Crafts

Heartland Fabric Wall Art // Silhouette Fabric Bundle Promotion

0 · May 23, 2013 · 14 Comments

Silhouette Fabric Bundle Promotion (Affiliate) // Recently, I was given the opportunity to create something with Silhouette's Fabric tools, their Heat Transfer Fabric Interfacing and Fabric Cutting Blade. I was BLOWN AWAY at how well it worked. I decided to really put the Silhouette CAMEO to the test and cut a rather intricate image… The United States, with all of it's jagged coast line and Great Lakes and such. I knew it would be a bit of a challenge. But… With the Silhouette fabric tools, my CAMEO cut the fabric like it was butter…

I am working on a new gallery wall of sorts for my living room and I needed some graphic fabric art for the grouping. I was trying to figure out what to create and then I thought… We just moved smack dab to the middle of this great country, right into the heartland and I thought that would make a great piece. Here is how I made it…

Supplies

Fabric – three different colors
Silhouette Heat Transfer Clean Cut Fabric Interfacing
Silhouette Fabric Cutting Blade
Silhouette CAMEO or Portrait
Large quilting or embroidery hoop

Instructions

I started my design in my Silhouette software. I found a great image of the United States of America in the Silhouette image store and a heart that would look perfect for this project.

I wanted to use a large quilting hoop so I made my image rather large. It was almost 12 inches across. You can decide what size you would like yours to be based off of your hoop selection. Next, you need iron your fabric and then add the Silhouette Fabric Interfacing according to the package directions.

For this project I used the Clean Cut version of Interfacing, but Silhouette also has a sewable interfacing as well.

Next, I placed the fabric on the Silhouette cutting mat and loaded it into my CAMEO and cut the design. You need to make sure you change out your blade for the fabric blade which is blue rather than black.

I was sooooo impressed with how the CAMEO cut through the fabric. Check out the lines on the image…

Aren't they amazing? Look at those intricate little cuts… Next you need to cut out the heart in your second color choice, making sure not to resize it. Once you have both pieces cut all you have to do is iron them onto the base fabric…

All that's left is to place the fabric into the quilting hoop and trim the edges and your finished!

I love how this turned out. I think I'm going to make them for my family and move the heart around based off of where they live. They will look so cute and are so quick and easy to make!!

Silhouette has a fabulous deal going on this week for their Fabric Tools, the Portrait and the CAMEO. Now would be a great time to either grab a machine or stock-up on all this fabric cutting goodness!!

Click HERE to enter the Silhouette Store to take advantage of this AMAZING deal!!

I am also giving away a Silhouette Portrait…

Click HERE to enter the GIVEAWAY!!

Creating With Martha Stewart Jewelry

4 · May 21, 2013 · 8 Comments

Brought to you by Plaid Crafts // I ADORE finding fun new products to play with. I'm even happier when the product lives up to the hype. Yesterday, I had the fun opportunity to play with some new Martha Stewart products from Plaid Crafts… They've launched a new line of Martha Stewart DIY Jewelry that is available exclusively at Michaels Craft Stores. I had a BALL playing with a box full of goodies from the line…

The new jewelry line is very well thought out. It's what we've come to expect from the Martha Stewart line of products. You know when you decide to use a Martha product, that you will have the highest quality materials along with fabulous design, synonymous with the Martha Stewart name.

To begin, the line has a fabulous tool box full of all kinds of tools you will need when creating your very own jewelry…

These are just a few of the tools in the line that really make jewelry crafting fun. You have a silicon mat to work with, silicon molds, several types of pliers and metal working tools, you even have fabulous brushes.

What makes this line really fun are all the amazing options you have. You can use an element from the line as is, or you can use a glaze or enamel to totally change the look and feel of the element. Here's a look at four of the mediums you have to work with…

Using the fun Epoxy Clay you can create your very own cabochons to add to a necklace like this one that I created with several of the elements from the Martha line. The line has chains, rhinestones, beautiful statement pieces and when combined with your creativity can turn into something amazing.

