Halloween Plate Craft!

I recently learned at church how to make a decorative plate (this one for Halloween!) that requires only the following items:

A plain glass plate Fabric of your choosing
Mod Podge
sponge
styrofoam bowl
Dark pen
Scissors

1. Start with a plain glass plate...You can get these at the Dollar Store.

And fabric of your choosing...Mine is Halloween themed.

2. Place the plate face down on the fabric, centered over the area you would like to attache to the dish.

3. Use a dark pen or sharpie to draw around the dish, so that you have a circular piece of fabric.

4. Cut the fabric out.

5. Now, with the bowl still face down, use a sponge to apply a good layer of Mod Podge. Do not allow the Modge Podge to dry (here I am using different fabric - I made several of these plates).

6. Immediately apply the circle of fabric, right side down, to the back of the plate, beginning at the center and working outwards.

7. Leave the plate to dry.

Viola!

You can make these plates to celebrate any holiday.  Some of my friends did these on Christmas themed fabric...  They are fun and don't take much time at all.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Bird Bath Feeder/Bath Craft

Hello, Friends, Neighbors and Visitors!

I'm taking a break from putting in my vegetable garden - my back is demanding it! I thought I'd show you a fun craft I've recently had time for in between working in the garden. It's a bird bath or feeder idea that I found in the May 2009 Family Fun Magazine.

All you need to get started is
3/8" manilla rope
15" grapevine wreath (used two old wreaths I found at a yard sale last year)
two 10" terra cotta saucers (again, I used what I had and fortunately it worked!)
Artificial leaves and flowers, if you want to spruce it up (I didn't)

It's easy! Just fit the clay saucers in the center of your wreaths, like this...
Cut your rope into three, 5' long lengths, then knot them together at each end, like this...
Fit the wreath feeder inside the three ropes and hang, like this...


See how simple and pretty it is? I made three - two feeders and one "bath". The birds love them all!

Have a great day!
Elizabeth

Spring Is In the Air!

Hello, Sweet Friends!

This is just quick post. I have been having awful trouble the past 48 hours with not being able to upload photos on Blogger. I wonder what the trouble was!

Anyway...Friends, it is beautiful outside! Almost all of the snow is gone from our yard, just a trace amount out back. The temps have been in the 60's (I think) and there are sweet birdie chirping outside. It's not Spring yet, but at least I am full of hope!

I have been making and decorating spring baskets and nests. Before my camera broke yesterday (aargh!), I took a few pictures of what I'm doing...





The quality of the eggs I bought at the craft store is not very good, so I'm going to look elsewhere for better ones. But you get the idea. Today, I'm going to get some dried flowers and add to my baskets...

If Mark gets paid Friday like he's suppose to, I'm going to get a camera. I haven't bought anything for myself in a long while and I love to take pictures for my blog and for my family.

Have a great day. Think Spring-y thoughts!
Love,
Elizabeth

Fun Day Crafting and Chatting

Aah, Tuesdays...That is the day that I clear my schedule in the afternoon so I can get together with my sweet friends, Teri and Kathy, to craft and chat (Sometimes I chat more than I craft, but that goes without saying!). Teri is an expert knitter and she taught Kathy and me to knit. So far, Kathy is doing better than me because she can pearl. Pearling scares the heck out of me because I get in enough trouble just knitting. It's fun, though!

Today, I gathered my supplies together and, inspired by the unusually warm temps (62???), I made little bird nests out of various materials I had on hand...

[I have photos of all this, but goofy Blogger isn't working. Aargh! Maybe tomorrow!]

..We worked on our projects and chatted. We talked about our favorite movie these days, "Twilight".

[Again, I would normally insert a picture here, but it won't work....]

When I first saw my sweet Sarah come home from school (she takes Math at Middle School and is homeschooled for the rest) with a copy of the book "Twilight", I took one look at the front cover - a girl's hands holding an apple (which could mean...anything) - and I thought, "Okay, I'm reading this one!" So, I sat down to read what I thought would be a boring book and, oh boy, I was hooked in the first chapter!

Okay, okay, it isn't "East of Eden", but I don't care, because as much as I admire great literature, this book just spoke to the girl in me and I LOVED it! I proceeded to read all four books in the series and waited for the movie to come out. Sarah and I went to one of the first showings of "Twilight" and really liked it. Teri and Kathy have seen it 6 times. I have now only seen it twice, but, next crafting Tuesday, we three have a date at the Dollar Theater to see it again! (with maybe some Indian food beforehand???)

Woohoo! Cheap Thrill. But what fun!

Well, it is late so I will end for now...So, my big thought for the day is how much more wonderful a week is when one engages in creative pursuits and when a good laugh can be had with friends!

God bless,
Elizabeth

Adorable Snowman!

Isn't he a cutie? Tomorrow, I am getting together with a friend to work on our different craft projects together and this little guy is what I will be making!

Where did I get the idea?

Dawn, over at The Feathered Nest (HERE), has a wonderful group of tutorials for craft originals she has created and which you can buy and then create for yourself at home. (Click HERE for her tutorial blog and scroll down to see the snowman.) You will be surprised at all the wonderful things she has offered on her site and they are perfect for holiday gift-giving, especially this year when many people's purses are very tight. Homemade gifts go a long way.

Have a wonderful day!
Elizabeth