Thursday, December 10, 2009

Crafty Links

About Family Crafts
Do you make your own Christmas cards? If you do, please take a moment and share your designs and then browse through the pictures of other peoples' creations.

Aileen's Musings
Aileen's found a great use for those left over cards you have! Check out her Recycled Christmas Card project.

Cathie Filian
Whip up a vintage style wreath for the holidays!

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy is thrilled about a new set of bamboo crochet hooks she finally purchased from an Etsy seller.

Cross Stitch at About.com
Having a hard time finding time to stitch during the holiday season? Read Connie's time-saving tips and share your own.

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi is giving away a copy of Chain Style by Jane Dickerson! Come leave a comment and you'll be entered for the drawing.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Die cut, stamped and shrunk deer Christmas necklace made with inspiration from the book Beyond The Bead

The Artful Crafter
Just look at the darling ornaments you can make from mini clay flower pots!

The Impatient Crafter
It's Project #2 from Madge's Retrofabulous Christmas Craftabration! Perky Pixie Ornament!

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Quick and Easy Gift Idea: lip balm, sugar scrubs and soaps

Pucker up! With personalized flavors and labels, homemade lip balm will give you plenty of reason to smile. From the Emmy Nominated episode of Creative Juice - "Take a Break Basket"

Materials:
2 tsp. beeswax
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. oil (grape seed, olive, avocado or hemp)
1 tsp. honey
vitamin E capsule
essential oil or cake flavorings
lip balm containers
disposable plastic pipettes
packing tape
optional: old lipstick & lip balm filling tray

1. Use a double boiler on low heat (or a medium size glass bowl placed in a saucepan partially-filled with boiling water) to melt the beeswax. When melted, add the oil. Use caution, wax is a highly flammable substance.

2. Remove mixture from heat and whisk in honey and vitamin E oil (pierce capsule with a pin or scissor tip), whisking until there are no clumps. Optional: add a shaving or two of lipstick to create a sheer lip color.

3. Let mixture cool, but not harden, before adding approximately five drops of either an essential oil or cake flavor of choice. When using oils, use only essential oils -- lip balms are in constant contact with your mouth and fragrance oils do not taste good and should not be consumed.

4. Pipe into containers (available on-line from thesage.com ) and refrain from moving until hardened.

5. Make paper labels and apply to the tubes with packing tape (packing tape is the same width as lip balm tubes).

Break the mold with countless combinations of scents, colors and additives that give handmade glycerin soaps a unique personal style. From the Emmy Nominated episode of Creative Juice - "Take a Break Basket"

Materials:
1 lb. melt-and-pour glycerin soap base
essential oil
bar mold
spray bottle with rubbing alcohol
plastic cling wrap
microwave
medium glass bowl
optional: additives such as lavender, peppermint, etc. & glycerin soap colorant

1. Cut a 1 lb. brick of glycerin soap base into 2" cubes. Place cubes in a glass bowl and cover with plastic cling wrap to keep excess moisture from evaporating. Melt on high for one minute and stir until melted.

2. If desired, add a few drops of colorant and/or additives to the soap and blend thoroughly. Add several drops of essential oil to the mixture and blend.

3. Pour the soap into molds. Spray the soap surface with rubbing alcohol to remove excess bubbles. Allow the soap to harden/set for several hours before popping it out of the molds.

4. Package the soap in a paper sleeve trimmed with decorative scissors, place it in a cellophane bag or wrap it in tissue paper. Embellish paper labels with ribbons, stickers and rubber stamps and attach to the packaging.

