Patriotic Decorations Inspired by All You

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and All You, but all my opinions are my own. #lifeforless #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

Where do you love to get inspiration?  You all know I love browsing Pinterest, Craftgawker, and other blogs, but I also get plenty of great ideas from magazines.  The most recent little project I whipped up was inspired by the July issue of All You magazine, which I picked up last Friday at Target.

Crazy Coasters: My Take on a Very Cool Project

Some of you may remember that a few months ago, I advertised a "Growing Together: Blogger Mentoring Program" I wanted to run.  The response was so fabulous that I had to cut off the registration at 20 members, and I've been working with that group of ladies since the end of January to grow their respective blogs and meet some of their goals.  As a matter of fact, we just finished up the course, and I'm going to be running a second one starting in July.  {More on that later...}

One of the bloggers in the class, Nancy, who writes at Do Small Things With Love, has consistently blown me away with her creative projects, many of which she makes using felt.  Week after week, I kept pinning things she made so I could go back later and make them for myself.  But one project in particular was just so fun and so fabulous that I had to do it myself the very next day.  And, of course, now I have to share the idea with you so you can make some too!

They're called Crazy Coasters, and they're, well, really fun looking coasters made from felt!  There's no need for me to post a tutorial because Nancy has already created a great one.  So, instead, I'll just show you the finished product{s} and then you can head over and read her instructions to make yours.

CRAZY COASTERS

CAKE: Felt Flower-bombing

Are you ready for more CAKE?

<center> <a href="http://oneartmama.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc86/dancers4life/cake_zps19bcca87.jpg" /></a></center> </center> <br /> If you missed out last month, it's not too late to join in the fun! CAKE stands for Crafty Acts of Kindness Everywhere. Let's use our crafting skills to bring smiles to strangers. Amy at One Artsy Mama and I {Morena from Morena's Corner} host a month long CAKE party every month. In February, we went heartbombing! Check out some of our reader's work:

Doesn't it look fun? It is! Are you ready for March's crafty act of kindness? Here's Amy to tell us more:

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This month, since we're headed into Spring, I thought it would be fun to make some cheerful little felt flowers we could leave in various places for people in our lives.  I'll show you the basic tutorial, then you can choose where to go from there!  Ready?

Materials:

- assorted felt

- buttons

- glue, scissors

Optional:  {everything in this list was provided by Craftprojectideas.com}

- clothespins

- round magnets

- craft sticks

- fine glitter

STEP 1: Cut out a pattern.  

You can download and use this design document if you have a cutting machine like my "Cammie"; otherwise you can freehand or trace something.  You want two flowers that are the same shape, one smaller than the other.

STEP 2: Cut flowers from felt.

STEP 3: Glue smaller flowers onto larger ones.

STEP 4: Glue a button in the center of each flower.

That's all there is to making the flowers!  Now, it's time to decide what you want them to become!

At this point, you can also "bling-ify" them with some fine glitter if you like.  I put some glue on the button, then sprinkled the glitter on and shook off the excess.

Here are some ideas to help you decide what your flowers can be used for!  

A magnet, pin, or hair clip 

{simply glue the appropriate piece to the back}

A bookmark 
{cover a craft stick in washi tape and glue your flower on top!  Or, you could glue ribbon streamers to the back of the flower}

A clip
{cover a clothespin with washi tape and glue your flower to the top...you can add magnetic tape too}

Once you have your flowers made, it's time for the fun part!  Flower-bombing!  

Stick a magnet on your friend's fridge when she's not looking!

Put a clip on the tip you leave on the table for the waitress.

Clip them onto your kids' backpacks, or stick one in a lunchbox.

Tuck one into a friend's book...or stick it in a book at the library or bookstore.

We can't wait to see your flowers, and most of all, where you leave them!  Share your flower-bombing stories with us by linking up in this post, by emailing us, or by commenting on our Facebook pages!  We're excited to hear and share your CAKE stories!

Hugs & Glitter,

Felt Monster Finger Puppets

The other day, while browsing Pinterest, Little Crafter and I saw something we just had to make.  They were adorable little felt monster finger puppets.  Who could resist?  Not us!  Here's how ours turned out and how we made them!

Materials:

- felt

- pinking shears {you could also use regular scissors if you don't have any}

- sewing machine and thread {again, you could hand sew if necessary}

- craft glue or hot glue

- assorted google eyes and pom poms {thanks to CraftProjectIdeas.com for ours}

STEP 1: Cut out two of whatever shape you want.  Ours ended up all different; one was rounded at the top, one was a rectangle, and then LC decided he wanted Frosty the Snowman and a carrot.  Go figure.

STEP 2: Stitch around the edges, leaving the bottom open.

A quick note here...yes Little Crafter did do the machine sewing.  I don't know that I would necessarily recommend that for all four year olds, but he's been wanting to try it and I decided this was a good intro project for him.  He pushed the pedal and helped me to guide the felt, but I did most of the "guiding" work and made sure his sweet little fingers stayed far from the needle.  We also discussed safety before we started and he practiced stopping and starting the pedal when I said the words "Go" and "Stop."  He really did an amazing job.

