iLoveToCreate Blog

Easy Peasy Hairpins

2012-01-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today's project is super, duper easy and fun. We're going to make/embellish some hairpins.

This is a great project to do with younger people as well because it's really easy. (While my son won't be wearing one, he was really excited to help make them.) The reason for this project is that I've been wanting to wearing my hair (not my makeup) like these pictures I found on Pinterest.

Then I saw these clips at Anthropologie and while I was tempted to get some, I figured making them would be inexpensive and easy.

So I purchased some hairpins and clips at Hobby Lobby and I also stopped at an antique shop and picked up some vintage earrings. I invited my crafty friend over and we worked together. It's a good project to do with a friend, because there are two hairpins to make from each earring set - one for each person.

After the supplies were assembled we broke out the secret weapon - Aleene's SUPER Gel Adhesive. I love this glue. It holds so well - even metal to metal. What I like about it the most is that it has a little brush in it just like nail polish. (Let's just say I've had some bad encounters with little tubes of super glue and there's still evidence on my kitchen table.) This stuff is way easier to use because of the brush.

I used some wire cutters to snap off the back of the earrings.

We brushed on some adhesive and added the earrings.

You only have to hold the pin to the earring for a minute or two until it's really on there and dry.

This clip was originally blank on top, but I happened to have little leaf beads that fit right in it, so I glued them on.

Buttons also work well for this project. You just have to use ones that don't have a loop on the back. I had my assistant select some for me.

I am excited to wear them now. The redish-brown one looked so cute in my friend's blonde hair.

It's a great five minute project with fun results.

Thanks for stopping by.

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Scenes from Day 2 at the iLoveToCreate booth at the 2012 Craft and Hobby Tradeshow

2012-01-30T23:00:00.000-08:00

Our Creativity mannequin proudly displaying her red balloon!

Another fun and busy day on the tradeshow floor at the Craft and Hobby Assocation Winter Show for 2012. Here's some of the fun photo action in our All you Need is... booth!

Pattiewack and her designer friend show off a quilt square using our new Scribbles Fabric Stamps! We are putting together quilts to be auctioned off for various Boys and Girls Club nationwide!

Tiffany Windsor and Heidi Borchers created these amazing mosaic shoes using Aleene's adhesives!

Savannah Starr shows off her cool Tulip Body Art painted look at the end of Day 2. Look at those awesome shoes and necklace painted by Hope Perkins. LOVE!

Blogger Ashley Hackshaw of Lil Blue Boo was in the house and meeting with friends and fans in the Bloggers' Lounge!

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iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts: Red Queen Choker

2012-01-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

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iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts
Red Queen Choker
Copyright 2012 Margot Potter

My grandfather quoted endlessly from Alice in Wonderland. I grew up loving the Alice books and the many movie versions. I even got to play the Duchess once in a Children's Theatre production, which was wicked good fun!

Doilies have always held a place near and dear to my heart, in fact the first Valentine I gave my husband was handcrafted with a paper doily. This idea popped into my brain a couple of weeks ago and from there I scouted out supplies and through a process of trial and error figured out how to make this choker. Which I adore. I am wearing it to the upcoming tradeshows. It would be perfect for a Valentine's party, don't you think?

It is made of paper, so of course one should not wear it in the shower, the swimming pool, the ocean or in a rainstorm. It's not meant to last forever, so it will need to be handled with care. You could make this with lace, but I wanted that classic paper doily look. These little doily flowers are fun too, I think you could use them for all sorts of clever crafts. Nothing says vintage Valentine quite like a paper doily! It was so easy to put this all together with Aleene's Fabric Fusion Peel and Stick Sheets!

Materials
11 3 1/4" round paper doilies
22 1'x1 1/4" felt hearts
40 10mm silver plated jump rings
2 silver plated swivel lobster clasps
2 silver plated pinch bail ear wires
34 gauge silver or gold Artistic Wire
Aleene's Fabric Fusion Peel and Stick Sheets

Tools
Wire cutters
2 pairs chain nose pliers
Scissors
1/16" hole punch (I used my Crop-a-dile)

1. Cut out the center of the doilies. Use 34 gauge wire threaded into every fourth or fifth hole in frame around open center to gather the doily together into a "flower." Once you have the holes threaded, grasp both wire tails and gently pull the doily into a flower. Take your time, be gentle and don't mangle it all by rushing!

2. Twist wire tail ends together using chain nose pliers. Cut off excess with wire cutters. Make 11 of these.

3. Use hole punch to punch holes in right and left upper center of each heart.

4. Place hearts on Aleene's Peel and Stick Sheets. Cut around heart, peel off adhesive backing and sandwich the doilies between two hearts. Make sure the hearts are lined up properly so it's easy to link together later!

5. Use 4 10mm jump rings to connect each doily heart. (To learn how to properly attach jump rings with tension, visit my Crafty Quickies on YouTube!) Attach two jump rings on the outside edge of the first and final heart in your chain. Repeat for front and back of design. This will prevent the necklace from flip-flopping when worn.

6. Add the clasps to the final jump ring on the first doily heart in each chain. This is how the necklace is connected, having both stabilizes the design when worn.

7. To make earrings, repeat the process of making two doily hearts. but only pierce one hole in each heart so the ear wires can attach. Use pinch bail earrings inserted in the hole of each heart, or you can opt for jump rings and French wires.

Red Queen Tiara Copyright Margot Potter

(PS: I made this matching tiara, using a pattern for wrapping the crystal from my book Sparkletastic and Aleene's Dry Adhesives to put it all together. I cut the hearts and layered them behind the crystal loops and added a half doily behind it to hide the adhesives. I kept it really simple, but you could distress the papers and add glitter to make it super, duper over the top!)

iLoveToCreate at the 2012 Craft and Hobby Association Show

2012-01-29T21:30:00.000-08:00

Mannequins decorated with Tulip® Fashion Art products by Betsey Johnson designer Charlene Pack.

Today was the first day of the 2012 Craft and Hobby Association Tradeshow! We were so, so excited to share our creativity and tradeshow booth with all our friends, customers, buyers and fans! We want to share with you all the exciting action that took place on this first day! It was a whirlwind of activity.

Our theme is All you need is...Love, Family, Friends, Fun, and Creativity. Within our booth are all graphics and visual elements that touch on this theme. It was VERY important to us that we really tell a fun and inspiring story with our brands that touched on these points throughout our booth!

The color connection wall was a visual smorgasbord. We really worked hard to create a lot of eye candy moments in the booth!

Speaking of candy, we also had that in the literal sense too!

Fun was had by all who stopped by our Crafty Chica photo booth. Look at all the glitter and super cute crowns!

Tiffany Windsor and Heidi Borchers made this pretty lavender sachet with heartwarming friendship quotes using Aleene's adhesives.

Attendees and fans got creative with their favorite bloggers in the iLoveToCreate.com Blogger's lounge. Heather Mann of Dollar Store Crafts, Crafterminds, and Décor Hacks was one of our superstar bloggers who joined us today!

We'll be back tomorrow with more live updates from the show. More crafty goodness coming your way!

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Learn New Crafting Techniques! Monday January 30, 2012: Black & White

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cool2Craft TV for January 30, 2012: Black & White- Join hosts Tiffany Windsor and Heidi Borchers and special guests Savannah Starr and Candace Jedrowicz for a new episode of Cool2Craft TV. This week's show theme is Black & White. Today's featured projects are super cool! EcoHeidi will show you how to make a mosaic mirror featuring Cool2Cast and Aleene's Original Tacky Glue, Candace Jedrowicz is tiling a shadow box, Savannah Starr is using Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue to create the vintage Aleene's Look of Enamel and Tiffany is crafting a Scrapbook Candle Cover with Aleene's Tacky Dot Singles and Aleene's Super Thick Tacky Glue. It's a terrifically tacky and creatively cool show!

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday January 30, 2012 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and find the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday!

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Ahh Shucks You Painted Me Chucks for Valentines Day

2012-01-26T15:04:00.000-08:00

I'm one of those mother's that lives to dress my kids in theme. Valentine's Day is no exception. Novelty Valentines T-shirts are a dime a dozen, but shoes cute enough for Cupid are something special. Here is how to make your own.

SUPPLIES
Tulip Soft Fabric Paint
Paint Brush
Canvas Tennis Shoes

The first thing I did was paint the purple shoes pink. If you already have a pair of canvas shoes in the color you want you can skip this step. However, with just two coats of Tulip Fabric Paint the purple was gone and it was all about the pink.

I could have left the shoe laces white, but why when they look so much cuter red. I know, I know this picture implies that I painted them striped with a red fabric marker. I did at first, but then later went back and used red spray paint.

Next I painted the toes of my shoes red and while the paint was wet I coated them with red glitter. I also added a little heart to the back of each shoe.

Now Tallulah can celebrate Valentines Day in style. Heck they were so easy to whip up I might make the whole family a pair.

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iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts: I Heart U Valentine by Avalon Potter

2012-01-25T06:08:00.000-08:00

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iLovetoCreate Teen Crafts
I Heart U Valentine
Avalon Potter
"Teen crafted, Mom approved."

My mom has been making super cute Valentine's lately, so I decided to make one of my own! I love this pretty pink patterned paper and there were some left over scraps from the glittered gift bag she used for another project. You can use whatever papers you like, maybe even recycle some old Valentine's or use book pages...it's up to you. Aleene's adhesives make it easy to make wonderful projects super fast!

Materials
Patterned paper for heart
Gold glittery paper for arrow point and feathers (you can use gold paper and add Tulip glitter if you like!)
Pale pink cardstock
Black and white patterned paper for arrow staff
Small white doily for background
Aleene's Tacky Sticker Sheet
Aleene's Acid Free Tacky Glue

Tools
Fiskars Graduate Heart Shape Template System (Or hand cut a heart)
Paper friendly scissors
Craft knife
Ruler
Computer and printer to print out I (Heart Icon) U.

1. Print out I (Heart Icon) U on a computer. The heart icon is a less than symbol followed by the number 3. I used a French Script MT and sized it at 48. 2. Cut out the large heart and small heart using the template and shape cutter. The large heart is the largest on the template and is 3.5"x3.75". The small heart is 1"x1". 3. Use scissors to cut the arrow shaft to 4"x1/4". Cut the arrow feathers to 3/4"x1 1/4". 4. Cut out words and cut a frame out of the pink paper as a background. 5. Cut a small slit a little bigger than 1/4" diagonally using the craft knife at the top and bottom center of heart. The distance between the two slits should be about 2.5". This is where your arrow will go.

6. Thread arrow into slits.

7. Attach doily to back of heart using sticker sheet. Attach arrow point and feather with Aleene's Tacky Glue and allow to dry overnight.

8. Layer words and frame and attach to center of card. (Write your sentiments on the back of the Valentine.)

How-to: Iron-on Glitter Toddler Tee!

2012-01-24T07:32:00.000-08:00

I missed posting an iLoveToCreate project last month because I got a little distracted by a rather big DIY project of my own (more projects relating to my newest muse in the coming months, but in the meantime...). I recently attended a little boy named Caleb's 2nd birthday party and was inspired to make something -- something superhero-inspired for a super little guy! And since I'm obsessed with these iron-on glitter sheets, how about some fun, sparkly T-shirts?

