Showing posts with label gift ideas. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

wanna spoon? {apostrophe s craft kit}



Last month I spent a fabulous weekend in Arizona with my high school girlfriends--a trip we plan in a different city every couple of years. Each trip is jam-packed with non-stop talking, eating, shopping, more talking, and very little sleep. And it's always over too soon.


But this year we found time to add one more thing. . .crafting! What took us so long? Maybe the thought of coming up with a craft, buying all the supplies, and and figuring out how much everybody owed me was just too daunting. But then a fabulous new company called Apostrophe S came along and made it so EASY. I picked a craft, ordered the kits, and shoved them in my suitcase. Done! I was hooked as soon as I saw the cute packaging that all their crafts arrive in. . .


I pulled out the kits late one night while we were sitting around in our jammies chatting. Our late night crafting party was probably the first time during the weekend that there was a pause in the conversation!


I chose this darling painted spoon craft for my friends and me to make. The "Wanna Spoon?" craft kit from Apostrophe S comes with three bamboo kitchen utensils, four paint colors, a clear top coat, painter's tape, sandpaper, a paintbrush, and leather ties for the spoons. All we really needed was scissors and a cup of water to rinse our brushes. 

Wanna Spoon?

The project was simple to figure out, but in case we needed direction Apostrophe S has a video on their Web site showing how to make this painted spoon project start to finish. We pulled it up on our phones and watched it quickly before we started. 

First we sanded the utensils. . .


Then we taped. . .
 

And then we painted!
 
 

Everyone's spoons turned out different but so cute! Most of us did simple color blocking. 


One friend was feeling more creative and added hand-painted details. I LOVE how her spoons turned out!


These are my spoons--a little simpler but I love them. These would make an awesome bridal shower gift (if I could bear to part with them!).


The cool things about Apostrophe S is that their craft kits are all-inclusive so you can host craft parties for friends without having to gather a bunch of supplies and hope everyone pays you back. And you don't have to all do the same project. Each party guest goes to the Web site and pays for their kit, then all the kits are shipped to the hostess' house. The best part for me is that I can sit down with friends and make something cute that I will actually use and finish it in one night! Perfect because I am the Queen of Unfinished Projects. I've had the opportunity to attend two Apostrophe S craft parties so far. I made this darling Halloween wreath. . .

Wicked Cute Wreath 

And a couple of these Anthropologie-inspired tea towels. 
 

Next on my list is this gorgeous dream catcher that I think would be perfect in my niece's nursery.

Daydream

I am smitten with this new company. Check out Apostrophe-S.com to see all the craft kits in their store and to find out more about hosting a craft party. I promise there will be something there you will just have to make. You can also apply to be an Apostrophe S coordinator and get paid to help crafters set up their own parties (don't worry, it's a low-commitment gig with no annoying upselling or catalogs to hand out). 

Post your finished projects on Instagram and tag me so I can see what you make!

*I was supplied crafting kits by Apostrophe S for this post, but the opinions are all my own.



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Saturday, September 6, 2014

how to cover a book {tutorial}




This summer I was again asked to be the crafts counselor for our church's girls camp. Crafting is my favorite part of camp, so of course I said yes! We wanted to give each girl a small book of scriptures so we could all read together before bed at night, so each girl got to cover a mini Book of Mormon for one of our crafting activities. It took a little preparation on my part, but it was a hit with the girls and the leaders. Here's my tutorial for how to create a fun covered book, complete with a beaded bookmark. These instructions can be used to cover any book or notebook.

How to Cover a Book

The best material to use to cover books is book cloth, which has a special backing that protects it from the glue seeping through and ruining the fabric. You can find it at places like Paper Source and online, but I found that it is expensive and rather plain--mostly solid colors and not many prints. To save money and give the girls more options, I chose to only use real book cloth on the spine and make my own book cloth from fabric, iron-on adhesive, and tissue paper for the covers, as I learned in this tutorial by the talented Amber of Damask Love. If you want to make your own book cloth, be sure to get the iron-on adhesive and tissue paper listed under Supplies.

Supplies:

Chipboard (find it at craft stores, art supply stores, or online)
Book cloth or Fabric (we tried a decorator’s weight fabric and a quilting cotton and both worked great)
Coordinating fabric or book cloth for spine
Heat ‘n Bond Ultrahold iron-on adhesive
White tissue paper
PVA glue (bookbinding glue–find it at Paper Source or other online retailers)
Foam brush
Narrow ribbon for bookmark
Metal charms for bookmark (optional–find these in the jewelry aisle at craft stores)
Metal embellishments for cover (optional–ours are by Tim Holtz)
Needle and coordinating thread
Scissors, Exacto knife, rotary cutter and cutting mat


First, measure your book. You'll need the height, width, and depth. Now it's time to make your book cloth if you choose to create your own.

