Shine on Fridays #65!

Oh, boy, friends...the weekend is almost here!  And not just any weekend, SUPER BOWL weekend!  My Ravens are getting ready to play and here in the Artsy house we are pumped and wearing purple!  I'd say that's a great reason to kick off a party, wouldn't you?

Speaking of parties, take a peek at one of the most viewed links from last week's link-up!

Cindy from Crazylou linked up the Best Popcorn Ever...and it sure does sound good!
Cindy, by the way, also happened to be my BFF {Best Facebook Fan} of the week last week! :)  For a chance to win that title this coming week, you can enter on my Facebook page!

And a big congratulations to Rebecca Acker, winner of last week's giveaway and shop credit to Homespun Happiness!

This week, we're excited to welcome another new guest hostess-with-the-mostest...here she is to introduce herself to you!

Hello all!  Hello all, I'm Plucky from Plucky’s Second Thought..but most call me Jess. :) Why "Plucky" you may ask? Well, it was a nickname when I was younger and it was one that was never forgotten!  At Plucky’s Second Thought I try to post easy craft ideas and recipes that anyone could accomplish.  Yep, you don’t have to be Martha Stewart or Rachael Ray to attempt anything on my blog!  We also have a variety of travel and product reviews as well as some awesome giveaways!  :)

Thanks, Jess, for partying with us this week!  Speaking of partying, let's get on with the fun!

Show off your fabulous creations with us and be inspired by what others have created!Please link up crafts, recipes, home decor, etc.

We can't wait to see what you've been up to lately!!

If you're going to play along with us, pretty please:
- follow both co-hosts

- grab a party button and put it somewhere on your blog
- have fun and visit some other friends
- no commercial sites

- send us Starbucks gift cards {just kidding...kind of!}

Linking up your photos gives us permission to use them in features on our blogs and Facebook pages.

Valentine Blocks

Friends, I'm really excited about today's post because not only do I get to show you something I made, I get to show off the creative projects of some very special ladies in my life.  

A few months ago, I had the idea of trying to start a little crafting group with some of the ladies I know in real life who like doing creative things.  We thought it would be tricky trying to do something around the holidays so we set our first "meeting" for January 26.  Not everyone was able to make it this first time, but here are the gals who were: April, Erin, Jess, Sherl, and Verna.

We had, ahem, a bit of a tricky time deciding on what our first project was going to be {mostly because I'm super indecisive and they didn't all know each other so no one wanted to be assertive}, but we finally settled on painted wooden Valentine blocks.  It was my job to purchase our supplies, so Little Crafter and I headed off to Michaels to get some wooden blocks.  Except that they don't have them in the size we wanted.  We grabbed some scrapbook paper, then headed off to Home Depot to buy some wood and get it cut.  Here's that story...

As I wandered aimlessly around the lumber section, unsure where to find a 2x4, a helpful employee asked what I needed, then directed me to someone who worked in the lumber department.  Here's what happened next.

Lumber Man: "How can I help you?"

Me: "I need a 2x4 cut into a bunch of little blocks."

LM: "What size are you thinking?"

Me: "Um, I don't really know...maybe 4"?  6"?

LM: "That's really small."

Me: "Uh, yeah, I guess...we're using them for a craft.  Wooden blocks with sayings on them.  Like this. {showing him a photo on my cell phone}."

LM: "Okaaay, but I can't cut them that small."

Me: "What do you mean?" {isn't that your job?}

LM: "I can't cut anything smaller than a foot."

Me: "Really?"

LM: "Yeah.  That's our policy."

Me: "Really.  I didn't know that.  I thought you could cut it however I wanted."

LM: "No.  It's a safety issue."

Me: "Oh.  {crap} Uh.  How big would 12" be?"

LM: "A foot."

Me: "Yes. {I know} Can I see it?"

LM: "I guess so." {pulls out a tape measure}

Me: "Ok.  Let's go with that."

And so we did.  The ever-helpful Lumber Man who thought I was an idiot cut me 24 wooden blocks.

I brought them home, told hubby the story, and he told me he could easily cut half of them in half for me so I had some 6" ones to work with too.  God bless that man.  

So, the night of the party, I set up the table with everything we would need.  Wooden blocks, ribbon, paint, LOTS of Mod Podge in all kinds of formulas, scrapbook paper, scissors, paint brushes...and of course, Cammie and some vinyl were close on hand for the words.

After some socializing and getting to know each other, we all got to work painting our blocks and adding embellishments.  I think my favorite part, besides the laughter and great company {oh and the coffee and cake balls} was seeing how differently everyone's projects turned out when we all had the same materials in front of us!  Here's a peek at what each person made!

