Sunday, February 17, 2013

Chili cook-off voting jar

I'm participating in a chili cook-off next week with 15 others. In planning this, the group realized that we needed a voting mechanism.

So, I'm proposing that we use a voting jar placed next to each batch of chili. Each person voting will get a few dried beans. They can drop their beans into the jar of the chili(s) they like the best.

Check out my proposed voting jar. Just made a mock up to see if everyone likes it. Love that it can double as table decor.


I used burlap and twine to cover a mason jar. Drilled a hole in the cap, was careful to sand the edges of the hole and covered the cap with plaid paper. Made a tag from card stock and printed the number on my printed. Super easy project! If we decide to use these for the cook-off, I'll be looking forward to making 15 more.

On a side note, my cat is obsessed with the burlap I brought home. He immediately started attacking it over and over and it was hanging off my cutting table. After shooing him away several times, he decided it would be even more fun to take a running start. Once he got tired, he laid on the burlap and then started attacking it laying down. Can't wait to finish these so I can the burlap out of my house.

Friday, February 15, 2013

DIY bracelet - painted in miniature

I decided to try my hand at painting beads to make a bracelet for my sister's birthday. Who knew painting round 1/2" beads with brushes way too big for the project would be so hard? If I ever try this again, I'll need to invest in some smaller brushes. I used cheap acrylic craft paint found on sale for $.50 each, a pack of wooden beads, metallic stretch cord, metallic accent beads and gloss Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic spray. Not bad for a first attempt, huh?



Sunday, February 10, 2013

Bangles, Bangles, Bangles!

I am obsessed with funky, chunky jewelry! My sister wanted these really cool adjustable bracelets for Christmas, but they were really expensive. So, I decided to make some. She liked them so much that she suggested I sell them online. So, here you are. Made a bunch an posted on my Etsy store.

I made these out of memory wire and a variety of beads. I really like each of them. It's going to be hard to let go of them.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Hugs and Kisses Valentines

My daughter has a really small class at school so I thought I would make some cute valentines filled with Hershey's Hugs and Kisses. I used some scrapbook paper I found at A.C. Moore, Aleene's Tacky glue, scraps of ribbon, a Marvy heart hole punch and Valentine's Day cards. Check it out:

1.  Cut 12"x12" scrapbook paper in 2 measuring 6"x9". Glue edges so you make a tube. Glue the bottom edges together.
2.  It should look like this:
 3.  Fill with Hershey's Hugs and Kisses
 4.  Glue the open end. It should look like this:

 5.  Punch a hear through the top:
 6. Tie your Valentine's Day card with some ribbon.

Heart-tastic Valentine's Day Felt Wreath

I searched high and low for a Valentine's Day wreath that would look good on a dark red door. Um, most wreaths are red, so they were no good. So I gave up and bought a few sheets of $.29 felt from A.C. Moore (also scored some $.99 polkadot felt!), found some heart shaped cookie cutters hidden in my cabinets, grabbed a sharpie and went to work. I used the cookie cutters to create my heart patterns, altered slightly to suit my project. Took forever to cut these babies out of the felt. Then I needed a backing for my wreath. Found an empty diaper box and cut out a big circle. Hot glued my hearts on top. Added a hook to the back with a pipe cleaner and attached a ribbon tied in a bow. Glued an old magnet to the back of the bow so the bow would stick to the door and not ruin it.

The final product:

Here's pics of my patterns and pieces:




Putting it all together: