Glitzy Owl - DIY

I've been working on my Christmas projects which may include several owls.  I've become obsessed with making them.  You can find a couple of burlap owls I made here and another one here.  Owls are so cute and adorable.  And as crafters, you know we have to start early so others can be inspired and have enough time before the big holiday to recreate.  Besides,  if you've read the Legend of the Christmas Owl, you can understand why I've been making so many owls.  Just kidding! 

I saw a glittered owl ornament at West Elm and wanted to make one just like it. You know I love glittery things!  I found corrugated glittered paper in the scrape book section at AC Moore in the same pattern as the ornament and I had a large paper mache egg I got last spring for 50% off, some glitter paint in purple, eyes, corrugated cardboard and hot glue - so I'm good to go!

Here's how:

 

Paint the paper mache egg with glitter paint.

It was so watery that three coats were applied.

 

I made the eyes next by cutting out corrugated cardboard circles.  (I used a 7oz plastic cup as a pattern)

Then I cut pie shape slits in the cardboard, and covered with glitter paint.  I cut quarter size circles from a white plastic flower (for the whites of the eye) and glued them to the cardboard.

The backside of the cardboard was painted with metallic paint.

Plastic animal eyes were inserted into the cardboard. . . and placed

 on the head by pushing the ends of the eyes (screws) into the papermache.

 

 

The beak is from an ballpoint pen cap that I flatten and melted with a candle flame and glued on.

 

 

 

Using a half oval pattern for the "feathers" to cut out of the silver glitter corrugated paper and

 

 

 

 

 attach to the body of the owl.

 

 

 

Two elongated pieces of glitter paper were glued together, shaped, and glued on top for the "ears"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next came the claw feet made out of silver paper coated wire using needle nose pliers and glued on.

 

 

Ta Da!  The finished look.  .  . how cute is this!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Legend of the Christmas Owl. I'm a little Christmas Owl, as cute as I can be. I won't say much while I'm here, but my eyes have much to see. When Santa starts to check his list, you know he checks it twice. He sends an owl to be his eyes and see whooo's naughty and nice! So, every time you see an owl with his eyes so wide and bright... be on your best behavior for that owl is Santa's sight!"







                                   Hope you've been inspired to make one.



Take a little time to enjoy!



                                                                 






