Sunday, December 26, 2010

Hats off to these links from Lots of Links to Crafty Goodness for the Winter Holidays | Gingerbread Snowflakes

Hats off to these links from Lots of Links to Crafty Goodness for the Winter Holidays | Gingerbread Snowflakes
and Thank You too :)
Lots of Links to Crafty Goodness for the Winter Holidays | Gingerbread Snowflakes

My Favorite Bird Seed Wreath Recipe

I like this recipe a lot. It turned out the best.
We also made a few popcorn strings to go with the other treats. Tasty gifts for our feather friends and a lovely decoration too...







Ingredients for Bird Seed Wreath                        

For a bundt-pan sized bird seed wreath, you’ll need:
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1 package unflavored gelatin
  • 4 cups bird food (such as seeds, peanuts, berries, dried fruits)
  • Bundt pan or other mold
  • Nonstick cooking spray

Saturday, December 25, 2010

How to Make Birdseed Christmas Ornaments





Instructions

things you'll need:

  • 3 cups birdseed
  • 4 envelopes (¼-oz.) unflavored gelatin
  • Cookie cutters
  • Nonstick baking sheet
  • Vegetable oil baking spray
  • Wax paper
  • 24-gauge craft wire
  • Decorative ribbon
    • 1
      Line a nonstick baking sheet with wax paper.
    • 2
      Spray the inside surface of cookie cutters with vegetable oil baking spray, and place them on the baking sheet, spacing them evenly.
    • 3
      Cut a 2-foot length of craft wire for each cookie cutter.
    • 4
      Crunch the craft wire into a loose ball, leaving approximately 3 inches of straight wire. Shape the wire balls so they fit inside the cookie cutters.
    • 5
      Arrange a wire inside of each cookie cutter so the straight end pokes up over the top edge of the cookie cutter.
    • 6
      Combine 3 cups birdseed with four ¼-oz. packages unflavored gelatin in a mixing bowl.
    • 7
      Add 4 tbsp. water to the birdseed mixture, and stir until thoroughly combined. Be sure that the gelatin is evenly dispersed in the mixture.
    • 8
      Spoon the birdseed mixture into the cookie cutters, filling the cookie cutters to the top edge and covering the craft wire completely. Press the mixture into all the corners of the cookie cutter shape.
    • 9
      Allow the birdseed ornaments to dry for one hour.
    • 10
      Gently twist each birdseed ornament to loosen it from the wax paper. Slide the wax paper out from under the ornaments, leaving the ornaments on the baking sheet.
    • 11
      Sprinkle each birdseed filled cookie cutter evenly with 2 or 3 tsp. water.
    • 12
      Bake the ornaments at 250 degree F for one hour or until the ornaments are thoroughly hard and dry. Remove the birdseed ornaments from the oven and allow them to cool.
    • 13
      Press each ornament out of its cookie cutter. Twist the wire on the top of each ornament into a loop. Attach a decorative ribbon to each ornament.


Read more: How to Make Birdseed Christmas Ornaments | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4629058_make-birdseed-christmas-ornaments.html#ixzz1LAmVlBwA

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Ball-of-String Christmas Ornament

string ornament


What You'll Need
  • Small water balloons mine are different sizes so I used large and small balloons.
  • White glue
  • Water
  • Small bowl
  • Desired colors of narrow string or yarn cut to 10-inch lengths
  • Waxed paper
  • Iridescent glitter

How to Make It
1. Blow up balloons to make small round shapes; tie ends.
2. In a small bowl make a solution of 2 parts glue and 1 part water. Coat cording with glue.
I also made a thick mix of sugar and water and coated the string.
this mix worked better for me and gave a sparkle to the ball.
3. Squeeze out excess glue and wrap around balloon in crisscross or squiggly patterns, leaving some openings all around. Avoid the balloon tie so the shape stays round. Note: Using different colors and textures of cording provides extra interest.
4. Lay ball on wax paper to dry, rotating every few hours to allow all sides to dry.
5. When completely dry, pop balloon and remove the deflated balloon from an opening in the cording.
6. Apply thin lines of glue to some of the strips of cording and lightly sprinkle with glitter. Shake off excess and allow to dry again on waxed paper.
7. Thread cording through top open areas, across opening, and knot ends to make hanging loop.











Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas

Stained Glass Kusudama Hanging Origami Ball Decorating Ideas

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

drop earrings

How to Make Simple Drop Earrings

  1. Materials and Tools
  2. Basic Instructions
  3. Variations
  4. Learn More

MATERIALS AND TOOLS

Drop earrings are the easiest earrings to make. You can make them classy with semiprecious stones and silver wire or funky by adding charms and beads.
All you need for a set of basic earrings:
  • headpins or eyepins
  • earwires
  • beads of your choice
  • round-nose pliers
Spacer beads are also useful. These are very small metal-colored beads that serve to frame the other beads. If you don't have headpins, you can just bend the end of regular wire in a loop to make your own eyepins.

1. Find a Head Pin
Head pins have flat heads on the bottom, and are available in different sizes and thicknesses.
2. Add Beads
Put some beads on the head pin. Experiment with different colors and styles. In this picture, spacer beads are used to break up the colored beads.
3. Begin Loop
Use a pair of round-nose pliers to bend the head-pin 90º.
4. Finish Loop
Bend the end of the head pin over to complete the loop. Add a french-wire or other earring finding and you're finished.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Collecting And Making Decorative Felt Plate Couples

Just a me thing.
Saw this a it made me remember my parents plates. Silly me I would sneak them off the wall and play with them when I was little :)

C. Dianne Zweig - Kitsch 'n Stuff: Collecting And Making Decorative Felt Plate Couples

 to William and Elizabeth

Monday, November 15, 2010

Faux Curled Rosewood Wreath


Lovely wreath and a tutorial from this super weblog
Under The Table and Dreaming: DIY Faux Curled Rosewood Wreath {Made From Rolled Recycled Book Pages}


Materials Needed:Foam Wreath Form
Recycled Book Pages
Lots of Hot Glue
Ribbon to Hang

Recycle and Create

Bottles and Bath Salts


Make labels for each bottle
and fill. 
 Make your own, mix some Epsom salts with a few drops of essential oil like Lavender ("Relax") Orange Blossom ("Recharge") and Sandlewood ("Cheer up").
If you wish use a few drops of food coloring 



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