Bzzy Little Bee - Crafting Adventures in Southern California by Carmen Flores Tanis

ImpressArt Metal Stamps Challenge - Family Tree Stamped Wristband

Happy Mothers Day, Mom!

I am so delighted to be participating in a special CHA Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop challenge this week hosted by ImpressArt Metal Stamps! Twenty-two designers were given the wonderful opportunity to create projects using ImpressArt metal stamping tools and metal blanks. It was so much fun! The timing was perfect because I was able to make a fun stamped metal and leather wristband for my mom just in time for Mother's Day. It's decorated with all our family names so now Mom can wear her family tree on her wrist! (By the way - that's me in the picture in the top left hand corner.) 

This project takes about two hours and here's how to make your own stamped wristband:

Family Tree Stamped Wristband

Materials:

- ImpressArt Metal Stamping Blank - Copper Maple Leaf

- 1 1/2" blank leather wristband (available in my shop here)

- tiny brads (available in the scrapbooking section at the craft store)

Tools & Supplies:

- ImpressArt Alphabet Stamp Set - Ballroom Boogie - Lowercase

- ImpressArt Design Stamp - Whimsy Heart

- ImpressArt Metal Stamping Hammer

- ImpressArt Steel Stamping Block

- ImpressArt Stamp Straight Tape

- drill w/ a tiny drill bit (I used a 2mm bit)

- piece of wood for drilling on

- green scrubbie

- metal file

- Jacquard Piñata Inks - Burro Brown

- woodburning Tool

- sponge

- brown Shoe Polish

- plastic hammer & bracelet mandrel (for bending copper blank)

- pencil / paper towels / cloth

- super glue

Here's what you do:

1. Use the drill with the tiny drill bit to drill three holes in the ImpressArt Copper Maple Leaf. (You'll use these holes to attach the copper piece with brads to the leather wristband later on.) Place the wood piece under the copper leaf to avoid drilling into your table.

2. Use the metal file to file down the burrs which the drilling caused at the edges of the holes. Also use the file to soften the edges of the leaf.

3. Scrub the front of the copper leaf with the green scrubbie to get a nice brushed metal finish.

4. Time for metal stamping! Use a piece of the ImpressArt Stamp Straight Tape on the copper leaf to help align your text and to also hold the leaf in place on the ImpressArt Steel Stamping Block. Use the ImpressArt Alphabet Stamp Set and ImpressArt Brass Metal Stamping Hammer to stamp the word "family". 

5. Add texture to the leaf with the asterisk stamp.

6. Apply a few drops of the Jaquard Piñata Ink Burro Brown to the leaf. Work it into the crevices and then wipe off the excess with a paper towel. This helps the letters and textured areas really pop.

7. On to the leather wristband! Figure out where you like the placement of the copper leaf on the leather wristband and use the pencil to trace the leaf's outline on the leather. Continue to trace more leaf shapes on the leather until you fill the entire wristband. 

8. Use the woodburning tool to burn the pencil outlines. Try to keep the point of the woodburning tool constantly moving to avoid overburning the leather. Do the entire wristband.

9. Let's stamp that leather! Dampen the leather with a wet sponge. This hydrates the leather to help the letters stamp clearly.

10. Use the alphabet stamps and the Whimsy Heart stamp to stamp each leaf with a favorite family name. (Don't forget where you will be attaching the copper leaf and you can leave that area on the leather blank.)

11. Drill three holes on the leaf where the copper leaf will be attached. Rub shoe polish all over the wristband and especially work it into the stamped names. Buff to a shine with the cloth.

12. The copper leaf needs a little bit of a bend to have it follow the curve of the wristband when it is worn on a wrist. Bend the copper leaf using the plastic hammer and the bracelet mandrel. Just a little bend - you don't need much.

13. Line up the holes in the copper leaf with the holes in the wristband and insert three tiny brads. Spread the tines of the brads against the back of the wristband and secure each one with a drop of super glue.

14. That's it! Wouldn't these be fun in different colors as gifts for anniversaries and weddings? And they are so fun to make! Who doesn't love swinging a hammer?!

Thank you so much, ImpressArt Metal Stamps for this super fun challenge and thank you to fabulous designer Theresa Cifali for coordinating it!

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Be sure to check out more ImpressArt Challenge projects by following along on the Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop. Just click on the "hop forward" or "hop back" buttons on the badge to visit the next site.

