Heartfelt Request

This set of ornaments was a custom request, a gentleman wanted them as a Christmas gift for his wife.

He wanted them to mark their first apartment, their home, and their wedding date.

I thought that it was a very special request, and one that was very heartfelt.

This has to be my favorite order yet.

He was very thankful for me completing his request and happy with the outcome.

Thanks for looking!

Braided Seed Bead Necklace

Seed beads, when used creatively, can make beautiful jewelry.

Here is a necklace that I made as a Christmas gift.

I strung three strands each of white seed beads, silver/grey, and clear.

I took these strands and braided them together, making a slightly chunky necklace.

I then took a silver chain and hooked it onto each end.

The necklace was long enough that I didn't even have to attach a clasp!

Thank you for looking!

Penguin Ornament

Penguins are cute anytime of year, but they are perfect for winter!

Here is a cute penguin painted onto a glass ornament ball:

I think the ornaments are cuter when you are able to make them the face or the whole body of something, so for this one it's just the penguin face.

It worked out perfectly on the round ornament ball!

Thanks for looking!

Bella's Halloween/Fall Bandana

I'm a little late on posting this, but I made Bella (my dog) a Halloween/Fall bandana.

I found a couple of different ideas on Pinterest and kind of combined a couple of them and tweaked them to my liking to suit Bella and how I wanted the bandana to work and look.

The bandana is very simple and does not tie around her neck, it actually slides unto her collar.

It is wonderful because she does not pay in any mind at all.

I did do a seam all the way around so that it would be machine-washable.

I didn't want it to just be plain polka dots, so I added a cut out a pumpkin design from felt and hand-stitched it on!

Bella has gotten lots of compliments on her bandana on our walks outside!

The main idea site off of Pinterest that I used for inspiration was: 

http://www.craftycritique.com/2011/06/tutorial-slide-on-dog-collar-bandana.html?m=1

Christmas martini anyone?

I was drawing some fun sketches of holiday drinks when I thought about giving them a try on the ornaments that I have been painting.

Here is one of them, a Christmas martini:

I drew my image on, painting a silver background around it.

I then painted in the details of the Christmas martini.

Last, I added red and white polka dots.

It turned out to be quite a festive ornament!

Sock Monkey Ornament

Sock monkeys are cute and make great decorations for anytime of year...

so why not have one on your tree, as a Christmas ornament?!

Here is one that I have hand-painted with acrylics on a glass ball ornament:

I think it turned out adorable!

I kept with the traditional sock monkey colors so that it would be easily recognizable, but you could also change up the color scheme to personalize it.

Chevron Craze

I have been working on painting ornaments.

They are glass ornaments that I have been painting with acrylics and then sealing with a gloss clear coat.

I decided to try a chevron pattern since it is so popular.

I used a green and white to make the chevron pattern.

On top of the chevron pattern I drew a silhouette of a reindeer and painted it in with red.

The result is a fun, modern Christmas ornament!

Harry Potter Bookmark

Need to make a gift for someone?

Does that someone love books?

Well that was the situation I was in for my Dad...

And I decided to make him a Harry Potter bookmark out of felt!

I started with a rectangle piece of flesh-tone felt.

I then cut out hair, glasses, eyes, a nose, and a mouth out of black.

Out of red I cut a lightening bolt scar and to rectangles for the scarf.

Out of yellow I cut a large rectangle for the scarf.

I hand stitched everything down with coordinating embroidery floss.

I then finished it off by stitching on another rectangle piece of flesh-tone felt on the back to cover up all of the other stitches and knots.

Now you have a gift perfect for book lovers!

Tailor it to fit their likes!

Pirate Necklace

This is necklace two of three that I told you that I made for myself this past weekend.

This one has a pirate theme.

The sword and skull are actually two charms that my boyfriend bought me about three years ago!

(I told you I barely ever make anything for myself!)

So I happy that I finally made a necklace with them!

I think this one is fun and I can't wait to wear it.

The beads help to jazz it up a bit.

Thanks for looking!