Materials:
-Stencils and other household objects to trace
-Ballpoint pen
-Tulip Fashion Glitter Shimmer Transfer Sheets
-All-purpose scissors
-Toddler T-shirt(s)
-Pressing cloth
-Iron

Make it:
1. Select a stencil and trace the parts of it onto the desired color glitter transfer sheets. (Silver for the body of the rocket ship, purple for the star decal, blue for the stripe and the flame. Extra stars in blue!) Alternately, trace household items (like different size bowls, jars, tupperware lids, bottle caps, etc.) to create basic shapes like circles and rectangles.

2. Cut out all of the shapes and peel off the top layer of plastic before arranging the shapes on the front of the shirt.

3. Use the warm iron and pressing cloth to press on one piece of the design at a time (so that none of the pieces shift accidentally as you're applying them). Iron on any sleeve decorations separately so you can lay that portion of the fabric flat when you're working on it.

4. Then fold them, wrap them, and tie a ribbon in a bow...

5. ...and gift them to a cute little toddler you know!

(Caleb's mom reports that he loves wearing them, and points often to the sleeves, identifying the "stahs.")

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iLoveToCreate Bloggers Lounge at the 2012 Craft and Hobby Association Show

2012-01-23T08:58:00.000-08:00

We are so excited about the Craft and Hobby Association Show starting this weekend in Anaheim, California! In addition to our amazing show booth, we are really ecstatic about our iLoveToCreate® Bloggers' Lounge! We've been planning this event for over 3 months and we are so glad we can finally share the news with you, our friends and fans!!

The Bloggers' Lounge (booth #1818) is going to be the coolest spot at the show...we are offering up a fun and crafty badge make and take with some of the hottest bloggers in the craft and DIY industry! We'll also be serving up some super crafty refreshments and offering recharging stations for attendees to charge up their phones and tech gadgets!

Here's the lineup of the bloggers who are attending!

Sunday, January 29th
10:30AM - 12PM Alisa Burke, Reinvent Creativity
12PM – 1:30 PM Heather Mann of Dollar Store Crafts, Crafterminds
1:30PM – 3PM Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter, Craft.You.
3 PM – 4:30PM Kathy Cano-Murillo, The Crafty Chica
4:30PM – 6PM Corinne Leigh, Threadbanger, Craftovision

Monday, January 30th
10:30AM - 12PM Ashley Hackshaw, Lil Blue Boo
12PM – 1:30PM Angela Daniels, Guilty Crafter
1:30PM – 3PM Kristen Turner, Glitter ‘N Glue
3PM – 4:30PM Traci Bautista, Creativity Unleashed

Tuesday, January 30th
10:30AM - 12 PM Jennifer Hadfield, TaterTots & Jello
12PM – 1:30PM Tiffany Windsor, Cool2Craft
1:30PM – 3PM Pattie Wilkinson, Pattiewack blog
3PM – 4:30 PM Valerie Marderosian, iLoveToCreate Senior Vice President & Chief Creative Officer, iLoveToCreate®, a Duncan Enterprises Company
4:30PM – 6 PM Alexa Westerfield, The Swell Life, FontCrafts

We'll be sharing regular updates on our blog, Facebook page, Twitter, and Youtube pages throughout the show so you can stay connected even if you're not at the show!

See you there!
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Learn new crafting techniques! Cool2Craft TV Monday January 23, 2012: Mixed Media

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cool2Craft TV for January 23, 2012: Mixed Media- Join host Linda Peterson for a new episode of Creative Life TV on the Cool2Craft TV network. This week's show theme is Mixed Media. Linda is creating a No-Sew Cellphone Pouch featuring Aleene's OK to Wash-It Glue. Next up, it's a Mixed Media Embossed Frame finished with Aleene's Collage Pauge and she will craft a vintage inspired Baby Wipes Flower Tag. It's a terrifically tacky and creatively cool show!

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday January 23, 2012 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and find the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday!

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Mirror Mirror on the Wall Who is the Craftiest of Them All?

2012-01-19T13:35:00.000-08:00

I have hand mirrors on the brain lately. Maybe it is all those Snow White and the Huntsman commercials. Maybe it was last week when I decided to hot roll my hair and realized I had no way to see the back of my head. Whatever the reason there was no way I was going to have a plain jane hand mirror on my vanity.

SUPPLIES
Felt
Scissors
Liquid Fusion Glue
Hand Mirror

The first thing I did was decide on a design. Once I knew how I wanted my mirror to look I cut out pieces of felt.

I attached all the felt to the mirror using Liquid Fusion. Be careful not to use too much so that it does not darken your felt. I also added a hairbow from Jen at Hell Razor.

Now next time I need to see the back of my head I'm ready!

P.S. Don't forget that hand mirrors also make great picture frames.

P.P.S. Please excuse the slightly blurry pictures. I am taking photography classes and my teacher made me change all the nice settings my photag friend Erin had put my camera on.

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MAYA IN THE MOMENT: Double Rainbow Glittered Sandals

2012-01-18T14:44:00.000-08:00

Double Rainbow Glittered Sandals!

Here is Arizona, it's not even February, but it already feels like spring. My mom bought these formerly tan shoes on clearance for the sole purpose (pardon the pun) of revamping them. too bad I got to them first.
Actually, this is a collab between us. I came up with the glittered rainbow heels and she finished the pair off with the flowers, which I love!

Supplies:

1 pair of tall chunky strappy sandals
Assorted Tulip Soft Fabric Paints
Crafty Chica Extreme Embellishment Glue or Tulip Glitter Bond
Crafty Chica Glitters or Tulip Fashion Glitters
Tulip® Fabric Paintbrushes™
Flowers for the tops of the shoes
Tulip Beads in a Bottle
Aleene's Spray Sealer, Glossy

Paint the tops of the shoes with the fabric paint. Next, paint the bottoms in a rainbow-layered pattern. Use can use a square brush to keep your lines even. Let it all dry.

Wash your brush and then dip it the glue and apply one color at a time. Add the glue on the red, then add the red glitter, move on to the next color, etc.

Add the Beads in a Bottle to the tops of them, and then add the flower on top of each shoe.

Thank you for checking out my craft project for iLoveToCreate! Please add me on Facebook! http://facebook.com/MayaintheMoment or subscribe to my YouTube channel! I just started a new series called "Love Songs for a Year!"

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Be My Valentine Felt Wreath

2012-01-18T10:23:00.000-08:00

What better way to celebrate your love for Valentine wreath than a cute felt wreath in pinks and reds! This is a fun project that will get you lots of oohs and ahhs to guests that arrive at your door! You might just want to make one in colors for every season of the year!

Be My Valentine Felt Wreath
by Cheryl Ball

Materials
– Aleene's® Fabric Fusion® Permanent Dry Cleanable Fabric Adhesive
– Tulip® One-Step Dye™ (Red & Fuchsia)
– Tulip® Cordless Heat Setting Tool™
– Tulip® Glam-It-Up!™ Iron-On Crystals™ (300 Clear Pack)
– Plastic Disposable tablecloth or large plastic garbage bag
– Floral and Craft Ring,12” flat compressed wood
– Cutting mat
– Ribbon, 2” wide coordinating color and ¼” wide for hanger
– Wool Felt, white ¾ yd. 18” wide
– Rotary Cutter
- Rotary Cutter Clear Ruler
- Fabric, cotton scrap of coordinating solid color

Instructions
1. Wet the felt with water and spin on gentle in the washer to remove excess water.
2. Cover work surface with plastic.
3. Wearing rubber gloves, add water to the top of the dye bottles. Replace cap tightly. Shake until dye is dissolved.
4. Place damp felt on plastic. Squeeze the Red dye onto about half of the felt.
5. Starting on the edge of the Red and overlapping an inch or so, squeeze the Fuchsia dye onto half of the remaining area of the felt but saving about 1” of dye in the bottle. Add water to the dye in the bottle to make a light pink and squeeze onto the remaining felt. The felt should be saturated in dye. Wearing gloves, press down with fingertips to push the dye into areas that are lighter.
6. Cover felt with plastic. Let sit 4-6 hours. Wash in a large load of water with a small amount of laundry soap on a gentle cycle. Line dry.
7. Using a cutting mat and rotary cutter, cut ½” strips from every section of color. Where the dye over lapped it will be a little different color and this is desirable so cut those areas also.
8. Make a snip in the end of the cotton coordinating fabric and tear 2” strips. Glue the end of a strip to the craft ring with Fabric Fusion and start wrapping around the ring. Proceed by adding another strip, gluing as needed while wrapping to keep in place until it is completely covered.
9. Feeling through the fabric, find one of the small holes and push a pencil or sharp object through to the back. Run the small piece of ribbon through and tie in a knot to use as a hanger.
10. Starting with the lightest color of felt, add a small amount of Fabric Fusion and roll into a pinwheel continuing by adding another color with glue ending with the Red felt. Change the order of color to make all of the pinwheels unique and ranging in size from 3” to 2 ¼”. Refer to photo.
11. Arrange the pinwheels on the ring until they fit all the way around while touching each other. Squeeze out Fabric Fusion onto the ring under the area where each pinwheel will sit pressing pinwheel into the glue.
12. Cut ¼” strips of the red felt and roll into small 1” pinwheels and glue on top of each intersection where the large pinwheels meet. Glue in place and press down with fingertips. Let dry flat.
13. Attach the red and pink crystals with the heat tool. Scatter them over the large and small pinwheels. Pressure is not needed when attaching the crystals as long as the tip of the tool is touching the crystal.
14. Tie the 2” ribbon into a bow and glue the backside of the loops at the top, onto the pinwheels.

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iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts: No Kiddin' Around Upcycled Valentine

2012-01-16T09:24:00.000-08:00

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No Kiddin' Around Upcycled Valentine Margot Potter for iLovetoCreate

iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts
No Kiddin' Around Upcycled Valentine
Margot Potter

Today's Retrofabulous Craft is another upcycled vintage Valentine idea. I took new scrapbook paper, a glittered gift bag from Christmas, red cardstock and combined them with a section of a vintage card. You can substitute any used Valentine here, it's a great way to re-purpose them! I had a blast making layered hearts with the Fiskars paper cutter and Aleene's dry adhesives made putting it all together a breeze! No waiting for glue to dry. I added some Tulip Beads in a Bottle gems for dimension using Aleene's Acid Free Tacky Glue (I recommend this for paper crafts.)

Materials
Red cardstock
Black and white striped or patterned papers
Small doily
Gold glittered gift bag (or just use Tulip Glitter on gold paper for the same effect.)
2 Red Tulip Beads in a Bottle Studs and Crystals
Aleene's Tacky Dot Runner
Aleene's Acid Free Tacky Glue

Tools
Fiskars Graduated Hearts Shape Template (or measure and hand cut graduated hearts)
Fiskars Interchangeable Scalloped Edge Punch
Bone folder
Paper cutter

1. Cut red cardstock to 7"x11".

2. Fold card in half to 7"l.x5.5"w. Use bone folder to make a sharp crease in edge.

3. Use edge punch on top edge of card.

4. Cut out layered hearts with papers.

5. Cut out your layered hearts. Before you cut, make sure you center the image you want to use! I stacked the 4" heart followed by the 3.5" heart and finally the 3" heart for the center heart. The top right heart stack is 1", 1.25", 1.5" and 2". The bottom left heart stack is 1", 1.5" and 2". For inside of the card stack 1.5", 1.25" and 1" hearts.

6. Print out your sentiments. I wrote "No kiddin' around, Valentine." and "I love you." using a vintage style font.

7. Layer a doily and the center hearts using Aleene's Tacky Dot Runner. Add the top right and bottom left heart stacks. Attach a faux gemstone using Aleene's Tacky Glue to the center of the top and bottom heart stacks. Allow to dry.

