All posts by thecraftysisters

Sparkly Jewel Cardboard Rings

craft, Creativity, DIY, Jewelry, , , , , ,
Tiphony Rings
Tiphony cardboard rings.

Cheri: I find that a lot of the things I create is because I can’t create something in the usual way. In my perfect world I would be able to make jewelry from silver and have a jewelry bench with a torch, a jewelers saw, and the like. Since I don’t, I have decided to do the next best thing. I create out of what I have.

These rings are similar to how they would be made if I was using a precious metal, only a whole lot easier. The bezels are created by gluing a strip of cardboard into a ring. Then glue the edges of that ring to another piece of cardboard. After it is dry I cut closely around the strip.

I then make a ring band with another strip of cardboard and glue the bezel on to it. I  painted the whole piece to give it a patina like finish. After that is dry, I filled the bezel with sparkle glue and covered it with Mod Podge Dimensional Magic.

This was a really fun project and is quite easy. I have to thank Loryn for coming up with the great name of “Tiphony.” I just love the name and it really sums up the whole project.

Tiphony Rings
Close-up of jeweled cardboard rings.
Paper Rolls Ring
Jeweled paper rings.
Tiphony Rings
Jeweled paper rings.

Christmas Ornament Countdown: Cardboard Tube Snowflakes

Christmas Ornaments, craft, Creativity, , , , , ,
Christmas Ornament Countdown
Glittery snowflakes from paper towel rolls.

Cheri: This is my second ornament in the Christmas Ornament Countdown. I like to work in paper and when I can use paper that was something else at one time, that makes it doubly good. These ornaments are made from paper and toilet paper rolls. They are really quite easy to make.

All you need to do is take the roll and flatten it. Then take a ruler and measure in ¼ inch increments. After that is done cut them apart with scissors, or if you have a large paper cutter you can use that. You will have several rings of cardboard. I like to start out with a flower pattern and work from there. You can bend the cardboard into any shape that you want and just let your imagination take over.

After I had them glued together, I spray painted them with silver metallic spray paint, then I sprayed adhesive glue and sprinkled them with glitter.

When you are faced with an empty paper roll, you may want to think twice before throwing it out. You never know what you can make out of it.

Christmas Ornament
Close-up of ornament.

Christmas Ornament Countdown: Scrapbook Paper Balls

Christmas Ornaments, craft, Creativity, , , , ,
Christmas Ornament Countdown
Simply elegant ornament made form scrapbook paper strips and floral wire.

Cheri: Kristin’s ornament was so awesome that I have to admit I was a tad bit intimidated by this challenge. Actually, this type of challenge really brings out the best in both of us.
My ornament was made with scrapbook paper too.

I cut about 35 strips of paper and pushed a hole in all of them on both ends. I then took some floral wire that I had and made a loop in one end, and fed all the strips onto the wire. I then took the very last strip and threaded it on to the other end of the wire and continued to do this until all of them had been put on.

I fanned them out into a ball, and made a loop in the other end. I really like to use scrapbook paper that has stripes on it because the pattern seems to flow better. So one down 7 more to go.

Christmas Ornament Countdown
The ornament hangs vertically with two balls strung together.
Christmas Ornament Countdown
Christmas Ornament Paper Strip Balls

Crafty Challenge 5: Wire Ornament Tree

Christmas Ornaments, craft, Craft Challenge, ,

Loryn: I’ve collected wooden ornaments from the 70s and 80s for several years now, and I’ve wanted a fun way to display them. Our Two-Hour Christmas Decoration Challenge seemed like a good time to think something up.

Here, you can see how big the tree is (my ceilings are nearly 10′!). When we were kids, our grandpa would take us to pick out a live tree at his uncle’s Christmas tree farm. We would pick out a tree that seemed little out in the field, only to find out that it was 8′ tall once we got it into the house. Evidently, I still have that same problem, as I didn’t realize how big this would be until I got it on the wall!

Wall-mounted wire tree

I used green clothesline wire that I found at the hardware store during our $5 Challenge. My initial idea was to make the tree as one piece. At 10:30, with one quarter of my time already gone, I realized it just wasn’t going to work. The wire was much harder to bend than I expected, and it was a weird, wobbly mess. Time for plan B! I decided that individual rows would be easier to work, and it meant that I could add rows as my collection grew.

Here you can see the loops I made at the end of each row to hold the screws that hold the tree onto the wall. I first planned to make the ornament “hooks” go the other way, and to use hooks to hold each ornament in its spot. In the middle of the project, I realized that by turning them over I could eliminate hooks.

The ornaments are really lightweight, so I didn’t worry about getting the screws into studs. There will be a lot of screw holes in the walls to patch. This room will be painted after Christmas, so I’ll be patching anyway. If you’re not up for patching, this would make a fun, single strand garland, or even an advent calendar, with a new ornament added each day!

Crafty Challenge 5
Close-up of tree topper.
Crafty Challenge 5
Close-up of ornaments on their hanger.
Ornament Tree
Vintage ornaments on wall tree.

— Loryn

Crafty Challenge 5: Star Christmas Tree Lightbulb Ornaments

craft, Craft Challenge, Creativity, DIY, How to, , , , , ,

Star ornament made from Christmas lights

Cheri: Well, another project come and gone. This one did not freak me out too much. I am always making little projects.

Sometimes I will see an object that I really like because it stirs up memories of being a kid. That is what happened when I bought these Christmas tree light bulbs at a garage sale a few months ago. I was drawn to the color, (pink) and I really liked the vintage feel of them too.

I knew that I would never use bulbs like these on a lighted string (who could trust them), but I still liked the look of them. They were the kind of lights we had on our tree when I was a kid. I don’t even know if these are sold anymore. They do have a tendency to get hot and really the newer, small lights are brighter.

When I saw them for 50 cents, I couldn’t think of anything to do with them at the time so I tucked them away for when an idea came.  When this project was discussed, I felt that I could possibly use the light bulbs for something. I was pretty sure what I wanted to do and I was also sure that the idea would work pretty well. All I really needed was hot glue, ( I am the Queen of hot glue).

For the 14 point star ornament, I started out with glue on the metal tips and then I put one light bulb in the center on each side. I tried to do this mathematically but as I am math challenged, I decided to go by sight. It came out pretty well the first time and I knew that I really didn’t want to press my luck so I decided it looked pretty symmetrical.

For the eight point stars, I just glued 4 together and glued 4 more together and attached them. I hot-glued buttons onto them to cover the glue in the center.

I then decided I needed a hanger that was not very noticeable. In the box were 2 bulb clips, so I took one bulb off the star, attached the clip and then glued the bulb back on. This way I can attach a hook to it.

All in all I was quite pleased with the outcome and I think it will look terrific on a tree. The best thing is it was really simple and cheap. I just love it when a plan comes together.

14 point Christmas tree lightbulb star ornament.
Christmas lightbulb ornament
The back of the 14 point star ornament with hanger.
Christmas lightbulb ornament
Four lightbulbs glued together end to end into a four point star and then two of those flat stars glued together to form an eight point star.
Christmas lightbulb ornament
The back of the eight point star with a close-up of the wire hanger,