Sew what what now?

Well, the Valentine/hearts/flowers/love stuff is over. Fun while it lasted.

Everyone was screaming for the earrings I make out of recycled aluminum cans for Valentine's Day. So I was making tons of pink and red heart earrings.
I ran around to the shops that carry my stuff, to make sure they were stocked up on the Valentine/hearts/flowers/love stuff. I sold some, but...
Now, I have a bunch of these pink and red hearts leftover. That's okay, I'll put them away for next Valentine's Day.
And guess what...next holiday is St. Patrick's Day. So I have to get revved up for that.

And now we are all drinking sodas out of cans that have green on them...
Except my husband who opts for beer out of green cans.
We're all trying to get into the shamrock groove.

So while I'm transitioning, this week I'm highlighting my daughters' blogs:
Dana's blog:
http://www.apairofneedles.blogspot.com/
Betsy's blog:
http://melittaberze.blogspot.com/

Please check them out, they are clever crafters/sewers/knitters/artists!
I'll be working on the leprechaun stuff.

tip of the day:
I went shopping today, and bacon was on sale, buy one get one free.
So of course I bought 4! But I know I can't use all that bacon at once. So what I did was cut the package in half, and froze the individual packs in quart size zip loc bags. So now when I need bacon, I can thaw out 1/2 a package, which is just the right size for the two of us. (what we don't use at breakfast, I make BLT's or bacon crumbles for salad.) Plus, the 1/2 pieces fit into the pan a lot easier than larger pieces.

That's all for this week.
:D

Circle of Hearts

Well that special time of year is here.

Fighting the pounds we put on at Christmas and New Year's parties just in time for another hurdle.

Valentine Chocolates!!! eek...

But this week's project is totally guilt free, and you can have as many of these around to celebrate this heartfelt holiday without gaining an ounce.

Paper Heart Rings

You will need:

~napkins (square)

~scissors

~freezer paper (optional)

Look at the napkin. See the way it's folded? It has an 'open' corner and a 'folded' corner.

You will be folding this napkin into an ice cream cone shape, with the open end always up. Fold 2 times.

Take your scissors and cut two curve shapes (like the top of a heart) off the top. This will cause all the folds to turn into a heart shape, when opened.

Then you need to cut the bottom off so you leave a point.
Open up for your heart ring! If you use large napkins, you can also use the bottom cut out for a coaster. (See photo at top.)
You can scatter these heart rings all over your Valentine table. Under clear plates, under cookies or chocolates, under glass vases, votive candles, etc.

Now if you want to have these delicate napkins a bit stronger ~ iron on some freezer paper (the waxy side to the napkin) BEFORE you cut the heart shapes out. This works with delicate fabric also.

You can use either large or small napkins, or both.
These are real cute and easy, so make a bunch!
IF you don't have napkins, you can use wrapping paper, origami paper, etc.

tip of the day:
My dad gave me this tip a long time ago. If you get something in your eye, such as an eyelash, take a kleenex, fold up a few times to create a pointy end (like the ice cream cone shape we made above).
Gently touch this onto the irritant, and it will be absorbed onto the kleenex. If it doesn't work the first time, refold and use a new, dry end, and try again.

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

Painting the Roses Red!

My favorite animated movie is Alice in Wonderland.
My kids know this, my friends know this, my fellow crafters know this.
I have A in W ornaments,  A in W playing cards and I am quoting this movie all the time.

So when my girls had their 30th birthday, I, of course, had red roses for decorations.
These are paper roses, and easy to make. So NO need to fear the Queen of Hearts...
today's project is:

Paper Roses

You need:
~red tissue paper (or any other color you want)
~scissors
~tape (I used colored Duct Tape)
~skewers

First take your piece of tissue paper and cut it into 6 squares.

Layer 3 pieces on top of one another, and start folding these together at the same time.



You will fold these 4 times into a cone shape.

Then cut a curve in the top, through all layers.

Then do the same with the other 3 layers.

Open all and stack on top of each other.



Take a skewer and place a little piece of tape at the dull end. Stick this through the middle of all 6 layers.

Then you will gather and crimp the pieces up around the skewer and tape the bottom onto the stick. Make sure you get the tissue paper as you wind the tape around the skewer.

Then you will start separating the layers.
Do this gently starting at the bottom layer. Pull it downward.
Go to the next layer pulling it down, but not as far as the bottom layer.
Continue until you have separated all the layers.
Leave the top layer gathered around the skewer resembling a bud.

That's it! I made several of these, added them to toothpicks instead of long skewers and hung them from my dining room chandelier. I added paper sayings for my girls' birthday party. Plus I made a large flower to hang from the center of the lamp. You can make any size flower, just remember to cut the tissue paper into squares (not rectangles). For the large center flower I used 6 full sheets of tissue paper. Then I used the cut off ends to make into the smaller flowers.

I also used pink for the inside 3 layers, and red for the outside 3 layers. I added green construction paper leaves and strung them on fishing wire. A very feminine look.

You can make several and put in vases for centerpieces. Or string them together for a garland. Fast, easy and pretty.

Why not plan a Valentines Day party and make a bunch to decorate your place with. Or better yet, show your guests how to make them and send them home with a heart felt bouquet!

tip of the day:
I bought several boxes of blueberries today from the store, at a buy one, get one free sale. So I had to freeze some of them. And the lesson I learned from picking fresh blackberries and putting them in the freezer in a zip loc bag was: separate them before freezing! Otherwise you end up with a big, squashed clump of berries. So take a cookie sheet, put your berries (or banana slices) on this, making sure they are in a single layer. Put in freezer til set, and THEN take them off and put into another container (ziploc or tupperware) and store in freezer.

That's all for this week!
:D