Make it: Handmade Paper

Make it: Handmade Paper

Materials:
10-15 sheets of scrap paper (do not use glossy or magazine paper)
dried flower petals and/or leaves
blender (dedicated to papermaking)
papermaking screen*
papermaking box frame/mold*
papermaking plastic drainage tray*
medium-size storage tubs work well
cookie sheet or other tray
blotting/couching paper*
press bar*
towel
sponge
parchment paper
iron
cotton cloth to use as a pressing cloth

*These items can be purchased as a kit from www.arnoldgrummer.com

1. Tear scrap paper into 1"x1" squares. Include colored paper or cardstock in the mix to add color to the finished paper.

2. Place a few handfuls of paper squares in a blender. Add 3 c. water and liquefy the paper, pulsing in 10- to 15-second pulses. Continue until the paper is broken down into pulp.

3. Unlatch the box frame portion of the paper frame and assemble the screen and plastic drainage tray.

6. Pour half of the liquidized paper pulp into the water-filled tub. Lift the box frame out of the water, but keep it positioned over the tub.

7. Add any additives, such as dried flowers, leaves or confetti. Push additives into the pulp. Use your fingers to press the pulp mixture into an even layer.

8. Over a cookie sheet or tray, release the screen and the plastic drainage tray from the box frame. Top the pulp with the topper sheet from the papermaking kit. Press down on the sheet and pulp with a sponge to remove the excess water.

9. Invert the paper on a towel and remove the screen. Using blotting, or couching, paper, absorb any additional water by pressing the paper with a press bar.

10. Lay the paper on a piece of parchment to dry for at least 8 hours. When the paper is completely dry, sandwich it between two pieces of cotton and iron gently with a dry iron.

Make It: Tween Recycled CD Purse

Make It: Tween Recycled CD Purse - Rockabilly Style

Materials:
Decorative fabric
black fabric CD case
2 Lucite™ handbag handles
iron-on fusible webbing
scissors
iron
fabric glue
FolkArt dimensional fabric paint - Licorice
iron
1-1/2 yd. 1/2" ribbon
embroidery thread

Steps:

Remove the "guts" (the plastic sheeting that hold the CDs) of the CD case.


Using fabric glue, apply ribbon to the inside seam to cover the old stitching. Set it aside to dry.


Iron a piece of fusible webbing to the back of the fabric, following the manufacturer's instructions. Trim around the image to be applied to the purse.


Peel off the paper and iron the fabric to the purse. If the fabric is nylon, use a pressing cloth to prevent melting. Using fabric glue, apply ribbon along the edge of the CD case. Miter the corners for a clean look.


Edge the ironed image with FolkArt dimensional paint. Let dry.


Stitch handbag handles to each side of the top of the case.

make it: ripped boys jeans revamp

make it: boys jeans revamp

Don't toss a pair of ripped jeans, transform them into a pair of one-of-a-kind boys skater jeans.

As easy as 1,2,3.....
First - add a skull patch near the rip.
Second - hand sew a cool piece of fabric behind the rip.
Third - add so iron on letters to spell SKATE.

Make it: Refashioned Girls Jeans

Make it: Refashioned Girls Jeans
no sew project

Kids go through clothes so fast! This easy no-sew technique will stretch a pair of winter jeans into a spring fashion. Even if you don't sew, it is easy to recycle a pair of girls jeans into a cute pair of walking shorts.

For this design:
1. Cut the pant legs at the appropriate height for shorts using pinking sheers.

2. Trim around the appliqué (removing it from the lower portion of the jeans).

3. Attach the appliqué using fabric glue.

4. Add a little sparkle to the pants: attach a few rhinestones with gem glue.

make it: appliqued t-shirt skirt

make it: reverse appliquéd t-shirt skirt

Recycled an old t-shirt and skirt into a new fashion!

Cut out a design.

Pin in your desired position on the inside of the skirt.

Sew around the edge.

On the inside, cut around the sewn area.

On the outside, cut around the sewn area, removing the skirt fabric.

Add a few more cutouts from the t-shirt
by sewing them directly to the skirt.

Make it: Recycled Denim Cuff

Make it: Recycled Denim Cuff
Perfect for him or her

From the Rockabilly episode of Creative Juice

Materials:
Bubble Jet Set
8"x 10" piece of fabric - light color
Image to print
scissors
sewing machine
topstitching thread
two heavy-duty snaps
snap setter
old jeans

Steps:

1. Soak the fabric in the Bubble Jet Set solution for 5 minutes (funnel the excess back into the bottle). Allow the fabric to dry (you can use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process).

