Craft Experiments & Happy Accidents

by | Nov 3, 2009 | Miscellaneus | 20 comments

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I have been very inspired by the decorating blog community, so I’ve been working on some “craft projects” for our new shop. Now, when I think of crafting, I think of dolls made out of clothes pins or stenciled duck napkin rings. There is a whole new world of quality and creative crafts out there, now. If you have any doubts, just check out Etsy! I think these people are artists, not crafters. So, now that we’ve gotten past the whole craft thing, let me show you what I’m working on.
I am in love with antique and vintage banners made out of glittered letters. Every time I see them in a magazine or antique shop, I just love the fanciful nature of them. The problem is they are expensive. Very expensive. So, I’ve been thinking for a long time about making one myself. This is my first attempt.

I cut 7″ letters in a font called Story Book using my Cricut (great tool and I don’t even scrapbook.) I then used several coats of spray glitter and Krylon Glossy Poly. I punched holes in the top corners of the letters and tied them together using shear blue ribbon.

The look is great, but the process needs a little tweaking. First of all, I’m going to try to find some real glass glitter online. Nothing sparkles like real glass glitter. Second, I need to use a heavier card stock, so letters like “W” don’t flop around. It’s getting there, though. I think these will be popular for little girl’s rooms or to display during the holidays. I think they will look so sweet in our shop!

The second thing I worked on was making some magnets for our magnetic/chalkboard wall in the shop. I bought some rhinestone flowers, buttons, wooden animals, paper flowers, and a few other things to try. I used a glue gun to attach a round magnet to the back of the rhinestone flowers and thought I was through with those. As I went to work on the paper flowers, I realized they would just get torn apart when you tried to pull them off the magnetic surface…hmm. What to do? Then I noticed that there was an empty space in the center of the rhinestone flowers and I forgot to buy a center for them. Ah ha! Put the paper flowers on top of the rhinestone ones and ta-da!

I love how they turned out! I don’t think I could have planned it out better.

So, I took them into the shop last night, all excited to stick them to my magnetic wall and…they didn’t stick. I knew they worked, because they stuck to my fridge. They were just too heavy for the magnetic pull in the wall. Sigh. So, I was resigned to the fact that I would have to stick them to the radiator cover or something. But, another happy accident happened today that has given me a perfect way to display these! What is it? You’ll see…

I’ve got a great giveaway coming up, so keep checking back.
Miss Mustard Seed

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    20 Comments

    1. Traci@ Beneath My Heart

      Both of your projects turned out beautifully!
      Can't wait to see what you do with the magnets!

    2. The Little Red Shop

      Love the flower magnets! Did you find a vintage tray to which to stick em'?

      : )

      Julie M.

    3. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions

      You crafty artist, you! {See how I worked both into that sentence}. Love the word banners ~ they do seem really popular right now. I'll bet teen girls would like them, along with your flower magnets, for the inside of their lockers. What a great way to hold their schedules and such to the inside of the locker. {I'm sure they work well everywhere, but that was the first thing that came to my mind for some reason}!

    4. Beverly

      Very nice. What are the plans with the maganets?

    5. Amanda

      Super cute! I really like the magnets. Can't wait to see how you display them!

    6. dee dee

      Both projects are so fun and creative! You have added so much detail to your magnets, each is so unique… I love them… Dee Dee

    7. Gail

      You go girl! I love the vintage banner. I just got a Cricut about a month ago and I haven't even had the time to play around with it yet. I'll be so glad to be done with this kitchen!

    8. undomestic chica

      They're both so cute! I especially like the banner

    9. Anne

      I like glitter letters and glitter letter banners, too.

      About that Cricut machine … can you expand on that sometime? I'm not a scrapbooker, but would love to hear how other artsy fartsy folk use it. 😉

    10. Funky Junk Interiors

      Those magnets are gorgeous! Banner is adorable too. I too would like to know more about this cricut machine. I'm obviously not a scrapbooker either. 🙂

      Donna

    11. Karen at Nittany Inspirations

      Word art is so in right now. There is all sorts of possibilities. The little flower magnets are cute.

    12. Danielle @ Transforming Home

      Love the banner! I just made my first one for Halloween and now I must have one for Christmas. I really like your font.
      Oh, the possibilities…

    13. Molly @ A Bit O' Shine

      Stenciled duck napkin rings? I think there's a story there that we are missing! HAHA!

      I agree though, it's hard to convince people that crafting isn't all popsicle sticks and wiggly eyes. *shudder*

      There's lots of sellers on etsy who have German glass glitter although they usually only sell it in one ounce containers.

      I like your wish banner! It turned out very cute!

    14. Anne Lorys - Fiona and Twig

      EXACTLY! You said what I've felt to be true all along. The word crafty just doesn't do justice to the true artists in our midst.
      Spot on as usual, my friend!
      Hugs,
      Anne

    15. Tales From My Empty Nest

      Love both of your projects! Thanks for sharing. Love & blessings from NC!

    16. Brenda

      Great craftiness! I am not a very good guesser, but I decoupaged a cookie sheet and made magnets for a memo board. Could that be the object you used. You can see mine on an earlier post at my site.

    17. Kim @ Cheap Chic Home

      @cheapchichome. The magnets are my favorite, but I think I'll break down and "banner" Merry Christmas or something like that in my dining room.

    18. Room to Inspire

      I just awarded you the Kreativ Blogger Award. I am sure you have been the lucky recipient already, but I just love your blog and wanted to pass it along to you.

      Chelsea

    19. The DIY Show Off

      These are beautiful! I love the suspense. Can't wait to see what you're up to!

      Roeshel

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