Saturday, January 19, 2013
DIY Birthday Card
Gift Wrap Ideas
A few weeks ago I had a REAL day to myself, so I spent it roaming the aisles of Michaels.. for literally 2 hours. I was so craft-happy. I bought stamps, stamps, and more stamps. Not to mention pretty colored ink pads for my stamps. Scrapbook paper, card stock paper, ribbons, lace, yay.
Of all the things I had bought at Michael's.... There are still so many other things I have in mind!!
Wish List:
These are great for making handmade cards. I want several of these!
I absolutely hate cutting card stock/scrapbook paper with regular scissors, its terrible and it is NEVER straight. I can't wait to have one these!!
Tonka
DIY Painted Canvas
I had come across tons of DIY Canvas ideas on Pinterest for the longest time, and I so happened to be at Michael's strolling down each and every aisle.. and I ended up in the canvas aisle! I got super excited and decided to pick up a set of 2 and experiment!!!!
It's safe to say my first attempt at the canvas was a disaster..... BUT, the second attempt turned out great.
What you'll need:
It's safe to say my first attempt at the canvas was a disaster..... BUT, the second attempt turned out great.
What you'll need:
- A canvas, any size!
- Newspaper
- Sticker letters (I bought mine at OfficeMax)
- Matte Mod Podge
- Acrylic Paint (I get mine at Walmart.. the brand is called Apple Barrel)
- Paint Brush
- Sponge Brush/Paint Brush for Mod Podge application
- A quote of your choice :-)
First you will need to cut up bits and pieces of newspaper- enough to cover the canvas. Then, generously brush the Mod Podge all over the canvas; as you are doing this, begin to place the newspaper and press down evenly. You will need to brush Mod Podge over the newspaper and that will seal the newspaper to the canvas! Allow to dry. It doesn't take more than an hour or two. Next, place the stickers on the canvas according to the quote that you desire, make sure they are pressed down nicely!! Begin to paint the entire canvas. Allow to dry for several hours. Lastly, peel off the sticker letters and your masterpiece is finished! Yay!
I didn't intend for the newspaper to crinkle up the way it did, nor did I want the paint to seep underneath the stickers. But I actually like the way it turned out, it doesn't look perfectly precise- it has character.
Tonka
Monday, January 7, 2013
New day, new year
Study hard, exercise hard, craft hard.
I will improve my overall health and fitness. I will fulfill my never-ending cravings to craft and create. I will dress my very best, for myself. I will study, write, and learn my way into a 4.0 and scholarship that will lead me into a graduate program of English. I will make time to read and expand my ever-growing mind. I will smile a lot; I will be kind to everyone, every chance I get. I will care for the environment. I will continue to recycle and encourage my family to do the same. I will choose environmentally-friendly approaches in my everyday life. I will write. and write. and write some more. I will not allow the pressures of society, the media, peers, or family to alter my thoughts, my beliefs, my views, or goals. I will improve each and every aspect, inch, and corner of my life. When I get lost or confused, I will turn to God- He never fails me. The most significant thing I plan to accomplish is giving- I will give to those less fortunate. I will give my smile, my strength, my shoulder to anyone in need. I will give my advice. I will give my love. Ultimately, in all aspects of my life, I will look to God to lead me, and with Him I am confident that I will be my best, do my best, and give my best.
Tonka
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Sharpie Mug
IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!! Yes, it works. I am here to end all controversial discussion of the sharpie mug, because it does in fact work. Well... it worked for me. I assume that everyone has different results, because everyone buys different mugs from different places! I bought my coffee mug at Christmas Tree Shops.
