Mel Designs

Quilted Wine Bottles

Need to get rid of some of those fabric scraps? Here is a super simple project that anyone can do. Use some decoupage medium, paint and recycled bottles to create these wine bottles inspired by quilt designs. Here is how I made these quilted wine bottles. 

First you will need to start with clean and dry bottles. There are lots of ways to remove the labels and I use a combination of methods. I use a heat gun to soften the adhesive which makes it possible to peel most of the label off. Usually, there is still some layer of the label left, so I use a soft brush and warm water to scrub the remaining adhesive and paper away. Be careful not to let the paper go down the drain, as it can clog pipes. 

Choosing a mix of fabrics from your scrap stash is the fun part. For the patchwork bottle I chose a mix of pinks, aqua and some solid gray and black. When mixing prints there are a few things to remember. Choose one fabric that has large print motifs as is the case in the fabric at the very bottom. Throw in some other fabrics that have smaller printed designs and also color coordinate. Fill in with some solids. Play around with the combination until you find one you like. I usually go with four or five different fabrics at least. If you are completely unconfident in your ability to mix prints here, purchase pre-cuts mixes like jelly rolls or charm packs. The mixing will done for you. 

Make a template from some cardstock and trace it several times on the wrong side of the fabric. It is easier to fold the fabric three or four times before doing the cutting so you can get several shapes with fewer cuts. There are tons of disappearing ink fabric markers available but they seem to dry out fast. So I usually just use a black fine point marker. For dark fabrics, you will need a white pencil. 

Here are my cut shapes for the quarter square triangle "quilted" wine bottle. At this point you can paint begin painting your bottle. (or do it before tracing and cutting so it can dry between coats) I painted my bottles since some of the designs have the neck of the bottle showing and it just looks neater. Also, it makes it easier to decoupage the fabric on. I just used regular acrylic paint and coated it with varnish. But you could use specialty glass paints as well. 

To quilt the bottles, apply decoupage medium to the wrong side of each fabric piece and also the surface of the bottle with a foam brush. For my bottles, I was inspired by (left to right) Clamshells, Strip Quilt, Patchwork and Quarter Square Triangles. These are all popular quilt motifs. Next, I want to try Dresdens, Flying Geese and maybe even Drunkards. (goes well with wine bottles!) 

So this is a no-sew quilted project anyone can do! 

Live Life Creatively, 

 

 

Wine Cork Earring Display

I hope 2014 is proving to be a great year for you! I have just returned from an almost month long trip- including going to California for the CHA Mega Show (Craft and Hobby Association). Add the holidays and a long distance move to the mix and you have the formula for missing a whole lot of blogging. Anyway, today I am sharing my Wine Cork Earring Holder project hoping to inspire you. I used a really cool patchwork fabric technique in this project in an effort to return to my much missed sewing machine.

Wine Cork Earring Holder

Materials and Tools

Walnut Hollow  Basswood Canvas- 8” x 8”

Plaid Folk Art Acrylic Paint Apple Red, Daffodil Yellow, Mod Podge for Fabric

Coordinating fabric scraps

Oriental Trading Bottle Corks or recycled Wine Corks

Beacon Adhesives Premium Tacky Glue, Fast Finisg Decoupage

Sewing machine and thread, iron and pressing surface, paintbrushes, foam brush, sand paper

I was inspired to create this project for two reasons. One,I love the basswood surfaces by Walnut Hollow. Two, I created a Jewelry Holder that uses a chain to hold earrings. Great for earring with hooks attached but not so much for those that require backings. I needed a better solution.

You will need to sand the canvas and wipe it off with a lint free cloth before painting it. Then, basecoat your canvas. I chose the red color for the sides and back of the basswood canvas and yellow for the inside of the canvas. Note that I am using the back of the canvas as the front since I am going to use the insides of the canvas to hold the corks in place.

While rhe coat is drying, grab your fabrics and head to the ironing board. I cut my fabric into strips that are about 2" x 4" and pinned them right sides together, like this. I used four different fabric peices to coordinate with my selection of acrylic paint colors.

