Posts Tagged ‘Michael’s’

• The One with the Haphazard Beads

  Date: 2010.03.23 | Category: Cards | Response: 0

  As I shop the Martha Stewart aisle in Michael’s, as I often do, I stroll the aisle looking for a new product to try.  I had already purchased the glitter pack by Martha Stewart and had fallen in love, but that is another blog!  So I thought I would give the beads a try when I saw them.

  

  You can get a whole set of colors (12 to be exact) from Michael’s, which is important when doing any craft, you must have a variety of colors!  Another must is a high quality, liquid glue.  Without it, the beads will not stick.

  My first project, I quickly learned these beads have a mind of their own, but not nearly as bad as the flocking!!  The beads will go everywhere while you are sprinkling them on your masterpiece, and you will sprinkle significantly more than you would with glitter, but you can always reuse your excess, which I highly recommend.

  I highly recommend a box top (which is what I resorted to after I began sprinkling the beads) or an excess glitter retriever, which you can purchase from Hobby Lobby or Michael’s for $3-$10.

  

  These beads give a nice elegant look to a project and they are a fun alternative to glitter!

• The One Where the Tiara Goes to the Prom

  Date: 2010.03.11 | Category: Beading | Response: 2

  My cousin is going to her first prom this spring and she requested a tiara to match her dress. Of course I jumped on the opportunity to make something new and to go shopping. This was my first tiara, so I had to do some research on this project. I pulled out my favorite beading resource (and I have looked at a LOT), The Make Jewellery Collection, by the publishers of MakeJewllery Magazine, edition 2009. If you want fun, modern ideas that won’t break the bank, this is the magazine for you. I purchased it at Barnes & Noble, I recommend a trip there today!

  

  There were several tiaras in the magazine, but since I am not a big fan of tiaras, none hit me. Then I found THE TIARA on page 60. This tiara is modern, fun, and quirky. I had to make it!

  Time to go shopping!! I started at Michael’s with list in hand. I bought teal swarovski bicone crystals, 6 mm and 4 mm and AB clear 4 mm crystals, for sparkle. In the bridal section, I had to get real creative on this project, I bought the small, clear combs to attach to the side for stability. I don’t want the poor girl shaking her groove thang and her hair piece falling out!

  I also purchased Silver plated, copper wire 20 gauge and 26 gauge. After using this wire, I threw all of my other wire away! It stays shiny and looks new after bending! It comes in a variety of colors and sizes. I was not able to find head bands at Michael’s, hint, hint.

  Onward to Hobby Lobby! They had two different types of hand bands, I bought both. For this project, I recommend the flat silver band, which gives stability to the piece. I can’t stress stability enough here.

  Time to create. I pulled out my book and briefed the directions. Fairly simple… bend the wire haphazardly to prevent the beads from moving and to give the tiara fullness. Easy enough and it was!!

  Cut a piece of 20 gauge wire 6-9 inches long, more than that will just drive you drink. If you are looking for a reason, then go for 20 inches!! I wrapped the wire around the head band a couple of times to secure it. Then placed a bead on the wire and began to bend the wire hapzardly. Tip… flat nosed pilers work well here, two flat nosed pliers are double good, which is bad English, but what do you expect from a Math major?

  Also, I recommend being extremely careful to not scratch the wire with pliers. Once you have come to the end of the piece of wire, secure the wire again, 2-3 loops around the head band. Check the endings to ensure there are no sharp edges. Rinse, lather, and repeat until the tiara looks full. Make the tiara the height you want and the fullness you desire! I recommend trying it on several times, while you are working, to ensure you are happy with the results.

  Tip… keep in mind the hair type and color of the person for whom you are creating. Curly or thick hair may need a taller tiara to be noticed.

  Stability. This step is optional and was not included on page 60, but after shopping on the Bridal aisle, I saw combs were on the pre-made tiaras and thought it was a good idea. I used 26 gauge wire to attach the combs to the back side of the tiara. Again, a 6-9 inch piece of wire will suffice. Wrap the entire comb in the wire firmly attaching it to the band. Check the endings to ensure there are no sharp edges.