2. Iron the treated fabric to the shiny side of the freezer paper.

3. Once this is completed, feed the fabric through your printer exactly like a sheet of paper and print a image. Allow the fabric to cure for an hour.

4. Peel the fabric off the freezer paper.

5. Rinse the fabric with Bubble Jet Rinse. Add 4 capfuls (2 oz.) Bubble Jet Rinse to 1 gal. water and hand-wash the fabric. Allow it to air dry, or use a hairdryer to speed up the process.

6. Cutout the image leaving a small border.

7. Measure the circumference of your wrist and add 1" for the snaps. This is the length of the denim strip. Cut a strip 3" wide and the calculated length.

8. Place the strips together with the backs together; topstitch around the outer edge.

9. Determine the placement of the snaps by folding the two ends back over themselves and marking with a piece of chalk.

10. Attach three heavy-duty snaps using the snap setter and following the instructions on the package.

11. Attach the Bubble Jet patch in the center of the cuff with topstitching.

Make it: Denim Wine Bags - recycled

Project: Recycled Denim Wine Bags

Supplies:
Old Jeans
Scissors
Fabric Glue
Sewing Machine
Wine Bottle
1 Yard Ribbon

Steps:


1.Lay the jeans out flat (iron if necessary) and line up the wine bottle on the lower leg. Position the bottle so the top is about 3 inches down from the hem.


2.Cut the leg off about 1” from the bottom of the bottle.

3.Turn the leg inside out.


4.Stitch the cut opening with a 5/8th inch seam allowance. Turn the bag right side out and press if needed.

5.Remove the pocket from the seat of the jeans and trim around the back of the pocket so you are left with just one layer of fabric.


6.On the backside of the pocket, apply a bead of fabric glue around the outer edge and glue to the wine bag about 2” from the bottom and allow to dry. Place the wine bottle in the bag and add a wine opener to the pocket and tie a ribbon around the neck of the bottle.

Tips and Tricks: not so great at sewing….in a pinch you could staple the seam on the wine bag closed.

Make it: Kids Doll Bed - recycled

Recycled Doll Bed - perfect for American Girl Dolls

In this recycled project, a breakfast tray is flipped upside down and transformed into a dolly bed. The linens and pillows are made from fleece and flannel and are no sew - just a drop or two of fabric glue is all we used. From the It's a Dolls World episode of Creative Juice.

Materials:
breakfast tray with collapsible legs
wood glue
wood screws
4 wood balls or blocks (bed legs)
2" thick foam
1/2 yd. flannel sheeting
1/2 yd. polar fleece
2 empty 6-oz. gelatin boxes
Fabric-Tac glue
measuring tape
pinking/scalloping shears
craft paint (optional)

Steps:


1. To make the head and foot board of the bed, flip the tray over and, using wood glue and screws, secure the legs in a locked open position. Let glue dry.



2. Using wood glue and a screw, add legs to the bed at the four corners and let dry. The bed legs are an opportunity to use your creativity: wooden blocks, drawer pulls, wood balls, etc., can be used -- just look for objects that match in size.

4. Using a kitchen knife, cut foam/mattress to fit base of tray.

5. Cut flannel 10" larger, length and width, than foam mattress measurements. Wrap foam, gift style, with flannel sheet and secure on the bottom with Fabri-Tac glue.

6. For the bedspread, cut fleece, adding 6" to width and 4" to length of mattress measurements. Trim edges with scallop shears.

7. For pillows, wrap two large, empty gelatin boxes with fun fur, leaving 1" on each end. Using Fabri-Tac glue, glue fur to boxes, tuck ends into box sides and secure with drops of glue. Fill boxes with crumpled scrap paper for additional strength.

make it: Captured Holiday Fairies

Capture the spirit of the holidays by creating a captured fairy vignette in a recycled jar. We designed this project for Plaid.

Materials:

2159 - FolkArt ® Gems™ - Ruby, 2 oz.
4455 - FolkArt ® Fabric™ Paint - Dimensional - Glitter Night Star
493 - FolkArt ® Metallics - Bright Red, 2 oz.
654 - FolkArt ® Metallics - Amethyst, 2 oz.
661 - FolkArt ® Metallics - Sequin Black, 2 oz.
CS11275 - Mod Podge ® Glitter - Hologram Gold, 8 oz.
3 Recycled glass jars
Spray metal primer
Paintbrush
Scrapbook paper
3 holiday clip art images (Santa; children; angels)
Scrap cardboard
Glue stick
Scissors
Wings (feathers; silk butterflies; tulle; scrapbooking embellishment)
Hot Glue
Additional embellishments (pipe cleaners; printed words; stickers)
Flat nosed Pliers
Fluff for the bottom of the jar (pillow stuffing; boa scrap; faux moss)
Scrap ribbons or trim

Steps:

1. Wash and dry the jars. Spray the lids with metal spray primer and allow to dry. Coat each lid with a different color of FolkArt Metallic paint (black, red, amethyst). Apply additional coats of paint until you are happy with the coverage.

