Offray® Ribbon Blog Hop - Polka Dots & Sparkle Little Girl's Apron

The Designer Craft Connection group is participating in a blog hop featuring projects made with Offray® Ribbons.  We each received as shipment of pretty ribbons to create our designs with.  I used the pretty pinks they sent for the hop, along with some other fun polka dot Offray® ribbons I had from a prior project, added some pretty fabric from ADORNit® and just a bit of BLING with Connie Crystal crystal sheets to create this "Polka Dots & Sparkle Little Girl's Apron"!   And of course, for those of you who follow my creative projects, you know I very seldom actually sew - I use Beacon®'s Fabri-Tac™ Adhesive to hold it all together!

Be sure to click through the DCC link on the right to see what the other participating designers are sharing with their Offray® projects!

And - Sign up for Offray.com email newsletters to receive information about new products, project ideas, and special savings. Plus, receive 15% Off your first order at Offray.com when you sign up for email!

Materials: 

Offray® Ribbons - Gross grain - assorted polka dots, solid pale pink sparkle

ADORNit® Basics Fabric - Tiny Check - blue 

Connie Crystal White Crystal Sheets
Beacon® Fabri-Tac™ Adhesive
Westcott Brand® Titanium Bonded Non-Stick Scissors

Instructions:

Cut fabric to 18 1/2" x 22".   Fold in left and right edges approximately 1/2", fold over top edge approximately 2", iron to make crease.

Cut bottom edge with pinking shears, or create small folded seam and glue in place.

Use Fabri-Tac to glue down folded left and right seams.

Place Fabri-Tac on outer edge and glue down top edge to create pocket for ribbon to tie apron.

Cut several pieces of assorted ribbons approximately 4".  Fold in half, use Fabri-Tac to glue ends together to form loops.   Glue loops along bottom edge of apron extending approximately 1/4" beyond bottom of apron.

Glue light pink sparkle ribbon along top edge of ribbon loops.

Cut piece of white crystal sheet about 1/2" wide (3 rows) x width of apron.  Glue in center of pink sparkle ribbon over ribbon loops.

Create pocket by cutting piece of fabric 5" x 6".  Fold all edges over to make 1/2" seams and iron seams.   Use Fabri-Tac to glue strips of ribbon over front of pocket, wrapping top edge over and glueing to inside of top of pocket.   Glue pocket in place on apron.

Cut strips of 1/2" (3 rows) of white crystal sheets to create monogram letter and glue in place.

String pink sparkle ribbon through pocket at top of apron to create ribbons to tie in place. 

Love This! Valentine Heart Clay Earrings

This week the Designer Craft Connection's blog hop theme is "Love This!"  We were asked to share projects featuring something we love - a product, tool, technique, etc.   I'm sharing a project featuring several products I love, and a few techniques too!

Be sure to follow the Designer Craft Connection link in the column on the right to see what other creative projects the designers are sharing!









Materials (A few that I LOVE!):

Makin's Clay® - White & Red
                         - Clay roller, Heart Cutter Set
Connie Crystals - red and clear
Beacon® Adhesives 527
JudiKins French Script rubber stamp
Clearsnap® Ann Butler's Crafter's® Ink -
Silver French earring wires, silver flat head pins
Jewelry pliers

Instructions:

Mix small amount of white and red clay to swirl and create shades of pink.  Roll thin (approximately 1/8" thick.  I love blending clay and leaving it slightly swirled - I think the effect is so pretty and each piece is totally unique. 

Ink script stamp with red ink and stamp into rolled clay.   Use medium heart cutter to cut 4 hearts.  Let dry (should only take an hour or so since clay is rolled so thin).  I love to rubber stamp Makin's Clay® - you can stamp it when it's wet or dry - use the stamp to make impressions in wet clay, etc.  Endless creative options!   And this JudiKins French Script stamp is truly one of my must have stamps - I've used it on so many projects I've lost count! 

Cover back of 2 hearts with Beacon 527.  Place flat head pin with head at base of back of heart.  Place second heart on top to seal pin within.  Let dry.  Beacon's 527 is one of my "go-to" adhesives - it works on virtually anything, is super strong, and dries clear! 

Add clear crystal bead and then red crystal bead.  Create loop at top of pin.  Add to earring wires.  Connie Crystals are a great embellishment for many projects - I love having them in my creative stash to go to for not just jewelry, but paper crafts, mixed-media and more! 

Beaded Spider - DCC October Blog Hop

It's time for the Halloween edition of the Designer Craft Connection blog hop!  Be sure to follow the link to the right to see what the other participating designers are sharing to add some BOO to your world! 

