A Wee Bit O' Something for St. Patrick's Day
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It started with this glitter chipboard heart I found in the dollar section at target.
It had be filed away with my scrapbook paper for a couple years. I traced it 3 times onto a plain piece of chipboard so that I would have three leaves for my shamrock.
*Note: Chipboard is that stiff piece of cardboard that you can usually find on the back of a legal notepad. So, you could do what I did and just rip the chipboard of the back of your notepad. Or, go buy a couple sheets of it from the craft store.
You can right click and and save this template then open it up in word or photo shop to print.....
....or, I found this clip art off the web that could work as well.
Trace and cut out the heart template so that you have a total of 3 hearts.
Use
the excess card board and cut out a stem for your shamrock. Then, with
hot glue attach two of your heart to the stem so that the hearts look
like a butterfly.
Glue the third heart at the top. Place it however you like. Mine overlapped the bottom two hearts slightly. I then took white glue and painted it allover my shamrock. Then apply glitter. I use Martha Stewart Whit Gold craft glitter. Note: if you apply the glue and glitter in segments it is a bit more manageable.
For the pennants to hang on the banner, I happen to have burlap on hand and lots of scrapbook paper in shades O' green. But, you could use whatever you have on hand. The burlap I cut 5" wide x 5 3/4" long, then dove tailed the ends. I also fringed the sides of the burlap.
My paper I
cut 3 3/4" wide x 5" long and again, dove tailed the ends. I would
advise making holes in the top of your pennants now. It was a little
difficult once the burlap and the paper were glued together. I, then
glued the paper to the burlap with hot glue and applied a layer of mod
podge over the top of the paper/burlap to seal it. The next step is to
find your favorite ribbon and string your pennants to you glittered
shamrock.
I attached a wee little "Luck O' the Irish" tag to the center of the shamrock and tied it on with twine and ribbon.
Make it as long or as short as you like. Hang it above a window or from a mantel or shelf.
I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
****************
A
sad glitter heart left over from Valentine's day gave me the jump start
to make this St. Paddy's day banner. I love St. Patrick's Day but, I am
not to fond about spending all my pot O' gold on decorations for the
holiday. Plus, most of the decor that can be found in stores is tacky
crap (excuse the language) and not worth the money. Using what I had on
hand, in total this project cost me $0.
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It had be filed away with my scrapbook paper for a couple years. I traced it 3 times onto a plain piece of chipboard so that I would have three leaves for my shamrock.
*Note: Chipboard is that stiff piece of cardboard that you can usually find on the back of a legal notepad. So, you could do what I did and just rip the chipboard of the back of your notepad. Or, go buy a couple sheets of it from the craft store.
You can right click and and save this template then open it up in word or photo shop to print.....
....or, I found this clip art off the web that could work as well.
Glue the third heart at the top. Place it however you like. Mine overlapped the bottom two hearts slightly. I then took white glue and painted it allover my shamrock. Then apply glitter. I use Martha Stewart Whit Gold craft glitter. Note: if you apply the glue and glitter in segments it is a bit more manageable.
For the pennants to hang on the banner, I happen to have burlap on hand and lots of scrapbook paper in shades O' green. But, you could use whatever you have on hand. The burlap I cut 5" wide x 5 3/4" long, then dove tailed the ends. I also fringed the sides of the burlap.
My paper I
cut 3 3/4" wide x 5" long and again, dove tailed the ends. I would
advise making holes in the top of your pennants now. It was a little
difficult once the burlap and the paper were glued together. I, then
glued the paper to the burlap with hot glue and applied a layer of mod
podge over the top of the paper/burlap to seal it. The next step is to
find your favorite ribbon and string your pennants to you glittered
shamrock. 
I attached a wee little "Luck O' the Irish" tag to the center of the shamrock and tied it on with twine and ribbon.
 | |
Make it as long or as short as you like. Hang it above a window or from a mantel or shelf.
Best O' Luck to ya! And, Happy Crafting!
I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
Every year for Christmas we put up a small REAL table top tree in our family room. This year in about April (yes, I said April) I decided we were going to get a beautiful snowy flocked tree. I planned on it being a little extra cost wise but, I figured it would be worth it.
Finally the Christmas season was upon us and it was time to pick out our flocked 3 foot tree. My husband and I could hardly wait.....but wait, turns out it is a little difficult to find a flocked tree.
After asking around we found one place in town that sold flocked trees. Giddy with excitement we walked into the tree lot and there it stood a perfect white beautiful 3 foot flocked tree. My husband promptly retrieved the man to whom we could buy said tree. Our excitement quickly turned to surprise/disappointment when we discovered that the pristine tree was going to set us back $80!!!(twice the amount we planned on spending).
Though the tree was perfect I couldn't help thinking about all the other things I could buy with $80 and opted not to buy the tree. But still determined to have my flocked tree I searched the Internet for a solution. What I found... Homemade flocking recipe. I followed the recipe with one alteration. After I had applied the flocking to the branches I sprinkled fake snow (the kind used on miniature Christmas villages) all over the tree so that it would stick to the flocking. It was just the finishing touch it needed. Here is the end result.
A couple of tips: Apply the flocking only on the top side of the branches and heavier on the ends. I tried to mimic the way real snow would fall on a tree outside.
One of the benefits of this alternative is if you are using a live tree the flocking allows you to still enjoy your tree and its aroma because the needles aren't completely covered. And, It only cost me about $26 total. Sorry the pictures aren't great. I should take the money that I saved and put it toward a new camera :)
More Holidays
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