I am a huge fan of pennant banners. I have used triangles, circles, and traditional pennant shapes. By simply mixing up the materials and themes you can make one for any occasion. When I saw the Darice Chipboard Alphabet Letters I knew that they were meant to be on a Valentine’s Day pennant banner.

Supplies:

• Natural Burlap Fabric Piece – 22 x 35 in
• Mod Podge – Gloss
• Martha Stewart Crafts Glitter Multi-Pack 24 Count
• Darice Chipboard Alphabet Letters – 3 in
• Twine
• Foam Brush
• Scissors
• Hot Glue Gun & Glue

I grabbed 4 of the chipboard letters and spelled out “LOVE.” I love the shapes and style of these letters so much.  I spread Mod Podge over the fronts of the chipboard letters and sprinkled some red glitter until they were completely covered. Once it was dry I added another layer of Mod Podge to seal in the glitter.

Then I cut out four pennant shapes out of the burlap. For the most part, I just eyeballed how big I wanted them to be and cut away. They measure about 5 inches across and 7 inches down. Once I had a rectangle shape, I cut an inverted “V” into the bottom of the pennants.

I attached the glittered letters to the middle of each burlap pennant with hot glue. I also attached some twine to the tops of the pennants. I folded over the tops of the burlap just slightly so it would wrap around the twine and then I secured it by hot gluing the twine to the burlap. Just make sure that you evenly space each pennant as you’re gluing.

Now all that’s left is finding a place to hang up your new Valentine’s banner. Make sure to leave enough twine on the ends so you can securely hang it.

I love how the sparkly red letters look against the rustic natural burlap. It’s the perfect mesh of old and new!

It’s such a simple project but makes a huge statement in your home. If you like, you can mix up the colors to match your home’s style and décor. The burlap is easily paintable and the glitter comes in an array of colors. The possibilities are endless!

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Thank you to Courtney from A Diamond in the Stuff for this guest post! 

We carry these great paper Mache mailbox sets, so I thought I would decorate them and reminisce a bit.  Hey, maybe I’ll save them and give them to my {future} children to bring to school one day – ha-ha!

Supplies:

• 3 Piece Paper Mache Mailbox Set
• Matte Mod Podge
• Scrapbook Paper  of Your Choice – I used the paper from the Love Complete Scrapbook Kit
• Ribbon – 1” for the Large Mailbox and 5/8” for the Medium Sized Mailbox
• Coordinating Paint (optional)
• Embellishments of Your Choice – I used Foamies Valentine Cookie Magnet Kit , Foamies Valentine Foam Stickers, Scrappy Cat Dimensional Stickers and Darice Silver Glitter Chipboard Letters
• Foam Brush
• Scissors

First, remove the mailbox flag and hardware in order to get a nice, smooth, Mod Podge finish.  They come off pretty easily, I just kind of yanked at them and they popped out. 

Cut your paper to the size of the side of your mailbox; not including the raised, rounded edges.  I used pattered paper for the main center part of the mailbox then used a plain coordinating color for the ends.  Note: for the largest mailbox, you will need two pieces of paper to cover both sides and you will have a small seem.  Using your foam brush put a coat of Mod Podge onto the side of your mailbox then lay your paper on top of it.  Add another layer of Mod Podge over the paper and using a pencil, poke holes in the box where the original flag and hardware holes were.  This will make it much easier when you are ready to reattach the pieces.  Let dry completely.

Trace both ends of the mailbox on the plain colored paper, cut them out, and Mod Podge them to the ends. 

Trace the mailbox flag onto a scrap of the plain colored paper and cut it out.  I painted the back side of the flag a coordinating color, and Mod Podged the cutout piece of paper to the front.  Let dry then reattach the flag and hardware.  Glue your ribbon around the exposed paper Mache edges between the ends and the middle of the mailbox. 

You are now ready to embellish and pretty-up your mailbox however you would like!  The smaller mailbox was more of a test and I didn’t really care for how the color combo came out, so I made it a little more childlike with all the stickers and Foamies.  For the larger, pink mailbox, I really liked the scrapbook paper design and how simple and pretty it was so I didn’t want to do an overkill decorating job.  I just added some sparkly ribbon, a cute Foamies heart to the flag and called it a day! 

