Sweet Felt Winter Ornaments

It is time for another ornament.

These are fun because they are perfect for now with Valentine's Day coming up or you can use them later.

You need:

two pieces of felt

Embroidery floss or crochet thread

a needle

 and some poly-fil stuffing

a hot glue gun and glue sticks

Cut out two shapes that are the same for the front and the back.

I used circles and hearts.

Blanket stitch them together but before you finish them, add a bit of stuffing.

Then stitch closed.

To make the rose, use one piece of felt.

I use a sheet purchased at the craft store.

Round off the corners with scissors.

Then make a very huge spiral by cutting the felt and staying about 3/4 inch away from the edge.

Continue to go around and around until you get to the center.

I like to make my lines a little wavy to add more interest to the flower petals.

Once done, start in the center of the felt and begin to roll it.

 

Continue to hold and roll it.

  You can add a drop of hot glue every so often if you wish.

Keep rolling until you have used all the felt. 

Glue the end firmly in place.

Then just glue the rose to the front of the ornament.

For the hanging loop, I just use the needle to add a piece of thread through the top of the ornament and tie it in a loop.

You can do any color combination that appeals to you.

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs...

Sweet Handmade Valentine Cards

Let's make some valentines.

Handmade ones are my favorites.

This little card starts with two little cardstock bunnies.

I usually make a whole sheet of them at a time.

I printed my sentiment on some red paper and cut a heart shape around it. 

I used a marker to give it a stitched look.

Remember that old twisted paper ribbon?  

I still have some so I untwisted it and cut a larger heart from it.

I love the texture.

Are you wondering why I said cut out 2 bunnies?

Where is the other one?

He pops up inside of course.

To make him (or any other element pop up when opened),

cut a second piece of card stock a little smaller than the first.

Cut two slits about a half inch apart in the center fold.

When you fold the card, push the strip out and crease it with you fingers.

Glue this card inside your main card.

Then just glue your element to the bottom of the tab.

Easy and so cute.

For the last two cards, paper punches make quick work of them.

Punch out a ton of little red hearts.

You can use extras for confetti in the card....

I love when people open things and get a surprise.

I am not always sure they like them...

A long time ago, family members learned to open my envelopes outside or over the trash can...

I have not done that for years. 

 It may be time to try it again.

Emboss a greeting you like.

Die cut a bowl.

I have had that Sizzix die cut forever but I still love it.

Assemble your card and add a stamped greeting to one (or more) hearts.

Die cuts and punches make this go faster but this next card still takes a few minutes.

Punch your hearts from red and pink card stock.

I used a leftover heart from the card above to stamp a sweet greeting.

I have had this little heart and key punch for quite some time.

Tie the key to the heart with some thread.

Die cut and emboss your tree.

I layered several pieces of card stock to mat this card.

Then I just glued it all together. 

 I like using Tacky Glue for the little hearts.

You can do enough of any or all of these cards to send a sweet greeting to your favorite people for Valentines day in an evening or afternoon.

If you can get someone to help, it's even better.

My daughter and I often do assembly-style cards.

I love that together time....

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these amazing blogs.

Valentine Coffee Filter Tree

You know I love coffee filters.

They are cheap and versatile.

I made this fun pink grungy tree for Valentine's day.

 For complete instructions to make your own, look here....

This time I used Fuchsia Dye and instant coffee crystals mixed together.

It creates a look I love.

A dusty color with touches of sepia.

It is pink without being too sweet...

I hope you like it as much as I do. 

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs.

A Couple of Cards to Make...

Another post with handmade cards....

I tend to create designs that use paper scraps.

I keep my paper scraps in a couple of clear plastic shoe boxes.

Anything that does not get used in a card making session goes into the boxes when I clean up.

This means the next time I make cards, new items get paired together.

The first card today starts with a printed card blank.

I usually pick those up on sale or clearance.

They save a step of adhering a printed background.

I added an embossed red scrap.

I punched several flowers from tissue paper and crumpled them up.

Then I smoothed them out, layered them and glued them in place with a great big rhinestone for the center.

