How To Be Martha Stewart on a Whim

I love time to myself. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with Alex, family, and friends, but sometimes I like to be alone. It gives me a chance to catch up on my tv shows that Al won't watch and to be lazy. Monday night, I had the opportunity to do whatever I pleased. Al headed to my parent's house to give dad a tutorial on the iPhone. After reading the chapters for our bible study this Wednesday, I turned on the tv and decided to indulge in House. Since I can't just sit and watch tv, I decided I would be crafty.

Al had asked me if I was ever going to complete the shoes I had started that had taken up residence in the corner of our kitchen. He always knows how to give me motivation to finish what I started. Thanks honey! Needless to say, I started with the shoes. With lack of creativity, I covered the remainder of the shoes in silver and the bow in gold glitter. No idea where the heck I would wear this to, so maybe I can build a Halloween costume around them. Any thoughts?

 

the silver shoes...glittered and glossed

After completing the shoes and making a huge glitter mess, the creative spirit took hold of me. I got this bag full of goodies that I had purchased on a trip to Michaels. Among other things, this contained feathers, bobby pins, and thin wire. I started out easy by taking a pre-made feathered piece and gluing bobby pins on the back. It made for a pretty extravagant hairpiece.

feathers

Next I grabbed the wire and started playing around with it. I'm not that creative, so I couldn't quite figure out what to do with it. I cut some off, molded it, folded it, twisted it. Nothing. I had made the start of a necklace and gave up on it because it wasn't doing what I wanted. So, back to the bag. That's when I found the butterflies. Originally, I wanted these to be hairpins, but decided that was too seventh grade. Fortunately, they weren't terribly hard to string onto the wire. And the wire curved at just the right point that I could make it a floating necklace of sorts. I was very proud with how it laid and the overall look. I wish I would have gotten a full body picture of this with the original outfit because it looked amazing!

the floating butterflies

Oh, but I'm still not done! I still didn't know what do with the wire I cut originally. I curled it and twisted it until I decided to make it a bracelet. But a plain wire bracelet is boring! I had to add some sort of detail. I covered up the end pieces with an old tank top strap (this way the cut ends wouldn't scratch my delicate skin). Still not enough. Then I found the bag of feathers. I started looping them in and out of wires. When I tried it on as a bracelet, I realized that every time it would come off and go back on that I would lose feathers. That's when it hit me that I should make it a "pendant" for a necklace. I grabbed an old chain and added the feathered circle.

feathered mess

All in all it was a pretty successful evening with not having anything planned. Oh how I do enjoy attempting to be Martha Stewart!

Accessorize away!

--Am

the three pieces

How To Make a First Grade Birthday Card

Tomorrow we are celebrating my aunt's and cousin's birthdays.  Instead of stopping to get a card, I got the bright idea to create one using some leftover card stock and ribbon, glitter, and gel pens that have been inactive for about ten years.  And by leftover, I mean from making my wedding programs just over a year ago.  I also remembered I brought home some stencils from a recent visit at my parents.  Yes, I still have a closet full of crap that I need to figure out what to do with.  And no, mom and dad, I don't know when I'll get to cleaning it out.  It will probably come when I finally get to changing my last name.  Love you Alex Markov!  Anyway, these stencils are about 20 years old, if not older.  


I gather the essentials: a cutting board, exact-o-knife, and this new paper cutter thing Em just gave me. My idea is to cut out balloons from the card stock and use the ribbon for the string.  I was a little nervous at first to start with the exact-o-knife because of the last time I used it (making the wedding programs).  The programs looked liked flowers and a bunch of my fabulous friends and family helped me cut out each petal and glue them to the center.  Before anyone had arrived, I began cutting out the petals.  About four petals in, I knick my thumb.  It bleeds for a bit, but nothing serious.  But you know how when you bite the inside of your mouth once and then you always happen to bite that same place not very long after?  And it hurst like a mo-fo?  Well, I sliced a big hunk out of my thumb not too much later.  Blood begins pouring out and I can feel my heartbeat pulsing in my thumb.  Awesome.  About eight paper towels and three bandaids later, it stops bleeding.  So, you can imagine my hesitation with the exact-o-knife.


