Patio Party Lights

My patio lights were so simple, and believe it or not, they were super inexpensive to make. I found the paper lanterns at Pier I and they are easy to hang anywhere with the light kits that double as the hanger.

I simply took Aleene's Crystal Clear Tacky Spray glue and adhered circles of polka dotted and plaid tissue paper to the white lanterns to jazz'em up.

I couldn't leave them alone, and just had to add ribbon streamers to the bottoms. Love it!

Eclipse Saga/Twilight Jewelry Box

If you are a Twilight fan, and can't wait for Eclipse to premier on June 30th, you'll love this jewelry box with the hidden photo of Edward and Bella that I decoupaged on the inside with Collage Pauge.


I took discarded mannequin hands and glued them to the top of the box after I painted it and rubbed a bit of silver paint on the edges. I glued metalic beads to the bottom with Liquid Fusion


I covered a glass apple that I found at the Dollar Store (yeah, the DOllar StOrE!) with Tulip® Glam-It-Up!™ Iron-On Crystals™. I know, they're for ironing to fashions, but they were just what I needed to make the apple look like it mysteriously fell from a mystical world to the feet of Bella.

I love how it turned out, and how great the apple glued into the center of the hands.

Statement Necklace

Patio Party Lights

It's that time of year again, and I'm ready to move my wicker loveseat and chairs to the patio, pour a glass of light wine, and dine with my friends. But I need a pretty little light to bring a bit of ambience to the party.

This patio party light was much easier than it looks. I found the cup and saucer at the thrift store. I had the flat glass stones and the wired beads. And the copper pipe and cap came from the hardware store. Love it!

Here's the project instructions to print out and make yours:

Patio Party Light Supplies:

• Ceramic or glass cups and saucers
• Copper pipe, 3 feet long
• Copper cap
• 2-part Epoxy
• Adhesive gel
• Flat glass stones
• Buttons
• Figurine
• Beaded wire
• Alcohol
• Paper towel
• Paper plate
• Craft stick

Steps:

1. Clean cup and saucers with alcohol and paper towel.
2. Glue the cup to the saucer with adhesive gel. Embellish with buttons, stones, and figurine with adhesive gel. Let set according to the glue label.
3. Mix the 2-part epoxy on paper plate with craft stick, according to the label.
4. Turn the cup and saucer over and apply the epoxy in the center of the saucer bottom. Apply epoxy to the copper cap. Press the cap onto the saucer. Let set according to the epoxy label.
5. When the glue is set, position the copper cap to the end of the copper pipe.
6. Wind beaded wire through the cup handle and down the length of the pipe.
7. Push the pipe into the ground, and add tea lights, bird seed or fresh water.

Happy Easter Everyone

Confetti Easter Eggs

Easter gatherings are always a fabulous time to be with family and friends. And if you're looking for something to craft, this is ideal. I made these gorgeous confetti eggs that look beautiful placed inside the paper cones on a bed of shredded tissue.
The eggs are so pretty until you bust them on someone's head and they explode with confetti! Kids love'em and I love'em and adults will love'em too. Confetti eggs, also called cascarones, are a Mexican tradition for Easter as well as other holidays. A cascaron is an egg that is decorated much like an Easter egg and then filled with confetti. Cascarones are broken over the head for good luck.

For complete instructions and a supply list, go to iLoveToCreate.com and you'll be on your way to a fun day!

Recycled Recipe Box

Love to cook, love to organize, and love to decoupage....
so I love this decoupaged recipe tin I made to organize my fave recipes to keep right on the counter top in my kitchen.


I'm a big coffee and hot tea lover and I just can't bear to throw away some of the cool packaging and save them in an ephemera box I keep in my studio. The maple syrup and the chocolate label were tucked away there, too. The cute alphabet caps were in my scrapbooking stash.

I started out with a humdrum recycled tin from the thrift store. It would have been fine the way that it is, but who you have to agree, it's pretty darn boring.

Then I used Aleene's® Collage Pauge Instant Decoupage to glue the labels to the tin. I laid the labels face down on a paper towel, brushed glue on the back and then applied them to the tin, pushing out any air bubbles. When I was finished with that step, I put a coat of glue over the labels to keep my tin nice & clean from flying food.



Recipe cards were a snap to make with colored card stock, clippings from magazines and the web, and glued together with Aleene’s® Acid Free Tacky Glue™ Sticks.
The whole project didn't take very long, and more recipes can be added all the time.


This project, and dozens more were designed by me and written up by Barbara Winkler in "Cookbooking, the delicious new way to scrapbook" by Sterling Publishing. You can pick yours up at Barnes & Noble or online.

Oh, and here's my recipe from the pic. I like to make this for my gal pals on the weekend.

Grapefruit Pomegranate Sunrise:
4oz. Light Rum (optional)
16 oz. Pink Grapefruit Juice
2 oz. Pomegranate Juice
2 oz. Ginger Ale
4 Wedges Ruby Red Grapefruit

Pour ingredients into a tall glass pitcher. Pop a dozen ice cubes into the pitcher. Stir briskly. Serve in champagne flutes with crushed ice and a garnish of grapefruit wedges. Enjoy!

