Sarchix Finds

I first found tatting over a year ago and had troubles with it.  I know once I get it down its going to be fantastic but its a bit tricky to get started especially on your own.  (For those that don’t know what tatting is, its a way of making hand made lace using knots and loops.)

Katherine Sharpe over at Ready Made posted a great article on it complete with an instructional video!!!!!!!  I love it!!!!!!!!  The instructor on the video is Nina Libin who has been teaching tatting for over 20 years.

I need to find my shuttle and get started again.

FYI – basic tatting equipment can be found in most larger crafting stores, usually over by the embroidery floss area.

Ready Made – Tatting Tutorial with video

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I love fabric, almost as much as paper.  Fat quarters are just the best invention ever.  I can have all the colors of the world but just in fat quarter portions (depending on the size pot you choose).
Lavender and Lime has come up with another great (and easy) project that could be modified by your mood, the season or the holiday (or sale at the fabric store).

Five simple items to make this adorable flower pot.  That’s all it takes.  Just don’t leave them outside because the mod podge is water soluble and will um… melt away.  I could see me redecoration the “wall of death” as my husband calls it with my plants that I can barely keep alive (will post pics to prove later).

Enjoy!

Lavender and Limes – Fabric Flower Pots

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I love paint.  When it’s paint that does something, like say… turn a surface into a chalkboard, the Sarchix “cool” factor goes up even more.  Almost as much as paper and stationary, but that’s for another obsession post.

I first want to say that the folks over at Cut out and Keep totally ROCK!  They have projects and pics that could keep me busy for days with the talented members there.  I highly recommend signing up there (don’t worry, its fabulously free to do so – and they have a monthly web mag to feast on too!!!!  <3 you guys at Cut out and Keep).

That being said, have you ever needed a gift for someone but had no idea what to give.  If they entertain friends/family or value their wood furniture, this is the project for them.  Shrimp Salad Circus has posted a tutorial on how to make coasters that are also chalk boards.  Forget the wine charms.  Give everyone a coaster and have a cup of chalk and you not only keep friends from mixing up their drinks but protect your furniture too!

All you really need is some cork coasters, chalkboard paint and some accent acrylic paint to make it fun.  Oh yeah, and some real chalk.  I’m thinking hostess gifts, Christmas Prezzies, all with this brilliant idea!
Thank you Shrimp Salad Circus and Cut Out and Keep!

Cut Out and Keep + Shrimp Salad Circus – Cork Chalkboard Coasters

COAK/Shrimp Salad Circus – Chalkboard Coasters

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Who doesn’t love marshmallows?

Meaghan over at The Decorated Cookie shows us how to decorate these lovely little houses for your ghomes or fairies, depending on the creatures that happen to inhabit your homes.

I know my daughter will love to setting up these “fairy” homes but I’m not sure if they will survive the day due to her brothers and the fact that they are made completely out of marshmallows and fondant.  All I need is a set or two of some fine tipped edible pen/markers to do this.  I can’t wait to see what the kiddies come up with.  But the real question is, how many houses will be completed and how many will be eaten as “mistakes”?

If you have the pens that are food safe, this would make a spectacular rainy day project.  If you don’t have fondant just hanging around, could I suggest maybe a roof made of construction or left over scrap booking paper and tape.

Leaving this around too long could be a “bad” thing since marshmallows are mostly sugar but this could make a very cute cake or cupcake decoration or a decoration for a table-scape.   How cute would this be for a baby shower?!?!

If you do this, I’d love to see the pics!!!!!!!

The Decorated Cookie – Marshmallow Village

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Containers are cool.  Containers that I can make are even better.  Containers that I can make for crafting supplies are the BEST.

I originally found this pattern over at Craftzine.com (which is a brilliant site) and discovered Diane Gilleland’s CraftyPod site that she produces.

In it, shows how to take plastic canvas, yarn and a few other items most crafters keep around to make this great crafty caddy that could be customized to meet any crafty (or non-crafty) idea.

They even offer a free pdf pattern and directions to make this.  CraftyPod is a blog and podcast site that fulfills all kinds of crafty-goodness.

