Ric-Rac Rosette Earrings

I've been wanting to try making these adorable little rosettes for awhile, and finally did it today!  I can't remember where I saw this idea, but I'm sure its all over the blogosphere.  Here is my take on making ric-rac rosettes and using them for earrings.

What you will need:

• About 20 minutes
• Some ric-rac (I think I had about 20 inches, so 10 inches per rosette)
• Quick drying fabric glue
• Earings (I am using an old pair of earrings that I haven't worn since high school!)
• E6000 glue (pictured further down the post)

The best part of this for me... I had it all on hand so this project was FREE!!!

Start out by putting some of the fabric glue across about 2 inches of the ric-rac.

Then start rolling.  Continue putting glue on the ric-rac and rolling...

When you get the rosette to the size you want, put some glue across the bottom of the rosette, then fold the ric-rac straight down and across the bottom.  You can see its folded/pinched a little under my finger, I put a small dab of glue there too, to hold it in place.

 Snip the ric-rac so its covering the bottom of the rosette, but not hanging out, you don't want to see it from the top side.  Then stick a pin through the whole thing to hold in place while the glue continues to dry.

No put a small dab of E6000 on your earring and smush it into the bottom of the rosette.

Let dry.  Remove the pin.

And enjoy your fun, new, fashionable earrings!

Linking up to....

Using the Silhouette on Contact Paper

I got a silhouette for my birthday this year and I was so super excited!  However, after playing with it a tiny bit I got kind of intimidated and discouraged.  I was unable to view the instructional video so I had to figure it out on my own.  

So, as time went by and I read little bits about tricks of the trade I decided to pull it out and try my hand at some cuts.  I did a card first (I'll share it later) and it boosted my confidence and excitement.  I was finally ready to try my hand at a project I'd been wanting to do since before I even got my Silhouette!

Now, first let me tell you that I don't have the Silhouette vinyl.  I wish I did, but I don't.  What I DO have is a big roll of white contact paper that I purchased by mistake (thinking it was clear... I'd never bought contact paper before, give me a break:)  I wanted to see if I could use contact paper to make my cuts.  I'll tell you how it went as I go along. 

The project: my bathroom wall.  We recently redid our bathroom, we have this ugly medicine cabinet built into the wall and it needed something to make it a feature rather than an eyesore.  I decided it would be cool to paint it the same color as the wall and have some design go from wall to cabinet door as one solid piece.  I think my vision was executed pretty well.  Every time I go in there, I smile at my lovely wall.

Now, if any of you are interested in knowing the nitty-gritty details of the process, read on.  

My Design Plan:  Using a single shape from the Silhouette I created this motif to run across my bathroom wall.  This picture shows that I cut the shape 5 times,  two of the cuts were larger than the others.  If its labeled with an "A" it was part of the "A" branch (how clever I was to come up with such a system!).  So, if you look closely, you can see that I ended up cutting and "pasting" (if you will) the branches into a design that fit the space and worked for me.  Specifically the "E" branch was divided into sections.

I was able to wrap the contact paper up over the edges of the cabinet and then to make it work over the door I simply snipped the paper with some scissors and attached it with almost seamless results!

Cutting Contact Paper with the Silhouette:  I should first say that I don't know if using contact paper is bad for the machine.  My gut tells me its fine, since it cuts vinyl and a wide variety of other materials.

I did use the backer board to run it through the Silhouette.  First run through, I used the lightly sticky backer, the machine totally ate up the contact paper.  Some areas it pulled the paper away from the backer, other areas didn't get cut through at all.  Second run through I used the heavier stickiness backer, it worked much, much  better.  Though it still didn't cut through every spot, I was able to salvage most of the cuts (with sharp scissors) to create the look I was going for.

Edited to add~ I first started writing this when I completed this project in August of 2011.  Now that its January 2012 I'm finally getting around to posting it and I've got some more to add.

I did not use any kind of transfer paper either.  Knowing better now, I don't know if I'll ever do it again!  That transfer paper is awesome!  But I was able to make it work and I'm all about saving money.