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Plus! Now you have a chance to win a Grand Prize from ImpressArt Metal Stamps!  

The Grand Prize is valued at up to $120.00 and contains:

1- ImpressArt alphabet set of the winner's choice

1- ImpressArt Steel Stamping Block, small

1- ImpressArt Metal Stamping Hammer

1- ImpressArt Stamp Straight Tape

An Assortment of metal discs

Just head over to ImpressArt's Facebook page and follow the directions: ImpressArt Facebook Fan Page

Deadline to enter May 21st. Good luck and I hope you win!

CHA Designer Craft Connection - Soda Can Swirl Resin Pendant

Swirly Whirly 

Lots of crafters have huge stashes of fabric all in pretty colors just waiting to be transformed into something fabulous. Me? I blush to say that instead of a fabric stash (although I do have that too) I have a large stash of soda can aluminum. I'm not a big soda drinker but luckily I have friends and family who kindly collect the brightly colored cans for me. I like to kid that my friends give me trash! 

So seeing as how the theme for this month's Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop is Quick'n EZ Jewelry, I decided to make a simple bezel pendant featuring UV resin and shapes cut from soda can aluminum. If you've never worked with UV resin, then this project will show you how easy it is to use.

Waiting To Be Transformed

Soda Can Swirl Resin Pendant

Materials:

- flattened soda can aluminum sheets

- UV resin (I used Gel du Soleil available here)

- bezel (I used a 1 1/4" Large circle bezel by Nunn Designs find it here)

- sheet of cardstock

Tools:

- UV light (available here)

- 1 1/4" circle paper punch (PaperShapers work well to punch aluminum)

- 1/4" hole punch

- super glue

- embossing heat tool

- scissors

- a pin

Here's what you do:

1. Use the circle paper punch to punch one circle from the aluminum and one circle from the cardstock. This is the hard part. Why? Because it's just so difficult to choose between all those pretty soda can sheets!

2. Glue the aluminum circle to the paper circle with the super glue. Weigh it down with something heavy to ensure complete contact between the aluminum and the paper.

The reason I glue the aluminum to the paper is because it's very difficult to glue aluminum alone into a bezel: if the aluminum is at all curled or bent, it wants to pull away from the metal bezel and you can get air bubbles trapped underneath. I like to use the super glue because water-based glues can prevent the resin from curing properly and I can also use it to glue aluminum to aluminum as you'll see in step 4.

3. Use the circle punch, the scissors and the 1/4" hole punch to cut more shapes from the aluminum.   

4. Glue the extra shapes onto the aluminum circle and flatten well.

5. When you're happy with your design, put some super glue on the paper side of the aluminum circle and press it into the bezel. Make sure you press it firmly into the bezel to get all the air bubbles out from underneath.

6. Gently pour UV resin into the bezel. Fill the bezel about halfway up then gently rotate the bezel to make sure that the resin flows all the way to the edges. Use the embossing heat tool to gently expand and pop any air bubbles that appear on the surface. Additionally, I like to put the resin filled bezel on a thin metal lid (like from a candy tin) and heat it from below. This will expand any hidden air bubbles and float them to the top where you can lift them out with a pin or pop them with another gentle blast from the embossing heat tool. Be very careful with the embossing heat tool - you don't want to burn the resin or add extra dust.

A Few Pesky Bubbles Ready For Popping

7. Carefully place the resin filled bezel in the UV light opening. I like to leave it there for at least 15 minutes. (This step is called "curing" - unlike water based glues and paints which dry when all the is moisture removed, resins "cure" by a chemical reaction which causes them to harden.)

8. If you'd like a nice domed effect, add another layer of resin repeating the same steps as above to remove any air bubbles and cure again in the UV light.

9. When the piece is done curing in the UV light, add a jumpring and chain and you're good to go!

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Quick links to some of the materials used in this project:

Large Circle Bezel Shiny Silver

Judikins Gel du Soleil UV Resin

Judikins UV Light

InLinkz.com

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You can see lots more Quick'n EZ Jewelry ideas by following along on the Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop. Just click on the "hop forward" or "hop back" buttons on the badge to visit the next site.

