Celebrate Red, White and Blue!

We live outside city limits and as long as there isn't a burn ban, which isn't likely this year because of all the rain, we'll celebrate the "Fourth" in style with hot dogs and fireworks!  We'll decorate too of course, and I recently picked up some red, glass votive candle holders.  My friends at etchall know how I love to decorate my patio in summer, so they recently sent me some spiral hangers for glass votive candle holders.  They're designed to be placed inside a wine bottle (with the bottom cut off), but I had a different idea.  Apart from the fact that I didn't have any colored, glass wine bottles, I kinda liked them hanging alone.  Need to add here that you can use empty plastic soda bottles instead of glass bottles. Just cut the bottom off with a pair of scissors, so you can add the votive candle holder like this.

I really love this look too, but I think I'd etch designs on the outside of the wine bottle, but that's a post for another day....... after I find an empty bottle.....  maybe after the Fourth.... wink, wink...

So here's my red votive candle holder.  

 

I use LED lights and they look really festive hanging around the patio, but I prefer a diffused look, so I etched the inside of each glass by filling each one with etchall® dip'n etch  

  

and now they look like this.

It was SO easy.  I poured dip'n etch liquid into each candle holder, then let it stand for 15 minutes.  Dip'n etch is reusable, so always return to the bottle, so you can use it again and again then rinse and dry the votives.  I love that now you only see the glow from the candle and not the candle.

 

I have clear glass votives that I can also use to decorate, all I need now are some blue ones!  The one shown below was etched on the outside and I used star stickers for the design.

Hope y'all have a happy Fourth.  Stay safe, stay cool and, in case you're wondering, we have Fourth of July in England too, but we don't celebrate............ wink, wink......  y'all come back now.

Yours truly,

Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Pillow Talk

Designer Crafts Connection members were challenged to create pillows using pillow forms from Fairfield.  These are the supplies I received to work with:  2, 12" square pillow forms, a 6" x 20" neck pillow and Oly Fun fabric.

 

My mum always had lots of what she called "scatter cushions" on the sofa and chairs in our living room and lounge. They often changed with the seasons and although small, they always made a big impact on our surroundings.

Using the neck and 12" square pillow forms and 3 colors of Oly Fun I decided to create some fun scatter cushions of my own.

I love the bright colors of Oly Fun and it's a fabric I can use inside as well as out.  I especially liked the fact that I didn't necessarily have to pull the sewing machine out to make these pillows, although I must admit, if you end up using these in a pillow fight, the odds would be on the sewn pillow.  Mine are purely for decoration.

Here's how I covered the neck pillow:

1. Unroll the fabric and cut 2,12" pieces from width.  Wrap around one end of the neck pillow with about one half hanging off the edge.  Secure with a quilt pin.

 

2.  Tightly gather the fabric hanging off the end and wrap securely with a rubber band.

3. Pull the gathered end back over the end of the pillow.  It might be easier if you remove the fabric from the pillow to do this. Turn the cap inside out.

4.  Glue the overlapped edges together.  Place one "cap" on each end of the pillow.

5.  Cut 2, 5" wide strips of orange and place them across each end of the pillow, then cut a piece of pink, wide enough to cover the center. 

6.  The strips should overlap about 1/2".  Overlap the ends of each strip at the back of the pillow then glue in place.  The fabric is a little transparent, so I added jumbo rick rack from Decorative Trimmings over the area where the 2 colors overlapped.  The ends were glued in place at the back of the pillow.

7.  The square pillow is less complicated because there are no ends to cover.  I simply cut a 20" strip of fabric and wrapped it around the pillow form just like I was wrapping a Christmas present.

 

8.  I wrapped a complementary colored, folded strip of fabric and length of rick rack around the center then glued the overlapped ends together at the back.  This band held the fabric in place around the pillow, but for added security, I glued the folded ends in place.

You can see lots more ideas from other DCC members by hopping thru the webring using the blue, DCC logo in each designer's sidebar.  There's also a linky party collection on the DCC blog where you can add your own ideas!  So, come join the party!  Enjoy!  Y'all come back now........

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AD CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Ann Butler Designs

DCC members have two challenges this month.  Our first challenge is using Background Basics rubber stamps and ColorBox Crafts inks from Ann Butler Designs. Ann's designs are perfect for creating faux quilt projects and the inks are perfect to use on fabric as well as other surfaces.

Each designer received 6 colors of inks and a variety of the Background Basics stamps, which are either square or triangular in shape.  For my project, I also used JOY dyeable letters and rick rack trim from Decorative Trimmings; products left over from previous challenges this year.

For this challenge I created a gift that keeps on giving.  I had a small bag and decided to add a monogram.  I stamped the background pattern onto a separate piece of fabric then frayed the edges for additional texture.  Hope you can see how even the stamped pattern is.  I placed the fabric on a hard surface then after inking the stamp I positioned it on top of the fabric.  Instead of using my fingers or hand to apply pressure (I didn't mount the stamp because they are very sturdy) I used the domed lid from the stamp pad and rocked it back and forth across the back of the stamp.  Not sure how correct it is to do it this way, but it worked well for me.....

I also colored the letter with the same ink by pressing the ink pad onto the letter while it was still attached to it's backing then I adhered it to the center of the fabric square with glue.  (Easier than getting the iron out.)  I used narrow tacky tape to attach the rick rack around the edge and to attach the finished monogram square to the bag.  Voilà, I now have a small monogrammed gift bag......

For more inspiration, hop thru the webring using the blue DCC logo in my sidebar, then check out the DCC Blog for even more designer ideas.  Enjoy!  Y'all come back now.......

Yours truly,

Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!