K-cup apple basket

Make some more veggies for your K-cup bushel baskets.  These apples are easy as pie (apple pie that is) to make. You can quickly create them in a few minutes with inexpensive polymer clay. 

You will need:

Polymer clay, red, yellow

Polymer clay gloss finish

Green floral wire, wire cutters, and needle nosed pliers

Small paintbrush

Tacky glue

Toothpick or clay pick tool

Waxed paper to protect work surface

Aluminum foil

Oven for baking (Do not use a microwave)

Make the K-cup basket as detailed in the following blog post: http://makeiteasycrafts.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-make-miniature-bushel-basket.html2.

1.     Roll an equal amount of red and yellow polymer clay into snake shapes and twist together.  Keep kneading the clay, blending the yellow into the red for a streaky effect.

2.     Pinch off small amounts a bit larger than pea size and roll into an apple shape tapping on the work surface to slightly flatten the bottom.  Poke a hole in the top with the toothpick or clay tool.

3.     Snip a small ½” piece of floral wire and curl one end.  Poke into the top of a few apples.  You do not need to do it to all of them.

4.     Cover a baking pan with aluminum foil and bake the apples 15 minutes at 275 degrees

5.     When the apples have cooled, spread some glue on the top area of the basket and start adding the apples.  Pile them on top in a pleasing arrangement with the ones with the wire stems facing up.  Let the glue dry.

6.     When the glue has dried, brush some gloss finish on the apples to make them shiny.

   

Crafty recycling--How to make a miniature bushel basket from a K-cup

You asked for it and so here it is a K-cup craft that is easy and cost well, practically nothing. These would make a great decorative accent for a kitchen knick-knack shelf and no one will ever guess its beginnings was an empty K-cup.  You use a handful of pinto beans to represent potatoes, but be sure and come back next week for a tutorial on making other veggies for your baskets.  Pretty soon you will have an entire farmers market!

You will need:

An empty K-cup

A Paper bag (thinner lunch size work best)

A compass

Scissors, ruler, pencil

Tacky craft glue

Small amount of pinto beans

Black marker

 Two unused staples

1.     Remove the filter and wash and dry the used K-cup.

2.     Cut open a brown paper bag and smooth it flat.  Using the compass draw a 3-inch diameter circle and cut out.

3.     Set the K-cup in the center of the circle and mark around with a pencil. (I used a marker so you can see it better) Use this circle as a guide and cut slits all around just up to the line.  Spread some tacky glue in the middle of the paper circle where you marked it and attach the K-cup.

4.      Spread some tacky glue on the K-cup and press on each of the slits, working around the K-cup.  Turning under at the top.  Make sure you liberally spread the glue on the K-cup and on the edge of the previous slit.  (See photo) When you have finished covering the entire K-cup, let dry.

5.     Cut two strips of brown paper ¾” x 7.”  Fold in half and then fold each edge to the center. Fold in half again.  Glue on one strip around ½” from the top edge.  Trim any excess.  Repeat with the other strip around the bottom edge of the basket. 

6.     Scrunch up some leftover paper bag and stuff the basket up to ½” from the top.  Glue a staple to each side of the basket. Cut a circle the diameter of the top of the basket and glue on top of the paper stuffing, letting the staples poke out of the sides.  Let dry.

7.     Spread some glue on top of the paper circle and attach some pinto beans.  Keep gluing one bean at a time until the basket appears full.  Print “taters” with a permanent maker if desired.

Folded paper heart pin with arrow tutorial

You can make this cute origami style paper heart pin pierced with Cupid’s arrow in no time for very little money.  So why not make a bunch for all your friends and family?

Folded paper heart pin with arrow

You will need:

Scrapbook paper in choice of color

Small square wood picks

Two triangle rhinestones in choice of color for each pin

Tacky craft glue (I used Aleene’s thick tacky glue)

Clothespins

Scissors, ruler

Bone folder (optional)

Pin back

Note:  When folding go over each fold to make a sharp crease with your finger or a bone folder if you have one.

1.     Put a dab of tacky glue on each end of the wood pick and attach a triangle rhinestone at each end pointing in the same direction.  Let dry.

2.     Fold two paper hearts.  Cut two pieces of scrapbook paper 1 ½” x 3 ½.” 

3.     Fold in half lengthwise. Open and fold the other way making sure you have  a sharp crease.

4.     Open and fold the bottom edge up to the middle crease line.

5.     Fold up the paper to the center crease, (See photo) and repeat on other side.

6.     Turn over.  Fold over right edge to meet the other colored edge.  Repeat on other side. (See photo)

7.     Fold in the top two corners of top right side to make a rounded edge. (see photo)  Repeat on other side.  Turn over. This is the front of the heart.

8.     Repeat steps 3 -7 to make another heart.

9.     Spread a diagonal line of glue on the back of one heart and attach the wood pick with the rhinestones. (arrow)  Spread some more glue all around and place the other heart on top with the right side facing out.  Use some clothespins to hold the hearts together while the glue dries.

10. When everything has dried glue on a pin back and let dry completely.

Make a crackle painted mini Valentine’s Day Box, it’s a snap

A crackle finish on a painted box is a snap and if you use some Valentine conversation hearts in a shadow box, it just pops!  Get it?

You will need:

Mini wood box with shadow box top. (I found mine at Michaels Craft store for $1.00

Red, pink, and gold acrylic paint

Crackle medium

Acrylic gloss varnish

Conversation heart candy

Tacky glue

Paintbrush

Painter’s tape

1.     Tape the glass on the top of the box to protect it from the paint.

2.     Paint the inside of the box and the backing piece for the shadow box with gold acrylic paint.  Paint the sides and top of the box with red acrylic paint.  Let dry.

3.     Brush on some crackle medium on the sides and top of the box over the dried red paint.  Let dry for a few minutes until it is tacky. 

4.     Paint some pink paint on the top and sides of the box.  The paint will start to crackle and the bottom red layer will show through.  Let dry completely.  Note: A thinner layer of paint will produce thin cracks and a thick layer will create thick ones.

5.     Seal the box with a layer of gloss varnish.

6.     Center a conversation heart candy on the gold painted backing piece and attach with tacky glue.  Let the glue dry.

Remove the painter’s tape form the glass and reassemble the shadow box making sure the heart candy is facing the correct direction.


Hint:  When painting the final layer of paint on top of the crackle medium, do not over brush or you cracks will disappear.


Check out my other projects and hundreds more  at Fave Crafts!