Crafting is my Therapy...

Mixed Media Challenge: I entered the “Mixed Media Challenge” at my local Ben Franklin Crafts store…having never really done true mixed media before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was modeled after the Food Network show “Chopped”, with mystery items we had to include, and a 30 min time limit. There were 8 of us competing, and I won 1st prize!!! Very exciting. And now I’m adding mixed media to my list of new crafting obsessions :)

Mixed Media Challenge:
I entered the “Mixed Media Challenge” at my local Ben Franklin Crafts store…having never really done true mixed media before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was modeled after the Food Network show “Chopped”, with mystery items we had to include, and a 30 min time limit.
There were 8 of us competing, and I won 1st prize!!! Very exciting. And now I’m adding mixed media to my list of new crafting obsessions :)

Polka dots

Polka dots

Cupcake Nails

Cupcake Nails

Glitter Pointe Shoes I love glitter. I always have. When I was little I would beg to use our glitter and my mom would carefully line the floor and table with a sheet, then get me all set up with glue and paper and that coveted jar of purple and silver glitter, and I’d get busy creating a “masterpiece”. A few months ago I discovered that you can add glitter to shoes. Yes, you can glitter your own shoes! Well, I made some really cute glitter flats, but they got wrecked when I unknowingly wore them on a day that I ended up having to walk on very wet grass for a very long time…so very sad! But lesson learned. DO NOT WEAR IN WATER! :/ So, this year I’m doing a version of Cinderella for my studio’s ballet recital. And of course, Cinderella needs glass slippers, so it just made sense to try the whole glitter process again! This time, I did just two coats of the glitter/mod podge mix, and them shook the loose glitter on top. They are soooo sparkly! I can’t wait to see them in action on stage!

Glitter Pointe Shoes
I love glitter. I always have. When I was little I would beg to use our glitter and my mom would carefully line the floor and table with a sheet, then get me all set up with glue and paper and that coveted jar of purple and silver glitter, and I’d get busy creating a “masterpiece”.
A few months ago I discovered that you can add glitter to shoes. Yes, you can glitter your own shoes! Well, I made some really cute glitter flats, but they got wrecked when I unknowingly wore them on a day that I ended up having to walk on very wet grass for a very long time…so very sad! But lesson learned. DO NOT WEAR IN WATER! :/
So, this year I’m doing a version of Cinderella for my studio’s ballet recital. And of course, Cinderella needs glass slippers, so it just made sense to try the whole glitter process again!
This time, I did just two coats of the glitter/mod podge mix, and them shook the loose glitter on top. They are soooo sparkly! I can’t wait to see them in action on stage!

Ombré nails (take 1) So I’ve been wanting to try this technique for ombré nails I saw on (where else?) pinterest…here’s the link to the tutorial http://thebeautydepartment.com/2012/04/pretty-polish-idea/ I think they turned out pretty good for my first try! Definitely going to be a favorite this summer!!

Ombré nails (take 1)
So I’ve been wanting to try this technique for ombré nails I saw on (where else?) pinterest…here’s the link to the tutorial http://thebeautydepartment.com/2012/04/pretty-polish-idea/
I think they turned out pretty good for my first try! Definitely going to be a favorite this summer!!

Whoooo wants cupcakes???? Ok so I had a lot of fun making these owl cupcakes! Splitting the Oreos was a bit tedious, but in the end I think it was worth it! (the cupcakes themselves were chocolate with whipped cream filling topped with chocolate whipped cream…mmmmmmmm!)

Whoooo wants cupcakes????
Ok so I had a lot of fun making these owl cupcakes! Splitting the Oreos was a bit tedious, but in the end I think it was worth it!
(the cupcakes themselves were chocolate with whipped cream filling topped with chocolate whipped cream…mmmmmmmm!)

Owl Socks!! I finished the owl socks I made for Ri. She’s gonna love them :) I adapted the pattern I got from ravelry…here’s the link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/owlsocks I hardly ever buy patterns anymore, but this one was too cute to pass up. However, I kind of felt like they were a bit busy with the owls on the ankle and the foot, which is why I decided to just do the pattern on the ankle and leave the foot plain. I’m happy with how they turned out, especially with the addition of the contrasting toe.

