Thankfully, I am unable to grow a mustache of my own. But I can support Movember in other ways... I just made a donation and now I'm spreading the word! I hope you'll consider making a donation as well. Here's a peek at what Movember is all about:
During Movember, men (called "Mo Bros") grow mustaches for the month of November to raise money and awareness for men's health - very serious but generally un-talked-about issues such as prostate and testicular cancer. Read more about Movember here. You can sponsor a particular Mo Bro and his 'stache, or you can make a general donation to the cause.
With October just around the corner and my addiction to Starbucks Pumpkin Scones and Pumpkin Spice Lattés no secret, I'm just giddy about fall and clearly have pumpkins on the brain! In between the fall baking I've been doing, I still need to get my fix of Pumpkin Spice and these are a lovely (100% fat free) treat that seem to last a little longer...
This is a simple sewing project and not only is it a wonderful way to use up some of your scrap fabric stash, but you get to 'spice' up your decor with warm fall colors while making your home smell like Autumn! These lovely little handmade pumpkins make great Halloween decorations or Thanksgiving centerpieces, and would be perfect as a hostess gift if you're enjoying your Thanksgiving feast as a guest.
This month's Etsy Fort Worth Upcycle THIS! Craft Challenge 'secret ingredient' is popsicle sticks. I have been making popsicles like crazy (and eating them like crazy) so I could use the sticks for this project...you know, so they would be officially 'upcycled'.
I'm really excited about the way these cute little bracelets turned out, and I can't wait to show you how I made them!
TOOLS & SUPPLIES:
• popsicle sticks (1 stick will make 2 bracelets)
• craft knife
• ruler
• power drill with 1/32" drill bit
• fine sandpaper (120-240 grit)
• round needle file (optional)
• container with water
• wide rubber bands
• cylindrical drinking glass (around 3" in diameter)
• paintbrush
• toothpick
•Krylon Crystal Clear gloss finish spray (optional)
• 32" 1mm leather or cord (cut into 2 16 inch pieces)
• acrylic paints
• *scrapbook paper (small scraps, at least 3/4" x 2 3/4")
• *Mod Podge
* You can either paint the wood with your own special design, or decoupage using the scrapbook paper and Mod Podge. If you choose the second option, we will still be using the acrylic paint to finish the back of the wooden pieces.
INSTRUCTIONS:
First, if you are using used popsicle sticks, wash them well and make sure they are completely dry.
Use the ruler to find the center of the stick. Mine was at 2.25". Use the craft knife to cut the wood in half. You will have to go over your cut several times. Do yourself a favor and make sure your blade is new and it will be a lot easier :) When you're about halfway through, you can flip it over and continue cutting from the other side, but whatever you do, don't be tempted to snap it when it's almost done, or it will splinter and you'll swear and throw things across the room.
I'm not saying I did that or anything... but I could imagine that somebody might..
Next, use the drill to make holes in the middle of each end, about 1/8 of an inch in. Run the drill as slowly as possible to avoid splitting the wood, which may or may not have happened to me. Twice. Again, a less ladylike and well composed woman than myself might be tempted to shout profanities and begin tossing things about, but I can assure you that I held my composure...especially since there are no living witnesses to tell you otherwise.
(NOTE: this is why I drill the wood before rounding off the end...)
Use the knife to round off the cut end of the popsicle stick. You may want to use another rounded end and trace it with a pencil for guidance. Don't try to take the whole curve in one swoop; shave off small bits at a time and you'll have better control of the curve.
Smooth the freshly shaped end with the sandpaper to take care of any bumps or splinters. I sanded the other end as well, so they both matched as closely as possible. Try to take care of the splinters around the drill hole as much as possible too, and if you happen to have a round needle file, this would be an excellently awesome time to use it!
When you are satisfied with the shape and smoothness of your wooden pieces, it's time to let them soak! I filled a plastic container about an inch high with warm water and let the wood soak overnight. If you are in a hurry, you can toss them in a pan with water and let them boil for 10-15 minutes, then let them soak for another hour or two in the warm water after you turn off the heat.
We are soaking the wood to make the pieces pliable, so we can give them a nice curve to fit on a wrist better. This step is optional, especially if you want to make your wooden centerpiece shorter...or if you want to make earrings or a pendant.
After the wood has soaked enough to make it easy to bend slightly with your fingers, use the widest rubber bands you can find to strap them tightly to a (cylindrical object about 2.75 - 3" in diameter). Use your thumbs to press the ends around the glass and encourage the curve, and leave them to dry for a few hours. Using a hair dryer will speed up this process, but make sure they are completely dry before moving on to the next step.
Now that your popsicle stick pieces are nicely curved and dry, you can either paint them with the acrylic paints, or decoupage them with Mod Podge and scrapbook paper. I'll show you the latter.
First, paint the back of the wooden pieces with the color of your choice and let it dry. You'll notice from the first photo below that I didn't do it in this order the first time, but it's much easier to paint the back and sides before the paper is in place so you don't have to worry about overpainting. Again...just saving you some headaches.
When the paint is dry, paint some Mod Podge on the top of your bracelet piece, then turn it over and lay it on the back of the piece of scrapbook paper you have chosen. Press the paper to fit the curve of the wood and let it dry before cutting the excess off with the craft knife.
Use the toothpick to gently poke through the paper from the back of the centerpiece, just slightly so you can see where the hole is. Then push the toothpick through the hole from the front of the piece, and twist it and push it all the way through the hole so it tucks the edges of the paper inside the hole nicely. Repeat for the other end.
Paint another one to two coats of Mod Podge over the top and sides (make sure you get the edges of the paper where it meets the wood), letting the piece dry between coats.