This beaded spider was a snap to create - I followed the directions in the most recent episode of When Creativity Knocks - We visited Crafted at the Port of LA and Mary Austin from Twisted Sisters showed us how easy it was to create these little bejeweled crawlers.  I couldn't resist whipping one up for myself!    Add a pin back, or make  a necklace for him to hang from as a pendant - or perch him on a pumpkin like I did for a little creepy fun.   

Materials: 

22/24 Gauge wire

Jewelry pliers

Black seed beads, black bugle beads, round glass bead for head

Connie Crystal blue bicone beads, large blue glass bead for body

Bead caps 

Follow the instructions in the episode below to create your own spider you don't want to squish! 

Makin's Clay® Groovy Flowers Earrings

Find the how-to instructions to create your own pair of Groovy Flower Earrings on the Makin's Clay® blog - http://makinsclayblog.blogspot.com/2014/06/makins-clay-groovy-flower-earrings.html

Glamour Girl Monogram Mirror - Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop

This Glamour Girl Monogram Mirror would make a great gift for any girl who wants to celebrate there inner princess!  Sparkling crystal accents, etched glass fleur-de-lys, a glittered monogram letter, and coordinating ribbons bring it all together.  Be sure to click the Designer Craft Connection Blog button to see what other creative hand-made gifts are being shared today as part of this month's blog hop!

Materials:

12" Round Darice Mirror
Connie Crystal white crystal sheets
DecoArt® Americana® Gloss Enamels® Stick-On Stencils™ - Fleur de lys
etchall® Etching Cream
Chipboard glittered monogram letter
Beacon Adhesives Quick Grip™ Adhesive
Coordinating ribbons, scissors, foam brush
Command™ mounting strip


Instructions:

Place fleur-de-lys stencil onto lower right area of mirror.  Apply etchall® cream and let set 15 minutes.

Remove and place etchall® cream back into bottle for re-use.
Clean and dry mirror.  Repeat with stencil above and to the right of first image, then repeat again to create 3 diagonal images.

Cut three strips of 3 crystals from Connie Crystal sheet.  Use Beacon Adhesives Quick Grip™ to mount to straight area in center of each fleur-de-lys.

Use Quick Grip™ to mount glittered monogram letter centered on fleur-de-lys.

Use Quick Grip™ to mount single strip of crystals around outer edge of mirror.

Cut multiple pieces of coordinating ribbon about 2" long.  Fold each piece in half to create slightly-off centered loops.  Use Quick Grip™  to back edge of mirror to create ruffle around mirror.


For easy mounting anywhere, use a removable mounting strip.

Beaded, Blinged Easter Egg!

This Easter egg Smoothfoam decoration is an eye catcher because of it’s large size, it’s shimmering Earth Safe Finishes Ann Butler Designs Iridescents, and it’s Connie Crystal bead accents!  A single egg in a decorative bowl is all you will need to give your Easter season a bit of glamour.  Check out full instructions to create your own on the Connie Crystal Blog - http://sparklebycc.com/beaded-blinged-easter-egg-with-connie-crystal/

Season of Green Earrings

Find out how I combined Makin's Clay®, Connie Crystal & EarthSafe Finishes to create these Season of Green earrings today on the Makin's Clay® blog - http://makinsclayblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/season-of-green-earrings.html

http://makinsclayblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/season-of-green-earrings.html

ICE Resin® Rue Romantique® Christmas Blog Hop - Floating Poinsettia Ornament

The beautiful bezels in the Rue Romantique collection make fabulous holiday ornaments.  For this one I combined an open backed bezel with a Spellbinders die cut poinsettia coated with ICE Resin for a unique holiday ornament.  Be sure to visit the other participating designers' blogs to see what lovely holiday projects they'll be sharing featuring the Rue Romantique line! - Cindi

Floating Poinsettia Ornament 

Materials:

ICE Resin®

Rue Romantique bezel - open backed 

Susan Lenart Kazmer ”Carnivale”  German Glass Glitter

Spellbinders® Layered Poinsettia die 

Spellbinders® Grand Calibur® machine 

Connie Crystal red crystal and antiqued silver metallic beads 

Red cardstock

Beacon Adhesives Zip-Dry™ Adhesive

Thin jewelry wire 

Jewelry pliers 

Instructions: 

Use Grand Calibur® and Layered Poinsettia die to cut and emboss 3 of the smallest poinsettia flowers from red cardstock.

Mix ICE Resin® according to instructions, coat back of each flower with resin and let cure.  Coat front of each flower with resin, adding gold German Glass Glitter to centers of two flowers, using a small amount of ICE Resin® over the glitter to seal it in place.  Let cure.   Add second layer of resin to front and back of each flower and let cure. 

Cut piece of thin jewelry wire approximately 5” long.  Tie to loop in bezel, leaving approximately 1 1/2” extending down into the open area of the bezel.  

