Up-Cycled Menorah With the Kids

Friday, November 29, 2013
 
This year I decided to broaden my children's holiday horizons. They only know about Santa, stockings and trees. I thought a little chat about a Menorah this year was in order. Better yet, this is the kind of Menorah your kids can help make. Since this was a very special Hanukkah landing on Thanksgiving it seemed like the perfect turkey day craft.
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Wood Collage Jewelry


This first week of December is always crazy - lots of festivals, online orders and gifts to make for friends. Instead of spending a lot of money on new supplies, I combed through my stash to find what I had a lot of. I came across a plastic bin full of little wood pieces. I immediately thought of painting, glueing and glittering them into necklaces and bracelets. I love how they turned out! Here's is my tutorial so you can do it too, they make great little gifts to pass out to friends and family!
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10+ Easy DIY Ornament Roundup

Wednesday, November 27, 2013
It's officially ornament crafting season!  And here on our blog, we have over 10 awesome DIY ornament projects to get you in the decorating mood!  Whip up some of these for your next snow day or ornament party...they are quick, easy, and a BALL of fun!



DIY Neon Puffy Paint Ornaments




Fall Fashion: Decorating with Leaves, 3 Ways!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Leaf main generation-t.com
Before the snowflakes invade, I'm still celebrating the last of the fall foliage. The leaves are so beautiful this time of year in Brooklyn. I was up in New England for peak color, but even the last few weeks in Brooklyn have yielded a lovely array of color and variety. Of course, no matter how you try to keep them, the color fades, and they become dry and brittle. Here are three projects with a common autumnal theme that, like the snowflakes I made and painted last year, help make nature last a little longer.
megan-nicolay-blog-footer-1

INSPIRATION 1: DIY Leaf Stencil
This one starts with your basic stencil...
Leaf stencil materials
What you need:
-variety of Tulip soft paints and/or Tulip 3D Fashion Paints (in shades of red, orange, and yellow)
-Tulip sponge brushes and/or Tulip sponge pouncers
-variety of pressed leaves for inspiration
-sheet of card stock (or scrap manila folder)-pen or pencil
-scissors or craft knife and cutting mat
-plain T-shirt (lighter colors work best, but white is not required!)
-paint palette (or a plastic container from the recycling bin)
-scrap paper (optional) for inserting between the layers of a T-shirt
Leaf stencil trace
Trace the leaf onto the center of the card stock.
Leaf stencil cut
Cut out the center of your tracing.
Leaf stencil paint
Place scrap paper between the layers of the T-shirt, to keep the paint from bleeding through. Hold the stencil, centered, on the front of the T-shirt and use the brush to lightly start adding paint. Dab the brush, rather than making broad strokes--any brushstrokes should be made from the stencil edge onto the fabric (so that paint doesn't get caught underneath the edge of the stencil and bleed).
Leaf stencil full paint
Apply each color as desired, then lift the stencil, let dry, and remove the scrap paper.
Leaf stencil paint finish
You're ready to wear your single leaf...
Oak leaf
...or a different one, if you're more into oak...
Oak leaf and friends
...or a variety, if you can't choose just one...
Leaf stencil paint finish many
...or just jump in a whole leaf pile!
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INSPIRATION 2: Reverse Leaf Stencil
This is the same concept as the stencil out of card stock, but you're instead using freezer paper as your mask, and painting the space around the leaf shape.
Leaf reverse materials
 What you need:
-variety of Tulip Fabric Sprays (in shades of red, orange, and yellow)
-variety of pressed leaves for inspiration
-sheet of freezer paper
-pen or pencil
-scissors or craft knife and cutting mat
-iron and ironing board
-plain T-shirt or onesie (lighter colors work best, but, again, white is not required!)
-scrap paper (optional) for inserting between the layers of a T-shirt and to protect your work surface from paint
Leaf reverse iron
Just trace a variety of pressed leaves onto freezer paper and cut them out. Iron the paper leaves, shiny side down, onto the front of the shirt (white on white is hard to see, but they're there!).
Leaf reverse prep
Lay the shirt on a bed of scrap papers (holiday catalogs are perfect!) before you spray the fabric paint over it.
Leaf reverse sprayed
Lightly spray the fabric paints over the shirt, starting with the lightest color (yellow), then add orange and red.
Leaf reverse peel
Gently peel away the freezer paper leaves to reveal your nice crisp edges and let the paint dry completely.
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INSPIRATION 3: Glitter Leaf Appliqué
Like the reverse leaf stencil, you're using the actual leaf shape (rather than the negative space) to create
your decoration. The best part about this one? No waiting around during drying time--
since there is no drying time!
Glitter leaf materials
What you need:
-Tulip Fashion Shimmer Iron-on Sheet (gold)
-variety of pressed leaves for inspiration
-ballpoint pen
-scissors or craft knife and cutting mat
-iron and ironing board

-plain bib, T-shirt, or onesie
Glitter Leaf finish
Simply trace the leaf onto the smooth side of the glitter sheet and cut it out. Center and iron the glitter leaf onto the bib (or T-shirt or onesie), smooth side down. As soon as it adheres, the bib is ready to go for baby's first Thanksgiving!
Check out Generation-T.com next week for one more way to use autumn leaves as inspiration for decorating fabric!

60+ Fun Fashion DIYs from the iLoveToCreate blog

Monday, November 25, 2013
Looking for a fun fashion DIY?  Look no further than our blog for some pretty DIYs to help spice up your wardrobe!  These are just 60+ of the wonderful DIYs from our wonderful team of DIY bloggers!  Leave a comment below and let us know your favorite -or- tell us what Fashion DIY you would like to see!  OK, on with the show!

Holiday Gold Bow T-Shirt DIY

Add some sparkle to the holidays by creating a fun Holiday Gold Bow T-Shirt DIY using the easy to use Tulip Iron-On Transfer Sheets. With all your holiday running around and shopping to do, it’s easy to just throw on a t-shirt and go. But why not add some sparkle and a festive bow to keep those errands from becoming too dull and help spread some festive cheer! This is a simple and quick way to create your own t-shirt designs to wear for the holidays and they’d make great gifts too!
TOOLS & MATERIALS:
T-Shirt
Iron
Scissors
Design
Pen
Cloth for ironing
step 1
Draw out your design on a piece of paper or use a stencil if you have one.
step 2
Trace around your design on your Tulip Iron-On Transfer Sheet. 

You’ll need to use a pen for this to make sure you can see your lines.

step 3
Cut out your design carefully to make sure you don’t see your pen lines.
step 4
Place your design on your t-shirt where you want it.

Lay your cloth over your design and press with your iron.

Keep moving your iron around for about a minute to make sure your design is set.

Make sure you use a dry setting on your iron, NO STEAM.
Check your design to make sure it is all secure and adhered to your t-shirt. If you need to you can iron it more to make sure it’s secure.
These Tulip Iron-On Transfer Sheets are so easy to use. I was really surprised at how well (and quickly) they attached to the t-shirt. It was really simple. You can use these to make so many fun graphic T-Shirts to wear yourself or give as gifts. 
For more fun fashion DIY’s check out my blog Trinkets in Bloom! You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
xoxo
Cathy

3 Ways to Add Flair to Your Plastic Flatware

Friday, November 22, 2013
When it comes to my Thanksgiving Day, my family visits at least three houses. And each house has at least 20-50 people chowing down on turkey and pumpkin pie. Real silverware is out of the question! But here is a way to still look classy with all those peeps to serve - pick up a set of plastic silver flatware and dip them in Tulip Soft Paint. Here are three ways!
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