Blog (OLD)

12 Days Handmade Christmas Tutorials Encore!|Day 13 Inspiration Necklaces and Silhouette Pins

November 13, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 16 Comments

Good Morning Peeps! It’s SATurday and I’m up at the crack of dawn because I’m can never sleep in and I’m so mischievous because guess what???!!! There’s one more day! This is like the surprise party you’ve always been waiting for. So enjoy this encore to the ’12 Days’ because you’re in for a treat—— it’s a twofer! First we have my real life friend and latin teacher to my girls, Susan. She’s so full of talent, that girl. She makes all kinds of jewelry and lots of other fun stuff. I’m always tempted to cancel latin and just craft with her instead. And sometimes I do. I’m so happy to introduce you to her, her blog and her etsy shop. And then there’s my sweet blog friend Molly, who has been so encouraging to me over the past two years. She’s a faithful friend/reader/blogger and has some silhouette pins to share with us.

If you’re new to the ’12 Days’, you may visit the previous days by clicking on the day you of your choice:

Day 1 Crayon Roll

Day 2 Zippered Pouches

Day 3 Appliqued Placemats

Day 4 Quilted Potholders

Day 5 Camera Strap

Day 6 Embellished Dish Towels

Day 7 Bean Bags

Day 8 Alphabet Crayons

Day 9 Silhouettes

Day 10 Cinnamon Honey Butter and Toffee Popcorn

Day 11 Rosette Wreath

Day 12 Picnic Blanket

Hello there, my name is Susan Harms over at Create in Me. I am so tickled to be a part of Edie’s 12 days of Christmas this year! I tutor her precious daughters in Latin, but I also work at a local Classical Christian School where I am the part-time 1st Grade Aide. In my not so spare time I like to craft, sew and make jewelry. Come visit me and my stuff over at my ETSY shop.

Edie asked me several weeks ago if I would be interested in doing this tutorial; I was delighted because it actually involved something I have never made before. Always ready for a new challenge I got to work. I must say though that this was a major collaboration. I can’t take full credit for all of this work. It was great fun taking a break from Latin and putting this together. Edie took all of these wonderful pictures and I have attempted to put this tutorial together.

It is so incredibly simple, and the best part about it is that you can customize it and give it a totally different look if you want. (But why would you, it is so gorgeous!)

First you will need:

and

(please note in the picture that I accidentally got split rings, you need regular jump rings, about 5-6mm in size)

The bezel we used and the dimond glaze were purchaced at Bello Modo (they have free shipping). We really liked the bamboo look on it. But I was at Hobby Lobby today and they have greatly expanded their Vintaj selection and they have some great bezels there that are more simple.

If you want the bamboo looking bezel go HERE and HERE for the diamond glaze.

You will also need to pick out your favorite scrapbook paper and favorite font to print your favorite quote directly onto the pretty paper. You may need to play around a bit with it as far as knowing what size font to use that will fit in the circle. The font we used is “pyparus”. The quote I picked, is from a Steven Curtis Chapman song I will be Here that I had sung at my wedding. If you got married in 1991 you probably had that song at your wedding too. Have a listen, it is so beautiful and it makes me smile, because I still feel like I can sing that song to him every day, I also can almost hear him sing it to me.

Well, enough romance and on we go.

First you need to cut out your paper. This circle is 1 3/8 inch. But you can use a pencil or even just your fingernail to trace around it.

Take your Mod Podge and paint a thin layer onto your bezel

then place the paper over that and paint another thin layer on top to seal it. Be careful to use very little Mod Podge or the paper will bubble up.

Let that dry. We were impatient and waited just a few minutes, if the layer is thin enough that should do, but it might be better to wait a couple of hours.

Next, take the diamond glaze and fill in the bezel till it’s about to overflow.

VERY IMPORTANT

DO NOT SHAKE THE DIAMOND GLAZE

If you shake you will have all kinds if bubbles and they are next to impossible to pop. (not that we would have any experience that would let us know that *wink*)

Let dry overnight.

To assemble:

1. take the jump ring and open with pliers

(if you don’t have any, see if you can find any needle nose plyers around the house, you can make it work, or get your 40% off coupon to Hobby Lobby and get you a cheap set. If you ever want to make more stuff it is totally worth it.)

2. Slide it through bezel loop and close back. As you bring the two ends of the jumpring together rub and push in slightly.