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PLUS be sure to check back Saturday May 12 when 20 designers will be participating in a fun challenge featuring ImpressArt Metal Stamps and Tools! There will be a giveaway and lots of great projects! I can't wait to show you what I come up with!

Celebrate Earth Day - With A Recycled Cardboard Pow!

Holy Fist Fight! Oof!

I really hate to toss anything into the trash which might have even a drop of crafty potential still left in it. (It's a thin line between Crafter DNA and horder DNA and a line that I tread daily.) That's why I love the idea of repurposing and recycling: you're challenged to be clever and to come up with interesting ways to give second lives to items which would normally just be thrown into the garbage heap. So with Earth Day coming up on April 22, I thought I'd give some old cardboard and fridge magnets the gift of life. Comic book super hero style and super hero easy.

Comic Book Hero Recycled Cardboard Magnets

Materials:

- cardboard 

- old advertising magnets (the thin sheet kind like you get from realtors, dentists and pizza delivery places)

Tools:

- assorted markers and paint pens 

- a die cutter & dies (I used Accucut Flower #5 and Sizzix Build A Flower #3)

- black ink pad

- dotted rubber stamp (the one I used is from Inkadinkadoo)

- glue

- scissors

Here's what you do:

1. Cut flower shapes from cardboard using the die cutter and dies.

2. Use a bright marker to color the entire cardboard shape. 

3. Ink up the dotted rubber stamp with black ink and stamp dots on the cardboard shape.

4. Write an expressive word on the shape with a black paint pen. Think action hero! Then outline the entire shape in black too.

5. Outline the word with a white paint pen to make it pop!

6. Finish up by cutting a piece of the old advertising magnet and glueing it onto the back to cardboard shape. 

Kapow! Another pile of cardboard and old magnets saved from the waste basket! 

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You can see more fun Earth Day creative projects at the linky party going on at 100 Directions.  It's earth friendly fun!

How To Make A Spiral Flower Cork Coaster Gift Set for Only $2

Bouquet of Cork Flower Coasters

Hooray for April! The CHA Designer Crafts Blog Connection theme for this month is "Mixed Media" so I decided to combine two of my crafty loves - the dollar store and spirograph drawing - to make this fun quick project.  

I found a little spirograph gear drawing tool and a pack of four cork coasters on my last trip to the dollar store. I used supplies from home so the total cost of the final coaster set was only $2.00! Plus tax. :)  

Spiral Flower Cork Coaster Set

Materials:

- cork coasters

- cardboard 

- large plastic lid (I got mine from a large empty container of nuts)

- ribbon, twine or paper twist

Tools:

- spirograph gear drawing tool

- assorted permanent markers and paint pens (make sure they are permanent or waterproof so the colors won't run when someone sets a drink on the coasters)

- paper tape

- scissors

Here's what you do:

1. Use pieces of tape to attach the larger part of the spirograph tool to a cork coaster. This will keep the piece from slipping as you draw.

 

2. Use a marker or paint pen in the smaller gear to draw a design on the cork. Work slowly because the gear has a tendency to jump and skip teeth. Also work from the lightest color to the darkest - that will help keep the colors from becoming muddy.

3. Add more colors. 

 

4. Once you're done with the spiral flowers, add finishing details.

 

5. You're on a roll! Decorate all the coasters in the pack. 

 

6. Now that you've made the set of coasters, how about making a holder for them? Take the large lid and trace around the outside onto the cardboard to make a circle. Trace two circles - one a little bit bigger than the lid and one a little smaller.

 

7. Fit the smaller circle inside the lid. This adds a nice finishing touch.  

 

8.  Put all the coasters inside the lid.

 

9. Cut a flower or simple shape from the cardboard and punch a hole in the center. 

 

10. Tie the larger circle onto the top of the lid using ribbon, twine or paper twist. Finish off with the cardboard flower. Tie it snugly but loose enough so that you can slide the lid with the coasters in and out like a drawer.

 

11. Now you've got a little set of coasters that's pretty enough to give as a present!

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You can see lots more fun mixed media ideas by following along on the Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop.  Plus a lot of participating designers are having give-a-ways! How cool is that?! Just click on the "hop forward" or "hop back" buttons on the badge to visit the next site.

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Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop - Polymer Clay Holiday Trees

Time for this month's CHA Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop! This month the theme is Thanksgiving / Fall so here's a look at one of my favorite projects - fun little trees made out of polymer clay.  