I thought this was a pretty fun project so I can only imagine how much kids would love it!  Try it out and give your child’s Valentine cards an extra special home!

Here is a gift bag, a card and bonus mini cards that will really show your Valentine how much you care!

Supplies:

• Core’dinations Ebony & Ivory Cardstock
• Gift Bag
• Felties Valentine Pink Owl
• Felties Valentine Peace Hearts
• Aleene’s Quick Dry Tacky Glue
• Red Marker
• Thickers Alphabet Stickers – Cherry
• Gingham Ribbon
• Fiskars Paper Trimmer
• Sizzix Big Shot Die Cut Machine
• Sizzix Polka Dot Embossing Folder
• Core’dinations Sand it Gadget
• Core’dinations Dust Buddy
• Clever Lever Scallop Punch

 Directions:

1.   Assemble the pink owl.  Adhere pieces together and set aside to dry.

2.  Cut black paper to fit your gift bag.  Cut pink paper to size  similar to one shown. The main card is 6×6″ and the small cards are 3×3″.

3.  Place cardstock in embossing folder and follow manufacturers directions on how to emboss.  Remove from embossing folder.

4.  Use the Sand-It gadget to sand the paper.  Use the Dust buddy to remove the dust.  (I like to tap my Sand-It gadget on the inside of the garbage can to remove the excess dust that can build up on it.)  Repeat this step for all of the cardstock you wish to emboss.

5. Adhere your completed owl to the gift bag and add the sentiment of your choice.

6. Adhere the paper pieces to the 6×6″ card base.  Adhere heart and add sentiment of your choice.

Use the scraps of the paper to make the mini cards. The circles are made with Clever Lever punches. Embellish as desired.

If you would like to see a photos on how to sand the Core’dinations card stock, check out this card.

Supplies:

• Core’dinations 12″ x 12″ Paper – WhiteWash Collection – Color: Barn Siding  – Pack of 20 Sheets (available through our customer service department at 1-888-552-7238)
• 10” Straw Wreath
• Poly Satin Ribbon in Ivory
• 6″ White Sparkle Tulle
• Hot Glue Gun & Glue
• Spray Adhesive
• Martha Stewart Fine Crystal Glitter

I used my paper trimmer to cut the 12″ x 12″ sheets into four equal 6″ x 6″ squares.  I then made a template of a circle on each one (I traced around a CD, but it doesn’t need to be exact by any means).  I then tore out the circles by hand.  Because the paper has a color core, it gives a great antique look when torn.  For an even more antiqued look, sand the circle to distress it and reveal more of the Core’dinations ColorCore center.

To turn these imperfect circles into flowers you want to start at the outer edge and carefully rip them into a spiral.  It is helpful to keep the size of the spiral consistent, so you might want to pencil in the spiral shape before you start tearing.  This process took a while, but it’s an easy one to do while you catch up on some TV.

Next you can start rolling the roses.  Start rolling the flower beginning with the outside edge.  Roll as tightly as possible, keeping the bottom edge aligned at all times.  You can either roll the white or the deep red side toward the inside.  I did both and mixed them up.

When the flower is rolled completely tight, carefully pinch together, then let it go and it will spring into shape. 

You can experiment with how much you want it to open up and manipulate it to how you like.  When you get the rose to its desired size, hot glue the base together.  For more rolled paper rose techniques, click HERE.

Once you have all of your roses assembled, line them up on a piece of newspaper or a drop cloth and lightly spray with the spray adhesive.  While the roses are still tacky with the adhesive, sprinkle them with the Martha Stewart Glitter.  I love, love, love Martha glitter so I used a heavy hand.  Obviously the glitter is not necessary, but even if you don’t glitter them, you will want to give them a little spray just to keep the roses in place.

