Mel Designs

Glue Gun Sign

I love the smell of a warm glue gun! It takes me back to Saturdays spent making Christmas gifts for family and friends. So when I saw a version of this plaque on Pinterest, I knew I had to make my own glue gun sign. 

Materials and Instructions for Glue Gun Sign

• Walnut Hollow Savannah Plaque
• Elmers Foam Core Board
• Adtech Adhesives Lo Temp Cool Tool, Glue Pad and Multi-Temp Glue Sticks
• Sizzix Alphabet die cuts and Big Shot Die Cutting Machine 
• DecoArt Americana Acrylics Pumpkin Orange 
• Self healing cutting mat and craft knife
• Fabric scraps, jeweled flower centers
• Paintbrush, foam brush

I started by cutting the foam core into small pieces using the craft knife and mat. The pieces need to be small enough to fit through the die cutting machine. I used the die cutting machine and die to make letters for "Happiness is a Warm Glue Gun."  

 

Then, I used the glue gun to adhere the letters to the plaque. 

 

Although I brushed on the paint, I think it would actually be easier to spray the paint on. It wasn't a good day for outside spray painting this particular day. You can purchase spray paint or make your own using this simple recipe.  The combination of the foam brush and paint brush makes getting the paint in between the foam letters easier.

Once the paint was dry. I glued on handmade fabric flowers to add some additional flair to the plaque. 

I found some more cute quotes about glue guns on the web. 

"For every girl with a broken heart, there's a guy there with a glue gun." 

"It's not a bad thing to want a fun life and a glue gun that works!"

"Given enough glue sticks, I could rule the world." 

"Keep Calm and Hot Glue"

Live Life Creatively, 

 

DIY Side Table

For awhile now I have been looking for a small side table for my office space. I have been searching for something small but slightly functional (i.e. you can set a cup of tea or coffee on top) yet interesting with detailed lines. I have had no luck. Then, some really cool French Provencial Signboards arrived from one of my favorite wood products manufactuers, Walnut Hollow. I grabbed my glue gun, some flat marbles and spray paint and got immediately to work on this DIY Side Table. 

Materials for DIY Side Table

Walnut Hollow French Provencial Signboards-12" x 20", 8" x 13 1/2"  

Wood table legs and angle plates- purchased at Lowes Home Improvement 

Flat marble assortment 

Flat backed rhinestones

Krylon indoor/outdoor spray paint in Pumpkin Orange and Mambo Pink 

DecoArt Triple Thick Clear Glaze

Adtech Adhesives Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks 

Screwdriver, drop cloth

Instructions for DIY Side Table

I started by spray painting all of the wood pieces. I chose Mambo Pink for the legs and smaller plaque and Pumpking Orange for the larger plaque. 

I used three coats for each side. Then I grabbed my hot glue gun and some gun sticks and hot glued the smaller plaque to the center of the larger plaque. I then hot glued the marbles to the top of the larger plaque. 

I lined the edges of the large plaque with acrylic rhinestones. 

To make sure the marble and stones were extra secure to the table top, I used several coats of DecoArt's Triple Thick Glaze. I sprayed very close to the surface of and top and sides of the plaque. I let the glaze cure overnight before attaching the legs to the table. 

I was pleasantly surpised that the signboard wood was so easy to manipulate. It is made out of pine. I was able to place the screws into the signboard without having to pre-drill holes. I even used a manual screwdriver!!

I was ultra pleased with the results! Using the glue gun made it easy and fast! It is going to look perfect alongside my other fun office accessories. 

Live Life Creatively, 

 

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DIY Mounted Fish

DIY Mounted Fish

I adore all of the wonderful DIY I am seeing created with plastic animals. I even knocked the idea off for my office! 

Looking to put a slightly different spin on the trend, I decided to create some DIY mounted fish plaques. 

I found the perfect sized plastic fish over at Oriental Trading. I purchased some wood plaques, very inexpensively at a craft store. To mount them on the wood plaques, I cut off a fin or two so that they would be flush with the plaque. 

I used an Adtech Adhesives Glue Hi Temp Glue Gun and glue sticks to assemble the plaques. 

The plaques were then given several coats of spray paint with Krylon indoor/outdoor spray paint in a pink and orange shade. 

You will need to use several coats to cover the fish colors. Of course, every mounted "trophy" fish needs a commemorative plaque, so I painted a couple of wood shapes in acrylic brush on paint and stamped labels on them. Using the glue gun, I embellished them with rhinestones. 

