Home Sweet Home Recycled Wall Hanging

 I had been perusing Pinterest to find something to do with all these friggin' buttons I had left over from when it was a big thing to put buttons on your cards {something I never really got into, but HAD to have all the stuff in case the moment grabbed me and I felt the urge to make hundreds of cards with buttons on them} and I found all these Christmas wall hangings with button trees on them So I actually made the Christmas wall hanging during the season this past year and decided I needed to make one that could be used all year long.  I came up with the Home Sweet Home wall hanging that I am using for this month's recycle challenge at River of Creativity {remember we are an Anything But a Card challenge!!}:

I started with an 8" x 10" wooden shadow box frame {no covering on this frame} that I had painted with white gesso and rubbed some gesso on the actual frame part to soften the darkness of the wood.  I took some Scrabble tiles I had {I have SO many of these tiles I am sure I could cover an entire wall

Making the Heart

with them} and spelled out Home Sweet Home to make sure the sentient would fit.  Then I cut out the largest heart using Tutti Nesting Stitched Hearts, #TUTTI-216, and covered it with the buttons.  I could NOT get the shape of a heart to work when trying to do it by hand, so I used the die cut as a template.  Since the background of the shadow box is white it is really difficult to see the white paper heart beneath the buttons.  Once I had finished the heart and glued it to the center of the shadow box, I glued down the Scrabble tiles.  I am really pleased how this came out! I think I could almost actually sell them if I could find a cheap source for the shadow frames; I have sourced a few and they are just too pricey right now - at least if I wanted to make a marginal profit and I can't see having to spend more money to use up the stash I already have.  But, I do have a project I made for my sister for Christmas that I was SURE I posted but can find no record of it, so more button projects on the way!

Getting back to the challenge on River of Creativity, this months theme is RECYCLE so if you'd like to use the theme make sure your entry has some sort of recycle, or upcycle in it.  We can't wait to see all the gorgeous entries! I am personally so pleased at how you all have embraced the changes we made to this challenge and it's a testament to how people are still creating other things besides cards! Thanks SO much and I hope to see you at the challenge ~ Fondly, Christi

I am entering my Home Sweet Home Wall Hanging in the following challenges:
Mix it Up Challenge, #59 - Anything 3D Goes
Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge, #82 - Anything Mixed Media Goes
A Perfect Time to Craft, #5 - Anything Goes
Mixed Media Lovers, #13 - Anything Goes
The Creative Crafters, #51 - Anything Goes
We Love to Create, #5 - Anything Goes

Peace Sign decorated with The Robins Nest Dew Drops

 This wasn't the project I was going to share today but I feel it's relevant to what is going on in the world, so it is a perfect time to share it.  

 

I had purchased the Peace sign at Christmas time at my local Dollar Tree Shop knowing I wanted to make something out of it that would be on my desk year round.   I began by sanding the wood a little bit mostly to just get any slivers that were hanging off and generally smooth the sign out.  I then used gesso, in white, as a base coat.  I knew you'd be able to see the white but since I love the combination of blue and white, I was fine with that.  I started trying to keep all the shapes and colors consistent with each other on the individual letters, but that soon became impossible because some letters took a curve when others didn't and so on, so I just filled in the spaces with Dew Drops that continued the theme and fit; the sign isn't that big, it's only about 6 inches long and about 2 1/2" high.   This sign sits on my desk to remind me to breathe, chill and relax; to find that inner peace, even if it is just a tiny bit.  I didn't want to make something that would need to be put away once the holiday season was over and I feel that the word peace is appropriate any time!

Dew Drops that include colors that I used in my project: Sea Foam Diamond Dew Drops,  Sea Glass Tear Drops, Black/White/Silver Dew Drops, In Love in Italy Mini Dew Drops and Raindrops Dew Drops which is a mixture of all the sizes and shapes of Dew Drops in clear.  Dew Drops come in an array of mixes; so your Diamonds could also have some round Dew Drops in the mix and you may be able to purchase some colors in a single pack while some colors are only in mixes.  The suggestions I provided are just that; I urge you to take a look at the shop and see what strikes your fancy!

