Minimal Fall Garland

Well, it's almost the end of October, and it honestly makes me feel so sad!

The Autumn season is fleeting!  It's time to make the best of it.

We've got one more month to go, so it's never too late to put up some fall décor.

The project I have today is very minimalist and requires only a few supplies. 

Don't fret!  It's simple quality is what makes it ADORABLE.  Also, it's great for kids!

Although, because this requires basic sewing skills, close supervision might be needed for younger children under 7. 

Let's get started!

 

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
 

 

Supplies Needed

Felt in Autumn Colors

Embroidery Floss in Autumn Colors

Embroidery needles

Scissors

Yarn or Jute Twine

Permanent Marker (optional)

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
 

 

First, cut out leaf shapes from your pieces of felt!  I chose orange, olive green, golden yellow, maroon and brown.  The simpler your leaf shape, the better.  You can use a marker to draw your

leaves first as well.

 

 

Second, use the embroidery floss to sew on some veins.  I have a step-by-step-process pictured below.  Basically, you want to work your way up from the bottom of your lead and sew the veins from the sides to the middle.

After the veins, go ahead and cut out some letters if you'd like.  I cut out the word "FALL", but other words like "GIVE THANKS" or "AUTUMN" would be really cute as well!  You can use any color, but for this garland, I chose black so that the word stands out from the leaves.

 

 

After that, hot glue your leaves and letters onto some yarn or jute twine and hang it up! 

Now you can enjoy the beauty of autumn leaves in your home.  For us in Hawaii,

(who can only see the leaves change color on dying mango trees) this would be a great

garland to make and put up year after year.

 

Have fun!

Erika @ PC

 



Spooky Snail Mail

What is UP my crafty peeps?

We've had a bunch of new Halloween scrapbooking collections, all from the best names in the business!  American Crafts, Doodlebug, Bella Blvd. and Pebbles have some fantastic and adorable designs for all of your creepy crafting needs.  I had a lot of fun creating a board of a bunch of different ways you can mix and match Doodlebug's collection, Boos & Brews, specifically.

What's better than customized and colorful snail mail?  This activity has been gaining popularity again, including special items like watercolored postcards and "pocket letters".  What better way to send some love to family and friends during the holidays?

 

Here are a few examples of what you can make with this collection!  It's very colorful and bright, with a cutesy Mad Scientist and Haunted House theme on each paper design.  There are also a few sheets that have strips of sayings or cards that you can cut out if you don't want to use the full design on the other side of the sheet. (Yay for double-sided paper!)

 

 

Potion bottles, rainbow curlicues, strips of stars, moons, spiders and fun-colored eyes are among the many designs available!  So much fun to mix-and-match!

Here is a mix of ephemera that are available in Doodlebug's "Odds & Ends" Ephemera pack.
You can't handle the cute!  This is less than half of the pieces that are included.  Such a deal!
And who doesn't love WASHI TAPE?  Here are the four Halloween designs they have.  The spider one is what I used on ALL of the pieces in the first photo!  So adorable!

 

So, get your creative juices flowing and let loose!  Don't be afraid to mix designs and media.  That's the beauty of the collection.  Everything's so fun and colorful that you can't go wrong with whatever combination you make!  Don't forget:  Doodlebug's awesome Baker's Twine!  I grabbed a bright neon green color to add a little more texture to the pieces.  Also, distressing does wonders when you want to tone down the bright colors.  Graze the edges of each component with a brown stamp pad!  This is the effect shown below.  Even though the designs are more on the kiddie/cutesy side, a little bit of old vintage charm can help make it more for the adults!

 

Have fun sending your Spooky snail mail this Halloween.

If you do, we want to see posts on Instagram!  If you've purchased any of our wonderful holiday scrapbook collections and made some amazing mixed media postcards or envelopes and letters, take a photo and please use the tags "#bfcrafts" and "#spookymail!

Can't wait to see what everyone conjures up!

 

See you next week!

Erika @ PC

Crankin' Out Crafts ep420- Creating Glittered Edges

Using wooden letters, Lisa explains how to make a glittered edge easily.

