Beach-themed Centerpiece

"Life's a beach and I'm just playing in the sand!"

 

For those of you ocean-lovers who live by this saying, this project is

a great piece of décor or centerpiece for your upcoming special event!  Whether it's a birthday party, grad party, anniversary or wedding, this idea

will be a "shore" pleaser for all those beach-bums at heart.

(And yes, I did just type that.)

 

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~ Here's what you'll need! ~

 

1. Glass Vase

2. 4 inch Wooden Letter

3. Sand

4. Rope or Twine

5. Paint

6. Glitter Paste

7.  Floral Wire

8. Painter's Tape

9. Shells & Starfish (optional)

 

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Let's get started!

 

Step 1.  Paint your wooden letter in your desired paint color.  I chose

Delta Americana's Coastal Waters, which is a nice mix between teal and turquoise. Paint a layer of glitter paste onto your wooden letter.  I chose a light blue paste by BoBunny.

 

 

 

Step 2.  Wrap a piece of rope around my vase and fill it with some sand.  I think black sand would be and interesting contrast as well.  Feel free to add some shells, rocks or starfish to "embellish".

 

 

 

 

Step 3. Twist your floral wire into a coral shape, then

Wrap the shape in some blue painter's tape to give your "coral skeleton" some body.  I then brushed on a thick layer of the same BoBunny glitter paste to add more depth and dimension to the blue of the tape.

 

Step 6. Lastly, place your "coral" piece into your vase and the wooden letter right in front.

Now you're done!

 

 

 

I hope everyone has fun recreating and personalizing this idea.  Add some firefly or tea lights, change up the colors or embellish your letter with jewels!

The possibilities are endless.

As always, have fun and see you next week!

 

Erika @ PC



Mermaid Scale Frame

Get ready for a whole lot of purple!

Instead of the usual teal and pink combination that we usually associate with 

the mermaid, I'm putting another enchanting hue in the spotlight.

Over the past few months, mermaids have been EVERYWHERE.

(We even have a mermaid birthday party as this month's Pinspiration Station theme

at our Pearl City Store!)  So, what I've decided to make this week was a

 mermaid-themed gift that was simple to make, 

and REALLY affordable.  It's also a great summer project to do with your kids.

This project, my fellow crafters, is a Mermaid Scale Frame!

 

 

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 Let's get started!

***  Supplies Needed  ***

SPC Wooden Frame

4 inch Wooden Letter

Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint*

1 inch Flat Acrylic Paintbrush

Hot Glue Gun or Wood Glue

Paint Pen*

*use color(s) desired

 The colors I used for my frame were multiple shades of purple, teal and white.

The exact names are Passion Purple, Lavender, GP Purple, White and Coastal Waters.

(The last color mentioned was actually a Delta Americana acrylic paint, which basically just dries to

a Satin finish instead of matte like Ceramcoat.)

I made a scalloped, "scale" pattern starting from the bottom of my frame.  

Every time I painted the next layer of scales up, I made sure to overlap the previous one. 

This is where you can have fun with the colors.  Even if you have only four or five colors,

you can mix them up to make new shades or even add depth to your scales.  For example,

I blended a little of the dark GP Purple into the lighter Passion purple shade to get a nice shadow effect.  After letting your scales dry, you can even add some detail by dotting on dark paint over the light-colored scales and vice versa.  

 

I then painted the wooden letter and added pearl detailing using a BoBunny Pearl Pen.

This is basically a puffy paint for hard crafts and scrapbooking.  It works on wood, paper and clay

and dries to a pearlized finish.  After this, I glued the 'M' to the top right corner of my frame!

To personalize it even more, you can even write the name of your friend, mom, sister or whoever the 

receiver of this amazing gift is on your frame with a paint pen.  I used a black fine tip Montana marker.  That wraps up this project!  As always, don't hesitate to change it up and make it your own.

Have fun with it and enjoy!

See you all next week!

Erika @ PC

Steampunk Mermaid Jewelry Box

Mermaids?  Lovely!  Steampunk Mermaids?  Ah-maaa-ziiiing!

