live . craft . learn

piano roll paper wreath

hey!

thanks so much for all of your sweet words for my little man. turns out he has a hairline fracture in the humerus {top arm bone} right where it meets at the elbow so hopefully all he'll need is a permanent cast set next week so his elbow stays immobilized to heal for a few weeks. however, we do head back to the orthopedic wednesday morning for new xrays since they couldn't get the last one they really needed because he was in so much pain on monday and he couldn't turn it for a flat image. poor boy. hopefully all he'll need is a cast for 3-6 weeks depending on the final xrays. i keep trying to talk him into a leopard print one but he's not buying into my idea. go figure!

i've also spent the week taking it easy & going through old kR class files since i've been sick on top of everything. when it rains it pours right?

anyways, i came across this tutorial i did for an older kR private class and thought i'd share it with all of you this weekend. the pictures below are a bit different from the wreath you see above as i decided to spruce mine up a bit and add a few extra tree reflectors when i pulled it out of the holiday box this year.

if you don't have reflectors or a vintage player piano roll you could easily substitute festooning and silver cupcake liners, or even create crepe paper rosettes for the background layers.

have fun and if you make one link up in the comments as i'd love to see your version!

supplies needed : various papers; alphabet letters; chenille ribbon; buttons; brads & other embellishments; piano roll; chipboard; foil christmas reflectors; large wreath base {i used a 10" made out of mdf from the craft store but you could also cut a circle out of chipboard or a recycled cardboard box}

tools needed : scissors; dry adhesive; glossy accents; tacky tape; gesso or white acrylic paint

* project generally takes from 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your speed. creating the paper flowers takes up the most time depending on your experience.

step 1 : create the chipboard joyeaux noel sign.

cut small piece of pattern paper to fit the back of the large scalloped chipboard frame. before adhering to the back lightly coat the front of the paper with watered down gesso or white acrylic paint so the pattern is muted. adhere to back of frame. trim any edges that peek out of scallops.

step 2 : apply alpha to interior of frame, right onto the paper.

step 3 : apply glossy accents

if you have ever made sugar cookies and frosted them using the "flood" method you know how to do this. simply apply a stream of glossy accents to the paper inside the chipboard frame. first by outlining the interior edge and the "flooding" the entire inside. after applying glossy accents to the entire area use your finger to smooth out the clear adhesive so there is a solid coat over the entire piece of paper. while wet apply a small button that has mini brads pierced through the holes to the 'o' in 'noel'. set aside to dry.

step 4 : create paper piano roll flowers

you will need to create 8-10 depending on the size of your wreath. you will make just enough to almost cover the entire circle while leaving a small 1-2" gap to tie the pink chenille ribbon onto.

step a : cut at least 18″ from the extra roll of player piano paper and fold lengthwise upon itself 2 times so you end up with a piece of paper that is approximately 24″ x 6″.

step b : cut mini strips along the open edge {the other edge will have two overlapping fold seams}.

step c : slowly pleat and apply the paper onto a large paper circle. {i know the pic shows staples, but i actually used 2" recycled paper circles to adhere the flowers as it will create a large opening in the middle of the flowers for adhering and layering the extra embellishments}. however, you can still staple if you want ;)

step d : scrunch up those edges until your flower is nice and big.

side view of the pretty texture.

 

step 5 : attach your piano roll flowers

tie a 24" piece of twine to the top of your wreath. mine had those small circles already punched into it, if yours doesn't simply punch a few holes or tie your twine around a few times and knot leaving a loop at the top for hanging.

now you can start adhering your paper flowers along the circle base. i squished mine close together a bit so none of the base shows through.

step 6 : create the chenille ribbon bow

step a : leave a 1-2" section exposed and wrap the chenille fabric ribbon around to cover the base.

step b : tie a square knot and let the ends hang loose. i always leave one tail end longer than the other as i love things that don't match perfectly.

step 7 : decorate your wreath

step a : apply the chipboard joyeaux noel frame you created earlier {it should be dry by now}. i put mine diagonally from the bow right over a paper flower for visual effect.

step b : decorate the remaining flowers by applying the foil light reflectors and then layer with vintage embellishments from your personal stash as you choose. i've also included detail close-up shots below for reference {you can see i used alot of scrap items from my stash}.

happy weekend!
xo

thrift score : bauer

i'm a thrift junkie. i get an itch every week to go look for other peoples cast-offs. ok, ok, several times a week i get that itch. lol. thrifting thrills me. i browse and hunt and fill my cart and think of how i can use this, decorate with that, or tear that vintage cutter quilt apart to embellish and add to my silver bella classes.

this week i found a new place and then i got shaky in the legs. i l.o.v.e. vintage anything but when i saw these old bauer canisters in the display case i got excited. then i started thinking, dude. they're gonna be $100. {california vintage thrifting can be VERY expensive, i went to a garage sale this morning and the man wanted $60 for an old hoosier cabinet jar. $60 people!!}.

this is when i secretly start dreaming about thrifting in some little country town instead. like in kentucky or nebraska.

le sigh.

