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! 

Crafty Ideas for St. Patrick's Day

Hi Crafty Friends!

Hope you are enjoying National Craft Month, and taking time to create!  Nothing relieves stress and boredom like being absorbed in making something!

Here's a craft I made for the Smoothfoam™ blog.  Smoothfoam™ is great for all kinds of decorations, and is easy to hang on the wall because it is so lightweight.  It comes in lots of different shapes that make it easy to decorate for any holiday, and it's easy to paint because of its smooth surface.

Sweet Smoothfoam Shamrock

And, here's a few more crafts for more St. Patrick's Day fun! We've got you covered for St. Patrick's Day decorating!

Golden Irish Greeting Signs for your table!

Irish Greeting Signs

 A Lucky Leprechaun Hat!

Lucky Leprechaun Hat

And, a glittery Shamrock Topiary!

Shamrock Topiary

Designer Crafts Connection: Inspired by Pinterest

Hi Crafty Friends!

Here it is another first Monday of the month and time for a round on the Designer Crafts Connection blog hop!  To see what everyone is up to this month, click on the links on the big blue DCC button to the left of this post.  This month we're creating crafts that are inspired by Pinterest.  As there are so many craft ideas on Pinterest, there will be a wide range of crafty ideas.  I'm sure you'll be inspired by the DCC crafts!

I love to create angels.  So, I took a look at the angel crafts category on Pinterest.  There are so many ideas that it can be overwhelming, but I decided to work with materials I have on hand and that I am comfortable with to create this Rustic Angel.  I used a blend of recycled materials and natural materials.

Rustic Angel by Terry Ricioli

Here are some of the materials that I collected:
A cardboard cone, cardboard coffee sleeves, burlap ribbon from Offray®, twine, a foam ball

Then, I added rusty wire and a paper lunch bag to the mix.  I was going to create wings from the cardboard sleeves, but I changed my mind!  You'll also need decoupage medium, tacky glue and scissors. 

Here's the basics if you want to create your own angel like this one:

1.  Add glue to the cone and wrap the cone with the burlap ribbon.  

2.  Cut a circle from the paper bag and decoupage it to the foam ball.  Glue the foam ball to the cone.

3.  Cut a strip the length of the paper bag about two inches wide.  Scrunch it up into a ball and unfold.  Tie a knot in the center and glue the ends at the back under the head.

4.  Glue and wrap twine around the head for hair.

5.  Cut a length of burlap ribbon and make a bow.  Glue it to the back over the arms.

6.  Make a halo with rusty wire and glue to the back of the hair.

I hope you'll try your version of this angel.  Use materials that you have around the house or you can gather outside.  Next, I want to create some angels for my garden.  I'm going to start collecting old rusty metal and furniture parts.

We on the Designer Crafts Connection circuit hope you will return later in the month when we create projects using Connie Crystal.  And, since this is National Craft Month, they'll be lot of ideas, so remember to #cre8time for extra crafting!

 

Designer Crafts Connection - New Techniques to Try

Hi Crafty Friends!

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.  - Pablo Picasso 

I think this quote by Picasso sums up my philosophy toward art, design and crafting.  I love to try new techniques and what other way to learn is there than to jump in and try it!  Of course, there will be craft fails, do-overs, and dead ends, but that is the way I learn - trial and error! 

This month the designers in the Designer Crafts Connection are all about new techniques to try out and add to your arsenal of crafty skills.  I can hardly wait to try out some of them!  To cruise the blogs, click forward or back on the big blue button off to the left side of this post. 

My technique this month is one I've been dying to try - pun intended!  Yes, I'm going to use Rit dye on a few things.  I haven't played with this before, but I've admired what other designers have done with it.  So, we will see how it works. 

First, I selected some colors and made my solutions.  I made them up in canning jars.  They are easy to use for the warm water and dye solution and you can heat them up in the microwave if they cool off.  Plus, you can put a lid on them and store them for later.  Here I have purple, teal, peach, fuchsia and yellow dyes. I also had some liquid dye in Kelly green.