Happy Cooking and Crafting!
PattieWack

Patio Pretty Petals

It doesn't get any easier or pretty than this.

All I did was take a pretty silk rose apart and glue it to a votive cup for a positively precious candle for the patio.

To see the project page, go to Pattiewack.com for the details.

Happy Spring!!

PattieWack

Temporary Tats!

I'm crazy for these Chanel Temporary Tattoos! I found them tonight while I was surfing the web for Summer 2010 Fashion Trends and fell in love. As you can see, the images are quite beautiful and look oh so sweet with the romantic and sweet styles by Chanel.
This one is simple yet sweet just above the knee, and I am also crazy for the bag and shoes!
My first pair of summer shoes will definitely be a fresh pair of clogs....

You can purchase them at the Chanel site for $75 and I'm thinking what fun gifts they will be!!

I'm in love!

I Heart SHOES!

I love shoes so much, that I'm always checking out ways to wack them out with something, and these strappy heels caught my attention at Forever21 on one of my many dashes to the mall.

But they didn't start out like this. Oh no. At the iLoveToCreate Studios the Designers start with an idea like everyone else in the creative world, BUT then we must create a SKETCH to show the approval committee what we plan to DO with our idea before we can make it.

So, here's my sketch of the shoes I had in my head. As you can see, the technique for gluing is written there, along with my initials, and what the embellishments will be. At the time I was thinking zippers, crystals, and using GLUE to hold them all together. If you look real close, you see that "yes" it was approved.

And here's the shoes BEFORE the zippers, glue, and rosettes started being added.

In the process, I used clothespins and masking tape to hold them together while the glue set.

Oh, and did you know that zippers fray when you cut them? That's why you see the candle lit on my work table. I held the cut zipper over the flame to stop them from fraying. Works like a charm. I use Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue, and I also used Fabric Fusion to hold the rosettes together. They are 3 sizes of wavy circles cut from an old pleather jacket, with a brad in the center of the small circle. I stacked and glued them together and then glued them to the shoes. The next morning I took off the tape and clothespins and woot-woot!

Check it out..... Our copy writer Chloe just HAD to try them on. They are size 9, and she is a size 6....so they are pretty big, but still pretty stellar.

Cute toes, Chloe!

Mod Mod World

Mod, mod world in Fresno today.... this fab fun find was at the downtown Fresno Vintage Voola. It wasn't for sale, boohooooo! Now all I need is a mannequin, hand-saw, and paint, right?

Alexa (aka Swell Designer) was giving me the tour and we were trippin'out with all the eye candy.

Orange, pink, turgouise, and yellow were the big color splashes.

Hair dryers from vintage beauty parlors gave me ideas for altering them into lamps.

My dining room is begging me to buy this fab set of chairs (at Yoshi Now) with an oval table to match our Jetson's style barstools. Scott will have to give the final nod since one of the chars was wobbly. If they end up at my house, then I will HAVE to make a trip to the L.A. fashion district and go to Mood for the perfect fabric choice!

Thank goodness Scott wasn't with me, or I'm sure this tiki bar would have been in the back of the Yaris for a trip home with us.

The stores take up a full block downtown, and it was the perfect day with misty rain to keep away the crowds so we had plenty of elbow room.

Jeweled purses in a row reminded me of my Aunt Melba, Aunt Wanda, and Aunt Marie. I remember them carrying bags like these to church on Sunday mornings when I was a little girl.

Boot-scootin' glittered cowboy boots were all lined up and ready to kick some a&&.

Ohhh, if only boots could talk....

Random crafts were in the knick-knack racks, and I was drawn to the little dolls.

Tie dye, baybee..... it's everywhere!

To top it off, the sequined bicycle pillow had Scott's name all over it.

I hope he loves it as much as me..... wheeeeeeee!

LUCKY CHARM

St. Patrick's Day is March 17th, and it'll be the perfect day to show off your crafty side with this snazzy little shamrock captured in a charm with Aleene's® Paper Glaze. It dries to a hard, nontacky glass-like finish to accentuate design details for dimensional designs and laminating effects on paper.



Believe it or not, the shamrock isn't real. I found it by "googling" shamrock and it was easy to find actual photos of the real thing. So, I simply printed it out, and I was ready to craft!

First, I cut two 1” wide circles from white cardstock. Then I printed the shamrock image from the web to fit inside 1” circle.

I glued an earring hook between the two circles of cardstock with Aleene’s® Original Tacky Glue®, exposing only the ring of the earring for joining to the chain when completed. (That's why I never throw any old jewelry away when it breaks... you can always use strays for crafting later.)

Next, I carefully cut out the shamrock and glued it to one side of the charm and let it dry.