3. Slide your chain through jump ring attached to bezel.

4. Get you another jump ring and open to slip onto the end of your chain.

5. On the other side of the chain attach another jump ring with your clasp on it.

6. Close jump ring.

Isn’t it gorgeous?

BUT WAIT! THERE IS MORE!!!!!!!

How would you like one of these?

I bought my glass tiles on ETSY, whoever sells those will probably also have Aanraku Bails.

Paint your Mod podge onto the tile, then put a thin layer on the paper and attach to the flat back of the tile so the picture is facing down.

Now paint a thin coat of mod podge on the back and let dry overnight.

You will then glue on the bail with the E6000. Make sure it is centered well.

Let that dry overnight as well.

The possibilities are endless. The bail hole is large so you can pull just about any chain or cord through to wear.

Let me add that you can also make these with fabric. Follow same steps.

Happy Crafting! Your mother, sister, niece or friend will love it!

Thanks Edie for the invite and for all of your help. Everyone else, I can’t wait to meet you, pull up a chair and come visit often!!

Susan

Silhouette Pins

Hello! I’m Molly from material gal molly, the blog, and I am really excited to be in Edie’s 12 Days of Handmade Christmas! I love anything and everything about Christmas! A little about me… I live on a “funny” farm with my husband, we have 50 chickens, 4 dogs, 5 ducks, 1 goose, our pet rooster Scotty and a hermit crab that lives in my husbands office. My husband wants a little of everything living with us, ha ha! I also make unique wonky jewelry during the day that I sell at craft fairs and to the old ladies at my mom’s beauty shop. I love church and Jesus and children and hope the Lord blesses me with a slew of them soon! Now on to the tute!

Ok you will need to gather up your supplies.

You need:

Black felt

Felt in Assorted colors

Needle and Thread

Embroidery floss

Embellishments ( lace, pearls, seed beads, ric rac, etc )

Sew on pin back

Metallic or printed fabric

Scissors

Silhouette Templates ( I got mine from the Graphics Fairy, click here or here, but you could use your own )

Here is a picture of the silhouette templates from the graphics fairy. They are really cute! I used the one with the hat for the little girls and the other two for my mom and sister.

Step one: Pin your silhouette template to your black felt and cut around the edges.
Step two: Embellish your silhouette with lace, beads, whatever you fancy!
Step three: Cut out a large circle or oval in a contrasting color using felt. This will be part of the backing so you want the silhouette to fit nicely inside.
Step four: Now sew your pin back on the circle or oval you just cut out.
Step five: After you have finished sewing your pin back on, cut out another piece of fabric in a smaller size circle or oval. I like to use either metallic fabric or polka dots for contrast.
Step six: Place the smaller circle or oval you just cut out over top of the first circle or oval you cut out. Now sew a straight stitch around the edges in a contrasting color. I like to use embroidery floss because it is chunky.
Step seven: Now sew the edges of the silhouette onto your base. Use black thread or embroidery floss.

Your silhouette should look like this after you are finished.

Here is another silhouette just without the backing. I hide the thread from sewing the pin back on with ric rac and then add a little rosette or sparkly to her hair.

Last Christmas I gave these to all the girls in my family and they were a hit! My mom wore hers on her winter coat and my sister put hers on her purse. You really can wear these little ladies anywhere!

I hope you have enjoyed this tute as much as I have. Thank you Edie for letting me take part in your Christmas series and for letting me be part of your fabulous blog!

~ Gal Molly

12 Days Handmade Christmas Tutorials|Day 12 Picnic Blanket

November 12, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 39 Comments

If you’re new to the ’12 Days’, you may visit the previous days by clicking on the day you of your choice:

Day 1 Crayon Roll

Day 2 Zippered Pouches

Day 3 Appliqued Placemats

Day 4 Quilted Potholders

Day 5 Camera Strap

Day 6 Embellished Dish Towels

Day 7 Bean Bags

Day 8 Alphabet Crayons

Day 9 Silhouettes

Day 10 Cinnamon Honey Butter and Toffee Popcorn

Day 11 Rosette Wreath

It has been a wonderful ’12 Days’ and although I’m sad to see it end, I can’t think of a better grand finale than my sweet and funny friend Darby from Fly Through Our Window. I was her number one blog stalker last year when I decided to ask her to be part of the first ’12 Days’ series. She was so gracious to do not one but two tutorials last year! (dishmat and Christmas tags) I have used both of them to death and more importantly have begun to cultivate a friendship that has so enriched my life. And just to give you a sense of her personality, when I asked her a picture of her to introduce her for the tutorial, this is what she sent me. I nearly spit my coffee onto my computer. This my friends is Darby-Doll and you’ll need to visit the blog to see all of her various adventures. See why I love her? I can’t thank her enough for all the hard work she put into this tutorial. I am forever grateful. I hope she’ll agree to teach us every year!