I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and take a look at my Peace sign! I hope you & yours are safe and happy. See you soon! Christi

I am entering my project into the following challenges:
Crafting Happiness - Anything Goes
The Funkie Junkie Challenge - Mixed Media
A Perfect Time to Craft, #3-2022 - Anything Goes
Creative Artiste, #80 - Anything Goes

Laminate Chip Ornaments ~ Oldies but Goodies

I was looking at some of my older {these are at least 8 years old - some of them even older than that} creations today and I came across a bunch of these Formica™ and/or Laminate Chip Sample Ornaments.  Back when using these chips was all the rage, I emailed one of the companies and somehow ended up with a huge box of discontinued samples, all different colors and sizes.  I remember feeling like I hit the jackpot!  In fact, I still have a bunch of them somewhere - I should dig them out and figure out another project for them.  

Years back I used to make a small ornament every year and I've gotten out of the habit.  However, I've just ordered a bunch of teeny little embroidery hoops and I hope to create something festive out of those for this year.  My sister has a tiny little Christmas tree that she puts up and she has all the little ornaments that I've made over the years decorating it.  I think it's time to make her a new one.

There really is no "how to" on these; just use whatever you have on hand.

Take a look at these oldies but goodies:

I used Dresden trim, buttons, and an old pin on these.

This one was made with a sequin tree and a bunch of iridescent little circles.  I remember making the sentiments using Publisher - I obviously hand cut this one!

Another button, sequin, and hand made sentiment ornament.  I think I still have some of that background paper somewhere.

This one is using ribbon and Dresden trim - the snowflake and gold lines are the ribbon.  I just ripped a hole in it to accommodate the string. 

Those are the only pictures I have left of the many ornaments I made.  I didn't think the same way I do today; I never thought I'd have a blog or ever show these publicly.  Thinking back on what my life was like when I was making these was a fun little visit back in time.  I hope you enjoyed visiting with me and if you have any chip ideas, please share them with me!  ~Fondly, Christi

I'd like to enter my Laminate Chip Sample Ornaments in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything But a Card {entry #3}
The Happy Craft Challenge - M, Anything Goes
Creative Artiste - M, #43, Anything Mixed Media Goes
Crafter's Castle - M, #10, Anything Goes OPTION:Winter
An Inky Mess - M, #23, Anything Mixed Media Goes
Altered Eclectics - M, Anything Mixed Media Goes 
The Cat's Pajamas - M, #351, Holiday

Super Simple Candle Upcycle

I had tried to make a snow globe for my sister for Christmas but it was HORRIBLE and ended up in the trash.  Normally I wouldn't have worried, but I had bought my brother a little something and I didn't want to hurt my sister's feelings.  I was stumped and then I remembered a customer telling me about a You Tube video she saw using these flameless candles sold at the Dollar Tree.  I actually had purchased one already and I thought this was the perfect time to try this out.

All you need is the candle, tissue paper, and a heat gun.  The candle and tissue paper were bought at the Dollar Tree and I already had the heat gun.  

This is the actual type of candle I used; they come in cream or white, & I used a white one.  The candles have a wax coating on them, which, when you melt it, the tissue paper "melts" into the wax.  Another technique similar to this is stamping on white tissue paper, coloring it with pencils, and then melting that into the wax.  I will be trying other techniques since these candles are easy to get and inexpensive. 




Here is a picture of the candle I made, unlit: 

The tissue paper I used was out for the holiday season {I LOVE blue and white,

add some snowflakes and I am SO good!} but there are always pretty patterns and options all year round.  In fact, I bet you have some seasonal tissue paper stashed away right now. 

And here is the candle in action.  The light isn't yellow at all, but my camera

refuses to take pictures of light without making it yellow.  The candle battery will last about 120 hours and you can buy replacement batteries.

I hope you enjoyed my simple candle upcycle.  I love to browse at the Dollar Tree; and it is so much easier now that I'm working there.  I would love to hear about some of your Dollar Tree crafts so please feel free to detail them in the comments. Thank you so much. ~ Christi

PS: My sister loves this SO much she wants me to make her more of them!