This week's project uses the new Graphic 45 - Under the Sea scrapbook paper that our stores got in

a couple weeks ago.  The name is somewhat misleading because when they were put out, we found out that they were not like any other ocean-themed paper we've seen before.

In fact, there was a very quirky Victorian Steampunk twist to it.  Which was AWESOME.

Seriously, why did we have to wait so long for this paper??

Alright!  I took one of our really cool unfinished jewelry boxes to decorate using this scrapbook paper. To get started, I painted the outside with Chalky Finish in the color Treasure to give it a cool ocean feel.  I then Mod Podged scraps and cutouts of the paper onto the top and sides of the box.  I also Mod-Podged scraps of the Seashell print onto the interior bottom of the jewelry box.  

 Inside, there were little compartments that I painted using the brighter colors that were present in the paper to compliment the teal blue of the chalky finish.  After Mod-Podging more cutouts on the bottoms of the compartments and one onto the mirror that was underneath the box's cover, I painted the inside of the box with a bright Satin Americana paint in the color Leprechaun.  

After that, I distressed the sides of the box with Delta Ceramcoat in Metallic Gold 14K.

As a finishing touch I embellished the box with some of Tim Holtz' small metal gears and small beads using UV resin... Juuuuust to add a little extra Steampunk feel.  And there we have it!

Always remember:  Make it your own and have fun.  We have a TON of scrapbook

designs available for you to customize your very own jewelry box and a plethora of unfinished wood boxes for you to choose from.  There are seriously so many choices, so don't hesitate to ask for some ideas and inspiration.  

That's what we're here for!

Erika @ PC

 

Anchor Wood Panel Art

Afternoon, Crafters!

Today I have a "Pin-spired" nautical-themed piece of art that can be re-created with just three items! Seriously!  It's an easy and fast gift for that ocean-loving friend or for yourself to use as some

really cool beach décor.

 

 

The only things you will need to make this is paint, a 9x12 inch wood panel and some jute rope.

You're going to need two or three colors of paint to create that ombre effect on your wood panel.  Darkest blue will go at the bottom, then you keep mixing in more and more white to tint that color as you move toward the top of the panel. 

Next, paint on an anchor in pure white, being sure to leave a little space at the top and bottom of it.  Hot glue a few strips of our new Studio G jute rope on to the top and bottom for some accenting texture and there you have it!

 

This is, again, a very fast and minimalistic piece of nautical art that can be "spruced up" and personalized quite easily.  Write a friend's or loved one's name on it.  Mod Podge some sequins onto the anchor.  Glue some shells or starfish on it. 

Create your own masterpiece!

 

 

Have fun!

Erika @ PC

Mermaid Shell Top

Hi, Everyone!

This week we are going to be doing a really fun mermaid-themed project!

A Mermaid Shell Top!

How cool is this?  It's a really easy and cheap idea for fast mermaid costume or just for a quirky beach shirt for this summer.  Who doesn't want to feel like a mermaid once in a while?

What I used to make this mermaid top was a regular white t-shirt, GP Purple Ceramcoat Acrylic paint, Iridescent Purple Scribbles, and Textile Medium.  I also had some parchment paper to help stop the paint from bleeding onto the back of the shirt as well as an iron to cure the paint.

First, try on your shirt to see where you will want your shells to be.  Make marks with a washable fabric marker.  (I chose to just wing it.)

Next, you're going to mix the paint and the textile medium with a ratio of 2:1.  Two parts acrylic paint to one part textile medium.  What this medium does is it makes any craft grade acrylic paint permanent and flexible on fabric.  This means that it won't wash or flake off even if the fabric wrinkles.  

Make sure you put a piece of parchment paper underneath the front layer of your shirt so that the paint doesn't get onto the back.  The textile medium will make the two side stick together if you don't!   Then, start painting your shells!  I chose the basic clam shell shape like a certain red-haired mermaid.  

After letting that dry, heat set it with either an iron or a heat tool.  You're going to want to heat each area for at least thirty seconds to cure the medium.  