Gobble Gobble Gobble!!

Figuring out the engineering is probably my favorite part of designing a craft. For the tree, I set a piece of armature wire in a pot full of plaster to act as the trunk. Then I constructed some cones out of half circles of paper to act as molds for the polymer clay tree "skirts". I also rolled out some clay balls and logs to act as spacers between the "skirts".  

Plaster filled pot, clay spacers and paper cones

Basic Shape A-OK!

Once I got the design of the structure right, it was time to go to town! To form the skirts, I rolled out sheets of white polymer clay, added texture and draped each sheet on a paper cone to get that funnel shape. I added a few clay cutouts and then into the oven they went. I also made a little turkey tree topper by adding a clay tail and head to a tiny gourd body.  Once the clay came out of the oven, I painted everything with acrylics. (I also painted the pot and used paint pens to write text along the rim.) Once all the individual pieces were ready, I assembled everything with just a little glue to hold each part in place.

I Can See Your House From Here!

And of course, I couldn't stop there. I went on a crafting spree and made an entire collection of holiday trees!

My Holiday Forest

From left to right above - Thanksgiving/Fall, Winter Wonderland, Halloween, Partridge in a Pear Tree, Valentine's Day. 

Holiday Inn

All the trees are topped with tiny gourds with extra clay details like the snowman's hat and scarf. Oh! I almost forgot - each tree stands about fifteen inches tall so they make fun centerpieces. Now that's some Holiday Whobee Whatee for you!

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Be sure to check out all the other fabulous holiday projects in the Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop! Just click "hop forward" or "hop backward" on the DC Connection badge to visit the other blogs.  

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Bonus!  The Designer Craft Connections has a new Facebook page!  Come LIKE it so you'll be sure to find out about all our fun challenges, announcements and giveaways. Tell your friends!  https://www.facebook.com/DesignerCraftsConnection

 

Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop - Groovy Faux Stained Glass Light Up Box

I am so pleased to be participating in the October CHA Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop because it's an extra fun one! This month the hop is generously sponsored by WESTCOTT BRAND® Cutting Tools. Because October is National Breast Awareness Month, the theme of the project challenge is Pink. And what better place to start with the color pink than with the tools and materials themselves! Wescott Brand, along with VELCRO® Brand Hook and Loop Fasteners and The Duck Brand® Duct Tape, sent out several lovely boxes jam packed with pink goodies which sent my brain into the crafty stratosphere!  Thanks so much to designer Marisa Pawelko for organizing this! (At the end of this post, you can find out about the great giveaway that Westcott is giving away to one lucky winner.)

 

Swoon!!

The Challenge was to come up with something fabulous and here's what I came up with - my Groovy Faux Stained Glass Light Up Box.  

Sock It To Me, Baby

 

Materials:

- cardboard box (I used one of the mailing boxes that all the goodies came in and which opens like a briefcase)

- sheet of brown kraft paper

- sheet of white The Duck Brand® Duct Tape Sheet

- VELCRO® Sticky Back Tape - black (the loop part only)

- VELCRO® Plant Ties - pink

- can of black spray paint

- assorted plastic office folders

- string of mini lights

- piece of scrap construction paper 

- plate or frame stand

 

Tools:

- Wescott Brand® Craft Knife

- extra blades

- Wescott Self Healing Cutting Mat

- Wescott Brand® 3" Fine Cut Scissors

- Wescott Brand® 5" Microtip Scissors

- Wescott Brand® 8" Straight Cut Scissors

- pencil

- permanent markers in assorted colors

- sheet of carbon paper

- adhesive spray

- adhesive roller

 

Here's what you do:

1. First thing you do is disassemble the box and spray the outside with spray adhesive. Adhere the sheet of brown kraft paper. (I did this because the box was a little dinged up and I wanted a smooth finish).

 

2. Using the Wescott craft knife and cutting mat, trim and remove the excess paper.

 

3. Trace your design onto the box lid with pencil and carbon paper.  (I used Illustrator to make my design).

 

4. Use the craft knife to cut the design into the cardboard. (Cardboard is very hard on blades so if you start having trouble cutting then the blade is probably dull and needs to be replaced).

 

5. Cardboard doesn't always cut smoothly so use the Wescott 3" scissors to remove any paper "threads" and hanging bits. Those little scissors are great for getting into tight corners.

