Materials:

• Buttons or glass beads
• 1.8m Leather cord
• Scissors

Button bracelet:

Before you start make sure the leather cord will slide through the button holes!  I’m using 7 one inch mother of pearl buttons and one 1/2″ button as the fastener.  I want the bracelet to be 7″ to 71/2″ long when finished, so I will need to cut the leather cord 36″ long.  Fold the cord in half, make a knot on folded end about 1/2″ in, this end will be your fastener, so make sure your button (the 1/2″ button) will slide through!  To keep the first button in place tie one more knot about 1/4″ from the first knot.  Slide your button through one of the cords.

Slide the button all the way to the knot, tie another knot with both cords to hold button in place!

Add another button, tie a knot until you have all your buttons on and the size you want.

To finish your bracelet, tie one more knot to keep the buttons from being to close to each. Slide the smaller 1/2″ button on, sliding a cord through each button hole, and tie cording in strong knot.

Cut off extra cord.

Button bracelet done!

Glass bead bracelet on a leather is just as easy!

For the glass bead bracelet, cut the leather cord 36″ for a finished 7″ to 71/2″ bracelet.  Fold cord in half and make a knot, with the opening large enough for your last bead to go through (this last bead will be your fastener).

Before you start make sure the glass beads will easily slide on the leather cord!  And the bead that will become the fastener needs to slide on to both cords!

Slide the first bead onto just one of the cords, and make a knot, slide next bead on and make a knot, until you have the size you want!

Now for the last bead, slide this bead through both cords knot a strong knot and cut off extra cord!

Done, how easy and quick!

Or try this, make a loop large enough for a bead and tie a knot.  Slide the first bead through both ends of the cord, cut extra tail of cord hiding it in the bead!

Make a knot, add a bead, make a knot, until you have the size you want.

The last bead will be the fastener, so it needs to fit through the loop!  Slide this bead on, make a tight knot and cut off extra cord!

These bracelets would make a great “crafty” project for a tween sleep over or for a birthday activity!

Enjoy and be inspired!

Materials:

• Foam wreath form
• Yarn, your favorite colors in different textures (I used 8 different yarn colors)
• Scissors
• Wire or pipe cleaner for a hanger and hot glue if needed
• Optional: Ribbon for bow, glue, extra yarn for pom poms

Directions:

Once you have your yarn picked out, start with any solid color and start wrapping.  You do not want to pull tight on the yarn while wrapping.  Keep wrapping all the different colors until totally covered!

With a pipe cleaner or wire make a hook for hanging the wreath.  I just pushed the ends of the wire into the foam wreath, and added   little hot glue if needed.

Make simple yarn pom poms in different colors and sizes and add to your wreath!

Or add a bow and done!

Hope you are inspired!

Materials:

• Plastic eggs
• Orange felt
• 7mm eyes
• Feathers
• Tacky Glue
• Scissors

Directions:

Cut orange felt into long triangle shape for the beak, and glue onto egg.  Glue 2 eyes just above beak, glue small colored feather to the center back of the egg.  If you want to be able to open the egg, glue feather just above the opening!

Fill with your favorite treats, fun for an egg hunt or a adorable center piece!

Materials:

• Plastic eggs
• Paint pens or Sharpie pens

Let your creativity out, have fun with poke a dots, squeegly lines, little flowers!!

The paint pens seem to give a brighter colors and show up more, but you do have to give time for drying!  The Sharpie pen dries right away, so you can keep drawing!

Recycle last years plastic eggs into fun art pieces!  Your possibilities are endless!

Materials:

• Glass seed beads
• Matching larger bead
• 24 gauge wire
• Wire cutters
• Needle nose pliers

Directions:

Cut your wire and curl around one end with needle nose pliers to stop the beads from coming off, start sliding beads on to the wire.

For a 2″ finished heart, you will need to start with about 10” of wire.

You want to have about 1 1/2” (or more) of just wire on each end.  Gently bend the wire in the center with equal number of beads on each side. Cut off the end that you curled up, and slide a larger bead though both wires.

Slide the larger bead all the to the smaller seed beads, take one of the wires and wrap around between the small seed beads and larger bead, you might have to cut off some the the wire!

Now take the other wire and curl it into a small circle with your needle nose pliers, and gently bend it towards to larger bead.  You only need about 1″ of wire, so you might need to cut the wire before curling it.  Or you can just bend the wire and wrap it, just like the other wire!

