Friday, August 31

Cool2Craft: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Crafts!


It's super cool! Cool2Craft TV September 3, 2012: Rock, Paper, Scissors! The Cool2Craft design team is sharing a fun twist on the familiar game to create a cool collection of rock and paper craft ideas this week! Tiffany Windsor is decoupaging stamped tissue on rocks with Aleene's Decoupage and EcoHeidi Borchers is creating hand-made paper towel paper to decorate a mixed media composition notebook cover with Aleene's Tacky Glue, plus much more!
 
Learn new techniques, chat with us while watching the show and ask questions about all your favorite Aleene's products!  It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday September 3, 2012 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/11 am Central/Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and you'll see the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday! Can't make the live show? No problem, you can drop by anytime 24/7 to watch the show!

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Craft on!

CRAFTY CHICA: Watercolor Tie-Dye Flowers!

A couple years back, I saw Alisa Burke's gorgeous Tie-Dye Watercolor Tunic and knew I wanted to try the technique! When iLoveToCreate came out with the new watercolor kit, I knew it was time to whip up some juicy flowers!

Here is my video tutorial. I hope you like it!


LINK

Thursday, August 30

Dying and Burning Wooden Beads

A few weeks ago I was cruising the web and came across a great post on Natalme about wood burning. I have a soldering iron and wooden beads so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I busted out some fabric dye for a pop of color.

I whipped up a batch of Tulip Custom Color Dye in Wicked and popped in my wooden bits plus a few stained T-shirts and waited. I love all the color options you have with this dye kit.

I gotta tell you at first I was pretty sure the beads did not dye. They just looked dark in the water.

However, when the beads dried in the sun the green color started showing through.

Next, time to bust out the soldering iron. I tried polka dots, stars, mini dots and more.

I tried a few beads wrapped with Bon Bon yarn too!

I want to dye some other colors and make a big chunky Wilma Flinestone necklace. Whatcha think? Not too bad for a project I thought was going to be a total craft fail. Now I'm thinking of all the wood things I can dye and burn!

Wednesday, August 29

Delight in the Seasons + Aleene's Giveaway


We are excited to be giving away a great Delight in the Seasons/Aleene's prize pack to one lucky blog reader! This book by Lisa M. Pace is truly fabulous and includes paper crafting projects and techniques that will inspire you any time of the year! It's filled with beautiful how-to photos and instructions that will teach you how to make delightful projects...everything from altered tins to party hats and paper flowers! We're excited about this book because Lisa used a lot of our Aleene's Adhesives to create her amazing projects! Enter to win below! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, August 28

Back to (Pre)School Screenprinted T-shirt

Whether your wee ones are heading back to daycare this fall or are college-bound (not so wee ones), it's always a treat to have fresh togs to celebrate the occasion -- learning! Yes! When I was brainstorming ideas for dressing my little one, I was inspired to try out my shiny new Tulip ScreenIt machine (unlike paper stencils that can wilt a bit after a few uses with soggy paint, you can print in bulk once you make a screen that you like! -- I'm stashing that thought away for future birthday party favors...) For this one, I riffed on a little ditty I penned last year to the beat of the esteemed Sir Mix-A-Lot with a nod, of course, to the toddler set and their literary repertoire.



Materials:
-Tulip ScreenIt kit (including fabric ink/paint, brayer, design screens, and a darkroom bulb to install in your workspace)
-8 1/2" x 11" sheet of printer paper with black design printed on it ("I like board books and I cannot lie." in Arial font, size 54)
-tub of water large enough to accommodate the screen
-non-abrasive sponge
-plastic covering for your work surface
-blank T-shirts in the appropriate size




Make it:
1. In a totally light tight room (my bathroom is the only room in my apartment that qualifies, so welcome to my bathroom, dear readers!), place one of the blank screens onto the foam bed, then layer your design face down on top of it.  Close the ScreenIt system, sandwiching your design and the screen between the foam bed and the light lid. Then flip the switch on the system to expose the screen to your design. (I set my smart phone timer to 14 minutes.)


2. When the timer goes off, briefly submerge the film completely in water (since we're getting so well acquainted, welcome to my bathtub!). I left the darkroom light on (that's the yellow tinge you see), but it's safe to turn on the regular overhead light at this stage.


3. Place the screen on a flat, dry, plastic-covered surface for 30 seconds, then begin gently rubbing a wet sponge over the design to "bring out" the design and clarify it. (Note: I didn't have a sponge, so I used a wadded up wet paper towel, which isn't ideal, but can work in a pinch.) Let it dry completely (about 45 minutes to 1 hour).


