creative jewish mom

Price Tag Sticker Candle Jars

Aren't these neon price tag sticker candle jars fun? When I bought some rolls of these stickers I thought I was buying them for my kids. Of course my kids don't have any idea that neon is "back" or that their mom really bought the stickers to satisfy that personal desire of hers for just a touch of neon! 

Making patterns with these little stickers is just too much fun, so give it a try!

If you'd like to keep these jars for future use, I'd recommend a coat of mod podge or any decoupage medium over the stickers.....mind you, the mod podge will make your jars cloudy, on the other hand your work will last. There's no guarantee as to how well the stickers will stick to the glass over time, depending on how sticky they are! Have fun!

And thanks to Design Sponge for featuring my price tag sticker DIY here.

And don't forget to check out  my other price tag sticker posts: price tag sticker gift wrap and price tag sticker snowflakes.

 

Using Acrylic Paint As Fabric Paint!

In my post about freezer paper stenciling I stated that one can use acrylic paint in place of fabric paint. That is the case, but I wanted to elaborate on this a bit, thanks to some comments from two wonderful readers, Diana in Culver City CA and Lynne in Chicago.

Diana said "I used to work for a company that manufactures acrylic paints. They are, indeed, much the same. To make your acrylic paint more "fabric friendly," add a bit of water, no more than 10%. It thins the paint a bit and makes it slightly less stiff on the fabric.
 
Lynne said "in general, it's better to add textile/fabric medium to thin your acrylic paints before you use them on fabric. The paint is then permanent and more flexible (doesn't crack)."

In conclusion, if you're doing freezer paper stenciling, and you don't want a stiff result, use fabric medium, as watery paint consistency will cause the paint to possibly bleed under the paper. If you're painting on fabric for some other project, like my glue batik project, where watery paint is not an issue, so just go ahead and add water to your paint! And if you're doing a wall hanging or a non-clothing item, so stiffness may not be an issue, and you can go ahead and use slightly watered down acrylic paint.

If you'd like more info, here are two helpful links that I found on ehow.com, this one tells you which medium to mix with your paint depending on what method you'll be using to apply the paint to the fabric, and this one tells you how you can seal your work if you do use regular acrylic paint on fabric.

Happy fabric painting! There are so many possibilities from clothing to curtains to tote bags to well you name it! 

More Freezer Paper Stenciling: A Snowflake Pillowcase!

A freezer paper stenciled snowflake pillowcase. A perfect addition to your winter decor! And so easy, even for the inexperienced crafter. In fact, taking a half decent photo of this pillow was ten times harder than making it. (Maybe because I decided to take a little nap in the Mediterranean sunshine in the middle of the shoot? Sorry, not trying to make those of you who are snow bound jealous....we're expecting rain tomorrow.....) Now I know why the un-made bed look is popular in photos these days—by default!  Come to think of it, the professionals probably don't even use real mattresses under those smooth wrinkle free sheets. Okay, sorry, back to crafting!

Now, as I was saying, freezer paper stenciled pillowcases are a great way to add a little cheerful color to any room, and can even be the finishing touch (or starting point) you were looking for! I really think that a few of these pillowcases could turn a cute room into something beyond adorable. And of course, you don't have to make snowflakes, how about letters, or spelling out a message with a few pillows? Little birds on one pillow, a birdhouse on another? And guess what, here's the tip of a lifetime that I almost forgot about myself— you can run freezer paper through your printer, oh my! (Just make sure that the printing happens on the non-shiny side.) And then all you need to do is cut the design out with your craft knife. Are you swooning? I am.

For complete instructions on how to freezer paper stencil to your heart's desire, see my post yesterday. And let me know how it goes, I'm compiling a reader roundup of projects inspired by CJM posts, so do join in on the fun and send me your links or photos.

Freezer Paper Stenciled Pyjamas! (And A Fun DIY Hanger Idea...)