Lastly, draw the outlines of the shells with the puffy scribbles paint for some dimension!

As always, feel free to mix it up!  Add some embellishments like rhinestones or even use glitter paint for more texture and sparkle.  How about writing a mermaid-themed quote underneath in a funky script?  You could even paint some iridescent scales for that real siren look.

Have fun!

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

Key Hanger

Hi, Everyone!

    So this year we got in these intricate wooden frames.  Really beautiful to look at but hard to decide what to do with them! Because they're pretty light and flat, they can be used as wither borders or can even be used as a table number holder for a wedding centerpiece like Bethany from Enchanted Lake showed us in the previous post!  Today, I decided to use the two designs we have available to create a decorative hook for your foyer or room.  These are really convenient for keeping track of your keys, dog leashes and totes as well.

 

 

For this project, I decided to use bright warm colors.  Poppy orange, teal, gold and yellow. 

The main plaque was painted a vibrant orange and distressed with Ceramcoat's Metallic 14k gold paint.  This gold is the most true to color that I have ever seen in an acrylic paint.  Try it, and you won't be disappointed! The frames were painted yellow and teal.  I spray-painted a couple of command hooks with gold shimmer paint and distressed them with the deep black cherry tone. 

After everything was painted, I put everything together with E6000.  Of course, you could add some rhinestones or other kind of embellishments as well, but I decided to keep it simple and let the colors speak for themselves.

 

After everything is dry, you can hang it up in your craft area or foyer, prop it on your work desk or even in your home office.  It's really convenient for keeping your belongings accessible and out in the open for you to grab and go.  And it looks great too.lol

 

Have fun!

Erika @ P

Hand-Painted Signs

Hey, everyone!  

.So, the weekend is here and if you're still trying to satisfy that craft craving you've been having there is still an awesome selection of wooden signs in all shapes and sizes waiting for you at all of our Ben Franklin Crafts locations!  This past week, we've been cranking out some samples for you guys to check out.  I chose a few wooden signs because I've just had a hankering for painting this past week.  Being surrounded by all these unfinished wood products just does this to you I guess.lol  

All I had to do was let the creative juices flow.  These palettes were only $3.99!  I couldn't pass up the opportunity because there's just so many ways to go with these.  Landscapes, Quirky signs, Sassy Alpaca in sunglasses, pineapples...  The possibilities are endless.

All you needed was a variety of brushes, a few Delta Ceramcoat and Satin Americana acrylic paint colors and some decorative ribbon!  Below, I even made a Spring/Easter-themed piece using one of the mini signs.  These are $1.99 each, and they already come with the hooks attached so that you could hang them up.  Not to mention there is a variety of shapes to choose from: scalloped rectangles, arrows and ovals like this little guy here.

 This small sign can be adorable as a little Easter gift or just as seasonal decor for your home. 

 This is also a great activity to do with kids.   

Three colors, and a pom pom.  How simple is that?

As always, have fun!

Erika @PC

Beaded Heart Charm

Hey, crafters!   Valentine's Day is right around the corner and we're all

 looking for small gifts to make for our friends and families.  If you're looking for something 

to make that is unique and straight from the heart, how about a cute handmade keychain?  

We will be having a special demo tomorrow for a Beaded Heart Charm!  It's going to be from 12:30 to 1 pm at the Pearl City location. 

This demo is completely free and our beading instructor, Gayle, will be happy to answer any questions you may have, so come check us out!

Don't forget you can also cruise around the store for some ideas on last-minute Valentine's cards, scrapbook pages and various other crafts.

See you tomorrow!

Erika @ PC

Chewie Valentine

Hi, Crafters!

Can you guys believe that Valentine's Day is two weeks away?  So fast!

We've all been getting into the Love Day spirit at our stores; writing love notes on the tile floors with acrylic markers, painting up some of our new wood palettes in rosy colors and 

Mod Podging some Valentine's scrapbook paper onto our new Snippets chipboard heart shapes!  Today, I'll show you how to make a really cute and simple Valentine inspired by our favorite Wookie.