8. Cut out your sentiment and layer it on one of your papers, cut and adhere to bottom right of card front using Aleene's Tacky Glue Runner.

9. To make the inside of the card, stack your hearts and add the sentiment to the center.

Learn new Crafting Techniques! Cool2Craft TV Monday January 16, 2012: Prints & Patterns

2012-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cool2Craft TV for January 16, 2012: Prints & Patterns- Join hosts Tiffany Windsor and Heidi Borchers for a new episode of Cool2Craft TV. This week's show theme is Prints & Patterns. Today's featured projects are super cool! EcoHeidi will show you how to Make Your Own Craft Foam Stamp with Aleene's Turbo Tacky Glue, Candace Jedrowicz is covering a wall clock with fabric and Tiffany is creating Soda Can Goddess Wall Art. It's a terrifically tacky and creatively cool show!

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday January 16, 2012 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and find the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday!

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Glitter makes everything better printable

2012-01-13T17:18:00.000-08:00

It's Friday! What better way to celebrate, than with a celebration of glitter!! We are even sharing this cute and sparkly glitter printable for you to print and enjoy. Click here to download your copy! Also please Pin it and share it with your friends and share the glittery love!

Pin It

The 'Put a Bird on It' Brooch - An Ode to Portlandia

2012-01-13T07:27:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for some stellar television to add to your list of much watch shows, might I suggest Portlandia. I was skeptical with a dude from Saturday Night Live and a chick from Sleater Kinney - and then I watched it - and then I fell in love. I have always heard that Austin and Portland are sister cities and after watching the skits on this show I believe it. One of my fave segments was entitled "Put a Bird on It". As we all know good craft trends die hard and this feathered favorite appears to be here to stay. In celebration on Portlandia's second season starting I am making my ode' to the show. The 'Put a Bird on It' brooch.

SUPPLIES
Wooden Disc
Scissors
Aleene's Liquid Fusion Glue
Collage Pauge
Forest Picture
Hot Glue Gun
Collage Pauge Decoupage Medium
Faux Bird
Faux Eggs
Embroidery Thread
Aleene's Fabric Stiffener and Draping Liquid
Vasaline
Small Bowl
Pin Back
Ribbon

This whole idea came to because I started thinking about making a nest out of embroidery thread. I used a small plastic bowl and lubed that sucker up with petroleum jelly to act as a release. Next I cut long strands of brown embroidery thread. One by one I began dipping the thread in fabric stiffener and wrapping it around my bowl. Once you have it looking like a nest leave it to dry.

While your nest is drying you can work on the backdrop. I used a small wooden disc. I found an image from a vintage book of a forest that I cut out and decoupaged onto the wood.

Next I cut my nest in half. At this point I was not sure if I was going to go with shoe clips or brooch. I only had one bird so brooch won. I'll save the other half of the nest for another project.

Using a combination of Liquid Fusion Glue and a Hot Glue Gun I attached the half nest to my collaged backdrop. Once the nest was in place using Liquid Fusion I put my bird and her eggs in the nest. I also added a ribbon around the edge to cover up some messy glue spots. Last but not least, I glued a pin back to the wood.

I am totally smitten on the way everything turned out. Portlandia was right everything looks better when you put a bird on it.

I leave you with the video clip that inspired it all - Put a Bird on It!

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Fuzzy Slipper Makeover!

2012-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

How many of you received a pair of fuzzy slippers this season? My son got me these and as soon as I saw them I knew exactly what I was going to do with them! I used my Crafty Chica Cupcake Applique ($1 here!) and Tulip Beads in a Bottle to bring them to life!!

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Tie Dye your Converse shoes

2012-01-11T16:07:00.001-08:00

Wanna spruce up a pair of new white Converse kicks? Make yours truly original with the help of Tulip® One-Step Tie Dye! iLoveToCreate designer Allee Marderosian created this pair with just a few simple products. Here's how you make them!

Tie Dye Converse Kicks
by Allee Marderosian

Supplies:

– White converse

– Tulip® One-Step Tie Dye Kit (Aloha)

– Tulip Sponge Brushes

– Tulip® Fabric Marker (black)
– spray bottle
–

How you do it:

1. Remove shoe laces and wet laces. Mix up turquoise dye and soak/saturate laces in the dye.

2. Mix up brown and pink dyes and pour them into a plastic bowl. Carefully use sponge brushes to sponge on dye onto fabric, being very careful not to get the dye on the rubber areas.

3. Cover the shoes and laces each in their own bag (as not to mix the colors). Let set for 6-8 hours.

4. Fully rinse dyed fabric in warm water until all extra dye is removed and water runs clear.

5. Fill washer to large load setting with hottest water suitable for the fabric and a small amount of laundry soap.
6. Accent/doodle around selected areas with a black Tulip® Fabric Marker.

Allee says you can do your own color combinations and play with the colors. If you're a little timid to try on a more expensive pair of shoes, you could always try this on plain canvas shoes until you are comfortable with your skills!

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Watercolor T-shirt WORKSHOP!

2012-01-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

Have you signed up for the Watercolor T-shirt Workshop yet at the Craft and Hobby Association show in Anaheim???

There are still a few seats left, but it's filling up fast!

It's Sunday Jan 29, 6:30 - 8:30 at the CHA trade show in Anaheim!

Don't bring anything, I'll have it all there for you....it will be fun!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Room: 213A

Learn the secrets of simple yet stunning watercolor techniques on fabric using Tulip® Fabric Markers® and a paintbrush to create compositions that are vibrant and surprisingly easy. The workshop includes everything you need to design a beautiful T-shirt that can be worn as is, or altered into a pillow or tote. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced sketch artist, you will love this workshop as you learn to play with color and design...

iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts: (P)upcycled Valentine's Card

2012-01-11T06:39:00.000-08:00

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(P)upcycled Valentine Copyright Margot Potter for iLoveToCreate

iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts:
(P)Upcycled Valentine
Margot Potter for Avalon Potter
“Mom crafted, teen approved”

Avalon was buried in school work this week, so I’m stepping in for a little retrofabulous infused teen craft. This can be either a card or an invitation to a Valentine's Day party! You can upcycle any old Valentine you may have in your collection. I had this adorable little vintage card in my coffers that was begging for a new life. Arf, arf. I loved the way the edge punch looked centered on each of the four sides of the pink square, gave the layer purrfect doily style appeal. Tulip Glam-it-Up Crystals and Beads in a Bottle gave it all a little dimension and Aleene’s glue made quick work of putting it all together. Nothing fishy about it, this is, as Avalon says, “Adorbs!”

Materials
Red Cardstock
Baby pink Cardstock
Tiny Heart Scrapbook Stickers
Fish Scrapbook Sticker
Printed Letter “u” in Campbell or similar vintage style font
Upcycled Valentine
Aleene’s Acid Free Tacky Glue
Aleene’s Tacky Dot Runner
Tulip Beads in a Bottle Pink Glitter
5 Tulip Glam-it-Up Crystals

Tools
Chain Nose Pliers, Tweezers or a Crayon to pick up and place crystals
Scalloped Border Punch
Ruler and Scissors
Pinking Shears
Word Bubble Punch

A sampling of some of my collection of vintage Valentines.

1. Print a letter ‘u’ in Campbell or a vintage style font size 14.

2. Cut your cardstock to 5.5”x5.5” or dimensions that work with your Valentine.

3. Use pinking shears around edge of pink cardstock.

4. Center border punch and cut out scallops inside of all four edges of paper. (Don’t punch the edge off, this is just to add a little doily style window. Save punched dots to use with word bubbles.)

5. Punch or cut word bubbles, I cut the little talking tag from the bottom since these are thought bubbles in this card.

6. Use glue dot runner to attach pink layer on top of red background and card to center bottom of pink layer.

7. Attach heart sticker to card.

8. Use pliers, tweezers or crayon to lift crystals, dip into glue, tap off any excess and place on card. Crystals go in each of the four corners and in center of the small heart.

9. Attach word bubbles with tape runner. Add hearts, fish and ‘u’.

10. Punch one scallop out of the white paper you used for word bubbles and save the tiny punched out circles. Use a toothpick to dab a small amount of glue on card where you want your paper dots leading up to word bubbles to be placed and gently place dots on card.

11. Use Beads in a Bottle to add dimension to edges of the pink layer on your card.

12. This is a flat invitation style Valentine, you can opt to make a folding card if your prefer.

Crafty Can Corrals + Video Tutorial

2012-01-10T08:05:00.000-08:00

Now's the time to get organized for the year ahead of us! Pattiewack created these cute and colorful crafty can corrals from cans you would normally throw out and leftover scrapbook papers or magazine pages. They're great to hold craft supplies, odds in ends, or kitchen utensils! Check out Pattie showcasing how she did it in this loval segment of We Are Fresno Live!

Also check out the Crafty can step by step tutorial on iLoveToCreate.com

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Learn new Crafting Techniques! Cool2Craft TV Monday on January 9, 2012: Crafting with Burlap

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cool2Craft TV for January 9, 2012: Burlap- Join hosts Tiffany Windsor and Heidi Borchers for a new episode of Cool2Craft TV. This week's show theme is Crafting with Burlap. Today's featured projects are super cool! EcoHeidi is crafting a burlap pillow with an upcycled fabric owl design and Aleene's Fabric Fusion Permanent Dry Cleanable Fabric Adhesive, Candace Jedrowicz is creating a Burlap Chic Necklace and Tiffany is crafting a Vintage Aleene's Burlap Fringe Flower featuring Aleene's Original Tacky Glue. It's a terrifically tacky and creatively cool show!

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday January 9, 2012 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and find the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday!

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My Fave 11 Projects of 2011

2012-01-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope you did something more exciting than going to bed at 10pm like I did. As I laid in bed on New Years Eve I reflected on the last year. What had I made, accomplished and done? So many deep questions to ponder. To commemorate the last year in craft I thought I would do a roundup of my fave projects from 2011.

11) Big Game Hunting on a Thrift Store Safari
This beauty still hangs in Baxter's room. Actually, he just got a friend for Christmas from my mom. She made him a mounted robot zebra head made from a lampshade and brush. Ah-mazing!

10) Not Your Typical Bridesmaid Bouquet
My sister Hope got married this fall and I was lucky enough to be the Matron of Honor. I was pretty smitten on how my bouquet turned out. She had one made of rhinestone brooches so I made myself one of vintage plastic flowers.

9) Recycled Retro-Style Jewelry Box
Every time I look at this jewelry box I smile. The bright colors, perky flowers, the way it matches my Bakelite collection. What is not to love?

8) Yarn Wrapped Antler Mobile
Apparently I really adore Baxter's nursery since this makes two projects on my list that reside there. I love this colorful antler so much I want to cut the pom poms off and set it on a coffee table as art. Right after Baxter quits putting everything in his mouth I'll take it down and set it out.

7) Slice of Citrus Tote Bag
We have not even had a day below freezing here in Austin, TX but I am already counting down the days until summer. Until I can go swimming I will just carry this perky slice of citrus tote bag to remind me of warmer days.

6) Mid-Century Modern Knitting Needle Clock
This clock is probably one of my favorite things I have made ever and that is saying a lot for someone who has been crafting over 30 years. This beauty still hangs and tells time proudly in my dining room.