4. Slide the T-shirt over the foam bed of the machine, centering it as best you can.


5. Place the design screen (right-reading, if you use text like I did) and then the black frame over the design, to keep the shirt and screen from shifting. (Note: Because of the size of the shirt I used -- very tiny! -- and the placement of the design on the screen, there was overlap, making the screen not entirely secure.)


6. Apply a thin line of ink directly to the screen, along one side of the design.


7. Use the brayer to firmly spread the ink over the entire design, always swiping in the same direction.


8. Remove the black frame and peel back the design screen. Rinse the screen immediately, without scrubbing it, so that you can let it dry and use it again. (As you can see, mine smudged a bit because the screen shifted slightly because of the small tee, but I think it just looks a little raw and edgier!)


9. Let the shirt dry completely -- about 4 hours (no heat-setting required) -- and then dress your studious little guy or gal for success!


Variations:
-Since your screen can be used up to 75 times (I haven't tested this!) if you rinse it immediately after using it (don't scrub it!), try printing the same design on multiple different items. Print the design across the tush of a pair of pants for a crawler, or down the leg for a little one who's walking. Print on bandanas, skirts, jackets, shoes and socks, even!
-Use your screen as a pattern that can be layered and repeated (see the white T-shirt in the photo above) -- this is especially smart for when it smudges a little too much -- just go with the mistake and turn it right around into something great!

Monday, August 27

Easy Tie Dye Shoes for Back to School


We absolutely love what Instagram user Katie Adie did with her plain pair of white sneakers.  She used  one of our Tulip One-Step Tie Dye kits to turn them into a vibrant pair of rainbow kicks! You can pick up the kits at your local Wal-mart, Michaels, JoAnn, Hobby Lobby, ACMoore, Hancock or other craft or fabric store!



Here's a couple tips for using the Tulip One-Step dye on shoes you want to paint with dye!

– Use a foam brush to brush on the dye instead of squeezing it on. This way, you won't get the dye on and inside the entire shoe. You'll just get it in the area you want it to go!

– The dyes will blend and run together, so you probably won't get two exact lookalike shoes.  Part of the fun of tie dye is the unique look you get with each project. So don't get too stressed if they don't look 100% exactly alike!  They'll still look great and get you a LOT of compliments!

– The rubber will not take the dye, so it will stay white and vibrant

– Make sure to remove your shoelaces before you do this project.  You might want to even dye your shoelaces separately to match your shoes.

– When you are done with your shoes, wrap them in plastic, then wait 6-8 hours to wash them. Wash them and dry them seperately from your other clothes!

If you're looking for more fun tie dye ideas, click HERE for our Tie Dye Inspiration page!

Sunday, August 26

COOL2CRAFT: Easy Does It Crafts


It's super cool! Cool2Craft TV August 27, 2012: Easy Does It! The Cool2Craft design team is sharing a fun collection of easy does it craft ideas this week! Tiffany Windsor is decorating zebra print and floral desk accessories with Aleene's Decoupage and EcoHeidi Borchers is creating a craft foam stamp with Aleene's Tacky Glue, plus much more!
 
Learn new techniques, chat with us while watching the show and ask questions about all your favorite Aleene's products!  It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday August 27, 2012 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/11 am Central/Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and you'll see the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday! Can't make the live show? No problem, you can drop by anytime 24/7 to watch the show!

Visit us on Facebook!
Craft on!

Wednesday, August 22

Watercolor shirt from Tulip Fabric Markers + Video Tutorial


Have you ever wanted to do watercolor painting, but found it intimidating? Pattiewack discovered a way to get the look of watercolor without the complication! You simply use Tulip Fabric Markers, a paintbrush and water! It's that easy and she shows you step by step how to make this pretty dress shirt (click HERE for the pattern).



Simple and fun! Do you think you'll give it a try?

iLoveToCreate: Retrofabulous All Occasion Greeting Card


iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous All Occasion Greeting Card
Margot Potter
"These are your grandmother's crafts, ya gotta problem with that?"

Avalon has been taking advance placement and honors classes and her homework straw pile is epic!  It's my birthday today, so I decided to whip up my own birthday card.  I'm a Leo, we're kooky like that.  You can make one too using layers of coordinating paper, trim and faux rhinestones and a vintage image sized with text added in photo editing software.  I share my birthday with the ever so lovely and talented Miss Cathie Filian, so I used her fabulous Podgeables to add some dimension to the card!  Aleene's Dry Adhesives make putting it all together as easy as 1-2-3!

