find out what reminds your partner of you, and what they think of the relationship. By seeing what they clip out to put in the collage (pictures or words) you can see what's in their thoughts. If it turns out good you can frame it or put it into a scrapbook.

14. Find a free museum. Or a free movie showing. Many university campuses have film showings that are free to the public. Some museums have art exhibits for free. Getting some culture together is a great way to bond, and another oppurtunity to see how your partner views things.

15. Snuggle under a blanket and watch a movie. Pop some popcorn and make a night of it. Make sure you alternate who picks the movie. It's good to trade off.

When I was a freshman in college I took a 2-dimensional design class. The professor was fond of collaging, so one of the projects was to make a big piece from magazine pictures. I decided to do a ballerina in red. I didn't have time to collage skin on the ballerina, so her body is a ghostly outline. My intent was to finish it later, but I never did, and my mom framed it as is.

The art measures 3 feet by 2 feet.

hosted by flickr

Sorry for the smudged frame!

hosted by flickr

Anyway, my boyfriend likes the old piece so much that he asked me to make him one a few months ago. I just made it today so it's being wrapped for him for Christmas. His is a Samurai.

hosted by flickr

Framed and ready to go! This piece is 8x10 (inches) in a 11x16 frame (I think).

hosted by flickr

In case you are wondering about the method, I just draw an outline of what I want and then cut and paste magazine pictures in the desired color. I try to stick with the shapes of whatever I'm working with instead on lopping off pieces to fit my outline. It's time consuming, but very rewarding in the end.

Thanks for looking. I'd love to know what you think!