No-Sew T-Shirt Gift Bags

I'm here at the iLoveToCreate headquarters in the design studio and I came across a huge bin o f tie-dye cast-off shirts. My first thought - gift bags! THe best thing about these is that you don't even need to sew - we're using  Aleene's® Fabric Fusion® Peel & Stick Tape™!

Festive Christmas T-Shirt DIY

Tulip Fashion Glitter sheets open up a world of DIY possibilities.  They can be punched and cut into all sorts of wonderful shapes, layered up and ironed on to t-shirts, pillows, throws, jackets, curtains and more.  I was inspired again by my favorite vintage Christmas ornaments, this time playing with the iconic mid-century modern shapes.  Just cut some out of paper (you can find templates online if hand drawing isn't your thing,) trace and cut the sheets, punch and cut accents, layer it all up and iron it on.  UseTulip fabric markers to add a few hand drawn details and you've got a boutique chic one of a kind DIY t-shirt that teens will love!

How to make neon polka dot ornaments

Happy Saturday everyone!  Check out this video by our very own brand specialist Chloe Tatro.  Chloe shares how to make these adorable and fun polka dot ornaments using clear glass ornaments and Tulip 3D Fashion Paint a.k.a. Puffy Paint!  Watch below to see just how simple it is to make these sweet ornaments!

MAYA IN THE MOMENT: Holiday Press-On Nails!

 

I've been wanting to try all kinds of nail art but the problem is that I can't grow my nails long! I was looking on Pinterest the other day and saw that a lot of people are buying the press-on nails and decorating them. You can buy a set of 100 nails for under $6 at the grocery store, that is right in my price range!

What I like best about this method is that you can decorate the nails on a table instead of on your fingers, which gives you more control. And you can pop them on and off as you like. Think of them as jewelry that you can make and switch in and out as you wish.

You'll need blank nails, nail glue, plus nail polish. Then get some Puffy Paint, Tulip Tweezers and Tulip Glam It Up Crystals.

Here is something I didn't think of - I bought the loose nails as opposed to the ones connected to a strip of plastic. No prob, I just used a strip of Aleene's® Fabric Fusion® Peel and Stick Tape™
to hold down the nails as I painted them. Choose the nails by trying them on your finger to get the right size, trim with scissors if needed.

Paint the base coat with nail polish, then clear polish and let dry. Add a tiny dot of Puffy Paint, then use the tweezers to pick up a crystal and drop in the center of the paint. Do this for all the nails and let dry.

When they're dry, simply pop them off, add the nail glue and press on your fingertips. I decorated two sets and mixed and matched them. It's addicting! And you can do a set to give as a gift for Christmas.

I love my nails! I'm excited to make more!

Thanks for checking out my project! Come visit me on my Facebook page! http://facebook.com/mayainthemoment

And here is a Christmas song for you too. :-)

CRAFTY CHICA: Ugly Christmas Sweaters!

Here is Jasen, an iLTC team member. His wife made his Ugly Christmas Sweater and he won the company contest! Yes, that tie lights up and blinks...

In case you haven't noticed, Ugly Christmas Sweaters have invaded the holiday season more than ever. Chances are by now you've been invited to an UCS party or contest, right? We're here to help. If you are lazy, you can be boring and buy a ready-to-go version from Urban Outfitters, or if you want a dash of elegance (ha!) you can attempt to spin the trend high fashion... like Katy Perry did this week.

However, we here at iLoveToCreate not only appreciate the ugly Christmas sweater (we even held an employee contest last year), but we celebrate this awkward trend because of all the crafty elements! Seriously, check out this Etsy store that features "handcrafted" Ugly Christmas Sweaters, priced at $75 and up! And this is just one outlet, there are many others online if you search.

However, we say that if you are going to rock an UCS, go full-throttle and make your own version! Check out this video by dapper NBC reporter, Ben Aaron. By the way, Ben - we invite you to our design studio to make your next craft project!!


Artist and crafter Stephanie Longoria attended an Ugly Christmas Sweater party last year and made these gems for herself and her husband.

"Last year my family decided to to mix things up and have an ugly Christmas sweater competition," she says. "I made sweaters for my husband and myself. Mine was voted cutest and his ugliest. My advice for making a Christmas sweater is to decide on a theme and push it to the limit."

Stephanie Longoria and her handmade sweaters.

To see even more DIY masterpieces, check out the Washinton Post's article! Okay, you must be excited by now - so here is a list of how to get started:

Here is Brandi from iLTC, she took a sweater vest and glued a door hanger tothe center and then used Tulip 3D glitter Paint to add accents galore.

TIPS:
- Think cheap. Visit the local thrift store and dollar store for your accessories. Even if you can't find a holiday sweater, just go with a basic sweater or sweatshirt.
- Big work surface! Clear a table and have good lighting so you can have room to get down and crafty.
- A good STRONG GLUE - Aleene's Turbo Tacky will do the trick.
- Choose a theme. Your sweater will make more of a statement if there is a kooky story behind it.
- A centerpiece design - You can print this out on fabric paper or from a t-shirt. Or you can even start with a basic sweater that already has a design and go from there. And think dimensional - use a stuffed animal or plastic decoration. It's not like you'll be laundering the sweater, go all the way and think BIG and GAUDY!
- Sparkle. Glue on some tinsel, glittered ornaments, and even battery oerpated blinking lights.
- Comfort. If you want to take your sweater off during the party, you might want to go with a button up garment so you can easily remove it.
- Accents: Use Puffy Paint, felt, buttons, garland, paper cutouts, small toys, etc. Heck, even holiday coffee cups, why not?

