Coiled Paper Coasters

What to do with all those holiday catalogs clogging up the mailboxes? Turn their pages into items (like coasters...) that help celebrate the holidays! Post-Christmas, you can use up any leftover wrapping paper to whip some up before New Year's even--the sky's the limit.

Upcycled Paperclip Chain Necklace!

Here's to a colorful and elegant twist on that old office cube classic: the paperclip chain. I was inspired to make it after spying a similar necklace that my friend Rebecca was wearing in the office a couple of weeks ago.

When she told me that she scored the amazingly simple accessory while on vacation in Cambodia earlier this year, that's when I experienced the creative flash of an I-could-so-make-that moment: Seeing as I won't be able to afford travel to Cambodia anytime soon (I wish!), I decided to set out on a far more affordable trip...to the local 99-cent store!


Materials:
-box of paperclips
-all-purpose scissors
-ruler
-woven plastic material (laundry bag from the dollar store, an Ikea shopping bag, all-purpose tarpaulin from the hardware store)*
-Aleene's Jewel-It Embellishing Glue

Make it:
1. Link 38 to 48 paperclips in a chain. Hang the chain around your neck, see if you like the length, and add or subtract paperclips to your liking.

2. Measure and cut one 1 1/2" by 1 1/4" rectangle from the woven bag. Use that rectangle as a template to cut more rectangles. Cut as many rectangles as there are paperclips in your chain.

3. Select one rectangular piece. Fold the long sides in 1/4" and crease. Then fold the piece in half lengthwise, crease it, and unfold. Fold the two short ends into the center line and crease again.

4. Refold the center crease, pinching the piece around the center of a paperclip in the chain to create a sort of "bead."

5. Squeeze the glue generously along the open edge (the motion is sort of like mustard on a hotdog). Pin it in place with a spare paperclip to dry.

6. Repeat with the remaining rectangular pieces until every link on the paper chain is covered by a bead. Let the beads dry completely before removing the spare paperclips.

7. Remove the paperclips, touch up any finicky beads with an extra dab of glue, and repeat the entire process as many times as desired to create multiple colorful chains.

8. Drape them around your neck, and off you go!

Happy National Craft Month!! 

*Incidentally, these necklaces are made from the same sort of bags that Rami made his chic challenge-winning Project Runway All-Stars dollar store dress from, below! What a cool material to play with.


All photos by Megan Nicolay except for the Project Runway screenshot, via SheKnows.com.

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

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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.

iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts: Games People Play Ornament!

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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