3 Dimensions

This post is a couple of days late, because I didn't want my girls to find out about their party...

Last week my twin daughters had their birthday.
We are planning a big bash for Saturday to celebrate. And, of course, I am happily going crazy making stuff for the party.

Their nicknames are "the Twinkies", given to them from my dad. And so I made some paper wrappers on the computer that say Happy Birthday to the Twinkies. And wrapped and taped them onto...what else...twinkies. Those are the party favors.

The left over paper strips (I cut off from the twinkie wrapper papers) became curly decorations to stick into their cake. Just take thin strips of paper, tape together at the bottom, and using the edge of the scissors, curl the ends. Attach to toothpicks or skewers with tape.


curled or not, these cute
decorations will go on the cake.

 And their cards have to be extra special, too. And this is what today's project is:

city scape



garden scene

3-D greeting cards
You will need:
~paper
~stickers or magazine pictures or recycled cards
~glue
~scissors

First you need to assemble all the parts you are going to use. The pictures or stickers or the fronts of recycled cards you have received (that's why you save all those cards you get).
Cut out the individual pictures.
Then get some card stock for the base of the card, and fold in half. The standard size is 1/2 of an 8 1/2" x 11" piece.


city scape pieces


Then get some scrap paper for the 3-D pop outs.

You need 2 pieces smaller than the base, fold in half and then fold up the bottom 1/2" and snip at the fold. These are the tabs that you are going to fasten to the base. I call these 'smaller cards'.

You will glue each one onto the base, by folding it up, put glue on tabs, place next to the fold in the base card - at an angle. Close the base. When you open it up, the 'smaller card' should open easily. 

I used two smaller cards, and 2 boxes

Adjust if need be.

Then make a couple of small 2 sided 'boxes'. These are rectangles, folded in half, with a tab at each end. Glue this onto the front of one of the 'smaller cards' and also onto the base.

Now you can start adding all the fun pieces to it. Glue them onto the 'smaller cards' and the 'boxes' and scattered around the base.



I added 'streets' before I glued
 down the pop up components.



You may have to glue this whole card down onto a larger piece of card stock if you find that your pop ups stick out beyond the base when it's closed.

You can keep adding little things until you have a look you like.

I made my own envelopes to fit these cards. I used scrapbook paper (12" x 12") and folded in all the sides leaving 1/4" space all around so the card slips in easily. I like to cut off the corners (squares). Glue 3 sides leaving top flap open.

Happy card making. Once you've perfected these simple pop-up shapes, there is no end to the fun cards you can make.

tip of the day:

When you plan a party, a theme is really the thing that ties everything together. The theme for this party is 30. Because that's how old my girls are now. All the guests were requested to make their gifts "30" themed. That is something that has 30 in., or 30 oz., or 30 pieces, or 30 on the package. It's a hoot to see what people come up with. It takes a bit more thought, but oh, so worth it, to see their creativity.

That's all for this week!

:D

Fun Site

Hi there,
In the place of my usual weekly post, I am recommending a fun site to check out.
http://www.pinterest.com/  This has so many handmade, creative, yummy things. I have to warn you though, that this IS the Bermuda Triangle of your time. It will suck you in for hours.

But it has so many great recipes, and crafts, and ideas that it's worth it.
When you scroll through it, and you find something you want to look at, click on the picture. Then click on it again to go to the blogger's site for instructions.
Then exit when finished, and 'back' to the site.
I have found that the pictures change when I stop and check individual sites out, but that's okay. It keeps the variety going.

The reason I'm not putting my usual post up today is that I'm planning a birthday party for my twins, and I'm using a few of the party ideas, and I don't want them to see it.  So look for my PARTY POST next Friday as usual.

It will have fun things you could try for YOUR next party, so be sure to check it out.  See you next time!....
:D

p.s.
check out my website: http://www.arttowearbydee.etsy.com/ for fun gifts

pie crusty

      I had a chance to visit Seattle before Christmas. We had a wonderful time with our daughter, Betsy and her husband Justin the week before. And while we were out and about, they were very accommodating and let me seek out a shop that had purchased my pie servers on Etsy.
     So we wound around the city after breakfast and finally found Pie Ala Mode. And lo and behold inside were my 5 pie servers (fused glass and wire wrapping) in a cool display area.