When things get rough, fight back with granular body scrubs! Let them do the dirty work for you! From the Emmy Nominated episode of Creative Juice - "Take a Break Basket"

Sugar Scrub Ingredients:
2 c. turbinado (raw) sugar
1/2 c. avocado oil
1/4 c. apricot kernel oil
essential or fragrance oil (we used ginger and vanilla)
honey
plastic screw-top jar for storage
shrink bands sized to fit jars
embossing or heat gun

1. Mix together sugar, oils and honey with fragrance or essential oils.

2. Spoon the mixture into containers, seal and label with a sticker or pre-made label printed on sticky paper.

3. Insert the jar through the shrink band sleeve. Apply heat with an embossing or heat gun. The band will shrink and wrap around the jar, sealing it closed.

This recipe makes approximately four 4-oz. containers.

Salt Scrub Ingredients:
2 c. coarse sea salt
1/2 c. avocado oil
1/4 c. apricot kernel oil
essential or fragrance oils (we used cucumber and green tea fragrance oils)
honey
plastic screw-top jar for storage
shrink bands sized to fit jars
embossing or heat gun

1. Mix together coarse sea salt, oils and honey with fragrance or essential oils.

2. Spoon the mixture into containers, seal and label with a sticker or pre-made label printed on sticky paper.

3. Insert the jar through the shrink band sleeve. Apply heat with an embossing or heat gun. The band will shrink and wrap around the jar, sealing it closed.

This recipe makes approximately four 4-oz. containers.

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Opensky Coupon! Big Holiday Savings!

Click here for the Coupon!

OpenSky is the place for your holiday shopping. From now until midnight on Wednesday, shoppers can sign up to receive coupons ranging from $15 to $100 off and 10% to 50% off.

Type CathieFilian as your favorite Shopkeeper.

I only have 50 Premium Coupons for $15 off a $20 item so sign up quickly!

Soon...I'll be announcing the Grand Opening of my Shop!




Monday, December 07, 2009

Quick and Easy Gift Idea: batik silk scarves




Adding designs and patterns to your next dye project is a breeze with a simple batik technique that’s guaranteed to turn some heads. You will need cookie cutters to make the simple designs.

Materials:
double boiler (or glass bowl and slightly larger saucepan)
prewashed silk scarf
wax
cold-water fabric dye
clothespins
small cookie cutter
plastic tub or metal sink
kraft paper
iron

Steps:

1. Using a glass bowl and a saucepan as a double boiler, heat the wax until it's melted.

Safety tip: Be sure to tilt the inner container; otherwise a vacuum could form and you could receive a nasty burn.

2. Clip the clothespin to the side of the cookie cutter and dip the cookie cutter into the wax for at least 20 seconds.

3. Place the wax-dipped cookie cutter onto the scarf and press lightly until the wax is transferred to the scarf. Allow the wax to cool.

4. Mix the dye (following package instructions) in a large tub or a metal sink. Wet the scarf and place it in the dye bath; stir and let the fabric sit in the dye for about an hour.

5. Rinse the scarf in cold water until the water runs clear; hang the scarf to dry.

6. Place the fabric between pieces of kraft paper and press with a hot iron to remove the wax.

7. Rinse in hot water with a mild detergent to remove remaining wax, then let the scarf hang to dry.

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Alter a candle to create a quick hostess gift!


Whip up a quick hostess gift by altering a simple glass candle. All you need is a few simple supplies and a little creativity. This also works great for small containers of cookies or candy.

Materials:
FolkArt ® Texture Paint - Sparkle
Mod Podge ® Gloss
Glass jar candle with a lid
Decorative paper
Scissors
Foam paint brush
Circle paper punch
Bottlebrush tree
Velvet flowers
Glittered leaves
Rhinestones
Ribbon

Steps:
1. Trim the paper so it fits around the candle. (you may need to piece the paper together) Mod Podge the paper around the outside of the candle. Using a circle punch, punch a circle from the paper. Mod Podge the circle to the top of the lid. Top coat with a layer of Mod Podge.

2. Add texture paint to the bottlebrush tree. Allow to dry. Hot glue the tree, flowers, leaves and rhinestones to the top of the lid. Tie a ribbon around the jar.