STEP 3: Decorate!  We used our CraftProjectIdeas.com google eyes and pom poms for eyes and noses, and we used felt, buttons, and fabric paint for other embellishments.

STEP 4: PLAY!  Enjoy those monsters!

Felt Bookmarks and a Free Printable!

So have any of you all seen the "Pay It Forward" posts on Facebook this past week?  It looks like this: 

2013 Creative Pay-It-Forward. The first five people to comment on this status will receive from me, sometime in the next calendar year, a gift- perhaps a book or baked goods, or a candle, music, - a surprise! There will likely be no warning & it will happen whenever the mood strikes me. The catch? Those five people must make the same offer in their FB status and inbox me their current address. So fun!!

Several of my friends had this posted, and eventually I just couldn't resist playing along.  It didn't take long before five ladies claimed their free surprises.  I know I have all year to  make them, but I figure I should start now while I'm thinking about it!  My first thought was to send some kind of jewelry.  I messaged a few of the girls asking for their favorite color, and the first one to respond was Brandy, who likes blue.  Then, I asked her if she likes/wears earrings.  Nope.  In fact, she told me she's not a jewelry person.  On to plan B!  I asked if she likes to read.  She loves it.  We have a winner!  I decided to make her a cute little felt bookmark...and I couldn't help but make one for myself too while I was at it!

Here's how I did it, in case you want to pay a few forward, or just make one for yourself!

Materials:

- felt

- hot glue

- wire and wire cutters {you could also use a paperclip}

- thread

- sewing needle

- Martha Stewart glitter medium or Mod Podge Sparkle

STEP 1: Bend your wire into two loops, one larger than the other.  I used 20 gauge wire and made my own because I wanted them to be different colors and to be larger and loopier than a standard paper clip.  If you don't have wire, or want to make a lot of these quickly, a paper clip will work too!

STEP 2: Cut two identical shapes out of felt.  Mine is a circle, while Brandy's is a heart.  Anything goes! A butterfly, a football, a star...if you can cut it, you can make it.
{Meanwhile, excuse my painted-up table.  And don't ever ever tell Aunt Vera this is what's become of the table we bought with her wedding money, k?  This is between you and me.}

STEP 3: Cut and add felt embellishments {optional}.  I cut a cute little monogram for mine, while Brandy's was really adorable as-is.

STEP 4: Hot glue the felt pieces to the wire clip.  I put glue on the bottom shape, stuck the wire on, then put a bit more glue and added the top piece like a little bookmark sandwich.

STEP 5: Use thread and a needle to hand stitch around the edges of the felt shapes.  My thread was doubled so it shows up really well.  I think this adds such a cute little handmade accent.  Warning: the hardest part of this whole project is getting your needle to go through where the hot glue is!

STEP 6: Of course, no project is really finished until you add...{can you guess?}...GLITTER!
Using glitter medium or Sparkle Mod Podge works way better than trying to use loose glitter.  Yaaay for sparkle!

Once the glitter dries, you're good to go!  I actually made mine to go in the devotional book I started in January {if you want to win a copy, go here}, so as soon as I could, I stuck it in there. It makes me smile every time I see it!  I love the fun colors and the personalization!

Before I mailed Brandy's off to her, I thought it needed a little more pizazz, packaging-wise.  So, I came up with this little printable using a quote I love from my faaaavorite author, Jane Austen!

So true, isn't it?  I've put down many a good book wishing it weren't over so soon!  In case you'd like to use it for your own bookmarks, here is the little printable.  Just right click on the image, save it to your computer, and print it out!  I sized mine to 3x3".

Enjoy!  Brandy, I hope you enjoy your little present and have fun paying the creativity forward to someone else!  Now, four more surprises to go...

Hugs & Glitter,

Ornament Exchange: Felt Owls and More



 

I have to start off today by saying how much fun it was to coordinate the first annual One Artsy Mama Ornament Exchange this year!  I've loved checking the link party to see all the fun ornaments you made and received from each other.  We had 76 participants, which I thought was a fabulous turnout for our first try at this.  I've been so anxious to show you what I sent to my partner, Andrea, but I wanted to wait and make sure she received it first and had the fun of opening it instead of seeing it posted here first.  But now it's fair game, so here you go!!  This is what was in the package I sent to my partner:

Andrea told me she decorates in traditional red and green, so I made this fun little felt owl to adorn her tree.  She also told me she has two adorable boys, a 3 1/2 year old, and a 10 month old, and when Little Crafter heard that, he was excited to make an ornament for each of them too, using tri-beads, jingle bells, and a pipe cleaner.

This little guy was fairly easy and quick {and cheap!} to make.  

