Quick-n-Easy Collage Board

When I was a child there was nothing that got me more excited than to see paper, glue and scissors!
I knew that meant some crafty fun and what better way to create than to start with these three basic things.

That is the inspiration behind my post today for "Busy Bag", the latest edition of  the "Craft Lightning" series hosted by Angie from The Country Chic Cottage and Carolina from 30 Minute Crafts.
This edition is also co-hosted by guest blogger: Stacey with "Glued to My Crafts". (LOVE that blog name by the way!)

When I found out the topic of this version of Craft Lightning, I was a little stumped at first as my creative flow has been lacking lately because of other "stuff" going on in life...but then I remembered a draft post I started a couple of years ago, but never completed and I thought how perfect it would be for this series!

Since I babysit two of my Grandchildren, I often try to think of Crafty Fun to do with them and making collages was something I always loved, I thought it would be fun for the older Grandgirl at the time (Little B), who was 6.

I thought it would be nice to have her make something for her Momma to have at work to remind her of her girls during the day!

We started with a plain piece of cardboard and glued on some pretty tissue paper.

Then I had Little B tell me some things her Mommy liked and of course I knew of some things that my DIL liked and together we came up with ideas to include on the collage.

One thing she really likes is vintage pin-up girl pictures and I had just recently found this cool book full of pin-up photos at a yard sale. It had been partially damaged by water and I got it for practically free, so I felt like it was okay to salvage what pages were still good and not feel guilty about cutting-up the book!

We also printed out some instagram photos using my Zink printer which was really handy for this project!

The Starbucks logo and sweet little girl graphic were printed out from the internet using my Lexmark Printer.

My Granddaughter added some cute stickers and washi-tape accents and then we attached a pretty ribbon to the top for hanging.

I kept this project fairly simple so that it could be easily done by a 6 year old and be done quickly.

Even though the concept of a collage is nothing new...I think it's always timely and loved because of the thought and planning put into it. It says a lot about the person who made it and the person it is made for!

Me and my Granddaughter had so much fun making it too!
Made for some good memories for me and for her also I hope!



Here are the tools and supplies we used to make this project:

Tools/Supplies Used:

Pin-up Illustrations/Pages out of Book, "The Great American Pin-Up"
Zink Printer
Mini Personal Photos (printed on Zink Printer)
Printed Tissue Paper, Expressions from Hallmark, Lt. Purple design on White
Stickers, Tiny Crafts, Felt, Owls
Stickers, Puffy
Stickers, Me & My Big Ideas, Girly, Mambi Mini's, Words
Lexmark Printer (not shown in photo above)
Graphic of little Girl (Internet)
Logo/Graphic of Starbucks (Internet)
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Elmer's school glue stick
Stapler & Staples (to attach ribbon)
Scissors, Large Adult Size
Scissors, Kid-Safe (not shown in photo above)
Ribbon, Satin, Polka-Dot, Fuschia/Dk. Pink
Washi Tape, Tapefetti, Monster High

Be sure to stop by the other host blogs (click on graphic below) and see all the great Kid's Busy Projects you can do in 15 minutes or less!

Thanks for stopping in to visit my blog!

Valentine Love Letter Keepsake Box

I know it might be "Old School" now...but back in my day, we wrote letters on paper to people we loved and cared about and what better way to store those precious memories than in an upcycled embellished old wine box!

My Sister recently sent me a ton of personal love letters that my Dad had sent to my Mom when they were dating and newly married and he was in the service.

These are precious to me and I wanted a way to store them where I could find them easily, as one day I want to read them all and gain more insight into my parent's relationship. Unfortunately they experienced rocky times in later years and ultimately divorced which was a sad and confusing time for me, but I know these letters will remind me of the love they once shared!

When Angie and Carolina announced the upcoming "Craft Lightning" for Valentine's Day...I knew this project I had in mind would be perfect for these special letters!

For those of you who are new here...Craft Lightning is a great series for craft & DIY bloggers that is hosted by Angie from the Country Chic Cottage and Carolina from 30 minute Crafts, where bloggers/crafters are challenged to create a quick craft that takes 15 minutes or less...minus drying time!