Now I know it’s not looking like a heart yet!!  With your fingers gently bend the wired wrapped end down into the center, and then shape with your fingers!

Done!!

I like to embellish cards with the beaded hearts!

I found the best way to attach the wire heart to the card stock is to sew it on!  With needle and matching thread, 3 to 4 small stitches, your card will be a kept sake!

For a Valentine center piece, I spray painted a small branch white, filled a bud vase with pearls, and hung red beaded hearts on the branches!

And I love adding them to a gift bag or gift box!

Hope you are inspired to make these simple hearts!

Materials:

• Magazine
• Tacky Glue
• Scissors
• Double stick tape squares
• Plastic cocktail straws
• Wax paper
• Long wooden skewer
• Clear varnish sealer gloss or satin and paint brush
• Optional for necklace: jump rings, seed beads, eye pins, needle pliers

Directions:

Pull out pages that you want to use from the magazine, I like finding colorful pages.  Cut pages into long triangles, the fatter end will determine the length of the bead, the longer you cut the triangle, the fatter the bead will be.

Lets make a bead(s), place the side you want seen down and place a double stick square about a 1/4″ from the top (the larger end).  Place a small plastic straw on the top and start to roll, you want the tape to stick and hold the paper not on the straw,  this makes it so easy to slide the finished bead off.

I outlined the tape, see how it is not all the way at the top.  I have found this step makes it faster and easier to make the bead, if you do not have double stick tape, glue will work but you need to keep the bead moving around the straw or it will not slide off.

Now add a line of Tacky Glue and keep rolling to the end.

There will be glue that comes out the sides, with your fingers rub the glue over the bead and slide of straw to dry.

You can make this beads in any size.

Lay the bead(s) on wax paper to dry (do not let them touch each other).  When they are dry I like to paint a coat of gloss varnish sealer.   Slide the beads on to long wooden skewers, paint a coat of sealer, and use a jar to balance the skewer on top to let the dry.

You do not want the sealer to get on the skewer, it will make it hard to get the beads off.  When dry slide off.

Now what to do with all the beads….lets make a necklace.

I’m using eye pins, but you could use wire and roll each end to hold the jump rings.  I start with a small seed bead, then a larger bead, the magazine bead, larger bead, and end with seed bead on eye pin.  With needle nose pliers round the end to make a closed circle.

When all beads are on the eye pins, open and attach a jump to the ends, keep going until you have the length you want.  I made two strands, one with 24 beads and the other with 22.

This necklace cost under $5 and I love the colorful look.

A quicker way to put together this necklace is to string the beads on leather cord or hemp!  Tie a knot to hold magazine bead in place and maybe add some small glass beads or wooden beads, tie the ends together and you a have a one of a kind necklace.  This project is great for older children, they can make them for all their friends!

***Note* I used acrylic paints for the snowman and Santa, be aware most acrylic paints will not wash out of clothing!

Santa hand print: on green card stock, paint red acrylic paint on thumb and across top of palm, paint flesh tone paint in the palm of the hand, and white on the four fingers, (when painting the hand try not to run the colors into each other) and place hand on paper.  After print has dried, dip the child’s finger in white paint let or help child make a mustache using their finger, several finger prints across the bottom of the hat and one finger print on end of hat.  Red or light red finger print for his nose, and two finger print eyes in gray (or blue).  Once all dry, cut the Santa  print out, punch small hole for a ribbon, add name and date….and of course a picture on the back.

Snowman hand print: Paint or dip child’s hand in white paint, and press hand on green card stock, let dry.  For the snowman’s hats and scarf I used acrylic paint and small paint brush, orange paint for each carrot nose (paint pens and Sharpie markers will work), for the eyes and mouth I used a fine point Sharpie marker and the blue bow, green hearts and white arms are gel pens.  Once all dry I punch a snowflake in the hand and add another snowflake, 2 snowflakes because it’s a 2 year old!!  Cut the green paper around hand, back with red card stock, cut into hand shape and add white card stock, cutting in the hand shape.  Punch small hole and add ribbon for hanging, add name and date to front or back…and a picture on back!

Little Deer “Rudolph” hand print: Trace the hand, and cut it out of light brown card stock, cut green glitter paper for back, punch a small hole for ribbon on the green paper where the deer will cover the hole. With small hole punch (or extra large needle) punch hole between thumb and pointer finger of the cut out hand, string a small bell on ribbon and pull through hole and tie, place 3-D scrapbook adhesives squares on back, and place on to green glitter paper. Using Tacky Glue, glue small red pom pom for nose, and glue small sticks for antlers, with brown fine point marker or gel pen add eye and mouth.  I added 3 small snowflakes, because it’s a 3 year old hand print!  Add name and date to front or back, and a picture on the back.  I used my corner rounder punch on each corner!