Craftzine.org – Plastic Canvas Tool Cozy

CraftPod – Just some really cool crafty stuff.

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As a mother of two boys who both LOVE Star Wars, it wouldn’t surprise anyone that we have a few lightsabers just “lying around”.  But they are plastic and well… I’d like to keep my house in one piece.

Kitten Muffin over at Filth Wizardry has taken a balloon lightsaber (as discussed here) and stepped it up at notch by adding a small LED flashlight to it.

Check out her site for some awesome pictures over time delay using these LED lightsabers.

Filth Wizardry - LED Lightsabers

Zakka Life – Balloon Lightsabers

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My daughter LOVES fairies!  I think she wants to be one.

When I saw WeeFolkArt.com’s post on these little faerie items, I thought of her.

First we have a simple felt flower fairies.  They are just too cute and seem simple to make too.  It might be something good for her to practice her stitches with.

The second one that they offer is a fairy flower carpet.  The base is felt and the flowers are silk.

If my daughter ever cleaned her room, I would make this for her in a second!

The best part of this one, is you can make it to your own desired size, limited only by the number of flowers or amount of felt you have.

Wee Folk Art – Flower Fairies and Flower Faerie Carpet

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It’s almost Easter and I found this paper project that I am hoping to try out later today (with or without my daughter).  I love flowers but hate how they die so quickly, especially tulips.  If you make them with paper, they won’t wilt as fast and there will be no pollen on the table either.

Need a cute centerpiece for tomorrow’s lunch?  This is something you can whip up tonight.  Older kids could even help with it.  (I’m all about trying to keep the kids busy.)

Cheeky Magpie created a great tutorial and the best thing is, I think I have all the things needed to make this… paper (uhh… just a little), clue, scissors and chenille stems (aka pipe cleaners).  I don’t think i have any rick rack but might try out something else, maybe some braided embroidery floss or a bit of ribbon.

Cheeky Magpie – Paper Tulip

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I don’t know what it is but I have a thing for decorated eggs.  I’m not talking about the super fancy ones,  but the hand crafted ones, like my Great Aunt Anna used to make.  My daughter is a bit of a magpie and loves all things shiny.  When I found these two sets of instructions for eggs and I couldn’t resist.

Kristen over at DomesticFluff.com has a nifty way to decorate eggs with polka dots and glitter.

The best thing is, she has come up with a more kid-safe/less sparkly method of doing this too!  I don’t know about you, but I would rather not have glitter in my egg salad.  I’ll keep the secret on how she does this but it is brilliant!

Now, if you are looking for the ultimate “bling” for your eggs, Lumpy Page Designs, has topped the charts.  I’ll just post the pic and let you read how she did this.  Granted , the egg is blown so this is NOT a project for a hard boiled egg.

How fabulous would that look as a centerpiece?  And the hardest part of the whole thing is probably waiting for it to dry!

Hoppy Easter Everyone!

Domestic Fluff – Sparkly Dot Eggs

Lupmp Page Designs – Glitter Eggs

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Yesterday I posted links for the “Bunny Tails” and “Easter Egg Seeds”. Well, while I was dying Easter eggs last night for my youngest’s Pre-School party, I literally whipped them both up.

I had everything on hand, marshmallows, heavy weight paper, stapler, double stick tape, clear plastic bags AND ink for my printer.  I also had on hand my paper cutter which made cutting straight lines a breeze.  I made 15 of the bunny tails and 3 of the  seeds because that’s all I needed.    The bunny tails template has 4 per page and the seeds have at least 12, probably more.   I was done both crafts (including printing time) in less than 30 minutes.  Granted if my kids had “helped” it would have taken longer but they were already tucked into their beds before I got started.

Here are some pics that I took.

My bags were a bit smaller than what Can’t Stop Making Things used so I trimmed down the paper just a bit.  My bags (2 oz. sized) held about half a cup of marshmallows perfectly.

If you are looking to occupy the kiddies for a bit before company arrives or when they are waiting for the big feast on Sunday, this is a GREAT way to occupy them!

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