Supplies Needed

Snippets Heart Lock & Key Chipboard set

Brown Eyelash Yarn 

Black Paint

Light Green Paint 

Brown and Silver Cardstock Scraps

Scissors

Hot Glue Gun

All you need to do is hot glue an end of yarn to the bottom of the heart-shaped chipboard and wrap continuously until the entire heart is covered in yarn.  A few dabs of hot glue here and there while wrapping will help keep things secure.  Once that's done, cut a 1/2" x 3 1/2" strip out of the brown paper and hot glue small squares of silver paper onto it.  Hot glue it onto the Chewie heart.  After this, you can leave it as it is, or make a little Lightsaber out of the key.  I chose to make mine green like Yoda's, but you can always make it blue, red, purple or red as well.

That's all there is to it!

Have fun and see you all next week!

Erika@PC

New Year's Invitations!

Good day, Crafters!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas last week.  A belated Mele Kalikimaka from all of us here at HouseMart Ben Franklin Crafts!  It's almost 2016 and we all know it's never too early to get ready for the next big holiday.  So, today I will be showing you how to make some beautiful invitations for your New Year's party.  I'm someone who loves the gold, white and black combo for the "Golden Hour" theme, so today I will be showing you how to make a fun and sparkly invitation using a beautiful gold star vellum paper that we carry.

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Supplies Needed
WeRMemory Envelope Punch Board
Scissors 
Fiskar's Paper Trimmer
Black Fine Point DecoColor Paint Marker
Double-Stick Tape
Medium Vellum Paper
Vellum Paper with Gold Stars

*Nope, that's not gold confetti!  

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Let's get started!

First, you're going to refer to the sizing chart on your punch board.  It goes by the 
size of your card, so after you find that, you will see what size you need to make your paper square from your 12x12 inch piece of star vellum paper.  After cutting it down to size, follow the instructions on your board to cut out your envelope.  Be sure that your paper is face down so that your scoring will allow the flaps to fold inward!

Next, cut out two pieces of double-sided tape and stick them onto the shorter inner flaps like so and tape them down!

After that, you're going to get started on the hand-lettering!  I chose a fun and casual script style so that it would match the simple elegance of the scattered cold stars.  Because this is vellum, you could draw your design on another piece of paper, put it underneath your vellum and then trace over it.  But here I decided to wing it.lol  I went over my lettering another time to make sure that it was bold and opaque.

Let your lettering dry and you're finished!

There is so many things you can do with vellum when it comes to invitations and letters.
You could use plain medium vellum paper to make an envelope and put not only your invitation inside, but some colorful confetti or sequins inside as well!  It's a fun way to add sparkle and pizzazz!  A bold and bright font on the front would match that perfectly!

As always, have fun and see you all in 2016!
Erika @ PC

Hand Letter Your Envelopes!

Hey crafters!  

Today I'm going to be playing around with the WeRMemory Envelope Punch and

practicing my hand-lettering skills.  For those of you who like to personalize 

your greeting cards or even design your own, this handy punch is perfect for you!

You're now able to choose your paper and the dimensions for your envelope. 

The fun part of course is decorating it!

So for this week, I'll be showing you an example of what you can do

with this punch.  I have some black cardstock that I will be using for the envelope.

It's something different and unique; the complete opposite of your standard white greeting

card envelope.  Plus, you'll get to play around with some light-colored inks for lettering.

I'm so excited to see how this will turn out!

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Here's what you'll need to make your envelope.  Here's also what I forgot to add in the 

photo: Fiskars Paper Trimmer.  It's what I used to cut my squares of paper, but

you really could use a ruler and pencil to mark off the borders of the square and then cut it out with 

scissors.  But, unless you're extremely confident with your cutting skills or if you're pressed for time and just want fast, straight cuts, the trimmer is for you.

To make your envelope, you're basically going to follow the instructions on the

punch board itself.  After you've punched out your form, all you have to do

is either glue or tape the bottom of the two larger flaps to the two smaller inner flaps.

