Category: General Crafting

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

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Brandie Bell

Brandie Bell

Happy Cinco De Mayo Everyone!

I hope your having a great day and will have an even better night! So what is Cinco De Mayo? Well, many people think it is the Mexican Independence Day but that is actually on September 16. Cinco De Mayo celebrates Mexico’s triumph over the French at the Battle of Puebla. Which was a big deal, the French had not lost in a long time.

So here we are! Let’s Fiesta then Siesta!

IMG_1233

Here are a few things to get you set for a fun and traditional Cinco De Mayo Celebration.

1. Food!

Chips & Guacamole!

Guacamole dips is made of avocados, chiles, onions, tomatoes, salt and lime! Mush it all together and PA-DOW Guacamole!

Now instead of buying corn chips you can heat up some oil, cut up some tortillas into quarters, fry them in the hot oil until crispy and PA-DOW better celebration chips!

Tamales, Tamales, Tamales.

Looking for a recipe? Check out for lots of Tamale       Recipes. But just so you know… none will compare to my Gramma’s! – Food.com http://www.food.com/recipe/traditional-tamales-pork-15286

Chalupas!

Now you can go to Fast Food or you can go to WikiHow and make your own!! Love it!                                                                                   http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Taco-Bell-Beef-Chalupa-Supreme

2.  Loud Music!

Its just one day..so let it rip! Bust out the loudest Uuum Pa Pa, Uuum Pa Pa music you can find. Don’t have any you say?! Well here you go!

Got to LOVE Pandora: www.pandora.com/music/mexico

3. Crazy Lucha Libre Masks?

Well no…but Hey! Why Not! It’s a celebration! Not sure just how to make an awesome Lucha Libre Mask…

No Problem, click on over HappyThought.co.uk. This fantastic lady has not only given awesome instructions but there is also a free downloadable template! Its not too late Get printing!! https://happythought.co.uk/craft/printables/how-to-make-lucha-libre-masks-free-templates                                                                                          …no your NOT too old!

Have A Good Time!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

I love Frida

I love Frida

Oh and May the Fourth be with you!!

Valentines Day Upcycled Tags on Etsy

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A few months ago my mother contracted me to make her a bunch of tags she could use for gifts and cookie trays. She loved them so much I decided to take a stab at some for my Etsy store.

They are made out of old recycled file folders and index cards.

Here are the one’s I made for my mom:

tags 1tags 2 wtmr

Here are some Valentines Day versions Available now on my Etsy store:

If you’re looking for an awesome way to add beautiful detail to a gift, cookie tray, or anything, these tags are a fantastic addition. They are very sturdy and make wonderful bookmarks.

If you would like something custom for a wedding, bridal party gift, graduation gift, or sweet 16 party favors, let me know, I can do custom orders.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Tags wtmk #1 2#7#5 2#2 3

Past Peyote Stitch Projects

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Hi Everyone!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post, I was job hunting and a bit distracted. Happily I was able to find a job! Unfortunately I have been too crazy to get to any projects.  But I have been in a beading mood and working on getting some beads together for some projects.

I was going through some of my older pictures and came across some of my old bead projects and thought it would be fun to share.

Amulet Bag 1 (2) Amulet Bag 1Amulet Bag 2 (3)Amulet Bag 2 (2) Amulet Bag 2 Crystal 2 crystal pouchFalling Vine Waterfall 2 Waterfall

I love beads!!!!

How are your holiday projects going?

Off to decorate for Christmas… have a great week!

Recycling! Re-Using Paperboard as Art Canvas

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title page img

Hello Everybody!

It’s time to talk trash!

Did you know 40.4% of our garbage is paper.  40% is a whole lot… let’s talk about that in terms of pounds, well its is 71.6 million tons! And according to the EPA only about 40 million tons of paper and paperboard were are recovered for recycling.

We can all do our part

We can all do our part

Some of the recovered paper is used to make things like paperboard. Paperboard is not quite cardboard but much stronger than paper. It is what everything is packaged in.

The EPA states that “Approximately 70 percent of paperboard is used to package food and other consumer goods.”  Paperboard is everywhere and if you  really think about it, it is mostly unnecessary.  Cereal boxes yet the cereal is in a bag..inside the box? Individual sized everything? unnecessary! Too much over-packaging!