Linking To Some of My Fav Parties:
Mellywoods Mansion for Raising Imperfections Party ,  By Stephanielynn  for the Sunday Showcase Party ,  The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday ,  VMG206 for DIY Sunday Showcase , Sewing Barefoot for The Weekly Creative, Alderberry Hill for Make the Scene Monday , Clairejustineoxox for Creative Mondays ,  Craft and Repeat for On Display Monday Link Party ,  The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Monday , Feeding Big and more for In and Out of the Kitchen Monday ,  I Should be Mopping the Floor for Mopping It Up Monday ,  Making the World Cuter for Making the World Cuter Monday , Newlywed Pilgrimage for Moonlight Mason Jars linky party Monday Night ,  So Much Better with Age for Give Me The Goods Party ,  Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday , Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday , Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday , Home Coming for DIY'ers , I Gotta Try That for Linky Party Monday,  Mod Vintage Life for Mod Mix Monday , Pursuit of Funtional Home for Monday Hop , One More Time for Share It One More Time , Twelve O Eight for Pretty Things Linky Party Monday , Todays Creative Blog for Get Your Craft On ,  Be Betsy for Brag About It Tuesday , DIY Dreamer for From Dream to Reality , Flusterbuster for Creative Muster  Tuesday ,  Kathe With A E for You're Gonna Love It Tuesday ,    The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday , Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday , A Stroll thru Life for  Tabletop Inspire Me Tuesday , Cedar Hill Ranch for The Scoop on Tuesdays ,Homework for Inspiration Board Tuesday , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures , Romance on a Dime for Take on Tuesday , Debbiedoos for Tuesdays Top Talent Pinterest Party ,  Hickory Trail for Assets and Efforts ,  Hope In Every Season for Make,Bake,Create ,  Mad Cap Frenzy for Totally Tuesday Link Party ,   VMg206 for Brag About It Tuesday , Love Grows Wild for Time to Sparkle , The Blissful Bee for Work It Wednesday ,   Cass-Eats for Linky & Drinky Wednesday ,  Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home ,   Eclectic Red Barn for The Pinterest Power Party ,  Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday ,   Primp for Primp Your Stuff Wednesdays , Ginger Snap Crafts for Wow Me Wednesdays ,  
Life With the CrustCutOff for Two Girls and a LinkUp ,  Pink Recipe Box for Creative Wednesdays ,   Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays ,The Shady Porch for Rock and Share Wednesdays , The Taylor House for Pinterest Power Party Wednesday ,  We Like To Learn As We Go for What I Learned Wednesday , The Style Sisters for Centerpiece Wednesday ,  DIY by Design for Swing into Spring , All Things With a Purpose for Thursday Link Up , Krafty Cards,Etc. for Krafty Inspirations Thursday ,   CSI Project for Challenge of the Week Thursday , Dysfunction Junction for Linkin With My Ladies Thursday ,  I Gotta Create for Wildly Original Linky Party The Frugal Girls for Chic and Crafty Party ,  Glued To My Crafts for Thursdays Obsessions , Lamberts Lately for Create It Thursday , Katherine's Corner for Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop ,  A Peek Into My Paradise for TGIF Link Party ,  The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays ,  The Home Acre Harvest Hop ,  Marigold's Loft for Tutorial Thursdays ,  My Fashion Forward Blog for All Things Pretty ,  No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays , Posed Perfection for All Things Thursday ,  Sparkles and a Stove for All Things Pretty Thursday ,  Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays , Chic on a Shoestring Decorating for Flaunt It Friday , The Dedicated House for Anything Blue Friday . Happy Go Lucky for Shine on Fridays ,  Jennifer Rizzo for Fabulously Creative Friday ,     My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday , French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday , Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays , The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday , Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday ,  Diana's Rambles for Pin Me Linky Friday 504 Main for Tickled Pink Fridays , Happy Go Lucky for Shine on Friday , Happy Hour Projects for Happy Hour Friday ,  Mellywoods Mansion for Freaking Awesome Fridays ,   Obsessive and Creative for Craft Frenzy Friday ,  Rooted in Thyme for Simple & Sweet Fridays , See Vanessa Craft for do something crafty Friday ,  Shaken Together for What's Shakin' Friday ,   Whipperberry for Friday Fair Link Party ,  DIY Showoff for That DIY Party ,   Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special, Love of Family & Home for Inspire Me Please Weekend , A Bouquet of Talent for Life on Lake Shore Drive on Saturdays , Classy Clutter for Spotlight Saturday , Crafts a la Mode for What To Do Weekends , Debbiedoo's  for Get Blitzed on Pinterest , It's Overflowing for Share Your Creativity Saturday ,  Just Us Four for Pinworthy Projects Party Friday , Mommifried for Ladies Only Blog Share Link Party , My Snippets of Inspiration for Pin It Saturday ,  Natasha in Oz for #Say Gday Saturday Linky Party , One More Time for Share It One More Time Saturday ,  Rosevine Cottage Girls for Weekend Blog Hop , Serenity You for Serenity Saturday , Tutus & Tea Parties for a Pinteresting Party

Burlap 3D Snowflakes

I had some burlap fabric that I coated with mod podge in hopes of making tan flowers like the ones I made here.  I think it's a bit too late to be making flowers now when all I keep thinking about is holiday crafts.

Everybody loves snowflakes and we definitely could start having some real ones at any moment around here. After all, it is November.  I'm sure you've seen the 3D paper snowflakes that are so popular across the internet.  I made one out of  burlap which makes for an awesome holiday ornament. 

Here's how I did it:  Using burlap, mod podge, scissors, ruler, and hot glue . . .

1.  Cut out six 4 inch squares of stiffen burlap  ( I coated burlap with mod podge and let dry)

2.  Fold a burlap square in half, diagonally to form a triangle. 

3.  Fold the triangle in half again.

4.  Cut three lines in the "folded" area of the triangle, parallel to the edge of the triangle, stopping just short of the edge (1/4").

5.  Unfold the triangle.  You should see cut lines in the shape of a diamond.

6.  Glue the edges of the innermost cut lines (smallest) together forming a tube.

7.  Turn the burlap square over to the other side and glue the next two edges together as before. Larger than the previous one.

8.   Keep turning over the burlap  and gluing the edges to form a curve shape.

9.   All the edges have been joined creating one "arm" of the snowflake. . . 

  so beautiful!

  Repeat the same process for each of the remaining 5 burlap squares.

Glue three of the glued burlap arms together at one end and glue the remaining arms together the same way.  Then glue the two sets together at the ends.

Glue where each of the six burlap strands meet. . .