Owl Socks!!
I finished the owl socks I made for Ri. She’s gonna love them :) I adapted the pattern I got from ravelry…here’s the link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/owlsocks
I hardly ever buy patterns anymore, but this one was too cute to pass up. However, I kind of felt like they were a bit busy with the owls on the ankle and the foot, which is why I decided to just do the pattern on the ankle and leave the foot plain. I’m happy with how they turned out, especially with the addition of the contrasting toe.

Ok so our other little project Ri and I did was we made her some glittery, girly letters that she’s going to hang in her new place. This was of course quick and easy, yet surprisingly satisfying. A quick coat of spray paint, then we traced the polka dots (I used a spool of thread for a guide) spread on a little glue, and added a generous sprinkling of my super sparkly, half-the-price-of-Martha Stewart glitter from Joanns…I think they turned out really cute. This was the first of many “word” projects she has lined up, which I’m excited for. I kinda want to make myself some, too…

Ok so our other little project Ri and I did was we made her some glittery, girly letters that she’s going to hang in her new place. This was of course quick and easy, yet surprisingly satisfying. A quick coat of spray paint, then we traced the polka dots (I used a spool of thread for a guide) spread on a little glue, and added a generous sprinkling of my super sparkly, half-the-price-of-Martha Stewart glitter from Joanns…I think they turned out really cute. This was the first of many “word” projects she has lined up, which I’m excited for. I kinda want to make myself some, too…

Cute as a Button… Inspired by one of the many things I’ve pinned on Pinterest, Ri and I created this adorable lamp today! A little spray paint (in “sunshine yellow”), some hot glue, and of course more buttons and ribbon from my stash…and we have the cheeriest, cutest lamp EVER! It was a fun project and it’s gonna look great on Ri’s little corner desk.

Cute as a Button…
Inspired by one of the many things I’ve pinned on Pinterest, Ri and I created this adorable lamp today! A little spray paint (in “sunshine yellow”), some hot glue, and of course more buttons and ribbon from my stash…and we have the cheeriest, cutest lamp EVER! It was a fun project and it’s gonna look great on Ri’s little corner desk.

Barrettes!!! Ok so since I don’t have a little girl of my own, I haven’t been making any “girlie” things in quite a while. (I’ve definitely been in little boy mode for the past 3 yrs or so.) So I jumped at the opportunity to start making barrettes for a friend that’s opening up a children’s store. They’ve been really fun to create…hopefully they sell well and I can earn some spending cash that most likely will get spent at their store :) It’s amazing to me how adorable a little hot glue, buttons and ribbon can turn out! The curly ribbon was so simple to make! I used grosgrain ribbon (I bought a multi pack of little spools at JoAnns) I wrapped the ribbon around wooden dowels and secured the ends with metal binder clips/paper clips. Baked them in the oven @275 for 20 minutes, and voila! Curly ribbon!! :) I cut them into little piece and sewed them together into a little bunch, then glued them onto an alligator clip. The rest of the barrettes I made were simply ribbon covering the clips and then jazzed up with some sparkly buttons from my stash, and then I also made some felt flowers, too. My favorites are the ones with the brown polkadot flowers (which I think I got from the scrapbooking section at Hobby Lobby?) with the green curly ribbon. If I wasn’t a grown woman with a young child I would seriously consider wearing them :) Its probably best that I stick with making them rather than modeling…

Barrettes!!!
Ok so since I don’t have a little girl of my own, I haven’t been making any “girlie” things in quite a while. (I’ve definitely been in little boy mode for the past 3 yrs or so.) So I jumped at the opportunity to start making barrettes for a friend that’s opening up a children’s store. They’ve been really fun to create…hopefully they sell well and I can earn some spending cash that most likely will get spent at their store :)

It’s amazing to me how adorable a little hot glue, buttons and ribbon can turn out!

The curly ribbon was so simple to make! I used grosgrain ribbon (I bought a multi pack of little spools at JoAnns) I wrapped the ribbon around wooden dowels and secured the ends with metal binder clips/paper clips. Baked them in the oven @275 for 20 minutes, and voila! Curly ribbon!! :) I cut them into little piece and sewed them together into a little bunch, then glued them onto an alligator clip.
The rest of the barrettes I made were simply ribbon covering the clips and then jazzed up with some sparkly buttons from my stash, and then I also made some felt flowers, too.
My favorites are the ones with the brown polkadot flowers (which I think I got from the scrapbooking section at Hobby Lobby?) with the green curly ribbon. If I wasn’t a grown woman with a young child I would seriously consider wearing them :) Its probably best that I stick with making them rather than modeling…