Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 232 - Wild Sheer Ribbon Lei

Have a graduate that likes to walk on the wild side? Today, Puna has a new twist on a favorite twisty sheer lei of ours.

Create a twisty lei with different ribbons!

View our latest video on our YouTube channel: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 232 - Wild Sheer Ribbon Lei

Supplies:

1.5” animal print ribbon

7/8” satin ribbon

3/8” picot edge satin ribbon

Upholstery thread

Doll needle

Scissors

Ribbon for bow

Don’t forget to add a bow on to your lei before giving it away. Bows make lei look finished and can always add another nice touch to the look of your lei.

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 167 - Foamie Mask Favors

Need an easy, last minute idea for your Halloweeen party? Brandon is back again to save the day with a great favor craft.

These masks make great favors for your Halloween party!

Catch the episode on YouTube: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 167 - Foamie Mask Favors

Supplies:

Animal print foamie pack

Sharpie marker

Scissors

Dowels or sticks

Ribbons

Double-stick tape

Glue gun and glue sticks

You can really crank out some great mask favors using this foamie pack and everyone will think you’ve spent a lot of time on them.

Feeling Featherful

We just recently received some very beautiful plumage at our Ben Franklin stores. Check out this awesome blue and green combo! These feathers are great because they're sold already put together in very bright and colorful combinations.

Some of the feather sets have loops already inserted at the top of the group which makes it super easy to turn them into earrings! I absolutely HAD to make some right away, of course. It's so simple I could have made 20 of them in no time.

There are also some new, loose feathers that have pretty animal print designs. I made a pair of earrings with these too. All you have to do is use a crimp end connector around the "stems" of your feathers and you can attach that connector to a fishhook earring. If you're interested in these earrings, I'll be doing some very quick demonstrations this month at Enchanted Lake. See you there!

Puna @ Enchanted Lake

P.S. Scroll down to see a post from our video-blog, "Crankin' Out Crafts."

Duct Tape Flowers

Last week Tuesday was May Day and I had the chance to spend it teaching others to make lei at Kapiolani park along with some of my fellow employees. Unfortunately, we were so busy that I didn't have the chance to take any pictures in all the rush. It's okay, though, because instead I'll show you what I did for most of the day.

They're duct tape flowers! Aren't they cool? This is something that Brandon here at Enchanted Lake thought up and that I decided to take on the road.

These five petal flowers are made just like the Nylon netting flowers that many of you may remember from a few years back. The only difference is that you're using super cute duct tape instead of super cute nylons. We have a nylon flower project sheet available for free at our store, by the way.

Duct tape just came out with some new awesome colors and patterns like these wild animal prints. These are great for a wild bouquet centerpiece for birthdays or graduation parties.

They're made a little differently than the five petal flowers because they have a total of - count 'em - eight petals, which make them look a little more like lilies than plumerias. Also, the petals are two different sizes. Otherwise, these flowers work up in the same way as their smaller counterparts.

We have project sheets available at our store for these flowers too. Also, stay tuned to our Crankin' Out Crafts You-Tube channel because Brandon is going to be making these for our video blog in just a little bit.

And, as always, you can just stop on by our store for instruction and more inspiration.

Happy flower making,
Puna @ Enchanted Lake

P.S. Don't forget to read the previous blog post about Mother's Day week on Crankin' Out Crafts.

Crankin' Out Crafts Party

Remember when I mentioned last week that our Enchanted Lake store is having a Crankin' Out Crafts party coming up on April 28th? Well, today I wanted to show you two more awesome "crankin'" projects that we will be doing at our party.

The first project is going to be a demonstration for a crayon canvas. This is a super fun and easy project that is great to do with your kids.

Our second project is the wild block make n' take. These animal themed glass blocks are something that anyone can do and still make a great statement for a party or for your home.

We hope that you'll join in on the Crankin' fun with us at our party. Don't forget, it takes place at our Enchanted Lake Ben Franklin store from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, April 28th. If you want to learn about all the projects that we'll be featuring that day, you can always drop by our store for more information.

See you soon!

Puna @ Enchanted Lake

P.S. Take a look at our previous blog post from today for another great episode of Crankin' Out Crafts.

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 81 - Animal Print Gift Bags & Tags

Take your gifts packing to the next level and add that extra touch by using trendy duct tape! JFlo shows you an easy way you how to dress up your bags and tags.

Decorate your plain gift bags and tags with duct tape!

Episode can be viewed here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 81 - Animal Print Gift Bags and Tags

Supplies:

Gift Bag

Duct Tape

Cardstock

Ribbon

Scissors

Paper Punch

Come by to Ben Franklin Crafts to check out our selection of solid-colored and printed duct tape, gift bags, as well as all of the supplies listed. We'll be Crankin' Out more crafts to share with you next week! Have a great weekend!

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 80 - Animal Print Card Box

See how JFlo creates this ordinary white card box into a wild animal print piece that would make a great accent to any party!

Create a unique look by combining different animal prints.

View our episode here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 80 - Animal Print Card Box

Supplies:

Card Box 

Spray Paint or Acrylic Paint (for main colors of card box base)

 Note: We used Montana Gold Spray Paint available at Enchanted Lake BFC, but you may use other brands of spray paint.

Acrylic Paint (Black for Zebra stripes and Brown for Giraffe spots)

Paintbrush

Duct Tape

Scissors

*Optional: Accent Flower

You can also personalize the card box by adding the celebrant's name or photo. Make for a birthday or graduation party!

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 79 - Animal Print Glass Bricks

It's Animal Print Week here on Crankin' Out Crafts! Having a party and need a cool and fun centerpiece? See how easy it is to transform a glass brick into a sparkling decoration with JFlo.

Add some shimmer & flair to a room or party with this centerpiece idea.

Watch our episode here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 79 - Animal Print Glass Bricks

Supplies:

Tacky Glue

Glitter

Scratch Paper

Change up the color of the glitter for different looks! Perfect décor idea for a girl's room or your next event. Stay tuned for more Animal Print projects this week!

*Don't forget to see today's earlier post on the Free Paper Arts Make 'n Takes with Lisa Adams.

A New Twist on the Deco Mesh Wreath

I think it's time to update our Deco Mesh wreath tutorial for spring. I want everyone to know that Deco Mesh is an awesome decoration for any time of the year.

For our new version of this wreath you will need a wreath wire form, some Deco Mesh ribbon (I have two types here), a patterned fabric ribbon, and some pipe cleaners.

Firstly, attach the pipe cleaners to the wreath by twist-tieing them onto the wire form. These will be the fasteners for your deco mesh.

I attached all of my pipe cleaners in this pattern, alternating pipe cleaners on the inside and the outside of the wreath for every section of the wire form.

Then, I grabbed a hank of Deco Mesh and used the pipe cleaners to twist-tie it to the wreath, just like the way we did our holiday wreaths.

All in all I ended up going around the wreath 3 times with my cream colored Deco Mesh to form my base layer.

Then I created layers of Deco Mesh by over lapping different ribbons on the wire form. I also added snipped pieces of my green Deco Mesh to give the wreath a wilder, less conventional look.

Lastly, I added some animal print flowers and ribbon for my final touches.

Here is my new spring Deco Mesh wreath. If you want to learn more about Deco Mesh for decorating, please don't be afraid to stop by the stores and ask, we're always willing to share our ideas.

Thanks for reading!

Puna @ Enchanted Lake

PS, there was a post earlier today. Please don't forget to check that one out too.