Slay Your Own Dragons

If you're a crafter, then you know how rare it is to make something for yourself.

Well, I finally did! Yay!

I have so many cute ideas for necklaces for myself, I just never get around to making them.

I made three necklaces for myself this past weekend!

Here is one of them:

I saw these two charms and knew they went perfect together!

They are both charms from the Fairy Tale line.

I used a head pin to attach the dragon on so that it would hang longer.

I also added a black rhinestone charm at the top.

I am happy with how this turned out!

Now go out and slay your own dragons!

Pirate Monkey

This past Thursday was my older brother's birthday.

I was in a dilemma of what to make for him.

I have had this little monkey figurine sitting on my shelf, waiting to be painted.

I didn't want to paint it like just a plain old, two tones of brown monkey though.. that would be boring!

I finally decided to paint it like a pirate! Michael loves pirates and monkeys!

Why not combine the two?!

This is what I ended up with:

I am really happy with how it turned out!

I just used acrylic paints to paint him and then sprayed him with glossy sealer to give him a shine.

Michael seemed to really like him!

Carving out Memories Card

I wanted to list one more Halloween card in my shop for the season!

Here it is:

This one turned out cute and fun!

It is bright and would be great for someone who enjoys Halloween but isn't as much into the darker aspects of it.

The background is paper that is striped in green, orange, and black.

The foreground has orange polka dot paper with scalloped edges.

There is a purple sticker on top that reads "Carving out Memories".

Cute pumpkin/jack o lantern stickers decorate around the center.

Purple rhinestones accent the sentiment.

This card and more are available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/164225824/halloween-card-pumpkin-carving-out?ref=listing-shop-header-0

Thanks for looking!

Spooky Halloween Card

Tonight I am sharing with you a new Halloween card.

I made a few last cards to put in my Etsy shop for the Halloween season.

For this one I started with black paper that had "Boo" in various sizes on it.

I then used scalloped scissors to cut out a smaller section from tan paper that had various Halloween sentiments on it. I put this section on the bottom right corner.

On top of this I put a spooky looking tree, a full moon, and a small graveyard scene.

Ribbon with spiders on it runs across the top of the card and down the left side.

Where the ribbon crosses I placed a glitter foam spiderweb sticker.

This card and many more are available for sale in my Etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/164224458/halloween-card-boo-tree-spiderweb-spooky

Thanks for looking!

Skull Nightlight

I work at All Fired Up, a paint your own pottery studio that offers

ceramic painting, glass fusing, and wet clay building projects.

Until the other day, I had only done a glass project as a sample for the store.

I had been wanting to create something for myself.

I decided to create a skull nightlight for my bathroom.

I started with a 3" clear square base.

I covered it with two layers of black glass line, letting each layer dry completely.

I then used toothpicks, removing away the unwanted glass line

until only the image that I wanted remained.

I then put another 3" clear square piece of glass on top before fusing it in the kiln.

If you don't add another layer of glass when doing this technique, your piece will remain textured.

I am happy with how my project turned out!

It is now nestled nicely under my newly painted shelf in my bathroom!

(Blog post on the shelf is from yesterday)

Bathroom Shelf

I was getting tired of all the clutter of products on my bathroom shelf.

All of the shelfs at the store were kind of pricey, and there weren't any that I was particularly fond over to pay that kind of price.

I decided to go to the craft store, buy a cheap wooden shelf, and paint my own.

I used acrylic paints.

I painted everything a base coat of white first so that the colors would show up better.

The front has three wooden cut outs that I glued on - two anchors and a skull.

I hot glued them on after everything was painted and sealed.

I painted the cut outs first.

I then started on the shelf itself, painting some areas white and some with a black that had glitter in it.

I then painted a skull with an anchor through it on either side of the shelf.

I sealed everything.

Then the last step was to hot glue the cut outs on.

Now it is happily hanging on the wall in my bathroom, freeing up counter space!

P.S. 

- The sneak peak for my next blog posting is the night light that's underneath my shelf!

- (And please excuse the ugly wallpaper, I live in an apartment!)

