The Paper to Thread Shop is Open!!!!

Oh my goodness I am so excited!!! I finally opened the shop! I am slowly but surely filling up my listings. Here is the link PapertoThread on Etsy.com!  If you have a chance pop in and tell me what you think! This has been a dream for a while now and the feeling of just listing is a great feeling.  Here are some of the books listed.

Check out info below the pictures for an up-coming tutorial!! So excited to share this fun easy bind!

 

 

 

 

Also I am getting a tutorial together today for an easy pamphlet stitch art book for your kiddos! I will be sharing it this afternoon or tomorrow for anyone interested in learning how to make one. They are quick, easy, your kids will love them, and I bet you have all the items needed in your home. Check back later to learn how!

I LOvE working with paper!!

 

I have always had a love for books but I had no idea how soothing making them would be. I am seriously in pure heaven while working with the. This is my first Coptic bound journal. I really love how it came together and I really learned a lot in the process. I think when you are making anything the best advice is practice, practice, practice. We really learn a lot from our own mistakes and only get better.

 

 

 

 

I have been dabbling in hand marbled papers. This paper below on the inside cover is one that I made using a methyl cellulose and acrylic paint method. It is so very magical to put the paint in the tub and then see it transfer in the most amazing pattern on the paper. :) i am also trying a Japanese technique called Suminagashi that produces striking marbling when done the right way. i need to work on that one some more. Not quite striking yet! Haha!

 



 

Mr. Wonderful and I had a time fight some materials I had at home trying to make my book press but failed miserably so I took some advice from SeaLemonDIY and her wonderful youtube videos and used cutting boards. Brilliant!! They work like a charm!

 

Tonight i am just finishing up some fun, colorful drawing pads to tuck into K and E's Easter baskets. I really hope they enjoy them. They both really love to draw and are very excited to have their own books and such. We are venturing into homeshool so K really feels like a big boy doing preschool work. Maybe I will make him a full sized notebook for "school".:)

Hopefully opening the shop in Etsy soon!!! Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter holiday!!!

 

P.s. Sorry for the less than stellar photos. Working after bedtime = no great lighting. i am sure all you mommy crafters know exactly what i am talking about! LOL

R2D2 Cake!!!!

So my little K turned three! When asked what kind of party he wanted he replied Star wars. I couldn't have been happier!!! We love Star Wars! So he and I looked at a few cakes and such floating around blog land. I have to admit my heart may have skipped a beat when he picked this one from the Baked by Jen blog. She did an amazing job that totally trumps my cake! My first thought was...Oh No ...how will I ever pull this off. I have never made a cake like this but I guess there is no time like the present. I put on my big girl panties and did what any Mom would ....Asked for a million opinions from the Moms on my crafting board! LOL I finally decided on a plan and found an awesome recipe from Bakerella  and started my cake. By the way that recipe is to DIE for!!! We just used the cake and filling recipe....the cake was super moist and the filling was Delish!

Below you will see the base of R2D2. I just baked 4 eight inch rounds, stacked, and iced them. I made sure all my layers were even and uniform...there is nothing like a lopsided cake. Then I added my filling, and did a rough coating with the butter cream. I also added 5 small dowels so my cake wouldn't droop or fall in any places. I put it in the freezer briefly to firm up while I made another batch of butter cream. The outside layer  just got a good coat of basic butter cream. I have the recipe Here at the bottom of my Monster Birthday bash cake. My guys aren't too fond of fondant so I only used it for the detailing and to cover my rice cereal treats for the head.

OK I have to apologize here....at this point my hands were covered in coloring, rice cereal treats, and butter cream so the photos are few and far between. For the head I made a batch of your regular rice crispy treats. The only thing I did differently was used a little less butter so the treats would be a little stiffer. To get the shape of the head you simply fill your cake pan with the treats and shape into a dome. If you had a bowl the same diameter of your cake you could use that too. Just make sure to spray a little cooking spray on your bowl or pan so they won't stick. Once it was shaped and had stiffened up a bit I covered it with a nice layer of butter cream and put it in the freezer to chill.

