Day Seven of "I could make that!" March {Guest Project}

Today is the last day of "I could make that!" March and we've got a treat for you.  There is a young woman who I used to work with named Shana.  I never knew she liked to craft and I certainly never knew that she was a blogger!  One day at work we got on the topic and an instant craft bond was formed!  Recently, her daughter Rylie turned three, so this crafty mama got to work making a whole set of Disney Princess costumes for her!

The Little Mermaid

{A sneak preview of the cuteness- see her blog for more!}

I am so impressed by this outfit.  I love the colors, the sequined sash, everything!  It is so perfect for a mermaid costume and Rylie looks like a princess!

Shana tells how she came about wanting to make these outfits (hint: she thought to herself "I could make that!") and tells how to make them as well.  Check out the full post at her website The Queen of Crafts.  While you are there, follow her page and give her some blog love!

{Your Turn}
What did you think of "I could make that!" March? Did you play along? I really do want to hear about your projects so tell me about them or better yet, link them up in the comments. I would love to check them out.

Don't forget to visit Shana for the full project how-to and more!  And for heaven's sakes, give the girl some blog love...she deserves it after making all those dresses!

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann
 

Shrinky Dinks Aren't Just For Kids Anymore!

Hello again, my friends!  Remember me saying that I was going on a trip to Alaska?  (If you missed it, see here)  Well I'm here now and am not able to bring you my craft posts.  Don't fret though, because I've got a guest blogger taking over my blog for the week.  Now everyone welcome Laurie to Cut, Craft, Create.  See you all on here again SOON!
With Love,
Kelsie Ann

Hello everyone!  I am Laurie and I'm excited to be filling in for Kelsie this week.  See the cool necklace pictured above?  I made that for Kelsie and she liked it so much that she asked me to post a tutorial for it.  You would never guess it, but it's made out of shrink plastic (that plastic that we used to play with as kids.)  Remember how you would look through the oven window and watch it magically shrink up? Well, I discovered you can buy the plastic plain without any designs printed on it and you can design your own unique jewelry.  It comes in many forms:  colored, clear, matte, and even printable plastic that you can print on using any inkjet printer.

I used the matte finish shrink plastic for my necklaces.  Cut out whatever shape you want your necklace to be.  You can use a paper cutter, or a punch, or just plain old scissors.  Keep in mind that the plastic will skrink to about 1/3 to 1/2 its original size and becomes 9 times thicker.  I like to use DecoArt brand Dazzling Metallics Paint to color the plastic.  There are several different colors to choose from and it works well because it's thin and if you try to use too thick of a paint, it will just peel off when it shrinks.  I also like it because it sparkles and makes the necklace look sort of metallic.  You will want to use a light color.  Just brush it on both sides of the plastic with a foam brush.  I have also used alcohol inks to color the plastic.

I then stamped a design on the painted plastic using a rubber stamp.  Don't forget to punch a hole in the plastic BEFORE you bake it.  It will be much too hard after it comes out of the oven to try to punch a hole in it. 

Follow the directions on the package for heating in the oven.  The particular brand I used only took 3 minutes at 300 degrees.  After it comes out of the oven, insert a jump ring through the hole and hang it on a chain.  And that's it... SO SIMPLE!  Here are a few examples of some I made today.  I jazzed them up with some sparkly beads I hand on hand.  I made a snowflake...

And a flower...

And another flower...

Ok... I really like flowers :)  The mettalic paint doesn't really show up well in pictures, but believe me it is really sparkly.

I want to thank Kelsie for letting me fill in and I hope you enjoyed my project and are inspired to create your own necklace, or charm bracelet, or embellishment.  The possibilities are endless!