Looking Back at Re-Creations, One Year Anniversary

Happy Birthday Blog!

My blog is one year old this month! I am so grateful for all of the opportunities I have had to meet new crafters, teach classes, learn new techniques, create and "re-create".

Here is a look back at a few my favorite projects. You can click on the links below the photos to view the original blog post of each project.

Cards

My Craft Channel Superfan Blog Hop  

Rubber Cafe Inspired Greeting Card

Side view of stand up card

Graphic 45 "Bird Song" Cards

Home Decor

Valentine/Anniversary Wreath

Real Leaves made into Fall Bouquet

Spring Childhood Memory Jar

Graphic 45 & Clear Acrylic Clipboard Display

Scrapbook Layouts and Albums

Graphic 45 + six more Layers Layouts

Using a Floral Paper on a Masculine Page

Tiny Canvas Frame Accordion Album

Made from Scratch Summer Album 

Wearables

Felted Wool Booties

Felted Wool Beads

More UP-Cycled "Ugly Sweater" Beads

Anthropology Inspired diy Fabric Necklace

Just For Fun

T.P. Roll Challenge - Marionette

I hope you enjoyed viewing some of my favorites, and that I have inspired you to try crafting something new this year. 

Follow me to see some  unique Christmas decor, cards, layouts, and d.i.y. gifts to be posted over the next few months. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Tiny Canvas Frame Accordion Album

This is a project I totally dove into, with items from My Craft Channel Kit of the Month (Echo Park paper and stickers, My Minds Eye embellishments, Miss Caroline baker's twine) and featuring our Grandson.
I had this nice block of uninterrupted quite time at home (rare) and lost  myself in color, paint, and sweet memories.

Front of 4x4 canvas

Inside view- see brass hinges and mini shadow box.

I think it's really cool how the 1/2 inch depth of the little canvas makes a tiny shadow box on the left side. The accordion album is tucked into the right side.

 Materials used;
Two 4x4in Artist Canvas (stretched over wood and pre-gesso primed)
Echo Park papers and embellishments
My Mind's Eye Wood button
3 ft Seam Binding
A bit of Muslin
Acrylic Paint
Green Crepe Paper
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink with Close-To-My-Heart Stamps (that I won from MCC!)
Plaid's Dimensional Magic
 A set of tiny brass hinges
 Quick Quotes chalk ink in Amaretto

If you want to try this at home, learn from my mistakes. The hinges are very difficult to put into the canvas, so ask a handy husband, and do this first, otherwise your album may get damaged while trying to do it afterward. Next time I will just hot glue ribbon as a hinge.
Paint the canvas LAST. It was hard to stamp or stick paper to canvas after the flat surface on the outside had been altered. Make your accordion fold mini album and stick it in first. MCC has a few tutorials on making an accordion fold m ini album- View Melissa Francis, Heidi Swapp, Or Teresa Collins past shows here. mycraftchannel.com/Shows/

Trash to Treasure Stool, Magnetic Chalkboard, China Cabinet and Frame.

Three items that were meant for the trash, rescued by me! I'm not sure how this post will look online, as it is the first post that I am trying from the iPad. Doesn't seem like I have as many options as to where to place photos and such, and no spell check! Yikes! Here goes...

Adorable old fashioned step stool. It used to be a weird beige color. A few coats of cherry red spray paint give it a new life in my retro home. 

Yep, someone threw this out on the very day we moved in, and happened to have a truck on hand to pick it up. It used to be very dark brown, doors falling off of hinges. My awesome son helped me sand and stain it to a color that matched the rest of our furniture. He also fixed the hinges. We had to use a very white wood stain called "Limed Oak" before two coats of "Honey Maple".

This sweet magnetic chalkboard was once and old baking pan. 3 coats of chalkboard paint and voila! More cute decor for my retro kitchen. 

Last for this post, I was shopping for a card for a friend (yes, I usually make them, but my craft room was in boxes) and I bought myself this card. Went to thrift store same day and found adorable red frame, added gingham ribbon and glued a pearl brad to the top of a flathead nail. 

This says it all...

Trash to Treasure Bulletin Board

About 3 weeks ago we moved into our new home. (That's why no posts for a while) I knew I was going to have my very own craft room, so when I saw this really large frame from an old mirror on the street, I saw (in my head) a new bulletin board, and I had to pick it up. 

I forgot to take a "before" picture, but grabbed my camera and took this picture before it was completely covered with the first coat of Martha Stewart mint green paint.

The next step was painting a second layer of mint green, then a coat of this turquoise green. Because it was on the un-treated wood, it gave a rough surface that was perfect for chalkboard markers (shown in last photo)  After the two coats were dry, I went back in and added a touch of pink with a very flat, very "dry" brush. Then rounded the corners of cork tiles and glued them on.

 

When finished and hung sideways, it looked so much like a giant tag, I just had to add ribbon and a tassel. 

Looks great in my new craft room! 

Spring Memory Jar

First I would like to say THANK YOU to my friend Elise who asked why I hadn't posted in a while. I had no idea that I had any regular followers because blogger doesn't show me people who signed up to get the blog post as an e-mail?? So, I'm sorry to anyone else! The news is that I have been so busy creating samples for the classes I will be teaching at Michaels this April, and I'm not allowed to post pictures of those.
However, I did make time to do a little home decor for Easter. This project has a sweet memory and story included. The memory jar idea was inspired by an episode of My Craft Channel click here for link to show

Meet "Mr. Peeps".    This adorable little stuffed bird in the jar has magnetic feet, and was given to my son when he was about 5 years old.   He would stick him on something, and who ever found him would move him and stick him on something else.   This game has been going on now for over 14 years!   It's a sweet family memory that I wanted to display for our Easter get together.   "Chickie" is a hopping chick that joined in the game a couple of years after Mr. Peeps' arrival.

