Fine Craft Guild .com » Easy Crafts

PS I Made This

Fine Craft Guild — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:46:00 +0000

great title, great book.

Part designer DIY
Part fashion
Part lifestyle inspiration guide.

I counted 27 projects in this book. All are practical and with easy (obvious) to follow instructions.

Here is a sample of a project:

How to Make a Fancy Ruffle Shirt

(Upcycling a plain boring white t-shirt)

Get Inspired

Not only does the writer Erica Domesek give us great projects to do ourselves, with step-by-step instructions; she also shares where she gets her inspiration from, encouraging us to cross-pollinate ideas and be creative ourselves.

As styles are diverse, surely not all 27 will be according to your taste. However, they don’t need to be. If you are an avid reader of my blog, this book will be a teaser for you to apply your own creativity.

You’ll pick up some techniques, which you can take further and you restyle, refashion or reuse things to represent you, using the book as your initial starting point and how-to guide.

E.g. If you don’t like those bouncy balls in that tied pantyhose necklace, well, use something else instead. You could use some left over foam balls, or even some IKEA packaging materials, chopped up. The pack I opened last night had a great foam cube in it that just screamed ‘craft me’ into something good !! Or, use a could of standard black/white dices instead. All these would make great statement jewelry, riding along the lines of black/white and recycling trends.

See it, like it, buy it:

PAPERBACK VERSION: P.S.– I Made This: I See It. I Like It. I Make It
KINDLE VERSION: P.S.– I Made This

Click Here For Other: Craft, DIY & Interior Design Book Reviews

Enjoy free shipping on orders over $25 (conditions apply).

Gorgeous Hearts :: Free Printables

Fine Craft Guild — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:35:00 +0000

THAT LOVING HEART: 15 free darling heart designs to embellish just about anything. Enlarge them: to create a wall-decal/ furniture print stencil or bleach-dye them on t-shirts (gifts or keep). Keep ‘m small: to print in red and adorn that Valentine Card; to create loving embroidery patterns; or make into stamps. Or make a darling tag for your Valentine gifts. Or…

Get Your Set of Hearts

Click here for the download.

Type in the password ‘sherykdesigns.com’ to download.

With love, from me to you.

source: sherykdesigns-blog.com

More Stencils, Stickers & Stick-ons

Heart Stencils
Heart Decals
Heart Quilting Stencils

Party Time: Show Us What You’ve Made

Fine Craft Guild — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:32:00 +0000

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so humbled every time I am at a craft and home decoration link party.

In awe of many pretty submissions, last week, to our first show-and-tell link party of “whatever you have made that is beautiful”. I’m glad to be back partying with you today. Hope you feel the same.

I Pin Link Party Submissions

As bonus publicity benefit, I pinned each submitter, with 1-3 separate projects, to my Pinterest boards. I have a followers group of active re-pinners, and I can gleefully share that your projects have already been re-pinned by others. And they will be re-pinned again, etc.

These pins are linking back directly to your site, for free extra publicity. It took a bit of time to pin all projects, but hey, I thought it would be a nice ‘party favor’ to give out to everyone.

And now….

Time for a New Party

What to Link Up

The most beautiful projects ever, made by you are what we all like to see in this party of beautiful home decorating, eco-friendly design, and creative craft ideas.

Tutorials are preferred, but gorgeous inspiration posts are welcome too.

How to Link Back

Here is the badge, just for you, to post on your blog. It will link back to our home page, from where people can find the latest link party. Thank you so much for putting it up. We appreciate you being part of the community.

Click text in box.
Ctrl + A = select all
Ctrl + C = copy
go to your blog, and click
Ctrl + V = paste.

Upcoming

In a week or so I’ll do a feature ‘BEST OF THE PARTY’, so be sure to be included.

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Recycled Plastic Bottles to Awesome Vertical Vegetable Garden

Fine Craft Guild — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:55:00 +0000

We all must learn to grow vegetables. Whether we live in a small apartment without a balcony, a unit with just a small patio, or a luxury house with lots of land. Don’t you think? Growing veggies is easy & fun, once you know how, particularly with the ingenious plastic bottle vertical gardening system I’m showing you today. You can buy seedlings (which are easiest) but I prefer to start with organic heirloom seeds.

Vertical vegetables gardens don’t take up space and will help you save loads on groceries. Not to mention, you’ll eat more organics, and oh … the delight you’ll feel every time you pick your own goodies!!!

First Things First: Get Seeds

Start an indoor vertical container garden now, and learn just how much fun gardening is.

Get your set of organic edible flowers, vegetable and herb heirloom seeds out from under the kitchen sink or your garden shed, or order high-quality, organic heirloom seeds now online, because…

…I have 2 videos on how to make a vertical vegetable garden using recycled plastic bottles and they will inspire you!

*** Pick Pansies ***

Perennial pansies are hardy

and thrive in shady areas or

with partial sunlight.

Tip: don’t forget to order organic potting mix.

Vertical Container Gardening Howto

Essentially, you stack the bottles upside down and use a drip-irrigation system. Let me show you the details ~ They are a little bit different for the indoor and outdoor gardens.

