Creepy Creature Canisters

Excuse last week's neon bachlorette interruption, it is back to all Halloween all the time around here. This week for I Love to Create I present you with some creepy creature canisters.


SUPPLIES
Set of Canisters
Sheep (ish) yarn
Felt
Scissors
Aleene's Tacky Glue

I love recovering old canisters and making them into something new. Remember my wallpaper covered canisters from last year? This time I went the yarn route. I had a set of 3 canisters from Ikea just waiting to celebrate Halloween properly.

This project is so super duper easy. All you need are some canisters which I see regularly at the thrift store. Round or square will work. Next you will need some Tacky Glue, my preference is some sort of fast grab. I am in love with the colors in my friend Vickie Howell's new yarn line Sheep(ish) so I grabbed a ball of blue, green, orange and got to wrapping.


Starting at the top or the bottom wrap your entire canister in yarn. You will need a dab of glue when you finish to keep your yarn from unravelling. I wrapped the starting piece of yarn to hold it in place.


Once your canister is totally wrapped it is time to adorn with felt and more yarn. You could use white yarn for ghosts or mummies, brown yarn for werewolves, green yarn for witches - the options are endless. Now what kind of sweet treats shall I put in my canisters?


Check out more Halloween fun here and more I Love to Create posts here.


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Cool2Craft TV - Monday October 3, 2011

Cool2Craft TV for October 3, 2011: Halloween

Join host Tiffany Windsor for a new episode of Cool2Craft TV. This week's show theme is Halloween. EcoHeidi Borchers creates a Happy Halloween Rolled Beads Necklace with Aleene's Fabric Fusion Adhesive, Candace Jedrowicz creates a Whimsical Articulated Skeleton and Tiffany creates a Pumpkin Patch Fabric Napkin featuring Aleene's Fabric Fusion Adhesive and Aleene's Fabric Fusion Peel & Stick Sheets. It's terrifically tacky and creatively cool!

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday October 3, 2011 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and find the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday!

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iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Nerds Rule Glasses

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Avalon Potter for iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts
Nerds Rule Glasses
"Teen crafted, mom approved."

I got these nerd glasses a couple of years ago when I started a nerd club at my old school. I still wear them sometimes for fun and this week wore them for Nerd Day at my new school. Plain nerd glasses were cool, but adding Tulip Glam it Up Crystals made them even cooler! I love these now! You can do this to any pair of glasses you have, even the not so nerdy ones! But hey, let's face it...

Nerds RULE!


Materials
Black plastic 'nerd' glasses
Tulip Glam it Up Crystals in clear
Aleene's Platinum Bond Glass and Bead Adhesive
Sand paper or soft nail file

Tools
Chain nose pliers OR Tulip Fashion Art Tweezers

1. Rough up the surface of the areas where you'll be attaching crystals. Don't go overboard! You may want to tape the lenses of the glasses to prevent accidentally scratching them.



2. Put some glue into a piece of tin foil and dip the crystals into the glue one by one using tweezers.



3. Adhere them evenly around the rims of your glasses. Take your time and if you want to, mark crystal placement in advance.

4. Allow glue to dry overnight and then wear your nerd glasses with pride!

How to: Studded Leggings!

I once spotted a pair of studded leggings in a magazine, and though they were just for styling, not for sale (I would have snatched them in an instant!), perhaps it was actually a lovely DIY blessing so that that years later, when I unpacked my tubes of Beads in a Bottle for the first time, I'd know just what to do. I pulled the slightly wrinkled page from my "future inspirations" notebook and set to work!

Materials:
-leggings or footless tights
-Tulip Beads in a Bottle paint in desired colors
-chalk marker
-ruler or straightedge
-iron (optional)

1. Prewash the leggings and let them dry completely. Fold the leggings so the sides are facing out. Find the center line down each leg, from hip to ankle and use the ruler and chalk marker to mark dots 3/4" to 1" apart along that line. Optional: Set the iron to a low setting and press the leggings flat to make a crease along the outside of each leg before measuring the dots.

2. Select a Beads in a Bottle color to match or contrast the leggings (though you can't tell from the late-night craft lighting in the photos, I was working with blue leggings, so I chose a light yellow for nice contrast). Make sure the leggings are on a flat surface, with your marked dots facing up. Hold the tip of the tube about 1/16" above the first dot and gently squeeze out the paint to form a bead. Note that the beads shrink slightly when they dry, so be a little generous without going overboard.