Next, while your roses dry (about 15 mins) wrap your straw wreath with the satin ribbon.  I like the one I used by Darice, because it is not slippery – it is more of a floral ribbon.  Hot glue the ribbon into place.  Warning- the wreath will shed some, don’t be alarmed.  The ribbon will keep it from continuing to shed. 

Start to assemble your roses onto the wreath.  This part is like a puzzle.  I just kept fitting them in and once I found a spot I liked, I hot glued it in.

Continue to place roses until you have the desired fullness.  You will be surprised by the weight of the overall wreath (that’s a lot of heavy cardstock!).  Overall I used about  75 roses on a 10” wreath.  I added a white tulle bow to hang and finish it off beautifully!

Voila!  This wreath is not only perfect for Valentine’s Day but versatile enough to stay up all year-round!

I have worked with wood for years. In my twenties, to help make extra money for my family I use to make dollhouses. As I grew older and money was no longer tight my wood working endeavors took on a grander scale. My workshop included all the tools I needed to make and finish furniture along with tools for the fine detail work of carving and painting decoys.

All the craft tools I had collected over the years, along with my carvings, artwork, and all worldly possessions were gone in a blink of an eye December 1st 2010. My wife and I went off to work, like any typical morning. I received a phone call in the afternoon from the fire department that our home was on fire. I rushed home to find our house completely engulfed in flames; we lost everything.

So you see my daughter wanted me to join Crafts Unleashed as a designer so that I could regain some sense of normalcy and help rebuild my craft supplies. She knows that I love to work with my hands and the best gift she could give me was a way to keep my hands busy.

My first craft project after the fire was a wooden keepsake box. I found an unfinished box in my daughter’s craft studio and designed the word “Love” on the front. I designed the word “Love” to look like tree branches. Then using Darice’s wood-burning tool I burnt the outline it into the wood box.

Next, I brushed a stain onto the box and let it dry.

Lastly, using Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paint I added detail and dimension.  I then finished the box with a clear satin finish.

I have felt the love of my friends and family during this difficult time and this wooden keepsake box is symbolic of how I feel. From a tree comes life; its branches are a place for birds to perch, insects to gather, and flowers to grow underneath. At its prime, trees can be magnificent and grand they are the shelter for all living things around them. Burn a tree down and it falls, it shakes the ground, it creeks, moans, wails, but it does not die. As long as a tree’s root system is unharmed it lives to grow again, to flourish, often it grows to be more magnificent than before. The “love” of my family and friends and my deeply rooted faith will help me to grown and flourish once again.

I look forward to my monthly post here at Crafts Unleashed. My next posts will be chronicling-from  the start to finish- the of making a dollhouse for my granddaughter.

Disclosure

Jenny’s “Hearts in Bloom” wall hanging

Stacy’s Valentines Centerpiece

Jenny’s Candy Kiss Roses

Vinyl Valentine’s Vase Re-fashion

Crystal Heart Earrings

Foamie Napkin Rings

As you can see, there are LOTS of great Valentine’s crafts ideas here- and don’t forget to check out our 2011 Love Challenge and vote for your favorite “Love” craft of 2011!

]]> http://www.craftsunleashed.com/index.php/seasonal/valentines-day-round-up/feed/ 0 http://www.craftsunleashed.com/index.php/seasonal/love-challenge-showdown/ http://www.craftsunleashed.com/index.php/seasonal/love-challenge-showdown/#comments Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:47:59 +0000 Jenny http://www.craftsunleashed.com/?p=3969 Over the past few weeks, you’ve seen some fabulous Valentine’s day crafts- now it’s YOUR chance to vote! Take a peek at our designer’s entries below, and then leave a comment voting for your favorite one. We designers  take our bragging rights very seriously!

Our entries are…

Vicki’s LOVE Pillows

Deanna’s LOVE Canvas

Sarah’s LOVE Wall Art

Jenny’s LOVE Tablescape

Jen’s LOVE Banner

So there they are! You choose your favorite and let us know!

