Snuggies for Christmas!

I put the "wack" in a pair of snuggies for our site at iLoveToCreate, and I totally LOVE them!

Of course, when I saw that the snuggies were everywhere for Christmas, I had to embellish them with my own wackiness. You can decide if you want yours to be Naughty or Nice, or maybe you just want to add your name.

And what a perfect idea to personalize a snuggie for your boyfriend! I can just see it now... the sorority sisters with all matchie-matchy snuggaroonies with their Greek letters! Or how about with the name of their fave football team? The possibilities are amazing!!

Here's what you need:

• Aleene's Fabric Fusion Permanent Dry Cleanable Fabric Adhesive
  
• Tulip Fashion Glitter
  
• Tulip Glam-It-Up! Iron-On Fashion Designs
  
• Tulip Fashion Glitter Bond
  Foil
  Wedge makeup sponge
  Cutting mat or piece of cardboard
  Felt pen
  Ironing board
  Iron
  Fabric – black or white (depending on Snuggie color)
  Thin cloth
  Thread to match (optional)
  Snuggie™
  Sewing machine (optional)
  Freezer paper
  Craft knife
  

Instructions

1. Use felt pen to trace “Naughty” or “Nice” pattern onto contact paper.
2. Place contact paper onto cutting mat or piece of cardboard, shiny side down. Cut out letters with craft knife to create stencil.
3. Place stencil shiny side down onto black or white fabric and iron on.
4. Squeeze a puddle of Fashion Glitter Bond onto foil. Working quickly, tap flat end of makeup sponge into Glitter Bond and dab a generous amount into stencil openings. Immediately sprinkle glitter over Glitter Bond and use finger to press down on glitter to set. Let dry then peel away stencil and shake off excess glitter.
5. Peel backing from Santa Hat Iron-On Transfer and place plastic side up where desired next to wording. Cover with a thin cloth and iron onto fabric following package instructions.
6. Cut fabric around word and Iron-On Transfer, leaving a 1” border. Refer to photo.
7. Place fabric piece on Snuggie™ where desired and sew in place leaving a ¼” seam.

Now, I don't know if you have read my sad story about MY adventures in SNUGGIES about 10 years ago, and how I COULD HAVE BEEN a Buh-JILLIONAIRE, but my girlfriend and I didn't have the cash to start the business.

If you're interested, check it out at:
Pattiewack Sleevies


Oh, and if you want MORE Crafty Christmas Tips, go to:
Pattiewack Christmas Tips

Stocking Stuffer Soaps

Looking for a stocking stuffer that you can't find in the department store?

Everyone will love to get a set of soaps with their photo on the front, or with cute Christmas stickers, and then placed into matching pillow boxes. These snazzy soaps are the perfect stocking stuffer, and are great for a quick craft that says, “I made it myself!”

The soaps I made are with my family pics. I printed them on my computer in black & white, so that the color of the packaging would be showy in Christmas colors.

And notice in the instructions that I used an old electric wok that I picked up at a garage sale to make a double boiler for melting the wax! It's perfect for putting about an inch of water in and then putting the wax in a tin pie plate for dipping the soap into. Of course, you could also use any old pan on the stove, and place your wax in a coffee can and get the same results.

Oh, and the Aleene's Original Tacky Glue Sticks are great for sticking the pics to the soaps. But, they are also great for wrapping gifts, making gift tags, and for adding a cute pic, glitter, or paper snowflakes to your Christmas cards.

You'll need:
White Bars of Soap (I used Ivory)
Photo Copies of Pics
Household Paraffin Wax (from the grocery store in the canning supplies)
Double Boiler (or electric wok)
Tin Pie Pan
Water
Tongs
Sharp Knife
Scissors
Aleene's Original Tacky Glue Stick

Steps:

1. Carefully carve off the soap's brand name with a sharp knife.
2. Cut out photos and glue to soap with glue stick.
3. Place a tin pie pan in the wok. Lay 2 chunks of paraffin wax in the pie pan. Pour water into the wok just until the pie pan floats above the bottom of the pan. Heat the wok on LOW and as soon as the wax melts, turn the heat off. (Never leave unattended.)
4. Grab the sides of the soap with tongs and dip with the photo face down into the wax, about 1/4 of an inch. Repeat a couple of times for a smooth surface. Lay soap aside until the wax becomes firm.
5. Tie with a bow, or place in a pillow box and you're ready to stuff a stocking or two.

