USA Plant Pokes

The Fourth of July will be here before you know it and these hearts are just the thing for a quick an easy decoration.  You can glue the hearts to bamboo skewers like I did here and add them to a flower arrangement or potted plant.  Or, glue them to a headband or barrette. Use smaller hearts and letters and add a pin back to wear them on your lapel.  With so many beautiful ribbons from Gwen Studios, you have a lot of options.

For this quick and easy project, you only need a few items:

Ribbons from Gwen Studios available at Walmart, Joann's and Michaels (macarons pack)

(cupcakes pack) (red and white grosgrain)

Iron-on letters

Felt

Glue:  hot glue and gun or tacky glue

Scissors

Bamboo skewers, pin back, barrette or headband

To create these hearts, hand cut or die cut a heart from stiff or regular felt.  Apply the letters by ironing them on or gluing them on with tacky glue.

Cut loops of ribbon and glue them to the back of the heart.  Adhere a stick with hot glue.

Cut another heart to cover the back.  If using regular felt, sandwich a cardboard heart in between the layers of felt.

See more great designs on:

Designer Crafts Connection

My granddaughter got in on the crafting action and used Gwen Studios bows and ribbon in her school project.  She needed a red, white and blue ribbon to wear for her presentation on Dominique Dawes, an Olympic gymnast.  She took a pre-made bow, wrapped blue grosgrain around the center and added silver ribbon to the back. 

National Craft Month

Hi Crafty Friends!

March is National Craft Month and I'm going to celebrate this month with some ideas and inspiration for you. 

Here's a few ideas from the Creating With Joy blog.  It's almost St. Patrick's Day, so here is a cute banner from Julie McGuffee:  St. Patrick's Day Banner

St. Patrick's Day Banner

Also from the Creating with Joy blog, my Children's Felt Bulletin Board.  It's simple to make with that wonderful felt from Kunin, some Duck Tape and Joy Iron-on Letters.

Children's Felt Bulletin Board

Joy Iron-on letters can be ironed onto most surfaces with a craft iron or glued onto those surfaces where you can't use an iron.

Here's a craft that I did in February for the Creating with Joy blog.  We're expecting a granddaughter this month, so I created a small garland for the baby's room.  This time I used stiffened felt, some tulle ribbon and, of course, Joy letters!

Baby Onesie Garland

And, in January, I was thinking snow!  Maybe I thought a little too hard!  There is a lot of it around this year!

Here's the easy garland I created for January:

Let It Snow Garland

These letters are adhered to sparkling foam snowflakes.  It's easy to adapt for any occasion by cutting or buying die cuts and adding Joy letters.  You can find them in craft stores like Michaels or Hobby Lobby or on their website.

Hope you are inspired to create! 

Shirt Memo Board

Hi Crafty Friends!
This week some of us on Designer Crafts Connection are participating in the manufacturer's challenge and creating with Kunin™ Felt, Buttons Galore and More buttons and Beacon™ glues.  It's a winning combination for creating fun projects.  This time our focus is on home decor. 

For a manufacturer's challenge, we designers receive free samples to create a project and showcase it on our blogs.  

When I saw the felt I received, it reminded me of menswear with gray flannel and pinstripes, so I created a memo board that looks like a man's shirt.  The Fancifelt™ and the Embossedfelt™ were perfect for this.  The Beacon Felt Glue was wonderful to use.  I've had problems with gluing felt.  This glue worked very well and had no odor, which is always a plus.  And, I always love adding buttons to any project and Buttons Galore and More has a great selection from which to choose.  A Smoothfoam™ scrapbook mount is the perfect lightweight surface to use for a memo board.

Shirt Memo Board and Pencil Holder

Here's how to make the memo board:

Shirt Memo Board

Kunin™ Felt: 

9x12 Cobblestone Smoke Embossedfelt™

9x12 White Classicfelt™

12x12 piece of white/grey chevron print Fancifelt™

12x12 Smoothfoam™ Scrapbook Mount

4 orange shirt buttons and one larger orange button (Buttons Galore & More)

Beacon™ Felt Glue

Slate Gray acrylic paint (DecoArt® Americana®)

Scissors, white sewing thread and needle, paintbrush

1.  Paint edges of Smoothfoam™ scrapbook page mount with Slate Gray.

2.  Cut a 12x12 piece of chevron print centered evenly on print.  Glue felt to Smoothfoam™. 

3.  For the collar, mark off right triangles with sides of 4” and 5” on the white felt and use a ruler to draw the triangles.  Cut out and glue along the top edge of the board overlapping in the center.  Cut white rectangles for the cuffs (2 ¼” x 3 ¼”).  Glue felt pieces to the bottom corners of the shirt front. 

4.  To create the body of the tie, make a pattern by folding a piece of printer paper in half lengthwise.  Draw a tie shape on the fold and cut out the pattern.  Unfold and check the size against the shirt front. Pin to the felt and cut out.  Cut a small oval from the felt for the knot on the tie and glue over the end of the tie.

5.  Sew thread through the buttons and glue in place on the collar points and cuffs.  Add a larger button for the tie tack.

Use the same idea on other items for your desk like a pencil holder or journal cover.

This would be a great idea for Father's Day or a man's birthday gift.

Happy Crafting!  Don't forget to use the DCC button to hop around and see the other home decor ideas! And, enter for a chance to win $100 in product from Kunin felt, Beacon Adhesives and Buttons Galore and More!

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