How To...

This past week I spent some time just hopping around the Blogger World.
I came upon 2 tutorials that I knew I just had to try.

I thought I would share the links with you, just in case you had not discovered them yet.

The first one, is for the beautiful flowers seen in this  lo of my eldest Granddaughter.
(Yes, I know I spelled Nicaragua wrong : ) !

You may found the tutorial here courtesy of "Scrap Factory" .
There is a language translator there in case you need it.

The next is for the overly grunge and crumpled paper you will find here in the lo of my youngest Grand Daughter.

I have seen this technique on other layouts and loved the result, just not sure of a good way to go about achieving it.

 I found this tutorial to be very helpful.

 Thanks to "Scraps of Reflection" for posting this tutorial !

I also wanted to share my own tip with you today.

For my chipboard in the lo above, I used White Puffy Paint and a few drops of Alcohol Ink to achieve the desired color and texture I wanted to add to my chipboard.

No worries about adding the extra liquid to your Puffy Paint.

Works just fine!

From Sauce to Bath Soak

Thought I would share with you today, a fun project.
Created from an empty Spaghetti Sauce jar.

It has a some what weathered look, but I think this little jar would be perfect for a beach house bathroom shelf.

Soak in hot soapy water to remove all labels. Let dry completely.

Using Puffy Paint, cover the jar a section at a time. Then hit it with the heat gun to get it to puff.
Make sure you work in sections as the jar WILL get hot.
Wait in between sections for the jar to cool down.

I found this awesome Mermaid Graphic here at the Graphics Fairy.
Also the Starfish for the tag.

Print out the images onto Homemade Paper to lend sturdiness.
Cover over with glossy medium for protection .
Finish up the jar by adding, fiber that is macrame adding in some wooden beads.
Tie around the top edge of your jar, then add your tag.

For the lid, first add a light coat of Gesso, for some tooth.
After the Gesso has dried, paint a very light blue using acrylic paint.
Finish up by wiping on and off some green for added dimension and age.

In the well of the lid.
Fill it up...with again Glossy Medium and add some shells.
Then ever so lightly sprinkled in seed beads.
Letting this cure for a couple of days.
Proceeded to paint over the sides of the lid with glossy medium.

That's it! Easy Peasy and fun to try.

Thanks for stopping by My World and I apologize for the time lapse in between posts. Sometimes Life just calls for my attention :)

Tree Branch Video Tutorial

Here is a video tutorial I put together to help add you in creating your own tree branches.

I hope you will find this helpful and easy to follow along.

If you have any questions about this tutorial, please post them in the comment section and I will get back to you as promptly as possible.

Thanks for taking the time to view this tutorial and hope you found it helpful.

Have fun!

Thanks for stopping by My Craft World have a great weekend :)

Going Green for Halloween

Fall is here...maybe not on the calendar...but defiantly in the air.
Which means, for those who join in, the spirit of Halloween will soon be upon us.

A fun little green project to try
Using an empty cookie tin.




a tree branch, scrap pieces of card stock and some fishing line.



Some paint, favorite Halloween stamps, Distress stickles, bling and of course some Mod Podge to seal.

and you have a fun little Halloween Decoration !

For those crafters who are leaning toward incorporating your toss outs in to your projects.

There is a new store online called Creatively Green where you are able to locate Eco friendly craft products for your Scrapbook pages and projects.

Creatively Green also hosts a Message Board, where you will find inspiration to help in your efforts to craft green.

Stop by and check out their blog and find some great tips and projects.

Take care and thanks for stopping by : )

Local Paper Goes Green

It has been years since I have played with good old fashion paper mache.

After reading through our local Bargain paper, instead of tossing it out ...I thought why not make this my next Go Green project.


I have had these Styrofoam balls that had been left over from my son's wedding decorations a few years back that we did not use.

Also a wooden skewer from my kitchen.



The local bargain paper after I was finished reading it.

Paper Mache Mix

1 cup flour

1 cup hot water

Tbs Salt

The end result is a Halloween Tower of Pumpkins.

Finished off the end with adhesive backed felt.

Here is the basics of how this came together if you would like to give it a try.

Slice off the bottom ball to lay flat.

Push the wooden skewer through the Styrofoam, dab with hot glue to hold them together.

Using 3 layers of Paper Mache to cover the Styrofoam....make sure each layer has completely set and is dry before applying the next layer of Mache.

Acrylic paint for the first layer

Next a layer of sponged on alcohol Ink, a spritz of Glimmer Mist.

Paint on your faces.

Finish off with sponged on Distress Stickles and Mod Podge.

Most important !!! Let each layer dry thoroughly before moving on to the next step.

Lots of fun to create!!

Thanks for stopping by : )... have a great weekend .

Boxing up Green Style

This little box came in the mail this week for my husband.

Looking it over before he had the chance to toss it out, I noticed it was the perfect size to hold the recipes cards I have been creating.

Following the same principles that Deanne has posted on her blog for her August 4Th Go Green Challenge.
The paper I used for my box, goes back to 2005 from a kit that Wal-Mart sold back then. (Waste not, Want not) !



Thought this was as good as time as any, to use up some of those endless amount of buttons I have been hoarding.