Have you made an Ugly Christmas Sweater? Please share a link to your picture! We want to see!

CRAFTY CHICA: Glass Jar Craft Ideas

1. Tree in a jar. Earlier this month I had a whirlwind trip to Miami and spent an evening window shopping with my friend, Pearmama. We wandered into Anthropologie and I gasped when I saw these fun jar decorations. They're made from Mason jars, mini-jars and salt shakers. They're filled with faux snow and have a little object inside. No water, glycerin, etc. Pretty simple. Priced starting at $18, I knew I wanted to come home and make some.

2. Also spotted - these hanging glass dome ornaments! They look like little fish bowls turned upside down and glued to cardboard. I got all excited and realized...I've actually made and shared several jar crafts! Here are my versions and then I'll show you some others I found online and from my crafty amigas! I think we should all make jar crafts this season!

 

3. Bottle Picture Frame. This is a Starbucks Frapuccino jar. I removed the label and inserted a family photo with some other objects. I used rub-on letters and accents and then tied a little medal at the front.

 

4. Candle Jar Shrine. These little shrines, I assembled using glass candles holders (you can also use small juice glasses). I didn't only decorate the inside, but also on top too! Here are the project directions.

Photo by Cyndi Coon of Lovely Lula

5. Message in a Jar. Also this month, I helped organize the 3rd Annual Phoenix Craft Rave. My co-organizer, Cyndi Coon, hosted a DIY make-and-take project called "Message in a Jar." This was sooo cute, people loved it. This would be a great project for a girls night out craft or a wedding shower, etc. Here is a little video I recorded for you! (Pardon my shaky camera skills).

Photo by Jaimee  Rose

6. Bell jars! This is from another friend of mine, Jaimee Rose. She has a whole blog post all about bell jars! Very inspiring!

Photo by Jaimee Rose.

Her mom makes them every year and fills them with memory objects!

Photo by Taylor Swift.

7. Snowglobe in a Jar. Us crafties have been making these for years, but Taylor Swift gave them a new sense of popularity when she made these for her friends and posted it on her Facebook page last year. Need a tutorial? I have one!

Soooo...are you inspired to use jars n your crafting this season? What are you planning to make? Wouldn't it be fun to incorporate glass etching too? Which is your favorite jar craft? What else can you do with jars? Am I overloading you with questions?

xo!
Kathy :-)

Stenciled Snowflake T-shirts!

We had a wicked nor'easter blow through the East Coast last week, and though the snow pile-up lasted less than twenty-four hours, it sure put me in the mood for winter. So with the holidays upon us, I decided to make some wintery-themed T-shirts for the two young cousins (note: these tees can be made in adult sizes, too)--a little something to wear inside when it's too cold outside! And a nice alternative to the ubiquitous holiday sweater, don't you think?

Materials:
-White T-shirt(s) in appropriate size(s)
-Tulip fabric spray paint (Light Blue)
-White printer paper
-Paper scissors
-Warm iron and press cloth
-Tulip Soft Fabric Paint (Gold Glitter, optional)
-Tulip Sponge Brush (optional)










Make it:
1. Fold one of the sheets of paper on a diagonal to "square" it. Use scissors to cut off the excess strip of paper.

2. Bring the lower left corner up to fold the triangle in half again.

3. And again!

4. Use your scissors to start cutting notches along the folded edges: zigzags, circles, crescents, curls, diamonds, and so on! Don't forget to cut the open edges in an arc, so that the snowflake will be somewhat round in appearance when you unfold.

5. Unfold!

6. Repeat to make many snowflakes (no two will be alike)!


7. Lay the T-shirt flat on your work surface. Arrange the snowflakes onto the front, and press them with a warm iron to keep them relatively flat. (Note: The weight of the spray paint will actually help them stay flat, too.)


8. Lightly spray blue paint over the entire T-shirt (I masked the inside back neckband with paper scraps).


9. Carefully peel off the snowflakes and set them aside. Let the T-shirt dry.


10. Reuse the snowflakes to make T-shirt number two!


Optional: Use the foam brush and glitter paint to add sparkly highlights to the snowflakes.

Let dry, then try on the shirt (or gift it to its recipient!), and curl up by the fire, knowing these snowflakes will never melt.

St. Patrick's Day Party Girl - Celebrate National Craft Month with Pattiewack!

 

St. Patrick's Day Party Outfit!

This skirt was totally inspired by a Kate Spade skirt that I saw.  Of course, I could never come close to making a skirt as wonderful as something in the designer's line, but I think it turned out really nice!  If you look close, you'll see how cool the shimmer paint looks, and you just might fall in love like I  did.  Go to the iLoveToCreate website for the instructions.  It's not too late to make it yourself, and wear to that fun little St. Patrick's day party coming up!....

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

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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A Mess-Free holiday with Aleene's Dry Adhesives

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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