How to Make Book Cloth

Using your cover measurements, cut two pieces of fabric twice the size of your covers. Iron them if needed. Next, cut a piece of Heat 'n Bond adhesive about the same size and iron onto the back of your fabric pieces, paper-side up, according to the manufacturer's directions. Peel off the paper backing. Iron the tissue paper onto the adhesive--it only takes 1-2 seconds to bond it. Voila! You have made book cloth!

Covers

Use your Exacto knife to cut two pieces of chipboard that are 1/2" longer than the height and 1/4" shorter than the width of your book measurements. 

Cut two pieces of your book cloth 3" longer and 3" wider than your chipboard pieces. Use a rotary cutter and ruler for the most precise cut. 



Bookmark & Spine

Cut a piece of narrow ribbon 3" longer than the length of the spine. If you want to add charms, thread them on the ribbon and tie a knot at the end to hold them on. We used two ribbons for our books.


Using a little PVA glue, attach the top end of the ribbon to the top of the spine, about 1.5" down. Then tuck the ribbon inside the book so it will be out of your way while you finish the covers. 

 

Cut a piece of book cloth the same height of your spine and twice the width. Spread a thin layer of PVA glue on the book cloth with a foam brush. Center it on the spine and fold it around the cover of the book, smoothing out any wrinkles or bubbles.



Chipboard Covers

If you want to embellish your front cover with a metal accent, follow these directions first. Center a piece of cover chipboard on the back of a piece of your book cloth. Fold each side over to crease it.


Remove the chipboard and, using the needle and thread, sew the metal embellishment to the front of the book cloth. You could also try hot glue, but I wasn't sure it would be a strong enough hold, and I wanted our books to look more professional.





Next spread PVA glue on the cover chipboard and center it on the back of the book cloth using your fold marks as a guide.



 

Trim the corners of book cloth with scissors in a rounded motion, being careful to leave about 1/8" of fabric at the corner. Otherwise your chipboard will show on the finished covers.



Spread PVA glue on each flap and fold over chipboard, smoothing out any wrinkles. 
 

Repeat for back cover.


Now it's time to attach the covers to your book. Each cover will hang over your book about 1/4" on three sides. This will allow a little of your spine to show. Spread a little PVA glue on the back of the covers, avoiding getting glue on the 1/4" of the three overhanging sides. Press and hold in place until it sticks. And you're done!





Our girls had so much fun making these covered books at girls camp this year. Here are a few more covered book tutorials you might like.  And if you're looking for craft camp ideas, check out my other camp crafts for more inspiration!

Japanese bookbinding tutorial {how to make a book from scratch}


Make Your Own Notepads {from scratch paper and card stock}


LDS girls camp craft
Duct Tape Notebooks {and pens!}




*This tutorial was originally published at Skip To My Lou on July 23, 2014 as a part of their Summer Craft Camp series.

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Friday, September 6, 2013

free crochet headband and cuff {pattern}

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The first week of September and it's still in the 90s here, so it's not necessarily crocheted accessory weather yet. But it is the time to start crocheting accessories because those cool fall temps will be here SOON. So I have two exciting things for you. First, it's a big sale in my pattern shops! Buy 3 get 1 free pattern in my Etsy and Ravelry shops through the end of the summer (September 21, 2013)! That's 4 patterns for only $12. And both Etsy and Ravelry offer instant download now, so you can start working on your projects, like now!


I also have a new FREE crochet pattern to share: the Criss-Cross Cuff & Headband pattern. It's a quick and easy way project to get ready for fall and winter. Perfect for last minute Christmas gifts, too. (How awesome would it be to get a few of those done before December? Hey, I can dream, right?)



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Thursday, August 22, 2013

back-to-school {teacher gift ideas}

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It's back to school for us this week, and in two days of the big kids being gone all day, I've already completed three projects that have been sitting on the back-burner while we lived it up this summer! That must be some kind of record. These are my monkeys on the first day of school. . .

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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

duct tape girls camp crafts {ideas}

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LDS girls camp ideas

Ahh, girls camp. Spending time in the great outdoors, enjoying life unplugged, building relationships and learning new things about yourself, getting closer God and building a testimony of his gospel. What an amazing experience girls camp can be (especially when your camp offers flushing toilets and showers for the leaders)! It was almost like a little vacation for me, and I loved getting to know the girls and other leaders better since I am new to the neighborhood. 

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Saturday, December 1, 2012

christmas craft round-up {crafts, gifts, & recipes}

Seriously? December is here? Didn't August just get over? I am still up to my eyeballs in boxes in my craft room, so there's not much going on by way of Christmas crafts over here. Which kind of gets me down, so I did a round-up of some of our Crafts from Christmases Past for you. These are some of our most popular (and my favorite) handmade Christmas crafts, gift ideas, and recipes to get you in the holiday spirit! Enjoy!

Handmade Holidays Tutorials from the Little Birdies

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