Vintage Valentine Plate Portraits

I have a soft spot for vintage crafts. Each time I see a pair of plates with a spiffy felted couple on top I’m tempted to buy them. Finally today, I broke down and made my own Valentine’s Day themed pair. A little different from the traditional pair with the lady in her veil and hat and the mister with his pipe.

iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts: Spring Peepers Easter Topiary

Spring Peepers Easter Topiary Margot Potter for iLoveToCreate

Straw Flower Topiary Copyright 1963 Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas Magazine

iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts
Spring Peepers Easter Topiary
Margot Potter
"These are your grandmother's crafts...ya gotta problem with that?"

I love topiaries.  It's true, I do.  Yet, inexplicably, this is my very first topiary craft!  There are a plethora of handcrafted topiaries in my stash of vintage craft magazines, mostly Christmas themed like the one above.  I've been meaning to make one and well, the time came.  Two years ago Avalon and I bought these little Easter chicks on super sale at Michaels after Easter.  We thought we had a lifetime supply, until this idea popped into my head.  I ran out of chicks mid-project and had to make an emergency tiny chick run to Michaels, thankfully they had more. What made me want to put tiny chicks on a foam ball? I can not say.  But I love it so much it's staying in the living room until after Easter. 

This is so easy and fun to do.  Aleene's Tacky Glue Dots make super quick work of attaching the chicks.You can either use a pot that is already decorated or just mix up some fun colors with your Crafty Chica paints, add some fun trims, toss some Easter grass and either pre-made eggs or jelly beans on the top, add a bow and instant cute!  I love this as a centerpiece for Easter, you could make a couple more smaller ones for either side to make a trio.  I'm a big believer in the rule of threes.

Spring Peepers Topiary Materials

Materials
3" foam ball
8" Wooden dowel
Approx. 115-120 3/4" fuzzy chicks
4.5" Clay pot
Coordinating clay pot saucer
Easter grass
Glittered foam eggs or jelly beans
Foam block for inside of pot
Decorative ribbon for pot rim
Ribbon to tie beneath topiary ball
Coordinating scrapbook papers
Coordinating button
Layered flower die-you could use a pre-made flower here if you prefer
Crafty Chica Paints (I used green and yellow mixed and red and white mixed)
Aleene's Acid Free Tacky Glue
Aleene's 3/8" Tacky Glue Dots

Tools
Die Cutting Machine
Scissors
Foam brush

Paint the pot pink and the pot rim and dowel green.  Allow to dry.  

Use glue to adhere ribbon trim around rim of pot.  I used super thick rick rack trim.

Die cut layered flower and adhere to conceal spot where ribbon ends meet using Aleene's Tacky Glue.  Use a Tacky Glue Dot to adhere button to center of flower.  Allow ribbon and flower to dry.

Take a chick and press it's feet on a Tacky Glue Dot.  Press the chick on the foam ball.  Work from the center out, making a ring of chicks all facing the same direction.  Work to the center on one side (this will be the top of the topiary) and the center on the other leaving a space for the painted dowel.

Once pot has dried, cut foam to fit inside.  Add some easter grass to hide foam.  You'll insert the dowel into the bottom of your topiary ball and insert that into the center of the foam in the pot.

Tie a bow around the bottom of the topiary ball.

Make some coordinating decorations to dress up the table...and if you love carrot cake...get the recipe for these Easter Bunny Nest Coconut Carrot Cake Cupcakes today on Your Grandmother's Crafts!

iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts: Dazzling Dahlia Dimensional Canvas

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Dazzling Dahlia Dimensional Canvas Copyright Margot Potter 2012

Pop Art Pillows from Christmas Helps 1966 Family Circle

Christmas Helps 1966 Family Circle

iLoveToCreate Retrofabulous Crafts
Dimensional Dahlia Canvas
Margot Potter
"These are your grandmother's crafts.  Ya gotta problem with that?  I didn't think so."

The idea for this canvas came from a fabulous pillow project featured in this 1966 Christmas Helps magazine from Family Circle. I LOVED these pop art pillows and plan to make some of my own, but these Anna Griffin vintage patterned papers were so yummy, I thought why not make a canvas using the same idea? I am a huge fan of Lilly Pulitzer’s vintage fabrics and these papers have a very similar appeal. Think about making a series of two or three of these using the same color scheme but slightly different patterns (maybe a full flower, half flower and butterfly.) Use recycled paper or fabric remants if you like; this could be stunning using say Coca Cola can boxes or old book pages. This was super simple to create using Fiskars ShapeTemplate™ tools and the new Aleene’s Dry Adhesives! For a final touch of whimsy, I added some dimension using Tulip Beads in a Bottle. I am knee deep in the winter blahs, so this is a cheerful reminder that spring is on the way! (If you want more precision, mark and measure placement with a ruler before layering petals.)

Materials
10x10 mini canvas
Anna Griffin Carmen Collection scrapbook paper pack
Saturated pink and yellow cardstock
Aleene’s Tacky Dot runner
Tulip Beads in a Bottle sparkly pink and pale yellow

Tools
Fiskars ShapeTemplate™ Circles
Fiskars ShapeCutter™ and Mat

1. Cut out 22 patterned yellow and pink floral paper 2” circles and 11 yellow and 12 pink 2.5” paper circles using the Fiskars template, cutter and mat. You could also use circle punches or trace and cut by hand. I am impatient, so anything that makes it easier works for me!

2. Layer the patterned circles in the center of the solid color circles and adhere using Aleene’s Tacky Glue dots runner.

3. Begin on the outside, I found it helped to lay this out first and then reassemble just to get a sense of the layout before I committed to it permanently. The flowers overlap slightly and work around in a circle and repeat on the inner layer overlapping slightly.

4. Tape just the right side of your petal and start making a circle overlapping on the outside. Continue this process until you reach the final circle, which will get full tape runner coverage. Repeat for the inside layer. There are 14 petals on the outside and 8 on the inside. Finish with a large pink petal in the center.

5. Use Beads in a Bottle on the solid color edges of the petals in a color that coordinates. I used sparkly pink and pale yellow and found that the sparkly beads were a skootch less puffy than the solid color, I like the slight variation. You can take great care and put the exactly same amount of dots on each petal, but as I mentioned earlier I am impatient and simply thrilled I made it around every petal without a craftastrophe. It’s the little things.

6. Allow to dry overnight before touching or hanging!

Mandala Flower Copyright Margot Potter 2012

(PS: I love this flower so much, I am going to use it on some other projects as an image! Too fun!)

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

Cool2Craft TV for June 6, 2011: Crafting with Food

Cool2Craft is the place to be for all things crafty and fun on Monday mornings! This week's topic is Crafting with Food!

EcoHeidi Borchers is on a roll with her crafty self this week. She creates two fabulous projects! First off, she creates a Momma Aleene-inspired macaroni and pasta art box. Then she crafts letters from Aleene's® Original Tacky Glue® and bread dough! Tune into Cool2Craft's EcoHeidi TV segment Monday June 6, 2011 at noon Eastern/9 am Pacific. Viewers can join in at 9 am Pacific/10 am Mountain/11 am Central/Noon Eastern for #livecraftchat and watch the show right from their computer at Cool2Craft.com. If you miss the show, you can also watch the show 24/7 throughout the week and also find the YouTube video links on Cool2Craft.com.

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