Monday, May 31, 2010

Button Basket

Wouldn't this basket make a sweet favor for a quilters retreat or luncheon? I know that I'd be squealing with delight to see it at my place setting filled with shiny new buttons to add to my stash.


I used a 3-oz. plastic Solo cup and cut it at 2-inches high. The outside liner is cut at 2-1/4-inches so that it extends 1/4-inch above the cup. The handle is made from a Martha Stewart embossing zigzag border punch and is topped with a punched flower and leaves and a sweet little pearl.


Although petite, each basket is large enough to hold a combination of 42 large and medium sized buttons.

So simple and yet so sweet!

Aloha!

Party Season

With the ladybug party now behind us, it is time to prepare for the next shindig...a pink and black casino-themed graduation party. A fun-filled night at the country club "faux-gambling" the night away.

Two hundred pink and black bows for the party favors.


An elegant card box for the reception table.


So much fun to prepare for and such an exciting evening in the making!

I am currently awaiting ladybug party photos from my sister. I'll be sure to post as soon as I receive them.

Hugs and kisses, sweet friends!

Aloha!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Oh So Sweet! Cupcake Party Favor

**This tutorial is intended for personal use only.**

This dainty cupcake has a hidden treat cup located in it's center. It makes a wonderful party favor or a cute gift box for a special piece of jewelry. Use it as part of the table setting at a tea party or luncheon. Eliminate the tab closure and add a loop for hanging and you will have a sweet Christmas tree ornament.


I used a 3 oz. plastic Solo cup for the base of this project.


To begin, trim the cup until it measures 1-1/2" tall.

You will also need to make a tab closure out of cardstock measuring 1/2" x 3". To make the tab more durable, I glued 2 layers of cardstock together. Glue the tab to the outside of the cup as shown.


To make the cupcake liner, cut a strip of cardstock that measures 1-1/2" x 11" and accordion fold it in 1/4" pleats.


Glue the folded cardstock together to form a ring. Add a generous amount of glue to the outside of the cup.


Slip the cupcake liner around the outside of the cup. Secure with rubber bands that are not too tight. Make sure that the liner makes gentle contact with the cup and the glue.


Glue a 1-3/4" circle to the underside of the tab closure.


To to give a more finished look to the liner, turn the cup upside down and glue a 1-1/2" cardstock circle to the bottom. Set aside to dry.


To make the frosting, cut the following strips out of paper. Use any paper that you have on hand, from an old paperback book that has seen better days to designer paper used in scrapbooking.
1-3/8" x 16"
1-1/8" x 16"
7/8" x 16"
5/8" x 16"
Ink the edges on one side of each strip. Accordion fold each strip in 3/8" pleats. Glue each of the ends together to form 4 separate rings.


With needle and thread, take a running stitch near the non-inked edge of each accordion pleated ring. Gather and tie off in the back. Clip thread.


You should have four rosettes in graduating sizes.


Glue a 2-1/4" cardstock circle to the underside of the largeest rosette. The underside of the largest rosette will be exposed so be sure to use the same color cardstock that you have used throughout this project.

Glue small circles to the underside of each of the three smaller rosettes. Be sure to use the same paper that the rosettes are made from. Use a circle paper punch if you have one available to you or cut them freehand. Be sure to leave a margin around the edge of each rosette. If the circle extends all the way to the edge of the rosette, it will show once it has been assembled. The circles are necessary and will keep the rosettes from nesting into each other.


Apply glue to the circles on the underside of the three smallest rosettes and stack in ascending order.


Apply glue to the top of the circle located on the tab closure. Place the rosette stack on top of the circle. Add a velcro closure to the tab.


Top with a cherry.


No cherry? Add a cute cupcake topper instead.


A belly band could also be added with the guest of honor's initials or photo. There are so many options to customize this little bundle of sweetness.


I chose to add a sprinkling of crystal clear glitter to the frosting for some added sugary glitz.


More glittery cupcakes.


I had loads of fun designing and making these sweet cupcakes. I hope you enjoy making it too.

Aloha!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Graduation Weekend

A weekend consumed with joy and hearts filled with pride for the young graduates in our family. Congratulations on a job well done.

This lei is for a University of Hawaii graduate in his school colors.



And this for a young female high school graduate.


I hope you had a joyous weekend too.

Aloha!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Pink

Pink satin ribbon wrapped around an empty cardboard ribbon spool.


Diminutive posies with pearl centers in creamy shades of pink, each flanked by pale pink bows. A sweet bracelet for a little girly girl.


Pink, pink,and more pink.


A headband for a special occasion or headpiece for a flower girl.


Miss Henrietta Hedgehog has volunteered to become our model du jour.


More pink overload. Are you sick to your stomach yet?


A feminine splash of sweetness to start your day. I hope all that pink wasn't too much for you. Sometimes it is for me. But not today. I need a blast of sweet-pink- frosting-cutesy every now and then.

