Cube Tree Ornament

Merry Christmas!
All of us at Ben Franklin are having so much fun decorating everything Christmas themed, from home decor, to ornaments, and from trees to centerpieces! Here is a quick tutorial on how to make a cube shaped "snow globe"!

Supplies: 
cube glass ornaments
powdered snow
E6000 glue
long pointed tweezers
festive red ribbon
oil based white paint marker
1 inch tall trees

optional: sea glass spray in 'ice' color

Spray very top of ornament with very light coating of 'ice' Sea Glass spray. This will make it look more frosted!
Use white oil based paint marker to make small dots over the top and the sides, to make it look like snow is falling!

Coat bottom of tiny tree with E6000 glue. Using tweezers, place tiny tree through the top of the ornament. 

 Add powdered snow!

Write 'Let it Snow' on the outside of your ornament with the oil based marker and adorn the top with your cute ribbon!
Ta Da!

Bethany @Enchanted Lake 

Rustic Wood Ornaments!

Hey everyone! 
Christmas is right around the corner, and I wanted to show you how easy and fun it is to use pretty holiday papers on wood slices and how you can further embellish them with shiny foil words, quotes, and patterns!

Supplies:
wood slices
matte Mod Podge
pretty holiday cardstock papers
scissors
pen / pencil
brush
assorted colors of Minc foil
Zig 2-way glue pen
assorted tree picks and sprays
hot glue / hot glue gun
laser wood cutout holiday silhouettes 

 First to make cute holiday backgrounds on your wood slices, trace circles around them onto the pretty papers, and then cut them out. Apply the matte Mod Podge with a brush to the wood slice and adhere cardstock circles to them.

In order to use the Zig 2-way glue pen and the Minc foil, write a word on the paper and allow to dry. (3-5 minutes) When the glue is fully dry it becomes tacky (as opposed to wet) so it can pull the foil from the sheet and become a pretty shiny design! 

If you want to get really fancy, you can add some laser cutout holiday images and use it as a dimensional accent to the top of your cardstock wood slice!

 

Once the glue is dry, apply foil (pretty side facing up) and press firmly with your finger until you see glued image showing through the foil. When you peel upwards, you'll find that your foil has transferred! Just in case the foil didn't full pull off the sheet, you can reapply the foil to any remaining tacky areas. Feel free to also reapply the glue pen and layer colors together! Have fun foiling!!  

Use your hot glue gun / hot glue to adhere silhouettes, or pieces of picks /  sprays to wood slices!
Ta Da!
So easy and so cute!!  

Have fun decorating!

Bethany @Enchanted Lake

Grad Party Card "Book"

Good day, Crafters!

Graduation season is right around the corner (Can you see it in our stores?), so you know what that means!  GRAD PARTY!!!  Yes, the daunting task of planning and prepping for your graduate's special event can be a stressful one, but we're here to help and make it fun.  

Today I will show you guys how to create an awesome Vintage-style Money Book.

 

Yes, I said "book"!  Who says a grad party has to be school-themed?  I'm showing you that you don't have to follow the color scheme or theme of the graduate's Alma Mater.  

The theme can be a lot more personal.  This card box is in the form of a book to represent a graduate who loved literature and all things vintage for example.  It's different, unique and makes a great conversation starter as a centerpiece too!

 

 This was built from just one piece of 20 x 30 inch foam board and then decorated to look like a really old book.  I Mod-Podged brown cardstock onto both covers as well as the spine and then distressed it by rubbing it with a Memento stamp pad in the color Cocoa. I also misted some gold Mr. Huey's spray onto the covers to give it some shimmer.  I then covered the sides of the exposed foam board with brown creme wax, painted the pages with a mix of butter yellow and white Ceramcoat acrylic, and then streaked some wax on that to create the "pages".  

 This project will be featured on an upcoming episode of  The Joy of Crafting, so be sure to check it out if you want the full walk-through of how to create this awesome card "book"!

Erika @ PC

Distress Stain Postcard

Hi, Everyone!

 

Today, I'm going to show you how to do a really simple technique that involves the elusive Distress Stain inks that we have in our scrapbooking sections.  They're a product that something that kind gets looked over often and I wanted to start bringing them back into the "Crafter's Spotlight". 

I'll start off small.  5 x 7 inch to be exact.

 

I chose stains in Frayed Burlap, Stormy Sky and Weathered Wool.  I also have a .08 tip Micron pen for some hand-lettering. 

 

 

 I taped down a 5 x 7" watercolor postcard to my table with masking tape to keep the paper from bowing too much.  I put a wash down just to get the paper wet.  This is just so that the distress stains, which are water-based and can therefore be handled like watercolors, will flow freely without forming a harsh edge when dry.  Just make sure that your brush is sopping wet before doing so.  I then brushed on a little bit of Frayed Burlap. 