Materials
Podgeables tag shape
Yellow and orange cardstock
Patterned scrapbook paper (I used Retro Collage from Michaels)
Patterned tissue paper
Genevieve Gail Felt Floral Ribbon Trim
3 large faux rhinestones
3 medium faux rhinestones
Aleene's Tacky Sticker Sheet
Aleene's Tacky Dot Roll

Tools
Paper cutter (largest cardstock layer is 5.5"x11"-folded to make card.)
Scissors
Bone folder

My image came from a vintage Vogue pattern from the early 1950s, Dover books is a great source for permission free images.  I scanned, edited, sized, added the text Retrofabulous and printed it out.  Decide how you wish to frame the image, trace and cut out.

Use a paper trimmer to cut yellow cardstock and patterned scrapbook paper in decreasing size. Cut ribbon to fit card. Use Aleene's Tacky Sticker Sheets to adhere image to front of acrylic frame and tissue paper to back of frame. Layer and stack remaining papers and trim using Tacky Sticker Sheets. Add faux rhinestones with Aleene's Tacky Dots!

Tuesday, August 21

Neon Fabric Spray Paint Shirt DIY + Video Tutorial



Love to rock out in neon colors?  Then this DIY project is for you!  In her "DIY on the FLY" video series, Brandi shows you how to make a fun neon fabric spray paint tank using a neon pack of Tulip Fabric Spray Paints available at Michaels and JoAnn!



<a href="http://www.linkedtube.com/WueUssW91fweb9d4c95a5ea11af34fc759c6058da4f.htm">LinkedTube</a>

If you're looking for a fun craft for your next party, we guarantee your guests will love playing with the neon sprays!



The Tulip Fabric Sprays work great on shirts, totes, shoes, canvas art, fabric accessories and so much more!  

altered baby shoes

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Its official- Lucy can walk and that means its time to start wearing shoes (it been bare feet, socks and booties up until now).. The only problem is that I seem to have hard time finding funky girl shoes- so I set out to alter a couple pairs of simple shoes with the hope to begin a fun little shoe collection for Lu.

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I started with a pair of white shoes that had a bow. First I removed the bow and then using blue painters tape I blocked off to the surface to create a little triangle design. Next, using Tulip Soft Fabric Paint I painted the surface. Once the paint was dry I removed the tape to leave a fun geometric design.

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I added a few tiny red embellishments with Tulip 3-d Fashion Paint.


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Last I altered the bow that I had removed by cutting it into more of a geometric shape and then painted it blue. Last I sewed it back onto the shoe

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The result- a funky little pair of baby shoes- a little more our style!

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For the second pair I once again removed the bows and then painted the entire surface of the shoes with Tulip Fashion 3-d Paint in metallic gold. While the paint was still dry, I used a crumbled up paper towel and dabbed the surface of the paint to create texture. Once the surface was dry I added tiny little metallic dots with 3-d paint.

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Another cute pair of funky shoes!


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Now lets see if we can keep shoes on this kid!

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Monday, August 20

iLoveToCreate: Glitterville's Handmade Halloween Inspired Chick or Tweet Display


iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts
Glitterville's Handmade Halloween Inspired Cheek or Tweet Display 
Margot Potter
"These are your grandmother's crafts, ya gotta problem with that?!"

Er mah gerd, this project was EPIC!  Yes, I started yesterday and did not finish until this afternoon!  I did sleep, eat and drive my daughter to school, which was an expletive filled epic adventure this morning.  Forgotten school event pass, back up mountain, slowest old person EVER in front of us on the way back down the mountain, miss turn, u-turn, drive-up ATM closed, out of gas...what?!  Ergh.  Tiny baby spiders covering gas pump, leap back into car and go to next pump, walk of shame into gas station cafe in dog hair covered pajamas to second ATM, miss bus, dog leaps in lap while driving, extract dog from lap, drive daughter to school with teen age boy riding our rear and stuck directly behind slow moving school bus the entire ride...HEY KIDS!  YUP!  WE MISSED IT!

Return home to one minor craftastrophe after another...have I mentioned I'm impatient?!

MANY hours later...SUCCESS!

This lovely Hallowe'en project is inspired by the RETROFABULOUS new book by Craft Wars' judge and Glitterville mastermind Stephen Brown Glitterville's Handmade Halloween.  This is the most luscious, scrumptious, stunning visual feast of a craft book created, photographed, designed and edited entirely by Stephen and his Head Studio Elf Chico.  Stephen shares his secrets for making 20 exquisite projects inspired by his wildly successful Glitterville line.  You may recognize Mr. Brown from TLC's Craft Wars, he's one of the judges!

