Easy Floral Candy Lei

I needed leis for my twin grandsons who are graduating from pre-school. Because they are five, I knew that they would prefer a candy lei over a floral one. However, candy leis tend to be very heavy (too heavy to be comfortable for a young graduate).  Also candy leis never really look festive like floral leis do. My compromise was to combine an artificial floral lei with poly tubing containing edible treats.  The green and blue fake floral leis (other colors available) were purchased from Ben Franklin Crafts as were the curling ribbon and poly tubing.  I filled the poly tubing with small treats (tiny cat chocolates, mini puff rice candy, small chestnut manju, and tiny gummy candy). These were Asian sweets individually wrapped, so the leis were lightweight and sanitary.  Instead of a fluffy bow, I tied on a Pokemon character so that there will be a graduation gift which will remain after the goodies are consumed.   I really like these lei creations because they perfectly suit the recipients and were easy to make. Congrats Graduates! 

 

Crystal Pendant Jewelry

Years ago I was lucky enough to score a garland of single point clear quartz crystals. These drilled single quartz crystals stayed in a box for quite awhile as I pondered what to do with them.  I was inspired by what I saw on an online ad and thought, "I can make that!"  It was easy peasy to insert a sterling or gold-filled wire (choose the largest diameter of round wire that will fit) into the drilled hole of the crystal. With a needle nose plier make a small loop on either side of the crystal. With a jewelry shear cut the chain (with a clasp on the back) through the center front. Hook the looped wire through the cut ends of the chain and wire wrap to secure.  Cut off the wire ends with a jewelry snipper. Amazingly, that's all there is to making this elegant crystal pendant!              

                                    
This amethyst pendant necklace was made the same way as the clear quartz one except a gold-filled sterling silver chain was used.  Finding drilled small amethyst crystal points is not easy so when you do....snap them up!

Here are two more crystal pendants on sterling silver chains.  It is important that you buy chains that have links large enough to accommodate the wire you pass through the crystal.  I really like these finished pieces of jewelry and plan to make more in the future. In my hoarded stash of drilled stones, 

I have a few pieces that I am looking forward to fashioning into one of a kind designer pieces. Keep visiting this blog to see what I create in the future. Thank you for being interested in my crafty endeavors!

Chocolate Box with Cactus Design Repurposed Into a Jewelry Holder

After savoring the luscious Ethel M chocolates in this fancy cactus box, I couldn't resist saving the box for repurposing.  The box stayed on a shelf for months before I decided it would make the perfect gift box/jewelry holder for a sweet person who is fond of cactus designs.  The box had metallic outlined cactus images and a satin ribbon (with a small gold medal) that was not removable.  Also the box had a printed Ethel M label and a few stickers when removed took off some of the box covering.  All of this limited my design possibilities but made me search my printed card stock and rubber stamp stashes to find cactus themed items.  

I happily discovered some Doodlebug Design paper and Whimsy rubber stamp and die sets.  The Whimsey cactus designs were stamped, heat embossed with copper embossing powder and colored in with Copic pens before fussy cutting.  I think the alcohol in the Copic pens may have taken off some of the foil-like shine of the images when I colored them in. I really wanted to match the foil lined images already on the box. Oh well, maybe next time I'll use my Misti stamp aligner, stamp the cacti, color them in, restamp them and heat emboss with copper powder.

The bottom of the box also had some unremovable stickers so I covered it with more printed card stock (the reverse of the colorful cacti images).

Here is the inside of the box. I washed the plastic liner so it could be used for holding jewelry.  I plan on giving a few pieces of specially chosen jewelry and using cactus print washi tape to hold them in place until the birthday girl opens the box. The 'Happy Birthday To You' tag was purchased in bulk for a discount price and seemed perfect for this gift box. I tied it on with a thin piece of Heiko woven ribbon.  I think this decorated box should please the cactus lover recipient and I'm glad that I bought the candy, (ate it) and repurposed the pretty box. Recycling makes me feel so much better than filling trash bins. Please recycle when you can!  Thank you.

 

Slimline Shaker Shower Card

I needed a baby shower card and wanted to create something different.  I chose the Whimsy slimline cloud die because I thought that it coordinated well with the Pebbles card stock that I chose. The 12x12 card stock had flying storks on one side and safety pins on the other.  I made the standard shaker card using foam tape to create a window encasing the safety pin confetti.  The acetate behind the cloud die cut makes it hard to photograph the card without a glare.  I put an extra amount of confetti in because somehow they always seem to get stuck to the edges.

When the confetti is at the bottom of the card you can see the flying cranes holding the bundles of joy. The pregnant mother was stamped, colored and fussy cut before gluing to the top of the banner (from a Pebbles set).  

To the back of the one layer card I adhered a Lawn Fawn die cut pocket and decorated it with a die cut safety pin and die cut banner.  A stamped duck safety pin was colored and fussy cut before adhering onto the flap of the envelope. Little touches like this really add to the overall charm of a handmade greeting. Isn't  making one-of-a-kind sweetness why we all craft?

 

Bunnies in the Rain Spring Card

Just like the card in the previous post, this card was made to use card blank that was intended for an Easter card. (I found it unfinished on my craft desk after returning from a trip.)  It was super easy to stamp the Whimsy image. color it with Copic pens and fussy cut it out before adhering it with foam dots.  The Echo Park paper had a coordinating reverse side that was used for the band and circle with stamped heat embossed Lawn Fawn words. This card makes me happy because of the sweet image and cheerful floral print.  I am sure that this is a card that can be used for a variety of occasions...the birth of twins?

 

Happy Spring Bambi Card

I had some Easter cards ready to go but didn't finish them before going on a trip.  I decided that I would change the Happy Easter to Hello Spring and make a 'Bambi' card instead.  As a child I was in love with Bambi and even had a pink and white Bambi blanket, so of course I HAD to buy the Whimsy Stamps 'Woodland Critters' set.  I used Echo Park printed card stock to make the card base.  The reverse of the card stock had the gingham print that was used for the band and circle.  The Lawn Fawn words were stamped and heat embossed with gold embossing powder.  Bambi and the birds were stamped, colored with Copic pens, fussy cut, and mounted on foam adhesives.  It's a very simple card that would be appropriate for many occasions. I'm happy that I made use of the card parts that I had on my desk.  Please return to this blog site to see another version of this card...coming soon!

 

Panda-Monium Birthday Cards

These are super quick birthday cards to make because the pandas need no coloring and the images were die cut....easy peesy! Choosing the right background printed card stock is probably the most time-consuming part of card construction.  I like that the backgrounds change the look of each card especially since both recipients are quite different. I used a stamp aligning tool (Misti) so that I could print the pandas multiple times and get a dense black color.

The details of the small gifts were colored in with Zebra Click Art pens.  I love the juicy fine tip pens which come in a splendid array of colors.  This Hero Arts clear panda stamp set also has some pretty funny, usable captions.

Whether you are a kid or an oldster, the cake to me is a major part of any birthday. The cake-eating pandas remind me of what I really want to do on my birthdays...LOL!

I used a Lawn Fawn gift card die to make the add-on that holds the coveted HM Ben Franklin Crafts gift card.  It's a good idea to make several of these card holders and keep them on hand to add to cards when you can't (or don't have the time) to choose the perfect gift. In fact, making birthday, baby, thank you, wedding, etc. cards and keeping them in a stash is a wonderful habit because the special moments in life just keep happening.  Aren't you glad they do?