]]> http://www.craftsunleashed.com/index.php/seasonal/love-challenge-showdown/feed/ 18 http://www.craftsunleashed.com/index.php/paper-crafts/love-challenge-love-banner/ http://www.craftsunleashed.com/index.php/paper-crafts/love-challenge-love-banner/#comments Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:00:31 +0000 JenClark http://www.craftsunleashed.com/?p=3929 Welcome to our L-O-V-E Challenge! We’ve asked our designers to come up with a fabulous craft featuring the word “Love” to get us in the mood for Valentine’s Day. Check back every day to see what each design team member came up with- and then we’ll have a vote for YOUR favorite at the end (and probably some fun giveaway items, too!)

I have really great memories of Valentine’s Day from my childhood.  My mom really went all-out for the holiday…from decorating the house with hanging tissue-paper hearts and banners, to breakfast on a table covered in red and pink decorations, and dinner with more surprises and fancy decorations…she really out-did herself.  As a mom now, I wonder how she did it all.  After all, she was a working mom; and as a stay-at-home mom, I am ashamed to admit that I, um, have NEVER put up a single Valentine’s decoration, or really done anything spectacular for my kids for the day.  I think I *did* buy some “x” and “o” shaped pancake molds one year, and they were a flop.  Anyway, this year, I am resolving to start doing a little more – and THIS banner is my start!

To create this banner, you’ll need these things:

• some recycled corrugated cardboard (try the box your project supplies arrive in!)
• Core’dinations Jenni Bowlin Red and Black Collection
• Nestabilities Labels 14, largest die
• Any Cricut font cartridge
• Sweethearts Cricut cartridge
• White pigment ink pad
• Perfect Pearls, Pearl color
• Distress ink pad
• Ink applicator w/foam pad
• Aleene’s Paper Glaze
• Hot Fix Rhinestones, Black
• Black 6″ tulle
• Ivory 6″ tulle
• Black 5/8″ poly ribbon
• Black 5/8″ organza ribbon
• Ivory 1/4″ double-sided poly satin ribbon
• Red 7/8″ grosgrain ribbon
• Twine
• Fabri-Tac adhesive
• Small spray bottle
• water
• sanding block

First, you need to prepare your corrugated cardboard backing pieces.  Cut 4 pieces of cardboard, about 5″ x 7″.  Then, peel the front off one side, revealing most of the corrugation inside.  Take the white ink pad, and rub it directly over the corrugated cardboard, so that the bumps of the corrugations are highlighted with the white ink.  Set the cardboard pieces aside to dry.

Peel most of the facing off the cardboard

Next, take a sheet of black text paper from the Core’dinations paper pad, and lightly sand the surface of it using a sanding block, revealing the contrasting color beneath the black.  Cut four pieces of paper, 4″ x 6″, and adhere one to each piece of cardboard using Fabri-tac (I like using this glue due to its great grab and ability to use with wet applications).  Next, place your pieces in a protective spray box, and spritz each piece with a homemade Perfect Pearl spray (instructions to come!).

Background misted with homemade Perfect Pearl mist

Now you will cut take a sheet of the ivory-colored large dotted paper from the Core’dinations paper pad, and sand the dots, revealing the lighter color.  Then, you will use the largest die from the Nestabilities Labels 4 set to die cut a label shape for each of the four banner pieces.  Glue them onto the foundation pieces.

Adhere Nestabilities Label 4 to background

Using the Cricut font cartridge of your choice, cut the letters to spell “LOVE,” at about 3″ size (depending on their width, you may need to adjust, to fit on the label), out of a sheet of the damask Core’dinations paper in red, sanding it before cutting.  Use Distress Ink and an ink blending tool with foam pad to add ink around the edges of the letters, and then glue the letters to the labels.

Using the Sweethearts cartridge, cut several hearts in 1.25″ and 2″ sizes, also from the red damask paper.  These will be used for embellishing.