Indoor Vegetable Container Garden for Apartment Dwellers

Indoor Kitchen Garden

Video: If you don’t see the video above, click this link

For this system, you’ll need to cut a large circle on either side of the bottle to allow your plants to grow thru them.

This video discusses a bit of the details, and what’s important for indoor gardens. The next video is a lot more detailed and I think is even of use for those who want/need to make a garden indoor. In particular, its details on irrigation are interesting. So, read on…

Recycled Bottle Stacks for Vertical Outdoor Kitchen Gardening

Ideal for Patios & Small Outdoor Spaces.

The video below gives you the exact details how to set up your own vertical vegetable garden completely fitted with the most efficient irrigation system.

video: http://youtu.be/-uDbjZ9roEQ

Embellish & Add Bling!

Of course, if you are a regular follower of this blog, then I expect you to not leave the ugly labels they show in the video onto the bottles.

I hope that instead you embellish the bottles with cute labels, tags, plastic flowers, butterflies, etc.

Remember these darling aluminum butterflies, made from recycled tin foil plates? They would be perfect for this gardening project.

Grow Edible Flowers

Besides growing the vegetables you love to eat of course, pick a couple of fresh herbs that offer beautiful flowers too.

I’m thinking of adding a few rows of easy to grow Nasturtium (Tropaeolum Majus). This entirely edible plant makes great flowers that cheer up any salad, herb vinegar or garnish. They like full sun and a warm climate, which impart a wonderful peppery flavor to the plant. Perfect in the Roman sun. Ahhh…

Other Plant & Garden Projects

Have a look at some of our other plant and garden projects:

Beads Beads Beads

Fine Craft Guild — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:59:00 +0000

Oh, and the things you can do … with beads. And I’m referring to those beads that are iron-able and shape-able into pretty much any thing you fancy, called perler beads.

Creations Made with Perle Beads

After you’ve made Zhu zhu pet food from beads, and a beaded jewelry set with necklace & bracelet for Barbie or Bratz, and you & the kids still haven’t ran out of steam, .. then here are some more Perler beading ideas for you:

Funky Bead Coasters for your kitchen or to cheer you up at your desk
Bead Frame (s) to match the coasters, also for your desk
Beads Ornaments, balls or stars, for the Christmas Tree of Year-round
Doll Rug for Barbie’s house ( I like that … very creative)

Perler Beads

These colorful shapes are lovely, aren’t they? These perler beads make for a lovely no-mess afternoon crafting, and I highly recommend them. They are inexpensive and you can order online. You’ll need to buy 3 things: Perler beads, pin board shapes, and iron-on sheets.

For more info on how to iron them together, read the tutorial to make play food for zhu zhu pets.

Valentines Day Recipe : Breakfast Bars

Fine Craft Guild — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:59:00 +0000

Want to be sweet to your loved one for breakfast on Valentines Day? How about whisking up easy love gateaux, aka instant breakfast bars ? Love it.

Serve up a sophisticated slice sprinkled with some icing sugar or candied hearts for breakfast and cut up a few take-away bars for mid-morning coffee.

Filled with goodies & sweetness, this Valentines Day treat is oh-so-yummy.

Here’s the recipe to start the day of right on February 14:

Valentines Day Recipe for Breakfast Bars

Ingredients:

4 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups chopped almonds (or hazelnuts or walnuts)
1 cup shredded coconut
3/4 cup soft butter
3/4 cup orange marmalade
Optional: add chocolate bits

Step – by – Step Instructions:

Mix oats, sugar and salt.

One by one, stir in other ingredients.

Press into a greased 10″ x 15″ (x 1″ high) baking pan.

Bake at 425° for 15-17 minutes or till done.

Cool off on counter, then place in fridge for one hour before serving.

Serving Suggestion:

Sprinkle the surface of the bars with icing sugar or better still, heart-shaped cookie confetti for that Valentine splash.

Recommended: store bars in the fridge.

Choice of Cereal

I recommend you use healthy cereal for this recipe. However, of course, you can choose any kind of flavorful cereal.

Tip: make a few mini-versions this weekend, and experiment with different types of cereal, nuts, and chocolate till you get the sweetness, richness, flavor and texture that you like best. Then, on February 13, you know just what to make for the next morning.

Fun Junk Antiques in Rome

Fine Craft Guild — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:37:00 +0000

Last week, we stopped by this fun and funky antique store in Trastevere, a favorite downtown area in Rome. This antique shop is a rare breed. It reminds of American lifestyle fashion furniture stores which also sell (vintage) Oriental furniture. Such shop is a rare find in Rome.

What makes this shop more special is its pairing of stylish recycled furniture with refined Roman antiques, like these gorgeous lamps.

Etched glass lantern

Vintage Italian colored glass lantern in kitchen

When you look at the scrap wooden furniture pieces, I know you are all thinking: “I can so make this myself.” And this is true. The question is which one to make, it’s a toss. These driftwood chairs are winners: functional & foldable, frivolous and fun.