And now for a proper introduction (strikingly similar to last years’!)………..

Please make welcome the ever gifted Darby from Fly Through Our Window. Her blog is a treasure of great resources from how to make crock pot apple butter {which I’m currently eating} to how to make a professional looking roman shade. Through her exquisite photography, we get to ‘fly through her window’ and be blessed by her mother-love, her refreshing perspective on being a follower of Christ and her abundant tips and tutorials on all things ‘home’. She is the mother of three adorable children, wife to Justin–her college sweetheart and archeologist, a member of a PCA church {her motto is ‘I’m a big sinner with a bigger Saviour’}, twin sister to Erika {interior designer—whose blog I also love} and we are so blessed she has opened her life to us through her wonderful blog. Darby also recently opened an online shop with the cutest toddler tees evah! Check it out at Honey Bees Tees!

When Edie asked me to contribute I knew I wanted to make something using the vintage Marimekko curtain panels that I found at a thrift store over a year ago {for $4} I just wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with them. I was going to make a “Santa Bag” out of them to put the kids Christmas presents in but it saddened me to think about seeing the bright colored trains only once a year… so something more “useful” was definitely in order, and that is how I came up with this. It would make a perfect gift for your own family or for loved ones you might need a “family gift for”!

Here’s a little disclaimer before I begin. I had a friend here while I worked one day {and I just might have put her to work too, trimming selvages and fusing the fleece to the fabric} and she asked, “Darby, please tell me you are not going to tell your blog readers this is easy?” Well, because she’ll call me out if I tell y’all this is easy… I better say it’s an intermediate sewing project that might require a babysitter or helpful husband to watch the kids. There are really no difficult sewing techniques required, it is just a little involved time wise. That way no one cusses me when they think they can crank out a picnic blanket in 30 minutes! Ok, good.

The finished blanket is really BIG {88″ wide x 63″ tall} and perfect for picnics. It has a top layer {trains for me}, a layer of fusible fleece in the middle, and a sturdy layer of {fun & blue} ticking stripe on the bottom and is complete with coordinating ties so it’s easy to transport to and from your favorite picnic spot. You may choose what ever fabric you like but I do suggest something a little more stable {like a lightweight canvas, ticking stripe, or upholstery weight for the bottom}. Be sure to watch sales at your fabric stores because the ticking stripe was 1/2 off and I bought nearly 4 yards for just $16!

alldone

Before I start: PINS ladies PINS… they make your sewing neater and easier {especially with layers}… don’t omit them! 🙂

Here’s what you’ll need:

3.5 yards of 44″ wide fabric for the top of the blanket {I used trains}

3.5 yards of 44″ wide fabric for the bottom of the blanket {I used blue ticking stripe}

1/4 yard of 44″ wide fabric for coordinating ties {I used red gingham}

3.5 yards of 44″ wide fusible fleece

1: prewash and dry all fabric and trim off selvages
2: Measure down 63 inches on the top piece of fabric and cut all the way across the width. This will leave you with 2 pieces of fabric 63″ x 44″. Do the same with the bottom piece of fabric.
3: Take the two top pieces of fabric and place them on top of each other with right sides together {doing your best to match up any pattern that might be on your fabric, which also might require you to trim the tops and bottoms once you’re all lined up}. Using straight pins pin down one of the {63″} sides {right or left side it doesn’t matter, just don’t stitch along the top or bottom} and straight stitch. Press seam open.

top panel

4: Repeat step 3 for the bottom piece of fabric, doing your best to line up any pattern the fabric may have.
5: Now you should have two pieces of fabric that measure 63″ x 88″, one will be your top and one will be your bottom.
6: Following the instructions on the fusible fleece, iron the fusible fleece to the wrong side of the bottom fabric.
fusiblefleece2

fusible fleece1

7: Lay the fused bottom fabric and top fabric right sides together– don’t pin and stitch yet… you need to make and insert your ties!

rightsides together

8: To make your ties: First, trim off the selvages on the end. Cut 2 pieces of fabric 4″ x 44″. Fold in half and press. Fold the top down towards your center crease about 3/4″ and press and then press the bottom up 3/4″ and then fold in half again and press. Tuck both ends under and pin all the way down the length of the tie and stitch completely around… both ends should be finished because you will fold your long ties in half when tucked into the blanket seam.

ties

j end of ties

: Place your ties {folded in half} between the layers of the blanket on the top right hand corner of your fabric measuring down 4.5″ and then place the second folded ties 10.5″ down from the top.

