Mermaid Lap Desk

Hi there, Crafters!

For today's project, I decided to follow the old adage of "waste not, want not" and use the materials I had from last week's Mermaid Art Journal to create a project I've been itching to try; a fun and functional lap desk. I'm so in love with this Voyage Across the Sea collection, I was thrilled to be able to work it in to another project.

I started off by choosing an 11"x14" frame. Any frame will do, (the 11" x 14" is a great size, although you could also go a bit bigger for a roomier desk,) but since I had already decided that I wanted to use Krylon's Sea Glass spray paint in Aqua I went for one in white. Technically, the sea glass spray paint is made for glass but I'm a crafter, and rules are meant to be broken when it comes to crafting.

While my frame was drying, I started working on the collage that serves as the decorative top to my desk. The best part about this project is the fact that anything you can think of can be added here;You can display family photographs, art work or if use a shadow box, you can even glue in small objects. It will all be protected by the glass or acrylic sheet that comes with the frame! In my case, I used the left over pieces of card stock from last week's project, a couple of coordinating pieces of card stock and finally accented it all with the same BoBunny glitter paste and pearlescents and a few self adhesive rhinestones. My collage went in to the frame just like it would if I were planning on hanging it on the wall, and the pillow bottom was created by using a couple of our fat quarters, pillow stuffing and hot glue.

Here are a few pictures of how it looked while I was still working on it:

After my fabric was glued and pillow stuffing stuffed, it was just a matter of braiding my handles and adding the decorative accents I had decided on:

I wanted to stick with a nautical theme, so I tied in (pun intended) rope and twine. I wrapped the rope around the entirety of the frame twice using hot glue, and created a 'knot mat' on either side. This is totally optional, but I do think it added a nice touch to my finished product. The extra fabric at the end of each braid was made in to a bow and wrapped with a piece of twine. How cute is that?

When all was said and done, the finished product was a gorgeous, light weight and shockingly comfortable lap desk. I'm so pleased with it, I'm already working on two more; one for a gift and one to keep! 

Want to make one yourself? Drop on in and we'll get you all set up! Talk to you soon :)

- Chelsea @ Mapunapuna

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 359 - Double Bow (Hair Clip/Barrette / On the Road Edition)

JFlo will show you step by step how to create a double bow and attach it to a hair clip.

Double Bow

Catch our video here: Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 359 - Double Bow (Hair Clip/Barrette)

Supplies:

two 8" strips of 1 1/2" ribbon

one 3 3/4" strip of 3/8" ribbon 

one 2 1/2" strip of 3/8" ribbon

one 1 1/4" strip of 3/8" ribbon

2" hair clip/barrette

scissors

low temp glue gun

lighter

These bows are so easy to make! Mix 'n match different colors of ribbon for unique looks.

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 358 - Bow Making (Bow Tie / On the Road Edition)

JFlo will show you step by step how to create a perfect bow for your hair tie.

Create bows quickly and easily!

Watch the how-to video here: Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 358 - Bow Making (Bow Tie)

Supplies:

hair tie / elastic
scissors

One 12" strip of 2 1/4" ribbon

One 3 3/4" strip  of 3/8 ribbon

low temp glue gun

Make bows for yourself, friends and family. Pick ribbons to match your team / school's colors for a cheerleading squad or to just show your support and team spirit!

Crankin' Out Crafts Episdoe 283 - Skele-Mesh Decoration (Halloween)

Here's another great decoration thought up by JFlo and showcasing her wily ways with Deco Mesh.

Make a Skele-Character for your Halloween Wreath!

Catch our segment here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 283 - Skele-Mesh Decoration

Supplies:

4" Styrofoam ball

Black acrylic paint

21" deco mesh cut into two 5"-6" pieces

Pipe cleaner

Glue gun

Paintbrush

Scissors

Use this decoration to hang all by itself, or add it to a wreath.

Crochet Bow

 

Who doesn't like a cute bow? I recently found a website where someone explained how to make these amazingly darling crochet bows. I made a couple of changes to the pattern, but I'm going to explain everything to you right here. By the way, these bows were made using our 100% cotton Sugar N' Cream yarn.

 

Now the first step is, using a J sized crochet hook, chain 30. Then, starting with the 3rd chain from the hook, half-double crochet in each chain until the end. Don't know how to do a half-double crochet? Read on...

The first step to a half-double crochet is to yarn over. That's shown in the really boring looking picture above.