I wanted both sides to look nice, so I turned the charm over to the backside and glued green Tulip® Glam-It-Up!™ Iron-On Crystals™ over the entire circle. Yes, I know the crystals are iron-ons, but they are positively wonderful to glue to paper!

After the crystals dried on the back of the charm I turned it over to the front and glued crystals around the outside edge, circling the shamrock.

Next comes the amazing part. I squeezed a thin layer of Aleene's® Paper Glaze over the shamrock, carefully covering to the edge of crystals. That's what makes it look like resin, and all shiny. It's important to let it dry overnight before you touch it, so you don't get your fingerprints on it and make it dull.

Last of all, I used needle-nose pliers to attach my lucky charm to a chain with a jump ring.

There ya go....A cute little lucky charm to wear or give away on St. Paddy's Day!

For more wacky & crafty ideas,

Come see me at: iLoveToCreate.com and at PattieWack.com

Mancrafting - Tie Dye Scarves

Tie Dye Guys....


Mancrafting at the iLoveToCreate booth recently at the CHA 2010 Trade Show was in full swing, as you'll see in this video.

The silk scarves at the Make-It-Take-It table were a huge hit. I mean, who doesn't LOVE tie dye? Who doesn't love silk? And who wouldn't want their guy to make a beautiful gift with their two bare hands ? (Okay, so they WERE covered in plastic gloves.)

Eddie was making a surprise for his girlfriend when she walked up, so there is a bit of dye drama going on....



The process is simple.... Take your 100% silk scarf that you can pick up at the craft store, and tie it in knots, or twist it, or rubber band it, fold it, or whatever you can think of to make a design. As you'll see in the video, we now have a new dyeing term call "zshooozing" by one of the dudes, as well as "massaging" the dye into the scarf! (love it :-)

So, check out your dye color options at iLoveToCreate and make a scarf that would be perfect for Valentines Day, or any day!

Junk Jewelry

I love JUNK JEWELERY!
But I DON'T like it when my jewelry is junky, because I can never find what I need to wear with my outfit, without spending time rummaging through 10 boxes, a jewelry box, and 2 travel pouches. I finally decided that this weekend I was going to organize everything so I could it all at once.

So, check out my new jewelry shelves and tray!

These used to be rubber stamp shelves that I made for my book, "The Crafter's Guide To Glue" and when I went looking for something to use for organizing everything, there they were in the garage, empty! Since we moved from Nashville, I haven't put them up to hold my stamps, so I repurposed them again.

I laid one on top of a shelf full of t-shirts, which fit perfectly.

Here's how messy it was before. It was just awful. Poor Scott. He shares my closet and my mess!

Here's the instructions and everything you need to make your own Junk Jewelry Organizers...

Supplies:

Large frames of your choice

Black 1/4 inch foam board

Aleene’s® Original Tacky Glue®

Craft knife

Metal edged ruler

Glass head straight pins

Wire cutters

Steps:

1. Measure opening of frame. Cut foam board the exact same size. This will be the back of the box.
2. Place the frame laying face down on a table. Cut 2 pieces of foam board, 1-1/4 inches wide times the length of the frame opening. Glue to the inside opening of the frame, along each side. (Where the glass would normally be placed.)
3. Cut 2 pieces of foam board, 1-1/4 inches wide times the width of the frame opening. Glue to the inside opening of the frame, along the top and bottom. Also glue the corners together where they meet. This will be the sides of the box.
4. Glue the foam core that you cut for the back of the box, to the sides to complete the box.
5. Turn the framed box over, right side facing up. Lay out your rubberstamps the way that you would like for them to be placed on shelves inside the box.
6. Cut shelves, 1-1/4 inches wide times the width of the inside of the box. Place in the box between the rows of rubberstamps evenly. Glue to secure.

Here's how they looked before I added all my jewelry.


And here's how they look full. I love how my chunky bracelets fit perfectly on the shelves!

You may want to use them to organize your rubberstamps or anything else you collect. I don't know... your matchbook cars, or a collection of your boyfriend's limited series of beer bottles. Just kidding. Oh, and they would look great painted with your fave kitschy color. I almost painted them turquoise, but was in too big a hurry to get them hung.

If you like this idea, there are tons more in my book, "The Crafter's Guide to Glue", and you can get a signed copy this weekend January 22 and 23rd at the Craft Super Show in Anaheim at the Convention Center!

I'll be at the Barnes & Noble booth for my book signing, from 4:00 to 5:00. I'm listed in the Craft Celebrities on the Super Show site.

Ohhh, I almost forgot... I'll be teaching a fabulous workshop, too! It's from 5:00 to 7:00 on Friday. At the end of this workshop you'll have not just a stylin' "Lady Luck" bag, but a crash course in color selection and the knowledge of four different paint techniques that are super-duper easy!



And don't forget to come see me if you attend the CHA 2010 Winter Tradeshow. I'll be at the iLoveToCreate booth and we'll be making all kinds of crafty goodies at the make-it-&-take-it craft bars!

See you in Anaheim!
PattieWack