I am entering my Candle in the following challenges:
a2z Scrapbooking -M, Jan, New To Me
Altered Eclectics - M, (runs until Feb)
Country View Crafts - M, Jan, Anything Goes
Let's Create Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes
Not Just Cards - Anything Goes
Rhedds Creative Spirit - running 'til end of Feb
Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
The Crafty Addicts - #44, Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Something New
Emerald Creek Dare - M, Jan, Anything Goes

Autumn Candle for Anything But a Card

For my “Anything Goes” Project at Anything But a Card I decided to make my mother a centerpiece for her table.  Since I have five cats decorating here is a challenge so I often give my projects to my mom.  Besides, she is my #1 fan.  I started with a plain pillar candle that I bought years ago (I have boxes and boxes of candles – I just love them so much!) and spruced it up a bit for the fall season.  Here is my Fall Candle for challenge #41:

 

What I Used to Make my Project:

Sequin Leaves (gold, red, orange)

Pillar Candle

Heat Gun

Ribbon (Dollar Store)

Mini Wooden Sign Embellishment

Leaves to adorn the top of the ribbon (Dollar Store)

Straight Pin, preferably with colored top

 

The sequins

I wanted to make something that my mom could actually use; in this case actually light.  So I had a theory about the sequins and I needed to see if it would work. I took my heat gun (now, I have a Weller Heat gun, it is actually used for paint stripping - I think - so it is HOT. However, please use caution regardless of what heat gun you use) and I heated a spot on the candle and stuck a sequin leaf in the soft wax.  Some of sequins held on the first try, some didn’t.  If a leaf fell off, I just reheated the spot and stuck it back on (it helped that my candle had sort of a rustic look to it) and then I heated the spot a bit more to “set” the leaf.   I found out that sequins melt really quickly, so if you need to set your sequins, you must reheat them with just a quick burst of heat. I let the candle sit for a few hours and then reattached the leaves that fell off when I picked it up. 

 

Close up of the cute sign

Then I cut a length of ribbon that matched the autumn theme of the candle.  I simply tied it in a bow – my ribbon was wired so the bow didn’t fall exactly like I wanted it to, but, it looked pretty.  Then I notched the ribbon ends and glued the wooden plaque onto the ribbon, not the candle. 

Lastly I used a straight pin with a red top to pin the three silk like leaves to the top of the ribbon. Being able to remove the large silk leaves was very important, since if they stayed on I am sure they would of been a fire hazard.  Everything

else can stay on the candle while it is being used as long as it isn't left unattended.  The ribbon is tied on, not glued on and the wooden plaque is glued to the ribbon.  As the candle melts the sequins should just fall with the melted wax. Besides, who knows how many of them will be left by the time I give it to her (just kidding - I hope!) 

There you have it! Honestly the entire project took me about an hour, and the longest part was getting the sequins to stick, as they would initially stick, and once the wax was cooled, they'd fly off. But they are fine if you don’t touch them (hehehehe).  In spite of the minor sequin trouble, I think this candle came out lovely! And I am proud to say I didn't buy a thing for this project; everything came from my stash (not going to say how I celebrated as it may incriminate me). There is still plenty of time to get your muse going and to make a project for Anything But a Card – as it says on the blog, “Whatever strikes your cre8tive fancy” (but, no cards!).  Fondly, Christi

I am entering my candle in the following challenges:
Allsorts - Anything But a Card
Really Reasonable Ribbon - #106, Winter Holiday & Ribbon
Quick Quotes Challenge - #45, Gratitude
Not Just Cards Challenge - #6, Anything Goes

Summer Lovin' with Anything But a Card

I finally got a bird feeder.  When I moved, I had to leave my old one at my old house and I have been bugging anyone and everyone to get me a new one.  So, after about a year of begging, I went and bought one myself.  Now that I have my spectacular feeder, I needed somewhere to keep the birdseed.  I am not particularly strong, so the idea of lugging a bag of birdseed out to the front yard doesn’t thrill me.  So I made a birdseed (bird food) holder for my Summer Lovin’ project, the challenge now being held at Anything But a Card.