I like adding my painted and traced hands to my scrapbook, but for the little deer these antlers would not work!  Instead I used a brown Sharpie and make the antlers and made a red nose with paint!

Hope you are inspired!

Make an extra one each year and save, to give your child when all grown up!!

Materials:

• Glass or plastic plain Christmas ornaments (no added designs)
• Mosaic Mercantile (glass tile glue) or Weldbond Glue
• DecoArt Craft Twinkles in Crystal
• Paint brush
• Seed glass beads
• Glass bugle beads
• Ribbon 1/4″ to cover hanger top
• Pipe cleaners or hook for hanging during drying time

Directions:

This will work on any color of glass or plastic ornaments.  Glue ribbon around the top of each ornament, or glue bugle beads around the top.  Paint a coat of Crystal Twinkles on each ornament, let dry.

Lets talk glue, I do like the Mosaic Mercantile glue the best…but not all craft stores carry this brand.  I order it www.mosaicmercantile.com.  Weldbond will work (slower dry time).  You should have not problem finding the Crystal Twinkles, you might want to buy two…I love this paint!

Keep going until you have covered the ornament with your design.  Just be careful that you make thin glue lines.

Add 3 red seed beads to each end of the “S”, and 3 green seed beads in center of “S”.

The possibilities are endless!!!

Are you inspired!

Materials:

• Wooden letters “J” and “Y”
• Wooden star with small hole for ribbon or fishing line
• One sheet 12″x12″ scrapbook paper or wrapping paper
• Wreath size of letters
• Mod Podge
• Brush
• Scissors, pencil
• Acrylic paint (matching paper)
• Sandpaper
• Ribbon or fishing line to tie star to wreath
• Satin (or Gloss) varnish sealer

Directions:

I found my wooden letter on clearance at Michaels, they are 1/4 thick and 10 1/2″ tall.  This process will work on wooden or paper letters.  Trace each letter and on back side of paper, make sure you have the letter in the correct direction.  Cut each out, checking the fit, trim if needed.

Paint the edges (sides) of the letters and paint the backs if you want.  If your wooden letters are rough give them a light sandy first.

Brush a coat of Mod Podge on to the wooden letter, make sure the Mod Podge goes to the edge.  Place your paper letter on top, gently pushing in place, making sure of the fit (move gently if needed). With the side of the paint brush, run it gently across the papered letter pushing out the extra Mod Podge with your finger remove the extra glue. Brush on a coat of Mod Podge on top of paper, let dry.  Do the same to the star.

Once totally dry, with sandpaper, sand the edges, the wooden part up into the paper giving a rustic look.

Clear off all sandy dust, and paint a coat of clear (satin or gloss) sealer/varnish, let dry.

When dry pull a ribbon or clear fishing line through hole in star and tie onto wreath.

Materials:

• Any glass vase or jar or recycle a glass jar
• Mod Podge Gloss
• White tissue paper 1 sheet
• Scissors
• Paint brush
• Old paint brush
• Candle
• Optional: DecoArt Twinlkes glitter paint in Crystal

Directions:

Cut snowflakes from the white tissue paper.  If you are using a recycled (used) sheet of tissue, iron it with low setting to smooth, making it easier to fold and cut.  Remember snowflakes are about the folding and they should be unique!  I cut more than I needed, but I used about 16 snowflakes in all different sizes and shapes.

Wash and dry the outside your vase or jar.

Brush an even coat of Mod Podge on the front side of the vase, gently place a snowflake in the glue.  Paint a coat of Mod Podge gently over the snowflake.  Once the tissue is in the glue, it will tear or move easily.

Now go over the entire area with Mod Podge using an up-down movement.  You want to create texture and cover up any brush strokes.  This can be done after you do each snowflake or after all snowflake are glued in place.

Let dry!  If you should notice any areas where brush stokes are noticable, add more Mod Podge in the up-down motion.

Loved the shape of this jar, sprung white glass beads on wire and wrapped around the top.  This will make a perfect Christmas gift!

If you like a little sparkle, add a coat of DecoArt Twinkles in Crystal (glitter paint)!

Isn’t this the perfect inexpensive, homemade gift!!