Superman Flower Pot

My Mom and younger brother just moved to a new house.

I had given my Mom several things but was trying to come up with something for my brother.

He absolutely loves Superman.

I have been wanting to try painting flower pots and had bought a smaller one to try before painting bigger ones.

I decided to try painting the smaller one in a Superman theme for my brother.

I love how it turned out!

I made it kind of look like Superman himself, just a portion.

I figured the smaller flower pot would be perfect for change or odds and ins.

My brother really liked it!

Now I am off to paint more!

Stashing through the Snow

I know it is only September, but I have started working on Christmas presents!

Those of ya'll who are crafty and make your own gifts know that starting early is key!

This year I have decided to try my hand and painting glass ornaments.

Here is my first one:

This mustache inspired ornament is for my best friend.

I started with a clear glass ornament and painted it white.

I then painted a black mustache on it and painted the quote on.

Ta da, a cute ornament for her tree!

I can't wait to give this to her!!

If you like this, make sure to subscribe, because I have many more ornaments and hand painted and handmade gift postings coming up!

Forgotten Treasures Blog Hop

Welcome to the Forgotten Treasures blog hop where we are showcasing projects made with a least one item we have had for 6 months, or longer. If you came from Suzanne's blog you are on the right path, if you started with my blog pop over to Christine's blog to see start at the beginning, you don't miss all the fabulous projects!


We have several sponsors offering gift certificates for this hop. To be eligible for the gift certificates you must comment on each blog and comment on each sponsor's facebook pages. Random winners for each gift card will be selected on July 22 and the winners will be posted on Christine's blog

$20 gift certificate 

Facebook fan page

3 lucky winners will receive a $5 gift certificate 

Facebook fan page

$10 gift certificate 

Facebook fan page

$15 gift certificate 

Facebook fan page

For my project, I created a card that can be used for many different occasions.

My forgotten treasure that I used on my card are the paper flowers.

I have had those paper flowers since before Christmas last year.

I received them in a Secret Santa Christmas swap that I was in.

I started making my card by pasting my background paper onto the card.

I then took a complimenting patterned piece and pasted it on the bottom.

The pink with birds and pine cones is washi tape.

I then had a stamp that is a cardstock cut out that I pasted on.

I then applied my forgotten treasures - my flowers!

I added halfback pearls to my flowers to accent them.

Thank you for stopping by, the next stop is Jamie! 

Here is the complete blog line up in case you get lost along the way.   

Christine ~ http://hotberrydesigns.blogspot.com/

Cathie ~ http://cathiescafe-scraphappy.blogspot.com/

Suzanne - http://www.zannieberry.blogspot.com

Katie - http://ktscreativeinsights.blogspot.com

Jamie ~ http://craftygirl21.blogspot.com/

Alicia ~ www.goldengoddessdesigns.blogspot.com 

Robin L. ~ http://create-a-latte.blogspot.com/

Mary - http://irongatestamps.blogspot.com/

ClaireR ~ http://threewaterscreations.blogspot.com/

Kathy ~ http://kathyand3kids.blogspot.com

Carla ~ http://racincrafts.blogspot.com/

Connie - http://conniecancrop.blogspot.com

Kathy Jo~  http://carterscraftingcorner.blogspot.com/

Mags Graphics http://magsgraphics.blogspot.com/

Patriotic Blog Hop

Welcome to the July 13th Patriotic Blog Hop hosted by www.thecricutchirp.com. If you’re just joining the hop, make sure to start back at the beginning at http://www.thecricutchirp.com. We hope that you enjoy hopping along with us as much as we enjoyed putting our projects together for you.

Here’s the line up…

Julie – www.thecricutchirp.com

Katie - http://www.ktscreativeinsights.blogspot.com/ (you are here)

Sandy - http://scrapbookblessings.blogspot.com/

Ashley - http://marinewifesscrappinlife.blogspot.com/

Suzanne - http://www.zannieberry.blogspot.com/

Jennyfer- http://www.scrapalajen.blogspot.com/

Camille - http://shortonideasaz.blogspot.com/

For my patriotic project, I decided to make a new background for my menu board.

