Capture the Details

burlap, twine and butterfly wreath - perfect for summer!

One of my designs is featured on the Crafts and Coffee blog - it's a pretty wreath that would look great for your summer decor. For full instructions and a supply list just click here. :-)

hello. did you miss me?

I am back. :-)

Yes, I fell off the face of the Earth for a few months. That's what happens when you mix a busy growing season at the greenhouses, where I work, with softball and baseball after school and weekends. No free time! So, sadly, the blog had to sit on a back burner for a while.

The kids are down to their last few days of school, so I am done working at the greenhouses. That means I can concentrate on my blog and Etsy store once again. Yea!

I'll be back shortly with a project I did using Styrofoam Brand Foam. It's featured on their blog today and I want to highlight it here, as well. :-)

 

Spring Terrarium DIY

If spring could be captured in a jar I would be so happy! Spring is my favorite season. I love all the flowers and the fresh green color. This DIY project is my attempt to celebrate the season.

Just a note – this DIY involves some patience and a bit of skill.

You will need: 1. one gallon glass jar 2. spray paint 3. three large silk flowers (about 3″ across) 4. Washi tape 5. embroidery floss 6. two small, straight sticks7. fun fur in lime green 8. heavy duty wire 9. hot glue gun and glue sticks 9. scissors 10.wire cutters 11. wooden spoon

Let's get started!

1. Remove the jar lid and spray paint it in your choice of color. Be sure to work in a well ventilated area. Let it dry completely. (I painted my lid using Krylon’s Gloss Ballet Slipper.)

2. Cut three sections of the heavy duty wire for the flower stems. *NOTE: My wire is a coil of brown, bark-textured wire. I stuck my three sections into the ground outside and spray painted them using Krylon’s Gloss Ivy Leaf*.

3. Hot glue the wire stems to the bottoms of the flowers. You will have to hold each stem for a bit until the glue starts to harden and set up. (I used Prima Baroque Blooms in Deep Pink)

4. Make a mini banner from the two sticks (make sure they fit inside the jar, but keep them as tall as they can be), the embroidery floss and the Washi tape. Fold the tape pieces over the embroidery floss line and pinch closed. Trim with scissors to make pennant shapes.

5. Cut your heavy duty wire flower stems into three different lengths. Make sure they are staggered in height and will fit below the banner.

6. CAREFULLY drizzle hot glue from the glue gun to a spot on the bottom of the glass jar. Set one of the flower stems into the hot glue and hold in place until the glue starts to set up. Repeat this for the other two flower stems.

7. Things are now getting tight down inside the terrarium so you won’t be able to drizzle the hot glue like you did for the flowers. Coat the bottom of one of your banner sticks with hot glue and carefully guide it to the bottom of the jar and into place. Try not to bump the hot glue onto anything on the way down. Hold the stick in place until the hot glue starts to set up. Repeat for the other banner stick.

8. Cut lengths of the lime green fun fur yarn and guide into place on the bottom of the terrarium using a wooden spoon handle. Use enough to hide all the ‘workings’ and to give a nice covering of baby green grass.

9. Put the lid back on the jar.

Tah Dah! You now have a beautiful jar of spring goodness to display in your home!

I have my spring terrarium sitting on my living room entertainment center.

Happy Spring! :-)

P.S. This DIY post is my feature this month at papernstitch. Check out Brittni's site for lots of beautiful things and creative ideas!

 

 

Spring DIY: paper carrot decorations

I have a cute project to share with you, just in time for Spring decorating (and Easter) ~ pretty paper carrots!

(This DIY is also on the papernstitch blog, as my contributor post for the month of March.)

Here are the materials you will need: 1. orange cardstock 2. paper trimmer 3. scissors 4. bowl of water 5. orange ink 6. brown ink 7. sponge applicators 8. glue dots 9. fuzzy green yarn

Here is how you make it:

1. Cut the orange cardstock into rectangular pieces. Cut assorted sizes so you can make different carrot sizes.

2. Immerse the cardstock pieces in a bowl of water until soaked through.

3. Remove the cardstock pieces from the water. Carefully crumple them and squeeze the excess water out. Gently open the pieces and lay flat to dry.

4. When the paper is completely dry you can freehand cut carrot shapes. Make them all different sizes and shapes. Don’t worry about being perfect.

5.  Use a sponge applicator to rub orange ink across the raised surface of a carrot. The ink will highlight the texture. Also apply orange ink around the sides of the carrot to add dimension.

6. Use a sponge applicator and apply brown ink to the side edges of the carrot. This will add even more dimension.

7. Add a bit of fuzzy green yarn for the carrot tops. Place a glue dot or two on the backside of the carrot and press the yarn onto the glue dot.

Look ~ You grew a crop of carrots!

Not only are they cute, they are very versatile… you can use them as-is for a decoration; add one to a gift tag; make a carrot garland; use as an accent on a card or scrapbook layout…. any other ideas? :-)

nail polish + paper

The weather has been beautiful here in eastern PA. So beautiful, in fact, that I got out my flip flops and painted my toe nails this afternoon.

I have so many pretty colors of nail polish and I thought it would be fun to try adding a bit to patterned paper. It gives a subtle sheen that shows up when the paper is held at an angle. This technique would be neat on a card or gift tag. I probably wouldn't use it for scrapbooking, though (it's not acid free). I didn't worry about perfection when adding the polish, just a whimsical splash of color.

Some green on the dots...

A bit of hot pink on the very center of the flower...

A touch of blue on the flowers in the paisley pattern...

And some yellow, orange and glittery purple on a few select dots on my envelope....

You could do a big area or just highlight a single spot. The idea is to have fun, experiment and enjoy your finished product. :-)

paint chip topiary

I have a design featured on page 45 in the current issue of crafts 'n things magazine. It's my paint chip topiary. I created it using fun, spring colors, but you could use other colors to suit a different season or holiday.

For full directions on how to make this project check out the magazine. :-)

new bunnies in the store

I designed new bunnies for my Etsy store - Pattern Patch Bunnies. They spend so much time poking around in pretty flower gardens that the flower's color rubs right off on their bellies and ears! I have a set of pink and a set of orange available at this point. I may do another color set. Any suggestions?

The pink set....

The orange set...

Hop on over and take a peek! (Watch you don't get too close, though, the color may rub off on you! ) :-)

5,000th pin

I love Pinterest. I am on there every day being inspired by great creative ideas and just looking around and enjoying the eye candy. I just realized that I made my 5,000th pin this evening. Quite an accomplishment!  It is this beautiful hand felted necklace of poppies made by Dreams Factory, an Etsy shop.

If you have never been on Pinterest I suggest you go take a peek. You have to request an invitation to join, but it is really worth the effort and short wait. You can make virtual bulletin boards, name them whatever you want and then 'pin' images (and their corresponding links) onto your boards. Click on my Pinterest button, above in the navigation bar, to take a look at my boards and pins. Have fun! :-)

oh, this wreath!

I am seeing my spring baby grass wreath all over the internet. (It's quite amazing!) I got my baby grass wreath out of winter storage and hung it up a few days ago. If you are looking for an easy craft for spring you may want to give this wreath a try. It takes some time to wrap the yarn but you could pop in a fun movie and wrap while you watch. I've seen variations of the wreath as well, with cute little chicks and tiny easter eggs, and even a yellow fun fur wreath with orange carrots! Be inspired to create something pretty!

:-)

new butterflies

Some pretty new butterflies have fluttered into my shop.

I have three collections. The sweet pea patch collection -

The marigold patch collection -

And, the coneflower patch collection - 

Flutter on over to my shop and take a peek. :-)