but these are amazing and rare and i wanted them SO badly. so i got the sweet girl to open the case, saw the price tags {$57 for all of them} and tried to justify how i could explain to the man that i spent that much on something old at a thrift store. i mean seriously, one of them says "bacon drippings" but it's now holding the sea salt rub ;) he's understanding, but not that understanding.

then i saw the pink price ticket. half off baby!!!

come to mama.

dude, they are so mine now.

don't they look good in my kitchen?
happy friday!
xO

ps : thanks so much for all of your lovely invite comments. if we had a big farmhouse in the middle of nowhere {like kentucky} and could put up tents in the orchard {because there would be an orchard} i would invite each and everyone of you for a spooktacular overnite. xO

halloween invites

on the 29th we're hosting a halloween costume party and i've been working on our invites for the last two days and finished them this morning. i keep thinking that i should wait til everyone gets them before i share here {most went out today} but i'm not that patient. lol

for the last few weeks i've been planning and scheming, spending probably way to much time searching online for invite inspiration. i knew i wanted to do something with specimens and eyeballs and it all started when i saw this post at the martha site. cauliflower never looked cooler, right?

so i gathered the supplies yesterday {total cost for 15 invites was about 30. or about 1.87 each} and put them all together this morning in about 3 hours.

supplies needed : small spice jars {cost plus}; slimy eyeballs {local party store}; hair gel {cvs}; scrap paper {on hand}; vintage spooky girl pic {on hand}; sewing machine; pinking shears.

the one part that took the longest was trying to figure out what i should use for the embalming fluid so that the eyeballs would seem to float in the liquid. at first i was thinking tinted water or jello, then i had an epiphany and remembered "depp" hair gel and how awesome it was for 80s mall bangs, remember that? plus... it comes in different colors. perfect!

i used the cheapest hair gel that i could find in a mellow yellow hue. my local cvs has these HUGE bottles with squirts tops which helped make the jar filling super fast & relatively easy, thank goodness! i bought two bottles and used about 1.5 of them for 15 small spice jars.

the rest will go towards turning the little man into a mini max headroom.

 first i filled the jars about half way with the hair gel and then i added the eyeballs. i tried to place them so that they were pointing in the same general direction.

 then i filled the jars the rest of the way to the top, tap to get rid of any excess air bubbles, and add more gel if needed. seal.

 the invites are made with a photo-shopped picture of three little girls. i added blacked out eyes by simply creating a new layer and filling a small oval with black. then i duplicated the black oval 5 times and rotated it to cover each girls individual eye socket.

creepy, isn't it?

then i sewed the pic over the top of a piece of kraft paper that i printed the party info on & added the little saying banner to the top. the party info & our personal info is underneath {which is why i didn't take a pic} but it basically says :

we hope to SEE you ...
at the yeary costume party
october 29th
{blah blah personal info blah blah}
horror d'oeuvre, true blood & witches brew will be served
adults only please
children will be roasted & fed to the ghouls

i am so happy with how they came out!

happy wednesday!
xo

in 15 minutes

i have always had a list of projects that i want to do in the house. always. sometimes they're big, like painting the kitchen {including the cabinets} or hanging new lighting, or that fairy tulle canopy i've been promising for the bean's bed. however, in honesty, most days the list gets added to instead of subtracted from.

my middle name is procrastination. what's yours?

so... yesterday i actually did something and got one item crossed off the list; skirting the sewing table with some vintage chenille so you can't see the boxes of kits, product and fabric sitting underneath. i don't know why i didn't do it sooner, it only took 15 minutes. lol

don't laugh, i know you have this much paper too. and, i'm not even going to show you the other side of my "craft" area. although that desk is super cute. so maybe i should.

so. much. better.

happy thursday!
xo

kenner road : april

happiness. that's about all i can say with regards to the april kR kits, they are print happiness. Tons of October Afternoon & American Crafts Dear Lizzy & We R Memory Keepers and more. I have plans to spend tomorrow with a sweet friend who is coming to visit that i haven't seen in ages and i'm hoping we get some paper cutting in because i want to make so much more. i don't think i have felt this way about a group of kits since dorothea, although i have to admit i still have one of her in the bag because i loved her so much.

The journal above i made for ali's week in the life which starts next week and i'll also be showing how to create the journal in the nine patch class that comes with the add-on kit. lots of paper quilting and layering on the portfolio pages that are inside, which i love.

my sweet baby boy.

yes.

i cut the sticker sheet like paper.

i'm daring. lol

i have four of these vintage tin canisters. two of them are larger and say flour & sugar. and i found them at a flea market in georgetown in washington dc about 10 years ago, i think i paid about $10 for the pair. the other two, one of which you see here, i found at the alameda flea market a few years ago for $5. i was so giddy when i spotted them {both times} because they are the perfect turquoise blue and the little bakelite nobs are so sweet.

the flower is just four accordion pleated flowers layered one on top of the other. simple.

my girl. and the lace sticker. and the rose ribbon. and the paper tape. yum.

i love this stamp in the nine patch add-on. love. love. love. love. i mean, what is better than button candies in an apothecary jar? nothing. ;)

and.... there is the cutest project with this in the class. so cute. so easy. so perfect.

and just another sneak of the banner project in the class. i am a HUGE japanese zakka craft fan and this one is dripping with linen and loveliness.

happy thursday my friends!
xo