For this project, I kept it simple to meet those requirements...but you could of course get more fancy with this wine box and add more customized graphics or photos, or even stain it and give it an "antique" look!

So many fun and creative ways you can decorate these boxes and upcycle them into something useful and beautiful!

Not only can this box be used for special love letters, but it would make a cute collection box for a child's valentines from school or special photos near and dear to them or to you!

Here is a short video showing the steps taken to make this love letter keepsake box:

Here are the tools and supplies I used for this project:

Supplies/Tool List:

(*Disclosure: Some text may include affiliate links)

Wooden Wine Box
Rust-Oleum Primer and Sealer
ACE Enamel Spray Paint, Antique White/Cooler Beige
Paper Napkins, Heart Themed, (From WalMart)
Scissors
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Mod Podge
Foam Paint Brush
Rubber Stamp, Love, By Craft Smart
Q-Tips (if necessary for touch-up)
Ink Pad, Red, Studio G, Dye Ink*
Krylon Workable Fixatif
Mod Podge Gloss Sealer

* One note about the materials I used...I was a bit inexperienced in using ink on wood and probably did not use the best type of ink or medium to stamp this box. The ink I used was a "dye" type ink and it did not adhere well to the spray enamel paint on the wood and it never really fully dried to where I could coat it with Mod Podge.
What I did to remedy this situation was spray over the stamped areas with a light mist of the workable fixatif. I let that dry and then lightly sprayed it a second time.
Even then, I was not able to cover it with Mod Podge because it began to "bleed" red when I did.
(That is why I needed the Q-tips...to try and fix my messy looking, smeared boo-boo!)
So, I ended up just using the mod podge on the napkin cutouts and after the ModPodge and Fixatif dried...I covered the entire top of the box with ModPodge Gloss Sealer and it worked great to seal the whole thing so it looked shiny and the stamps didn't rub off!
(I think in hindsight I should have used either pigment stamp or acrylic paint to stamp with...oh well...live and learn!)

Hope you are inspired to create by visiting my blog today and be sure to click on the graphic below to see lots of other great Valentine Inspired projects from Crafty Bloggers!

(*Stuff-n-Such, Lisa Hall, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, and affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com)

This project/post is linked to the following sites/link-up parties:

http://www.craftsalamode.com/2017/02/what-to-do-weekends-party-211.html

Teacher Note Necklace Made from Upcycled CD

Every year I like to make a little something for my Granddaughter's Teacher for Teacher appreciation week and this year I've come up with this note necklace that is made from an old CD.

I wanted to incorporate something useful into something fun!

I noticed that the teachers at school sometime have recess or yard duty and I thought it might be handy to have this little necklace with a post-it note pad and pen attached!

I even included a badge clip so that they can easily wear their school badge with the necklace.

To personalize it for a teacher gift, I added the photo of my Granddaughter and a sweet quote/poem about teachers!

This craft can easily be done in 15 minutes (minus drying time), though I'll have to admit, I added a few more things to my version that probably made it take a little longer.

Adding the gold cord around the photo was a bit tedious as it didn't want to easily lay down in a circle.
Also, the way I attached the beaded necklace to the cd was more elaborate than you really need to get.

I was just thinking of how it might lay nicer, so I added the snipped paper clip ends and cut the necklace in half and glued it to the ends of the clips.

This of course took more time than just gluing the whole beaded necklace to the back of the CD, but I wanted to add the square post-it note which took up more room and made it harder to mount the beads directly to the back of the cd.

I started by sanding the CD lightly on the shiny side and a little harder on the colored side because I was using tissue paper to cover it and didn't want any of the writing to show through.

I cut some strips of patterned tissue paper and then cut them into oblong pieces and adhered them to the CD with Mod Podge.

I only put two coats of Mod Podge, but you can add more if you like, just be sure to allow drying time between coats.

I scanned and printed out a photo of my Granddaughter on my Epson CX7400 color printer and glued it to the center of the CD.