5) Personalized Placemats
I am proud to announce that over the holidays the recipients of these placemats announced their engagement. I like to think it was because they could never bear the thought of parting with their placemats.

4) Valentine's Paper Chain
I need to pack Baxter up and toss him in a photo booth to add some links to my paper chain this year. I made this project for Valentine's Day, but really you could make it for any occasion.

3) Milkbone Memorial Frame
2011 started off with a kick in the teeth losing our beloved dog Lucy. However, I thought this glittered milkbone picture frame was the perfect send off. Also, I have had people tell me they have seen her hanging on the wall in Chuy's so her memory lives on.

2) Brooch Bouquet Topiary
While trying to figure out how to store and display my collection of colorful vintage brooches this topiary came to me. It seems a shame to let jewelry this cute sit in a drawer or a box waiting to be worn.

1) Baxter Dabney Boehk
As the saying goes - I'm so crafty I make people. By far the best thing I whipped up this year came in March weighing 10.5 pounds.

What were your favorite things you made in 2011? Any crafty goals for 2012? Top of my list is to get my studio cleaned AGAIN. I am starting a photography class next week which has always been a goal. I must crochet Baxter a blanket since I made one for his sister. I'd like to get a books worth of Digital Scrapbooking pages finished to have printed. I'm sure more will come to me, but for this week that is enough to think about.

If you wanna see more of what I made in 2011 and beyond click right here.

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MAYA IN THE MOMENT: No-Sew Word Pillows (made from 1 pillowcase!)

2012-01-04T15:15:00.000-08:00

One of the first things I want to do this year is clean up my room and bring in new, positive energy. Craftyness is a good trait to have in this area! These are some word pillows I made to remind myself to always word hard and play nice! And guess what? I made them from ONE pillowcase that I found in our laundry cabinet!

Supplies:
Assorted scrap fabric pieces
Scissors

2 packages of Aleene's® Fabric Fusion® Peel and Stick Sheets™
Tulip® Beads in a Bottle™ Paint
Fiberfill stuffing

Open one package of the sticky sheets and cut them in half. You can scan fonts from a computer program, but I just cut out my letters freehand. FLIP the sheet over so your letter is cut from the back, this is very important, I found out. My mom helped me figure this part out, it has to do with the way the sticky sheets come off, trust me, do it!

Draw and cut out your letters for your words.

Here are the words for my first pillow!

Peel off the top protective sheet from one letter at a time and place the fabric, flat on top, design side up. The tape is really sticky, so try not to touch it! Once all your letters are covered with fabric, set them aside.

Fold the pillowcase in half, widthwise, and cut up the side.
This will give you two casings for pillows!

Peel off the protective backs from each letter and place them on the pillow fronts. Peel and stick, so simple and not messy at all!

Use the Beads in a Bottle to add dots all around the edges of each letter. This will pull the design together and seal down any raw edges of your letters. I like the gold glitter best! You can also use Tulip 3D paint or fabric paint. Let dry for an hour!

I ironed a hem on the inside seams and cut more strips of the sticky sheets and pressed them in place. Fill the pillows with the fiberfill, remove the backing and press in place to seal. They are now permanent and washable!

And here is the finished result! Cute, no???

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Take time for Creativity Paintbrush Clock

2012-01-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

The beginning of the new year is the perfect time to amp up your creativity. What better way, than by having a reminder that you see every day, like this wonderful rainbow paintbrush clock by Pattie Wilkinson!Head over to our iLoveToCreate.com for full instructions on how to make this rainbow paintbrush clock!Visit us on Facebook!
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TOMS Shoe Makeover

2012-01-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

Many, many months ago my mother-in-law bought me some Toms. I was so excited and I wore them a whole lot. I wore them enough to get a hole in the front of them.

So I gathered some supplies to fix the problem. I happened to have some coordinating fabric in my scrap bin. I pulled out Aleene's Fabric Fusion Peel and Stick Sheets, which were PERFECT for this project.

Here's what they look like now.....

Here's how it went down. I love dry adhesives because there is NO mess. There's no wet glue seeping through the fabric. It's simple and clean. There are several sheets in the pack. They come with the adhesive sandwiched between two pieces of white paper.

I peeled one side off and applied it to the shoe, lining it up with the long seam across the top of the shoe.

Then I smoothed it over the front middle and then along the sides. Naturally, you'll need to pleat it where the pleats are in the shoes. Then just trim the paper to match the shoe.

The sheet didn't cover the entire front, to I added a few more pieces until the whole front area was covered.

Once you've got the paper everywhere you can smooth it over the shoe to get the adhesive to adhere and the just peel off the paper. Now it looks like this.

Then applied the fabric the exact same way. You could apply a little fray check around the bottom, but if you got the adhesive all the way to the bottom I don't think you'll have to worry much about fraying. It's stuck on quite well.

I added a little extra adhesive inside the pleats to get them to stay flat.

I smoothed the fabric over to get it really stuck on there - especially at the bottom. I didn't like the raw edge of the fabric across the top of the shoe so I decided to add a little bit of lace. I used the dry adhesive again, cutting it into thin lines and then I laid the lace over it.

And BAM. They're done. No waiting until they are dry because they already are!

And it's kind of fun to have a pair that's totally unique.

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Aleene's glue gun featured on Portlandia episode!

2012-01-02T08:18:00.000-08:00

Forgive me for just discovering this hilarious series on IFC. It's called Portlandia and is about the eccentric characters of Portland, Oregon. The new season begins this Friday, but you can see a bunch of clips on You Tube from season one. I laughed through all of them! I found this one where Aleene's glue gun is featured!

LINK

Here's another cute, crafty kind of clip called Put a Bird on It:

LINK

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iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts: Pulp Fiction Thank You Cards

2012-01-02T07:22:00.000-08:00

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iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts: Pulp Fiction Thank You Cards
Copyright Margot Potter
"These are your grandmother's crafts, ya gotta problem with that?"

The glitter has faded, the confetti swept away and it's time to start a new year filled with possibility. It's also time to take a moment and thank your friends and family for the lovely gifts they sent. What better way to say, "Thank you" than these Retrofabulous Pulp Fiction cards? The covers are scanned from my collection of ephemera, you can easily find similar books on eBay. I dragged them into Photoshop, color matched the fonts and added some new words to the mix, sized and printed and layered them with coordinating scrapbook papers and cardstock. Tulip Glam-it-up metallic crystals on the corners were the perfect touch of dimension. My first attempt to frame them with glitter was not so fab, so I started over. I've added coordinating sentiments inside. Aleene's AWESOME new glue dot tape runner made quick work of putting it all together.

Materials
Vintage patterned scrapbook papers (I used my fav Carolyn Gavin papers from K&Company)
Coordinating card stock
Tulip metallic Glam-it-up crystals
Aleene's Tacky Glue Dot tape runner
Aleene's Acid Free Tacky Glue

Tools
Paper cutter
Bone folder
Ruler
Scissors
Chain nose pliers or tweezers

1. Use photo editing software to add sentiments.

2. Use Word or similar software to create sentiments for inside of cards.

3. Print. I printed my images at 536x774dpi 150 resolution. It's easy to drag these into publishing software and put them side by side for printing.

4. Cut out images. You are stacking them on a solid cardstock and a patterned paper, each one gets slightly larger. I eyeballed using a paper cutter, you can measure them at 1/4" increasing margins, mark and cut.

5. Fold your card stock, crease with bone folder and cut off 1" from bottom.

6. Layer images starting with patterned paper which is straight, solid card stock on an angle and image straight. Use Aleene's Tacky Glue Dot Runner Tape to attach to card.

7. Cut out a sentiment, add a slightly larger coordinating cardstock paper frame, layer and attach to inside of card on an angle using tape runner.

8. Squeeze out a small amount of Tacky Glue. Use tweezers to careful pick up crystal, dip back in glue (don't over do it here) and attach to corners of image on card. Press gently with finger tips.

Cool2Craft TV for January 2, 2012: EcoHeidi EcoHome

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cool2Craft TV for January 2, 2012: EcoHeidi EcoHome- Join host Heidi Borchers for a new episode of EcoHeidi TV on the Cool2Craft TV Network. This week's show theme is EcoHome. Today's featured projects are: Vintage Aleene Fabric and Wire Flowers, Soda Can Fish Sculpture, Glue Art Canvases by Candace Jedrowicz, and a Water Bottle Room Divider. It's a terrifically tacky and creatively cool show!It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday January 2, 2012 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and find the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday!

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Glitter Makes Everything Better

2011-12-29T19:13:00.000-08:00

Every January most of us make the same resolution - to lose a little weight. For me, losing the baby weight is on the top of my list. I thought if my scale and I are going to be spending a lot more time together in the near future I might as well make it a little easier on the eyes.

SUPPLIES
Scale
Scrapbook Paper
Collage Pauge
Fast Grab Tacky Glue
Crafty Chica Glitter
Paper Glaze
Scissors

After you choose a decorative paper that tickles your fancy cut it out to the size of your scale. Using Collage Pauge adhere your paper to your scale.

Next trim the paper in Fast Grab Tacky Glue. While the glue was still wet sprinkle red glitter. You might want to try and get your lines a little straighter than I did. Allow the whole thing to dry completely.

When everything is dry give the scale a top coat or two of paper glaze.

Every week when I weigh in to try and reach my goal I'll get to look at bright colors and glitter. Sparkles make everything better, even my weight.

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How to make Glittered Heart Crayons with the Crafty Chica

2011-12-29T09:13:00.000-08:00

Crayons are a childhood staple, and many times they end up broken mess all over the house. The Crafty Chica shows us how to get more life out of your crayons with this fun and easy video tutorial using silicone cupcake/candy molds! And of course, she adds her signature touch of glitter using her very own Crafty Chica® Glitters. The kids will love drawing with their their crayon and glitter creations!

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How to make Felt Rosettes - a video tutorial

2011-12-28T16:16:00.001-08:00

These little felt rosettes are so simple and easy to make and they are absolutely darling for your décor and cute hair accessories. Pattiewack shows you how to make them in this quick video tutorial!!!

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iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts: New Year's Necklace by Avalon Potter

2011-12-28T09:44:00.001-08:00

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New Year's Necklace
Avalon Potter for iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts
"Teen crafted, mom approved."

My mom has been working a new video tutorial using black and white scrapbook papers. I loved her project and wanted to do a variation. Since it's almost New Year's, I added lots of sparkles so it would feel just like the day itself. This project is very easy to make and when you are done you will have something that you can wear on New Years or any day of the year!

Materials
Double sided black and white toile scrapbook paper
Large jump ring
Mini-ribbon bow tie
Aleene's Tacky Line Roll
Tulip Dimensional Fabric Paint glitter in gold
Tulip Fashion glitter in light gold jewel
Gold chain

Tools
Scissors
Ruler
Bone folder

Instructions

1.Take your black and white paper and cut out a piece that is 2.5"x6.5".

2.Take the piece and start to fold back and forth on the long side making each fold about a .5" wide. use a bone folder to make strong creases.

3.Once you have folded the whole piece fold the ends together from the center point making a fan.

4.Where the fan edges meet adhere Tacky Line Roll all the way down then pinch the middle pieces together.

5.Next put a thin line of Dimensional gold glitter on the folds and on the bottom. Then shake more gold glitter on top of that, tap off excess and allow to dry.

6.On the top attach a little white bow using Tacky Line Roll.

