Mother's Day Wreath made of Craft Supplies!

Mother's Day is quickly approaching and I have been racking my brain trying to think of something really special to give my mom this year.  See, the problem is:  the woman doesn't like gifts.  Not to say that she doesn't appreciate them, she just doesn't need a lot and so would rather have dinner with me than the best gift in the world (although she does like her Kindle Fire that I got her!)  I would rather spend the time with her too but I also wanted to give her a little something to make this day different from every other Tuesday when we have our lunch dates.

So what do you get the woman who has everything?  More craft supplies of course!  The staple craft supplies are always in high demand, so why not get a few more?

Did I mention to put them on a wreath? 

Floral wreaths are lovely but a wreath full of craft supplies is the best!  Here's how to make it:

Step One: Buy a Styrofoam wreath at the craft store.  Paint it with acrylic paint.

Step Two:  Attach ribbon, fabric, beads, glue sticks, and more!  Yep.  That's it.  Two steps.

If you want your mother to be able to actually use the pieces, only add a dab of glue to the very ends of the ribbon.

For the fabric, simply roll it into a flower-like shape and PIN down.  This way she can unroll it and use it- glue free!

 

I chose to keep the ribbon on the spool (just for looks) and made a hanging loop from it.

 

To keep the acrylic paint from falling off, apply a line of glue down it's backside and stick to the wreath.

 

For some reason or another I haven't quite jumped aboard the "washi tape train" yet.  However, look at this beautiful print!  I thought mom would love to give this a try.

 

Each piece is glued, pinned or (in the washi tape's case) laying carefully upon the wreath but should be able to easily be taken off and used later.  Small purple jewelry beads were taken apart and glued around the wreath for decoration.  The great thing about hot glue is that it comes right off of stuff like this!

 

I'm going to try to run over to mom's house and give this to her early before she reads this post!  No amount of craft items can express my gratitude to my mother.  She's always been there for me and not only has she been a stellar mom but she has truly been my best friend.  I couldn't imagine going a day without talking to her or a season of my life without her.  I am who I am because of my mother.  I love you mom!

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

Wood Disk Necklace Pendants- Natural Beaty in a Whole New Way!

Oh what a neat little project I have for you today and to think- it almost never was!  I had a whole different post planned until I realized I was missing a crucial piece.  Oops! Time for plan B.  Oh wait, I don't have a plan B.  This week has been a crazy one (good crazy though, I got a new job in my field of interest, that is with a christian founded company and with awesome people!  More on that another time.) so I didn't have my normal list of backup craft options.

Then suddenly it hit me!  What are two things I love more than almost anything?  Rustic outdoorsy stuff and jewelry.  And so, my friends I bring you....

Wood Disk Necklace Pendants!

Are you as excited as I am?  They are super easy to make too.

Find a branch that is about 1 inch wide.  Cut into pieces about 1/8- 1/4 inch thick (whatever thickness you want on your necklace) and smooth if desired.  I left mine rough but I dig that rugged look.

Let your creativity run wild!  I made one with (my new favorite) color of blue and a heart negative to let the wood show through.  I used a vinyl heart and peeled it off when the paint was dry.

{That's the vinyl before I painted over it}

{I prefer the sides unpainted so that I can see the bark... I love this!}

I painted another one gold and dipped the edge in blue glitter.  My husband may not care much for glitter but he has to admit... this is pretty cute!

Have you ever tried wire wrapping?  I hadn't but took a go at it for the next two pendants.  First a green one:

{I am loving the bead in the middle.  It looks like a bug or something hanging out on a mossy tree!}

... then a bare wooden one:

{A long bead that I got years ago from the Earth Festival sits perfectly atop this bare wood piece}

Each piece was covered in Mod Podge to seal it up after the colored paint was applied.  The bare wood one was also covered in Mod Podge to give it a finished look.          

{Your Turn}
Would you sport these done-up wood disks this summer?  I love having a piece of nature so close to me and having it be so fashionable!  It's a win-win!  What are some ways that you would decorate yours?

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

Ring in the New Year BLOG HOP!

Hello and Happy New Year!  I can feel it already, 2013 is going to be a good one.  For starters, let's welcome you to the Ring in the New Year Blog Hop, where myself and eight other bloggers are teaming up to share some awesome crafts with you.  If you have just stumbled upon this blog hop you can follow along by starting at Ribbon's and Glue. If you have been following along you should have come from My Paper Love.  Isn't this fun?

The idea behind this blog hop is to use something "new" that we got for Christmas.  I decided to make a piece of metal stamped jewelry with my new metal stamping kit and supplies!  I am already addicted to this fun, fun craft.

Only a few supplies are needed to make this:

{Santa knew exactly what I wanted this year}

My mom even bought me this "mini mannequin" jewelry holder for Christmas- what a perfect way to display my new necklace!

Those are my initials stamped into the necklace.  I still get giddy when I put an "S" on the end of my name. (For those of you new to the blog, I just got married this summer, so I've got a new last name!)  I also forgot to pick up head pins or something to hang the beads from so I simply tied them on- and it looks great!

Thanks so much for following along!  There is a lot more creativity ahead, so keep checking out the other blogs in the hop...

Your next stop is A Piece of Life's Pie.

The next blog post will be up on Friday, January 4.

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

LINK LOVE! Linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion
 

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Make Your Own Charm Bracelet (Using Buttons!)

Happy Thursday!  I don't know about you, but I love jewelry.  Not so much the expensive, wear all the time kind of jewelry (except my wedding rings of course)  but all of the fun jewelry that can be swapped out daily for different looks.  I have everything from vintage beads to a 3 inch roadrunner necklace (really).  I even have a replica of the "Heart of the Ocean" from Titanic, which I actually do wear out sometimes.

Although there is something to be said about running across a piece of jewelry that you love and never would have dreamed of making (i.e. roadrunner necklace), making your own jewelry can be a quick and easy way to create the exact piece that you desire.  So, today I will show you how to make a charm bracelet.  The best part?  You can use BUTTONS; no need to buy a slew of expensive charms from the store.

It is so easy, we wont need a full tutorial.  Let me just tell you a few things:

{Materials}

{1} Variety of charms, buttons, beads, etc.  I had a package of small charms (the ones hanging in the picture) that I used in between the bigger pieces.  Buying a pack of these might come in handy.  All the other pieces are vintage looking buttons that I already owned.

{2} Jump Rings.  A pack of these from the store will last you through several bracelets.

{3} Cable Chain.  I think that is what it is called.  Any chain that fits around your wrist and can be hooked to the jump rings will work.


{How to Make it}
Simply attach each charm piece to the bracelet by using the jump ring. I laid out the order I wanted the charms to be in before I began.

Wow... I feel like I should say more, but it is really that easy.  Open the jump rings using pliers or any similar tool, or if you're a toughie- open them with your fingers.

That is really all there is to it.  Now go off and make your own!

{Your Turn}
What sort of charms would you put on your bracelet? I went with a sort of vintage look, using mostly gold, silver, and bronze tones. See the little elephant at the bottom? That was my special touch (it is my favorite animal). You could make these for yourself, friends, even children. There are buttons and beads in a variety of themes that are bound to fit any request. Enjoy picking out your own charms and creating a unique and beautiful piece of jewelry.

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

LINK LOVE!  Linked up to: Every Day is an Occasion