Be sure and make lots, because everyone will want one. These are fabulous to give to peeps in the office, and they are great teachers gifts, too!

So, there you have some snazzy soaps for stocking stuffers. (Say THAT really fast 3 times!)

Have A CRAFTY Christmas!
Pattiewack

p.s. You'll find lots of Christmas Craft Tips at:
Pattiewack Crafty Tips

iPhone Easel - It's the Simple Things

I love simple things. Like this super simple way to put my iPhone on an easel so I can watch videos. Totally easy. Only two items; pencils and rubber bands. A craft? I dunno. But it's functional and fun.


Don't get me wrong. I love elaborate things, too. You could glue some embellishments on there, like old jewelry, a little ribbon and a bow. But then you'd lose the fun of how simple it is. Sometimes you just gotta let it go and love simplicity. Can I get a woot woot?

Tacky But Cute Thanksgiving

Oh no- - -ooooooh, Thanksgiving is Thursday, and you need a centerpiece, candlelight, and cute little party favors. What to do????



















Well, I've got it right here. This Thanksgiving centerpiece is way wacky, but it makes a great impression.

I made a big pot for my mum centerpiece, then the little pots hold candles and then I put candy corn in polka dot tulle and dropped it into little pilgrim hats.
Preeety cute, a little tacky because of the tacky glue, and easy, too.

Grab These Supplies:

Clay pot
Black spray paint
Black foam board
Pencil
Compass
Craft knife
Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue
Craft metal, felt or cardstock for buckle
Black velvet ribbon (same width as the rim on the clay pot)

Follow These Steps:

1. Spray paint the clay pot black, let dry completely.
2. Turn the pot upside down on foam board. Trace around the rim, then set aside. Use a compass to draw a line 4 inches from the traced circle.
3. Cut around the outside circle with a craft knife, being careful to cut a nice, smooth edge.
4. Cut out the inside circle, 1/2-inch smaller than the traced line. If you plan to use the pot as a tray instead of a flowerpot, don’t cut out the center hole.
5. Glue the brim to the top of the pot with Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue.
6. Cut out a buckle from craft metal, felt, or cardstock.
7. Thread black velvet ribbon through the buckle and glue to the rim of the pot.

You can plan your Thanksgiving centerpiece around a pilgrim theme with Pilgrim Party Hats. Place a pot of mums or fresh flowers in one large pot. Don’t cut a hole in the brim of another pot, and you can use it to display cupcakes or other goodies!



















Happy Thanksgiving, Crafty Pilgrims!
Hugs & Blessings,
Pattiewack

I Can't Believe It's Tacky Glue & Bread!

I know, you're thinking I grabbed some polymer clay and made this darling little leaf bowl, but NO. It is just bread and glue! I had some left-over dough in the frig from a segment we did for the local news station, and you know crafters, we NEVER throw anything away. So, I decided to make a sweet little nut bowl with matchy-matchy wine glass tags for Thanksgiving.

I love how the leaves turned out for the wine glasses. They actually look like fine porcelain in real life. My pics are not the best, but I hope you can see how pretty they turned out.

The leaf bowl is perfect for filling with pistachios or other little snacks to go with the wine while the guests are waiting on that darn turkey to cook!

So, to make your own Tacky Glue Dough, all you need are 3 pieces of white bread with the crusts pulled off, and 3 big spoonfuls of Aleene's Tacky Glue. Pinch up the bread into a disposable cup and add your glue. Mix it with a plastic spoon until it starts to turn into a big lump, and then roll it in your hands until you have a nice ball of dough. Next, pat or roll it out to the size of a pancake.

For the complete steps for Tacky Glue Dough, go to the iLoveToCreate website for the pics and how-tos.

Then grab your scissors and cut a leaf shape about the size of your palm,

Use a spoon to help shape the leaf into a bowl and the press veins into it.