This should have been simple.  Should have been a piece of cake.  But, I got sidetracked as my SO decided we needed another cat when he went to Petco to get cat litter.  Our local shelter, The Dumb Friends League, loans out cats and dogs to the local Petco in hopes someone will see the animal and fall helplessly in love.  Score one for Dumb Friends League.  Now I have five, yes FIVE feline companions and our newest is named Sylvester – but more on him in another post.  I give you my Bird Food Jar:

See the cat on the left side? Guess who!

What I Used in my Project:
Container

Gesso

Damask Paper from MME Bestof Damask Pack

Chipboard from Basic Grey, Undressed Periphery (retired, but you can find it)

Distress Ink Pad in TeaDye

Distress Marker in VintagePhoto

Distress Paint in MilledLavender

Tim Holtz Grunge Board Letters, Plain (again, retired)

Pale Lilac Paper from SU!(retired, I think)

Cut File from my Batch of Free Files

Silhouette Machine

I eat biscotti (too much, but hey!) and the brand I eat comes in these awesome containers.  And since I eat so much, I always have an empty container handy.  So I peeled off some of the label (in hindsight, I really should of taken the time to peel off the whole label), gathered 2 12x12 sheets of the paper I thought would be pretty, measured and cut the paper and then glued the paper to the container.  I also cut out a circle of the same pattern to put on the lid.  This is going great!

I gesso all the Grunge Board and the Basic Grey Chipboard.  After that is dried, I try to paint my letters.  I know what color I want them, as the paper is a mixture of pink and brown (which doesn’t match ANY room in my house. . .) so I try to paint them with Distress Marker in Gathered Twigs – I scribble the marker on my craft sheet and spritzed some water on it to make paint.  Well, I forgot gesso kind of reactivates with water.  So I ended up with a very light tan.  OK, I’ll let that dry and perhaps I can paint on it after since there is now a base coat.  Nope.  I’ll spare you the trials and tribulation and share that I finally just pressed the letters on a Distress Ink Pad in Tea Dye.  After they dried, I used a Distress Marker in Vintage Photo to edge the letters.  Whew!

 

The Top

Now I move on to my gessod chipboard.  Again, I had an idea in my head of the color I wanted the chipboard to be.  Pink enough to pick up the pink in the paper.  I must have painted that chipboard with 45 different colors of Distress Paint.  I could NOT get the pink “pink” enough.  I used Pickett Fence with Festive Berries – nope.  Tried to dry brush Pickett Fence on the chipboard after it dried – nope.  After numerous attempts, I realized that Milled Lavender matched the paper almost perfectly.  See, I told you this SHOULD have been easy!  By this time, I have literally lost days, since the heat is here (along with our one month where it rains almost every afternoon – sort of like Florida, but without the crushing humidity) and I have to wait for the embellishments to dry.  I start to panic.  I have my words and my shipboard plaques but what am I going to decorate the container with?  Thank goodness I have this Silhouette.  I found some paper that matched, SU! Pale Plum, and set about cutting out some cute little birdies to put on the sides of the container. 

And the cat is so helpful

I glued them to the sides, glued my letters to my chipboard plaque, and attached my plaques to the container. . .only to realize I had put the birds on the wrong sides.  But yanno what? You can’t tell.  And if anyone dares to ask me why my bird food container is in pink & brown, or why the seams are visible, well, let’s just say I have a shovel and a large backyard.

Take my mistakes and use them so you don’t go bonkers – at least from crafting something. If you'd like the cutfile I used here, or in any of my projects, just ask (I share, except when , legally, I can't) I hope you are cool and comfortable ~ enjoy! Christi

PS: Maybe I'll make another one that matches my kitchen??

Before and After (told you I had a bunch of these)

I would like to enter my Bird Food Container in the following challenges:
Open-Minded Crafting Fun Challenges - #12, Anything With Wings
UnStampaBelles - #36, Mixed Media
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenges - #181, Anything Goes
Crafty Girls Challenges - #20, Anything Goes