So as I’m sure you’ve been able to tell I have rekindled a long fizzled flame for the art of crafting. I think my new found love has not only come from a slight obsession with all things Pinterest, but more so from having so much to commemorate from our wedding! After my sporting days were over, I figured this hobby would not return in full force until the day I had children of my own engrossed in all sorts of activities that would need to be solidified in history by a project or two. Happily, I was mistaken and have found myself with plenty to do. Now if only the husband could find a hobby that didn’t involve only the water…
Craft # 1: Anniversary Date “printed” on a Pillow
Materials needed:
- small pillow (I got a travel sized pillow at Target)
- burlap (enough to cover said pillow plus about 2 inches extra on each side – JoAnn’s has this)
- fabric paint (I got the spray kind from Michael’s)
- Needle and thread (I used white on all the inside stitching and black for the outside end)
- Number stencils (You can buy these or if you’re cheap- or as I prefer, “thrifty”- you can make your own by printing out the numbers on card stock & cutting them out a little larger)
Directions:
- Lay the pillow down on the burlap & fold over the pillow (the fold should be horizontal on the longest side of the pillow). Cut the fabric to where you have about 1 in overlap on each side (this should be three sides as you have on side from the fold).
- Sew (I used the white thread here) one end shut about a half of an inch form the edge as well as the long end opposite the fold (I left the open end the “true end” form the store that had not yet been cut and had the look of “fringe”).
- Pull the inside of the pillow out so that the sewn edges are on the inside now and flatten out.
- Place newspaper (or paper bags) flat in between the two layers you now have through the open side (this is to keep the paint only on one side of the burlap).
- Place your stencil on the burlap where you want your numbers to be on place a book on either side to hold flat. Place extra paper on the sides to prevent spray from getting on the fabric.)
- IMPORTANT: do one number at a time if your stencil is not fully connected and let dry for a few minutes in between so as not to smudge the paint.
- Once finished with the date, let dry (the can says 1 hour but mine was dry in about 30 mins), then insert your pillow through the open end.
- Sew the open end together (I did this with the black thread for contrast) close to the edge of the “fringe”.
- Let air dry a bit longer just to be safe, and then place on your favorite chair or bed to display!
Finished Product:
 |
| our wedding date! january fifteenth two thousand and eleven. |
Craft # 2: Decorative “hiding” of the Cable Modem & Wireless Router
Materials needed:
- wireless router
- cable modem
- old books – hard covers (I got these two from the flea market so they were very inexpensive)
- a good knife (I got the one I used from my brother so it’s pretty heavy duty)
Process:
- Open the book and cut out the pages so you are left with only the hard back cover
- Cut (or rip if it’s a really old book) about 1/8 of the top of the pages so you are left with a stack of the ends of the book
- Place the strip of paper at the end of the book so you have the appearance of a complete book, leaving one side open for the cords to come out & so air can circulate
- Place the modem in one book, and the router in the other, both with the cords coming out the back & close the book cover
- Stack on top of each other, and now you have a cool decoration
Finished product:
 |
| top looks just like a stack of books, while bottom two show hidden items |