I pinched the edges and softened them with my fingers.

The little leaves are about an inch and a half wide, cut out with scissors, and then a straw was pushed through so I could hang them on the stem of the wine glasses.

To speed up the drying process, I set my toaster oven to 200 degrees, let it warm up and then turned it off. Then I placed the leaves in the oven for about 3 hours to cure. I noticed that the leaves were puffing up with air, so I pressed them with my fingers and placed them back in the oven until they were totally dry. If you can wait until the next day to paint them it will be great.

Autumn leaf colors were what I used to transform the leaves with color. I used paint from my stash. After they were completely dry, they were ready for Scott and I to toast to all of our many blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving!
& Blessings
to everyone!
Pattiewack

Behind the Scenes Photo Shoot

One of the things that happens on a daily basis here at iLoveToCreate, are the photo shoots with models, products, and projects. Scott, our photography/videographer (and my hubby) set up a shoot for our December t-shirt of the month in the manufacturing/bottling facilities this week.

Our models were perfect with their houndstooth pattern t-shirts with gradient dye, up against the black drums. I designed the shirts and thought it would be great to have an edgy background for the shoot. I loved it!

After Megumi (one of the models) changed clothes, we discovered that in the storage area was a poster she had modeled for 6 years ago! She flipped out, and I couldn't wait to get a cute pic of her posing with the poster. Too funny!

As you can see in these pics, our plant is huge, and we had to wear protective glasses and closed toed shoes to walk around.

Check this out. It's one of the glue vats being mixed with a humungous mixer about the size of my little car.

We have tons of mannequins awaiting another trade show, and big drums of paint.

The bottling area was humming away, and there were rows of plaster waiting to become bisque pieces for our ceramics division of products.

I'm fascinated by the conveyor belts of bottles, and huge drums of paint and glue being pumped into spray bottles and squeeze bottles before it gets labels and shipped to the stores.

Alexa, aka Swell Designer, is pretty fascinated too, I might say.... heehee.

But alas, it's just another day behind the scenes at iLoveToCreate!

Wild Thanksgiving for Two!

I'm thinking about Thanksgiving, which is less than 3 weeks away. Can you believe it? It will just be Scott and I, since my family is in Oklahoma and his is in Washington and we have a couple of trips planned for the holidays. So.... I decided to get WILD with it.

I found 2 placemats at the discount store in a sort of sage green, but they were just tooooo plain. So I grabbed my Aleene's Fabric Fusion and some animal print felt to add a little style to the otherwise plain-jane placemats. In fact, I already had the animal print in my fabric stash, and since I only needed a little bit, it was perfect.

Cutting the corners off the fabric was easy with a rotary cutter, and I measured 3 inches from the point of each triangle to cut it. Then I glued the corners into place. It looks great because the border seam makes them look inset.

You can dress up placemats that you already have, with corners cut from your fabric scraps, or cut the corners off of napkins that coordinate and create an entire Thanksgiving table for your family. Or maybe all you need is Thanksgiving for Two, like us!

Crafter's Guide to Glue Book

"When it comes to dieting,
remember one simple rule...
If you can't lose it, decorate it!"

Yes, this is another wacky project from "Crafters Guide to Glue" by Pattie Donham (me!) and it was one of the most fun to do!

I made over 70 projects for this big fat 128 page book, every single design with GLUE, and they are funky, crazy and fun. You’ll find everything from a weenie dog on a messenger bag, to bread dough jewelry and a mosaic chiminea fountain. There are glue recipes for things like slime, sticker glue and puffy paste, too! If it has to do with sticky, wacky, or crafty, it’s in there!

For this crazy cardigan, I took a cute fleece jacket and traded out the buttons for vintage, and then glued trim onto it with Aleene's Fabric Fusion. But that's pretty normal, right? So I had this left-over napkin from a party, and I grabbed my Aleene's Napkin Applique Glue and got busy. It's really simple, because all you do is separate the layers of paper in the napkin until you only have the part with the pattern on it.