  This project took about an hour, again I was a newbie at this, but a easy and rewarding project! I hope she has as much fun wearing it as I did making it. That is as mushy as I get!

  

• The One Where We Make Birthday Invitations

  Date: 2010.03.08 | Category: Cards | Response: 0

  

  Just paper and words...

  My daughter’s 8th birthday is coming up and what better excuse to craft than to make invitations!  My daughter loves to sit with me and help pick out the shapes and color schemes.  We started with plain colored cards (pre-made because who wants to measure cut, measure, and fold, when you can start with the fun part?).  We used my Cricut, which I purchased at Michael’s and it is one of my favorite investments.  Using the Wild Card cartridge, we cut out the “Event, Place, Date…” in a wonderful, shiny hot pink.  My daughter was jumping up and down for the shiny paper.

  When cutting the parts of the card (phrases, shapes, etc.) ensure the Real Dial Size is cut off and turn your size to the size of the card.  This will ensure the font is the correct size.  The Wild Card cartridge has saying for every occasion you can think of, except for maybe the “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere” occasion.  Maybe that’s everyday, which could be a good thing.  Then using the Stretch Your Imagination cartridge, we used the silhouette function to create the “icing” for the cake in different colors of the shiny paper, making my daughter extremely excited.  Funny how the attraction to shiny things starts so young.  Then I cut out a cake with no functions, which will serve as the background of the cake.  The Stretch Your Imagination cartridge, again has symbols for every occasion imaginable, but no martini glass.  Maybe, Cricut will take this as a hint.

  The best part about using the Cricut, is you can unleash all your creativity, there are no boundaries.  Boundaries are good, as long as I can choose when they exist and where they are.  When deciding on a color scheme, I first think of my audience.  If the gift is for my mother-in-law, it will be calm and many shades of brown, although she claims her brown bedroom is a green called “dried leaves”.  And what color IS dried leaves??  I digress.

  However, if the card is for my daughter, it can get very wild and sparkly in a hurry.  I guess she takes a little after her mother in that regard.  So my point here is always think of your audience, otherwise, you’re just crafting in vain, not that any kind of crafting is completely in vain.  If you are struggling to find creative color schemes, look in today’s fashion, jewelry, or home decorating magazines.  While you window shop, notice the colors, fabrics, and patterns that are put together.  You can always gather what is chic and hot from the latest Seventeen magazine, which I am now subscribed to thanks to my father-in-law.  If nothing else, it is educational, which is truly depressing at this stage in my life.

  

  Using the Silhouette and regular functions of the cartridge.

  Next I pull out my George and Basic Shapes cartridge.  This one could be my favorite because of the simplicity of the font.  I have used this cartridge many a times to make bookmarks, since I recently became an avid reader.  However, that is another blog.  I used the cartridge to cut out the number 8, since my daughter is turning eight.  I will use this to make the number 8 candle on the cake.

  Now, time to put it all together!!  I glue the “Event, Place, Date…” on the inside of the card with the Martha Stewart fine tip glue pen, you can purchase these at Michael’s or Wal-Mart.  This is an excellent tool when gluing small parts as well as glittering (which you will quickly learn I have a soft spot for).  To ensure the words are glued down well, close the card and rub with your finger over the words.  This allows you to apply pressure without moving your pieces!

  On to the front of the card.  I glue the background of the cake towards the bottom of the card, then glue the silhouette on top, again with my fine tipped glue pen.  Then I glue the 8 on top of the cake.  Now, when I cut the silhouette of the cake, it also cut silhouettes of candles.  Cut the flame of one of the candles and glue it on top of the 8, making a number candle.  This is why I love the Cricut, I can make any craft, my own creation.

  

  Ready to send!

  From here I get CRAZY, I will add glitter, buttons (which give a homemade feel and you can buy them in bulk almost any where and Wal-Mart has a very good selection!), stickers, etc. This is the part that truly gives the card character and makes it unique, so go wild.

  Today’s question of the day… What is your favorite Cricut cartridge?