From "Home Decor" to 'Haute Couture" - New Episode of Behind These Eyes

In this latest episode of Behind These Eyes on When Creativity Knocks, I am sharing a simple idea for transforming pre-beaded decorative trims made for home-decor into unique jewelry. 

Happy Birthday with Buttons Galore and More

This month Buttons Galore & More sponsored the Designer Craft Connection challenge.  I, along with many other of the designers in the group, received a fun assortment of buttons to design with.  I've got a few more projects waiting to be completed.  My project is a black, white & silver themed "elegant" birthday card.  Be sure to follow the DCC link to see all of the other Buttons Galore & More projects to inspire your creativity!  - Cindi

Materials:

Buttons Galore and More Haberdashery Black & White Mix, Black Pleated Ribbon
Score, Fold, Create! by Diana Crick, Penny Wessenauer and Friends
Scor-Pal® scoring tool
The Robin's Nest papers - "Classified," black cardstock, "Damask Black & White"
Beacon Adhesives Zip Dry™Paper Glue
Clearsnap® ColorBox® silver pigment brush pad
Elmer's Designer Masking Tape - Primary Designs
ScraPerfect Perfect Crafting Pouch
JudiKins Happy Birthday Copperplate stamp 
Black inkpad
Westcott® Titanium Trim Air Trimmer, Titanium Non-Stick Scissors
Paper Wishes Silver metallic foil tape by Amaco
Impress Art brass stamping hammer, steel stamping block, Flourish I and Flourish G stamps
Earth Safe Finishes Generation Green black acrylic paint

Instructions: 

Create focal button flower embellishment by arranging layers of buttons from the Buttons Galore and More Haberdashery Black & White Mix.  Begin on a black cardstock square base and build upward, using Beacon Zip Dry paper glue.








Cut black cardstock, Damask paper and Classified paper following measurements in instructions for Flexy Fold Card in Score, Fold, Create! book.  Score front pieces as indicated in instructions using Scor-Pal.








Ink edges of all white papers with silver ColorBox® inkpad.  Pat with Perfect Crafting Pouch to dry ink immediately.

Assemble card following instructions, add Elmer's damask masking tape as an accent along top edge of right front flap, and along bottom inside edge of all pieces of card as shown.










Stamp JudiKins Happy Birthday verse onto white paper with black inkpad.  Trim, ink edges with silver ink and pat dry with Perfect Crafting Pouch.









Use Impress Art stamps to stamp alternating pattern on silver foil tape.  Apply black paint to stamped areas, wipe to remove excess.  This will enhance your stamped areas.


Assemble card following instructions from book.  For front right folding panel, mount strip of Black Pleated ribbon beneath damask tape.  Mount button flower to left edge of right flap.
Mount stamped metal foil strip over center of ribbon.

Mount verse and accent papers on inside of card as shown, adding strip of stamped foil tape vertically on left edge of verse. 

Cre8time Window Display at CHA

Busy, busy, like the bees...would definitely describe these past few weeks as I finalized preparations for the winter Craft & Hobby Association trade show in Anaheim! One of the projects was this window display for the Cre8time area on the showroom floor. My concept was to create a bright, bold, eye-catching display of a sunflower field of mixed-media flowers, and I'm happy to say that Ana Araujo and I succeeded! It was fabulous! I hand-painted the 3 backdrop panels, created 6 different patterned paper & mixed-media sunflowers, and made the Elmer's foam board picket fence, complete with crackle finish using Elmer's, and easily re-assembled thanks to Velcro! FloraCraft supplied foam for the base of the garden, as well as moss to cover our ground. Ana created fun mixed-media fabric sunflowers, recycled water bottle bees, and felt squirrels holding the "Cre8time to make the flowers" sign which she hand embroidered.

 
To learn more about the Cre8time movement - follow the link on the side panel.  I encourage you to CREATE TIME to bring crafting into your world this year!  - Cindi

DCC Makin’s Clay® Blog Hop: Adaptable Napkin Rings

This month the Designer Craft Blog Connection group hosted a designer challenge featuring Makin’s Clay®.  As a long time fan of the extreme versatility of Makin’s Clay®, I was excited to have other designers use it in their creations and share them with all of you.  Each participant received an assortment of clay, tools, cutters, texture sheets and push molds.  Be sure to click through the DCC link on the right to see what they’ve whipped up with their products from Makin’s Clay®!  For more ideas on creating with Makin's Clay®, visit the new Makin's Clay® Blog, Facebook Page, and Pinterest Board. 

I loved the adorable napkin rings fellow designer Ann Butler created from a repurposed paper towel roll, so I knew just what to start with when I created these “adaptable” napkin rings!   The brown tone of the clay, along with the texture provided from the texture sheet results in what I think looks a bit like leather.  By sticking with a simple color palette, these adaptable rings will coordinate with almost any color or pattern of napkin, for any theme or holiday.   The metal stamped embellishment serves as a holder for silk flowers, dried flowers, colorful autumn leaves, long stems of grasses, or any other embellishment you’d like to tuck behind it to customize your rings for the occasion.  The verses stamped on each are basic enough that they too are versatile.


Materials: 

Makin’s Clay® - Earth Tones multi pack (If creating 4 rings of the same colors, 2 multi-packages of clay will be needed)
Makin’s Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine® Makin’s Clay® Texture Sheet - Set A "Sand"
ImpressArt® Metal Stamps - Lowercase Newsprint
ImpressArt® brass stamping hammer, steel stamping plate, & Stamp Straight Tape™
Copper sheet
Westcott Craft Titanium Bonded Non-Stick Scissors
Sharpie marker, soft cloth
Small copper brads
Brown flat fiber trim
Elmer’s Craft Bond Adhesive
Small hole punch, tapestry needle (optional)

Instructions:

Begin by cutting a paper towel roll into desired number of 1 1/2” rings, then cut through each ring to create napkin ring.

