Shoebox Veggie Patch

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Veggies are a hot topic around our house. We have a vegetable garden that the kids help plant, farmers markets are a regular pit stop for our fam and we recently joined a CSA so we have a giant box of veggies delivered to our doorstep weekly. A pretend veggie patch that the kids can pick carrots from whenever the whim hits them seemed the perfect I Love to Create project.

SUPPLIES

Orange Paint (I mixed yellow and red Crafty Chica Paint)

Paint Brush

Wooden Blanks shaped like carrots

Green Ribbon

Crop-o-Dile (or drill)

Green Paper

Aleene's Tacky Double Stick Sheets

Brown Paper

Scissors

Shoe Box

If you ever go down the wood craft aisle at the craft store you will notice that almost any shape you can imagine is available in raw wood form. I happen to have some that looked carrots. Paint your forms with orange craft paint. I applied a couple of coats. Allow to dry completely.

While your paint is drying you can prepare your shoe box. The "dirt" inside your box is going to be brown paper. I had to cut my paper to fit inside the box.

Once your paper is the right size fold in half without creasing. You will do this to all of your paper until you have enough to fill your shoebox. I used Aleene's Tacky Double Stick Sheets to adhere the sheets together at the bottom. I also stuck the last two sheets to the inside of the shoe box. Don't put the glue sheets up too high on the paper as you want the kids to be able to stick their faux veggies between the sheets.

Once my mounds of paper dirt were in place I needed to add grass. I again used my Tacky Double Stick Sheets to attach two rows of green paper that I had cut in a jagged pattern to resemble grass. You could also use Crafty Chica paint and just paint the box green. Do all 4 sides.

By now your carrots should be dry. Using a Crop-o-Dile or a small drill put a hole in the center of the wide end.

Using green ribbon tie pieces through your holes so that they look like the tops of carrots.

All that is left to do is fill your veggie patch with carrots. You could also make beets, parsnips, onions - any root veggie really.

Tallulah and Baxter spent the afternoon pulling and replacing carrots in their new veggie patch. We read "Growing Vegetable Soup" and I talked to them about how some plants grow on bushes and other under the ground like their new carrots.

Visit us on Facebook!
Craft on!

MAYA IN THE MOMENT TEEN CRAFT: Gumball Toy Headband

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

  It's summer time, neon colors are in - combined with the fact that I stopped straightening my curly hair,  I needed something to harness my curls! Hello, headbands! Instead of going with the boring store bought version, I decided to make my own out of my gumball toy collection and yarn scraps!


SUPPLIES:


 First I found a plain headband, sprayed Aleene's Tacky Spray and wrapped it with yarn.

Next I got scraps of yarn, and wood pieces you can purchase at the craft store. Put a generous drop of glue on the wood piece, and wrap with yarn. I recommend gluing on the gumball toys to your wood piece BEFORE gluing on to headband, and let it dry. This way you can rearrange!
Lastly, glue on the wood pieces to your headband. It's fun and super colorful. You can use a clothes pin to hold it in place. And that's a wrap! :)

Thanks for checking out my project! If you like this project, come visit me on my Facebook page! http://facebook.com/mayainthemoment
 Love, MayaInTheMoment.com

VIDEO TUTORIAL: How to dye fabric with yarn!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

 Check out the video tutorial below!


 LINK TO VIDEO

Regular old tie-dyeing can get boring. not all of us are into the hippy style, you know/ I like to experiment and come up with non-traditional ways to use fabric dye. This is a good one - it's great for kids or people who just like to play and experiment!

What you're doing is soaking cotton yarn, holding it tight between your fingers and then pressing onto damp fabric. It gives a bit more control that just using the squeeze bottle.

You'll need to pick up a Tulip Tie Dye Kit and either cotton swatches or shirts, etc. Check out the video to see the full technique!

Here are some clutches I made using my fabric scraps from this experiment. I have the tutorial posted here.
Visit us on Facebook!
Craft on!

CRAFTY CINEMA: 'Men In Black' Collar Necklace

Friday, May 25, 2012
The Men in Black are known for their white collars, here’s a way to have one too, except much more fashionable and sparkly!
Aleene's® Fabric Fusion® Permanent Dry Cleanable Fabric Adhesive
Tulip® 3D Fashion Paint
Tulip® Cordless Heat Setting Tool™
Tulip® Glam-It-Up!™ Iron-On Crystals™
Paintbrush
Wire cutters
24” black satin ribbon
Dangling charm
Jump ring
2 clothespins
Collar cut off from men’s dress shirt
24” chain link
Tweezers
Instructi
ons

1. Cut the front and top of the collar away. If the shirt is large, measure the collar around your neck and cut until it fits.

2. Coat the entire collar with the 3D paint and before it’s dry, use the tweezers to add crystals all over. Press crystals into paint to adhere. The paint will dry to a sparkly background.

3. To create neck tie, fold the ends of the collar back and apply Aleene’s® Fabric Fusion. Slip in the ends of the ribbon on both sides and hold in place with a clothespin.

4. Cut chain in half using wire cutters. Add adhesive along the top of the collar and set chains in place in several rows on both sides of collar. If desired, leave some dangling down the sides.

