A Very Polished Necklace

I  few years ago I purchased some small glass glob ornaments.  I knew I wasn't going to use them as ornaments - but as a necklace - and use fingernail polish to paint them.

 I mentioned this to my sister and she said she would like to make it. Here she is testing each color on aluminum foil. Some of them really change color when brushed out.

Once the colors where chosen, she poured a puddle of polish onto the foil. Roll the glass in the polish covering the bottom half.  We added ornament hooks then hung them to dry - which doesn't take long.

 Here the are all dry and ready to go.  I just love the colors....she is making a necklace but what a great bracelet it would make too....there were a few leftovers that I can use....

 They look like jewels in her hand.  This technique of dipping could also be used with glass Christmas ornaments and lot of other things....hope you give it a try. 

 So Beautiful.......

Blooming Easter Eggs

I know it's a little late for Easter Egg ideas - but it may not be too late to put these in your idea file for next year.

I just loved they way they turned out. 

 Making them is really easy.  Wrap ribbon around center and glue in place.  I found paper flowers in the $1 bins in Michael's.  I mixed and matched the colors and sizes.  Glue a gem to center then circle with the smaller gems.  They are so sparkly and bright.

 Once I got started I couldn't stop -  the color combinations are endless.

 I even used rick rack and trims around the centers on some.

Here is how I gave them as gifts.  The bucket was again from a $1 bin - this time from Target.  I glued on pre- made felt flowers and stuffed it with Easter grass.  Place in a cello bag, tie with a ribbon and you have a great, inexpensive Easter gift for someone or place in a large bowl for a cute table decoration.  Hope you like it.

Crochet Necklace with Crystals

With statement necklaces being so trendy I decided to make my own. I like to crochet and thought this would be a great way to create a unique necklace for myself. It only took a few evenings to finish. I started out with a purchased necklace of metal rings. I crocheted around each ring with embroidery floss then around separate plastic rings. I used Liquid Fusion to glue Glam-It-Up Iron-On Crystals - they add so much sparkle then glued the smaller rings in place. It is a very easy project and looks like you spent a million bucks. I'm working on a bracelet now and will show you when it's finished. Hope you like it.....

Cute Cupcake Ornaments

Sorry - this is alittle blurry - I am getting used to a new camera.....I had to make a quick gift for some lady friends of mine so I decided to make these cute cupcake ornaments.
I got this cute cupcake stand at Target - just had to have it - it's red.....couldn't resist and I just love how the ornaments look on it. Here is a closeup of the cupcake. I rolled ribbing from a sweater for the base then added a gathered and stuffed circle for the top. A thin strip of sweater was rolled for the cherry then added a few felt leaves. A few beads sewn on were the finishing touch. Everyone loved their ornament - they said they were cute enough to eat......

This is a view from the top - ready to be wrapped. Let me know how you like them and if you would like more detailed instructions. Wish I had made one for myself - maybe next year!

Wrapped Up Wreaths for Christmas

Wanted to show you what I have been up to lately. I just love both of these Christmas wreathes. Old sweaters were cut up and wrapped around foam wreaths. On one I added wool fabric leaves and rolled sweater berries. On the other I used the ribbing from the sweater and felt snowflakes I picked up in the $1 section of Joann's. Felt holly ribbon was cut apart for the leaves. Everything was glued with Fabric Fusion adhesive and once dry were ready to hang. These were for a local store - I just hope I have time to create some for myself. Let me know what you think and if you would like more detailed instructions.

Warm and Cozy Pumpkin Pillow

Here's my warm and cozy pumpkin pillow. I made it for my sister - her birthday is this month and she likes to decorate for the season. I found this sweater at our local thrift shop - I was lucky to find orange - it a hard color to come by.....I basically cut out a pumpkin shape , sewed it together then stuffed it. The leaves are made from a sweater and blazer that I also found at the thrift shop. Hope she likes it.......
Here's a close-up of the top of the pillow. The sewn leaves are glued in place with Fabric Fusion. I lightly stuffed the stem before sewing into place. The stitching on the pumpkin is embroidery floss just slightly darker than the sweater.

Here is a close-up of the bottom of the pillow. I sewed on an oval base to the ribbing of the pillow then glued the sewn leaf in place. Let me know what you think.

Halloween Coasters for this Spooky Time of Year!

Wanted to show my Halloween coasters I plan to give my friend this year. They are made from felt with Tulip 3-D Fabric Paint for detail.

I used pinking shears to cut out rounds from felt then glued them together with Fabric Fusion glue. Let them dry then use black embroidery floss for the stripes around the edge.

Use Black Slick 3-D paint for the details. Just let dry then you're ready to go. Make lots - they would be great Halloween Party favors.

Hope you like them......Let me know what you think - they are really easy to make and could be done in an evening.....

My Ad in Crafts and Things Magazine

How exciting is this - I have had many projects in Crafts and Things magazine over the years(Thank you Abby!) but how cool is it to have an ad. iLovetoCreate - Duncan Enterprises new name - decided to put all of their designers in ads - how great is that. I love the pillow - the colors are so me......just thought I would brag a little.....it's not often I pose for an ad.....this may be my first and last time......

Isn't this a cool necklace? I found it at a Forever 21 store. Unfortunately is was entirely in the gold color. I loved the dimension of it - but me being me - needed color - so I used fingernail polish. Here is the necklace while I was working on it. Several coats of polish can be layered for depth of color. I used the Opaque paint pen because I couldn't find yellow polish in my little hometown. It worked fine. It's amazing what colors of nail polish are out there. I found most of my colors in a dollar store - but keep your eyes open when shopping - you'll be surprised how many different colors there are.

Here is the finished necklace - Looks good! Not too bad for a $12.00 necklace. Now I have to make a bracelet - will show you when I finish.

A Happy Customer!

This is Lauren whom I work with at iLoveToCreate! . I made this apron for her - it is the cutest bee fabric and when added with the black polka dot - well what can I say! It's too cute. It started out as a half apron be she wanted the bib so I added it for her. Now I need to make one for myself!

These are a few of the supplies I plan to use on my "Fireworks" ring - will show you later how it turns out.

Wanted to show you my "helper" while I'm creating my projects for Amate Studios. Her name is Little Poof - her sister is Big Poof. Little Poof always wants to be wherever I am and always manages to lay down right in front of me - whether it's while I'm reading the newspaper, painting (I have had to be creative with my design trying to cover up footprints or a swipe of a tail with paint on it) or any craft project. Many a time I have had to pick up stuff from the floor where it fell from a swish of her tail. Right now she's laying on my beads that I plan to use for my 4th of July ring.