To do this project, you’ll need:

• Yudu Personal Screen Printer & accessories
• Blank Emulsions for screen
• Silver Metallic Yudu Ink
• Cricut Expression
• Holiday Cakes Cartridge

Here’s how I did it: using the Cricut Cake Holiday Cakes Cartridge, I found one that of the images on page 57 of the manual  had some great snowflakes as a layer.

So, using my Cricut Expression, I cut out the snowflakes using the “fit to page option” (which cut them at 9-1/4″) and placed the snowflakes here and there on the light table of my YUDU to be burned into my screen, making sure to really use all of the entire space of the emulsion screen.

Once you’ve burned the image into your screen, washed off the unexposed emulsion, and dried the screen, you’re ready to print (follow the directions in your manual.) I used the Silver Metallic YUDU ink for this project. Removing the protective paper from the sticky part of the platten, place your linen down on the sticky platten.  Protect any exposed areas of the platten from the ink with some extra scraps of fabric, and screen print the snowflakes all over your table runner or napkins.

Once you’ve finished make sure to heat set the ink with an iron set on high for at least two minutes, to permanently set the ink. A quick and easy way to decorate for the Holidays with the YUDU.

Enter the wonderful line of Foamies Activity Buckets!  For these particular snowflakes, you’ll need:

• Foamies Glitter Baby Bucket of Stickers – Snowflake Shapes
• Foamies Activity Bucket – Glitter Snowflakes

I opened up both containers of these Foamies and literally just dumped them on the kitchen table, and let my three older children, along with a couple of my friend’s children, just go at it.  The larger Activity Bucket contains 24 circle bases, with holes punched in the top (so they can be hung from the included pre-cut fishing line), a large assortment of shapes and sizes of snowflakes (self-adhesive), several jewel-rhinestones, a small tube of white glue, a small tube of silver glitter glue, and a small package of white/iridescent glitter. All of the foam items and “jewels” in the Activity Bucket are in white or blue tones.   The smaller Baby Bucket contains a wonderful assortment of glittered snowflakes in smaller sizes, plus circles in two different sizes – all self adhesive as well.  There were two shades of pink, two shades of blue, and a beautiful glittery white.

Spread on table for kids to easily choose from pieces

The children were all quite creative in how they assembled their snowflakes, each taking different approaches.  I watched as one child even tore the balls off the tips of one snowflake to suit his liking, before sticking it down onto another snowflake.  One of my three-year old twins was content to just tear snowflakes apart – which is par for the course – she enjoys tearing almost anything apart…yet, it DID keep her occupied!  My 5-year old most enjoyed two different aspects – one, the silver glitter glue, and two, stacking as many layers as he possibly could – proudly telling me exactly how many layers he was able to add to each snowflake.

Kit includes rhinestones and glue to adhere them!

Layer upon layer upon layer!!

Even I couldn’t help but make a few snowflakes myself – the glitter just called out to me!  I tried removing the backing from one of the self-adhesive snowflakes, and dipping it in the glitter (much easier than spreading wet glue around and applying glitter that way).  My son watched and then had to try it himself, of course!

Dip adhesive side in provided glitter for alternative effect

I say you can’t go wrong with the Foamies Activity Buckets – and I’d definitely encourage you to stock up on a few to keep on hand for those days when you just may have some “bored” children at home!

Disclosure

You’ll need

• Round, white coffee filters
• Kid-safe scissors
• Krylon glitter spray
• Purple Cow Laminator & laminating pouches
• decorative edge scissors

If it’s been awhile since you’ve made snowflakes, never fear! The trick is all in the folding.

Steps to folding the coffee filter.

1. Fold coffee filter in half.
2. Fold that into thirds.
3. Fold that in half.
4. Cut on top, tip, and on folded edges.
5. Open and be amazed!

Now, this is where the process has stopped for most folks. However, I want my daughters’ precious creations to sparkle and to last!

Following the directions on the can, shake the Krylon glitter spray well. (Read more about Krylon Glitter Spray here.) Place your snowflake in a shallow box or on newspaper and spray the glitter on in light, quick strokes. Let dry completely.

Next we want to laminate them. Place a snowflake in a laminating pouch (I found the 8 X 8 inch ones worked perfectly.) Laminate your snowflakes using the Purple Cow Laminator. (Read my review of it here.)

Laminating preserves your project for years of enjoyment!

See how it sparkles?

Lastly, cut around the snowflake with some decorative-edge scissors, making sure that you leave at least 1/8 of an inch around the snowflake. Then you can punch holes and use fishing line to hang them from ceilings or just tape them to the windows for winter fun!

Festive showflakes inside and out!

]]> http://www.craftsunleashed.com/index.php/paper-crafts/coffee-filter-snowflakes/feed/ 0 http://www.craftsunleashed.com/index.php/paper-crafts/winter-snow-banner/ http://www.craftsunleashed.com/index.php/paper-crafts/winter-snow-banner/#comments Sat, 11 Dec 2010 12:00:54 +0000 Jenny http://www.craftsunleashed.com/?p=3352 I live in a cold-weather climate. Once the lovely light of the holiday season has passed and the decorations put away, we still have to deal with a long, cold, dark January before we can look to other fun holidays and reasons to put out decorations. So I came up with this lovely, sparkly “SNOW” banner to bridge the gap!

Now, it seems as if there are a lot of directions, but it’s all easy, you can do it! You may want to do this one in a few stages to give your glue time to dry.

You’ll need:

• Cardstock in white, royal blue, and light blue. 2 sheets of 8 1/2 X 11 each should do it. (I used the Roy G. Biv Super Assortment from Core’Dinations.)
• Martha Stewart Star Punch
• Chipboard Letters (or cut them out using the Cricut)
• Martha Stewart Glitter in Sterling, Turquoise, and Crystal Fine
• 1 adhesive-backed Foamie Sheet
• 2 inch paper punch
• 1/4 inch hole punch
• Snowflake brads
• Decorative-edge scissors (optional)
• MS Scoring tool
• Purple Cows Paper Trimmer
• Tacky Glue
• Foam brush
• pencil
• ruler
• Wired Star Garland

Start by cutting the four pennants. Cut one sheet of white cardstock 4 pieces of cardstock 4.25 X 5.5 inches. If you are using a Cricut to cut your letters, use the other white paper for this. (I used the Storybook cart and made the letters 2 inches.)

Next, cut 2 three inch strips of light-blue cardstock lengthwise. Use decorative-edged scissors to cut the 3″ strip into two 1.5 inch strips. (You’ll have 4 strips total, each with one fancy edge.) Using the Martha Stewart Scoring Board, score each strip into 1/4 inch increments. Glue the ends together and let dry COMPLETELY. If you need directions on making paper rosettes, we have a tutorial HERE.)

In the meanwhile, cut 2 strips of dark blue cardstock long-wise 1.5 inches. Use your MS star punch to cut out the star)  border.

Now you can make the pendants: measure the middle the short side of the white cardstock rectangles, then draw a line from the middle to the corner using a pencil. Cut out as shown:

Glue the star punched strip to the top of the pennant and trim at an angle with your scissors.

Now, let’s glitter those letters! Brush the front side of the letters with a thin coat of tacky glue. Sprinkle the white glitter first in the middle of the letters. Then sprinkle the silver along the top and bottom to create an ombre look. Let dry.

To assemble the rosettes, I came up with a little trick: I use a piece of adhesive-backed foamies to create a “base for the rosette. The folded paper has a tendency to want to spring up, but the foamie holds it right down. (I cut 2″ circles from the Foamie sheet using my Cuttlebug, but you can just cut it free-hand- you won’t see it anyway!)

You can use adhesive foamies for the base.

Back of the rosette.

Cut four, 1.5 inch circles from the dark blue leftover cardstock and glue it to the top of the rosette. You may need to weight it down with a book while it dries completely.

Now to put it together! Add a little extra glitter to the top of the rosette, then add your letters. Glue the assembled rosette to the pennant. Punch a hole in each corner of the pennants with a 1/8 hole punch, and use a brad to attach them to each other.

Use some star or snowflake wired garland to hang it up! So festive, so pretty! You might actually be sad when the snow melts in the spring!

Disclosure.

I decided to package mine in a reusable container because crafters are always looking for extra storage.  There are all different sorts of container options to fit whatever your needs may be, (here, here, or here are a few different options.)  Wrap festive ribbon around the container to make it a pretty package, you can also fill it with tissue paper for a fuller effect.

For your jewelry maker friend, fill with various beads, crystals, findings, and wire.  I decided to fill up the gift basket with a general color scheme as well, mixing in blue wire, blue glass beads, blue string, blue and green mixture of beads, and other various things I thought would work together.  The items inside can all be pulled out and made into something on the spot, easy- peasy!