5. Let dry overnight.

6. Add the jump ring in the center and then the dangling charm.

7. Remove clothespins and wear your necklace!



LINK

Visit us on Facebook!
Craft on!

It's Time to Glitter Your Garbage - Cool2Craft TV with Heidi and Tiffany


It's super cool! Cool2Craft TV May 28 , 2012: Glitter Your Garbage! The Cool2Craft design team is sharing eco glitter craft ideas this week!  EcoHeidi Borchers is transforming a pizza box spacer into a Glitter Pendant with Aleene's Tacky Glue, Tiffany Windsor is making Glitter Your Garbage Magnets with Aleene's Magnetic Tacky Dots, Candace Jedrowicz is crafting a charming T-Shirt Necklace, Savannah Starr is transforming an Aleene's Tacky Glue bottle into Lighting Bolt Glitter Earrings and Linda Peterson is making a Bottlecap Birdhouse.
 
Learn new techniques, chat with us while watching the show and ask questions about all your favorite Aleene's products!  It’s easy to watch the Cool2Craft TV Channel right from your computer. Airing Monday May 28, 2012 9am Pacific/10am Mountain/11 am Central/ Noon Eastern. Go to http://cool2craft.com and you'll see the Livestream player and chat box. See you Monday! Can't make the live show? No problem, you can drop by anytime 24/7 to watch the show!

Visit us on Facebook!
Craft on!Craft on!

Interview with Kojo Designs

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Recently I had the chance to chat with Kirstin and Jordan of Kojo Designs and boy do they love to create. Whether they are party planning, crafting or baking these sisters always have something creative up their sleeve. They may live in different countries, but that does not stop them from publishing one of the best creative blogs on the net.

How do you guys make it work running a joint blog and living so far apart?

Skype! And a fairly detailed long range plan. Kirstin handles almost all of the day-to-day stuff and Jordan does all of the graphic design stuff as well as a weekly post feature. The time difference (11 hours) and Jord's inconsistent access to the internet kills us though. Good thing we both love this enough to make it a priority!

It seems like a popular thing for blogs to do these days is have a whole slew of guest posts. How do you think having guest posts on kojodesigns helps your blog? Also, how do you choose who will be writing guest posts?

We love hosting themed series with tons of guests! Whether the theme is making knock-offs, gifts for guys, or planning parties, we think the guests bring great content and fresh perspective to the blog. We usually start each series asking our friends (both 'blog friends' and 'real life' friends who have blogs) and then branch out to asking bloggers we've admired from afar. We keep a running list of "People to work with someday," and often draw from there. Sometimes bloggers hear that a series is coming up and email us to ask if they can participate as well (love that initiative)!

You recently conducted a survey on your blog about what your readers want more of. What were the results? Do you think it will influence what you blog about? Were you surprised by the results?

We were already pretty convinced that we have the best readers ever, but the survey just confirmed that a hundred times over. Our readers love sewing, event planning, knock offs, photography and home decor (in that order)- pretty much just like us, actually. The number one requested topic was more 'real life' personal stuff (everyday life, family life, craft fails, etc.)- which was a huge surprise to us. I am the first to admit that I love reading about "the blogger behind the blog" and would love to do a better job of sharing everyday life at kojo!

What are your favorite kinds of things to blog about? Do you love the craft tutorials or are the posts about cooking more your thing?

Right now we're in the middle of planning four parties- so both of us are dreaming in cupcakes and photo booths. However, parties aside, Jord's favorite posts are about cooking and life in the middleeast and Kirst loves making and sharing sewing projects.

You guys have lot’s of fun series on kojodesigns. Color Your Summer II is coming up. Tell us a little bit about that.

Last summer, we partnered with Delia Creates and a whole rockstar lineup of guests to share tutorials in every color of the rainbow (as well as "ROY G BIV" and white projects)! It was one of our favorite series ever... and it's back by popular demand! We've seen a sneak peak of a few of the projects and it's going to be a.maz.ing. again this year (think fabulous sewing tutorials, refreshing recipes and even a home decor project or two).

What has been the most popular crafty tutorial on your blog?

The Anthro-inspired knotted duvet has been our most viewed tutorial for the last two years- we love that project (it was quite the labor of love). Also, the reading nook (made from two wooden palettes) has been quite the pinterest sensation (it has also been featured all over the internet, including on Apartment Therapy and in the magazine 5280).

Party planning seems to be a popular theme on your blog. I too have an inner party planner. Can you give the readers 5 simple tips for making a party perfect.

We love it that you're an event planner in your heart as well! Our best party planning tips-

1 - Prioritize according to your guest of honor (an amazing menu for the foodie, for example). Parties are about the guests, not the hostess.

2- Keep a running inspiration file (ours in now on pinterest, but it used to be a regular old Word document with a list of links). When an occasion arises, check out that file!

3- Plan ahead- it's way easier to enjoy the actual party if you didn't pull all-nighters putting things together the week of the event.

4- Choose one or two amazing features for each party and put most of your effort into those things. With so many fabulous ideas floating around, it's easy to get overwhelmed or to spread yourself too thin. Focusing on just a couple of really great features (for example- a Nacho Bar, or a photo booth, or perhaps enough balloons to cover the entire ceiling) make each party special and narrow your work load.