To make a memory jar like this, I used a jar that I purchased for a couple of dollars at Goodwill. I added paper grass, made from shredding green paper in a paper shredder. 

I added One artificial flower from the Dollar Store.

I decorated  two standard tags, and  tied them together like a card so that I could write the whole story on the inside of the tags. 

The ribbon is actually white seam binding colored with (click here for link to Heidi Swapp )Color Shone spray (can't get enough of the stuff!) then it's scrunched and dried crinkly. Of course I had to add a bit of bling to the bow as well. 

Thanks again for following me, and leave a comment if you are able.  I'll work on posting more often! -Sheila

Melissa Francis Give Away!

My Craft Channel and Melissa Francis have a contest right now to win $200 worth of beautiful Melissa Francis things!
Just click here to enter, and check out her "how to" episodes while you are there.
MelissaFrances_Giveaway

Ceramic Dragon Incense Burner, Bowl, and More

This past summer, my son asked me (yes, he really asked ME) if I wanted to take a ceramics class with him. A chance to spend a couple of hours every Sunday with my 17 year old? Of course! I couldn't imagine anything more fun.
Here are a couple of the finished works.

Rupert with A Book of Runes

I can't take credit for the idea of a dragon incense burner. I saw one at the Bristol Renaissance Faire.
This next project took so much time to figure out. I wanted to re-create a honeycomb paper decoration. You know, the kind that come packed flat and then you open them up and attach the two sides together. They come in bight tissue paper colors. Anyway, very challenging to recreate in clay.

 

During the class, I remembered why I never liked throwing on the wheel back in my art school days. It's HARD!
I do like glazing. And I enjoyed carving a design around the sides of this bowl.

Finally, I was attempting to make this piece look like it was very ancient, dug up from under a lost city. The technique was fun because I simply pressed a wood cut block into a slab. The I cut the slabs and pressed them together. It's actually not glazed, it's stained with a brush-on, wipe off technique.

I haven't posted my son's work here, at (his request) He is so talented at this, his work is really amazing. You can see it on my Pinterest page. Just click on the "Follow Me.." tab at the top of this page.

Glass Paint on Recycled Jelly Jar

Wow! I've been a social media butterfly since I posted last, and it's been a blast! So far, I really enjoy being a My Craft Channel Superfan! I have virtually/digitally connected with 14  wonderful, funny and creative ladies in the group. I'm pinning and posting and tweeting my passion for creative thinking and crafts, and receiving so much inspiration in return.
While internet surfing (a great thing to do in Chicago when it's only 6 degrees outside) I saw a beautiful post on the Plaid Crafts web site and wanted to try it for myself. This is the first attempt using . Gallery Glass Window by Plaid (The makers of Mod Podge).
I was holding on to a couple of really cute jelly jars, and now I know how I want to up-cycle them.
Best thing is this takes about 10 minutes, and dries over night.

1) Plaid's Gallery Glass Paint In Blue Diamond $3.49 ( They have a Martha Stewart version out now, I will try that next)
2) Rinsed out jelly jar
3) Crepe paper trim and blue bird of happiness purchased at Michael's  90% off after Christmas sale (85 cents), fabric flower on hand and hot glue to stick it all onto the lid.
4) Paint Brush

Step One- squeeze paint onto jar in pattern desired. The paint is about the consistency of white school glue and will drip very slowly.
Please check out the blog Something Turquoise  where I was inspired, for directions on covering entire jar.


I wasn't sure how transparent it would dry, and I wanted a little texture, so I thinned it out with a paint brush.
I won't thin it out next time because when dry, it is very sheer and I really like the color.

I did not "cure" the paint in the oven, because I'm not using this for food, and won't be putting in the dishwasher.
The color is just lovely, and even better when on a window ledge in the sun. It's stuffed with tissue for the photo, but I think I'll keep tiny buttons in this sweet little blue jar.

Anniversary or Valentine Wreath

I was watching "My Craft Channel" online the other day (as I do every morning with coffee) and Lori Allred was demonstrating some beautiful after-Christmas wreaths. Link to episode here.That got me thinking, my wedding anniversary is in January, and my husband often forgets the date, or the year. I decided to make an Anniversary Wreath to serve as a "subtle" reminder. It's so over the top with glitter and bling, I just love the way it sparkles. Total cost: $12. Total time to make: under 30 Min

Anniversary/Valentine Wreath

Items used;
Purchased at the Dollar store; (Dollar Store Crafts page here) wicker wreath, 24 yards of white tulle, wired ribbon, pink die cut foam hearts
Purchased at an after-holiday %75 off sale at craft store, love birds, white roses, lazer cut wood frame
On-hand, chip board letters and phrase, silver Stickles, silver spray paint, 3in1 glue, hot glue

I wrapped the wicker wreath with 8 yards of tulle, the 2 yards of this white sparkly net stuff (don't know what it's called) the cut and tied the rest of the 16 yards of tulle on one by one. Tied the bows on.

The lazer cut wood frame (spray painted silver) was a lucky find because it's very light weight, and I simply stung it on to the wreath with tulle through the cut-out sections.

I chalked the edges of hearts and letters, and hot glued with foam dots one on top of another.
Hot glued everything else in place.

Do you think my dear husband will notice the date?