St. Patrick's Day Garland

 Hi Everyone!

Today I'm again working with the fabulous ribbons from Gwen Studios to create a decorative garland for St. Patrick's Day.  

I used the grosgrain ribbon favorites pack to create rainbow colors along the garland, then interspersed them with sparkly shamrocks. 

This is such an easy project that anyone can make it.  It would be a great class or family project.

To create this garland, you'll need:

Green mesh tubing (from the Dollar Store)

A pack of glittery shamrocks (from the Dollar Store)

Gwen Studios Favorites Pack

Gwen Studios gold metallic ribbon

Double-sided tape or glue dots

Scissors

Instructions:

1. Begin by cutting the ribbon in 6" lengths.  Cut at a diagonal, so you don't have to go back and trim the ends like I did!

2. Tie a loop with an overhand knot in one end of the mesh tube and begin tying the ribbons on with a simple knot.  These hold well on the mesh, but you can also add a dot of glue to hold them in place securely.  I tied my ribbons in a rainbow pattern, then left a space of about 2" and continued the pattern.  I had 12 sets of ribbon rainbows and my garland is about 2 yards long.

3. To attach the shamrocks, I cut 3" of gold glitter ribbon and taped the loop to the back of the shamrock. Fold the ribbon over the tubing and tape down.  Glue dots would work well also.  These are lightweight foam shamrocks.  Options:  Hand cut or die cut your own or use felt.

4. Tie another loop in the mesh tubing and trim.  That's it!

Here is the finished garland:

Hang wherever you want some cheery St. Patrick's Day decoration.

Check out the Gwen Studios website for more fun projects! 

Gwen Studios

For more fun St. Patrick's Day projects with Gwen Studios ribbon, go to the Designer Crafts Connection blog.

Etch a St. Patrick's Day Necklace

Hi all,
It's almost time to wear some green, so I thought I'd create a new necklace in time for St. Patrick's Day.  I'm using etchall® dip 'n etch to create some soft, muted green beads to mix in with the others that I have.

Here are the beads that I will etch.  I have strung them to make them easier to get in and out of the etchall® dip 'n etch.

I found a small plastic container in my stash and taped the bead strands to the sides.

Add the etchall® dip 'n etch to cover the beads and time for 15 minutes.  Lift the beads out and rinse. Pour the dip 'n etch back in the bottle.  You can use it over and over!

I rinsed them off and noticed that only half the beads etched.

The top beads have a nice muted etched surface, but the harder dark green crystals did not etch.  There is some hard glass that will not etch with dip 'n etch.  But, I like a mix of etched and unetched glass beads in my designs.  (See this necklace where I combined etched and unetched glass beads.)

Here's the necklace I created:

Wearing 'o the Green

Etching the beads adds another dimension to this necklace with the contrast of the etched beads against the sparkling facets of the originals.  And, it's so easy with etchall® dip 'n etch!

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

Pot o' Shamrocks Photo Holder

Hi Crafters!

I've got another craft posted on the Smoothfoam blog!  You can use this Pot o' Shamrocks to hold your photos, recipe cards or just to brighten a corner with its cheery bright green!  (And, bring it out next year for St. Patrick's Day!)  Instructions are on the blog.  Don't forget to leave a comment on the Smoothfoam blog to enter to win $100 worth of sheets and shapes!

Pot o' Shamrocks Photo Holder

Happy Crafting!

Terry