DAY 2 OF MY 7 DAYS OF GIVEAWAYS!

7 DAYS OF GIVEAWAYS! Day 2 is here!  Today, along with my new book you'll get a set of KRYLON GLITTER BLAST paints! The more you enter, the better your chances of winning!  Rules are simple:

1. REPOST this by pressing SHARE! 

2. Comment here that you've done it.

3. Join my blog if you haven't.

http://markmontanoblogs.blogspot.com/2011/10/7-days-of-giveaways-day-1-my-book-and.html

4. Like my Big Ass Book of Crafts 2 page on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Ass-Book-Crafts-2/dp/1451627807/ref=pd_sim_b4

Winner will be announced on my FB page at the end of each day so keep an eye out for your name.

DEBBILOU MISSISSIPPI MAMA WON YESTERDAY!

7 DAYS OF GIVEAWAYS! Day 1 my book and Minwax!

‎7 DAYS OF GIVEAWAYS! 

Hey all! To celebrate my new book, I'm giving a book away every day starting today. Today, along with your book you'll get some of my favorite product (you see it all over my book!) Minwax Polycrylic Clear Coat. Use it on everything! Rules are simple:

1. REPOST THIS ON YOUR FB PAGE OR TWEET ABOUT IT.

2. Comment here that you've done it AND leave me your contact e-mail address.

3. Join my blog if you haven't.

4. Like my Big Ass Book of Crafts 2 page on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Ass-Book-Crafts-2/dp/1451627807/ref=pd_sim_b4
5.  LIKE the Minwax page on FB!
http://www.facebook.com/minwax?ref=ts

Winner will be announced on my FB page at the end of each day so keep an eye out for your name.

Best product ever and really easy to use.  Perfect for all of your wood projects, but I also like to use it for decoupage, fabric decoupage and even paper!

THANK YOU!

When I look at my life I notice something very clearly.  Who I am is absolutely influenced by the people that share this world with me.  There is nothing that solidifies this thought more than being an author and putting yourself out there.  My success is based on YOU, my friends, who read my blog, friend me on FB, watch me on TV, stop me in the street, believe in what I do and what I stand for.  You share my passion for creativity and know that being creative has powers beyond what most people think.

Today, more than most days, I feel blessed. Not only is my new book out, but I'm in love with it and feel very lucky to have had another book published.  I'm lucky enough to live in a world where everything is possible, where I have friends who "get" me, and mostly where I have people that support what I do.  Who  I am I owe to all of you and I thank you sharing this creative journey with me.

Thank you!

Woman's Day!

It seems like I'm getting onset memory loss because of the lead time for magazine articles!  I guess it happens to the best of us.  Well, this month I was happy to find a project I shared MONTHS ago with Woman's Day Magazine and now I'm sharing it with all of you.

All the way from THE BIG ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS (1ST EDITION)

Now just in case you don't know what's going on, I'm going to include the original project.

LACE PLATES

Probably one of my favorite projects to make since I'm always finding terrific glass dishes that need sprucing up a bit.  A little lace, a little spray paint and you've got something amazing.  

You'll need:

Krylon Fusion Spray Paint (It's the best for this project!)

Newspaper for your workspace

Lace in different patterns

Spray Adhesive (love the stuff!)

Krylon Clear Coat

Sticky felt to protect the back if it's just decorative.

Here's How:

 

Step 1.  Cut a piece of lace larger than your plate so that it covers all the edges of the plate.

 

Step 2.  Spray your lace with the Spray Adhesive and stick it to the back of the glass plate so that all of the lace is sticking to the plate.

Step 3.  Gently remove the lace after the paint is dry.

 

Step 4.  Spray the entire back of the plate with another color of spray paint.  Choose contrasting colors for the most impact.

Step 5. Spray several coats of clear coat on the BACK of the plate to protect the spray paint.  Wait 10 minutes in between each coat.

Step. 6  Add some sticky felt on the back if it's just for decoration.

REMEMBER TOMORROW is the official launch of 

THE BIG ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS 2!

Amazon.com project: GLITTERY WATER BOTTLE FLOWERS

Amazon.com asked me to do a special project just for The Big Ass Book of Crafts 2 book page:

I've decided to share it here with you.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it for you.

I can't do it anymore. I can't buy bottled water or toss anymore plastic into the garbage without trying to make something with it first.  I encourage all of you to think about different creative ways to use what you throw away.

YOU’LL NEED:

Plastic water, juice or soda bottle

Scissors

Tea light

Needle nose pliers

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Krylon Fusion spray paint

Krylon Glitter Blast

Hair band, rubber band or blank metal cuff

HERE'S HOW

1.    Carefully cut your bottle into petal shapes that are 2” to 3” long.  They should look like a long teardrop.  You’ll need about 20 of them.

2.    WORKING OUTSIDE,  hold each petal (one at at time) over your tea light and let them warp into the rose petal shape.  It should look a bit like an “L” shape.

*You don’t need to melt them or light them on fire.  Keeping them near the flame is enough heat to melt them.

