We came across this gorgeous Doily/Lace Lamp from Dos Family and couldn’t help but share it with you! Using only a few supplies, including doilies, a balloon and wallpaper glue, you can create a chic and timeless decoration for your home! To see the tutorial on how to make this doily lamp, CLICK HERE.

Note: we would suggest using an LED light instead of a regular light bulb.

CLICK HERE to check out our great selection of doilies!

Starting next week, you can look forward to seeing some lovely projects featuring:

• Yarn
• Paper
• Cork
• Wood
• Metal/Jewelry
• Paper Mache
• Canvas

What is your favorite craft basic?

PS

Did you hear that we will be having a giveaway when we reach 4,000 Facebook fans! “Like” us if you don’t already and tell all your friends to join us, too! Visit our Facebook page HERE!

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! 

Inspired by the many different versions of DIY wrap bracelets that are making the rounds, I set out to make my own with leftover chain and natural leather for an interesting contrast.  How easy was this project?  My DIY wrap bracelet took me about 10 minutes to make from start to finish!

Leftover chain from the blue suede bracelet (instructions to come) was used in the natural leather wrap bracelet.

Supplies needed:  (See note at the end for easy customization tips that might alter your supply list)

• 2 yards Natural Leather Cord
• 11 inches of large-link chain (I used a length of leftover Silver Plated Steel Twist Chain Necklace from the blue suede bracelet)

For this easy DIY bracelet, you need just 2 different supplies--and NO additional tools!

Instructions:

First, fold the leather cording in half to find its midpoint. Pull the midpoint up through the back of the first link on your chain to give you a leather loop to use as half of your bracelet closure.

This project goes so quickly that I forgot to take a picture of the first loop as I made it. Oops!

 Now you’re ready to start “braiding” your leather cord through the chain links.  (While not technically a braid, the weaving pattern results in a braided look.)  Make sure that you use the thumb of your other hand to hold the leather loop against the top of the first link, so it doesn’t get pulled tight.  You should only have to do this for the first link or two, then you can release it.  The braiding happens in 2 easy steps:

Step 1

Step 1:  The cord on on the right comes around and is threaded down through the front of the next link, then pulled tight.

Step 2

Step 2:  The cord on the left comes around and is threaded down through the front of the next link. Make sure it goes to the right of the cord that you just threaded.

Another view of Step 2, with the cord pulled tighter to show how they should overlap

Continue to weave the leather in this way until you reach the end of the chain.  If you notice some loose or tight areas, you should be able to easily work the leather cord along its length to adjust–just like you would a shoelace.

Try to keep the leather pulled evenly taut as you go for a uniform look.

After you finish through the last link, tie a simple double knot.  The nice thing about using natural leather or suede is that knots tend to hold fairly well as long as they are initially pulled very tight.

A very quick and simple end knot keeps your weaving from unraveling

Now wrap the bracelet around your wrist at least twice–I did a third wrap, because I liked the combination of braided bracelet and straight cord that gave me–and use the loop to tie the bracelet on so that it’s comfortable.  A simple double knot (unlike the ending double knot, this one shouldn’t be too tight) works perfectly here.

My finished bracelet wraps around 3 times total--1-1/2 wraps of braided chain and 1-1/2 wraps of natural leather cording. I like the half/half look above, but slightly turning the bracelet on my wrist shows a full two rows of braided chain instead.

Once you’re sure that your bracelet is sized to fit your taste, cut off the extra cording, leaving at least an inch past the knot to make sure that you have enough to retie it later.  I actually left almost two inches so I have the option to wear it loose and slouchy if I want to.  When I wear it fitted, the longer ends also tuck under the rest of the bracelet nicely.

And… that’s it!  A quick, stylish, unique bracelet, finished in mere minutes!

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Note:  This wrap bracelet is very simple, and very easy to customize.  Need some ideas to make this bracelet better fit your taste?  Here are just a few.

• Switch out the natural leather with colored leather or suede.  You could even use thick yarn, felt strips or ribbon. (Note: You might want to add a drop of adhesive to the final knot, depending on your material choice.)
• Dangle a few beads from the chain for a chic, feminine look.  Pearls or turquoise would look fantastic with the natural leather and bright silver chain.
• Weave the leather cording through every other link, instead of all of them, for a looser braid.
• Separate the chain into multiple sections, and knot the leather cording in between braided sections.
• Don’t like knotted clasps?  Use a longer length of chain so that it wraps exactly twice around your wrist. Eliminate the loop at the beginning by pulling the midpoint snug against the top of the second link as you begin, and cut the leather cording after the final knot. Add a lobster clasp to the last link on the knotted end, and use the first link of the bracelet as the hook–or add a split ring to the first link, if you prefer.

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!

We hope that you all had a great weekend and thank you to everyone who entered our Freebie Friday giveaway!

Lucy Says: 28. January 2012 at 7:14 am Great ending to a week of fabulous projects! Thanks for the chance to win some great goodies

Anne's Antiqued Paper Rose Wreath

 AND

Both projects featured Core’dinations Cardstock and since they were such a huge hit, we thought we’d give a nice Core prize pack away for today’s Freebie Friday!  The lucky, randomly chosen winner will receive:

• Core’dinations The Whitewash Collection 20 Sheet Pack
• Core Impressions Pink Paislee (coming to ConsumerCrafts.com soon)
• Core Tags in Brights - Assorted
• Core Tags in White – Medium
• Core’dinations Sand It Gadget
• Core’dinations Sand It Gadget Refill
• Core’dinations Dust Buddy Cloth
• Protect and Store 12×12 Scrapbook Box

To enter, leave a comment below telling us how you would use these awesome Core products!

Giveaway (Sweepstakes) Disclaimer:

• Odds of winning are based on number of entries.
• This giveaway begins: 1/27/12 and ends: 1/30/12 at 9am EST.
• To enter this sweepstakes, leave a comment on this blog post.
• One comment per person, please.
• The winner will be contacted via email
• The retail dollar value of this prize is worth: ~ $50.00
• No purchase is necessary.
• You must be a US resident aged 18 years or older and live in the Contiguous US to be eligible to win. Sorry, my international friends!

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!

• Pony Bead Assortment
• Chenille stems
• Scissors
• Ribbon (1/8″)
• Craft glue (Optional)

How to make your own Valentine Mobile:

1. Cut Chenille stems in half . Add beads leaving a minimum of 1/2″ stem on each end. Twist stem ends together and fold downward to create heart shape. Snip remaining stem is desired.
2. Cut various lengths of ribbon. Tie one ribbon, adding a bow if you’d like, to the top of each heart. Optional: add a touch of glue to each ribbon knot and let dry to secure ribbon in place.
3. Using 2 chenille stems, twist together and then form a circle, twisting ends closed. This is the top of the mobile.
4. Tie a ribbon on one side of the circle, tie the other end of the ribbon directly across, on the opposite side of the circle. Repeat with a second ribbon so you have one knot at every quarter of the circle and crossing directly in the middle of the ribbon.
5. Create a small loop of chenille that wraps around the middle of the ribbons together at the crossing point. This is your hanging loop.
6. Tie each ribbon with a heart at different locations around the mobile top circle piece.
7. Hang and enjoy!

You can create completely different looks to this project depending what colors of ribbon and chenille you use along with which beads you choose to string on each heart. Try making the hearts all one color with different sized of beads, or make a bead color pattern, it’s up to you!