Dress up your pens with easy tutorials

Is your desk or office full of pens and pencils but they just don’t seem to have that panache that sets them apart?  Well then, dress up your pens!  It’s easy and fun and your desk will stand out from the rest.  These tutorials are quick and easy and so much fun!  So make one—make a few and you will be writing in style.

Visit Bowdabra blog for the full tutorial to make a scrap yarn Marigold flower pen.

Yes a coffee filter makes a really cool carnation pen

And can this brown bag rose pen really be made from an ordinary brown bag?  You bet it can!

How about the elegance from days gone by and a feather pen?

Recycled champagne cork owl ornament tutorial

Champagne corks have a unique mushroom shape and I may have odd vision but it sure looked like an owl to me.  Gather your supplies  (inexpensive ones I might add) and you can make one too. If you don't have a champagne cork you can substitute a regular wine cork. Not a wine or champagne drinker?  You can always purchase wine and champagne corks inexpensively online at Etsy.com!  Play around with feather colors too...wouldn't he be cute as a snowy owl using all white feather?

You will need:

·      Champagne cork

·      Small brown/green feathers

·      Tacky craft glue

·      Paper punches, small circle and small square

·      Yellow cardstock paper

·      Black cardstock paper

·      Two small wiggle eyes (a size that will fit in the center of your paper punched circles)

·      Small eye screw

·      1/8” wide gold ribbon to fit around the neck area

·      Small awl or nail

·      Scissors

·      12” gold cord for hanging

1.     Use the paper punch to cut out two circles from the yellow card stock.  Attach a wiggle eye in the center of each circle with some tacky glue and set aside.  Punch a square with the square paper punch from black cardstock paper and use scissors to cut diagonally for an elongated triangle.

2.     Use the awl to drill a hole on each side of the cork right under the narrow part. (Neck area)  Choose two larger feathers; dip the shafts into some tacky glue and insert in the holes you made on the sides of the cork. (Wings made)  Let dry.

3.     Begin gluing feathers by running a bead of tacky glue on the body of the cork and attaching feathers one by one. (See photo) You may have to cut the ends of the shaft to fit.  Continue gluing feathers all around to cover the front and back of the cork body. Let dry.  Cut a piece of 1/8” wide gold ribbon to fit around the neck and use some tacky glue to attach. 

4.     Use some tacky glue to attach the black triangle beak to the head and then attach the wiggle eyes/yellow paper on each side.  Let all the glued areas dry completely. (See photo)  Use an awl to drill a hole in the top center of the head and attach an eye screw.

5.    Cut a piece of gold cord and add to the eye screw for hanging.

Feather blossom hairpins

Wouldn’t Mom just love these feather blossom hairpins?  You can whip them up in a flash and attach them to just about anything. 

You will need:

Feathers in desired colors

Tacky craft glue

Black stiffened felt

Buttons or cabochons

Hairpins, barrettes or hair band

Glue gun and glue sticks

Compass and white pencil

Scissors

1.     Use the compass to draw a 1 inch diameter round shape on the stiffened felt.  Cut out.

2.     Begin attaching feathers with tacky glue in a spoke like pattern.  If the feather I slightly bent—bend the end of the shaft and cut where the bend line is so that it lays flatter. It may be easier to add the glue directly to the shaft of the feather.  Make sure the feathers you use are about the same size.

3.     Continue working around till your reach your starting point.  Fill in any sparse areas with extra feathers.  Let it dry completely

4.     When the blossom is dry use some tacky glue to attach a cabochon, rhinestone or button in the center.  Let dry. 

5.     You can use these feather blossoms to decorate all sorts of things.  Use a glue gun and glue sticks to attach to a hairpin.  Add to a hair band.  Use in scrapbooking.  The sky is the limit.

Revamp an Easter basket

You know I have a lot of Easter baskets stored in my basement. The dark, storage area is very conducive to basket growth.  As I take them out though, some of them seem a bit worse for wear. What is a gal to do?  Feathers, glue gun and just a few minutes is all you need to re-vamp it in style!

You will need:

An old Easter basket

Some dyed guinea feathers or regular colored feathers

Glue gun and glue sticks

1.     Heat up your glue gun.  Start adding feathers to the rim of the basket, overlapping as you go.  Make sure you attach the feathers in the same direction.  Vary the colors.  Note: Glue gun glue is very hot!  Be careful not to touch the places where you add the glue.  The feathers will stick pretty quickly.

2.     Work all around until you reach the first feather.  Add a dab of glue onto the base of a feather and stick it under the first feather to cover. 

                                                                           

Easy Peacock feather wreath

  

Feathers are all the rage.  I happen to just love peacock feathers so that is what I used for my wreath, but you could easily substitute any feathers and have a super result.

You will need:

12-inch grapevine wreath

Peacock feathers

Glue gun and glue sticks

1.      Add a bit of hot glue on the tip of a feather and stick in an open area of the wreath. Work in one direction around the wreath adding glue and overlapping the feathers a bit as you go. 

2.     Continue adding glue to feathers and placing them in the wreath in the same direction around the wreath. (See photo)

3.     When you reach the end add some feathers to fill in any open areas.

Feather Pen

I just love the old time feather quills—they are just so darned romantic.  I can envision myself sitting at an ornate desk, dipping into the ink and writing a letter to my true love…but I digress.  Ok, so it’s not a feather quill pen but it doubles as one for the 21^st century so it works for me.  I used peacock feathers, but you can easily substitute regular large size colored feathers. 

You will need:

Pentel Ball point stick pens (the ones that screw off the top)

Peacock or regular feathers (about 5 inches in length)

Awl or sharp nail

Tacky craft glue

Heavy corrugated cardboard to work on

1.     Unscrew and remove the cap of the ballpoint pen.  Use the awl to bore a hole in the top of the cap. Make the hole large enough to insert the feather.  I like to use a piece of heavy corrugated cardboard from a cardboard box to work on.

2.     Add a dab of glue on the tip end of the feather and insert into the cap.  When you replace the cap if the top of the feather end reaches the ink tube, insert it inside. Screw it back together.

Variation:  I like my pen as is, but if you like you can further enhance your feather pen.  Simply cut a strip of printed duct tape 4" x 1 1/4" and attach to the barrel of the pen.  Roll on carefully to prevent any wrinkles. (See photo below)