Thursday, June 12, 2014

Fourth of July floral painted wine glasses tutorial



Never tried painting on glass?  Well, what are you waiting for? This tutorial takes you step by step you through the entire process for painting patriotic flower wine glasses! Acrylic gloss paint dries quickly so it’s easy to paint in layers and allow each layer to dry before beginning the next one.  As a result the petals of the flowers are on the outside and when you look in the glass you will see the inside of the flower.  These fantasy flowers in red, white and blue are just in time for the Fourth of July!  After the paint dries, bake the glasses in your home oven and they will be top rack dishwasher safe although I always recommend hand washing.  

You will need:

Acrylic gloss paint (It will say it’s for glass on the label) Red, white, blue, black

Wine glasses

Alcohol

Paper towels

Liner brush

Large flat brush

Small flat brush

Tape measure and clear tape

Cotton swab or toothpick

Paper plate or palette to hold your paint

Home oven and cookie sheet

1.     Wash and dry the wine glasses.  Wipe down the glasses with alcohol to remove any residue, oils and finger marks.


2.     Wrap the tape measure around the bowl of the glass.  Attach with clear tape.  Thin some black paint with water and make dots two inches apart for a total of six. (My wine glass was 12 inches in circumference.  If yours is smaller make allowances for six equal sections. Remove the tape measure. Using the thinned paint make petal shapes using the dots as guides.  It is not important to be perfect since flower petals are not perfect.




3.     Turn the glass over and work on the outside bottom of the glass.  Using the liner brush begin making dots with the white paint a little up the stem, on the bowl, and base of your petals.  Let dry. Add several wiggly lines on each petal.  (See photo)  Let dry.



Inside view

4.     Using the large flat brush and blue paint fill in the petals skipping each one.  You will have three blue petals.  Let dry. Rinse your brush and fill in with red paint on the remaining petals.  When dry repeat this process for a second coat of paint.


5.     Rinse out your brush and add some white paint and cover the stem and base of the glass.  Let dry.

6.     Using the liner brush make small asterisk shapes on the blue petals in a random pattern, filling it in as shown.  Repeat for other blue petals and let dry.



7.     Using the small flat brush make red stripes on the base of the wine glass in a spoke like pattern and let dry.  To finish make some red stripes on the stem of the glass with red paint and the small flat brush.  Let dry.  If there are any mistakes you can use a cotton swab or toothpick to scrap it away.  Before you bake your glass if you have made any major mistakes you can always wash it off and start over.




8.     Place your painted wine glasses on a cookie sheet and put in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.  Let cool in the oven before removing. (Nope, it won’t melt)



Coming next...Red day lily flower painted wine glass tutorial





Saturday, June 7, 2014

Patriotic antenna hairband tutorial



Kids’ are out of school, already bored, and looking for something to do. These patriotic antenna hairbands are fun and easy to create and wear at all their Fourth of July celebrations.  Quick and easy!

You will need:

Patriotic tubing (available at craft stores)

Plastic hairband

Red and blue chenille stems

Red duct tape

Scissors

Ruler

Pencil

1.     Thread tubing onto the hairband leaving a few inches at each end without tubing.  Cut a piece of duct tape about 3/4” wide and 1 ½” long.  Attach the duct tape to the end of the tubing and the hairband, wrapping around to secure.  Repeat on the opposite side







2.     Fold a red and blue chenille stem in half.  Twist each stem onto the top of the tubing covered hairband.  Space them evenly across the top.




3.     Cut a 5-inch piece of tubing and thread it onto the two ends of the twisted chenille stem.  Use a ¾” x 1 ½” piece of red duct tape to wrap around the end of the chenille stem and at the base of the hairband.  This will secure the tubing in place. (See photo) Repeat for other side.




4.     Use a pencil to twist the wrapped chenille stems to a spiral.  Adjust if needed. 






Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Father's Day free printable



Print out this free printable on card stock.  Fold the sides in and stand up at the breakfast table for a nice little surprise for Dad on his special day.


Did you know That Father's Day was started by a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd who was one of six children raised by a widower in Washington State? Although she met with a lot of resistance to the holiday, her perseverance paid off on July 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington but it was still a ways off from becoming a national holiday.

It wasn't until 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed it into law!

Happy Father's Day






Thursday, May 29, 2014

Mini book gift card holder for your favorite teacher or Dad



It’s getting close to the end of the school year and what do give as a gift for a favorite teacher?  I don’t know any teacher who doesn’t have at least 3 dozen coffee mugs and cookies are nice but maybe your child should show of his or her measuring abilities and make a mini book gift card holder for a gift card.  Yes, gift cards are great you can get them in almost any denominations these days and the teacher can choose the gift. I've made this gift card holder for teachers, but don't stop there...Father's Day is coming up and it would be so easy to replace the ABC letters with DAD!  

You will need:

Card stock paper

Dimensional design or regular felt

Tacky craft glue, clothespin

Ruler

Pencil

Scissors

Felt or foam letters or alternately mini felt apples (or you can make an apple from mini red hearts.)

Small amount of green chenille stem (for apple motif only)

5 inches of gold cord

Raised button

1.     Cut the cardstock into a 6” x 8” rectangle.


2.     Fold the cardstock in half meeting end to end.


3.     Rotate and fold in half again. (See photo)


4.     Open the folded piece of cardstock.  Fold up the lower right hand corner using the fold line as a guide. (See photo)  Refold the card and you will have formed a little pocket.  Put a dab of glue at the lower corner to secure the pocket and secure with a clothes pin till dry.







5.     Cut a piece of felt for the cover 6 ¼” x 4 ¼”.


6.     Cut a four-inch piece of gold cord for the closure.

7.     Turn the card over and measure and make a pencil mark down 2 inches on the side with the pocket. Make the cord into a loop and attach at the mark you made with a dab of tacky glue. This is the closure loop.  Turn over before you glue to make sure it is on the backside and when pulled around to the front will close the book.  (See photo)



8.     Spread a generous amount of tacky glue onto the entire back and attach the felt.  If your felt is dimensional or a print, be sure that it faces the correct direction.  Let dry.




9.     Glue a button on the front of the book and use it to loop the cord over it to hold the book closed.



10. Attach three felt or foam letters lengthwise down the front, A,B,C. or your can alternately attach a couple of felt apples.  Be creative!  Open the book and insert the gift card.








Note:  If you can find apples and you would like it to have an apple you can make apples with two small hearts.  Turn one upside down on top of the other and trace the top on the bottom of the first one and cut.  Use a piece of green chenille stem on the top and glue to the book front.