(Note: before applying Mod Podge to a ink jet photo print out...apply a light coat of fixative to the photo/print out first...it will prevent the Mod Podge from causing the print to run or bleed!)

I was going to make a print out of the poem on my computer, but for times sake I decided to hand write the quote using a black sharpie marker.

In hindsight...I wish I had gone with the printout, only because I have a terrible time lining up my writing/printing as you can tell from the pictures!

I even used a "template" I made from paper and pencil, hoping to get it right and I still wasn't thrilled with the results, but the message will get across I suppose and maybe it will make the gift more personable!

The note pad/post-it note was attached using double sided foam tape and the pen was attached using the clip on the pen.

I thought of using magnets for the pen, but I didn't want to add any more weight than necessary to the necklace.

This project was quick and very inexpensive to make, I found the beads, tissue paper, pen and post-it notes at the 99 cents store and of course the CD was just an old one I had laying around that I no longer needed.

Here are the tools and supplies I used for this project:

Tools & Materials List:

Old CD (Not shown in photo above)
Sand Paper
Tissue Paper
Beaded Necklace, Plastic
Post-it Notes
Mod Podge
E6000 Adhesive
Workable Fixatif
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Mod Podge Gloss Sealer
Foam Paint Brush
Wire Cutters
Foam Mounting Tape (Two Sided)
Heavy Duty Scissors (Cutco Brand)
Regular Scissors
Sharpie Pen, Black
Pen (with clip)
Pencil
Gold Cord
Cardboard
Wax Paper and/or Butcher Paper
Paper Weights
Color Printer, Ink Jet (Epson)
Paper Clips
Plastic Container (for Mod Podge) (Not shown in photo above)

I made a slideshow showing the steps I took to make this project.

You can view it here on my YouTube Channel:


Or here on my Flipagram Feed:



Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

If you want to see some more great Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas, click on the graphic below and visit Angie, Carolina and Jessica's blogs for some awesome and crafty inspiration!

This project/post is linked to the following sites/link-up parties:

Halloween Pumpkin Centerpiece

Halloween is almost upon us and I have been so busy with all of my sewing projects that I almost forgot about my Craft Lightning Project!

I wanted to make something fun to dress up my plain old boring dinner table, so I decided on this Pumpkin Centerpiece made from a faux carvable pumpkin from the Dollar Store.

This cute project can be completed in 15 minutes or less if you are in a hurry!

When I started out...I took out a ton of my craft stuff just to get some inspiration and ideas...

You can see my MESS here...

I tried different combos to get an idea of what I wanted...like adding faux leaves,spanish moss and ribbon to the pumpkin, but after a lot of experimentation, I settled on ric-rac, lace and bead trim to give the pumpkin a bit of a Steampunk look.

Here is a quick photo collage view of the steps I took to make this project:

Here are the supplies/tools I used for this project:

List of Supplies/Tools used:

Faux Pumpkin, Carvable (from Dollar Store)
Old Candlestick (from Yardsale)
Craft Mat, Inkssentials, Ranger Ink
Black Braid Ric-Rac Trim, (Decorative Trim Brand sold at Hobby Lobby)
Orange & Black Ribbon, Polyester and Wire
Black and Gold Lace, 3-1/2" wide, (Unknown Brand, from craft stash)
Thread, White, 100% Polyester, Excell Brand
Sewing Needle
Scissors, Wescott Brand, Craft Scissors (from WalMart)
E6000 Glue
Ad Tech Glue Gun, 2-Temp, Cordless
Glue Sticks, Ad Tech, Multi-Temp
Beads, Gold, (small...exact size and brand unknown, from craft stash)

I am always happy to participate in the Craft Lightning Series of Quick Crafts hosted by Angie at The Country Chic Cottage and Carolina at 30 Minute Crafts!

Be sure to check out their blogs to see more fun, creative and super fast Halloween Ideas!

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my Halloween Centerpiece!

As always, I love hearing from you, so leave a comment if you'd like or come visit me on social media (see links in my blog sidebar).