Cut four 1.75″ x 12″ strips of the red damask Core’dinations paper and lightly sand them.  Take a strip of the paper, and lightly spritz both sides of the paper with water to make it more pliable.  Begin folding the paper to make pleats in it.  Put a strip of Fabri-tac adhesive down across the very bottom of one of the banner pieces, and lay the pleated red cardstock across it, pushing down and holding for a short time until the glue grabs and holds the pleats in place.  Lay another bead of  Fabri-tac down on top of the pleated cardstock, at the very top of the pleats, and cover it with a 1/2″ wide strip of the ivory dotted Core’dinations paper.  Trim both the red and ivory cardstocks even at the sides of the banner piece, and then use scissors to cut a slight wave pattern in the pleated cardstock at the bottom.  Repeat for all of the banner pieces.

Begin embellishing the banner pieces with the red hearts, hot-fix rhinestones, and handmade tulle flowers as desired.   Use Aleene’s Paper Glaze to add a glossy, dimensional accent to areas of cardstock or entire pieces of cardstock.  I used it on embossed (raised) areas of some hearts, or on entire hearts, and on the dots of the strips at the bottoms of the banner pieces.

Use Paper Glaze to accent embossing or add dimension

Twisted tulle flower with hot fix rhinestone and cardstock heart center

You can get creative with Fabri-tac and tulle in making flowers.  In the above flower, I covered a piece of cardstock with adhesive, then took a length of tulle and began twisting it and laying it down on the glue, going round and round until I covered the cardstock.  Below, I also covered a piece of cardstock in adhesive, but rather than twist the tulle, I simply gathered some between my fingers and pushed it down into the adhesive, then repeated over and over until I had a nice, floofy flower and the cardstock was covered.

Bunched tulle flower and distress-ink heart

You can see above that I rubbed a distress ink pad directly over my heart, so the ink hit only the raised, embossed areas.  I also inked the edges of the heart.

Continue to embellish the banner pieces as desired until you are satisfied.  Once completed, punch holes in the top corners of each piece, and thread twine through the holes of each piece, leaving about 3-4 inches between each banner piece and about 18 inches at each end for hanging.  Cut pieces of tulle and ribbon approximately 5 inches long and tie them around the twine all along the twine, as few or as many as desired, until you reach the look you desire.

Now…isn’t that LOVE-ly?!

disclosure

]]> http://www.craftsunleashed.com/index.php/paper-crafts/love-challenge-love-banner/feed/ 7 http://www.craftsunleashed.com/index.php/home-decor/love-challenge-etched-vase-tablescape/ http://www.craftsunleashed.com/index.php/home-decor/love-challenge-etched-vase-tablescape/#comments Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:38:07 +0000 Jenny http://www.craftsunleashed.com/?p=3857 Welcome to our L-O-V-E Challenge! We’ve asked our designers to come up with a fabulous craft featuring the word “Love” to get us in the mood for Valentine’s Day. Check back every day to see what each design team member came up with- and then we’ll have a vote for YOUR favorite at the end (and probably some fun giveaway items, too!)

Like most, I look forward to Valentine’s day to do a little something special- and the CraftsUnleashed “Love” challenge gave me a perfect excuse to create a tablescape that creates a warm, romantic look!

To create this tablescape, we’ll be etching some vases to spell “LOVE”- you’ll be surprised how easy it is!

Let’s get started! You’ll need:

• TWO Unity Vase sets
• glass etching cream kit
• 5″ octagonal mirrors (6)
• Cracked Ice Decoative Crystals
• food color (optional)
• palette knife
• 3″ circle punch
• craft vinyl
• alphabet stickers (or, like me, cut them using the Cricut)

First, prepare you vases for etching- just wipe them down with a little glass cleaner. Then, make stencils by cutting out 3 inch squares of craft vinyl, then punching a 2″ circle. Determine your placement on the vase and smooth this down, smoothing down any wrinkles. Then place your letter sticker in the middle of the circle. (I cut mine using the Storybook cartridge at 1 1/4″ inch.)

Use the palette knife to spread a layer of etching gel over the area within the circle, following the directions on the package. Wait 10 minutes, then rinse off the cream before removing the stencils.