What you need:
What you need:
- Plain coffee mug (you can purchase at any craft store, target, dollar stores, etc)
- Fine tip sharpie marker (I went for the fine tip, because I lack any skill in the artistic department)
- Eyeliner pencil
To start, practice the heck out of drawing your states. Or you can draw anything you desire, the possibilities are endless. I chose the long distance mug idea, but rather than drawing it on two mugs, I drew it on one. After I practiced drawing the states several times, I used an eyeliner pencil to redraw it onto the mug. Then I used a black sharpie to outline the eyeliner and I gently rubbed the eyeliner off with a damp piece of paper towel. Once your art is complete, preheat the oven to 350 and bake for 30 minutes. The mug takes 24 hours to dry. DO NOT PLACE MUG IN DISHWASHER. ever. EVER. Very gently hand wash the mug, and you will have no smudging issues. I made the mistake of baking the mug at 425 and it literally burned the red heart to an ugly burnt orange color, I was sad. But when I tried it at 350 degrees, it was perfect!
Voila! Love love love it.
Xoxo, Tonka Violet
And Christ was born
Merry Christmas readers! Not quite sure that there are any of you at all, but I'm hoping that as I continue to blog, some of you will be inspired by my posts! I hope everyone had a blessed holiday- whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanza!
^One of my favorite gifts from my sister hehe
What's Christmas without cookies?!
Christmas is not Christmas unless there are cookies involved, so of course I spent over 4 hours baking my life away!
Xoxo,
Tonka Violet
Handmade Christmas Card
I so desperately need a REAL camera, this iPhone is not cutting it. And clearly does not justify many of my creations. Bleh. College problems.
Anyway, I bought the card paper at Joann's. I had the lace and the twine at home. The "joy" quote was a part of a little scrapbooking packet that I had found on sale at Joann's as well. There are so many adorable and fun cards that you can purchase at any store, but I love the idea of homemade and handmade EVERYTHING! I had to give the card-making a try, and I must say I will probably never buy a card again. It is very personal and meaningful when you put real effort and creativity into a little project like this- little things like this are truly keepsake and thoughtful.
Xoxo,
Tonka Violet
I'm dreaming of a burlap christmas
Oh so..... ugly. What the heck is that green foil material. Just horrible. We've had about 10 of these for several years, and each year we've left them in that ugly green wrap. This year I decided to give these babies a little makeover to spruce them up a bit. So of course..... I used burlap, obviously!
First, I teared that ugly green thing off. I measured the burlap precisely to insure that it would cover the holder. I used twine to tie a neat little bow around the burlap and to hold it together. It was insanely simple and such a quick task.
Ah, much better.
Xoxo,
Tonka Violet
Gift Wrap
One of the most exciting parts of Christmas is wrapping gifts!!! Yes! I get ridiculously ribbon and gift wrap happy. As you can see..
My current gift wrap obsession is the paper bag material. I just love the rustic look of it and you can add ribbon, bows, and any other little details your heart desires to make it more personal. I look at gift wrap as a way to express my personal taste and style, and the effort you put into it shows that you really care!
I was at Walmart, running through the aisles and knocking people down on my way to the shipping/packaging aisle.. Just kidding. But it is absolutely ridiculous how some folks act around Christmas time. Merry Christmas to you too, scrooge! -_- Back to my story.. I found a HUGE roll of this "paper bag" wrapping paper, so I snatched it and as you can see I went crazy with it.
With this particular gift, I used some of the leftover burlap I had from a project I had done. I made little hearts and I felt that they were the perfect little touch of personalization and creativity. I LOVE burlap.
I bought this very pretty gift wrap at Joann's when they were having an awesome Christmas sale. Again, I loved the paper bag material and the poinsettias; I added a twine bow for the perfect rustic touch.
I used a real paper bag for this one:
This gift was for one of the girls I nanny for! I added the glitter ribbon for a little fun and girliness, and a cute gift tag with mittens on it.
Bows! Ribbons!
This gift was for my brother!
I am quite new to the gift-wrapping world, so I mainly experimented with these Christmas gifts and had some fun with them. I will continue to share my gift wrapping ideas with all of you as the year progresses! Happy Gift Wrapping! :o)
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