Add red crystal bead right next to loop in bezel, then continue adding small metallic beads to end of wire, looping around and attaching to create hanging loop at end. 

Mount one flower front with glitter center to flower without glitter center so petals are alternating.  Mount to hanging piece of wire in open area of bezel, then mount second flower with glitter center to back of first two, covering wire.   This allows the poinsettia to “float” in the center of the bezel opening. 

Here are the links to the other amazing artists participating in this hop - 

Friday, Nov. 8

Kristen Robinson   http://kristenrobinson.typepad.com/kristenrobinson/2013/11/rue-romantique-christmas-blog-hop.html

Jen Crossley http://amarkintime.blogspot.com/2013/11/rue-romantique-christmas-ornament-blog.html 

Cindy Cima Edwards  http://www.cindycima.com/2013/11/08/rue-romantique-christmas-blog-hop-the-merry-duck/

Cindi Bissonhttp://fatcatcreations.blogspot.com/2013/11/ice-resin-rue-romantique-christmas-blog.html

Saturday, Nov. 9

ICE Resin site  http://wp.me/p1MCno-2W3 

Lexi Grenzer http://lexigrenzer.blogspot.com/2013/11/rue-romantique-ornament-blog-hop.html

Pamela Huntington  http://pamelahuntington.typepad.com/february_2007/2013/11/handmade-holiday-blog-hop.html

Susan Walls  http://www.susansartcircus.com/christmas-with-ice-and-santa/

Jen Cushman  http://wp.me/p1lhEq-Gb

Sunday, Nov. 10

Lesley Venable 

http://flatwoodsfolkart.typepad.com/lesley_venable/2013/11/a-very-rue-romantique-christmas.html.html  

JoMama http://www.shopjomama.com/blog/rue-romantique-ornament-blog-hop

Sandy Martin http://sweetpeajewelry1.blogspot.com/2013/11/rue-romantique-christmas-blog-hop.html

Susan Weckesser http://mysweetearth.blogspot.com/2013/11/rue-romantique-bloghop.html

Autumn Bling with Connie Crystal

My latest project designed with Connie Crystal is now live on their blog - you can find instructions on how to create this stamped necklace and earring set here:  http://sparklebycc.com/stunning-fall-set/

New Projects and More Chaos!

I am still picking up the pieces from my major MacBook Pro crash..... and I recently started working at Michaels Arts & Crafts which is also keeping me quite busy!   I wanted so share a couple of links to some new projects I've created this month for some of the manufacturers I work with.   

The first is a Back to School layout created with the KellyCraft Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square - you can find the instructions here on the KellyCraft blog. 

Next is a small jar candle given a seaside makeover with the help of Connie Crystal's new sea glass beads.  I absolutely love the soft frosty colors of these beads and am looking forward to creating more designs with them.  The instructions for this project are here on the Connie Crystal blog. 

I shared my technique for texturing Smoothfoam™

in a recent episode of Behind These Eyes on WCK and Smoothfoam™ shared the video here on their blog!  

I've also been busily working on some projects we'll be taping in California in early October for the When Creativity Knocks All-Star Designer Holiday Series with Mark Montano, Jonathan Fong, and Judi Watanabe.  It's been a frenzy of Spellbinders, Rit, Blumenthal Lansing, Beacon Adhesives, Makin's Clay, Etchall, Smoothfoam, and Clearsnap creativity!  

Stay tuned for more soon... - Cindi 

Summer Heat with Connie Crystal

The heat of the summer is in full swing this week on the Connie Crystal - here's a peak at my latest project. Visit the Connie Crystal Sparkle blog for instructions on how to create your own captured flame!

Extruded, Coiled Beads Video - Creatively Crafty with Cindi Bisson

My latest episode of Creatively Crafty with Cindi Bisson is now live.  I'm sharing how to create extruded, coiled clay beads using the Makin's Brand® Ultimate Clay Exruder, Makin's Clay®, Connie Crystal and ClearSnap Designer Foil. 

The Queen's Crown with Connie Crystal

My latest project for the Connie Crystal blog is regal.... find out the details on their blog!   http://sparklebycc.com/the-queens-crown/

Cindi’s Adventures with Etchall

Etchall® Etching Cream is an amazing product with a long history of use on glass, mirrors, and ceramic glazes.  It's easy to use, and the product is re-usable so there is very little waste.   Be sure to visit http://www.Etchall.com to learn more about their variety of products, for a project gallery, and for how-to videos.   And, of course be sure to follow the Designer Craft Blog Connection post on the left to see what the other participating designers have created with Etchall®!

Those of you who follow my creative work know I tend to be a bit of a mad scientist sometimes when crafting.   When I received my Etchall® for this Designer Craft Blog Connection Hop, I immediately began scheming and dreaming up new things I wanted to try with it. First, I'm going to share my finished project, then I'll share my experiments.....

