Poppet Puppets

Hi Crafters!
This week I'm working with Totem Poppets that I received from Eye Connect Crafts.  These animal totems are so versatile.  You can use them in mixed media, cards or scrapbooking.  Here I'm using them in one more way - as puppets.

This is the Totem Rabbit and the Totem Turtle.  At the links, you can read about the totem animal and see what they look like unpainted.

Here are my Poppet Puppets.  They are painted with acrylics and detail is added with pens.  Then, I glued thin wood sticks to the back.  What fun it would be to create a whole menagerie of these and make a puppet theater for them!  Create them to tell and act out your favorite story.

Poppet Puppets

I'll be working with Eye Connect Crafts at the Craft and Hobby Show.  If you are in the craft industry, stop by and see all the amazing Totem Poppets and Lace-Ups that creator and owner, Erin Sparler, has designed!  We'll be in Booth #1902!

Happy Crafting!

Terry

Fringe Earrings with Hebe Cord

Hi Crafters!

Today some of us on the Designer Crafts Connection are working with a new product that we received from Sullivans USA called Hebe Cord.  This new cord comes in 31 beautiful colors and can be used for knitting, crocheting, knotting and tatting.

I received two shades of purple.  Here is one of the projects that I created.  It's a simple project that anyone can make.  You'll love wearing these fun and trendy Fringe Earrings.

Fringe Earrings with Hebe Cord

To make these earrings, you'll need:

Hebe Cord, medium purple
Bullet style bead caps
22-gauge wire to match
Earring wires to match
66 2/0 E beads (I used Beader's Paradise 2/0 Czech Glass E-Beads in Lavender Mix)

Cut 32 nine-inch pieces of cord.  Fold 16 in half and slide 6" length of wire through the fold. Fold wire and wrap one around the other. Trim wrapping wire and slip on bead cap.  Add one bead and make a wrapped loop.  Open earring wire and connect to wrapped loop.  Repeat for the other earring.

Slide a bead on each strand and knot beneath the bead.  Add a small dot of glue to hold knot. These earrings are about 4-1/2 inches long.  

And, here's another project that I created with Hebe Cord.  (I couldn't stop creating with this cord!)  This bracelet is done with a French Knitter and I'll provide the details on my next post.  So, here's a sneak peek!

Hebe Cord French Knit Bracelet

  I hope you'll take a few minutes to see all the other projects designed with this cord.  There are projects in crochet, knitting, macrame and more!  Just click on the big blue Designer Crafts Connection button in my sidebar.

Happy Crafting!

Terry

Sea Life Mobile

Hi All!

Today I want to show you another craft that I have designed using the Totem Poppets from Eye Connect Crafts.  I am having fun trying different ideas with these.  Today, I'm working with Starfish and Crab Poppets.

Here's the packaged Poppets:

Totem Poppets

These are made from recycled chipboard and are easily removed from the square of chipboard from which they are laser cut.  They were designed to be put together with 1/16" eyelets, but they can also be put together with brads, small screws or fibers.  Each Poppet comes with a statement on its totem representation, which you can incorporate into your artwork if you wish.  

For my version of these Poppets, I popped them out and painted them with acrylic paint.  I painted them with a main color, then dry brushed and dabbed other colors on top.  For the crab, I added bead eyes.  To hold them together, I used hemp twine.  I think it adds a nice natural feel.  It's very easy to work with also.

Here's the crab:

Crab Poppet

And, here's the starfish:

I arranged the poppets on a mobile constructed of driftwood, a piece of net and some shells that I had in my stash.

Ocean Life Mobile by Terry Ricioli

If you want to start playing with Poppets, head over to the website:  Eye Connect Crafts 
While you're there, check out the blog and see what Erin Sparler, the owner and creator or Eye Connect Crafts is up to with her amazing Poppets and with the other chipboard line, Lace-Ups.

Come back soon for more fun with Totem Poppets and Lace-ups!
Happy Crafting!
Terry

Jack O'Lantern Jars

Hi Crafty Friends!

I love to decorate for the fall holidays and Jack O' Lanterns are one of my favorite decorations.  I made these Jack O' Lanterns with canning jars.  It's so easy to do with etchall® etching creme!  These jars look great sitting on my window sill filled with tinted water. 

They also make great party glasses with orange punch or soda.  You can make different faces on each one so your guests will remember which one is theirs!

Or, fill them up with candy corn or other treats and give them to your neighbors!  Add tea lights and set them on your porch (use the battery-powered ones for safety).  You can even darken the etched area with permanent marker for another look. 

To make these jars, you'll need some etchall® etching creme.  Then, you'll need some sticky paper to mask your jar so it will only be etched where you want it to be.

I didn't have any etchmask with which to create the design, so I tried a few other sticky papers that I had around the house like masking tape, address label stickers and shelf liner. Shelf liner worked the best.  The grid on the back of the liner helps in drawing the design.  But, for jack o' lantern faces, you don't have to be too symmetrical!

I cut or punched out the features for my jack o' lanterns and stuck the paper on the jar making sure it was sealed down to the jar around the cut-outs.  Then, I masked off the area around the design and applied the etchall® etching creme.

Fifteen minutes later, I scraped off the creme and put it back in the jar (it's re-usable!!).  I rinsed the jar, removed the mask and - voila! - it's ready to go!  Add some ribbon, rick rack or twine with beads or charms for jaunty jack o' lantern jars!

If you are excited about etching your own jars, follow the etchall® link on my sidebar and tell them that I referred you!  (Since I'm an ambassador, I get a small percentage of the sale.)

Hope you will #cre8time for crafting!

Terry