 

 

What I wanted to achieve was a somewhat tie-died look.  Soft edges and colorful patches that sort of "bloom" on your paper.  So, use a lot, but not too much water.  You'll see amazing colors flow out of each ink and they will just get more amazing as they dry like this little patch of Stormy Sky. So cool!

After the paper was completely dry, I added a little saying in Micron pen at the bottom right hand corner.  And that's all she wrote!  This is a very versatile technique that's great mixed media scrapbookers and watercolor artists.  It's a beginner technique that is great for making quick postcards to send to family overseas.  And as always, a quirky saying will make it 100 times more personal and cute.

 

Have fun!

Erika @ PC

Because Mermaid Reasons...

Hey, Everyone!

Today I have another project using one of our unfinished wood products.  Wait!  Don't skip my post just yet!  *lol*  I promise this one is an awesome one.  This DIY is super easy and adorable.  Trust me.  Mermaids are involved.  Well, reasons to be a mermaid to be more accurate.

I painted this sign using DecoArt's Chalky finish in Serene and Treasure as well as Ceramcoat acrylic paint in Pthalo Blue. 

I painted a base coat in the minty blue Serene color, layered on some deep Pthalo blue and teal-colord Treasure chalky finish, then distressed the wood as a finishing touch with more Serene. I then used a Montana acrylic marker in Gleaming Pink and a white Deco pen for the wording, which I was inspired to write based on a hilarious Twitter post. 

 To embellish I tied a few bows on the wire in complimenting colors, but you could also use rhinestones, shells and even twine to create designs onto the wood itself.

Instead, I doodled a few clam shells around the wording.  It turned out so cute and cheeky.  If you ever get the chance to read the actual post, do it.  It is amazingly funny and... you will also see why I couldn't put the entire quote word for word on this sign. *Haha*  

But Hey!  It still turned out awesome, right?

This is a simple and fun sign to make as a gift for that mermaid-lover in your life.  

Or that one who wants to be a mermaid.  Because... Mermaids!

 Or sirens... There's two kinds of people in this world. :)

Have fun!

Erika@PC

Letter Felt Plush

Hey everyone! 

I've been itching to make some felt plushies.  Then I thought:

What would be a fast, personalized and adorable last minute gift?

Alphabet plushies!  You could sew up the letters of your friends or

 family members'

initials or even their whole name!

 

All you need are a few things.

Felt

DMC Embroidery Floss

Ribbon (3 in.)

Fabric Scissors

Sewing Needle

Paper

Pencil

Polyfill stuffing (not pictured)

Pins

Sharpie (optional)

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Let's get started!

 

First, you're going to sketch out your template on your paper.  You want to make sure your

letter is at least one inch all around because you're going to need room for stuffing.

Cut your pattern out.

 

 

I'm going to show you to different ways of cutting your pattern out on your felt.

The first way is pinning the template onto your felt and cutting around it.  For letters with negative space in the middle like this 'D', 'A's or even more complex ones like 'G' or 'W' where you need to cut around awkward corners and angles, this might be difficult.  The second is the good old tracing method, where you trace the template onto your felt with a Sharpie.  Some people have different preferences, but choose whichever is easiest for your letter.

 

 

 

Cut out two pieces and pin them together.  Then, you're going to start sewing! 

 

 

If you have a letter with an opening, try sewing up that part first so that your felt pieces are held together and the edges line up as you continue sewing.  Your pins are there to help you out at the beginning, but you're going to need them out so that you can stuff your letter later!

 

I'm going to be using the basic blanket stitch for a decorative border.

To do this stitch, stick your needle through your felt from underneath your piece about 1/8th of an inch from the edge. 

 

Then, pull your thread through and put the needle downward into the loop of working thread that is forming at the back of your piece.  Make sure that the thread coming out of the top with your needle is "underneath" your needle as you do this. 

 

 

Continue pulling slowly.  The thread from the loop will now form the outer edging of your piece once you pull it snugly against the side of your felt pieces.  Making sure that your stitches are also 1/8th of an inch apart, continue until you reach the end. 

 

 

Once you've finished the inside, start on the outer edge of your letter.

 

 

I stitched about two inches and them started stuffing.  Use a little polyfil at a time I used my pencil as an awl and it did the job really well. :)  I basically stuffed as I stitched.  Every inch or so I put a small wad of polyfil in.

 

 

I sewed the ribbon in at the top as a loop with a basic Hemming stitch.

 

To finish your stitch off, stick your needle into the inner end of your first stitch and pull it out through a random spot in your plush.  Pull it through.  Cut the thread as close to the felt as possible and make sure the end is hidden within the two felt pieces. 

 

 

Finito!  Your letter plushie is done!

 

 

These are easily customizable!  Go to town with the embellishments!  If you have the skills, you

could totally embroider some designs on your felt before sewing your plush together.  Add some beads to your blanket stitch.  Experiment with different color combinations!  These are really fun to make as a last minute gift or even as ornaments for your tree.  Make a plush 'JOY' to hang on a garland of lights!  Make a 'MERRY' in red felt with green embroidery thread to hang on your mantle.

