DIY Father's Day Burlap Banner - Washer Panache!

Father’s Day is coming up, and I thought it would be fun to send my Dad a burlap banner made with washers, burlap fabric and Aleene’s® Easy Squeeze Turbo Tacky Glue.  Even if your Dad has everything he needs, he can always use a reminder that he’s loved, right?  And I wanted a handmade gift that I could put in a priority envelope, and then ship it from California to Oklahoma.  So this is perfect! 

Here’s what you’ll need.

• Aleene’s Easy Squeeze Turbo Tacky Glue
• Burlap Fabric and Red Felt or Corduroy
• Metal Washers in 2 sizes
• Scissors, Rotary Cutter and Cutting Mat
• Upholstery Needle
• Yarn and Twine
• Tassel Maker or Cardboard
• Chalk

Step One:  Cut 5 triangles, 7 inches wide and 12 inches long from the burlap.  Here’s a tip…. To prevent fraying, be sure that the selvage (finished edge) of the burlap is at the top of the triangles.  Now cut a rectangle 7 x 12 inches from the burlap, and a 7inch heart from felt or corduroy.

Step Two:  Glue around the edges of the heart and glue to the center of the burlap rectangle.  Glue the washers onto the fabric to spell “WE” and “DAD”, making sure that the glue comes up around the edges of the washers to hold them securely.  You can also squeeze additional glue around the edges after you have them all in place. 

Step Three:  Sew across the tops of the finished pieces to hold them all together, using a large upholstery needle and yarn.

Step Four:  Make tassels.  Of course, I simply had to add tassels to my Father’s Day Banner! Wind yarn 20 times around the 4-inch tier of the PattieWack™ Tassel Maker.  

Tie it at the top, bind the neck, cut the bottom and pull off the tool.  

And it looks pretty cool to bind the neck with heavy twine.  Follow the photos to loop, wind, insert, pull and then trim for a perfectly seamless binding.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and if you have ANY questions 

feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

—See you in the next post! 

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Watercolor Feathers

I'm crazy about the Tulip Fabric Markers. And I'm crazy about watercolor designs. So I put the two together and made this canvas art.  This was so much fun to do!  

All You do is draw the outlines first. (I used a feather stencil from Tulip For Your Home.) 

Then color inside the outline, working in small sections, and blend with water, using a chisel brush. 

After it dries, go back and add flourishes and details. Whaddaya think??

Scenes from Vogue Knitting Live in Pasadena!

 I have had so much fun here at about meeting this weekend! I was able to show how to you use the Pattiewack tools and people were absolutely swarming into the booth. This has been a tremendously fun, amazing experience!

Pom-poms & Tassels for Vogue Knitting Live!

I am so excited to be putting together all the goodies for our booth at Vogue Knitting Live in Pasadena this weekend. My pom-pom and tassel girls are going to look perfectly at home there, I'm thinking!

I've got to get my butt in gear today and pack everything so that I can drive down tomorrow and spend the night before setting up on Friday morning. My friend Susan Levin and I went together to sell my PattieWack crafting tools and her website products. 

If you haven't already, you can check out her fabulous products at www.stuffyoulove.com

I'll keep you posted as we set up. This is our first time, so we'll see what happens!

We are both a little bit scared, because we have no idea what to expect. I understand there will be thousands of people there. So we're packing my Transit and her SUV as full we can get them!

..... To be continued

Score! Jonathan Adler style vase.

I can't believe I found this gorgeous vase at JoAnn fabrics today. It reminds me of the Jonathan Adler style base that I've wanted for a very long time. Plus I got it on sale for half price! So happy to put one of the roses from my yard in it today after it stopped raining. Score!

CHA Tradeshow 2015 Highlights

I'm finally posting a few pictures from the highlights of CHA 2015. It was a fabulous trade show!

The iLoveToCreate booth was right in the front door, so I was a busy girl the entire time.

I couldn't believe it when I got there and saw the huge pictures of myself in the booth! Pretty much gave me the giggles.

There were only a couple of times during the entire show that I didn't have people at my make-it-take-it station making cool stuff. 

It was great to meet up with my favorite peeps like Mark Montano ❤️

And I got some good hugs from Steve and Cathie!

The iLoveToCreate booth was beautiful. And it was hoppin with lots of make-it-take-its, good friends and new products. 

Everyone loved the lanyards we made with the new Aleene's Quick Dry Fabric Fusion. 

One of the things I love most about the trade show is getting to do the Designer Showcase. This year I focused on Aleene's adhesives and made a denim and wool covered mannequin embellished with appliqués, pom-poms, and of course tassels. 

I also showcased several high heel stiletto ring holders. You know that my motto is; "If I can't glue it I don't do it!"

My portfolio certainly got a work-out this year. I'm so excited about the future!

Ugly Christmas Sweaters!

It seems that the Ugly Christmas Sweater has become a phenomenon in the cyber world and at holiday parties! And, thanks to this strange infatuation for ugly, my Ugly Christmas Necktie Sweater has been pick up by several top sites!  I'm over the moon, happy, and just shocked at how popular they are.  

The Ugly Christmas Sweater that keeps getting featured was made for the blog at iLoveToCreate, and also here on my Pattiewack blog.  I really think that the cute factor comes from our fabulous model/copywriter, Chloe Tatro.  She is a cutie patootie, and really sells it!  I mean, who else do you see holding an ornament with so much sassy-tude, right? 

To top it all off, our iLoveToCreate social media expert, Alexa Westerfield is a contributor for Buzzfeed.com and she put my sweater in a countdown for 27 Ugly Christmas Sweaters yesterday!  Love ya, Alexa!