Next, insert the hook in the next chain and yarn over and pull through. You should now have three loops on your hook, just like the picture above.Then, you yarn over again, and pull through all three loops on the hook. A half-double crochet looks like the last stitch in this picture:

Now the remainder of this bow is made of four rows of half-double crochet. Each time you get to the end of one row, you turn your work and chain two, then start making your half-double crochets all over again.

When you're done with your four rows, tie-off your end, and then weave the ends into your piece. Now, just like it shows in this picture, bring both of the short ends to meet together in the middle.

Scrunch this at the center and hot-glue in place. To make the bow look more finished, you need to crochet one more little piece to go over the center of your scrunched area. To do this, chain 10 and half-double crochet in the 3rd chain from your hook and in every chain across. Tie-off and weave in your ends then hot-glue this piece around the center of your bow.

I made one for St. Patrick's Day too! You can glue these to barrettes to make hair-bows or even to a piece of elastic as a bow tie. My green one here is definitely going to be a bow-tie.

I'm writing up an actual pattern for these and they'll be out in the store pretty soon. Make sure you stop by to check them out. How many of you out there like to crochet? Personally, it's one of my favorite things to do.

Don't get up to too many shenanigans this weekend, and see you next week!
Puna @ Enchanted Lake

Quick & Easy Wedding Glam

Aloha Crafters ~

Today's Idea & Inspiration is Quick & Easy Wedding Glam using our Rhinestone Ribbon and Sterling Silver spray paint. I did both these projects in less than an hour. As an added bonus, the King & Queen candlesticks were made for less than $2.00 each.

Supplies for Dessert Tower:

• 4 Tier Dessert Tower (30097956)
• Sterling Silver Spray Paint (77527846)
• Rhinestone Ribbon (30137944)
• Adhesive of choice (I used doublestick tape)

Supplies for Pillar Candle & Stand:

• Round Box Dish (30107253)
• White 3x6 Pillar Candle (30060780)
• Silver Sparkle Lace (30132554)
• Sterling Silver Spray Paint (77527846)
• Rhinestone Ribbon (30137944)
• Adhesive of choice (I used doublestick tape)

Supplies for King & Queen Candlesticks

• Wood Turned Candlestick (77937938)
• Sterling Silver Spray Paint (77527846)
• Rhinestone Ribbon (30137944)
• Adhesive of choice (I used doublestick tape)

Happy Crafting!

Deco Flex Tubing

I wanted to introduce everyone to a new Deco Mesh product that we're carrying in our Ben Franklin stores right now, called Deco Flex Tubing. It's essentially a tube made of Deco Mesh that you can use by itself or in your favorite decorating proejcts. The picture above is the gold tubing looped over on itself a few times and tied in the center to make a super easy bow.

The tubing is also a lot of fun to use in decor like wreaths or Christmas trees. Here's another example of the gold tubing used in a Masquerade themed wreath. I kept this one pretty simple with just a few small loops.

Our stores also carry the tubing in a few different colors like silver, gold, red, pink, and green. Here's a picture of the green tubing used in another wreath. I went a little wild and made really big loops with the tubing on this one.

If you want more detailed instructions on how to make the wreath itself, you can check out these previous blog posts:

http://ideasandinspirationsfrombfchawaii.blogspot.com/2011/10/deco-mesh-wreath.html

http://ideasandinspirationsfrombfchawaii.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-twist-on-deco-mesh-wreath.html

I'm sure we're going to be seeing more projects incorporating our Deco Flex Tubing because it's pretty fun to work with and it's perfect for the upcoming Holiday season.

Thanks for stopping in!

Puna @ Enchanted Lake

Check out the previous post from today to learn how to make a Witchy Deco Mesh Wreath.

Patriotic Tee Shirt

Aloha Crafters ~

Today's Idea & Inspiration is a Patriotic Tee Shirt.