If you're new to my blog, I make a new background for my menu board every month.

A menu/message board is easy to make on your own!

All you have to do is get a frame in the size you wish, and start designing backgrounds to fit it!

The glass works as a dry erase board!

Here is the patriotic themed background that I made for July:

I started with the blue star scrapbook paper. I then stacked a 4th of July sentiment paper on top, and then a cream colored paper on top of that. (I always try and use some type of solid paper somewhere in my board so that the writing will show up when writing on the board). I then used photo corners on either side of the cream colored sheet. I used a flag sticker on the cream colored sheet as well. I had chipboard stickers in the sentiments "patriotic" and "freedom" that I used to decorate. I used letter stickers to make "USA". I shaded the edges with a black pen (on the USA) to make it stand out against the background.

Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed my project.

Make sure to hop all through the blog hop, as there are many great projects and prizes!

Next stop - Sandy - http://scrapbookblessings.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday, for a Guy!

For us card makers, we all know it is harder to make cards for guys.

I came up with a great, fun card for a guy though!

I used the scrapbook paper as my inspiration and built off of that.

I cut and glued that down.

I then ran washi tape across the top and the bottom of the card.

I took a tag and added a mustache sticker and stamped "sending you birthday wishes".

I then added 3D dots on the back and placed it on the center of the card.

I had some cute tiny washers that worked perfect with this card,

so I used glue dots and adhered three on either side of the card!

Ta da, a great guy card!

This card, and many more, are available in my Etsy shop

http://CreationsByKT.etsy.com

Steampunk Inspired

I have had this gorgeous steampunk clock scrapbook paper for awhile now.

I wasn't sure exactly what to do with it, or what to accent it with.

I recently got a pack of tags that had some in it with a little stopwatch on it.

I knew they would match perfectly!

I started looking through my scrapbooking supplies, gathering materials to match.

I came up with some lace like ribbon, washi tape with old clocks on it, tan flowers, half back pearls, and clock hand charms.

The first card I put a Happy Birthday sentiment on and put it for sale in my Etsy shop.

The last two cards I left blank and put them in my stash for cards to have when I need them to give.

They will either be happy birthday cards or thank you cards.

Cards such as these and more are available in my Etsy shop

http://www.CreationsByKT.etsy.com

Thanks for looking!

Star Necklace

Today I am sharing with you a project that I had made for my sister for her birthday.

She wears a lot of blacks, greys, and white when she goes out with her friends on the weekends.

She also likes when I make her jewelry.

So, I thought I would combine those two things and make her a necklace to wear on her nights out!

I found this star pendant awhile back with her in mind, so I new that it would fit with the theme I wanted to go with.

I then did a double strand necklace, one with mainly black seed beads, 

the other with a grey/silver color seed beads. 

I used several different accent beads in black, white, and grey to make the necklace "pop".

Dragon's Baseball Game

Yes, I know, this Layout says Ohio 2010!

I am a bit behind in some of my scrapbooking!

But it is okay, because I am catching up and have lots of supplies to do so!

I have family that lives in Ohio that we go to visit every summer.

The pictures were taken at a Dragon's baseball game that our cousins took my brother and I to.

This is a fun and simple layout.

I started with a striped scrapbook paper and then matted my pictures on an orange-yellow cardstock.

I then added three rhinestones on each.

I added a cardstock flower in the middle of the page.

One side is accented with patterned orange and green buttons,

the other with a tag.

Thanks for stopping by!

Classic Monster Coasters

Have you ever been to a paint your own pottery studio?

It is a lot of fun!

(I work at one!)

I brought my artwork home to do though.

I decided to do a coaster set in the theme of Classic Monsters for my Dad.

If you don't know, the pottery painting process is very different from that of regular paints.

You use special paints called glazes.

There are many different techniques that you can use with them.

They look very different when you start painting, kind of like sidewalk chalk.

They are then fired in an oven called a kiln.

When they come out the colors are much brighter and the pieces are shiny!

Work in progress:

Before:

After: