String Art Part 2

Hello everyone, I'm back!
Its been a busy last few years and I finally found some free time before heading off to school in a few weeks. I wanted something to remind me of home while I'm away. What better than the state itself?

Supplies:
- 12"x12" canvas (I left mine unpainted)
- gold brads or paper fasteners
- thin yarn or rope

Print out the outline of the shape you want, I overlayed a line drawing of Michigan with Michigan on a map to get the proportion right.

Trace the image onto the canvas. I drew around the hearts on the paper, and then rubbed it onto the canvas. I found that was easier than trying to eyeball it or cut the hearts out.

Push the brads through the canvas along the traced outline. Fold the prongs out so they don't move, it will make wrapping the yarn much easier.

Pick a brad and make it the starting point. Knot the string around it and either tuck the tail under the brad or cut it right against the knot.

Wrap the string around the brads in a random pattern. After I had filled in the shape, I went around and wrapped around the outer edge of the state and the hearts, just to make it a little more finished.

Tie the string off at one of the brads the same way it was started and that's it! I've left mine propped up on our piano, but I'm going to hang it up with a command hook once I get to school. Happy crafting!

Check out String Art part 1 here!

DIY String Art

I've been helping a friend make gifts and one of them was string artwork. It's great for people off at college to remember their home town or couples in need of a Valentine's Day gift.

Supplies:
- canvas (pre-painted)
- 11/16 in. linoleum nails
- string
- hot glue and hot glue gun
- tape

Print out the image you want to use and center it on your canvas with tape. My friend wanted a heart around a city so we drew that onto the image before hand.

Go around the edge of the image with the nails, making sure they are evenly spaced apart and pushed into the canvas the same amount. Make sure to do any shapes on the inside (like the heart around the city) during this step as well.

Flip the canvas over and hot glue around the base of each nail so they won't move. (Don't worry, hot glue sticks to canvas!)

Pick a nail to start on and tie the end of the string around it, then wrap away. I wrapped mine in straight lines, but doing it randomly works too.

Keep going until you hit the beginning point, and then you're done. Enjoy your handmade artwork :)

Tea Dyed Paper

I researched how to do this for my Sheet Music Christmas Ornament project and I ADORE it. It is such a simple way to make something look aged.

Supplies
- Hot water
- 8-10 tea bags
- paper, sheet music, gift tags; pretty much whatever you want to dye
- a 9 in x 13 in glass pan 
- cookie sheets
- an old bath towel

Optional
- blow dryer

Start off by opening up your tea bags and laying them out.

Lay them in your pan and then fill it about an inch with hot water.

Let your tea bags steep for 5-10 minutes; you want your water to turn really dark. Then pull them out and set them aside.

Place your paper in the dish one sheet at a time, pushing it to the bottom before placing another one in. I wouldn't put more than four sheets in at once. Let them sit for another 5-10 minutes.

As you pull the sheets out, place them on cookie sheets covered in an old towel. Allow them to air dry for at least an hour. If you need them to dry quickly, take a blow-dryer to your paper. Make sure it is set to warm-high.

Now you have paper that looks like it's ancient, but it only took a few minutes!

Sheet Music Christmas Ornament

Hello again! Sorry this post is so delayed, I've been rather busy prepping for Christmas over at my house. In case anyone needs a last-minute gift, here ya go!

Supplies
- an ornament ( it can be a colored one, you will be covering it up anyway)
- modge podge
- sparkly paint
- ribbon 
- two sponges
- a stapler
- one twisty tie
- sheet music (this can be substituted as old book pages)
- scissors

Start off by cutting your sheet music or book pages into 1.5 or 2 inch strips.

Put a big glob of modge podge onto one of your sponges. Then spread it around with your finger so it isn't concentrated in one area.

Spread a line of modge podge onto your ornament, then place your first strip of paper on top of it. Make sure you seal all the edges flat with your finger or the sponge on each strip.

Repeat this process, layering the strips of paper over each other and covering all the glass.

After you have covered the glass, "sand" the edges of the paper down with your sponge. This bonds all the edges together and leaves a flat seal for the glitter.

Let the ornament dry for 10-15 minutes by turning it upside-down and resting the neck of the bulb in your modge podge cap.

Take your second sponge and put a glob of sparkly paint on it, spreading it to cover the sponge just like the modge podge.

Mimic the "sanding" you did with the modge podge to apply the glitter, letting it dry between coats. I would recommend at least two coats of the sparkles. 

Measure out roughly 13 inches of ribbon and fold it into the bow shape above.

Then fold your bow in half around the twisty tie and twist it closed.

Measure our 3 inches of ribbon and fold it over the center of the bow. Staple it closed to hold it in place.

Tie the bow around the neck of the ornament. When you put on the closure of the ornament, make sure to fold up the back three prongs so you can hide the twisty tie underneath. Then fold down like so.

Adjust the bow to straighten it out or however you see fit. Now you're ready to wrap your homemade ornament!

Paper Heart Garland

Hello again! I finally got around to writing my first tutorial! Without further delay, here it is.

 

Supplies-
3+ Sheets of Paper
Scissors
Pencil
Sewing Machine


I always have a TON of old sheet music laying around. It's mostly old, easy music that I have outgrown and I know I wont miss. What better way to recycle it that making cute decorations? You could use any kind of paper for this; at the moment I really want to try out paper from an old book. Sadly, I don't have an old book I could destroy creatively use at the moment. 

You are going to start by drawing different sizes of hearts on your paper. On the top sheet of paper I drew one large, one medium, and two small.

Then, with your other pages underneath, cut out your hearts (so you get them all done at once) and lay them in the order you want next your sewing machine.



Now here comes the cool part-- sewing them together. Most people think sewing machines are only for material, but it works really well on paper too! Don't worry if you hear a weird hole punching noise as the paper goes through the machine, it's just the needle puncturing the paper. I set my machine to a longer stitch, but it really doesn't matter, it's by personal preference.

As you sew them together, leave only a few centimeters between each heart. This way your hearts will be less likely to flip over when you hang your garland up.

That's it! Now you can proudly hang your garland up in your room or use it as party decorations.