See how nicely my 6x6 Recipe cards fit in !!

Paint , paper, a little ribbon & some Mod Podge brought this project together.

Thanks for stopping by :) and hope you have a happy crafty week !

Hats off to Going Green

My dog, finished up the last of his special treats this weekend and left me with this plastic jug to ponder over.


I thought of many different ways that I could recycle this plastic jug .
Finally committing myself to turn it into a fall decoration.

With paint, card stock, ribbon ,hot glue and a couple of Dollar Tree finds, this plastic throw away will make it's way as part of the Seasonal decorations in my home.

This would be a fun and easy project to get the children involved creating.

A couple of tips.

1. Cut your circle 2 inches wider than the base , so you will have a nice wide rim.

2. I whip stitched around the edge of the circle to give it more texture.

3. After priming , painting and drying your jug and card stock, seal with some Mod Podge and adhere together using a hot glue gun .

That's it !! I just love the little blackbird peeking out from the leaves !

Hope you have a green week and thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world :)

And don't forget to stop by "Am I a Scrap Addict" and see what fun projects Deanne has created with her trash this week !

Plant Hanger and Paint Project

Some years ago I had purchased a wooden plant hanger at the Philadelphia Plant Show.

Through the years of hanging in my yard it had become so weathered and in need of some TLC .

I added it to this years spring list of to do's.

Wiping down and lightly sanding any varnish that may have been left on the hanger, making sure wood was clean and completely dry before beginning to paint.


The next step was to cover in white primer letting dry completely.

Next came 2 coats of white paint, letting dry completely between coats.

Decorating with a flower Stamp and pencil drawings , finishing off with acrylic craft paints.

Final step to coat with some outdoor sealer.

Side one view

Side two view.

Now to get it hung and fill the pots and this spring project will be complete !!

Thanks for stopping by : ) !

Welcome Canvas

A little Canvas I have had sitting around for awhile in need of some play time.

Not so sure what I was going to do with it , had an idea here or there.

Settling on my original intent, to make a simple welcome greeting for my kitchen and the season.

With some inspiration from "Create & Decorate" April 2009 Magazine's Pattern Insert.

I used some images that I thought would work well for my project.

Springtime Stationary/ April Showers note card

flower images by Kim Klassen.

Used for the center flowers on my canvas, adding in my own bumble bees to give it a personal touch.

Also inspired by " Backyard Chicks"punch needle image by Whimsey Street Designs for my bird.
Even though the images where meant for an entirely different type of project than mine.

They just seemed to be the inspiration I needed to get started on this canvas.

I like the look of Primitive & Folk Art ,but have never really gave it a try until lately.

I find it to be fun and lighthearted and it also makes a blank canvas look less intimidating,

especially when paints are not my strongest area.

Happy Crafting and thanks for stopping by : )

Halloween Project

Coming to terms with the fact the lazy days of summer are almost behind for another year (even though it hit low 90's today ).
I have had the urge to get ready for the arrival of fall.

From changing the colors that are in my home decorations, to checking out all the new styles of fall sweaters that are showing up in the stores.
I am ready for a cool breeze and some local Harvest festivals.
Only natural that my creative thoughts are leaning in that direction also.

A little project that I worked on yesterday that took no time to make, with a limited amount of materials .

The frame used was a plain black plastic frame purchased from the "Dollar Store".
Applying a coat of Gesso so my paint would adhere to the plastic, used Acrylic paint for my colored squares and outlined with black window paint for dimension.
When the paint was set I covered with Mod Podge to protect.

Using felt and some embroidery thread and some buttons,this Halloween decoration was fun, fast, and easy to come together .

This little frame has already found a home with my Mother,her first Halloween decoration in her new place. :) She insisted on the grumpy Pumpkin !

Fabric Paint

Hope you all had a fun Holiday this past weekend,
Life around here has been rather busy,but I did manage to squeeze in another page for Technique Class 101 hosted by iScrap.

For this challenge we are to use fabric paint and glitter glue on a lo,also we are to create an embellishment using fabric and paint.
This is the end result for my lo.

Using an old napkin for my fabric and some fabric paint I created my bugs
One thing I discovered about paint is it is forgiving, not happy with the colors I used on the my big flower,when it dried I was able to paint over with a new color.
I liked the added depth and dimension it added to my page and decided to give it another layer of paint..very pleased with the results.
Another layout of Miss Emily in my Garden.

Wishing you all a happy Crafty day!

Playing With Paint

Second class challenge for Technique Class 101 week 1 hosted by iScrap.net is all about paints.
It has been some time since I have used paint on a layout and most times I just use a touch.

For this layout I used only paint,except for the touch of one button as embellishment.
Pieces of Saran Wrap for the background and one small brush for the flowers.
I do not consider myself a true artist,so decided the best approach would be to have fun with this.

Really like the results that plastic wrap brings to paint.
Will be trying this technique again! I had such a good time creating this layout,reminded me of my childhood days in art class.

My eldest son and Aunt's dog at my Grandmother's house...notice the graffiti on the barn walls.
My grandparents were all about expressing yourself and allowed all the grandchildren one side of the barn to do so!