OPTIONAL: Spray the front of the finished piece with 2 coats of Krylon Crystal Clear gloss coat, allowing to dry between coats and according to the instructions on the can. I always finish my decoupage pieces this way, to give them a nice glossy shine and seal them well. I do the same for the painted pieces.
When everything has dried completely (and I mean completely - don't even think about touching this thing if it ain't dry or you'll ruin it with fingerprints, and don't come crying to me for sympathy), grab a 16" section of cord and thread it through one of the holes. Tie a knot using both strands together and secure it firmly near the edge of the wood. Repeat for the other end with the other piece of cord or leather.
Cross the ends in the middle, then loop one end around the other side of the cord and tie a knot around it. Pull it as tightly as you can to secure it well but so that it will still slide up and down on the other piece of leather for an adjustable closure. Repeat on the other side, knotting the other end of the cord around the opposite side of the cord. Trim the excess cord, leaving about 1/4" of the ends sticking out. You can snip these closer if you want to glue the knots, just be careful to glue only the outside of the knot so it will still slide well enough to work; you don't want to glue it in place. (If you glue, use hypocement or superglue).
That's it! You're all done, wasn't that awesome?? I had so much fun with this project I made three different bracelets, and next I'm going to make a pendant for a necklace.
I'd love to see your projects, please feel free to leave links to your own upcycled popsicle stick creations in the comments below, and of course I wouldbe honored if you'd like to link back to this tutorial on your own blog, especially if it has inspired you to post one of your own! However, if you'd like to include a photo, please only use the photos of the finished bracelets, not any of the step-by-step or in-progress shots without asking first. If you have any questions at all, please ask - I don't bite (too hard) :)
I can't believe that July is just around the corner! To be honest though, it wouldn't really bother me if the summer flies by... after all my life in Texas, it still surprises me how hot it gets and somehow I'm never ready for the heat. I swear each year it's hotter than the last, and I know that the existence of global warming is a highly debated issue, but when you're already over 100º, trust me when I say that every half a degree increase counts.
Anyway, enough blabbing about the weather; if I choose to live in Texas I probably shouldn't complain about the heat, right?
With Independence Day only a week away, I thought I'd do a nifty little 4th of July Craft Roundup for you to get your creative fireworks a-poppin'! Here are 10 fun Red, White, and Blue craft tutorials for you to explore. Click on any photo or caption to be taken to the site where you'll find all the step-by-step instructions for each project. Enjoy!
This month's Etsy Fort Worth Upcycle THIS! Craft Challenge object is wine corks. I've had these corks sitting on my craft desk for weeks, waiting for inspiration (and, let's be honest, to remind me about the impending deadline).
I had a few ideas, but nothing that really motivated me enough to actually get started on the project...until the other night, when I was working on a painting. I got the feeling that I was almost finished, but not quite; it just needed a little something else, some finishing touches. Then I thought it would be perfect if I could paint some lovely flowers all around the edges...but that seemed like it would take me hours to do. And well, I was feeling lazy.
So, naturally, I tried to think of a crafty little short cut, and the first thing that came to mind was to try and find a flower shaped stamp at a craft store...but since it was already 11pm and I wanted to finish the painting, that wasn't really an option. Glancing over at my desk and seeing the corks, it hit me! Carve a little flower in the end of one of the corks, dip in paint, stamp, repeat, and voilà! The idea was born.
It was super easy! I sketched a rough outline on the end of the cork with a sharpie, and used an X-acto craft knife to cut around the shape. I pressed it into the gold acrylic paint I was using, and used it like a stamp. This cork above was actually made of fake cork, from a bottle of Cupcake chardonnay (yum, and who the heck wouldn't try a wine called Cupcake??) and it worked great!
I loved the idea, and - don't judge me - I had plenty of other wine corks, so I decided to try something a little more complicated, like a word. Now, don't forget, if you want to stamp a word, you have to carve the letters backwards. Yes, I made this mistake the first time. D'oh! :/
This time, I tried real the corks made with real cork, and they worked just as well!
Sadly, upon carving the 'O' I lost the heart inside of it to an unfortunate accident. Luckily, my supply of wine corks had still not been dented in the least by this project, so I was able to carve another little heart on its very own stamp.
I L♥VE the way they turned out! This was such a quick and easy project; I don't think it took more than 20 minutes. I had so much fun, I kept going :)
Here's how you can make some hand-carved stamps of your own using recycled wine corks!
~Choose the end of the cork with the smoothest texture, probably the end that was inside the wine bottle.
~Draw a design using a marker, and remember that it's best not to be too intricate or have too many thin areas, for best results.
~Using an X-acto or craft knife (- be sure that you use a very sharp blade -) cut around the edges of your pattern, using the tip of the blade and pushing straight down into the cork, about 1/4" deep. Instead of using a sawing motion, press the blade down and pull it straight up for each cut, and use lots of little straight cuts like this for curves instead of trying to make one long curved cut.
~Lay the cork on its side and cut around the circumference about 1/8" to 1/4" down from the end you carved, and about 1/4" deep so that all the cuts you made from the top will be cut free. Gently pull off the cut pieces of cork from the top, and go back and refine your design where needed.
~Use paint (I used acrylic) or an inked stamping pad in the color of your choice, and you're ready to get stampin'!
~Don't have a filthy wine-drinkin' cork-savin' habit like me? Take one cork and cut it into three equal pieces, about 1/2 inch each. You can cut about 1/4" inch deep and still have a 1/4" base, and now you have 3 times the number of stamps!!!
Please feel free to link up to your own posts or projects in the comments if you use this technique, and I'd certainly appreciate a link back on your own blog as well if you are inspired by this post ♥
I LOVE to be pinned on Pinterest :) I hope you'll share with the world by pinning me if you like what you see here!
 "Pin It")