Fortunately, I didn't have any problems this time and was able to make plenty of balloons.  I cut the base paper to size using the paper cutter thing and and stencil on happy birthday.  I next place the balloons appropriately and glue them on.  Of course, some of the glue leaks out the sides and you can totally see the dried glue (first grade).  I put the ribbons on to look like string and later Alex asks, "what are those lines there for?"  Guess they don't look like string.  Anyway, I write a little message on the inside to my cousin and call it a day.  


But I couldn't call it a day because I have all these leftover balloons.  I tried putting them on the left side of the card, but couldn't find a way that I liked them.  Then I remembered the stencils.  I knew there were some animal ones and hoped that there would be something birthday related.  Woohoo…there's a birthday cake!  I stencil it onto the card and glitterize it.  No spray glue this time.  :)  I then arrange the remaining balloons around the cake and am now waiting for it to dry.  I must say that it doesn't look half-bad…for a first grader!  


Happy First Day of the Year!
--Am

the paper cutter thing from Em

the supplies

 the front of the card

the inside of the card

Hallie--my helper

Daisie & Dodger--my supervisors

I Want To Be a Craft-Master

It all started with my attempt at Martha Stewart-dom.  Maybe not full Martha Stewart-dom, but at least a step in the right direction.  Since the pinecone adventure, I've decided that I want to applique t-shirts, make hairpieces, bedazzle/glitterize shoes, and knit a scarf.  However, I didn't know I wanted to do all of this until I reached the store.  I had thrown around the idea of dazzling some shoes and maybe changing up an old t-shirt.  And by thrown around I mean the thought entered my head.  So, I hadn't thought too much about it.  I mentioned my ideas to Claire (a friend, coworker, and inspiration to anyone who wants to make anything wearable), and she sent me some great links for how-tos and ideas.

That was sometime during the middle of the week.  On Friday, Al and I were headed to the store for some Panettone.  It's a special kind of bread that is only around during Christmas and only at certain stores.  For example, Walgreens and Meijer carry it, but Kroger doesn't.  It's good for bread pudding with an amaretto sauce (one of two things I make well).  So, we head to Meijer.  As we get done with the food necessities (Panettone and a banana cream yogurt), I swing by the craft aisle.

While there, I find the glitter (this time the fancy Martha Stewart glitter) I want, along with gems, expensive, use-for-all-your-gluing-needs glue (I could probably glue my fingers together again--bring on the gun cleaner), and glossy sealant.  All of this was to be used for the shoes.  While I'm there, I get the idea to make hairpieces.  I grab some headbands and bobby pins and ready myself to leave.  Oh but wait, I should teach myself how to knit.  I pick out some yarn and knitting needles.  Good thing Meijer has many departments or else Al would have been in my ear urging me to hurry up!  

At home, Al has just started a game of tango-sucka and I've grabbed the computer to learn about knitting.  First, you have to make a slipknot.  Easy, right?  Heck no!  I must be really dense because I had to watch three different videos to figure it out.  Of course, I was getting frustrated, so Alex said, "just give it to me and I'll do it."  Well, I'm not going to learn how to do it if somebody always does it for me.  So I kept at it and told Alex to go back to tango-sucka.  After about ten minutes, I learn the slipknot--VICTORY!  Next is casting on, which is simple…picked that up real fast.  Too bad I decided to cast on 60 times (probably the wrong terminology there, but don't want to look it up).  From there, it's really pretty easy, that is after I watched this one lady (who's teaching kids) do it.  Mind you, I had to re-watch her about 6 times.  So, I am now in the process of making a scarf or big rectangular thing depending on when I run out of yarn.  If I can, I would love for it to be a cowl, but that probably requires some sort of pattern.  Not sure I'm ready for pattern, yet!