7. Take a large jump ring and string it through the top where the fan meets.

8. Slide a chain through the jump ring. You now have a fun and festive New Year's necklace!

VIDEO: Crafty Chica Empowerment Guardian Tutorial by Fahtz

2011-12-27T20:28:00.000-08:00

This is Fahtz with glittered nails, a handmade bracelet and an art tiara - all of which she made at the Phoenix Craft Rave earlier this month!

This adorable little girl named Fahtz came out to our Phoenix Craft Rave last month and stayed for hours crafting! iLovetoCreate was one of our sponsors - which meant everyone got a FREE Crafty Chica Empowerment Guardian in their swag bag.

Here is a video of Fahtz decorating her guardian - it is soooo cute, it will surely make you smile! And she certainly has the Crafty Chica spirit - from adding lots of glitter to cheetah print trim! Right on!

LINK

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MAYA IN THE MOMENT CRAFT: New Year's Eve Sparkly Mittens

2011-12-27T10:31:00.001-08:00

Here is a bonus craft that I wanted to share before New Year's Eve - Sparkly Mittens! This is for you ladies who plan to wear some glitz on your fancy night out - maybe to the movies, or a party or a street festival. Why not glam up your gloves too? It's super easy!

You'll need some gloves - I bought a package of two at Target, they were on clearance! Next you'll need:
a Tulip® Cordless Heat Setting Tool™
Tulip® Glam-It-Up!™ Iron-On Crystals™
Tulip® Glam-It-Up!™ Fashion Art Tweezers™

You'll also need something to slip your gloves over while you add the crystals - like a soup can. This is so that the crystals won't come off when you stretch the gloves to insert your hands. You want to glue the crystals on while the gloves are stretched.

You'll want to pick up the crystals one-by-one with the tweezers, set in place and then use the heat tool to apply them.

For the white gloves I used Tulip® Glam-It-Up!™ Iron-On Studs!

Like what you see, come visit me on my blog - MayaintheMoment.com. You can also like me on Facebook or subscribe to my videos on YouTube!

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Cool2Craft TV for December 26, 2011: Best of 2011

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cool2Craft TV for December 26, 2011: Best of 2011

Join host Tiffany Windsor for a new episode of Cool2Craft TV. This week's show theme is Best of 2011. Tiffany creates a Wax Resist Art Canvas, EcoHeidi Borchers crafts a Water Bottle Felt Bracelet featuring Aleene's Original Tacky Glue and special guest Candace Jedrowicz crafts a Kitschy Pedestal. It's a terrifically tacky and creatively cool show!

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday December 26, 2011 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and find the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday!

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Seasonal Sensory Bottles

2011-12-22T19:49:00.001-08:00

Last week when I did my series on handmade stocking stuffers I realized most of them were for toddlers. What about the babies? They need some handmade love too right? Don't worry I whipped up something fun and festive for Baxter too. Sensory bottles!

SUPPLIES
Empty Plastic Containers
Tacky Glue
Crafty Chica Glitter
Various small Toys

I had been saving clear plastic jars for awhile waiting for just the right craft moment. Seasonal sensory bottles were the perfect use for them.

Fill your bottles with various items. I put red, white and green pom poms in one. Another had oil, water and glitter. The third was full of red, silver and green glitter.

Once your jars are full add some tacky glue to attach the lids. We don't want baby swallowing any pom poms.

When the glue is dried completely park baby in front of the Christmas tree and watch him twirl and twist his new toys with delight. Not just for babies. These sensory bottles were also a big hit with the toddler set.

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MAYA IN THE MOMENT CRAFT: Candy Cane Heart Picture Ornament

2011-12-21T15:21:00.000-08:00

My mom and I experimented with MELTING candy canes this week and had all kinds of yummy results. Here is the idea I made!

Did you know you can melt the candy canes into hearts by putting them in the oven for a few minutes?

Here is what you need:

You'll also need:

- cookie sheet
- parchment paper
- oven
- oven mitt

Preheat the oven to 300F.
Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove plastic wrapper from each candy cane and set them as hearts on the cookie sheet. Let them heat up for three minutes. always use caution when using the oven, I suggest kids have an adult around to help them.

Remove the tray from the oven. Press the ends together so they set and the joints are secure. Use a steak knife to trim away excess candy cane. You want to have clean edges so it looks nice! Let cool.

Cut up the Tacky Sticker Sheets into strips and apply to the back of the candy cane - don't forget to add string to hang your ornament!

Set the candy cane on top of the picture. Cut away excess.

This is what I ended up with, but I thought they looked BLAH. They needed some sparkle power. I found some glittered cardstock and cut out hearts. I added more Tacky Sticker Sheet adhesive and pressed them to the back of the ornament. Much better!

As a way to say Merry Christmas (and Happy Hanukkah too!), I'm sharing a little song I sang! It's Christmas Waltz and I hope it makes you smile. Have a wonderful, magical, glitter-filled holiday! Click below to watch, I hope you like it!

LINK

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gingerbread present toppers and tags

2011-12-20T06:13:00.000-08:00

I am still creating from the brown paper bags we have on hand (see last week's post) and I came up with the idea to make simple gingerbread men to use as tags and to top my gifts. The brown paper is the PERFECT color to resembles gingerbread!

This is such an easy little project that even I was able to whip up a batch of gingerbread men while taking care of little Lucy!

I started by drawing the outline of a gingerbread man on brown paper bag- if you have a cookie cutter you could also trace around it.

I cut out the shapes.

And using my MOST favorite products ever- Scribbles 3-D paint (AKA puff paint) and Tulip Bead in a Bottle I added details.

I utilized the dimension of the the paint to create the look of frosted and candy details.

I created a big batch of gingerbread men.

And also created some simple shapes filled with little painted details.

Last, I added them to the top of my gifts!

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Monogrammed Blanket

2011-12-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

My son has two awesome teachers at his preschool and I wanted to make them something special for Christmas. I decided to buy a comfortable blanket for one teacher and monogram it for her. I like semi-homemade gifts because they don't take as much time as fully handmade, but they still have a personalized feel to them. I purchased this blanket at Target.

Then I cut a freezer paper stencil. (If you haven't tried freezer paper stenciling you can watch my video tutorial of it HERE.) I ironed on the stencil and painted the letter black, using my Tulip soft fabric paint.

Since the blanket had a little texture to it I was really careful with the brushing. I blotted more than brushing.

I removed the stencil and decided to add a little bling with Beads in a Bottle. I think this product is so fun. I've used it on a clutch, on a pumpkin, and on a Viking t-shirt. It's easy and fast, but gives you the look of sewing on a lot of beads or sequins.

I wrapped the blanket back up like it came, showing the monogram on the outside.

I think it'll look pretty draped over her couch.

So, if you need a last minute gift idea this one is pretty quick.

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Recycled Snow Bottles Video - KSEE24 NBC - We Are Fresno Live!

2011-12-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

DIY Snow Bottles Video

as seen on NBC - KSEE24

We are Fresno LIVE!

Host Stefani Booroojian was so much fun on the LIVE show on Thursday,

as she shredded foam with a cheese grater

while I covered recycled bottles

with Aleene's Tacky Glue.

You've got to watch and see how easy and cool these bottles turn out,

and how inexpensive they are for fabulous winter centerpieces.

For the instructions, go to:

http://www.ilovetocreate.com/ProjectDetails.aspx?name=Winter%20Wonderland

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iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts: Games People Play Ornament!

2011-12-19T07:50:00.001-08:00

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"Games People Play" Upcycled Bingo Card Ormament Copyright Margot Potter 2011

iLoveToCreate: Retrofabulous Crafts

Games People Play

Upcycled Bingo Card Ornament

Margot Potter

I have ~~hoarded~~ gathered lots of little vintage goodies over the years. As I move often, larger items are given away, but the little trinkets and treasures come along for the journey. It is fascinating how these tiny momentoes of days past have survived. Who tossed these dice? Who scooted this little scotty dog around a Monopoly board? These little doo dads, they've seen things. They carry a small piece of history in them. I have always felt like I was born in the wrong era. Vintage things fascinate me. From my first visits to rummage sales to my years of thrift store trolling, to my years of wearing vintage head to toe, I am enamored with and deeply smitten with the past-yet firmly rooted in the present. It's a dichotomy to be sure.

Speaking of presents, variations on this theme make lovely gifts. I have stacks of old BINGO cards, with crisp and clean graphics and they make the perfect background for all sorts of fun collages. In this case, I used old game parts, letter beads, tinsel and more to make a lovely ornament with a truly vintage appeal. Add as much or as little, glitter or no, make this yours...or more aptly...make it suit the recipient. Note that all number elements on this card have something in common...what could it be? Hmmm...

Materials

Vintage or new BINGO card (you could opt to use cardstock and adhere a copy of an old card, buy a repro set or look for these on auction sites, they're fairly easy to find.)
Various small vintage or new game pieces. I used a bingo chip, a Monopoly game piece and dice (Old games are easy to score at thrift stores, flea markets or on auction sites)
Plastic letter beads to spell: "Merry Christmas"
Small chipboard scrapbook pieces 2 5
Wired red tinsel to form hanger
Silver tinsel to decorate top of card
Tiny wooden clothespins to attach tinsel hanger
Wooden star
Tulip Beads in a Bottle crystal color (or Traci Bautista's Collage Pauge Sparkles)
Tulip Metallics 3-d paint silver
Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue
Aleene's Tacky Line Rolls

Tools

Scissors
Tweezers or chain nose pliers
No stick sheet to protect work surface

1. Cut red tinsel long enough to form a large bail on top of card. Mine is 6". Cut smaller tinsel to fit space at top of card where red tinsel attaches at the top.

2. Use Beads in a Bottle in crystal to color the dice, scotty dog, plastic letters, tiny clothes pins and paper elements.

3. Stipple the silver paint on star and paint around edges using foam brush. Allow all elements to dry.

4. Attach silver tinsel to center top of card using Tacky Line roll.

5. Use glue to adhere larger elements.

6. Use glue and tweezers or chain nose pliers to place plastic letters across bottom of card.

7. Attach red tinsel to front top of card on both sides with tiny clothes pins.

Copyright Margot Potter 2011

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cool2Craft TV for December 19, 2011: Last Minute Holiday

Join host Tiffany Windsor for a new episode of Cool2Craft TV. This week's show theme is Last Minute Holiday. Tiffany creates a Scrapbook Paper Looped Wreath featuring Aleene's Original Tacky Glue, EcoHeidi Borchers crafts a vintage Aleene Angel of Light Candle Cover with Tulip Beads in a Bottle and Aleene's Collage Pauge and special guest Candace Jedrowicz crafts a Dollar Store Holiday Centerpiece with Aleene's Tacky Dots. It's a terrifically tacky and creatively cool show!

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday December 19, 2011 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and find the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday!

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Stencil 201 - An Interview with Ed Roth and Handmade Stenciled Stocking Stuffers

2011-12-15T16:13:00.000-08:00

I was giddy with excitement when Ed Roth's latest book Stencil 201 showed up in my PO Box. Stencil 101 was a huge hit at my baby shower. I made matching skirts for me and Tallulah using a stencil from Stencil 101 Decor. I have done glass etching with some of his stencils. I even busted out a blouse or two. What was I going to make with all the awesome-o patterns in Stencil 201? Since I am on a handmade stocking stuffer kick hip bibs seemed perfect!

With each book Ed Roth and his stencils get better and better. The stencils in 201 are plastic so you can wash and reuse them over and over again. The patterns do not disappointment with sugar skulls, bears and patterns. I used mine on bibs with some Tulip Fabric Paint, but think of all the holiday possibilities. You could stencil stockings, tree skirts or even make felt ornaments.