And now, for some more snowflake crafting! How about stenciling snowflakes on long underwear with freezer paper? This is one great idea for those men/teenage boys that are nearly impossible to craft for, dont you think? Or how about a fun gift for those five nephews......or dress your own kids up in matching custom family pyjamas this winter! (And send me a photo....!)

If you're familiar with freezer paper stenciling, so you already know that the options are endless. And if this idea is by any chance new to you, or you haven't tried it yet, so now is the time! There is a good reason why so many crafters have been obsessed with this technique. It's just too easy to believe. And you know me, I wouldn't try to sell you something you don't need, especially when our crafting hours are very precious!

You'll Need

• freezer paper, I used Reynolds brand, purchased in the US (email me if you live in Israel and would like some, I'm doing a giveaway which I'll announce tomorrow!)
• acrylic paint or fabric paint (I recently read that you can interchange the two, and that's right, ever notice how acrylic paint doesn't come out of clothing? It may possibly result in a stiffer design though, so don't take my word on this 100%, try both and see!)
• something to stencil on, like a long underwear shirt and/or pants

Don't look too closely, these photos are not all from the same project! Only the middle image is the shirt shown above.

How To:

1. Cut a square of freezer paper and fold it according to the diagrams for making paper medallions here.
2. With a pencil, draw your design on the folded freezer paper piece, (above left) and cut out with scissors
3. Unfold snowflake and iron, shiny side down, with a hot dry iron onto clothing item. Make sure that all the edges of the stencil are adhered to the fabric.
4. Insert a piece of paper or cardboard under the top layer of your garment (very important!) so paint won't leak onto other side....yikes!
5. Apply paint with a dense sponge, stencil brush or even a regular paint brush
6. Set aside to dry, and once dry remove paper to reveal your design, voila!
7. Heat set if required by the product you used.

Note: There are two ways to make snowflake designs with this method. One is to cut out a snowflake, adhere it to your clothing item, and then using additional pieces of freezer paper, iron on a border around that, which is what I did in the photo with the orange paint above. Or, you can do what I did with the shirt shown here and cut out shapes from your folded freezer paper piece that will then loosely suggest a snowflake. There are other more complicated ways to do this with possibly even better results, but who needs complicated? I'd say line up a bunch of shirts and go for the quick route with this one!

Oh and I almost forgot! Like the hanger? It's so simple to make and who wouldn't love to receive a set of these? And you may be able to even convince your loved ones to hang up their clothes! Complete instructions from my post last year here.

Recycle Plastic Bottles & Make Super Cute Apple Shaped Boxes!

 

Apparently I have apples on the brain, which is not surprising given that Rosh HaShana is just over a week away! Last week I was looking at a plastic bottle and realized that the bottom of those that I have look very much like apples! After some complicated ideas involving spray paint, and only one bottle, it occurred to me that two soda bottle bottoms stacked look very much like an apple!  Yippee!

I'm so happy that I arrived at this cute and simple idea, that you can make in just a few simple steps with no toxic paint involved! You can use these apple boxes to hold treats or even a small gift,  and adjust their height depending on what you'll place inside. A perfect little surprise for Rosh HaShana, or any party, don't you think? And they're quick to make, so you can whip up a whole bunch after the kids are in dreamland, and place them on your holiday table for a fun surprise.

You'll Need:

• plastic soda bottles with bottoms that look like apples, mine are seltzer bottles
• pieces of real sticks
• red fabric or red tissue paper
• green felt in two shades of green
• ribbon
• a hole punch
• a hot glue gun

How To:

1. Cut the bottoms off of two plastic bottles using a sharp knife to make the first cut and then scissors.trim bottles to desired height.
2. Cut a piece of stick to about 1 1/2", and using hot glue affix to top of apple
3. Using a heavy duty hold punch, punch corresponding holes in both top and bottom at the front and back of apple. The back set of holes will be used to make a hinge, while the front set of holes is tied with a bow for opening the apple. You can choose to make your closures with either four holes or two holes, both shown in the photo above.
4. Wrap your gift or treats in fabric or paper, and place inside, or alternatively, glue fabric loosely to the inside of your apple, and insert gift, which will result in a more re-usable container!
5. Tie apple closed with ribbon, and make leaves from felt and glue to stem with a hot glue gun.
6. Hide your bushel of apples in a secret place until it's time for the surprise!