Next, sew your fabrics together, patchwork style at the pinned seams, removing the pins as you sew. if you are an experienced sewer, you may not want to pin at all. Just remember to sew a 1/4" seam allowance with the fabrics right sides together.

Use the iron to press the seams open, then cut your pieces into thin strips measuring 1/2" x 4." Note that I am cutting the strips into peices that fit the outside of the canvas. (almost!)

If you like an especially scrappy look, you can use the sewing machine to free form black stitches to the strips as I did here.

If your canvas has been painted with two coats of paint and is dry, it's time to decoupage the strips to the outside edges of the canvas using the medium and foam brush. If you have never decoupaged with fabric before, you are in for a treat. It's much easier than using paper as the fabric does not get air bubbles usually. You may need to overlap some pieces or trim them down to fit the sides of the box.

Finally, to complete your wine cork earring display, arrange the corks inside the box to make sure they fit in an arrangement to your liking. Cork projects are all the rage now. You can use recycled corks that you have saved for this project. Personally, I never seem to remember to save them so I found them available for sale in bulk from Oriental Trading. I really like these as they come in two different sizes and they are also printed in a wine theme, which lends an authentic flavor to them.

 

It's wise to arrange the corks first then use the glue to hold them in place. Now I have a better solution for holding earrings with backings!

I hope this inspires you and gives you a reason to pull out those fabrics scraps and wine corks to create something functional. What have you made with wine corks?

 

French Provincial Jewelry Organizer

Man do I love getting organized. I have been searching for a cool way to way both my earrings and necklace. Searching through sites like Pinterest, I found several new ways to hang jewelry. I married some of the ideas and came up with this display using Walnut Hollow's large French Provincial Sign.

The surface is Pine and it only required a light sanding when I took it out of the plastic.

Since I planned to decoupage the sign, I skipped the wood sealer step that most wood surfaces require in order to seal the surface and prime it for the paint. I base coated the surface with DecoArt's Americana Acrylics in Khaki Tan.

Use two coats on both the front and back to get good coverage. I used DecoArts Decou-Page to adhere three different patterned papers I selected from my stash. To create a pattern, trace the edges and middle of the sign on the wrong side of the patterned papers. Cut out with scissors, cutting about 1/4" inside the lines.

Then use a foam brush and the decoupage medium to adhere the papers to the surface of the sign. Applying coats to the pine surface and on the back of the papers. Smooth out air bubbles carefully with your fingers.

I decided the paint the edges with a heavy dry brush technique with red. I used DecoArt's new Americana Multi-Surface Satin.

The hardware added included an old broken chain from a necklace that got so tangled, I couldn't fix it but kept the chain anyway hoping I could put it to good use. I also used cup hooks to hold the necklace.

As a finishing touch, I added pearl rows and rub ons of quotes from famous authors.

So here is the finished result!

Finally, a jewelry organizer that will keep my necklaces from tangling and my earrings together.

Live Life Creatively,

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Repurposed Tap Shoe Pendant Using the Crystyler Tool

I Love the USA Blog Hop; Recycled Wine Bottle

When I recieved Laura Kelly and Jen Goode's blog hop naterials package. I was immediately excited. The outside of the package promised to deliver some really fun goodies!

These two talented designers went way out to ensure that the participant had a ball creating with all the fun crafting materials inside!

They even included candy (coordinating colors of course) in the box!

It was apparent that the obvious star of the blog hop was Laura's new patriotic fabric.It is available in Joann's Stores nationwide.

Cute huh? Various sewing materials including matching spool threads and 6 strand embroidery floss got me very excited, being the avid sewer (albeit simple) sewer I am. So flash forward about three weeks and guess what? My sewing machine died. Its sitting in the back of my car waiting for me to find the time to make the hour and a half drive to have it serviced.

Although I really wanted to create a unique sewing project with the fabric, I was determined not to give up. I decided to decoupage some of the fabric onto a recycled wine bottle and save the rest for later.

Laura and Jen included a bottle of navy blue paint in the materials so I grabbed that and a brush and painted the outside of the bottle with several coats of the acrylic paint.

To prevent the bottle from chipping, I coated it with Duraclear Varnish in a gloss finish from DecoArt.

