DIY Word of the Year Purse Charm

The Pirate Pretties Jewelry Challenge was on my list of Challenges and Inspirations for this month. Angela, the hostess, prompted us to make a purse or bookbag charm with both red and pink. It should also include either silver or rose gold and optionally charms or dangles. If you've been around here much, you know that pink isn't one of my favorites. And, combining red with it felt even more challenging. To top it off, I have never made purse or bookbag charms and didn't know where to begin. Fortunately, I happened to have a set of swivel clasps* in my stash (in SILVER - yay). 

And, I had just received an order of shrink plastic as well as recently picked a Word of the Year: Brave. All of these things culminated in this purse charm. 

Of course, I created a video to show you how to work with the shrink plastic and add the seed beads with waxed cord onto the clasp. 

It really is a super easy project and could be fun for just about any age group. 

Of course, you don't have to use a word for the charm. A simple drawing or stamp with permanent ink would also work. In addition, you can color it in with either colored pencils (like I did) or with permanent markers. It really is a versatile medium. 

Let me know if you have any questions at all about the process!

So, have you picked a word of the year too?

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

DIY Shrink Plastic Firefly Earrings (We're All Ears June Inspiration)

When Erin at Earrings Everyday posted that June's "We're All Ears" Inspiration was Fireflies, I knew I wanted to play along. I immediately recalled childhood summer evenings in an open field, my family, and a couple of jars. I knew what I wanted to make.

I took the inspiration almost literally. And, I even considered adding little LED lights. However, I just didn't have enough time to search out and get the lights. Instead I worked with materials I actually had on hand. I have to admit that I'm a kid when it comes to lightening bugs. When we moved into our house almost two years ago, I was such a big kid on the porch squealing with delight over the fireflies. As such, this project is a bit kid-like; perfect for crafters of all ages!

Start with Staz-on ink, a rubber stamp, colored pencils, and your shrink plastic. For this project, I'm using Prismacolor pencils as they work beautifully on shrink plastic. Also, please note that the plastic is Shrinky Dink's Frosted Rough-n-Ready. This type has a 'rough', sanded side that makes it easy to color with the pencils.

On the frosted (not shiny) side, stamp your image using the Staz-on ink.

Draw/color your image with the colored pencils.

Grab a pair of scissors and a hole punch.

Cut around the image. I cut slightly out from the stamped lines, but you can cut closer if you wish. Punch out a hole at the top of the image. I would have made a tab for the hole at the top, but stamped too close to the edge initially (oops!) Instead, I punched the hole inside the lid of the jar.

Prepare to shrink. Shrink Plastic can be shrunk in an oven/toaster oven or with a heat gun. For small projects like this, the heat tool works just fine. I like to work on a piece of tile and use a metal knitting needle to hold the plastic in place so it doesn't blow all over my desk. As well, keep a flat-bottomed glass on hand to press on the plastic as soon as it's done shrinking. This helps make sure it's good and flat, not wonky.

Once the plastic is shrunk down, it is much thicker.  This is why you want to make sure you cut and punch the holes before you shrink it. It's impossible once shrunk. Just as it started, the Rough n Ready plastic ends up with a matte side and a shiny side. I like the shiny side for this project as it makes the jars actually look like glass.

Add jump rings and ear wires to the holes to turn your shrunk images into earrings. And that's it: trapped fireflies for your ear lobes.

Of course, you don't have to make jarred lightening bugs. The Shrink Plastic is so versatile. You can use any stamp or even draw your own image to make charms with the plastic.

Make sure to check out the Lightening Bugs Reveal at Earrings Everyday to see how the other participants interpreted the inspiration.

Have you ever worked with Shrink Plastic? It really is so fun, easy, and versatile!

I've linked this diy on Show and Share at Coastal Charm, the Saturday Sparks Link Party at Pieced Pastimes, Saturday Sharefest at The SITS Girls, Dare to Share at Pam's Party and Practical Tips, and the DIY Craft Link up at Pleasures of the Northwest.