6. In a well ventilated area, spray the box - inside and out - with the black spray paint.  Let dry thoroughly.

7. You'll use the large Wescott 8" scissors to jigsaw puzzle the colored plastic office folders. (These folders are nothing fancy - just use whatever plastic sheets you have handy). Cut rectangles out of the plastic large enough to cover each word and shape in the design. Once you're happy with the color combination, attach the pieces to the inside of the lid with the adhesive roller.

 

8. Time to attach the mini lights. Stick three strips of the VELCRO Sticky Back Tape (the loop part only) evenly across the inside back of the box.

9.  Cut 2" strips from the VELCRO Plant Ties. Secure the mini light strand to the inside of the box by wrapping the strand randomly with the 2" strips and pressing them into the black loop strips already in the box. (Make sure that the hook part of the plant ties is facing out so that it will easily attach to the black hook strips).  

 

10. Cut a hole in the box in the bottom corner for the mini light cord to pass through.

 

11.  For a little more decoration, use the Westcott 5" scissors to cut out a simple flower stencil from the piece of scrap construction paper. Use the stencil and permanent markers on the sheet of white Duck Tape to draw flowers in different colors. Cut out the flowers and apply to the sides of the box.

 

12. Add a stand and you're done! 

 

Here is the final light up box with the house lights on: 

And switched on with the house lights off! 

Groovy baby! 

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Now here's the really cool part: Wescott Brand® is choosing one lucky winner to receive a Deluxe Assortment of Westcott Cutting Tools! Wow! All you have to do is leave a comment on the DCC Blog Hop Post at  http://westcottbrand.blogspot.com/ prior to November 1^st . Plus get a second chance to win by leaving a comment on the Westcott Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/WestcottBrand . It could be you!

*Actual prize assortment may vary slightly & ships only to US address

Did you know that 

• Westcott Brand® Scissors are the WORLD’S FAVORITE SCISSORS™ meaning Westcott sells more scissors than any other manufacturer in the world!

• Westcott Brand® Titanium Bonded Non Stick Scissors are the BEST Non Stick Scissors on the market that never get stuck and can easily cut through Sticky Back VELCRO®, Duck Tape and multiple layers of fabric and other materials!

• Titanium bonded blades are 3 times harder than stainless steel and never need sharpening!

• Westcott Brand® Cutting Tools have the best performance! The 3” scissors can even cut through 5 layers of fabric!

• Westcott Brand® Cutting Tools are ergonomic and come in several different color options!

 

And be sure to check out all the other fabulous projects in the Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop! Just click "hop forward" or "hop backward" on the DC Connection badge to visit the other blogs.  

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Wait! Before you go - in keeping with the Westcott Brand tradition of giving back to the community, Westcott will once again be teaming up with CharityWings.org in an online auction of the designers' creations with the proceeds going to raise funds for breast cancer awareness.  Click here to visit the auction site.

Blog County Fair - Flock of Sheepies Magnets

I am so excited to participate in a lovely Blog County Fair organized by designers Vicki O"Dell of The Creative Goddess and Laura Bray of Katydiddys.  One of my favorite things to see at a county fair is always the animals especially the sheep and piggy races! Here then is my project to make sheep magnets using craft foam and wire.  

Counting Sheepies

Here's what you'll need to make these cuties:

Materials:

- sheet of thick white craft foam

- wire (18 gauge / black annealed works best)

- moving craft eyes

- magnets

- metal tin gift box for final packaging

- green paper for background

- green grass garnish (the kind that decorates sushi platters)

Materials

Tools:

- wire cutters

- chain or round nose pliers

- black paint pens

- glue

- die cut machine & die (I used Accucut Flower #11 Small)

Tools

Instructions:

1. Use the die cut machine and die to cut out small flower shapes from the thick white foam.  (If you don't have a die cut machine you can use a craft knife to cut flower / cloud shapes from the foam.)

Die Cut Shapes

2. Draw a little black face on each die cut foam shape.  It's basically a triangle with rounded corners with two little ears added.  

Adding The Face

3. Glue a magnet to the back with a dollop of glue. (It helps to glue the magnet before you add the legs because otherwise the metal legs will make the magnet drift while the glue sets.)

Glue Magnet On Back

4. Using the wire cutter. cut four 2" pieces of wire each sheep. Then form a little foot at the end of each wire by using the pliers to twist a little double loop.  