2. Cut a piece of scrapbook paper to fit inside the back of the jar. Place the paper in the jar.

3. Mount your images to a scrap of cardboard using a glue stick for stability. Once dry, cut around the images, leaving a 1/2 tab at the bottom for folding and gluing.

4. Glitter the image, coat the image with a thin layer of Mod Podge Hologram Gold Glitter or FolkArt Gems and allow to dry. For dimensional highlights, add FolkArt dimensional paint in glitter colors to highlight areas of interest. For these designs, we used Mod Podge over the yellow fairy, FolkArt gems over the Santa Claus and FolkArt dimensional paint on the New Years Eve fairy.

5. Add wings by hot gluing feathers, wings, butterflies, cut paper or tulle to the back of the cardboard cutouts.

6. Add additional embellishments like: pipe cleaners, stickers, printed words, rhinestones, etc.

7. Fold the tab on the bottom of the cutout. Add hot glue to the bottom of the tab, carefully place the cutout in the jar and glue to the center bottom of the jar. Use needle nosed plies to help hold the cutout into position.

8. Add the fluff around the bottom of the jar. (the fluff will hide any glue marks)

9. Hot glue a decorative ribbon around the top if the jar.

Make it: Re-Crafted Magazine Packing Materials

I have stacks of magazines and every once in a while I plop down with a good movie or two and I go through them. I make tear sheets, file away good ideas, collect materials for collages and look for color pallets.

After I go them, I am always left with a mess and a huge pile of ripped of magazines that usually end up in the recycle bin. Well not anymore - Now I shred them into my own packing materials. I use a regular household paper shredder and it took about 10 minutes to fill this 18X20 box. Not bad!

Easy on the wallet, easy on the landfill and pretty colorful!

Make it: Mod Podge with Carol Brady!

Re-crafted Party Trays
made from cookie sheets with mod podge

Steve and I had the honor of working with Florence Henderson and Meshach Taylor on their talk show Living Live. It was like a dream....Steve and I are both "Brady" kids and Steve can practically recite every line of dialouge from each episode.

We had so much fun and the "re-crafted" party trays were a huge hit! If you look close you can see pictures of my nieces - well except our newest addition - she was not born yet.

CHA - Chalkboard Paint Rocks

We have been working with Plaid's Chalkboard paint for over 6 month now and it is official...I LOVE IT! For this project we wanted to use the chalkboard paint on a recycled surface so we choose old CD's and record albums. We used the black chalkboard paint on thrift store albums to make chalkboard clocks and we used it on CD's to make door hangers. The paint will be available first at AC Moore (August) and then at Jo-Anns - not sure when it will hit Michaels/Hobby Lobby and Independent craft stores.

Steve and I will be selling a kit that contains all 10 colors this Friday (July 25th) on QVC at 6:00 am Eastern it will be in the Santa's Toy Shop Hour. If you miss the QVC show you can always order it online from QVC. Here is a link to the QVC schedule.

(Sorry for the bad picture)

The door hangers are great for school fund raisers, girl scouts, slumber parties, school teams, and camp crafts.

To make the Door Hangers you will need:
Plaid's Chalkboard Paint (10 different colors available)
Old CD
Foam Paint Brush
Scrap Ribbons
Fun Charms
Light Sandpaper or Primer

Steps:
Begin by giving the CD's a light sand or prime them.


Paint 3 layers of the chalkboard paint onto the CD. Allow for dry time in between coats. The first coat should go in one direction, the second coat the opposite direction the third coat should be the same as the first coat.



Condition the chalkboard paint by rubbing a piece of chalk all over the CD. Wipe clean and you have a chalkboard!!



Thread 24" ribbons through the center to create a hanger. Tie a knot at the top of the CD and again at the top of the ribbons. Thread a charm onto a ribbon and tie around the ribbons.

The purple paint was a hit!

Connie is checking out all the colors.

Everyone loved making this easy craft.

Special Effects Artist, Michelle McCue, stopped by to make one and brought us some art work she made using our technique from the Mod Modern episode of Creative Juice.

SO COOL! - Love the google eyes!