I was lucky enough to get a chance to chat with the stud of stencils himself Mr. Ed Roth.

What is the most creative way you have seen someone use your stencils?

Well, if you asked me that last year it would have been when Bust Magazine featured a pic of their toilet tank painted with my baby deer stencil but now, in Stencil 201, my barber buddy Eliath Pineda uses one of my stencils to cut a pattern into the side of a clients hair. I'd say that get's the most original award!

I adore all your books, each one gets better and better and the first one was so dang good I didn’t think it was possible. How did you get hooked up with Chronicle books?

It's funny. years ago I set out to make a stencil book. Publishers scratched their heads when they saw my prototype book I made of 50 stencils. Having a background in web design, i built my own site and sold the stencils individually instead. Years later, I sat down at a dinner party with a friend of a friend who works at Chronicle. When asked what i do, i told him and he said "oh we should make a book!". And there it went!

When you first got started did you ever envision your stencils being used the way they are now to create fabric, wallpaper, jewelry and more?

Not really. I just loved painting t-shirts and walls and I sort of designed in that theme. I think I am lucky to always learn from my customers and people like you in the field that take the stencil use further. Look at guest artists Jenny Hart and Vickie Howell with embroidery and felting, these techniques combined with a nice stencil image create a new product I would not think to initially make. Love those gals!

I’m curious, I’ve navigated my way through the craft world for years. From vending at small punk rock craft shows to make and take booths for corporations at CHA. I know you are on the same trajectory. How has the craft industry been for a man? Do you think you get treated any different since it is such a female dominated industry?

I didn't notice. I don't think about that, I just do my thing. I love all the ladies I meet, the business gals, the crafting dames, everyone's been cool. I've worked with you, Jenny Hart, Vickie Howell, Erica Domesek, Kathy Cano-Murillo, and what's her name, oh yea Martha Stewart(bow). I think I've been welcomed!

Your new book Stencil 201 has a few “guest stars” how did you pick your contributors and did you let them choose how they would use your stencils or did you come to them with a pitch?

The choice of artists was so random. Christian Sumner, A Baker in Brooklyn, is a friend of mine and he is driven and just so talented I had to feature him in the cookie stencil how-to. Susan Rivas, I met when she offered me a slice of pizza and we got to chatting. She does amazing "collagistrations" so I had to see what she would do with the stencils. I was a guest in Vickie's book Craft Corps and we chatted creative stuff since so I wanted her in my book. Jenny is the queen of embroidery in my book and a Chronicle author so that was a no-brainer. Erica Domesek asked me some time ago to provide stencils for her Sharpie booth at NY Fashion Week and we became buddies, she's unstoppable. I featured Swoon since I adore her street art and met her at her opening, she is involved in so many good causes I had to get her in there. Elaine Elwick Barr is a craft genius and great friend of mine who has been one of those creatives who has taken my stencils to another level, shrinky dink jewelry, come on! Just love all these people!

What is the best selling stencil on your website? Are deers all the rage or do boom boxes dominate?

Hmm, ya know, birds rule. Nature in general has done well. But of course my graffiti inspired imagery does well too. But birds. yea. birds.

How do you trend forecast what stencils to make? Like I am just discovering foxes have been the new owl for awhile.

I guess like you, something out there resonates. I look at everything around me in NY, I live in a trendy area. Sometimes these trends are on high fashion clothing, sometimes they are used in decor. I think I watch trends and feel waves passing and think what's next after all this? It's a feeling. But also, in business, I have to see what does well and sometimes play off of that. Skulls> Birds> Octopus> Mustaches > who knows haha

I love the fun chocolate collaboration set you did with Alison Nelson. Are there any more little hidden Ed Roth gems out there we should be looking for? Any big collaborations coming down the turnpike?

I have decided it is my year to do many collaborations. I am very interested in co-branded products, developing some cool licensing deals where you see my artwork on home products. I have shown people for years how to stencil on a bunch of surfaces, now i will offer those things made as well. Also, I am also hoping to offer more Stencil1 art product with the right manufacturer so my users have more tools to create more. I am not so interested in sitting in a licensing booth, I am trying to break that formula. I am a small business and things like that can be costly so I try to take unique approaches to business. What i am saying is I am cheap, haha. Better word, resourceful.

Geez your stencils are popping up all over the places, movies, TV, magazines even Martha is on team Stencil1. What has been your biggest piece of press to date? The one that effected sales and clicks on the website the most? Like was there a huge demand for the twig stencil after the Country Living feature?

Aw thanks, Well, Being on Martha was a good boost. BEing in ReadyMade years ago was a big boost too(RIP Readymade!). It's so funny, whatever stencil gets featured in press,well, that's the one stencil that you will see ordered! I offer over 100 designs on stencil1.com but people only bought the skull stencil after the queen of craft MArtha made a shirt with my skull stencil!

What does the future have planned for Mr. Ed Roth?

Oh boy. Lots to do here. Licensing my art, developing new art supplies and home goods, I am very interested in doing more video and have written a few tv treatments, more installation work for hotel rooms, I want to have an art exhibit, and I really enjoyed the book tour for Stencil 201 and that inspired me to do more events where people simply get to make art!

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Celebrate National Cupcake Day With Us! (Two Giveaways!)

2011-12-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

Win this cupcake mug and platter set by leaving a comment below!

Happy National Cupcake Day!

To celebrate all things fluffy and frosted, we've collected all our favorite cupcake-themed projects and inspiration for you!

In addition, we have TWO giveaways! The first is this ceramic mug and platter set that I painted. They each say "El Pastelito" (The Little Cake).

Win a dozen sprinkles cupcakes! Leave a comment below!

The other giveaway is a giftcard from Sprinkles Cupcakes for a dozen of their famous cupcakes.

To enter to win, simple leave a comment below sharing your favorite cupcake flavor, favorite cupcake craft, or personal cupcake memory! We'll randomly draw two names, one for each prize.

Deadline to enter is 11:59 pm PT, TODAY!

Alrighty, here is our cupcake round up! Enjoy!

10 Ways to Eat a Mini-Cupcake (giveaway chance, here too!)
Sweet Cupcake Apron
Yummy Cupcake Ornaments
Takes the Cake Gift Card Holder
Strawberry Cupcake
Sweet for the Sweets
Cupcake Apron
Cupcake Wrappers
Cutesy Cupcake Shirt
El Pastelito Greeting Card
Crafty Cupcake Dress-Up
Icing on the Cupcake Pillow
Cherry on Top Cupcake Apron
Wackilicious Candy Cupcakes
Sweet Savings
Sweet Things
Cupcake Tin Photo Frame
Tie Dye Cupcakes
Cupcake Scrubber Shrine
Crafty Chica's Cupcake Fight Story

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iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Super Cute Santa Mini Canvas

2011-12-14T06:45:00.000-08:00

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Super Cute Santa Mini Canvas Copyright Avalon Potter

(Mom here: Ho ho ho! It's day two of the 12 Crafts of Christmas at The Impatient Crafter blog! Huzzah! Miss Avalon made an adorable retrofabulous mini-canvas using a permission free Dover clip art image and some collage elements including an acrylic letter, rubber star stamp and a wooden snowflake. It's all put together with Aleene's Tacky Glue and made sparkly with Traci Bautista's Sparkles Collage Pauge. Love, love, love that stuff. I made my own version with a Victorian era postcard image from my ephemera collection, a vintage bottle cap, some new vintage themed collage elements, stacked stars and a sprig of tinsel. These are so incredibly fun to make...we got the canvases with coordinating easels at Michael's. You could glue the canvas to the easel, add some wire and make some super cute artist ornaments!)

Super Cute Santa

Avalon Potter for iLoveToCreate
Teen Crafted, Mom Approved

Recently I was out shopping with my mom when I stumbled upon these miniature easels and canvases. I immediately knew that I had to use them for a project because they were so cute. So I bought two, one for me and one for my mom. Since Christmas is right around the corner I added Santa , a snowflake, and the rest is history. I hope you enjoy it!

Materials

Mini canvas and easel
Permission free sized image (Mine is from Dover Books Holiday Clip Art)
Acrylic letter
Wooden snowflake
Tiny star stamp
Traci Bautista's Collage Pauge
Aleene's Quick Dry Tacky Glue
Scribbles 3D Paint Pens Primary Colors (red)

Tools

Computer with publishing software
Printer
Scissors
Foam brush

Instructions

1. Select a bold image, size to fit canvas on a computer and print.

2. Cut image out with scissors.

3. Take your decoupage medium and paint it on the back of your Santa using foam brush. Put the Santa on the canvas and apply more decoupage medium, on top and all over the canvas. Let dry.

4.While that dries paint your snowflake red. Let dry.

5.Take your letter and attach to the bottom right of your canvas. Apply glue to the back of your snowflake and attach to the top left of your canvas.

6.Use your red paint and little star stamp to stamp the top right and bottom left of your canvas.

7.Enjoy!

Victorian Mini Canvas Copyright Margot Potter

(So many sparkles, I couldn't get a clear pic! Go Sparkles Pauge!)

A Mess-Free holiday with Aleene's Dry Adhesives

2011-12-12T09:03:00.000-08:00

Some of the best crafty bloggers around were sent some of our brand new Aleene's Dry Adhesives (now available at Michaels stores) to try out on their blogs! We wanted to share with you their super crafty and clever projects they came up with!

1. Santa Tags and Gift Toppers with Oopsie Daisy
2. Silly Gingerbread Man Gift Card Holders from Silly Pearl
3. Paper Ephemera Feathers from The Country Chic Cottage

4. Christmas Hershey Kisses with Craftaholics Anonymous
5. Christmas Ball Chandelier from Brassy Apple
6. Gingerbread Lunch Sack from Dollar Store Crafts

7. Corrugated Cardboard Snowman Ornaments from Crafts by Amanda
8. Deckled Flower Notecards from Fiber Flux
9. Sheet Music Art from Sand & Sisal

10. Holiday Gift Tags from Craft Test Dummies
11. Gift Bag Toppers from Dollar Store Mom
12. DIY Holiday Photo Cards from SAS Interiors

13. Easy Christmas Frame Décor from Brown Paper Packages
14. Easy Party Food Signs from Mad in Crafts
15. Homeade Gift Tags with The V Spot
16. No-Sew Snowflake Window Curtain from In my Own Style

There's some pretty awesome ideas! Which one is your fave?

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2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cool2Craft TV for December 12, 2011: Snowflakes

Join host Linda Peterson for a new episode of Livin' the Creative Life TV on the Cool2Craft TV channel. This week's show theme is Snowflakes and winter inspired ideas. Linda creates Snowflake Window Clings with Aleene's Original Tacky Glue, shows step-by-step how to make a whimsical Polymer Clay Snowman, and makes a quick Etched Glass Snowflake Votive. It's a terrifically tacky and creatively cool show!

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday December 12, 2011 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and find the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday!

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Recycled Board Book Lacing Cards

2011-12-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our week long series on handmade stocking stuffers. First up we have recycled board book lacing cards. Sure you could buy lacing cards, but why not make your own with one of those countless board books you have flopping around with a broken spine.

SUPPLIES
Beat up Board Book
Sheep(ish) Yarn
Large Plastic Needle
Scissors
Crop-a-Dile
Aleene's Paper Glaze

The first thing I did was choose my book and cut out my cards. You are going to want to choose a board book with thick cardboard pages. After some serious toddler wear and tear I have several books that are falling apart and begging to be made over. Once you have your book, cut out the images you want to use as your lacing cards.

