Scrapbooking

One of my favorite activities is scrapbooking.  I find it very therapeutic because it provides an opportunity to appreciate the memories captured and work with paper.  One of my favorite techniques is to use a square punch and punch out parts of pictures that are either extra or only contain a small interesting portion.  Below is a page from my graduation scrapbook using this technique.  I punched out squares from pictures of my class dressed in our graduation robes taken from high in the stadium.  This provides a snapshot glimpse of students seated in their caps and gown without having to dominate the page with one large photo. 

I used this technique again to capture the many faces of the children I worked with while on a missions trip to Mexico.

Creative cropping is a way of highlighting and uniquely presenting photos.  

  

Easy table lamps.

These are adorable table decorations made from wine glasses and vellum.  They are perfect for a chai night, poetry slam, or special occasion dinner.  

Step 1: Create a pattern based on the size of the glass.

Step 2: Roll the vellum and glue together the edges.
Step 3: Embellish the edge with beaded ribbon or a fancy stamp.
Step 4: Grab a wine glass, add a tea light (I used battery operated tea lights), and place the shade on top.  Cute and simple but adds a nice glow to the table.

Love Book.

For Valentines Day this year, I made a book for my special someone of messages to discover, read, pull, and lift.

Pirate and Princess Party.

We all know that pirates have a fascination for treasure and princesses have adore sparkles and jewels, so when throwing a pirate and princess party make sure you have plenty of both.  All of these craft items were created for the Young Artist Sidewalk Sale held during the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts in my hometown.  Everything was hand crafted to inspire the imagination and creative play of any aspiring pirate or princess.

The girls had fun discovering their treasure which included, treasure boxes stained, felt lined and decorated with jewels and glitter paint. 

These wooden daggers were cut out with a jigsaw, beveled with a belt sander, spray painted, and decorated with felt, ribbon, jewels, and glitter paint.  If high powered machinery is a little much then try your local craft supply store for plain wooden swords and decorate them yourself.

Pictured below are easy to make, colorful pirate flags sporting the skull and crossbones symbol. Recycle fun material and use your favorite patterns on a large square of felt.

This pirate's favorite part of the costume was the pom pom parrot.  He had so much fun saying "Polly want a cracker?" that he didn't notice the clothes pin on the bottom that he could use to attach it to his shoulder. 

Don't forget to set the table. 

Recycled Crown.

This lovely crown is cleverly fashioned from an empty 2- liter soda bottle.  Using kitchen shears, cut out the pattern, bend back the points of the crown, and join together with brass fasteners through holes punched along the base.  We decorated our crown with pink jewels and glitter paint.  To make it fit for any princess, the crown was sprayed with glitter and a gold stretchy cord was attached to fit under her royal chin.

When collecting soda bottles at our local recycling center for this project they were delighted with the idea. Now, one of our crowns is displayed in their recycled materials museum!

Fairy Friends.

Have you seen the book Fairyopolis: A Flower Fairies Journal or read the story of Thumbelina? Don't you think these little fairies are a sweet addition to an Easter basket of pansies?

These little friends are made from separated silk flowers, wire, and a wooden bead for the head.  With just a few flowers you can make all different combinations.  Don't forget to name them.

DIY Wedding Cake.

One happy day recently, I became engaged! We are only in the early phases of wedding plans, however, each time we discuss details my Dad suggests I make my own wedding cake. Although I look forward to creating some DIY projects to imprint my day in unique ways, I am not sure that it would be wise for me to be the baker and the bride!  I do enjoy "cake art." Pictured are several special occasion cakes created for  some good friends. The sunshine yellow cake and the purple polka dot cake were made for anniversary parties.

 I made the cake below for a wedding I was in last summer and was almost late for pictures.

This chocolate brown cake was my first wedding cake.  My best friend Laurel and I made it together.