The possibilities are endless!

 

As always, have fun!

Erika

Chunky Letter Photo Holder

Hey, everyone!

I hope you guys had an awesome Halloween last weekend. 

So, it's November and it's almost time for Thanksgiving!

Time to count your blessings and be grateful for what you have. 

Family, friends, pets... I know we all have a small photo of them somewhere

on our work desk or in our planners.  So today I will be showing you a fun way

to display a special photo using our brand new mini paper mache letters!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Supplies Needed

Mini Paper Mache Letter

Chalky Finish

Acrylic Paint

Foam Brush

Natural Bristle Brush

Small Paint Bowl

Thick Floral Wire

Montana Marker (not pictured)

Pliers (not pictured)

Needle

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Let's get started!

 

First, use the foam brush to paint the letter with the chalk finish in the

color of your choice.  I decided to go with a teal

tone with a white distressed accent.

 

 

Second, after letting your base color dry, I used a dry natural bristle brush

to distress the letter with white acrylic paint.  Lightly dip the tip of the

flat brush in the paint, wipe the excess off on a paper towel or scratch paper,

and use light strokes to apply the paint.  The light strokes create the light and streaky

look.  Only apply a heavier amount of paint on the angles so it appears scuffed.

 

 

 

 

Next, color the bent floral wire.  The Montana paint marker provides

a smooth matte finish and it also dries pretty quickly, so I went with that instead

of spray paint or regular acrylic.  I had actually bent the wire with a pair of long nose pliers to form this curled shape. It's pretty easy.  Just start by bending where you want the base of the curl and go upwards from there.  I recommend leaving about

3 inches for your "stem".  This curl is where you will stick your photo on.

 

 

After that, poke a hole into the top of your letter with the needle.  Be sure not

to make the hole too big.  You want it to be tight around the stem so that your photo

stands up straight.

 

 

Lastly, stick the wire in and you're finished!

 

 



 

These are great for gifts, favors and place markers for parties! 

Embellish with glitter, stickers and rhinestones or tie on some beads.

Glue on some shells or pom poms.

Mod podge some scrapbook paper on each side!

Whatever you do, have fun!

 

Erika @ PC



Rustic Wedding Centerpiece

Hello, Crafters! 

Anyone going down to check out the Hawaii World Class Wedding Expo this coming 

Friday and Saturday at the Convention Center for some great ideas for your special day?

Well because of this big event coming up, this week we're going to be making some

 cute centerpieces for a rustic or country garden themed wedding.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Supplies Needed 

Two 4 inch wood slices

One 3 inch wood slice

 Hot Glue Gun

Twine

1 1/2 inch Burlap Ribbon 

Scissors

Spanish Moss

One Pint Mason Jar

Small chalkboard hanging (pictured later)

Extra Fine Deco paint pen (pictured later)

----------------------------------------------

 Tea Light Votive (I used the metallic silver David Tutera one.)

Tea Light (Flameless or not. Your choice.)

Flowers 

 

 

Excuse the upside down picture.. My computer was being finicky.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 Let's get started!

 

 

 First, I hot glued the smaller wood slice to the larger one and then hot glued the 

other large slice on top where they met.  I dotted some hot glue at the places where the slices overlapped and stuck on some of the Spanish moss.

 Next, after removing the lid from the mason jar, I cut about a 10 inch strip of burlap ribbon and hot glued it around the "waist" of the jar.

 

Then, I wrapped about 20 inches of twine around the ribbon and made a bow.

 

Next, hot glue the mason jar to the top wood slice.  This is when I also hot glued the 

votive to the larger of the slices on the bottom and stuck in the tea light.

 Here is the littlest chalkboard we got in this year.  Isn't it adorable?  Because I wanted the table number to be permanent, I decided to use a paint pen instead of chalk.  You could also use a Bistro chalk marker because those aren't erasable on this surface as well despite it being a chalkboard.

(The only chalk that is removable would be the actual compressed "school" chalk.)

 I hot glued the chalkboard to the base on the small wood slice.  Here is where you could add more Spanish moss on the bottom side of this as well.

 

Now all there is left to do is add your flower arrangement!  The pink roses with the glittery dew came in our Christmas shipment this year and the small white flowers are something we carry year round in our wedding section.  Aren't they beautiful?  Of course, you could always fluff it up a bit! Maybe with some thin branch tips in the bouquet? A little glitz with some glitter, rhinestones or sequins? Maybe some coarse gold or silver mixed in with some water in the jar?  

The possibilities are endless!

I hope this helps inspire all the husbands and wives to be and shows that a DIY wedding is 

definitely worth the work!  You get to be original and unique by having total 

control over your decorations and favors.  

 Be sure to check us out at the Wedding Expo this Friday and Saturday for 

more ideas and inspiration!  

See you there!

 Erika @ PC