Friday, December 04, 2009

Quick and Easy Gift Idea: fabric covered photo album



Photo albums make great gifts, and making them yourself adds a personal touch that your friends and family will really appreciate. You will only need a small amount of fabric!!

Materials:
1/2 yd. decorative fabric
tacky glue
notebook or photo album – plain
scissors
thin cardboard
ruler
thin quilter's batting (just enough to cover the front and back of the book)
hot glue
fusible webbing
optional: silk flowers, ribbons, scrapbook embellishments

1. Glue the batting to the front of the album. Trim around the edges of the book to remove any excess batting.

2. Begin with clean and pressed fabric. Lay the fabric wrong side up and position the opened book right side (batting side) down on top of the fabric. You'll need to place the book 2" from the edge of the fabric (this allows the fabric to wrap around the notebook).

3. Trim the fabric around the notebook, leaving a 2" border. Apply a bead of glue to the inside corner edge of the notebook and begin at the corners by pulling the material over the corner edges of the notebook cover.

4. Apply a bead of glue around all the edges of the notebook and pull the material over the edge.

Note: Make sure you fold up the notebook at the center, because it takes more fabric than you think to make your way around the spine. When you reach the spine, depending on the notebook, you may have to trim away a bit of the fabric.

5. Measure the inside covers (as close to the edge as possible) of the notebook and cut the cardboard to that measurement. Iron the fusible webbing to the back of the extra fabric (you'll need enough to cover both pieces of cardboard). Lay the cardboard on the webbing and trim around it, leaving a 1/2" border. Attach the fabric to the cardboard by using a hot iron and first pressing the top of the fabric to the cardboard, turn the cardboard over and press the edges of the fabric over the edge of the cardboard.

6. Use hot glue to attach the fabric-covered cardboard to the inside of the notebook.

7. Use hot glue to add additional details or embellishments to the front cover of the book: silk flowers, name plaques, ribbons -- the sky's the limit.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Join Stacy McQueen and


My pal Stacy is hosting a fabby Handmade Craft show in the heart of LA!!! You can get get lots of holiday goodies and I hear she has a few free-bees!!

The deets:

Sunday, December 6, 2009
Time: 12:00pm - 5:00pm
Location: THE FAKE GALLERY\
(4319 Melrose/Heliotrope LA. CA. 90029

Her Notes:

Join us for the craftiest & kick assiest holiday party of the season! FREE crafting bar, FREE wassail & waffle bar hosted by LA's Chef Andrea! Oodles of surprises! Not to mention one-of-a-kind laboriously handmade treasures sold at slave labor prices!

USE ANY CRAFTERS NAME AND GET IN FREE!(hint hint....cathie filian)
(otherwise it's $2.00)

FREE PARKING!

Make A Mini Holiday Gift Box

Jazz up a mini gift box with a few craft supplies. You can customize the box with chipboard letters or stickers. This project can also serve as a fun place-card holder for your holiday gatherings and meals. You can whip them up in under 20 minutes. Check out your local dollar stores for small trees and other ornaments that can be glued to the top.

Materials:
FolkArt ® Acrylic Colors - Sawgrass
FolkArt ® Extreme Glitter™ - Silver
FolkArt ® Texture Paint - Sparkle
Small paper box
Foam paintbrush
Small glass pebbles
Bottlebrush tree
Pearl
Chipboard letter
Ribbon
Velvet flowers
Glittered leaves
Rhinestones

Steps:

1. Paint the box with the sawgrass paint. Use 2 coats if necessary. Add small glass pebble to the box for weight.

2. Add texture paint to the bottlebrush tree. Allow to dry. Hot glue a pearl to the top of the tree.

3. Paint the chipboard letter with Extreme Glitter Silver.

4. Hot glue a ribbon around the box. Hot glue the tree to the center of the box and the letter to the front. Add the floral rhinestone embellishments, attach with hot glue.

Video Bar

Loading...