Posts Tagged ‘Craft’
Tea Light Upcycled
This week’s 3D Challenge at Paper Craft Planet, 3d210, “Out with the Light, In with the Holder”, is making a little tea light photo holder. You could use this holder for a party for place cards or for business cards or for photos. {That’s a baby photo of my middle guy, Malcolm, what an easy going baby he was}
Several years ago, I had an impulse buy while in the check out line at IKEA. 100 tea lights for $2 or something like that. I still have a bunch of these tea lights about the house. Once they have burnt out, I normally toss the tin in the recycle.
This time I easily cut the tin in two pieces with scissors. An idea that I saw floating around a while ago & thought it was brilliant.
Adhere the bottom of the cut sides together, leaving the rounded top part open to insert a photo.
In 30 seconds, you have a simple recycled holder. I think I’ll use this one at the preschool for Clifford’s 50th birthday party.

Golden Eggs: No Goose Required
This week’s 3D Tuesday Challenge from Paper Craft Planet, 3d209, “Golden Eggs: No Goose Required”, is embossing Easter Eggs.
The first thing we need to do is to empty out the egg. You can save the egg innards for Easter baking. Pin prick both sides of an egg with a push pin. If you use a band aid the egg won’t crack as easily. Then “scramble” the inside of the egg with a skewer. Be sure to scrape down the sides. You may need to make 1 side of the pin pricks a bit bigger to do this. Then, blowing on the small hole side towards the bigger opening, just blow the egg out.
Alright, with the cleaned egg (don’t forget to rinse it out). Poke the skewer through. Have your ultra thick embossing powder, versamark ink pad & heat tool at the ready.
It helps to have an extra set of hands … Use either alligator clips or maybe a clamp. This handy dandy little tool, I borrowed from my rocket ship making DH. He bought the Magnifying Glass Clamp Tool at a Hobby store. I think it’s a Jewelers Tool, but it’s a great little tool. I covered the magnifying glass with tin foil so I didn’t get any embossing powder on it.
If you don’t have one of those handy tools, just use a skewer. Remember the heating tool heats the egg up … it gets quite hot. Be careful. Emboss as you would any other project. Roll on the versamark ink pad & shake the powder over top. You may need to heat it once, let it cool down & then repeat.
It works well when it is clamped.
If you are doing it without clamps, maybe try it in 2 sections, to avoid being burnt.
Now, if you were like me & had a bit of a bigger hole in the end of the egg, no problem just cover it with a button or sequence or whatever.
If you cover it with a button, you could hang it from a thread.
Right about now, is when you hear your kids saying, “k’y try, k’y try?” Embossing an Easter Egg is NOT a kid approved craft. Therefore, here’s a bonus 3D Challenge. The second part, you can get your kids to do on their own … Temporary Tattoos.
So while you are embossing your eggs, let your kids at the tattoos.
Simple & such a cute result.
Liam was home sick the other day & when the medicine kicked in, he was feeling a bit better & he went to town while I was embossing golden eggs.
Either way of embossing eggs, have with fun with it. Maybe even combine the two methods. There are some cool silhouette temporary tattoos out there that would look great on an embossed egg.

Monday Tutorial: Hot Fix Swarovski Rhinestones
Here’s a Monday Tutorial for Paper Craft Planet & it’s “Hot Fix Swarovski Rhinestones”.
If you had asked me 4 months ago what a Swarovski Crystal was I would have turned to Google for the answer. With my daughter in competitive dance; however, I have had a crash course. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, think of Ice Skating Costumes & how they twinkle.
Now I can’t show you any of DD’s costumes … yet … but here’s something we will make, it’s a little Swarovski Bracelet. After you learn the technique & see how it is brighter than any other Rhinestines you will be hooked!
I have a bunch of different sizes that I store in mason jars.
You can buy smaller packs of 22 from Michaels (regular $6, I think, but there are coupons). I bought mine at a high end fabric store that caters to the bling. 100 (of the ‘20 size’) for $19, on sale for $17.
Once you plug it in, please, please, please, be careful with this. It gets hot, really, hot. Hot enough to melt glue through a stone.
There is no messy glue. It comes pre-glued & that’s why you need the heat tool.
I keep a pin handy for keeping the stone in place. I have changed my mind of where I wanted to place a crystal & I just reheat the glue with the tool & move it. No problems.
I though about putting these on a chiffon scarf for a watch wrap, but then I thought I’d use this old belt, that I cut down to fit my wrist.
Figure out your pattern. If you draw something with illustrator using the path tool & brushes you can have a map of dots draw out, that you can then punch out. If you are filling it in as much as you can, it’s pretty straight forward.
Now just have some fun, almost a meditative process.
And Bob’s Your Uncle … from boring to Bling.
I am wearing this with a lovely pair of yoga pants right now …
Here’s the “back”, I kept simple.

Shamrock Ribbons
Top o’ the Morning all! this week’s Tuesday 3D challenge at Paper Craft Planet, 3d206, Ribbon Shamrocks, is a simple sweet ribbon weave I saw at Potlucks on the Porch. They used these little Ribbon Shamrocks for barrettes in little girls hair-so sweet- and as a garland for the fireplace mantle.
For detailed instructions on how to make these ribbons, check out POTP, but essentially it’s 6 pieces of ribbon, either glued or taped and a fold to make 3 mini hearts. The mini hearts are then glued together for the shamrock. I’m thinking napkin rings, on a vase, as a broach … the possibilities are endless.
and that’s about all …

Have fun & if you upload your version of a Shamrock Ribbon at Paper Craft Planet, be sure to tag it with 3d206 so I can find it & put it in the album.