Now since I have just told you about the head I should also tell you about the legs since they are also made of the rice cereal treats. For the legs I just measured the height of my cake and shaped the treats into 2 T shapes just a couple inches shorter than my cake. After all your treat pieces have been covered in butter cream, and set, cover them with fondant. The head is covered with black and then painted with luster dust. Did you know if you don't have Vodka on hand to paint the luster dust on you can use the same clear vanilla extract you used in your butter cream? Oh how I love google! As you can tell from my paint job this is my first time using luster dust. A little good to know.....it takes it a little while to dry. LOL My other fondant pieces kept sliding down.

I googled the heck out of R2D2 images and  drew out my detail pieces on paper. Then I simply traced it out in my fondant. Now he is not perfect and by no means an exact replica but I was happy with how he looked so I went with it. For the head a large glass gave me the perfect circle and I just cut it in quarters and cut a smaller circle out of the middle with a small round object I had in the kitchen. I forget now what it was but I also used an empty spice jar to cut out the large lens area on the front of his head. Take a look around your kitchen....I bet you will find a few things you can use.

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For his little eye thingy I just used a piping coupling. Later I filled the spaces where there were lenses with black piping gel.  The head and body seam was a little sloppy so it was doctored up with a little blue fondant stripe right over the seam. For his legs, I just covered them in white fondant and attached them with dowels. I also colored just a small amount of fondant orange and made some little connector wires for his legs...just like the inspiration cake. I did, however, forget the little leg under him. I realized this as I was finishing him up ....Of course! I never see these things until I am almost done. Oh well my R2D2 in in rest mode! LOL

My little R2D2 was a hit!! K was over the moon for him! Nothing could have made me happier than seeing his little face light up at the sight of his cake. For the candles we used the sparkling candles. With R2D2 I always remember him shooting that little spark so what better than sparking candles. it was so much fun making him and to be honest no where near as scary as I thought it would be. I couldn't be happier with the outcome!!! So, what do you think? Would George Lucas be stoked or probably scoff at my attempts of his masterpiece? I would hope he would be stoked.;)

The next time you are faced with a crazy, scary task remember just have fun with it. If it is coming from love that is all that matters! The first step is to just start. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments or my email address.

Linking Up!!

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Cute Giveaway Alert!!

 Who loves an awesome giveaway? Everyone , of course.  Sarah, the wonderfully crafty mom behind the Spicy Pinecone blog, just posted an Eric Carle Cloth giveaway set.

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Link for giveaway HERE .

This adorable set includes three cute burp cloths and a "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" board book.

I  love the look of the little burp cloths with the Eric Carle fabric! They are handmade by Sarah. Each cloth is 100% cotton and the cute fabric is attached to a Gerber pre-folded 3-ply Birdseye cloth diaper. Giving you great coverage for spit ups or spills.  So go over, check out her blog, and how to enter for a chance to win the beautiful goodies Sarah has up for grabs! Good luck!!

P.S. Soon I hope to get up more on the Star Wars Party including how I brought my R2D2 cake to life. The past 2 weeks we have all had a horrible cold, resurfaced our pool and replaced a window...needless to say there hasn't been much time for anything else. Oh and I made my first sale!!! Yay! Thank you dear customer...you know who you are!

Star Wars Freezer Paper T-Shirt Favors!!!

So my first born K just turned 3. He requested a Star Wars party. With parties I like to give out favors that are useful So this year I decided to do freezer paper t-shirts.

Let me start by saying it was almost impossible to find plain t-shirts in assorted sizes that weren't too cheaply made. Can't believe it was so difficult. I finally found some at the Dollar store and still had to buy a couple packs of the plain white undershirts and cami's.

What you will need:

T-shirts

Freezer Paper(this can usually be found in your local grocer in the Reynolds wrap section)

Iron

Self Healing Mat(this is helpful but can be done w/o just ues really thick cardboard)

Fabric Paint or Acrylic paint mixed with a Textile Medium

Foam Brush

Stencils

Craft knife or or some sort of exacto knife

You will first need to decide on what images you will be putting on your shirts. You can usually find a ton of free clip art or free stencils. You can also use coloring book pages. Just remember when choosing an image you will be cutting out all the detail....a lot of detail equals a lot of cutting.

