| Little Birdie Secrets

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

valentine's wreath with spiral rose letters {tutorial}

I told you I was going to use my red burlap Christmas wreath for Valentine's, and I have. It was way too much work to only use for one holiday! I added an X and an O covered with rolled roses so it didn't look quite so Christmas-y to me. They honestly didn't take me that long--I think I did it in three episodes of "Lost" on DVD, plus an episode of 30 Rock to glue them on. Here's a little how to (and video!) for the spiral rose-covered letters (you can find the wreath tutorial here). Can I just say that I LOVE Valentine's crafts? I wish I had more time for all the Valentine ideas in my head!

Valentine's Burlap & Spiral Paper Rose Wreath Tutorial

Supplies:

*Wooden letters (I found mine at Hobby Lobby for $2, but on sale for $1!)
*10-12 pieces of card stock in color of your choice (you may need more or less, depending on how big your letters are)
*Paint to match your flowers
*Hot glue gun
*Wreath (or not)

1. The first step is to paint your letters the same color as your paper. This will make the holes between flowers less noticeable. I used Martha Stewart's craft paint in "Wedding Cake".

2. Cut your card stock into squares. I used these two arrangements to get a good variety of sizes. I also cut 2-3 pages at a time to save time!

Then cut those squares into spirals. The width of my spirals is about .5". You can watch my video tutorial here. It's a bit fancier than the flowers I did here, but it will help you get the concept if you're more of a visual learner like me.

Did you watch it? First, try to forget what a dork I sound like on video. Thanks. Next, you might have noticed that for this project I didn't cut the wavy line around the edges for these flowers, and I used hot glue on the bottom of the flower to make the project go MUCH faster. Those are the major differences.

If you didn't watch the video, here's a quick how to on the spiral roses. Roll your spiral up from the outside in, making a tight spiral.

Then let go of your spiral and watch it bloom!

Turn the flower over and put a bit of hot glue on the bottom in the middle of the spiral.

Press the very inside of the spiral flat against it to hold it together.

Now sit down in front of your favorite Valentine's chick flick and make a boatload more of them.

3. Start gluing your roses to your letters. I laid out a few at a time to make sure they were going to fit well. Don't be afraid to smoosh them in close together. It's just paper--you won't ruin the flowers.

Continue until your letters are covered.

These letters were originally going to be on my mantel, but I decided the burlap wreath needed a little somethin' somethin'. First I hung the wreath with a piece of polka dot ribbon. To hang the letters, I attached picture framing hardware to the back and strung them with fishing line. The fishing line is secured to the top of my door. I hammered two small nails to the top of the door and bent them down, then wrapped the fishing line around them. Sounds weird, but I use this method for most of my wreaths!

This Valentine's craft project was brought to you by Phonechay's Creations!

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Thursday, February 2, 2012

framed hearts valentine decor {tutorial}

I was able to finish another Valentine's craft yesterday while baby was sleeping. I actually had time to create this piece of framed art, clean a bathroom, change the sheets on the bed, make a phone call to a friend, and eat lunch while he was asleep! Of course I paid for it last night when he was wide awake about 2:00am. Oh well--he is so cute I don't care! This easy framed heart Valentine project is reminiscent of the easy Valentine cards and embroidery hoop Valentine art I showed you how to make last year, and it's just as quick and easy. Enjoy!

Framed Hearts Valentine Decor Tutorial

Supplies:

* 5x7 frame

* Used book page or sheet music to fit in your frame

* Various patterned papers and card stock

* Heart punch (mine is from Stampin' Up!) or die cut, or heart template to trace and cut out

* Glue stick (I love the Anywhere Glue Stick from Stampin' Up!)

* Sewing machine and thread (I used red to coordinate with my papers)

* Ruler and pencil

1. Punch hearts out of patterned paper and card stock. I did 12 hearts total--8 in plain red and 4 in patterned papers. Punch the number of hearts that fit best if your frame.

2. Cut your book page to fit your frame. Arrange hearts on the paper, using a ruler if necessary, to line them up.

3. Use a glue stick in the center only of each heart to adhere them to the page. You mostly want to just keep them in place while you sew them on the page.

4. Use a ruler and a pencil to draw a straight line through the center of the hearts. I extended the line about 1/2" above and below the top and bottom hearts.