So that the snowflake (six arms together) shape is formed. 

So pretty!

I love the look of just a single arm of the snowflake.

 These can be hung individually . . . 

                                                       with a hint of sparkle

  or grouped together for a large snowflake. . .

 3D burlap snowflakes are so much better than the paper ones.  Wouldn't they look fabulous on a tree with a rustic theme, hanging as ornaments or as a tree topper?  Why not add some glitter for a bit of sparkle or hang on the fireplace or perhaps in front of a window for a winter wonderland effect?

So many possibilities. . .

Take a little time to enjoy,



Paintng Glass Plates for Decor & Entertaining

I've always wanted to try glass painting since I'm collecting purple plates to put on a small wall in my kitchen.  It has been rather hard locating plates with shades of purple that I really love enough to hang up. I decided to make my own hand painted ones to blend in and coordinate with the colors in my home.  

 I came across a group of Martha Stewart adhesive silkscreen leaf patterns, one, of a ginkgo leaf that I especially love.

 Have you ever looked at a ginkgo leaf?  It is very unique among leaves with its' fan shape appearance.  There is a certain elegance about the ginkgo leaf which I love.  And did you know that the ginkgo tree is a living fossil, existing  200 million years ago?  Enough about the history - I just love the way the ginkgo leaf looks and am excited to use this pattern on my plate.

 I have to let you know this is my first time working with silkscreens or stencils of any kind so it's a new crafting experience for me, so stay with me on this. 

I found some lovely clear glass square plates at Walmart for $1.50 each.  The Dollar Tree use to sell the plain round kind but I haven't seen them lately.  I checked their website and the plain clear plates were no longer listed.
I do find square plates to be very chic and popular in today's décor.

After doing a little research, I discovered I could make a lovely painted plate with a few supplies I had on hand. 

To do this I used:

• Enamel paint - FolkArt
• Foam dabber
• Alcohol and cotton balls
• Adhesive silkscreen 

Lets get started:

1.  Wash your glass plate with dish detergent and water. Best to allow it to air dry so there won't be any fibers from paper towels or dish towels. After it's dry, wipe with alcohol to remove any residue, fingerprints or oil.

2.  Place your adhesive silkscreen to the back side of the glass plate.  This is done so you can eat off the plate or use it to serve or display food while entertaining. Try not to touch the silkscreen open pattern with your fingers because of the oil in your skin. You can use a paper towel or a cardboard roll to smooth out the screen.

3.  Dip the foam dabber into the paint sparingly (I used a small throw away plate for my paint) and carefully dab it onto the silkscreen. Once the design is covered remove the silkscreen quickly. 

 4.  Wash the paint off the silkscreen immediately. Do not allow it to dry on the silkscreen. 

                         

5. Repeat the process for as many patterns you want to apply, allowing each pattern to dry between applications. If you mess up, use a alcohol dampen cotton ball to remove any wet paint.  If the paint is allowed to dry, it must be scraped off.

                                               

6. You can set the paint permanently by putting the glass plate in the oven.  Set the oven to 325 degrees for 30 minutes and then allow to cool.  Do this twice and your plate is safe to hand wash or top shelf dishwasher.

Surprisingly, I couldn't stop at painting the plate.  Using another leaf pattern I painted a large glass vessel using the same purple hues.

 

I'm not very good at putting together tablescapes, but while I'm still getting my plate collection together I couldn't resist setting out my newly painted pieces.

 

All the colors compliment one another . . . .

 

especially with my area rug.

 

 

Using these simple adhesive silkscreen techniques, accessories such as glass plates or vases can be transformed to suit your taste, creating exciting, fresh décor that bring ho-hum pieces to life!

My new experience in painting glass was exciting!  The hand painted plate is a wonderful compliment to my home décor.  I'm going to enjoy making many more to add to my plate collection.



Take a little time to enjoy!

