Smoothfoam(TM) Valentine's Day Hedgehog

Here's a quick and easy

Valentine's Day project ... this

would make a great centerpiece for the

classroom or the teacher's lounge!

Supplies: 8" Smoothfoam(TM) Half Ball

Acrylic Paints: Red, White, Black, Brown

Sharpie Marker, Ruler, Stylus

Tracing paper & Transfer paper

(to transfer face to body)

 Base coat the Smoothfoam(TM) Half Ball

with two coats of Red paint.

Once the paint has dried, transfer the

hedgehog's face to the body

using transfer paper and a stylus

(or the handle of a paintbrush).

 Mix the red and white paint together 1:1

and paint the hedgehog's face pink.

Use brown paint for the inside of

the ears, the nose, and the patch of hair.

 The eyes are dip dots of black paint.

Use the ruler and measure out

1.5" from the head in the center of the

half ball ... use the stylus to poke a hole

every 1.5" along the hedgehog's back.

Repeat this until you have enough holes

 for the number of suckers you need.

(I only needed twelve, but there's plenty of

room for more if necessary!)

Paint a small heart onto each hole.

Once paint has dried, use Sharpie marker

to outline all the details.  Insert

a sucker into each hole.

~ Peace and Happy Valentine's Day! ~

Valentine's Day Goodie Jar

I love to upcycle ... here's a painted

Valentine's Day Goodie Jar ~

I don't usually skimp on chocolate,

but we've been battling snowy roads and

the dreaded flu ... somehow extra

chocolate evaded my consciousness as

I shopped for chicken soup and Be Kool strips

these past two weeks.

(I'll have plenty of time to stock up

before Valentine's Day!)

Supplies: empty jar with lid

Acrylic Paints: Red, White, Black, Yellow

Tracing paper and Transfer paper

(to transfer design to painted jar)

Masking Tape
Mod Podge (for sealing)

Use masking tape to tape off the

top and bottom of the jar ~

so you can paint a large band with

a 1:1 ratio of red and white paint.

(or use pink paint ... but I didn't have any

of that in my household stash

so I had to go all Old School and use

my paint mixing skills).

Paint the jar lid with the same color.

Use transfer paper to add the

main pattern lines to the painted strip.

Forgive me for not taking more
step-by-step photos ... perhaps my fever
was getting to me.

 

I painted the entire outline of the bee
with white.  Once the white paint
dried, I add the detail lines with the
transfer paper and painted
the bee black with yellow stripes.
I added tiny pink hearts to his wings.

 

Base coat the heart with red paint.
Once the red paint dries,
you can add the lettering with
the transfer paper and go over the
transfer lines with a thin brush
and black acrylic paint.
I also used the black paint and the
thin paintbrush to outline my
entire design ... you could use a 
Sharpie marker if you prefer.

Once everything has dried completely,
I coated the lid and the painted
surface with Mod Podge to
protect it from chipping off.  No
one likes chipped paint in their chocolate!
 
~ Peace and Happy Upcycled Jar Gift ~

Simple Snowman Gift Tags

Christmas has come and gone for 2013,

but we are still snowed in!

I made a super simple gift tag, and

it turned out so cute, I made dozens more

and thought I'd share:

Supplies:
Kraft cardstock and XL punch
1" sponge dauber
Acrylic paint: white, black
Dimensional paint: orange
Pink Powder Blush and cotton swab

 Punch out your tags ...
Dip your sponge dauber into white paint
and pounce ... either in the center,
or over to the side (I wasn't sure whether
I might want to add a name or a message, so
I pounced on the far side of the tag!)

Dip a stylus into black paint
to add the eyes.

 Use the cotton swab to
apply blushed cheeks to each
snowman head.

Add the carrot nose with the
orange dimensional paint.
To see a tutorial on how to make
these dimensional noses,
as well as the dots ...
click here.

Use the stylus dipped in black paint
to add the mouth.  Dipping the stylus before
each dot will give you same-sized dots.
To get dots decreasing in size,
dip once and dot two or three times
before redipping.  Experiment
on scratch paper first so you'll be happy
with your little black dots!