10: Pin the ties in place {they should be lying inside the blanket and the folded edges lined up with the outer edge of the blanket layers}.

11: Pin all the way around the entire blanket, leaving a 5 inch space {for an opening to pull the blanket through on one side} on one side.

12: Using a straight stitch and 1/2″ seam allowance {and a WALKING FOOT if you have one} stitch around the entire blanket {don’t forget to leave an opening to pull it through!!}

stitch

13: Trim off corners and cut seam allowances down to 1/4″, pull through opening in side. Now that you’re right side out press all the way around, pinning as you go. trimseamallowances

c hole
pressandpin

14: Using about a 3/8″ seam allowance top stitch around the entire blanket.
15: Hand or machine stitch the opening where you pulled through because it will gape a little at the edge.

stitchholeclosed

16: Now you will need to tack or tie your layers together. You cannot quilt it at this point so do not attempt to sew straight line stitches through the layers… even with a lot of pins and a walking foot… it is nearly impossible. You will want to place LOTS of safety pins {safety, not straight… they’ll poke you to death, I know because I tried} all over your blanket {being sure to pin all 3 layers together}.

safetypin

17: Next, before tacking/tying the quilt together I stiched in the ditch down the center seam, this gives you good stability before you tack/tie the rest.

stitch in center ditch

eyelet

18: My machine has a little “eyelet” stitch that is perfect for tacking layers together. You can also tie your blanket layers together at this point if you do not wish to machine tack it together. I put an eyelet stitch in each wheel on the trains {and yes, it took a long time but I am very pleased with how it came out}. If you use a floral fabric or something with a pattern you might can outline random flowers with a straight stitch or use a stitch similar to the eyelet to tack the layers together. Once it’s all tacked together you are complete and ready for your picnic!

finished1

Here are more images of how to fold/roll the blanket up!

ties2

folded1

foldedagain

folded3 rollandtie

12 Days Handmade Christmas Tutorials|Day 11 Rosette Wreath

November 11, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 15 Comments

If you’re new to the ’12 Days’, you may visit the previous days by clicking on the day you like:

Day 1 Crayon Roll

Day 2 Zippered Pouches

Day 3 Appliqued Placemats

Day 4 Quilted Potholders

Day 5 Camera Strap

Day 6 Embellished Dish Towels

Day 7 Bean Bags

Day 8 Alphabet Crayons

Day 9 Silhouettes

Day 10 Cinnamon Honey Butter and Toffee Popcorn

How can it already be day 11? Aren’t you sad that it’s almost over? Me too. But I’m so excited about today’s guest poster. Laura blogs at Along for the Ride and has so many fun projects that I know you’ll want to try. And when I saw her rosette wreath, I knew you’d love it as much as I do. I can’t wait to try one. Make sure to visit her blog for lots of inspiration. Thanks Laura for being with us today!

Hello! I’m Laura from along for the ride. I’m so excited to be sharing this tutorial with you! Earlier in the fall I made my all-time favorite wreath. It’s a super easy tutorial and is easily adapted for any season.

First, gather your supplies.

You will need a wreath form (dollar store!), two colors of fall fabric, glue gun, glue sticks, scissors, and acorns (or any kind of natural elements…pine cones would be pretty, too).

Choose one color to wrap around the wreath form, cut out strips of fabric (mine were about 3 inches wide) and go to town. Use hot glue to attach the fabric strips.

Set your wreath base aside and start making rosettes. There’s lots of ways to do this, so feel free to customize. This is what I did.

I wanted most of my rosettes to be orange with a few baby yellow ones. I cut out long, thick strips (about 2-3 inches) of orange fabric and a couple little strips of yellow fabric.

To make rosettes, tie a knot at the end of the strip, start wrapping and twisting the fabric around the knot, and glue as you go along. It’s very simple once you get the hang out it.

So make a rosette. And then make lots more.

I made large orange rosettes, small orange rosettes, and baby yellow rosettes. The size depends more on the thickness of your fabric than on the length.