5- Spend time with people at the party! It's too easy to spend a whole night refilling bowls and adjusting garlands. Once the event starts, remind yourself that this party will only happen once and set your mind on really enjoying all of your hard work!

Since I know you guys like to cook and craft give me one item from each area that you could not live without.

Kirstin- my sewing machine and a food processor Jordan- my Kitchenaid (it even made the move across the ocean with me, which is quite the feat considering how little we brought with us!) and a big circle punch

What is on the horizon for kojodesigns?

No more sewing competitions- haha (we love those, but oh my goodness are they a ton of work)! We have some seriously fabulous parties coming up (as a little teaser, one is an OH SNAP themed 30th birthday party for Jordan-the-photographer and one is a Sprinkle themed birthday party for the world's sassiest almost-two-year-old!). We also have a couple of really fun furniture knock-offs that are currently in progress. We keep saying that we're going to focus on projects that are lower maintenance, but then fall in love with elaborate bags and distressed tables and just have to make them. Kirstin and her family are headed to the Middleeast for several weeks in June, so this summer is sure to be a flurry of joint projects (actual joint projects, not Skype-advice joint projects) and a few cousin pics as well. We can't wait!

Thanks so much ladies for taking the time to chat!

Visit us on Facebook!
Craft on!

CRAFTY CONTEST: Win a Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted Movie Prize Pack!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Visit the site! http://MadagascarMovie.com
We are excited to be working with Dreamworks on the release of the new family film, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (releases June 8th nationwide).

Synopsis: Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are still fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple. Their journey takes them through Europe where they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent - Madagascar style.

CONTEST - Four ways to enter!

1. Leave a comment below telling us a fun crafty idea inspired by the film. (one entry)
2. Pin (on Pinterest) one of our iLoveToCreate blog projects and tag it #madagascar (one entry). Don't forget to leave a comment below telling us you did it.
3. Make and post a picture of a Madagascar-themed craft project. (two entries)

Leave a comment below (don't forget your email) sharing your number of entries and links.

We'll choose five winners for a prize pack and one grand prize winner.

PRIZE PACK (five winners):
•         Mini One Sheet (poster)
•         Rainbow Afro Circus Wig
•         Youth T-Shirt 
•         Tattoo Sheet
•         Yo-Yos – *National Yo-Yo day is June 6th!
•         Hacky Sack   
•         Slap Bracelet
•         Pencils

Wii* GRAND PRIZE (one winner):
 Prize Pack mentioned above AND a Wii Game*: “Madagascar 3: The Video Game: Big Top Fun – Madagascar Style!” and the movie soundtrack! Soundtrack available at http://MadagascarMovie.com and retailers everywhere!


www.Madagascar3TheVideoGame.com
*Madagascar 3 © 2012 DreamWorks Animation L.L.C.
D3Publisher and its logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of D3Publisher of America, Inc. Nintendo trademarks and copyrights are properties of Nintendo. © 2011 Nintendo. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Winners will be chosen by a random drawing on June 4th and notified by email.

Kathy Cano-Murillo, the Crafty Chica, made this mask inspired by Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. She used Puffy Paint, aleene's Tacky Glue and Glam It up Crystals! Make your own version to be entered in the grand prize contest!





Visit us on Facebook!
Craft on!
iLoveToCreate Teen Crafts
Rage Comics Inspired Father's Day Card
Avalon Potter

Avalon has become obsessed with Rage Comics memebase.  We have to literally peel her phone out of her hands to get her to focus on something else.  She drew this AWESOME Rage Comics inspired whale recently and we knew it would be perfect for a Father's Day Card.  This is the 'Sudden Clarity Whale'.  You can have your teen draw their own version and scan, size, print and use on a one of a kind greeting card to make Dad feel super special on his super special day.

Aleene's Dry Adhesives make it super easy to make great cards in a flash!

Materials
Blue cardstock
White printer paper
Patterned coordinating paper
Whale image printed to fit front of card
Words: Dude! and I'm literally a Happy Father's Day card!  printed and sized to fit card
Aleene's Tacky Tape Runner

Tools
Small scissors
Paper trimmer
Fiskars Shape Cutter template word bubble and brackets

Print your whale image to fit card.
Cut out printed whale. 

Cut frame, word bubble and waves using shape templates and cutting tool. 

Use Aleene's tape runner to assemble front of card. 

Use tape runner to assemble card interior. 


Visit us on Facebook!
Craft on!

CRAFTY CHICA: How to Make Tie Dye T-shirt Yarn! (Video)

Tuesday, May 22, 2012
T-shirt yarn is so easy and addicting to make, well now you can take it a step further and tie dye your T-shirt yarn!

There are several way sto go about it - you can:

A. Use a shirt that is already tie-dyed OR
B. Cut up the shirt to make the yarn and then dye it. That is what I'm showing in my tutorial video.

SUPPLIES:
Tulip Tie Dye Kit
Shirt
Scissors

Watch the video and give it a try!


LINK Visit us on Facebook!
Craft on!