Materials:

- three colors of felt {body, wings, beak}

- google eyes

- scissors

- hot glue

- thread and a needle

- cord or ribbon

- optional: some kind of glitter paint or glitter mod podge

First, I cut out two identical owl shapes.  I just freehanded it, making it round at the bottom and adding two points at the top.  Then, I cut out two identical small heart shapes and a triangle from coordinating felt.  I hot glued the wings, eyes, and beak to one of the owl shapes.  After that was finished, I put the two owl shapes together and hand stitched around them, leaving a small opening at the bottom.  LC helped me put polyfil in to make them puffy, and I finished sewing the bottom.  Finally, I added glitter to the wings, and threaded a piece of cord through the top to make a hanger.  Easy peasy.  And I had all the supplies on hand so it didn't cost me anything either!

Of course, LC decided he needed an owl too...he wanted blue {his favorite color} with purple wings {Ravens color} and a football!  I was happy to comply...

 

I totally love how they turned out!  I made pink and purple versions too...who can resist a little owl?

 

 

There are lots of other easy and quick ornaments you can make with felt too...that's been my project of choice around here lately for some reason.  I made a few things and got hooked!  Here are a few other felt ornaments that will be decorating my tree and my gift packages this Christmas season:

 

FELT ORNAMENTS

I made these with my friend Kelly the same night we made the bottle cap snowmen.  We freehanded the ornament shapes and basically made them the same way I made the owls.  You just cut two pieces, glue on any embellishments you want, hand stitch around the edges, stuff, and add a hanger.

 

I was inspired to make these by some really cute ones linked up to Shine on Fridays by Christine at the DIY Dreamer...definitely check out her version too!  Kelly's ornament is the red one at the top, and mine are the pink and green ones at the bottom.







 

FELT MONOGRAM ORNAMENTS

I am sooo in love with these!  Again, it's the same process.  Trace and cut two circles, cut out a monogram, glue it on, sew around the edges, stuff, and hang!  I frehanded my letters {mostly because I'm lazy}, but you can also print them out on the computer for a pattern or if you're lucky enough to have a Silhouette, well, you know what to do.

 

The inspiration for these came from Pinterest {of course}!  I think they're absolutely adorable not just as ornaments but also to tie onto everyone's packages instead of using a paper gift tag.

 

And, of course, if you missed them, there are also Little Crafter's

FELT TREES

Be sure to check out the post for pics of him making them and learning to sew!

 

 

Anyway, the possibilities are endless!  And most of us have everything we need just laying around the craft room already!  So, what are you waiting for?  Grab yourself some felt, some glue, some thread, and a needle, and get started!  I'd love to see what you make.

 

Happy Crafting!

Handmade Holidays: LC's Felt Tree Ornaments

I am so SO excited, friends.  This next installment of the Handmade Holidays series is being brought to you by my favorite crafter in the whole wide world.  Little Crafter himself!!  

I figured since I've had friends sharing their ideas for handmade Christmas decor and gifts this week, why not let the little man show you one of his latest projects?!  Here it is:

The idea {like many others} originally came from Pinterest.  LC has his very own board and from time to time we'll browse around and he'll do some of his own pinning.  Thursday morning, we came across this pin {originally from Forest Fairy Crafts} and LC was immediately intrigued.  "I want that on my board, Mommy!" So, we pinned it, and several hours later, we made it since we actually had all the supplies on hand.

Here's what you need:

- green felt

- assorted beads and/or sequins

- thread and needle

- scissors

That's it.  Really.  I bet you have all that just laying around your house already.

The faceted multicolor beads we used as well as the sequin mix came from our friends at CraftProjectIdeas.com, so now is a good time to thank them for those!

STEP 1: Cut two tree shapes from green felt.

STEP 2: Sew beads onto one of the pieces of felt.  This was so exciting for LC because it was the first time I ever let him use a needle and thread.  I showed him how to pull the needle up from the back, thread on a few beads, then push it back down through.  Priceless.

 Look at his concentration!!  He had so much fun with this, and from time to time, he'd just grin and say, "Mommy, I'm sewing!"

STEP 3: Sew top and bottom of tree together, leaving an opening to stuff it.  At this point, I got to show Little Crafter how to do a simple whip stitch.  He, of course, caught on right away.  I held the two pieces together, and he pushed the needle through and pulled all by himself.  He literally made this entire thing with very little help from me whatsoever, other than verbal guidance.  He's four.  No wonder his Poppy calls him "Boy Genius."

STEP 4: Stuff with polyfil and finish sewing shut.  He loved the stuffing part.

STEP 5: Add a hanger using silver cord, jute, or ribbon.  We threaded ours through using a large needle, but you could also use hot glue on the back.

Isn't it adorable?  LC generously decided that the first one he made was for his daddy.  Then he made one for me, which has lots and lots of purple for the Ravens.  It also has an "M" for Mommy, an "E" because it will remind me of my stuffed elephant Peanut, and a "B" for "MomBy."  This is what I was told.

Finally, he made his own.  He got into a pattern this time, doing a sequin, then a bead, then a sequin, then a bead...you can tell that his three favorite colors are red, blue, and purple!  

Once they were finished, he hid them in each of our stockings.  Apparently we get to have them the day we put up our tree...which can't come soon enough for me!

LC hopes you enjoyed his craft!  Stay tuned next week to see some other felt ornaments, this time made by Mama, as well as the one I sent for the Ornament Exchange!  Until then,

Happy Crafting!