For the crafty kids in your life fill up on craft basics.  Paint brushes, glue sticks, tape runners, scissors, mini paint bottles, and some sparkly stick on rhinestones for extra fun.  With all the basics I included some Foamies for the kids to decorate.  Not only is this a fun gift for your kids but it is also a gift for you-it will keep the kids busy for hours during that long winter break!

Package everything inside your reusable container and give away.   Your friends and kids will love it!

Today our prize is the Martha Stewart Craft Scoring Board.  From the genius Martha Stewart line, this versatile scoring board is great for getting started on your holiday card making, among other things.  Check out the details of the Scoring Board here.

To enter please leave your name and all time favorite craft tool in the comments.  A winner will be randomly chosen and announced Monday.

To leave you with some weekend inspiration here is a super simple wine charm project for your Holiday parties.

This project is very customizable, I used red, yellow, and orange paper for Thanksgiving- but you can make it red and green for Christmas, or any other variation to suit your needs.

Supplies:
-EKM42-25009 Martha Stewart Crafts Leaf Stamp & Punch
-EK45722 Zig Painty Twin Tip Marker- Gold & Silver
-2700-58 Round Hole Punch- 1/16 inch
-GX-SAE-12 Core’dinations Cardstock Super Assortments 12×12 inch Elements Pack
-1999-2447 Swarovski Crystal Bicone Moonlight Strand 6 in
-1949-01 Beadalon 30 ft Silver Spool
-1957-14 Bright Silver Jump Rings

First step: use the Martha Stewart punch to create your leaves.  Punch out a few in each color for variation. 

Next, hole punch each leaf, make sure you do this close to the top near the stem, so you have lots of space left to write on.

Use the Zig Painty marker to initial each leaf using either the silver or gold side of the marker. Open your jump rings and insert into the punched hole on the top of each leaf.  Then close jump ring with your pliers.

Thread the Beadalon cord with three crystals- two small one large.  Then thread the jump-ringed leaf on the Beadalon cord.  Simply tie a double knot around your wine glass stem and trim the ends.  Now every one of your guest’s will have their own personal wine glass.

Tips:
-Use different colors for each leaf if two guests have the same initials.
-Use the punched out leaves in other places around your table-scape for a cohesive look.  For example, use on place cards, or as table confetti. 

Have a crafty weekend!  Cheers!

Sparkly enough to wear all year!

This is a simple but elegant bracelet designed to sparkle like the snow on a moonlit night.  It is perfect to complete that little black dress at a cocktail party, or to dress up your favorite jeans & t-shirt. You can even wear it for the 4th of July- how versatile is that!

Supply List:

1-  Silver- Plated Toggle Clasp
1 pk – Bright Silver Crimp Tubes 2.5mm
Straight Channels Bead Board
Diagonal Cutters
Regular Crimper
49 strand bright silver 10 ft beadalon spool
3 pkgs  – Sterling Silver Plated Rondelle Spacers (2pc/pkg)
4 pkgs – 8mm Sapphire Round Crystal Bead (3 pc/pkg)
2 pkgs – 6mm Crystal Round AB Bicone Bead (6pc/pkg)
1 pkg – 4mm Light Sapphire Bicone-(12pc/pkg)

Instructions:

1. Start by laying your beads out in the bead board in the following order:
   (a) 4mm light sapphire bicone, 6mm crystal AB bicone, 8mm sapphire round, rondelle spacer, 8mm sapphire round, 6mm crystal AB bicone
   (b) Repeat (a) 4 times
   (c) Finish with a single 4mm light sapphire bicone
   
2. Cut a 12” length of wire with the diagonal cutters.  Slide a crimp tube and one side of the toggle clasp onto the wire, loop the wire back through the crimp tube, and crimp the tube closed.
   
3. String crystals onto the wire, in the same order that you laid them onto the bead board.  Be sure to slide the beads at the end over both wires near your toggle.
4. Slide another crimp tube and the other half of the toggle onto the wire, and loop the wire back through the crimp tube, and the first few beads already on the wire.
   
5. Hold the toggle in one hand, and gently pull on the loose end of the wire to tighten the bracelet.  Crimp the tube closed.
6. Using the diagonal cutters, clip the end of the wire as close to the beads as possible.
   
7. Enjoy your new bracelet!
   

Remember, you can always carefully clip the wire and start over if your bracelet doesn’t turn out exactly how you want it the first time.

Happy Beading!

Jamie

FTC Disclosure: these producst were provided gratis by ConsumerCrafts.com for design purposes. However, they can’t buy my truthful opinion. Just sayin’.