Forming Loops For Feet

5. Now you'll add the wire legs to the body.  Dab a little glue to one end of a leg and poke it into the edge of the foam shape.  The wire should be completely embedded and hidden inside the body with only a little bit of the end with the loop exposed.  Do the same for the remaining three legs.  

Poke Wire Legs Into Body

6. Time for the eyes!  Dab a little glue on each eye and place on the little face.  

The Better To See You With!

7. That's it for sheep number one!  Continue with the remaining pieces of foam shapes to make a whole flock of sheepies.

I'm Feeling Sleepy What With All These Sheep To Count

8. The last step is to make those sheepies a home.  Cut out a piece of the green paper to fit the metal tin gift box. Add a spot of glue to keep it in place in the box.  Glue two of the plastic grass garnish pieces along the bottom edge of the paper so that it looks like a lawn.

The Grass Really Is Always Greener!

9. Now round up those sheepies and put them all in the box. BoPeep would be so proud.

You Can Chant "BaaRamEwe" But Please Don't Cry Wolf!

 

Want to see more Blog Country Fair projects?  Click on the badge below to visit more participating designers:

Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop: How To Mend A Rip In A Favorite Shirt - And Be Crafty About It

It's time for the Monthly Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop!  This month's theme is celebrations.  My post is a nutty interpretation of the theme - I celebrate knocking a couple of items off my To-Do list by mending some shirts that were long due for some fixing!

Patched & All Better

Rrrrriiiiipppppp!  Ohhhhhhhh nooooooooooooo!  

Usually that's the sound of a treasured item of clothing taking one step closer to the donation bin. Sure you could still wear it around the house when no one is looking but why not just spend a few minutes and a couple of dollars to repair that boo-boo and add some some cuteness at the same time?  Here's how I dried my tears and fixed two injured favorite shirts recently.

Here are the two shirts that I started out with. The green shirt was a polyester blend that I had melted by ironing on too high a setting. The tear in the pink shirt happened when I snagged it on a doorjamb.  I was sad because these shirts had been laundered so often that the fabric was soft and yummy and fit just right. It would have been difficult to stitch up these kinds of holes without leaving big ugly scars so I decided to patch them instead.

Poor Babies

I had a pack of iron-on patches in my sewing box which just happened to be the perfect off-white color.

Fabric First Aid Kit

I used a stencil and a fabric disappearing ink marker to draw a large flower shape on the patch material. 

Then a quick snip with the scissors to cut out the flower.  I also cut out a rectangle large enough to cover the rip on the pink shirt.

Following the directions on the package, I ironed the rectangle on the pink shirt. (I had rounded the corners of the patch a little first.)  I loaded my sewing machine with off-white thread and added a zigzag stitch all along the edges. 

Next came the fun part.  In order to add decorative freehand stitching it was necessary to somehow disable the feed dogs.  Feed dogs are the little "grabbers" that normally serve to propel the fabric forward as you sew. My machine uses a little plastic "darning plate" that snaps in place to cover up the feed dogs.

Darning Plate Close Up

Then with the feed dogs disabled, it was very easy to move the fabric in every direction as if writing with thread.  I used my favorite "scribble" technique to embroider first with the off-white thread.

 

Then I switched to a pink thread and scribbled some more.  It was so fun!

Then it was the green shirt's turn.  Again, the first step was ironing on the patch.

Next came the zigzagging.  This was a little trickier because of all the curves.  

I finished up the flower with a spiral center and then added a couple more flowers to make a bunch!

And that's it!  I did these really quickly and pretty much on the fly.  But with a little more design planning you could come up with some really cute patches. You can also easily change things up by varying the colors of the patch material and of the threads. Rips and Tears - you won't be making me cry anymore!

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This post is part of the Designer Crafts Blog Hop. Click on the "hop back" or "hop forward" buttons on the badge below to see wonderful crafts by other participating designers.

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Too Many Reusable Bags? Make A Yoga Sling Tote!

Reusable tote bags - they are everywhere!  It seems like no matter where you go now, you get handed a promotional bag and who doesn't love that?!  But if you're like me - you've just realized that you've amassed a huge collection of bags without even trying. And you know what too many of any one thing means to a crafter: time to repurpose!  With this super-easy, minimal-sewing project you can turn one bag into a fun yoga mat sling tote. And with a project this easy, why not transform a few more bags from your collection into sweet gifts for all your workout buddies. You'll be working out in style.