You may be wondering how the contact paper has held up over the 4+ months its been on the wall... it still looks great!  When I first put the motif on the wall I would go in and just admire my work, I'm not making special trips to go fawn over it now, but I do smile every time I look at it.

If you have a Silhouette and are nervous about trying it out... just start playing with it and trying new things.  You may not have perfection, but you'll gain confidence and learn to love that little machine and the many amazing things it can do! And be sure to check out the silhouette blog for some great tips and tutorials.

For Sale

I recently had a booth at a craft holiday bazaar. I am selling here, what didn't sell there. Let me know if you're interested in any of these items by emailing me at kim {dot} woodbury {at} gmail {dot} com

Thanks for the positive response to my "undertaking."  I decided that I would share close up shots of the items available in case anyone wanted more details.

Argyle Wreath: $22; 12" diameter, wrapped in jute with stripes of cream yarn.  Red and Green diamonds sewn together and then crosses wrapped with cream yarn.  A truly unique wreath!

Denim Blue Trapper Hat: $9

Non-Ruffle Apron: $12 for reversible blue and orange with pockets.

Non-Ruffle Apron: $10 for school bus, fully lined with no pockets.

Half Ruffle Apron: $11, fits size 2-5

SOLD! Full Ruffle Apron: $16 for reversible paisley/vines. Fits size 2-5.

SOLD! Full Ruffle Apron: $14 for big polka dots.  Stripes are on the reverse side, but its not truly reversible due to the attachment of the waist tie.

Tie Belts: $4; Big variety, boys or girls belts.  I can take more pictures, let me know if you're interested.

SOLD! Baby Apron/Bib: $10.  Lined with flannel so its soft against baby's skin if going shirtless.  I love the coverage this offers!  And the tie back allows it to fit like a shirt so baby is less likely to attempt pulling it off, and even if attempts are made, its less likely they will succeed.

SOLD! Fits a toddler too, just more like a bib than an apron.

Knitted bib: $5.  Great for the baby who doesn't rip his bib off, its so easy to put on!

Skinny Scarf: $8.  Perfect size for a child!

Ladybug hairclips: $4 for set of two.

Rudolph and Santa Trivets or Wall Hangings: $4 each

Cloth Diaper Burp Cloths: $8 for set of two.  These are super soft with such a wide panel of flannel attached to the center, super absorbent because they're intended to be diapers, and super cute with their charming prints!  A showstopper at baby showers!

The flannel is serged right into the edge of the burp cloth.

So you can see how wide a panel the flannel actually covers.

Cloth Diaper Burp Cloth: $4 single burp cloth.

Dolls: $18.  I can add a face if you want; simple dot or sleepy eyes with a slight smile and blush cheeks.

The one in the middle with black hair is SOLD!

Bon Appetit 9x13 glass dish: $12

Easy as Pie Pie Plate: $9

SOLD! Girl's Lap Quilt: $15.  Soft fabrics in bright colors will make this a favorite to snuggle with.  Tied.

Felt Ornaments: $8 set of 6.  These would make great gift "tags" for a teacher or neighbor gift.  All hand stitched with love. :)

Starlight Mint Yo-Yo Ornaments: $3.50 set of 6.

Rustic Yo-Yo Wreath: $22

Rugged Holly Berry Wreath: $22

Apothecary Jars: $40 set of 3 in alternating heights.  Fill them with candy as the seasons changed.  Top them with matching ribbon and you've got a great decorative piece!  Or you can fill them with whatever suits your decor: stones, pinecones, candles... the possibilities are endless.

Apothecary Jars: $15 each.  Can be etched, like the red center jar, for an additional $2.  These would be fun gifts as well, filled with candy, dry ingredients for your favorite cookie recipe, or hot chocolate!

Photographing etched glass is quite difficult to capture, particularly with a white background.

Burlap Wreath with Felt Roses: $22.  I think this wreath is so pretty and could be used for Christmas or Valentine's, anytime really.

Chargers: $8.  A discounted price from the original $10.

SOLD! Welcome Sign: $15 with tiles for 4 seasons (summer not pictured).