I added Fast Finish Decoupage Medium by Beacon Adhesives to apply the fabric to the bottle.

The simple addition of buttons designed by Laura Kelly for Buttons Galore and More finished this simple project. Since you will be gluing butttons all around the top and bottom borders of the bottle, I highly recommend Beacon Adhesives Quick Grip since it dries to quickly and is super strong.

So even though I didn't get to do a sewing project, like I wanted to, I now have a festive vase perfect for the upcoming Summer patriotic holidays!

 

 

Live Life Creatively,

Jewelry Holder with Buttons

Pendants and beaded necklaces are the one jewelry item that I cannot go without. I needed a place to store some of the

Sewn Damasked Burlap Office Supplies; Handmade organization

When I visit my local Joann's or Michaels Crafts Stores, I take the time to scour each department. You would be amazed at what materials you might find in the most unlikely departments. As manufacturer's strive to offer unique materials to scrapbook artists, beaders and sewing enthusiasts, you find more and more cross promotion of materials than ever before.

When I ran into this 12 x 12 sheet of "paper," in the scrapbooking materials section. I was amazed to discover that it was not in fact paper at all, but burlap, printed with a damask motif. I was immediately inspired and bought not one but two sheets. Wondering what to do with it, I decided to cover a favorite hard bound journal that looked a little worse for wear.

I determined the size I needed and trimmed the sheet with a rotary cutter and self healing cutting mat. I pressed 1/2" seams with my iron and pinned them in place before sewing them down with my sewing machine. To keep the burlap from unraveling. I sewed a zig zag stitch all along the edges of the sheet.

The fun part? Coming up with a design for the cover. I decided that this damask journal cover would be perfect for applique. I doubled the cover and drew a 4" circle on the front, which I cut out with scissors.

I fused some black canvas to my favorite fusible webbing, lite steam and seam and die cut the motif out using my Sizzix Bigshot die cutting machine and die.

I then sewed a 5" square of natural canvas to the back inside of the journal cover to create a sort of reverse applique.

To embellish the cover, I decided to embroider the flower and details by adding this silver braided thread from Kreniek.

I used sewing thread to couch down the embroidery thread.

I continued until I was satisfied with the design.

Here is the sewn damask journal cover in progress.

I added a vintage brooch from Melissa Francis which I purchased at Scrapbook.com. I also added some stamped sentiments and these buttons by Buttons Galore and More from The Haberdashery Collection.

The perfect companion to my burlap damask journal cover. A pencil case with embellished pencils.

I used a fabric marking pencil to measure a 2" x 8" strip from the natural canvas. I doubled the fabric and cut the strip out.

I then cut 1 1/2" squares from the burlap damask and black canvas and sewed them to one side of the strip.Before sewing together, I added The Haberdashery buttons to the top.

I sewed the strip together with the right sides in on the left, bottom and right, leaving the top open for turning and insertion of the pencils.

I painted the pencils black and added buttons tied with hemp to each of them.

I stamped sentiments to regular typing paper cut them out and decoupaged them to the pencils.

These pencils are the perfect companions to my my sewn damask burlap office journal cover.

While I was drafting this post, I ran into this project from The Dairy of A Natural Girl. She also found the same printed damask burlap and made these super cool candles with the material.

And the morale of the story, the next time you are in your favorite craft store, don't just pass up on the beading section just because your not a beader. Look around, you might find something that inspires you to use in new and different ways!

Live Life Creatively,

 

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Handmade Laundry Room Organizer- "Missing Socks"

Buttoned Embellished Tiny Totes

Handmade Laundry Room Organizer- "Missing Socks"

If you are like me and hoards of other people, you have scores of mismatched socks. Where do missing socks go once they leave the dryer, if they ever really do? I guess the logical conclusion is that they cling to the insides of paints, arm sleeves, etc. On more than one occasion, I put on my yoga pants only to discover a renegade sock stuck to the inside leg. 

Sometimes they take longer to turn up, if at all.  After a couple of months of hanging onto mismatched socks, I usually just give up and find other uses for them. Some of my socks have turned into sock monkeys, draft stoppers (I once fashioned a long white sock into a snowman draft stopper, it was quite cute actually) or sock puppets. My dad uses them to wax the car.