Make A Fun DIY Stenciled Coat Rack (For Kids?)

   

Why not encourage your kids to hang up their stuff by providing them with a fun coat rack hung at their level! You may even have the supplies for this project hanging around collecting dust, like I did! And in case you're wondering, I really am not all that handy, it's just that I couldn't find anything to buy (at a reasonable price) that would look great in this cute little yellow toy/catch-all room just off the kitchen!

 

And no, it doesn't usually look like this, but the mess was obscuring the beauty of the project, so I had to dispose of it (throw it in a corner behind me, namely) as you can well imagine! And yes, the bags made from woven plastic strips are great, I got them in Seattle years ago!

You'll  Need:

• a piece of plywood, wood or even laminated partical board of some kind that's the right size for your needs, or even old drawer fronts would be great for this project!
• formica edging tape, for a very finished look if using plywood
• paint suitable for wood, I used enamel semi-gloss
• a paint brush or mini roller
• hooks, any assortment is fun, or all the same if you prefer
• a stencil
• craft paint for your stencil, and a stencil brush or piece of dense foam to apply paint to stencil
• varnish, either spray or brush-on for a top coat to protect your stenciled pattern
• an electric drill for attaching hooks to boards, (you could use a regular screwdriver if working with solid wood that's not too hard) and a handy neighbor to attach the racks to the wall!

How To:

1. Paint your base pieces, and set aside to dry overnight. If you are using something that is already covered in a laminate of some kind, you'll need to use special paint suited to formica, which is available as a base coat in white.
2. Apply your stenciled pattern (see my other posts about stenciling here) and set aside to dry
3. Apply a coat of varnish, acrylic or oil based, spray or paint-on, whichever suits you, or whichever you happen to have on hand
4. Apply formica strips to edges if applicable, using manufacturers instructions. The brand I used was pre-glued and I applied it with heat, namely an iron!
5. Carefully mark holes for placement of hooks (measure!) and attach hooks with a screwdriver or screwdriver attachment on your power drill
6. Attach coat racks to wall at the right level for your needs, and enjoy!
7. Take photos and share them with us here, it would make us so proud!

Make A Fun Freezer Paper Stenciled Pillowcase For Pesach!

Have you discovered the joys of freezer paper stenciling? There are so many wonderful ways to use this simple technique I see lots more of it in my future! As part of the Pesach Seder, we use pillows at the table to "recline" while drinking the four cups of wine (grape juice for some) during the reading of the haggadah.
I usually use simple pastel colored pillow cases, which look lovely, but this year I decided to take that idea one step further! 

To learn more about this project, with a complete tutorial, head on over to makeandtakes.com where I'm guest posting today. And thanks so much to Marie for inviting me to share a project with her readers!

If you have your eye on the felt rosebud bouquet, a perfect project for Spring, you can find my tutorial for that simply wonderful project here.

All the best, and do take a moment to enter my giveaway at the top of the page! And if you are a fellow craft blogger, take a moment and join my Craft Schooling Sunday international party below, (until Tues) I'd love to see what you've been up to!

Want Stencil Patterns With Depth? Use Joint Compound!

A post or so ago, I spoke about using stencils to create decorative interest in your home. Now I want to let you in another simple decorating tip that is quite easy to do yet can be stunning. Instead of stenciling flat patterns on your walls, you can stencil something that will have both depth and texture!  This technique used in the wrong way can be really tacky, so just don't go overboard with heavy colors or too much altogether. Think simple and subtle, an artful touch over a sink, a border around a doorway.....