Pinning with Purpose | The Beginning

For far too long I've been haphazardly adding items to my Pinterest boards without a care in the world and without consistently using any of those ideas, tutorials, or inspirations. They've piled up and are embarrassingly out of control. It's about time I get around to putting an end to the Pin-hoarding. As such, I've decided to start up 'Pinning with Purpose.'

Each Sunday I'll pick at least one of my pins to work on during the week and then reveal my results the following week.

For this first edition of Pinning with Purpose, I selected the following pins to try:

 Swatch Portraits from The Purl Bee

One Pot Wonder Thai Peanut Pasta

 Graphic Bangles from Alisa Burke

And here's how it went:

For the Swatch Portraits, I grabbed some embroidery hoops and fabric I had laying around the craft room and went to town.

In less than an hour I had completed the positioning and gluing. I just had to wait for them to dry.

By the next morning, they were trimmed and on the wall.

I'm pretty smitten with how these look in my hallway.


The One Pot Thai Peanut Pasta wasn't as pretty as the original.

 

However, it was pretty tasty.

I may even make it again.


The Graphic Bangles gave me the most trouble.

Using the Crystal Clear Shrinky Dinks, they came out a little wonky, but that was possibly my own fault. After all that practice, I made a second attempt with the Shrinky Dinks Frosted Ruff and Ready. Those turned out much better.

They're smaller than the ones in the tutorial, but exactly the size I needed. In fact, one's already been worked into a bracelet. (Somehow I didn't get a picture of it though, but I assure you it exists.)

It's a relief to not have those Pins sitting there, gathering virtual dust. That was fun and I'm ready for more. Here's what I've got planned for next week:

• Tiered Pie Tin Organizer from MaryJanes and Galoshes
• General Tso's Tofu from Appetite for China
• Rust and Patina from Treasures from the Heart

I hope you enjoyed this as I plan to make this a regular thing each Sunday. You are invited to do the same. Explore your own Pinterest boards for those wonderful but neglected ideas and link up here for Pinning with Purpose. Oh, and I'm not SOLD on the name for this yet so if you have suggestions, please let me know!

My Week Thus Far (and WWWW)

I don't really have much to say today. It's been a slow couple of days.

Monday night was spent with my nieces - homework, dinner, some crafting, and baths. I had promised that after homework, we could do a craft. Fortunately, I still had some items in my car from helping them make cards last week. Included in that stuff was a few sheets of Ruff-n-Ready Shrinky Dinks and my big box of colored pencils. Unfortunately, I didn't have a hole puncher. So, the didn't get to make pendants. Instead, I cut one sheet into four pieces and let them draw and color whatever they wanted before we shrunk them. I told them that I would bring some magnets over the next time I came and they could turn their creations into refrigerator magnets. I still have one more sheet of it in my car and will try to go ahead and put a hole puncher and some ribbon in there so they can make pendants next time too.

Last night, the LOML* and I ate dinner and watched a little tv before he had to get back to work. He's trying to finish this project so he can move on to another. He's really ready to be done with this one and is pushing to get it completed. It stresses him out so, and I can't stand to see him like that. He's usually sooooooooo laid back. I'm the one who supposed to worry and stress. He's supposed to be the calm one. While he worked, I went in the craft room for a bit and worked on my shrink plastic pendants. Of course, I had been doodling on some blank pieces while dinner cooked as well. I think my current crafty obsession is shrink plastic again. In fact, I have some with me at work.

Tonight, I'm meeting a good friend and some of her co-workers for dinner and then going to see "The House Bunny." I know it's supposed to be kinda silly, but I think I need that. I'm looking forward to it.

I guess I had more to say than I thought. Y'all said you wanted to hear more about my everyday life in the poll from last month. Are you still sure it's that interesting??

I better get on to the fun stuff since it is "Wild, Wild Web Wednesday"

• Lindsey Lohan's Gay and getting married to her girlfriend? I don't really follow the celebrity gossip, but I tend to have somewhat of a clue. This TOTALLY surprised me.
  