Oh and prewash your shirts first if they are new.

Trace you image onto your freezer paper or if you are brave cut your freezer paper to the size of copy paper and send it through your printer. Just make sure to print it on the smooth side and not the waxed side. Cut out your images out with your exacto knife. Now here I also like to cut an extra solid piece of freezer paper to iron to the inside of your shirt. This will keep the paint from bleeding and it will stay put. Line you image up with you t-shirt wax side down and iron it to your shirt. be gentle here so you don't catch the edge of your iron and rip it. Let's just say that tidbit came from a lesson learned. ;) Now I forgot a pic but I am sure you get the idea.

Once ironed get out your paint supplies and get to painting. now if you don't have fabric paint or want to use acrylic paint remember to add your medium first. The directions are on the bottle.

Sponge it on very well....you don't want any missed spots. allow to dry completely and check for any missed areas.

Once it is completely dry and you are satisfied with your paint job peel off your freezer paper.

  You aren't done quite yet. You still need to heat set your paint job. This will help to set your color for washing. Place a thin piece of fabric over your painted area and iron for a few minutes. Don't burn your fabric...make sure it is on the correct setting. And DO NOT steam it.

The TA-DA!!!!! Adorable t-shirts!!! Now you can do this to any shirt or fabric for that matter. You can use this in everyday life just to dress up your child's wardrobe or even your own. Have fun with it! I loved these and made a few extra for my boys! What do you think? Would you be happy to receive something like this as a party favor for your child?

If you decide to try this let me know and share a pic. I would love to see!Oh and I need to send out a big THANK YOU to my friend Megan for helping me get these started. Thank you to my mom and sister for helping me finish them! Thank you!

Linking up....

Chalkboard goodness and lessons learned!

I love the look of a nice chalk board so of course I had to add a few to my home. So when i saw a can of Valspar Chalk paint I scooped it up ...my mind running wild with ideas. Mr. Wonderful suggested I get some Magnetic paint as well. I picked a quart of the Rust-Oleum Magnetic paint and got to work.

I was Not happy with the magnetic paint! The can said 3 thin coats should do the trick for small magnets....well 7 layers later and finally some of the magnets stick.It gave the surface a horrible texture and the odor is Horrible! Next time I will just get a piece of galvanized metal and paint it with chalk paint.The above picture is my pantry door in the kitchen. I was very pleased with the chalk paint but I may sand it down some more and do a few more coats of it. i used the magnetic paint here. Three coats and even the smallest of magnets barely cling and then slide down.:(

For the pantry door I used some clip art i found on line. You can find tons of free clip art...just search for vintage outlines or frame borders. I printed it out and used my projector ...you can find info on it

Here in my DYI Seuss nursery. I modified the shape slightly for my liking and traced on the wall with a pencil.

I also did underneath our bar area for K and E. They LOVE it!

K was so cute...I was priming the bar area as you see below and he kept saying mommy move I want to chalk it up. They are my cuties....always being clever!

K was so excited he didn't even wait for me to clean up all the dust. Oh and by the way we will be getting dustless chalk! It was everywhere. He got right to work with his drawings while E had fun with all the magnets. We are probably going to get a small sheet of metal to put over in the corner for his fridge farm and heavier magnets. It will only stick for a minute and then start sliding down the wall. :(

I also had they bottles stashed away for some sort of craft project. i didn't know what until I saw something like this on pinterest. I love how they turned out. They will be so cute on the table and we can write on them to suit the meal or occasion.

Thinking of giving Chalkboard paint a try ...you should it is fun for everyone! I am not sold on the magnetic paint and probably won't ever use it again!

As for my beautiful mirror.....I am having issue after issue with it. Turns out a piece I keep trying to paint is going to have to be covered with fabric. The paint just keeps scratching off. Ugh!

Oh and I have a sneak peek pic...see f you can guess what it might be... it has something to do with K's up coming Star Wars party!

Linking Up!