I chose wood pieces, a wood birdhouse, some pieces of hemp twine, burlap, cotton braid and plastic spacers.  The plastic spacers are the most unusual things I dyed.  You can find them in the hardware store.  They have large holes and can be strung on cord.  These pieces I either dipped in the solution or painted.

I really like the way the burlap picked up a rich color.  The wood pieces and birdhouse are a more subtle pastel which shows the wood grain.  The nylon plastic spacers need to be dyed more than once to pick up more color.  And, the twine will be great for matching bead colors in my jewelry designing.

Here's another piece I dyed which I really like.  It was white cotton braid and I dyed it in the peach.  It would make a nice bracelet.

I also tried ice dying with a canvas coaster.  In this process, you cover the coaster with ice cubes, dry dye and a sprinkle of salt.  Then, you let the ice melt and microwave it wrapped in plastic to set the dye. It has a very nice effect and you get a nice intense color.

The canvas coaster

After ice dying with fuchsia

(I received some Rit dye and the coaster at a blogger event at the Craft and Hobby Show.  All opinions (and craft fails) are completely my own.Thanks, Rit!)

All in all, it was a fun day devoted mostly to trying out some of the many ways you can use Rit dye.  The hardest part was waiting for things to dry!  I can definitely see using it more in my designing.  For more great ideas, go to their website.

Happy Crafting!

Terry

Designer Crafts Connection Blog - Favorite Techniques

Hi Crafty Friends!

Welcome to our First Monday posting from Designer Crafts Connection!  This month we are blogging about our Favorite Techniques.  I'm sure it will be difficult for each of us to choose just one!  We are craft designers, after all!  We are always up for learning a new way to do things with a new machine or a new product.  So, I'm sure you will find a variety new techniques and different ways to use old techniques.

One of my new favorite techniques is applying patinas to metals.  I've done some of that with different methods like tea dying, applying alcohol inks or paint, and using liver of sulfur to age metals.  In fact, I have those techniques outlined in my book, Vintage Impressions Jewelry.  But, in addition to these ways of changing metal color, new patinas are becoming available.  I bought some a few months ago and hadn't had the chance to use them when I noticed a class available at the Craft and Hobby Association trade show last January.  I was lucky to get a spot in the class and get first hand instruction from Vintaj(R)/Ranger people.  It was a great 3 hour class in which we zoomed through about 6 projects experimenting with some of the many effects that you can get with their new Patina(TM) colors. 

Here is a bracelet that I created using their Verdigris patina.

I applied patina randomly over the silver filigree in the center.

Then, I buffed it using the Vintaj buffing block to remove some of the excess patina and let the metal show.  It reminds me of a worn enamel piece.

To make the bracelet fit around my arm better, I bent the filigree around a glue bottle.  I tied on turquoise silk string and knotted it.  Then I made dangles of leftover turquoise glass and malachite beads and added them in between the knots with jump rings.  I found some ridged silver metal beads and added those to the mix.  To end the bracelet, I slid on a toggle clasp and wire-wrapped the string.  I added a bit more patina to the clasp, wire wrap and silver beads with a paint brush. 

A couple of notes on using the patinas:  You don't need much, so start with just a drop.  You can layer and mix them to create your own colors.  They dry fast especially in warm weather, so you have to work fast.  For more information and to view lots and lots of ideas, go to their website.   (No compensation was provided for this post, though I did get jewelry and patina samples in class.  I use Vintaj(R) products frequently in my jewelry designing and love their look!)
And, since March is National Craft Month, we have a lot of blogging going on to promote craftiness!  Stop back by on Saturday, March 9, for my blog with a button craft for Buttons Galore.  There are a group of us promoting their lovely products and I'm sure you'll see buttons on everything. 

So, hop around our blog connection by clicking forward or backward on the big blue DCC button on the left of my blog post and see what other techniques are highlighted this month. 

Happy National Craft Month!

Terry

PS I almost forgot--there's a giveaway of a purse album, beautiful papers, roses, stickers and adhesive from Fabscraps.  Gorgeous stuff!  To enter to win, leave a comment on the blog with your favorite technique and then go to Julie McGuffee's blog and tell her which one you like the best.