Garland: Simply Valentine Style
Welcome to another 3D Challenge with Paper Craft Planet. This week’s crafting, 3d199, is simple and sweet for Valentines. It’s an old fashioned Garland.
You can cut out hearts by hand, with a paper punch or with a digital cutter. I thread mine with kite string.
I’m not great with scissors, so I drew a quick svg for the digi cutter. Here’s my SVG, you can download it here, or you can bring it out to cut it by hand.
It’s a quick, easy, craft that is a simple decoration to any home.
Simple & one of those crafts you do while watching tv in an evening.

Give it a go, and upload your project to Paper Craft Planet. Don’t forgot to tag your photo with 3d199, so everyone can see it.

Superbowl Party Prep
Happy New Year! It’s time for a Tuesday 3D Challenge at Paper Craft Planet. This week, 3d197, it’s January & that means Football!
Now, being Canadian, with the NHL strike, thankfully we still have minor league OHL as well as my boys house league hockey. However, for the big leagues, there is still football. January football is Playoffs, so lets start prepping for Superbowl parties.
We’re making the uprights to decorate a table. I’ve seen many versions of goal posts & since I had these supplies around the house, I went with the PVC 1″ pipes version.
If you don’t have the PVC pipes around, just pop over to home depot & they’ll cut it for you … much more straight, that I could saw. It’s under $5 worth of supplies.
I didn’t glue them together, they stick together quite well.
For the base, I used an upside down candle holder. It’s pretty heavy … I made it years ago at a pottery class.
I had some left over yellow enamel paint from my painting a shield for son’s “Link: legend of Zelda” Halloween costume.
It only took 1 coat, I just made sure it went on fairly thick over the barcode stamps.
Now what is it missing … ah yes, pennant flags, bunting, whatever you want to call it. I stayed up a little late at night to draw up some svgs & then cut them out … I’m not great with scissors so it was worth the 20 minutes in illustrator.
If you’d like a copy, here’s a jpg to print out or you can download svgs here as circles, triangles, & stars.
Ah yes, this is better …
Yes, I do know that the Pittsburgh Steelers did not make the playoffs, but we are still big fans here, so we’ll save this toque & bunting for next season!

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** Update 01-01-2013, 3pm ** I heard there are other football fans out there–who knew–for those who mentioned the Texans, here you go.
…..

Oh Dear, Blitzen!
It’s time for the Tuesday 3D Challenge Group project, at Paper Craft Planet. I’m hoping you will view this as a fun Christmas/Winter craft, after all, no animals were harmed in the making of the project.
I’ve seen quite a few free versions of a paper deer/animal head craft. This is an amalgamation of a few that I liked, with modifications, that my sons & hunting hubbie all approved.
You could of course add colour & add it to a gift box or a wine bottle maybe:
It’s a pretty simple piece of construction.
Make something & add it to the gallery at Paper Craft Planet, with the tag 3d192 & I’ll find it & put it in an album for all to see.
If you’d like to print out the Deer, here you go, 8 1/2 by 11″. Be sure to cut 2 of the head & ears & yolk (the pink):
If you feel like following the ramblings of a mum of 3, who was multi-tasking with French Devoirs and trying to write up instructions … good luck:
Oh yes, you’ll need the plaque. I cut it twice, sized it just a bit bigger the second time for a matte effect.
If you’re like me & enjoy using Scalable Vector Graphics … Here ya go, you can download them here:

New Template Release: Home for the Holidays!
Hey there’s a new template release from Creations By AR!
It’s a “Home for the Holidays” Blog Hop at Creations By AR & the DT girls have each made a HOUSE BOX and ORNAMENT
for you to celebrate the new template release.
We will have some LUCKY WINNERS! How do you Win? Well, one random comment from each group listed below will be chosen to receive the new template. The more you comment, the greater your chances!
Visit and comment at each blog – one winner chosen from the AR Team
One winner chosen from a comment on the AR FaceBook Page.
Here’s my take on the template:
The template ornament house opens up to hold a treat inside.
Chocolates, peppermints, earrings
Something for the teachers or that friend who is always there for you.
Come check out what everyone else has made with the template:
The Design Team:
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Follow the Star
Well with Halloween behind us & the weather getting nippy here, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas. For this week’s 3D Tuesday at Paper Craft Planet, 3d189, Christmas Stars are in the Forum! I’ve seen many 3D stars; however this one, found on Pinterest, with a link to the instructions and template was super cute.
The template provided is easy to cut out by hand, it’s just straight lines. It can be used with either the suggested mosaic cut outs, a hand punch, stamp it or leave it plain.
When you have it cut out, use a bone folder & scoring plate if you have it, to give it a clean line.
Fold & secure each tip first. Can you see where I put the super strong red two sided tape? It’s on the side with the tapered corner.
After you have the 5 “pyramids”, you then secure them to each other.
That’s it, that’s all. Most of the work is in the scoring, IMO.
Have fun with this one.

Punkin Blog Hop
Creations By AR is celebrating a November release of PUN’KIN CARD and PARTY SET: with a blog hop & a chance to win this new cute template.
- There will be ONE winner, chosen randomly from comments per Design Team Blog .
- Winners will be chosen on Sunday and announced on Monday, November 5th. …. Remember, Remember the 5th of November!
- To enter, just leave a comment
- For more chances to win, leave a comment at all of the DT’s blogs
The Design Team:
Amy {here}
I had a great time with this one, so quick & easy & sweet.
What a lovely autumn table this would be or as a gift.
Have fun at the Hop!


















































