On Saturday, I started my shoes, made some terrible hairpieces, and used cupcake foils to make a headband.  I'm kind of excited about the headband (although you can totally tell I used cupcake foils).  Please don't make too much fun of me when I wear it!  :)

Merry Christmas!
--Am

the fabulous foil cupcake headband

picture these shoes all black and you have the before picture

(side note: it was hard to decide what shoes to use, especially since these came from my trip to France)

only made it part way through, not sure how to finish it

still needs some touch up!

my failed attempt at hair pieces

never use cut-up t-shirts, spray glue, paper cupcake holders, and glitter

talk about a mess!

the scarf--not too shabby for the first time around

How to Fail at Being Martha Stewart

I tried to be crafty.  That was my first mistake.  See, I'm an accountant, so the creative, crafty side of the brain doesn't work too well.  Must have lost out on that gene.  And apparently I missed the class in common sense because (as you'll see) I'm lacking some.

Let me go back to the beginning.  I got the great idea to get some pinecones and other earthy items and cover them in glitter.  I envisioned pinecones of all sizes and twigs gliterized in red, green, silver, and gold.  It would be a festive centerpiece!  I bought some small pinecones but couldn't find a decent bag of the large cones.  I found they were broken (probably one of five was broken but I decided from that one that I couldn't get a good bag) or overpriced at $5 a bag.  Call me cheap, but I blame it on being an accountant.  Anyway, I wanted some twigs or sticks but couldn't find anything, so I settled on cinnamon sticks.  Now time for the glitter.  Went to Michaels, but thought it to be too expensive, so dragged Alex to Hobby Lobby.  Found some spray glue (no globs for me) and inexpensive, festive glitter.  I really wanted the Martha Stewart glitter, which I'm too cheap to buy, but in hindsight am glad I didn't get it.  

I bring all this home and it sits on our breakfast bar for a couple days, then weeks, before Alex asks, "Are you ever going to do something with this crap?"  That night, I decide I'm going to do something with that crap.  I pop in Love Actually (one of my all time favorite movies, especially around Christmas), pull over the ratty spare carpet and sit.  I know I need to put something down so I'm not gluing the pinecones to the carpet, so what do I grab?  Tissue paper.  Why? Because it's easily accessible, and I'm too lazy to get off my butt to get something else.

I begin.  I take a pinecone, set it on the tissue paper, spray with glue, cover in glitter.  I get through about four pinecones, then they start sticking to the tissue paper.  Maybe I should have used something else?  Oh no, I'll just fold it in half, so there's no glue on it.  I yell at Alex to bring me some wax paper because laying the glued and glitterized pinecones on tissue paper just does not work.  Too sticky!

I keep going and get about a third of the way through before I realize that my fingers and hands are super sticky.  I had glue and glitter on the backs of my hands…how does that even happen?  So, I get up to wash it off.  A little kitchen lemon scented soap and some hot water should do the trick.  No.  Maybe a little more with some scrubbing.  No.  Alex looks it up online and says that nail polish remover should do the trick.  He brings some over, but to no avail.  I'm about to go into panic mode, so I try more soap and water.  Gosh, I'm an idiot!  With nothing working, Alex says to have the best solution--extra strength gun cleaner!  He sprays a little bit on, and VOILA!  It starts to come off.  He says, "this is really strong shit, so don't use too much of it."  Then he proceeds to spray it on the back of my hands for about 15 seconds too long.  As I'm rubbing the gluey mess off, my hands start to burn.  Oh yeah, Mister Don't Use Too Much Of It just gave me a slight chemical burn.  OUCH!  It eventually goes away, but boy did it hurt for about 30 seconds.

To finish the job, I weigh my options.  Bare hands and gun cleaner OR surgical-type gloves and no gun cleaner?  I opt for the gloves and go through two pairs.  Continuing to fold the tissue paper when it gets too sticky, instead of finding something else to glue on.  Fortunately, I didn't make too much of a mess, except for the two times when the tops popped off the glitter bottles (cheap) and glitter poured out.  Oh, and the spray glue bottle is now covered in sparkles.  However, I must say that the end result actually doesn't look too bad!  Maybe I'll continue my crafty adventures.  

--Am

 the finished product

 two of the better looking cones

spray glue 

check out that glittery mess 

icky glued on glitter and half empty bottles