3.    Once all 20 are warmed into shape, hot glue them together at the bases with tiny dots of glue and let them dry.

4.    Continue building your rose adding petals as you see fit.

5.    Add some in the center if you need to.

6.    Put a huge glob of hot glue on the base and let dry.

7.    Spray paint with your Krylon Fusion spray paint for a plain rose OR with Krylon Glitter Blast.

8.    Hot glue the finished rose to a hair band, simple bangle or a pony tail rubber band.

ENJOY!

This project and many more in THE BIG ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS 2 

Cloth Paper Scissors......and yours truly.

This month I got an issue of Cloth Paper Scissors..........

 and I didn't really know why.  I always bought the magazine when I was at the book store, but couldn't remember subscribing.  Then boom, I remembered months before I had shared with them this project and now I'm sharing it with you.  BTW, this issue is terrific folks, go out and get it!

I'm not sure if you remember, but this is an exciting week for me. The Big Ass Book of Crafts 2 comes out officially on October 11th.  I hope you go check it out!

Dinner Party Centerpiece Idea......Paper Feathers

Need a stunning centerpiece for your dinner table?  How about a bushel of something interesting in your foyer?  These are not only simple to make but once you get in the groove, you'll find that making them can be therapeutic as well.   Try different shapes or painting them with water colors before you cut them.  There are all kinds of things you can do with this technique.  Did I mention that you can make these for pennies each? 

YOU’LL NEED:

Roll of craft paper

Scissors

Elmer’s glue

20-gage wire

Wire cutters

Tape (any kind)

HERE’S HOW:

STEP 1:  Cut out a piece of craft paper that is 18” long by 7” wide and fold in 1/2 lengthwise and cut out the shape of a feather.  Tapered to a point at the bottom and rounded at the top.  Do this with the paper still folded so the feather is the same on both sides.

STEP 2:  With the paper still folded, start making small slanted cuts very close together to about 1/2 from the fold. SUGGESTION: The closer your cuts are together the more feather-like your plumes will become.

STEP 3:  Next you will make the shaft by rolling a piece of 2” x 5” craft paper in a long tube and gluing the end of it to keep it together.

STEP 4:  Cut a piece of wire the length of the feather and glue about 1” of the end of the wire in the smaller end of the shaft.

STEP 5: Lay the wire in the crease of the feather and glue down.  

If the wire is hard to manage then tape it in place with some very small pieces of tape until the glue dries.

When the feather is dry, gently curve the wire like you see in the photo.  About 5 of these makes a terrific arrangement.  More.....Even better! 

 A little inspiration.

Want another 150 projects?  Check out The Big Ass Book of Crafts 2!

Available now for pre-order on Amazon.com

I'm back with THE BIG-ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS 2!

Hey everyone!  Here is my new video about The Big Ass Book of Crafts 2.  Have a terrific Wednesday.  I'm off to shop for fabrics today.

Giant Octopus DIY!

 This Octopus is from the original THE BIG ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS 1 (2008) Warning:  It looks a lot harder than it is to make but it does take up a lot of room so be prepared.  I have nieces and nephews galore and this particular octo-chair makes them very happy.

Have fun!  xoxo, Mark

 YOU’LL NEED:

Large beanbag chair in a color that's easy to match

Large trash bags

4 1/2 yards of 60” wide fabric that matches your beanbag

1/4 yard of black heavy cotton or felt

8 bags of stuffing for the arms

Sewing machine with z zigzag capability

Scissors

Straight pins

Seam ripper

Sewing needles and matching heavy-duty thread.

 HERE’S HOW:

Just an FYI, I am in love with the Bernina 1008.  It's an amazing machine.

 

1.  Cut out two large ovals in your black fabric for the eyes and two smaller ovals for the inside of the eyes.
2.  Zigzag the smaller ovals on to the larger ovals.

3.  Take a good look at your beanbag and pin the eyes in place.

Also, figure out where the arms are going to be sewn on your beanbag. 

BEANBAG 101:  Most beanbags are sewn like a beach ball.  With several seams all the way around to make the shape and often a circle on the bottom.  I used the circle on the bottom to trap my tentacles.  You could use a seam ripper and make an 8” hole in each seam to put in your octopus legs and trap the end of your arms in the seams as you sew up the holes. I trapped these in each seam and it worked well.

Unzip and empty your beanbag of all the stuffing in the trash bags and store in another place.  You won’t need this until you’re done.

4.  Zigzag stitch the eyes and mouth on the beanbag.

5.  Cut eight 6ft x 15” strips of fabric for your arms.

6.  Sew each one of these strips like a sock with one end open.  Turn them right side out and stuff them.

 Place the open end of the arm inside the slit and sew up from the inside.  

7.  Fill the beanbag with your stuffing and you’re golden.

Don’t forget to zip back up or your stuffing will be everywhere much to the happiness of the kids!

Make sure to check out THE BIG ASS BOOK OF CRAFTS 2 for instructions and patterns for a huge snail and alligator!  For pre-sale now on Amazon.com