Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Bottle Cap Necklace...EXPLOSION!!

Softball season has started...and the girls are on Spring Break...so what's a lady to do. I know, how about a craft for the Softball Team?...It can't cost too much to make those precious little bottle cap necklaces right??? Ahhhhh Haaaaaa (Laughing hysterically)!!!!!! Ok, so here is the dealio...I wanted to do a craft with daughter on Spring Break. I have seen these bottle cap necklaces everywhere and thought to myself, "what a great inexpensive craft"...unbeknownst to me, this is definitely not a craft for 7 year olds and they are quite pricey. Anywhoooo...now that they are done, I thought I would share with you how I made them and the price, just in case any of you want to dive into a spring break craft...

Here is your supply list: (I made 14 necklaces from this material)
Bottle caps purchased off Ebay or Etsy (I bought mine off Ebay...$7.50 for 25)
1" diameter photos or prints off computer (Free..unless you count the ink from my printer)
Varnish (Duraclear purchased at Michael's Crafts Store $6.99)
Ribbon (Small satin ribbon from Walmart 10yds. $.47 and 2 sheer ribbon 3yds a piece for $1.99 each)
Rhinestones (optional) I had these in my craft box
Acrylic Paint (optional) I had paint in my craft box
Clasps to make necklace (Walmart $2.99 for a package of 3)
Total for our inexpensive craft...a whopping $33.89



First things first...I purchased the bottle caps off of Ebay...because let's be honest...I don't think the parents on daughters softball team would appreciate their children walking around with a Bud Light cap strapped around their necks..and those are only bottle caps we have around this house. They were relatively inexpensive (don't you love that word...so much classier than the word "cheap") and already had the loop on them for hanging on a cord. Here they are:



Next thing you will need to do is cut out or print something that you want inside the necklace. Since it was for my daughter's softball team The Explosion, I decided to use the girls names in navy on a teal background...their colors are teal and navy...whatever you use should be 1" in diameter. Print or cut the disc out ...



Now the next step is optional, but I chose to paint the outer edges of my cap with acrylic paint. I then painted it with varnish so they would shine.




I purchased this brand of varnish from Michael's and it seems to work perfectly...




Squirt a few drops of varnish into the metal cap and place photo into cap. Press down using a toothpick or skewer to release any air bubbles. Once you have it straight squirt a few more drops of varnish into disc on top of photo. Swirl it around in the disc until it is even and all the photo is covered. At this point, I added a rhinestone to my disc, however, you can probably add anything you want, including glitter or beads or whatever floats your boat, just use your imagination.















Let your disc set for approximately 15 minutes or whenever it starts to clear up (it will be milky at first, as it dries it will start to clear and you will be able to see your image through the varnish.) Once it had set I repeated the varnish twice, letting it dry in between applications.







When you have completed all your discs, you will certainly want to add a ribbon for wearing. I purchased two different ribbons, a plain satin and a sheer with satin trim. I cut these into 16 inch pieces placed them together and added a clasp.







I have to admit...they did turn out pretty cute, but I don't think it is something that I will be doing again...once was enough for me. But I am thrilled they turned out as well as they did. Happy Tuesday everyone...if you have questions about this craft feel free to comment and I will do my best to answer.





I am linking to:




Photobucket

Photobucket
Make it Yours @ My Backyard Eden






Monday, March 29, 2010

I LOVE DIRT CHEAP!!


So around these parts we have a little place called Dirt Cheap!! When I tell you that it is truly my mostest favorite place ever, I am not exaggerating. I could look around and shop there for hours. It is a local salvage store that sells lots of different items at extremely LOW prices...for instance, check out these lamps I bought. Ok...the ugly navy blue base I could never live with, but when you spray them with my new favorite crafting item...Krylon's ORB....and add a Target burlap shade...BAM!!! How do you think it looks?...I'm toying with the idea of using my Cricut to stencil on a monogram, but....I'm not sure. Let me know what you think...oh...and here is the total I spent on my 2 new fabu lamps.

Ugly navy blue lamp base....$1.50 a piece
Burlap lampshades from Target (also bought at Dirt Cheap) $4.50 a piece
Krylon ORB paint...$3.34
That is a total of $13.34...divide that by two and what you have is $6.92 for each lamp...LOVE IT!!!








Thursday, March 25, 2010

SHHH!!!!! I'M HUNTING WABBITS!!!!


Here we go ladies....the Easter/Spring Break ritual...I always try to have a little something for the kids at my girls' school the weekend before Easter. This year I scoured the internet looking for an idea that wouldn't break the bank and found just the right one...you may have seen it, but I'm gonna share it with you and thanks to Sister's Stuff blog for the inspiration.

Cheese Puff Carrots!!

What you will need:

12 inch frosting bags...I used Wilton $12.99 for a pack of 50 and a package of 12 for $3.99(I had a 40% off coupon from Michael's..woohoo)
2 packs Green cocktail napkins...Walmart $1.50 each
Green ribbon
Cheese Puffs...any brand...I used Walmart brand $1.68 for a 10oz. bag

I made approximately 60 Carrots and used 10 bags of cheese puffs














I'm participating in:

Easter Decor Day


SYS Thurs
Make it Yours @ My Backyard Eden


You want some cheese with that "Wine"?

After many attempts to get in touch with my sister and have the photos sent to me of the cake I helped make...I finally got the pics...and yes, I had to whine a little to make it happen. I don't know why people don't work on "Jenn Time"...it really should be the law. Anyway, here are the pics...isn't it adorable? My Stepmom's friend loved it, which truly is all that mattered. I mean..it was her birthday!! Maybe I will make more fondant animals,but I don't know where I will use them, as I mentioned previously, I hate baking. TTFN...Ta Ta For Now!!!



Wednesday, March 24, 2010

You Ain't Nuthin' but a Hound Dog....Cake!!!

So I'm still waiting on the pics from my fondant mice cake...but meanwhile, I thought I would share with you some of the pics from my sister's trip to the Baking Expo in Atlantic City. She had a great time, although her trip was cut short and she wasn't able to attend the Cricut Cake class that I was so excited about. Be sure to check out the Hound Dog cake she made during her fondant class...in addition to having a spectacular time and learning oodles of helpful tips, she also had her picture taken with a cake hero of sorts...Ashley Vicos, from the TLC show The Ultimate Cake Off and the bakery Sweet Ashley's. I am adding some photos of cakes that other people made to display at the show. There are some incredibly talented people out there.
Enjoy the photos and hopefully I'll have those pesky mice to share with you soon!!


You ain't nuttin but a hound dog!!!





Jacque and Ashley Vicos






















This was an elephant made completely of Jelly Beans....AWESOME!!!