Saturday, January 31, 2015

Recycled wine Cork I love you stamps



If you have some wine, champagne or sparkling wine corks lying around why not recycle them into wine cork “I love you” stamps for Valentine’s Day?  It’s quick and easy and they have a myriad of creative uses!  Use them to stamp your envelopes for Valentine’s Day.  You can surprise the kids by stamping their lunch bags.  And if you are really creative you can even make some letters for stamping monograms.  How about a star for schoolwork?  Since the stamp surface is cork, they have a textured look when stamped. 

Note:  This tutorial is not for children.  Please take care when using craft knives

Materials:

·      Wine or champagne corks

·      X-acto knife or craft knife.  You can get narrow blades for the X-acto, which makes it easier to cut around.

·      Stamp pads

·      Sharpie marker

·      For embossing – embossing power, embossing stamp pad, and heat gun

Instructions:


1.     Draw your letter and/or heart shape on the end of the cork. 







2.     Use a craft knife to carefully outline the letter or shape all around about 1/8” deep.  Use short in and out cuts. 



3.     Turn the cork on its side and cut all around about 1/8” deep. Remove the cork from around the heart.






4.     Working back on the end of the cork where you cut around the letter, use the craft knife to cut out small sections and remove.  When you have finished clean up any excess cork with the craft knife.




5.     Have fun stamping.  You can use regular stamp pads in the color of your choice or an embossing pad and embossing powder.  To emboss use an embossing stamp.  Sprinkle on desired embossing powder.  Tap off he excess powder and use a heat gun to set it.  Another technique is to stamp with gold or silver.  Then use a fine line sharpie marker to outline all around with dashes and dots.

Stamp

Stamp in embossing pad

Sprinkle on embossing powder

Shake off excess

Set with heat gun


Outline with marker







Monday, January 26, 2015

Horse lover free printable Valentine's Day card



Valentine's Day is almost here and I thought it would be a nice gift to my readers to offer a free download for a Valentine's Day card of my original art. You can also download the hand-lettered sentiment to add to the inside of your card.  Decorate it with rhinestones, bows, and other baubles to personalize it even further. And don't just use it for Valentine's Day they make great note cards to send to all your horse loving friends! Print your card on card stock paper sized 8 1/2" x 11" in your home printer.  Fold in half.  You can either purchase 6" x 9" envelopes at your local party store or make your own.




If you download the hand lettering, print it on tracing paper in your printer and attach to the center with a glue stick.





You will need:

Download the free printable

Home printer

Card stock paper cut to 8 1/2" x 11"

Tracing paper

Glue stick

Various rhinestones or other additional bling






Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Red Floral Valentine's Day painted wine glasses



February is almost here.  Soon Valentine's Day will be here and the color red is kind of the color the day.  Wouldn't these Red daylily wine glasses be gorgeous as you raise a toast to your true love?  I happen to be one of those sappy individuals who got engaged on Valentine's Day and I've been happily married ever since.  So get those paintbrushes ready, set, go...

Materials:

Acrylic gloss paint (It will say it’s for glass on the label) Red, black, yellow, lt. green

Wine glasses

Alcohol

Paper towels

Liner brush

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 or finger marks.


2.     Wrap the tape measure around the bowl of the glass.  Attach with clear 
tape.  Thin some red 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.  Use the liner brush with black paint to make dots on the bottom of the bowl, a bit down the stem and some on the lower petal areas.  Let dry.  Add some black lines in between the dots.  (See photo) Let dry.


Inside of glass view


Inside of glass view

4.     Load the liner brush with yellow paint and add some longer yellow lines in between the black dots.  (See photo)  Do this in every petal space.  


Inside of glass view

5.    Paint the entire bottom black.  This will make the center of the flower appear darker on the inside of the glass.  Let dry.  


6.    Load the flat brush with red paint and fill in the first petal right over top of the dried dots and lines.  Continue with red paint filling in the second petal, but before the paint is dry, dip a corner of the flat brush in black paint and use it sideways to darken the area between the petals.  Rinse and dry your brush.  Continue making petals in this manner till you have filled in all six petals.  Let dry.





7.    Repeat step six for a second coat. Let dry.

8.    Paint the stem lt. green and let dry completely.  If you make any mistakes you can easily fix it with a cotton swab and alcohol or scrape it with a toothpick.  The paint is not set until you bake it.





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




Thursday, January 15, 2015

Tuxedo dog collar with Mini Bowdabra bow maker




January 14 was National dress up your pet day.  While I don’t like to force my doggies to wear uncomfortable cutesy clothing, I think they enjoy wearing a fancier collar once in a while.  What could be fancier than a black tie event? Use the Mini Bowdabra bow maker to make a perfect bow tie in seconds! National dress up your pet day isn’t just for dogs though.  Dress up your horse, cat, mice, or whatever sort of pets you have and be sure to take some photos. For more information check out National dress your pet up day. http://www.national-awareness-days.com/national-dress-your-pet-up-day.html

To make the tuxedo collar for a small dog you will need:

·      Plain collar to fit your dog

·      White felt

·      Two white or two black buttons

·      7/8” wide black wired ribbon

·      1/8” wide black ribbon

·      Ruler

·      Scissors

·      Mini Bowdabra bow maker with ruler

·      Bowdabra bow wire

·      Needle and thread or Glue gun and glue sticks

1.     Fold the felt in half and cut into a curved shape leaving the top edge straight.  Open the fold and trim it necessary to make a U shape.  Mine is for an 11 lb. terrier and its 4 inches across the top edge.  Make it wide enough to fit on the chest area of your dog.  (For larger dogs you will need to make it a little bigger)




2.     Once you have your chest shirt piece ready either sew or glue on two buttons down the center.

3.     Attach the shirt piece onto the collar closer to the buckle side.  Stitch it or you can glue it on with a glue gun. Check the fit on your dog to make sure that the decorative part of the collar in on the center of the chest when you buckle it.


Make the bow:

4.     Cut an 18-inch piece of Bowdabra bow wire.  Fold in half and insert in the Mini Bowdabra bow maker.  You will have a loop on one side and two pieces of wire on the other.


5.     Cut a piece of 7/8” wide black ribbon 7 ½” long.  Insert in the bowmaker. Make a loop at the 1 ¼” line.  Make a matching loop on the other side.  Scrunch down with the wand.





6.     Insert the two wire pieces through the loop while the bow is still in the bow maker and pull tight.  Remove the bow and tie a knot in the back.  Fluff the loops and cut off the excess wire and ribbon.



7.     Cut a small piece of 1/8” wide black ribbon.  Glue around the center of the bow.  Attach the bow to the center of the shirt piece on the collar with hot glue or sew it on.






Note:

To make the girl dress collar simply substitute white 7/8” wide ribbon for the black.  Use faux pearl buttons for the front and glue on a strip of white lace trim to the upper part of the collar Attach a length of string pearls around the center of the bow gluing to secure.



When making collars for larger dogs use wider ribbon for the bow ties.