  

Today.com did a cute segment on the Today Show, then followed it up with their top Ugly Christmas Sweaters, too.  They found my sweater on Pinterest, and it was #2 on the list!!  

But wait, there's MORE!  *giggle*

Yahoo.com featured it, too!  They found the sweater on iLoveToCreate.com and put it in a slideshow on their front page.  Wowza!  I've actually been in shock to tell you the truth, but super excited that the world is embracing pompoms, glue, and DIY just for the fun of it.  Yes!  What the world needs more of right now is some stinkin' holiday cheer!

So, just in case you need to know how to make your own ugly but cute Ugly Christmas Sweater, here's the instructions.  Look in the closet and grab those ugly neckties or run down to the thrift store and then glue yourself a fabulous and fun sweater to wow your friends and family!

Made in the USA!!!! PattieWack Pom-Pom and Tassel Makers

MADE in the USA

Yes!  We did it.  The quest for having our tools made here in America is not a dream any more.  We actually found someone right here in California that would come close to our China pricing and help us continue to make our tools profitable.  I am so excited to make the announcement today.  My hubby Scott just wouldn't give up, and it was worth it.  We ran out of the mini tassel makers several months ago and lost some sales, but he was determined to continue the search, and see where we could go with US makers.  

So, if you've been waiting to order your PattieWack Mini Tassel Maker, today's your day.  We are in the photography studio right now, getting the beauty shots done, and will have them on the web soon.   Look for them on www.PattieWack.com and in my Etsy store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/PattieWackDesigns ..... 

We are trying to do our part to save the economy through a thought process.  It will take the effort of every American to look for the USA logo on all their purchases.  We are trying to help American people to rely on each other in bringing our industry back.  Please consider supporting the companies that feel it is important to manufacture products in our country.

Thanksgiving Topiaries

When I think about Thanksgiving, I think about spices, pumpkin pie, and all that goodness coming from the kitchen.  And I really love to create something pretty for my table for Thanksgiving.  So, I came up with this idea to crush old potpourri in a food processor and add spices and yummy smells to the mix, then glue it all to foam cones to make Thanksgiving Topiaries.

Check out this video from a few years ago when I was in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  I think you'll like it, just because it will give you a great idea to spice things up on YOUR Thanksgiving table.

P.S.  Don't laugh at my hair!  LOL

Here's what you'll need :

Bagged Potpourri
Food Processor
Cloves
Cinnamon Sticks
Craft Stick
White Craft Glue
Foam Cones & Spheres
Ground Spices
Rubber Band
Ribbon
Tea Lights
Candleholders & Tray

Grab a bag of potpourri and some spices out of the kitchen, because in less than an hour you can make a Spicy Centerpiece! These pretty trees and candles are made with foam shapes and a secret technique with your food processor. Who knew!

Steps:

1. Crush potpourri in a food processor. Be sure to remove large pieces of wood or sticks that would harm the processor. Add a few cloves to add to the fragrance of the mix. Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl.
2. If you want a row of cinnamon sticks around the base, adhere them all the way around the cone with glue. Use a rubber band to hold until dried completely.
3. Spread a generous amount of glue with a craft stick, to completely cover the entire cone. Lay the glue-covered cone into the potpourri mixture as your roll it and scoop handfuls of the mixture over the glue, until it is completely covered.
4. Pour ground spices over the cone to fill in any spaces that are not covered with the potpourri.
5. Press a decorative pinecone or dried flower from the bagged potpourri, into the top of the cone. Let it dry.
6. Tie a ribbon around the base of the cone, tying it into a bow. Place the completed cone on a candleholder and display on a coordinating tray.
7. For the tea light candles, cut a sphere in half, scoop out a hole to place the tea light. Follow the previous steps to cover with potpourri and let it dry. Glue ribbon around the sphere and push a tea light into the top to complete.

Pattie’s Pointer:
This is a fantastic way to use old potpourri that has lost aroma, but too good to throw away. Simply add a few fragrant cloves to the mixture for that holiday fragrance. Not only is this a pretty Thanksgiving centerpiece, but it will also move right into your Christmas decorations by changing the orange plaid ribbon to red velvet bows. Make several to add pizzazz to a holiday buffet that will be sure to impress your guests!

Happy Crafting!
Pattiewack

Grand Opening Today! PattieWackDesigns Etsy Store

Big Announcement....

I'm pleased to announce the Grand Opening of the spankin' new PattieWackDesigns Etsy Store!   Yeehaw!  

I've been working on it for over a month and it finally came together.  Sooo happy that now I can share the PattieWack Tassel Tools, Pompom Tools, mixed media art, pompom keychains, color wheels, PattieWack Custom Crowns, and more crafty tools and supplies. 

Trust me, this is just the beginning. I've been hoarding craft supplies, and saving handmade items for YEARS.  And now it's time to unveil all the goodies!

One of the items in the store is just making me giddy.  I've always loved taking paper, rolling it, and making cool things with it.  And I've thought for a long time that making PattieWack Custom Crowns for special occasions would be fun.  Well, it's TIME.  I'm offering to make personalized crowns for those very special moments like a 50th birthday, or a Golden Wedding Anniversary, maybe a Sweet Sixteen Birthday girl, or any celebration.  There's a full description in the Etsy store :) 

So, please...please...please...head on over to the PattieWackDesigns Etsy Store and check it out.  I can't wait to hear back from y'all and hear what you have to say about it.  And remember, there's more to come!

Happy Shopping!

Pattiewack