5. Sew down the center of your lines with your sewing machine and coordinating thread.

6. To add a little dimension, I popped up just the patterned hearts by folding them toward the center.

7. Put your page in your frame. I put the glass from the frame behind the page so the page would stay put better (and so it wouldn't get broken--I'm sure I'll use the frame for something else later!).

This easy project works perfectly with my Valentine's mantel, which is coming along slowly but surely!

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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

valentine bubbles labels {free printable}

I saw these cute Valentine bubbles in tubes with little heart bubble wands at Walmart and thought they'd made a perfect "sugarless" Valentine for my boys' classes! If you can't find them with the Valentine's stuff, I've seen them in white in the wedding aisle at Walmart, Michael's, etc., and at OrientalTrading.com. I made up some quick (and free) printable labels so you can print a Valentine's message on address labels and stick them on the bubble tubes in half a jiff! The labels read, "Don't 'burst' my bubble, Valentine. Be Mine!" Here's one of my little Valentines enjoying his bubbles. . .

Kids Bubbles Valentine Idea
Supplies:

*Heart wand bubble tubes
*Avery address labels in size 5162 (size is 1 1/3" x 4" and there are 14 per sheet)

Download and print the label file on 1 1/3" x 4" self-adhesive address labels (I used Avery 5162 labels, product #48862 or 48462). Note: These are a little larger than standard address labels you might have on hand. If you use the right size, these will print perfectly in the center of your labels!

These were a little long for my bubble tubes, so I cut about a quarter inch off each short end before peeling them off the label sheet. Click here or on the image to go to our free printable download site. I included pink and blue writing in case your child has a preference.

Center the label on the tube and press on. That's it! You could tie a little "from ____" tag on it, or have your child write it on the labels before peeling them off if you wanted. Or even stick them to a card stock heart with a note. Either way, it's a quick and inexpensive "treat" that won't rot your kids' teeth this Valentine's day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

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Monday, January 30, 2012

easy burlap valentine banner {tutorial}

I'm still trying to put together my Valentine mantel between diaper changes and feedings, which is proving difficult, but this Valentine craft idea was a cinch. I finished it in about 20 minutes (minus the time to photograph the steps), and it only cost about $2. Here's how to make a simple--but darling--burlap Valentine banner / bunting for your Valentine's decor using not burlap, but jute webbing. And it does double holiday duty--you can use it again for Christmas decor!

Valentine Pennant Bunting Tutorial

Supplies:

*6 feet of jute webbing (this is used for upholstery projects and looks like a tightly woven burlap, and can be found at craft and fabric stores, or even at WalMart in the sewing/craft section)
*Baker's twine, string, or jute
*Scissors
*Sewing machine and red thread

1. Cut 10" pieces of the jute webbing. I got 7 pennants out of 6 feet of webbing. I found my jute webbing on a roll at Walmart, but I've also bought it at JoAnn by the yard for about $.50 per yard.

2. Fold one end in half lengthwise.

With the fold nearest you, cut a wedge out of the folded end at about a 90 degree angle from the fold down to the bottom of the long side, creating two points. (Be careful not to cut toward the fold or you'll get a pennant with one point in the center!)

Unfold and you have a nicely centered notch in one end.

2. Now you'll cut the other side. You could use the same method as above, but I recommend this instead so your two ends will match up perfectly. Fold the webbing in half width-wise, matching up the points of the cut side to the bottom of the other side.

Holding the two ends together, cut a triangle out of the bottom piece, using the top piece as a guide. The two ends should match.

3. The next step is to sew the pennants onto your twine or string. To make a banner with the same number of pennants and space between them, you'll want about 60" of twine. However, I wasn't sure how long I wanted it, so I did not cut my twine until I was done sewing all the pennants on.

Fold a pennant in half over the twine and pin together. Make sure your twine is lying snugly against the inside of the fold.

Sew across the top of the pennant about 1/4" from the top. Be sure not to sew over your twine. You're making a snug casing, but you want to be able to move your pennants after you're done.

Turn at each corner and continue sewing around the pennant with a 1/4" seam allowance. Doubling the pennant this way will make it much sturdier and help it to lay flat.

Add the next pennant to your twine and repeat.

Hang your banner and space out your pennants evenly. They should be snug enough to stay put, but loose enough that you can move them. I spaced mine about 5" apart across my mantel.