Jess made these "lover boy" blocks for her hubby...I absolutely love the little mustache, top hat, and bowtie!  She originally had the white block sitting on top of the red one, but we decided that made it look like "boy lover" instead.  Oops.  Much better this way.

April made this Heart is for Love set...I totally want it.  If we hadn't run out of red paint I probably would have copied it exactly, lol.  I just love it.  The heart, the fonts, the colors, the bow {tied by my fabulous mom}...perfect!

Sherl, my wonderful mom, made this Love block using some cute heart scrapbook paper.  She saved her other block for a separate project I'll show you in a minute!

Erin decided to be different {big surprise...hehe}, and stack hers this way like a pile of books to make Happily Ever After blocks.

Some people decided they also wanted blocks that weren't specifically for Valentine's Day...something they could leave out year round.

Sherl made this To the Beach block to go in her turquoise/beach themed dining room.

Verna also loves the beach and made these sea-inspired LOVE blocks.

And, my Erin also made this "Quit your whining, cupcake" block that I totally want.

And, if you're wondering what I made, here it is.  Of course, it had to sparkle, so I sealed it with a coat of Sparkle Mod Podge!  It's actually a gift for Little Crafter for Valentine's Day.  Well, it was going to be, but I forgot to put it away and he saw it.  And read it.  All by himself.  He walked over and said, "oooooh, what's that?  Hey!  It says 'Love you to the moon and back!'  Is that for me?" 

I also made one other little project, but you'll have to wait a little longer to see that one...I'll give you a hint, it has something to do with a certain team and a certain rather important game...

So, what do you think?  Which blocks are your favorite?  What would you do with those same supplies?

Hugs & Glitter,

Valentine's Day Heart Coasters

Looking for a fun, inexpensive way to add a little Valentine decor to your house?  Try these super-simple heart coasters!  Little Crafter and I made them using the same technique we used on our Fall Leaf Coasters and our Valentine Heart Vase.  All you need are a few basic supplies, and you'll have coasters that make your whole family feel festive!

Materials:

- tissue paper

- white ceramic tiles

- scissors

- Mod Podge {we used Super Gloss and Sparkle}

- felt

- hot glue gun and glue sticks

STEP 1: Cut hearts in various sizes and colors from tissue paper.  I found that if I took the paper out of the package, left it all together, and cut half a heart shape along a fold, I got lots of symmetrical hearts all at once.

STEP 2: Brush a coat of glossy Mod Podge over the entire tile.

STEP 3: Arrange hearts on top as desired.  Let dry.  This was Little Crafter's favorite part!

STEP 4: Paint a coat of Sparkle Mod Podge over the entire surface of the coaster.  You really do want to let the first part dry before doing this coat because if the tissue paper gets too soggy, the hearts will rip.  Ask me how I know.

STEP 5: Cut felt squares and glue them on the bottom of each tile to protect your table from scratches.

That's all there is to it!  Yet another project that meets my favorite qualifications...cheap {16 cents per tile plus a little bit of felt and tissue paper}, easy, and quick!  Hooray!

Which ones do you like better, hearts or leaves?  I love them both, but I'm leaning toward the hearts just a little...

Hugs & Glitter,

Color Blocked Bangles

Hey there, friends!  My friend Tiff from Banglewood Crafts is here to share a tutorial of her own with you!  Don't forget to stop by and enter the giveaway for $25 credit to her shop!!

*********************************************************

I am delighted to guest post for Amy here at One Artsy Mama! My name is Tiff and I run an unfinished wood jewelry supply store on etsy and on my online store. My customers constantly inspire me. They do everything from painting to wood burning, to decoupage and fabric wrapping the wood bangles, rings and earrings. The creative ideas and projects are endless. I decided to stain and color block two wood bangles. I absolutely love the natural beauty of a nice stain with the sparkle of color on any surface but especially a bangle.

   

Supplies Needed:

2 Unfinished wood bangles 

Blue Acrylic Paint 

MINWAX Wood Finish Stain Marker (230 Early American) 

Blue Paint Tape, Shipping Labels or anything with a Sticky Backing (for cutting the triangles) 

Mod Podge, Polyurethane, or Resin Spray (sealant) 

Paintbrushes 

Scissors 

Wax paper

 

Step 1: Prepare Your Working Space 

Organize all of your supplies. I like to work with wax paper because the bangles will not stick to the paper after being painted. Therefore, place a sheet of wax paper under your working area because it can get messy. 

Step 2: Stain the Entire Wood Bangle 

Grab both your wood bangles and your wood stain marker and stain the entire bangle. I suggest doing this outside. You do not want to inhale the stain fumes. After staining the bangle let it dry for about an hour. 