3. Continue adding dots along the length of the legging until you reach the hip, making sure to lift the tip of the tube straight up after you've applied the bead to prevent smearing. Note: If plan to wear your leggings with that hot leotard you have hiding in the back of the closet, you may consider extending the line of dots waistband-high, but otherwise, you only need to squeeze beads up to the hemline of your skirt, shorts, or dress.

4. If you can lay the second leg flat without disturbing the wet beads on the first leg, do so, and repeat steps 2 and 3 to complete the look. Otherwise, let one side dry completely (about 4 hours) before dotting the other side.

5. Let both sides of the leggings dry and get ready to rock them! The beads dry three-dimensionally, so you do get a slightly studded effect that can be seen when silhouetted from the front. Cool, very cool.

Variations: Experiment with different patterns -- zigzag your beads down your legs, cluster them around the ankles so they "explode" up the leg, or apply them in a nice line up the back of each leg--reminiscent of old-school seamed pantyhose.

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Cool2Craft TV - Monday September 26, 2011

Cool2Craft TV for September 26, 2011: Jewelry

Join host Tiffany Windsor for a new episode of Cool2Craft TV. This week's show theme is jewelry. EcoHeidi Borchers creates Reverse Fabric Water Bottle Earrings with Aleene's Fabric Fusion Glue, Candace Jedrowicz creates Hammered Copper Earrings and Tiffany creates Vintage Floral Earrings and Gift Tag featuring Aleene's Tacky Dot Singles. It's terrifically tacky and creatively cool!

It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday September 26, 2011 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/ 11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and find the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday!

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Cake Pop Cones with Fluorescent Bunting

I am hosting a bachlorette party for my sister Hope this weekend, and of course there are some handmade hot pink touches. Nothing makes the party like a cake pop, but finding a clever way to display them is always a bit of challenge. Today for I Love to Create I came up with a bunting/display combo!


SUPPLIES
Paint Brush
2 Floral Foam Cones
Sticker Letters
2 Hot Pink Pom Poms
Tacky Dot Roll
Neon Pink Paint
Scissors
Pen
Neon Pink Paper
Brown Paper Bag
Triangle Shape to trace
Striped Twine
Cake Pops


The first thing I did was paint my cones fluorescent pink. This proved to be trickier than I had anticipated since styrofoam does not take to being painted too kindly. It took a couple of coats.


Remember how I was all-a-flutter for fluorescents mixed with brown? Well I decided to get crafty with the color combo. Using some triangle shaped blocks I borrowed from my toddler I cut out triangles of pink and brown. The brown triangles were slightly larger.


Cut out all your triangles. Using Tacky Dots attach your triangles to each other.


I could browse the letter stickers in the scrap book aisle all the day long. I was so excited to finally have an excuse to use some. I spelled out "Hope's Gettin' Hitched" on my triangles.


Using a smaller sized Tacky Dot I attached the corners of the triangles so that all the words came together.


On the back side of the connected words I attached striped twine using Tacky Dots.


I used a lollipop stick at the top of each cone to anchor my bunting. I tied the ends of the string to the stick and used a glue dot to hold it in place. On the top of each cone I used a glue dot to attach a pink pom pom.


All that was left to do was insert my cake pops. You have to be sure to alternate putting one in each cone so that your display does not get too heavy on one side and topple over. Hopefully this weekend's festivities and cake pops are a big hit.

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12 Halloween Costumes for your kid & the kid in you!

Need some Halloween costume inspiration? Here's a roundup of 12 fun costume ideas from ilovetocreate.com that you can make from simple materials that you can find in your closet and local craft store. Are you ready to get your Halloween crafting on?


Pizza and Soda Costume

Paparazzi Pop Star (Lady Gaga Costume)

Little Lady Ladybug Costume

Eyeball Costume


Hugs and Kisses Couples Costume

Enchanted Wings Butterfly Baby Costume

Mad Scientist Lab Coat Costume

Kitty Cat Costume


Ahoy Matey! Pirate Costume

Popcorn Costume

Here comes Power Girl

King and Queen Card Costumes


Which one is your favorite?