It’ll take 6 hours for it to fully hydrate, so mix up  Cracked Ice the day before your special event. Cracked Ice is a polymer that, when you mix it with water, grows 200% and looks like….well….cracked ice! It’s great for live and silk floral arrangements, and can be tinted with food coloring. If you like it to be all clear, mix up 4 cups worth. If you like the ombre effect I have in mine, then mix up the Cracked Ice in 3 batches as follows:

• 1 cup batch, adding 3 drops of red food color
• 1 cup batch, adding 1 drop of red food color
• 2 cup batch, no food coloring

Cracked Ice before and after hydrating. Amazing, right?

When you’re ready to assemble your tablescape, place 6 mirrors in a zig-zag fashion in the middle of the table or buffet. Place the 2 heart-shaped vases on either end, and then place the 4 LOVE vases in between.  Place about 1/8 cup of the dark pink Cracked Ice in each bud vase, and 1/4 cup in each of the heart vases. Do the same for the light pink. Then top it off with the clear Cracked Ice, using 1/4 cup in each of the bud vases and 1/2 cup in the heart vases.

Place a taper candle in the heart vases, and a few roses or tulips in the bud vases. Subtle, yet elegant and OH-so-special! And really easy, too. And don’t we all LOVE that???

Disclosure

Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday to decorate my home. There are several reasons why I really enjoy Valentine’s Day Home Décor. First, my home has very dark furniture and the red and white really pop along the mantles, doors, and walls. The second, and probably the most important reason why I like Valentine’s Day so much is that it is low stress. There are no parties to plan for, no huge presents to buy. I usually decorate our home, make a few “love” themed snacks for the kids, and buy a mushy card for my husband. In return, I get hugs and kisses from my children and flowers from my husband; Valentine’s Day rocks!

This Valentine’s Day I wanted to create something unique.  I “love” the look of rustic metal and mirrors together and I wanted to design a wall hanging using both mediums.

Materials Needed:
4 Rustic Metal Heart Caps (Item # 5223-07)
4 Round Mirrors (Item # 1613-44)
7mm Jump Rings Antique Copper (Item # 1880-99CP)
Wire Heart Ring (Item # 1726)
Finishing Accent Trims (Item #1035-94)
3/16” Feather Edge Red Ribbon (Item # 29993-250)
Brass Charm Words (Item #1969-91)
Mini Bowdabra (Item #BOW2100)
Hair Bow Tool & Ruler (Item #BOW2200)
Bowdabra Wire (Item # BOW3050)
Jewelry and Metal Glue (Item #AR21709)

Instructions:
1. To begin the project you will need to first drill a hole through the top and bottom of the metal heart caps. The hole should be large enough to attach three jump rings.

2. Next, using Aleene’s jewelry and metal glue attach the mirrors to the back of the heart caps. Helpful Hint: A little glue goes a really long way. Place small little drops of glue in between the hearts on the metal cap and then slowly place the mirror down. Be very careful to not get glue on any part of the mirror that will be seen.

3. Use the jewelry and metal glue to attach metal charms to the front of the rustic metal heart caps.

4. Once, glue has completely dried, add metal jump rings to the heart caps. Begin by attaching three jump rings to the holes you drilled in the caps. Then attach another three jump rings to connect the caps together.

5. To make the top of the hanging décor wrap finishing accent trim around the 5” wire heart ring.  Completely wrap the heart with the finishing accent trim and tie off ribbon.

6. Using the Mini Bowdabra and the Hair Bow Tool and Ruler measure out two of the exact same size bows. Attach the first bow around the top the top of the heart. Attach a metal charm to the center of the bow.  Helpful Hint: The Mini Bowdabra and Hair Bow Tool and Ruler are not just for making hair bows. They are great at making home décor bows the same size, every time.

7. Attach three jump rings at the bottom of the heart.  Then make a small chain using three jump rings per segment from the bottom of the heart to the top of the heart cap. Attach the other bow you made using your Mini Bowdabra to the chain and then cover the center of the bow with another metal charm.

8. The Valentine’s Day Metal Wall Art now ready to be displayed!

I “love” the design and how the sun catches the mirror and makes the little hearts along the edges sparkle. I hope you “love” it as much as I do!

Disclosure