He Crafts She Crafts......Letter Perfect!

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There is a place called Dollar King near where I live and let me tell you, it is UH-MA-ZING!  I found masonite letters for 99c each and went nuts.  As I was stuffing the entire alphabet in a cart I realized these were perfect for the HE CRAFTS SHE CRAFTS blog I write with my friend Stephenie (www.mycraftyadventures.com).  So here we are!  I opted for creating a free standing key holder that I could keep on my desk which could also work as a jewelry display on your dresser.  Stephenie made a WONDERFUL holiday centerpiece with her "S" and I have to tell you, I'm a bit jealous......She always knows how to put the "S" in sparkle and shine!

SHE CRAFTS

HE CRAFTS

YOU'LL NEED

Masonite letter

Piece of wood large enough for the base of your letter

2 small "L" brackets

E-6000 glue

Hammer 

4 small nails or small hooks

Grey Krylon Primer

Black Krylon Fusion spray paint

Krylon metallic gold enamel pen

If you need to, sand and clean your pieces

Nail 4 small nails (or screw in 4 small hooks) for your keys in different areas

Glue the "L" brackets to the back of the letters making sure they are flush with the base of the letter

Glue the "L" brackets to the piece of wood for the base and let dry

Spray with the Krylon Primer and let dry for about 15 minutes

Spray with the Krylon black and let dry for 15 minutes

Take your metallic gold Krylon enamel pen and trace around the edges of the letter to get a nice gold edging.  For the base of the letter, place a piece of paper on the base flush against the letter and carefully draw across the bottom.

Make sure to leave a comment here and on Stephenie's blog to be entered to win some terrific prizes AND The Big-Ass Book of Bling!

Cardboard Christmas Balls DIY!

Do you have some cardboard boxes hanging around that need a little overhaul?  Of course you do!  Trace out some circles and grab your craft stash and let's get started making some Christmas Balls.  

Blue and gold is my favorite holiday color combination.  My mom was always trying to stay away from traditional colors in our holiday decorating with the exception of one year she lost her mind and decided  EVERY color would have to do. 

Here's the how-to video 

You'll need:

Scissors

Straight pins

Cardboard 

Large cup

Thin ribbon

2" thick ribbon

Gold spray paint

Glitter

Elmer's glue 

Trace 6 circles per ornament 

 Cut 5 of them exactly in half

 Glue one half to the center of the full circle using hot glue

 Glue two more 1/2 circles on each side of the 1st half

 So it looks like this

Repeat on the other side 

Spray paint the entire ball with the gold spray paint 

 When dry, glue along the edges and dip in glitter

 Let dry for about 25 minutes

 Tie a bow with the large ribbon and a loop with the small ribbon and secure it to the ornament with a long straight pin

Here you go!

A whole ornament chapter in THE BIG ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS 2!

Lacy Recycled Holiday Ornaments (from magazine pages)

It's that time of year that we start decorating for the holidays.  It's also that time of year when we all get super crafty!  These recycled ornaments are a blast to make with friends.  They look great on top of a gift or on the tree.  Warm up some hot chocolate, gather a few friends and get crafting!  I'll bet you already have everything you need to make these, too!

Happy Holidays everyone and stay tuned for another ornament DIY next week.

 Beautiful, lacy, recycled holiday ornaments!

Here's the how to video! 

From my book PULP FICTION PERFECT PAPER PROJECTS 2ND EDITION

 You'll need:

Glue

Scissors

Wax paper

Magazine pages

Ribbon

Pencil

Glitter

Spray paint (optional)

Roll your magazine pages around a pencil to create a tube 

Secure the edge with glue and let dry.  You'll need about 5 tubes per ornament 

Cut in 1/2" sections 

 Lay down some wax paper and dab the pieces in glue and start creating your ornament

After your ornament dries for about 30 minutes, spray it with silver metallic spray paint and let dry for another 15 minutes. 

 Paint the edges with more glue

 Sprinkle with glitter

Hang from a ribbon 

MAKE YOUR OWN BOXERS, BABY!

I sleep in boxers every night and I love it! Especially soft cotton boxer shorts which are harder and harder to find!  I decided it was time to start making my own with cotton fabric that I liked and it was surprisingly easier than I thought!  Here's the down low on how to make your own boxers. A great gift idea and a nice alternative to full length pajama bottoms.

My fancy boxers just hanging out there for the whole world to see!

Here's the DIY video

 You'll need:

Old pair of boxers to take apart for a pattern

Sewing machine with zigzag capability

1 yard of fabric per pair

Scissors

Fiskars pinking shears

Fabric marker

2" wide ruler

Straight pins

1" wide elastic to go around your waist

Matching thread

Iron

 Cut down the center front and up the center back of the old boxers shorts, right on the seam

On one half, cut up the inseam (the leg seam) 

 Cut off the elastic right at the stitch line as shown

Press your pattern and place it on your folded fabric

Trace around your pattern like this:

2" across the top where the waist band is,

1/2 around the center front seam (crotch seam) and center back seam (butt seam) and down the leg seams,

1" across the hem.

When it's marked, carefully cut it out.  You will be cutting two layers of fabric.

 Measure the elastic for the waist band and add 1"

 Stitch the waist band in a loop to create a big rubber band.

With the right sides of the fabric together and using 1/2" seam allowance, stitch down the center front and center back of the boxers. 

Pink the edges after you've sewn them. 

 Line up the inseam and stitch across using 1/2" seam allowance

Trim with the pinking shears

Evenly pin the elastic around the waist of the boxers. 

 Stretch the elastic and zigzag it to the top of the boxers all the way around.

Fold the stitched elastic inside 

 Stitch all the way around again using a zigzag stitch while you stretch the elastic.

Turn your hem in 1/2" and then another 1/2" and straight stitch around each leg.  This is called a turn and turn hem.

You're done!