I once designated a basket in my laundry room for the purpose of tucking away mate less socks in hopes that they would eventually be reunited with their partners. And do you know what, I did eventually match them up about 95% of the time, which still left a few for becoming snowman draft stoppers.

The missing sock phenomena inspired me to create this wood board plaque, perfect for storing mate less socks until a successful reunion can be made with its partner sock. Its more decorative then my basket and I can see which socks are missing at a glance.

 I raided my fabric scraps and torn them into strips, each measuring about 2" x 8." (The length and width of your torn strips will vary according to the size of the die cut you will be using, discussed a bit later) To join the strips together, I simply overlapped the pieces slightly (1/4") and sewed a straight stitch down the center. I joined together three strips, mixing and matching prints and solids.

Since I was using the Sizzix BigShot Die Cutting Machine and Bird die, I cut a card stock bird out first to make sure the fabric strips covered the entire die, and I didn't end up with a bird with no tail or beak or something.

Once I was ready, I set about die cutting my birds from the joined fabric strips, three of them.

Here is a quick look at my die cut fabric scrap birds.

Pretty but I thought the needed a bird more detail. I used my sewing machine and black thread to free form sew around the edges of the birds.

These turned out to be cute little scrap fabric embellishments for my laundry room organizer!

I chose DecoArt's Americana Acrylics in Lamp Black and Cadmium Yellow to paint the wood pieces. Bear in mind that Cadmimum Yellow is a transparent paint. It will take several coats to cover the board or you can use a more semi-opaque paint such as Lemon Yellow for a similar shade and color. I painted the sign board, which came from Walnut Hollow, black first, along with the clothespins, which I painted all black.

To create an aged effect on the board, which gives it a little more interest and matches my shabby chic decor, I painted yellow over the black and sanded the surface to let some of the black show through. The opposite applies to these teardrop shaped wings. I painted them yellow first and then black.

If you desire different colors to match your existing decor, DecoArt has a multitude of paint colors to choose from.

Once I had all my pieces painted, It was time to begin assembling the board. I used DecoArt's new medium, "Deco-pauge" with a foam brush to apply the birds to the sign board.

I used a heavy duty adhesive such as Beacon Adhesives Gem-Tac to attach the clothespins. Make sure you use a liberal amount of the adhesive as these clothespins will be handled frequently.

Finally, I used some 1" alphabet stamps and black pigment ink to stamp "missing socks" on the surface of the board. Several small bits and pieces of embellishments later, and a handmade laundry room organizer was born perfect for keeping track of those "missing socks." Maybe this will save me money replacing all those socks I never found and matched up with its mate!

Live Life Creatively,

Stamped Memo Holder

With your favorite stamps, some wooden clothespins, a wood paint stick and some 1 1/2 wood circle shapes you can make this inexpensive organizational tool to coordinate with your home's decor. Also, perfect for gift giving, this magnetic piece can be hung on your refrigerator and is handy for holding notes, stamps, unsorted mail, etc.

First, choose your color palette. I like the combination of DecoArt's Desert Turquoise, Georgia Clay and Golden Straw. It looks stunning combined with White.

I painted the wood clothespins various colors and the paint stick and circles white, since I will be stamping the circles. I choose Hampton Arts Clear Stamps, "Circle Birds" combined with black Stazon ink.

Pages from an old book "The Campfire Girls as Detectives" from 1933 to be exact, add vintage interest with their naturally aged brownish pages.

My mom is always looking for old books on her fleaing excursions and she found this one, really beat up and the pages will literally crumble into ash in your hands but perfect for crafting! I selected phrases and cut them into small strips.

 
I used Aleenes Collage Pauge to adhere the vintage text phrases as well as the random pieces of text to the paint stick. The other adhesive you will need is Aleenes Original Tacky Glue. We will use this to glue the circles to the front of the clothespins and to glue the pins to the paint stick.

  


Noticed how a paper pieced some of the stamped images. I think it adds a little more depth to the whole thing. I also added misc embellishments including small crystals to give the whole thing a little bling.

When you line up the clips, make sure you leave enough room between so that you can clip up larger envelopes, etc. You don't want your piece to look too crowded.