Using the jewelry enamel you can add little pops of color to a piece that can transform it into something really special like this pendant necklace. It's so easy, you just combine the enamel with an activator and apply to the piece with a toothpick. It's super slick. The only issue is that you have to wait 24 hours for it to dry before you can wear it. Patients… I know, I'm not very good at waiting either. It's totally worth it though. I LOVE this new pendant necklace. All you have to do it attach it to a chain that comes in the new line with connectors that are super easy to use as well.

Do you want to add a little pizzaz to your new accessory? All you need to so is paint on some Jewelry Glaze. Leave it as is with a full burst of color, or use a cloth to wipe off a bit to give it an antique look. Either way, they are going to transform your creation into something spectacular. Next, all you have to do is decide what else you want to add on to your necklace. For the one above, I added rhinestones to add a little bling to the piece.

Above and beyond the different mediums that you can use transform your design, Martha Stewart has create some amazing elements that take your creating to the next level…

These two pieces were super easy, I just added a little color pop with some Jewelry Glaze and once that dried, which was super quick, I glued on a fabulous graphic element to create a stunning statement necklace.

All in all, I love this new line of DIY jewelry. There is something here for beginner jewelry designers all the way up to advanced designers, so there's fun for everyone!! It's so fun to create one of a kind pieces for you or for gifts for your family and friends. I know a few of these pieces that I've created are heading to school for end of the year teach gifts.

You can visit Plaid Crafts on Facebook, Pinterest & Twitter for more inspiration. And… for even more inspiration you should visit all of these posts below to see some of the other fun creations from all the bloggers who had a chance to take Martha Stewart Jewelry line for a test drive!

Jessica Sprague // Oh Shoot 2 Class GIVEAWAY

0 · May 20, 2013 · 80 Comments

This post is brought to you by Jessica Sprague.com // Happy Monday everyone!! I'm so excited for today's giveaway… My FAVORITE online learning site Jessica Sprague is launching a brand new photography class that I am sooooo excited about. It's a class for those of you who are well acquainted with your camera but who would like to learn more about composition and advanced styling techniques.

You have a dSLR camera and have already learned out to get it out of automatic – hooray for you! Now, what comes next? How about learning more about the artistic side of taking a photograph – the things beyond the words aperture and shutter speed that can take your photos to the next level?

If this sounds good to you, then we have the perfect class for you – Oh Shoot 2! Advanced Composition & Technique taught by Candice Stringham over at JessicaSprague.com. Candice is one of my all time favorite Photography instructors. She really knows her stuff!!

This 4-week long, intermediate level class will:

Review in more detail basic compositional rules
Address color theory and how it affects the mood and look of a photograph
Learn about photographing an editorial portrait
Learn about how to photograph an event
Learn about compositional rules when photographing a location
Learn tips about tabletop (small items) photography techniques

And as with all classes at JessicaSprague.com, the course materials (videos, downloadable PDFs, etc) are available to you forever! If you want to go back and retake a lesson or even the whole class at any time, everything will be available to you.

Candice Stringham, the course instructor is the real deal. An editorial photographer turned scrapbooker, Candice is a former Contributing Editor for Creating Keepsakes Magazine and was inducted into the Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame in 2006. She has a BFA in Photography and taught at a collegiate level after she graduated. Visit Candice’s blog to learn more about her and see some of her amazing work.

The next session of Oh Shoot! 2 begins June 3^rd and registration opens tonight at 9Pm EST. There are two levels of registration available. The standard class which has unlimited enrollment and the extended class, which includes comments from the instructor on your photographs. Extended enrollment fills up quickly, so be ready right at 9Pm EST to register.

Click here for more information and to register.