Linking To Some of My Fav Parties:
Mellywoods Mansion for Raising Imperfections Party ,  By Stephanielynn  for the Sunday Showcase Party ,  The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday ,  VMG206 for DIY Sunday Showcase , Sewing Barefoot for The Weekly Creative, Alderberry Hill for Make the Scene Monday , Clairejustineoxox for Creative Mondays ,  Craft and Repeat for On Display Monday Link Party ,  The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Monday , Feeding Big and more for In and Out of the Kitchen Monday ,  I Should be Mopping the Floor for Mopping It Up Monday ,  Making the World Cuter for Making the World Cuter Monday , Newlywed Pilgrimage for Moonlight Mason Jars linky party Monday Night ,  So Much Better with Age for Give Me The Goods Party ,  Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday , Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday , Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday , Home Coming for DIY'ers , I Gotta Try That for Linky Party Monday,  Mod Vintage Life for Mod Mix Monday , Pursuit of Funtional Home for Monday Hop , One More Time for Share It One More Time , Twelve O Eight for Pretty Things Linky Party Monday , Todays Creative Blog for Get Your Craft On ,  Be Betsy for Brag About It Tuesday , DIY Dreamer for From Dream to Reality , Flusterbuster for Creative Muster  Tuesday ,  Kathe With A E for You're Gonna Love It Tuesday ,    The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday , Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday , A Stroll thru Life for  Tabletop Inspire Me Tuesday , Cedar Hill Ranch for The Scoop on Tuesdays ,Homework for Inspiration Board Tuesday , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures , Romance on a Dime for Take on Tuesday , Debbiedoos for Tuesdays Top Talent Pinterest Party ,  Hickory Trail for Assets and Efforts ,  Hope In Every Season for Make,Bake,Create ,  Mad Cap Frenzy for Totally Tuesday Link Party ,   VMg206 for Brag About It Tuesday , Love Grows Wild for Time to Sparkle , The Blissful Bee for Work It Wednesday ,   Cass-Eats for Linky & Drinky Wednesday ,  Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at Our Home ,   Eclectic Red Barn for The Pinterest Power Party ,  Primp for Primp Your Stuff Wednesdays , Ginger Snap Crafts for Wow Me Wednesdays ,  
Life With the CrustCutOff for Two Girls and a LinkUp ,  Pink Recipe Box for Creative Wednesdays ,   Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays ,The Shady Porch for Rock and Share Wednesdays , The Taylor House for Pinterest Power Party Wednesday ,  We Like To Learn As We Go for What I Learned Wednesday , The Style Sisters for Centerpiece Wednesday ,  DIY by Design for Swing into Spring , All Things With a Purpose for Thursday Link Up , Krafty Cards,Etc. for Krafty Inspirations Thursday ,   CSI Project for Challenge of the Week Thursday , Dysfunction Junction for Linkin With My Ladies Thursday ,  I Gotta Create for Wildly Original Linky Party The Frugal Girls for Chic and Crafty Party ,  Glued To My Crafts for Thursdays Obsessions , Lamberts Lately for Create It Thursday , Katherine's Corner for Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop ,  A Peek Into My Paradise for TGIF Link Party ,  The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays ,  The Home Acre Harvest Hop ,  Marigold's Loft for Tutorial Thursdays ,  My Fashion Forward Blog for All Things Pretty ,  No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays , Posed Perfection for All Things Thursday ,  Sparkles and a Stove for All Things Pretty Thursday ,  Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays , Chic on a Shoestring Decorating for Flaunt It Friday , The Dedicated House for Anything Blue Friday . Happy Go Lucky for Shine on Fridays ,  Jennifer Rizzo for Fabulously Creative Friday ,     My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday , French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday , Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays , The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday , Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday ,  Diana's Rambles for Pin Me Linky Friday 504 Main for Tickled Pink Fridays , Happy Go Lucky for Shine on Friday , Happy Hour Projects for Happy Hour Friday ,  Mellywoods Mansion for Freaking Awesome Fridays ,   Obsessive and Creative for Craft Frenzy Friday ,  Rooted in Thyme for Simple & Sweet Fridays , See Vanessa Craft for do something crafty Friday ,  Shaken Together for What's Shakin' Friday ,   Whipperberry for Friday Fair Link Party ,  DIY Showoff for That DIY Party ,   Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special, Love of Family & Home for Inspire Me Please Weekend , A Bouquet of Talent for Life on Lake Shore Drive on Saturdays , Classy Clutter for Spotlight Saturday , Crafts a la Mode for What To Do Weekends , Debbiedoo's  for Get Blitzed on Pinterest , It's Overflowing for Share Your Creativity Saturday ,  Just Us Four for Pinworthy Projects Party Friday , Mommifried for Ladies Only Blog Share Link Party , My Snippets of Inspiration for Pin It Saturday ,  Natasha in Oz for #Say Gday Saturday Linky Party , One More Time for Share It One More Time Saturday ,  Rosevine Cottage Girls for Weekend Blog Hop , Serenity You for Serenity Saturday , Tutus & Tea Parties for a Pinteresting Party