Hi Everyone!
I really enjoy creating tiered displays for our kitchen, dining room, and living room. Lately I have seen more and more birds at our feeder. I decided to create a display with a birds theme.
I was thrilled to find a couple of small wooden birdhouses on my craft shelves. I used acrylic paint to paint them. I added strips of washi tape to the round one. Then I used my Cricut Explore Air 2 to create the words for the birdhouses and the chalkboard sign. My friend Diane made the felted eggs for the little nest. I love the different textures of the birds.
You may want to check out posts on Instagram by dugansgirls and my simple little home. They are 2 of the people who inspire me to create tiered displays.
Enjoy the birds that you might see in your backyard.
Hi Everyone,
Today I have just one word to share with you.
This word is meaningful to each of us in different ways.
Crafting is often a stress reliever for me. Last night I created a few HOPE signs like the one shown above. I used acrylic paint to paint some strips of wood that I had in my stash. Then I used my Cricut Air Explore 2 and some vinyl to create the lettering for the signs.
Hope that you are all doing well in these highly stressful times. Take care.
Hi Everyone!
Like me, my kitchen is 67 years old. The stove and dishwasher are each less than 5 years old, but the countertop, cabinets and floor are the originals. Or at least they were here when we moved into this house 37 years ago. But both of my adult children have commented more than once that it is the best kitchen in the world. We have prepped many meals together in that small old-age room. I cannot afford to update the countertop, cabinets or floor at this time, but I still brighten up the room by changing the banners in the window and the displays I create.
The inspiration for this yellow tiered display came from dugansgirls like so many of my other displays do. I have used the wired tiered stand at parties and holidays to hold food, but until now I hadn't used it for a display. The shelves on it are wired ones much like a cake rack would be. So it's not easy to stand things on them. But it finally dawned on me to cover each rack with a patterned paper circle. Problem solved. It worked!
I used my Cricut Air Explore 2 and some vinyl to create the 2 framed displays. I also made the flower pot chick that I wrote about yesterday. Everything else is store bought. The tulips are silk ones as are the pink ones that are now "blooming" in the pink tiered display I showcased the other day.
Hope this display virtually brightens your day too.
Hi Everyone!
I love using terra-cotta clay pots to create seasonal and holiday decorations. Here are some that I made for Easter.
You can use any size pot to create these decorations. The ones in this photograph are mini terra-cotta clay pots that I stocked up on last Spring. I bought them at the Dollar Tree Store where they sell at least 3 sizes of them, but they are considered a seasonal item there. You can buy them in craft stores and garden centers throughout the year.
I apply at least 2 coats of acrylic paint to the pots before I decorate them. Tacky glue or a hot glue gun is used to adhere the features to the pots. There's a piece of a pipe cleaner between the pink and tan felt pieces on the ears so that they can be bent easily. I used jewelry wire to create the whiskers for the bunny. The wings and feet on the chick were created from fun foam.
I use the mini pots as favors at each place setting. They may not be food safe so I put candy treats in a clear treat bag before I put the treats in the pots.
Larger pots make adorable decorations.
Take care!
Hi Everyone!
It has been nearly 1.5 years since I last posted on this site. I have decided it's time to start blogging again. Blogging is my way of sharing creativity on the Internet. Blogging is my way of keeping a journal about many of my creations. For years most of my posts were about paper crafts I had done. My interests have expanded over the years and now many of those interests will be shared on this blog. I also post ideas on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest from time to time.
My daughter and I started following dugansgirls on Instagram several months ago. She has been the inspiration for the tiered displays my daughter and I create for our homes.
Here's a photo of the Easter tiered display I created yesterday.
I often create signs or shadow boxes for my displays. Look at the "Happy Easter" sign in the photo. I used a chalkboard place card from Target as the base of my sign.
I used my Cricut Explore Air 2 and some vinyl from JoAnn's to create the lettering on the sign. The rabbit on the sign is a tiny felt rabbit from a package that my friend Toni sent me. I added a tiny white pompom to it for a tail. I used a Martha Stewart bow paper punch to create the tiny bow on the sign. If you don't own a Cricut you could use stickers or chalk pens to create the words and images on your sign.
I still love creating and sending cards to friends and family. Here's one of the Easter cards I recently made.
I used washi tape from Eyelet Outlet to create the layering paper for my card. Washi tape comes in a wide range of widths and patterns and is easy to use. I cut the layering paper for my card so that it measures 4" x 5.25". When I apply washi tape to the paper I always wrap it so that a little of it is on the back of the paper. That way it doesn't unwrap and looks smooth and even. The "Happy Easter" sentiment was created with a clear stamp from Lawn Fawn.
Well, that's it for today. I'll be back again soon to share more inspiration with you.
Hi Everyone!
One of our Christmas Eve traditions is everyone receives a new ornament. For the past few years I have been making the ornaments that I give. This year I am using Maya Road bottle caps to create some of those ornaments.
I used my Spellbinder standard circle dies to create the background paper for each ornament. I used circle die #13 for the 4" Maya Road bottle cap and circle die #9 for the 3" Maya Road bottle cap.
I used a Spellbinders Nested Pine Tree die to create this first ornament. Lawn Fawn's Puffy Clouds border dies were used to create the snowbanks. I love those dies. I use them to create not only clouds, but also snowbanks, hills, and ocean waves. I added rhinestones to the tree for ornaments.
This second ornament was created for my daughter who loves the red truck carrying a tree theme that you can see on so many things. I used a die and a stamp that were included with a recent edition of Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine. I painted a scrap of paper with Sparkling H20 watercolor paint for the truck. When the paint dried, I used the die to cut out the truck. I added tiny brads to the tires for hub caps. The road was created with a piece of ribbon. The truck and the tree are adhered to the bottle cap with foam tape.
Here's another truck ornament I made. This time I added a tree from Michaels to the top of the truck.
I used my craft drill to drill 2 small holes in the top of each ornament. Then I threaded a piece of twine through the holes and knotted it to create a hanger for each ornament.
I have other ornaments to share with you on another day. Have a great day!
Hi Everyone!
This afternoon I watched a video that was presented by Jennifer McGuire. She showed ways to create paper ornaments. Here is the link to her video.
I do not have the dies that she used and I do not need them. I have some other dies that I can use.
I used a Sizzix ornament die for today's paper ornament. I cut the ornament out of chipboard 3 times. I cut it out of patterned paper twice. I used chipboard and gold glitter paper to cut 2 each of the top of the ornament.
I adhered the 3 pieces of chipboard together and then glued the patterned paper to the front and the back of the ornament. I glued the gold top to the chipboard top. Then I glued the tops to both sides of the ornament.
The sentiment was cut from a Lawn Fawn sentiment die.
I glued ribbon that is 1/8" wide along the side of the ornament to give it a finished look.
Thanks for the inspiration, Jennifer McGuire. I love my ornament and plan to make others.
Have a nice night!