I personally, was very tired of adding to the garbage or even the recycling with all this paperboard, that in my crafting mind I could do something with.

So I decided to kill two birds with one stone, pardon the expression…I love and respect birds. 😀

I decided instead of throwing the cereal boxes and well most packaging into the recycle bin I was going to reuse it. I discovered they make wonderful art canvases, journal pages and bookmarks.  Art supplies are expensive!! I do not necessarily need the super expensive nice canvases for my art. Part of what makes my art my art is recycling and reusing what’s around me in a different way.

Recycled Beauty Art Page on Cereal Box by Brandie Bell

Recycled Beauty Art Page on Cereal Box
by Brandie Bell

Once cut down, the possibilities are endless!

They are thick enough to make stencils & stencil masks, the ink sprays and acrylic paints I used did not seep through. Create your own works of art with decoupage, paint, fabric, embellishments, it is even strong enough for those steam punk projects. Cut out Tag shapes and make your own tags.

The skinny sides make great bookmarks!

Here is how to do it the way I do:

1. Cut down the boxes right away. Easier to store and easier to start projects if the cutting is already done.

Cut up and Store paperboard

Cut up the boxes. I cut off the tops and bottoms but keep every side.

I have a nifty storage box (box my cat door came in..I liked the way it opened. I keep them in. One day I will decorate it and use it as a cover for all my projects. You can make one with a cereal box just cut down the center.

store         store 2

2. It’s best to prep your box, art work just comes out better.  But this step is really up to you. I cover the image side of the box with Gesso.

prep 1

prep 2

prep 3

Once dry you are all set to craft away!

Recycled Beauty Art Page on Cereal Box by Brandie Bell

Recycled Beauty Art Page on Cereal Box
by Brandie Bell

I hope this post gets those creative juices flowing!

How do you use recycled products in your art? I would love to know and maybe even blog about you! 😀

Free Bead Loom Pattern: Heart Bracelet

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loom bead pattern

 

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! If you have never tried beading on a loom, you should totally try it. It is super easy and super addicting, especially when you can create your own patterns.  I created the heart bracelet pattern a few years back when I decided to make bracelets for a few friends and family members. It’s the first pattern I ever attempted so I decided to keep it simple. I do really like how they came out.

I used the same pattern but varied the colors, some were black, red, and grey another was black, metallic blue and clear. The variations are endless.

If you are not familiar with Loom Beading here is a great tutorial by Jewelry Supply on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ScjJsOIQP3w

Bead looms are not very expensive unless you want to get fancy. They usually range from about $9.00 and up.

Here is the bracelet:

 

loom bead heart bracelet

 

 

Making the pattern:

Each dot is a bead, fill in the holes until you’re happy with your pattern, then get beading!

Loom Bead Heart Pattern

 

Create your own! Just repeat pattern until its as long as you want. Is even an awesome bookmark.

Free heart pattern

Right click image Save Image As Save to your computer

Here is a blank sheet to play with:

Right click Save Image As Save to your computer

Right click
Save Image As
Save to your computer

Do you loom bead? How did you first get started?

 

5 Sites with Amazing Recycling Projects

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Recycling Projects

Hola Everyone! I am recovering from a nightmare migraine so this is just a quick post.

I am all about reusing trash as you know, and I came across some sites that made my jaw drop! Some of these upcycling ideas are just wonderful. I want to give all these people a hug, weird I know, but some people are just so crazy creative! I love it! 

Here are 5 sites with amazing recycling ideas to help get you motivated to upcycle not just recycle:

1.)  Sophia at http://mygreatchallenge.blogspot.com/ created an awesome DIY colored pencil organizeer using recycled materials around the house. I love this project, I am totally going to make one. Check it out here: My Great Challenge – DIY Colored Pencil Organizer

2.)  Diane at Crafty Pod, shows us how to How to make a gift box from an old greeting card! This is such a great idea. Check it out here:  Crafty Pod- How to Make a Gift Box from an Old Greeting Card

3.)  I absolutely love this idea, and can not wait to try it out. It comes from Jessica Jones at How About Orange.blogspot.com.  How to Make Gift Bags from Newspaper! How About Orange – How to Make Gift Bags from Old Newspapers

4.)  Check out this cool recycled gift canister, wrapping, and fabulous bow by Bptakoma on instructibles.com You will find it here: Instructables.com – Cool Recycled Gift Canisters

5.)  Beauty Harmony Life has some of the most creative ideas for recycling items. I absolutely love the wine and beer bottle coffee tables! Oh and the DIY Owls! 25 Diy Ideas to Recycle your potential Garbage. Check it out! Beauty Harmony Life – 25 DIY Ideas to Recycle your Garbage

Enjoy!