I used a Crop-a-Dile to punch holes in my cards, but you could also use a drill. Place the holes wherever you want.

To seal the edges and keep them from splitting I used Aleene's Paper Glaze. Allow to dry completely.

All that is left to do is cut some strands of yarn. I used my friend Vickie Howell's yarn Sheep(ish). You will also need a large plastic sewing needle. Be sure to supervise the wee one doing the sewing if they are still prone to putting small things in their mouth.

I wrapped my set of cards up with colorful strands of yarn and all that is left to do is pop it into a stocking.

Check back every day for the next week for more handmade stocking stuffer ideas. Be sure to check out my other Christmas craft ideas here.

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MAYA IN THE MOMENT CRAFT: Holiday Tinsel Bracelet

2011-12-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

This is a really crazy fun project to make with your friends. I LOVE getting in the holiday spirit and blasting it out in a super sparkly way. One of the ways I've been doing that this season is by making these tinsel bracelets. They are addicting to make as they are fun to wear.

This is what you need:

- bracelet blank. I used one from DIY Bangles, but you can make your own from cardboard or anything.TIP: Get a bracelet that is one size LARGER than your wrist because after you apply the tinsel, it will be smaller.
- Aleene's Tacky Glue (my favorite is called Fast Grab because it is super thick an
- Metallic tinsel, about 12"
- Assorted little holiday charms and toys. You can find these in the miniature objects section of the craft store. My mom got these from Silver Crow Creations

Apply the glue inside the bracelet and spread it around with your finger. Next, wrap the bracelet with the tinsel. Let dry.

Use scissors to give the tinsel a massive haircut! Cut away from the inside and the outside of the bracelet as much as you can.

Choose your items and glue them in place. You can use clothespins to keep them in place while the glue dries. Also add little crystals and anything to liven up your bracelet.

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Paper Christmas Ornaments

2011-12-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share a couple of paper ornament ideas today. The beauty of paper ornaments is that they are really inexpensive, but still beautiful. I used Aleene's Tacky Dot Roll for everything I made here. Dry adhesives are PERFECT for these projects because they aren't messy and you don't have to wait for the glue to dry. I also pulled out some textured paper I'd been saving to make the ornaments.

For the first ornament I cut strips of paper about one inch wide. One strip was 3 inches long. Two were 4 inches and two were 5 inches. I attached the strips together at the top with two tacky dots. This ornament was really easy and is one you could even make with kids.

You can string it up by itself...

...or add a ribbon for more drama.

After the little ornament I tried something a little more challenging. I made a paper star for the top of our tree. I found a great tutorial for it HERE, but I recommend using the tacky dots to make it fast and easy. (I trimmed the ends a little differently and used it on top of the tree rather than as an ornament.) It's the first star I've had that actually stays upright on the tree. Yay!

And now we're ready for Christmas!

Thanks for reading.

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iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Christmas Craftabration: Bedecked Holiday Stocking!

2011-12-05T09:19:00.003-08:00

Madge and Her Retrofabulous Christmas Stocking!

Better Homes and Gardens 1966 Christmas Helps (Note the doodle someone did on the candle flames back in the day...hee.)

The stockings are hung...inspiration from BHG 1966 Christmas Helps

iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts
Vintage Inspired Christmas Stocking
Copyright Margot Potter
"These are your grandmother's crafts™...ya gotta problem with that?"

Ho, Ho, Happy Holidaze! It's time for another Retrofabulous Christmas Craft project inspired by the crafts of yore! Huzzah! This project was inspired by a simply lovely set of burlap stockings from a 1966 Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Helps magazine. I used a pre-made wool felt stocking and some vintage inspired trim and within moments (and without a sewing machine) had a simply fabulous stocking with a little help from Aleene's Fashion Fusion products! We have a brand new The Impatient Crafter video coming with both the stocking AND the gift tag project (featuring Aleene's AWESOME Dry Adhesives) included...so stay tuned!

Materials
Fabric Christmas Stocking with plain folded top
Ribbon trim thick enough to fit top of stocking (mine was 2.5" and from a big box craft chain)
Fuzzy trim (I used wired trim from a big box craft chain, but you can also use faux fur here)
Beaded tinsel trim (you could also use pearl swags or any similar trim, mine came from a big box craft chain)
4 red tinsel pom poms
Aleene's Fashion Fusion Glue Pen
Aleene's Fashion Fusion Peel and Stick Tape
Aleene's Fashion Fusion Peel and Stick Sheets (These can be used in place of tape)

Tools
Scissors (mine are Fiskars holiday themed scissors)
Ruler

1. Begin by measuring, cutting and applying your thick ribbon to the top of stocking. The ribbon will overlap in the back, be sure to leave enough to fold so you don't have the end exposed, this will prevent it from fraying. Use the tape or the sheets to attach. The handle of your scissors can help as you press the tape or sheets down to create a strong bond.

2. Measure and cut a length of fuzzy trim to fit around top of stocking. Use tape to adhere.

3. Measure and cut your swag, my stocking was 7" and the swag was 14". Remember to leave space between swags for pom poms.

4. Place swags under the cuff of your stocking, use glue or tape to adhere stocking cuff over swags and secure them in place.

5. Use glue or tape to adhere your pom poms. Depending on the porosity of your fabric and how much of the glue it sucks up, you may need to use Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue!

Bonus project on video...coming soon!

6. Use a vintage card to make a matching gift tag...stay tuned for the video!

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cool2Craft TV for December 5, 2011: Ornaments

Join host Tiffany Windsor for a new episode of Cool2Craft TV. This week's show theme is Ornaments. Tiffany creates a felt ornament with Aleene's Fabric Fusion Peel and Stick Sheets and Aleene's Fabric Fusion Peel and Stick Tape, EcoHeidi Borchers shares a favorite vintage Aleene's technique to create a Forged Foil Bird Ornament with Aleene's Original Tacky Glue and special guest Candace Jedrowicz crafts up a Photo Ornament with Aleene's Tacky Sticker Sheets. It's a terrifically tacky and creatively cool show!

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday December 5, 2011 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and find the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday!

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Kitschy Coca-Cola Advent Calendar

2011-12-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

Today over on BlogHer I spotlighted a post from Life as a Thrifter about an advent calendar in a Cocoa-Cola crate. The idea was so stinkin' cute I decided to make my own version. My soda crate has taken many forms from magazine holder to craft paint storage, but I think perhaps this new holiday spin is my favorite.

SUPPLIES
24 Small Nails
Hammer
Tape
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Wrapping Paper
Tim Holtz Hinge Clips
Coca-Cola Crate
Cardboard or chipboard
Scissors
Small Gift Tags
Pen
24 Small Gifts
Tim Holtz Bingo Game Pieces

First of all I measured the size of the 24 squares in my crate. Well ok, this is me we are talking about. I didn't really measure anything I just eyeballed it. Once I had a template I cut out 24 pieces of chipboard and cardboard.

I'll take any excuse to craft with my stash of vintage wrapping paper. In years past I have made wreaths and lamp shades, I even have some framed. I selected 24 styles and cut them into squares slightly larger than my cardboard pieces. The next step was to wrap my squares like gifts. I used tape on the backside. You could also use Collage Pauge and decoupage the paper down.

Using Tacky Glue I adhered small polka dotted gift cards to the backsides to give them a finished look. I realize I have Liquid Fusion in the picture, but trust me I used Tacky Glue.

Oddly I have oodles of these small wooden bingo numbers that are vintage. Alas, I did not have 1-24 so luckily I picked up a new batch at the craft store. You could also use the foam sticker numbers. I used Tacky Glue to attach the chips and set aside to dry.

While my paint dried I took my crate outside and hammered in 24 small nails in the top center of each compartment.

Hung my crate with nails in my dining room up high so there could be no peeking once I filled the little cubbies with small toys, candy and treats.

After my bingo numbers were dry I hung each card by a small clip. Mine are from the scrapbooking aisle, but the office supply store has plenty of cute colorful options as well. You just want to make sure there is a small hole in them to hang from your nail.

Once each compartment is filled with treasure, bible verses, pieces of paper that say "hooray today we are going to make a gingerbread house" or what have you hang your cards in numerical order.

Each day (starting today on the 1st) you and your child remove the appropriate hanging card and see what present or adventure awaits. This fun activity not only helps build anticipation for Christmas (like you need help with that) it also helps to teach numbers and for the older child dates.

I need to make a trip to the Target dollar spot and load up with holes with loot!

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Studded Shoe DIY by Guest Blogger Kristen Turner

2011-11-30T14:10:00.001-08:00

Editors note: We are so excited to have Kristen Turner of Glitter 'N Glue as an iLoveToCreate guest blogger. If you don't know Kristen already, we suggest you get in the know! As an L.A. stylist by day, and a fashion blogger by night, she's making waves in the fashion blogosphere with easy DIYs on a dime. She has recently been featured on NBC's Today Show and has also showcased DIY projects on E! News. You can also find her in feature on top fashion sites like Refinery29, MyStyle, and Broke Girl's Guide. She's definitely one to watch!

I know for some of my reader the leaves are changing, the air is getting colder or maybe you’ve already had your first snow. Well, here in LA we’re now only reaching a daily high of about 60 -65 which means it’s officially winter. Ok I’m exaggerating a little but it is time for me to put away the sandals and pull out the flats. Which reminds me, my current wardrobe is lacking in the flats department because last season I ruined my favorite pair.

Louboutin’s Candy studded flat.

This was actually the first pair of Loubous that I ever bought. I ate noodles for weeks to pay for them. I’ll spare you guys the gruesome picture of my flats in their current state, but just so you know there’s a whole in the bottom of one of the shoes. And I’ve already had them resoled twice .

Dum dum dum dummmm…Beads In A Bottle to the rescue! At last years Craft And Hobby Association Conference I stopped by the I Love To Create booth and was introduced to the Tulip’s Beads In A Bottle! (For those of you who don’t know, CHA is a convention where craft bands unveil their latest and greatest products for the new year. It’s serious business.) A few months later they finally hit the shelves at Michael’s and I scooped up one in every color. I’ve been holding on to them all year, until now…

The Beads In A Bottle are amazing because after they dry they look like studs. Have you guys ever added studs to an article of clothing? I break out in a sweat! #TooMuchWork

I was trying to recreate the look of my precious Louboutin’s…

but ended up completely covered the toe and the heel of my flats with beads for an undated variation.

I’m so excited about my new “studded” flats!

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Christmas Cutie Pattern Stand Up Doll

2011-11-25T08:56:00.000-08:00

Ya, ya, ya I know I did a project using my vintage pattern girls just a few weeks ago. So sue me. She was fall themed, had a fabric dress and was in a frame. This new and improved Christmas cutie has a fresh spin on the same illustrations and it is the perfect project to kick off all the Christmas crafting you have planned.

SUPPLIES
Vintage Sewing Pattern Image
Scissors
Aleene's Quick Dry Glue
Rick Rack
Scrapbooking Paper
Foam Board
Chip Board
Collage Pauge
Tracing Paper
Pencil
Red Pen
Jolee's Scrapbooking Elements
Crafty Chica Paint White
Craft Knife
Paint Brush

Let me start by saying just because you don't have a vintage pattern book does not mean you can not play along. Pick up a vintage sewing pattern at the thrift store to use for the graphic. Choose a full length picture of a model from a magazine. Better yet have a friend take a picture of you to print out and use!

