I know! Its not even Thanksgiving yet! But when you are hand making gifts or decorations for Christmas, there is never enough time. Between now and Christmas, I will be posting some Christmas projects. I hope that enjoy them and even make a few - as always, I would love to see what you make.
When I am giving a gift of wine to friends or as a hostess gift, I always look for a cute bottle bag. But, with this easy pattern and some felt, you can make a snowman bottle wrap to use instead of the bag. In addition, it can be used throughout the season to display a bottle of wine. So when you are making one (or more) for gifts, make one for yourself.
This Halloween mask is so quick and easy to make. Make one for a Halloween party or just to wear when opening the door for trick-or-treating. Make masks for the kids and let them help or make their own..
I bought a pack of 3 plain white masks (very cheap - $2) at a craft store this week. I used green spray paint to cover the mask, then used a black Sharpie to draw the features. This is where you or the kids can get really creative in painting the mask since Sharpies and spray paint come in lots of colors. After everything dried, I cut the black hair from stiff felt and glued it to the back. I cut the lips out of bright pink felt, and cut 2 tabs on the top edges. I glued the tabs behind the mask so that the lips would dangle down. After punching holes in the side edges, I tried some of my regular earrings but decided they weren’t chunky enough. I made some with large beads. If you don’t want dangling earrings, you can use large O rings to make hoop earrings.
Let your imagination be your guide to making your mask. Go through your stash (or junk drawer) and find fun things to decorate your mask. You can make it as fun, spooky or scary as you like and you can be sure it will be an original one-of-a-kind.
Paper Pumpkin
Make a plump paper pumpkin from some strips of paper plus a little Halloween craftiness!
Polymer Clay Zombie
Candace’s diabolical plan to populate the world with zombies continues!
The Impatient Crafter for iLoveToCreate
Make a retro style styrofoam ornament into a fab Halloween Party centerpiece! Madge shows you how using iLoveToCreate products!
How to Make a Spooky Spice Rack
Come make a spooky spice rack with Crafterella, she’s sharing her unique labels with everyone!
Halloween Treat Tote
Conjure up a quick Halloween cupcake basket using new ScoreBoard dies!
Brenda Pinnick’s Halloween Banner
A little scary, a little fun, this delightful banner celebrates all things Halloween. Made using Brenda Pinnick Sizzix dies, glitter and ribbon.
Creepy Candlesticks
Pattie Wack turns mini pumpkins into a boo-tiful Halloween lighting idea!
Strands of Beads
Melissa explores the holiday possibilities in a black and white checkered bead
Glow in the Dork Wall Hanging
Turn off the lights and have a laugh with this goofy wall hanging from Alexa Westerfield!
Picture Perfect Pumpkin
Vanessa Coppola turns a traditional pumpkin into a decopauged masterpiece!
Halloween!! Yes, its almost here and my candy is already bought (if I can just keep from eating it!) To celebrate Halloween, I designed this pumpkin and cat combo using felt and a few embellishments. Its quick and easy to make and can be made as either a treat bag, wall hanging or a door hanger.
Click for the free pattern and instructions to download.
Craft stores have such a huge assortment of craft supplies available, from supplies for scrapbooking to supplies for painting, needlework, sewing and quilting, floral and gardening, beading and many other types of crafts. The good part is that you don’t have to figure out what to do with these supplies. There are many design projects available in all of these categories in magazines, books and project sheets as well as kits that include both the supplies and instructions.
As someone who has been designing for the crafts industry for many years, 23 to be exact, I thought I would give you a little background on how many designers work in getting their designs there for you.
A lot of craft designers are members of The Craft and Hobby Association (CHA). CHA is hosting their Winter Convention & Trade show in Anaheim, CA in February. This is the premier trade show for anyone involved in the crafts industry and is open only to the trade. Manufacturers present their newest and hottest products to buyers who attend from all over the world. CHA has a Designer Section for the designer members and offers several opportunities for designers to connect with manufacturers, publishers and editors.
Designers can set up a table in the Designer Showcase held one day during the show. Designers/artists create a table display showcasing their designs and portfolios so that editors, publishers and manufacturers can view the designs for use or publication. These are many of the designs that you see and use for creating your craft projects.
Another opportunity for designers is to exhibit in the License and Design Section during the show . The designers have a booth space to show their art and designs that are available for creating new products or in using products.The theme for this year’s show is Fashion Crafting and designers are also showcasing their fashion designs in the Fashion Crafting Display, our version of “Project Runway”.
I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of the designs created by friends as well as myself. The flower at the top is a Gerber Daisy Fabric Sculpture created by Lynne Farris and shown in her newest book “Fresh Felt Flowers” published by C&T Publishing.
The 2 designs embroidered on jeans are from the DenimBroidery embroidery kits I created for Janlynn, a needlework company.
Joan Elliott painted the Jingle Cats Christmas image, which has been licensed on tee shirts, fabrics for hospital scrubs, mugs and cross stitch kits.
Linda Wyszynski designed the embroidered pillowcase for Create and Decorate magazine, using buttons and embroidery to create a floral design for stitching on the pillowcase edge.
Vicki Schreiner painted the sports images which were used to create a scrapbook kit and stickers sold in stores.
I do have some very talented friends!
All the designers that I know who are attending the show, including myself, are now frantically creating new designs to present. So the next time you are using instructions to create a craft or sewing project, it may have come from one of these designers working to create craft projects just for you!
WELCOME! I invite you to visit with me in my studio. I create illustrations and designs for art licensing. I also design fabrics, quilts, needlework and textile products. I will share my latest news on illustration and designing as well as interesting tidbits on artist friends, books, traveling and anything else I run across. I would LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU and appreciate your visits.