The favorite however is the recycled wood cabinet. These recycled wood furniture pieces were expensive, but I know you all can whip up your own recycled boat wood cabinet at a budget. Salvage some old painted wood. Leave it completely distressed and just hammer it onto an existing cabinet whose front is blah..

Recycled Wooden Cabinet.

Recycled Can Flowers.

Mixed-matched painted wooden panel makes for perfect backdrop.

Antique hobby horse, tucked away at the back

Hope you enjoyed this Italian home decorating eye-candy, aka starry-night iPhone photography (smile).

Scrapbooking Canvas Art (Pinterest Fave)

Fine Craft Guild — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:53:00 +0000

‘Soul Smile’

‘Laugh with your eyes, hug with your soul, and smile with your heart’ (Anonymous quote)

Wow. Powerful quote on canvas art. Paper art creation. Scrapbooking collage on canvas.

Below is my favorite Pinterest pin today.

Inspirational?

Love the colors, style and sincerity statement.

Comes with a very detailed tutorial.

source: Unity Opportunity

Like it?
Pin It!

Shabby Chic Mercury Glass Candle Holders

Fine Craft Guild — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:59:00 +0000

Mercury glass is so popular right this minute and I’m fully supporting this trend.
I love its shabby chic look, and how you can transform plain glass object, from vase to goblet, into a magnificent vintage silver mirrored home accent.

Eg. Look what I picked up : two darling glass candle holders.

Add this magic wonder: Looking Glass, which is a glass spray that make glass look like vintage mirrors, and voila. This antiqued metallic finish creates a shimmery, reflective surface which enhances the candle’s light. Perfect for candle holders for the holidays, parties, and weddings.

I bought all this for the holidays, but I still have them around and I think these silver mirror votives are pretty year-round. Yes, it’s Mercury glass galore throughout my house.

Mercury Glass Design Ideas

Here are some other design ideas for you that you can either purchase online as is, or make your own:

Shabby Cottage Chic Mercury Glass Votive Set Silver	Shabby Cottage Chic Scalloped Mercury Glass Votive
Large Gold Globe Mercury Glass Votive (star motif) 4.5 “ x 4 “ (diameter x height).	Gold Mercury Glass Votive (flower motif)
Lazy Susan Fluted Silver Mercury Glass Hurricane	Antique Fleur de Lis Garnet Pink Mercury Glass Votive
Fuchsia Pink Mercury Glass Candle Holder (with rhinestones)	Antique Fleur de Lis Dark Pink Mercury Glass Votive-Large
Chic Vintage Mercury Glass Cabinet Knobs, Drawer Pulls & Handles 4pc ~ Style #K5 Kitsch Mercury Glass Cabinet Knobs with Nickel Hardware

What I like about the last three candle holders is the idea to paint on the inside of colored glass votives or drinking glasses. Adorable. And I’ve added the last picture of the cabinet knobs to get your creative juices going: you can spray any kind of home accent.

Make Your Own Mercury Glass Home Accents

How to use this product is simple:

0. Do read the instructions on the can and follow them.

1. Prep your working area: choose a well-ventilated, easy to clean-up location

2. Spritz your glass with water;

3. Spray with Krylon "Looking Glass" spray paint.

Wait till paint is cured before usage.

Materials Needed

First up, get yourself one or two 6 oz. cans of ‘Looking Glass’ Mirror-Like Spray Paint, which you can buy online for $12/each.

Next, to make your own mirror-like mercury glass candle votives, look for used glassware at your local Sally Ann, or get inexpensive new glass votives & candle holders at your local home ware or dollar stores.

This one here on the right is just $1.99 at Ikea, for example. Now is a perfect time to look for some candle holders as they are on sale everywhere.

Creating Cool things with Mirror Paint – Next Step….

You can actually achieve two looks with this ‘Looking Glass’ spray:

1. the mercury glass – look that I talked about here, and

2. the regular mirror-look that I’ll talk about in an upcoming post. The method is the same in that you spray the paint on the back of glass and let it cure dry, however, you do not need to add the water first. You work on a dry surface instead. When it’s cured, paint over it for a smooth finish and to avoid scratches in future. But, more about this later, as I want to show you an actual project using this.

One drawback of this is that this product comes in an aerosol can, which, ahum, is not environmentally friendly.

DIY ‘Porcelain Rose

Fine Craft Guild — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:50:00 +0000

Isn’t this an awesome glossy porcelain rose? However, it’s made from 13 old plastic spoons instead. Would you believe it?!

Next time you have a party, save those plastic spoons! You’ve got roses to make…

Find an excellent, step-by-step tutorial by Gail here, at the “Can’t Stop Making Things”-blog.

Tip 1: Take good care of nature: Please, please, please use recycled materials instead of new. We must collectively curb our collective consumerism obsession. Thank you in advance.

Tip 2: Take good care of yourself: As you are heating up plastic, you are best advised to work in a well-ventilated area. Never leave an open flame unattended.

Tip 3: Try these roses in red and pink for a Valentine – look!

This my Pinterest Fave for the day. Hope it inspires you.

I think it would be a fun Valentines Day or Mothers Day gift. I also have seen used stuck on a Vase to resemble an Anthropologie knock-off.