Happy Recycling!

 

Fun Free Download: Home is Wherever YOU Are

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Home is Whereever YOU are Title page

Greetings and Salutations!

I don’t know if you’re like us, but we seem to move…quite a bit. I have always found that no matter where you go, it’s important to make your surroundings yours. I love to surround myself with weird things that make me happy. 

I made this cute little canvas to remind me that my man and I make the home, the home doesn’t make us. It was made a while ago while I was just starting to experiment with paint.  It always makes me smile, so I thought you might enjoy making your own too. 

I used a canvas I believe its 8 1/2 x 11 inches, and used acrylic paint for the background.

  1. Once the paint is completely dry, I used carbon paper to trace out the lettering.
  2. at this point I also drew the flowers around the print free hand. 
  3. I filled in the letting with gold paint, and the flowers with more acrylic paint.
  4. Once that paint is completely dry, outline everything with puffy paint. 

Here is the link to the lettering:

Home is wherever you are free download

Home is wherever you are free download

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5qXFuCPM1ZsZWpUZjllUEJaQkE/edit?usp=sharing

Enjoy.

How do you make your home your home?

Have a great day! It’s almost Friday!

I Tried it! Reviews! Printed Treasures Iron-On Inkjet Printable Fabric made by Dritz

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project review title page

Review: Printed Treasures Iron-On Inkjet Printable Fabric made by Dritz

printed treasures

Overview: Printable Fabric, Package states: Quick & Easy, Superior Washability, Paperlike Quality, 200 thread count pima cotton. Print, Peel and Iron. Ideal for Photo printing.

Three 8.5in x 11 in sheets to a pack

Price ranges anywhere from $8 to $13.

The pros and cons:

Pros:

  • Easy to use
  • Sturdy
  • Good for pillows
  • Big sheet to work work with
  • Easy to sew
  • Not expensive
  • Many of possibilities

Cons:

  • Possible fading over time.
  • The sheet is thin – I would not put light picture on dark background.

Other people’s opinions:

I checked out reviews from Amazon.com and Overstock.com and overall they received really great reviews.

Both site’s reviews gave the product four and a half stars.  Everyone that used it found it really easy to use and thought the pictures came out great.

There were some comments that stated after a few washings the picture fades.

Final opinion:  

I tried the Printed Treasures printable Iron-on fabric on a pillow project.

I created a Memorial Pillow for by friend when her dog went up to the big doggy park in the sky.  I loved that dog!

I printed the picture with no problems, I started with an image that was a bit blurry but it came out just like the picture.

The back was easy to peel off and once you iron it down it’s completely stuck. I didn’t notice any issues with fading but, I gave it away, so I really didn’t get to see how it was washing it.

Tips:

For my project I was going to be putting a light picture on a dark pillow, the fabric was black with red and white writing (love in cursive).  The picture of Jake was really light because he was white.

  1. I ironed the picture onto a white pillow case first.
  2. Cut it out.
  3. Then I took the cutout picture and sewed it to the fabric with the dark background.
  4. This prevented the black fabric pattern to show through the picture. This totally worked! It was an extra step but if you’re using a strong pattern it helps the picture pop.
  5. I also added a little boarder. When your ironing on a thicker piece of fabric the printed picture is not flat it is a bit stiffer and more raised than the fabric your ironing on, so the border gives it better transition.

I really like this product. I would totally use it again for future projects.

the Jake pillow

the Jake pillow

The Jake Pillow for my friend Dianne

The Jake Pillow for my friend Dianne

Comments:

  • This product is great for pillows and quick personalized projects. Would also be great for quilts.
  • Read the directions carefully and follow the directions.
  • If product looks old it probably is, the quality might not be as great. There should be no yellowing or peeling.
  • Make sure you are familiar with how your printer feeds. To insure it picks up the paper correctly.

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