Finally, I glued the labels on the plaque using the glue gun. Cute decor to coordinate with the jars in my office! 

Live Life Creatively, 

Melony 

“This review is based strictly on my opinion. Others may have a different opinion or experience with the product listed above. I was provided the sample free of charge by the company or PR agency and I provided my honest opinion. No other type of compensation was received for this review.”

Shabby Door Hangers

 

Although my taste has evolved a bit, I am still a fan of the shabby chic look and I always will be probably. I have a couple of co-worker/friends with upcoming wedding and baby showers so I decided to create them a custom shabby door hanger. 

Materials for Shabby Door Hangers

• Woodsies Wood Slats 
• Hemptique Hemp
• Adtech Lo Temp Glue Gun and Cool Temp Glue Sticks 
• DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paints- Snow White, Khaki Tan, Bubblegum, Indian Turquoise 
• Embellisments of choice 
• Wool felt 
• Alphabet stamps and ink 
• Sanding block, scissors, paintbrushes, drill and drill bit, sewing machine and thread    

Lightly sand and paint the wood slats. I used two coats each for the front and back. I drybrushed each slat with white. 

Create the hemp flowers using the glue gun and glue sticks. Create coils and apply a small amount off glue to hold the hemp in place. I highly recommend using a low temp glue gun as you will be touching the hemp in places where the glue has been applied! 

I used sparkly embellishments as the flower centers. 

 

To create the leaves, freehand cut the wool felt into leaf shapes. Use the sewing machine and thread to freeform sew leaf details. 

Assemble the door hanger peices and hot glue in place.

Use stamps and ink to stamp sentiments on the door hanger. I decided on "do not disturb" (wedding), "guest room" and "baby dreaming." 

Finally, drill some holes in the top corners, insert some hemp and you have a sweet shabby door hanger. 

 

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Decoden Napkin Rings

I love Japenese inspired DIY techniques. Decoden is yet another cool tacky trend that fascinates me. What is decoden? The term “deco” is short for decorated and “den” is short for “denwa” meaning “phone” in Japanese. Lately, the decoden trend is venturing far outside of just phone cases. That's what inspired me to create these Decoden Napkin Rings. 

Altough decoden paste can be bought or homemade, I found as easier way to attach my tiny objects to the napkin rings. I used Adtech Adhesive's Lo Temp Cool Tool and glitter glue sticks to make my Decoden Napkin Rings. Depending on the objects used, it might be important to use a lo temp glue gun since it will not melt plastic objects. 

I had a blast going through my stash, mixing and matching odds and ends and deciding what to use. This is a great stash buster. 

I used wood castor cups normally used to keep furniture legs in place. The center has a groove that makes a perfect embellishing surface. They can be purchased inexpensively in packs of four from a home improvement store such as Lowes. 

I painted my wood pieces black first. Then I created a pool of glitter glue inside the caster cup and started placing my pieces inside the caster cup. 

When each of my caster cups were completed, I glued them to a wood napkin ring, painted black as well.  Hot glue is perfect for this technique since it dries fast! Finally a sprayed a sealer on the completed napkin rings. 

So, with glitter glue sticks, a glue gun, some trinkets and trash and caster cups I made these sophisticated yet delightfully tacky Decoden Napkin Rings. I cant wait to try this technique on other surfaces. I am thinking a frame for my office or even a wood jewelry box. I may even stretch this trend a little and try to decoden something with recycled objects such as soda tabs, bottle caps, bits of broken china, etc. 

I hope you are inspired to try your own decoden! 

Live Life Creatively, 

Melony 

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Patchwork Pumpkins

 

 

Happy Fall! Don't you just love this amazing season? Thanks for joining me today. To celebrate Autumn, i am going to show you how I made these simple patchwork pumpkins to help usher in Fall. 

Patchwork Pumpkins

• Fabric of Choice in Fall colors 
• Scrap of wool felt, tulle scraps
• Fairfield Processing Corp. Crafters Choice Poly-fil
• Wood pieces- spools, dowels, tags
• Black, Orange acrylic paint 
• Embellishments of choice
• Alphabet stamps and ink
• Sewing machine and thread
• Paintbrushes 
• Adtech hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Rotary cutter and self healing mat, scissors 

I used a rotary cutter to cut my fabric into jelly roll sized strips (2 1/2"). They are about 14" in length. then I placed two of them right sides together and sewed one long edge using a 1/4" seam allowance. 

 

I continued until I had one piece that measured about 14" x 12." I doubled the fabric over and used a rotary cutter to cut a round shape from the doubled over for the pumpkin front and back. 

