What 'cha Workin' on Wednesday???

A busy week, but even though you can take the crafter outta the studio, you .....oh, you know what I mean.....I have a couple of minutes before running my next errand so I thought I would share the cutest, easiest fall craft ever.....

I told you that my friend had given me some craft items, right?  Well one of the items was a gallon bag full of cinnamon sticks.  What to do, what to do????  So I teamed up with my pal, Pinterest and saw the cutest little thing ever.  I'm gonna tell you how to make these sweet little pumpkins, but then if I figured it out, I bet you would too.

All you need for this project is: 

cinnamon sticks.  

      copper scouring pads

curly wire for trim

leaves

raffia

hot glue and glue gun

                                             
I bought the scourers at Dollar Tree, three in a package.  The cinnamon sticks I cut down to 2".  The curly wire is from my Etsy shop (you can purchase here) or simply make your own by curling a piece of wire around a pencil or paintbrush.  I used one of my wires per pumpkin, just bending in half.  I had some leaves in my hoard, so I just snipped off some.  The example on Pinterest used leaves cut from green felt.  Push the cinnamon stick down into the scourer, add the wire, leaf, and I used a little piece of raffia that I tied into a bow.  Hot glue in place.

Voila!!!  Now how cute is this?  Would be great as Thanksgiving favors, or for fall table place settings.  I'm gonna throw them in a basket in my kitchen......bonus.....they smell good too.

These are small and I am sure you can get larger scouring pads at the grocery store but you may have to pay a little more.  You could add a tag or another leaf.  Let me know how you make yours!

What 'cha Working on Wednesday?????

Monday was kind of a bust for me.  I spent the day with the DMV getting my van licensed and then drove to pick up miscellaneous items.  So I didn't get much done in the studio.  But yesterday I killed it....and even managed to get some laundry done!

One of my hubby's co-workers just welcomed a new baby girl.  So in addition to shopping for the little one, I also made some of these really cute items from Sunflower Friends:

They have a cute little rhyme and the graphics easily fit in a 4 x 6 bag.  Just put in a pair of baby socks and staple on the topper.  I am sure that these will be great sellers at my shows this year.  They come in blue, pink, green, and purple.

A couple of weeks ago I went in Dollar Tree.  I love that store!  I just get so many ideas!  This is a craft that I have been doing for a few years:

Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy.....Just spray your $1 muffin tin with the color of your choice.  I use my favorite rusty primer.  Spray both sides.  I put a piece of jute through the hole and hang it from the clothesline.  Once it is dry, coat with a clearcoat spray.  When that is dry, just paint on the faces.  I used Light Buttermilk.  Change them up a little so they are all a bit different.  I splattered with some light buttermilk paint to replicate snow and gave it another shot of clear coat.  Attach a ribbon and you are good to go.  These look so cute in the kitchen over the holidays.  Make sure you wrap them when storing so they will not scratch.

Also at the dollar store, I found a box of seven emergency candles.  They are really short, maybe 3 or 4 inches long.  I found a free Santa graphic online and shrunk it to fit a small label.  I cut it with a paper pinker and used a glue stick to attach to a piece of brown paper.

I wrapped the paper around three candles, secured with some light twine(also purchased at Dollar Tree) and hot glued on a rusty star.  You could use a bell, or leave it plain.  You could also use a patterned paper, like gift wrap or scrapbooking paper.  I think they are so cute!  And so cheap!  These are going to be a great seller at my shows!

So I am off to get busy.  I sold a couple of dolls on Etsy and I have to get them ready to ship.  Did you know that I include birth certificates and adoption papers with all my dolls?  Check them out at my Etsy shop and take advantage of my sale.  Have a great day, my friends!  Happy crafting!

Sewing Kits

I was in my neighborhood Alco store on Friday and found the cutest blue mason jars.  They are really retro looking and I just knew they would be perfect for my little sewing kits:

These are so simple and sold really well for me at my craft shows last year.  They make great shower gifts.  Simply fill the mason jar with sewing supplies.  I cheat a little and buy sewing kits at the dollar store.  Then I add some buttons, or elastic, or trim, etc.  If you are making this for someone special, you might add antique buttons, embroidery floss, lace, etc.  I slightly stuff the lid....this can be tricky so experiment with the way that works the best for you.  This can be used as a pin cushion.  I always add a few pins to the top before I display them.  I add a tag that I have printed to read "Sewing Kit" and tie it and some little spool trims on with jute.  Isn't it just the cutest????

Its a beautiful day out today, so I think I will go out pretty soon and play in the dirt!

Tutorial Tuesday

Hello, my peeps.  Hope your weekend was great.  Well, its back to the grindstone today.  We spent the weekend with our home improvement list, and I could hardly wait to get back in the studio.....and to get it cleaned up.  I bought 10 packages of the ping pong balls for the snowmen (prior post) and some other goodies from the dollar store.  So here is my latest creation:

And can you guess what this little sweetie is made from????

These disposable champange glasses have that great bell shape for a skirt.  You get 6 in a package for a dollar.  For the dress, I tore a piece of homespun(use whatever pattern or fabric suits your fancy) 5" x 10".  I ran a loose gathering stitch about a half inch from one of the long ends and pulled it tight.  Knot off your thread.  Then place atop the stem of the inverted glass.  Of course, you will remove the plastic base.  Hot glue into place.  I also placed just a dot of glue on the back to hold the skirt together.  Hot glue the head in place.  For the heads, I simply paint 1" wooden balls in a flesh tone.  I do several of these at a time and like to use the ones with a flat side. (hint:  Put a piece of masking tape sticky side up on your painting surface.  This will hold the balls in place while you paint.)  Paint on eyes or use a marker.  Blush the cheeks.  I tied a piece of jute over the stitching line and glued on a rusty bell.  I tore another piece of matching homespun 5" long and about an inch and a half wide and glued to the back.  I glued a tiny flesh painted ball to the area where the ends meet to simulate hands.  For the wings, I took some strands of raffia, tied it in a bow and glued it on the back.  Glue on some moss for hair.  I used rusty wire for a tiny halo.  I can see alot of uses for these.  How about a name tag where the ball (hand) is?  They are light weight enough to use as an ornament or a topper on a small tree.  Let your imagination run wild!