• Try this tv theme song quiz. I thought it would be a breeze for me and it was harder than I thought.
  
• I guess I never really thought about the similarities between Harry Potter and Star Wars. But, it totally makes sense.
  
• How long could you survive chained to a bunk bed with a velocoraptor? Take the quiz to find out. Me? 47 seconds.
• I've posted a link to some bad domain names before, but here's whole new list of them.

Hopefully, I've healed the numbness you experienced in reading about the first half of my week with these links. Happy Hump Day!

Martha Stewart and Me

OMG! Martha Stewart is doing a thing on bloggers and will be linking to several blogs from hers. In order to be considered you must leave her a comment and then link to her blog from your own. I'm so IN!!!

In other news:
1. My laptop is finally fixed but I probably will not resume regular posting until tomorrow. I'm sorry it took so long but I apparently royally messed it up. The tech at work says it's not my fault, but I'm sure it is.
2. I'm still not preg and therefore in a bad mood today. Hopefully, a little birthday party for my grandmother tonight will make me feel better. For now, I'm just down in the dumps. Blah!!
3. I have been rather crafty for the past several days: sealing and backing shrink plastic charms, helping the nieces make cards for my grandmother, making my own cards, and creating a few necklaces. See. . . CRAFTY Hope (that's me)I even did all this before work, in the morning (shudder.) Those that know me well know that for me to accomplish ANYTHING in the morning is an accomplishment indeed. Be proud, be very proud.

I guess that's all for now. I hope you all are doing great!!

I'm A Crafty Maniac

I've actually focused some of my time and energy into crafting over the past several days. Hopefully, this explains my lack of posting.

I've kinda jumped around from one medium to another, but all projects have been jewelry-based.

Here's what I've gotten done:
On Saturday, I made a shrink plastic pendant involving my odd doodling style and some colored pencils.
On Sunday, I spent the morning meditating with my beads and was able to produce a necklace and some earrings for my mom's birthday. They include some polymer clay mokume gane beads that were made with her in mind a few months back. I hope she likes it. Her birthday is Friday. I was also able to pick back up a fall-themed free form peyote necklace and decided that it is screaming to be a bracelet instead. It is one of those MANY half-completed items on my craft table. It's still not done because after lunch and some shopping, I felt the need to solder. But first, I needed to create something to frame with the solder. Therefore, I began playing with a variety of scrapbooking papers and decorative edged scissors before leaving the house to have dinner with friends. After dinner, I did some decorating of the paper with foil tape, stencils, and stamp pads. Just before bed, I cut the page into pieces that would fit under the 1 1/2 inch slides.
While at work on Monday, I doodled onto and colored more shrink plastic. When I got home, I got to cut and shrink it!! Then, I started back on the decorated paper squares for soldering. I stamped, distressed, and stuck glitter letter stickers on them before heading to bed.
I worked from home on Tuesday and didn't craft until I was cooking dinner (waiting for rice.) I began cutting out metal embossing sheets, stamping them with words, and antiquing the words. I eventually was able to copper foil the edges of two of them before I got tired and was ready to JUST watch the movie with LOML*

I probably won't get to craft tonight since I will be helping my mom out with my nieces (as I try to do once a week or so as time and schedules permit.) But, I may try to take some shrink plastic over to her house just in case.

As you can tell, I've got a little bit of CADD (Craft Attention Deficit Disorder) and quickly jump from project to project as my attention and mood allows. This is why I have a table full of unfinished projects. As well, I've been crafting all over the place - the kitchen counter and the computer table in the living room have seen their share of craft action so far this week. Look at the condition of my work areas right now.....

My Craft Room Table

My Living Room Computer Table

My Kitchen Counter

I'm a crafty maniac! I need help, I need to clean up. Nah! I need to finish these projects first.

I'll try to post pictures of the actual projects soon.

*LOML=Love of My Life