Now that you have your acorns and rosettes, it’s time to assemble your wreath. There is no real science here. I just arranged things so it looked pretty. I’m a fan of off-set flowers, but you could fill the entire wreath with rosettes if you wanted, or you could just use a few. I used hot glue to secure all my elements.

I used stamps and a simple key tag to add a little something special.

Already thinking about Christmas, I made a jolly wreath perfect for the holidays!

I followed the same process as above, but this time I used red and green broad cloth and jingle bells.

Happy Holidays!

12 Days Handmade Christmas Tutorials|Day 10 Cinnamon Honey Butter and Toffee Popcorn

November 10, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 64 Comments

If you’re new to the ’12 Days’, you may visit the previous days by clicking on the day you like:

Day 1 Crayon Roll

Day 2 Zippered Pouches

Day 3 Appliqued Placemats

Day 4 Quilted Potholders

Day 5 Camera Strap

Day 6 Embellished Dish Towels

Day 7 Bean Bags

Day 8 Alphabet Crayons

Day 9 Silhouettes

Day 10 is your lucky day ’cause it’s a twofer! We had to have a day of food goodies and I’m so tickled to have two great bloggers with us today. I ‘met’ Cheryl from Tidy Mom sometime last year and her many projects and recipes! Her blog is chock full of stuff you’ll want to try so add her to your bookmarks. She even posted about nutella crepes the other day. Be still my heart! If you love a good linky party, she hosts a party every Friday called “I’m Loving It” where lots of talented ladies share the best projects. And then there’s Jodi from Back40Life. Jodi has a blog and a vinyl decal business. I love so many of her decals and I know you will too. I want this one and this one and this one

Welcome to Cheryl and Jodi and thanks so much for being here today!

Hi everyone!!! My name is Cheryl and when I am not in the kitchen baking or running around with my camera you can find me over in my little corner of the universe at TidyMom.net where I share my favorite recipes, household tips tips, some photography and a bunch of other creative “stuff!”

I was just thrilled when Edie asked me to participate in the 12 Days of {handmade} Christmas. I knew JUST what I wanted to share.

This is a GREAT project for those of you who say “I can’t make handmade gifts” or “I can’t bake“. It’s a food gift that requires NO baking! and a hand made gift that is SO simple……no skills are required.

Warning……..you may want to double or triple the recipe because everyone is going to want some!

Cinnamon Honey Butter {Gift Jars}

Jar Supplies:

Cinnamon Honey Butter (recipe below)

3 1/2 pint canning jars

fabric

jute twine

tinsel “pipe cleaners”

“holly” ribbon

card stock paper

1″ paper punch (optional)

tiny whole punch (mine is 1/16″)

scissors

cut 3 pieces of fabric in 5″ circles

remove rim and place fabric on the inner lid piece of filled mason jar then screw outer lid back on over fabric

Using card stock and Microsoft Word, print tags

I used the font “Cheryl Hand” , size 15, center alignment and I layed it all out using the template in Word for 1.6″ circle labels. Then printed on my card stock.

Cut out with 1″ punch (or you could cut out by hand)

use tiny whole punch on tag to thread twine thru

wrap twine around lid and tie

wrap tinsel pipe cleaner around lid and twist ends together

add a small piece of “holly” ribbon to twine

thread tag on to twine and tie

Cinnamon Honey Butter Recipe

yields 3 half pint jars

Ingredients:

1 cup Honey

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

3 half pint canning jars

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Using whisk attachment on mixer blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Use rubber spatula to pour mixture in to a large pastry bag (or Ziploc bag), cut off tip and squeeze into half pint jars. (tip: place bag in tall glass for support, or have someone hold the bag while you pour)

These would make fabulous gifts just the way they are, but add some home made pound cake or purchase a yummy bisquit mix or even a bag of bagels, put them in a cute basket with a Christmas or vintage towel and you have a fantastic gift from the heart that took less then an hour to make from start to finish!

Thanks again for inviting me Edie!!

I’d love to hear from any of you if you make the Cinnamon Honey Butter!

TidyMom.net

Toffee Popcorn

(pics to be restored soon, thanks for your patience!)

Hi – I’m Jodi of Back40Life & I’m super excited to be part of Edie’s 12 Days! My husband Brad & I started our first business together 7.5 years ago, and times were really tight…every extra penny went back into the business and to staying out of debt. When Christmas rolled around, we still wanted to have gifts to give but knew that we needed to go the handmade route as much as possible…and thus was born our toffee popcorn recipe. It was a big hit and even now, years later, we still get requests for it. I’m thrilled to share it with you today.