You can find directions for making the posie in this tutorial. It is the flower center from my Heart to Heart Valentine Tufted Pin.

Yesterday's comments made me smile. After posting a picture of my neat and tidy living room, I had a feeling that I may be asked about my creative space. Some of you may recall that I overhauled my space last year because the inner slob in me let it fall into total disarray. I am happy to say that I have been able to keep it relatively tidy since then. Of course, while a project is in motion, things are all over the place. In my opinion, creativity and making-a-big-mess go hand in hand. After the completion of each project, I do make a conscious effort to return items to their designated area. I slip up every now and then, but I try to keep a handle on things while the messes are still manageable.

If you'd care to torture yourself, you can read through my old posts here, here, here, and here Protect your retinas, people. You are sure to get an eyeful. Looking back at those pictures make me cringe. I hope that I never find myself in the middle of that kind of chaos again.

Have a fabulous day!

Aloha!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

More Thought to Recycling

Large piles of empty ribbon spools had begun to take over my craft room. The byproduct of making ribbon lei are loads of empty ribbon spools. It really bothers me to send so much to the landfill. In good conscience, I just couldn't. So....another recycling project was in order.

I grabbed one of the empty spools and began pulling off the chipboard from one side. The most obvious stood out. A frame. A round frame with a built in photo mat. That sounded like a good start. Perhaps a garland made from frames would make a lovely addition to the lady bug party if done in the right color scheme. With a bit of red and black paint and some leftover black and white patterned paper, I began decorating each of the spools.


I apologize for this less than stellar picture as it was taken in haste as my sister was coming over soon and I wanted to give the garland to her. The inside of the first frame was left empty to accommodate a photograph of the little birthday girl.


The frames were connected with short segments of ribbon. I tied red, white and black ribbon between each frame to add visual interest to the piece.


I had some leftover chipboard alphabets from a previous project so I used it to spell out her name. I "sugared" each letter with iridescent glitter prior to attaching them to the inside of the frame.


I really liked how this turned out, but like many projects, what you envisioned is sometimes not what you end up with. Having had several leftover picture frames, I decided to create a keepsake box.

I added a tab made from the double thickness of card stock. A small piece of velcro was added for the closure.


A small piece of ribbon was used to connect the frames and to act as a hinge on the box.


I decided to make a butterfly to embellish the top of the box. I chose a colorful page (a pizza ad, pizza with pepperoni and yellow bell peppers to be exact) from a magazine. I placed glue onto the back of the page and glued it onto a piece of clear acetate. The acetate is from the packaging of a product that I recently purchased.


I made a butterfly template from scrap paper. I placed the template on an interesting spot on the page and traced around it in pencil.


The shape was then cut out with scissors. Glue was placed onto the acetate side of the butterfly and the piece was glued onto another magazine page to give a finished look to both sides.

Once dry, I use an emery board in a sanding motion (front to back) to remove the remaining paper. This is an easy method of removing paper from small curvy areas with very little aggravation involved.

Crease the butterfly's body in the center, lifting both wings to emulate flight. The butterfly will retain this shape due to it's acetate core.


To create the body, I took a page from a magazine largely filled with type and cut out an elongated triangle the length of the page. If you have made paper beads before, this is the same concept.


Begin by rolling the larger end of the triangle around a skewer.


Continue rolling until you've reached the end. Apply glue to the tip and glue into place to secure the bead. Slip the bead off of the skewer.


A recycled wired tie (manufacturers use it to hold their product in place) was used to create the antenna. I folded it in half and clipped it to size.


The folded end of the wired tie was glued into the hole at the top of the paper bead. The body was then glued to the center of the butterfly.

I chose to ink the edges of the butterfly in black and to add glimmer mist for a bit of extra sparkle.


I have been glimmer misting many of my paper projects. I use paper towels to protect my work surface from over spray. I have been saving the paper towels (gasp!) because they are very sparkly and too pretty to throw away.


I separated the layers of paper toweling to expose this lovely pattern underneath.


To add durability to the napkin, I glued it onto a piece of card stock. I then put it through my scalloped paper punch. The paper towel adds an interesting texture to projects. I have stamped on it before and it always turns out really lovely.


The scallop was glued to the center top of the box. The butterfly was glued to the top of the velcro tab. The box was decorated with assorted doodads that I had laying around my desk. The flower center is a 3/16" brass brad that must have fallen off of someones denim jeans. I found it on the living room floor. Finders keepers....hehehehe!


Okay, now that you have read through this post, I bet you are wondering if I am a hoarder and if you will soon have the opportunity to see me and my "collection" on television. I bet that tiny brass brad that I found on the floor (and kept) really sealed the deal for you, didn't it? Well, I am happy to say that this is not the case.

I prefer an uncluttered home and here's proof.


Aren't you relieved? Whew, you and me both!

Have a wonderful evening.

Live Aloha,