Mo' crafts!

[sew-sexy15.livejournal.com]

   Hi all! Here are crafts #2 and #3 of 2008. Yay! So far I have lived up to my goal - One craft per week. Hope you like them!

This is a lanyard that I made for one of my supervisors at work. Wow - It is REALLY hard to get a good picture of jewelry. I admire those of you that can get really beautiful pictures of your jewelry, because I found it basically impossible. :) I know this isn't anything amazing, but it's my very first jewelry attempt, and I think it came out kinda cute!



Here are some decoupage candle holders I made. I bought these martini glasses at the dollar store...Good deal, eh? Haha. Anyway, I KNOW, I KNOW, they are incredibly...PINK. I think that with Valentine's Day looming nearer and nearer, it has put me on a pink kick. I still like 'em, though...They're sorta fun.

So there's that! Oh, also...When I posted my last entry, someone asked for a tutorial on the Jack-o-lantern decoupage candle holders I made. So here's a quick explanation!

1) You'll need two glass candle holders (if you want a set.) I usually get mine from either Wal-Mart or the Dollar Store.
2) Tissue paper! For the Jack-o-lanterns, I used orange, but I make different styles in many different colors :) Cut the tissue paper into small squares...About 1"x1" or so.
3) Use Mod Podge (the glossy kind) and an old yucky paintbrush (I use one of those brushes you get in a children's watercolor set) to decoupage the tissue paper onto the glass holders. I usually try to go just over the rim, but I don't go any further inside of the holder. Make sure to place the pieces randomly rather than trying to make them all line up - It looks a lot better that way.
4) Let both holders dry completely once you are done with the decoupage. For my Jack-o-lanterns, I used black fabric paint to make little faces on each holder. If you don't want Halloween themed holders, you can use fabric paint to make designs on your holders. I do that a lot, because it's just such an easy paint to maneuver on the rounded, textured surface.
5) I usually like to give the rims of my holders some sort of trim. For the Jack-o-lanterns, I used a trim of black glitter. You just paint a fairly thick layer of Mod Podge around the rim, pour on the glitter, let it dry completely, and then if you want to, put another coat of Mod Podge to seal the glitter so it doesn't fall off over time. Make sure that everything else on your holder is completely dry before you start this step, or else you'll have glitter where you don't want it! Other things that I like to use for trim are jewels, seed beads, that crazy ribbon stuff with the beaded dangles...Etc.
6) For a long time I used tealights in my candle holders, but I just recently started filling them with my own wax. Either is a nice effect, it's just whatever you prefer. If you want to actually make the candle itself, you can buy blocks of wax at craft stores. I got mine at Hobby Lobby. You can also get scents, wicks, wick bases, etc.

So there ya go! I hope I was thorough enough in my explanation of everything. :) Have fun!