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter

1/3 cup water

1 cup sugar

popcorn

First pop your popcorn – for years we used 2 bags of microwave popcorn per batch…more recently we’ve gone to air pop {our popper holds 1/4 cup kernels}. Separate your popcorn into two bowls to make it easier to mix later – take a little time to sift through your popcorn and remove any unpopped kernels – trust me, your teeth will thank you.

Melt the butter over medium heat & add water. When the mixture begins to come to a boil, add the sugar & stir; it will be a beautiful light yellow color. As the mixture cooks, it will start to bubble and become frothy – stir to keep it from burning.

As the toffee cooks it will thicken and begin to deepen in color. In the 15-20 minute range, the toffee will start to thin back down and reach the color of peanut butter. Now it’s time to pour the toffee over your popcorn.

Use a wooden spoon to mix well – be careful not to touch the toffee – it is still scalding hot – I’ve learned that one the hard way! Once you’ve achieved an even distribution, spread the popcorn over wax paper or aluminum foil so that it can cool. Try to keep from burning your fingers as you sample {or is that just me?}

After the popcorn cools, break apart and enjoy. Better yet, have some cute gift bags on hand to keep the entire batch from disappearing! Thanks Edie for having me! Come visit us on the Back40!

12 Days Handmade Christmas Tutorials|Day 9 Silhouettes

November 9, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 23 Comments

If you’re new to the ’12 Days’, you may visit the previous days by clicking on the day you like:

Day 1 Crayon Roll

Day 2 Zippered Pouches

Day 3 Appliqued Placemats

Day 4 Quilted Potholders

Day 5 Camera Strap

Day 6 Embellished Dish Towels

Day 7 Bean Bags

Day 8 Alphabet Crayons

I love silhouettes and I’ve tried at least two different methods for making them. I think you’re gonna love Angel’s easy to follow tutorial —-I plan on making some very soon myself. Make sure you visit Angel’s blog and her etsy shop for some wonderful handmade goodies! It’s been a privilege to meet Angel and I’m thankful she’s agreed to teach us today!

Hi there, I’m Angel of TaDa! Creations. I am thrilled to be able to share with you two of my favorite tutorials right here on Edie’s beautiful blog.
Thank you Edie!

I live in gorgeous Minnesota where I married my crush from 7th grade. I feel so blessed to get to do life with him. Together we have 5 year old twin girls and a two year old baby boy. Though my passion is sewing custom boutique clothing for little girls with lots of hand embroidery, I also love to decorate my home. And now that my kids are getting older I can finally start putting decorative things back within their reach. So exciting, I know!

Now, about those tutorials…let’s get started!

I’ve always loved the classic look of silhouettes. Especially when they are of children, and even better yet, a baby. I knew I wanted these over our bed with the new black and yellow color scheme of our bedroom. So I finally got busy yesterday and cut them out.

I found oval 10″x12″ frames at JoAnn a while back. You can usually find them on sale for 50% off or buy one get one free. Or at the very least use a 40% off coupon (they accept competitors coupons too). I bought a new Exacto knife and 7 sheets of black scrapbook paper. I figured I’d make some mistakes and be thankful for the extra paper. I actually could have gotten away with just 2 sheets. For both the black and the white I bought paper with a mock linen texture to it.

I took pictures of the kiddos earlier, trying to get them all about the same distance away in the photo. Then I copied them into Word and printed them onto regular paper to use for my templates. I later had to print Emily’s a tad bigger to be in scale of Allison and Sam.

I determined that I wanted the final faces to all be looking to the left to I traced the back of the pint outs. I knew that later they would be traced to the back of the black paper so any ridges from cutting would end up on the backside. Drawing the outline on the backside also helped to be better able to see just the lines I wanted to cut on. Tape it to a window so you can see through from the front.

My initial first drawing. Lots to clean up and more details to add including eyelashes. You don’t really see eyelashes protruding from a sideview, but they add a lot to a silhouette.

Here is where I noticed that the scale of Emily’s face was a little smaller than Allison’s, so I went back to my Word doc and dragged it a little bigger until it seemed right.