The Plaid® Martha Stewart stencils I used for these glasses are made of sturdy plastic and therefore would not bend well to mold to the shape of the wine glass.  So I traced the stencil onto Etchall® Etchmask, and used a sharp craft knife to cut out the open areas. 

The finished sticker stencil was mounted to the glass and I followed the manufacturer’s instructions for applying the Etchall® - and it worked wonderfully - I was able to easily create four seaside themed wine glasses.  (*Note... I found when etching a curved surface like this, it was better to apply the cream to small areas at a time, rather than the entire image to eliminate the issue of the cream running off the curved edge on to the area of the glass you don't want etched...)

And even though the different designs would make it easy for those using the to determine which glass was there, I like to be optimistic and think that several sets might be in use at a fabulous beachside party.... causing confusion as to whose glass was whose.    My answer - quick and easy wine glass charms made from gold hoop earrings, 4 different colored Connie Crystal pearls, and some sparkling Connie Crystal accents. 

And now... cue the bubbling vials and beakers of steaming green and brown goo in the laboratory....

First Experiment: 

Polished marble door stop......  I am lucky to have access to some great assorted chunks of gorgeous marble and have been wanting to create something unique with a piece for a while.  

I whipped out my KellyCraft Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square and lined up some Plaid® Martha Stewart alphabet stencils to spell out a favorite verse.   Applied the Etchall® and waited not so patiently for the required time.  When I removed the Etchall®, then the stencils, I discovered...... nothing.   Apparently, the manufacturers are correct in not claiming their product works on polished marble - lol......

Second Experiment: 

(Yes, the inner “Beaker” in me... anybody remember him from The Muppet Show?..... persevered and had to keep on pushing the limits beyond the product’s recommended uses...)

Etched luggage tag......... I love the clear acrylic Mod Podge Acrylic shapes, especially the tags, from Plaid®.   Out came my Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square again and those same Plaid® Martha Stewart stencils..... I spelled out my name and was planning to add my phone number too and a pretty little flower design.  

Guess what?  Apparently, the manufacturer was also correct in not claiming the product would etch plastic.  

Was there a third experiment?  Well of course there was.   I took a sheet of rolled, dried Makin’s Clay®, added a stencil and added some Etchall® just to see what would happen.  I bet you can guess what the result was.

With all of that shared, I want to reiterate that the Etchall® cream was very easy to use, and I had good results, when I followed the manufacturer's instructions and used it for it's intended use!  I'm glad I got a chance to discover this product and I already have ideas on ways to use it for future projects! - Cindi

Friends Are The Family We Choose for Ourselves - Mixed-Media Frame

My latest project for KellyCraft uses their amazing Get-it-Straight™ Laser Square and some of my other favorite crafting products - Craft Attitude (follow the link in the right column and get FREE SHIPPING on Craft Attitude products!) , Smoothfoam, Connie Crystal, and Graphic 45 papers!  Find the full instructions here on the KellyCraft blog: 

http://www.kellycraftblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/friends-are-family-mixed-media-frame.html

Getting It Straight & Catching Memories

 

http://www.kellycraftblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/scoring-made-easy-with-kellycraft-laser.html

I have a couple of new projects to share today - the first is a new KellyCraft Innovations video showing how the KellyCraft Get-it-Straight Laser Square makes scoring paper and cardstock super simple.

The second is this simple project featuring Connie Crystal & Craft Attitude - what I call "Memory Catchers" - instructions are featured here on the Connie Crystal Blog.

Cre8time to get crafty today! - Cindi

Mother's Day Bracelet

Today I'm sharing a bracelet I designed for ICE Resin®, also featuring Connie Crystal and ImpressArt Metal Stamps - the instructions are available on the ICE Resin blog® - Cindi

 

http://iceresin.com/icequeen/2013/05/mothers-day-bracelet-by-cindi-bisson/

Sea Turtle Pendant with Connie Crystal & ICE Resin

Find out how I combined products from some of my favorite manufacturers to create the sea turtle pendant - the tutorial is here on the Connie Crystal blog! 

P.S.... Yes, I am dreaming of summer days already! - Cindi

Love Notes Keepsake Treasure Box

Mixed-media galore are used on this treasure box for special keepsakes - and check out the cute little poem ICE Resin® wrote to go with it on their blog post today!    ICE Resin®, mica, Bella Dames papers, Spellbinders™Imperial Gold dies, Expo International trim, Earth Safe Finishes Shimmer Opaque and Connie Crystals - This box has it all!  - Cindi

Connie Crystal Valentine Key Ring

Find out how I used Connie Crystal and ICE Resin products to create this Valentine key ring (or pendant!) at the Connie Crystal blog:  http://sparklebycc.com/be-mine-valentine-key-ring/