Jessica and her crew have been so generous and are giving away THREE level one spots to Candice's Advanced Composition and Technique Class // Oh Shoot 2… That's a $132 value!! Just follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter box below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The rafflecopter box may take a bit to load, especially if you are on Internet Explorer 9 or a mobile device… don't you worry though, it will load.

Friday Flair Link Party // Bicycle Wheel Edition

0 · May 17, 2013 · 22 Comments

Friday Flair Link Party // Well, it's FRIDAY friends!! Time for a little R&R this weekend. We are about to head into the last week of school and I have all kinds of things on my to do list before the kiddos are home all day. I am totally looking forward to the summer, but a little nervous at the same time. When we were in Vegas we had our normal summer routines and being in a new place I'm not sure how the routine is going to shake out. Do you ever worry about that kind of stuff? I'm weird about that kind of stuff. I need to be mentally prepared and then I'm just fine. The unknown, unnerves me.

Anyway, I'm loving Spring here in Lincoln. I go outside every morning to water all of my plants and I fall more and more in love with this place. The whole idea of it NOT being 100 degrees at 6:00 am is just so lovely!! My neighbor has several lilac bushes and it brings such an amazing aroma into my yard. I LOVE the smell of fresh cut grass too! I haven't really had either one of those scents in my life for quite some time. I'm loving it.

This weeks inspriation comes from a sweet friend of mine. I had the chance to meet her at Haven last june and she is just a DOLL. Seriously, one of the cutest ladies I've even met. She created a fabulous guest post several months ago for WhipperBerry on how to make a sail cloth shower curtain. To DIY for! (get it, to die for!!) LOL!! Her name is Kari and she is from Thistlewood Farm and she made the most amazing Bicycle Wheel Wall Clock that I think is one of the most creative projects out there in blog land right now. She is one super talented lady!!

img source // bicycle wheel clock from thistlewood farm

I am just loving what you can do with old bicycle wheels. Yesterday, I posted a sneak peek at what I'm working on with my old bicycle wheel. I can't wait to see how the final project pans out. Head on over to Thistewood Farm and say hello to Kari from me. She has all kinds of fabulous inspiration for you!!

Let's get the link party started!!

Color Block // Bicycle Wheel Sneak Peek

5 · May 16, 2013 · 8 Comments

Color Block Bicycle Wheel // I have always loved finding quirky little treasures to add some character to my home. I seem to always have my eyes peeled looking for fun goodies to get my hands on. A few years ago I was junking at a fabulous junk shop called Patina close to my Mom's house in Denver and found a wonderful old bicycle wheel. It made it's WhipperBerry debut in this post and was an instant hit! For the last little while I thought it could work as a fabulous photo display, but it needed something a little extra to dress it up a bit. So, I decided to give it a little color block treatment and I LOVE how it turned out!!

I have been obsessed with color blocking along with gold accents. You may have noticed… I've created several posts lately with all kinds of gold goodies. I have Dressed-up Dinnerware, Gold Accented Picture Frame & a Bowl Refashion to name a few. I've been going to town with Krylon's Metallic spray Paint and it's been getting a lot of use around my home as of late.

For this project, I used Krylon's Premium Metallic Gold Paint and their Indoor/Outdoor paint in Catalina Mist. The only other thing I used was some painters tape to create a clean line. I took the wheel which was already painted off white and distressed and hung it up in my back yard to paint.

Then I added one strip of painters tape at two different spots on the wheel. For some reason I didn't get any photos of this, but you get the idea. No need to tape like crazy. As long as you spray carefully you won't really have any issues with it. The tape is really just to create a guide for where you want to spray. I sprayed two-thirds of the wheel with the Catalina Mist and then the bottom third, gold.

Now, this is just a sneak peek, you'll have to wait until next week to see the finished project and how I use it to display my Instagram photos from Origrami. I can't wait to show it off… It's going to look sooooo cool!!

Have you found some cool and unusual ways to display photos? Leave a comment and share your fun ideas!

Crafts

Supplies

Instructions

Let's get the link party started!!

Footer