Remove clay from box, remove from outer sealed plastic wrapping.  Cut individual wrapped piece of tan clay in half and remove inner wrapping from one half.  Makin’s Clay® is ready to use right from the package - no conditioning is needed.

Use Ultimate Clay Machine® to roll on #3 setting.  This will create a piece large enough to cover your chipboard ring.   Repeat with 2nd half.

Place a light coat of Craft Bond adhesive onto inside of chipboard ring.  Place clay onto ring, using fingers to gently ensure entire surface is covered with clay.  Remove any access clay extending off of chipboard. Repeat on second ring.

Place texture sheet over clay on ring.  Press into clay to transfer texture.

Cut individual wrapped piece of dark brown clay in half and remove inner wrapping from one half.

Use Ultimate Clay Machine to roll on #3 setting.  This will create a piece large enough to cover your chipboard ring.   Repeat with 2nd half.

Place a light coat of Craft Bond adhesive onto outside of chipboard ring.  Place clay onto ring, using fingers to gently ensure entire surface is covered with clay, extending slightly over edges onto back.  Repeat on second ring. 

Place texture sheet over clay on ring.  Press into clay to transfer texture. 

Reform rings, supporting sides as needed, and let dry overnight.

Measure and cut flat brown fiber trim to fit along inside edges of ring where two colors of clay meet.  Mount to cover edge.








To create metal plates, cut two pieces of copper sheet approximately 2” long by 1/2” wide. 

Use ImpressArt® Stamp Straight Tape™ on bottom of first piece to hold in place on steel stamping block.  Use lowercase Newsprint metal stamps and brass stamping hammer to stamp “be thankful” on first piece, and “be grateful” on second piece. 

Distress edges of each piece by lightly tapping with stamping hammer. 

Color each stamped verse with Sharpie marker.  Gently rub marker from copper sheet with soft cloth.  Ink will remain in stamped areas to highlight text.

Punch small hole in each end of each metal plate.


Determine placement on clay napkin rings.   Do not mount flush to ring, bring ends in a about 1/8” to allow metal plate to bend outward to accommodate embellishment inserted behind. 

Use tapestry needle, or small point of scissors, to gently push holes through clay and chipboard where needed. 

Mount plates to rings using copper brads.

To add embellishment, slip behind stamped metal plate. 

- Enjoy using these faux leather, adaptable napkin rings at a special dinner soon! - Cindi 

Makin's Clay is also offering a price package valued at just over $111.00 with products including  clay, tools and a Memory Frame Kit.....to enter leave a comment on the Makin's Clay® Blog telling us which project you liked best on the blog hop.  The winner will be randomly drawn from all entries
on or about October 24th.  We will announce the winner on the Makin's Clay® Blog so check back Thursday October 25 to see if you have won!

DCC Blog Hop - Tombstone Mini Album

It's time for the October Designer Craft Blog Connection hop!  This month we are focusing on Halloween.  Halloween is one of my most favorite times of the year - I love the silly fun, the creepy decorations, the plethora of sci-fi and horror movies on television, and the challenge of creating a unique costume.   This Tombstone Mini Album was actually designed in 2010 and featured in the Halloween Spooktacular episode of When Creativity Knocks.   Click the link for a tutorial of how to create this unique mini-album, and how to create two other whimsical Halloween crafts too!

Follow the DCC link in the column on the right to see what other spooky seasonal craftiness the designers have in store for you!  - Bwaahahahahahahaahha cue the evil laughter... - Cindi
p.s.--- don't forget to stop by on October 13th to see what our participating designers have created for the Makin's Clay sponsored blog hop!  You will also be able to register to win a great prize package of Makin's products!

Faux Wood Burned Coasters

My latest episode of Behind These Eyes with Cindi Bisson is now online at When Creativity Knocks - Find out how to create easy faux wood burned coasters here. 

Happy crafting - and remember to "dare to be different!" - Cindi 

A Book Review, CHA's Hot 20 and More from WCK

This week on WCK I reviewed Kristen Robinson's Tales of Adornment - find out what I thought of here.

For my Simple Solutions article this week, I share my thoughts of CHA's Hot 20 from the Innovations Sneak Peek event. 

Ana shares a cute birdhouse project featuring Elmer's decorative tapes and foam board in the latest episode.   And she reviews episode 4 and 5 of TLC's Craft Wars.

Until next time.... remember to "Dare to be Different!" 
- Cindi

Hummingbird Feeder

Have you heard? March is National Craft Month!  Many of the talented artists who are part of the Designer Craft Blog Connection want to share their creative projects with you.  Some are even offering give away opportunities so don't miss your chance for creative inspiration and prizes!  Follow the link on the right to see what each of them is sharing as we add new projects for this first Monday in March! 


Among the reasons I love spring so much are the song of spring peeper frogs in the woods behind our home, the pops of brightly colored daffodils, crocuses, and black raspberry ice cream colored Redbud trees here in NC,  and the reappearance of my tiny feathered friends - HUMMINGBIRDS!


In this episode of When Creativity Knocks shot on site at Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA, Ana Araujo, Megan Araujo and I get get a bit silly as I share a way to repurpose water bottles with a few simple supplies and create a colorful hummingbird reader for your yard.  Having a clean hummingbird feeder is very important to the health of the birds, so this project is designed so the bottles themselves can be removed when they become dirty, making it easy to add a new clean bottle to feed our buzzing feathered friends.    


WCK even has affordable kits available if you decide you'll give this project a try and watch these little flying jewels of nature flock to your yard for refreshment!

http://whencreativityknocks.com/mycraftspace/m/videos/view/Hummingbird-Feeder