~ Peace and Happy Snowman Tags ~

Mini Canvas Ornament

Wordless Wednesday

~ Peace Out ~

Rustic Wreath

All Free Christmas Crafts
has a new Wreath eBook!

Free Wreath eBook!

Just click here to download your copy.

Here's a repost of my featured
Rustic Cardinal Wreath:

Thanksgiving is at my house (again) this year ...

I've made all my guests a family initial

cardinal wreath.

(I'm also making these for teacher's gifts!)

So simple ... here's what I did:

Supplies:

10" Grapevine Wreath, 4" Gold Initial, Bird's Nest Pick,

Floral Pick (evergreen, pine cones, berries),

Cardinal with alligator clip,

20 gauge crafting wire, wire snips

needle nose pliers (to help with tightening wire)

hot glue gun

First, cut a 12" length of craft wire

and wrap it two or three times around the initial.

Attach it to the side of the wreath.

You may have to turn the wreath a few times

to determine the best place for the 

initial.  The thinnest spot works best.

Turn the wreath over and twist the wire ends

together to secure the initial.

Poke the bird's nest pick into the wreath near

the top of the initial.

Poke the sprigs into the wreath.

Secure with crafting wire and/or hot glue.

Clip the cardinal near his nest ... and there it is!

Quick and easy!  A nice take-home favor

on Thanksgiving Day.

~ Peace!!! ~

Ladybug Reindeer

What do you get when you

cross a ladybug with two cacti?

A reindeer, of course!
Well, a reindeer made from
pre-cut wooden shapes, anyway.
;)

For this reindeer ornament,

you'll need (1) 2" ladybug shape,

(2) 1.25" cacti shapes,

(1) 4" length of ribbon,

acrylic paints in Honey Brown,

Chocolate, Tuscan Red, Black, White,

One Step Crackle,

Gel Stain, a Multi-Purpose Sealer,

and Extreme Glitter Hologram.

(or Extreme Glitter Red, but I was out).

Paint the following:

Cacti - Honey Brown

Ladybug Body - Chocolate

Ladybug Head - Tuscan Red

Brush a generous coat of

One Step Crackle onto the cacti

and allow to dry thoroughly.

Apply Gel Stain and wipe off with

a clean, dry rag.

The gel stain works its way into

the tiny little cracks made

by the One Step Crackle ...

See the tiny crackles??

I Love it!!

Apply Extreme Glitter Hologram

generously over the Reindeer nose.

(Previously referred to as the "Ladybug Head")

Next, cross ribbon ends to form

a loop for hanging.

Attach the ribbon to the back

of the reindeer head with

a hot glue gun:

Attach the two cacti to the

back of the reindeer head;

it's fine if the cacti overlap the

ribbon, that will help keep it in place.

I dipped a paintbrush handle into

white paint to dot the eyes.

Once it was completely dry, I

added black dots to the eyes.

I brushed Multi-Purpose Sealer

over the entire piece.

NOTE: I almost always paint the backs

of my ornaments, but since I was

going to use hot glue to attach the antlers,

I wanted a good adhesion so I

left the back of this ornament unpainted.

Just keepin it real.

Sometimes those boogers fall off,

and we don't want any of that going on,

am I right??

Up next: I have eighty ornaments

to make for classrooms this year.

(that's an 8 and a 0

it's also 10 times 8, or

8 times 10, or 20 times 4, or

4 kids times 20 students per

classroom.  And, I should probably do

a recount before I get started.

Cuz I'm pretty sure I heard about

new students somewhere).

What kind of ornament do I want to

make in bulk?  I want the ornament to

be special for the kids, something to bring back

(hopefully!) fond memories of elementary school.

So I'll use the school name and/or

their mascot somehow ... but, hmm ...

 Here's my 2010 design:

 Here's my design from last year:

Oh, wait! Do you hear that?

Yeah, that's Hobby Lobby calling my

name.  I'm going to have to make a trip.

No, wait.  That's my studio calling

reminding me that I have enough supplies

to make ornaments for the entire town

and I shouldn't be buying more "stuff".

Christmas Inspiration, HERE I COME!!

And I think I might just challenge myself

to make all these ornaments

with supplies I already own.

What d'ya think of that??

  

~ Peace and Lots of Christmas Ornaments ~