And there you have it....

Live Life Creatively,

 

 

 

Mixed Media Bird Necklace

 

Mixed Media Jewelry is becoming more and more trendy. The idea of mixing various components together using different techniques is fun and liberating since the old "rules" of creating jewelry go out of the window. When I ran into this mixed media pendant on the popular social networking site Pinterest, I knew I had to take a stab at creating my own.

I recently purchased these adorable wood finches from an etsy seller. I decided to pair it with a few more unfinished wood pieces.

I used Jacquard Products Neopaque paints and Pearl Ex to create a shabby chic look to my pieces.

First I painted the pieces in White and Black like the above.

When the pieces were dry to the touch, I applied wax randomly to the pieces. Then I painted them the opposite color.

Let the pieces dry to the touch again and then lightly sand the surface with a sanding block or nail file. Areas where the wax was applied will sand off easily to reveal a distressed finish.

Next, mix a little Pearl Ex Varnish with pearl ex in Pewter until you have a slightly creamy consistency.

Dry brush the Pearl Ex across the surface of the wood pieces with a paintbrush.

Once the pieces are dry, you can begin to assemble the pieces using a strong tacky glue, such as Aleenes Liquid Fusion.

Now the real fun begins. Embellishment!

Attach some rhinestone chain to the edges of the wood circle, using wire nips to cut the chain as needed for the appropriate length. Place a thin line of liquid fusion to the edge of the circle and glue the pieces on.

Now add various embellishment such as a pretty flower to the wing and some flat backed gems, secured with tacky glue.

At the last minute, I decided to add an eye painted on with a thin brush.

I added small computer printed sentiment to the tail using a foam brush and collage pauge.

Cant wait to wear this- either at the CHA Summer show or another fun event! If you lile this necklace look for it in my etsy shop.

Jacquard Products is offering a great giveaway. Go to their blog, leave a comment you saw it here, and we will send you a FREE bottle of their new Lumiere 3D paint and adhesive. But hurry, the offer ends at midnight, June 1st Pacific Daylight time.

How does the mixed media trend inspire you? Are you incorporating it into your fashion or home decor? Leave me a comment, I would love to know it you are as inspired by it as I am.

Live Life Creatively,

 

10 Ideas for Using Patterned Paper and Cardstock Scraps- Part Two

A couple of weeks ago, we discussed several ideas for using patterned paper and cardstock scraps in your creative projects.Here are yet more ideas on using what is in your stash to create cards, home decor, favors and even paintings with your patterned paper and card stock scraps.

This free form card was created by tearing strips of leftover coordinating papers and gluing them to a card base. Then I simply free formed stitched the background and added a fabric heart (die cut from an old black t-shirt) and added a rolled flower and sentiment.

Making these in batches would be easy and sure to take up lots of old paper scraps as well as putting to use an old t-shirt!

And speaking of rolled flowers. Why not add some made from organza to small recycled bottles covered with patterned paper scraps to use as baby or wedding shower favors? Add an altered scrap booking embellishment created from an old gromment to the center for an interesting focal point.

Not sure how to create a rolled flower from ribbon or fabric strips? See this post on making rolled flowers for embellishing anything from cards to apparel.

Do you have junk mail and security lined envelopes? They make fantastic scraps for cards, layouts, art, etc. This mail themed card was created with paper punched security envelopes. Use your die cut stash to create interesting shapes as well. I used a mix of machine and hand sewing to create this junk mail card, perfect for many occasions.

And so what if you mixed security lined envelope scraps with patterned paper scraps to create a unique decor piece? This thrift store cabinet, purchased for a few bucks, makes a nice mantel decoration.

Use acrylic paint to paint the cabinet and wood shapes, then decoupage patterned paper scraps on the pieces, including a coordinating color of recycled security lined envelopes.

Last but not least, this art "painting" by Cynthia Hanna of Creative ARTitudes incorporates patterned paper scraps. Isn't it amazing?

Cynthia wrote me to share how she incorporates patterned paper scraps into her art.

How do you use your patterned paper and card stock scraps? I would love to hear your ideas!

Live Life Creatively,