Now, let's talk writing tools.  These are a few of the pens I like to use, but

everyone is different.  From the left, you've got your standard mechanical pencil. Next is the 

Uniball Signo White Gel Pen.  The ink is a lot more opaque and brighter than the white 

Gelly Roll.  Next to that is a silver version.  The ink looks bright enough to be platinum 
color instead of a darker silver metallic gel.  Next is an AC Black Felt tip pen.

Micron pens are great to use, but I also like using the American Crafts

brand for a smooth black line.  Like Micron, this line also comes in different nib sizes.
 On the very right, we have the ever-popular Gelly Roll gel pen.  These come in a variety of colors and finishes, from Stardust to Souffle.  The one I have here is a Moonlight Black/Gold gel.

 So, I have a fake name and address that I've made up for this hand-lettering example.

What I've done is print out the name in a font that I wanted to try practicing.  This is a 
greatway to study types when starting out in hand-lettering.  Your computer is a great tool! 

All you have to do is scroll through the font list on your word program, type out the alphabet, make it at least 50 pt. in size and print it.  Grab some tracing paper and trace over each letter just like in elementary school,  paying attention to each font's individual style and character.

A few tips for addressing envelopes:

1. If the house or apartment number is a number that is 10 or lower, spell it out.

2.  Spell out streets and states as well. Ave. becomes Avenue, CA becomes California, etc.

3.  Watch your spacing!  Pencil in guidelines before starting your lettering.  You

want to make sure that it not only looks intricate and beautiful, but legible as well.

 4. Remember to allow space for any stamps you are planning to use.

4. Watch your fonts!  Make sure they don't clash.  You want to draw the eye in

and interest it.  Not hurt it.  A loopy script for the recipient with some simple block 

letters for the address maybe?

 So, here I have my guidelines.

With my trusty pencil again, I sketched out the name and address.

I added some accent points with the clamshell doodles on either 

side ofthe zip code.  After that, I went over it with the silver Signo gel pen.  

Voila!

This was so fun to do!  It's really great to practice hand-lettering because it's such

a fun art form.  Also, bringing that art into your envelopes is also a great way to

add your own personal touch to your snail mail.  It also makes your recipients feel extra 

special! :)  Of course, you don't have to stop at the lettering.  Why not add 
embellishments like washi tape and stickers?  Even a light wash with some watercolor 
paints on light-coloredpaper could add a nice pop of color and look nice against bold 
black lettering.  

Experiment and have fun!

Erika @ PC!

Christmas Tree Toy Car Display

Good Day, Crafters!

If you're like me and you have a younger brother who loved to collect

 toy cars as a kid, or even still collects them now, I have a great project that is

 perfect for them.  It's simple and turns out to be a

really cute display once it's finished.

 

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Supplies Needed

Hot Wheels Toy Car

Hot Glue Gun

Twine (not pictured)

Hearty Clay-White

White Acrylic Paint

Mod Podge

Paint

Powdered Snow

Wood Slice

 

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Let's Get Started!

 

 

First, plug in your hot glue gun so that it can heat up.   Then, paint

 one side of your wood slice white.  It doesn't have to be perfect and reach the edges.

Let dry.
 

 

 

Next, shape some of the clay into hill-like shapes.  Let them dry and then hot glue them onto the disc to create a small landscape.  Make sure that there is still enough room for your toy car to fit!

 

After that, brush a thick layer of Mod Podge over your entire landscape and sprinkle on some powdered snow.

 

Next, hot glue your pine trees to the scene. 

 

For this next step, you're gonna need about 10 inches of twine.  Put a drop of hot glue on top of your car to help secure your mini tree for tying. 

 

 

Wrap the twine around the car and the tree and tie it off underneath the car.  Cut off any excess twine. Add a drop of hot glue on the bottom of each wheel to stick your scene and you're done!

 

These are really cute as a small decoration on a coffee table or even as a small centerpiece.  If you're

able to find a small toy car that can fit the tiny Home for the Holidays trees that are about 1 inch tall, you could even make it into an ornament by adding an extra loop of twine at the top!

 

As always, have fun!

Erika @ PC

 

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