Materials:

- One large cloth tote bag - The kind that are shaped like paper grocery bags with a flat bottom work the best. The bag just needs to be tall enough to wrap once around your mat with about a 1" overlap. The one I used measured 20" wide x 16" tall.

- 3 pieces Velcro - hook & loop

- thread

- sewing machine

- scissors

- pins

- acrylic paint (nothing fancy - whatever you've got will work)

- rubber stamp

- old baking dish or plate for mixing paint

- brayer - totally optional - this helps with spreading the paint on the plate but a popsicle stick or old credit card will also work fine.

 

Instructions:

1. Lay the bag out flat so that the the folded bottom of the bag faces down toward table. The side facing up will be the front face of your sling tote. That bottom material which is folded underneath in the picture will be on the inside, next to the mat, whenever you wrap the bag around the mat. It will get sewn flat in place later when you add the Velcro.

2. Moving to the other end with the strappy handles, leave the handle on the top layer alone and cut off the handle on the bottom layer at both ends. Set aside.

3. Now you'll sew the bag closed.  Pin the opening of the bag together and straight stitch about 1/2" from the edge.  

4. Time for the Velcro. Wrap the bag around the mat and position the three hook parts of the Velcro along the underside of the edge with the handle. Pin in place. Position the corresponding Velcro loop pieces along the other edge of the bag so that they align with the hook pieces. Pin. Sew all six Velcro pieces in place.

5. Here we add the second handle which you had set aside earlier. Position the second handle about 4" from the edge of the "unhandled" side of the bag. (This measurement of 4" might vary depending on the dimensions of your particular bag - you want to attach the handle where it won't interfere with the velcro when the bag is wrapped closed.  Adjust the measurement as necessary.) Pin in place and then sew with a straight stitch. You'll be sewing through the bottom flap which we'd positioned in step #1 so go slow through all those thicknesses of fabric.  

6. Awesome! You're done with the sewing - now comes the fun decorating part.

7. Pour some acrylic paint onto a flat surface like a plate or old baking dish. Spread out the paint into a thin layer. (This is where the brayer comes in handy but you can use an old credit card or popsicle stick instead.) Take your choice of rubber stamp and use the acrylic paint to stamp all over the bag.  

8. Add a second color if you like. I used a sky blue here to match the yoga mat.

9.That's it! Let dry throughly then wrap around your yoga mat. Enjoy!

Iron Chefs Aren't The Only Ones Who Run With Knives

  Have Badge, Will Travel

What do you call the person who loves to combine different disciplines and relishes the challenge of a new technique?  Who fears no machine and brandishes tools with a whooshing sound that makes you step away from the X-Acto knife in her hand?  Who enters the craft store with hands on hips and announces with a sneer "Is that all you got?" 

Badass that's what.  A Crafty Badass.

You know who they are.  Sometimes they call themselves "multi-media artists".  Sometime they refer to themselves as "Craft Queens" or "Crafty Divas".  But to me they are masters of fabrication tackling craft projects with the same energy and zeal that the famous chefs on TV use when faced with unknown foods and a ticking clock.

Awesome. Bring it on. 

......

:)

I made these buttons to give out to friends and customers who had especially amazed me with their skill and fearlessness.  I thought they deserved some kind of medal or ribbon to acknowledge their hard-won skills and talent so I whipped up a batch of these babies. The graphic I made in Illustrator then added the text in Photoshop. The silver buttons were made by printing a reverse image of the graphics on a transparency sheet.  So when I used it in the button press, the silver metal of the button showed through and made for a really cool effect. Very, very easy.

If you like, you are welcome to download the graphics and make your own 2 1/4" buttons.  I made up two PDF files with one mirrored in case you want to print on transparencies.  My URL is around the edge, but you won't see it until you flip the button over.  I think it would be cool to print these on iron-on sheets to make little patches. They would make fun stickers too!  If you do that, I would cut out the URL so that it doesn't get in the way.  Feel free to give them away (but please don't sell them).  

All right you crafty badasses! Go make something awesome!

Download CraftBadAssButtonPage

Download CraftBadAssButtonPagemirror