Now to tweak the details. Allison originally had side buns, but I made it look more like one bun in the back and added the little flyaways under it. I also gave a better shape to their bows and to Emily’s ponytail. Sam got a bit more definition to his hair so he didn’t look so bald. And they all got retro looking collars, perhaps my favorite part of all.

Then I was ready to start tracing the lines with my knife (on top of my cutting mat of course). I didn’t tape anything down, I just held the template very tightly with my left hand. I did all of them while kneeling on the floor, which wasn’t fun, but it gave me good leverage.

On the right is the photo I cut out and the left is where the silhouette came out of. It was tough to get it to cut through the whole way around even though I pressed so hard my fingers ached (especially after cutting out all three). Just go back over those spots and when it’s all detached you’ll have a few rough spots to spruce up.

Next I double checked to make sure I liked the overall scale.

Here is all three cut out. It looks like I need to makes Sam’s nose a little more round, it’s pretty pointy here. And Emily’s upper lip got cut a little smaller than it should have. I need to redo hers for sure, but my fingers still ache so that will wait until tomorrow. I would suggest starting with the face so that if you make a mistake you haven’t wasted all your time and energy with the rest of the details. I learned that the hard way.

Close up of her mis-cut lip. Sorry Sweetie!

Next I used the glass from the frames to cut the white background paper out. I just swiped the Exacto knife all the way around the glass. That worked pretty slick. Of course you’ll have to wash the glass and get all the upc label residue off. Why do they always put stickers where they don’t belong?

I used archival double sided tape on the backs to secure them.

Then I laid them all in the frames to see what they would look like. I measured to make sure they were centered correctly. I thought I could eyeball them, but I did have to move one down and another over slightly, so I’m glad I measured.

Perfect, now they are ready for hanging!

I am so in love with these on my yellow walls.

You could really have fun with these and use a patterned paper for the background.
Or how fun to cut the images from a different color?

But I really love the classic look for this spot. They are just what this wall needed.

Do you think I hung them too high? I didn’t have the luxury of someone else to hold them up so I could see them from far away.

See the rest of our room re-do here
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV

12 Days Handmade Christmas Tutorials Day 8|Alphabet Crayons

November 8, 2010 by Edie Wadsworth 50 Comments

DIY Alphabet Crayons

If you’re new to the ’12 Days’, you may visit the previous days by clicking on the day you like:

Day 1 Crayon Roll

Day 2 Zippered Pouches

Day 3 Appliqued Placemats

Day 4 Quilted Potholders

Day 5 Camera Strap

Day 6 Embellished Dish Towels

Day 7 Bean Bags

Today’s guest poster needs no introduction to my readers. It’s a well known fact that I love Meg. She never ceases to inspire me. I love her bold use of color everywhere and her very funny sense of humor and her love for the creative life. I consider it a privilege to look at the world through her lens and am giddy to have her here with us today. You’re gonna want to bookmark her blog and her etsy shop, which will be open January-April. Welcome Meg!

i am so happy that Edie asked me to be a part of her 12 Days!

my name is meg duerksen.
(it’s pronounced dirk-sin…in case you’ve always wondered)

i blog over at whatever.
i do not use capital letters because it’s easier not to.
i am a mom to five goofy kids.
i am a photographer.
i love to do crafts with my kids.
i love to sew.
i love mr. duerksen.
i love movies.

but that’s enough about silly me and all the things i love….lets get crafty.

i am going to show you how i recycle old crayons into really cute alphabet crayons.

normally i would use a big box of old crayons….you know the kind…half used…kind of a mess.
the kind that kids don’t want to use anymore.
but today i used new crayons because i have used up all my old crayons.

i cut the paper off with an exacto knife. just a quick cut down the side is enough and the paper comes right off.

it’s helpful for me to sort them by color.

and happy too.

i use these silicone alphabet silicone ice trays from spoon sisters.

place them on an old cookie sheet because you may spill and you’d hate to ruin a good pan.

fill each letter with broken bits of crayons.

it is ok if some stick out a little but you don’t want to over fill
too much because the wax will melt over into the other letters.

i placed them into my oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes.
when they are fully melted into liquid they are finished.
take them out of the oven leaving the trays on the cookie sheet and let them cool for several hours.

once they are completely solid you can gently push them out of the molds.
the S and the U of my set broke when taking them out.
next time i will just try to be more careful.

i put them all together in a clear treat bag and tie it with a ribbon.
it makes a really cute a colorful gift!

thanks Edie!
i love your 12 Days of Handmade.