 

I cut a pumpkin stem from the black wool felt and pinned it to the inside of the pieces before I started sewing them together. I sewed the pieces together, leaving the edges raw but left a 4" opening at the bottom for stuffing. 

 I sewed the bottom together but left a 1/2" opening for the insertion of the dowel. The wood pieces were painted black and embellished with gem stone rows. I used the glue gun and glue sticks to join the pieces together and to keep the dowel in place inside the stuffed patchwork pumpkins. 

I used alphabet stamps to stamp seaonal sentiments on the wood tags, which were painted orange. I also added some sparkly embellishments and tulle scraps. 

The leaves were made from handmade text fabric. 

What are you making to celebrate Fall? 

Live Life Creatively, 

Melony

 

PatchWork Advent Calendar

If you like to sew or quilt, you will love making this Christmas in July Advent Calendar. Grab your fabric scrap stash, embellishments and poly-fil and join me in this fun tutorial. You are on your way to making your own Patchwork Advent Calendar.

How to Make a Patchwork Advent Calendar

First you will need to select your fabrics. This is the fun part for me. For this version I chose non-traditional prints and threw in a little white muslin and red solids. It’s a good idea to use solids along with prints so the prints don’t get overwhelmingly busy. But other than that, the sky is the limit when choosing your fabrics.

I tore my fabric into strips that measured about 2 ½” x 10-12.” So pre cut’s like jelly rolls could be used for this. I know a lot of you like jelly rolls since some of you do not feel comfortable mixing prints. Also, they are convenient since they have been cut for you.

Next, sew all of the strips together. Now if you are not an experienced sewer or quilter, this step can be tricky. Start by placing two of the strips together with right sides facing and sew the long edges of the wrong sides together leaving a ½” seam allowance. Steam the seams open. Repeat this until all of your strips have been sewn together. This is what your fabric will look like on the other side.

When I was done sewing my strips together, I used Staz-on ink and some rubber stamps to stamp sentiments with on the white muslin. You can heat set this with an iron to prevent smudges.

I ended up with a piece of fabric that was about 14” x 20.” This was large enough for me to cut 25 3” and 2 ½” squares from which is the next step. Use a fabric marker and template to trace the squares. I traced twelve 3” square shapes and thirteen 2 ½” squares from the sewn fabrics for the pockets.

So here are my cut squares of fabric. You can see that I used the sewing machine and black thread to free form stitch across the squares and around the edges.

I used wool felt in green to cut tiny Christmas tree shapes from. I sewed the trees to a few of the larger squares leaving a 1 1/2 opening. I then stuffed the trees with poly-fil and continued sewing to create some dimensional applique.

And if you want, you can decorate your little trees with tiny crystals.

Ok, so now its time to add numbers. I used a Sizzix Die Cutting machine and number dies with some black canvas to make mine. I first fused webbing to one side of my black canvas (felt would work nicely here too) and then cut numbers with the canvas paper side up so that the numbers would be in the correct orientation once they were fused to the squares. Cut a set of number 1-25. Lay the squares out onto the surface of whatever you will be using as a backing. I used a white flour sack towel, purchased in a pack of three for about $3.50. This step is so that you can decide which numbers to fuse to which squares. I didn’t use numbers for the squares with the poly-fil trees.

Once your numbers are fused. Use the sewing machine to secure the numbers to the fabric. Place them on the flour sack again and use straight pins to hold them in place this time. Now you can sew them to the towel, leaving the top open to create little pockets. Finally its time to embellish your little heart away! I used bling (of course) and a few other trinkets and treasures from my stash.

Perfect! And there you have it- your very own patchwork advent calendar!

Live Life Creatively,

Melony

Scrappy Snowman Pillow

Since making my first handmade pillow cover years ago, I still cannot stop making them! I bet if I stopped and thought about it, I would figure out that I've made at least 100 pillows since creating that very first one. I had some long Home Elegance pillow forms on hand, so I made this fun Scrappy Snowman Pillow. This is a super fun and easy Christmas in July project that has no rules!

How to Make a Scrappy Snowman Pillow

This pillow was made to look particularly scrappy, so I am not going to give you a detailed step by step instructions. Instead, I will point out the various techniques that I used to make my version. I used a Home Elegance pillow form, my favorite, in a 12" x 16" size.

 

Home Elegance pillow forms are exceptionally plush and a great down-alternative pillow form. I use the squares sizes quite a bit so I wanted to change it up and use a long pillow form to accommodate my snowman design. 