One can purchase stencils on the market designed specifically for this technique, though I have a sneeking suspicion that it will work with most types of plastic stencils, especially the thicker ones available in craft stores (but not the really really thin ones). And in fact this technique can be quicker than stenciling with paint because the join compound (shpachtel in Israel) is applied to the stencil with the sweep of a putty knife (also called a shpachtel!) and that's it!

I have used this technique in two places in my home. As seen above in a Moroccan style niche behind the dining room table, and in arches above 9 windows in my living room, dining room and kitchen. I agonized for months about how to fill the arches over the windows, I was thinking of mosaic, or maybe decorative paintings of the Twelve Tribes, or even depictions of the Seven Species. All of these ideas would have taken possibly months, so I hadn't quite figured it out. One day it came to me to do stenciling with joint compound, (it helped that I'd already purchased the stencils!) and in the course of making dinner I climbed up on a ladder and stenciled all 9 arched niches. I loved it when I did it and two years later I still love it! Lesson learned: very often the simplest solution is the most beautiful!

Joint compound can be colored, as I did in the Moroccan niche, but it makes the whole process much messier. For your first project I honestly recommend using the plain white joint compound, it washes off the stencil easily, and if you make a mistake you can also wipe if off the wall with no marks or color left behind. The interesting thing about these dimensional stencils is that from afar it is very difficult to tell that they are anything but flat, but the dimension gives them a special look that one can not achieve with regular painted stencils.

How-To 

You'll Need:

• joint compound (used for filling holes and repairing imperfections in walls)
• a wide putty knife (or regular sized if designs are small)
• a stencil cut from thick plastic

Instructions:

1. Practice this technique a few times on a hard surface before beginning to work on your walls.
2. Hold stencil in place with your hand or use spray stencil adhesive
3. Load putty knife with joint compound and sweep putty knife across stencil in one swift motion, filling the area of the stencil with joint compound.
4. Carefully lift stencil to view the results. If you used too much joint compound and the results are messy, quickly wipe off and start again! Once you get the hang of this it's simple, so don't give up!

Revive Your Surfaces With Stenciling!

A vintage metal cabinet gets a new look with a coat of paint and a stencil.

The world of stenciling is vast, and there are so many ways to use this decorative technique that it could indeed boggle the mind. But in fact is stenciling is a relatively easy and simple way to add some decorative detail to a plain wall or a piece of furniture that has seen better days. Once you get the hang of it and have the proper knowledge, your results will be near perfect and you'll want to stencil your whole world!

A wood and metal cocktail table gets a fresh look with a coat of paint and stenciling.

In my humble opinion, the best way to make sure you'll like the results is to steer clear of too much color or too much contrast. For your first project try stenciling creme on a white wall, or white on a pale blue wall.
Darker colors tend to show the imperfections too much and can be too eye-catching, making the existing decor suddenly seem totally out of place. Your goal should be to create something subtle yet beautiful, that you'll enjoy for years to come.

A doorway is the perfect place for a subtle stencil application

While there are many stencils on the market from simple to complex, if you're feeling really adventurous you can design and cut your own stencil with stencil plastic (available through stencil supply companies)
and an x-acto knife. Before you jump into stenciling on a permanent surface, practice your techniques on paper or cardboard— you can make wrapping paper, greeting cards and gift boxes while you hone your skills.

A simple wooden box, painted and stenciled, becomes an elegant way to offer guests a selection of teas.

Tips For Stenciling Perfection:

• To apply paint use either a stenciling brush or a dense sponge, like a makeup sponge
• Make sure paint is on the sticky side, not watery, or it will run!
• Dab the paint lightly in a repetitive motion over the stencil
• You can purchase spray stencil adhesive which will temporarily hold the stencil on the wall, great for large stencils
• Stenciling is relatively easy once you know the tricks so be patient and practice, it's worth it!