Kara Wraps and ReUses

Kara of Me and Elna helps us continue our blog tour wrap-along.. sharring ideas from Ruby Star Wrapping! She made a few bags and repurposed old containers for cute, thrifty and fun gift giving. See all of her projects and read all about it on her blog today: http://meandelna.blogspot.com/2012/11/its-time-for-prizes.html

Also today this is the last chance to leave a comment for tomorrows GIVEAWAY!!! But remember even if your #'s not draw another giveaway starts right after this ;)

Scrappy Ornaments

Here is a fun, easy project as you prepare for the Holidays!  And if you don't mind a few sticky fingers, even fun for the kids! 

You will need clear, plastic ornaments.  They come is a variety of sizes, but mine are 3" ornaments.  You will be able to find these at your local craft supply store and are usually sold in a carton of 6.

You will also need a jar of Modge Podge and a small paint brush.

Finally, gather your scraps of fabrics and cut them into very small pieces.  The pieces do not need to be the same size, in fact, it is better to have a variety of sizes.  But the scraps do need to be small....generally an inch or less.

   

I usually start at the top of the ornament and lay a piece of fabric on the ornament, hold it with one hand and simply paint the piece of fabric with Modge Podge.  You don't need much, just enough to stick the fabric to the ornament.  Then continue with another scrap and slightly over lap the last piece of fabric and paint with Modge Podge.  I like to go all around the top first so that I can hold onto the hanger as I work my way around the bulb. 

You will notice it looks cloudy as you are painting, but it will dry clear.  Once you have finished a bulb, you can place it upside down in the carton or string a ribbon through and hang to dry.  Once dry you may add more layers of Modge Podge if you would prefer.  I only did one coat.

So there you have it!  A fun ornament for your Christmas tree, as a gift {for teacher, maybe}, or gather several in a ribbon and use to decorate a package.

Have fun!

Mary

How To: Anita's No Sew Snowflakes

My mom came up with this idea for our next store front display. Of course I had to jump in and make some,then I thought... why not write a simple "how to"?
Well okay, so here's my first "how to" post.
Enjoy.
Quick, easy and fun, this no sew project is a great project for a case of the "I'm bored" blues, or perhaps for the "I have so much to do that I don't want to, so I'll do this instead" blues. Anyhow, for what ever the reason you should give it a try. Make then on your own, involve a friend or the kiddies. Anyone who is safe with scissors can do this one.

It's just like paper snowflakes you may have made when you were a kid (or last year), except with fabric and that o' so wonderful "WonderUnder" also known as heat and bond.

You will need:
several coordinating fabrics
heat and bond
sharp scissors
rotary cutter
straight edge/acrylic grid ruler
cutting mat

Note: I used 6 coordinating fat quarters and about 2 yards of WonderUnder (you could also use some of those scraps I know you have stowed away some where).

Here's the step by step..
1. Fuse 2 coordinating prints together following the instructions that came with your "WonderUnder" (I used Pellon brand)2. Cut several squares in various sizes, for best results I recommend cutting no larger then 8"x8" and no smaller then 3"x3".3. Take your squares to the ironing board. One at a time, fold each square diagonally to form a triangle and press. Fold a second time to form an even smaller triangle, and press once more on either side, holding for a few seconds (the flatter the better).4. Now for the cool part. Take your pressed triangles and cut into all three sides. Experiment with the different shapes and sizes of your cuts. Curvy cuts have a great effect.
5. Unfold.6.Press out, admire and smile. No two snowflakes are ever the same.
Now cut some more and have a good time. String them up and hang them anywhere you need a little cheer. Note: you may want to use a heavy starch for your final pressing to achieve a stiffer flake for hanging purposes.

Feeling ambitious? Try appliquéing your snowflakes on some tea towels, a child's t-shirt or any project you like. For the purpose of appliquéing there is no need to make your flake double-sided, simply iron on your heat and bond to the wrong side of your fabric leaving the paper backing attached while continue on with the rest of the steps. Remove backing when you are ready to iron onto t-shirt or other, then finish off with a tiny whip stitch in a thread matching your snowflake fabric.

Share with us what you make, this project or any other at our new shoppe flickr group.
We love seeing what you've made from the fabrics we sell.

Your Shoppe Blogger,
April