So Madge, being the brave and crafty fool that she is, decided to make her own project inspired by the book, rather than, say, making one actually in the book.  I suggest, you follow Stephen's exacting directions and not veer off the garden path into chicken town.  But hey, Stephen has a pet chicken named Dolly Poulet, Craft Wars host Tori Spelling has a pet chicken named Coco and I used to have 30 pet chickens...so what could be more apropos than a Hallowe'en Chicken?  Meet Hen-rietta Henpeckt and her pecky chicks!  This project is made of inexpensive materials easily found at your local craft store and Aleene's Tacky Glue brings it all together perfectly.  So here's how to make one!

Materials
2 foam Balls (1/5", 2")
Paperclay
3 Standard Wooden Toothpicks
2 5" Wooden Toothpicks 
2 12" Long Wooden Skewers (cut to 8")
4" Square Cardboard Box
20 Gauge Silver Plated Craft Wire
3mm Jet, Black Diamond SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS rounds
4mm Hyacinth SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS bicones
5 Small Chenille Baby Chicks
1" Wide Felt Flower Trim cut to 4" (or other 1" wide trim thick enough to showcase letters)
4.25" Segment Krienik Orange Metallic Thread
Orange and Pink Cardstock
Printed Letters in Century Font 36pt. c h i c k or tweet!
Orange Krinkle Shredded Paper (I cut my on using a paper trimmer and orange tissue paper)
Aleene's Super Thick Tacky Glue
Tulip Beads in a Bottle Pink Glitter
Tulip Black Fashion Glitter
Crafty Chica Little Paints (I mixed pink, orange and used yellow and black)
Micron or Other Fine Tip Pen

Tools
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Flush cutters
Fiskars Shape Templates Frames
Fiskars Shape Template Cutter
Scissors
Paintbrushes
Foam brush
Bowl for glitter
Spoon for glitter
Cover foam balls with clay. Keep clay sealed and use small amounts at a time, use fingers to smooth, keep water nearby to help with this process. 

Use a toothpick to connect two balls, add clay around neck and smooth, use small cut toothpick segments as armitures, add clay to form beads. Use the end of a marker to create eyes. Create wings and attach to sides by wetting and smoothing clay. Repeat for comb, waddle and tail. Go back over bird with wet fingers until smoothed. Insert a dowel into bird and allow to dry overnight.
Sand bird to smooth using a fine grit sandpaper. Mix paints and use small brushes to paint bird. Start by making bird all one color, pink. Allow this to dry, then add orange on the comb and waddle, yellow on the beak, pink inside of the beak, white black and white for eyes and allow these to dry.  (Use Micron to add small details to bird's eyes and mouth.)
Use Tulip Beads in a Bottle in pink to add dots. Let dots dry for ten minutes. Use a flat wide brush to flatten dots and spread extra medium across bird. This adds a little sparkle and keeps bird from looking too bumpy!
Cut a piece of floral foam to fit a 4x4" cardboard box, I used a saw to cut a little off of the top of my foam block. Leave some space for bedding and bird.
Make a necklace using 20 gauge wire and 3-4mm crystals in black, orange and grey.  Loop one end, bend the opposite end at a 90 degree angle, slide on bird, thread bent wire into loop, use round nose pliers to loop bent wire and secure closed.
Make a tiara using 20 gauge wire. Thread 9 crystals on center of a 4" segment of wire, grasp and twist forming loop, add 11 4mm crystals to each end, loop on end, bend the other leaving a 1/4" tail. Add glue to tail, use chain nose pliers to insert tail into top of chicken's head behind comb. Adjust.
Paint box black and allow to dry. Paint inside and outside! Use a flat wide brush to paint a layer of Tacky Glue on all exterior sides of back. Pour glitter into bowl, use spoon to add to box edges, gently spread with fingertips and tap off excess glitter.
Paint your dowels black, allow to dry. Insert into foam at front left and right side of box. Place bedding into box, cut off any stragglers. Insert a longer toothpick into bottom of bird, insert into foam using chain nose pliers. Attach felt trim to front tops of dowels using Tacky Glue.
Cut all words and letters out. C h i c k is cut into separate letters, or is cut into a small flag and tweet! is cut into a rectangle. Tie metallic thread to dowels, leaving room for your flag. Attach flag with Tacky Glue to thread.  Cut card stock frame (I used my Fiskars Shape Templates and Cutter), adhere to front of box, add pink card stock behind the word 'tweet!' and the letters to center of flowers on felt trim using Tacky Glue.
Try your best not to make a mess this epic in the process. This is what happens when you take the side road to Chicken Town...HELP!

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