RIP Elvis

I've been a little out of it lately, last week my 16 year old cat Elvis got weaker and died on Friday in my arms. I'm working on a cross for his grave, it's kinda gaudy and over the top, but he was amazing!! Not done yet, but here it is so far... May he rest in peace....

Sequin Candle

I've been on a quickie craft kick for a while, so that I can gear myself up for a few ideas that will be a huge challenge for me, (like loom knitting, crochet flowers, etc). While I work on my research, here's another easy one... This is mainly to decorate a candle that will be used only for decoration, because I don't know how it will burn... Just get some decorative colored head pins, multi-colored sequins and push a headpin thru a sequin into your candle in any design. Voila!!

These are fun to co-ordinate with your decor, or you can go wild and make a densely covered masterpiece!

Featured Artist: Sallie Hunter

I wanted to feature a fellow Naptime Crafts Diva, my friend Sallie McNett Hunter, because her work is very inspiring and because her birthday is coming up Sunday!

She makes awesome collage & assemblage pieces from recycled items, and also makes cool stamped and image transfer pendants, check her out!

Frames and boxes, including the "Umeboshi the Pickled plum Fairy"

"Dern Shickens"





"The Amoracle"

Polymer Clay pendants




Sequin ornaments

Simple Tutorial for Recycling Crayons

Since I'm finding pieces of crayons ALL over the house, I gathered them all up and made this simple project...

1. Heat oven to 250.

2. Fill a mold/candy mold/decorative pan with crayon pieces and bake until crayons start to melt 10-15 min. Hint- put a sheet pan underneath to catch any drips, and keep an eye on them.

3. Let cool, then remove from mold and smooth down any edges by rubbing on a sheet of paper.

4. Enjoy!

Fabric painting

This is one of the simplest projects out there! Like a fabric swatch? Then turn it into art! I loved this Dia De Los Muertos fabric, and loved how well it went with my owl fabric for my shower curtain, so I made it into a "painting" to match the room... Just stretch your fabric over a blank canvas from the craft store, staple it around the back, and voila! Your ART!!

p.s. I blame this latest style infatuation on the Craft Chica!!!

Finished! Needle Felting

I pronounce this one done! Mostly because I've run out of needles again, and that in reality I could just keep going and going.... Needle felting is a very satisfying technique, great for getting out aggressions because all you do is stab it over and over and over....

Bird's Nest pendants

These were fun! I was inspired by a tutorial on Something I Made's blog- (http://justsomethingimade.blogspot.com/2009/03/little-wire-bird-nests.html), so I used up some pearls I had, and they are so sweet and easy to make!

Needle felted shirt

So, I had this tank that I got paint all over, and instead of throwing it out, I decided to try to needle felt on it... Not quite finished yet, (I broke all of my needles!), but I'm happy with where this is going... I love the multi-colored roving because it was easy to wind around my image. Not sure how it will hold up in the laundry, but at least I can wear it once like this!

Embossed velvet

This is a project I've always wanted to try, never thought it would really be this easy!

I took a velvet tank top, turned it inside out, spritzed it with water, put deep patterned rubber stamp facing up underneath, and ironed the spot for 20-30 sec without moving the iron around. I've got a few goofs, yet not too shabby for my first try! Now I'm going to the closet to see what else I can decorate!

Tutorial for Soda Can Flowers

Christian suggested that I do a tutorial for the soda can flowers, so here it is!



You will need:
Tin snips, scissors, Sharpie marker, glue adhesive, wire, pliers/nippers, alcohol/swabs, and a hammer/ punch, and of course 2-3 cool cans...



1. Pick out 2-3 cans to use

2. Cut into mouth of can with tin snips

3. Cut across cans with scissors to make differing overall heights for your layers

4. Mark sections off with your marker, for as many petals as desired

5. Cut down as close to bottom of can as possible for your petal shapes - (can be pointed petals or rounded)

6. Carefully bend petals down flat out. CAUTION: all edges are extremely sharp!

7. Clean off marker and bottom writing of can with alcohol/swabs

8. Punch hole in "back" layer can with hammer and punch

9. Cut about 2 feet of wire, double over and poke through hole to front of flower and bend to keep in place (Should have a "knot" coming up through this hole)

10. Glue around edge of back can flower to hide wire and attach both

11. Push top can layer on top , push down to adhere- let dry a few hours

12. Glue bead/marble/etc to center for decoration if desired, let dry

13. Enjoy!

Beer Sweater

My friend Nichole made this beer sweater for my hubby for his birthday, and it's toooooo stinkin' cute!! We saw the pattern on Ravelry.com and HAD to have some, so now her hubby and mine have matching sweaters!!! She's the one who taught me to knit last fall, and maybe, just maybe, someday I can learn to do this myself!

Silk Sari yarn scarf

Hope this winter is a cold one!! I'm working on yet another scarf with this awesome recycled silk sari yarn, I'm loving the textures and colors!! I should probably try again to learn to purl, since this is the extent of my repertoire!!