Learn how to add glittered-edges to wooden letters

View our video here: Crankin' Out Crafts ep420- Creating Glittered Edges

Supplies:
Mod Podge
glitter
Tidy Tray or scrap paper for clean-up

This is such an easy way to bling up any project!

Crankin' Out Crafts -ep289 Furry "Boo" (Eyelash Yarn)

For our last warm, fuzzy episode, Brandon is back with a great Halloween decor piece.

Add fun furry letters to your Halloween display!

View our how-to video here: Crankin' Out Crafts -ep289 Furry "Boo"

Supplies:

18" wood letters B, O, and O

Eyelash yarn

Scissors

Hot-glue gun

*Optional - acrylic paint

With an addition of batting to these supplies, you could even make fuzzy, puffy "Boos".

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 229 - Paper Maché Letter Autograph Graduation Sign

Jflo will show you how to create a sign board with an initial & your friends and family can write memories on it. 

Use your Graduate's initial to create this board!

See how to create this sign on our YouTube channel: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 229 - Paper Maché Letter Autograph Graduation Sign

Supplies:

large paper maché letter

paint or spray paint

foam core board

e6000 glue

galaxy marker, opaque stick, or paint pen

This would also make a great activity to a Graduation Party! It can be used to decorate a room after the party is over.

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 228 - Lighted Portrait Graduation Sign

Create your own sign board for that special graduate in your life! Watch how Puna incorporates battery operated lights.

Add battery-operated lights to your sign!

Watch our episode here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 228 - Lighted Portrait Graduation Sign

Supplies:

Foam Core Board

White Felt with sticky-back

double-stick tape

Battery-operated rice lights with 3AA batteries

Duct Tape or Packing Tape

Photo Mat or design

AccuCut machine to cut out letters (use for free at Hawaii BFC stores with purchase of paper or materials)

awl

Stop by Ben Franklin Crafts today for all your graduation needs! Stay tuned this week for more projects on Sign-board making.

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 218 - Ornate Frame

This last frame looks amazing painted in bold colors for a trendy look. JFlo talks about our newest addition to our ready-to-decorate frames.

Add some style and color to any room with this frame!

Watch our episode on YouTube: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 218 - Ornate Frame

Supplies:

Ornate wooden frame base

Spray paint

Stamp ink

Did you know that picture framing is so old, a framed picture was even found in an Egyptian tomb dating back to the 2^nd century AD?

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 217 - Monogram Frame

Want another great frame idea? Puna has a Monogram frame ready to show you.

Add paint, ink, and Master Shine Top Coat to finish!

Catch our segment here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 217 - Monogram Frame

Supplies:

Wooden frame base

Spray paint in two coordinating colors

Large 9.5” wooden letter

Master Shine top coat

Stazon stamp ink

E6000 adhesive

You could use the first initial of someone’s name or a family name to decorate this frame depending on your choice of picture.

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 216 - Decoupage Frame

Get framed this week with some new Crankin’ Out Crafts episodes. Our week starts with JFlo and an easy decoupage project.

Save your paper scraps to decorate a wooden frame!

Watch our newest episode here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 216 - Decoupage Frame 

Supplies:

Square wooden frame

Scrapbooking paper

Decoupage

Stamp pad

Sandpaper or Xacto knife

Paint brush or sponge brush

Wooden accent shape, optional

Frames can make great gifts for every occasion and with simple tricks like today’s project you can make a frame to coordinate with any décor.

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 215 - Letters Frame

Personalize your frame with your painted initial. Use our new ready-to-decorate chipboard letters!

Personalize a frame with an initial!

Catch our segment here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 215 - Letters Frame

Supplies for Frame:

MDF Ready-To-Decorate Frame

Chipboard letters

scrapbook paper

double-sided tape

scissors

ink pad (for distressing edges)

paint & paintbrush

decoupage glue (gloss finish)

burlap sheet

gluegun & gluesticks

Supplies for Pennant:

scrapbook paper

baker's twin or yarn

hole punch

These frames are so easy to make! Decorate some to give out as gifts to family and friends.

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 214 - Letters Centerpiece

Create your own Centerpiece for any occasion with Paper Mache letters. 

Decorate our large paper mache letters for a unique centerpiece!