Supplies:

• Tee Shirt  (30103138)
• Fabric-Tac (1369347)
• Dritz Fray Check (77651521)
• Navy Polka Dot Ribbon (30117980)
• Red Stripe Ribbon (30129219)
• Navy Thread - 12 inches

Instructions:

1. Cut 2 pieces Red Stripe Ribbon 5 inches long.
2. Use Fray Check on each end of the red ribbons.
3. Overlay the top red stipe of one ribbon & bottom red stripe of the other (see picture). Glue together with Fabric-Tac.
4. Cut 1 piece Navy Polka Dot Ribbon 7 1/2 inches long.
5. Use Fabric-Tac and glue ends together to form an oval.
6. Pinch middle of polka dot ribbon oval together and wind thread around middle to secure bow form.
7. Take remaining Navy Polka Dot Ribbon, fold lengthwise into thirds and secure with Fabric-Tac
8. Wrap folded Navy Polka Dot Ribbon around bow form, secure with Fabric-Tac and cut off extra length.
9. Using Fabric-Tac glue Navy Polka Dot Ribbon to Red Ribbon Stripes (see picture).
10. Using Fabric-Tac glue "Flag" to Tee Shirt.

Happy Crafting!

-Kahului BFC

Leather Bow Cuff

Aloha Crafters ~

Today's Idea & Inspiration is a Leather Bow cuff.

Supplies:

• Piece of Leather - (77678342)
• E6000 Glue - (1368505)
• Snap Button - (77650788)
• Thread to match leather
• Sewing needle

Instructions:

1. Cut an oval piece of leather - approx. 8.75" X 4". Make it longer or smaller, depending on the size of your wrist.
2. Form a bow.
3. Secure bow by wrapping thread around the middle of the formed bow.
4. Cut a small rectangle of leather - approx. 1.5" X 0.4".
5. Glue the small rectangle of leather over the thread.
6. Sew the snap button, one part at each end of the leather, so when they snap together they form the cuff around your wrist.

Happy Crafting!

Designer White & Black Bracelet

Aloha Crafters ~

Today's Idea & Inspiration is a White Bead & Black Ribbon Bracelet. One of the fun things about crafting, is being able to interpret a designer piece for a fraction of the cost of the original.

I used white beads and black picot ribbon, but the color and shape possibilities for this style are endless.

Supplies:

• 10-15 Beads depending on size
• Ribbon the same width of the beads
• Thread to match ribbon
• Needle that will fit through bead hole

Instructions:

1. Cut 36" of thread, thread needle, knot ends together.
2. With ribbon on spool, leave a 12" tail of ribbon, thread your needle through ribbon.
3. Make a loop the width of your bead, sew through.
4. String bead on thread.
5. Make another ribbon loop, sew through.
6. Continue stringing beads and looping ribbon until you have your desired length.
7. Tie knot and then bow. Cut ribbon.

Happy Crafting!

-Kahului BFC



Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 96 - Deco Mesh Pom-Pom Bow

For our last Deco Mesh project of the week Puna shows you how to make a Pom-Pom Bow, which can be used to accent party centerpieces or by itself as a decoration.

Make a bow with strips of colored Deco Mesh!

Watch the Episode here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 96 - Deco Mesh Pom-Pom Bow

Supplies:

10” Deco Mesh in your color choices

Scissors

Floral Wire

Bowdabra

Add this Pom-Pom Bow to any centerpiece for a great looking decoration or just hang it by itself like pom-pom party decorations. We hope you liked our new and improved Deco Mesh ideas. Join us again next week for more Crankin’ fun.

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 40 - Felted Accessory

Welcome back to another week of holiday crafts! By now, you should be done or almost done with your Christmas shopping and have one thing left to do - WRAP! This week we will show you quick and easy ways to wrap up your gifts. Today, Brandon shows you how to create a cute and fun felted accessory for your boxes.

Wrap your gift with strips of felt! Watch as Brandon 

shows you how to make a cool felt pompom/flower to add as bow".

View the episode here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 40- Felted Accessory

Supplies to make a felted accessory:

Solid-colored wrapped gift

Felt srips (3" strips for pompom, 2" strips for wrapping)

Hot Glue + glue sticks

Come back on Wednesday for another way to dress up your gifts!

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 19 - Deco Mesh Bow

It’s that time again! No, I don’t mean time to scare little children, I mean time to crank out some crafts. This week’s episodes are all about knowing how to mesh up your life with Deco Mesh.

Puna presents our first episode of the week, a simple project, the Deco Mesh bow.

You’ll have to bow down to this awesome bow making technique using Deco Mesh ribbon and the Bowdabra.

Here is episode 19: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 19 - Deco Mesh Bow

  

Here’s a short list of supplies for your bow:

Deco Mesh ribbon

Bowdabra bow maker

Pipe cleaner

Scissors

Happy Halloween! *You can also see step by step pictures and instructions to make a bow from our previous post from Puna today.