In this case it's the middle aged gals with the pitiful excuse for dieting. (sigh) I cut it out and applied a layer of glue to the cardigan and while it was wet I laid the napkin in the wet glue and carefully patted it with my fingers. Then I applied a nice thick layer of glue over the napkin to reallllly seal it into the cardigan.

While I was waiting for it to dry I glued a few Tulip Crystals around it with more of my Aleene's Fabric Fusion. When it was dry it was ready for photography in my glue book. But better yet, my Aunt Mary Lou was the perfect gal to recieve it as a gift.

You know, all of my aunts have two names, since we are all from Oklahoma. There's Aunt Wanda Faye, Aunt Betty Sue, and so on... God love'em.

So there ya go.... another gluey project from me.... if you can't glue it, I don't do it :-)

Electric Blue Heels

Not only do I love high heels, but I love dying fabric. And when you combine the two, you get these electric blue heels lined with fabulous turquoise animal print fabric. I know what you're thinking.... nobody will see the inside. But, the cute knotted strips across the toe are enough to dress up a darling dress and especially if you dye it at the same time!


So, before you actually line the heels, you need to dye the fabric. First, I washed 1/3 yard of white 100% cotton fabric to remove the sizing and to be sure the dye was able to saturate all the way through the fibers.

Next, I cut an animal print stencil from craft foam and laid it on the fabric. (Just google the words animal print stencil and you can print it from your computer.)

Then I sprayed over the stencil with Tulip One-Step Dye in Turquoise. I kept moving the stencil until the entire piece of fabric was covered with dye. I did it sloppily so that I had dye everywhere. Oh, and don't forget to wear the gloves in the kit and to cover your table with a plastic bag. I covered the wet fabric with the trash bag for 4 hours to let the dye do it's thing. Then I was able to toss it into the washer with a little bit of laundry soap for a full cycle, dry it, and then iron it. I absolutely LOVE the color.


I took just regular printer paper and stuck it into the shoe to get a pattern of the sole and the left side and right side. I used my fingernail to indent the paper as a guide for cutting. I labeled each pattern and cut out doubles of each for the 2 shoes.

Next step was to spray the paper patterns with Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Spray Glue and stick them to the back of the fabric, leaving at least 1/4" space around the edges.







I used Aleene's Fabric Fusion to glue the edges inward and cut slits in the fabric to ease around the corners.



I inserted the pieces into the shoes with Aleene's Fabric Fusion so they would be good and snug.

The last step was to tie 2 strips into a loose knot and glue across the toes. I cut the ends to exactly match the bottoms of the shoes perfectly. I'm in love and ready to kick up my heels!

I hope you love them as much as I do, and if YOU embellish your heels, I would love for you to send me a pic: http://www.blogger.com/pwilkinson@ilovetocreate.com and maybe next week I'll post a pic of your heels!

Fall in Fresno

It's Halloween Weekend here in Fresno and the Fall weather is amazing. It's been in the 70's all week, and the mornings are fabulous. We headed to the local bakery for pastries and coffee to sit outside in the sunshine.

Scott's in pastry heaven.
Then we headed to the Fresno Farmer's Market on Shaw, and began to absorb the smells, sights, and the sounds of fall with the crunchy leaves under our feet. It was our first time to shop here, since we usually go to the Clovis market which is closed for the season. It was wonderful.

This watercolor artist was absorbed in her painting as we walked by and enjoyed the eye candy. Her flair was soft and subdued colors of florals and still life. Sooo pretty.

Scott was totally in his "happy place" as you can see. I think that the only thing he likes more than biking is shopping for fresh food.

Check out this real life scissor-hands guy! He had a pimped-out van with everything sharp. He is there every week and sharpens whatever you bring him.... scissors, knives, you name it. I am going to bring my sewing shears to him next week. I think I must have put a nick in them cutting wired-edged ribbon. Now they tug every time I cut fabric. That's not good.

I took a couple of these home and made silver dollar eggplant for dinner. I cut it in skinny circles, dredged in Greek yogurt, sprinkled with cornmeal and salt & pepper, and pan fried them in olive oil. Oh mah gawd, they were finger-lickin' good.

Next week, I'm trying out these guys....

Happy Halloweeenie Weekend from Fresno....oh.....