No-Sew Deer Antlers Napkin Ring

For crafters, it's never too early to start making Christmas projects.  Right now, the stores are stocked to the brim with holiday assortments and I'm slowly making my way around to see the fabulous displays and to find out what's trendy and inspiring before things get too picked over!
On a recent trip to Pier1, I found the cutest antler napkin rings made out of burlap and pom poms. 

Pier1 source

The antlers were stitched together but instantly I knew I could make one using fabric glue.  Check out how I did it!

Gather :

Antler template

Burlap ribbon - 2.5" wide

Fabric-Tac fabric glue

Poly-fil

Pom pom

Cabone wood 2" rings

Twine

Scissors

Hot glue gun

Skewer stick/clips

First, I googled antlers to find a pattern I could use.  I made adjustments to one that I liked and drew the following.  You can Copy and paste to Word or right click to save picture as, if you like. 

Next, I printed and cut out the pattern and used it to cut the antlers out of burlap ribbon.

Then, line up the way you want the antlers to look and carefully add Fabri-Tac fabric glue around the edges on one side. Leave the bottom clear of glue so you can stuff it. The glue can be a bit stringy and you might need to use the pointed tip of a skewer stick to keep it on edge. *Do not put glue anywhere else except on the edges. 

Press the top pattern to the glue side, first on the edges, laying it down carefully. Press down and around the edges making sure to seal. Allow to dry completely before stuffing.

 Next, after drying, insert the flat end of a skewer stick inside to make sure the antlers are open completely and then stuff with poly-fil.  Use the flat end of a skewer to push the filling into the round areas, being extremely careful not to open any edges. (like I did) If you open any edges, push in the filling, add more glue and use a clip to seal until dry. 

Once stuffed, clean up any excess glue and seal the ends with fabric glue.

I already had cabone wood rings from another project but you can find them at Walmart (5 for $1.54).

I wrapped twine around the wood ring, sealing the ends on with hot glue. 

Then, I hot glued the ends of the antlers onto the twine wrapped ring.

 And finally, glued on the pom pom in the center of the antlers for an adorable holiday napkin ring!

 Imagine your holiday table adorned with these cuties!

Take a little time to enjoy

and

Happy Holiday Crafting!

Fall Burlap Hydrangea Flowers Wreath

I was inspired to make this wreath after I saw one on Birch Lane pictured below.

Birch Lane Source

I had everything I needed to make my version. And that consisted of different shades of burlap fabric, mod podge to make the burlap stiff, grapevine for the wreath base, a large flower punch, scissors, hot glue, and puffy paint.


To begin, I had pieces of grapevines left over from other projects and I wrapped them into a circle.

Next, I applied mod podge to several different colors of burlap that I had left over, too, and let dry for a few hours.

Then, I began the task of punching out the flowers.  Since my hand was still sore, it was easier for me to sit in a chair in my garage and punch out the flowers using my feet.  It took me about a total of two hours to punch out all of the flowers used and it was great exercise - something I really need!

 The punch was a EK large flower pattern, and I had to apply a lot of pressure to cut out the burlap flowers evenly.

I used an old measuring spoon from powder plant food and my thumb to shape the stiff burlap flowers since I didn't have any embossing tools.

Next, I cut out pale green burlap leaves using a hydrangea leaf pattern I found online.

And glued them on around the grapevine wreath.

Then I began gluing on the flowers. 

Once all the flowers were glued on, I added dots of puffy paint to the center of the flowers.

  You can hardly see the first set of leaves, so I added more for a fuller look.

The Birch Lane wreath is listed for $85.00.  It did not get good reviews.  One person said it was a waste of money and the other person said it was not as pictured.  I think my wreath looks adorable and it was virtually free since I used leftover materials from other projects.

Take a little time to enjoy

and

Happy Crafting!

Burlap Easter Bunny Bag

I've been having a fun time making crafts for Easter even though I don't have any grandkids.  I still have some paperbacked burlap left and wanted to make this cute bunny bag.  You might be asking what on earth could you do with that.  Well it's great for boys in place of a traditional Easter basket.  Hence, the green and purple colors.  I made a "tray" out of the same material that sits inside and candy, eggs and toys can be placed in it and then wrapped in cellophane.  Such a cute idea!

The burlap bag was easy to make once I figured out the measurements needed for folding it since I was working with a 24" x 12" sheet of burlap.  

So let's get started!

Materials needed:

• Paper-backed burlap 24" x 12"  (Jo-Ann)
• Bunny parts pattern
• Foam Sheets
• Google eyes
• Pom pom for nose
• Chenille stems for whiskers
• White poster board for teeth
• Burlap ribbon for strap
• Velcro closure
• Hot glue gun
• Large 12 1/2" plate or top

First, I had to work up a template using a large 24" x 12" sheet of paper for the bag.   My original folds didn't work for me so I had to adjust the sizes of each section and re-fold before I was able to transfer the measurements to the burlap. That's why you see so many folds.

Final measurements are:

Fold and make sharp creases along lines:

Next, used a 12 1/2" plate to round off the corners of the 6" flap with a pencil and cut out.

Now it's time to cut out the bunny parts.  This template can be copied and pasted to Word and sized using format. 

*Sorry, I don't know how to download templates yet.

The inner ears and peds for the paws were cut from green foam sheets.

I used a dime to cut out the six peds in case you're wondering what size it is.

The teeth were cut from white poster board and all pieces were glued on as shown.

Burlap ribbon was glue across the width of the back inside.

To make the tray, I looked around for a cardboard box approximately 12" long and 4" wide to take apart to use as a pattern.  I was lucky to find a coffee filter box that worked. 

The box was in one piece when I took it apart so I had to cut it in half in order to use the burlap since it wasn't long enough.

I just drew the shape of the cardboard onto the back of the burlap, cut out and hot glued the flaps together.

 I think the burlap tray turned out really good considering it was the first time making something like this.

Here is the tray filled with Easter goodies.

I added a video game as an idea as to what can be included.

Once filled, wrap tray in cellophane and tie with ribbon.

A small piece of Velcro closure is added on the front to keep the flaps closed.

This really brings a smile to my face!

Take a little time to enjoy

and

Happy Crafting!

Make a Spring Floral Cone Arrangement In Less Than 10 Minutes

I've been looking for spring to arrive for quite some time now.  No sign of crocus, daffodil or tree blossoms around here.   But the temperatures are just beginning to climb and it won't be long, now.  I'm in a joyous mood to put away those wintry scenes and make something fabulous for spring.  What better way than to create a quick and easy floral arrangement.  I have my new found material of paper-backed burlap that I wanted to use that's left over from making burlap mason jar toppers, so this is what I did: 

Using a 12" x 12" square

that I easily shaped into a cone and hot glued together along the edge.

Then punched a hole in the corner tip, adding a piece of jute twine .  .  .
but then decided that this was a bit plain,  cut out a burlap circle and made a spiral flower to glue on front.  

 

And finally, added a bunch of flowers and BAM!

 

You have a beautiful spring time floral arrangement for your door or wall in less than ten minutes!

 

 

Wouldn't this make a wonderful addition to any spring décor, or special occasion?

Take a little time to enjoy

 

and

Happy Crafting!