Watch today's episode on our YouTube channel: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 214 - Letters Centerpiece

Supplies for Letters:

Paper Maché letters (*We used 8" & 12" size letters)

Small Pictures (*printed on copy paper)

Decoupage glue (*We used the Americana brand, gloss finish)

paint & paintbrush

ribbon

wood plaque

burlap sheet

gluegun & gluesticks

Supplies for Pennant:

scrapbook paper

yarn (*we used fun fur yarn) or bakers twine

scissors

hole punch

scotch tape

This centerpiece would also be perfect to decorate a kid's room!

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 200 - WINDOW PAINTING Letters

See how easy Brandon uses computer printouts to paint perfect letters! Watch as Brandon shows you how easy it is to paint letters backwards, to make it readable from the front.

Write a special message on your window!

View our episode here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 200 - Window Painting - Letters

Supplies:

Computer

Word Program

Paper

Printer

Delta Ceramcoat Paint

Brushes

Today marks a milestone for us - our 200th episode! We would like to thank everyone for your support and for tuning in every week. We hope we have inspired you to create and try new projects. We look forward to many more videos in the future. Mahalo!

A Red (and Pink and Paper Mache) Letter Day

I've got the most exciting news to tell all of you type and font fanatics! We finally have large (and I mean HUGE) paper mache letters in the store! Yay! The ones pictured above are 24 inches of font-tabulous lettering. There are so many things that you can do with them; we just can't stop making samples.

Here's a sample that I made for a kitchen. I used scrapbook paper, double-stick tape, and duct tape to make these diner-esque letters.

This sample was made by Lisa at our store and she decided to mount her letters to a wooden plaque to make a standing font sculpture. Isn't it beautiful? We have so many more ideas for you in store, just wait until you see what we come up with next!

Thanks for reading!
Puna @ Enchanted Lake

There's also a lovely episode of Crankin' Out Crafts below. Please scroll down.

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 136 - Kid's Wall Art

Welcome back to our wall art week on Crankin’ Out Crafts. For today’s project, Lisa shows you an ingenious way to use wood pieces and canvas to make a great wall hanging for a kid’s room.

Decorate a child's room or nursery with colorful wall art!

Use the same technique for wooden shapes & more.

Watch the latest CoC edition here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 136 - Kid's Wall Art

Supplies:

8”x24” stretched canvas

Wooden letters or shapes

E6000 glue

Spray paint

*Note: The Montana Gold Spray Paint used in the video is available exclusively at Enchanted Lake Ben Franklin Crafts. You may use other brands of spray paint for your project.

This simple project is so quick and easy to make and the wall art will create an amazing

focal point with bright colors that really pop.

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 88 - UH Themed Centerpiece

Welcome to Centerpiece & Favors Week! We're crankin' out cool centerpieces you can use for your upcoming graduation party. We will be making a centerpiece that doubles as favors, using Magic Wand Tubes.

Today, JFlo shows you how to use the AccuCut Machine and a simple tool to create letters that go great with your UH themed grad party! 

Cut out letters for your Graduation Party with our AccuCut Machine.

Find the episode on YouTube: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 88 - UH Themed Centerpiece

Supplies:

AccuCut Machine (available at BFC stores)

(*You can use our AccuCut Machine for Free with purchase of paper at our stores)

Glitter Cardstock (or colored cardstock)

Pinking Shears

Double-stick Tape

Scissors

Spell out your school's initials or a name. Our next video will show you how to complete the centerpiece with Magic Wand Favors.

Crankin' Out Crafts Episode 58 - Hearty Clay Valentine Embellishments

Valentine's Day is about a week away on Tuesday, February 14th! This week we will show you how to make Valentine-themed items out of Hearty Clay. Hearty Clay is an easy-to-use, air-dry clay and comes in different colors. Brandon demonstrates how to use cut-outs from Hearty Clay to create easy embellishments for Valentine's Day cards and scrapbooking.

Create your own embellishments for cards and scrapbook pages!

View the episode here: Crankin' Out Crafts: Episode 58 - Hearty Clay Valentine Embellishments

Supplies:

Hearty Clay

Roller

Fondant or Clay Letter Cutters

Triple Thick Gloss

Brush

Check back again this week for more ideas using Hearty Clay for Valentine's Day!