I started out by choosing my fabrics. I chose wool felt for the background and snowman shapes, beige muslin and some handdyed fabric strips I already had on hand. Then I cut the turquoise wool felt to create the pillow back and front- 13" x 17." And cut white wool felt and the muslin slightly smaller to create frames for the pillow front.

Next, I sewed the frames to the pillow front using free motion stitching, a sewing machine and black thread for contrast. I used the dyed fabric strips to frame the edges of the muslin and white wool felt to create a layered effect.

 

I fused webbing to the back of white wool felt and cut out three circles for the snowman. Then I stitched around the circles free-motion style.

 

I used this and that to embellish the snowman, including bits of fabric, tulle, some bling and leftover embellishments I had on hand.

Seriously, there are no rules when it comes to making your own version of this scrappy snowman pillow. I think my favorite part of this is the stamped and sewn sentiments I added. I chose french translations of snow and snow related words - "neige" white, etc.

Hopefully you will be inspired to make your own Scrappy Snowman Pillow.

Live Life Creatively,

Melony

 

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How to Work With Somerset Magazines by Stampington

Have I ever mentioned how much I adore working with the folks at Stampington? On a whim, I decided to purchase my first stampington title about 5 years ago. It was Somerset Life. About 5 pages in I was seriously hooked. Eventually I began to consider sending in some of my own art work. It took me a while but I finally figured out how to work with Somerset Magazines. Here are a few tips. 

Tea Towel Apron published in Sew Somerset

How to Work with Somerset Magazines

If you have dreamed of having your original artwork published but don't know how exactly to go about it, I would first recommend that you do your research. Purchase several issues of the same title and look through it several times. Get a sense of what type of projects the editor may be looking for. Magazines like Sew Somerset are both instructional as well as inspirational. Somerset Life on the other hand is more inspirational in nature and contains relatively little instruction. So you wouldn't want to send a project that relies on step by step instructions to Somerset Life as much. You would want to send artwork that reflects the artful lifestyle feel of the magazine. 

 

Dresden Pillow published in Sew Somerset

 

Looking at the examples above, it is probably clear to you that Somerset magazines pride themselves on high-quality photography. For this reason, I highly recommend sending in physical samples in lieu of emailing or mailing photography of the artwork. Only through actually handling the artwork can the editors get an idea of how an item will photograph. Details are very important in artwork for Somerset and the details can often get lost when sending photographs.

Specific instructions on sending in artwork for consideration can be found here. Follow these instructions carefully. It is especially important to label items. You put a lot of effort into making art, not to mention costs associated with purchasing materials, packing and shipping. The last thing you want to happen is for your artwork to get lost in the array of unlabeled items. It was only though a face to face meeting with the editor of Greencraft did I learn this the hard way. I sent in my fan blade wallart and was surprised when the editor did not contact me with an article assignment. When I asked about it she stated that she loved the project but didn't know how to contact as the artwork wasn't labeled. The project went forward in the next issue and I never forgot to label items again. 

 

Fan Blade Wall Art Published in Greencraft

 

 

Another tip for working with Somerset magazines involves the art of patience. I have referred several atrists to Somerset and waiting is the hardest part for them. Although editors work from an editorial calendar, sometime features get moved around or other things that are completely out of your control occur. The editors warn you that it can takes months for them to make a decision regarding whether or not artwork is accepted. For this reason it is important to be patient. No news is generally good news. If you produce atrwork that uses expensive materials and you can't afford to wait for the editors to return it, you may want to send in a smaller sample that represents you as an artist or use alternative materials. 

When your artwork is accepted, the editor will contact you via email most often with an article assignment and a deadline. Often, they will ask you to write an "inspiration based article including basic instructions for technique used and list of materials." When drafting your article, try to think of what inspired you to create your project. My fan blade idea came from a trip to a friends house to help her hang new ceiling fans. When she asked me to throw away the old ones, I decided to try and repurpose them into wall art. Be ready to tell your background story. 

Most magazine editors are keenly aware of current trends and strive to feature them. They are mostly looking for new ways of doing "old" things. This is especially true of Somerset Magazines. Additionally, highly detailed items or three to four samples of the same technique using different colors or materials lend themselves well to several photographs. Consider this when sending in artwork. 

I hope you are encouraged  by the prospect of sending in your artwork for publication. If you have additional questions or would like to comment, I would love to hear from you. Until then, 

Live Life Creatively, 

 

 

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Published in Somerset Studio Magazine

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?