     We bought a whole pie to go, which was incredibly delicious and took these pictures along the way.










Hi Me! Hopefully they will sell and I will get some more commissions!  But it was so fun to visit with the kids and enjoy a super great holiday!

tip of the day:
I was doing some super cleaning, and coming upon my mom's wine glasses that were in the back of my china cabinet, I found several nicks in the rims. My mom passed away in 2006, and I saved many of her things, and among them were these wine glasses. She even kept the little labels on the stem bottoms stating that they were made in Germany. They were precious to her, and so very precious to me.

Anyway...I have decided that I would not just put my special things away for safe keeping - but USE them. So I wanted to pass on this tip.

If you have little nicks in your glasses, put them under the faucet, with running water trickling over them, use sandpaper to sand down the sharp edges.  Depending upon the nick, you may have a little dip in the glass, but at least you can still use it. Make sure you sand the inside, top, and outer edge. The thinner the glass, the less you need to sand. It sure beats throwing them away! Cheers!

p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY today TO DANA AND BETSY!!! xoxoxoxoxo smh

That's all for this week!
:D

fabulous felt

Did you have a great New Year's Eve? Did you stay in and cozy up to the fire and watch the 'ball drop' then drop off to bed? Or did you party hardy wearing your best duds til the wee hours? Either way, welcome 2012. Whew, where did the time go??? It's going to take me a while to get used to putting that year on my checks. I hope one of your new year's resolutions was to craft more and recycle! If so, you came to the right place.

Today's project is:

Sweaters: felting and other stuff

You will need an old sweater (that you don't mind cutting up)
   ~if you want to felt it, it must be wool.
scissors, sewing machine, chain or leather strap (optional) and pin (optional)

One project we are going to make is a felted purse. I used a sweater I bought from the resale shop for 25 cents. What a deal. Why? Because it was scratchy wool. Not so nice to wear, but great for felting.

What is felting? When the fibers of the wool shrink, they gather together actually becoming a piece of fabric that is dense and intertwined. That is why you can cut it and it won't fray.  Some of you may have used felt squares from the craft store, so you can remember how easy they were to work with.

I washed it in HOT water a couple of times, and it shrunk up well. I then cut off the sleeves and cut a long rectangle. This will become the bag and flap.

Sew up the sides (inside out), add a strap if you wish. If not, it will be nice clutch.
Turn right side out and add a pin to the flap, if you wish. It adds weight to the flap. I used a fused glass piece my daughter Betsy made.

Another project you can make which is super easy is: a sweater vase cover.
If you have a ribbed, knit sweater (does NOT have to be wool), cut off a sleeve, slip it over a vase, measure the height and cut off. You do not have to hem it, the top will be the sleeve ribbing, and the bottom can be tucked in under next to the vase.
(Add a beautiful ribbon around it, and it makes a great winter decoration. Add some big sprigs of pyracanthas, holly, or pine)

Or...you can make a Christmas stocking from an old sweater. Again, it does NOT have to be wool for this one...
The ribbed bottom will be the top of the stocking. Cut out the general shape of a sock, and cut out, turn inside out and sew.

Turn right side out, and add a ribbon to hang it. Great way to get rid of those old Christmas sweaters. May be unstylish to wear, but cute to hang by the chimney with care.

You can use the felted sweaters as pot holders, trivets, place mats, coasters, etc. Just cut out squares or rectangles. They are so dense, they can withstand the heat from hot pots, etc.

It becomes additive, you'll be combing the thrift shops for those old wool sweaters before you know it! Now is the time to be looking, because everything is on sale.

tip of the day:  I drink tea, and my mug gets stained. Bleach is an easy way to clean, with no scrubbing. Just fill stained cup or bowl 3/4 with water, and 1/4 bleach. Let sit for several minutes. The stains disappear quickly. Wash and let air dry, and they are ready to use.  I pour the solution into one mug after the other to clean several at a time. Works on those spaghetti stains, and anything that is musty or moldy.

That's all for this week...
:D