 

Step 3: Cut Out Your Triangles 

Grab the shipping label. Peel the sheet apart and cut small triangles in the shipping label. Make sure the triangle shapes will fit on the bangle. This is where the detailed color blocking will take place.

   

Step 4: Paste the Triangle Cut Out Shapes on Half of the Bangle (Bangle #1) Paste the cut out triangle shapes on the outside of the bangle. Paste them in one direction on half of the bangle. Then, paint over all of the triangles. I only pasted triangles on half of the bangle but this is completely up to you and your style. You want to stroke the paint in the same direction to prevent the paint from bubbling up. Once you have covered that portion of the bangle let it dry for about 30 minutes. 

Repeat Step 4: Add two coats of paint for a more polished rich look. 

Step 5: Color Blocking Bangle #2 Grab your blue paint tape and add two strips on the second bangle sectioning off half of each side. Then, grab your paint and paint half of the outside portion of the bangle. Leave the other half with just the stain creating contrast. Let it dry for about 30 minutes. Then, repeat this step to ensure a rich look.

   

  Step 6: Sealing the Bangles Once you have allowed the paint to dry you want to seal the bangles with mod podge , polyurethane or resin spray. I used Resin Spray by Castin Craft. I sprayed the inside and outside of the bangles three times. Please do this outside. For the modge podge sealant, you are going to grab your paint brush and cover the inside and outside of the bangle. Let it dry. For the polyurethane sealant, you are going to want to go outside and spray the outside and inside of the bangle and let it dry. 

  

This project can take up to an hour or two if you include drying time! I would be delighted for you all to come visit at Banglewood Crafts and check out our blog for more tutorials, sales and giveaways. Please take a look at items you like because we are teaming up with One Artsy Mama and having a giveaway. You can also follow along on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Keep Crafting!

Banglewood Crafts Giveaway

Friends, I sure do have a treat for you today!  My friend Tiff from Banglewood Crafts is here to offer a great giveaway!  I recently had the opportunity to review some of her products...here's what I did with a few of the things she sent me:

 Yes, the box came from Tiff too!

I have totally enjoyed her products, and I know you will too.
Besides all kinds of shapes and sizes of bangles, here are just a few of the things you can find in her shop:

Dome Wood Bangles

Earrings

Rings

One of my favorite things about Banglewood Crafts is that the bracelets come in different sizes; extra-small, small, medium, large, and extra-large.  I have a really tiny wrist, so a lot of the bangles I buy in the store feel like they're going to fall off {which is never any good on the dance floor, particularly}!  I sampled the small ones and they fit just perfectly!  I really like that you can order whatever size you need...not all wrists are the same!

Thanks so much to Tiff for offering us a giveaway!  Today, she's offering a lucky reader $25 credit to her shop!  
Rafflecopter will walk you through the entry process; good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Valentine Photo Prop

We love Valentine's Day in the Artsy House!  This year I wanted to take some extra special photos we could use to make Valentines for Little Crafter to give out to his friends.  So, I came up with a simple but adorable photo prop that's so easy to make...

Kisses Chalkboard Photo Prop

We actually made this chalkboard last winter, along with a green one that I use in the kitchen as a Menu sign.  Here's how we did it:

Materials: 

wooden sign 

chalkboard paint

acrylic paint

paintbrushes

chalk

STEP 1: Paint edges of sign with acrylic paint in your choice of color.

Little Crafter chose purple for the Ravens!  Look how much smaller he was just a year ago!

STEP 2: Paint one coat of chalkboard paint across the top using horizontal strokes.  Let dry for one hour.

STEP 3: Paint a second coat using vertical strokes.  Let dry for 24 hours.  I also gave the edges a second coat.

STEP 4: Condition by lightly rubbing chalk over entire surface.  Wipe clean with dry eraser or damp towel.

STEP 5: Have child write "Kisses 5 cents" with chalk.  Little Crafter had a lot of fun with that part!

The great thing is that since it's basically just a chalkboard, it can be reused for all kinds of occasions and purposes.  

To get the photos, I put his stool in front of a blank wall, close to a light.  We chose a button down shirt that coordinated with the sign, and since he had some craaaaazy bed head going on, I spiked his hair.  Of course, I forgot to wet it first, which he immediately pointed out and said, "Mommy, that's going to make my hair look awful."   Which, of course, it didn't!  Just look at these cute pics we got...

Is he a heart-stealer or what?!  The best part, though, is that for awhile yet, Mommy gets to be his only Valentine.

Be sure to check out how adorable the cards turned out!

Hugs & Glitter!