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MAYA IN THE MOMENT TEEN CRAFT: TULIP BODY ART

 My cousin Sarah came over one day to craft one day, so we decided to use Tulip Body Art! Last October I did a similar video with my cousin Bella, which can be viewed here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uruqMNhJIAo&feature=channel_video_title

SUPPLIES:
TULIP BODY ART:

• KIT
• STENCILS
• GLITTER

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Leopard T-shirt Scarf with Guest blogger Carly J. Cais of Chic Steals

Fashion blogger Carly J. Cais of Chic Steals will be featured in the next few weeks as a guest blogger here on the iLoveToCreate blog! She has created some trendy and fashionable looks and she shows you step by step how to make them! Take it away Carly...

Nothing could be easier than re-purposing the bottom of an old t-shirt as an accessory! Wear as a simple scarf for a pop of pattern at the neck, a lightweight hood, or sew the bottom closed and add a drawstring to use as a pouch for makeup. By using two colors in the leopard print and varying the size of the spots, you get a much more finished, high-end look than by just using the stencil alone.

Materials:
– Tulip Tie-Dye Fashion Kit in Wild Thing (stencil, gloves, Aqua dye, Cobalt Dye)
– white t-shirt

and...
– garbage bags
– paper towels
– cotton swab
– small bowl for paint
– fabric scissors



How To:
1. Begin by creating the leopard pattern on the t-shirt. Wash the shirt in the washer (do not use fabric softener) and dry in the dryer to remove sizing.

2. Place onto a garbage bag, laid onto a flat surface. Place another garbage bag in-between the fabric layers so the dye does not seep through.

3. Place the leopard stencil from the Tie-Dye Fashion Kit onto the shirt, and cover around the stencil with paper towels to prevent overspray.



4. Put on the gloves in the kit. Mix the Tulip Aqua Tie-Dye according to the kit directions, and spritz onto the fabric using the spray bottle. Be careful to not spray too much; just enough so the stencil shapes are visible (too much and it will seep under the stencil and the pattern won't be crisp).



5. Remove the stencil; wipe down with a paper towel.

6. Repeat Steps 3) - 6) to cover all the area below the underarms of the t-shirt on the front. Turn the shirt onto the back and repeat.

7. Allow to dry about an hour.



8. Mix the Tulip Cobalt Tye-Dye according to directions, and squirt some dye into a small bowl (not used for food). Dip a cotton swab into the dye and dab it onto the t-shirt, on top of the aqua spots you made with the stencil. (Reference a photo of what a leopard's spots really look like to help with placement.)

9. Cover with plastic and allow to dry 4-6 hours. Once dry, wash in the washer with a small amount of detergent and water at the hottest suitable for the fabric. Dry in the dryer.

10. Once dry, cut off the top part of the shirt, from side to side right under the sleeves.

And you're done! Wear the fabric loop as an infinity scarf for a punchy pattern at the neck, or customize further with a little craftery on your sewing machine.

Happy DIY'ing!
xoxox
Carly J. Cais

Thanks Carly for this awesome DIY and bringing us such a fab revamp project. We look forward to seeing the other projects you've whipped up! In the meantime, fans, hop over to Carly's Chic Steals blog to get more inspiration and cool DIY projects and techniques

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no sew whale pillow

So while we are ready and prepared for the arrival of our new addition (at least with the necessities) I have now been taking a little time here and there to craft a few more things for her room. I mentioned last week in this post that the colors are blues and greens and the theme for her room is the ocean (of course). I've been adding just a few pops of the theme here and there and I decided I wanted just one ocean pillow to add to the cozy couch/bed in her room- and it had to be a whale pillow :)

I started by sketching out different whimsical whales for practice and I liked them so much that I decided that to use both.

Next I lightly drew a larger version of each whale on a scrap piece of light weight raw canvas

and using Tulip Soft Fabric Paint I painted the whales with color and just a little bit of shading.

Last, I added a some detail lines with black fabric paint

and then cut them out.

So even though I have a new book all about sewing, there are times when even I don't feel like sewing or times when I want something a little quicker. This was one of those time and I grabbed a bottle of Aleene's Fabric Fusion fabric glue.

I actually already had a brand new pillow that I purchased for the great graphic fabric design that I had set aside to be the backdrop for this project a while back- you could certainly whip up a handmade pillow but again, I was looking to cut a few corners in this project (I'm really busy right now!!)

I used the fabric glue and a paint brush and spread the glue generously on the back of each whale and then applied to the surface of the pillow and let dry.

And voila! I have the perfect accent pillow to add to the cozy couch.

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