Once you have your desired image to make into a wee little stand up cut her out. Place your image on a piece of foam board, cardboard or chipboard and decoupage. I used a combination.

At some point either before or after you cut out your image trace the dress. This will give you a pattern to work with. I suggest using a fairly simple design. Also, a lesson I learned the hard way is you should cut out the hands to glue on separate. I'll explain in a minute.

After you have your pattern made from tracing paper you can place it on scrapbook paper or thin fabric to make a new and improved dress. Use a craft knife to cut out the detailed spots like between the arms and body. This is where I should have cut out her hands completely before I decoupaged her to chipboard. No worries, I just stole hands from another image. This way you don't have to do all the tedious knife work around the hands you can just stick them on top of the new outfit.

The next step after getting your dress decoupaged in place is cutting out your stand up. Leave a wide base at the bottom. This picture lies a little bit. I did cut a slit in the center, but I used a small piece of foam board instead of chipboard as the second part of the base. The foam board is thicker and helps her stand better.

Now for the fun part! Using various vintage bits and pieces, scrapbooking elements, pens and sewing notions you can gussy up your stand up. I used Aleene's Fast Dry Tacky Glue to hold everything in place.

I finished things up by painting the backside and base white with Crafty Chica paint. I used a few wrapped gifts around the base to make things extra festive.

Set your Christmas Cutie anywhere to add an extra touch of kitschy cheer. I can't wait to make a whole slew of these lovely ladies. I also see a shelf sitter version in my future! Love to know if you make your own version.

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Cool2Craft TV for Monday November 28, 2011

2011-11-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cool2Craft TV for November 28, 2011: Gifts from the Heart

Join host Tiffany Windsor for a new episode of Cool2Craft TV. This week's show theme is Gifts from the Heart. Tiffany creates a textured glue heart frame with Aleene's Original Tacky Glue in the Gold Bottle, EcoHeidi Borchers designs watercolor gift tags with Tulip's Beads in a Bottle and special guest Candace Jedrowicz is crafting teddy bead gift wrap. It's a terrifically tacky and creatively cool show!

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday November 28, 2011 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and find the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday!

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iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Technicolor Turkey Card

2011-11-23T11:43:00.000-08:00

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iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts
Technicolor Turkey Card
Copyright Avalon Potter

I needed to make a thank you card for my Mom Mom and with Thanksgiving coming up, a Turkey seemed like a great idea! My mom helped with the pattern and I picked out the papers, embellishments and colors and put it all together. It's really simple to make a card like this, one big circle, one oval, rounded and pointed feathers, a funky hat, half circles for wings and bird feet are all stacked together using Aleene's Dry Adhesives. We added a few 3D embellishments for fun. It's easy to make this project your own with a few changes, have fun with it!

Materials
Coordinated patterned scrapbook papers
Cardstock in light and dark pink and light and darker green
3D embellishments (googly eyes, spoon and fork charms, paillette and Tulip Beads in a Bottle Studs and Crystals)
Aleene's Tacky Sticker Sheets
Aleene's Tacky Dot Roll
Aleene's Tacky Line Roll

Tools
Scissors
Paper cutter
Bone folder
1.5" circle punch

1. Fold an 8.5x11" sheet of dark pink cardstock in half and crease edge with a bone folder. This is the base card.

2. Use circle punch to create light pink card stock turkey head.

3. Fold any paper in half and cut oval body shape, trace this on light pink card stock and cut out.

4. Cut feet out of darker green card stock.

5. Cut hat shape out of patterned paper and make a hat band out of light green card stock.

6. Cut the feathers, there are rounded and pointy feathers, the round go on top and the pointy in between them. Cut beak and wings out of light green card stock and gobbler out of patterned paper. Cut a bib out of patterned paper to fit center of body.

7. Attach the beak and gobbler on face using sticker sheet. Add googly eyes with Tacky Dots. Attach hat to top of head adding hat band with sticker sheet and add embellishments with tacky dots.

8. Attach the bib to the front of the turkey using sticker sheet. Attach wings on either side of bird followed by the head at the top with sticker sheet.

8. Attach feet with sticker sheet. Use Tacky Line Roll to attach silverware.

9. Build feathers around the back of the card using the sticker sheet to attach. Layer the pointy feathers in between the rounded. Attach the turkey to the base card using the sticker sheet.

Retrofabulous Christmas Craftabration: Upcycled Holiday Cards

2011-11-21T06:15:00.000-08:00

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Christmas Helps 1966-Family Circle

From Christmas Helps 1966-Family Circle

iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts
Upcycled Holiday Cards
Copyright 2011 Margot Potter

Today's Retrofabulous Christmas Craft is a simply delightful upcycled card project. In the original project from Christmas Helps 1966-Family Circle they used tissue paper, but I love using recycled magazine images in my work. Can you guess what the images are on the Christmas balls and candles? The trees use some old scrapbook paper scraps and text from a magazine. You could easily cut up last year's Christmas cards, wrapping paper, ad flyers...it's truly endless! Aleene's new paper friendly glues make quick work of these cards. Have you seen how expensive cards are?! This saves money and gives a personalized touch to your holiday greetings.

Materials
Cardstock in holiday colors
Recycled magazines
Aleene's Tacky Sticker Sheets
Aleene's Tacky Line Roll
Aleene's Tacky Dot Roll
Tulip Glam-it-up Crystals
Paillettes
Wired tinsel
Fine marker

Tools
Bone folder
Scissors
Paper cutter
Circle punches in graduated sizes

1. Select papers for card. Cut card to size on paper cutter. Fold paper in half and use bone folder to make a sharp edge on card.

2. Cut images into shapes (I used graduated circle punches to make the Christmas balls.)

3. Adhere large images to card using Aleene's sticker sheets.

4. Use Aleene's Tacky Line Roll for wired tinsel and Aleene's Tacky Dot Roll for small embellishments. I used a fine tip marker to draw the thread on the Christmas balls.

Upcycled Holiday Card Detail

Upcycled Holiday Cards Detail

Cool2Craft TV for Monday November 21, 2011

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cool2Craft TV for November 21, 2011: EcoHeidi Green Bling

Join host Heidi Borchers for a new episode of EcoHeidi TV on the Cool2Craft Channel. This week's show theme is Green Bling. EcoHeidi is creating a super cool bangle bracelet from brown grocery bag handles and Aleene's Original Tacky Glue in the Gold Bottle, a bright and fun buttons bracelet from a clear water bottle and a bigger than big pendant from a drink bottle bottom (yep! nothing goes to waste!). Special guest Candace Jedrowicz is crafting blue bling dangle earrings. It's a terrifically tacky and creatively cool show!

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday November 21, 2011 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and find the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday!

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Fun Festive Fall Window

2011-11-17T12:36:00.000-08:00

I'm kind of a nut about decorating for Halloween. Christmas is a close second. Easter and Valentines day even have their own decor around these parts. It was high time that I started showing fall and Thanksgiving the decorating respect they fully deserve. Today my daughter Tallulah and I whipped up a window to celebrate the season. Just don't tell her what I did with her crayons during nap time.

SUPPLIES
Tacky Dots
Scissors
Crayons in fall colors
Wax Paper
Iron
Pencil Sharpener
Tulip Soft Fabric Paint in Brown
Finger Paints
Construction Paper
Paint Brushes
Crafty Chica Fabric Marker

Using a Crafty Chica Fabric Marker (because it was what I had on hand) I drew a tree on one of the sliding glass doors in my house. Next Tallulah and I used Tulip Fabric Paint to fill in the tree. Yup, they both work on glass. You might check a small corner to test on your own windows.

To make the stained glass leaves you will need crayons, wax paper and an iron. I stole a few crayons in autumn shades and using my eyeliner sharpener whittled them down to nubs. I then sprinkled the shavings between two sheets of wax paper. Using a low heat iron melt the shavings between the paper. When everything is cool cut out a few fall leaves.

Tallulah helped make the second batch of leaves. I gave her some construction paper in fall colors and some red finger paint and let her have at it. When the paint was dry I cut out leaf shapes from the paper.

All that was left to do was to add my leaves to the tree using Tacky Dots. I put some in the branches and few falling to the ground. The crayon shaving leaves look great with the sun shining through them.

Fall has finally made it to Austin, TX. We may have had to help it along a bit, but it is here. Next week when I take all my Christmas stuff down from the attic I will just use a straight razor to scrape away most of the paint and a little Windex on the rest. Cute, festive and easy.

P.S. If you want to use window markers that would work too. I decorated for a birthday party with them once. Check out more I Love to Create posts here.

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chunky shimmer bangles

2011-11-15T06:54:00.000-08:00

I love accessories and I am always looking for new ways to create my own bling.

Recently I decided to use Tulips Fashion Glitter Shimmer Paint to create some chunky shimmer bangles.

The shimmer paint is a really cool product because its all glitter but no mess!! Great for transforming fabric into something a little fancy.

I used gold shimmer paint

and painted a nice thick layer onto the surface of scrap fabric.

I wanted a little bit of texture so I used a stamp and some copper acrylic paint and stamped into the wet surface of the fabric.

The result is a very subtle imprint of the stamps that adds a little texture to the surface.

Now, for the next step your could use wooden bangles, plastic bangles or really anything that will fit around your wrist but I like to use craft foam because it is a little stretchy and very light to create a big chunky bangle.

I used craft foam pencil holders- they can be found at just about any craft store in the kids aisle near the craft foam.

I cut sections of the foam to create the bangle.

After my shimmer fabric was dry I cut out strips

and using hot glue I wrapped and glued them to the craft foam bangle.

Once the entire bangle was wrapped I could't resist adding some little details and embellishments with Tulip Beads in a Bottle.

The result is chunky and funky bangles!

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Little Man Cuffs

2011-11-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made some belts for my little boys and I had some extra belt fabric left, so I decided it was time for a round of little man cuffs. I made some a long time ago, but that was when I used an old belt. At that time I didn't even know you could just buy the belt stuff. (I found it at Hobby Lobby for $1.20 a yard.) Anyhow, I had some left and so I decided to make cuffs in the same way I made yesterday's belts. Here they are.

I measured my boys' wrists (not super tight) and added an inch. I zigzag-stitched both ends to eliminate fraying and then sewed on a little velcro to each end. One square of velcro goes on the top side and one goes on the bottom side to they will attach when you loop the cuff. (In the last set of cuffs I used snaps, but velcro makes is really easy for little guys to get them on and off.)

Then I cut some freezer paper stencils. For an in depth tutorial on freezer paper stenciling you can find my video tutorial HERE. I ironed on the stencil.

I didn't have the colors I wanted to use in regular fabric paint, so I tried something different than normal. I used the 3D fabric paint. I've never used it with a stencil before. I squirted it out as I moved the nozzle back and forth quickly (as if I were coloring something in with a marker). I removed the stencil really carefully while it was still wet. You'd think it wouldn't work, but the paint is pretty thick so it doesn't bleed after you remove the stencil. It worked well and it gives the images a fun 3-D look.

And this batch of cuffs went to my cute nephews.

For the Pacman cuff I added the dots and eyes without stencils. I just squeezed out a little paint, which formed a circle. I used a Sharpie to color the black dot in the eye.

I liked the Pacman theme so much I made another belt for my son. (You can find that tutorial HERE.) I love seeing it on his tiny waist.

And there you have it - inexpensive, personalized, and fun. Thanks for reading.

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