Monday, March 19, 2018

Easter Tree Decorations

“Ihr Kinderlein rief die Mama, steh auf der Oster Haas wahr da!”

I loved being in Germany during Easter!  It was always so festive and families even had an Easter Tree decorated to the hilt with eggs, bunnies and chicks!  It's a tradition I've continued for my children and grandchildren and each year it's always fun to create something new to hang on the branches.  



Creating multiples of anything can be time consuming, but with my Cricut Maker it's quick'n easy and I can be oh so creative in no time at all!  Kunin recently sent me a large selection of their felt to work with, so this year I added some felt ornaments.  I created a design with some intricate cut outs in the shapes, something I could never have accomplished with scissors!

Here's what you'll need:
  • Kunin Classics™ Felt  9”x 12” –  Candy Pink, Lagoon & Yellow
  • Kunin White Dot Coordinates  - Candy Pink, Lagoon & Yellow
  • Kunin Premium Felt 9” x 12” – White
  • Joy® Embroidered Iron-on Baby Monogram Letters - White
  • Joy® Embroidered Iron-on individual letters to spell E A S T E R
  • Fabric, or tacky glue
  • ¼” Ribbon – White
  • Needle and thread (to make hangers) 
  • Assorted embellishments - buttons, adhesive jewels, baby ric rac trim, etc
  • Misc supplies - toothpick, craft stick, tweezers, wax paper, etc

 


Instructions:

1. Upload both egg shapes into Cricut Design Space.



2. Adjust the height of the simple egg shape to 3 1/4" then cut 6 from white, premium felt using the rotary blade, set to "more" pressure.

3. Adjust the height of the egg shape to 3" then cut 2 of each of the white dot coordinate colors of felt using the "default" pressure setting.

4.  Upload the egg shape with cut out design, adjust the height to 3" then cut 2 of each color.  Remove the felt from around the shapes.  Note:  thinking ahead, I also cut some bird designs for another project while I had yellow felt on the mat.

 

5.  Using the weeding tool, carefully weed each shape while still on the mat.  Set the small pieces aside - DON'T THROW THEM AWAY.  Gently remove each shape.  

 

6.  You will now have 6 white felt shapes, 2 of each color of the white dot coordinates and 2 of each color of classic felt plus all the little pieces you weeded out.


7.  Working with one egg shape at a time on a firm surface, fill each of the openings with the tiny, coordinating pieces weeded from each egg.  I used pink and blue shapes to fill the yellow egg, blue and yellow to fill the pink egg and pink and yellow for the blue egg.  Press each piece firmly into the opening.  If you misplace the teeny dot that's under the tulip shape at the top of the egg, no worries, you can use a small jewel embellishment in that spot.


8.  Use a craft stick to spread an even layer glue on top of each white egg shape, position then press a colored egg shape on top.  Let dry then glue a white dot coordinate shape on the other side.  Add an iron-on letter at the center.  



9.  Decorate the center of the shape on the other side with your choice of embellishments.  I used ric rac,  small Joy embroidered letters, buttons and adhesive jewels.  Add a small bow and a loop of thread for a hanger at the top.


10.  To make a simple bow, cut about 4" of ribbon.  Cross the ends as shown, pinch together at the center where they cross then wrap tightly with thread. Tie to secure then knot the ends of the thread together.


11.  Thread the ends of the thread onto a needle then sew the bow to the top of the egg with a simple up/down stitch.  If your thread is long enough, you can tie the ends together to make a loop for a hanger.  Voilà, you're finished....! 


 

Felt Easter eggs are fun to hang on an Easter tree.  You can also use to decorate baskets, make a banner, or create a "Peek-a-Boo" bunny wreath like this one: 


The instructions for the wreath, including a free pattern download for the bunny are on the Creating with Joy blog.  

Have a happy and blessed Easter....  y'all come back now....

Yours truly,
Julie

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Friday, March 16, 2018

Etched Chalkboard Slate

This project was created for the etchall® & StencilGirl blog hop.  Each designer received product to create a project using etchall re-usable etching crème and stencil spray together with their choice of stencils from StencilGirl. 

Most people think of glass, or mirror as a surface for etching, so I thought it would be fun to show how etching creme can also be used to etch designs on slate...



You will need the following supplies:
  • etchall® etching crème
  • etchall® reposition/reuse stencil spray
  • etchall® squeegee
  • StencilGirl Stencil
  • Chalkboard
  • Waverly chalk paint - White
  • 18 gauge wire - 15"
  • Folk Art glitter paint - Unicorn
  • Foam brush
  • Painters/masking tape

Instructions:

1. Following directions on the container, spray the back of the stencil with stencil spray. Place inside a box to avoid overspray, or spray outside, weather and temperature permitting.  Let dry for a few minutes.  The stencil will become tacky.

2. Position the stencil on the chalkboard then press firmly in place using the squeegee. Tape around the edges of the stencil and cover exposed areas of the chalkboard.

 

3.  Pour etching creme onto the painters tape above the stencil, then spread over all open areas with the squeegee. Let sit for 15 mins.

 

4.  etchall etching creme is reusable. After 15 mins, scrape the creme back into the container.  Remove any remaining residue with a damp paper towel, or cloth then remove the tape and stencil. Wipe over the slate one more time if needed.

 

5.  Position tape on top of the slate along the inside edge of the frame, then paint the frame with chalk paint. Chalk paint requires no prep, so you can paint directly on top of the wood. When the paint is dry, remove the tape. 

 

6.  Spread glitter paint sparingly on top of the frame to create a sparkly, frosty look. Let dry then make two holes at the top of the frame; one in each corner.  Use a small screw and screwdriver to make the hole. Push the tip of the screw into the wood then use the screwdriver to turn the screw thru to the opposite side.  Back the screw out of the wood.

  

7.  To create the hanger, wrap one end of the wire around the foam brush handle to curl. Push the opposite end thru the hole in front of the frame, curve then push thru the hole from the back to the front at the other corner.  Curl the end.  Option: Place a small washer over each opening, so the curled wire doesn't scratch the paint.



8.  Use colored chalk to write the word "Winter" at the top of the slate and the month and day at the bottom.  My granddaughter also thought it would be fun to dot the letter "I" in Winter with an adhesive acrylic jewel and we also added one to each button.

This side of the frame is for the Winter season, which ends on March 20th. The other side can easily be decorated for Spring and a second chalkboard can be decorated for Summer and Fall.

Stencils are a great way to add custom, etched designs to many surfaces using etchall® etching crème. This project is one of many created for the StencilGirl & etchall blog hop.  A list of all the participating blogs is below featuring some wonderful projects. I hope we've inspired you to try some of these ideas for yourself - Time to get your creativity on!




GIVEAWAY
One lucky winner will receive an etchall® Glass Etching Bee-ginner Kit,
reposition/reuse stencil spray
AND a $25 Gift Certificate to StencilGirl Products!

Enter to win by leaving a comment below.
Then be sure to visit the other blogs in the hop and comment to win.
The more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have to WIN!
One winner will be chosen at random from all blog comments!
(One comment per blog please.)
You have until Tuesday, March 20th at 11:59PM Central Time to leave your comments.
Winner will be announced on
StencilGirl's Facebook page and etchall’s Facebook page on Wednesday, March 21.

Can't wait to get started?  Then this is for you!

 30% off BlogHop Code

Y'all come back now........

Yours truly,
Julie

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!