Duct Tape Creations by Lily

I am so proud to feature my daughter, Lily on this post - she is starting her own blog soon and I wanted to show off some of her creations...

 She has become quite the little Duct Tape artist since she discovered all the various styles and colors that are now available. 

Here is some backpack and wallets she has made recently:

One of her favorite sites to visit and learn new
techniques is "Sophies World"...it's a must to check out if you are interested in making anything with duct tape...it's quite amazing and COLORFUL!!!

Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back with more later this week and, of course, I will announce Lily's Craft blog as soon as it's up and ready!!

Till next time, 
   Wicked jypsi

Homemade Outdoor Game Mats: Hopscotch & Checkers & a Picnic Blanket in a bag....

Since the weather here has been so beautiful (after the rain left), spending our time outdoors has become even more fun with this portable  
                                    Picnic Blanket and
                          Homemade Game Mats to master our  
                                    Checkers and Hopscotch 
                                               skills in the sunshine!!
                                                            

 

HOPSCOTCH:

Each number is about a foot wide and long to allow plenty of room to land on the square...

 

 

                                        
                                                        CHECKERS:

Any type of item can work as the Checker Pieces as long as they can be separated into two sets..(one set for each player).

Choose a theme and try to find it in a fabric pattern. Cut and iron on your fusible webbing to create your squares onto a plain background for the perfect Checker Board !!

REMEMBER: 

 Any item can work as checker pieces...Legos, colored dice, bottle              caps...anything that is in your junk drawer will work!

And Last.....

                                 Picnic Blanket in a Bag:

I found this Alice in Wonderland fabric and had to find a place to show it off and this bag seemed perfect since a picnic can double as a Tea Party as well...right??

Using some of our favorite tee shirts we no longer can wear (but didn't want to throw out) we cut and sewed them together, added some batting and attached it all to a waterproof fabric for a backing...just in case the ground is till a little wet from the rain :))

Ready for a Picnic Party!!

 Thanks for checking in and I'll be back in a few days with new Summertime Jewelry items to die for :))))

Till next time,

         Wicked jypsi

Painted Figurines! COLORS GALORE :)

I have seen pictures online of painted owl ceramic figurines in a beautiful array of colors....so, I decided to give my own take on the idea and found a huge supply of various figurines at the thrift store. I piled up my basket and brought all of them home to get to work:

I loved the idea of having a variety of figurines in different shapes and sizes and giving them a distinct color of their own. They can sit together in a group or individually........

 

After these were completed, I continued collecting interesting figurines at my thrift store hangouts and will post more pictures and the collection grows!!

These pretty little things range from 3 - 6 inches tall and are available in my Etsy shop!!

Thanks for checking these out!!

Till next time,

Wickedjypsi

Oz The Great and Powerful: Charm Bookmark Tutorial

In celebration of the movie opening:

 "Oz The Great an Powerful"                         

(and my daughter being home sick for 3 days) we found some awesome projects on Spoonful.com from Disney based on the new Oz movie! 

We created this tutorial as we created these Shrinky Dink charms and bookmarks with the Oz characters:

 

The finished "Oz" bookmarks !

  You will find all the needed links to download the bookmarks and charm images at the end of this tutorial. So, lets get started:

  

 I downloaded the charm images from the Spoonful site and (using Photoshop)  I lowered the brightness to 50 % and then printed them out on Shrinky Dink - Ink Jet Paper.

FYI:  The paper package said to lower the brightness so that, when the images are baked, they are not too dark as the shrinking process adds saturation to the printed images.

Placing them on a brown paper bag eliminates sticking during the shrink process in the oven.

 At 250 degrees, I only had to wait a couple minutes to see them curl and shrink up...

 

I set the finished charms aside, and printed out the bookmark images from the Spoonful site next....

After drying, you may need to flatten them under a book for a bit if they curl some from the sealer...

After the Mod Podge dried, I cut out the bookmarks and punched their holes and (using some yarn or ribbon) I strung up the charms and attached them for a beautiful OZ bookmark !!

My daughter LOVES them!!

 

Here are the links:

Charm Images:  Oz Charm images

Bookmark Images: Oz Bookmark images

(when you get to the page, click on the download links beneath the picture)

And check out the other crafts on Spoonful.com - it really is a very cool site for Disney crafts and activities!!!!

Till next time,

Wicked jypsi

Boho Series: Hanging Birds Decor

Gettin' sick of winter- 

I'm getting ready for warmer weather (a little early but this is California after all) and enjoying spring and summer time requires a little prep work on my end..literally ;) 

So I am beginning a series of decor and jewelry that fits my devotion to color and the bohemian style.....I saw some tiny hanging birds at Cost Plus but I wanted larger birds to hang in my house not just on the doorknob but as decoration. So, I designed something a little larger that fit the supplies I had on hand....

 

 

 

I dug into my

stash for scraps 

to create the 

color scheme

for my Boho-

styled theme

for the coming 

spring!     

 

Here's a quick play-by-play of the action:

 

I drew a quick sketch of

a bird and a wing to fit...

 

 

 

 

 Then, using it as a 

pattern, I cut 6 birds (with

fabric on fold and right 

sides together). 

I then cut 2 wings for each bird from contrasting 

colored fabrics and, using fusible web, fused the 

wings to both sides of the bird. Then with 

right sides together, I sewed the birds together 

leaving the raw edges out and trimmed them with 

pinking shears.

 

Now for the stringing...

   I braided the

end of my cord 

and tied it to 

make

a loop for hanging. 

Next, I tied a decorative

ribbon on to sandwich

the bird between (just

for looks). 

 

Threading my needle

with my cord, I ran it 

from top to bottom of 

the center of the bird, 

then tied another ribbon.  

Between each bird, I added 6 inches of wooden colored beads and 

small bells of different sorts until I came to my last bird. I

added a few more bells and ribbons, then tied it to keep 

everything together and in place to add the cowbell to the

bottom.....

 I could only find the

cowbells in tan, so I 

painted them over 

with gold antique 

accent paint after a white 

coat as a base. 

 

(the paint smoothed out

after it dried, so they 

looked better in the end)

:) 

Tying it all together and securing the cowbell with the 

cord and ribbon to hide the cord...I ended up with 

this:

Finally done....

....and it receives Dexter's approval..whew!!!

 

Till next time,

Wicked jypsi 

Plant Terrariums & Mushrooms..my favs!

A beautiful Maid Fern I tucked behind glass to keep it warm.

     It's that wonderful time of year to plan out the coming planting season and pray that your houseplants survive through the winter chill - so, I hit the thrift stores and picked up some hurricane glass shades and vases (and a cute mini-terrarium) to hold my new ferns, ivy and palm plants......

The cold has nipped at this English Ivy a little, but I'm guiding it now to curl around the cage bars!

This mini-palm needed a little space of its own to flourish.

   I came upon an adorable idea,            a Mushroom Pin Board  
               in the book:      
"Stitched Whimsy"                 
           by Heidi Boyd....

                           Check out Mine:

This project actually took me a while longer then expected, but I am pretty happy with the results :)  Check out the book:   Stitched Whimsy for yourself, it is full of awesome ideas to try!!

Till Next time,
       
       Wicked jypsi