Drop Cloth Valentines

I've got two chairs in my living room that I really love and that desperately need to be reupholstered and as I don't know the first thing about upholstery and being that I don't have the dollars for the high price of having it done professionally, I got the bright idea to make up some slip covers for them using painters drop cloths. There are tutorials out there for the process, and you don't need to be an incredible sewer to make one; you do, however, need to possess the patience of Job! After much pinning and trimming, cutting and ripping, fitting and refitting; mine ended up in the trash, sent off in irritated silence. I was only happy that I hadn't spent lots of money on some gorgeous material for the job.

Needless to say, I still had about 3/4 of a yard of the drop cloth left over which I've held onto for crafting of some sort and it really came in handy for these little Valentines Day conversation hearts. Wanna make some? Here's what you'll need:

scrap fabric
paints (doesn't need to be specifically for fabric; I used acrylic)
stamps
dried lavender
essential oil (I used sweet orange)
embroidery floss
heart cookie cutter or other template
small funnel or demitasse spoon












Aren't they cute? And they smell wonderful! I mixed several drops of sweet orange essential oil into the lavender before I spooned it into the hearts. Be sure to pack it in pretty tight before you stitch the heart closed. I put one in my purse to keep it smelling sweet and they'd be a perfect little gift for your special valentine! Or....you could get crazy and make something a little bigger like the ones I made below also using up my left over drop cloth.



Get crazy girl....homemade valentines are the best!


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Valentine Candy Carrier

I love finding fun ways to present Valentine candy to friends and family and this year I came across a real gem. Seriously - how cute is this? A 4-pack of Starbucks Frappacino altered to a little Valentine candy carrier. I found the directions for this over at Nancy Riley's site stampinat6213 which you'll want to check out as she is one clever gal.

You could easily make several of these in just a few hours as the directions are really simple. You just need one of these...


along with one 12x12 sheet of scrapbook paper in the color/design of your choice and some embellishments. I used what I had on hand and since I made this for my step-son and step-daughter who are 17 and 20, respectively, I didn't want it to look to pink or to cutesy.

Just empty out the bottles, remove the labels (these came off easily) and wash them being sure that they dry real well. The directions for the cuts that Nancy gives are perfect. Don't worry about the 'DP' and the 'CS' - as far as I can tell, those are part of the names of the paper and don't have anything to do with how to make these.

I didn't have any double stick tape so I used modpodge instead to adhere my paper and it worked fine. Also, I would have preferred glue dots to adhere the ribbons but, as I was out of those too, I used a few strategically placed drops of a clear liquid glue.

Didn't have any spray paint either so I brushed the lids with red acrylic paint but because it was so thin I had to put on about 5 coats to get the coverage I wanted and, after they were dry and I'd put on my embellishment, I coated them all with more modpodge that has a gloss luster finish. Spray paint may have been better for a cleaner look but it wasn't necessary.

Next came the fun part of filling up the bottles with various candies and I made sure to use some of their favorites...


I put them back in the carrier, tied a bit of ribbon around the handle and there you have it! A simple, cute and fun Valentine gift sure to please everyone on your list. This would also be perfect for teachers, neighbors, co-workers....well, you get the idea. Have fun!

Gorgeous Valentine Earrings From Paper Mache

Years ago, (like 15 years ago) my dad - who's quite creative - showed me how to make beads out of paper. I remember thinking this was pretty cool and I think I made a few but that was the extent of it. So here we are now and I'm finding that paper beads are showing up on lots of craft and jewelry blogs; kind of like leggings and long sweaters making a come back right now. Hello 1980's!

Anywho, I was visiting several of the blogs I like recently and I came across the paper mache earrings over at Infarrantly Creative. Wow - she has some great ideas on her site and the tutorial for these earrings is very clear and easy to follow. Since I've been playing with making paper beads lately (more on this in a future post) I knew I had to try her spin on them.

A couple of things from my experience with the process:

• She doesn't give a measurement for the water. My 'it has to come out perfect' OCD kicked in here so I checked the comments section to see if anyone else had mentioned this (no one had) and I even contemplated emailing her. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, and I just followed the directions. Note: the amount doesn't matter as long as it's enough to hold a packed cup of newspaper. So, I probably used about 1 3/4 cup.

• The ink from the paper came off onto my fork, tongs and stainless steel All Clad pot (obviously, I don't have designated craft cookware yet). Not to worry, it all came off with minimal scrubbing.

• One packed cup of newspaper makes a lot of beads; 30-40 depending on how big you make them which makes this an uber economical craft. It was going to the bead store that increased the expense.
  

But aren't they cute...


I'm having a Valentine Cookie Exchange Party this coming Sunday and guess what the ladies are getting as a favor? A little Valentine bling to take home with their cookies!

Framed Heart Valentine

Another sweet Valentine's Day project found over at Tatertots and Jello, a wonderful blog full of great projects and ideas. Click here for the details on how to make this for yourself to V-day up your place or to give to friend festooned with curls of ribbon.

I used a frame that I already had and scrapbook paper that I'd recently purchased for another project I'm working on. I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter that I had to trace my design and I can tell you, the finished product came out about twice the size but that's just me wanting the heart to look just so. Definitely take the time to let it dry before you put it in the frame or your marbles will drop off (guess how I know this?)

Isn't it cute though? I definitely want to try it with the Xs and Os as on the T&J site. Also, while I really like how the clear marbles pick up the color of the paper used, I'd like to see the heart done in red marbles on pink paper or on something black and white or the letters done in black marbles on red or pink paper ~ Ooo La La!

Sparkling Heart Necklace

Valentine's Day is less than a month away and the net is abounding with the sweetest ideas for something homemade to give. In fact, I haven't purchased a Valentine gift or card in years because, in my opinion, there's something sacred about making a gift for your Valentine that has always held with me and this year is no different.

So in browsing around One Pretty Thing which is one of the best sites for craft ideas, I found this lovely idea from Muffin Tin Mom. I've never worked with clay before and after this craft I'm not really sure why. It's actually really fun and easy and, as noted on MTM's site, is also something fun to do with your children!

So, as noted in the directions here, I went to Michael's and picked up some of the clay that was on sale. They didn't have any cream or white so I was forced to get some that was colored. Not really what I wanted to do but this worked out fine in the end. I picked up some very fine glitter in the Martha Stewart ($4.99) section and an 18-inch silver chain ($2.99) in the jewelry section. I also went ahead and purchased the fondant heart cutters because I didn't have anything small enough. These were $2.99 though I'm sure you could easily free form these or use a cutter from home if you already have one.

I also opted not to purchase a metal/plastic/acrylic roller; being that they were $10 and this was my first time working with clay - I figured I'd just use my regular old wooden rolling pin which worked fine and I also used items from my sewing box to help me along. Seriously, it's often about what you already have on hand.

So, just follow the directions from MTM which are really straight forward. I didn't use any paints which, of course you could do on yours. You'll also see that I put my hole in a different place and made my way into a bit of beading. I also added a bit of ribbon which is a sweet touch. Seriously though, these are inexpensive to make and don't you know your female Valentine friends would just gush over receiving one from you!