I stamped my greeting on a scrap of white cardstock.

I love the look of a little banner so I trimmed out a v of paper from the left side.

Pop dots are my best friend when card making.

I added the banner to the card with a couple to add dimension.

To finish it off, I glued another punched flower and small rhinestone to the greeting.

You can do any occasion or theme with the basic design.

Often if I am making cards, I will do a variety with the same format.

It saves time once I get going.

The next card uses little paper scraps to make a sweet banner.

Add a blue background a little smaller than your card.

Freehand cut a cloud shape from white card stock.

Cut it in half (It will do 2 cards).

Glue the half cloud to the top of the card and stamp the greeting of your choice.

Clip little triangles from paper scraps.

Glue them in an arc.

Cut a piece of cotton twine and tie a bow on each end.

The last card today uses a few die cuts.

I die cut a tree and embossed it first.

Then I punched a few circles and embossed them.

I tore a piece of green paper that was the same width as the card for grass.

Then I just glued them all together.

I hope you saw something you can use.

Sometimes the simplest thing can inspire me:texture, patterns, shapes, color combinations....

Thanks for stopping by....

Grinch Face Mug

Time for Craft Lightning again.

This time around is Seuss Crafts in 15 minutes or less.

That is right up my alley.

I love Dr. Seuss.

I went with a Grinch mug.

I got this green mug at the thrift store.

It is perfect for this project.

I used Sharpie markers.

I got my basic drawing instructions here with this video.

Let me show you step-by-step how to draw the Grinch face.

Then I colored my pupils gold for a more evil look.

You can leave them black, uncolored or red.

Ready to go...

Once it is done you can bake it to try to make it more permanent.

  I did not bake this one. 

 I will just hand wash it.

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs...

Sweetheart Tiny Vial Necklaces

Valentine's Day is just around the corner.

Here is a sweet gift idea for your special someone.

Head to the craft store and buy a pack (or 2) of those little  mini glass vials.

Pick up a couple squares of Sculpey polymer clay too.

I like Sculpey the best because it is easy to work with.

Make tiny contents for your vials.

Here I made some tiny mushrooms with red and white Sculpey.

Bake them in the oven according to the package directions.

I have a toaster oven just for clay baking.

I keep it on our covered back porch to keep any fumes out of the house.

I added a bit of Spanish moss to the vial as well.

Use a piece of wire to push it down in there.

You can add a chain, silk strip, seam binding or satin cord for your necklace.

I use a bit of glue when I put the cork in.

A tiny piece of lace added gives it a sweet touch.

Hearts are easy to make.

Pinch off a little piece of clay.

Roll a small ball and then roll it into a point at one end.

Use a knife or a straight edge to put a small slit in the wider top.

Then gently roll each side to get the rounded tops.

I also made some tiny eggs.

I love nests and eggs.

To me, they symbolize life and family.

Add a little Spanish moss to these too.

These hearts look a little toasty.

Sometimes there are cooking/baking issues.

I like them though....

For that person who has been burned by love...

These are  easy and fun to make.

I love playing with polymer clay.

Takes me back to my childhood and playing with Play-Doh.

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs...

8 Quick And Easy Butterfly Cards

I really like butterflies.

They are delicate and beautiful and magical.

They add a sweet touch to an art piece.

Here are 8 Quick and Easy butterfly cards.

Most use scraps and paper punches or die cuts.

Paper strips and some letter stickers make this card easy.

A little bit of twine and some embossed paper add interest to this card.

More embossed papers and a few rhinestones..

I love color blocked cards.

Some circle punches and a butterfly stamp get elevated to award status with the addition of some ribbon.

This technique layers several punched butterflies tied with twine.  

The twine ends become antennas.

The layers can be fanned out to give the card some dimension.

Here is a side view so you can see the layers.

This card has the embosed tree and a sweet quote.

It looks more time consuming than it is to create.

 And last but not least, another color blocked card.

I like the graphic appeal and the fact that they use up scraps.

Yay!

 Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs.